Eric's English Lounge 到底在做什麼啊?是補習班嗎?
Recently, I have gotten quite a few emails asking if I do private tutoring. Some have asked if I have a bushiban or run the page with a team. While our readers know we publish English learning posts, what exactly is it that we do?
最近,我收到一些信件,詢問我是否有提供私人家教,也有人問我是否為補教業者或有一個團隊在經營這個頁面。我們的讀者都知道,我們在粉專上發布英語學習的貼文,但我們究竟是做什麼的?
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To be completely honest, I am not sure if there is a category suitable for our page. My current positions are a doctoral student and an educational consultant for e-learning companies and policy makers. In addition to hosting my classes, I use the page mainly to provide free resource and perform charitable activities.
坦白說,我不確定是否有相關的類別適合我們的粉絲專頁。目前我是一位博士生,也是網路公司的教育顧問。除了我開設的課程之外,我主要透過本專頁來提供免費的英語學習資源,並執行慈善計畫。
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I started the page in 2012 as a lecturer and the general manager of an overseas study company, and the aim was to share learning materials with my students. I would occasionally compile information online, edit them, and publish them for free. I started investing more time around 2014 and 2015, and we had about 20K fans at this point. I did not commercialize the page, so people did not know what I was doing (they literally wrote and asked me). I left my position as the general manager, and I was unsure of my next move.
起初,我以海外留學公司總經理兼講師的身份,於2012年設立了這個粉專,以便與學生們分享資訊。我偶爾會整理網路上的資訊並加以編輯,免費與大家分享。在2014年與2015年期間,我開始投入更多時間,當時我們約有2萬名粉絲。我並沒有將粉專商業化,所以很多人確實不清楚我在做什麼。之後,我辭去了海外留學公司的所有職務,但不確定自己的下一步是什麼。
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I did not want to open a test prep center like many suggested. I did not want to sacrifice my ideals to meet business goals, and I felt I could do more to make use of my experience and strengths as a curriculum writer and teacher. I started consulting educational organizations and worked on my own online classes. It was a difficult path because there was simply very little demand for “educational consultants” in Taiwan. I had to carve my own path, and worked with numerous organizations such as ETS-Taiwan and the British Council to do so. Meanwhile, I kept writing and compiling information on our page, and it became arguably one of the largest databanks of free bilingual learning resources in Taiwan.
我知道自己並不想如許多人建議那樣,開設一間補習班。我不想犧牲自己的理想來實現商業目標,而我也覺得可以發揮身為課程編寫者及老師的經驗與力量,做更多的事。因此,我開始為教育機構提供諮詢,並開設自己的線上課程。這是一條艱難的路,因為臺灣對「教育顧問」的需求非常少。我必須開闢自己的道路,並與許多機構合作,像是「ETS-臺灣」以及「英國文化協會」。同時,我持續在粉專上撰寫與整理資訊,而這似乎也讓粉專成為臺灣最大的免費雙語學習資料庫之一。
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It was around late 2016 when I started regularly posting news in English (https://bit.ly/36o3Z1e). I felt that students need to be aware of current events and think critically rather than focusing only on basic linguistic features. While vocabulary and grammar are undoubtedly important to second language learners, there are already ample resources in these domains. Given my interest in international news and years of experience living and working in both Taiwan and the US, I aim to offer language learners a unique perspective in learning. My posts began to cover the news, social issues, and educational editorials. We reached about 30K subscribers around 2018 with this approach.
大約在2016年,我開始定期用英語發布新聞 (https://bit.ly/36o3Z1e)。我覺得學生需要關注時事,並能從不同的角度思考,而非只是專注在語言本身。儘管詞彙與文法對第二語言學習者而言無疑是重要的,但在這一方面已經有相當多的資源。鑒於我對國際新聞的興趣,以及在臺美兩地生活與工作多年的經驗,我想為語言學習者提供獨特的觀點。我的貼文開始涵蓋了新聞、社會議題與教育觀點。藉由此一方式,我們的粉專約於2018年突破了3萬名的追蹤人數。
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Early 2020, we broke 50K fans on FB, and I knew it was time for me to post more regularly. I added two people to my team of one, and we started regularly posting bilingual news, education editorials, posts on empathy, and of course, free English learning resources. We also have periodic giveaways of books and educational materials. Our subscribers now include students, parents, and teachers primarily from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the US.
2020年初,我們的追蹤人數突破5萬,我便知道是時候定期發布貼文了。我邀請了兩位成員加入這個原本只有我一人的團隊,我們開始發布雙語新聞、教育評論、翻轉視界的系列貼文,當然還有免費的英語學習資源。我們也定期贈送書籍與教育資料。現在,我們的訂閱者包含了學生、家長與教師,主要是來自臺灣、香港與美國。
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Some have advised me to just completely turn the page into a business since we have significant following. However, I have held back from doing so because I view myself more as a teacher and not a business owner or a social media influencer. It is not all about traffic flow and commercialization. In fact, I place many restrictions on commercial cooperation, turning down opportunities to advertise and work with many large language edu companies.
有些人建議我將這個粉專完全轉為商業用途,畢竟我們擁有可觀的追蹤人數。然而,我之所以不這麼做是因為,我認為自己是一位老師,而非公司的老闆或網紅。並非所有的事物都關乎流量與商業化。事實上,我為自己以及商業合作設下許多限制,婉拒了諸多廣告宣傳以及與許多大型語言教育公司合作的機會。
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Currently, Eric’s English Lounge is not a company. I do have online classes through VoiceTube and other platforms, and I do have a team of two editors. However, all other sources of income from collaboration with businesses and influencers on my page are donated to charities in a transparent manner: https://bit.ly/3fKytik. I started this project (http://bit.ly/3990snT) this past year and plan to move the page in a sustainable, non-profit direction.
目前,Eric’s English Lounge 並不是公司。雖然我在 VoiceTube 確實有線上課程,也有一個團隊(我與兩位小編),但其餘與企業或具有影響力的人(influencers)合作所帶來的收益,均以透明的方式捐贈給慈善機構:https://bit.ly/3fKytik。
去年,我開啟了公益講座計畫(http://bit.ly/3990snT),並計劃讓粉專朝著可持續且非盈利的方向發展。
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I hope to provide as much free resource as I can. You might have noticed that I am in my 40s, a tad older than most online influencers. I come from a low-income, divorced family, and I started working when I was in junior high. I became independent when I turned 18, and took numerous jobs just to make ends meet. I am already fortunate compared to many, as I had some remarkable teachers and received aid and scholarships from the government. Nevertheless, it has been a long climb, and this has allowed me to empathize and connect with some disadvantaged students.
我希望竭盡所能地提供免費資源。也許你已經注意到我40幾了,比多數在網路上有影響力的人(online influencers)要稍年長一些。我來自一個低收入的單親家庭,國中時便開始打工。18歲那年我開始獨立自主,從事許多工作以維持生計。與多數人相比,我已非常幸運,因為我遇到許多非常傑出的老師,也獲得政府的補助與獎學金。這無疑是段漫長的過程,但也正因如此,讓我得以更加瞭解那些缺乏資源與引導的人,並與他們有所連結與擁有同理心。
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Thus, this is the general background of the page. In all honesty, our page is still growing and evolving. It is used to provide free resources, to spread ideals of empathy, to do charity, and to sustain myself. I aim to continue using the page to provide educational resources, raise awareness of social issues, and offer students diverse perspectives. These are my current goals for this page. After eight years, Eric’s English Lounge is still going strong. May we all continue to learn, think, and grow together.
以上便是粉專的基本背景。老實說,我們的粉專仍在持續成長。粉專旨在提供免費的資源、提倡同理心、做慈善,並維持我個人的生活。我的目標是繼續藉由粉專為各位提供教育資源,提升社會議題的關注度,並為學生帶來不同的觀點。這些都是我當前對粉專的期許。歷經八年的風風雨雨,Eric’s English Lounge 仍屹立不搖。願我們繼續學習、持續思考,並且共同成長。
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P.S. You know that ERIC stands for Education Resources Information Center, right?
It is an online digital library of education research and information sponsored by the US Department of Education: https://bit.ly/2TzYF5L
Vision & Mission 宗旨與目標: https://bit.ly/2Uo9sAK
Equity in Education 教育公平: https://bit.ly/36qYor4
Developing Empathy 同理心的發展: http://bit.ly/3990snT
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公益講座計畫:http://bit.ly/3990snT
慈善機構捐贈:https://bit.ly/3fKytik
英文學習資源大全: http://bit.ly/2klC66h
「it is suggested that grammar」的推薦目錄:
it is suggested that grammar 在 Eric's English Lounge Facebook 的最佳貼文
[詞彙區別] constitute, compose, consist of, comprise, account for, make up 的區別
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詞彙區別: http://wp.me/p44l9b-16B
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在寫作的時候,有些同學為了避免重複使用相同的詞彙,卻選用了意義上不盡相同的詞,而無法精確地表達出自己所想傳達的想法。這問題很可能來自於考生平時在語言學習上過於依賴中英翻譯,因此在不夠了解某些詞彙精準的用法的情況下,很容易造成讀者的誤解。
為了幫助同學增加詞彙量並且精確地在口說和寫作上使用這些字,我建議同學們不要一開始的時候就死記硬背一群同義詞彙 (e.g. decline, decrease, diminish, dwindle, reduce, alleviate) 。雖然如此做會快速幫同學累積對這些詞的認知,可是認知都會停留在模糊階段。建議同學先熟悉其中一兩個單詞以後在開始累積相關的同義詞彙,也應該用搭配詞跟片語加上完整的例句和短文來輔助自己對單詞的理解。同時同學們也應該在使用這些單詞之前先查查字典,更進一步了解這些詞彙的使用方式。
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1. constitute: to constitute something is to form a whole, especially of dissimilar components: Love and hate can constitute a balanced relationship.
constitute 所“構成”的事物在屬性和特徵上,亦或在組織上,與組成成分是一致的。
-Seven days constitutes a week (七天構成一個星期。).
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2. Compose: to compose means the same as to constitute, but implies that the components have something in common: Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.
在表示“由……材料構成”時,見於被動語態;在用於主動語態時,一般它所表示的“構成”或“組成”總包含著融合為一,而且主語或者是複數名詞或者是集體名詞。
-Concrete is composed of cement, sand and gravel mixed with water. (混凝土由水泥、砂、石子與水摻和而構成。 )
-Mere facts, when badly stated, do not compose a good book. (僅僅有資料,如果陳述得很糟糕,並不能組成一本好書)
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3. account for: 說明(原因、理由等); 導致,引起; (在數量、比例上); 占 (e.g. This group accounted for 60% of the population.)
(在數量、比例上)占
These products, in total, account for about 80% of all our sales (這些產品總共約占我們全部銷售額的80%。).
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4. make up: 組成 to combine together to form something [= constitute]:
-Women make up only a small proportion of the prison population. 女人只佔監獄人口的一小部分。
-The committee is made up of representatives from every state (委員會由每個州的代表組成的。).
-Children makes up only 10% of the population (兒童只佔人口的10%。).
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5. consist of: to consist of something is to be made up of it: A lethal dose of nerve agent VX consists of only 10 milligrams.
consist of 的含義與被動語態的 compose 相同
-Though the costume consists only of a sheet, it was very effective. (雖然那件化裝服裝僅由一條床單組成,但效果很好。)
-This group consists of men, women, and children.
(這個小組由男人,女人和孩子們組成的。).
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6. comprise: to comprise something has the same meaning as to consist, often implying that the whole is regarded from the point of view of its individual parts: The chain is comprised of many links, and is only as strong as its weakest.
comprise 在表示“構成”時,其內涵是“包括”或“覆蓋”*
-The committee comprises men of widely different views (這個委員會由見解甚為懸殊的人組成。).
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從這些動詞的意思來看,若要表示數個個體或項目組成一個整體時,我們可用 compose 或 constitute。
England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland compose/constitute the United Kingdom.
(英格蘭、威爾斯、蘇格蘭和北愛爾蘭組成了聯合王國。)
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若要表示一個整體是由個數個體或項目所組成時,我們可用 comprise* 或 consist of / be composed of 。
(compose 經常用於被動態,而以 be composed of 的型式出現,意思和用法跟 consist of 完全一樣。)
-The United Kingdom comprises*/consists of/is composed of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
(聯合王國是由英格蘭、威爾斯、蘇格蘭和北愛爾蘭所構成)
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詳細的說明: http://www.learnerhall.org/2012/12/consist-of-compose-contain-comprise.html
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*在這幾個字當中,僅 comprise 兼具其他字的意思,但它也是最麻煩、最讓人困擾的字。英語 評論人士強烈反對 comprise 被用作 constitute 的意思以及 comprise 以被動態形式 be comprised of 來表示 consist of 的意思,所以對於 Fifty states comprise the United States. (五十個州組成了美國) 和 The United States is comprised of fifty states. (美國是由五十個州所組成) 這樣的句子結構,他們期期以為不可,而堅持只有 The United States comprises fifty states. 才是唯一正確的用法。但他們反對的這兩種用法其實早已是不 折不扣的標準英語,一些新版的字典甚至將 be comprised of 堂而皇之地列為片語,如 The course is comprised of ten core modules. (這門課是由 10 個核心單元組成)。然而,在公說公有理,婆說婆有理,各有堅持的情況下,在此建議:若使用 comprise 會讓你覺得心虛或沒把握,那麼不妨使用它的同義詞,也就是沒有爭議的 constitute, consist of 或 be composed of 來代替之。
*An interesting history of sense development concerning the word comprise has caused confusion, if not hate for the word itself. The most common mistake is confusing consist and comprise with each other. To say A lethal dose of nerve agent VX comprises of only 10 milligrams, is wrong because it is not analyzed from each separate component or milligram, but rather as a whole dose. In fact, there is a lot of skepticism and criticism of the word “comprise” all together. “None of the many neat schemes purporting to describe its correct use seems accurately to describe the way Standard English users actually employ comprise.” (Bartleby) Thus it is suggested to use constitute and/or compose as active verbs, while consists and/or includes as passive. However, if your use of the word can clearly indicate its context, separate from the its other accepted use, choosing a substitute is not necessary.
Also, ”Comprises” is "better" grammar than ”is comprised of.” “The whole comprises multiple parts” is better than, “The whole is comprised of multiple parts.” Even better though is, “Multiple parts comprise the whole."
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Sources:
http://www.bartleby.com/68/3/1403.html
http://bulo.hjenglish.com/question/33021/
http://blog.cybertranslator.idv.tw/archives/2590
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/english/data/d0081813.html
http://www.learnerhall.org/2012/12/consist-of-compose-contain-comprise.html
http://everything2.com/title/consist%252C+comprise%252C+constitute%252C+or+compose
More sentences:
-The pie chart consists of/comprises of the percentages of four different fuel sources used in electricity production.
-Electricity (that is) produced with coal composed/constituted/accounted for 50% of the total electricity (that is)produced.
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contain vs. include:
Contain: Something is considered to be within something else.
The toy contains many small moving parts. ->The small moving parts are a part of the toy.
Include: Something is added to something else, possibly containing it, possibly not.
-This toy includes batteries. -> The batteries are not a part of the toy. They just come with the toy.