Quick Email Activity for intermediate Business English Class

Just found this link. It's for the Top 5 most useless Phrases in Emails.

I think it is pretty accurate.

I am going to use it in my English tutoring lessons this week.

Activity wise:

Introduction discussion about emails, what kind of emails does the learner write, do they write or read a lot of business or personal emails. How often?

Print it off, with the cartoon. Maybe do a quick discussion about how our perception of Email has changed over the years.

Then read through the article. Check vocabulary.

Discuss what the learner agrees with or disagrees with.

Then see if the learner has any tips or tricks for writing business emails.

Conclusion: maybe write a quick business email using the new phrases. Or, if possible, look at an email written by the learner and see if they commit any of the "sins" mentioned on this website.

Simple 10-15 minute activity depending on how interested the learner is and how much time you have.

Enjoy!

It's cold outside!

So why not teach some phrases that relate to the cold!

Wish I had a class to make a lesson out of these...someday maybe...

http://blog.grammarly.com/post/41436269394/cold-weather-idioms

Banned English Words

Apparently Lake Superior State College cares about English...or their linguistics have a sense of humour...

Every year they vote on which English words should be banned from usage.Here is the list for this year.
It makes me a little sad, I think the overuse of 'amazing' is a cultural thing. I know here many of my students, when trying to sound more American, will use 'amazing' or 'awesome' to describe almost anything that is remotely interesting.

I mean I agree that we have made 'amazing' that much less amazing, but I will proudly continue in my awesome use of amazing and I thank you in advance for your understanding! ;)

I do agree with getting rid of 'the new normal', or it's sibling 'the new norm'. Just seems too much for me.

I've never seen 'pet parent' before or 'trickeration'.

At first I thought it was a term children used for parents that give the child everything they want....apparently not so much. Apparently it means a person who owns a pet and treats it like a child...(which I would never ever do with my cat....ever...though he is quite cute!)

'Trickeration' is just ridiculous...tricky is a great word.