Saturday, April 4, 2020

Finding a Language School Near You

Finding a Language School Near YouYour child can benefit from attending Marana Arizona tutoring centers. Many of these types of schools offer courses in many different subjects and are designed to help kids in every subject learn and grow. If you have a child who struggles with language or who is learning a new language, you can attend an Arizona language school. The courses offered will be designed to help your child to understand how language works and to enhance the individual skills needed for each language.As you search for a tutoring center, you will need to make sure that it has the qualifications to take care of your child. You need to check to see if the tutoring center is licensed by the state. Not all licensed tutoring centers are the same. Make sure you find a tutoring center that is licensed by the state. It may be harder to find than you think!If you find a center that you like, you may want to consider attending their community college as well. After all, you are payin g for the services you receive. A tutoring center that is not licensed by the state is not sure where to send you.While many of the tutoring centers will offer an English language schools, you will find many of them offer language schools as well. These schools will work with children to teach them how to speak the language of their native country or region. You can speak with teachers about their experiences and learn what they have learned. It is also important to check the accreditation of the institution before enrolling your child.If you don't have a lot of money, you may want to consider attending a college class at a nearby campus. You will be able to learn more about the program, including the coursework and grading. Depending on the age of your child, he or she may feel more comfortable in a college setting. However, you should still look at the experience of the tutoring center before deciding which one is best for your needs.You need to keep in mind that there are differe nt standards that each tutoring center must meet. You can request a list of these standards from the tutoring center. Some of these standards are based on the state that the school is located in. They are also based on the quality of the teaching that your child receives.Before enrolling your child in a class, you need to find out what kind of teaching and tutoring you are going to receive. The better quality of the teaching will show in the quality of the grade that your child receives. There are many different lessons and courses that your child can take.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Chordata Examples Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Chordata Examples Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace Chordata is the most advanced animal phylum. Chordata are the most highly evolvedmulticellular animals. Theyare most adaptable,mostsuccessful and most widely distributedanimals showing diversity of forms, habitsand habitat. Chordates are bilaterally symmetricaland metamerically segmented,triploblastic, coelomates with organ system level of bodyOrganisation. All chordates have three features in common. They are the presence of notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, and presence of gill slits. Phylum chordate is divided into three subphyla onthe basis of the fate of the notochord. They are Urochordata, Cephalochordata and Vertebrata Urochordata are marine primitive chordates. The body is covered by aloose tough covering called tezt.The common urochordates are Ascidia, Salpa, Herdmania, Doliolum, Pyrrosoma, Botryllus, Oikopleura, Clona etc. Cephalochordata are the marine prochordates.The head and cranium is absent.It is represented by a singlegenus Branchiostoma (amphioxus of lancelet). Vertebrates are bilaterally symmetrical, coelomates,triploblastic, and segmented. They aregrouped into 5 classes 1. Pisces- They are the class to which the fishes belong . Examples: Scoliodon,Torpedo,Trygon,Pristis,etc. 2. Reptilia-The members of Reptiliaare cold bloodedanimals, have scales. Examples: Snakes,Crocodiles,Turtles,Lizardsetc. 3. Amphibia: They have no scales, have 3 chambered heart. Examples: Frogs,Toads,and Salamanders. 4. Aves: They are warm blooded animals and have a four chambered heart. Examples: Ardea,Columba, Corvus,Bubo,Alcedoetc. 5. Mammalia: They are warm blooded animals with four chambered heart. They have mammary glands. Examples: Platypus, Echidna, Kangaroo, Man, Canis, Pteropus, Delphinus, Camelus

Friday, March 6, 2020

Learning Maths From an Early Age

Learning Maths From an Early Age Why It’s Important to Learn Maths from the Very Beginning ChaptersDiscovering Numbers Under the Age of 1Maths for Children Aged 1 to 3 YearsBuilding Blocks and Shapes to Help with GeometryWhich Maths Games are Best for Learning?Can Nursery Rhymes Help with Number Sense?Learning Geometric ShapesLearn about Volume and Litres  with LiquidsSequence and Pattern GamesFor decades, the astounding mathematical capabilities of babies and young children were ignored. Today, several studies have shown that infants are able to perceive and understand numbers and values.And even more significant findings show that babies who are introduced to numbers and encouraged to develop number sense find it easier to learn more complex mathematical concepts later on in life.“Every child is in a way a genius; and every genius is in a way a child” - Arthur Schopenhauer MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st le sson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDiscovering Numbers Under the Age of 1Understanding the cognitive capacities of babies isn’t simple.Infants usually make sense of their environment using one sense: sight. Many studies look at babies’ behaviour when presented with a stimulus where researchers analyse their facial expressions.The mathematical capabilities of children can be recognised from when they open their eyes.Research carried out by neurologists at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (North Carolina) on 6-month-old babies showed that even before having developed language skills, babies have a remarkable capacity for maths and display an innate understanding of figures.By showing them two screens both with 8 dots some times, and 8 and 16 dots for others, the babies focussed on the screen with the changed number for each image.Three years later, this same study also demonstrates that the more attentive babies from the experiment found it easiest to grasp new mathematical concepts.Number sense at a very early age seems to be an indicator of academic success in the future.As soon as they can see, babies begin to make judgements based on number ¦ source: Pixabay - christianabellaA second study carried out by Dr Elizabeth S. Spelke from Harvard University measured the level of comprehension of babies.It found that very young children are able to estimate quantities by visual evaluation.When an adult plunged their hand into a bucket filled with 80% white ping-pong balls and 20% red ones, the babies seemed surprised if the adult took out more red balls than white ones.This capability to understand quantities quickly develops during the first year. In the beginning, children are able to recognise differences between two groups of objects:From 6 months, babies are able to tell the difference between two large collections where one is twice as big as the otherFrom 9 to 12 months, their mathematical abilities improve and they are able to tell the difference between a collection of 8 toys and a group of 10Maths for Children Aged 1 to 3 YearsFrom the age of 1 year old, children’s mathematical skills rapidly improve as they learn two major skills: walking and talking.While they move around on their feet, they gain spatial awareness which is a basis for geometry. Language acquisition means children start putting names to digits, which will eventually lead to them learning to count.Even basic calculation isn’t very far away at this age as children do addition and subtraction without realising.For example, they know that if you take 1 toy away from a group of 3, there wi ll be 2 toys remaining. In the same way, if you add a toy to a group of 2, there will be 3 in total.Young children develop skills not only with their observational skills, but also with their understanding of manipulation. This is an essential point for parents who want to encourage their child to enjoy maths in the future.Each child should be allowed to blossom in their own time, with enough support to promote good understanding.Building Blocks and Shapes to Help with GeometryIf you’re the parent of a young child, you’ve probably got some educational toys.Among these learning toys, there will probably be some games or puzzles based on shapes, where the child has to fit a cube or a cylinder into a box through the correct hole.In the beginning, this may be a difficult task for children, but with practice, they will begin to understand how the puzzle works and solve it in no time.Why is this so important?Because geometry is a major mathematical discipline! By playing educational g ames and doing puzzles, children improve their spatial awareness and perception skills.By playing with 3D shapes and polygons, children develop their logical thinking skills.As they get older, children learn to apply their skills to counting, reasoning and estimation ¦ source: Pixabay - MiguelRPerezStacking cubes and arranging them in size order teaches children to compare, categorise and organise whilst entertaining the creative side of the mind.Children should be able to understand that they themselves can manipulate objects and think logically. The better they understand this, the better tidying, classing and grouping skills they will have. MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhich Maths Games are Best for Learning?The goal of math games is to generate interest while having fun as the learner makes a large part of his discoveries independently. As parents, your role is not that of a maths teacher, but you can help introduce and explain topics.Have you noticed how your baby likes to throw away objects that come within reach? This is simply a demonstration that they have recognised the force of gravity and are repeating an action that helps them experience how it works.So, don’t let this behaviour annoy you! Learn to let your child know that you appreciate their learning and give them praise.For learning maths, the process is the same - children must practice if they are to make progress. Encoura ge your child  and let them know that you value their discoveries! Hands-on educational games are brilliant for toddlers, who get to know the world through touch.Filling, emptying, stacking up and fitting are the essential steps for the youngest children.Until the age of 18 months, not only can children begin to think mathematically, but they can also develop their fine and gross motor skills as they begin to gain coordination skills.Parents tend to favour:Building blocks (such as Lego Duplo),Puzzles involving simple shapes,PuppetsCan Nursery Rhymes Help with Number Sense?Singing nursery rhymes is incredibly helpful to children learning to count.As well as singing, you can act out the words, count on your fingers and relate the words to pictures. There are many easy games that can be used to introduce children to numbers and day-to-day maths.Use numbers in everyday activities. For example, you could ask your  child to count the number of a certain type of object in your house and ma ke the game easier or more complex depending on their age.Games such as this one help children visualise the results of their calculations.It’s a long way to using maths for accounting, but it’s a start!Learning Geometric ShapesOnce a child is familiar with shapes, it’s important that they not only learn to recognise them but also to name them.There are many examples that could be used in this context, and it’s not difficult to invent games to help children get to grips with naming shapes.At the dinner table, for example, why not ask your child whether they would like a cube of cheese or a square of chocolate.Learn about Volume and Litres  with LiquidsThe concept of volume is essential in maths. Children may have difficulty deciding which glass is holding the most liquid if the glasses aren’t the same shape.Games involving pouring can demonstrate the physical side of the numbers and show children how volume works.Open your child's eyes to the fascinating world of mathemati cs ¦ source: Pixabay - PublicDomainPicturesYou can easily demonstrate volume at bath time when there is water all around. This is the ideal time to show them that a glass which appears smaller can hold the same amount as a glass that appears larger.You could even teach them about water displacement and point out that the water level rises once they get into the bath, even though the volume of liquid remains unchanged.Find a maths tutor on Superprof!Sequence and Pattern GamesIt’s easy to make games out of everyday items!By lining up different-coloured objects and asking your child to continue the pattern, they develop logical reasoning skills which will serve them in later life.You could ask them to arrange the objects in size order. This way, your child will develop an understanding of size even before they learn to count!To help prepare your child for their formal education in maths, let’s talk about the creative side of learning. It’s important that you don’t get lost in your creativity and make activities excessive since this risks losing sight of the objective.It is also important to work at your child’s pace and don’t rush them, as this may make them stressed.Try to take a hands-on and fun approach to learning numbers.Your child will become familiar and confident with the basic topics which will set them up to take their learning further in the future.One day, your games and activities will pay off, as your child begins to learn their multiplication table, Pythagorean theorem, graphing, differential equations, integration and trigonometry!Learn how maths can help manage your money here.

Job Search or Career Change Whats the Difference

Introvert Whisperer / Job Search or Career Change Whats the Difference What’s the Difference Between a Job Search and a Career Change? And Why Do You Care? I was recently questioned about the difference between a career change and a job search with the idea that the two might really be the same. There is an important difference; and the problem comes when a person in a job search is confusing the two. Many people facing a job search will often use that event to make a change from the career they have been in, especially those who have been laid off. I think that is a good time to consider a career change â€" nothing better than a swift boot out the door to make you finally reconsider your direction. However, you need to be sure to hold off on the job search until you’ve done the necessary work to identify your new career. If you don’t Self-Promote you, who will? I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now: CLICK HERE What is the difference between the job search and career change? A Job Search is a process of multiple activities where you ultimately obtain an offer for a job you will accept. A Career Change, if done right, is a process of self-discovery that will guide you to a decision about what career you would love. That decision can lead you to three possible next steps: Job search Schooling Starting a Business. These steps can be pursued in various combinations, depending on exactly what you intend to do. Job search = new job. Career change = career decision. What makes confusing the two a problem? Quite simply, a job search that is launched without clear direction on the job/career you intend to pursue is a messy, confusing, ineffective process. You won’t get where you want to go, because you have no idea where you’re headed. When you are clear about WHAT job you want, the entire job search process becomes a highly targeted, efficient activity where all efforts are leading to that one destination â€" the job you want. I recognize the fact that for many of us, we don’t know how to figure out the career of our dreams and therefore, when we are in the midst of our job search, we resort to the time-honored tradition of: “I’ll find something.” That’s also the reason why so many people out there working, don’t like their jobs. They “find” something that on the surface might sound acceptable, but without the work ahead of time to discover the type of career that will resonate, it’s like winning the lottery. You’re lucky if it works out. If you’re facing a job search and also contemplating a career change, do yourself a favor and work on your career decision first. If you’re not sure what to do to help make that decision, there are books and career coaches out there to help you. It will be worth it in the long run, to spend the time in self-examination and research the field of possibilities. Then, if your decision leads you to a job search, your search will go much better and your results will happen faster when you know where you’re headed. Let me emphasize that Self-Promotion doesn’t have to be obnoxious to be effective. But, if you don’t Self-Promote you, who will? If you ever want to get ahead, you have to learn how to Self-Promote. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Geometry help can decrease your tension with the subject

Geometry help can decrease your tension with the subject Today everyone is busy. Every busy people are into some or the other kind of work. There are various people related with these busy people who lives get affected. If parents are too busy with their work and job then the child gets affected largely. It is important for all of us to manage and balance life with perfection. The studies, their everyday lives and the entire atmosphere get affected once parents are into job. For a child it is not possible to take their own decisions and study with perfection. Every child is not serious with their studies and even is unable to understand the importance of it. It is the parents who help them and guide them towards a better future.  TutorPace is an online tutoring institute that is pretty reputed and so various students enroll their names in it. it can also help the student with Geometry help as well with perfection. For having a good life, it is important that one should be very particular about the base of their educational and moral guidelines. Education is very important for any child and so with proper education a child can shine easily and with much efficiency. The child needs education to build a better tomorrow. From the very initial level proper guidance is important. The parents who are working are not able to provide their child with such guidance due to lack of time and energy. So, they have to take help from the external sources. External sources mean from the private tutoring institutes. There are some subjects that can be easily overcome with. Social science, English, Hindi are some of the subjects that are easy to understand and much easy to get into the grip. These subjects can be dealt without the help of a teacher. But there are certain subjects that need the help of a teacher and without the help of a teacher; it is not at all possible to cope up with it. Such a subject is mathematics. Mathematics has various layers in it and every layer is important in a same manner. In this subject only there is a topic named geometry. Every student has to pass through this topic which is composed of angles, triangles, squares and many more shapes and sizes. The angles and degrees need to the found out mainly in such sums. It requires good level of intelligence to get into the skin of the topic and know the subject in a better manner. Difference between private and online tutoring Private tutoring can be a way through which students can easily learn. The availability of private tutoring is huge and in every neighborhood you will find such coaching classes. But have you being a responsible parent thought that how much is it effective. The private tutors in today’s era are not at all dedicating teachers and due to which the students suffer a lot afterwards. The base of a subject needs to be very strong so that the student may not face any hardships related with the subject in their further studies. But unfortunately, today’s students are not able to get such types of teachers who can help them to get into the roots of the subject and know the subject pretty well. In such a situation when you do not have any way out through which you can learn better then you can opt for online tutoring services. This is a new way of learning and helps the students in lot more ways than any private tutoring services would have ever thought.  The online tutoring services have a long list of benefits that can drag any parent towards such services. It is unique as well as much helpful than any other process. let us know get to know some of the merits of online tutoring that helps the service even more fruitful and better. Some merits of online tutoring Among the huge list of benefits that online tutoring has with it, I am sharing a few of them so that you being a parent can get an idea about the entire process. The online tutoring process is carried on by the help of internet. Today every child knows how to run internet and even knows that how to use internet in which manner. The entire process of online learning is carried on through emails, online chats, tele conferencing and video conferencing as well. This way of learning is a great way through which you can save your time and energy very easily. The online tutoring services do not need any real conversation of face to face with the teacher and student. The teachers who are present to teach the students are very much efficient. This is one of the best factor due to which parents can be easily put into much ease. The appointment of any of the teachers in the world of online tutoring is very tough and also very rigorous. The candidate who has potential with the subject and knows every single detail about the subject can only overcome this tough part of interview into any of the reputed online tutoring services. The qualification of a teacher matters in this scenario. The online tutoring institutes do not have any time limitation for its students. The students can avail the classes and the help from the teachers anytime and every time. It depends on the students as to which way they want to get help. The classes can be conducted all round the clock and throughout the year. This is one of the most comfortable way through which a student can learn whenever comfortable. There are pretty more services that are found in the world of online tutoring services, but it is not possible to write all. This much can be said that when a student avails the services, he or she can easily come across to know how the entire process is and how much it is helpful.

Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth Learning About Proverbs in English

Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth Learning About Proverbs in English One of my students recently asked me the meaning of the proverb Never Look a Gift Horse In The Mouth.  Have you heard this before? Let’s see what it means in this lesson.What is a Proverb?The word proverb comes from the Latin word proverbium. It is a short and meaningful or pithy saying that expresses some commonly accepted truth or piece or advice.What does Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth Mean?Literally, the proverb means that you should never take your good fortune for granted or, in other words, be ungrateful when you receive a gift or have good luck.The phrase comes from the fact that a horse’s age can be estimated by the state of its teeth. As horses age their teeth project further farther every year so their age can be guessed by examining how prominent their teeth are.Literally, if you receive a horse as a gift, don’t look in its mouth to see how old it is.The origin of the saying is unknown however some say it can be traced back to St. Jerome in the 4th century.This s aying suits another proverb, It’s the thought that counts meaning that it is not so much the gift but the spirit of giving with which it was given that counts.Here is a cartoon based on the proverb:What do you think this cartoon is trying to say?Do you think you have ever looked a gift horse in the mouth? What was the situation?Did you find this blog interesting? Share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Aelfrics Grammar, the First Grammar Book Written in English -

Aelfric’s Grammar, the First Grammar Book Written in English - Aelfrics Life Probably not Aelfric If you are a fan of BBCs story of Uhtred and Alfred, The Last Kingdom, you might be interested to learn about an important scholar working at that time, called Aelfric. Who was Aelfric? Aelfric of Wessex (955-1020) wrote the first grammar of Latin in a vernacular language. The Historical Context ofAelfrics Life In the two centuries leading up to Ælfric’s birth, Latin scholarship was in such decline in England that when King Alfred came to the throne in 871, he complained that almost no one south of the Humber could translate a letter out of Latin. The principal cause for this decline was the constant harassment by the Danes during their prolonged campaign of incursion and occupation. However, the English enjoyed a short reprieve under King Alfred who did much to prevent further cultural and economic decline during his reign by halting the Danes at a line running northwest from London to Chester (Law, 1997). He managed this by buying a five-year peace with a large tribute, fortifying the South, and then taking and occupying London in 886. Thirteen years later, in 899, after devoting his remaining years to the restoration of English learning and culture, and promoting translation of Latin texts into the vernacular, King Alfred died. And it was only in 954, a year before Ælfric was born, that Alfred’s grandson Ædred managed to expel Eric Bloodaxe, the last of the Scandinavian kings, from England. (Hurt, 1972). Thirteen years later, in 899, after devoting his remaining years to the restoration of English learning and culture, and promoting translation of Latin texts into the vernacular, King Alfred died. And it was only in 954, a year before Ælfric was born, that Alfred’s grandson Ædred managed to expel Eric Bloodaxe, the last of the Scandinavian kings, from England. (Hurt, 1972). At the time of Ælfric’s birth, England was a very different place. Half of southern England was dense, virgin forest, and the total population of the island was only about one million. Although London and Winchester were not mentioned in the Doomsday census, York, a city of comparable size to Winchester at the time had 8000 people living there (Hurt, 1972). Today, Winchester has over a hundred and seven thousand (“National Statistics,” 2005) During Ælfric’s lifetime, four different kings occupied the English throne. The fourth in the list came to the throne when Ælfric was 23 years old. His name was King Æthelræd, a 10-year old boy known by the epithet Æthelræd Unræd, meaning “Noble counsel, no counsel.” His troubled reign (978-1016) was characterized by renewed attacks by the Danish and the six enormous tributes paid to buy peace from them. While the strategy had succeeded a century earlier under Alfred, during Æthelred’s reign paying tributes served only to strengthen the Danes and weaken the English. By all accounts, the political and economic situation during Ælfric’s lifetime was a disaster (Hurt, 1972). Aelfrics Life Ælfric was born somewhere in Wessex, England circa 955 A.D. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Old Monastery at Winchester, a training school for monks, where he studied under Eathelwold. It was there that Ælfric was ordained at the age of thirty, the minimum age for ordination in those days. Two years later, in 987 he went to the newly founded Cernel Abbey in present day Cerne Abbas near Dorchester to teach Latin. It is there between 993 and 995 that he wrote his Glossary, Colloquy and Grammar. In 1005, Ælfric became the abbot of the newly built monastery at Eynsham near present day Oxford (Hurt, 1972), and it was there that he died in 1020 (Crystal, 1995). Apart from this brief outline, not much else is known about his life. Aelfrics Grammar Earlier grammars of the major Greek and Roman grammarians were not generally pedagogical in nature. They were primarily inquiries into the structure of language for the benefit of native speakers (Hurt, 1972). In contrast, medieval grammars were intended above all as aids to learning a second language. In Ælfric’s time, the most common textbooks in circulation were in fact grammar books written by Donatus and Priscian. Born in the fourth century, Ælius Donatus wrote two grammars: Ars Grammatica and Ars Minor. It is from Donatus that Western European languages get their grammatical terminology. Priscian, born in the early sixth century, wrote Institutiones Grammaticæ, “the standard advanced textbook to which the student progressed after mastering the more elementary Donatus” (Hurt, p. 106). Ælfric’s grammar is organized according to the same plan using the 8 parts of speech used by Donatus (Hurt, 1972), but it was an abridged version of Priscian’s Institutiones known as Excerptiones de Prisciano by an unknown editor that Ælfric used as a starting point for his own grammar (Law, 1997), relying on Priscian for many of his examples and definitions. However, despite his debt to Donatus and Priscian, Ælfric’s grammar is more than a synthesis of the two earlier texts. A Grammar for Beginners For one thing, Ælfric wrote his grammar in English. By doing so, he was able to make his grammar suitable for students at a lower proficiency level than required to read either Donatus’ or Priscian’s grammars (Law, 1997). As noted above, with Latin suffering two centuries of decline, he needed his grammar to be accessible to monolingual language learners with little or no prior exposure to Latin. In his preface, he says how he expects to be reproached for this. His aim was not, after all, to train students to write Latin poetry as was the case with Bede and Aldhelm. Ælfric was attempting instead to redress the crisis of basic Latin literacy of his day that had lingered unresolved since King Alfred had complained of it 124 years earlier. Above all, he wanted to provide the key to understanding religious texts. His first hurdle to overcome in making that possible, therefore, was basic comprehension. Furthermore, Ælfric wrote for young students. To improve the comprehensibility of difficult abstract grammatical concepts that are often difficult for young learners, Ælfric developed a complete set of grammatical terms in the English of his day (Hurt, 1972)â€"though there is some evidence to suggest that some of his terms may actually predate him (Law, 1997). New grammatical terms Nevertheless, his literal renderingsâ€"while more comprehensible than their Latin counterpartsâ€"are veritable tongue twisters. For example, Interjectio thus becomes “betwuxaworpennys” and subjunctivus becomes “underðeodendlic” (Hurt, p.111). While it is unlikely that Ælfric intended for these renderings to be replacements for the Latin terms, showing no preference himself for either the traditional Latin or English versions, he did use some English terms consistently in place of the Latin terms. They were tid, cynn, word, and stæf for tempus, genus, verbum, and littera respectively (Hurt, 1972). Whatever his particular contribution to English meta-terms may have been, none survived the Norman invasion of 1066, and all the terms we have today are borrowings from Latin from a later time. Ælfric’s grammar is both a simplification and a clarification of his sources. He follows Priscian’s anonymous editor by leaving out all Greek from his grammar, but goes a step further by eliminating long lists and digressions retained by the editor (Law, 1997). Also, he leaves out an entire section on swearing (Hurt, 1972), pointing out the Christian prohibition against making oaths (Matthew 5:37). Additions, expansions, and substitutions Ælfric’s grammar, in some respects, expands on Donatus and Priscian. For example, he includes paradigms of each major type of noun within each declensionâ€"absent in Priscian.  Similarly, all regular and some irregular verb paradigms also not present in Priscian are added. Another insertion by Æflric is his digressions on aspects of Latin morphology treated inadequately in Donatus’s grammars (Law, 1997). Although he makes only a few Latin-English contrasts, he does make a point of illustrating how some words in Latin have a different gender in English. Also, he mentions how all six Latin conjunctions are equivalent to one word in English: and.   Among the similarities between the two languages, he notes that Latin and English both have 8 parts of speech and that both employ the impersonal mood only very rarely.  Most significantly, Ælfric appended to his grammar a several hundred word Glossary arranged by topicâ€"not alphabeticallyâ€"most likely based on Etymologies by Isidore of Seville (Hurt, 1972). Some substitutions are apparent. He replaces proper nouns with Eadgar and Dunstan, names familiar to him from his own school years. Pagan examples are Christianized with one example using Æneas being replaced with King David. He also disagrees with his sources on two occasions, citing evidence form biblical passages. In one, he challenges the Excerptiones on the form of the word sanguis pointing out that in scripture it is sanguinum. The second exception he makes is to a prescriptivist prohibition by Donatus against the compound adverbs de intus and de foris, both found in scripture (Law, 1997). Conclusion Using Crystal’s taxonomy (1995), Ælfric’s is a traditional grammar, presenting language forms in a highly analytical way and relying on high scripture for examples. While pedagogically prescriptive in the sense that it lists correct forms to be learned, it does not insist upon the prohibitions and forms of earlier authorities. One could almost say that it is descriptive in the sense that, for Ælfric, the Bible was his language corpus. In terms of his contrastive analysis, Law and Hurt both agree that his grammar offers little insight to the modern linguist into the nature of Middle English. Sadly Ælfric’s Grammaticus survives only as a museum piece. His (by some accounts) original metalanguage was lost, and his grammar is now of interest only to historians and specialists. While impressive for his time, the few books that are available on him at the Concordia library look as though they have never been opened. For instance, Hurt’s highly readable Ælfric, though printed 33 years ago, looks brand new. However, there is a lot that language teachers will find inspiring about Ælfric. His sincere dedication to the “ignorant children” in his care, and his energetic attempts to make the target language as comprehensible and practical as possible for learners is admirable for his or any age. Discussion Questions In what way are the challenges facing language teachers today similar to the challenges Ælfric faced a millennium ago?Does Ælfric deserve a place in the pantheon of grammarians or should he be passed over as a minor figure in the history of our linguistics?What is the pedagogical value of explaining grammar in the language of the learner, as opposed to using the target language as the language of instruction? References Crystal, David. (1995). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Hurt, James (1972). Aelfric. Twayne Publishers, New York. Law, Vivien (1997). Grammar and grammarians in the early middle ages. Longman, New York. National Statistics, Retreived January, 2005, fromhttp://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/24up.asp White, Caroline (1974). Aelfric a new study of his life and writing. Archon Books, Hamden, CT. Grammar Checker The Virtual Writing Tutor is the first English Second Language grammar checker and probably the best grammar checker available for free today. On this website, you can get help with a variety of difficulties that learners of English at all levels face. If you are wondering how you can improve your English or how to prepare for the IELTS or TOEFL tests, or perhaps you are wondering whether beginners should learn essays or storytelling, there may be something of value for you on this blog. Alternatively, check spelling and grammar here. Please follow and like us: