I’m a fan of the “Foil Arms and Hog” Irish comedy group.

Watch the trio’s sketch, “Irish Student on German Exchange” and see whether you love their humour, too. 

And don’t forget to add the subtitles if you need a little extra help!

You’ve probably heard of ChatGPT by now.

It’s a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (A.I.) to understand and respond to natural language text, in the same way as a human would.

What’s more, it can help you improve your English skills

And the best part is that it’s completely free!

ChatGPT is like having your own language-savvy genie in a bottle.

You can ask it questions or give it prompts, and it will answer in a way that sounds like a real person.

The more specific and clear your questions are, the better the answers will be.

How to use ChatGPT

Here are just a few examples:

• Ask it to generate text in a certain tense or grammar form to help you understand and practise that form.
• Use it to answer questions about grammar rules or idioms.
• Practise your reading skills by having the tool generate text for you to read.

But it can do more

ChatGPT can adjust to your language level.

If you want to simplify the language or use more advanced vocabulary, enter a  text and write:

“Please re-write using simple language” or

“Please use C2-level vocabulary”.

You’ll soon realise that the key to success is in the questions you ask.

And if you’re not satisfied with the response, just keep changing the way you ask until you are.

My first experience with ChatGPT was like discovering a treasure trove of language, with endless doors to unlock and explore.

If you’d like more tips on how to get the most out of ChatGPT in your English language learning journey, send me a short message.

But before you go off and test the tool, please note that there are risks!

Risks of ChatGPT

I asked ChatGPT:

It’s something we need to remember.  

 

Would you know how to translate the German word “Dingsbums” without looking into a dictionary?

You know those objects whose names you have forgotten or don’t know even?

Of course, we have other words in German. Like Dings, Dingsda, Dingens or Dingskirchen.

We have several words in English, too. 

Here are some of them

• thingamajig or thingumajig
• thingamabob
• thingy or thingie
• whatchamacallit
• whatsamacallit
• whatsitcalled
• whatsit
• whatnot
• doodah

And here’s an example sentence

“I’ll have to go to the shop and buy a new thingamajig. This one is broken beyond repair.“

So do you have a favourite word?

“When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. What I know for sure is that every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and step out and dance—to live free of regret and filled with as much joy, fun, and laughter as you can stand. You can either waltz boldly onto the stage of life and live the way you know your spirit is nudging you to, or you can sit quietly by the wall, receding into the shadows of fear and self-doubt.”

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah’s words remind us that every day is a chance to step out onto the stage and live with joy, fun and laughter.

The choice is ours.

We can either sit in the shadows of fear and self-doubt, or we can take a deep breath, kick off our shoes and waltz boldly onto the stage of life.

But why is it so important to choose the latter?

Because when we dance, we live free of regret.

We are living in alignment with our spirit, doing the things that bring us true joy and fulfilment. We are living in the present moment, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

But let’s be real, it’s not always easy to dance.

Sometimes we feel afraid, uncertain or stuck in our comfort zones.

But the beauty of life is that every day offers us a new opportunity to make a different choice.

Every day is a new chance to step out of our comfort zones and into the unknown.

Every day is a new chance to dance.

So, next time we’re faced with the choice to sit it out or dance, let’s remember Oprah’s words.

———–

to sit out – to stop doing something for a period of time

But first, what is a “calling”?

It’s when the things you’re good at, the things you love doing and the things that are important to you all come together.

It’s the thing that makes you feel happy and fulfilled when you do it.

It’s like finding your dream job or your true passion in life.

Okay, it’s not always easy to find, but when you do find it, it’s worth it.

Trust me!

A nudge

You might have heard the saying, “other people often nudge us toward our calling“.

Well, that’s exactly what happened to me.

I was a stay-at-home mum for 18 years, with two children still at home and two at university.

I was thinking about going back to work, but I didn’t want to go back into an office. So, I was trying to figure out my options.

And then, one day, a young man asked me to help him improve his English conversation skills.

That was nothing I had considered before. To be honest, I didn’t even like the idea.

But the man was persistent and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

And do you know what?

The minute we started working together, I knew that this was exactly what I was meant to do.

It was crazy, but language coaching found me.

If nothing else, remember this

We don’t always have to have everything figured out and planned out.

Sometimes, we simply have to be open and willing to see where life takes us.

So, if you’re feeling lost and unsure about what to do next, don’t be afraid to try something new.

You never know, it might just be your calling.

———-

calling – Berufung
to nudge – stupsen
a nudge – ein Stupser

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