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13

Aug 13, 2013 By Tags:, , ,

İngilizce Dersleri: Our body clock

İngilizce öğrenmek! Türklere online dersler

In our İngilizce Dersleri series we use recent news articles relevant to Turkish students to create reading and listening exercises. These video lessons are designed for our Turkish students learning English. They are a supplement to our live online conversation classes. We encourage our students to use these videos to practice their listening and reading skills between conversation classes.

This article was found on the BBC News website in the Science & Environment section on August 1st 2013. You can find a copy of the original article here.

This İngilizce Dersleri video includes intermediate to upper-intermediate text. We recommend the video for our Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate learners. The language in the article is focused on a scientific experiment. The experiment is in the field of human behavior. Basic scientific language is a good vocabulary focus for IELTS. We recommend this exercise for our IELTS students. We also recommend it for anyone working in a research field.

İngilizce Dersleri: konu ve sözlük

Konu: biyolojik saat, araştırma, yirmi dört saatlik

Sözlük: To intend, exposure, to anticipate, to govern, to reset, to publish, to synchronize, to disrupt, to evolve, widespread, to allow

İngilizce Dersleri: article synopsis

working-late-İngilizce-Dersleri

The article focused on a recent behavioral study. The article’s findings was recently published in the journal, Current Biology. You can find the results of the experiment here. The study suggests that the biological cycle of humans has been disrupted by our reliance on electric light. The study took 8 volunteers out of their urban habitats and placed them in tents for 8 days. While camping, the volunteers were removed from all unnatural light sources. The study found that by removing the volunteers from electric light, their melatonin levels started to undertake more normal patterns.

In our İngilizce Dersleri series we typically cover subject matters with a Turkish focus. For this lesson we decided to focus on scientific vocabulary. We are sure that many of our Turkish students can relate to working hard under unnatural light conditions!

Please let us know if you found this lesson useful. If there is a particular vocabulary topic you would like us to cover in our İngilizce Dersleri series, do let us know!

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10

Aug 10, 2013 By Tags:, , , ,

İngilizce Dersleri: Ergenekon davası

İngilizce öğrenmek! Türklere online dersler

In our İngilizce Dersleri series we use current news articles relevant to Turkish students to create reading and listening exercises. We have designed these video articles for our Turkish students learning English. They are a supplement to our online conversation classes. We encourage our students to use these videos to practice their listening and reading skills between conversation classes.

This İngilizce Dersleri video includes challenging text. We recommend the video for our Upper-Intermediate to advanced learners. The language in the article is focused on a court case. The article provides interesting vocabulary for IELTS students as well as those working in the legal field.

İngilizce Dersleri: konu ve sözlük

Konu: adalet, mahkeme, dava, ceza

Sözlük: To plot, to overthrow, trial, to convict, involvement, to accuse, show trail, to eliminate, to push out, to lead, to be jailed, courtroom, verdict, to acquit, lengthy sentence, allegedly, to topple, to face charges, to range from… to, to instigate, to disperse, MP, to try someone for something, showdown, serving or retired, to silence, to deny, interference, sentencing hearing, culmination, to widen, suspect, fold into, in custody, to await, to raise concerns, conduct, guarantor, constitution, coup, tension, successor, to resign.

İngilizce Dersleri: article synopsis

İngilizce-Dersleri-ergenekon

This article follows the conclusion of the Ergenekon case. The Ergenekon case is a very high profile legal proceeding currently concluding in Turkey. The Ergenekon plot, allegedly aimed to topple the government led by the Justice and Development Party in 2008. The defendants include army generals, lawyers, academics and journalists. The defendants faced charges ranging from membership to a terrorist organization to holding weapons and attempting to overthrow the government. The article reviews the final verdicts in the case.

You can find a copy of the article on the BBC website here. In addition, you can find a similar article provided by the BBC Turkish service here.

Relevance for Turkish Students?

This is a very high profile court case in Turkey right now. The verdict of the case was largely seen as a final test for the AKP in securing power from the military. Most analysts agree that the case and its verdict will continue to polarize the Turkish electorate.

Keep in mind, you can find the complete library of video learning exercises in our Ingilizce Dersleri section!

Please give us your thoughts! Did you find this video lesson helpful? Are there other topics relevant to Turks learning English that you would like us to cover?

 

 

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07

Aug 07, 2013 By Tags:, , ,

İngilizce Dersleri: Adults don’t exercise enough

İngilizce öğrenmek! Türklere online dersler

Our İngilizce Dersleri series provides a library of video learning curriculum. We have designed these video articles for our Turkish students learning English. They are a supplement to our online conversation classes. We encourage our students to use these videos to practice their listening and reading skills between conversation classes.

This İngilizce Dersleri video is targeted towards intermediate students and above. You can find our complete database of video lessons in our Ingilizce Dersleri library The language in the article includes technical (scientific) and statistical terms. It is great practice for anyone studying or employed in a technical field. The article provides interesting vocabulary for IELTS and Intermediate students of English.

İngilizce Dersleri: konu ve sözlük

Konu: egzersiz, spor, formda olma, zindelik

Sözlük: to fail, research, chronic, physically, to analyze, inactive, evidence, cost-effective, moderate, facility 

turkish-excercise-istanbul-park

İngilizce Dersleri: article synopsis

The article focuses on a recently published study regarding the relationship between a person’s socioeconomic and geographical conditions, and their time dedicated to exercise. The article states that people of lower socioeconomic class and less favorable climatic conditions (cold / rain) exercise less. The article also briefly touches upon the relationship between the London 2012 Olympics and the increase in “grassroots” sport participation.

You can find a copy of the article on the BBC website here.

Relevance for Turkish Students?

As you may be aware, Istanbul is bidding to host the 2020 Olympic games. We created a previous İngilizce Dersleri video article about the Istanbul Olympic bid, that you can find here. Istanbul is bidding against Tokyo and Madrid. The winner of the bid will be decided on September 7th 2013 in Buenos Aires. When a country hosts a Summer Olympics, a spotlight is created around the state of sports and fitness in the country. Typically, the host country will dedicate a budget to building up community sports facilities across the country to create an “Olympic legacy”. If Istanbul is successful in its bid, the world’s attention will be on sport in Turkey.

Please give us your thoughts! Do Turks get enough exercise? How would you like to see the culture of sport improved in Turkey? Do you think a successful bid for Istanbul 2020 could help accelerate sport across the country?

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missing in English
13

May 13, 2013 By Tags:, ,

How to express Kaçırmak in English

The concept of ‘failing to do what you planned’ … as in kaçırmak: uçağı kaçırdım, dersi kaçırdım, randevuyu kaçırdım, can be tricky for Turkish students in English.

This is the first post in our category ‘In English, how to express …?’ where we discuss language concepts that our Turkish students often struggle with in English. Today, kaçırmak.

For example:

  • You couldn’t get to the conference in Ankara because the plane was delayed, or maybe you couldn’t meet your friends because you got stuck in traffic for hours and hours…
  • Sometimes, because of bad weather, heavy traffic, too many appointments or just maybe even because of laziness, life does not go as planned. You cannot do everything in your diary.

This post provides the English to express yourself when you:

  • Fail to do something that was planned, such as a lesson
  • Arrive late for a bus, train or aircraft

 

1. When you have something planned in your diary, but you are not able to do it, or failed to do it, you use ‘to miss’.

For example:

  • On Wednesday morning you had a doctor’s appointment at 10am. You were in traffic until 10:50am When you arrived at the doctor’s clinic, it was no longer possible to see the doctor.
  • You missed the doctor’s appointment (because you were stuck in traffic).
  • Or, your homework was due yesterday at 5pm. You give the homework to your teacher the following morning.
  • She did not accept the homework because you missed the deadline. (You failed to hand in your homework on time)

 

2.  When you arrive late for a bus, train or aircraft, you also use ‘to miss’

For example:

  • Your plane departed at 15:10. You arrived at the airport at 15:30.
  • You missed the plane.

Now your turn! Practice ‘to miss’:

Look at each of the scenarios and use ‘to miss’ in a sentence:

For example:

Question: Umut’s flight to Ankara left at 6pm. He arrived at the airport ay 6:15pm because of bad weather.

Answer: Umut missed his plane because of bad weather.

Your turn

1. Murat couldn’t attend his biology exam because he was sick.

2. Kaan didn’t go to his dentist because he got stuck in traffic on the F.S.M. bridge.

3. The outdoor concert started at 20h00 but Aslı didn’t attend because the weather was terrible.

4. The snow was so heavy that Yiğit couldn’t drive his car to go to the meeting in Levent.

5. The plane left for Bozcaada at 12pm. Unfortunately, Pınar got stuck in bad traffic and she didn’t take the plane.

6. The lesson started in Beşiktaş at 6pm. Ali was still in the office at 6:50pm!

 

A little note about Turklish:

Don’t say ‘He didn’t catch the lesson’. It is not natural English in this situation.

Say, ‘He missed the lesson’.

Keep in mind, that if you prefer video learning exercise we have a library of video learning exercises waiting for you in our Ingilizce Dersleri section! These videos are available to you at all times and are a great compliment to written exercises and live conversation classes.

As always, please let us know what you think and if there are any other topics you would like us to cover!

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11

May 11, 2013 By Tags:, ,

How to say ‘hoşlanmak’, ‘sevmek’, ‘nefret etmek’ in English.

love-hate in turkish

love-hate

For many of our students the concept of like, love, hate and can’t stand in English can be a bit tricky compared to ‘hoşlanmak’, ‘sevmek’, ‘nefret etmek’ in Turkish.

Most of our students know how to use ‘to love’ and ‘to like’.

In positive statements:

  • I like chocolate.
  • I love chocolate!
  • I like her very much.
  • I love that new video game.

In questions and negatives statement, ‘to like’ is more commonly used:

  • I don’t like my new teacher
  • Do you like shopping?
  • I don’t like carrots.
  • Do you like her new boyfriend?

For questions and negative statements, you can use ‘to love’ if you are talking about a person:

  • Don’t you love me?
  • I don’t love him anymore

However, if you are not talking about a person, don’t use ‘to love’. Instead, use ‘to like’.

  • I don’t love cleaning the house
  • I don’t like cleaning the house
  • I don’t love swimming
  • I don’t like swimming

Also, if you really don’t like something or someone, you can use the expression ‘can’t stand’ or ‘to hate’.

To hate should be used carefully. It is a strong verb and you should be careful when you use it to talk about your own opinions, and especially about people:

  • I hate chocolate…is generally acceptable
  • I hate studying… if ok too
  • I hate her… is a very strong and negative statement

Avoid using the verb to hate until you are a more advanced speaker.

Most English speakers use ‘can’t stand’

For example:

  • She can’t Istanbul traffic
  • I can’t stand her brother, Mehmet
  • He can’t stand the smell of kokoreç
  • I can’t stand cleaning the kitchen!

If you use ‘can’t stand’ with a verb, that verb has to take the +ing form (this is the same as to like, to love and to hate)

  • I can’t stand being here!
  • I can’t stand waiting any longer.
  • I can’t stand talking to him!

Keep in mind, that if you prefer video learning exercise we have a library of video learning exercises waiting for you in our Ingilizce Dersleri section! These videos are available to you at all times and are a great compliment to written exercises and live conversation classes.

Look at each of the following things and people.

Then, use each verb once to make a sentence.

For example:

Blue cheese (a thing)

1. (to love) My mother loves blue cheese.

2. (to like) I don’t like eating blue cheese.

3. (can’t stand) My sister cant’ stand blue cheese.

4. (to hate) Many people hate blue cheese.

The President (a person)

1. (to love) Many people love the President.

2. (to like) I like the President.

3. (can’t stand) The opposition parties can’t stand the President.

4. (to hate) Some voters hate the President.

Now try #1 to #7 below!

1. English grammar

2. İşkembe

3. His new wife

4. Tattoos

5. Erik

6. Galatasaray

7. My English teacher

 

Let us know what you think and whether this was helpful. As always, let us know if there are any topics you would like to see covered!

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03

May 03, 2013 By Tags:, ,

İngilizce Dersleri: Saying ‘tavsiye’ in English

İngilizce Dersleri: the fourth post in our series where we offer easy, everyday solutions to challenges that Turks have with the English language.

Recently in a TurksLearnEnglish.com lesson, a student was talking to me about a restaurant that he thought I should go to and said, ‘I advise you.’ This error is a a common mistake for Turks learning English. In Turkish ‘tavsiye etmek’ would be used in this situation.

In Turkish, tavsiye is used in situations where in English you would find both to recommend and to advise or even you should.

So, how do you express tavsiye in English? It depends on the formality of your situation. Generally speaking, there are three options.

1. Advise for very formal and very important information. Common in written English.

‘I strongly advise you to stop smoking.’

‘They advised her against coming alone at night.’

‘She advised him to take the 17h00 flight so he would arrive at the meeting on time.’

2. Recommend for formal but less important statements in spoken English.

‘It is recommended that you sleep at least seven hours each night.’

‘I don’t recommend that restaurant. The food was terrible.’

‘I recommend him highly.’ (my doctor, this candidate)

3. Should + verb is the least formal in spoken English. This is the form you will hear and use most.

‘You should eat some. It’s delicious!’ (the cake, the pie)

‘You should visit it!’ (that restaurant, the new art gallery)

‘You should see it.’ (that film, the new TV series)

‘You should come.’ (to Madrid with us next week, to the cinema tonight)

Your turn!

Keep in mind, that if you prefer video learning exercise we have a library of video learning exercises waiting for you in our Ingilizce Dersleri section! These videos are available to you at all times and are a great compliment to written exercises and live conversation classes.

Look at the examples below and try to think of a response for each one using the word in brackets. For each exercise, a. is the most formal, and c. the least formal situation.

Here’s an example (we’ve completed the responses for you in bold):

You have gained 10 kilograms during the last year.

a. Your doctor says ‘I advise you take change your diet and take regular exercise’

b. An article in the newspaper states, ‘Doctors recommend at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise each day if you want to lose weight’.

c. Your friends says, ‘Mate, you should lose some weight!’

Now, think of some responses for #1 to #3:

1. You are stressed, overworked and have not taken a holiday in three years.

a. What does your doctor tell you? (advise)

b. What does your colleague say to you? (recommend)

c. What do your friends suggest? (should)

2. The new James Bond film is released and it receives great reviews.

a. What does a movie critic write so that people go to see it? (advise)

b. How do you tell your boss to see it? (recommend)

c. How would tell a friend to watch it? (should)

3. Your mother eats a lot of sugary and unhealthy food.

a. What would a nutritionist tell her? (advise)

b. What would the salesperson in the health food shop tell her? (recommend)

c. What would her best friend tell her? (should)

Did you find this helpful? Let us know what other topics you would like us to cover!

 

 

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English Countries Flag
30

Apr 30, 2013 By Tags:, , ,

Top Four Ways to Practice Speaking English in Istanbul

Our Turkish students often complain that outside class, travel and work, they do not have enough opportunities to speak English.

For our students who want to practice speaking English, it does not help that the native English speaking population in Istanbul is quite spread out. Although there is a concentration of expats in Cihangir and Nişantaşı, the community is thinly spread across a vast area on both the European and Asian sides of the city.

For expats, this thin concentration can be the exact reason why moving to Istanbul is attractive – its easy to access that authentic foreign experience they search for. But for Turks looking to practice their everyday English with native speakers, opportunities might seem few and far between. For this reason we’ve assembled a list of great, and largely free, opportunities for Turks to practice their English right here in Istanbul – and hopefully have fun and make friends in the process too!

#4 – Offer a conversational practice exchange

Many expats in Istanbul are trying to learn Turkish. A great way of practicing your English is to offer an exchange. Find an expat you get along with, and meet up for çay once a week to practice speaking with each other. If you need inspiration for conversation, this can be achieved as easily as bringing along a local newspaper or magazine and discussing articles. There are a number of ways to find your co-student – to start you can try expat forums such as Expat Blog, Expat Forum or Merhaba Forums.

#3 – Join an expat club or meet-up group

There are a number of active expat organizations in Istanbul that organize meet-ups such as the very global InterNations. Signing up is easy, and they typically have multiple events per month. InterNations is certainly not exclusively for expats, and is a great forum for personal and professional networking.

#2 – Join an expat sports group

Not only is it a great way get fit and get outside – but joining a running group such as the Hash House Harriers is a great way to practice your English with like-minded athletes. The Hash House Harriers typically have some form of a social event (brunch or drinks) after runs. Most of these clubs have different levels of practice so don’t be intimidated if you didn’t have the opportunity to keep fit over the winter.

#1 – Attend a professional event / join a professional organization

Depending on your chosen profession, there may be a great opportunity to combine networking in your field with practicing your English. At a recent CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) event we noticed that there were several expats in attendance eager to chat with locals who could speak English. Of course, this depends on your field, and its level of expat participation – but it’s certainly worth looking into.

If joining an organization seems daunting, why not attend one event first? Most professional organizations allow participation by non-members if you send an email requesting permission. The best part? The English topics you will discuss are in line with the topics you want to practice for professional purposes.

Other ideas:

  • Yoga studios in Cihangir, Etilier and Nişantaşı are full of expats and visitors. Why not ask someone for a post-workout coffee?
  • Istanbul is quickly becoming a destination for international artists – galleries, openings, film festivals, concerts and more tend to be well attended by by expats
  • Expat theater
  • Check out the very informative Yabangee Blog for a full calendar of expat oriented events in Istanbul

Let us know your thoughts and if you have any ideas!

 

 

 

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Harbor at Bozcaad
29

Apr 29, 2013 By Tags:, ,

“Why can’t Turks speak English yet?” They can…

Turks are learning English, but are they speaking it?

The whole world is trying to learn English, and Turks are no exception. As a teacher in Istanbul on and off for the last seven years, I have heard this question often from both foreigners and Turks: “Why can’t Turks speak English yet?”

Last year Güven Sak answered this in a short informative article in the Hürriyet Daily News. After several observations regarding the state of English in Turkey today, he bemoaned the lack of skilled English teachers and relevant education to train educators. It got me thinking.

Despite the obvious ongoing need for more well-trained teachers fluent in English, there is something else worth noting about Turks and their collective knowledge of English. For many, after years and years of English lessons at both school and University, the learning curve plateaus, then stagnates. Turks learning English put down their grammar books, complete their last gap-fill activity, and start life in a professional career. English simply sits unloved and abandoned in the attic.

Turks speak English: a dormant resource

To me, this is an enormous waste of a great resource. Among my adult students, almost all of them had watched their English stagnate and decline, never put into use during their professional career. For some there has been the odd holiday abroad when they could sputter a few questions to ask directions in Rome or Miami, though in general spoken English was a downhill slide once working life commenced.

The majority of my Turkish students, and especially those who had pursued careers requiring professional qualifications, continued to be more and more exposed to authentic English. My students who worked as doctors would attend seminars conducted solely in English, while those in engineering kept up with the latest developments through academic journals. Listening and reading, the passive skills of language, overtook the active. Turks could read and listen to English: they just couldn’t speak it. English conversation was frustrating and often an embarrassing situation for them, and their self-confidence plummeted when they spoke English to a native-speaker.

It’s a widespread issue. Turkey now has a huge number of citizens who in fact possess ‘dormant English’, a good understanding of the language that is, simply, asleep, unused and atrophying. It didn’t take much for me to realize what could help awaken it, and fast.

How to kick-start this dormant English in Turkey?

Internet use in Turkey is on the way up. Household broadband penetration is at 40% and rising. Turks are  becoming more confident about purchasing online. Turkey’s economy continues to perform well and thus economic opportunities are increasing for many citizens.

So why not seize this opportunity? Reawaken the English within Turks without waiting a generation for new teachers to be trained? With the Internet, why not give Turks access to English conversation classes with native speakers? There are a number of providers of online English lessons, offering easy access to native English speakers. For any Turk with a broadband connection, an exhausting evening or weekend commute to a physical classroom is no longer required. Let’s reactivate this passive knowledge and make English an active skill for the growing number of Turkish professionals who need global language and communication.

The Internet can’t provide a solution to all the challenges facing English language education in Turkey today. However, by leveraging the technology and communications infrastructure already in place, we think there’s an immense opportunity to fast-track the English that currently sits as a unused resource within the Turkish population. We’re already seeing great results. Motivation, higher self-confidence, and improved spoken English!

Are you an EFL educator in Turkey or a Turk trying to kick start your dormant English? Let us know what you think?

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