If you are looking for a place to practice your multiplication tables (i.e. for ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT) you can check out the class I made on Quizlet. You can find the link here.
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Divisibility (for GMAT)
6 Jan
For student studying for GMAT or GRE — these are the rules for divisibility (can you divide X by __).
- 1 -> All Numbers
- 2 -> Last digit is divisible by 2
- (168 is divisible by 2 because the last digit “8” is divisible by 2)
- 3 -> Sum of Digits is divisible by 3
- (39 is divisible by 3 because 3+ 9 = 12 which is divisible by 3)
- 4 -> Last 2 digits are divisible by 4
- (236 is divisible by 4 because 36 is divisible by 4)
- 5 -> All Numbers ending in 0 or 5.
- 6 -> All numbers that are divisible by BOTH 2 and 3.
- (72 is divisible by 6 because it is divisible by 2 (2/2=1) and divisible by 3 (7+2=9 which is divisible by 3))
- 7 -> Sum of first digits – (last digit x 2) = number divisible by 7
- (133 is divisible by 7 because 13 – (3×2) = 13-6 = 7 which is divisible by 7)
- 8 -> Last 3 digits are divisible by 8
- (1152 is divisible by 8 because 152 is divisible by 8)
- 9 -> Sum of all digits is divisible by 9
- (1458 is divisible by 9 because 1 + 4 + 5 + 8 = 18 which is divisible by 9)
- 10 -> Ends in 0
Final’s Week Conversations
28 DecStudent 1– “How many chances do I have to do the Final Exam.”
Me — “One” ?!?
Student 1– “But I want to go to graduate school!”
Me — “Then you sure as heck better be able to do this test in one try or graduate school is probably a no-go!”
Student 1– “0_0 oh, I know.”
Me — “Then why oh why did you ask?!?!?!”
Student 2– “Teacher, some people in my class have very bad grades. Can we fix it.”
Me — A) this is finals week for the semester, so no. B) your grades are bad because you cheated on 2 assignments, failed to complete 4 assignments, gave me one-word answers for other assignments, and skipped class 4+ times. So don’t you think you should have worried about your grades then instead of now? — And you are the class leader — you should have led your class better, instead your group has the worst participation.”
Student 2 — “Oh. Ok teacher. I know.”
Me — “Then why oh why oh why did you ask?!?!?!?!?!?!”
Relative Pronouns
14 DecRelative Pronouns (A lesson for my ESL Students)
There are three (3) “Relative Pronouns” in English–THAT, WHICH, WHO. Their job is to come after a noun and introduce more information about that object. Basically, they answer the question “What _____? I need more information please!”
Especially helpful if you need more information in order to correctly identify that specific object from a group of similar items.
- THAT – is used for things and people. “Tom is the man that is going to teach you.” (Tom is the man. What man? – more information please. The man going to teach you.)
- WHICH – is used only for things. “Here is the car which I used to pick you up.” (This is the car. What car? – more information please. The car I used to pick you up.)
- WHO – is used only for people. “Mary is the woman who helped me study for the test.” (Mary is the woman. What woman? – more information please.She helped me study for the test.)
EXAMPLE:
We are at the airport, and I say “Go get the car.” But you don’t know my car, you have never seen my car. How do you pick my car from a group of cars?
Well, I could have given you more information about the car using “Relative Pronouns.”
Since “Car” is a thing, I could use either “that” or “which.”
- “Go get the car that is on the right side of the parking lot.”
- “Go get the car which is green and parked close to the building.”
Both of these would give you more information so you can pick the correct car.
Dance-Off Party
12 DecThese are my amazing students! As part of our Business Negotiations class, I asked them to prepare a group dance. They had to work together and we voted on who had the best dance. There were some GREAT ideas here, and I was really proud of them. Make sure you watch the last dance!
#ESL Humor (Tudou – the Potato Company)
3 Dec
Hahaha!
One of my students was writing about the Youku / Tudou (2 Chinese media companies like Youtube) merger for our Negotiations class.
However, they put what they wrote into Bing!Translator to move it from Chinese to English. And Tudou translates as “Potato Net.” So every time they meant to say Tudou, it says “Potatoes.”
“Youku and the potatoes had a 100% merger . . . . potatoes have been issued”. . . . and the potatoes are buying up stock.
I’m just saying – these are some advanced potatoes and I want in on the action. Do smart, shareholder potatoes taste better when you eat then?
National Holiday in Zhengzhou
2 Oct😘 Made it safe to my hotel! Traveled around the fair in Zhengzhou Garden 🌹💐 Visited Wal-mart (not very impressive 😭), and ate a DELICIOUS peanut smoothie! Also ran into Eric, my student from my first semester at SIAS. In a town of 6 million people, I randomly ran into him! Completely awesome!
New Corporate Governance Vocabulary
23 SepI’ve added new terms to the list of Business or Corporate Governance Vocabulary.
Don’t forget, the Chinese translations come from the Chinese students rather than professional translators. While I believe they are accurate, you may want to consult professionals before using them for official documents. This is mainly intended to contribute to daily conversation between English speaking Companies and Chinese companies.
Abbreviations:
v. = Verb
n. = Noun
adj. = Adjective
adv. = Adverb
(c) All Rights Reserved. You are welcome to use this material. However, if you do end up using these definitions in your material (educational, informational, or professional), please include either a link to this webpage or the following reference: Blessing, Olivia. “Corporate Governance Vocabulary.” DeceptivelyBlonde.com. This is for two reasons: 1) I’d like to share the resource with others. 2) I created these definitions myself. Thanks!
Appoint (v.) ~
- To select a person or group of people for specific work or for an official job . 委任 –Wěi rèn
- To select a specific time or date for an event. 任命 – Rèn mìng
Assets (n.) ~ Anything valuable or of worth that belongs to the company. Found on the Balance Sheet. 资产 – Zīchǎn
Balance of Power (n.) ~ The issue of whether power or authority is equally shared among the people so that no one person or group is stronger than the others. 均势 – Jūnshì / 权力平衡 – Quánlì Pínghéng
Business Practices (n.) ~ The usual methods, procedures, systems, traditions, and rules used by a company in accomplishing its goals. 商业惯例 – Shāngyè guànlì
Chairman (n.) ~ The Chief Officer of a company, appointed as the head of the Board of Directors. Responsible for developing corporate policy and supervising the Executives. 董事长 – Dǒng Shì Zhǎng
Contribute (v.) ~ To give something (time, money, goods, effort, thoughts, ideas) as part of helping a group accomplish something. (Example – My contribution to the project was the Powerpoint I did). 贡献 – Gòngxiàn
Controls (n.) ~ Rules or Restrictions use to limit or regulate something. 管制- Guǎnzhì
Corporate Structure (n.) ~ The system or plan for organizing a corporation’s groups, committees, and people. 公司结构 – Gōngsī Jiégòu
Decide (v.) ~ To make a conclusion or final choice about something. 决定 – Juédìng
Decision (n.) ~ A conclusion or final choice about something. 决议 – Juéyì
Director (n.) ~ Member of the Board of Directors which monitors the Executive Staff, works with the Shareholders, and makes some of the most significant decisions about the company’s purpose, values, ethics, goals, major activities, and future. 董事 – Dǒngshì
Executive (n.) ~ The senior manager or officer in charge of a specific area of the company who is responsible for making and implementing the significant day-to-day decisions. 高管 – Gāo Guǎn
Financial (adj.) ~ Connected to or associated with money or finances. 财 – Cái / 金融 – Jīn róng
Fiscal (adj.) ~ Connected to or associated with money or finances (usually in terms of the cash flow, assets, and liabilities of a company). 财政 – Cái Zhèng
Liabilities (n.) ~ All debts or financial obligations a company owes . Found on the Balance Sheet. 负债 – Fùzhài
Member (n.) ~ Someone who has fulfilled all the requirements and been accepted into the group. (Example – “I am a member of the Wēixìn Group for my class”) 会员 – Huìyuán
Membership (n.) ~ One’s position as part of a group. The fact that someone has fulfilled all the requirements and been accepted into a specific group. (Example – “I have a membership with the gym.”) 会籍 – Huì Jí / 会员资格 – Huìyuán Zīgé
Minimum (n.) ~ The lowest possible amount of something. 最低限度 – Zuìdī Xiàndù
Nomination (n.) ~ The official recommendation or suggestion that someone deserves a specific job. 提名 – Tímíng
Performance (n.) ~ The way someone does their work. When reviewed by others, performance is usually judged by its effectiveness and efficiency. (Example – Your performance was very good; you did the job quickly and correctly). 绩效 – Jīxiào
Relevant (adj.) ~ Directly linked to or important to the issue being considered (Example – Whether or not the product test is successful is relevant to whether we sell it this year or not). 相应 – Xiāng yìng
Remuneration (n.) ~ The payment or reward a person gets for doing their job. 报酬 – Bàochóu
Report (n.) ~ A detailed account or explanation (written or spoken) about the person, group, or company’s activities, work, situation, research, etc汇报 – Huìbào
Report (v.) ~ To give the report to the audience. 报告 – Bàogào
Review (v.) ~ To examine or look over something to make sure it is correct, complete, adequate, or that you understand it. 回顾 – Huígù
Risk (n.) ~ Something that puts important or valuable items in danger of being destroyed, damaged, or lost. 风险 – Fēngxiǎn
Strategy (n.) ~ A plan or method of accomplishing something. 战略 – Zhànlüè
Photo above is not mine. All Rights go to Suzanne Dibble, on who’s website I found the photo.
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne
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