EVEN THOUGH, DESPITE, & NEVERTHELESS

• People are beginning to spend more time outdoors EVEN THOUGH it's still chilly out.
• New Yorkers are beginning to wear summer clothing DESPITE the chilly temperatures still in NYC.
• It's still a bit chilly. NEVERTHELESS, New Yorkers are beginning to wear shorts & t-shirts.

How ADEPT are you at using even though or although, despite or in spite of, nevertheless or nonetheless? Do you need a quick review and some practice? Then HEAD OVER to our main blog for a quick lesson on how to use these words correctly!

ADEPT at something - skilled; good at something
HEAD OVER - go somewhere

Good luck!

Integrated essays on Method Acting & the Fight or Flight Syndrome

The TOEFL Preparation class practiced independent and integrating writing this past week. The following essays are examples of the two integrated essays we wrote in class within the prescribed time limit.

For the TOEFL integrated essay, students are given 3 minutes to read a passage; they then listen to a lecture on the same topic, and are given 20 minutes to plan, write, and edit their essays.

As the reading passage reappears on one side of the computer screen while they write on the other, students were reminded not to simply copy phrases from the passage into their essays. It's important to paraphrase and say everything in their own words to make it clear that they understood the passage and show that they can express their ideas well.

This integrated essay is from page 428 of the DELTA'S Key to the TOEFL iBT Advanced Skill Practice textbook.

The reading passage in this set of materials discusses Method Acting, which requires an actor to immerse himself in all aspects of the character he is playing. The professor in the listening passage, on the other hand, cites problems with this type of acting and says why he doesn’t agree with this method.

The professor first mentions that the playwright or the script writer is the person who creates the character. The actor’s job is merely to convey the writer’s message. According to the professor, it is not the writer’s job to interpret how a character feels as this has already been done by the writer. This is in contrast to the reading passage which mentions that the actor has to interpret a character when using Method acting.

A second feature of Method acting is the expectation that actors draw from their own experiences to produce the emotions of the characters they are playing. The professor disagrees with this concept as he thinks that actors who have never experienced certain emotions, such as those of a murderer, would not be able to accomplish this as they would have nothing in their past to draw from.

The professor also maintains that instead of spending time working on the emotions or “living the part” of the characters, as the reading discusses, actors should be trained in certain skills, instead, such as speaking clearly, projecting, and body language. Extra commitment is unnecessary for actors. In fact, the professor speaks of one actor who didn’t sleep or bathe for a whole week to practice Method acting. The professor said that this was definitely going too far.

There's more at our Main Blog!

 

Happy spring, everyone!

We're happy to see this page continues to have a lot of visitors. Please continue to stop by and check out the articles and exercises here, but also visit our Main BLOG where we now post most of our English lessons and stories about our students, teachers, and other cool things happening at school.

See you around here and there! :-)

Words & phrases with "SHAPE" & "WEIGHT"

A: Combine the words on the left with either SHAPE or WEIGHT and fill in the blanks. 

• In                            SHAPE
• Out of                     WEIGHT
• Lose
• Over
• Under

1. Tom looks good, but he's actually ______ because he doesn't work out.
2. The doctor told Mindy to eat more at each meal because she is a little ______.
3. Mindy's health is fine. She just needs to ________. Her doctor said another 5 pounds would be good.
4. Sarah keeps saying she's ______, but she's actually the right size for her height.
5. John is a health fanatic. To stay ______, he runs, swims, rides his bike, and watches what he eats.
6. Peter used to weigh 200 lbs. However, he was determined to _______. Now, he weighs 50 pounds lighter!

Thanks for trying out the exercise. For the answers and for more practice, please visit the main NYLC blog. 

Using "HIT" in expressions - part 2

Do you sometimes dream of HITTING IT BIG on Broadway?

How familiar are you with this second set of idioms with the word "HIT"? (If you missed the first set, check out this post.) 

• HIT IT BIG                  HIT IT OFF
• HIT THE SACK            HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
• HIT THE HAY              HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

Try the following exercise, and see how well you know the idioms above. If you're not familiar with at least two of them, stop by our main blog for their definitions and to read a sample dialog using the idioms. 

1. Most aspiring actors move to New York hoping to __________.
2. Apparently, Brad and Angelina just __________ while working on a movie together. Now they have many kids.
3. Most of his coworkers disagreed with what he said at the meeting, but the president thought he __________.
4. The kids __________ before 10 p.m. on a school night.
5. A lot of contestants __________ at the beginning of a competition but run out of steam very quickly.
6. Even though the judge thought the defendant __________ when he complained about the law, the judge still gave him the toughest sentence.
7. Jake and Tammy __________ at the party, but a week later they can't stand each other.
8. Bill's a night owl. Even though he has to be at work very early, he can't __________ before 1 a.m.
9. The mayor's team __________ on his first day in office, and they've accomplished a lot in his first four years.
10. Some celebrities who __________ in the 90s are now living ordinary lives away from the spotlight.

Are you ready for some trivia on this July 4th?

The flag on this cookie only has 12 stars and 7 red-and-white stripes. The U.S. flag obviously has more. Do you know how many stars and stripes the U.S. Flag has and what they represent? If you don't know, stop by our main blog for the answers and for more historical trivia on this July 4th. 

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Using "HIT" in expressions - part 1

NYC beaches are still somewhat empty, but once the temperatures start to reach
the 90s, everyone's going to be HITTING THE BEACHES, and they will be packed.

Are you familiar with the following idioms using the word "HIT"?

• HIT THE BOOKS       HIT THE BEACH      HIT THE JACKPOT
• HIT A HOMERUN      HIT THE MARK       HIT THE ROAD

If you are, try the exercise below and see how well you know them. If you need a quick explanation, head over to our main blog for a quick lesson!

1. Don't you have a big exam next week? When are you going to __________?
2. Let's __________ early tomorrow before traffic gets heavy.
3. The meteorologist's predictions really __________.  It rained, then it snowed just as he said.
4. They usually don't __________ until July when the water gets really warm.
5. Tom's still in Las Vegas. He says he won't come back until he __________.
6. I don't understand why Sarah didn't win the competition. I totally think she __________ with her last performance.
7. It's still beautiful out. Let's __________ after dinner and just take a walk.
8. Sarah is always __________. It's no wonder she always graduates at the top of her class.
9. It's getting late. I should __________. I have an early start tomorrow.
10. I honestly thought I'd failed the test, but I found out I actually aced it. I was so worried, but I had no idea I'd actually __________.