kristin-lm's Blog

June Vocabulary - none; no more vocabulary lists unless requested

June: Sorry, but because I went to Japan this month, and I recently broke my nose, there is no June vocabulary list. I will write two lists in July instead.

Edit (August): Because this website isn't very useful for my current work, I will not be writing more vocabulary lists for a while. If you would like me to continue writing them, please comment on this post.

If nobody comments asking for a list, I will not write more until I think they are useful for my work again.

Thank you :)

May vocabulary: Adjectives to describe Feelings/Emotions

If you are using Korean software and cannot view the vocabulary files (Microsoft Word), just let me know, and I'll upload a different kind of file.

Attachment: May_Adjectives_Feelings.doc (36.0KB)

Look up almost any movie, show, actor, actress, director, etc.

This site has all of the Hollywood information you need, and all you have to do is search.
http://www.imdb.com/

Lesson-A-Day English

Here there's a new English lesson every day:
http://learnenglish.ecenglish.com/

Advanced Essay Writing Template

If you're having trouble writing an essay in English, just put the information from your research into this template, then write the indicated descriptions. 5-paragraph essays in English are always constructed according to this template. You can change the numbers a little according to the length of your paper and the amount of sources you have.

Attachment: Advanced Essay Template.doc (25.0KB)

Re: April Vocabulary - Phrasal Verbs

"Ask [someone] over" means to invite someone to where you are, or to your home.

For example:

Anna: "Who is that girl over there?"
Jenny: "That's my sister."
Anna: "Really? Can I meet her?"
Jenny: "Sure, I'll ask her over."

or

Mother to son: "I'd really like to meet your new girlfriend. Why don't you ask her over for dinner Friday night?"

KLM English is 6 Months Old!

What an eventful six months! I miss all of you back in America, and I'm so happy to meet all of you here in Korea!

I think this website is a useful tool for all of you, because you keep visiting it :) So, I will continue to write vocabulary lists and post news and references when I find them.

If you have any suggestions to improve this site, or if you have any requests, please let me know. As most of you know very well already, I love to help as much as I can.

I can barely speak any Korean, but I'm living here in Seoul now. So, now I know what all of you felt like when I was tutoring in America. That makes me want to help even more. So if you have any questions about English or American culture, please ask me :)

Re: Funny news

A woman has a baby in her home, but she and her husband didn't know she was pregnant!
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/04/couple_unaware_of_pregancy_giv.html

Useful References

Dictionaries:
http://dictionary.reference.com/
http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
http://www.hasbro.com/games/adult-games/scrabble/home.cfm?page=home


Thesaurus (dictionary of synonyms, very useful for writing papers):
http://thesaurus.reference.com/


Slang dictionary:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/


Translators (don't trust them very much):
http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/
http://translate.google.com/
http://www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html


Also, if you need to cite sources for a research paper, use these sites:
http://citationmachine.net/index.php?callstyle=1&all=
http://www.easybib.com/

April Vocabulary - Phrasal Verbs

I know you're all sad there was no March vocabulary, but moving to the other side of the world kept me very busy last month.

Here are some phrasal verbs, which are like "get up" or "run into". There are a lot more, but this is a good start. The red ones are more common.

If you have any questions, just ask on this forum or send me an email. I won't post meanings for this list because most of these phrases should be in your dictionaries or  translators. They are very confusing, though, so I'll do my best to explain whatever you don't understand.

Attachment: April_Phrasal_Verbs.doc (32.0KB)

Kristin's in Korea now!

Hi everyone! I'm living in Korea now. I got to Seoul two weeks ago and I found a home and some friends. I'm going to start tutoring here soon, so I'll be updating the website just like I did when I was in America. I hope it's still useful to everyone!

Re: Writing Contest!!

As I expected, nobody entered the contest. Good job, everyone!! Haha~ Our winner is: me! My winning entry is the description of the contest that nobody tried to win. :P

Kristin's moving to Korea!

I'll be leaving the Detroit Airport March 26th at 10:09am. Goodbye America!

I have a replacement tutor for anyone who wants to meet her. Her name is Megan and she's one year younger than I am. She's a little shy but very smart.

I'm going home to Detroit March 15-18. I will sell everything I own on March 22nd at my apartment. If you want to come buy my things, I can tell you my address. So, after Spring Break the only days I will be available are Thursday and Friday. Time moves so quickly!

Re: Friday Lunch Conversation Hour

The second conversation hour was also great! Keep it up!

Writing Contest!!

I love writing, so I want to help you love writing! So let's have a contest :)

Here are the rules:
1. The deadline is March 15, 2009.
2. You must ask two people to read your writing and give you comments. They do not have to be Americans. Include their comments with your entry (what you give me).
3. Write about something you love. Your writing is better if you have fun.

Here are the topics you can choose:
1. Write about something that happened in your past.
    Example: I could write about the time I broke my arm when I was 10 years old.

2. Write about someone you respect and why he or she is important to you. It can be a famous person or someone you know.
    Example: I could write about my grandmother, who died last May. She inspired me to be brave and kind.

3. Write about something you want to do in the future, including when, why, and how.
    Example: I could write about my dream to open a restaurant when I retire.

4. Write a story. Have a main character, a plot, and a theme. If you have any questions about this topic, ask me.

5. Write a poem. There are many kinds of poems, including sonnets, freestyle, and epic poems. If you have any questions about this topic, ask me.

6. Make your own topic! Be creative, and ask me if it's okay before you write.

You can ask me for help at any time. I will not write for you, but I can tell you how American writing is organized and give you some suggestions. I will not judge based on how good your English is. I will judge based on how well you express your idea with the English you know.

The winner will have his or her writing on this website. The winner will be announced on March 20, 2009. Anyone can enter. You do not have to be my student to win. Please email your writing and your reviewers' comments to me at k_magruder@yahoo.com

Re: Funny things people put on the internet

This site shows pictures and videos of people being stupid:
http://failblog.org/

This is a list of things people actually said that are very stupid:
http://rinkworks.com/said/

Re: Funny things people put on the internet

On this site, people post short stories about bad things that happen to them. The "FML" means "Fuck My Life" and people vote whether they think the person has bad luck or if they're just stupid.
http://www.fmylife.com/

Re: Friday Lunch Conversation Hour

There were 14 people at the first conversation hour! Let's all keep meeting every week and making friends!

Email and chat with people in any language!

This website connects people from all over the world who are studying different languages. You can get a language exchange partner easily! It's hosted by a very respected language learning software company.

http://www.sharedtalk.com/

Re: February Vocabulary #4 - Proverbs

Here are some explanations of those proverbs. If you have any questions, please ask. Some of these ideas are difficult to understand because of cultural differences, my inability to describe them completely, or because they just don't make any sense.

Attachment: FebVoc4 proverbs.doc (36.0KB)

Re: February Vocabulary #3 - Idiomatic Phrases

Here are the meanings and examples for this list :)

Attachment: FebVoc3 idiomatic phrases.doc (41.0KB)

Friday Lunch Conversation Hour

Starting this Friday (February 13), there will be an opportunity to practice English every week. I have invited Americans and other international students to join us in the International Center to eat lunch and talk. Please come and bring as many friends as you want. Here is the event information:

Time: Fridays 11:00am - 1:00pm
Place: MSU International Center Food Court
Host: Kristin (517-388-4483 or magrude3@msu.edu)

Eat, chat, and learn about other cultures! Let's make a mix ofAmericans and international students so we can diversify our socialnetworks.

The International Center is located next to Wells Hallon the MSU campus. We will meet in the cafeteria/food court area. Makesure you have my (Kristin's) phone number listed above so youcan find the group.

If you have class for part of the time,please come for as long as you can. That's why it's for two hoursinstead of one: so more people can come.

I hope to see you there!

Re: February Vocabulary #2 - Slang

Here is the same list of words, but with their meanings also.

Attachment: FebVoc2 slang.doc (37.0KB)

February Vocabulary #4 - Proverbs

Here are some American proverbs. I didn't give any explanations because I want you to see if you can figure them out. I'll post their meanings in a few days. Good luck!

Attachment: FebVoc4 proverbs.doc (26.0KB)

Valentine's Day - February 14

I'm sure you all know a little about Valentine's Day, even if it's only because you've seen everything for sale in the grocery stores.

On Valentine's day, people celebrate love. We give our boyfriends or girlfriends chocolate, have a romantic date, and maybe boys give girls jewelry or something extravagant. For family and friends, we show our love by giving them Valentine's Day cards and maybe some candy.

The colors usually associated with this holiday are red, pink, and white. The symbol (like Santa Claus for Christmas) is Cupid, the angel of love. If you're shot by one of his arrows (from his bow and arrows) you will fall in love with the next person you see.

So, Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!