Tesco boss raps school standards

Generali

Mr_Matey wrote: »

Yeh and it's a fair point.

What I was raising is you don't have to think about tenses if you're a native English speaker who's living in the UK. You may have learnt another language at school, but it's only in the back of your mind, and most of the world speaks English, so you'll probably be fine.

Speaking another language makes you analyse your own language more and think about things like tenses.

When I went to Germany and tried my luck at speaking, I need to choose the right tense, the right sentence structure etc. But I still naturally think in English, then try and say in German.

Out of interest what other languages do you speak?
I love learning other languages

You know you're fluent in another language when you dream in it. (I speak as a former inhabitant of France). Certainly to attain any level of fluency in another language, IMO, you need to be able to think in that language as you speak it. I only really attained this ability just before moving back to the UK.

Sir_Humphrey

Mr_Matey wrote: »

Yeh and it's a fair point.

What I was raising is you don't have to think about tenses if you're a native English speaker who's living in the UK. You may have learnt another language at school, but it's only in the back of your mind, and most of the world speaks English, so you'll probably be fine.

Speaking another language makes you analyse your own language more and think about things like tenses.

When I went to Germany and tried my luck at speaking, I need to choose the right tense, the right sentence structure etc. But I still naturally think in English, then try and say in German.

Out of interest what other languages do you speak?
I love learning other languages

The trouble with English is that it is very illogical. Any non-native speaker will therefore have had to work very hard on the grammar.

The best way to speak a foreign language is to forgot about English altogether when speaking. Not easy, but it starts to come with practise. When I am in France I sometimes try to think in French as well which helps.

BTW, my French is not that great.

SingleSue

bo_drinker wrote: »

Text talk should be banned from anywhere other than texts (not needed there 99% of the time ) I visit web forums that have banned it. The problem is a lot of the youngsters have been brought up with it and it becomes the norm.
And then a lot of the white kids want to talk like they are from the Bronx.

Text speak is banned on my forum too.

I've been known to go through and edit posts using text speak or with horrendous spelling errors!

I get away with it because they know I am ever so slightly weird about it all :rotfl:

lynzpower

kabayiri wrote: »

I can see the curriculum now :-

this week :- basic maths; how a penny profit on a base price of 20p for a bunch of bananas really does add up to £1.19

next week :- how multiple choice exams always start with "are you ... a) satisified shopper b) overjoyed c) ecstatic with your purchase"

week after :- how to read your P45

Cant believe moneysavers missed this scandal in development- tesco-ward
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/content/towerhamlets/advertiser/news/story.aspx?brand=elaonline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsela&itemid=WeED08%20Oct%202009%2015%3A05%3A14%3A517

THE world's third largest retailer is about to submit a planning application for a major development including new homes, a primary school, Idea Store, hotel, and supermarket in the East End.

Another totally unacceptable reposnse to the Olympics- if this goes ahead expect to see this rolled out nationwide. This looks like something Tories woud like.

Mr_Matey

Generali wrote: »

You know you're fluent in another language when you dream in it. (I speak as a former inhabitant of France). Certainly to attain any level of fluency in another language, IMO, you need to be able to think in that language as you speak it. I only really attained this ability just before moving back to the UK.

I remember when I was 16 on a 6-week trip around Germany and Austria, I had a dream in German. It was really bizarre. My German skills have since regressed.

A_fiend_for_life

Generali wrote: »

You know you're fluent in another language when you dream in it.

Not true I woke up blabbering in Chinese and don't even speak a word of it.

lostinrates

Mr_Matey wrote: »

Yeh and it's a fair point.

What I was raising is you don't have to think about tenses if you're a native English speaker who's living in the UK. You may have learnt another language at school, but it's only in the back of your mind, and most of the world speaks English, so you'll probably be fine.

Speaking another language makes you analyse your own language more and think about things like tenses.

When I went to Germany and tried my luck at speaking, I need to choose the right tense, the right sentence structure etc. But I still naturally think in English, then try and say in German.

Out of interest what other languages do you speak?
I love learning other languages

Ah, I understand your point now...but I think I stand by my own too...despite tham being almost opposite to each other!

I am now only (barely) fluent in English. I was brought up as a French speaker too. I used to have pretty capable Spanish (e.g. I could cope with a spanish speaking non english speaking lover) and I cope in Italy. In fact, my Italian is superior to my French now (and my Italian stinks!). I had to relearn the use of language in my twenties, after the old brain broke. My english is ''good'' because that what I heard most of! I'm pretty confident tht most people wouldn't pick up in the difficulties, but people who know me well might...my word choice can be a bit odd. Similarly I also have had to try and rlearn to read music. Frankly, its bloody hard,and translating that to my hands is harder, and I can't cope at all with a bass and a treble clef concurrently. I don't really play anything any more I have some stuff whcih I can play ''from before'' but usually only the first part of things, which is pretty annoying!

Generali

Kinda back on topic:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/business/school-leavers-not-even-clever-enough-to-work-at-tesco%2c-says-tesco-boss-200910142136/

....Sir Terry added: "Thanks to years of under-investment our schools are now turning out the sort of witless cretins who are fit only for B&Q."

But economist Julian Cook said: "While Sir Terry is right to be concerned, Tesco does actually depend on a pathetically bad education system to make sure people keep shopping there.

"You see, it works like this: The privately educated and those with postgraduate degrees shop at Waitrose; BAs, MAs and BScs shop at Sainsbury's; the skilled working class shop at Morrisons and then Tesco and Asda divvy up the troglodytes with half price offers on Albanian vodka and pizza made from chips."

He added: "Aldi and Lidl, meanwhile, are for highly educated people with a sense of irony who need something new to talk about at dinner parties.

"'Oh you must try their prosciutto, it's surprisingly fabulous and costs just 4p a tonne' - that sort of thing."

Mr_Matey

lostinrates wrote: »

Ah, I understand your point now...but I think I stand by my own too...despite tham being almost opposite to each other!

I am now only (barely) fluent in English. I was brought up as a French speaker too. I used to have pretty capable Spanish (e.g. I could cope with a spanish speaking non english speaking lover) and I cope in Italy. In fact, my Italian is superior to my French now (and my Italian stinks!). I had to relearn the use of language in my twenties, after the old brain broke. My english is ''good'' because that what I heard most of! I'm pretty confident tht most people wouldn't pick up in the difficulties, but people who know me well might...my word choice can be a bit odd. Similarly I also have had to try and rlearn to read music. Frankly, its bloody hard,and translating that to my hands is harder, and I can't cope at all with a bass and a treble clef concurrently. I don't really play anything any more I have some stuff whcih I can play ''from before'' but usually only the first part of things, which is pretty annoying!

I wouldn't have picked you as a non native-speaker from your posts. English is a second language for my fiancee too, so I often have to help her. As Sir Humphrey said, quite a lot of the time English is illogical, but then again it's a mish-mash of numerous different languages.

I learnt a bit of French and German in school, enough to get by but nowhere near fluent. I could probably get by with a French-speaking lover, so long as she only says "oui, oui!".

I do like to try the local language wherever I go though, so have picked up a little bit of a few languages.

lynzpower

Generali wrote: »

Kinda back on topic:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/business/school-leavers-not-even-clever-enough-to-work-at-tesco%2c-says-tesco-boss-200910142136/

read up! Someone already posted this

Keep up at the back