上海 Members: Do you want to meet students from the US & practice English? From March 13-22, a lot of students from the University of Southern California (USC) will be in Shanghai and would like to meet local students. You can get together to practice English, share cultures, and learn more about each other's studies. If you: 1) Are in Shanghai between March 13-22. 2) Have some free time 3) Want to practice English & meet US students and 4) Would like to participate, please email [email protected] AND join this group: http://www.italki.com/groups/3297 We will send you more information via email and the group.

What is the difference between 说起(来) and 谈起(来) ? Also, what about the difference between 说过 and 谈过 ?

How can I distinguish between dai (to bring) and dai (to wear) in speaking and listening? For example, 今天早上我忘记 dai 帽子。 If I said this, would you think I forgot to bring 带 my hat or I forgot to wear 戴 a hat?

How can I get over times of panic in conversing in a foreign language? When I'm having a conversation in Chinese, particularly with someone who doesn't speak any English, and they start using a lot of words/phrases I don't know, I freeze up and mentally shutdown, and end the conversation. I know I should ask them what they mean & to explain the words, but this usually just makes me more confused, frustrated, & lost. Any advice to overcome this situation?

Where can I find advanced Chinese vocab in topical lists? I'm interested in finding lists of Chinese vocab focused on specific subject areas, such as international relations/diplomacy business / entrepreneurship medical / health internet / technology environment / pollution 等等

What's the difference between 细心, 当心, and 小心 which all mean careful? 当心 is a verb 细心 is an adjective 小心 is both an adj & a verb I often hear both 小心 and 当心 used in the command/imperative form. How do I know when to use which?

What's the difference between 气氛 and 环境? Does 气氛 primarily refer to the feeling in the air and 环境 refers more the physical surroundings?

Sites for Teachers of English Larry Ferlazzo has a very useful resource list covering many different topics for English as FL teachers at this link on his blog.  If you're looking for topic ideas for classes or listening activities, there's a lot of great resources there, both for classroom use and online use.  Do you have other recommendations?  Are there any you particularly like from that list?

<a rel="bookmark" href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/11/01/the-best-sites-for-teachers-of-english-language-learners-2009/">The Best Sites For Teachers Of English Language Learners — 2009</a>

Who's Attending Shanghai Chatfest 2 tonight? Don't forget Chatfest tonight at Dunkin' Donuts at 7pm! ShiMen Yi Lu 239, near Weihai Lu We look forward to seeing you all there! http://blog.italki.com/2009/11/shanghai-chatfest-2/See the follow up post here http://blog.italki.com/2009/11/shanghai-chatfest-2-practicing-a-language/