‼️Many non-native speakers of English make the mistake of pronouncing "ng" as two sounds. However, with a number of exceptions, the sound /g/ is not usually pronounced and /n/ is produced with the back of the tongue touching the soft palate. So, the word "sing" is pronounced /siŋ/ , NOT /sing/. ‼️ Watch the video if you are still curious to know how it works. 🔵Here is the script: One of my regular blog users has sent of herself speaking to help work out some of her pronunciation problems. There was one thing that I noted that I wanted to add here, because I thought that other people might be able to benefit from it. This NG sound: ng [?]. When she makes it, it is often followed by a kk or gg, quick sound, which sounds like a bit of a click at the end of the word. For example: sing, wrong. It’s subtle, but it’s not necessary.

To make the NG sound, the middle/back part of the tongue is raising to touch the roof of the mouth. Ng, ng. To make the G/K sound, it is the back of the tongue that is pulling away from the soft palate, so it’s not very far from the NG sound. The NG sound is a little further up, where the tongue touches, the G/K sound is a little further back. But, if you allow any sort of pressure to build up while you’re making the NG sound, and then you pull the tongue down, when the tongue comes down it’s going to make that gg, kk sound. So what you need to avoid doing is letting there be pressure build up and then pulling the tongue away. After you make the ng, NG sound, that is it. That is the final sound. Sing, sing.

So, the sound stops here rather than letting it build up a little further back and then releasing the tongue. Sing. Now, I do want to note, that there are some cases where the G is enunciated on its own, after the ng sound. For example, in the word fungus. And this is because this ‘gus’ is starting the beginning of the next syllable, so the G is enunciated. Gg, gg. There are a few such cases. And I will do a blog on that to follow up. But in general, the NG is most commonly pronounced as the ng, NG sound, and should not be followed by the gg or kk. #pronunciation #intermediate @englishfortomorrow

#quiz #vocabulary #upperintermediate

#song @englishfortomorrow

⭐️Perhaps you have been studying English for a long time and for sure, you know that getting familiar with the culture of a country is at the heart of learning its language. That is exactly why you need to learn how to sing "a lullaby" to a child in English. Try to memorize it as you read along! *This version of lullaby is quite common in the US. *Many people tend to sing just the first 6 lines of it and leave the rest. #Song @englishfortomorrow

✅The reason for sharing this video is twofold : 1- To familiarize you with the tone of the previous lullaby 2- And to introduce you this very nice sitcom (starring Cortney Cox who also played "Monica Geller" in the sitcom "Friends"). Watching sitcoms is a great way to boost up your language. Here's the link for downloading COUGAR TOWN! http://dl1.moviefarsi.com/serial/ #film @englishfortomorrow

The Answer is : Towaway zone (Tow-away zone). @englishfortomorrow

#vocabulary #elemantry @englishfortomorrow

#video #intermediate @englishfortomorrow

Here's the #lyrics to "When You Say Nothing At All" by Ronan Keating.

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may, I can never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
(crowd)
Try as they may, they can never define what's been said between your heart and mine

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all

(You say it best when you say nothing at all
You say it best when you say nothing at all)

The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Lets me know that you need me

(You say it best when you say nothing at all
You say it best when you say nothing at all)

@englishfortomorrow

ℹ️ ELTeach Iran is proud to offer a once-in-a-lifetime, unparalleled scholarship opportunity to 18 practising or aspiring English teachers in Iran who wish to take their careers a step further.
Chosen candidates will be enrolled in an online professional development course worth 💵 US$ 500. The courses are administered by ELTeach, co-ordinated by 🇮🇷 ELTeach Iran, powered by Cengage Learning, certified by ETS, sponsored by National Geographic, and 💰funded by the 🇺🇸 U.S Department of State. The applications are reviewed and selected on a highly competitive basis. To be considered for the 🏅scholarship, applicants will have to send their CV’s, participate in a face-to-face or online interview, and demonstrate unwavering commitment to complete the course and sit the final examination in due time besides agreeing to write a short essay about their experience with ELTeach after they have accomplished the course requirements.
Applicants should submit a formal request to ✉️ info@elteach.ir along with a copy of passport or national ID card, a CV, a passport photograph, and a letter of motivation. Applicants with experience teaching in secondary or tertiary school take priority.
For more information about the course content visit www.elteach.com.
For any other enquiries contact Ehsan Taebi via ✉️ taebi@elteach.ir or call 📞(+98) (0) 912 031 8900
📝Note 1: Successful applicants will be charged a processing fee equal to US$ 50 upon their selection for the scholarship.
📝Note 2: The courses will start the 1st of March 2016 and the final examination is due June 2016. Further information about the exact date, time, and location of the final examination will be announced shortly.
📝Note 3: Submission of an application and/or participation in the interview creates no right for the applicant to be granted the scholarship. ELTeach Iran reserves the right to deem an application qualified or reject an application without having to respond to individual applicants.
@teachersoftomorrow

With ❤️ Valentine's Day 💘 being only a few days away, surely many are thinking of what to give 🎁 to their loved ones. But, do you know where the tradition of gift giving originates from?

Well, It actually come from the life story of Saint Valentine. Here is his story...

@englishfortomorrow

St. Valentine's Story

#reading
#intermediate and above

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor 👑 named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army ⚔. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious 😡. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow 🚫 any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel 👺. I thought it was preposterous 😲! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest 👼? One of my favorite activities was to marry couples 💑. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit 🕯 room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers 🛡.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped 🏃 in time. I was caught ⛓. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers 🌺 and notes 💌 up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love 💝.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up 🙂. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember, and most importantly, think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

@englishfortomorrow

#quiz

Based on the above reading, try to answer the following questions.

1. When and where did St. Valentine live?

2. Who was the emperor at that time?

3. Did St. Valentine like him? Why?

4. What did St. Valentine do? What was his job?

5. Why didn’t Claudius like men to get married?

6. Why was St. Valentine arrested and put into prison?

7. What was the punishment that the Emperor ordered for him?

8. Who visited him when he was in jail?

9. When did St. Valentine write the note?

10. Who did he write the note to?

11. Why did he write it?

12. When did St. Valentine die?

13. Why is St. Valentine a symbol of Love?

@englishfortomorrow

#idiom #upperintermediate @englishfortomorrow

Are you familiar with mathematics vocabulary in English? #vocabulary #intermediate @englishfortomorrow

#quiz Can you read this mathematical equation? @englishfortomorrow

#vocabulary #intermediate @englishfortomorrow

#idiom #intermediate @englishfortomorrow

This is read as "ten to the power of three". Therefore, the answer to the previous quiz is : Two to the power of four equals sixteen!