April Fool's Day Hoax
On 1st April EnglishClub.com published an article reporting that the United Nations planned to phase out all languages but one by the year 2049. Judging from some of the 300+ comments that this article received, not everyone realised that it was an April Fool's Day hoax, despite the date of April 1st being clearly stated in the first line. The article, heavily laced with absurdities to add credibility, cited climate change, terrorism and multiple personality disorder as among the reasons to move to a single language. Many readers spotted the hoax and praised it highly; others took great exception to the UN plans and expressed their thoughts passionately; and a few vented their spleen on EnglishClub.com for having published in such "bad taste". A small selection of all the comments may be seen below and to the right.

JT: Oh my god!?! What kind of Nazi-esque tactics are we dealing with here? I thought this was a joke until halfway into it. This is the most absurd notion I have ever heard, and I'm American so I've heard quite a few.

amefil: I can't believe this! They can't just remove a language just like that.

amefil: So...this is a joke right? Argh, a victim of april fools. Bothered me the whole day, this article.

Jon L: Of course it's a joke! It's absurd. I love that it pokes fun at the French though. But I'm surprised that EnglishClub.com hasn't labeled this "humor" because there are many people who will be gullible enough to run with it.

German: It is a nice April Fool's Day hook. I read a good part and thought it was real; though if it is, then Dr. Strangelove is on his way to crashland.

USB: Nice try, guys and hello to all the April Fools! Against all UN recommendations I'll keep on communicating in 'Platt-Deutsch' in case I want to stay 'under cover'. Catch me if you can :-) Happy 1st of April to all of you.

Ralph McGreevy: JT, with lamentable Americentric bias, has failed to realize that it is April 1 - April Fool's day in much of the world, although North America is still stuck in March. Well written article, following the pseudo-logical tradition of Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal'. Seriously though, I think the article is far too close to truth for comfort.

thu xuan: I think in private ideas that It is good if all people speak only one language, we can understand each other easily. It's very simple if he can speak international language, English. From Tran Xuan Thu / Vietnam

Marie: This is a language "genocide"... How far will the americans go in this nonsense?

vic rivera-lopez: Well, why I am not surprised? Hegemony is the mantram at all levels.

M. Yang: Very well presented, and it even has the "research" to back it up. What a good April Fool's joke!

John Keithly: I'm thinking a little brain teasing is healthy for us all during these unusually extra stress days just now of so much other doom and gloom reportage.

Nancy Meyer: Today I was looking for a good practical joke online and didn't find anything appropriate for my class. Then I clicked on my message from Englishclub.com and found the perfect lesson! Thanks so much.

Veronika Bee: Great April FOOL's joke!! It got me - for a few minutes. Congratulations!

Katalin Mátraházi: This joke was offensive for the majority of the humankind. Next time I'd like to have better humour or no humour at all.

Luigi: I speak perfect English, Spanish and Italian and I do NOT HAVE MULTIPLE PERSONALITES !!!!!

Rachael: Come on, folks, laugh a little; yes, language is a deep issue, but there are times to let it go and hava a laugh.

hunghn: oh! when I first read this paper, I was very angry about what it raised. At the end, I realize today is April's fool day. I was treated!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh, god.

Rafael Arreaza: You guys can't be taking this seriously. Nowhere else on the Internet is similar news to be found. What's more, this sounds so utterly ridiculous -albeit written so as to make it seem serious- that it more closely resembles a piece of cultivated humor gone bad (a cultured practical joke) than a fact.

Mr. Happiness: Sakya Muni Buddha said "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

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ESL Tower
At ESL Tower you can study vocabulary and grammar at your own pace and in your own home. You can also get your results instantly! Find exactly what you need in a site search, or scroll through the grammar and vocabulary lists to find the areas you need to improve on. ESL Tower's pronunciation lessons...
Read on

26 letters and 52 sounds in English
There may be only 26 letters in the English alphabet, but there are 52 sounds in English. And you need to know them all to speak and understand English well. Luckily, Pronunciation Power teaches you all the 52 sounds and lets you record and play back to check how well you learned. Learn more here.

Adventurers

Types of adventurers
There are many different historical and modern figures who may be classed as adventurers. It all depends on how you define 'adventurer': explorer, entrepreneur, risk-taker, hero, heroine, decision-maker... Some might say that Queen Elizabeth the First of England was an adventurer. When she took the throne, England was not a secure, settled country. No one thought a mere woman could rule successfully over it and she was encouraged to marry. However, she won the day and the heart of the nation and went on to become one of the longest-ruling monarchs in English history. Some might say that the likes of Shackleton, Cook and Scott of the Antarctic were adventurers. They were explorers, it's true, and in that sense it may make sense to say they were adventurers. Nowadays it can be harder to find real explorers: there is simply less to explore than there used to be; much of the world has been mapped. Would it be fair to say that Sir Edmund Hillary was an adventurer when he became the first person to scale Everest, with Sherpa Tensing? Or Neil Armstrong when he set foot on the moon? And what about modern day entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson? Surely no one can deny that to attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon (or a boat, etc) is an adventure?

T. E. Lawrence
Perhaps one of the best-known adventurers is Thomas Edward Lawrence - otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia. Born in 1888, Lawrence became a soldier and eventually achieved fame as a writer. His book, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (published in 1926) described how he contributed to the organisation of the Arab uprisings against the Turks, which began in 1916. His organisational skills and general zeal made the guerilla attacks he organised very successful. They played a major part in contributing to General Allenby's victorious outcome in Palestine two years later.

Obviously his actions, though praised by some, were reviled by others so in 1922 he joined the Royal Air Force under a false name to hide his identity and avoid threats to his life. There he stayed until he was killed in a road accident involving his motorcycle.

Sir Richard Branson
Richard Branson, the entrepreneur, was born in 1950. Now one of the richest people in the world, he had less academic success at school than one might suppose. Dyslexia meant that he often found school work a challenge. However, he did extremely well at sports and quickly demonstrated his go-getting attitude to life when he set up his first business in his mid-teens. In 1972 he started the Virgin Records company and has gone from strength to strength since then. Virgin now consists of 360 companies.

However, Richard Branson is not just a massively successful business man. He is also an adventurer. Since 1985 he has been involved in several attempts to break various world records. He put in a record time for crossing the Atlantic Ocean by boat, in 1986. The following year he became the first person to cross the Atlantic in a hot-air balloon. In 1991 he broke several records by crossing the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon, covering a distance of nearly 6,700 miles. Since then he has made several attempts to circumnavigate the globe, again in a hot-air balloon, and has set a new world record for crossing the English Channel, not by hot-air balloon, but in an amphibious 'car'!
--
Each month we have a new Talking Point and invite your views and opinions. Just follow the link below to say what you think.

This month's Talking Point is:

"Better safe than sorry."

Say what YOU think...

The daughter of your uncle is

a) your niece
b) your cousin
c) your nephew

See end of newsletter for answer

Talking TEFL
The world's first full-length TEFL documentary film
This 1-hour documentary explores everything from in-depth teaching methodology to advice for first time teachers, in a social and informal probing of today's TEFL industry.

The road that TEFL teaching can take one down branches off into many directions and this, the world's first documentary film on the TEFL industry, neatly bundles together the evidence that proves it.

Made by independent British filmmaker Daniel Emmerson and sponsored by TEFL.net, Talking TEFL was shot predominantly in Europe and S-E Asia.

This 60-minute film is now in DVD release. It will prove invaluable for those new to or considering teaching English. But Talking TEFL will be interesting too for experienced teachers who wish to see how their colleagues in other countries cope with the challenges of this multi-cultural occupation.


View the trailer | Buy online

TEFLTastic: A much neglected TEFL teaching skill
"For teachers who understandably rely on this skill of communication, it may be worth their while to consider the use of the varied styles that are available to them. To many, it will quite obvious that the monotonous tone does not achieve much success and leads to impatience, boredom, and irritability, both on the giving and receiving end. Such a tone is not result oriented. Rather, a more varied, creative and skilful approach to this art is recommended. This can be achieved through the use of interesting and atypical vocabulary, tone, and gestures. Analogies, similies, metaphors, rhyme, and rhytmn are also useful ways of
read on | add comment

New Pages for Teachers

Lesson Plan: Adventure
An unusual and stimulating topic for discussion which could bring out the spirit of adventure in your students! Two vocabulary exercises encourage students to deepen their understanding of words associated with the topic. Challenging discussion questions such as: "What can we learn about ourselves when we take risks in life?" encourage students to practise their fluency.

Idea Thinktank
A library of practical ideas for teachers from classroom games and activities to discipline and teacher improvement. Feel free to submit your own ideas.

Lesson Plan: Crime
A globally relevant topic for discussion - everybody will have something to say about this! Vocabulary is practised with a sequencing exercise which introduces the students to some useful topic-based words and phrases. Pronunciation is practiced through a "stress placement" exercise. Students are given the chance to practise their fluency through thought-provoking discussion questions such as: "If you found out that a member of your family had committed a crime, what would you do?"

Transferable Skills for Teachers
In today's world, many people change jobs and careers several times throughout their lives. The key to a successful career change is harvesting your transferable skills.

The Functional Resume
Functional resumes (also called competency-based resumes) are often recommended for those seeking to change careers. Rather than chronological resumes, which list work experience by date and highlight accomplishments from each job, functional resumes emphasize the actual skills rather than the positions held.

Top 10 Interview Questions for Teachers to Ask
You've thought long and hard about what your answers will be to all of the typical interview questions. Now it's time to think about your questions.

Book Review: The CELTA Course
Very well written and practical "how to" approach to English teaching.

Book Review: Spontaneous Speaking
A collection of drama-based speaking activities to stimulate interaction in the classroom through imaginative language practice; ideal for large group classes.

Book Review: Longman Business English Dictionary
An excellent niche English dictionary for business professionals and MBA students.

Talking Point: Adventure
An unusual and stimulating topic for discussion which could bring out the spirit of adventure in your students! Two vocabulary exercises encourage students to deepen their understanding of words associated with the topic. Challenging discussion questions such as: "What can we learn about ourselves when we take risks in life?" encourage students to practise their fluency.

Download lesson plan...

Each Talking Point worksheet is available for download as a PDF file that you can view in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Each worksheet can be easily printed and is freely photocopiable.

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