Perfecting Your English

There are many reasons to keep improving your English during your stay in the U.S. Being comfortable in the language will --
  • Enable you to excel in your academic work. Most U.S. professors expect students to participate in class discussions and to express complex ideas well in writing. In some fields, fulfilling internship requirements and gathering dissertation data require near-fluency in English.
  • Help you make friends. Most international students say that they want to meet U.S. citizens but that it often seems difficult. Removing the "language barrier" will make making friends easier.
  • Make life easier. Shopping, paying bills, comparing prices, reading instructions -- all depend on language comprehension, and all play an important part in the quality of one's life.
  • Make you more employable and help you in your job. With a degree from Florida State, employers will assume that you are fluent in English. It will likely be an important factor in job interviews, selection and job performance.
Here are programs that can help you improve your English skills. We urge you take advantage of those that best fit your needs and goals.

Through the IC, the International Friends Program and the Global Ambassador Program provide informal opportunities to interact with U.S. citizens. An English Conversation Club meets weekly for informal practice of conversational skills and vocabulary building. The Language Skills and US Culture Series meets weekly for workshops on improving oral presentation skills.

For information on classes for International Teaching Assistants and otner English classes please go to http://cies.fsu.edu.

The Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE) in Instructional Development Services, a unit in the Center for Teaching & Learning is an instructional support program for teaching assistants and graduate students interested in careers in post-secondary education. The program offers university wide conferences and workshops free to all interested graduate students. A PIE Associate is available to mentor International TAs and oversees the International TA listserv - .

The Reading/Writing Center provides individualized assistance to all students. The staff can help you as you edit and revise your papers. Call ahead for an appointment. 216 Williams Johnston Building, 644-6495 http://writing.fsu.edu/rwc/

The Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) offers classes to people who need to improve their mastery of English before being admitted to a university or for those who need to meet a spoken English language requirement in order to receive a teaching assistantship. Tuition is charged. 918 W. Park Avenue, 644-4794 http://www.fsu.edu/~cies/

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

The Leon County Adult Community Education program offers classes at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels for any foreign-born person 16 years or older. Classes are offered at the locations listed below. Call 922-5343 for more information.

Leon County class sites:
International Student and Scholar Center
Center for Community Education (283 Trojan Trail)
Leon County Public Library(200 W. Park Ave.)

The Literacy Volunteers of Leon County provide English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring on a one-to-one basis. Classes are held on the 3rd floor of the Leon County Public Library (200 West Park Avenue, 487-4444).

The First Baptist Church provides English classes at the Christian Life Center (108 West College Avenue, 2nd floor of the Chason Building). These free lessons of conversational English are held on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings. Classes are small (six to eight students). Free child care is provided for preschool children of adults attending classes. Special classes are offered in English reading and writing, and in preparation for the TOEFL, the citizenship exam, and the driver s license written test. On Tuesday evenings, there is an English class for children ages 5 through 8. Call Marty or Janice Smith at 668-4958 for information.

SPEAKING "LIKE A NATIVE"

Spoken English is often very different from the formal English studied in the classroom. Here is a list of some common slang expressions and some special Florida State terms that might confuse you. Don't panic. Just relax and have fun with the language. Soon you will be talking like a real 'Nole!

Ace, as in "to ace an exam": to make an A
Awesome: fantastic, wonderful
Been had: been taken advantage of
BOR: Board of Regents, the governing board of the state university system
Broke: having no money
Bummer: an unpleasant experience
Burned out: lacking enthusiasm, overworked
Chief Osceola: A warrior of the Seminole Indians who led their fight against the U.S. government in the mid-1800s; an FSU mascot (see Renegade)
Cool: expression of admiration and approval
Cool it!: Calm down!
Cop: police officer
Cram: study intensely
DOE: Department of Education
Go dutch: everyone pays for his or her own meal, ticket, etc.
FAMU: Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, also located in Tallahassee
Football: typically, American football (not soccer), a game involving an oval-shaped ball, helmets and lots of very large, well-padded men
Gripe: complaint
Hotline: a telephone counseling service provided to assist people in crisis
Jerk: an obnoxious person
Jock: an athlete
A killer, as in "a killer exam": very hard
Leach Center: the Bobby E. Leach Center, FSU's fitness and recreation center
Lemon: a faulty product, e.g., a "lemon" of a car
Neat: expression of approval of something or someone
'Noles: Shortened form of "Seminoles"
Renegade: an individual who rejects lawful behavior; also the name of the horse ridden by "Chief Osceola" at the opening of FSU football games
RSVP: (French) respondez s'il vous plait, which means please respond (to an invitation) by notifying the host of your intention to attend or regrets if you cannot
Rush: The weeklong process during which undergraduates join "Greek" organizations, social organizations known as fraternities and sororities
Seminoles: An indigenous people in Florida; also the "nickname" or mascot of Florida State University
Skip or cut (class): not go to class
TCC: Tallahassee Community College
Thagard: Thagard Student Health Center, named in honor of FSU graduate and astronaut, Dr. Norman Thagard
The Strip: Tennessee Street bars and shops across from the university
The Tennessee Waltz: To celebrate a birthday, some FSU students go to the bars located on Tennessee Street, thus doing the "Tennessee Waltz," a pun on the name of a dance of the Old South
TPD: Tallahassee Police Department
Union: Oglesby Union, FSU's student center
Word-of-mouth: a method of relaying information orally, rumor
Y'all, you all: all of you, everyone, in the Southern dialect

For more on academic terms, see The Language of FSU