from WhiteSmoke
Altogether is an adverb that modifies adjectives. Altogether can mean "entirely" or "completely," "all told," or "on the whole."
All together means "all in one place."
By David, From Language Learning Tips
1)Envision your goal, plan your strategy, and go for it!
There was man in Japan of about 60 years of age, who for many years had not engaged in much physical activity. Not only couldn’t he bend over and touch his toes, he could just barely reach down to his knees. He decided that he was going to gain the flexibility that had been lost since his youth, without putting undue stress on his body. He put together a stack of paper, thousands of sheets, that reached up to his knees. Then, he bent over and touched the top of the stack with his fingertips, holding the position for a little while, which wasn’t at all hard to do. The next day, he removed two sheets from the stack, and did the same thing.
Yes, you guessed it: every day from then on, he removed two more sheets of paper from the stack. The difference from one day to the next was so slight as to be practically imperceptible, so he never had any problem bending over, touching the top sheet, and holding the position for a minute or two. Of course, after many months of doing this, the stack was considerably lower, until eventually, there was no paper at all left, and he could easily touch his toes. He had achieved his goal, with no strain, no pain, no stress on his system. All it took was patience and perseverance.
Now perhaps you have no problem touching your toes, or if you can’t, maybe this doesn’t bother you in the least. But I’ll bet there is something you would like to achieve – for example, learning a foreign language – and haven’t yet. So why not apply the same principles that the Japanese gentleman used?
– Set yourself a clear goal
– Develop a plan to go about reaching it.
– Do a little something every single day that will move you a step further towards your goal.
To get by in a language in most situations, you need a vocabulary of about a thousand words. That sounds like a big number, doesn’t it? Well, what about three words? It can’t be so hard to learn a mere three words, can it? Why, you could easily do that in a few minutes, couldn’t you?
And if you learn three words today, another three tomorrow, and so on, in a year you will have acquired a vocabulary of almost 1,100 words, without stress or undue pressure. This approach is so simple that it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Countless people have no doubt thought of it before. The question is, then, why don’t so many people actually do it? The answer, of course, is that they do not persist. Let’s put it more plainly: they lack discipline.
Discipline. A word that doesn’t ring too pleasantly in the ears of many. Perhaps it reminds you of the military, or of an overly-strict parent. The truth is, most people tend to want to avoid doing those things that they know they "should" do. The majority of children find it easy to sit down and watch TV for an hour, or two, or even more. But if their father told them they must sit there for three hours, watching television without a break, no doubt many of them would rebel, and try to sneak away at the first opportunity they got!
As soon as something fun becomes an obligation, the fun evaporates almost at once, and the activity can soon turn to drudgery. As everyone knows, it isn’t possible to always escape from one’s "duties", and when we do, we often feel guilty about it. Thus it would seem reasonable to ask ourselves how we can transform this type of situation, so that we act with discipline, doing what we know we "ought to" do, with an absolute minimum of displeasure.
Let’s assume that you have set a language-related goal. You want to expand your vocabulary in a foreign language by 1,000 words within a year. You know this means learning only three words a day, a prospect that certainly wouldn’t terrify anyone. Sure, you’ll have to spend some time each week reviewing the words previously learned, but since your daily "quota" is only three words, you should readily be able to find the time to review several others within a day’s session. The big question is now simply "But will I really get around to learning three words every single day?"
The technique I am going to suggest to you will almost surely allow you to answer that question with a YES. And it’s quite simple, maybe even deceptively so. Let me tell you how I’ve been implementing it in my life.
One of the necessary daily routines for a musician is practice. Being a musician as well as a language teacher, I love music, and I usually enjoy sitting down at the harpsichord and studying new works, or polishing up ones I have learned before. But let me assure you that there are days when I don’t have the least desire to play anything. After all, there are so many other things to do in life! This isn’t a problem if it’s only a matter of not practicing a day or two. But the danger is always that you simply lose the habit of regular practice: days turn into weeks, weeks into months, your instrumental technique goes downhill, you forget works you used to know rather well … you get the picture.
Another thing that I determined many years ago to do regularly was run. Back in my school days, I was one of the worst runners in the class. I had suffered from asthma and bronchitis as a child, and my lungs had always been weak. When I was in my early thirties, I told myself that that situation had to change. I knew I would never be a really good runner, but at least I should be able to run a couple of miles without collapsing after the first three blocks!
Of course, if it isn’t always a pleasure to play your favorite instrument, running can be said to be a real torture by comparison. Yet for some 18 years now, I have been running religiously every two days, all year, rain or shine (health permitting).
Where did I get the discipline? By using that simple technique I mentioned earlier, and which I will now reveal…
I have a notebook in which I always write down the time I spend practicing every day, and also the times I go running.
Maybe you’re disappointed, since you may have been expecting some quasi-metaphysical, earth-shaking revelation. But don’t let the simplicity of this habit fool you:
By taking note of a certain regular activity, you will soon constantly be aware of whether or not you’ve done what you wanted to do that day. If I don’t practice on a certain day, I still list that day’s date, and fill in a big ZERO next to it. Doing so is, to be sure, frustrating, but that’s the effect I want: if I get somewhat frustrated because I was lazy that day, it’s all the more likely that I will not be lazy the next day!
When I do practice, I write down how long I did so. For example, if I practice an hour in the morning, and another hour and five minutes in the afternoon, I’ll note: "60 + 65 = 125 minutes". (I like to be precise). True, it really doesn’t matter much whether I practice two hours and five minutes, or just an even two hours, but by writing down exactly how much time I spend practicing, it’s easier to note trends: for example when, during the course of a week or so, my rehearsal time slowly declines. Seeing this in writing gives me the motivation to put in some more time over the next few days to " make up for the loss".
On my "Running" page, I’ll note the date, the total time I ran, along with other data such as the route I took, and my heart rate upon finishing. Thus, this list not only motivates me to continue running, but also shows me whether my physical condition is improving.
Compared to practicing an instrument for a few hours, or running a few miles, the goal of learning three new words a day should seem like child’s play – and it is! But your daily list will make sure you never skip a day – and if you do, looking at that blank entry in your list on the following day will motivate you to learn six new words instead of three, to make up for lost time.
Your list could be as simple as this:
Nov 1 X
Nov 2 X
Nov 3 X… etc., with each "X" meaning that you learned your three words for the day. But why not write down the three words themselves in this list (I’ll assume you’re learning Spanish)?
Nov 1 el perro=dog; el gato=cat; trabajar= to work
Nov 2 hacer= to do; bajo= low; alto = high
Nov 3 la cara= face; tonto= silly; el edificio= building
Nov 4 ———————— oops! I visited Great Aunt Maude today, and just didn’t get around to learning any new words! But just wait till tomorrow…
Nov 5 La mesa= table; La silla=chair; el suelo= floor; volar=to fly,
el bolígrafo= pen; el lápiz=pencil; el papel=paper; la lámpara=lamp
There! I did SEVEN today!
The power of such a notebook is not to be underestimated. There are many things I like to do: read about any number of subjects, work on various computer/Internet-related projects, do astrological research, and so on. But the two things I almost never fail to consistently do on a regular basis are – that’s right, practice the harpsichord, and run. Precisely those two activities that I also never fail to take note of! (Hmm… I think I’ll start a notebook for some other activities as well…)
After you have been adding to your list for a few months, it will be growing automatically, since you will be learning those words every day without even thinking about it too much. But until then – that is, until your daily word-learning routine has become a habit - you’ll have to be on the lookout for any sort of distraction that threatens to make you forget to learn the words of the day.
Are you determined to start towards your goal of a thousand new words? Then go get a notebook now, or if you don’t have one at hand, a piece of paper will do (you can always copy the first few days’ results into the notebook when you get one). The idea is to start now, lest you simply decide to "put it off" till another day… all to often, that "other day" never arrives, and we haven’t progressed at all!
May I assume you have learned your words for the day, and have duly taken note of this first step? Fine! So now we can move on to our next, oh-so-crucial subject…
From www.WhiteSmoke.com
Today I’d like to sum up our series on vocabulary learning, by providing you with some useful tips to learning vocabulary:
1. Come join the (word) family
Use your knowledge of word grammar to enlarge your working vocabulary.
Knowledge of the different parts of speech and the suffixes that are used to create them will have you boosting up your word bank.
For example, if you encounter the word evasive and look it up in the dictionary, you can benefit from the opportunity and look up its derivatives (other parts of speech and related words from the same root, comprising its “word family”), thus resulting in the following word set:
evasion – noun evade – verb evasive – adjective evasively – adverb
2. The put-it-in-the-sentence routine
If you need to remember a word like reluctant and cannot come up with a crazy story, why not invent a crazy sentence? You can even think of a sentence in your native language and simply stick reluctant in it where it fits you.
Let’s see, what about:
“My aunt Stella made her famous cheese cake and made me taste it forgetting I am lactose intolerant. I was completely reluctant to cooperate due to my lactose issue.”
We will leave it to you to come up with sentences in your native tongue.
Try to create something funny and light-headed and it will do the job!
3. Group it up with theme-related vocabulary
Another great way to pick up more vocabulary is using themed vocabulary resources, especially for basic concrete concepts, such as “colors,” “the human body,” “vegetables,” “farm animals,” “kitchen activities,” or “at the bank.” These are usually presented accompanied by a big illustrative picture visualizing all the word items.
When it comes to more abstract themes, such as “values” or “crime and punishment”, you can find specially written texts that include many related words and expressions, followed by vocabulary activities.
Again, it is the context of the larger picture that is the main channel helping your word memory.
4. Listen to the sound!
Music is a great way for learning new vocabulary.
You may be having a hard time reading an article from the New York Times’ Literary supplement, but you will memorize and understand every word from Bob Dylan or Britney Spears (depending on your musical inclinations) in no time, because you love the music. This is why using song lyrics, movies, TV series etc. is very much conducive to English learning.
Another thing you can do to help you memorize specific word lists is to record them on an audio file, or better yet, re-listen to the texts from which you extracted the words in the first place.. Some scientists say that you can even listen and learn while you sleep; I listen to my language learning audio CDs while doing the dishes…
5. Give me a visual!
The sense of sight uses up to a third of the brain, therefore making visualizing a prime channel to aid us in remembering words.
Some people are very visual and relish on anything that stimulates their eyes.
Therefore, the following may help:
1. Big signs with target words hung around your house to be encountered at all times, with optional related pictures.
2. Small stickers on objects around the house will help you associate word and image.
3. Visual dictionaries are great, as mentioned before, together with English learning software with online vocabulary games.
By Kenneth Beare, About.com; OriginalLink
Tim: Hey, can I get a little facetime?
Randall: Sure, let’s dialogue.
Tim: Great. I tried to ping you earlier, but you weren’t in.
Randall: Yeah, I had to handle some pushback on my proposal.
Tim: Really, why was that?
Randall: Well, I’ve come up with a number of synergies in the value chain. My value proposition was to seamlessly integrate our customer service reps.
Tim: Sounds like a win-win. How long is the ramp-up?
Randall: That’s the problem. I projected a roll-out in two months. C-level people want to dial-in the project in two weeks.
Tim: …but you’re proposing an end-to-end solution!
Randall: Yeah, I know. I had the time-frame mapped out for all the deliverables, too.
Tim: Sometimes you have to wonder about high-level management’s capabilities to leverage people like you!
Randall: You’re much too kind! Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?
Tim: Nothing much, I just wanted to give you a heads-up on some performance management issues I’ve been having with Pete.
Randall: No room to breathe?
Tim: You’ve got it ….
Translation into easy (well, easier) English:
Tim: Hey, do you have some time for me?
Randall: Sure, let’s talk.
Tim: Great. I tried to contact you earlier, but you weren’t in.
Randall: Yeah, I had to manage some complaints about my idea for the company.
Tim: Really, why was that?
Randall: Well, I thought of a number of tasks that can complement each other in how we provide our service. My improvement idea was to include our customer service representatives our processes.
Tim: That sounds like a good idea for everybody. How long will it take to put your plan into action?
Randall: That’s the problem. I think it will take two months to put into place. The directors want to put the project into action in two weeks.
Tim: …but you’ve suggested a complete solution to the problem!
Randall: Yes, I know. I had developed a schedule for all of the improvements, too.
Tim: Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why upper management can’t take advantage of people like you!
Randall: You’re much too kind! Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?
Tim: Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you ahead of time about some problems I’m having with Pete trying to control everything I do.
Randall: No room for your own efforts?
Tim: That’s right.
Key Vocabulary
facetime (noun)- time together
to dialogue (verb) – to speak
to ping (verb) – to contact someone
pushback (noun) – to object to, complain about
synergies (noun) – combinations in efforts that improve something
value chain (noun) – the group of processes that provide something positive
value proposition (noun) – the improvement idea
seamlessly (adverb) – flowing smoothly
to integrate (verb) – to include in a process
win-win (noun, also used as an adjective) – successful outcome for everyone involved
ramp-up (noun, also used as a verb) – time it takes to do something
roll-out (noun, also used as a verb) – time it takes to do something
C-level (adjective) – upper management, directors
to dial-in (verb) – time it takes to do something
end-to-end (adjective) – complete
time-frame (noun) – amount of time needed
to map out (verb) – to plan
deliverables (noun) – specific improvements or products to be made
to leverage (verb) – to take advantage of something
heads-up (noun) – notice of something
performance management (noun) – way of managing someone