Puns are ambiguous; they are words (or phrases) which sound the same but which have two very different meanings used for humorous effect. (A traditional explanation of a pun is a “play on words” but since this defines everything from puns to Spoonerisms to Malapropsims to Pig Latin it really […]
Continue ReadingMonthly Archives: January 2021
Principle vs Principal
At the —– School of English, we believe in the principals of accuracy, hard work and having fun. I came across this snippet the other day whilst looking at a school website and it frightened me. If they can’t spell properly, how can they believe in the idea of accuracy? […]
Continue ReadingNon Sequiturs in English
Non Sequitur is a Latin phrase we use in English which means it does not follow. It is mainly used to describe a statement which has nothing to do with what was said before. For example, this is logical and sensible. Socrates was a man. All men are mortal. Therefore […]
Continue ReadingMnemonics in TEFL
Mnemonics (pronounced /nəˈmɒniks/ with a silent ‘m’ at the beginning) are short devices (sayings, poems, etc…) used to remember longer, more complex ideas or lists (also known as aides memoires or memory aides). Think of them as poetic versions of string tied around your finger to help remember something! A […]
Continue ReadingMinimal Pairs and TEFL
Minimal Pairs are pairs of words (and sometimes phrases) which differ in their sound by just one element. They are an incredibly useful tool in the TEFL teachers’ bag and if you haven’t started yet, you should learn about them and use them! Mostly minimal pairs are used as pronunciation […]
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