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Showing posts from January, 2011

How to improve English (1)

A student asked me for an advice on how to improve his/her English: doit@mryfund  said... teacher, macam saya yg langsung tk pandai speaking english ni camana nk mula dulu yek. ada tips ker. menyebut tak pandai, menulis tak pandai January 18, 2011 2:07 AM My response : Dear doit@mryfund, There's no easy way to master a language. (Tiada jalan pintas utk menguasai sesuatu bhs.) However, we should never give up. Keep practicing English in our everyday life. Try to speak, listen, read & write in English everyday. For a start, here are some tips that can be done: 1. Speak English with your English teacher. This will help to increase your confidence in speaking English. In class, ask questions in English. Volunteer to read aloud in class so that your teacher can correct your pronunciation (sebutan). It's okay if you speak broken English.  2. Listen to good songs in English. You can learn many new words. Make sure you have a good dictionary too. For a start, you may use engl

What's the meaning of "Green Lung"?

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Taman Tasik Titiwangsa is one of the green lungs in Kuala Lumpur.  (Source of Picture:  http://www.shutterasia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37902 ) The following question came out in Paper 1 - Final Year Examination for English Form 1 last year: " This park is the only green lung in the city."  What is the meaning of green lung  in this sentence?  "Green lung" is a new phrase in English. Try searching its meaning in the Oxford dictionary or www.merriam-webster.com  or even google; and you'll find none!  Since I couldn't find its meaning neither in the dictionary nor on the internet, I consulted the experts in English. According to a senior English lecturer in UIAM ,  green lung refers to a space in an urban area that has lots of plants , not about the colour of the foliage. As a result the area is healthier . So, it is kind of inaccurate to say that "green lung" literally means the source of oxygen. If a park is the only green lung in a city,

I Wonder by Jeannie Kirby (Form 2)

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I have started teaching the poem "I Wonder" by Jeannie Kirby, the Form 2 new literature component. The poem consists of 6 couplets. In my opinion, the poem is straight forward and easy to understand. Here's the poem: I WONDER By: Jeannie Kirby I wonder why the grass is green, And why the wind is never seen? Who taught the birds to build a nest, And told the trees to take a rest? O, when the moon is not quite round, Where can the missing bit be found? Who lights the stars, when they blow out, And makes the lightning flash about? Who paints the rainbow in the sky, And hangs the fluffy clouds so high? Why is it now, do you suppose, That Dad won’t tell me, if he knows? Before starting the lesson, I asked a few questions to students: What does the phrase, 'I Wonder' mean to you? Have you ever wondered how plants eat? Have you ever wondered why you can feel the wind but cannot see it? After discussing the questions