Learning English: Twenglish, Tweets..and teeth!

by David Sweetnam on March 11, 2011

After having two wisdom teeth taken out this week (did you hear my screams on Václavské náměstí on Monday?), today’s topic is everything teeth and Twitter! Below Get Into Twenglish presents a different way to learn English vocabulary.

A new way you can learn English and interact with the language, especially its vocabulary, is to use Twitter as your very own learning resource and search engine of authentic conversational English! If you don’t know Twitter, it’s a great example of living breathing natural English, in a written form but the register is very much spoken.

How does it work?

There’s a box on the Twitter home page where you can search for something or someone that interests you (eg your favourite film, celebrities such as Charlie Sheen and Kelly Brook and so on). Instead of searching for a particular person or thing, as English detectives we’re going to search for today’s Words of the Day: tooth and teeth.

How does this help with my English?

English is a lexically-rich language. When you type in a key word, it will give you a whole list of all the Tweets which have used this word or phrase from all over the planet!

After you click the search button, you then see is a whole collection of Tweets which include the key word(s) usually within a particular context AND the word or words which are associated with it. These are often called collocations.

Collocations are words which are commonly found next to each other or words which have a strong relationship with each other. For example, if I type in the word ‘homework’, it gives me the following examples:
- I still don’t do my homework!
- Yet I know one thing for sure: I’ll be up late tonight doing homework.

So from these two examples above we can see the verb ‘DO’ collocates with ‘homework’ [not 'make'].

Collocations with ‘tooth’ and ‘teeth’

Here is a small sample of some expressions you can find on this week’s ‘tooth’ theme. Two questions for you:

  • What collocations can you find below with ‘tooth’ and ‘teeth’?
  • Can you guess their meaning?
    @antiSerphres We should have a way of telling people their breath stinks without hurting their feelings like: “Well I’m bored, let’s go brush our teeth“.
    @npsilverarrow The dentist has cleaned my teeth. Tara said I was very well behaved.
    @Trace_Cook well I have been working really hard! Should have been a dentist, it’s like pulling teeth here!
    @Ducce67 Jeffrey MitchellYou have 2 options when your wife asks you what you think about what she is wearing. 1) Lie thru your teeth 2) Run like the wind
    @prsarahevans
    Little boy in restaurant I was just in lost his tooth. Started screaming, “TOOTH FAIRY IS COMING!!!” Hilarious.
    @GillyCraigie She’s too long in the tooth to be so tediously, predictably “rebelious”. Are we talking about the designer, the clothes or her?
    @thenameislee Damn, I’m on a diet. I need to ignore my sweet tooth.
    @malars Wow, the #Magic have to fight tooth and nail to avoid getting swept by the #Kings ! This team is not championship caliber whatsoever …
    @MsBlackBella this wisdom tooth is ruining my life….
    @NaeThyLeader This little girl has one front tooth. Is that even possible? :-/

How did you go?

Here are the verbs which go with ‘teeth’ from the sample above:

brush, clean, pull | TEETH

Idioms
to lie through your teeth
be like pulling teeth

You can also ‘pull out’ a tooth. ‘To pull teeth’ is more literal, but when you use the phrase “it’s like pulling teeth” the meaning is idiomatic (more on this in the worksheet below).

With TOOTH you can add:

wisdom, front | tooth

Then there’s the Tooth Fairy :)

And also the more idiomatic:

to fight tooth and nail
(to have) a sweet tooth

Still not sure? Download this free worksheet here to practise! And keep your fingers crossed for me for my next visit to the dentist :)

Level: B2+
Title: It’s Like Pulling Teeth! (with answers)



nb If for some reason the link doesn’t work, try it here:
It’s like pulling teeth!

If you liked this post please share it with your friends, and even your frenemies ; )

Further reading
Get Into English Who learns most effectively: Pavel, Lucka or Simona?

David Sweetnam
Engage s.r.o.

Learn English in Prague with me:
david (at) engage.cz
Skype: engageprague
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish
Get Into English on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/6hyzo37

Judge Dread or The Mashine? The Top 10 list of celebrity nicknames

by David Sweetnam on March 8, 2011

Last week I started one of the most controversial debates – what are the best celebrity nicknames of recent times? Well today the wait is over – here’s the final 5 on the list. Read on for the surprising news of who makes it, and you’ll also learn some new English phrases along the way.

At number 5 on our list is the host of the hit TV series American Idol, the man responsible for foisting all these nervous budding celebrities on us all: Simon Cowell is Judge Dread. This is a play on words: ‘Judge Dredd’ comes from a recent film and comic character, while the word ‘dread’ in English refers to ‘fear or being afraid’ or that you’re not looking forward to something. And Simon Cowell does tend to instill fear in some contestants on his show. We usually use ‘dread’ as such:

I’ve got to give a presentation tomorrow and I’m dreading it.
I dreaded going to the dentist.

You can also use this construction: dread to think + ‘question word’

I dread to think what‘ll happen if Obama keeps on spending all this money.
I dread to think how many lovers he’s had.

Remember when we looked at portmanteau words in English a few weeks back? These are usually two different words which are sliced and ‘put together’ to create a new word. For example, ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’ together gives us ‘brunch’. ‘Smoke’ and ‘fog’ together give us ‘smog’. Well, what nickname is a portmanteau word? Number 4 on our list is recently-departed Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. His nickname combines two of his most well-known roles. First, he played The Terminator in the 1980′s and, second, in the noughties he played Governor of one of the world’s biggest economies. Hence, The Governator!

Moving on, number 3 on the list of top celebrity nicknames is…The Mashine.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave these past few weeks, you will have read about all the drama going on in the life of American TV actor Charlie Sheen, also famous for his roles in Wall Street and Platoon. His nickname is The Mashine. As quoted by the Herald-Sun newspaper, this was a nickname given to him by his friends:

“When they were all ready to go home or to the hospital emergency room, I was always the last guys standing, insisting that the party continue.” always the last guy standing, insisting that the party continue.”

So who makes it to number 2? Who’s left standing? This time it’s not Charlie Sheen. It is in fact the man who made a lot of contributions to the English language, even if his contribution to his country is debatable. Barack Obama’s predecessor, President George Bush is also known as Dubya, which comes from the way he pronounces the ‘W’ initial in his middle name. Think of wearin’ a Texan cowboy hat and say it yourself: ‘Dubya’.

‘W’ was also the name of the Oliver Stone film which chronicled the life of the man who not many thought could ever make it to the top job. Not only that, Dubya has himself been a well-known nicknamer. Some of the nicknames he’s given others include:

Condi – for former Secretary of State Condoleezze Rice
The Man of Steel - for the pro-US former Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard
Landslide – for when Tony Blair was a top winner in the UK (somehow some UK people changed this to ‘Bliar’ after the Iraq War).
Horny – the name given to former White House Speechwriter Jonathan Horn. If you look it up, you’ll see ‘horny’ has another meaning..

And the winner is…

Following on from some bad boys, who is the direct opposite? Is there a beautiful, intelligent, and successful woman who’s not only a good role model for others but who has a half-decent nickname? Of course there is. Climbing all the way to number 1 on our coveted list is Australian could-be-a-model Tiffiny Hall. Hall, known also as Angel after her appearance in ‘Australian Gladiators,’ is a writer, 5th dan black belt in taekwondo, and even speaks French. She also has some wise advice on how to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. Maybe Charlie Sheen will want to find out more after watching this:

Please note in the above video she’s not talking about ‘fat diets’ but ‘fad diets’. A ‘fad diet’ is a diet which is fashionable or trendy for a short period of time or is the diet of the moment but which may not give you any major long-term benefits.

So there you have it. The top 10 celebrity nicknames (for numbers 10-6, click here). Is there anyone you think should make the list next time? Feel free to leave your suggestions below!

David Sweetnam
English Teacher and Trainer
Engage sro
IČ 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz

Waitey Katey or The Mad Monk? The Top Ten Celebrity Nicknames

by David Sweetnam on March 1, 2011

long-awaited meeting / Princess Bride and her ...

Among the celebrities and the famous getting attention right now in the media, who has the best nickname? It’s hard to say but it’s another excuse to learn some new words or give you inspiration to think up of a name for your latest love or a troublesome neighbour. Here’s ten nicknames to get you going.

After having to wait for what probably seemed like an eternity, Kate Middleton‘s dream finally came true. Prince William proposed to her, but not before the media had given her the nickname Waitey Katey, earning her 10th place on our coveted Top Ten Nicknames list. And if it doesn’t quite work out with Will, Kate has a second knight in shining armour waiting for her across the Channel.

In 9th place, and keeping with the royal theme, you can’t go past the name given to Italy’s long-serving Prime Minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi. Apparently in Italy he’s referred to as Il Cavaliere, meaning The Knight. Not a bad nickname – if you owned your country’s newspapers what would you call yourself?

American pop singer and California Gurl Katy Perry comes in at number 8. Some of her Japanese fans have crowned her Small Devil Rock Princess. I wasn’t in Japan that day but her reaction was reported in the press:

“Small devil rock princess? I’m 5’8″, I’m tall-ish! I’m not that little of a rock princess and I don’t have any horns like Vivienne Westwood.”

Politicians are easy targets and pretty much any politician could have made this list. I’ve put Australia’s Leader of the Opposition, and potentially the next Prime Minister of the country, Tony Abbott, in 7th place. It’s not so much for his nickname of the Mad Monk (he once studied to be a priest) but because he’s even more famous for wearing budgie smugglers, a term I probably won’t get to use again on a learn English blog. What’s a budgie smuggler, I hear you say? It’s Aussie slang for those very small, tight-fitting Speedos that lifeguards wear at the beach, and which are all the rage among older German men at the beach in summer. If you’re an advanced English learner, you’ll know a ‘budgie’ is a kind of small bird, and ..well, you can guess the rest..

Moving right along, 6th place is a binomial: Posh and Becks, Britain’s other royal family (at least they were while Victoria was with the Spice Girls and David Beckham was kicking goals for England). A binomial by the way is a pair of words which come together as an idiom or collocation (eg fish and chips; knife and fork).

Now it’s getting tense. Who do you think should be in the top 5 places? Are there any famous nicknames you can translate from your country? Please write them below to add to the list and I’ll reveal the Top Five next time.

David Sweetnam
English Teacher and Trainer
Engage sro
IČO 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz

Who learns English most effectively: Pavel, Lucka or Simona?

by David Sweetnam on February 27, 2011

Prague Pavel studies English by regularly going over his coursebook and the grammar classic ‘English Grammar in Use’. Letná Lucka goes out to cafes and bars and speaks with foreigners in Prague. Smíchov Simona prefers to chill out at home and watch films in English and read the lyrics to her favourite Katy Perry songs. Who do you think is the better language learner and who do you believe will make the most progress?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malias/1551870489/
Image by Malias/Gideon Licence (CC by 2.0)

Some language learners only just want to study English grammar and vocabulary, but occasionally it’s worthwhile to stop and ask yourself how you can focus better on what is most important. Of course everyone has their own preferences in how they study a language, but there are some interesting points we can take from looking at Pavel, Lucka and Simona.

I’ve met many students who learnt the traditional grammar-first way. At school this may have meant lots of grammar tests and a strong emphasis on not making mistakes. Quite often there wasn’t much discussion, or if there was, it was concerned with the rules of English grammar. Vocabulary was taught in lists, with one single English word having a single Czech equivalent. Pavel is a good example of this kind of learner.

On the positive side, I’ve found the grammar-first learner to be hard-working and accurate in how they speak and write. However, on the down side, learners such as Pavel miss out on something that Lucka and Simona do as part of their language learning.

Study v. Real Interaction

In cases where you have a coursebook which provides a good example of natural English, on top of your favourite grammar book of exercises, this can be a very good basis for learning. There are a few coursebooks these days which have really natural language, and I think this is partly why the quality of spoken English is improving in the Czech Republic, at least among the people I meet.

However, if you are just going over your coursebook and your favourite grammar book, you’re studying English but missing out on the opportunity for real interaction.

The other thing is that your coursebooks are graded for your level. So if you’re intermediate you’re probably still learning that we use auxiliaries (eg do, have) to make questions. For example:

  1. Did you have a good day?
  2. Are you going to the party tonight?

Regarding our example students above, Lucka and Simona interact in English and get exposed to language that Pavel’s English textbook has chosen not to teach him.  So at a much earlier time, Lucka and Simona come across English which is more authentic. Lucka might hear her British friend in a cafe drop the auxiliaries when asking her about her day:

  1. Had a good day?
  2. Going to the party tonight?
  3. You’re going to the party tonight?
  4. You going to the party tonight?


That’s one feature of spoken English which is rarely taught in the coursebooks. In addition, by getting real interactions going, you may also notice the importance of pronunciation in how we tell a story or ask questions like the ones above.

It’s hard to say where study stops and real interaction and communication begins, but if you want to sound natural and communicate better, then at some stage you’ll need to put your grammar books down. In Lucka’s case this means going out and having a real dialogue with people in bars and cafes. Simona chooses to get exposure to real language by blending her interests (eg cinema, music) with English (watching American movies, trying to understand what her favourite songs are about).

I believe Pavel, Lucka and Simona will all make progress, but the students who ‘study’ the language AND then go out and practise it in some way are the ones who make the most progress.

What else? Students like Pavel tend to be annoyed with making mistakes whereas students like Simona don’t really care about this. Who do you think will be more confident in speaking English in two years’ time? Carol Dweck wrote a whole book on this – those who see mistakes as a natural part of the learning process will ultimately make the most progress.

I’ve heard lots of learners say they were ‘advanced’ and yet when they arrived in Britain they didn’t understand what native speakers were saying! What does that say about how English is taught in some schools? I often meet students who are really worried about grammar, but if you want to understand – and be understood – you need to look at vocabulary much more, and also have a stronger awareness of how we say things.

English is a lexically-rich language. The vocabulary goes beyond lists of single words, and in fact includes words that ‘go together’ to form collocations (eg phrasal verbs, idioms), a major feature of the language.

Just today I was speaking with an American friend at a cafe who used these expressions during our chat:

  1. I got you (= I understand)
  2. I hear you (= I understand/accept what you’re saying/I agree with what you’re saying)
  3. Know what I’m saying? (to check that I see his point)
  4. What did you get up to? (= what did you do?)
  5. Me – How about a coffee?  (making a suggestion)
  6. Friend – Yeah, I’m up for it. (= that’s a good idea/sounds good)

Again, it all helps to improve your understanding of English, but if you think that you can’t speak with others in the real world until that day you’re ‘advanced’, well how much longer will you be waiting for that day to come?

Prague is full of foreigners who are native speakers of English and there are also lots of professionals from Scandanavia, Germany and other countries who speak English very well. Why not invite them for a coffee and have some real, enjoyable communication?

David Sweetnam
Engage sro
IČO 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz

Where is your ‘English focus’?

by David Sweetnam on February 21, 2011

Have you been studying English for several years? Do you feel you’re not making the progress you’d like to make? Maybe there’s just one thing you need to get back to – focusing on what you want to achieve. Here’s a short thought of the day.

Focus is a funny thing. Your English teacher, if you have one, has to make decisions before and during each lesson regarding what to focus on. You also have choices to make, and ideally the two of you should work together to create a successful language course. But it can be tricky. What happens if you want to focus on grammar but your teacher thinks differently? What happens if your teacher believes you need to study more phrasal verbs but you don’t see the reasoning behind this?

It’s all about focus, the theme this week of American author and blogger Leo Babauta, who has written a new book on the topic. There’s a free version you can download below – and you don’t have to type in any of your personal details! The language of this free e-book is quite advanced (for learners C1+), but we can discuss some of the main themes with regards to your English learning right here:

http://focusmanifesto.com/

When it comes to learning English, focus means asking yourself ‘what am I motivated to achieve with English?’. This involves going beyond studying page 54 of your coursebook, and asking yourself if your lessons and indeed your language course ‘go with’ your overall goals, plans and ambitions.

In the free e-book, there’s a quote at the beginning of chapter 3 which I like:

“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?” – Marcus Aurelius

So is there anything you can eliminate or do less so that you can focus on what’s important for your goals and ambitions?

What activities do you feel help you achieve your goals? What can you focus more on in class? What about out of class?

For some learners of English I’ve met in Prague, I’d say they have concentrated too much on studying grammar, and that this is something they could do less of in future. It’s totally your decision to focus on grammar, but if you are doing this it means you have less time for other important aspects of language learning: reading, writing, listening, studying features of spoken English, and vocabulary (eg phrasal verbs, collocations).

The secret ingredient

There’s one more thing which is essential when it comes to focusing on what you want to achieve with English. Can you guess what it is? I’ll write about this next time!

If you download the e-book, please let me know what you think of it. Also have a think about what you would like to do more in class and what you believe you can do less. There’s no right answer, only what’s right for you.

David Sweetnam
English Teacher
Engage sro
IČO 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz

What’s a ‘frenemy’? New portmanteau words in the media

by David Sweetnam on February 17, 2011

“Portma-what?!”, I hear you say. English is such a rich and evolving language that you never know when you’ll discover something new.

Yesterday I was going through the Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail, when I saw a headline in the family and relationships section:

“My girlfriend won’t stand up to her frenemy”

A reader had written to the newspaper with a problem. Can you guess what happened, and can you guess what ‘frenemy’ means?

First, if you don’t know what ‘to stand up to someone’ means, we use this phrasal verb when we want to defend ourselves or an idea which we believe in. Often we stand up to someone when we feel that we are being treated unfairly or badly, when someone is not being respectful to us or our ideas.

Standing up for yourself involves the idea that you believe in yourself.

For example:

After being insulted by her classmates, Katka decided to stand up for herself.

Back to ‘frenemy‘. This is an example of a portmanteau word,  a mixture of two separate words coming together to create a new word with a unique meaning. In this case ‘friend’ blends with ‘enemy’ to create ‘frenemy.’ When the Globe and Mail reader writes about his girlfriend and says she ‘won’t stand up to her frenemy’,  we instantly get the picture that she has a friend who isn’t good or respectful to her.

Frenemies are people who really aren’t our friends, just as you can see in this video (or click here if you can’t see it on your browser):

This is why it can be fascinating to read the latest magazines and newspapers, as you’re sure to find some new vocabulary and interesting uses of English. Of course the question this brings for publishers of dictionaries and coursebooks is whether or not these words will last or whether they will simply fade out of fashion.

What other portmanteau words do you know?

I’m sure you’ve heard of ‘brunch’, a combination of ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’. There’s also ‘fanzine’ (fan + magazine), ‘blog’ (web + log), and ‘emoticon’ (emotion + icon).

Another portmanteau word which you see in the media (but I’ve not yet heard from the lips of a friend) is ‘bromance.’ which describes a close platonic relationship between two men. There’s even a TV series called ‘Bromance’ on MTV!

Now that you know two separate words can blend together to form a portmanteau word, try to find out and google what these mean, and which two words they originally came from (and if you’re not sure of the answer, just ask me below):

Czenglish, webzine, netiquette, docutainment, rockumentary, mockumentary

 

malware, guesstimate, infomercial, televangelist, sexpert, sexting, smog

mompreneur, wi-fi, sitcom, Obamacare

And what about these..?

Brangelina

Billary

Finally, for trivia buffs:

Which words come together to make ‘goodbye’?

 

Further reading

A weekend in Melbourne

by David Sweetnam on February 10, 2011

DSC00704What are you up to this weekend? While we’re still freezing here in Prague – lidovky.cz says it’ll be just above zero this Saturday – a few of my students have asked me what you can do in my home town of Melbourne.

A lot of people back home who I spoke to at Christmas were quite envious that I live in Prague. They spoke of fairytale castles, centuries-old architecture, and that good ol’ pivo. Yet a few of my Czech friends would die to go to Australia. They imagine living by the sea, year-round sunshine, koalas in the front garden, and singing at the pub with Kylie Minogue. Ok, maybe not the part about singing with Kylie.

So for some the grass really is greener on the other side.

Melbourne is a massive city of about 4 million people circling Port Phillip Bay. The city centre has some of the tallest modern skyscrapers in the southern hemisphere, with street cafes and independent shops tucked away in the small laneways that locals know about and tourists stumble upon. There’s a river which flows next to the city buildings, while the bay is about 20 minutes away by tram.

Federation Square Melbourne Australia If you’re a big fan of culture, this building here is the new Federation Square right in the heart of the city. At first people were a bit embarrassed that so much money was spent on a tin shed (almost A$500 million), but now it’s a major meeting point for Melburnians and tourists alike. There are cafes, galleries and exhibitions you can go to, as well as bars which are really popular on the weekend. You can take your date to the Transit Bar for an expensive shiraz and a great view of the city, and if you don’t have a date, then don’t worry – it’s packed on Fridays and Saturdays, so you’re sure to meet someone there.

If culture and dating are not your thing, then the city has a ton of shops and major department stores where you can spend your hard-earned money. But given that most of you are reading this in Prague, which has enough shopping centres, I think I’ll move on…

My favourite place to go to on the weekend is the beach, in particular St Kilda Beach (top photo) which is a short tram ride from my family’s home. Imagine Letná or Žluté lázně with a beach next to it and you get a good idea of what it’s like. Lots of young people come here. There’s always a busker playing a Crowded House song on the guitar, and this is perhaps the only place in Melbourne where you regularly hear French, German and Spanish accents. There’s a walkway for those going for a walk in the sun, and it’s wide enough for the roller-bladers and cyclists wizzing past. You can also get dinner at a few restaurants just behind the walkway: at night time they light up the area so that visitors can look at the waves before gazing across the table into their partner’s eyes. :)

Acland Street St KildaSt Kilda is also well-known for being a hot-potch of styles and influences. It used to be run-down and attract hippies and druggies but these days there are young professionals buying up the new flats on offer (which don’t come cheap), and as I mentioned, this is a tourist hub. Acland Street is kinda cool: you can get a funky haircut here, hop into an alternative bookshop or grab a European-style cake. Lots of backpackers come here, often to start their Aussie adventure or to end it before the flight back home. St Kilda is full of bars and pubs, but it’s not really a chic club place (for that you need to go to upmarket South Yarra). Finally, St Kilda also has penguins – though most people drive to Phillip Island to see hundreds of penguins come ashore.

As for my family, my brother probably feeds the goats, dogs, and cats on the weekend. The horse too. He lives just outside the city in the bush (as we call it). I have no idea why he didn’t get a place near the beach, but, hey, I think he wonders what I’m up to in Prague. Melbourne Horse

So there you have it. A typical weekend in Melbourne is not that different from a weekend in Prague. You go out, meet up with friends, catch up with the folks – or escape the folks as the case may be. What I’ve talked about above concerns more what we do in summer, but winter can be quite different (yes, we have winter!). Ultimately, though, wherever you are, it’s what you make of it that counts.

I’ll leave you with a song I heard a guy play while I was wandering around St Kilda. Fall at your feet by Melbourne-New Zealand band Crowded House.

Have you been to Australia? What did you think? If you haven’t been there, what would you most like to see?

Feel free to leave your comments below.

David Sweetnam
English Teacher and Trainer

Engage sro
IČO 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz

How to get that job (3): Improving your CV

by David Sweetnam on February 8, 2011

Following on from my last post, I’ve just looked at a friend’s CV and decided to post some feedback here. How can it be improved?

Your curriculum vitae (or resumé) is essentially a marketing document where the reader will want to decide if you should be invited for a job interview or the next step in the application process.

How important is the presentation of your CV in English? If you’re applying for a position in Prague and you’re just including your CV in English as an ‘extra’ (eg where English is not essential for the job), then it may not be as important to have a highly-polished resumé.

However usually you must take the time to write a CV which is well-presented. This is essential for when you are interested in working at an international company,  when you’re writing to a native speaker or expat manager,  and indeed when the position requires English. What does the job advert say with regards to English?

In any case, why take the risk in a very competitive job market? Spend the time to improve how your CV looks. Otherwise you seriously risk your CV being put in the bin!

How to improve the presentation of your CV

Use bullet points, wide margins, and consistent formatting throughout your document. Choose which font colour you’ll use for headings and for your main content, and go for a professional-looking font (eg Arial or Verdana).

I’ve seen lots of Czech learners of English put ‘resumé’ as the title of the document, but the reader knows it’s a resumé – instead use your name as the main title!

Below your name you can put the most important contact information about you. This usually includes your address, email and telephone details. Try to use a professional-sounding email address. Compare ‘cutezuzka@hotmail.com’ v ‘John.Farnham@engage.cz’. Likewise having your own domain name and accompanying website can create a very positive first impression. How important is personal branding in your industry?

Other information such as your marital status and how old you are can go towards the end of your CV under ‘personal details’. However, if you’re applying for a position in Australia, the USA and the UK, it’s rare for employers to insist on knowing if you’re married or not, as there are equal opportunity laws. Check what the situation is for your country.

It seems common practice in Europe to put a photo next to your name up top on your CV, but in Australia we don’t do this as a general rule. So again check with what is expected of you. If you do include your photo, get a professional to take a quality picture. The photo shouldn’t be too big either, just a discrete size to give the employer a positive impression of you.

Regarding your employment experience, ‘experience’ here is uncountable. This means ‘experiences’ is not correct. The heading for presenting what work you have done can be: ‘Work Experience’ or ‘Professional Experience.’ Some people then add a separate section for ‘Career Achievements’ though that it entirely up to you, as you can include this under ‘Work Experience.’

When it comes to your language abilities, I described this last time. In short, you can use the title of ‘Languages‘. Next to each language give the level as you know it (eg ‘Intermediate’) and add the new Common European Framework (CEF) level as well (eg B1). If you don’t know what the levels are for the new CEF, then check your coursebook or my previous article. Finally, if you have the space, describe what you CAN do in English eg ‘experienced at giving presentations in English’; ‘skilled at writing basic sales reports’). Can you handle telephone inquiries? Can you draft good, concise emails? Again, match your description with what the company is looking for.

We discussed Education last time. I’ll add that it’s important to describe your qualifications in a way that the reader can understand. So if you have an ‘Ing’ qualification in Prague, what’s the term that a New Yorker or German manager will be familiar with?

Finally, references: most people these days put down ‘Available upon request’ and this is what I do. It’s quite rare now for you to list the contact information of your referees, as many recruiters will ask you after the job interview if they are serious about hiring you.

There are of course more things to say, but once you’ve got the above sorted out, we can move on more to the actual language to use in a CV.

What advice can you add on how to improve the look of your CV? Please feel free to share your ideas below!

Further reading

How to get that job (2): getting your CV right

How to get that job

David Sweetnam
English Teacher & Trainer

Engage s.r.o. Prague
IČO 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz