Expanding your vocabulary

This article is taken from Thestar.com.my

ONE of the biggest problems all language learners face is how to learn and remember vocabulary. Depending on individual learning styles, techniques that work well for one person may not help another person at all – one may have to see a word or phrase, another hear it spoken and yet another must write it down. Yet without vocabulary you will never be able to communicate so it is a problem everyone must come to terms with.

What do you need to learn?

The Subject Matter

Think about the context you use English in. If you spend time learning vocabulary associated with films or shopping, you may find it interesting, but don’t forget your immediate needs.

The type of vocabulary you need may be predetermined by your future career if you want to work in tourism or sales and marketing.

You may need specific vocabulary for exams.

Sound

Listen to a word before you see it whenever you can. The way a word is written is often different from the way it’s pronounced. Learn how to use the phonetic chart to make learning the pronunciation of new words easy.

Know how to use all the functions of your dictionary.

Spelling

Learn some of the more common spelling rules such as ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ (as in “receipt”), or change the ‘y’ to an ‘i’ and add ‘es’ (as in “spies” for the plural of “spy”). There are exceptions but it’s a good start.

Learn suffixes such as -tion and -ment. This will help you spell and deduce the meaning of new words.

Learn either American or English spelling, depending on your needs, and know the differences.

Strength and related words

Know how strong a word is. When learning the word “big”, find out what words are associated with it, such as “huge”. You can then use the word effectively and build your vocabulary at the same time.

Antonyms

Knowing the opposite of a word will expand your vocabulary range and you will be less restricted. When you learn a new word, be inquisitive and systematically find out the antonym.

Word Type

Always find out whether the word is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. This helps you to place it correctly in a sentence.

How to learn?

Context:

A word on its own won’t help you communicate. Always put a new word into a sentence.

Learn vocabulary in chunks. We talk in expressions so learn it that way.

Record yourself:

Say a word in your own language onto a tape. Leave a gap of a few seconds and then say the English word. When you’ve finished recording, listen back, fill in the gaps and hear the answer.

Split your learning:

Learn a new word every day. Always look over ‘old’ words to revise what you know.

Take a subject per week and build up your vocabulary logically.

Be realistic about how many words you can learn in the time you have.

How to remember it?

Word building implies not only exposing yourself to new words but also retaining them in your memory.

Make your own personalised dictionary. Draw pictures of nouns if you are a visual learner.

Stick post-it notes around the house.

Look at new words several times and use them as soon as possible after learning them. Hearing a word once isn’t enough to actually learn it.

Brains drain.

What is the meaning of brain drain? Based on article on Wikipedia, brain drain or human capital flight is an emigration of trained and talented individual (human capital) to other nation or jurisdictions. This is due to conflict, lack of opportunity and other where they are living.

Why this is happen in Malaysia? Are we done prepared the facility enough to give to this talented individual? Brain drain happen because we are Malaysian’s who not thankful to our country. We don’t ever think about Malaysia’s development and loyal service.

Malaysia needs a talented people out there to achieve the national mission. Our government today is stressing in poverty eradication by capacity building and human capital. This mission will not realize if we all Malaysia don’t contribute to our country.

What age do we live?

We live in the age of engineer, not a poet anymore. This is my new philosophy of live. I used to live in the poet age, but I think, being a poet is not living in a real world. We live in the cloudy and above the sky.

So, what the engineer do and doesn’t. I always put in my mind that we must be live in a real world. Meet a real challenge and don’t get easy to frustrate. If fail for sometime, maybe next time I’ll success the other time, all the time. Failure is not a burden, but it is an opportunity to achieve successful life.

When we success in something, don’t ever to feel arrogant and selfish. Be nice and put a goal to achieve more from that. Put a milestone for the goal and try to achieve it one by one. Don’t ever forget to pray to the Almighty.

Math Challenge

I take almost a week to finish correcting Math Paper and insert the student mark into the CGPA system. I thinks it is not a really tough because before this. I correct paper for three to four papers by a semester. But, it is first time for me to teach a common subject like Math.

It is quite frustrating for me because the result of a student is not so good. Several student got mark below ten point per hundred. It is very poor mark. Instead, five of my student got A’s. Their achievement my make slightly happy, because the worse mark is the majority. If I were assign to teach this subject for next semester. I must give them a lot of exercise to them understands, not to memorize.

Actually, mathematic is a very nice subject. I love math very much and I love to make everyone love math. Because math will balances everything. Stimulate your brain and make our brain work. Next semester, I will ensure my student love math first. And then they will love to learn math.

Is it 1 sen valuable?

Do you keep one cent coins everywhere? I always ask this question to myself. Is it not valuable? Of course it still valuable in this current situation. But I'm not always carry one cent in my pocket or my wallet because it will bother my. It may heavy if we carry a lot of it.

My wife always carry one cent in her handbag. Everywhere she goes. Sometime, I feel that she is doing right things because when we at shopping market. If the goods we buy are cost a cent at it tails. She will pay it with one cent coins. Unlike with me, I always go to post office to pay a bill. When the like this, I feel it is important to carry one cent coins.

At the grocery market, sometime I feel embarrassing to use one cent coins. It is because there is no one else used it. It will cumbersome and everyone else must be seen at me with sympathy. J

Dinner

Last night, I and my wife went to Equatorial Hotel to have a dinner in honor of her Director will retired. It is I little bit messy before we got to the hotel because a several things we not do yet such as wrapping up the gift and preparing a cloth for us to wear at night. We start to move from home, it is about 7.40pm after Maghrib prayer.

At the hotel, we are please to be seated at VIP table. It is about 8 people in that table. We going to have a Chinese dinner set. It is about 8 menus that we have to finish it. I eat slowly because I have already eaten at the evening before we go to the hotel.

The dinner goes well. There is a combo team from Henry Gurney School entertaining us. The Director also sang two songs. I remembered one of the songs that he sang is Widuri. It is a nice song. The Director also has a nice voice.

The dinner end at 11.00 pm. The last agenda is staff from all departments gives a present to the Director. One of the present is a Notebook. Then we were going back to our house. We reach at home on 12.00 pm.

Staff Introductionary

This week, I have to complete one task had given to me by my superior. It is a video containing staff introduction. This video must have a picture of staff, their name, post, grade and which department that the staff is working.

I start it with finding latest organization chart from EO and re-sorting the staff by their grade and than their department. I know it is quite boring if the video don't have sound effect. So I start to find a suitable sound effect on the net. Unfortunately, I found nothing suitable to my video.

I borrow a microphone from my superior. I use this microphone to record sound from television. After recording a few sound effect. I have choose them and embed in my movie. After that I start to recording a background music.

My video not complete yet. A few modification need to be done. OK. Let start it.....

Prevent Food Poisoning

Since Mei ago, there is so many cases of food poisoning in schools. This issue has become a top story in a local media. So, many people realize about how serious this matter now.

Food poisoning is cause by taking food containing a bacteria or tocsin. There is two type of food poisoning. Firstly is unserious food poisoning such as stomachache and diarrhoea. Secondly is serious food poisoning such as feverish, severe stomachache and food retain.

The bacteria that cause a food poisoning is Salmonella, E-coli and Listeria. Most of the bacteria existed in a food based from meet, fish, egg and milk. Food poisoning symtoms is feverish, stomachache, food retain and diarrhoea. Generally this symtoms will come for every one or two hour. The conclusion is we must be careful in taking food and aware about food poisoning.

source - bharian.com.my

Strict Legislation on Sperm Banks

Many of us have ever heard of sperm bank. Actually, sperm bank have already existed for a long time, especially in United States US and the Europe country. But ut has been popular recently amongst a single woman who want a child and the couple that could not have a baby. They go to sperm bank and buy the sperm based on the profile of the sperm donator.

There is no term and condition apply to the sperm donators. Sometime we don't know if the donator lie about thier personal data. If their sperm is buyed, what is all about the chil who grow from that sperm. We don't know if the donators have a generation illness, desease or a physical disability.

In Islam, the sperm bank services is prohibited. It is against the natural or not normal condition. Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan has announce that the sperm bank is illegal. So, the muslims, don't ever go or donate to sperm banks.

We hope a new legislations will be produce in our country. It is important to control the growing of a sperm bank especially in a private hospital. In addition, Islam prohibit this such a things.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Recently, we are shocks by the comments made by Europian Commission delegation to Malaysia's Thierry Rommel. He is critising over New Economic Policy (NEP) that is run by Malaysian Goverment over 37 years.

Few days after that,Rommel told the associates press that he inform the Foriegn Ministry deputy secretary-general, Datuk Othman Hashim that he not mean to intefere in internal politics when he make a speech last week.

Meanwhile, the UMNO youth's international relations and non-govermental organization bureau said that Rommel must consider the sensivity of the multi racial society in the country before commenting on the NEP.

Basically, this comments is baseless. We, as Malaysian don't ever belief such comment like this. All we want is the stability of our country, gaining increasing in economic and become develop nation.

We must be wiser

Today challenge is more tougher than before, in variety aspect such business matter, education, military and many more. In education. our student must be wiser to make their life more valuable. Student must know how to absorb all the tensions in their life.

How to make our life better, in a student context. The student themself must realize that their task and responsibility must be fulfil to make our country seccess. For the sake of country, nation and religion.

Dont ever be aggresive in tackling issues arise in our country, student must take a wiser way to handle the issues. Don't blame others or political party or goverment in all issues. Apart from that, students must no involve in the political party. Please focus on the study.

Not fearing to fails

I'm interested when I read The Star in the business colum. It's was about Idris Jala, the COE of Malaysia Airlines. The most important point in that article is Idris mention about doing the imposibble things and not fearing to fails.

Wow, I think it a wonderfull thought of Idris Jala. I want to adapt it to me in learning English Language. I will never afraid in learning. I have taken MUET exam on January this year, if the result was not ok. I will do it again. Again and agian until I got the result that would satisfy me.

For this time, I learn English by myself. If this not workout. I am planning to attend to English class next year, this is due to financial constraint this year. Learning is cost a money right!. Thank to Idris Jala, I like your word. Espicially not fearing to fails and do the impossible things. I hope I can do better next time.

Human Trafficking

Today I read about what is human trafficking, it's because my country is list as a 3-tier country on human trafficking. The survey in conducted by US Department. I think this is one-side report and basicless. I know what is my country and all people in my country is hate human trafficking because our religion forbide us to do like that.

Human traficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people for the purpose of exploitation. Trafficking involves a process of using illicit means such as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability.

But my Prime Minister agree with that report, but not 100% agree. He want more effort to prevent human trafficking must be taken. As Malaysian, we must promote our country in honour of Malaysian Celebration 50 years of Independance.

Computer Maintenance.

We recently heard about the goverment building is leaking and need to repair. It's because a leak of mantenance work. It must be cost a lot to goverment money. It's same about computer, if we don't do a maintenance. The computer lastly will go beserk.

So, how to do a computer maintenance. Is it will cost you a lot of money. I think it is not a big problem. Just do a simple maintenance such cleaning your mouse, keyboard, system unit and other part. It is a hardware part.

For software part, you must do a Windows Update and Antivirus Update regularly. You also need to do a backup/ If the problem comes, an it will not save by doing maintenance. Lastly you have to recover or roll back your data from a backup data. That's why computer maintenance is important.

ICT and civil servants

Based on The Star report on Teusday June 5, 2007. One survey has conducted by Kelly Services Inc, an international recruitment company. The survey found that only 53% of goverment employees regularly use internet compared to 80% of worker in private sector.

The survey also found that only 61% of goverment officers think that internet can improve their productivity. In contrast, 72.5% of private workers who said yes. According to the Kelly Services, the reason why civil servants not keen to use internet is because email is still not considered as legally binding in many instances.

However goverment officials disagree with this finding, that because there is no specific data on that, said the spokesman of Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Unit (MAMPU). MAMPU is a part of Prime Minister's Office and is responsible for promoting the use of e-Goverment application.

Malaysia willing to help Afghan

As i read in nst online, PM of Malaysia offer to give a help to Afghanistan in developing the country. Just like Malaysia, Afghanistan also agriculculture-base economy, same as Malaysia used to be.

Malaysia will assist Afghanistan in private sector for making it contribute more to the country and change Afghanistan to labour-intensive manufacturing before go to high-tech and capital-intensive economy.

Abdullah said this via video conferencing linking Putrajaya and Kabul.

Original Source from www.nst.com.my

Back to Bahasa Malaysia

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Kid's typing skill

What is the Kid's Typing skill, it a computer program that newly found by me to learn keyboard and practice in a wise way. Firstly, I need to familiarize the keyboard button and location of character and number. It's quiet fun and I practice it everyday in a day work. I think it's fun like playing game.

My testimony

Thank to all people who inspire me to better English. Before this, I look this subject is a barrier for me in a working environment and my opportunity to further my study. But now, I fell very enjoying reading and writing in English. Although my command in English is not good enough. I feel comfortably speaking to my wife using English, talking to my colleges using English and talking to everyone using English.

my favourite place to work

recently i've watching a video clip from youtube a work environment inside Google office.. First Impression that i have made is Woowww.. It's so wonderfull. Sometime it seem to ridiculous... Crazy place but i love it...

Got everything for free and have motivated colleges.. That why they love their job.