by SoHo Language Group | Dec 4, 2019 | Language
Omigod. Wowwwwww! Fantasssstic! The above words are common in everyday American English; though they sound extreme, their meaning could actually be more equivalent to “Oh!” or “Cool” or “Great”. Americans tend to like the extra feeling and verbal sizzle in informal...
by SoHo Language Group | Dec 3, 2019 | Cultural Differences
A young French woman on an exchange program in New York walked into a clothes store on Fifth Avenue one afternoon. A salesperson greeted her with, “How are you today?” “I was shocked!” she told me, a day later. “Why is that so shocking?” I asked. “But that lady...
by SoHo Language Group | Jul 27, 2018 | Classes, Language
More confident employees Clearer talks, meetings, and presentations More concise and compelling reports More successful sales calls The profiles below, composites of people I have taught, show some of the different ways a private English teacher can boost an...
by SoHo Language Group | Jul 20, 2018 | French, Language
As a way to improve your non-native skills in English, it may seem a little funny for me to be promoting a Moroccan-French standup comedian and his show on Netflix, but voila! The one-hour comedy special (all in English), “My American Dream,” features the fun, funny,...
by SoHo Language Group | Jun 20, 2018 | Language
If I could offer one piece of advice to non-native speakers in a meeting with mostly native English speakers, I would say, “Open your mouth wide — yes, wide — when you speak.” In many cultures, such open-mouthiness is considered unnatural and, frankly, vulgar. The...
by SoHo Language Group | May 25, 2018 | Language
When making appointments for meetings and other get-togethers, you might hear Americans refer to, for example, “this Friday” or “next Friday.” Since there is a potential one-week difference between the two, it’s important to master the difference. Even native speakers...
by SoHo Language Group | Apr 27, 2018 | French, Language
I recently started watching the Netflix documentary, “Emmanuel Macron: Behind the Rise,” about the election of France’s current president. The film is in French, naturellement, though I could not help noticing three common mistakes in the French-to-English subtitles,...
by SoHo Language Group | Mar 18, 2018 | Language
For improving your pronunciation in a foreign language, there is hardly anything better than singing songs in the language you’re learning. For over 10 years, I have been teaching English to non-native adult speakers and singing has proven to be a wonderful way for...
by SoHo Language Group | Oct 8, 2017 | Uncategorized
In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, the phrase “thoughts and prayers” has again emerged for consideration. The root of “thoughts and prayers” as a hypocritical form of condolence was made clear in The New York Times Oct 4 article aptly named, “Thoughts...
by SoHo Language Group | Sep 4, 2017 | Language
Today is Labor Day in the United States, marking the end of our summer. Actually, the beginning of the end typically comes in early August — walk into any local drug store chain in August to see Halloween trinkets and fake autumn leaves for sale in the seasonal...
