Free English Grammar Lessons

Free English Grammar LessonsFree English grammar learning is something we are always seeking. Now, don't misunderstand me: There are a lot of grammar lessons out there that help you learn English, but the problem is that they cost money. Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not saying you shouldn't learn a few basics if you're looking to learn how to speak and write in English - but sometimes it's really not worth it.So, what should you do when you want to learn free grammatical skills? First, make sure you find an online school that offers you a real English course. If they give you a test (as some do), make sure you do well! If you get a pass, keep looking!Second, when you get to the grammar lesson, you want to read the materials properly. Many times, the language lesson will only teach you some of the grammar, without giving you the concepts that go along with it. If you don't understand anything, that's on you. But, if you don't comprehend what's being taught, then it's your fault.Third, it's very important that you have a dictionary or some other piece of reference to help you figure out any vocabulary words that the online grammar lesson doesn't teach you. If you don't know how to find them, it can be frustrating at best. Besides, there's no substitute for actual practice!These are just a few tips to get you started on your English grammar learning. If you don't have the proper tools, it can really cause you to falter and need extra guidance. That's why I always recommend that you use a tutorial program - it allows you to do what you need to do, without having to worry about it.Learn the basics before you start doing more advanced lessons on English grammar. Once you do, it will become easier to understand the lessons and structure that you learn. If you do it that way, it's a good investment for you. It's the best way to learn because it keeps you from getting frustrated.After all, you don't want to get frustrated in a foreign language and ruin it for yourself! Go ahead and take advantage of these free English grammar lessons!

Abacus, the oldest calculator - ALOHA Mind Math

Abacus, the oldest calculator 3 Likes Using a tool to do math and transact business has been around since 2700 BC in the Mesopatamia region. Also called a counting frame, the Abacus, is the oldest calculator in existence. Our article today will discuss the various types of abaci and why we have selected the one we use at ALOHA. Abacus, the oldest calculator One uses an abacus for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It is used by manually sliding counters along rods bound by a frame, hence the name, counting frame. The beauty of a device like this is that it helps students with learning a basic number system, borrowing and carrying numbers, combinations of five and ten, and visualization of math and mental calculations. One of the additional benefits of an abacus is that it can be used by visually impaired individuals. Sumerian Abacus created in the 2700-2300 BC time period in Mesapotamia area. This is the oldest form of the counting device. The image to the right represents this type of abacus in the form of a clock. It is also referred to as a sexigesimal system that has a 60 count platform. That could be why it works so well with our current time keeping practices. Could you imagine wearing this on your wrist? Reconstruction of a Roman Abacus RGZ Museum in Mainz, 1977 The bronze original is at Bibliothèque nationale de France Paris. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Roman Abacus was really more of a table with three different types called the dust abacus, the line abacus and the grooved abacus. Imagine trying to do division with Roman numerals. For example the number 1943 would beMCMXLIII. Now divide that by LXVII and you get what? XXVIIII. That takes a great deal of thinking for me! Suanpan This is the version of the Abacus used by the Chinese. It has been in use since the 2nd century BC. The appearance is frame construction with 2 beads on each row above a dividing bar with 5 beads below. The Suanpan allows for the basic arithmetic functions along with square root and cube root function. Russian Abacus The Schoty is what the Russians call their abacus. There are 10 beads on each rod. Calculations are performed by moving all the beads from the right side to the left side. Each wire has 10 beads on bowed wires. The row with the 4 beads is used for quarters of a kopek or ruble.These abaci were used regularly in Russia until the 1990s. There is a version used in many Western countries similar to the Russian Schoty. Soroban Abacus The photo to the right is an example of a Japanese abacus. It features one bead at the top and either 4 or 5 beads below. The Japanese abacus is named a Soroban. The Soroban has an odd number of columns. Typically there are a minimum of 9 columns denoted with a dot every three columns.Using visual imagery of a soroban, one can arrive at the answer in the same time as, or even faster than, is possible with a physical instrument. There is a great correlation to mental imagery of this abacus. We use the Soroban Abacus for our ALOHA programs.

Congratulation to the winners of italki October challenge!

Congratulation to the winners of italki October challenge! Congratulations, winners of the italki October challenge! This event was record-breaking in italki history, with the highest number of participants ever! This was a short and intense challenge, where we asked you if you could have 12 hours of language learning in the space of just one month. A huge number of you have taken up the challenge. In all, over 53% of the participants have completed the October challenge. Of the total number of participants, 2.6% were professional teachers, and 9.6% were community tutors. How did the language education professionals match up? Youd be surprised to know that more community tutors have completed the challenge than professional teachers did! Whereas the professional teachers had a rate of 50% (right around the overall average completion percentage of 53%), the community tutors have completed the challenge at the rate of 58%! Congratulations! That is impressive. The challenge included people from countries all over the world, learning languages like Cebuano, Afrikaans, Catalan, Hebrew, Polish, and dozens of others. Many languages had only a handful dedicated students, and often these language groups had a challenge completion rate of 100%. The most popular languages studied in the October challenge: English: 23.24% of the participants took most of their sessions to learn English Spanish:    16.70% French:        7.85% Chinese:      7.04% Russian:      5.43% Japanese:    4.73% German:       4,33% Italian:          4.23% Korean:         2.52% Portuguese:  2.52% We have also learned how important  social encouragement is in any difficult undertaking: Posting a Public Video Pledge Really Helps! Of those who have posted a public video pledge, 83%   completed the challenge. We had a lot of challengers who made one here and here and here as well. Even if some didnt quite make it, a huge 93% have completed at least 6 hours of language instruction during the month of October. Congratulations, everyone! We are still finalizing results, and will be sending out an e-mail to the winners soon. In the meantime, should you have any issues, questions, or concerns please write to us: support@italki.com Congratulation to the winners of italki October challenge! Congratulations, winners of the italki October challenge! This event was record-breaking in italki history, with the highest number of participants ever! This was a short and intense challenge, where we asked you if you could have 12 hours of language learning in the space of just one month. A huge number of you have taken up the challenge. In all, over 53% of the participants have completed the October challenge. Of the total number of participants, 2.6% were professional teachers, and 9.6% were community tutors. How did the language education professionals match up? Youd be surprised to know that more community tutors have completed the challenge than professional teachers did! Whereas the professional teachers had a rate of 50% (right around the overall average completion percentage of 53%), the community tutors have completed the challenge at the rate of 58%! Congratulations! That is impressive. The challenge included people from countries all over the world, learning languages like Cebuano, Afrikaans, Catalan, Hebrew, Polish, and dozens of others. Many languages had only a handful dedicated students, and often these language groups had a challenge completion rate of 100%. The most popular languages studied in the October challenge: English: 23.24% of the participants took most of their sessions to learn English Spanish:    16.70% French:        7.85% Chinese:      7.04% Russian:      5.43% Japanese:    4.73% German:       4,33% Italian:          4.23% Korean:         2.52% Portuguese:  2.52% We have also learned how important  social encouragement is in any difficult undertaking: Posting a Public Video Pledge Really Helps! Of those who have posted a public video pledge, 83%   completed the challenge. We had a lot of challengers who made one here and here and here as well. Even if some didnt quite make it, a huge 93% have completed at least 6 hours of language instruction during the month of October. Congratulations, everyone! We are still finalizing results, and will be sending out an e-mail to the winners soon. In the meantime, should you have any issues, questions, or concerns please write to us: support@italki.com Congratulation to the winners of italki October challenge! Congratulations, winners of the italki October challenge! This event was record-breaking in italki history, with the highest number of participants ever! This was a short and intense challenge, where we asked you if you could have 12 hours of language learning in the space of just one month. A huge number of you have taken up the challenge. In all, over 53% of the participants have completed the October challenge. Of the total number of participants, 2.6% were professional teachers, and 9.6% were community tutors. How did the language education professionals match up? Youd be surprised to know that more community tutors have completed the challenge than professional teachers did! Whereas the professional teachers had a rate of 50% (right around the overall average completion percentage of 53%), the community tutors have completed the challenge at the rate of 58%! Congratulations! That is impressive. The challenge included people from countries all over the world, learning languages like Cebuano, Afrikaans, Catalan, Hebrew, Polish, and dozens of others. Many languages had only a handful dedicated students, and often these language groups had a challenge completion rate of 100%. The most popular languages studied in the October challenge: English: 23.24% of the participants took most of their sessions to learn English Spanish:    16.70% French:        7.85% Chinese:      7.04% Russian:      5.43% Japanese:    4.73% German:       4,33% Italian:          4.23% Korean:         2.52% Portuguese:  2.52% We have also learned how important  social encouragement is in any difficult undertaking: Posting a Public Video Pledge Really Helps! Of those who have posted a public video pledge, 83%   completed the challenge. We had a lot of challengers who made one here and here and here as well. Even if some didnt quite make it, a huge 93% have completed at least 6 hours of language instruction during the month of October. Congratulations, everyone! We are still finalizing results, and will be sending out an e-mail to the winners soon. In the meantime, should you have any issues, questions, or concerns please write to us: support@italki.com

Efficient Multitasking How to Learn Different Languages at Once

Efficient Multitasking How to Learn Different Languages at Once Quick question: Whats even better than mastering a foreign tongue?Why, mastering two foreign languages, of course!If youve ever dreamed of studying multiple languages at once, youre not alone.While the very concept perplexes traditional students in North America, studying different languages concurrently is a commonplace occurrence in schools across Europe and Asia.In fact, many high schoolers across the globe are required to study two foreign languages to graduate.If you  jump into a multilingual study plan feet first right now, you might  find yourself lost in a maze of conjugations, vocabulary words and grammar drills.So before you  leap, take some time to discover the benefits of studying multiple languages, prepare yourself for the inevitable challenges and get equipped with the right strategies needed to juggle multiple languages over the long-term.Lets get started! Why Learn  Different  Languages at the Same Time?A Faster Path to MultilingualismAside from the sheer fun of st udying a language, learning to speak a foreign tongue provides a number of  incredible professional and interpersonal benefits. Some of the cognitive benefits of language learning include improved problem-solving abilities, memorization skills and creativity.  Studying multiple languages amplifies those benefits, providing your brain with plenty of stimulation and challenges.While studying two languages together may slow down your overall learning progress in a single language, it will allow you to advance at a similar pace through two different linguistic systems. Some students find this approach more appealing than studying a single language from beginning to end, before starting on another.Increased Challenge for Language LoversScientists believe certain individuals may possess the ability to learn a new language more rapidly and efficiently than other people. If youre one of these people, developing the capacity to speak a foreign language may not require the same amount of effo rt it takes some students.Choosing to study two different languages serves as an additional challenge that will keep your brain working overtime. There have been several reported cases of ambitious polyglots teaching themselves upwards of ten languages simultaneously, so regardless of how busy you find yourself on any given day, two should prove manageable if you remain motivated.Addressing a NeedLanguage skills arent merely an extra bonus for many students, but rather an essential component of their everyday lives. Whether youre a travel aficionado gearing up for a big trip overseas, or you instead plan to spend long hours working on a project with foreign colleagues, learning multiple languages may serve a real need.Some students also take on the two-language approach to complete university credits. No matter what your motivation for tackling this admitted challenge may be, sometimes concurrent studies are simply inevitable.Choosing the Right Languages to Study at the Same TimeThe Argument for Dissimilar LanguagesEven if you consider yourself the Michelangelo of language learning, you will encounter obstacles as you attempt to gain proficiency in two different languages. Researchers have explored how the human brain stores different languages, with a number of factors influencing the region where linguistic information resides. Bilingual children who learn two languages concurrently often store parts of different languages in the same general area, whereas students who take on a foreign language later in life store that information in different regions of their brain.When you learn two languages simultaneously, your brain will naturally make connections between the two. For this reason, it may be worth considering learning two languages at opposite ends of the linguistic spectrum. For example, while romance languages will share similar vocabulary words, grammatical structure and writing systems, a Germanic language and an Asian language share almost no simil arities. Its incredibly easy to trip into another foreign language when they share a similar syntax, but youre unlikely to toss out a Japanese word or two while speaking German, for example.Building on Previous Learning ExperiencesStudying incredibly different languages may prove beneficial for some students, but others instead choose to pick a language in the same family as one they already speak. This approach helps lessen the workload for students concerned about overdoing it. Remember, regardless of which language you ultimately choose, you will want to make time to not only study your new languages, but also to continually invest in retaining your skills in other languages you speak.Feeling stuck about where to begin? Consider this cheat sheet to learn about the specific benefits of many world languages. If youre feeling squeamish about committing to a particular language, look for local cultural groups that offer language learning opportunities.Meetup  organizes language learn ing groups in many cities around the world, which can provide a starting ground for your research. If you live in a larger city, contact your nearest foreign consulateâ€"many consuls work to promote foreign language education through various initiatives in their local communities.Crafting a Study Strategy to Learn Different Languages at OnceScheduling Time for StudyEven the most devoted budding linguistics often struggle to simultaneously focus on improving their skills in multiple languages. Not only is it vital to find a strategy for juggling both languages, but youll need to schedule time to keep both languages a priority. Some students find it beneficial to pencil language learning time onto their daily agenda, as a means of creating a lifelong habit. Even if you dont opt to schedule your time in this way, you will need to determine what rhythm works best for your personal acquisition style.Alternating between two languages necessitates serious time management skills. Some stude nts alternate between different languages each week, while others spend the morning learning one language and the afternoon studying another. Choose your preferred approach and work to maximize your efforts as much as possible.Are you familiar with the Pomodoro Technique? Developed by Francesco Cirillo, this productivity method uses short blocks of time (traditionally 25 minutes) to keep interruptions and distractions at bay. If you struggle to keep your language learning on track, use a free tool like Tomighty or Pomodairo to create these spurts of learning time. You can also get creative by exploring all of the unique ways to efficiently learn a language throughout the day.Setting Learning GoalsKeeping your study sessions spontaneous and incorporating a myriad of learning materials will no doubt keep your language learning enjoyable, but dont forget to set goals for yourself as you progress. Try to set defined goals and work your hardest to reach them as you improve your abilities in both languages. This will help bolster your motivation.According to research conducted at UCLA, setting process goals often proves more successful than focusing on your desired outcome. For example, it might be enticing to imagine yourself chatting up your gondolier on your next trip to Rome, but youre more likely to actually master Italian if you instead set small goals necessary to reach that dream.Dont simply visualize yourself speaking the languageâ€"instead, determine to master five new conjugations this week. Next week, you can focus on learning 40 new vocabulary words. Achieving these goals will provide inspiration, and each objective serves as yet another stepping stone on the way to fluency.Immersion in Two Different  LanguagesAre you familiar with the expression, Use it or lose it? Its hard to overstate the importance of immersing yourself in a foreign language, particularly in the beginning stages of your studies. Simple techniques like watching movies and TV offer a great starting ground, but youll also want to try to converse with native speakers on a regular basis.Online Immersion with FluentUOne way to immerse yourself in a foreign language is with  FluentU,  an online platform and app that takes  real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.  You can browse videos  by difficulty (beginner to native), topic (arts and entertainment, health and lifestyle, etc.) and  format (video blog, news,  shows, etc.).FluentU isnt just watching videosâ€"its about learning and actively practicing the language you hear in videos. FluentUs unique learn mode will teach you  all that the clip has to offer. Learn mode takes your learning history into account, asking questions based on what you already know, which  sets  you up for success.Creating an In-depth Study AgendaIt can be hard to keep yourself from favoring one language over the other, which is why its benefi cial to make commitments outside of your own time. Find a language exchange partner for both of the languages youre learning and schedule meetups in advance. Volunteer for cultural events, tutor at a language institute and make friends studying the languages you enjoy. Its one thing to skip over the 45 minutes youve allotted for your evening flashcards session, but chances are better than not youll want to keep the social engagements you have made.Another powerful tool for ensuring you progress in multiple languages is to create  an agenda for the month ahead and purposefully alternate between your chosen languages. It can feel frustrating to spend several hours mastering a certain skill in one language, only to find you need to put in time on another language. Instead, consider diverting your focus with an 80-20 approach. Devote 80% of your time for a given week on language A, before switching to language B the following week.The Importance of Memorization WorkUltimately, every lan guage learner begins to grasp linguistic concepts differently, which is why its essential to remain flexible and experiment with various learning styles. No matter how you juggle your joint learning endeavor, however, remember to keep a keen eye on how much time youre spending on memorization exercises.Focus on repetition techniques to drill new vocabulary words and grammatical principles into your brain. Be careful not to neglect actual practice of your new skills, by taking the time to put them into practice. One simple way to do this is by using a combination of flashcards and writing exercises.Take 10 new vocabulary words and spend a few days memorizing them. After you feel confident in your recall, write sentences using your new words. This helps solidify the links in your brain between your new found knowledge and its real-life application. You can also try this technique with other parts of speech, including verbs, possessive adjectives and prepositional phrases.Studying a fo reign language is perhaps one of the most fulfilling activities on the planet, but taking on two languages at the same time is no small undertaking. Carefully consider the pros and cons of learning two languages simultaneously, and make the decision that best works for you.If youve got the time on your hands to make it happen, focus on creating long-term goals to keep your studies on track. With hard work and a bit of luck, youll be a veritable polyglot in no time.Adam Zetterlund is a language enthusiast living in New York City. He spent five years honing his foreign language skills in Paris and London, and he currently partners with a number of international clients in a marketing capacity. Learn more by reading his blog.

Language Challenge Prizes!

Language Challenge Prizes! Throughout the challenge we will be  giving away prizes  to challengers who  promote us on social media. We have awarded our first spot prize to  @CabildoSpanish on twitter, a free OXFORD English Online Placement Test!!! To enter in the drawing for the next prize which will be a subscription to video language lessons: Make a post on facebook/weibo  with the hashtag:  #italkichallenge or TRIPLE (3x) your chances  of winning by doing the following: Take a picture of yourself holding a sign with the hashtag: #italkichallenge and post it on facebook/weibo. Here is an example: We know you can do it! Keep it up! If you ever have questions, or need any help contact us at support@italki.com Language Challenge Prizes! Throughout the challenge we will be  giving away prizes  to challengers who  promote us on social media. We have awarded our first spot prize to  @CabildoSpanish on twitter, a free OXFORD English Online Placement Test!!! To enter in the drawing for the next prize which will be a subscription to video language lessons: Make a post on facebook/weibo  with the hashtag:  #italkichallenge or TRIPLE (3x) your chances  of winning by doing the following: Take a picture of yourself holding a sign with the hashtag: #italkichallenge and post it on facebook/weibo. Here is an example: We know you can do it! Keep it up! If you ever have questions, or need any help contact us at support@italki.com

Volume in Chemistry

Volume in ChemistryWhat is the volume in chemistry? Chemistry students learn that they are studying the structure of the chemical elements by having to make chemical combinations that can be studied with reference to the density of these elements. By adding oxygen and hydrogen to potassium it produces the element magnesium which has a different mass than potassium.Reading this, you may ask how it is that reading this makes the difference. Well, in case you don't know, adding oxygen and hydrogen to magnesium has a different density than that of potassium. Therefore, you can find out by measuring the mass of the elements and by multiplying this number by itself.The fact that you are reading a volume in chemistry text means that you are using units of measure. The units are generally called volumes. You learn all about volumes of the chemical elements in the standard works, as you study the structures of the various elements in the textbook.Reading this shows that you will be using chem istry units. In the units used for chemistry you are doing the same thing as learning to read volume in chemistry in your book. You will be determining density and weights. This is the same as being able to read volume in chemistry.When you begin to read this material, you are going to see that you will also have to remember certain quantities. Sometimes, when you are just reading you will not need to remember what numbers mean but when you are learning you are going to need to remember what they mean. Sometimes it is easy to get confused as you are trying to learn and it is difficult to remember. You will notice this as you are learning chemistry, and this can be easily remedied by having some learning aids such as this volume in chemistry text.You do not need to understand every word in this text, you only need to remember whatvolume is. Chemistry texts are generally full of numbers that mean something. When you are trying to read this text you will get out of it what you did not expect, especially if you do not know any chemistry. If you have the text with you when you first get into chemistry class, you will have something that will help you remember what you are doing.Even if you do not learn everything that is required for a chemistry course, you will still have learned something. The only reason you are reading this volume in chemistry is because you need to remember what quantities are written on the page. With chemistry you can take the same approach as you learn how to read volume in chemistry.

The Chemistry of Life

The Chemistry of LifeMark Twain, one of the most original writers, predicted a number of centuries before the modern atomic age that there would be chemistry as a scientific discipline. One hundred years ago this had not been predicted, but the reason for this prediction is that at that time chemistry was so unknown and undefined that when Mark Twain began to write about it, he knew it would be an important part of the sciences of the future.In his books, Mark Twain predicted that when he died, 'Science would teach all its study of the matter to the world, and Chemistry would alone keep itself pure.' As of now, chemistry has changed so much and advanced so quickly that the only remaining laboratory-type entity that can do chemistry on the molecular level is perhaps the atomic microscope. Science has made so many other advances in just the last century, so much more can be accomplished with chemistry if we use chemistry to its full potential.Carbon and the Chemistry of Life was writte n in 1899, one hundred years ago. It was written so succinctly that the reader has no trouble understanding it. It is a celebration of everything we know and love about the world, and it also reminds us of the fact that today's discoveries in chemistry are only the beginning.Of course, we are at the dawn of a new era of chemistry, the 'chemistry of life' era. To a non-chemist, chemistry seems simple and fun. We know that the world is full of products of chemical reactions, and so we can smile, wonder, and marvel at what we see.How we once speculated about the continents moving as the air cooled and compressed its contents to create the oceans and continents we know today is only part of the world's fluids. A scientist will explain this to you in a few minutes, but in the meantime, let's give a little love to the world we live in.As it is the case with everything else in chemistry, the appearance of carbon is not necessarily as beautiful as the story of a man who stood on the face of a mountain, saw the formations, and then thought, 'Gee, I wish I could do that'. It is a hard thing to understand, but carbon, like any other element, is always going to be the same. This gives chemistry a great deal of purpose, because chemistry is a scientific discipline based on observation, on the measurements of known quantities, and on experiments in order to determine the amount of each element present in the universe.If you're interested in science, your interest should be in chemistry, because science is simply one branch of chemistry, and all branches are branches of chemistry. And if you're interested in the world around you, then it's not enough to care about that chemistry, you need to care about all the chemistry in the world!