This is the second section of the Declaration of Independence, offered to PC TECH blog readers:

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn [has shown], that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.— Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.  He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

[To be continued]

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Choose a move-in date.

As always, the timing is important. In general, you do not have a lot of time to decide whether you want a room between checking it and putting down the deposit. Most residence and host families will want you to make a decision on the spot, or else they will move on to the next applicant.

If you could be flexible for the check-in and class date, please let housing staff know in advance!

The 238^th birthday of the United States is fast approaching.  Here at PC TECH, we would like to share with our readers the words of the document that began our American journey toward freedom for everyone.  This task is far from completed, but we the people of the USA are inspired by the words of the Declaration of Independence to work even harder to achieve the ideals expressed in these powerful words.  You may notice how American English has changed over a long period of time.  Where it might be helpful to English language learners, the editor of this blog has added a few notes.

Our format for the Declaration is serialized over the days leading to the Fourth of July:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

[To be continued]

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

This post continues the extensive list of phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are a lot of others that you can find in previous blog posts, and there will be yet more to be published in future posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at PC TECH to learn these and many more:

“I’m going to send this book back to the online store because it is damaged.”  [Return]

“We would like to set a meeting up for this time next week.”  [Arrange; put together]

“The criminal set his victim up for a serious accident.”  [Tricked]

“To find good discounts, you have to shop around, visiting a number of stores.”  [Find the best price]

“He bought the expensive car to show off to his friends how successful he was in his business,” [Demonstrate, usually in boastful manner]

“The children like to sleep over at their cousins’ home.” [Stay overnight]

“She has so many problems that she has a difficult time sorting them out.” [Resolving]

“If you stick to your lessons, you will learn to speak English very well.”  [Continue]

“We should try to stick with one another as we walk through the crowds in Times Square.” Stay together]

“I’m going to switch around the furniture in my living room.” [Rearrange]

“Please switch off the air conditioner when you leave your apartment for the day.”  [Turn off (the power)]

“I had to switch the lights on so that I could see my way to the bedroom.” [Turn on]

“She really takes after her big sister.” [Imitates; resembles]

“Many children like to take toys apart, then put them back together again.” [Disassemble]

“If those shoes are defective, you should take them back to the store for a refund or an exchange.” [Return]

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Have you ever thought of owning your own business?  Here are some thoughts from Meryl, who comes to PC TECH from Lyon, France.  (Her ESL teacher has checked her spelling, grammar, and punctuation and has offered corrections with light editing):

I already have my own business, so it is not a question for me.  But I think you need to have a lot of skills to run your business.  Sometimes, when I have problems and difficulties, I ask myself if I really can be a good businesswoman.  It’s my dream, but it’s hard.  For my company, I need to work every day.  I have a lot of responsibilities.  I have pressure because I must make money, but I also must be serious with my clients.

My parents have never worked for a company.  I have never seen my parents complain about a boss or a manager.  They always work alone in their business.

When I began to work in a company, it was very strange for me.  I was not happy.  I didn’t understand the rules of the company.  They gave me a very low salary.  So it’s why I don’t like to and don’t want to work for other people.  I’m “configured” to work for myself.

In France, if you are an employee, it’s easy because you have a lot of rewards: health insurance, promotions, etc.  But that’s not [of interest] to me.  I don’t care about [benefits].  I prefer to work hard and to be proud of my work.

PC TECH instructors will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Are the Students getting ready for Summer 2014 ESL courses? We would hope so.
Most of the students who are planning on coming over to the USA for Summer ESL classes will be in the process of getting F-1 student visa documents approved and may have many questions; We received one of the following questions about how to calculate total tuition fees and living expenses for a bank statement.

**I have a Question about the fee calculation at PC TECH for I-20.

For the bank letter, Bank Manager asked me how much precisely should be shown in the bank account. How will I know this for 6 months or one year?**

The answer to this is – The tuition must be according to the course duration and $800 per month should be added as living expenses.

You can either submit a bank statement showing all of the funds OR you can have your bank manager make a letter showing the exact funds needed for an I-20.

Example: I-20 is issued for 6 months, breakdown ( Tuition + LivingExpenses)
{$3100 plus $4800}

I can add more combination to the above. But, you should get the idea by now.
You have flexibility to take courses you like and at the pace you like.  You might be interested to take TOEFL after taking ESL level 5 as well .

PC TECH USA

This post continues more  phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are a lot of others that you can find in previous blog posts, and there will be yet more to be published in future posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at PC TECH to learn these and many more:

“The mother said to the child, ‘Honey, please put down that vase before you break it.’”  [Place the object on the table, floor, or shelf, for example.]

“The excellent teacher never puts her students down.”  [Insults; belittles]

“Here is advice from a famous proverb: ‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.’”  [Postpone; delay]

“They called the emergency number and the firefighters came quickly to put out the blaze.”  [Extinguish]

“Let’s put together a surprise birthday party for the twins.” [Arrange; assemble]

“I don’t know how long I can put up with all the noise from those neighbors.” [Tolerate]

“Kids, you will need to put on your best clothes to go to Aunt Christina’s wedding.” [Wear]

“He will get in trouble with the law if he continues to run around with the people in that gang.”  [Associate with]

“The bear ran away when the campers made a lot of noise.”  [Escaped; left quickly]

“You will never guess who I ran into in Times Square yesterday!  It was our boss!” [Meet by surprise]

“You should not be texting while you are crossing the busy street; you could be run over by a bus!” [Struck, usually by a vehicle]

“We will run over [or run through] that material before you take the exam” [Review]

“I will have to go to the supermarket before I run out of milk.” [Have no more]

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Residence in Spring and Summer : 4 months prior to your arrival

Homestay : 2 months prior to your arrival

Most people will tell you that apartment-hunting in New York City is one of the most stressful and unpredictable processes that you will ever go through – and they are right. You should learn a culture of this city first and a good deal is very competitive.

Have you ever thought of owning your own business?  Here are some thoughts from Aki, a student from Japan, who has a bit of experience in the field of cosmetology.  (Her ESL teacher has checked her spelling, grammar, and punctuation and has offered corrections with light editing):

“Do you want to own a business?  Why or why not?”

I’m a [waxing esthetician].  My business is to do waxing.

And my answer is, “Yes!”  The reason for my choice is also [the reason that] I came to New York.

At first, I was just interested in waxing.  I thought that if I could do waxing myself.  It’s very convenient and it might save money!

And then, I got a Japanese waxing license.  Waxing needs technical skills; however, the licensing exam was too short and easy.  I didn’t learn the details of the [procedure].  I was afraid to strip customers’ skin; human skin is very thin and delicate.

So I would like to [get accurate] knowledge and broaden it in Japan.  I want customers to feel relaxed [with my work].  I would like to try running my own business.

PC TECH instructors will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

PC TECH instructors will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!

 Tea is a lawyer from Tbilisi, Georgia and has used her imagination to relate to us her thoughts on “offbeat” jobs she might consider:

I like cooking some traditional dishes; it’s my hobby.  I can tell that [being a chef would be] an offbeat job for me.  The process of cooking is relaxing and interesting for me.  I always try to learn some new dishes and then I [prepare] them.

Last weekend, I learned to prepare the taco.  This dish is from Mexico and it is wonderful!

Another offbeat job for me [would be] archaeology.  When I was a child, I wanted to become an archaeologist.  I like this profession.  An archeologist looks for something new from the past.  This is very interesting to me.

I am a lawyer and I can say that sometimes my [career] is an offbeat job.  My job is diverse and I like my profession.

Meryl, from France, has her own web design business, yet she can imagine a number of wide-ranging occupations that could interest her.  This is her contribution:

 Life is short.  It’s very difficult for me to be engaged in a job; I want to do everything!  I like traveling, so I would like to be an [airline attendant], tour guide, international journalist.  I love art, so I would like to be a painter, singer, dancer…  I’m creative, so I would like to be a designer, architect…  I like thrills, so I would like to join the army, be a [fire-fighter], secret agent…  I am passionate about life and I think everything is extraordinary.  It’s why I have my own company…I like to do [many] things: sell, create, give advice.  I like the effort to get good results.  That’s why I came to NYC.

For me, who have always been protected by my family, my boyfriend, my friends.  Traveling alone in a new country, with new people and a new language, was the hardest challenge…

We must all live our dreams!

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City