MINI GROUP #7: Txtng: the Gr8 Db8

Texting, the great debate

TEXTING IS GOOD FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Prof. David Crystal debunks the myths (S1Ep2 of It's Only a Theory, 11 May 2013)

"illiterate"
" ... and every one of those statements are a load of chicken droppings"
"nobody sends a text without not being a point"
"why are they leaving the letters out?"
"... the more you text, the better your literacy scores"
"... abbreviations are new-fangled, cooked up by today's youth - not so".

"textiquette"

"... they'd look at me as if I am nuts."
"... there are downsides to texting"

2b or not 2b? (The Guardian)

Video games testing reading exercise KEY:

1. d

2. a

3. b

4. b

5. d

6. a

7. c

8. c

Comments

SMART GOAL SETTING AND LANGUAGE LEARNING HABITS

Why learning a language is a daily commitment. 7 ways to develop good habits in language learning. How to set SMART goals in language learning . 7 Ways to Develop Good Language Learning Habits from Transparent Language, Inc. Top ten reasons to learn a language. Fawlty Towers (tv series). Top ten Fawlty Towers moments (watchmojo.com video) Hilarious!!!

LISTENING + SCRIPT

My dear students, here you can find different websites where you can practise listening on your own. Some of the websites include exam practice exercises. Others, however, only provide the videos but you can read the script at the same time, which, as you all know, it's good practice for your learning. Just click on the words TRANSCRIPT, SCRIPT, TEXT or something similar and get ready to improve your listening skill! PBS NewsHour (American English) ABC The World Today (Australian English) CNN Students News (American English) NPR (American English) Click on TOPICS VOA News (American English) Future Radio (British English) BBC Learning English (British English) Here you have a link to a list of British radio stations . Before choosing one, please have a look at the information about the location so that you can have a go at different accents. Listening + script + exercises: http://www.examenglish.com/CAE/ http://www.instant-practice.com/...

Big Brother, the thought police, the two minutes’ hate, doublethink, unperson, 2+2=5 and the ministry of truth.

"It was a bright cold day in April," goes the first line of 1984, "and the clocks were striking thirteen" George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four opening sentence. Another 35 years have elapsed since then, and Nineteen Eighty-Four remains the book we turn to when truth is mutilated, when language is distorted, when power is abused, when we want to know how bad things can get. Nothing but the truth: the legacy of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (The Guardian)