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 Sun Jul 16, 2006 13:35 pm In the dead of summer |
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| Tamara wrote: | | Quote: | | in the dead of summer |
Conchita, I’ve never heard the expression and my dictionaries don’t give clear explanation (at early Sunday morning  ).
Does it means ‘in the heart of summer’ (midsummer) or when the summer starts ‘wearing away’ (dead)? |
I'm especially glad you asked this question, because I'm also learning from it -- and not because I can show off .
Your first suggestion hits the nail on the head, although the second one sounds good, too!
The most usual collocations are 'in the dead of night/winter' (you can also say 'at dead of...'), meaning 'in the middle of...'.
What is new to me is this interesting definition I've found in OneLook:
dead: noun - a time when coldness (or some other quality associated with death) is intense (Example: "The dead of winter")
When I wrote the expression, I was thinking of the heat, but didn't know that, in the light of the above definition and of the mortal heat wave, the phrase was never better used (if this sounds like bragging, it's not -- I hope!). |
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Conchita
Language Coach
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Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 25 May 2006
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Location: UK
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| Tue Jul 18, 2006 19:59 pm In the dead of summer |
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| Tamara wrote: | | Could you, please, say/create for her something a bit cooler and... moderate? |
Oh dear, creativity is not my strong point, you know. Anyway, I’m not sure what you expect from me  : a saying, a recipe.... ? Please, specify. I warn you, though, I’m just not up to par lately! |
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Conchita
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Tamara
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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Fan of Arabian horses
I'm here quite often ;-)
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Yankee
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| Sun Jul 23, 2006 0:04 am I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
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Hi Michael!
It’s not, of course, a great news for you, that Reading , Writing, Listening and Speaking are quite different skillS and that the correlation between writing and speaking levels could be low.
I myself has unequal (unadjusted ) English skills - and Speaking is my weakest point (albeit I haven’t serious problems with accent or enunciation). But (in particularly), I most probably would fail a telephone job interview.
I seem to be asked my opinion about your situtaion? OK.
You’re an engineer. And, as any technically educated person, you must know well that before actions you need to specify the task carefully. Because you can’t catch all rabbits on the earth and even can (most likely) never shoot all wooden birds in Germany 
Well…
The Task that would lead you to getting the job you want, has (at least) two sub-tasks:
- to get formal qualification (that can be mentioned in your CV and could allow you to be more likely short listed by HR - for the interview);
- to have actual level that would be suitable for performing specific job(s).
Right?
Then specify them both carefully.
- Your job is obviously not clerical, and your potential employer more probably needs your spoken English to communicate than to write formal letters.
- Communicate - but with whom (target group, tasks, proper language)? If it will be other who have English-as-a-second language, it’s much-much easier, believe me). Or with natives (for example, managers)?
- What subset of English - exactly - is essential (speaking with some special technical vocabulary, …)? What kind of communication skills (situations)?
- What certificate would be the best for your purpose? Maybe TOEFIC, I know nothing about it.
For me now the best way is to take Adult Literacy national tests (that’s formal language qualification, for my CV / employers)
and ESOL (it’s for me. Actual language skills for living).
In the UK both have eight levels/grades. Now I’m about in the middle
- as any exam is a special exersise, it requires a special (not general) training to be successful. What is accessiible, acceptable, reasonable, etc. - for you?;
- what physiological problems do you have (just to know for yourself).
In particular, I myself know that one of my personal barriers is: as my Russian is higher average, it’s difficult for me to deal with my own weak English. Sometimes, I really suffer when can’t say not just what I want to say, but how I could do it (if speaking in my first language)
- …?
About the Speaking-Listening exam and preparation for it.
ALL English teachers/tutors I had, speak standard (South) English with distinct pronunciation. I had only one tutor from the North, and EACH time we used the word with slightly different (for the North people) pronunciation, she emphasized it.
But my Speaking exam also includes discussion-in-a-group-of-four and it depends on your luck what partners (with what accent and vocabulary) you will have.
Month ago I was not very lucky with them (as Chinese accent is most hard for me to understand), as I wrote.
I had more than half a year ESOL course with 4 modules (W, R, S, L).
…
P.S. Michael, just ask what you want to know. If.
Here or by e-mail.
Tamara
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Tamara
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| Sun Jul 23, 2006 16:22 pm I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
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Hi Tamara!
First of all, I didn?t want to make a secret from my question when I decided to ask you the recently. As I mentioned in my reply to Amy here, from any reason I thought it were a good idea when I kept this discussion away from the topic about my skills. And as I thought about your students-solidarity I thought it would be a good idea to ask you on your topic. Hope you don?t consider that an offend to your intimate sphere. 
Despite that is it interesting to read your thoughts about my situation. Of course, the job I spoke about isn?t a clerical. But nevertheless it requires listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. To understand that, you must know, that everything what is spoken isn?t relevant in the engineers world. Relevant is what is written only. There is a saying: Just what you can read black on white is what counts finally. So that is the task for engineers: you must negotiate on the short line (phone) and write it down, send it to your partner of negotiation and keep a copy of the sent letter in your documents. Sounds arkward, doesn?t it?
But now I?ll move back and enjoy the rest of the sunday afternoon, will have a barbeque and so on.....
Have a nice day too
Michael |
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| Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:20 am Student solidarity all over the world! :) |
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Hi Michael!
| Quote: | | Hope you don?t consider that an offend to your intimate sphere. |
Hope you wasn't embarrassed tooo much by some of my words.
...MIchael, it's absolutely OK. You know that, I know that, everyone surely understands it right.
| Quote: | | Sounds arkward, doesn?t it? |
Yes, it does…
Again, Michael: divide the problem to sub-problems and concentrate at them separately. Giving due attention to each one (depending on its actual seriousness. And earnestness ).
I'd recommend you first to test youself systematically to find 'big weaknesses'. Each skill separately.
In particular, there are lots of free literacy tests on the Internet (they also count off the time you spent.
'Time spent' is important for actual ‘work English’ skills! Of course, you know very well that employers pay for producing results of acceptable quality and with proper productivity (taking into account efforts we spent).
About listening – if you haven’t yet had an everyday access to BBC news, meanwhile you could listen to some records. Audio books (I myself started with “Winni-the-Pooh” - excellent language! ) .
But I woudn't recommend to anyone starting with popular songs, as, from my experience, it’s more difficult generally and because they based mainly on contracted and very colloquial English.
But your speaking… certainly, you need to have permanent feedback…
What I’d do in your position is to record myself (1)when I read English text, (2) when I tell a prepaired own story, (3) when I comment something (for example, TV news) spontaneously.
Then – listen to yourself and compare.
And give it to someone else to listen (someone who understands spoken English and ask him/her for comments.
But, Michael, there could be some problems you can’t discover unless you put yourself in group communication.
For example, I know about myself that I can still hardly communicate (not for bla-bla-bla) with a group of fast-speaking and interrupting natives (switching focus quicky) – I lose a subject whereas they don’t;
have lots of difficulties with quick (relevantly!) understanding of phrasal verbs (informal English is mainly bases on them);
using English as a work tool takes lots of my efforts (as a highly intensive job) and after 5-6 hours of ACTUAL WORKING in English I get exhausted and feel faint  ,
etc., etc.
That’s my actual and objective weaknesses.
However, I’m quite acceptable and effective in face-to-face work discussion; generally trained to use ‘patterns’ for typical everyday situations;
if really well-prepared, can make public presentations (with answering questions conversationally) or successfully pass an official interview (with 3 Interview Board’s people at the table against, who cross-examine you during 20-25 min.);, etc.
That’s my actual skills.
So, what I want to say is: you need to know very well your advantages and weaknesses - to face them. Each of them.
And then resolve actual problems, not allowing them to gobble you.
Divide and dominate them
P.S. Sorry for such a long student's posts. A sore point...
See you
Tamara
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Tamara
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| Thu Aug 03, 2006 16:53 pm I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
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Hi Tamara 
How are you? what about your news?
we don't see nice your write here from long Time.
I wish to you nice day.
Mba
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Dark magician
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| Thu Aug 03, 2006 17:23 pm I really enjoy an atmosphere at this ESL Forum! |
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Welcome back, Dark magician!  |
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 Pamela
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Dark magician
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| Hi! I am Mirka from Slovakia | I'm from Chandigarh Punjab |
I mean, you must know that I had learned English in school, more than 30 years ago and started improving my skills in January this year again. First with a grammar book and a dictionary and later I joined this site. Sometimes I?m angry when watching TV, seeing a report where English is spoken and the original voices become broken and a silly translator translates the half of the spoken sentences only. 
So I must do it on my own and procure some records or anything else to hear the spelling and pronounciation of English.