by sheila_admin | Oct 12, 2013 | The ICAL TEFL Blog
I think we’ve all been there (at least in our heads, even if we didn’t say what we were thinking). A teacher in California was giving a class on race and ethnicity. A student kept heckling and interrupting. The teacher had enough and suddenly flipped out,...
by sheila_admin | Jul 5, 2013 | Foreign Languages vs English, The ICAL TEFL Blog, Vocabulary & Spelling
An interesting sideline to the eternal debate about taboo words. The BBC reports that the English term, shitstorm, considered by many to be vulgar and not a word to be used in public as such, has entered the German vocabulary. However, it has entered as a...
by sheila_admin | Aug 1, 2012 | Vocabulary & Spelling
Using a euphemism is a way of hiding something bad, offensive or tasteless behind a good word or phrase. So, for example, instead of saying that someone died, we say they passed away. Instead of saying that a girl is pregnant we might say the girl is in trouble. Why...
by sheila_admin | Jun 17, 2012 | How To Teach English, Teaching Around The World, Teaching Materials
Some things are better left unsaid. There are certain subjects which should – in general – be avoided in your English teaching classroom, especially when you are working abroad and are (effectively) a guest in a foreign country. These subjects include: Sex...
by sheila_admin | Jun 16, 2012 | How To Teach English, Teaching Around The World, Vocabulary & Spelling
Taboo Words (sometimes known as swearwords, curse words, or profanity) are those words and phrases which some people find shocking or offensive. They can often cause problems for TEFL teachers and learners of English. In general, the best advice is to avoid both...