Connecting ideas.

Connect: to join two things together.

This is a natural process for us, for our ideas which are always trying to give reasons, explanations, expanding something in other to make it more real, understandable.

Not so natural when we try to put our ideas into words in a paper or in speaking. Why is that?

Do you plan carefully what you speak? We know that this is more common when we write. 

But does that work out fine for you? Planning carefully?

When speaking a different language we tend to do that more often. We are afraid of making silly mistakes and sometimes we even avoid using what we know so we won’t have problems with mistakes.

Writing is the same. How difficult to put into words the ideas we have about a subject and even more difficult is to make others get the message we planned.

Tips for students on these matters:

Get a microphone or your cellphone. Choose a topic and speak up! Try to develop on the matter for one minute and record yourself speaking. See how you sound. Try a second time. See if gets any better.

To improve your writing, you have to know the words. Best way to do that is using a dictionary (you’ll have fun, I promise), and read similar texts as the ones you want to write. Get the most used words. The contexts they are used. And post your texts. Check if people got the message.

And now expanding the idea of knowing the words, here’s a little more about connect. Hope you like it!

Denise.

Connect

To make it possible for someone to communicate using a telephone: Please wait, we’re trying to connect you. (How many times have you heard that?)

To arrive in time to continue your journey on another plane. A connecting flight. (If you want to go to Acre you must take two at least!)

Phrasal verb: connect something up. If you want to speak a more natural English phrasal verbs are vital, including the ones that mean the same as the verb without the preposition. This is case here.