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About Nell Hunt
Expertise
I can manage almost anything: vocabulary, grammar correction and practice, spelling (though I'll have to have my dictionary open), listening and pronunciation, writing practice and correction, practicing and familiarity with idioms and two-word verbs,assistance with the TOEFL. What I believe I'd have trouble with are: 1) remembering the exact term(s)(the entire vocabulary for English grammatical form) for various grammatical rules, and parts of speech. I'd either have to get out a few old workbooks from my ESL teaching days, or find a site that had most of the grammatical rules mapped out and marked for remembering what context they work in. 2) helping someone writing a paper or reading a textbook in math or natural sciences. I was never able to help students much who were writing math or science papers; when I had to deal with math and science English vocabulary I'm totally unfamiliar with, I just had no way to help the students move forward. (My subject background is in the arts and humanities, and the social sciences.)

Experience
I was a volunteer ESL instructor for six weeks one summer at The Southeast Asia Center here in Chicago, and during that time, worked with mostly seniora. From there, I found my first paying job as an ESL instructor at Truman College here, one of our City Colleges of Chicago. I taught ESL for 16 hrs a week, and English Composition four hrs a week for approx. 13 yrs at the Lakeview Learning Center branch of Truman College. I also taught a 4-hour pronunciation class on Saturdays. Very strong experience.

Organizations
No longer a member in any professional or writers' organizations.

Publications
Have published short fiction and poetry in many literary magazines over the years, never in a monograph.

Education/Credentials
BA in Creative Writing and American Lit - Univ. Washington, Seattle MLS in Library Science - Syracuse University - Syracust, NY MS in Human Development - Univ of Chicago School of Social Sciences - Chicago, IL MFA in Writing - Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts - Bard College - Avon on Hudson, NY Post-Grad work in Human Development - no degree received

Awards and Honors
All my awards and honors had to do with academics.

Past/Present Clients
Became ill/ disabled in 1995: continued to do tutoring with ESL students, mostly graduate school students working on term papers or thesis papers, for approximately six more years. Also helped students study for the TOERL exam in order to be accepted into the city college I used to teach at.

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English as a Second Language - how to paraphrase?

Expert: Nell Hunt - 10/30/2009

Question
Dear Nell,

Another sentences are also puzzling me:

1. He loves to read, and he "puts this love to good use" by working in a care center. (Can we say, he "makes good use of this love" by...?)

2. This volunteer work takes each of them several hours a week, so it is a "major commitment". (How do we paraphrase "major commitment"?)

3. Not only do I feel good about helping other people, but I "get to spend time" doing what I love to do. (It's hard for me to comprehend "get to" spend time... here. "get to New York" or "get to know somebody"? Neither.)

4. I'd like to join the school volunteer project/programme/compaign? (Are the last three words the same? If not, are there any differences among them?)

Thanks again.

Best regards.

mmleft

Answer
ssDear mmleft --

Hello! Hope you're doing well. :D

Another sentences are also puzzling me:

(This should read: "Other sentences are also puzzling me:" Other = plural/ another = single)

1. He loves to read, and he "puts this love to good use" by working in a care center. (Can we say, he "makes good use of this love" by...?)

Mmleft: technically this is correct. Other than that, I have never seen this expression before, so it seems very odd to me. I do understand what is meant, though, and it IS CORRECT. It's just not the way I talk.

2. This volunteer work takes each of them several hours a week, so it is a "major commitment". (How do we paraphrase "major commitment"?)

To paraphrase: summarize the statement in your own words.

major commitment = no small effort

3. Not only do I feel good about helping other people, but I "get to spend time" doing what I love to do. (It's hard for me to comprehend "get to" spend time... here. "get to New York" or "get to know somebody"? Neither.)

Get to New York. = Travel to New York. / Get to work on time. = Arrive at work on time.

Get to spend time. = Have the ability to spend time. = Am able to spend time. = Can spend time.

Get to know you. = Find out all about you.

Get the magazine. = Subscribe to the magazine.

Get it. = Understand.

4. I'd like to join the school volunteer project/programme/campaign? (Are the last three words the same? If not, are there any differences among them?)

Any organization, company or group can organize a plan to do something. All these terms have to do with plans that involve accomplishing something. They are often interchangeable in meaning, depending on the people in charge of the school activity.

- project : very general and broad meaning, often a plan involving many parts, like "the school volunteer project" which is ongoing, year after year; or then, can be as simple as the project I've made to write a book.

- programme: (British spelling) sometimes a show on TV, or a little booklet you read in the theater, or school volunteer program.

- campaign: can be an election campaign; can be an advertising campaign; can be a fund of money collected from donations and sent to children in a poor country for books, a childrens book campagine. or, can be a school volunteer campaign.

Hope I have helped.

Be well,

Nell

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