All posts by Fitrya Nur Baity

English, quiz

#EngQuiz : Words in the News

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Fellas, do you like to read the news? We can get many information from the news. The sources we can read the news from vary. We can read the news on the newspaper, magazine, or online news portals. Reading the news in English can also improve our vocabulary.

On today’s session, we will start with this paragraph:

It’s the temple that brought Londonderry together. On Saturday they burnt it down.

Catholics and Protestants have a long history of conflict in this Northern Irish city.

But volunteers from both communities came together to build the structure. Thousands left personal messages of peace inside.

Organisers say the fire symbolises letting go of the past.

From the paragraph, we can find some vocabularies like:

  • Temple = a building used to pray
  • To burn something down = to destroy it with fire
  • Conflict = a serious disagreement or argument between two people or more
  • Volunteers = people who offer to work without being paid
  • Symbolise = to represent an idea

Fellas, let’s start the quiz! Fill in the blank with vocabularies that we found from the news that I shared previously. Use hashtag #EngQuiz to share your answer.


1. Since the last train left in 1998, the once regal station has come to (…..) Detroit.

2. Whatever the issue was, the (….) between Rachel and Soga remained.

3. The camp ground was manned on a (….) basis.

4. She was worried that the house might (….) while they were away.

5. This year, the date on which Gandhi was murdered was marked by attempts by right-wing Hindus to build a (….) to honour the Gods.

The answer are:

  1. Symbolise
  2. Conflict
  3. Volunteer
  4. Burn down
  5. Temple

Source from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/witn/ep-150325

Thats all for today fellas, see you tomorrow!!

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, July 17, 2019

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English, idiom

#IOTW: Idioms with the word ‘hit’

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Hello fellas, how are you today? First of all, I want to wish you a happy Eid al-Fitr for you who celebrate it.

In today’s session we will be going to discuss some idioms formed with the word hit. Fellas, can you mention what is the meaning of ‘hit?’

The verb ‘to hit’ means ‘memukul’ in Indonesian language. When put in an idiom, ‘hit’ can change meanings. So fellas, here are idioms with ‘hit’:

1. Hit me
It means ‘say it now’ or ‘tell me’ or ‘give it to me right now.’ It could also mean that something is ‘clear to me’ or ‘I understand.’
E.g.: “And then it hit me. The weather feels so much warmer because of the humidity.”

2. Hit my funny bone
It means ‘something causes me to laugh.’
E.g.: “The word ‘pollywog’ always hits my funny bone.”

3. Hit the nail on the head
It means to ‘say the right word’ or ‘suggest a good idea.’
E.g.: “Your comment hit the nail on the head. You spoke the truth.”

4. Hit speeds of
It means to ‘travel at speeds of.’
E.g.: “The stolen car was hitting speeds of 120 kilometres per hour in the city.”

5. Hit the books
It means to ‘begin studying.’
E.g.: “Exams begin next week. It’s time to hit the books.”

6. Hit the rock bottom
It means to face a very unfortunate situation and and to feel very depressed about it.
E.g.: “After his farm was seized, he hit rock bottom and lost all hope.”

Fellas, now try to answer what exactly is the meaning of the idiom ‘hit and run?’

Thank you for your joining me today, fellas. You can use idioms with the word ‘hit’ to improve your English conversation skill. See you tomorrow.

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

English, tips

#EngTips: Volunteering

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Hello fellas, how are you today? In this session, we are going to discuss volunteering.  Fellas, have you ever been a volunteer? Or have you ever joined a volunteering project?

A volunteer is a person who offers to take part in an enterprise or to undertake a task. This person often does the task without being paid.

Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community.

By joining as a volunteer, we ourselves also get the benefits, because volunteering and helping others can help reduce stress, combat depression, keep us mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose.

Nowadays, people choose to volunteer for variety of reasons. Some people do voluntary job because they want to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them.

Some people do voluntary job because it can be a route to an employment, it is an opportunity to try something new, and it could lead to a career change.

So, how to become a volunteer? Here are the tips for you:

  • Educate yourself

Before you decide which organisation to join for a voluntary activity, you should have a firm grasp of the organisation’s mission and goals so you will be able to better serve the community and become more professional.

  • Attitude is everything

The more positive your attitude is and the more you think about the voluntary activity with an open mind, the more you will get from the experience. Sometimes voluntary work isn’t exactly what you want to be doing, but always look on the bright side.

  • Accept differences

When you decide to be a volunteer, you should realise that you will be working with a diverse group of people, which means exposing yourself to a variety of social classes, ages, and races. Volunteering can shatter barriers between people who never interact. Accept the differences and you won’t regret it.

  • Make connections

The last tip is about how you can build relationships with both sides, in this case the people in the non-profit organisation and the people you serve. Treat them well and make sure to leave everyone you meet with good impression.

Source: https://nonprofithub.org/volunteer-management/4-easy-ways-to-become-a-better-volunteer/

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, May 22, 2019

business, English, knowledge

#EngTalk : Job Interview (2)

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Fellas, are you a fresh graduate from a college or a university or do you want to take a professional work as early as after finishing high school? You must have been aware of job interviews.

Job Interview with Interviewers
https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/top-best-job-interviewing-books/

Job interviews are amongst the first steps that must be taken before you start corporate life. Multinational companies specifically conduct the interviews in English. Could you share some stories of your first job interviews? Mention us.

@arditaher

“My first job interview was fun! Other candidates graduated from Perth and Californian campus, but the company picked me from Kalibata campus”.

@prabhuconnects

“I went for job interview for bpo job. Interviewer asked me to speak 5 minutes English. I spoke 30 seconds in proper English. It was Amazing experinced until I missed my bus“.

You must also have been aware that nowadays job interviews are not done face to face only. Companies can conduct the interviews through video calls or Skype.

But if you must meet the company’s HRD person or the user, dressing politely and making a good first impression will make you go a long way.

If you are applying for a job in creative industry, never forget to prepare your portfolio and creative experiences. They could help convincing the company to hire you.

A job in creative industry might vary from being a copywriter, a web content writer, a photographer, an illustrator, to a graphic designer.

As for formal sector, prepare your most updated CV that mentions your relevant past experiences. Formal sector jobs refer to an administrative staff, a financial staff, a customer service, a teller, a manager, and so on.

After the interview is over, make sure you have given the company your contactable phone number and email address.

That’s all for today, fellas. Good luck for your next job interview!

Compiled and Written by: @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, April 24, 2019

class, knowledge, vocabulary

#Engvocab: Election

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Hello fellas, how are you today? Fellas, on April 17, 2019, we in Indonesia hold a general election to determine the future members of House of Representative and the future president and vice president. Therefore, today, we are going to discuss vocabularies related to election.

An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. There are several vocabularies that we often hear or read in regards to election terms. Here they are:

1. Campaign
Means the things a candidate does to get elected (shaking hands, giving oration, etc.).
E.g.: “He took a campaign tour of West Java last week.”

2. Debate
Means to argue for or against something.
E.g.: “The topic of tonight’s presidential debate is national defense and security.”

3. Candidate
Means the person who is running in an election.
E.g.: “The Indonesia presidential election in 2019 has two pair of candidates.”

4. Politics
Means the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area.
E.g.: “I told her I was going into politics.”

5. Voter
Means the individual who is voting in an election.
E.g.: “Now the voters will decide.”

6. Ballot paper
Means a piece of paper or a small ball used in a secret voting.
E.g.: “Each person will get a ballot which should be kept confidential.”

7. Supporter
Means the individual who supports a candidate during an election.
E.g.: “All supporters in this campaign are so excited to meet the candidate.”

8. Political party
Means a group of people with similar political goals and opinions whose main purpose is to get candidates elected to public office.
E.g.: “Most of political parties in this election are optimistic about their candidates being elected.”

9. Democracy
Means a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

E.g.: “Indonesia is one of the countries that adapts democracy as its system of government.”

10. Government
Means the governing body of a nation, state, or community.
E.g.: “The first MRT in our city was planned by the previous government.”

Thank you and see you tomorrow!

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, April 10, 2019

English, vocabulary

#ENGVOCAB: VOCABULARIES RELATED TO INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA

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Hello fellas, how are you? how often do you surf the internet and social media? I am sure that most of you like spending time to check social media and surfing the internet. Today, we are discussing some words and phrases related to internet and social media. Here they are.


http://lime20.com/internet.php

1. To unplug
It means to disconnect and to relax by disengaging ourselves from activities that use internet connection.

E.g.: “Sometimes you need to learn to unplug and just enjoy the peace and quiet at home.”

2. Hot-spot
It refers to a place in public area where there is a computer system with an access point or an internet connection.

E.g.: “The airport was bright and spacious, with large shopping area and Wi-Fi hot-spot lounge.”

3. To multitask
To multitask means to do many things at the same time. 

E.g.: “An interpreter needs a quick, agile mind to multitask, because she or he needs to simultaneously listen to a concept or idea in one language, understand and process it, and translate it to another language.”

4. Down-time
It refers to the time when a computer is not working properly and cannot be used. This could also mean the time somebody needs to relax and recuperate after a hard work.

E.g.: “Once we are done with all the renovation, I am ready for some major down-time.”

5. Pulled to the internet
It means working hard using the internet or being dependent to the internet.

E.g.: “I wish I could do that but I am so pulled to the internet. I manage my own business and I can hardly spend a day without sending emails or checking my website.”

6. To pull the plug
When you pull the plug of something, it means that it no longer has a power source and will switch off.

E.g.: “I am considering just pulling the plug on the whole thing. I have been so busy with my work and I have not had time to be creative or even relax.”

7. Be on the same wavelength
It refers to the same things that have the same origins but can also be used for casual acquaintances. It has the same meaning as being in tune with somebody.

E.g.: “What makes the problem worse is that Howard and Tina are not on the same wavelength about how to deal with it.”

8. No filter
It is usually used to refer to a picture, which is of original quality and has not been edited or modified. The term is also used to refer to an uncensored conversation, usually between friends.

E.g.: “Miranda is my best friend. Sometimes when we are chatting, we can talk with no filter and we laugh at each other.”

9. On fleek
Something is on fleek if it looks perfect and on point.

E.g.: “Did you see what Jason was wearing today? His look is on fleek!”

10. To win the internet
The phrase is usually used as a reaction given by someone who either really likes or really dislikes your post.

E.g.: “This picture wins the internet today. Everything else is dummy.”

That’s all for today, fellas. Hopefully today’s session is useful for you. See you tomorrow!

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, March 27, 2019

English, tips

#EngTips: HOW TO KEEP A CONVERSATION GOING

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Hello fellas, I’m happy to meet you again today. How are you today?

Fellas, as non-native speakers, have you ever felt stuck and confused in the middle of a conversation? Especially since the conversation is done in English.

Sometimes, when we meet with international friends, we must keep a conversation going to give them sufficient details about us. However, when we feel confused because we don’t know what to say, the conversation will stop.

Example:
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“Yes, I did. You?”
“Yeah, it was good.”

The conversation will stop because there is no natural way to continue it. A brief conversation with strangers are fine from time to time, but if it is someone we know, a longer chat will be expected.

Here is how to keep a conversation going:

1. Ask questions and start with 5W + 1H (What, Who, Where, When, Why, How). Avoid yes or no questions.


2. Answer the questions with elaborated details that will help you continue the conversations.

3. Try interesting topics such as family, hobbies, sports, movie, TV shows, culture, music, recent events, travelling, or interesting places in the city where you live. Avoid such topics as religion, politics, sex life, personal finance, or health issues.

Check this long conversation as an example:
James: “Hey, Rachel, how was your weekend?”
Rachel: “Pretty good! I went to a baseball game with my brother.”
James: “Really? What teams were playing?”

Rachel: “The Red Sox and The Yankees. We are huge Yankees fans!”
James: “Yeah? How was the game?”
Rachel: “Very exciting. It was tied until the last minutes, and then we won 2-1.”

You can see from the example that both persons tried to keep the conversation going. James asked questions and Rachel answered enthusiastically.

To have a good conversation in English with your international friends, a regular practice is necessary. That is all for today, fellas! If you have questions about this or previous sessions, don’t hesitate to mention us.

Hopefully today’s topic could help you brush up your English conversation skill. See you tomorrow!

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, March 13,2019

knowledge

#EngTalk: Horoscope

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Hello fellas, how was your day? We meet again in Wednesday session with @Englishtips4u and today we will discuss astrology or also known as horoscope. Do you believe in horoscope? Most of the time, someone checks his or her horoscope out of pure fun. When we open a magazine or a newspaper and we see the horoscope monthly update, we can sometimes read or overlook it.

For those who read it, they do it to search any signs about fortune or lucky happenings in life, for fun. As we are all aware, there are 12 known zodiac signs that are compatible with our birthdays. Can you mention all 12 of them? Yes, they are Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius.

https://pixabay.com/en/zodiac-astrology-horoscope-2904106/

Strangely enough, millennials tend to show more interest in astrology, more than other generations do, according to this article : https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/horoscopes-millennials-why-do-so-many-believe-zodiac-star-signs-a7531806.html

Do you think the article makes sense? Or does anything happen to us is purely coincidental, regardless of our star sign? Share your thoughts and tweet us. Have you read this article? I find some opinion about millennials and the zodiac sign.

What we must avoid, however, is judging someone based on their zodiac sign. Someone who was born under the sign Libra could say, “It’s not my fault that I’m bad on decision making. I’m a Libra.

The article also mentioned a girl with Leo horoscope, who felt that she didn’t quite relate to her zodiac sign. She said that she would not define herself as someone who liked to be on the spotlight, although she did feel that she was a sociable and a creative type.

Continuing with the businesswoman on the article who was a Libra. She identified strongly with her zodiac sign and believed that she was a ‘typical Libran. The last one was a young girl from London, an Aries, who believed that she found herself always attracted to Aquarius guys, based on the horoscope.

However, as what we mentioned previously, we should avoid prejudice based on zodiac sign. Someone’s characteristics and personality are unique, which means we cannot really be sure that someone is behaving or doing a certain action because of his or her sign.

Similarly, we should not be discouraged either if our zodiac update says that there is something unfortunate to happen to us. It is good to stay optimistic, keep an open mind, and be careful at the same time.

That’s all for today, fellas! Thank you so much for joining today’s session. See you tomorrow!

Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @EnglishTips4U on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

class, English

Exclamatory Sentence

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Hello, fellas, how are you doing?

Fellas, do you know what is this?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/63370541@N04/39372631424
Burj Khalifa

That is Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, “How amazing it is!“

Did you notice the form that I used to compliment Burj Khalifa? Yes, I said, “How amazing it is!“. On that sentence, I used what we call exclamatory sentence, which is going to be our topic for today.

An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses about wonder or a feeling caused by something beautiful or stunning. Usually, the characteristic of an exclamatory sentence is it ends with an exclamation mark (!).

Check these sentences:
“How small their house was!” (Betapa kecil rumah mereka!)

“How oddly Justin behaved!” (Betapa aneh kelakuan Justin!)

“What a surprising conclusion it was!” (Sungguh sebuah kesimpulan yang mengejutkan!)

To make an exclamatory sentence, we can use the following formula.

  • Formula 1:
    How + adjective + subject + auxiliary verb
    E.g.:
    “How cheap these shoes are!“
  • Formula 2:
    How + adverb + subject + verb
    E.g.:
    “How oddly Justin behaved!“
  • Formula 3:

  How + adjective + noun + subject + verb

E.g.:

“What expensive bags you have!”

Fellas, sometimes, we can remove some word on an exclamatory sentence to make the sentence even better.

E.g.: “What a charming girl!” instead of “What a charming girl she is!” “What beautiful hair!” instead of “What beautiful hair you have!”

An exclamatory sentence can also be written as a declarative sentence (which we will discuss next time).

E.g.: “There is the plane now!” (Itu pesawatnya sudah mendarat!)

“There is your bus coming!” (Itu dia busnya tiba!)

Fellas, that is all for today, thank you so much for your patience and see you tomorrow!

Compiled and written by @2013happyyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, January 30, 2019

    class, English, grammar

    #EngClass: Derivatives

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    Hello fellas, how was your day?

    In this session we will discuss derivative which is a part of grammar in English language. There are several grammatical rules to apply when using English. Today, we will continue with ‘Derivatives.’

    Derivatives are word that are derived from other words, which we call root words. Usually, derivatives are formed by adding an affix to the root words.
    Let’s see the paragraph below:

    At their first session, the lawyer asked Ed, “What things about this woman that attracted you?”
    Ed replied, “Her forthrightness, straightforwardness, and frankness    .”

    Fellas, did you find any derivatives from that paragraph?
    From that paragraph, the words ‘forthrightness,’ ‘straightforwardness,’ and ‘frankness’ are derivatives. Derivatives can also be nouns that we could change into adjectives or adverbs if we add suffix at the end of the words. However, there are some derivatives that still retain their meaning.

    1. To form noun derivatives, we add suffixes like -ness, -ty, -hood, -ian, -cy, -er, -or, -sion, -ment, -tion, -ant, -ce, etc.
    E.g.: 
    Happy – Happiness 
    Child – Childhood

    Dense – Density
    Pregnant – Pregnancy
    Good – Goodness

    Comedy – Comedian
    Assist – Assistance
    Friend – Friendship 

    2. To form adjective derivatives, we add suffixes like: -full, -less, -ish, -al, – cy, – ary, -able, -ous, -y, etc.
    E.g.:
    Blue – blueish
    Boy – boyish
    Help – helpless
    Sun – sunny
    Danger – dangerous

    3. To form verb derivatives, we can add affixes like dis-, re-, -ize, a-, -fy. 
    E.g.:
    Like – dislike
    Agree – disagree 
    Check – recheck
    Memory – memorize
    Summary – summarize

    4. Derivatives can also form ‘negative words’ or words that have the negative meaning of the root words. To form these derivatives, we add prefixes un-, in-, im-, etc.

    E.g.:
    complete – incomplete
    happy – unhappy
    direct – indirect
    mortal – immortal

    Sumber: Yulianto, Dian. (2018). Asyiknya Belajar Grammar Dari Kisah-Kisah Jenaka. Yogyakarta: DIVA press.

    Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, January 23, 2019

    class

    #EngClass: The Imperative (2)

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    Hi fellas, Today we will discuss the imperative and how to use it on sentences.

    Fellas, Imperative is a type of sentence that gives instructions or expresses a command. Sometimes, an imperative sentence also expresses a direction, a request, an order or a suggestion. Imperative sentences usually end with an exclamation mark or a period. Check this paragraph and find imperative sentences on this paragraph:

    “In a second-grade elementary class, an English teacher asked her students to count in English. “Lisa, can you count up to five in English for me?” Lisa said “Yes, Miss. One, two, three, four, five.” The teacher said “Very good. Now Melisa, please continue.”

    When the teacher asked Melisa to continue counting, she said “Please continue”. It is the imperative.

    1. Imperative sentences can also express prohibition or warning. They can end with either an exclamation mark and period. E.g.:
    • “Do not use the lift in the event of fire“.
    • “Don’t go there!”
    • “Don’t tell anyone that I was here“.
    • “Don’t be late!“

    2. Imperative sentences can also express an instruction. E.g.:

    • “Enjoy your meal“.
    • “Do start“.
    • “Stop talking and open your books“.
    • “Ask him, will you? “Write to me, will you? “

    3. We can write imperative sentence without a subject.

    E.g : “Open your mouth and say “Aaah”.

    4. We can also write imperative sentence to remind one or more people. E.g :

    • “Come on, boys, you’re late”.
    • “Come on, Lisa, I’m waiting”.

    5. We can also write imperative sentences to make suggestions. Usually, we use “Let’s” in the beginning of sentence. Remember that “let’s” is a contraction of “let us”, which means the pronoun is already plural. E.g :

    • “Let’s visit India next month”.
    • “Please, let’s just go to cinema tonight, shall we?”.

    6. We can also use imperative sentences to give instructions.

    E.g : “First, prepare some hot water. Pour the white coffee into a cup. Add some milk and stir the coffee”.

    Compiled and written by @2013happyy for @englishtipsforyou on Wednesday, January 16, 2018