Welcome 2012

Welcome to new English students.

Have a look around here; you'll find useful links on the right, so click through and see what's there. Of special interest for those with a Facebook account is the English@Park Facebook Page - LIKE it immediately and receive updates, useful messages, and a handy way to contact me in off-hours.

You'll also notice a Twitter feed for @parkenglish lower down the page, and the tags for post topics to help you navigate the blog articles. You can use the Search box if you know what you're looking for.

And before you leave, put your EMAIL ADDRESS in the subscribe box at the top! Then you'll get updates hot and fresh to your inbox.

Enjoy your stay!

I, You, He or She?

A very readable account of the choice of point of view in fiction, from the perspective of a writer who does the choosing.

I, You, He or She – Some Thoughts on Point of View
http://www.michaelpryor.com.au/articles/i-you-he-or-she-some-thoughts-on-point-of-view/

Functional Grammar

Systemic Functional Grammar is a nicely coherent approach to linguistics which has occupied much of my summer. I'm going to be trialling it as an way of helping to structure the course this year.

This page, from an Australian website, has lots of materials to help you get a grip on SFL. Try the introductory booklet – most of the terms and ideas there will be familiar to A2s, but with some new ways of looking at things, and fitted into an overarching framework that might help make things click.

http://www.mourass.eq.edu.au/functional_grammar.htm

Editing is Critical

Yeah baby. And critical editing is what we learn to do at A Level. We learn the terminology and we practise.

Learning the Hard Way: Editing is Critical
http://www.writingforward.com/news-announcements/guest-posts/learning-the-hard-way-editing-is-critical

Unsuck It

A darkly fun glossary of business slang and jargon, put into everyday terms – often with an acerbic edge.

http://unsuck-it.com/browse/

Zombie Nouns

"They cannibalize active verbs, suck the lifeblood from adjectives and substitute abstract entities for human beings." Nice.

Zombie Nouns
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/zombie-nouns/?ref=global-home

Higgs boson metaphors

You've got to use language to explain science – and when science is all 'quantum' and weird at the fundamental level, you've got to use metaphors. 

Note: 'molasses' is American for 'treacle'.

Higgs boson metaphors as clear as molasses - The Boston Globe
http://bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/07/14/metaphors-and-higgs-boson/UjdsEySmG63XIAcNN7LNSO/story.html

Bill Nash, "Vakum clenere"

This'll be funny when you've studied some Middle English at A2, I promise.

http://ajohnny.tumblr.com/post/8320439473/bill-nash-vakum-clenere

Thirty words English got from India

English does love to 'borrow' words, especially from places where there is a colonial history.

Thirty words English got from India
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18796493

How to Find Verbs

Trouble figuring out what words count as 'verbs' in a sentence? This page gives some examples, with notes and how-to suggestions.

Not all the terminology here matches what we use in AS Language study, but the ideas are fine.

GRAMMAR, HOW TO FIND VERBS KEY

Student magazines 2012

The second of our student magazines is now up and available on Wordpress - the puntastically-title, Olympic-themed 'Jog On' magazine, which accompanies hard-hitting Olympiskeptical 'Stop:Watch'. Linkage below.


Jog On | The greatest WordPress.com site in all the land!

Stop:Watch | A Publication created by Park English Language Students

Well done to all our budding journalists and cheers to guest editors Corey and Lewis of SQ!

The Magazine Activity Team at Work...

Notes, transcripts, earphones and blazing hot copy. Note product placement of SQ. :)