International Appreciation

Nomen Global is lucky to have so many students from different countries. We try to kick off each semester with an International Appreciation Day. Today, students brought their favorite dishes from their countries and presented why these dishes were significant. 

To learn more about Nomen Global, visit our website or our Facebook page.

False Friends

This block at Nomen Global, we are celebrating our international diversity! We have discussed and written about some things that make our cultures unique. One favorite topic of conversation among our students is the different languages we speak. Because over 30 countries are represented by our student body, we speak many different languages! One tricky thing, however, about languages is False Friends. False Friends are words that sound similar in two languages but mean something completely different! 

Here is a list of good examples of False Friends. For example, the word gift in English means "present," whereas Gift in German means "poison." Take a look at this interesting list of false friends from English and other languages. 

To learn more about English and False Friends, visit us at Nomen Global!

Staff Spotlight: Bill Jarvis

Bill Jarvis is one of the newest members of our team here at Nomen Global. He is currently working in the International Recruiting Department with Latin American countries. He is fluent in Spanish and has years of experience with international business in Latin America. In fact, he has been to 15 different countries for business!

Bill graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Spanish and also received his Masters of Business Administration. He and his wife have raised bilingual children in English and Spanish. Bill was also recently featured on an BYU international radio program about raising bilingual children with two other Nomen Global employees.

Bill has been working with Nomen Global for just two months, but we already acknowledge his expertise and professionalism in the office. He strongly believes in treating everybody with respect, a skill that both our staff and our students appreciate. Bill believes that Nomen Global has the potential to grow internationally, and his goal is to help bring our philosophies to the world.

One of Bill's favorite things about English is the variety of strange and fun words in the language. For example, have you heard of the interesting collective nouns for lions, goldfish, turkeys, or crows? A group of lions is called a pride, a group of goldfish is called a charm, a group of turkeys is called a gang, and a group of crows is called a murder! Bill also gets a kick out of Winston Churchill's famous quote: "From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I shall not put." This quote makes fun of some of the strict rules that formal English used to have. Although we know now that ending a sentence with a preposition is perfectly acceptable, many grammar sticklers used to believe it was sinful to do so!

Some fun facts about Bill: He has finished 12 marathons, 52 triathlons, and 1 Ironman (so far!). Today is, in fact, Bill's birthday! We at Nomen Global are excited to have him here and are inspired by his great attitude and work ethic. Meet Bill and the other excellent staff members at Nomen Global!

Bowling Tournament

Bowling is a popular pastime in the United States and across the world because it is challenging and fun. Players roll the bowling ball down the lane to knock over as many pins as they can. Ten pins sit at the end of a 60-foot lane. The more pins you know down, the higher your score for that round. There are ten frames in each game, and each player has up to two chances to knock down all of the pins in each frame. Players have the up to 3 chances in the last frame. 

Last Friday, Nomen Global students went to Miracle Bowl bowling alley for an afternoon of fun. Many of our students already know how to bowl, so we hosted a bowling tournament to see who could get the highest scores! Many students enjoyed the summer discount offered--just $1 per game! We spent 2 hours at the bowling alley and had a great time competing with ourselves and each other. A perfect game earns 300 points, but most of our students were happy to earn over 100 points!

Learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we have by 'liking' us on Facebook!

Pronunciation Practice

Starting this fall semester, Nomen Global is offering an exciting new course: Pronunciation. For many students, pronunciation is very difficult. Many sounds in English do not exist in other languages; thus, it is difficult for many student to hear and produce these sounds. If you are going to study pronunciation, it will be a challenge, but not an impossible task! These 5 tips can help you on your way to more native-sounding English.

Read Aloud
When you read aloud, you are working the most important muscles involved with pronunciation--your jaw and your tongue. Even if you don't get the sounds exactly right, you are exercising those muscles that you need for new and different sounds. Remember, just as you go to the gym to exercise your arms and legs, you should take as many chances exercising the muscles in your mouth for pronunciation. Reading aloud is a great way for your to hear the flow of the language while working out at the same time.

Listen and Repeat
As you listen to TV or movie, repeat some of the things that you hear. The first step to being able to pronounce words correctly is hearing the differences in the sounds from your native language and English. Listen carefully to podcasts, articles, stories, dialogs, and other online materials and repeat some of the things you hear.

Record Yourself
Because it can be difficult to listen to yourself as you speak, record yourself to hear how you sound. Record yourself as you recite poetry or tongue twisters to see if you sound like a native English speakers. After several weeks of recording, you will be surprised how much you improve!

Use a Mirror
Using a mirror can be extremely helpful when learning new articulations. Watch what native speakers do and try to mimic their mouth in the mirror. Sometimes it is easy to hear the sound, but not so easy to make the "shape" in your mouth.

Learn to Laugh
Learning and creating new sounds can be difficult for the muscles in our mouths! Sometimes, we feel silly when we repeat certain sounds over and over. Sometimes, we look silly when we try to articulate a sound properly (think the TH sound!). But, we are all learning together! The most important rule in learning pronunciation is also learning to laugh at yourself! When you make mistakes, get over it and move on. When you feel silly, just laugh and keep practicing!

Learn more about pronunciation techniques with us at Nomen Global!

Student Spotlight: Tulio Magorga Lara

Tulio Magorga Lara is originally from Mexico. He came to Nomen Global to study English about a month ago and will stay here until late October. Tulio enjoys studying at Nomen Global because he believes that meeting people from all over the world is a great experience. Nomen Global has students from over 30 countries, so Tulio is having a great time. He also has enjoyed getting to the know the teachers. Tulio is learning English so that he can be eligible for a student exchange program at a private Mexican university. We wish you luck, Tulio!

After Tulio finished studying at Nomen Global, he plans to start a career in medicine in his country. Tulio has great plans for his future, but the journey has not been easy. Among many experiences, Tulio remembers the time he was stranded for 24 hours without money, food, water, or shelter! Luckily one of Tulio's strengths is his ability to adapt and change.

In his free time, Tulio enjoys reading books, jogging, reading the news, playing guitar, listening to music, hanging out with friends, drawing, and participating in outdoor activities. He obviously keeps his life active and busy--and will continue to do so in the future. He has goals to study medicine, graduation from medical school, travel to Europe, Australia, and other countries, and offer affordable healthcare to low-income families.

Though Tulio keeps busy, he keeps his pizza simple: pepperoni with extra cheese. Tulio is a well-rounded student who works hard to accomplish his goals. He is a social individual who has a desire to do good in society, to solve as many problems as he can, and to help those in need.

Meet Tulio and other thoughtful students like him at Nomen Global!

Capture the Flag

Today for our Monday Activity, we experienced the popular outdoor game, capture the flag. Capture the flag is a game played by two teams of people. We gathered at a nearby park and brought two flags. We separated into two teams and learned the rules of the game. Nomen Global students had a great time being stealthy, working together, and observing the other team. If you have never played capture the flag before, check out the rules below. (There are many variations of this game. You can adapt the rules how you like, but these are the basic rules).

Equipment: two flags and one large outdoor space

Players: enough people for two large teams

Object: to be the first to retrieve the enemy flag and return to safe territory

To begin playing capture the flag, find a large outdoor space. A large park or forested area works perfectly. Divide your group of friends into two teams. Usually the more people you have, the more exciting the game can be. Then divide the large park into two territories. These two territories can be divided by a tree line, a stream, a sidewalk, or an imaginary line that both teams recognize. 

Each team "owns" one side of the park. On their side, they need to hide their flag withing 200 feet of the dividing line. The flag must be visible, but it can be in an inconspicuous location. When both teams have secured their flags, they return to the dividing line. 

A signal will mark the start of the game. The object of the game is to enter enemy territory, retrieve the flag, and return to home territory. When team members cross the dividing line into enemy territory, however, they can be caught by enemy team members. If a member of the enemy team touches you, you can be taken to jail. The jail can be marked by a tree or a rock. A prisoner can be rescued by a fellow teammate if that teammate touches him or her. 

The winning team will be the first to successfully find the enemy's flag and return to safe territory. If neither team is able to capture the flag in a set amount of time, the game is won by the team with the most prisoners.

Have fun playing capture the flag! To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we do, visit us at our Facebook page!

Olympic Games Idioms

The Olympic Games are some of the most-watched games in the world. They are currently taking place in London, England, this summer. The theme of this week's block is "Games." Do you know how many idioms come from some popular Olympic sports? Check out this list of idioms to see how they are used.

To learn more about idioms and other topics we teach, visit our website or 'like' us on Facebook.

Staff Spotlight: Kate Kelly Harline

Kate Kelly Harline is a native of Provo, Utah. Kate is one of our newest employees in the International Recruiting Department at Nomen Global. She also teaches a few English classes in the afternoon, including Idioms & Informal Usage and Extensive Reading. Kate has been with Nomen Global for only a few weeks, but she has already made a big difference to the staff and the students.

Kate has an extensive international background. She studied world religions and creative writing at Seattle Pacific University. She also lived in Southern France for a year and a half as a missionary for her church. She learned how to be competitive running cross country and track in high school and college. Kate also loves camping, hiking, reading, traveling, and meeting people. One of Kate's goals is go live in India for an extended period of time and attain Nirvana.

When asked about her greatest strength, Kate responded, "I have never met a jar that I couldn't open. I have strong hands." Kate has a great sense of humor and always makes her classes fun. Her favorite thing about English is making puns, or playing with words in a funny way. Kate's favorite quote, by Leo Tolstoy, also shows how much she loves life: "To know God and to live is the same thing. God is life."

Meet Kate and other enthusiastic teachers like her at Nomen Global!

Tubing down the Provo River

Provo, Utah, has experienced record-high temperatures this summer! We at Nomen Global are always looking for ways to cool down. This weekend, our students took to the refreshing Provo River to beat the heat. 

Tubing is a popular leisure activity to do in the summer. It involves an air-filled inner tube, a life jacket, a willingness to get a little wet, and good friends! We carpooled up Provo Canyon and received our tubes and our life jackets. We drove farther up the canyon to the spot where we would enter the river. We all made sure our life jackets were secure, then we jumped in the water! Even though it was very hot outside, the water was nice and cool. We spent the afternoon floating down the river with our good friends.

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we do, visit our Facebook page.

Poetry by Andrea

This block's theme is "Art." Art can take many different forms: drawing, sculpting, music, poetry, and much more. Many of you know that our teacher, Andrea, loves poetry. Last semester, Andrea entered an international poetry contest and won! Here is her winning poem. What do you think about it?

"September, beautiful month of my birth, is nigh, but I cannot feel glad."

September, drifting in with glow of moon,
you stifle Summer’s ardor. . . and she grieves.
In guise of fire, the Fall comes all too soon.

Your breath grows cool.  You’ll blow and loosen leaves.
The hills and woodlands will reflect new hues.
You stifle Summer’s ardor. . . and she grieves.

In Autumn’s chill, the colors are a ruse.
For as you pass, the trees are set ablaze.
The hills and woodlands then reflect new hues.

Though warmth may linger through your final days,
old Sun is waning, yet he still seems strong!
For as you pass, the trees are set ablaze.

September, you’re a melancholy song.
Though time be short, you paint a brilliant dusk!
Old sun is waning, yet he still seems strong.

October looms. . . Your ending will be brusque.
September, drifting in with glow of moon,
though time be short, you paint a brilliant dusk.
In guise of fire, the Fall comes all too soon.

Learn more about Andrea, her poetry, and what we teach at our website or 'like' us on our Facebook page.

Student Spotlight: Xavier Contell

Xavier Contell is originally from Barcelona, Spain. He started studying English at Nomen Global this block and will continue to study here until October. Xavier is studying in our TOEFL Preparation course. He chose to study for the TOEFL so that he can improve his English skills enough to do well on the test. One of Xavier's favorite things about Nomen Global is the excitement that everyone has to learn more English. He also enjoys getting to know people and cultures from all over the world.

After Xavier finishes studying at Nomen Global, he plans to take the TOEFL and enter one of the universities in the area: Utah Valley University or Brigham Young University. We wish Xavier the best of luck! He has already done so much to accomplish his goals, including obtaining a visa and moving across the world to study English. Xavier also aspires to have a good quality life, to be able to travel around the world, and to have a good house, car, family, job, and friends.

In his free time, Xavier enjoys hanging out and driving around. He likes music, movies, sports, video games, and having good conversations with people. Interestingly, Xavier also has a black belt in taekwondo! He is always happy and proud of the things that he has done.

Meet Xavier and other hardworking students like him at Nomen Global!