Em Turner Chitty teaches English as a Second Language at the University of Tennessee's English Language Institute. She is the author of How We Really Talk: Using Phrasal Verbs in English, and Spelling and Sound: Spelling Common English Words. She also appears on the Irish/Appalachian album Mountain Laurel, available from etchitty@gmail.com
My cousin raised an interesting question yesterday, as he so often does. After I described my encounter with an out-of-control teen neighbor who threatened violence and spat on me (in the context of his having cursed and abused another neighbor, perfectly nice guy), he asked, “Where is it written that you should intervene?” I’ve been … More Living in the village
I live in Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville is one of Southern Appalachia’s three “capitals,” the others being Asheville, NC and Roanoke, VA. The three are very different cities for historical reasons. Knoxville is actually not in the Appalachian Mountains. Instead, it is in the valley carved by the junction of the Holston and French Broad rivers … More Outside the Comfort Zone
Originally posted on Marjorie Turner Hollman:
After the fall, snuggling with grandboys and cousin Em Our visit to the farm in the mountains was truly wonderful until the second day, when, standing too close to the edge of a porch, I was knocked off balance by an over-friendly farm dog. Suddenly I flew through the…
Originally posted on Marjorie Turner Hollman:
Small dam in the Upper Charles River within sight of N. Maple Street in Bellingham When I was growing up in S. Florida, we read Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire,” which left a lasting impression on me. I can still picture a lone man in the…
Originally posted on Marjorie Turner Hollman:
Fall in New England I have heard it said that understanding and sharing your past can change your future, but it was only recently that I began to fully grasp this truth. In my work as a freelance writer and personal historian, I often ask people, “How did you…
Well, there’s good news and there’s bad news about the new do-it-yourself journalism. The good news? Theoretically, anyone with a keyboard and a modem can enter the global conversation. The bad news? At least in American journalism, a bunch of people who don’t know English very well are writing their heads off, producing a slew of words without … More Words Gone Wrong: 8 Stupid Things Journalists Write
After finishing the MLK march today, I walked back down MLK Avenue toward the church we had started from. There were still some people along the road, groups of women and children mostly, some with cloths spread out and picnic fixings on the streetside for the kids. The holiday atmosphere still prevailed, with strangers greeting … More Being the Ram in the Bush
….my office-mate asked me yesterday. In recent weeks, I have spent a good many hours on the site duolingo.com. Unable to stir for long from my sofa, I took advantage of a University of Tennessee/Peace Corps challenge to use duolingo for free and have been working with four languages–Italian, which I once spoke fluently; … More “So, you have no life?”
3Presentation on Spoken Syntax MethodIn most English language programs, the “Four Skills” of English are taught: Grammar, Reading, Writing, and Listening/Speaking (as a single course). One of an ESL teacher’s biggest challenges is that we too often produce students who can perform well on standardized reading, writing, and listening tests, but who cannot struggle their … More Spoken Syntax Conversation Circles
ducklings “After” usually means “after in time order” (“I’ll see you after class”), but in phrasal verbs it usually means something like “following” in a certain direction, toward, or chasing. The baby ducks in the picture are following their mother; they are swimming after her. Chasing something: “go after, be after, run after” “Zelda is after Scott … More Chapter 7 – “After” as Toward, Following or Chasing
Em Turner Chitty 