Satu video LUCU banget dari YouTube, tentang pentingnya pengucapan/pronunciation yang baik.

Semoga Bermanfaat.Tenses Quiz From English Page dot com.

1. Verb Tense Exercise 1 Simple Present and Present Continuous

2. Verb Tense Exercise 2 Simple Present and Present Continuous

3. Verb Tense Exercise 3 Simple Past and Past Continuous

4. Verb Tense Exercise 4 Simple Past and Past Continuous

5. Verb Tense Exercise 5 Simple Past and Present Perfect

6. Verb Tense Exercise 6 Simple Past and Present Perfect

7. Verb Tense Exercise 7 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

8. Verb Tense Exercise 8 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

9. Verb Tense Exercise 9 Present Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous

10. Verb Tense Exercise 10 Present Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous

11. Verb Tense Exercise 11 Simple Past and Past Perfect

12. Verb Tense Exercise 12 Simple Past, Present Perfect, and Past Perfect

13. Verb Tense Exercise 13 Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

14. Verb Tense Exercise 14 Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous,

15. Verb Tense Exercise 15 Tenses with durations

16. Verb Tense Exercise 16 Present and Past Tenses with Non-Continuous Verbs

17. Verb Tense Exercise 17 Present and Past Tense Review

18. Verb Tense Exercise 18 Will and Be Going to

19. Verb Tense Exercise 19 Will and Be Going to

20. Verb Tense Exercise 20 Will and Be Going to

21. Verb Tense Exercise 21 Simple Present and Simple Future

22. Verb Tense Exercise 22 Simple Present and Simple Future

23. Verb Tense Exercise 23 Simple Future and Future Continuous

24. Verb Tense Exercise 24 Simple Present, Simple Future, Present Continuous, and Future Continuous

25. Verb Tense Exercise 25 Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous

26. Verb Tense Exercise 26 Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous

27. Verb Tense Exercise 27 Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous

28. Verb Tense Exercise 28 Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous

29. Verb Tense Final Test Cumulative Verb Tense Review

30. Verb Tense Practice Test Cumulative Verb Tense Review

31. Verb Tense Exercise 1

32. Verb Tense Exercise 2

33. Verb Tense Exercise 3

34. Verb Tense Exercise 4

35. Verb Tense Exercise 5

36. Verb Tense Exercise 6

37. Verb Tense Exercise 7

38. Verb Tense Exercise 8

39. Verb Tense Exercise 9

40. Verb Tense Exercise 10

41. Verb Tense Exercise 11

42. Verb Tense Exercise 12

43. Verb Tense Exercise 13

44. Verb Tense Exercise 14

45. Verb Tense Exercise 15

46. Verb Tense Exercise 16

47. Verb Tense Exercise 17

48. Verb Tense Exercise 18

49. Verb Tense Exercise 19

50. Verb Tense Exercise 20

51. Verb Tense Exercise 21

52. Verb Tense Exercise 22

53. Verb Tense Exercise 23

54. Verb Tense Exercise 24

55. Verb Tense Exercise 25

56. Verb Tense Exercise 26

57. Verb Tense Exercise 27

58. Verb Tense Exercise 28

59. Verb Tense Final Test

60. Verb Tense Practice Test

Source: EnglishPage.com

1. Sulit mengingat kata-kata.
Kadang kata yang baru saja kita peroleh dengan gampangnya lenyap dari otak kita. Mungkin salah satu factornya adalah daya konsentrasi kita dan kekuatan menghafal “we are getting older and older”

Solusinya:
Sebelum membuka kamus, coba dulu untuk menebak kira-kira apa maksud dari kata tersebut sesuai dengan context kalimat. Selain tidak disibukan oleh kamus cara ini juga dapat membantu memperkuat ingatan kita
Cobalah buat sebuah kalimat sederhana (lisan dan tertulis) dari kata-kata yang baru saja kita dapatkan itu.

2. Pengucapan yang berbeda dari tulisan
Inilah yang selalu dikeluhkan oleh banyak orang termasuk saya. Dan ini yang membuat teman saya bilang English is Crazy Language. Kita sudah sangat terbiasa dengan pengucapan seperti yang tertulis. Ini pernah kami tanyakan kepada guru kami di Aussie, dia pun bingung juga menjawab. Dia cuman bisa bilang ‘consult to your dictionary’. Ternyata tidak ada aturan yang sangat baku bagaimana mengucapkan kata-kata English itu. Semuanya itu terjadi begitu adanya. Language is arbitrary.

Solusinya:
Apa ya. Selain kamus, kayaknya nonton film dari DVD (yang original) bisa membantu, as long as you set subtitle nya dalam bahasa Inggris juga, dan boleh juga secondary subtitle nya diset dalam bahasa Indonesia, jadi ada dua subtitle (kalo nggak salah secondary subtitle hanya tersedia jika kita nonton film DVD itu dari computer). Selain itu lyric lagu berbahasa Inggris juga bisa membantu. Kalau you sering connect to internet ada software yang bisa lansung menampilkan lyric di winamp asalkan judul lagu dan artist nya tertulis dengan benar (pada file mp3 kita). Itu bisa didonlot kok. Saya juga pake, tapi lupa namanya kalo ndak salah lyric plugin

3. Bunyi sama tapi ternyata kata-katanya berbeda
Ini membuat kita ragu, kata mana yang disebutkan oleh pembicara, karena bunyi yang yang disebutkan tersebut kemungkinan berbeda dengan yang kita fahami, misalanya too, to dan two; whether and weather; hear and here; buy and by; there and their; witch and which; threw and through. Ini akan membuat kita salah memahami apa yang pembicara maksudkan.

Solusinya:
Saya kira kalo kita sudah bisa memahami context yang dibicarakan persamaan bunyi tersebut tidak akan jadi masalah bagi kita. Usahakan untuk memahami context pembicaraan tidak dengan kata per kata tapi keseluruhan context yang pembicara bicarakan.

4. Tidak dapat membedakan kata benda dengan kata kerja atau yang lain
Misalnya saja smoke itu bisa kata benda, bisa juga jadi kata kerja. Contohnya Smoke on the water (kata benda – dikutip dari diparpel, yang artinya asap) tapi kalo I smoke everyday (sudah jadi kata kerja, dan artinya sudah lain lagi, merokok) sedangkan kata rokok sendiri dalam bahasa Inggris itu cigarette. Jadi yang lucunya, ada siswa saya yang buat kalimat I am cigarette everyday instead of I smoke everyday.
Ada lagi misalnya The accountant at the music store records1 records2 of the records3. Mencatat (1), Catatan/transaksi (2), kaset/rekaman (3)

Solusinya:
????? ada yang punya solusi?????

5. Fasih mengucapkan tapi tidak bisa menuliskan karena tidak tahu atau kelupaan.
Jangan terkejut kalo ada yang sangat fasih menghitung dalam bahasa Inggris 1 – 10 sangat fasih dan lancer, tapi coba disuruh tulis pake words. Mungkin yang benar cuman one dan beberapa angka simple lainnya. Itu bagi yang masih beginner. Tapi yang sudah merasa tingkat intermediate to advanced juga punya masalah yang sama misalnya kata angket dan kewirausahaan dalam bahasa Inggris dlllll. Banyak lagi saya kira.

Solusinya:
Selain ‘Kembali ke Kamus’ mungkin bagus juga kalo ‘Kembali ke Laptop’ kata pak tukul. Kalo bikin kalimat di Microsoft word, computer akan sedikit banyak membantu bahasa Inggris kita. Set dulu language nya ke English (US) ata English (UK) kemudian aktifkan spelling checker letaknya dimana saya lupa mungkin pada Option. Kalo udah beres, setiap kata bahasa Inggris yang salah aka nada garis merah pada kata tersebut, click kanan your computer biasanya akan memberikan pilihan kata yang tepat. Selain itu bisa juga mencari sinonim dari kata bahasa Inggris, caranya sama click kanan kata tersebut kemudian arahkan kursor ke synonym, dapat deh kata-kata baru.

6. Kata-kata yang sama sering mempunyai arti lain terutama digunakan dalam bidang tertentu.
Bagi yang masih pada tingkat beginner sabar dulu mau diminta tolong menterjemahkan dari English to Indonesia atau sebaliknya, karna biasanya kita akan banyak menemui kesulitan terutama apabila ketemu dengan kata-kata yang sepertinya biasa tapi ketika diterjemahkan ndak nyambung dengan context kalimat yang lain. Ini butuh pengetahuan dasar bidang yang akan diterjemahkan. Misalnya untuk bidang akuntansi ada kata marketable securities, kalo tidak hati-hati bisa-bisa kata tersebut diterjemahkan jadi SATPAM PASAR, padahal terjemahannya adalah Surat-surat berharga. Sama seperti kasus nomor 3: The accountant at the music store records1 records2 of the records3. Mencatat (1), Catatan/transaksi (2), kaset/rekaman (3)
Solusinya:
Ya, belajar dulu lah bidang tertentu yang mau diterjemahkan itu.

7. Penguncapan huruf-huruf pada kata kata yang membingungkan
Kayaknya tidak ada standar dalam bahasa Inggris bagaimana mengucapkan huruf-huruf pada yang melekat pada kata-kata tertentu, misalnya huruf U, pada kata PUT dibaca /u/ seperti biasa, tapi kalo pada kata CUT berubah lagi bunyinya jadi /a/, padahal yang beda hanya P dan C. bingung kan? Ada lagi misalnya huruf O pada kata BOOK berbunyi /u/ tapi pada kata BLOOD berbuny /a/, pada kata WOMEN berbunyi /i/. Adalagi bunyi /f/ bisa saja pada kata yang mengandung huruf F misalnya FISH, tapi bisa pada huruf GH pada kata ENOUGH, bisa pada huruf PH pada kata PHASE and so on, and so on .
Solusinya:
Kayaknya sama dengan solusi untuk nomor masalah nomor 2

8. Tidak bisa membaca symbol symbol pengucapkan yang ada dikamus-kamus advance.
Pada kamus-kamus tingkat mahir setiap kata diberikan cara pengucapannya. Ini sangat berguna bagi kita untuk mengetahui bagaimana cara mengucapkan sebuah kata termasuk penekanan pada suku kata tertentu. Masalahnya adalah bagi kita yang masih pada tingkat beginner atau yang sudah pada tingkat mahir, kalo kita tidak bisa membaca symbol simbolnya percuma juga.
Solusinya:
Kalo tidak mengerti bagaimana mengucapkan kata-kata bahasa Inggris, Tanya aja dulu dengan yang udah fasih, tapi kalo sulit ketemu dengan ada cara lain dengan menggunakan teknologi. Coba kunjungi www.answers.com kita bisa menuliskan kata kata, website tersebut menyediakan makna kata-kata tersebut tapi terjemahannya atau definisinya dalam bahasa Inggris, selain itu ada website tersebut juga menyediakan audio pengucapannya click aja gambar loudspeaker nya. Saya kira ada website lain yang bisa membantu.
Ada juga cara lain, ada software kamus, kalo ndak salah namanya Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Beli aja software tersebut install di computer kita.
Dan bisa juga dengan cara seperti solusi untuk nomor dua.

9. Cari kata di kamus untuk membuat kalimat bahasa Inggris ee ternyata salah penggunaannya dalam context bahasa Inggris (terlalu mengandalkan kamus)
Ketika membuat beberapa kalimat dalam bahasa Inggris, sering kita tersandung oleh kata-kata yang kita tidak tahu apa bahasa Inggrisnya, lalu lansung saja kita buka kamus dan mencari kata-kata tersebut dan kita masukan kedalam kalimat kita. Kita merasa bahwa kalimat kita sudah sangat perfect. Tapi ternyata ketika dibaca oleh sang guru, kalimat kita mengandung kata kata yang tidak tepat. Misalnya untuk kata mendengar kita menggunakan kata HEAR yang seharusnya kita pake adalah LISTENT TO atau sebaliknya juga ada kata-kata lain misalnya kata kata yang serupa maknanya dalam bahasa kita seperti SEE, LOOK, dan WATCH. Yang sering banyak salah adalah ketika menterjemahkan kata SAYA MENGERJAKAN PR SETIAP HARI. Banyak yang yang meterjemahkan, terutama pemula, dengan kalimat I WORK MY HOMEWORK. Yang seharusnya I DO MY HOMEWORK.

Solusinya:
Jangan terlalu mengandalkan kamus dalam membuat kalimat, kamus hanya membantu kita mencari arti dari kata kata. Bisa jadi kalimat kita hanya kumpulan dari kata-kata bahasa Inggris tapi tidak punya makna sama sekali.
????? ada yang punya solusi Lain?????

10. Ada lagi kata kerja tak beraturan
Ini yang membuat kita tidak beraturan dalam membuat kalimat. Masalahnya bahasa kita tidak punya kata kerja tidak beraturan. Kalo kita mau bilang SAYA MAKAN, tidak peduli apakah waktunya sekarang, lampau, atau telah terjadi, atau rutinitas. Paling kita tambahkan aja, kata SEDANG, KEMARIN/TADI SIANG, SUDAH, dan SELALU.

Solusinya:
Terpaksa harus belajar juga tanda-tanda waktu/tenses nya bahasa Inggris. Dan terpaksa harus mengerti perubahan yang tidak beraturan tersebut. Tapi kalo untuk komunikasi, saya kira bule juga mengerti kalo kita bilang I EAT YESTERDAY. Walaupun dia mungkin sedikit mikir dulu untuk memahami kita.

11. Perubahan dari tunggal ke jamak yang tidak beraturan
Hampir sama dengan nomor 9. Biasanya kalo untuk membuat kata-kata jamak tambahkan saja –s dibelakang kata-kata tersebut, BOOK – BOOKS dsb. Tapi tidak bisa untuk CHILD (menjadi children), MAN (menjadi men), WOMEN (menjadi women), MOUSE (menjadi mice) dan beberapa kata-kata lainnya.
Solusinya:
Disamping harus mempelajarinya, Don’t worry, saya kira karena kata-kata tersebut tidak begitu banyak disbanding dengan kata kerja tak beraturan. Kalo dipake dalam komunikasi Bule masih juga bisa memahaminya saya kira.

12. Ada bunyi bunyi dalam bahasa Inggris yang sulit diucapakan karena tidak ada dalam bunyi bahasa kita
Untungnya bunyi-bunyi yang tidak terdapat dalam bunyi bahasa kita terbatas jumlahnya, seperti bunyi –th- pada kata THINK dan THAT, namun walaupun demikian banyak kita yang tidak bisa mengucapkannya dengan benar banyak yang menggantinya dengan bunyi /t/ dengan mengkombinasikannya dengan bunyi /s/ untuk kata think dan menggunakan /d/ untuk kata that. Tapi bagi yang fasih bahasa arab nya tidak mengalami kesulitan dengan bunyi tersebut th pada kata THINK sama dengan bunyi ث dan th pada kata THAT sama bunyi dengan bunyi ذ. Kalo dalam kamus bahasa inggris diberikan symbol θ ð. Ada juga yang lain, terkadang kita agak malas untuk mengucapkan bunyi /v/ dan sering menggantinya dengan bunyi /f/.

Solusinya:
Kayaknya sama dengan solusi untuk nomor masalah nomor 2

13. Ada American English ada pula British English, ada lagi Australian English
Memang antara orang New York, London, dan Sydney dialeknya berbeda dan penulisan ejaanya pun sedikit berbeda. Ada orang orang yang lebih suka dengan bahasa Inggris US, ada juga yang suka dengan gaya UK, dan ada juga yang suka dengan Aussie style. Itu tergantung.

Solusinya:
Dalam tahap belajar, American, British dan Australian English, jangan dulu dibuat masalah. Itu bukan masalah saya kira. Keep studying aja lah. Karena style bahasa tersebut dapat dimengerti satu sama lain.

14. Harus menghapal banyak tensis banyak sekali aturan
Tenses lagi – tenses lagi. Lagi lagi tenses. Kalo ndak salah ada 16 tenses. Kata orang kalo mau lancar ngomong bahasa Inggris tenses nya harus lancar tenses tenses tersebut. Mumet memang. Coba banyangkan kalo kita bisa hafal diluar kepala semua tenses itu tapi tidak bisa komunikasi kan sama juga dengan jago kandang. Ya, lebih bagus lah dari pada tidak jago sama sekali. Sering, kita mengerti tenses tapi tidak tahu tenses mana yang harus dipake ketika ingin mengungkapkan sebuah idea tau ingin membuat kalimat.

Solusinya:
Untuk mahir bahasa Inggris, tenses sangat perlu, tapi jangan terlalu menjadi sesuatu yang menghambat semangat kita. Dalam komunikasi biasa tidak semua tenses harus terlibat. Jadi keep speaking, tenses salah tidak masalah. Mungkin tenses yang paling umum dipake dan sebagai dasar untuk menguasai tenses yang lainnya ada sekitar 5 tenses saja yaitu Present Tense, Present Continuous Tense, Simple Past, Present Perfect Tense, dan Simpe Future Tense. Tenses lain sebenarnya adalah gabungan dari tenses tenses tersebut. Misalnya Past Continuous adalah gabungan dari Present Continuous Tense dan Simple Past, dan begitu juga dengan tenses gabungan lainnya.

15. Mau ngomong pake bahasa Inggris takut salah
Ini adalah masalah psikologi saya kira, ada yang sebenarnya bahasa Inggrisnya sudah OK tapi tidak bisa sama sekali komunikasi karena takut salah dan takut ditertawakan, akhirnya tidak bisa ngomong sama sekali. Ada kemauan untuk coba practice dengan guru atau dengan yang bisa bahasa Inggris takut dikira orang lain berlagak jadi Bule. Kalo begini terus kapan kita bisa ngomong?

Solusinya:
PD aja lah. Dengan practice speaking pertama kita bisa mempraktekkan bahasa Inggris yang sudah kita pelajari, kedua kita bisa tahu kekurangan kita sehingga dapat ide untuk improve, melatih lidah biar tidak kaku mengucapkan bahasa Inggris, dan melatih listening kita.

ADA YANG MAU SHARING?????? PLEASE

]]> http://wahyudienglish.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/belajar-bahasa-inggris-sulit-masalah-dan-solusi/feed/ 112 wwwahyudi http://wahyudienglish.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/funny-lucu-funny-joke-in-english/ http://wahyudienglish.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/funny-lucu-funny-joke-in-english/#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:26:34 +0000 Wahyudi English http://wahyudienglish.wordpress.com/?p=66 ]]> Driver and Officer

A man was pulled over for driving too fast, even though he thought he was driving just fine.
Officer : You were speeding.
Man : No, I wasn’t.
Officer : Yes, you were. I’m giving you a ticket (surat tilang).
Man : But I wasn’t speeding.
Officer : Tell that to the judge! (The officer gives man the ticket.)
Man : Would I get another ticket if I called you a jerk (tolol)?
Officer : Yes, you would.
Man : What if I just thought that you were?
Officer : I can’t give you a ticket for what you think.
Man : Fine, I think you’re a jerk!

by: Nick Henry, ESL teacher in Korea

Mouse

A : I’m in a big trouble!
B : Why is that?
A : I saw a mouse in my house!
B : Oh, well, all you need to do is use a trap.
A : I don’t have one.
B : Well then, buy one.
A : Can’t afford one (tidak punya uang untuk membeli).
B : I can give you mine if you want.
A : That sounds good.
B : All you need to do is just use some cheese in order to make the mouse come to the trap.
A : I don’t have any cheese.
B : Okay then, take a piece of bread and put a bit of oil in it and put it in the trap.
A : I don’t have oil.
B : Well, then put only a small piece of bread.
A : I don’t have bread.
B : Then what is the mouse doing at your house?!

by: Genti Biraci

A man is talking to God.

The man : “God, how long is a million years?”

God : “To me, it’s about a minute.”

The man : “God, how much is a million dollars?”

God : “To me it’s a penny (= satu sen).”

The man : “God, may I have a penny?”

God : “Wait a minute.”

by: Freshteh Sadeghi

Girl, like my mom

Fred is 32 years old and he is still single.
One day a friend asked, “Why aren’t you married? Can’t you find a woman who will be a good wife?”
Fred replied, “Actually, I’ve found many women I wanted to marry, but when I bring them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn’t like them.”
His friend thinks for a moment and says, “I’ve got the perfect solution, just find a girl who’s just like your mother.”
A few months later they meet again and his friend says, “Did you find the perfect girl? Did your mother like her?”
With a frown on his face, Fred answers, “Yes, I found the perfect girl. She was just like my mother. You were right, my mother liked her very much.”
The friend said, “Then what’s the problem?”
Fred replied, “My father doesn’t like her.”

I

Teacher : Tell me a sentence that starts with an “I”.
Student : I is the…
Teacher : Stop! Never put ‘is‘ after an “I”. Always put ‘am‘ after an “I”.
Student : OK. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.

by: Monirul Hassan

2 coins

A guy says to his friend, “Guess how many coins I have in my pocket.”

The friends says, “If I guess right, will you give me one of them?”

The first guys says, “If you guess right, I’ll give you both of them!”

by: Matty

The Perfect Son.

A: I have the perfect son.
B: Does he smoke?
A: No, he doesn’t.
B: Does he drink whiskey?
A: No, he doesn’t.
B: Does he ever come home late?
A: No, he doesn’t.
B: I guess you really do have the perfect son. How old is he?
A: He will be six months old next Wednesday.

A man goes to the doctor and says, “Doctor, wherever I touch, it hurts.”

The doctor asks, “What do you mean?”

The man says, “When I touch my shoulder, it really hurts. If I touch my knee – OUCH! When I touch my forehead, it really, really hurts.”

The doctor says, “I know what’s wrong with you – you’ve broken your finger (jarimu patah)!”

by Sean McLoughlin

Big Liar Teacher

Two boys were arguing when the teacher entered the room. The teacher says, “Why are you arguing?” One boy answers, “We found a ten dollar bill and decided to give it to whoever tells the biggest lie.” “You should be ashamed of yourselves (malu dengan dirimu sendiri),” said the teacher, “When I was your age I didn’t even know what a lie was.” The boys gave the ten dollars to the teacher.

source: http://iteslj.org

“24/7″ is another way of saying “all the time” or continuous. Literally, it means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A business may use the term to express they are always open for business. For example, “we are open 24/7.” An individual may say, “I work 24/7″ as a way of expressing that they work all the time.

“Talk is Cheap”

We mentioned ‘talk is cheap” in an earlier segment entitled “Show me the money.” This expression is used when referring to people who talk alot about doing things but never really do much. In other words, they do not have much of a record of accomplishment. It is always used to refer to people who make empty promises. Empty promises are promises to do something but there is no intention to carry out the promise. So “talk is cheap” means that it is easy to talk about things, but more difficult to do something about it, whether that something is keeping a promise or taking appropriate action.

“Cash is king,” “Cash is trash”

These two expressions mean exactly the opposite. You will often hear them when talking about financial investments. When the stock market is declining, investors want to preserve their cash so stocks are sold and cash is held in their portfolio. Since cash does not generally lose value except to inflation, then “cash is king” in a down stock market. However, in a rising stock market or in inflationary times, investors can make more money by investing their cash in stocks and bonds. Investors lose by holding cash in their portfolio because of the lost opportunity from rising stocks or the loss of purchasing power from inflation. Investors refer to cash as trash in this scenario.

“Purchasing Power”

Purchasing power is a concept that expresses the true value of currency. Currency by itself has no value. The value comes from how much one can buy with the currency. If a currency can buy more today than in the past, then purchasing power has increased. If a currency can buy less today than in the past, then the purchasing power of that currency has decreased. As an example, the US Dollar has lost one-third of its purchasing power or value since early 2001. As a result, US goods are cheaper abroad while imported goods are more expensive in the US.

“Show me the money”

“Show me the money” was popularized by the movie Jerry McGuire in 1990s. The expression is used to mean that someone wants proof of financial support for the project or proof that the project is profitable. People living in the state of Missouri in the United States call themselves the “show me” state, because they don’t always believe what they hear. They want to see evidence that something is happening or has happened. “Show me the money” is another way of saying “talk is cheap.” In other words, anyone can talk about things, but not everyone does something about it. The individual making the statement “show me the money” wants to see action or progress.

“Make it happen”

In a general sense, “Make it happen” means to take immediate action now or very soon. It may be used as a directive from the superior to a subordinate. The phrase may be either positive or negative, depending on the tone and circumstances in which it is used. For example, if the superior is expressing disappointment that a project has not already been completed, then the sentence “I want you to make it happen now” expresses dissatisfaction and urgency for the subordinate to correct the situation. However, it can also be used in a positive sense to build team work. For example, after planning a project, the superior or team leader may say to the individual or team “We can make it happen!” Used in this way the expression conveys confidence in the team and a sense of group unity. Other variations of the expression are “making it happen” and “lets make it happen.”

“Cut your losses”

“Cut your losses” generally refers to getting out of financial investments that are losing money. It means to take some action to stop losing money. Sometimes cutting your losses involves getting out of the investments such as selling the stock investment or closing the business. Other times, it means to protect your investment from any further losses by hedging. In a business environment, it may be used to refer to divesting or selling off a product line that does not produce a profit. In general society, “cutting your losses” means getting out of a bad decision of any kind. Usually it involves the lesser of two alternatives. To stay with the decision means to continue losing. To get out of the decision, means to accept the current loss. Both are difficult decisions.

Source: http://learn-business-english.blogspot.com/

2. (a rising tide that) lifts all boats – something that helps all people or all groups
Example: “We’re only number three, but the current economic growth will lift all boats, so we’re sure to make a profit this year.”

3. an old hand – a person who has long experience, especially in one place
Example: “He can help us set up a company in Beijing. He’s been working in China for many years and speaks Chinese fluently. He’s an old China hand.”

4. at the 11th hour – very late, at the very last minute
Example: ” .”

5. on a shoestring – with limited money
Example: “They started their company on a shoestring and built it up to one of the largest companies in the world!”

6. bring to the table – whatever you can possibly offer
Example: “I will meet with Teacher Joe’s new company to show him what we can bring to the table.”

7. carve out a niche – find a special market that you can control
Example: “To succeed in this competitive world, you have to focus on part of it. Try to carve out a niche and be number one in that are.”

8. deep pockets – have a lot of money
Example: “If there is a price war, we won’t win because we don’t have deep enough pockets.”

9. down time – when equipment of facilities are not available, so you cannot work
Example: “There will probably be a lot of down time at the conference, so I’m bringing a lot of paperwork.”

10. (draw) a line in the sand – make final conditions that cannot be changed
Example: “We have to draw a line in the sand so they will see that this is really our final offer.”

11. free ride – get benefit at no cost
Example: “Of course we should make them pay for our travel expenses. WHy should we give them a free ride?”

12. from day one – from the beginning
Example: “Teacher Joe has been providing the best English-learning web site from day one!”

13. get your foot in the door – have a small opportunity that can become a big opportunity in the future, if you do good work
Example: “Right now, I just want to get my foot in the door, so they can see what I can do. Next year I hope to start moving up in the company.”

14. I need it yesterday – an informal way to say it is needed immediately
Example: “Can I send that report to you later this afternoon?”
“No! I need that report yesterday!”

15. a two-way street – both people or both groups can contribute or benefit from the situation
Example: “We want to help you, but we need your help too. It should be a two-way street.”

16. it will never fly – it won’t be successful
Example: “We don’t have to worry about their idea competing with ours. It will never fly.”

17. it’s a jungle out there – it’s a difficult market with many, tough competitors
Example: “Do you think a new company can survise without a unique product? It’s a real jungle out there!”

18. jump through hoops – trying very hard (like a dog doing tricks!)
Example: “He’s a tough boss. All of his subordinates have to jump through hoops to prove their loyalty to the company.”

19. put your cards on the table – be completely honest
Example: “I think it’s time to put all of our cards on the table. Here’s what we need…”

20. learning curve – how much time needed to learn something new
Example: “This new software has a long learning curve, so we have to give our staff enough time to learn how to use it well.”

Source:

20 Useful Idioms from www.teacherjoe.us!

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The best example of leadership, is leadership by example. Contoh kepemimpinan yang paling baik adalah kepemimpinan dengan memberikan contoh. Jerry McClain of Seattle, WA

If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission. Jika kita mempunyai ide yang mantap, teruskan dan kerjakan. Lebih mudah meminta maaf daripada untuk mendapatkan izin. Admiral Grace Hopper

The most important quality in a leader is that of being acknowledged as such. Kualitas yang paling penting dari seorang pemimpin adalah mendapatkan pengkuan Andre Maurois

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Anda memperoleh kekuatan, semangat dan percaya diri dari setiap pengalaman dimana anda benar-benar berhenti menatap rasa takut dihadapan. Anda harus melakukan hal-hal yang anda anggap tidak bisa anda lakukan. Eleanor Roosevelt

Leadership in today’s world requires far more than a large stock of gunboats and a hard fist at the conference table. Kepemimpinan diera sekarang ini membutuhkan tidak sekedar peralatn perang dan bentrokan di meja rapat. Hubert H. Humphrey

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. Sebenarnya semua pemimpin besar memiliki karakter yang biasa biasa saja; namun kemauan besar yang dimilikinya untuk menghadapi ketakutan dan kegelisahan rakyat. Dan ini lah sebenarnya esensi dari kepemimpinan John Kenneth Galbraith, U.S. economist ìThe Age of Uncertaintyî

The real leader has no need to lead – he is content to point the way. Pemimpin sebenarnya tidak perlu memimpin, tapi mengarahkan Henry Miller

Leadership consists not in degrees of technique but in traits of character; it requires moral rather than athletic or intellectual effort, and it imposes on both leader and follower alike the burdens of self-restraint. Kepemimpinan bukan terdiri derajat-derajat teknis, tapi merupakan pembawaan karakter. Kepemimpinan lebih membutuhkan moralitas ketimbang usaha-usaha fisik dan intelektual, dan memberikan pembebebanan kepada pemimpin itu sendiri dan bawahannya untuk dapat menahan dan mengendalikan diri sendiri. – Lewis H. Lapham

I am a leader by default, only because nature does not allow a vacuum. Saya menjadi pemimpin karena kegagalan, hanya karena alam ini tidak menginginkan kevakuman. - Bishop Desmond Tutu

If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities. Jika seseorang beruntung, sebuah fantasi dapat berubah menjadi jutaan kenyataan.
- Maya Angelou

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. . . The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives. Orang bertanya tentang perbedaan antara pemimpin dan boss. Pemimpin bekerja secara terbuka sedangkan boss bekerja dengan cara mengkonfersi atau merubah. Pemimpin itu memimpin, sedangkan boss menyetir atau mengemudi.
- Theodore Roosevelt

The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on. . . . The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully. Test akhir dari seorang pemimpin adalah dia tinggalkan kepada orang-orang sebuah keyakinan dan kemauan untuk terus dilanjutkan. Kejeniusan dari seorang pemimpin adalah meninggalkan suasana dapat mebuat kesuksesan, tanpa ada kesan bahwa itu adalah sesuatu yang jenius.
- Walter Lippmann

There is no such thing as a perfect leader either in the past or present, in China or elsewhere. If there is one, he is only pretending, like a pig inserting scallions into its nose in an effort to look like an elephant. Tidak ada yang sempurna didunia ini baik dari masa lalu atau sekarang, di Cina atau dimana saja. Jika ada orang yang sempurna, dia hanya berpura-pura seperti seekor babi yang memasukan sesuatu kedalam hidungnya agar kelihatan seperti seekor gajah.
- Liu Shao-ch’i

Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow-red, yellow, brown, black and white-and we’re all precious in God’s sight. Bendera kita berwarna merah, putih dan biru, tapi bangsa kita seperti pelangi; merah, kuning, hitam, dan putih; kita semua sama disisi Tuhan.
- Jesse Jackson (b. 1941), U.S. clergyman, civil rights leader. Speech, 16 July 1984.

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Jika anda mentaati peraturan, anda akan kehilangan semua kesenangan.
- Katharine Hepburn

If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. Jika kita tidak dapat mengakhiri perbedaan kita sekarang, paling tidak kita dapat membuat dunia ini selamat dari pengaruh perbedaan – John F. Kennedy (1917-63), U.S. Democratic politician, president. Speech, 10 June 1963, American University, ashington, D.C., on Russo-American relations.

In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions. Dalam organisasi, kekuatan dan energi sebenarnya di hasilkan dari hubungan. Bentuk hubungan dan kapasitas untuk membentuk hubungan jauh lebih penting dari pada tugas, fungsi, peran, dan jabatan. – Margaret Wheatly Leadership and the New Science

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters. Siapapun yang ceroboh dengan segala kebenaran dalam hal kecil, tidak bisa dipercaya untuk hal-hal yang besar
- Albert Einstein

Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely. Hidup adalah perubahan. Pertumbuhan adalah sebuah opsi. Tentukan pilihan dengan bijak.
- Karen Kaiser Clark

The quality of leadership, more than any other single factor, determines the success or failure of an organization. Kualitas kepemimpinan, lebih dari faktor-faktor yang lain, menentukan kesuksesan atau kegagalan sebuah organisasi.
- Fred Fiedler & Martin Chemers Improving Leadership Effectiveness

Excellence is not an accomplishment. It is a spirit, a never-ending process. Keunggulan bukan lah sebuah penyelesaian, tapi sebuah semangat, proses yang tanpa akhir.
- Lawrence M. Miller

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. Tanggung jawab pertama dari seorang pemimpin adalah mendefinisikan atau memberikan makna kenyataan. Dan yang terakhir adalah mengucapkan terimakasih.
- Max DePree

When what you are doing isn’t working, you tend to do more of the same and with greater intensity. Jika apa yang anda kerjakan tidak bisa berhasil, anda cenderung untuk melakukannya lagi dengan intensitas yang lebih tinggi.
- Dr. Bill Maynard & Tom Champoux Heart, Soul and Spirit

Every organization must be prepared to abandon everything it does to survive in the future. Setiap organisasi harus di persiapkan untuk meninggalkan segala sesuatu yang ia lakukan untuk bertahan diri dimasa depan.
- Peter Drucker

A friend of mine characterizes leaders simply like this: “Leaders don’t inflict pain. They bear pain.” Teman saya memberikan karakterisasi pemimpin seperti ini: “Pemimpin tidak menimbulkan rasa tidak nyaman, tapi mereka menahan rasa tidak nyaman itu.
- Max DePree

Ah well! I am their leader, I really ought to follow them!, Wow, Saya adalah pemimpin mereke, saya benar-benar harus mengikuti mereka!
- Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin

Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.
- Winston Churchill

A new leader has to be able to change an organization that is dreamless, soulless and visionless … someone’s got to make a wake up call.
- Warren Bennis

I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don’t think that’s quite it; it’s more like jazz. There is more improvisation.
- Warren Bennis

When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally.
- Lao Tse

Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their jobs done
- Peter Drucker

I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers
- Ralph Nader

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity
- George Patton

To lead people, walk beside them …
As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.
The next best, the people honor and praise.
The next, the people fear;
and the next, the people hate …
When the best leader’s work is done the people say,
“We did it ourselves!”
- Lao-tsu

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.
- Peter Drucker

Hell, there are no rules here–we’re trying to accomplish something.
- Thomas A. Edison

Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true. -
Lester R. Bittel The Nine Master Keys of Management

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.
- Sandra Carey

Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them.
- Adlai Stevenson

Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure.
- Admiral Arleigh A. Burke

Lead and inspire people. Don’t try to manage and manipulate people. Inventories can be managed but people must be lead.
- Ross Perot

We must become the change we want to see.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Drowning in data, yet starved of information
- Ruth Stanat in The Intelligent Organization

A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.
- General of the Armies John J. Pershing

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.
- Vincent T. Lombardi

Where there is no vision, the people perish.
- Proverbs 29:18

I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors.
- Henry David Thoreau

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
- Mother Theresa

An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.
- Stephen R. Covey, Principle-centered Leadership

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
- Abraham Lincoln

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
- Helen Keller

It is important that an aim never be defined in terms of activity or methods. It must always relate directly to how life is better for everyone. . . . The aim of the system must be clear to everyone in the system. The aim must include plans for the future. The aim is a value judgment.
- W. Edwards Deming

The very essence of leadership is its purpose. And the purpose of leadership is to accomplish a task. That is what leadership does–and what it does is more important than what it is or how it works.
- Colonel Dandridge M. Malone

We know not where our dreams will take us, but we can probably see quite clearly where we’ll go without them.
- Marilyn Grey

It is not a question of how well each process works, the question is how well they all work together.
- Lloyd Dobens and Clare Crawford-Mason Thinking About Quality

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.
- Eric Hoffer

In war, three quarters turns on personal character and relations; the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter.
- Napoleon I

To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behavior taken separately.
- Russell L. Ackoff

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.
- Albert Einstein

The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and will to carry on.
- Walter J. Lippmann

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.
- Marian Anderson

You may have afresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.
- Mary Pickford

People are more easily led than driven.
- David Harold Fink

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.
- Jesse Jackson

What is character but the determination of incident
what is incident but the illustration of character?
- Henery James

The trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.
- Erica Jong

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.
- Andrew Carnegie

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.
- Max DePree The Art of Leadership

Processes don’t do work, people do.
- John Seely Brown

Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.
- Harold Geneen

The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.
- Henry Kissinger

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.
- Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald’s

Jingshen is the Mandarin word for spirit and vivacity. It is an important word for those who would lead, because above all things, spirit and vivacity set effective organizations apart from those that will decline and die.
- James L. Hayes Memos for Management: Leadership

Uncertainty will always be part of the taking charge process.
- Harold Geneen

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
- Thomas Alva Edison

You can use all the quantitative data you can get, but you still have to distrust it and use your own intelligence and judgment.
- Alvin Toffler

Remember that it is far better to follow well than to lead indifferently.
- John G. Vance

The only real training for leadership is leadership.
- Antony Jay

Quality has to be caused, not controlled.
- Philip Crosby Reflections on Quality

Probably my best quality as a coach is that I ask a lot of challenging questions and let the person come up with the answer.
- Phil Dixon

Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it you can make it so.
- Belva Davis

The future is taking shape now in our own beliefs and in the courage of our leaders. Ideas and leadership — not natural or social ‘forces’ — are the prime movers in human affairs.
- George Roche, A World Without Heroes

The art of leading, in operations large or small, is the art of dealing with humanity, of working diligently on behalf of men, of being sympathetic with them, but equally, of insisting that they make a square facing toward their own problems.
- S. L. A. Marshall Men Against Fire

And when we think we lead, we are most led.
- Lord Byron

Never hire or promote in your own image. It is foolish to replicate your strength and idiotic to replicate your weakness. It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom.
- Dee W. Hock, Fast Company

All serious daring starts from within.
- Eudora Welty

. . . As we, the leaders, deal with tomorrow, our task is not to try to make perfect plans.
. . . Our task is to create organizations that are sufficiently flexible and versatile that they can take our imperfect plans and make them work in execution. That is the essential character of the learning organization.
- Gordon R. Sullivan & Michael V. Harper

In matters of style, swim with the current;
In matters of principle, stand like a rock.
- T. Jefferson

If you think you can do a thing or that you cannot do a thing, in either case you are right.
- Henry Ford

When nothing is sure, everything is possible.
- Margaret Drabble

Think of managing change as an adventure. It tests your skills and abilities. It brings forth talent that may have been dormant. Change is also a training ground for leadership. When we think of leaders, we remember times of change, innovation and conflict. Leadership is often about shaping a new way of life. To do that, you must advance change, take risks and accept responsibility for making change happen.
- Charles E. Rice, CEO of Barnett Bank

Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.
- Winston Churchill

Not everything that is faced can be changed.
But nothing can be changed until it is faced.
- James Baldwin

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end, may also be only the beginning.
- Ivy Baker Priest

Source and translated from Sumber dan diterjemahkan dari : Big Dog’s Leadership Quotes