5 Most Difficult Italian Grammar Rules Made Simple

5 Most Difficult Italian Grammar Rules Made Simple Suzy S. Are you ready for a lesson in Italian grammar?  Below, Italian teacher Liz T. breaks down the five most difficult Italian grammar rules Learning Italian can be difficult, not to mention overwhelming for new students. Many students are afraid of tackling Italian grammar, as it can be complex and confusing at first. If you take the time to learn Italian grammar, however, youre much more likely to understand what youre  actually saying, hearing, reading, and writing. Below, we break down the  five most difficult Italian grammar rules  to make it easier for you to understand. 1. Nouns and Adjectives We categorize nouns and adjectives  as either masculine and feminine. Typically, nouns  ending in -o are masculine, while nouns ending in -a are feminine. See examples below. Feminine: Donna (woman) Masculine: Uomo (man) If the noun ends in -i that means it’s masculine, but plural and  nouns ending in -e are  feminine, but plural. See examples below. Masculine: Bambini (children) Feminine: Ragazze (girls) 2. Singular vs. Plural Knowing how to create singular and plural nouns can be difficult. While there are a few  tricks to remembering the rules, its really all about memorizing the endings. See examples below. Nouns ending in  singular -o switch to plural -i Amico is changed to Amici (Friend, Friends) Nouns ending in singular -a switch to plural -e Torta is changed to Torte (Cake, Cakes) Nouns ending in singular -ca switch to -che Mucca is changed to Mucche (Cow, Cows) Nouns ending in singular -e switch to -i Professore is changed to Professori (Professor, Professors) 3. Introducing “The” Definite Articles (Singular) Singular: There are two main forms of the definite article in the singular, il (masculine) and la  (feminine)  and two alternate forms.  l’  for any noun starting with a vowel, and lo,  for any masculine noun starting with s- plus a consonant, p-s, or -z. See examples below: Masculine singular Example: Il gatto (the cat) Feminine singular  Example: La gatta (the cat) Masculine noun starting with a vowel Example: L’uomo (the man) Feminine noun starting with a vowel Example: L’amica (the friend) Masculine noun starting with a -s plus a consonant Example: Lo Zio (the uncle) Plural: Le is used to describe plural feminine “Le Ragazze” replaces La or L’. I is used to describe plural masculine “I Ragazzi” replaces il. Gli is used to describe plural masculine “Gli Zii” replaces Lo or L’. 4. Indefinite Articles “A, An” Describing Nouns Masculine nouns use “Un” before a vowel or consonant. Example: Un libro (a book) Masculine nouns use “Uno” before consonant beginning with -s, -z, -gn, -ps etc. Example: Uno specchio (a mirror) Feminine nouns use “Una” before consonant. Example: Una donna (a woman) Feminine nouns use “Un” before vowel Example: Un’attrice (a actress) 5. Italian Pronouns to Use When Describing People According to Italian grammar, there are singular pronouns and plural pronouns. Below is  a table that will help you better memorize the singular and plural pronouns: To gain a better understanding of the Italian language, it’s important to master these five grammar rules. Use flash cards, write them down, put them in a song, use visuals, anything that will help you memorize them. Here are some additional Italian grammar articles that can help supplement your studies: Italian Grammar: Mastering the Informal and Formal You 4 Quick and Easy Italian Grammar Exercises Italian Grammar Rules: How to Form Singular and Plural Nouns Photo by Phil Roeder Post Author:  Liz T. Liz T. teaches singing, acting, music and Italian lessons in Brooklyn, NY.  She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M. in vocal performance and has a graduate certificate in arts administration from New York University. Learn more about Liz here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

How I Got Into Williams College

How I Got Into Williams College By Chloe Brown When I started my college search, I knew I wanted to go to a small, liberal arts school, either in New England or California. But once I visited Williams College, I fell in love. I knew that was where I wanted to go. So when fall of senior year rolled around, I sent off my Early Decision application and waited, typing up my other applications in between rounds of biting my nails. As you may have guessed, things worked out alright and in December I got a big, thick, purple envelope. While I dont know exactly what goes on in the head of an admissions officer, I can tell you what sort of applicant I looked like. I had spent all of high school singing in choir, took voice lessons, and for three years had been in the regional honor choir. I was captain of my Mock Trial team, which that year, went onto the national competition in Oklahoma City. I threw shotput and discus on the Track and Field team, took guitar lessons, and was interested in creative writing. I took AP English and History classes, and as many Philosophy electives as the school offered. In short, I worked very hard. However, Id also like to spend some time talking about the things I didnt to: I didnt take Calculus, I took Statistics instead. I didnt take an AP science class my senior year so that Id be able to take a new philosophy class that my favorite English teacher was offering. I was on Varsity Track and Field my first two years of high school, but quit. I didnt write a very traditional application essay but instead tried to use it as an opportunity to showcase my writing. Why is this important? I think a lot of the time, students feel like they have to do everything excellently in order to get into their top school. And while working hard is essential, its also important to make choices. You see, I didnt take Calculus not only because math wasnt my favorite subject, but also because it was offered at the same time as an English class I wanted to take. When I quit the track team, it was because I knew I wouldnt be able to go to both the track meets and Mock Trial competitions, and had to pick one. In short, you should pursue things passionately, but only the ones youre genuinely passionate about. Schools want to be impressed and want to see that youre involved in many activities, but they also know that one person cant do literally everything. Its just not possible, and this is something that they know too. Instead, showing focus and commitment are key. If theres something you love doing, do as much of it as possible, get a leadership position, or start your own club. Colleges are looking for people who will add something to their communities, so once you start to get a sense of what makes you most excited, whether its sports, theater, math, or languages, dive into it. It gives colleges a more honest picture of you and what youre interested in, and moreover, makes you a more interesting candidate.

Yoga for the Voice - an introduction!

Yoga for the Voice - an introduction! Suzy S. Here is a very interesting article written by our singing teacher gfire, hailing from Austin, Texas, about how practicing yoga techniques can improve overall singing capability: When I first began my professional singing career, still in my teens, I was extremely dissatisfied with the explanations I had been given for how and why the singing voice works. I just couldnt make my voice do the things I wanted it to. Admittedly, I had pretty high expectations. Fortunately, I went to my public library and happened on a copy of Science and Singing by the late, great Ernest George White of London, England. After decades of scientific research, White discovered how the voice and vocal tone actually originate in the four sets of sinus cavities in the head, not in the throat/vocal cords, as was previously believed. White taught people to speak who had had their vocal cords surgically removed just by training them in controlling the air in their sinus cavities. He explains in his book that the air vibrating in an enclosed space (the head) acts as a musical instrument, similar to a flute or a recorder or even air moving through a keyhole and producing sound. He felt that the vocal cords, or vocal folds as he preferred to call them, merely aided in regulating the flow of breath from the lungs up to the head, where the sound was actually produced. Unfortunately for me, White had already passed away in 1940, so I began my own attempts at playing with the air in my sinus cavities. After many months of study, pretty much by trial and error, I found that I was actually a first soprano, not a second soprano, as I had thought. I found that it took much less air and a lot of control to maintain my high notes, but that I now HAD control. And I really began to develop my own unique singing voice, after years of trying to sound like everyone else that I admired. Wow even my high expectations had been reached. When I moved to Austin a few years later, I began teaching singing (and piano) as my day job. I taught all kinds of people how to sing and speak, from age 8 to age 72. Many of my students found great success with playing with the air in their sinuses remarking that, although they hadnt had success with traditional exercises, they could now make their voices sound clearer and they could control the voice. There is a lot of joy in learning that what was once a mystery can be placed under control in a fun and musical way. But what actually ended up putting the true icing on the cake for what I now call Yoga For the Voice technique was my study of kundalini yoga, and subsequent training as a kundalini yoga instructor. I found that by incorporating yogic breathing and exercises, and sometimes even chanting yoga mantras, my students and I were able to make even more progress in controlling our vocal instruments. Not to mention the improvements in health, speaking voice, keeping the sinuses free and clear, and gains in personal confidence. Some of the benefits we discovered: * You learn exactly what your vocal range is and why your vocal range is determined by the shape, number and quality of the sinus cavities in your head. * You discover how to create the very best tone your voice is capable of making when you can keep as many muscles as possible out of the way of creating a pure tone in the head, you have the basis of beautiful, unencumbered musical sound * You feel the difference in your own body singing feels healthy, beautiful and under your control. If it feels right, it actually is right. The reverse is true as well if it feels wrong, then there is some work to be done, usually in releasing some tension and muscular effort that is getting in the way of the tone. * A side benefit includes keeping the sinuses free and clear it actually helps your overall health in addition to your vocal health. Ernest G. Whites sinus exercises have been used solely for the purpose of keeping the head cavities clear, and can be helpful for people with allergies and other problems which create mucus in the sinuses. * Whites exercises can be used to improve your speaking voice and your vocal projection they are excellent for actors, teachers and public speakers as well as for singers. In general, if one is just using the exercises for speaking purposes, the vocal range is more limited and focused on the actual speaking voice than in singing training. * For children, I tend to break it down to very basic, easy-to-understand exercises. I think the sinus concepts are too difficult for most children to grasp, so I try to give them exercises they can easily understand and have fun with. In the beginning stages of vocal training, a typical Yoga For the Voice lesson will consist of three parts. First I teach the student two different kundalini breathing techniques that have proven useful to the singing student. We next begin the sinus exercises from Ernest George Whites teachings, starting to find what I like to term the musical architecture inside the voice students head, i.e. her/his particular set of sinus cavities. The last part consists of integrating what we have learned into full body exercises, which enable the student to start to experience her/his full vocal instrument, from the solar plexus to the top of the head. I sometimes use traditional vocal exercises for this step or, depending on the student, chanting exercises. If you are interested in exploring Yoga For the Voice further, my voice lessons are available privately at my music studio in Austin, Texas. In addition, I offer lessons over the phone and over the Internet as well (using Skype), making myself available to you wherever you are in the world. ABOUT gfire gfire is a professional singer-songwriter, DJ, voice and piano teacher and Kundalini yoga instructor based in Austin, Texas. She has taught literally hundreds of students how to use their voices more effectively. For more information, please visit http://gfiremusic.com.

Should We Turn to Free Tutoring

Should We Turn to Free Tutoring Free Online Tutoring in the UK ChaptersThe Actors of Free Online TutoringPrivate tutoring through tutoring sitesFree Tutoring and Educational Support AssociationsFree Tutoring Resources: An Alternative to Private Tutors?Learning to read or succeeding in a test is not easy for everyone. It’s not infrequent for children to have difficulties in school. This is stressful for the teachers, but of course for the parents as well.Does this apply to you?Does your child have difficulty understanding the subject matter?Is doing their homework a constant struggle?What are the solutions?More and more parents are turning towards tutoring services and homework helpers. From elementary school to A-Levels, private tutors can help turn around a struggling student.Learning how to do revision, to improve and delve into the subject matter: these are the goals of any individualized tutoring classes.But among the various options - home tutoring, online tutoring, tutoring apps - there are a few that stand out to help students having di fficulties without spending too much money and allowing your child to progress.Whether free math tutoring, remedial science and engineering or help with chemistry homework - it’s up to you to find the formula that works best for your child.Free Tutoring and Educational Support AssociationsAnother option for those without a lot of money is tutoring associations for low-income families and various educational support programs at school and elsewhere.Sometimes, parents are unable to work with their children - either because they don’t have the education, or because their jobs don’t leave them the time - and can’t help them with their homework every day.Fortunately, there are volunteer associations dedicated to giving these children a chance. The homework helper doesn’t get paid - they are often retired teachers or academics working in the field who want to give back to the community by volunteering.After-school tutoring and library homework help sessionsSome schools offer an after-school tutoring program or homework sessions in-school, either with their own personnel or working with a tutoring association (see below.)Another place that offers homework help - often in homework sessions or study groups at a set time each day - are local libraries. They also serve as a resource centre for things such as ebooks or audiobooks on each subject. Check your local Council website for library locations and schools offering homework sessions to see if you can find a tutoring centre near you.Many libraries offer tutoring programs, making resources such as computers and documentation available to low-income children. Photo credit: City of Seattle Community Tech on Visual HuntNationwide tutoring programsThere are various associations and foundations dedicated to providing tutoring for children with learning difficulties or from underprivileged households. These are generally school programs who work with specific schools rather than from tutoring centres, giving on-th e-spot help in classrooms and offering one-on-one or small-group learning sessions after school to foster academic success. Some also offer to mentor children seeking to pursue an academic career, offering advice and career exploration, help with applications and encouragement.Some of them are:TutorFairThe Access ProjectAction TutoringHow Useful are Tutoring Apps for Extra School Support?It’s a fair question.Just as there are numerous learning websites, a number of apps have been developed to help children progress in various school subjects while having fun.It’s important to realise that smartphones are a common tool for today’s youth. They access them daily and, indeed, some teachers integrate apps and other smartphone tools into their classes.So why not turn to smartphone apps to help your child in school?Many of the apps are quite affordable, being either:Entirely freeFree for a certain amount of levels or without certain featuresCost under £5.00 for unlimited useThey hav e the advantage of speaking a language children respond to and capturing their attention with games and fun graphics.Education apps can help children master difficult concepts. Photo credit: flickingerbrad on VisualHunt.comCheck for those that have been developed not just by programmers and graphic designers, but with teachers as well. That way, you will have something user-friendly, with an engaging design that will also cover material relevant to your child’s classes, whether reading and writing, math and science.With such an incentive to learn, it’s obvious that apps are capable of helping children learn and improve their grades.However, they cannot replace lessons with a live person who can answer questions, see where your child’s weaknesses are and tailor their lessons to their individual needs. But they do offer courses accessible anywhere, anytime, with games and quizzes that will make learning fun.There are education apps for every level.Free Tutoring Resources: An Alt ernative to Private Tutors?Though educational websites and apps can definitely help your child improve their grades, are they enough for a student experiencing huge learning difficulties?One of the most important aspects of free tutoring, whether in live online classes, through revision websites or learning game apps, is that you have to organise yourself (or your child) properly.It’s important that parents follow what the child is doing, can track their progress and give them encouragement.Additionally, children are not often capable of imposing a learning rhythm on themselves. But it is proven that tutoring apps are only effective if they are used regularly and the child keeps at it.It’s important to find the right app - one that is adapted to the student and their needs - and set certain times aside, several times a week, to play and learn where the parent is available to answer questions and help with the exercises.The logical question, of course, is whether a physical tutor is even necessary for real progress to be made.It is.Deciding whether or not to get a private tutor is much more critical than it may appear at first.One-on-one tutoring is still the most effective way to help children with learning difficulties. Photo credit: US Department of Education on VisualhuntIndependent learning requires an amazing amount of discipline and autonomy. Having a teacher at hand is useful not just for motivation and to encourage certain learning habits, but also to give you feedback on your learning curve and to answer questions if need be. A teacher will guide their students depending on their needs and learning style and explain things in a different way if they don’t understand immediately. An app or website will present things in a certain way and not all children will respond to it.This doesn’t mean that websites and apps are useless. But they should be seen as a complementary tool to help stimulate the student and motivate them to learn trigonometry or geometry outside of any private tutoring lessons they might need.In short, free online tutoring - in writing, math/reading games; on YouTube, for engineering courses and quizzes or calculus 1 revision sheets are useful for students needing to bring up their grade a little, but who generally don’t have trouble learning.But if a specific subject - or all - is truly proving problematic for your child, choose one-on-one tutoring, whether a paid certified teacher through websites such as Superprof or a free volunteer-based program. The games and quizzes can still play a part in the learning process by motivating your child, but the real progress will be with their teacher.

Professores da LOI English Adriana Menoli

Professores da LOI English Adriana Menoli Ter aulas de Inglês por Skype pode ser estressante, até porque  existem mitos que envolvem este tipo de aprendizagem. No entanto, para que quem aprende ou pretende aprender nesse formato se sinta mais à vontade, resolvi falar com vários professores da LOI English, de forma a que possam conhecê-los um pouco melhor.Minha primeira vítima foi  Adriana Menoli, uma professora brasileira, que viveu nos Estados Unidos por mais de uma década, cujo trabalho é focado em ajudar os alunos que estejam em um nível de iniciação a se sentirem mais confiantes durante as aulas online.  Para entender como os alunos que não têm um nível avançado de Inglês são recebidos, tive uma conversa bastante descontraída com Adriana.Embora a professora fale Português perfeitamente, tivemos a nossa conversa em Inglês (nem eu escapei do método dela!). Adriana comentou que dá as suas aulas sempre em Inglês para ajudar no desenvolvimento das capacidades de compreensão e produção oral dos seus a lunos. No entanto, quando questionei sobre alunos que estão um nível tão inicial que não compreendem nada se não for em Português, Adriana contou que quando percebe dificuldades dá dicas para ajudar, tais como construir as frases de forma diferente, dar palavras-chave ou mesmo falar em Português, se tal for necessário.Segundo Adriana, algumas das maiores dificuldades para brasileiros que pretendem ser fluentes em Inglês estão relacionadas com as frases-tipo, aprendidas nos cursos de Inglês tradicionais e que criam a ilusão de que o aluno é capaz conversar naturalmente quando, na verdade, está apenas reproduzindo clichés aprendidos, que nem sempre são construções frásicas comuns para os nativos. Como é o caso do diálogo:    How are you?    Im fine, thanks. And you?.Mesmo não estando incorretas, existem construções que não são comumente utilizadas por nativos, o que faz com que a produção oral do aluno esteja limitada às construções e ao vocabulário d e cursos que focam mais em gramática do que em conversação. Isso faz com que o modo de falar não seja natural e, por esse motivo, seja mais difícil de entender. De acordo com Adriana, essa deficiência no desenvolvimento da produção oral é uma das causas de grande parte das dificuldades dos brasileiros enquanto estudantes de Inglês.Além disso, explicar conceitos que não existem em Português como o Present Perfect ou que são tão comuns no dia-a-dia dos alunos enquanto falantes nativos de Português, que passam despercebidos em Inglês, como é o caso dos idioms são desafios que Adriana encontra durante as aulas, mas que tenta superar estando sempre pronta para adaptar o que tem preparado de acordo com as necessidades específicas dos estudantes que a procuram.Conversei com a Adriana pelo Skype, da mesma forma que os estudantes da LOI English interagem com ela. Falando sobre o seu trabalho e sobre aquilo que pretende enquanto professora, percebi em Adriana o entusia smo de quem realmente adora ensinar, que acredita que estar preparada e saber como deixar o aluno à vontade são ferramentas cruciais para o sucesso, mas que, acima de tudo, demonstra ser uma profissional preparada para auxiliar alunos que ainda não se sentem confiantes o suficiente para ter aulas com um professor que não fale Português.

Time Management for High School Students - Private Tutoring

Time Management for High School Students BobbiM Apr 8, 2013 There are a few age-old questions such as, What is the meaning of life? What happens after I die? Why do bad things happen to good people? Then, there are other types of questions that dont quite make the big questions of life category, but they are still pretty important. And, when youre in high school, often the small questions are the big  concerns. PS: Yes, the picture of a girl with hair on her face has nothing to do with high school time management. But dont you think its interesting? Yeah, me too. And so it is today. I asked my daughter, Kameron, to help me better understand what she does to stay on top of things as a freshman in high school. Below are her words and may they be helpful to you. High School Time Management Im only finishing my freshman year, but Ive seen enough of high school to understand that the greatest skill needed is how to efficiently manage your time. Making time fore homework and other activities is one thing, but getting the motication to do them is another. Here are some suggestions on how to develop the havit of managing your time. Get enough sleep. You nee your sleep to stay awake and be aware. Keep some sort of planner. This will help you keep track of things you need to get done and help you remember the homework for 1st period, seven periods later. This will also help you remember other activities in your life. Make the time to get things done. If you sis there in life waiting for an open slot of your time set aside for duties, youll never get those done. Make time for these things and stick to the times, getting as much done as you can. Put distractions away. Is it homework time? Put your phone away, keep the television off, dont even eat until youve finished what is to get done during this time. By following these simple steps you will quickly develop a habit of getting things done and managing your time. Be prepared to feel proud of yourself when everything is done and there is time left in the day to play.

Job Discovery Feature

Job Discovery Feature New tutors enjoy the privilege to purchase any tutoring job from our job board. They can do so for their initial seven days of TutorZ membership. Thereafter, any tutor may purchase tutoring jobs through our Job Discovery feature. Job Discovery After signing up with TutorZ, any of our new tutoring providers can use the discovering of jobs feature. These discovered tutoring jobs were originally posted by parents and/or students to different tutors. However, these jobs match your tutoring background, location and/or lesson delivery method, thus are available for purchase. Here is how tutors can access the job discover feature. 1) Log into your TutorZ account. 2) Click on the Discover Jobs  menu link 3) Chose from the filter options: In-Person or Online In-person tutoring jobs are those jobs for which the student requires an in-person tutor, that is they want to meet the tutor personally, for example in a library, coffee shop or at home. Online tutoring jobs are posted by students nationwide. But only those online tutoring jobs appear in your account which match with your tutoring subjects offered. Restrictions Only Green, Red and Gold Apple awarded tutors are allowed to purchase tutoring jobs through this job discovery feature. The number of jobs allowed purchasing depends on the level of award: Green apple member are allowed to purchase one job within a 24-hour time frame. Red apple member are allowed to purchase three jobs within a 24-hour time frame. Gold apple member are allowed to purchase five jobs within a 24-hour time frame. The purchase amount reflects the trust and reputation of our tutors. Should you not yet been awarded the Green Apple status or wish to purchase more jobs within a 24-hour time frame, try to improve your ranking.

What do I need to know about GCSE Physics

What do I need to know about GCSE Physics Physics helps explains the world and the universe. Studying it at GCSE level and beyond offers you the chance to develop skills that will make you very employable in the future. To help you make your decision about whether or not to opt for it, here is what you need to know about GCSE physics. Reasons to study GCSE physics Physics is the study of the universe and as such it focuses on a range of topics like energy, forces, waves, and the structure of atoms. It's worth choosing physics at GCSE if you are interested in careers that need science but also if you are interested in matter and energy and concepts about time, and space. Studying physics is rewarding as it can lead to a diverse range of skills that are needed in fields such as science, engineering, education, medicine, law, and business. The diversity of careers is down to the fact that physics gives you a range of skills that includes maths, problem-solving, and the communication of complex ideas. Should I choose Combined Science or separate sciences at GCSE? Separate science GCSEs are where students study all three sciences and end up with three GCSEs. General Science also known as Combined Science is where students study biology, chemistry and physics but end up with two GCSEs. The majority of GCSE students in England follow the combined course. Some schools offer both options so talk to your science teachers about what the best option is for you and your future plans. What topics will I study in physics? The initial study in physics focuses on covering the basics of the subject and then moves slowly towards more advanced concepts and topics. The exact specification for your GCSE depends on your examining board, but in the main, you will study the core aspects of physics: Energy - work, energy demands, changes in energy stores. Electricity - circuits, static and mains electricity. Particle model of matter - particles in gases, temperature, density. Atomic structure -atoms, ions, fission and fusion, radiation. Forces - gravity, motion, Newton's Law's, momentum, refraction, sound, waves, pressure. Magnetism and electromagnetism - transformers, induction, electromagnets, magnetic fields. Space physics (physics GCSE only) - expanding universe, stars, solar system How can I make an informed decision? One way to find out if physics is for you is to increase your knowledge in the field. Try listening to podcasts like The Infinite Monkey Cage hosted by physicist Brian Cox or reading books by Stephen Hawking. It's also worth checking out if your maths skills are strong enough, as maths is a significant component of physics. Talk to your teachers about your strengths and weaknesses, and think about boosting your skills in maths. What will help me with physics? At GCSE level, the topics you learn in physics are very detailed, so you need to build up your knowledge gradually. One good tip is to revise new information as you go. Then if you don't understand something don't move on seek out the help of a tutor or your teacher, so you don't have knowledge gaps when the exams come round. For more information about tutors in your area, look at our listing page for physics.