If the gerund is used as an adjective it describes a noun just as any other adjective would but it tends to relate the activity that is associated with the object it describes. So a hiking trail is one that sports people would use for the sport of hiking. A skating rink is an enclosed stretch of ice, which has been set aside for the activity of skating. It does not mean that people have to be hiking on the trail or skating on the ice for you to use the gerund adjectives. It just related the activity that those areas are destined for.

A gerund can start a sentence and as such the person may be surprised because he is used to using it in the present progressive and nowhere else. If one starts by saying that refunding occurs when someone asks for his money back, then the refunding is not describing anything and is not meant as an action in itself because the verb is occurs. Instead it would be a gerund noun and acts as a subject for the sentence. It is an abstract noun at that. If the gerund were to describe a word at the beginning of the sentence as in ”hiking trails are for sports people”, then the word hiking as mentioned before is a gerund adjective.

Gerunds are commonly used as part of the present or past progressive tenses but they are also found in the future progressive tense, the present perfect continuous and the past perfect continuous. These tenses would relate some form of progression in the present, future or past sometimes-in relation to another activity.

Present continuous is the most common where a person is occupied doing an action at the moment he is expressing himself or he refers to someone else who is in the process of doing an activity. Naturally it is conjugated with the various voices and is constant for all of them in the present progressive tense. In the beginning this is the best way to learn the gerund as in “I am going, you are going, he is going” and so on.

A third of people on the planet will be learning English in the next decade.

This growth will see French declining internationally, while German is set to expand, particularly in Asia.

Learning in English

In the year 2000, the British Council says there were about a billion English learners – but a decade later, this report says, the numbers will have doubled. The research has looked at the global population of young people in education – including 120 million children in Chinese primary schools – and how many countries are embedding English-language learning within their school systems.

‘Pernicious’

Speaking earlier at the same conference, Mr Clarke argued that the UK needed to improve language skills – and conceded that the country was still lagging behind in learning languages.

“To be quite candid, I’m the first to acknowledge there is an immense amount to do,” said Mr Clarke. “Not least to contest the arrogance that says English is the world language and we don’t have to worry about it – which I think is dangerous and pernicious.”

The report’s author agrees that English speakers should not be complacent because they can speak this increasingly widely-used language.

He says Chinese, Arabic and Spanish are also going to be key international languages.

“The fact that the world is learning English is not particularly good news for native speakers who cannot also speak another language. The world is rapidly becoming multi-lingual and English is only one of the languages people in other countries are learning,” said Mr Graddol.

He also says that language learning numbers will decline as English becomes a “basic skill” – learnt by primary-age children, rather than something that older children or adults might want to acquire later.

Mr Graddol also warns there could be a backlash against the global spread of English and a reassertion of national languages.

If you are someone who is very disciplined and enjoy studying on your own without the need to be pushed or prodded along within a rigid structure, then you can easily find tons of lessons, articles, tests and many other useful information for free from the internet. You can not only improve your English grammar but also save money in the process. However, if you are someone who feels that self-study is too boring or even too taunting a process. You may feel that you learn better through a more structured approach of a classroom lesson. And to many people, attending a class helps to alleviate the boredom when they get to mingle with their classmates and teachers.

Besides, when learning a language, it is better to be able to practice regularly. Not just the grammar, but also the pronunciation as well as the other structures and components. Listening and speaking to your classmates and teachers become important processes in your mastery of the English language. Other language items that may be difficult to learn online are adjective and verbs. This is because verbs are treated differently in different languages. Therefore, when choosing an English course or program, you should look for the most suitable one that will help you achieve your objectives.

In general, every English course should cover the basics like nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs etc. It is the style of teaching and the structure of the program that you should be concerned about. Lessons should be conducted in a manner you can easily understand. Lessons should also encourage frequent interaction between students and teachers as well as between the students. So, you need to ask yourself whether you prefer a methodical approach to learning, or you want to just begin the lessons and figure out the rules as you go along.

Then you are able to choose a class that will compliment your style of learning. One thing to note is that learning English grammar can be rather dry and boring. So, it is better that the lessons are interactive in nature so that your learning becomes more colourful and interesting.

But when you teach English to young learners, however, the rules may shift a bit. For instance, considering the age and level of the learners, you can’t just ask them to read a text and execute the teaching process as you would when teaching adult learners, or at least high school students.

The effort in teaching English is doubled if you choose to do it abroad, like what many teachers are already doing today. Having a teaching career abroad is a very lucrative choice, especially since there are a lot of non-native English speaking countries which are already starting to succumb to the global demand to learn English fluently.

If you opt to teach English abroad, the number of things to consider are increased. For one thing, you will have to adjust the strategies and approaches you know in a way that would be applicable to a foreign audience. Also, the learners are not the only ones who will have to do the adjusting, but you too. You will have to learn the culture of the country, and the discrepancies in both the first and second language. Naturally, you will also have to adjust to the life of living abroad. In teaching English abroad, you have to be physically and mentally adjusted to be able to execute successful classes.

Plus when you are planning to teach English to young learners, always remember that constantly catching their attention is one of the most important things. No matter how good your lesson is on paper, if you won’t be able to execute it properly because your students aren’t paying attention, it will be useless.

So if you think that you are already equipped with sufficient knowledge about the English language, you should now stack up more on strategies, games, and approaches on how to teach it to a young audience. Once you’ve figured out how to do all these, lesson retention would be easier and you will have made great English lessons every meeting.

Adjust to the country. Some people who are opting to teach English abroad don’t even consider how they would cope with the difference of culture, of language, and of customs that they would have to deal with. Some are too confident that they would be able to adapt easily to the country of their choice, but that’s not how it’s supposed to be done. There are things you should learn also, and these could be applied to teaching English as well. There are discrepancies in the language that might get you into trouble.

Acquire additional certificates. Some employers abroad require their applicants to have additional teaching certificates like TOEFL and ESL. Just to be sure and your application process won’t suddenly be put on hold, make sure that all terms and conditions are clear to you, and get these tests if you have time because they will be really helpful anyway in the long run.

Teaching English as a foreign language has its own difficulties, but if you look at it as a great opportunity to go to another country, explore a different culture and travel to places, then all the efforts you’re going to do will be well worth it.

An accent is often a strong barrier between people. There are some that are harder to comprehend and some that are simpler to. My English teacher a long time ago shared that when he went to USA he couldn’t fully understand black people. Well, to his relief, a US woman he knew confessed that she didn’t understand all of their speech either.

In a professional environment though it is a very good idea to correct your speech, because accents will become a hindrance in communicating efficiently.

Getting rid of it.

Here is how I and many other people did it – we imitated anything sounding English, went through countless repetition and adaptation

In other words, Listen to interviews, movies, English audio podcasts, English music. Try to imitate the way people speak, the way they joke, even the way they think, because you imitate the way people think and you imitate the way they construct their ideas.

This will help you tremendously. Don’t forget to practice a lot and seek the right way of pronouncing the words and the intonation to use to emphasize certain ideas, even if it means looking up a dictionary or watching something extra times.

Record yourself.

This is a very important step. Not only do you practice your speech and fluency, when you record yourself, but also you get to actually hear yourself when you speak and get a direct personal feedback from no one than yourself!

When you do it – listen to your voice and try to modulate the sounds and intonation in the way you speak. Again, do it a lot. There will be differences in how you think you sound and the way you actually come across in the audio – don’t be embarrassed, it is a normal thing. Come to love your voice. Speak with confidence and right pace, and you might even get better impressions of the way you speak.

Instead of going to a class each day, traveling back and forth from your home, where you have to pay not only for tutoring but also for the expenses that come with the classroom, you can just connect to your online language tutor and start your lesson when it suits you.

The reason why it is more cost-effective to learn English online is because there is no need for a classroom, the expenses of your tutor are meaningless, and so you only pay for the actual tutoring. One of the best parts of it is the fact that you get the tutor all to yourself, well, you can get an online classroom going, but the price is almost the same but the effects of your learning are much better if you study one on one.

If you are wondering who will be your tutor there is no need to. Most online language websites that offer tutoring let you choose your own language tutor. These are usually native speaking tutors that know your language as well. They will help you not only learn to speak in English or any other language; they can prepare you for the TOEFL, TOEIC or another test exam.

One on one tutoring has proved to be a very productive method of learning. You get all the attention of your tutor to yourself, which in return speeds up your learning. With online language tutors you get to choose the time of your classes and the tutors will make every second of that time count. When compared to a regular English class you can expect to have your online tutor work with you on the most difficult areas, while in a regular class you would be forced to follow a curriculum.

The chance to learn English online gives you an advantage, not only will you be able to save time and money on English classes, but all your activities will be saved as well. You will not have to skip work or sacrifice an hour that you would lose in your travel from class to your home. You can do everything from your home at your convenience.

A face to face class often suits people as they might prefer to have the interaction that this allows. They can check up on things they are unsure of easily and ask questions. The downside is that these classes are often expensive and you have to find a class that matches your availability and travel to it.

There are many advantages of having your english class on the computer, The benefits include having more flexibility in the timing of the classes as well as being able to do it from the comfort of your home rather than commuting. Some of the english software programs even allow you to download the lessons to your MP3 or other portable device to learn while you are out and about.

When looking for english learning software programs, there are plenty that have lots of excellent features included. Some of these include voice recognition software that helps you to develop your pronunciation. There are also forums and live speaking practice that comes with some programs. Find a program that has speaking, writing, listening and reading practice to develop all your language skills.

The faults in the subject-verb grammar rules happen often because verbs, with the exception of to be, follow only one form for singular and plural subjects, as well as for three persons, unless it is third person singular present. There are usually two reasons why grammar lapses occur in the language. First, there is confusion as to the subject’s number, due to the other words that come between it and the predicate verb. Then, a verb is sometimes used for a subject, not according to its grammatical form, but to its meaning. In correcting mistakes of this nature, the base or true subject needs to be extracted and determine its number.

There are instances, however, when nous, even though stripped of all its modifiers and auxiliaries, can be the source of confusion for the writer or speaker. It is good to watch out for those nouns that appear plural, but are actually singular, and should, therefore, agree with a singular verb. There is no definitive list of all these nouns; so, a dictionary should accompany any writing endeavor. These nouns often have to do with fields of discipline, such as mathematics, physics, economics, politics, and ethics. Sometimes, writers, even experienced ones, think that mumps, whereabouts, headquarters, and news are plural nouns, when they are not.

On rare occasions, certain nouns appear singular, when they are essentially plural. Nouns like data, phenomena, cacti, strata, and alumni, are the plural forms for datum, phenomenon cactus, stratum, and alumnus. On the other hand, the noun information is always singular every time it appears in a sentence.

Collective nouns also can be a source of confusion in the English grammar rules. When considered as a whole or as a unit, nouns like committee, clergy, family, herd, mob, orchestra, are taken as singular collective nouns, e.g., “The clergy called for a new meeting.” The same collective nouns agree with plural verbs only when members of the group are identified or separated: “The (members of the) clergy are in disagreement with regards to the use of artificial contraceptives.” It can be tricky, but sometimes, common sense is required; the latter sentence conforms more with the plural verb, because the idea behind predicate object calls for it.

Getting it right takes more than keeping in mind and mastering the grammar rules. It is always good to have a reference book on grammar and usage and a dictionary nearby whenever one is in doubt.

The test consists of four sessions they are Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. The Band score for each category is calculated from one to nine. It is easy to get band score more than seven with consistent preparation for more than one month. Try to attend seminars. Try to practice on the materials given. Focus more on the Road to International English Language Testing System which will be provided for the candidates who registers for the examination. You should be superfluity in your vocabulary.

In Reading and Listening sessions spelling is very important in this examination. You miss points if you misspell the words. Reading is the most difficult session that most of the students think. Test takers face problem in this session. Candidate should have a blend of rapid reading and good comprehension skills. Read newspaper on a regular basis.

Speaking is very important task. Candidates should be aplomb and try to avoid retelling the same ideas and information. Speak out loudly but be polite to the examiner and avoid faltering. In writing session using the right words to explain the idea is very important. Try not to repeat the words. Try to write more words. Avoid grammar errors and spelling mistakes which reduce your points. Try to follow the above tips and be a winner International English Language Testing System.