Touvez l'object Touvez L’object -Son chapeau et son blouson, c’est ça ? -Oui, son chapeau et son blouson. Ils sont dans la chambre de Mélanie, sous l'étagère à côté de la fenêtre. - L'étagère avec des livres, à gauche de la fenêtre ? -Non ! L’etagere contre le mur, à droite de la fenêtre… sous les affiches ! Oh ! la, la ! -À droite de….. Ah oui ! Sur la chaise, il y à un blouson et un chapeau. -Voila ! C’est ça! Find the object A: Her hat and her jacket, right? B: Yes, her hat and her jacket. They are in Melanie’s bedroom, under the shelf near the window. A: The shelf with the books, on the left of the window? B: No! The bookshelf against the wall, on the right of the window……. under the posters! Oh darn! A: On the right of…. oh yes! On the chair, there are the jacket and the hat. B: That’s it! Right!

French Letter Dear Lea, Stephen and I were in Barcelona for the weekend, staying at Alicia’s place. We arrived on Friday by plane. On Saturday, Alicia and I went shopping. We walked the whole day. In the evening, all the three of us went to a restaurant and we returned at 2 a.m. in the morning. We spent an excellent evening! This morning, we visited the Picasso museum and this afternoon, we went to Park Guell. It is beautiful! We will return in two days. Kisses, Mathilde Chère Léa, Étienne et moi, nous sommes à Barcelone pour le week-end, chez Alicia. Nous sommes arrivés vendredi en avion. Samedi, Alicia et moi, nous sommes allées faire des courses.Nous avons marché toute la journée. Le soir, nous sommes allés au restaurant tous les trois et nous sommes rentrés à deux heures du matin. Nous avons passé une excellente soirée ! Ce matin, nous avons visité le musée Picasso et, cet après-midi, nous sommes allés au parc Guell. C'est magnifique! Nous rentrons dans deux jours. À bientôt. Bisous, Mathilde

Comma Conundrum

Sometimes, a misplaced comma can be a difference between heaven... and hell

1. Let's eat, Mum! --> Let's eat Mum!

2. I like baking, my dog and my life. <--> I like baking my dog and my life.

3. You just helped someone get a job. <--> You just helped someone. Get a job. 

4. Today, we will learn how to copy and paste, kids. <--> Today, we will learn how to copy and paste kids. 

I hope these sentences made you laugh. Can you think of other sentences where a comma or a lack thereof creates a hell of a difference?

What's your real reason for posting a notebook entry?

I would like to discuss something which is not directly related to the learning of English, so do bear with me. 

Everyone of us performs many routines in our daily lives -- we pick up a cup of water, we open a bag of chips and we plonk ourselves on the sofa and swipe our fingers across our smartphones. All these actions are done subconsciously and routinely, and we may not even be aware of them. We drink because we are thirsty. We eat because our stomachs are rumbling. We use our smartphones as we want to respond to the latest notification. It would be downright illogical if we swipe our smartphones to fill our stomachs, or eat to quench our thirst. 

In other words, we should be mindful of the the reason for our actions. An action must be the effect of a valid reason. Being mindful is important because it means we are conscious, reflective and attentive to what we are doing. Most importantly, we know why we are doing something.

Therefore, what is your reason for posting a notebook entry on Italki today? Were you here to practise writing on a particular topic? Were you here to familiarise yourself with writing a formal letter? Why didn't you post your notebook entry on another social platform such as Facebook? 

I think most of the readers who have persevered by reading up to this point can probably infer what I am trying to drive at. We choose to post a notebook entry on Italki (and not some other social media) because we have a specific goal: we would like to better our language proficiency. We want to improve, sound better, communicate clearer and appear smarter in our writing as we improve in our use of any language. If this is our reason, what should our action be? 

Does it help us if we remain hostile and defensive if a member tries to help by pointing out a mistake of ours? Or do we mull over it and see if there is any merit in what the member says? If we genuinely disagree with someone else who corrected our work, are we polite and patient enough to clarify with them? Or do we snap at them because we cannot understand the difference between a "critique" and a "criticism"? 

When we post a notebook entry on Italki, we are allowing others free access to read, respond and correct us (otherwise, we should be writing a diary). Someone who posts a notebook entry and has a pre-conceived notion that their piece is perfect is not matching their action with a correct reason. When a person has such a huge ego bubble and becomes their own God, no learning can take place. Learning can only take place when one is receptive and humble. As for those whom we genuinely disagree with, we should also bear in mind that everyone of us is on a learning journey -- we are in various stages of "correctness". The person whom we disagree with is not getting paid when he or she invests time in trying to help us. Therefore, the least we can "pay" is a simple compliment for their effort, and not a snub. 

Doing things right, or doing the right things? Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? 

Meet The Future

Singapore observed the annual Earth Hour on 25th March 2017. Thousands of lights were turned off for an hour in a show of support for environmental awareness and protection. 

Yet, a billion people did not switch off their lights last night. Not because they were forgetful; they simply had no access to light. 

On a separate note, I have the privilege of attending Meet The Future, an exhibition organised by Shell in Singapore a fortnight ago. Many exciting and innovative ideas were showcased and I was most impressed with the idea of processing used coffee powder into energy-rich fuel pellets. 

Do you or your community adopt any practice(s) on a regular basis? If you do, would you like to care? 

If you are keen, you may want to share your thoughts on any environmental issue in your city. 

What makes you lose your cool? What makes you lose your cool? Do you think it is better to suppress your emotions lest you do something rash, or do you vent your anger?

What is the most important asset you have?

1. Each of us has his or her unique strength(s). What is yours? 

2.What is your most important asset?