All in the family

[Goldhat]

Alan's latest newsletter for December 2010 is now online at All in the Family.

Please add your comments here to discuss.
_________________
Joel Milne,
English-Test.net Developer

[Alexandranow]

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Please listen to my recording and respond with a voice message too. Many thanks.

[Sona Sircar]

Hi Alan,

It was lovely to get your newsletter after ages. In fact, I was missing your letters which are so wonderfully written that I read and re-read them. As always it was an excellent piece of writing to help the learners of the language. In your writings one thing leads to the other and I quite admire that skill. This also helps the students to associate one thing with the other and remember the new words, phrases and idiomatic expressions. I for one have benefitted a lot. Thank you.

It seems it's going to be a white Christmas for you this year. My warm wishes to you, your family and your colleagues for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Cheers!
Sona

[Yoosuf]

hi
mohammad contact me 00974-77700356

[N. V. Raman Murty]

Wonderful Alan, I am contented, if I could say and you call it correct, with the `family article'. Yours is a way most charming and full of information, and free of the drugery that the atmosphere of an academic room is charged wth. Kindly write about mannerism related to wishing, complimenting, mourning, congratulating, time wishing , thanking etc so that I may use for my students here in India.
Raman

[Banerjee5]

Alan,

Very sweet article. You are doing a social service to the internet community. Your language and way of explanation is clear and interesting. I thoroughly enjoy it everytime.

Wish you Merry Xmas.

Regards,
Rajib Banerjee

[Soultan]

Dear Alan, quite a useful reference article, I must say. It should remind everybody about the dfferent stylistic use of every word. Of course, for me the origin of each word is of great significance. Thus, it's very important to have a deeper knowledge in a proper language discussed. Thanks a lot, dear Alan for sharing the time with language learners. Merry Xmas!
Soultan Osmanov.

[Zinekh]

well done for all you introduce for us to improve our language level thanks

[Christina]

Dear Alan, I'd like to say my big THANK YOU to you on this Christmas Eve, for what you are doing for all of us. I'am completely conten with the content of your last essay. These essays are very helpful to me and I'm always looking forward to receiving them. Wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[Richy]

Hi.i'm new. My english no good.i want to learn english. Thank you !

[Alan]

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Hi,

One of the best ways of learning a language is to try to remember words in groups and phrases. You'd be surprised how words are related to one another rather like relatives in the same family. And that's what I'm talking about in my latest newsletter.

http://www.english-test.net/newsletter/all-in-the-family-200.html

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Muin]

hI aLAN
I can't help laughing = I can't contain my laughing when ...............
Your article focuses on vocabulary : word 'family' , word pairs , collocations , synonyms and opposites. It is all of one system - word building rather than structure . So, what's the point -for a student knowing a resvoir of words but not knowing how to construct a logical , meaningful sentence?
I hope you are interested in my point of view .
Thank you again and I am waiting for more to come

[Boltje]

Hallo Alan,

I would say thank you very much for keep sending me the English Essay of English Test. I know, it is difficult for me to finish reading of the Essay—I just sometime read them in the few sentence, bit scroll down then I close the page. It is because I am to tired from work and not much time to finish all the context. Off course, I always wanted to read all of them and leave comment. But unfortunatelly I really have a little time.

Here I have a question, I have been learning English for many years. And I am recently living in Holland. In the mean time, I learn the Dutch language—also working in a Dutch company. So, I use very rare English. I do really miss the English. I seriously don’t want just to foget like that! Go further with Dutch language. I don’t want that! Dutch language is important here but for me English is not much different.

Sorry, I talk to much. My question here is, do you have any methode-- I mean, like a video chat, privately, not in the forum, where I can make conversation in English with you or your assistant, if you don’t have time.

I was planning to buy X-BOX. I heard from one of my colleague, you can communicate in English with people overthere. Thus, I am trying to find out at the moment... , what kind of conversation is gonna be through X-BOX.

But then I thought, conducting the English conversation is fun and usefull if it related to the topic which you have learnt. I actually can communicate with people in English. So far, they can understand me and me neither.

The problem is, I speak so little English here in Holland. Thus the point is, I just need to speak..speak..and speak.... so that my English vocabulary not just gone “with the wind”.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,
Ellie Boltje

[Merocasa]

a nice piece of work.Thanks a lot mister Alan.Your essays are great works of a genious writer.

[Mebaf]

Thanks a lot , and Merry Chritsmas for all you too.
Even though I I never answer I ALWAYS use this ...¡ Wonderful place ! with my students
María Ester