SIGHT WORDS

Hi! It's me - Professor Panda with a new and really important new English lesson. Today we are going to revisit, SIGHT WORDS! What is a SIGHT WORD?

• A sight word is any word that should be known to a reader automatically. Sight words are pronounced without thinking about how the word is spelled. A common first sight word is a person's name. Beginning readers are at an advantage when they learn to read sight words that occur frequently in print. However, it is possible to read a word on sight but not know the meaning of the word. For example, a student might be able to read on sight "there, their and they're" but not understand the differences in meaning. So, learning words by sight only, should not be seen as a complete reading solution.

• It is estimated that there are approximately 100 to 220 common words in English that require specific memorization.

So, here are the first group of sight words for you. Memorize them and if you are not clear on their meaning or use, look them up in a nice dictionary.

A very good way to learn sight words is to make a flash card for each one. Write the word down on one side, and on the other, write down a sentence using that word. Look at these cards at least once a day, or more! The more you practice, the more automatic they will become, and the better your English will be.

Here are the first 15 sight words you should know:

the Did you see the dog?

of I saw two of them.

and I saw Kimiko and Ichiro.

a I saw a cat.

to Takumi went to the store.

in Shou is in the house.

is Mr. Saito is here.

are Are you going home?

that Did you see that bird?

it I put it on the table.

he He took my bike!

was Kouhei was late for school.

for Mai made this for you.

on The cat is on the chair.

are Aoi and Aya are cute.

Remember: Each sentence begins with a capital (big) letter and ends with either a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. As you practice these sight words and become more comfortable with them, try to make up your own sentences.

PROFESSOR PANDA'S QUESTION CORNER

Hi! It's me again, Professor Panda, PhD. Today we have a question from one of our students so let's get right to it!

Recently I tried to buy at online shop of USA but there were many difficult English for me in the web page. Please look at the following English:”Express airmail delivery to most major European destinations within 1-2 working days and Worldwide within 2-3 working days.”I used dictionary and I tried to understand the meaning but I can't understand 100% because, I don't know where subject and verb are in this sentence.
Please tell me.
When I translate such sentence, is there good way?

Good Morning Lee-san!

This was a case when a dictionary could not be a complete help to anyone. “Express airmail delivery to most major European destinations within 1-2 working days and Worldwide within 2-3 working days”.

This is an incomplete sentence or sometimes called a “sentence fragment”. It does not have a verb! It is common in advertising, which some people think is a good excuse to use bad English! I have seen terrible English on signs and buildings here in Gifu Prefecture and it makes me a bit nuts!!!!! Also it makes me laugh. They should ask me for proper English for their signs – I won’t charge them much! (hee hee)

Ok, as to the meaning of the “sentence fragment” or incomplete sentence.

It means that they can provide airmail delivery of items purchased from them to most places in Europe within 1 or 2 working days. A working day in the West typically means, Monday through Friday, when businesses are generally open. They, except for many stores, tend to be closed on Saturday and Sunday.

It goes on to say that they can provide “Worldwide”, meaning that they can provide worldwide delivery, to places other than most places in Europe, within 2-3 working days.

So, if you were in Europe, and it was Monday, you might get your package Tuesday or Wednesday. If it was Friday when you made your order, then you might get your package on Monday or Tuesday, because Saturday and Sunday do not count.

By the way, my experience is that you need to add an extra day!

Anou…there is no rule or good guidelines for finding the meaning of incomplete sentences or “sentence fragments”. To get the meaning one needs to understand basic English grammar, have a good vocabulary, and some experience in using English. The key is, practice, practice, practice. Read everything you can get your hands on, from USA magazines to The Japan Times!

Ok, watch out for the flu.

-P. Panda