How To Learn Drums For Free

How To Learn Drums For Free Learn About Percussion Without Paying A Penny! ChaptersDiscover The Drums While Attending A FestivalStudying To Be A DrummerLearn To Play The Drums With Free Sheet MusicTake Free Drum LessonsThe ability to tap your hand and be able to make your own music is very empowering and connects with us all on a deeper level. Because everyone claps their hands or taps their fingers on the table to the beat. The beginner's desire to learn drums is quite high The drum seems like the physical representation of our own natural tendencies.This certainly translates since the drum does seem to attract more and more followers.  This is perhaps because it can be used with all musical styles and sound amazing, from pop, rock to metal, through jazz and hip-hop, the drums are never far away. But unlike some other instruments, the entry level to playing the drum is costly to buy and maintain (change of skins, purchase drumsticks, drumming lessons). Learning to save money with this instrument is very useful, so how can a beginner drummer save while lear ning how to play the drum rudiments, rhythms and drum beats? Here are some tips for you to learn how to play the drums for free.To progress in drum on the Internet, it is possible with determination. Photo Source: Unsplash SerbanDrum Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyDrum Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RussellDrum Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesDrum Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StephenDrum Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeteDrum Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OllieDrum Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexDrum Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDiscover The Drums While Attending A FestivalDisclaimer! You do actually have to pay entrance fees to get into most festivals. But with more and more events popping up around the UK and Europe they are a great value way to gain access to other drummers and have a meaningful learning experience. Sometimes even watching professional drummers and their different techniques can be inspirational and motivating. Observation in many cases is worth more than a  Drumming lesson, especially when you have already reached a certain level and have an understanding of what it is that you are seeing.The Top Regular FestivalsThe UK drum show - Is a Manchester-based festival where everything is dedicated to the mighty Many percussionists attend this event, and it is an excellent introduction to the drum if you are a beginner to the instrument. This is a great place to get information and meet like-minded people.Bag'Show Drum Festival in Paris - Is a Paris based festival which is like a trade show and workshop in one. This one is also dedicated to the drums, and they have everything that you need to get started from drum sheet music to drumming lessons. This is a fantastic pl ace to take a free drum class and learn some new drum patterns.The London Drum Show - As the name says this show is in London, UK and is a whole weekend dedicated to the drums. It has masterclasses where you can learn about the hi-hat, eighth notes, sixteenth note and drum beats. Performance is also plentiful and hosted by industry professionals and other artists. They even have other percussion instruments displayed in an exhibition of the drum through history.The Drums Summit Festival - The purpose of this festival is the sharing passion for music and especially the drum. It has run every year for the last 18 years, and it’s a fantastic family event. It has free drumming classes, free lessons where any beginner can learn to play.Drummers Festival - This is a Belgian festival which has already run more than 25 times. If you visit this festival, you will get to attend concerts and masterclasses. The last festival was this year (2018) and honoured drummers and musicians T. Lang and V. Donati,Drum Fest - this festival has run every year since 2012, This festival has a fun twist, which is that the attendees get to enter into a competition to showcase their skillsFestivals are a great way to explore and expand your drumming knowledge. Although you have to pay a cover charge to enter, the entry does allow you to discover drumming novelties regarding the bass drum, the electric drum, the snare drum, conga and other drums which all produce very different styles of music.  The free classes with the drumming teachers and drumming instructor will be invaluable to your practice. The great thing is that you can feel free to explore the show and ask questions to improve yourself based on your perspective.Studying To Be A DrummerStudying music at school is an excellent opportunity to deepen your musical and instrumental knowledge. If the school isn't free for you, then you may be able to get a free grant to help with the costs. When you are studying music, it will follow a program which will prepare you for being a professional drummer.The benefits of studying the drums at school are numerous. Taking up drums at school will be a great idea for a few reasons.You will save money on buying the instruments, and the entire drum kit as all facilities will be provided at schoolYou can use the school recording studio to practice and not disturb others but also to record yourself and track your progress, and you continue to learn.The teacher at music school are often professional musicians, and so they can pass on their knowledge and advice to help you shape yourself as an artist.You will have access to playing live events with your schoolIf you are young, the biggest benefit is that it is totally free to study at school. Make the most of it as when you have graduated it might cost from £25 per hour to follow your interest.While in school you need to take every opportunity to learn new things about the drum and develop your personal drumming style.   If you don’t do your best to gain as many skills as you can while you are studying, then you will have to pay for it later. This is up to you to decide, the faster you learn, and the better you become, the more opportunities that you are going to have in the future. If you dream of being the drummer for a large band one day, now is the time to prepare yourself to step into those shoes. Being a musician is definitely about raw talent, but it is also hugely based on training and understanding music as a whole. Not just your drum or your drum beats, to make it as a professional you need to be able to see the big picture.While studying you may not get to learn the music that you are interested in, one year you may be learning about a popular piece of jazz such as  Birdland.  The next year you might be learning about classical music with a revival  of Vivaldi's  Four Seasons  by Max Richter. If you are a professional artist, you should be able to play and practice every style of music so be patient. Once you have learnt what it is that you need to learn about how to compose, play and create music you will graduate and be free to create the music that you love.In any case,  trying and practising different musical styles  can only be beneficial for a drummer. Truly being Interested in different things is what allows you to  develop your creativity.  This is why music schools ask students to study historical and culturally relevant artists.Now coming to the part that could be free for you, because if you are a drummer that is not in attendance in a music school, you could advertise to join or support a group that attends the school, and you would then be able to get free training with the other members of your band.If you cannot read music you are musically illiterate. Photo Source: UnsplashLearn To Play The Drums With Free Sheet MusicWhen you first start to learn drums, it is advisable to practice  with the rhythmic solfeggio learning style.  It is much easier than tradi tional music theory, and it would be a shame to deprive yourself of a tool that facilitates the fundamental task of improving when you have to learn music.On the Sheet music, the notes represent the elements of the drum.  If you can learn how to read the notes and placements on the sheet music, you will have developed the fundamental skills to needed to improve upon you drumming notation. Remember learning to read music is important and it has many benefits such as:Sheet music is the same no matter which instrument you play.You have options, you can read tab music or sheet music.Tab music is specialised to the drum and is a simple form of line notation. It's great because it shows you which drum to play and when to play it.Sheet music is specialised to music, not just to the drum. It's great because once you learn to read sheet music, you can use the same skill for all instruments.To read notes on your sheet music is to  learn the language of the musicians.  This will make it easier for you to communicate with other members of your band. Also the musical community as a whole.There are several free sheet music websites which are dedicated to supporting the community and musicians:Muse Score - This website has been created by 3 musicians from different countries in Europe, who decided to set up a musical community to support fellow musicians to have access to free sheet music. It is a great community where contributors upload their sheet music to share with the artists on the site. This website is very organised and easy to get around, it also has hundreds if not thousands of pieces of sheet music.8 Notes - makes it easy to find many free sheet music. You can search for music by musical genre or instrument. This site has other free resources too.Musopen - is a well-organised website which gives you access to thousands of pieces of sheet music and it is all free for the music community as a whole.Professional Drummers read sheet music, so you decide. Photo Source : UnsplashTake Free Drum LessonsBeyond learning through educational institutions, festivals and the free options listed above, here are some tips for taking free drum lessons.Music Association and music school test classes:  From June to September, Music and Drumming schools open their doors to attract new students, often will give sample classes for free.  You will be able to benefit from a free class with other students to gain knowledge and tips here and there.Have a mentor on drums:  If you have a big family or wide circle of friends there has to be 1 musician who might like to take some time to help you. You can take an informal lesson with your drummer uncle or your father's best friend.  Sometimes you do not have to look too far.  The world of music is above all synonymous with sharing, and many musicians will feel flattered to be asked.Service Exchange Platforms:  Offering something that you have in exchange for something that you want. This is the exchange system at its bes t. Cleaning, Admin, DIY, gardening, there are lots of tasks that you can offer to do to help someone. If you can find a musician that needs that help, you will be able to exchange your services for free and make a new friend in the process. A great service for this is called HelpxYouTube tutorials: It takes a bit of motivation, but in reality, you can learn the drums completely Video creators offer detailed and full-length videos for free online. Take a look at the Cifraclub Now their channel is in Portuguese, but it is an amazing channel.   They have created a visual system to play any instrument. If you search for drums, all of the drum videos will come up, and you can follow them.The key to decipher Cifra Club tablature, it is a little different as they are using a Portuguese system, but you have the key below and should be able to follow along.Cr = crash cymbal,Ri = ride cymbal,Ch = Charleston (HH in English),Cx = snare drum (SD in English)T1 = tom alto (also seen as TA or HT),T 2 = tom medium (also seen as TM or MT),Su = low tom (also noted as TB or FT or even F),Bu = bass drum (BD in English).Multiple methods exist to learn an instrument for free.  But having free resources doesn’t mean anything unless you are will to actually use them. Thus your motivation and focus is the key to getting the most from these tools. What was your favourite method for learning the drums?

You Could Be the Problem

Introvert Whisperer / You Could Be the Problem Is the Boss Really being Difficult or is it You? Recently, in a Linked In group associated with HR, someone posted a discussion that well over 2400 people commented on. The flavor of the discussion was: Why is it so hard to find good employees? It’s like a standoff between the frowning faces of the boss and the employee. Both are thinking really bad things about the other. I’d like to give you a perspective from a boss’s point of view regarding this comment. We have all had bad bosses I acknowledge that there are bad bosses. I also acknowledge that without reason, some simply don’t like you and want you to be gone. Despite being bad or disliking certain people, there are things that employees do that make even the best bosses seem like tyrants. What I am speaking about is poor performance and the tough talks that go with it. As a society, we’re taught to be nice to people and they will be nice to you. That concept doesn’t apply to the conversation at work where performance feedback is necessary and most often hard to do. It’s a tough message to give and a harder one to receive. It’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy about someone who just said what you did was a flop. It’s also easy to think that person is being unreasonable or difficult, yet are they really? It’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy about someone who just said what you did was a flop. More than anything else, a manager just wants things to work right. They don’t dream of coming in to the office and giving someone a bad time about their work. There is a higher amount of energy and focus drain that happens when an employee isn’t working up to expectations, because the manager has to go through extra steps to monitor the work. While it is part of the job, usually the manager’s job is not structured in such a way that they really have time for this extra task. It means extra work and extra stress. Then add to that the step of sitting down with the employee to tell them the bad news. This isn’t how most managers want to spend their day. On the reverse side of this, the employee with performance problems almost never really “gets it”. If they did, they probably wouldn’t have the issues to start with. Most managers give the under-performing employee the benefit of the doubt when they start engaging in the tough performance conversations. The benefit in this case, is that if the issue is pointed out, it can be corrected. I have seen instances where, following these chats, the performance actually gets worse and there is often some strange behavior to coincide. I once had an employee, who in their attempt to portray deep listening, eyes would bulge and go unblinking for the duration of our talks. This had to take so much concentration that I knew they weren’t listening; and they weren’t. While performance feedback should be ongoing and non-threatening dialogues, they many times don’t take place. You need to understand, this is part of your ongoing career development. To avoid driving off the performance cliff, here are FOUR  things you can do to aid in your own management: 1. Document your responsibilities and the expectations of your output. Make sure you understand both the qualitative and quantitative elements of how you will be measured. When things change, and they will, update your understanding. 2. If you aren’t receiving ongoing feedback on your performance, ask for it. It’s hard to be derailed when you are receiving information and making course corrections along the way. Engage key stakeholders for this feedback as well. 3. If you foresee a problem due to lack of resources, support or your own training, you need to flag that to the boss at the first sign of the issue. You need to come to an agreement on how the issue will be resolved. They need to be part of the solution. 4. If you still receive a tough performance message, don’t be defensive. Do your best to take in the information, ask questions and ensure your understanding. Develop an action plan that will respond to the issues and validate it with your boss. Once you are in agreement, ask for ongoing feedback to that plan. Keep in mind that when you are in a performance crisis, this is not the time to be trying to add something new or sexy to your workload. I once had a person, who wasn’t performing the basics, who decided the company should pay for their programming classes (which weren’t part of the job). While I believe in ongoing improvement, that was not the time to be away from the desk and adding to an already bad situation. Use your head â€" don’t grab an anchor if you’re drowning. I’ve long held the belief that doing a great job and being a great employee was easy. I still do. I just think that employees need to see the boss as something besides the enemy and to take responsibility for their performance. If you can do that, you will most likely like the boss better and be the “good employee” everyone is looking for. Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?   Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable.   Get your copy now and start your action plan today: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential. Do you know what your next career step is? Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today: CLICK HERE for your FREE copy

Planning Russian Tutorials

Planning Russian Tutorials How Do You Plan a Private Russian Tutorial? ChaptersPreparing Your Russian Tutorials with a StudentSet Objectives for Each TutorialCarefully Prepare Each Russian TutorialImportant Points for Preparing Private Russian Tutorials“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” - William Arthur WardThere are tonnes of private tutors all over the UK and plenty of people are interested in language courses.With 280 million native speakers, Russian is climbing the ranks in terms of language study. More and more students are interested in reading Russian literature, travelling cities in Russia like Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and foregoing the European languages like French, German, Spanish, and Italian that are commonly taught as a foreign language at school.Russian is the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages and whether students are interested in politics, literature, business, or travel, learning more about the Russian language and culture is a good wa y for them to improve both their personal and professional lives.Since the demand is there for learning Russian online and in person, there's never been a better time to start teaching beginners a few Russian words and phrases, help intermediates with their Russian speaking, or provide experts with that final bit linguistic assistance on their way towards fluency.Before you start teaching your own Russian tutorials, you need to know what to expect. You can’t start teaching foreign languages without any idea of the teaching approaches that you’ll need to help your students to progress.Whether you want to teach group classes, private tutorials, or online tutorials, you need to be organised.  Here’s some advice for planning Russian language tutorials.Take time to check the different Russian courses London here. LavaRussian Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LarisaRussian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors InaRussian Teache r 4.88 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors IrynaRussian Teacher 5.00 (8) £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EvgeniaRussian Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnastassiaRussian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NikolaRussian Teacher 5.00 (4) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MargaritaRussian Teacher 5.00 (3) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsPreparing Your Russian Tutorials with a StudentYou can’t make up your lessons as you go along, teaching Russian tutorials requires organisation and discipline. You need to prepare your tutorials ahead of time.You don't need to be a polyglot to teach languages. (Source: TeroVesalainen)You can’t dive straight into a taster session with a student as if it was a university class. Before you start any language course with a student, you need to work out what language skills they have, what they'll need to study before they can progress, and how far they are from being fluent.Russian courses for a beginner will probably just cover Russian vocabulary including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, for example.You need to see how you get along, learn more about each other, and decide upon some reasonable learning objectives.  During this meeting, the private tutor needs to explain how they work and further explain some of the details from their profile.It’s a bit like an interview for both the tutor and the student.  The tutor should present themselves and explain their experience and qualifications. They should then explain what a typical tutorial is like with them and the teaching approaches they like to employ.This is your opportunity to show your student what you’re capable of and why they should work with you.  You have to show them that you know what you’re doing and can plan lessons in accordance with their abilities and their expectations.  You’ll decide upon the learning objectives together.Does your student wa nt to learn more about Russian culture, improve their speaking, study grammar, get a good result on an exam, or become bilingual?You’ll have to plan your tutorials in accordance with their goals.  It’s also recommended that you test your student’s level to see whether they’re a beginner, intermediate, or expert. If they’ve never studied Russian before, you won’t need to dig that deep.If they've already studied a bit, you’ll want to know everything you can about their experience and see how good they are at reading, writing, and speaking Russian.Students that are quite advanced won’t need to be asked to answer simple questions such as what their name is, how old they are, or where they live...Find out more about getting started as a Russian tutor.Set Objectives for Each TutorialBeing able to speak Russian fluently won’t necessarily make you a great tutor. Similarly, being able to improvise is a good skill but your lessons also need to be structured.Make sure you pla n your lessons ahead of time. (Source: Free-Photos)To ensure that your lessons are structured, you’ll need to plan them.  You’ll first need to choose an objective for the lesson. What you’ve learnt during the taster session will help here.  You’ll know what the student’s final goal is and it’s your job to plot out the steps they’re going to take to get there.Within each class, you should define a learning objective and check at the end whether or not it’s been achieved. For example:Complete an activity.Learn about certain aspects of Russian civilisation.Pick a Russian book to read.Learn to use a new verb.Introduce yourself in Russian.Understand Russian spoken by a native speaker.Make sure that the objectives match the student. Each student needs to have personalised objectives that line up with their overall learning goals.There are plenty of different tutoring sites for finding students.Carefully Prepare Each Russian TutorialOnce you’ve established the learning ob jectives, it’s time to start preparing your lesson.  There are several things you need to do in order to speak Russian:Learn the Cyrillic alphabetImproving your listeningLearn to speakFamiliarise yourself with the vocabularyFor each topic covered, you’ll need to outline the learning objectives. You should also outline how you’re going to achieve said objectives.Make sure you're creative when planning your lessons. (Source: StartupStockPhotos)For example, learning the Russian alphabet will start by learning individual letters until the student knows all of them.  Make sure you have plenty of examples on hand. Examples are really useful for students as they help them to see the language being used in a given way. Don’t forget to speak as much Russian as possible during your tutorials.Try and put yourself in the student’s shoes so that you know how to structure the following lesson, too.  Make sure to review the lesson objectives at the end of each lesson and check that the s tudent has achieved them. If this isn’t the case, then you should consider reviewing the objectives or going back over them in the next less.Ask yourself why the student hasn’t achieved their objectives and how you can help them to do so.  Consider providing the student with resources to go over when you’re not there. This can help them between lessons and they have achieved their objectives by the next time you see them.If your student is preparing for exams, consider getting your hands on past papers and having them do them under exam conditions.  Regularly testing them with past papers is a good way to map their progression and see which parts of the exam they struggle with.  It’s also a good way to show them how they’re progressing and to motivate them to progress even further.Don’t hesitate to provide them with regular updates on their progress. A private tutor is basically an academic coach. Your role is to help get the best out of your students.In summary, when yo u prepare each tutorial, you should:Outline the learning objectives.Not how each objective is going to be achieved.Find resources to help achieve these objectives (audio, images, diagrams, texts, videos, worksheets, etc.).Prepare the exercises that you’ll use.Create a learning plan. You can provide your student with this to show their progression throughout the year.Find out more about setting your rates.Important Points for Preparing Private Russian TutorialsAnticipate the questions that your student may ask you. When you’re preparing your lesson, ask yourself exactly what the student may struggle with.  Thus, you can structure your lesson in terms of these questions and prepare the answers.Games are an interesting addition to private tutorials. (Source: stevepb)The most important role of a tutor in a private tutorial is to listen. Whether you’re teaching English, French, Italian, or Russian, the tutor needs to listen to their student’s concerns and resolve them.A Russian t utorial may resemble a conversation. Don’t think of yourself as a university lecturer. The student will sometimes ask a question that seems to have little to do with the topic at hand. You need to work out whether it’s worthwhile deviating from the lesson objectives to address the issue.  You can also address the question in a later tutorial.When you plan your lessons, you need to pay attention to your watch. If you only have an hour for your tutorials, you’ll need to stay on schedule. For example:10 minutes of review.20 minutes of teaching the new topic.20 minutes of exercises using the new topic.10 minutes of review.You can always use existing resources but it’s a good idea to make your own. You can always use resources at a later date.There mightn’t be a huge age gap between the teacher and the student. Try to avoid being overly familiar with younger students. They’ll be more comfortable with you acting as their teacher rather than their friend.Learning a language is a life-changing experience. Don’t be afraid to encourage your students to do some real soul-searching.  Private tutorials for adults are a great way to learn Russian in a warm and friendly environment.Don’t hesitate to use games, especially in intensive classes and group classes to break the monotony of studying a language and make learning Russian a fun experience. You can also study Russian cinema and literature.  This is all just general advice and you’ll need to consider each student as an individual and do what works for them.  With experience, you’ll get better and better at planning classes.

Video 4 Effective Vocal Warm-Ups to Try When Youre Sick

Video 4 Effective Vocal Warm-Ups to Try When Youre Sick Madalyn Danielson Feeling a cold coming on, or dealing with allergies? Below, Brooklyn, NY teacher Liz T. shares a few singing warm-up exercises to add to your practice session! No one likes to sing when they’re sick, but as we all know sometimes “the show must go on!” It is recommended that you rest, take care of your voice, or even go on vocal rest if you have lost your voice completely. However, if you are dealing with seasonal allergies or a common cold, I have good news! It is still healthy to sing over these inconveniences, and I am here to show you how with these singing warm-up exercises! With these exercises in mind, it’s important when you’re sick to warm up for no more than 15 minutes at a time. You don’t want to overuse your voice. Also, remember to hydrate yourself with water, tea, and apple cider vinegar, massage your glands, and also to try a hot shower to loosen up that mucus. Doing these singing warm-up exercises will surely help you sing over your cold or allergies! Also, dont be afraid to ask your voice teacher for additional suggestions thats what your teacher is there for! Liz T. teaches singing, acting, and music lessons in Brooklyn, NY, as well as online.  She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M in Vocal performance and currently performs/teaches all styles of music including Musical Theater, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, RB, and Country. 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 Photo by  aaron gilson

Preaching To The Choir - Definition and Study Exercises

Preaching To The Choir - Definition and Study Exercises Preaching to the choir means you are presenting a side of a discussion or argument to someone who already agrees with it. In other words, you are wasting your time. If a pastor preaches to a choir literally, theyre preaching to people who are obviously already converted. Another way of saying preaching to the choir, is preaching to the converted.The origin of the expression is difficult to locate but it is thought to have been introduced to the English language in the United States.That being said, one of the most famous early uses of the idea was in the 1867 writings of the English philosopher John Stuart Mill when he said:Dr. MCosh is preaching not only to a person already converted, but to an actual missionary of the same doctrine.Preaching to the Choir Exercises:1. Can you think of a situation where you were preaching to the choir?2. Has someone recently tried to convince you of something when you already agreed with him or her?3. Try to write 3 examples of dialogue in which you use preaching to the choir.4. Here is a song that uses this idiomatic expression. Do you understand why?Did you find this blog interesting? Please share it on Facebook and Twitter.Keep learning by visiting our articles about English idioms and English phrasal verbs. Danilo Tostes The movie is broken LOIEnglish YepIt is broken. Ill try to replace it with another example.

Asking and Giving Permission in English - Intermediate Level English

Asking and Giving Permission in English - Intermediate Level English How do we ask permission to do something? What are the ways in which these requests can be  given (granted)  or refused (denied)?There are many ways to achieve this and here are some of the words, expressions and idioms  for asking and giving permission in English.The request can be formal and the response formal too. Equally the  request can be more informal with a corresponding informal response.We are always reminded that a polite request is more likely to be met with a positive outcome  (result)  but not always. Asking and Giving Permission in English Polite Formal Requests Do you mind if….Would you mind if….May I…Could I possibly…Is it possible ….Is it possible for me to…. Polite Formal Responses No,  not at allYes you mayYes, of courseOf course, be my guest…Yes,  it’s my pleasureCertainly be my guest…. Examples of Asking and Giving Permission in English (formal) Do you mind if I take off my coat it is very warm here? No, not at all,   be my guest.Be careful here. In the reply the first word is NO but this is not a  refusal.  NO is used here because we asked do you mind so we are actually saying No, I do not mind so it is a positive response. Could I possibly close the window it is a little cold here? Yes of course.or Please help yourself. May I put my own furniture into the apartment? Yes, you may indeed. Just let me know what you  would like to remove. Enjoyed this infographic? Here’s what you can do next: Polite Formal RefusalsI am sorry that will not be possibleI am afraid that is out of the questionI would rather that you didn’tI am afraid notExamples of Polite Refusals in English (formal) May I go to my friends party on Saturday and stay overnight?  I am afraid that is out of the question. We are going to see your Grandmother on Saturday and you haven’t seen her for months. Would you mind if I took next Friday off work as I am moving apartment over the weekend and I  need to get ready? I am afraid that will not be possible. It is the end of the month and we simply have to get those accounts closed. May I open the window a little? I would rather that you didn’t. I have just recovered from the flu and  I do not wish to get ill again. Informal Requests and whether they are granted or refused Can I have the last piece of cake?Have you €10 you could lend me?Yeah sure..   (granted)Go ahead..   (granted)Not a problem  -(granted)Not a chance   (refused)Go away, no..  (refused, very rude) Some examples of Asking and Giving Permission (Informal) Can I skip class later I need to go to the dentist? Yeah sure, just make sure you tell the class teacher. Can I have the last piece of cake? Go ahead, nobody else seems to want it. Have you €10 you can lend me until I get to the bank? Yes, not a problem.Take your time pay me back next week. Can I have an advance (early payment) of my pocket money? Go away, no, you are always asking… Idioms connected with Asking and Giving Permission in English The idea got the thumbs up/thumbs down. The idea was accepted/rejectedIt was shot down in flames. It was rejectedThey pooh poohed it. Something was turned down, rejected (informal)I got the green light. Green for go, something was approved or accepted.Examples:I presented my idea to the board suggesting changes to our business practices. They gave it the thumbs up or they gave it the thumbs down.I thought my marketing plan was a stroke of genius (really goo) but the management board did not like it and the shot it down in flame.The idea was pooh poohed immediately without much consideration. (This is more slang than informal.)My project was approved by everyone. I got the green light and it starts next week. Iam really excited.

italki around the Web

italki around the Web If youre looking to connect with italki in places you already hang out around the web, you can view our social network profiles on these sites: italki on Twitter Follow Us!   italki Facebook Page Become a Fan! italki Facebook Application Ask questions and connect to italki from Facebook! italki Flickr Pictures View pictures of the italki team and events italki videos on YouTube Watch italkis tutorial and funny videos! italki on MySpace And in Chinese italki videos on Tudou italki videos on Youku italki on Fanfou Follow us on the Chinese Twitter italki around the Web If youre looking to connect with italki in places you already hang out around the web, you can view our social network profiles on these sites: italki on Twitter Follow Us!   italki Facebook Page Become a Fan! italki Facebook Application Ask questions and connect to italki from Facebook! italki Flickr Pictures View pictures of the italki team and events italki videos on YouTube Watch italkis tutorial and funny videos! italki on MySpace And in Chinese italki videos on Tudou italki videos on Youku italki on Fanfou Follow us on the Chinese Twitter

An Introverts Guide to Job Interviews

An Introvert's Guide to Job Interviews pexels.com 1. Dress like youre meeting them in person If you answer the phone while youre in your sweats and t-shirt, hair messed up, just rolled out of bed, youre going to feel even more insecure when talking to the employers of the job of your dreams. To battle the desire to crawl into a hole and avoid the whole process, dress like youre a successful prospective employee (because you are!). 2. Build your confidence beforehand Research famous introverts and know that youre not alone in this process. Dont tell yourself that every other candidate theyre interviewing is an extroverted beauty queen with the social skills of a politician. Chances are, theyre interviewing lots of people who are just as introverted as you are youre NOT alone! 3. Make a list of your achievements Its tough for introverted people to sell their best qualities especially if they arent looking directly at their achievements. If you have a portfolio created, put it in front of you and be ready to reference your achievements. Practice talking about things youve done with people who care about you. Having to explain things from square one as well as having the practice of talking about it will make it much easier to talk to future employers over the phone. 4. Think of questions you can ask By coming prepared to an interview with questions to ask, youll come across as interested and invested. Theyll know you did your homework if you ask thoughtful questions. 5. Do your research Regarding asking questions, dont ask anything thats already been explained in an email or on the website unless youre specifically asking for clarification. For in-person interviews pexels.com 1. Know where youre going Physically drive to the location so you can settle your nerves. Know which door you prefer to walk through. Re-read the email of who youre supposed to be meeting with. If you show up prepared and familiar with where youre supposed to be, youll be a LOT less nervous. 2. Bring your portfolio Not only is it tough to sell your achievements, but its tough to remember them when youre nervous. If you bring a physical copy of your portfolio, youll be more than ready to point out all the wonderful things youve accomplished. 3. Get ready for small talk Before the interview, think of a few talking points (even if its the weather) so you wont stumble over yourself when youre shaking hands and learning names. If you prepare yourself for some chit-chat, you wont be taken off-guard so intensely. Itll be worth it. 4. Mention that youre introverted Its nothing to be ashamed of! Its part of who you are. When the interviewers ask an appropriate question, its okay to mention that youre introverted! If you were an extrovert, you probably wouldnt have to mention it . 5. Focus on the beginning and end of the interview First impressions and lasting impressions are of utmost importance. If you make a good first impression, and you leave on good terms, youre fine! These are the most important parts of the interview. Introverts are about half of the worlds population. You arent the only one whos going to walk into this interview with sweaty palms. Many of the people theyll be interviewing share the same anxieties as you. Just because youre introverted does not mean you arent worthy of the job. Dont think that extroverted people dont have problems they just have different problems. Dont sell yourself short and know that you have qualities that other interviewees do not. Its important to walk into the interview with enough confidence to know you  deserve  this job. Youve landed an interview, so youve made it past the hardest part. If theyve chosen your resume out of a pile of papers and theyre excited about meeting you, you have every right to be there. Stay calm and remember that youre worth it. Good luck!