ENGLISH STUDY GROUP ONLINE

 Kids who read often and widely get better at it. This is pretty much just common sense. After all, practice makes perfect in almost everything we humans do and reading is no different.

 Reading exercises our brains. Reading is a much more complex task for the human brain than, say, watching TV is. Reading strengthens brain connections and actually builds new connections.

Reading improves concentration. Again, this is a bit of a no-brainer. Children have to sit still and quietly so they can focus on the story when they’re reading. If they read regularly as they grow up, they develop the ability to do this for longer and longer periods.

Reading teaches children about the world around them. Through reading, they learn about people, places and events outside their own experience. They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them. This learning is important for its own sake however it also builds a store of background knowledge which helps younger children learn to read confidently and well.

Reading improves a child’s vocabulary, leads to more highly-developed language skills and improves the child's ability to write well. This is because children learn new words as they read but also because they unconsciously absorb information as they read about things like how to structure sentences and how to use words and language effectively.

 Reading develops a child’s imagination. This is because when we read our brains translate the descriptions we read of people, places and things into pictures. When we’re engaged in a story, we’re also imagining how the characters are feeling. We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation.

 Reading helps kids develop empathy. This is something I’ve only recently realised but it makes sense. As my fifteen-year-old son said to me when we were discussing it, ‘Of course it does because you’re identifying with the character in the story so you’re feeling what he’s feeling.’

 Because reading does all the things I’ve mentioned above, children who read do better at school. And they don’t just do better at subjects like reading, English and history. They do better at all subjects and they do better all the way through school.

Reading is a great form of entertainment! A paperback book doesn’t take up much space so you can take it anywhere and you’ll never be lonely or bored if you have a book in your bag. You can read while waiting in a queue, while waiting for a friend who’s running late or during a flight delay at an airport.

 Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. This is an important point because these days we seem to have forgotten how to relax and especially how to be silent.

The constant movement, flashing lights and noise which bombard our senses when we’re watching TV, looking at a computer or playing an electronic game are actually quite stressful for our brains. When we read, we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains.

                        !! So there you have it – the Top 10 benefits of reading !!

A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be. . .grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”

With each cookie she took, he took one too, when only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other, she snatched it from him and thought… oooh, brother. This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude, why he didn’t even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled, and sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat, then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise, there was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair, the others were his, and he tried to share. Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, “How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him.” – she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem.” – the older angel replied.

“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later…

Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight, remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.

Should you find yourself stuck in traffic, don’t despair, there are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard-of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for many months struggling to feed his family.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking, “What is my purpose?”, be thankful,  there are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

"Can I see my baby?"  the happy new mother asked. 

When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped.  The doctor turned quicky and looked out the tall hospital window.  The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect.  It was only his appearance that was marred.  When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed.  knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.  He blurted out the tragedy  "A boy, a big boy .... called me a freak."

 He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might mingle with other young people,” his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart. The boy’s father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be done? “I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured,” the doctor decided.

Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret,” said the father. The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.

Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. “But I must know!” He urged his father, “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that a son must endure. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears. “Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut,” he whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?”

Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what that can be seen, but what that cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what that is done but not known.

This is how human brain changes when the status changed. Only few remember what life was before, and who’s always been there even in the most painful situations.

Life Is A Gift

Today before you think of saying an unkind word–
think of someone who can’t speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food–
think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife–
think of someone who is crying out to God for a companion.

Today before you complain about life–
think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children–
think of someone who desires children but they’re barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn’t clean or sweep–
think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive–
think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job–
think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another–
remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down–
put a smile on your face and thank God you’re alive and still around.

A few years after I left my secondary school in Manchester, I was invited to help out with the school's Christmas Fair and I decided to have a go at being Father Christmas. I had recently grown my first full beard and thought that I would enter into the role by rubbing flour into my growth. Though I say it myself, I looked rather splendid and certainly I attracted lots of custom. 

I was enjoying myself enormously, bringing a sense of magic to so many young children, but I was mystified by one young boy who paid for a second visit and then astonishingly for a third. The presents on offer were really pretty pitiful, so I asked him why he was coming to see me so often. He answered simply: "I just love talking to you". 

It was then that I realised that, in many households, parents do not encourage their children to talk and really listen to them. This was a lesson that I have taken with me throughout my life. So, at home, at work, socially, always encourage family, friends, colleagues to talk about themselves and their feelings - and really listen. 

Author: Roger Darlington 

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs...

... who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...

The race began...

Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top".

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one...

... Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...
The crowd continued to yell

"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!
"
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up...

...But ONE continued higher and higher and higher...



This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?
It turned out...

That the winner was deaf. 

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the communications trade union for which I then worked received several delegations from the emergent nations and we ran courses for them on how market economies operated and how free collective bargaining was conducted. As is my practice when lecturing to foreign audiences, I had my visual aids translated into the vernacular, so I used overhead slides in Russian, although of course I spoke in English and had an interpreter. 

I cannot read the cyrillic alphabet and know very little Russian, so I just worked through my slides in order. However, there came a point when I could tell from the statistical data on the latest slide that, for the previous ten minutes, I had been speaking to the wrong slide. British students would have pointed this out in seconds, but none of the Russians had said a word. 

I was perplexed and asked why nobody had told me that I had been speaking to the wrong slide. Eventually one brave soul volunteered an answer and the interpreter translated: "In our country, no one challenges the teacher". 


Author: Roger Darlington 

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! 

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'. 

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. 

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet.  He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." 

There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat.  He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.  That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. 

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning?  What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth.  I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Sau gần một năm bên MyOpera, tin tức cập nhật mới nhất cho biết rằng MyOpera sẽ đóng cửa vào tháng ba tới, thế là ESGO phải khăn gói lên đường tìm nhà mới, nghèo mà còn mắc cái eo .....  
ESGO gửi lời cám ơn chân thành đến oc_bigbang, đã nhiều đêm không ăn, ngày quên ngủ, xây dựng một căn nhà mới nho nhỏ để chúng ta cùng sinh hoạt với nhau.

Nhà đã xây xong, mời mọi người vào thăm nhé ........


After almost year in MyOpera, the latest sad news is that it will be shut down next March.  We have to look for a new place to call home. 

ESGO would like to extend our deepest gratitude to oc_bigbang, who had spent many sleepless nights and days to build our new little house.

It is done and now is now ready for us to make the best of it.  Welcome all !!!!

Thơ Tặng Cô

Cô Ốc của con
Tóc dài chấm vai
Trán cao cương nghị
Mắt cận dễ thương
Giọng nói dịu êm

Mỗi khi Cô cười       <<<< thích nhất 4 câu này
Như họa mi hót
Nhưng khi cô giận   
Thật là khủng khiếp

Mặt trời trở giấc...
Bước vào Paltalk
Gió lùa hoa mướp
Vờn chú ong non
Cô hỏi dí dỏm:
Cả nhà khỏe không?

Cô Ốc của con
Giảng bài tận tâm
Điều gì chưa rõ
Hãy hỏi Cô ngay

Từ ngày có Cô
Chúng con gặp may
Tiếng Anh bập bẹ
Giờ giỏi chẳng hay

Yêu đàn Ốc con
Ghét nhất khủng bố
Chẳng sợ điều xấu
Cô quyết nấu chè
Mời họ ăn ngay

Cô Ốc của con
Lung linh cánh mỏng
Như bà tiên mộng
Dạy chúng con ngoan
Con yêu Cô Ốc
Cô tiên dịu hiền.
 

 Nụ hoa hồng ngày hôm nay
Còn rung rinh sắc thắm tươi
20-11 năm nay
Cô Ốc tuổi vừa 66
Cô đang ngồi bên máy tính
Tay gõ phím bụp bụp               <<<< chuẩn không cần chỉnh 
Giọng nói hòa tiếng cười
Lòng vui như trảy hội
Từ nước Mỹ xa xôi
Từng lời chúc gửi đến:
Con chúc cô luôn mạnh khỏe, xinh đẹp,có người gọi cô đi làm luôn để có tiền trả internet, điện thoại góp, nhưng con chỉ muốn cô mỗi tuần làm 3 ngày còn mấy ngày khác lên dạy con học.


 Your Name
I wrote your name in the sky, but the wind blew it away.
I wrote your name in the sand, but the waves washed it away.
I wrote your name in my heart, and forever it will stay.

Năm nào cũng thế, Hoàng Tử Ếch của ốc luôn mang lại những niềm vui bất ngờ từ lời nói chân thành và mộc mạc nhất nhưng lại gây chấn động trong lòng của ốc.

Con luôn luôn là hạt ngọc trai trong lòng ốc.  Thương con thật nhiều

Cám ơn cả nhà đã đem lại cho ốc và tất cả mọi người một ngày đầy đủ ý nghĩa và ấm áp.  Cám ơn mia kara, pin, consau, con ốc nhỏ, 2 bé ngọc tú, oc_bigbang, khatam, nyp, và tất cả những lời chúc dễ thương và ngọt ngào.   Tuy ốc chỉ chia sẻ được một phần nào nhưng vẫn hy vọng giữ được ngôi nhà nhỏ ấm cúng và dễ thương này để chúng ta sinh hoạt hằng ngày. 



Cám ơn mia kara với tấm ảnh rất dễ thương và ngọt ngào.  Ốc sẽ giữ mãi trong lòng. 

Thương lắm cả nhà nhé !!

Qua bao những thăng trầm, những buồn vui, em vẫn còn gắn bó với ESGO.  Ốc chúc em một ngày sinh nhật thật hạnh phúc và luôn luôn hướng về tương lai tươi sáng. 

Infinitive	Simple Past	Past Participle
alight	alighted, alit	alighted, alit
arise	arose	arisen
awake	awoke, awaked	awoken, awaked
be	was, were	been
bear	bore	borne, born
beat	beat	beaten, beat
become	became	become
beget	begot	begotten
begin	began	begun
bend	bent	bent
bereave	bereaved, bereft	bereaved, bereft
beseech	besought, beseeched	besought, beseeched
bet	bet, betted	bet, betted
bid	bade, bid	bidden, bid, bade
bide	bade, bided	bided
bind	bound	bound
bite	bit	bitten
bleed	bled	bled
bless	blessed, blest	blessed, blest
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
breed	bred	bred
bring	brought	brought
broadcast	broadcast, broadcasted	broadcast, broadcasted
build	built	built
burn	burnt, burned	burnt, burned
burst	burst	burst
bust	bust, busted	bust, busted
buy	bought	bought
can	could	(kein Participle)
cast	cast	cast
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
cleave	cleft, cleaved, clove	cleft, cleaved, cloven
cling	clung	clung
clothe	clothed, clad	clothed, clad
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
creep	crept	crept
crow	crowed	crew, crowed
cut	cut	cut
deal	dealt	dealt
dig	dug	dug
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
dream	dreamt, dreamed	dreamt, dreamed
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
dwell	dwelt, dwelled	dwelt, dwelled
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feed	fed	fed
feel	felt	felt
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
flee	fled	fled
fling	flung	flung
fly	flew	flown
forbid	forbad, forbade	forbid, forbidden
forecast	forecast, forecasted	forecast, forecasted
forget	forgot	forgotten
forsake	forsook	forsaken
freeze	froze	frozen
geld	gelded, gelt	gelded, gelt
get	got	got, gotten
gild	gilded, gilt	gilded, gilt
give	gave	given
gnaw	gnawed	gnawed, gnawn
go	went	gone
grind	ground	ground
grip	gripped, gript	gripped, gript
grow	grew	grown
hang	hung	hung
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
heave	heaved, hove	heaved, hove
hew	hewed	hewed, hewn
hide	hid	hidden, hid
hit	hit	hit
hold	held	held
hurt	hurt	hurt
keep	kept	kept
kneel	knelt, kneeled	knelt, kneeled
knit	knitted, knit	knitted, knit
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
lean	leant, leaned	leant, leaned
leap	leapt, leaped	leapt, leaped
learn	learnt, learned	learnt, learned
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lie	lay	lain
light	lit, lighted	lit, lighted
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
may	might	(kein Participle)
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
melt	melted	molten, melted
mow	mowed	mown, mowed
pay	paid	paid
pen	pent, penned	pent, penned
plead	pled, pleaded	pled, pleaded
prove	proved	proven, proved
put	put	put
quit	quit, quitted	quit, quitted
read	read	read
rid	rid, ridded	rid, ridded
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
saw	sawed	sawn, sawed
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
seek	sought	sought
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
sew	sewed	sewn, sewed
shake	shook	shaken
shall	should	(kein Participle)
shear	sheared	shorn, sheared
shed	shed	shed
shine	shone	shone
shit	shit, shitted, shat	shit, shitted, shat
shoe	shod, shoed	shod, shoed
shoot	shot	shot
show	showed	shown, showed
shred	shred, shredded	shred, shredded
shrink	shrank, shrunk	shrunk
shut	shut	shut
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank	sunk
sit	sat	sat
slay	slew	slain
sleep	slept	slept
slide	slid	slid
sling	slung	slung
slink	slunk	slunk
slit	slit	slit
smell	smelt, smelled	smelt, smelled
smite	smote	smitten
sow	sowed	sown, sowed
speak	spoke	spoken
speed	sped, speeded	sped, speeded
spell	spelt, spelled	spelt, spelled
spend	spent	spent
spill	spilt, spilled	spilt, spilled
spin	spun	spun
spit	spat	spat
split	split	split
spoil	spoilt, spoiled	spoilt, spoiled
spread	spread	spread
spring	sprang, sprung	sprung
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
sting	stung	stung
stink	stank, stunk	stunk
stride	strode	stridden
strike	struck	struck
string	strung	strung
strive	strove	striven
swear	swore	sworn
sweat	sweat, sweated	sweat, sweated
sweep	swept	swept
swell	swelled	swollen, swelled
swim	swam	swum
swing	swung	swung
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tear	tore	torn
telecast	telecast, telecasted	telecast, telecasted
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
thrust	thrust	thrust
tread	trod	trodden
understand	understood	understood
wake	woke, waked	woken, waked
wear	wore	worn
weave	wove	woven
wed	wed, wedded	wed, wedded
weep	wept	wept
wet	wet, wetted	wet, wetted
win	won	won
wind	wound	wound
wring	wrung	wrung
write	wrote	written

 

 

The definite article the is the same for all genders in singular and in plural.
the boy, the girl, the cat, the computers
If the following word begins with a vowel, we speak [], if the following word begins with a consonant, we speak [].

[]	[]
the following word starts with a spoken consonant	the following word starts with a spoken vowel
the girl	the English girl
the book	the orange book
the school	the old school
the unit Here a [] is pronounced at the beginning of the word.	the uncle Here a [] is pronounced at the beginning of the word.

We have listed some examples in the following table. There you can see when we use the definite article and when we don't.

without the definite article	with the definite article
general words (indefinite)	general words (definite)
Life is too short. I like flowers.	I've read a book on the life of Bill Clinton. I like the flowers in your garden.
names of persons on the singular, relatives	family names in the plural
Peter and John live in London. Aunt Mary lives in Los Angeles.	The Smiths live in Chicago.
public buildings, institutions, means of transport (indefinite)	public buildings, institutions, means of transport (definite)
Mandy doesn't like school. We go to school by bus. Some people go to church on Sundays.	The school that Mandy goes to is old. The bus to Dresden leaves at 7.40. The round church in Klingenthal is famous.
names of countries in the singular; summits of mountains; continents; towns	names of countries in the plural; mountain ranges; regions
Germany, France; Mount Whitney, Mount McKinley; Africa, Europe; Cairo, New York	the United States of America, the Netherlands; the Highlands, the Rocky Mountains, the Alps; the Middle East, the west of Australia
single islands	groups of islands
Corfu, Bermuda, Sicily	the Bahamas, the British Isles, the Canaries
parks; lakes; streets	name with of-phrase; oceans; seas; rivers
Central Park, Hyde Park; Lake Michigan, Loch Ness; 42nd Street, Oxford Street	the Statue of Liberty, the Tower (of London), the Isle of Wight; the Atlantic (Ocean); the Mediterranean (Sea); the Nile, the Rhine, the Suez Canal
months, days of the week (indefinite)	months, days of the week (definite)
The weekend is over on Monday morning. July and August are the most popular months for holidays.	I always remember the Monday when I had an accident. The August of 2001 was hot and dry.

We use the seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) with or without the definite article.
in summer or in the summer
The American English word for autumn >fall< is always used with the definite article.

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Sometimes we use the article and sometimes we do not. It often depends on the context. Watch the following example:
The student goes to school.
The mother goes to the school.
In the first sentence we do not use the definite article, in the second we do. The student goes to school for its primary purpose, so we do not use the article.
The mother might talk to a teacher, for example. She visits the school for a different reason. That's why we use the definite article in the second sentence.

SINGULAR	PLURAL
alumnus	alumni
analysis	analyses
antenna	antennae/antennas
appendix	appendices
axis	axes
bacterium	bacteria
basis	bases
beau	beaux
bureau	bureaux/bureaus
child	children
corpus	corpora/corpuses
crisis	crises
criterion	criteria
curriculum	curricula
datum	data
deer	deer
diagnosis	diagnoses
ellipsis	ellipses
fish	fish
focus	foci/focuses
foot	feet
formula	formulae/formulas
fungus	fungi/funguses
genus	genera
goose	geese
hypothesis	hypotheses
index	indices/indexes
louse	lice
man	men
matrix	matrices
means	means
medium	media
mouse	mice
nebula	nebulae
nucleus	nuclei
oasis	oases
ox	oxen
paralysis	paralyses
parenthesis	parentheses
phenomenon	phenomena
radius	radii
series	series
sheep	sheep
species	species
stimulus	stimuli
stratum	strata
synthesis	syntheses
synopsis	synopses
tableau	tableaux
thesis	theses
tooth	teeth
vertebra	vertebrae
vita	vitae
woman	women

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Pin dễ thương,

Một năm rồi đó, nhanh nhỉ. Pin vẫn còn ở đây trong căn nhà lá của ESGO, chưa bỏ chạy.
Chúc Pin một ngày sinh nhật hạnh phúc, tất cả sẽ được như ý và luôn luôn dễ thương và đẹp trai nhất Pal như ngày nào.

Now I am going to tell you what happened when I know the paltalk
First, my parents who know Paltalk from February 2012 and tried to persuade me for learning English on Paltalk. Once a day, my mom said, "Why don’t you try go into the English Study Group Online for testing pronunciation, why don’t you do that?” Oh never, I replied.

I remember forever that day, the first day read with my dear teacher “Cô Ôc”. It was a Saturday evening 05/2012, I got the heart to try once.
My heart seems burst when I heard the sweet voice from the teacher “Cô Ôc”
“Bé Nam gọi cho Ốc đi con”

Dear Me,
I hate the Paltalk and prayed the god “please help me”
I started hiding under a chair and grumbles.
My mom pulled me out, she said “ let me see that you are the brave man”
After a while, I changed my mind and got out

Suddenly I heard the sound from co Oc “ Hello Con, How are you?”
Oh her voice is sweet. She said “Don’t worry about anything” I stopped talking and breathed a lot. Then she said “Don’t be scare, take a break and say something in English for me. I love you, I will teach you to read better in the future”
I thought: “Oh, her voice is so sweet and she is very pretty. I don’t have to be scare of her, she is so nice”
Day by day, I changed a lot and my English improved

BECAUSE YOU ARE THE GREAT TEACHER “CO OC”
SHE LOOKS LIKE THE ANGEL,
SHE IS AS SWEET AS HONEY,
SHE WAS SO KIND,
INDEED SHE HAD AN EXCELLENT MIND.

I loved ESGO family more and more.
Truly, My teacher bring me many happy and funy.
In new family, I have my Mom “ Co Oc”, Thay, Anh Nghiem, Anh Pin, chi Kha Tam, chi Be, uncle Carem….
I love ESGO room, all the people in the room

Finally, I would like to say Thanks you and reading the poems as below
When I look in your eyes, I see love
When I hear your voice I hear angels
When I see you, I see love
When I hug you, all the pain is gone

Time does fly !!!!!

On February 28, ESGO is celebrating the first birthday thanks to all of our loyal students, friends and supporters. ESGO is here for you and because of you. We come from all over the world but we are here for one thing and one thing that driven us and that is our thirst for knowledge.

We are happy to be here learning and sharing English as well as life in general. In the past year we've experienced ups and downs, people came and went and came back (must be the magnetic personality of a certain instructor ) but we've survived, and most important we have seen improvements in those who put forth their efforts especially the children Tomck, Zimcy, phuong_75, 3 oc con, nhkimtu, pe socola, oc ngoan yeu co oc, minhbill. Congratulations to all of you.

But most of all congratulations to Con Oc Nho, my frog prince, with your determination and relentless efforts you have achieved in six months what would have taken years to learn, from the time you were afraid to speak to being able to hold a conversation, you are incredible. On this special day you have written a very touching passage about our relationship, something that 6 months ago you couldn't have put together even in a few simple sentences. I am very proud of you.

I would like to thank those whom stuck with ESGO during the good and the bad times, pInOcchIO, be oc nho, khatam, tigon, rubystone, thanhvan and last but not least Master TK minhhanh. You have been our most loyal and trusted friends.

Thanks to Yoda, Kumo, VV, abc_learner, Nas and Claire_J for helping out during our time of needs.

Keep up the good work, I hope to see the achievements as you all desired. Best wishes in the years to come and many more.

Thank you and see you in class.

Chu Oc Nho

Hello everyone,

Finally, mission accomplished !

A class schedule is created, I hope everyone will come and join us in Paltalk to learn English and have fun at the same time.

Your questions, inputs are all welcome.

See you in class.



Xin chào tất cả,

Cuối cùng rồi cũng hoàn thành sứ mệnh!

Thời khóa biểu đã thành hình, Ốc hy vọng mọi người sẽ cùng vào học và vui chơi với nhà trong Paltalk.

Mọi thắc mắc, ý kiến đều được hoan nghênh.

Gặp lại nhau trong lớp nhé các bạn thân mến.


LỚP CHÚNG TÔI ĐANG CẦN SỰ GIÚP ĐỠ CỦA CÁC BẠN, NẾU CÁC BẠN CÓ LÒNG MUỐN GIÚP NHỮNG NGƯỜI HIẾU HỌC ANH VĂN, XIN LIÊN LẠC VỚI chu oc nho trong PALTAK HOẶC ĐỂ LẠI TIN NHẮN RIÊNG TRONG ĐÂY.

THÀNH THẬT CẢM ƠN

Paul and Lynn Tran are what you might call modern-day Doogie Howsers. The twins are on track to graduate this spring from the University of North Georgia with dual degrees in chemistry and biology. And they're just 16 years old.

What's more, as if graduating from college at such a young age isn't an impressive enough feat, the twins actually began their education not knowing any English. As preschoolers, the twins spoke only Vietnamese, their parents' native language, but were encouraged to learn math at an early age. After starting kindergarten, they mastered the basics and went on to skip second and fifth grade. While still attending Forsyth Central High in Cumming, Georgia they started taking classes at UNG.

Paul Tran credits their parents for inspiring them to succeed. “My father was a refugee,” he tells Yahoo Shine. “After the Vietnam War, he drove his boat to Thailand and eventually made it to America. We’re driven to do better because our parents had to sacrifice so much to come to the United States.”]

Even if you have already finished learning how to pronounce the words in your learned second language, you will still need to pursue practicing. Pronouncing foreign words often requires you to adopt a new way of speaking, where the positions of your lips and tongue are very different from the way that you are used to.

Take for instance the Spanish “T” or “D”. Spanish language speakers position their tongues next to their teeth whenever they speak these sounds, something that native English speakers would not do for these letters specifically. This is applicable for English speakers when they are saying the “th” sound. Another example is the French “u” which is closest to the German “ü”. To properly say this vowel sound, you shape your lips like as if you are going to whistle, and then attempt to speak the “ee” sound (as in the word “seem”). The appropriate French “u” can be spoken simply if the lips are almost in the closed whistling form, while in English this sound is not present.


Learning how to structure the sounds in the foreign language that you are studying is not enough, however. You must be ready to spontaneously and instantly generate them whenever you speak or read that language. This simply means that you must prepare yourself for the appropriate articulation routinely, with no hesitation in thinking about it. Sometimes, this task is not simple, since when you are speaking another language, you must focus on so many things: subject matter, particular words, accurate grammar, etc. In considering pronunciation as well as all of these aspects of speaking, there is a large chance that one of the other areas mentioned will suffer. Therefore, you should attempt to practice pronunciation daily for the speaking to flow not only naturally but accurately.