March 29, 2014

Weekly Finds: March 29, 2014

A Man With Magnifying Glass by digitalart
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week, we’ll be sharing a list of posts, stories, news, or opinions that we've run across the Internet during the past week or two. We won't be discussing them in detail here, but we do encourage you to check them out as they could contain valuable ideas and insights for your IELTS exam.

If you're ready, here we go...

LISTENING


Dude, Where's My Accent?

Jeff Conn, an expert in phonetics and dialects, is paying special attention to the way Portlanders pronounce words like caught, dude, and no. He’s monitoring those words for signs of a phantom invasion—he wants to know if your dude sounds like di-ood, if your caught sounds like cot, if your no sounds like ne-ow.

READING


High Chairs Help Toddlers Learn 'Messy' Words

Little ones grasp the words for ooey-gooey stuff better when they smear it, mush it and throw it around from their high chairs, new research finds. The study reveals that context is key for toddlers learning new things.

WRITING


How to Boost Your Sagging Motivation for Writing

The author encourages us to ask a few important questions to figure out how to rediscover our love of writing.

SPEAKING


Public Speaking & Presentation Skills: Don’t Be a Robot

The author observes that we often try to turn presentations into a science, when the best ones are actually more of an art.

GRAMMAR


Personal pronouns and possessives

We use personal pronouns (I, me, he, him, etc.) to replace names or nouns when it is clear what they refer to. We use possessives (my, your, her) when it is not necessary to name the person the thing belongs to. Learn more.

VOCABULARY


8 words you need to know to survive The Hunger Games

Whether your arena is a jungle, a desert, or a ticking time bomb, here are eight pieces of essential vocabulary you need to know in order to survive the Games. Don’t forget, knowing these definitions could save your life, and may the odds be ever in your favour!

SELF-IMPROVEMENT


Achieving Your Goals: How To Go From Spinning Your Wheels To Incredible Traction

Learn about the quarterback method and how it could help you in your goals.