Kang Guru Connection Pouch -

Idioms Cassettes from KGRE

KGRE has produced a compilation audio cassette of English idioms and Aussie ‘slang’. The examples have been taken from KGRE radio programs broadcast over the past few years. The examples given feature native speakers using the idioms in ‘real life’ situations. They are excellent for pronunciation practice. You can have a lot of fun with these idioms and before you know it, you will be using them like a real native speaker.

If you would like a copy of this cassette complete with index for your Club to use and enjoy, include your request in your next Club Activity Report (CAR). Be sure to tell KGRE how you are planning to use them with your club members. KGRE also expects some written feedback from Clubs on how the materials were used. Did Club members enjoy the activities? What were some of the results?

Fluency and Spoken English

A very interesting point has arisen during recent meetings with students and teachers. It concerns fluency and spoken English. Basically the problem appears to be that some students believe the faster a person can speak English then the more fluent they must be. Speed is not necessarily a good indicator of fluency and in fact the opposite may apply. If people speak too fast then their pronunciation may be severely affected and listeners may not understand the message. Native speakers often talk really fast to fellow native speakers BUT for a second language learner it is a different situation. It is not unusual to hear people speaking English ‘so fast’ that it becomes quite difficult to understand what they are saying. Being fluent means to be able to speak without hesitation and constant breaks in delivery. The spoken word is clear andeasily understood by the listeners. Searching for words or vocabulary, or for the correct grammar, is not an issue for a fluent speaker of a language.

Aardvark’s English Forum

check this great site out and you will be surprised at the contents - something for everyone!
http://www.englishforum.com/00/

‘Travels of Captain Kang Guru’

The travel saga continues with recent additions from Medan, Jambi, Sukabumi and Yogyakarta already added to the website report of Kevin’s travels around Indonesia. Access it on the KG website and download it for your Club’s use and enjoyment:

kgretravel.htm

Here’s just a little example for you to read right now.

Madiun - March 14 & 15

From Surabaya’s Gubeng station I traveled by train to Madiun, a lovely and picturesque 2.5 hour journey from Surabaya. Dinna from MADCOMS met me at the station and after a brief stop at the hotel we headed for RRI Madiun. It was good to see old friends there including the Station Manager, Pak Sjamsi who I had previously met at RRI Surabaya in 2002. We immediately started talking about interactive radio on RRI Madiun. Their terrific idea was that KGRE would join with their already well established twice weekly English interactive show. KGRE is to become a part of the Friday edition between 4.00 and 5.00 pm. Besides the standard KGRE program, the hour would include phone calls from listeners discussing KG topics as well as others that may arise. KGRE will assist with promotional ideas and items along with quiz competitions and discussion topics.

Kang Guru Connection Bulletin	May-June 2003 Page 1