Contents
=> “Alphabet Poster Project, Part II”
=> Upcoming Conferences
=> In the Next Issues

——————————————————————
Alphabet Poster Project, Part II
——————————————————————

If you read ETs in Russia #96… you’ll remember the Alphabet Poster Project. I had done letters A through O.

For the second half of the alphabet, I’ve given some more fascinating words, AND I’ve added runners-up. But, for the most part, what I’ve done with runners-up is NOT given you their meanings. No, instead I’ve tried to supply a TANTALIZING HINT. The TH (Tantalizing Hint) is meant to make people want to know what the word means, and to make the effort to learn it. Most of these words will be unfamiliar to teachers and students alike. Tantalizing, huh?

I like this activity best when students in groups make a poster that can be put on the walls–even in the corridor outside the class. That way all the other students can participate, and not just students in that group. The new information is on the wall for anyone to see. That’s sharing knowledge and teaching each other.

Now onto words P through Z.

Pecadillo = a little sin or fault. Yes, nobody’s perfect. We all have our peccadillos. (Stress on third syllable).

Runner-up with Tantalizing Hint: Pecksniffian. An adjective stemming from the name of a character by Charles Dickens. Pecksniff was the charcter, Martin Chuzzlewit the book. Note on usage: neither of these words are very common, but they will appear in print.

Quack. A person who is a fake. An imposter, a charlatan, a mountebank. Often an un-credentialed and unqualified doctor.

Runner-up with Tantalizing Hint: quisling. Quisling was a real person, a Norwegian. Now he is a noun, and he should not be proud of that.

Rollicking (adj) = fun and carefree, boisterous. “We had a rollicking good time. ”

Runner-up with Tantalizing Hint: riffraff. (noun). One of those charming reduplicative words (duplicating sounds) that describes the way your Mom might think of your new gang of friends.

Scruffy = shabby, unkempt; showing signs of wear and tear. “The old guy had a dignified face despite his scruffy appearance.”

Runner-up with Tantalizing Hint: Shanghai. (verb). Well, of course it’s a place in China, but it’s also a verb. What does it mean, then, to shanghai someone, or to be shanghaied?

Tailor-made (adj) = Just right. Something tailor-made is a perfect fit for you.

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: tit for tat. A very old expression, still commonly used. Yes, if you smack your brother he will probably smack you back.

Uppity (adj) = haughty, snobbish, assuming airs. Uppity people think they are above others, so remember “up.”

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: Uptight. A very common adjective nowadays. Are you an uptight person?

Vivacious (adj. somewhat formal) = full of life!

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: vie. It’s a verb, and it collocates nowadays most often with “for attention.” What could it mean?

Wishy-washy = (slangly adj.) indecisive.

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: Whipping boy. Yes, a type of person, a scapegoat in fact. But what’s that? Have you ever been a whipping boy?

Xenophobic = afraid of foreign people and things. Are people in your country xenophobic, or do they love all things foreign? Or are they ambivalent about foreign people and things?

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: Xanthippe. You can use this word to describe a woman, though few English speakers will know what you are talking about. Xanthippe was actually the wife of Socrates. What do you think her name means nowadays?

Yuck (an exclamation) = disgusting. An easy-to-learn, one-word expression you can use after you taste some foul food.

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: yahoo. You know this word from the internet, but it has a meaning. It’s a type of person. What kind? It’s roughly the same as a yokel, if that helps.

Zany (noun or adj) = nutty, ludicrously comical.

Runner up with Tantalizing Hint: zippy. Are you zippy when it comes to doing homework? You can also zip (verb) here and there. Sometimes you can zip down to the store to pick something up.

——————————————————————
Upcoming Conferences
——————————————————————

CATEC: The 5th Annual Central Asian Teachers of English Conference (”English Without Borders”) will take place June 30 - July 2, 2006, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

For more information go to

http:turkmenistan.usembassy.gov/CATEC/index.html

Speaker proposals are being accepted to April 30.

This is an amazing chance for teachers to experience Turkmenistan and meet teachers from the central Asian countries, Russia, and the USA. Kevin will be there for sure.

FEELTA: The Far Eastern English Language Teachers Association (Russia) is putting on their bi-annual conference (the 6th), this time in delightful Birobidjan. Dates: June 22 - 24.

Go to

www.dvgu.ru/rus/partner/education/feelta/Practice.htm

for more information. That has got to be a blast.

——————————————————————
In the Next Issue
——————————————————————

Mass Dictation. What’s that? Well, it’s not the old-fashioned boss-to-secretary dictation. This is not for shy folk. It’s in-your-face dictation. It’s dictation with attittude. It’s most massive and dangerous of all dictations.

But for courageous instructors, mass dictation works–any time, any place.

Copyright 2006 by Kevin McCaughey & I.M. Poosheesty