1. Published Courtesy of
Inside:
How to Write Using Music to
Better Essays Learn English
8 Business
Words You
Need to Know
ool I ssue
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Ba September 24, 2011

2. Dear students,
As a new school year begins, we would like to take
a moment to wish you good luck in your studies.
We sincerely hope this year will be full of academic
achievement beyond your wildest dreams!
We created this magazine in order to help students
improve their English and studying skills while
learning more about English speaking cultures. Since
this magazine is for you, we welcome any questions
or comments you have and will do our best to answer
them in future issues. Please email me directly at
dgesin@theenglishacademy.us.
In the meantime, we hope you have as much fun
reading this month’s issue as we had putting it together.
Have a great year,
Derek Gesin
Chief Editor
1

3. Table of Contents
Grammar Focus
The Secrets of Grammar 13
Vocabulary Focus
Using Music to Learn English 11
Vocabulary & Phrases 4
English for Business
8 Business Words You Need to Know 15
English for School
How to Write Better Essays 5
Culture Focus
The Biggest Name in English 3
Kilroy was Here 18
A Guide to Idioms 14
Historical Context
A Permanent Colony & Green Gold 9
Everything Else
Chat & Text Abbreviations 8
Classroom Laughs 18
Quotables 19
Partners & Affiliates 20
Lexile Ratings
Lexiles measure a student’s reading comprehension. Lexile ratings start at 200L for simple texts and
can go as high as 1700L for more difficult articles. An ESL student with a perfect score of 30 on their
TOEFL iBT test should easily read texts between 940L and 1100L. As a comparison, the first Harry
Potter book has a Lexile ranking of 880L. Throughout our magazine, we have indicated the lexile
level of many articles to help you determine your reading comprehension level.
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4. The Biggest Name in English
Up until 2010, this was the largest English Soon, tourists from around the
sign in the world. While it is no longer world came to to see the sign.
the largest sign, the impact that one word By 1949, the sign was shortened to
has had on the culture of the world is simpy read “Hollywood” and it became
immeasurable and will last forever. a symbol of the film industry. By 1978
the wooden letters of the original sign
This famous landmark is located in the were rotten and in very bad condition.
Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, However, with the help of 9 very famous
California. Constructed in 1923, the sign donors who gave a total of $249,300
originally spelled “Hollywoodland” as an in donations, the original wooden sign
advertisement for a new neighborhood was replaced with a sign made of steel.
being built near Los Angeles.
The “new” letters of the sign are 45 feet (14
The builders of the sign were trying to meters) tall and are between 31-39 feet (9.4
attract affluent people to move away – 12 meters) wide. So, what happened to
from the congestion and traffic of the the original sign? Well, in 2005 it was sold
city and they wanted a sign that everyone to Hank Berger and George Weinbarger.
could see. Ironically, the builders of the They in turn sold it to Dan Bliss, who
sign only expected the $21,000 sign then sold it to Bill Mack. The final price
to remain standing for 18 months. of the sign? A whopping $450,000!
Lexile Rating: 1010
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5. Vocabulary & Phrases
Throughout this magazine, you will see many words and phrases highlighted in green.
These are words and phrases you should know and use. Below are their definitions and
explanations.
Afluent: Wealthy. Has lots of money. “Bill Gates is rich. He is a very affluent person.”
Statement: To say or write something that you believe is true. “All dogs go to heaven.”
This is a statement that many people believe is true.”
Gradually: Slowly; over a period of time. “The iceberg gradually floated from the North
Pole into the Atlantic.”
Instructions: Directions on how to do something. “The teacher gave us instructions on
how to write our essays. She told us how to do it.”
Rule of thumb: A guideline or rule that is not precise or exact. “A good rule of thumb
is to finish your homework sometime before you eat dinner.”
In search of: To look for something. “I was in search of success when I started my
company!”
Without a trace: To vanish without any evidence remaining. “My wallet fell into the
ocean. It vanished without a trace.”
Out the window: Gone. A metaphor used when you abandon or quit a project. “The
boss didn’t like the idea anymore. He threw all that time and effort out the window.”
Going out of style: To do something as if there won’t be a chance to do it later. “He ate
lunch so quickly today. He was ate like it was going out of style.”
Changed the course of: To alter the result or outcome. “I did very well on the English
exam! It has definitely changed the course of my life because now I can go to Harvard!”
Lexile Rating: 430
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6. How to Write Better Essays
As your English studies progress, you Before you write anything, you should
will be exposed to many different styles think about what it is that you want to
of writing. Indeed, there are many write. For instance, if your professor asks
different writing styles. There are styles you to write an essay on a specific subject,
for business and styles for personal then you know exactly what you will
letters. There are styles for university write about. Essays take lots and lots of
classes, emails, and giving instructions. practice to perfect. Here are some simple
There are even styles for writing magazine tips that will make writing essays a little
articles! easier.
Title
A title is where you say what you are going to write about. The title is written on the 1st
page before you write your essay. Your title should be easy to understand.
Outline
Now that you have written your title, you should write an essay outline. Your outline
will be your map and will help guide your essay. In your outline, you should identify the
main topics and ideas that you want to talk about in your essay. Additionally, you want
to list your supporting evidence in order to make writing your essay easier. The following
is a good template to use for outlining the ideas in your essay.
Idea: I think that.....
A) Evidence that supports this idea/theory
B) Experts who support this idea/theory
C) Why this idea/theory is correct
You can have as many ideas as you need, just make sure that you can connect your ideas
to eachother. This will make your writing easier to understand.
Introduction
This is where you will tell your reader what you will write about, and your opinion on
the subject. A good introduction paragraph will tell the reader everything they will read
in the essay and what you think about it. Your introduction should start off very general
and not specific, and gradually become more specific when you get to your…Thesis
Statement.
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7. Thesis Statement
This is the most important sentence you will write in your essay. Your thesis statement
is the sentence that you must prove and support throughout the essay. A good thesis
statement makes a statement or a claim that you can support and defend. Below are two
examples of good thesis statements:
“The organization of the United States government as defined in the US Constitution
allows for great freedom within America, however, it makes government slow to act on
the needs of the people.”
“It is important to find a cure for HIV because without it many millions of people will
die from this horrible virus.”
Body Paragraphs (1 - ? )
All of your body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence. If you look at your
outline, your ideas will become your topic sentences. Your topic sentence should be
about the ideas that you will discuss in that paragraph. For instance, if you were going
to write about the American government, you might start out with a couple of sentences
like this:
“The American government is divided into the Legislative, Judicial and Executive
branches. The Legislative branch includes the Senate and the House of Representatives
and they are responsible for writing laws and signing treaties with foreign
governments…”
Do you see how the 1st sentence, which is the topic sentence, is the idea that organizes
your paragraph? It allows you to add more facts and details as you write, while keeping
the writing organized. Since the first noun in the topic sentence is on the “Legislative”
branch of the US government, you could keep writng details about the Legislative branch,
or you could move on to the 2nd noun, the Judicial branch, etc.
Conclusion
Now that you have written your essay, you need to end it. The best way to end it is with
a conclusion statement. Your conclusion statement should be very similar to your thesis
statement. Some students even copy their thesis statement and use it as their concluding
statement, too! Just like in your first paragraph, you should give a brief review of the
information you wrote about.
Lexile Rating: 1000
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8. Visualize your essay
Introduction: Introduce your essay. Tell your reader what
you are going to write about. Introduction paragraphs should
be 4-5 sentences long. Start with a “big idea” and gradually tell
your reader everything you are going to write about. End this
paragraph with your thesis statement ( ).
Body paragraphs: Discuss your topic and provide information
on the subject. Your thesis will help you decide what your main
idea, or argument of the essay is. Organize your essay so that each
paragraph is supported by facts and information that support
your main idea (s). Also, each paragraph should be relevant to
the paragraphs before and after it. A good rule of thumb is that
there should be no more than 5-6 sentences in each paragraph.
Conclusion: End your essay. Start by rewriting your thesis
statement. In this last paragraph, you should summarize the
main ideas that you told your readers.
Lexile Rating: 740
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9. Chat & Text Abbreviations
As modern technology speeds up the ways in which we communicate, more and more
words are being abbreviated. Why is this? Well, because modern society believes “faster
is better” and that often means making words shorter so you can say more faster.
This is not a new phenomenon. In fact, when Morse code was invented by Samuel Morse,
many words were shortened because it was cheaper and easier to send short words. Below
are some common chat and text abbreviations for you to learn and remember.
LoL - Laughing out Loud. “That was so funny! I’m LoL!”
BRB - Be right back. “I have to do something for a moment. I’ll brb.”
BTW - By the way. “Oh, BTW, did you see John yesterday?”
CYA - See you later. “I have to go. CYA.”
FYI - For your information. “FYI, John is at the park with Jenny today.”
MYOB - Mind your own business. “Mom, MYOB. Don’t tell me what to do!”
ASAP - As soon as possible. “Hey, do your homework ASAP!”
SNAFU - Situation normal, all fouled up. It means things are not going
well. “Wow, we have a real SNAFU today!”
Lexile Rating: 420
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10. A Permanent Colony & Green Gold
By the early1600’s, word of the vast riches The loss of the Roanoke colony halted
and expanse of America had reached English ambitions in America until 1607,
England. Stories of unimaginable wealth when the Virginia Company landed their
and vast geographic expanses had begun ships, the Susan Constant, Discovery, and
to fuel the imaginations of English kings Godspeed at Jamestown, Virginia. Here,
and queens, and by the late 1500’s, the they were determined to build the 1st
decision was made to send an expedition permanent English colony in America.
to America in search of the wealth of the Their mission: To search for gold and
new world. establish a permanent English settlement.
Unlike the Portugese and Spanish, the Rumors of vast gold deposits and other
English had been slow to send explorers to riches in America had come to England
America. The first was Sir Walter Raleigh, from Spanish and Portugese explorers
who received permission from Queen who had found vast wealth in Mexico
Elizabeth I to build a colony near modern and Central America. Because of this, the
day Virginia. By 1585, the 1st colony was English believed that America was one vast
established on Roanoke Island, but by gold repository. Unfortunately for the
1590, the colony had disappeared without English, the land in Virginia was not rich
a trace. in gold, and the English found none.
In fact, even to this day, no one knows By 1610, the colonists decided to
what happened to the “Lost Colony” as it abandon Jamestown, and they boarded
is now known. their ships to head back to England.
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11. However, fate intervened, and changed a profitable venture. John Rolfe had also
the course of American history forever. helped establish peaceful relations with
On June 9, 1610, a twist of fate occurred the local indian tribes. How did he do
on the James River when the departing this? Well, he married a woman named
colonists accidentally came upon a fleet Pocahontas, but that’s a whole other story.
of supply ships arriving from England.
Lexile Rating: 1100
The commander of the fleet was Governor
West, and he ordered the men and women
to return to the colony.
Among these men were John Rolfe, and he
brought with him seeds for a plant called
Tobacco. He believed that he could plant
these seeds in the fertile land of Virginia,
and then sell the highly desired plants in
Europe. Ultimately, the wealth of Virginia
was not to be golden, it was to be green.
By 1614, John Rolfe was exporting
substantial quantities of tobacco to
Europe. After nearly a decade of trials
and tribulations, the Virginia Colony was
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12. Using Music to Learn English
Teachers and students love song lyrics! were obscure suddenly became common
Song lyrics are great teachers of functional household jargon. Speaking styles and
language. They show how language is used thousands of words like “cool” and
by people in everyday conversations. Since “awesome” grew in acceptance and usage.
songs are basically poems with music, this
makes them ideal tools to use in a classroom For that reason, using songs to learn
or even on your own time. how people really speak and interact is a
wonderful guide to the English language.
Lyrics can be a great way to learn slang and Below are some recommended artists
common vocabulary. However, they do whose songs are a window into the heart
not always use correct grammar, spelling, of modern English usage. Most of these
or punctuation. In fact, most songs written musicians and bands sing in a tone of voice
after the 1970’s should not be used to learn that is easy to understand, with lyrics that
these respective aspects of language. are easily researched.
This is because the 1980’s saw a major Additionally, all of these had a major
culture shift in America and other English influence on the music and culture of
speaking countries. Music styles changed, America and the world.
as did the way people wrote and spoke the
English language. Hip-Hop
Usher
When hard rock, rap, and hip hop Mary J. Blige
became popular music styles, they often Keyshia Cole
threw grammar rules out the window. Fergie
Subconsciously, listeners felt that the Nelly
abandonment of these grammar rules was a
form of rebellion, and it is one reason that
these songs became so popular.
Pop
Michael Bolton
While musicians frequently abandoned REM
the commonly accepted rules of grammar, Katy Perry
they planted slang vocabulary like it was Cher
going out of style. Words and phrases that Backstreet Boys
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13. Study Tips
1. Decide which singer you want to
listen to, and what song you want to
hear. If you don’t know the name ofthe
song, just type the words you know into
Google. Chances are, you’ll find it easily.
2. Play the song on Youtube one or two
Rock times. Just listen to it.
Bon Jovi
Michael Jackson 3. Now, download the lyrics from the
Madonna internet. Again, Google is a wonderful
Genesis tool to find song lyrics on.
Huey Lewis and the News
4. Print the lyrics out. Circle the words
you know, and underline the words you
Country don’t know.. You might be surprised
Garth Brooks just how many circles you have!
George Strait
Alan Jackson 5. Look up the words you don’t know in
Blackhawk the dictionary.
Alabama
6. Practice reading, writing, and speaking
these words until you know them.
Oldies
Lexile Rating: 910
The Beatles
Neil Diamond
Dave Clark 5
Tom Jones
Herman’s Hermits
Lexile Rating: 1100
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14. The Secrets of Grammar
“I is real good English speaker. I done Their: Their is a possessive pronoun. It is
studied hard. I don’t need no grammar used to show ownership of an object or an
lessons.” Or, do you? There is no question idea. For example, “That is John and Sarah’s
that grammar is hard. Learning correct picnic basket. It is their picnic basket.”
English grammar takes years of practice
and dedication. One thing is certain; the There: This word is used to show a location
more you practice grammar, the better you or a place. For example, Look over there!
will become! So, here are some common
grammar errors and things to be careful You’re or Your? Again, this is the
when you are writing and speaking. difference between a contraction and a
possessive pronoun.
Loose & Lose? This is a spelling and a
pronunciation problem, so pay attention! You’re: You’re is the contraction of you +
are. For example, you are going to the lake.
Loose[loos]: Describes something that is You’re going to go swimming.
not tight and could fall off. For instance,
“The door was loose. It fell off the house.” Your: This is a possessive pronoun. For
example, this is your magazine, correct? Is
Lose [looz]: This means that something this your swimming suit?
cannot be found. For instance, “Did you
lose your keys when you fell in the water?” Effect or Affect ? This is one of the most
common English errors and is one that even
They’re, their or there? This is a really native English speakers regularly make.
common error, and is often made because
these words are homophones. That means Affect: To affect means to cause something
that they are pronounced the same, but to happen. For instance, John F. Kennedy’s
spelled differently and have different speeches affected many people’s lives. That
definitions. means that his speeches changed peoples
lives. Now, here’s where it gets confusing.
They’re: This is a contraction of they + are.
For example, “Mark and Mary are going to
have a picnic. They’re going together to the
park.”
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15. Effect: This is the result or consequence
of change. For example, John F. Kennedy’s A Guide to Idioms
speech at NASA affected me deeply.
Therefore, the effect was that I became very Idioms. These are the expressions in
emotional and excited when we landed on English that most non-native English
the moon! speakers have the most difficulty with.
However, with some practice, you too
Then or Than? This is a common, but can master idioms in your speaking and
easily correctable error. writing.
Then: is a word that is used to describe Idioms are phrases that at first don’t
time. For example, we went to school and seem to make any sense. In fact, most
then we took our test. idioms are very logical, which means
that once you think about them, they
Than: Than is a word that is used to show make perfect sense!
comparisons between two things. For
instance, John is taller than Sarah. So, where do idioms come from? Well,
most idioms come from history. At some
Its or It’s? Wow! If I had a nickel for time, something happened to someone,
every time someone made this mistake! and from that event, a phrase was born.
Its: This is a possessive pronoun and is Look at the idioms below. Can you
used to show ownership of an object. For guess where they may have originated
example, Look at that dog playing with the and what they mean?
ball. That certainly is its favorite toy!
It’s: Just like you’re and they’re, this is a “A dime a dozen.”
contraction of “it is” and is used to make “ A piece of cake.”
sentences a little bit shorter. For example,
“Armed to the teeth”
it is easier to use a contraction. Don’t you
think it’s easier to use a contraction when “Brand spanking new.”
writing sentences?
“All that glitters is not gold.”
“Sick as a dog.”
Lexile Rating: 550
(Answers are on page 17)
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16. 8 Business Words You Need to Know
When writing business letters or presentations,
correct spelling is often the difference between
a missed opportunity and a lucrative agreement.
While most people will spend considerable
time and effort to ensure they are using correct
grammar and correct pronunciation, most people
will neglect a spelling check before delivering
documents or presentations to prospective clients
or business partners.
This is often a costly mistake because most
employers and prospective business partners will
check resumes and contracts for spelling errors.
Why do they do this? Well, they do this because
correct spelling shows your attention to details. If
your spelling is off, well, you’re off the table.
Here are 10 of the most commonly misspelled English words, their definitions, and the
proper ways to use them. It is important to know these words because they will be seen
in almost every business conversation you will ever have.
Accommodate (Verb): Commitment (Noun):
Defintion: To make arrangements for Definition: An agreement. A promise to
comfort. To make something possible. To do or complete something now or in the
bring into agreement. future.
Will you please change your schedule to The bosses commitment to the company
accommodate the client’s schedule? was always obvious.
Can you add more facilities to accommodate Nobody doubts the team’s commitment to
the needs of the upcoming conference? the project.
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17. Acknowledgment (Noun): Proceed (Verb):
Definition: The act of acknowledging Definition: To continue doing something.
factual information or providing To move forward.
congratulations for a job well done.
The boss said it was ok to proceed with the
Microsoft made many acknowledgments project.
of the flaws in their Windows operating
system. The work on the new office building is
proceeding as planned.
Andrew Carnegie finally received the
acknowledgment he deserved for his
charitable work. Separate (Adjective):
Definition: Not connected. Something
Judgment (Noun): that is kept apart and not combined with
anything.
Definition: A decision or opinion.
I met John in Korea on four separate
It is the judgment of the company that this occasions.
is a bad business arrangement.
That is a separate issue that we will discuss
His judgment was correct when he at another time.
suggested that we buy gold stock in 2004.
Embarrass (Verb):
Liaison (Noun):
Definition: To make fun of or tease. To
Definition: A person who helps make someone uncomfortable because of
organizations or groups work together. bad behavior.
John works as a liaison between the people Don’t embarrass yourself by not spelling
and the police department. words correctly!
The secretary is a liaison between the boss I would never do something that would
and the employees. embarrass my family or my company.
Lexile Rating: 760
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18. A Guide To Idioms:
Answer Key
“A dime a dozen.”
Meaning: Cheap, not expensive
Origin: In 1796, the US Congress decided
to make a new coin. It was called a dime
and is still used today. In the late 1700’s
cakes were sold in groups of 12 (dozen),
and they cost 10 cents.
“A piece of cake” “Sick as a dog.”
Meaning: Not difficult. Easy. Meaning: Not healthy. Very sick.
Origin: This idiom started in the 1700’s Origin: The first use of this phrase was
when small cakes were given as prizes for in the 1700’s, and it was used to describe
competitions. someone who was not healthy.
“Armed to the teeth.” “All that glitters is not gold.”
Meaning: Has lots of weapons. Meaning: Beautiful things may not be
Origin: Pirates used to carry lots of valuable.
weapons. Sometimes, they would even Origin: This came from the practice of
carry a knife in their mouth...between their dishonest gold prospectors trying to sell
teeth. pyrite (a rock that looks like gold), but is
“Brand spanking new.” not valuable at all.
Meaning: New. Never been used. Lexile Rating: 600
Origin: When babies are born, the doctor
often spanks them so they will cry and clear
their lungs of fluid.
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19. Classroom Laughs
Once we were talking about professions,
that’s right, jobs. There was the typical
doctor, dentist, taxi driver and teacher.
However, in this lesson, there were also
some new words that really stretched
my students abilities. For example, they
struggled with “musician” crying out
“MUSIC CHICKEN!”
- John Trammell, South Korea
Kilroy was Here
This popular American cultural expression
literally traveled the world during World War II.
The expression and the accompanying picture
of Kilroy was drawn by American soldiers on
buildings, cars, tanks, boats, and even on at least
Challenge: There are 5 Kilroy’s in this one occasion, a bathroom. Painting Kilroy’s
magazine (Not counting the one above). throughout the world was one way of letting
What pages are they on? other soldiers know that “friendly” soldiers had
already been there. This sparked competition
among the GI’s, all of whom wanted to be the
Answers: Cover, 3, 10, 13, 19 first to paint Kilroy in the next town and win
the war!
Lexile Rating: 1190
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20. Quotables
“I personally believe we developed language because of our
deep inner need to complain.”
- Jane Wagner
“It’s a strange world of language in which skating on thin
ice can get you into hot water.”
- Franklin P. Jones
“The English language is nobody’s special property. It is
the property of the imagination: it is the property of the
language itself.”
- Derek Walcott
“Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain
into yours without surgery.”
- Mark Amidon
“He who does not know foreign languages does not know
anything about his own.”
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”
- Miquel de Cervantes
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21. Partners and Affiliates
The English Academy is a private, online ESL
school located in the United States. They have
lessons for all skill levels and work closely with
students to create customized educations for
their skills, interests, and goals.
Archipelago Learning is the largest subscription
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the past 10 years, they have been changing the
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With Click n’ Kids spelling, reading, phonics,
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One of the fastest growing ESL study groups
within Facebook is We Study English! The
mission and goal of the group is to bring
together students from around the world to
share their English questions and to receive tips
and suggestions from their peers.
We Study English!
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22. © 2011 The English Academy, LLC