Winter Wonderland

Nomen Global students are enjoying the winter the way they should! Last Friday we all met at Seven Peaks Ice Arena for a day of ice skating. We enjoyed gliding across the ice, racing against each other, and even falling on our knees! Take a look at the fun we had:



Not only do we spend time on the ice, but we also enjoy eating and skiing!

Upcoming Activities
Pancake Breakfast
Warm up with us this Wednesday for a pancake breakfast! Meet at Nomen Global at 8:30 a.m.

Ski Adventure
We are excited to embark on our winter semester adventure: skiing at Sundance Ski Resort! Utah is world-famous for its perfect powder. We will spend the day skiing in the mountains and enjoying our friends! Join us for an opportunity you won't want to miss.

Winter is almost over and spring is on its way. Join the students at Nomen Global to take advantage of Utah's winter wonderland.

Spelling Strategy: Plural Words

Why is spelling so difficult? Remember that our history lesson a few weeks ago explained how English is made up of many different languagesincluding spelling! However, we can feel confident in our spelling skills when we know a few tricks. Today we will discuss a few spelling strategies that deal with plural words.

Look at this list of words. Do you notice anything about them?

dogs     children     babies     fish     dishes     leaves     toys

They are all plural words, but they all have a different plural ending! A few guidelines concerning plural spellings can help us. Let's first break up our list into two categories: regular and irregular.

Regular Plural Endings
Plural -s ending

In general, when you want to make a noun plural, simply add an -s to the end of the word. Most plural nouns end in -s because -s is considered the regular plural ending.

dogs     cats     trees     flowers     students     desks     cars    planes

Plural -es ending

The -es ending is also considered a regular plural ending, but follows nouns that end with -s, -x, -z, -ch, or -sh.

kisses     dresses     foxes     boxes     quizzes     arches     churches     bushes     brushes

Words that end with -y

We have to be careful when we see nouns that end with -y. BEFORE you add an -s, check the letter before the -y.


If the letter is a VOWEL, simply add -

keys     trays     guys     monkeys     toys     ways     turkeys

If the letter is a CONSONANT, change the -y to and i and add -es.


baby - babies     party - parties     lady - ladies     spy - spies     university - universities

Words that end with -f

Generally, nouns that end in a single -f will change spelling. Change the f to a v and add -es.

leaf - leaves     loaf - loaves     knife - knives     life - lives     wolf - wolves

However, there are exceptions to this rule:

roof - roofs     belief - beliefs

Irregular Plural Endings      
Words that change spelling

Sometimes nouns completely change spelling. These words are usually easy to remember because they are more common.

man - men     woman - women     child - children     person - people     foot - feet

Words that don't change

Sometime count nouns don't change at all! Again, these words are also usually easy to remember because there aren't very many of them.

fish     deer     sheep     moose     scissors

Greek and Latin

Many words derived from Greek and Latin have irregular endings.

crisis - crises     fungus - fungi     phenomenon - phenomena     appendix - appendices


Spelling words correctly is a continuous process for many people. Don't be discouraged if spelling is difficult. Learning can be a fun and exciting process! Nomen Global students enjoy learning together every day. If you would like to know more about spelling or studying at Nomen Global, visit our website. Check back next week for some more English practice!

Spotlight: American Adventure!

Nomen Global is excited to present this year’s American Adventure program! We have had great success in the past in this summer English course.


What is American Adventure?
American Adventure is Nomen Global’s summer English program complete with intensive English courses in the morning followed by local recreational and cultural activities in the afternoon. Students can improve their English and develop lasting friendships with their host families and Nomen Global staff.


What are the English courses like? 
Each morning, experienced teachers go over the English language with interactive techniques. Curriculum is unique and customized, still including the basics: grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture.


What are possible activities? 
Students learn about American culture through local activities. We can include everything from scenic bike rides and river adventures to professional sporting events and amusement parks. The great thing about Nomen Global is that we are flexible! Additional vacations, like Disneyland or Yellowstone National Park, can easily be added to the program.


What is included in the American Adventure Program?
-Housing
-All meals
-All transportation
-Tuition and class fees
-Classroom fees
-Learning materials
-Computer lab use
-Activities
-Teachers and peer mentors
-Certificate of Completion
-Optional additional vacation to Las Vegas, Disneyland, Yellowstone National Park, etc.


If you aren’t familiar with American Adventure, now is a great time to find out. Please contact Nomen Global if you have any questions about this exciting summer program!

Vocabulary Strategy: A History of Words

For many students of English, learning vocabulary seems like an ongoing struggle. However, one way to help you remember vocabulary words may be looking toward history. Last week, we discussed the rich history that English has—and fortunately that history can help us in many ways. Because English is connected to so many languages, when we look at the origin of English words, we may find familiar stories!

Let’s look at an example. Since today is Friday, “Friday” seems like an appropriate word for today. “Friday,” like most of the names for the days of the week, was named after a mythological goddess! In Scandinavian or Germanic mythology, the goddess of married love was named “Frigg.” The sixth day of the week was given to Frigg, thus naming the day “Frigg’s day,” or in Modern English, “Friday.”

Many Germanic languages also used the goddess Frigg for their translation of Friday: German – Freitag, Norwegian – Fredag, Afrikaans – Vrydag. Interestingly, the Roman goddess of love is Venus. Many Latin-based languages use her name for Friday: Spanish – viernes, Italian – venerdì, Romanian – Vineri, French – vendredi.

Finding out the history of words is not the only strategy for learning and remembering vocabulary. Come study at Nomen Global for more ways to build your word bank!

Student Spotlight: Eduardo Guerrero


Eduardo Guerrero is from Torreon, Mexico, and he has been a student at Nomen Global since September 2010.  Eduardo has really enjoyed his experience in the United States so far!

Eduardo chose to study at Nomen Global because his goal is to be able to communicate with people from around the world. At Nomen Global, Eduardo has friends from many different continents, including South America, Asia, and Africa.

Another goal of Eduardo’s is to get into college and earn his bachelor’s degree after his finishes at Nomen Global. He is certainly on his way—he is currently in the College Preparation course! One day, Eduardo also hopes to be a successful businessman.

Eduardo’s greatest success has been making great friends and improving his English skills. Eduardo loves participating in outdoor activities and hanging out with his friends.

You can meet Eduardo and other great students like him at Nomen Global! Check back next week for another spotlight!

Valentine's Day Activities

Happy Valentine's Day to all! We here at Nomen Global celebrated with love and sweets! Last Thursday, we kicked off the festivities with a Valentine's Day Dance! We enjoyed some sweet snacks, karaoke, and lots of dancing! Take a peek at the fun we had!



Today, to show the love, we launched our own version of speed dating! Speed dating is a fun and carefree activity to get to know many people really well in a short period of time. The ladies sit on one side of a long table; the gentlemen sit on the other side. For three minutes, everyone is paired up with a partner and asks a variety of questions to get to know each other. At the end of three minutes, the gentlemen move over one seat and the round of questions starts again! 

We first began with discussing the cultural background of speed dating in the United States. We then wrote a series of question--simple and complex--that we could ask our partner. Then, the fun began! As the guys moved around the table, we all ranked our partner based on personality compatibility. At the end of the activity, we handed out prizes for some of our students!

We have a great group of students at Nomen Global and we all enjoyed learning new, interesting, and funny things about each other! 

A Hint of History

Do you think you know English? Well, can you read this?

Hwæt! We Gardena         in geardagum,
þeodcyninga,         þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas         ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing         sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum,         meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas.         Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden,         he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum,         weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc         þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade         hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan.

If I told you this was English, would you believe me? Well, it is! 

This text is an excerpt from Beowulf, a classic Old English text, written around A.D. 1000. Old English, however, was “born” much earlier than that. When 3 Germanic tribes—the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes—came to Britain in A.D. 449, their 3 dialects formed what we now call Old English. The Anglo-Saxons have a rich history of warriors, epic battles, and triumph. Many stories were passed down by word of mouth rather than by writing. Beowulf is great example—and a rare story that was written down—of the type of poetry that was alive in that day.

Old English was spoken among the Anglo-Saxons until the Normans invaded Britain in A.D. 1066. After this time, English changed from a primarily German-based language to a language full of French and Scandinavian words. English was a very flexible language, borrowing words from different languages wherever it was spoken. Have you ever wondered why English has so many words from different languages?

English changed rapidly from the first time it was spoken until the late 1400s. When the printing press was invented by Gutenberg, the changes in English slowed down. Writers like Shakespeare were able to preserve their work—and the English language—when they could print what they wrote.

Today, English is spreading across the world. It has become a global language used for trade, business, science, technology, and education. English has come a long way from the time of Beowulf and is one of the most popular languages to study in the world.

To read more about the history of English, visit the Oxford Dictionary.

To learn more about studying English at Nomen Global, visit our website!

Teacher Spotlight: Jessie Hale

Jessie Hale is from Arlington, Texas—home of this year's Super Bowl! Jessie received her B.A. in English Linguistics from Brigham Young University. She minored in TESOL, editing, and music. In addition to English, Jessie has also studied Spanish, German, Russian, Finnish, Tagalog, and Old English. 

Jessie has been teaching at Nomen Global since June 2010. 
She teaches Level 5 Grammar and College Preparation. Jessie also works in the International Sales and Marketing department. She loves interacting with students from all over the world. She has traveled to 11 different countries: England, Finland, Estonia, Switzerland, Germany, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and Mexico! She taught English in Ukraine for a semester in 2009. Jessie loves people, cultures, and languages from all over the world!

Working hard, learning quickly, and communicating effectively are a few of Jessie's strengths. She aspires to one day earn her master's degree, live in Japan, and ride an elephant. Her favorite aspect of English is the rich history that the language has experienced. 


Jessie spends her free time cooking delicious meals for her husband and volunteering at the Provo Library. Her favorite quote is from the German version of the Three Musketeers musical: 
"Wenn der Mast auch zerbricht, wir verzweifeln noch nicht." (If the mast (on a ship) is destroyed, we will not despair.) D'Artagnan, meaning that even if the most reliable support in our life were destroyed, we would not give up.

You can meet Jessie and other great teachers at Nomen Global. Check back next week for another spotlight!

Monday Movie Madness

In celebration of the recent Sundance Film Festival, this week for our Monday activity, students went wild with our movie theme!

First, we acquainted ourselves with a variety of movie vocabulary words: shot, cinematography, drama, romance, animation, thriller—to name a few. We split up into groups and were assigned a genre. Our groups collaborated together to create an original, one-of-a-kind movie script completely in English! We spent the class period directing, acting, and filming our movies. Once the students were proud of their finished product, we gathered together for our very own Nomen Global Film Festival. We laughed, we cried, and we certainly enjoyed watching each movie.

Check out these movies written, directed, and performed by our Nomen Global students.

"The Magic Pencil." When Jane discovers that whatever she writes with her new pencil comes true, she has to be careful what she wishes for.

"Victor in Jail." What is Victor supposed to do when he is thrown in an American jail with little English vocabulary?

To learn more about Nomen Global and our activities, visit our website.