What you can learn about English from Obama and Medvedevs mistake

What you can learn about English from Obama and Medvedevs mistake Last weeks meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accidentally provided a great example of how word choice can affect the way a sentence is understood.During a conversation about nuclear weapons in South Korea, Obama and Medvedev did not realize that a microphone was still on, and had a conversation that was meant to be private, but was broadcast over television.Starting at about 43 seconds in the video below, youll see this conversation played several times. The clip below is from a U.S. comedy show called The Daily Show that makes comedy out of daily news events.Watch the video, and then read some excerpts from it below.The Daily Show with Jon StewartMon Thurs 11p / 10cThe Borscht Whispererwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical Humor Satire BlogThe Daily Show on FacebookWhat Medvedev actually said to Obama was I transmit this information to Vladimir. First of all, he should have had the modal verb will in the sentence, as in: I will transmit this information to Vladimir.Beyond that, The Daily Shows Jon Stewart points out that Medvedevs wording makes his statement sound sinister, as if it had been said by Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films. Or as if it should be spoken into a secret spys shoe phone, as Stewart says. The particular problem here is the word transmit.Stewart points out All hes really saying is oh, alright, Ill tell him. But the word transmit is a very technical, formal sounding word, that is typically used when we are talking about signals. Something about using this word that should only be used with radio, television, or shoe phone signals, makes the sentence sound sinister.Medvedev could have made the phrase sound less formal, and less sinister, by using a phrasal verb. For example:I will pass this information along to Vladimir. (to pass something along)I will let Vladimir know. (to let someone know)Or he could have just said: Ill tell Vladimir. I transmit this message to Vladimi r.So what can you learn from this? Well, dont get too worried. While some silly people might have actually thought that there was something evil happening, most people realize that non-native speakers of any language sometimes miss subtleties like these. Second, this is a good reason to study your phrasal verbs. In a one-on-one situation, between two equals, as in Obama and Medvedevs meeting, a phrasal verb would have created the perfect tone.Finally, in the video above, after talking about this particular sentence, Jon Stewart wonders whether all of the past problems between Russia and the U.S. could have been caused by the way Russians speak English. He then gives three example sentence pairs, with a very normal sounding sentence, and another version that has the same meaning, but sound sinister. Listen to them and see if you can understand how he changes them. Pflynn1148 In the first paragraph, you seem like an ESL student, using effect where affect is correct. LOIEnglish Thank s Pflynn1148, though I doubt that mistake makes me seem like an ESL student ??

6 Ways To Reach Out To Your Childs Subject Teacher

6 Ways To Reach Out To Your Child’s Subject Teacher How to Reach Out to Your Childs Subject Teacher How to Reach Out to Your Childs Subject Teacher Most parents will be in touch with their childs classroom teacher from time to time to check in and see how things are going. Classroom teachers work full-time and are around after school or via email for questions or concerns. However, children in K-12 may also learn from a subject teacher, someone who works with children in different grade levels but who teaches only one subject. Most commonly, subject teachers introduce students to art, music, physical education, and foreign language. Parents often interact with subject teachers if their children attend a private or charter school or when their kids start middle or high school. Although these teachers generally dont work on core subjects, its important to maintain open lines of communication so the parent can be involved in their childs overall education. 1. Job share/part-time Many subject teachers work on a job share or part-time basis, meaning they might only be on campus 2 or 3 days a week. This can make it a little bit harder for parents to get in touch in person, especially if they arent sure which days the teacher is available. At the beginning of the year, its a good idea to reach out and ask the teacher when he or she is on campus. Most part-time teachers work with parents on the days they are on campus but may only be available by email on alternate days. 2. Remote communication If your childs subject teacher is hard to get hold of in person, lines of communication can remain open remotely. Each school district will have different communication systems in place, but email is a great place to start. Some schools are becoming more tech-savvy and will have an instant message or chat system where parents can essentially send a quick message similar to a text. Other systems, for serious matters such as grades or missing assignments, might be communicated through a different, more official system (READ: 3 Reasons Why You Should Talk to Your Teacher). 3. By appointment Parents may only be able to get in touch with subject teachers in person by appointment. If the teacher only works in the morning, for example, they may not even be on campus for pickup. Parents who work full-time or who have a busy schedule are likely to be able to chat with the subject teacher during an in-person or phone appointment. 4. Open house/after school night Most schools hold an open house or after school night that takes place throughout the year. This is the best opportunity to get to know your childs subject teachers because they are there mainly to chat with parents and students. Additionally, teachers will be prepared to answer complicated or abstract questions at this time. Even if a child is doing well in all of their non-core classes, its still a good opportunity to interact with all of their teachers (READ: 5 Things That Happen When Kids Get Too Much Screen Time). 5.   Parent-teacher association Another great way to be in touch with the subject teacher, and stay involved in general, is to join the Parent-Teacher Association. Some schools will have very large associations while smaller schools may meet informally from time to time. The PTA is a fabulous opportunity for parents and teachers to come together and discuss any issues that currently affect students. 6. Why be in touch with the subject teacher? Although core subjects, math, and English, are heavily emphasized through standardized testing and, eventually, college prep, subjects that are part of the non-core curriculum can be just as essential to a childs overall education. Whether a student is working on creativity, sports, or learning a second language, these activities and skills will become a huge part of their life and career. Also, subject teachers see kids on a regular basis and can offer parents great insight into the kid’s current enthusiasm for school and how they are getting along with peers. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.