A Great Start!

Well done to aall of you on a good term's work. Now that you have set up blogs of your own or are using this blog for your self study - really explore all the possibilities available. Below you will find a list of links that cover every aspect of your English study. Use these links to help you with problem areas from the test - e.g. tenses, conditionals, verb patterns. These are difficult areas that require lots of practice, so the more you can do on your own the better.

Also have a look at other students' blogs. Your answers to the discussion questions were really interesting - read what others have siad and leave a comment on their blog. Let's get a discussion going in English!

Anyway, keep up the good work. Stay in touch through the blog.
Have a great Christmas and see you in 2009!

Sean

Useful Links:

http://www.manythings.org/
http://a4esl.org/
http://www.english-online.org.uk/index.html
www.esl-lab.com
www.elllo.org http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/
http://esl.about.com/blquiz.htm
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/ http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/
http://www.englishlistening.com/
http://www.englishpage.com/
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teach/ielts/
http://www.ieltscourse.f2s.com/index.html
http://terra2000.chat.ru/ielts/tasks.html
http://www.zefrank.com/predate/index.html
http://adw.hct.ac.ae/site_ilc/sites_ielts/graphsite/index.htm
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/atom_221
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/fun.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/database.html http://www.vocabulary.co.il
www.ieltspractice.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/hardspell/hardspell_game.shtml
http://www.wordreference.com/es
http://www.britannica.com
http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/geography/england/london
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/
http://www.geocities.com/eimarjke/webquest/index.htm
http://www.educanet.ch/home/apagani/webquest/index.htm
http://www.bastrimbos.f2s.com/WebQuests/WebQuestLondon

Self Study

This coming week you will be asked to present your self study work for grading. Developing your independent study skills is an important part of the course and so your self study work counts as 25% of your final grade. Below is a guideline for how your self study grade will be calculated:

Grade A
85 -100%
24/25
Must contain all elements from Parts A & B
Grade B
75 - 84%
20/25
6 - 7 elements
Grade C
60 - 74%
16/25
4 – 5 elements
Grade D
50 - 59%
12/25
3 – 4 elements
Grade E
40 - 49%
8/25
2 – 3 elements

Students who have completed less than 2 elements or whose attendance has been minimal will receive Grade F.

Elements:

Part A:
Set up self study blog/notebook/folder containing:
1. Answers to all 6 discussion questions posted on http://seansstudypage.blogspot.com/
2. Collected new vocabulary
3. Vocabulary exercises (lexical sets, example sentences)
4. Homework
5. Error correction of written work
6. Evidence of extra reading or exercises on weak areas

Part B:
1. Full participation in class activities (e.g. debate (B2 groups), questionnaire writing, interviewing, seminar (B1 groups))
2. Full participation in open class discussions
3. All group and pair work conducted in English

Discussion Topic Six: Reflection

Now that most of you have completed your essays and written assessments and we are coming to the end of the term, I would like you to look back to the first lesson and the goals that you set for yourself. Do you think that you have achieved those goals?

What have you learned this term?
How has your English improved?
What is the next thing you want to achieve?

Pronunciation

Here are the notes from this week's workshop. There are also some activities to practise at home.


Discussion

Do you think you need to improve your pronunciation?
Who do you want to sound like?
What areas of your pronunciation will you concentrate on?
How will you improve?
How can using the phonemic chart help you?

Task one: try these tongue twisters

How many cookoos could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookoos.

Three free throws.

Knapsack straps.

A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

The two-twenty-two train tore through the tunnel.

Good blood, bad blood, Good blood, bad blood, Good blood, bad blood, Good blood, bad blood etc…..

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.The shells she sells are surely seashells.So if she sells shells on the seashore,I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

I am not the pheasant plucker,I'm the pheasant plucker's son.I am only plucking pheasants'til the pheasant plucker comes.

Task two: what’s difficult?
Common Problem Areas.

Vowels
Health, feature, earn, wears, theatre, pleased, heard, leave, rehearsing, leather, break, teacher, appeared, yeah, ideal, increases, colleagues, death.

All the above words have vowel sounds spelt ea. However, ea can be pronounced at least 6 different ways. What are they?

Difficult Sounds
Why might some mother tongue Italian speakers have problems with the following words and phrases?
I hope he is.
Thin, other, thought, truth, Thursday
Pleasure, occasion
Sixths, clothes, rough, magnolia, significant
The jury convicts the defendant & the judge passes sentence.

Word Endings
Write the phonetic symbol for each -ed verb ending: [d], [t] or [Id]:
1
landed

2
expected

3
asked

4
regarded

5
decided

6
packed

7
locked

8
answered

9
stopped
[t]
10
requested


11
added

12
wished

13
liked

14
divided

15
played

16
multiplied

17
listened

18
listed

19
permitted

20
explored


Can you work out what the rule is?

Words commonly confused because of their pronunciation

What is the difference in pronunciation and meaning between these 4 pairs of words.
(a) rise, raise
(b) breathe, breath
(c) use, use
(d) bathe, bath

Have a look at the phonemic chart. Discuss with your partner which ones you find difficult.


Task three: stress, pauses and weak forms

You

me

him

her

You
and
me
and
him
and
her

You
and then
me
and then
him
and then
her

You
and then it’s
me
and then it’s
him
and then it’s
her

Where is the stress in the following phrases (usually)?

As far as I’m concerned, ………..
From my point of view, ……..
From the point of view of the shop owners, …..
I see what you mean, but…..
I see what you’re getting at, but……….
As far as the people in other parts of the world are concerned, …………….

Mark where the pauses and main stresses are.

The world’s most popular drink is water. You probably knew that already. After all, it’s a basic requirement of life on earth. But did you know that the world’s second most popular drink is Coke? And that the human race drinks six hundred million Cokes a day? Now let’s just put that into some kind of perspective. It means that every week of every year people drink enough Coke to fill the World Trade centre.

Answer:



The world’s most popular DRINK
is WATER.
You probably knew that ALREADY.
After all,
it’s a basic requirement of life on EARTH.
But did you KNOW
that the world’s SECOND most popular drink
is COKE?
And that the human race drinks
six hundred million Cokes a DAY?
Now let’s just put that into some kind of PERSPECTIVE.
It MEANS
that EVERY WEEK
of EVERY YEAR
people drink enough COKE
to fill the World TRADE centre.




Some to try at home


sheep/ship /
tin/ten /
bet/bat /
bet/bait /
bat/bad /
cat/cut /
cat/cart /
cart/cut /
cut/curt /
look/loop /
cart/caught /
caught/cot /
caught/coat /
caught/curt /
coat/cot /
coat/coot /
darling/dialling /
air/"A" /
tail/toil /
tail/tell /
tail/tile /
tile/toil /
hour/are /
rot/lot /
pull/bull /
heart/art / -
worse/verse /
worse/worth /
ass/as/ash / /


Why use the Phonemic Chart?
You need to learn the pronunciation to make the word part of your active vocabulary
Helps you train your ear – often fossilised grammar mistakes come from mis-hearing sounds e.g. been/being
Helps with spelling
Avoids confusing words with similar sounds or spelling

Many thanks to Andy Harris at London Metropolitan University for providing the format and some of the exercises for this lesson.

Presentations

Here are two sites you might find useful when preparing for your presentations:

http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/tools/presplan.htm

http://www.uefap.com/speaking/spkfram.htm

Discussion Topic Five. Euthanasia & the Law

Last week in class we touched on the topic of Euthanasia. This is a very emotive and controversial issue and the legal arguments for and against Euthanasia highlight some important differences between various legal philosophies. For example, a Natural Law theorist would probably argue against Euthanasia while a Legal Positivist might be in favour of it.

In the U.K. Euthanasia is still technically illegal though the Courts have made a distinction between acting and refraining to act. Mick Hume, in his editorial in The Times, "Forget A New Euthanasia Law" (http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/coulumnist/mick_hume/article3308471.ece )
argues that there is no need to reform the law on Euthanasia in the U.K. because Common Law Judges are able to deal with the complexity of the issue on a case by case basis.

What are your views on Euthanasia?
What is the situation in Italy?
Do you think the law should be reformed? Why/Why not?


For more information on Euthanasia and the law in the U.K. and Europe go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/background_briefings/euthanasia/1044740.stm

Conditionals and other Hypotheticals

The English Tense system may be organised differently to your own language. In English, for example, “time” is only one concept that the tenses describe. It may be helpful to think of the English tenses as describing different forms of “distance”. Look at the examples below:

(1) Distance in Time


PRESENT TENSES
I am going to the shop.
^
PAST
TENSES
I went to the shop yesterday.
^
PAST PERFECT TENSES
(EVENTS THAT HAPPENED BEFORE ANOTHER PAST EVENT)
I had been to the shop before he came home.

(2) Social Distance

Direct
Personal
Informal
Close Relationship

Use PRESENT TENSES e.g. You can't smoke in here!

Indirect
Formal
Polite
Distant Relationship

Use PAST TENSES, e.g. I’d rather you didn’t smoke in here.



(3) Hypothetical Distance

REAL/POSSIBLE
FACT
ALWAYS TRUE
PRESENT TENSES

When I come home I eat something.


REAL POSSIBILITY IN THE PRESENT /FUTURE
use PRESENT TENSES

If I have time, I’ll eat something later.

UNREAL /UNLIKELY
PRESENT
use PAST TENSES

If I had time, I would eat something but I’m very busy today.

I wish I had a car

UNREAL PAST (THEREFORE COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE)
use PAST PERFECT

If I had had time, I would have eaten something yesterday.

I wish I had gone to the party last night.


For this reason it is always important to consider the context of a sentence first – the use of the simple past tense does not always mean we are talking about a time in the past!

CONDITIONALS – AN OVERVIEW:
Typically (but not always) hypotheticals are expressed using conditional structures. Look at the 6 main types below.

“0”
Always true (e.g. rules, laws, beliefs)
Present + Present

“1st”
Real Situations in the present or future (e.g. the outcome is really possible)
Present + will + bare infinitive

“2nd”
Unreal/Hypothetical Situations in the present or future (imaginary situations, unlikely events)
Past + would + bare infinitive


“3rd”
Unreal/Hypothetical Situations in the past
(imagining past events in a different way)
Past perfect + would + perfect infinitive (have + past participle)

Mixed 2/3
Hypothetical present affects a hypothetical past.
Past + would + perfect infinitive

Mixed 3/2
Hypothetical past affects a hypothetical present
Past perfect + would + bare infinitive.


(A) Find an example for each type from the sentences below.
1. If I went out tonight , I would see John but I’m going to stay in.
2. If I had gone out last night, I would have seen John.
3. If I go out, I see John, he’s always in the pub.
4. If I go out tonight, I will see John, he said he was going into the West End.
5. If I couldn’t speak English well, I wouldn’t have gone on the Erasmus programme.
6. If we had listened to the instructions properly, we would know what to do.

(B) Other modals apart from will and would can also be used. Now add the sentences below to the groups above.
1. If you hadn’t reminded me, I might have forgotten his birthday.
2. If I had the money, I could lend it to you.
3. If you get sick, you should see a doctor.
4. If you make an appointment, you can see the doctor tomorrow.


Choosing the Best Conditional:
The conditional you use not only depends on the situation and time but also how you see it. For example 3 different people might use 0, 1st or 2nd conditionals to describe the same event depending on views and beliefs from their own experience.

Look at the 3 sentences below. How is each situation different? (n.b. they are all present situations)

(a)If the train is late, what do you do?
(b)If the train is late, what will you do?
(c)If the train was late, what would you do?

Which speaker:
Lives in Germany where the trains are never late?
Lives in Italy where the trains are sometimes late?
Lives in England where the trains are always late?


Problems With Past Hypotheticals:

1
Many students find past hypothetical structures such as the 3rd conditional very difficult. There are a number of common mistakes:

· Using the past tense instead of the past perfect.
If I know English better, I would work in the U.S.A.
If I knew English better, I would work in the U.S.A.


· The over use of would
If I would have known that it was cancelled, I wouldn’t have gone.
If I had known that it was cancelled, I wouldn’t have gone.

· Forgetting the auxiliary verbs when forming the perfect infinitive.
If I had won the lottery, I would bought a car.
If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a car.

Discussion Topic Four:

Last week saw Barack Obama win the U.S, Election in a historic victory. Obama is the 27th lawyer to become presiedent of the United States. Why do you think so many lawyers go into politics? Do you think lawyers make good politicians? Why/Why not?


See also:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/03/election.trivia/index.html

Podcasts

As we discussed in the lessons this week, the best way to improve your listening skills is to practise a little, often. Make it easy on yourself - use films, songs and podcasts on subjects you find interesting and enjoyable. Below are some podcasts reccommended by the British Council. Try them out and write about what you think of them in your self study folder/notebook or blog.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory Levels: Pre Intermediate - Advanced
Ages: Teens/Adults
.

http://www.capitalradio.co.uk/on-air Levels: Pre Intermediate - Advanced
Ages: Teens/Adults


www.mtv.com Levels: Beginners - Advanced
Ages: Teens/Adults

Discussion Topic Three: Lord Denning

When reading about the Common Law and Judge Made Law, you will often see references to Lord Denning. Who was Lord Denning and why was he such an important and controversial figure in British Law?

Verb Structure Homework:

ERROR CORRECTION:
Did you find the 10 mistakes in the Berlin Wall text?

Here they are:

1. I couldn't help wondering
2. He wanted us to join in
3. and so would let us have the whole day off
4. We were keen to welcome the people
5. The border guards attempted to control the flow of cars
6. They didn't prevent people (from) climbing the wall
7. We all carried on dancing
8. and suggested that we knock chunks of the concrete off the wall
9. I remember waving to the East German guards
10. Only yesterday they would have been ordered to shoot us.

Films About Lawyers

A couple of weeks ago, in our discussion on language learning and film, I asked you if you could think of any interesting films about lawyers or the legal system. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Please add others to the list that you think other students would find interesting.

MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007) (DIRECTOR TONY GILROY)
An excellent thriller starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson & Tilda Swinton set in a top level New York law firm.


THE VERDICT (1982) (DIRECTOR SIDNEY LUMET)
A superb courtroom drama featuring the late Paul Newman in one of his best roles.


...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1979) (DIRECTOR NORMAN JEWISON)
Al Pacino plays a criminal lawyer whose ethics are tested during a rape trial.


If you are interested in film try these sites for the latests news, reviews and podcasts:
http://www.imdb.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film


Happy viewing & I look forward to reading your film suggestions!

Discussion Topic Two: Pronunciation & Phonetics

This week I'd like you to consider the importance of using phonetic symbols.
Do you use thes symbols to help you? Why/Why not?
How do you learn the correct pronunciation of new words?
What other aspects of your English language learning can these symbols help you with apart from pronunciation?

Verb Structure

Just as we have seen with collocation and tenses - verb structure is another aspect of English that differs from Italian and can lead to many errors if you translate.

Using a mono-lingual dictionary will help you to learn which structures are possible and which aren't. Pay particular attention to reporting verbs and verbs such as "suggest" and "agree" which students often make mistakes with.

Also start to notice how infinitive and -ing forms differ in the types of situations they describe.

Infinitives will often show the reason for an action (e.g. I went to the shop to buy some bread) or refers forward in time (e.g. Remember to call home tonight)
Gerunds will follow a preposition or act as a noun or refer back in time (e.g. I regret getting drunk last night)

An important thing to remember is the function of each word in a phrase - look at the difference in structure & meaning between used to and to be used to.

The past habit is - used (past tense verb) to do (infinitive)
but the current habit (the thing you are accustomed to) is - to be (verb) used (adjective) to (preposition) doing (gerund)


The other important aspect to look at is when verbs can be followed by both gerunds and infinitives but the meaning changes. In these cases you could make a mistake and not realise it!

Look at the pairs of sentences below and decide what the difference in meaning is:

1. I stopped buying a newspaper because I can't afford it.
2. I stopped to buy a newspaper on the way to work.
3. I regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful.
4. I regret not studying harder for the test last week.
5. After his introduction he went on to talk about the main disadvantages of the new law.
6. He went on talking about the new law for ages.
7. Remember to lock the door before you go out.
8. I remember locking the door before I went out.
9. Try to learn 8 new words for next week.
10. Try using a monolingual dictionary to help you with your vocabulary.

Discussion Topic One: Cinema & English Language Learning

Write a paragraph (approx 50 words) on how watching films in their original language can help you with your English. You should talk about
• How often you go to the cinema or watch DVDs
• Any films you have seen about the Law or lawyers
• Advantages and Disadvantages of using subtitles
• Particular accents that you find difficult to understand when watching a film
• How you can use films to improve your vocabulary and your listening skills

SELF STUDY REQUIREMENTS Luiss University Autumn Term 2008

Improving your self study and independent learning skills is an important part of your university training and an important part of your English course.

This Term your self study work is worth 25% of your final grade.

This can take the form of
• A blog
• A notebook
• A folder

Check your course outline for when you must submit your work for grading.

Your Self Study work should include:
• All your homework
• New vocabulary – including word lists, mind maps, example sentences & pronunciation
• Links to useful websites
• Extra activities for problem areas
• Articles from English magazines or websites that you find interesting
• Questions & comments about the course for your teacher or other students
• Your responses to the tasks set every week on
http://seansstudypage.blogspot.com

Italian Academic Year October 2008

Welcome to the sudents from the LUISS University and the British Council. I hope you find this blog useful. From time to time I will post articles, activities, explanations and links that I think you might find helpful. This is also a good way to stay in touch and practice your English. Start up your own blog and get writing!

Sean

General Feedback - Sheffield Group

FEEDBACK
SHEFFIELD GROUP SEPTEMBER 2008


SELF STUDY

· Can take any form (blog, notebook, folder)
· Need to show evidence of at least 3 hours work per day (60 hours for the course) above and beyond the homework set. Homework is for all the class – self study is for you!
· Show analysis of language problems and that the exercises you have chosen are an attempt to address these.
· Reflection of study patterns, class activities and resources used.
· Show an attempt to prepare for your Masters study – book lists, reading summaries, academic word lists.
· Recording & Revising Vocabulary (See Initiative – Learner Training)


PRESENTATIONS

General Impressions:
· Sometimes the presentations had a clearer structure than the accompanying essay – why?
· Poorly organised presentations tended to be the longest. – why?

Areas to watch:
· Reading from the computer monitor or the screen
· Body language, Eye contact, What to do with your hands.
· Referring to your slides when answering a question – you should know it – besides in a presentation you are TELLING the information
· Overviews that tell us nothing

Areas to work on:
· Collocation
· Chunking
· Consonant clusters
· Word endings – Grammar Problem? Pronunciation Problem? Or both?

Persistent Errors:
1. It will be existing for a long time.
2. The internet speed up the process.
3. How we can forbid the damage to the environment?
4. The impact on pharmaceutical field has been great.
5. The information technology has seen the greatest improvement.
6. That’s all I can talk about.
7. I end up my presentation
8. They have more choice to choose.
9. The using of traditional medicine.
10. Here are some examples about new developments/ This is an answer of the problem.

ESSAYS


· Essay structure

Good essays identified general effects that were relevant to their subject area in the first part of the essay then discussed them with specific reference to their subject area, supported with examples, in the second part.

Weak Essays tended to talk about Globalization in broad terms in the first part and their subject area in the second as if they were two separate essays.

· What do your quotations illustrate?
· Plagiarism
· Sentence Structure obscuring meaning
· Vague vocabulary – e.g. get

Thinking About Grammar - Tenses

Here are the notes from this month's grammar overview. I think you realise now that studying grammar rules may not be the best way of resolving persistent problems with structure. If you approach the subject differently maybe you can make the breakthrough which eluded you this month.

Good Luck.
SB

THE ENGLISH TENSE SYSTEM

· What are the main differences between the English tense system and your own language?
· What tenses do you have difficulty with?

In the English system there are 2 elements of meaning:

TIME

But be careful !
Your plane leaves at 10.00 tomorrow. (present tense referring to the future)
I wish I was taller. (past tense referring to the present)
I could come tomorrow if you like. (past tense referring to the future)


ASPECT
· SIMPLE - complete, finished, formal, permanent, emphasises amount
· CONTINUOUS – duration, in progress, temporary, surprise, irritation, informal
· PERFECT – completed before another time, action producing a result relevant to a later situation. Shows the relationship between different times.

Each of these aspects adds another layer of meaning to the verb.

Choosing the right tenses depends on many factors not a set of grammatical rules!!!

Consider
1. THE NATURE OF THE ACTION OR EVENT

I’ve been asking him to mend the TV for the last 6 weeks.

What extra information does the present perfect continuous tell you?
How would you translate it in your own language so that it contained all the same information?

2. HOW THE SPEAKER SEES THE EVENT

What is the different point of view expressed in the sentences below?

He always buys her flowers.
He’s always buying her flowers.

3. THE NATURE OF THE VERB

The house belonged to my father, now it belongs to me.

I’ve been waiting for you for ages and it’s raining!

Why have we used simple and continuous forms with these verbs?




EXERCISE 1 – SIMPLE & CONTINUOUS
What is the difference in meaning between the pairs or groups of sentences below?

Everyone’s very nice to me
Everyone’s being very nice to me

I’ll see Luis about it later.
I’ll be seeing Luis about it later.
The plane will be landing at Heathrow in 20 minutes.

What do you do?
What are you doing?

He fired the gun.
He was firing the gun when I saw him

I’ve checked my emails and there’s no reply.
I’ve been checking my emails, that’s why I’m late.

The train leaves in 5 minutes.
The train is leaving in 5 minutes!

EXERCISE 2 – PERFECT
What is the difference in meaning between the pairs or groups of sentences below?

They’ve been married for 30 years.
They were married for 30 years.

I come from Scotland.
I’ve come from Scotland.

When I’ve talked to him, I’ll tell you.
When I talk to him, I’ll tell him.

The arrangements will be finalized on Friday.
The arrangements will have been finalized by Friday.

Did you ever meet my grandfather?
Have you ever met my grandfather?

I wish I knew the way.
I wish I had known the way.

Thinking About Grammar

Here are the notes from the discussion I had with the York group on Monday. I think it is valid sometimes to consider grammar from a different perspective - to focus on context, choice and meaning and notice how structures are being used around you.
SB


WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT MODALS


1. CONTEXT

Think about the context first – that will help you decide what range of modals are available.
Horoscopes are good sources of modals. Highlight the modals below and think about their use.

“All along, there's been a role for you to play - a crucial task for you to carry out, a key connection that only you can make and uphold. But for some reason, you've been out of touch with a person who is able to help you find your niche. Today's New Moon somehow brings back the sense of involvement that you once had and allows you to see what ought to have been obvious. You've got friends who know how valuable you are - and who need something that only you can supply.”

© Jonathan Cainer 2006

2. USE

An auxiliary verb might have many uses not just as a modal. Look a the examples of “should” below – in only two sentences should is used as a modal (once to show probability and once to express an obligation/recommendation). What are the other uses?

(a) She should be home by now.
(b) You should talk to your father.
(c) If you should see David, tell him I need to see him.
(d) Should it rain, the game will be cancelled.
(e) The lawyers recommend that we should take no further action.
(f) I’m amazed that anyone should think like that.
(g) I should say so!
(h) How should I know?
(i) Why should I tell you?
(j) Then guess what? Who should I see but John himself!
(k) I should think so.

Which sentence(s)
(i) Shows surprise?
(ii) Shows irritation?
(iii) Is a set phrase meaning “As far as I know”?
(iv) Contains a subordinate clause?
(v) Is a conditional expressing weak probability?
(vi) Contains a modal expressing obligation or a strong recommendation?
(vii) Contains a modal that expresses probability from a more personal perspective?
(viii) Is a set phrase showing strong agreement?








3. CHOICE

Even within the same use, different modals convey different ideas and attitudes. It often depends on who is talking. When talking about obligation, for example, it is wrong to always use “must” as must also contains information about who holds authority in a particular situation.

Consider the examples below. Think about their difference in meaning – the questions will help you.

(a) We must have a party to celebrate.
(b) We should have a party to celebrate.

(Both are suggestions, but which speaker is more certain that the party will actually take place?)

(a)You must wipe your feet before entering the house!
(b) You have to wipe your feet before entering the house, don’t you?

(Who has authority here? Who is making the rule - The person saying it or someone else?)

(a) You have studied grammar for 6 years so you must know the rules by now.
(b) You should know the rules by now, but if you don’t, get studying!
(c) You have to know the rules to pass the exam.

(Which sentence expresses an assumption, a necessity which one gives advice?)

Special Uses of Must:

Where would you read/hear these sentences? What does that tell you about some of the uses of must?

· CLOSING DOWN! EVERYTHING MUST GO!
· PASSENGERS MUST NOT CROSS THE RAILWAY LINES. USE THE UNDERPASS
· CANDIDATES MUST BE AT THEIR ROOM AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE EXAM BEGINS
· You must come and have dinner with us this week.


Some Other Situations:

(a) I must buy a new dictionary.
(b) I have to take 2 pills, 3 times a day.
(Which modal is used to express a habitual action?)


(a) Something should be done to stop rising crime!
(b) Something must be done to stop rising crime!
(Which speaker feels more strongly about this issue?)

(a) People caught shoplifting have to be prosecuted.
(b) People caught shoplifting must be prosecuted.
(Which speaker is merely commenting on the obligation and which speaker approves of it?)

4. THE SPECIAL CASE OF “CAN” AND POSSIBILITY

Many of you were surprised to find that we use could/might/may to express the possibility of a particular action but not can. Can can, however, express the general possibility of something (e.g. the circumstances of the situation permit it) or occasional possibility (e.g. sometimes it is possible).

What is the difference in meaning in these two sentences:

This beach might be dangerous, I’ve never been here before.
This beach can be dangerous, so swim between the flags.

Look at the sentences below, which uses of can are correct?

· It can be the postman at the door.
· You can ski on the hills, there is enough snow.
· He can be very unreasonable at times.
· He can be at home by now.
· Can you get to the Trevi Fountain from here?

SELF STUDY ASSESSMENT MONDAY

Monday (8th September) is your last opportunity to submit your self study blogs and portfolios for assessment. This is worth 15% of your final grade and is considered to be an important element of your course.

While looking at your blogs during tutorials today I noticed that many of you are just using your blogs for saving articles you have read or recording grammar and listening exercises. While this is helpful and valid, what you also need to do is use this medium to reflect on your learning and language development and, based on that reflection, reassess your aims for the future.

If you are not sure where to begin, take some time out this weekend to write some paragraphs (100 words each) on the following topics:

1. What have you learnt this week - about yourself, about your academic skills, your approach to your studies, English in general, the culture and attitudes of the environment in which you are studying. Have any of your prejudices, habits or perceptions been challenged by these new experiences?

2. What are your objectives for next week - taking into account of the assessments you have to pass? How do you intend to do this?

3. What are your long term goals and objectives academically? What areas do you still need to develop to ensure success on your Masters course.

4. On a practical level - discus which websites, books or classroom activities you have found helpful in your development this month.

5. Finally I'd like you to consider how you like to learn and whether this has changed over the last month.

I'm looking forward to reading your responses and discussing them with you on Monday.

Sean

CRUNCH TIME!

It's crunch time and I'm not talking about the credit crunch (though I seem to be the only person in the U.K. not talking about it).

The next few days are crucial if you want to pass this course.

You should have finished your 2nd and 3rd drafts by now so that you can bring your essay into class tomorrow. If you do this then we can try to solve any problems together before the deadline on Friday. As I said today, do not count on having the self study session on Friday to finish your essay. On Friday we will start working on presentations (which you must give on Tuesday) and bring all your self study work on your blogs up to date. Remember these blogs are about reflecting on your progress and making plans for your future study - a list of websites is not sufficient! On Monday you must submit all your self study work for the month and it is worth 15% of your final grade - which could mean the difference between a pass and a fail.


The Exam is on Wednesday so start revising now. To recap, there will be 3 sections:
Grammar (50%) Modals, Tenses, Verb Patterns, Discourse Markers & Word Families
Writing (25%) A summarising task
Listening (25%) A note taking task

The exams are being written at the moment and reflect all the work you have been doing in class this month. We will confirm the precise timing of the exam once all the questions and tasks have been finalised.

You are nearly there! Heads down! Noses to the grindestone and shoulders to the wheel for the next few days!

SB

Self Study Session Friday 29th August

Tomorrow's tutorial/self study session offers you a further opportunity to research your essay. Now that you have prepared your first draft, your thesis statement and essay structure should be clear and so now you can concentrate on finding the references that support your argument. While you are researching though, you need to be continually assessing the appropriateness, reliability and validity of the sources you are using. You should also be putting into practice your summarizing, paraphrasing and referencing skills in order to avoid plagiarism.

If you are still in doubt about how to use the internet as an effective research tool, take a look at the website below. The "Internet Detective" offers a tutorial on some of the issues above.


http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/brief.html

Tuesday 26th August

Check out the link below from the Guardian Website. Today's editorial discusses many of the issues related to Free Trade that are relevant to the essay topic. You may even want to use this piece by George Monbiot in your essay but remember to consider the relevance and appropriateness of the source and any possible bias before you do.

As well as reading the article for content, also look at the structure. What is the topic sentence of each paragraph? How have the paragraphs been organised? Put your noticing skills to work - this kind of exercise will help you when you come to write your plan and first draft.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/26/food.eu

Sean

Reflections On Today's Presentations

Although you might feel that this morning was a bit of a disaster - it was actually a really useful exercise. Furthermore we have still got time before your assessed presentation to work on and improve these skills.

Over the weekend think about these 3 areas:

Presentation Skills (body language, using visuals, preparing visuals, sign posting, organising)

Note taking skills (summarising, writing clear concise notes, not writing too much)

Language Skills (e.g. Pronunciation: fluency, chunking, strong form weak forms, Grammar & Vocab areas: countable/uncountable nouns, noun forms, auxiliary verbs, articles - especially the zero article - verb & preposition collocations)

Which of these areas do you need to work on?

SB

Work Record for York & Sheffield Groups

YORK

Monday - A discussion on possible problem language areas

Tuesday - Grammar Overview - Concepts of time & Aspect

Wednesday - Tentative Language Introduction, Globalization Reading

Thursday - Modals of certainty & uncertainty - Homework read notes on paragraph construction & introducing arguments - do the exercises if you feel you need to.


SHEFFIELD:

Monday - Overview of month's assessments, Analysing Essay Questions

Tuesday - Brainstorming ideas on Globalization

Wednesday - Assessing sources

Thursday - Listening - Globalization Debate. Group Note taking using the reccommended texts (Workbook pp. 52 - 64)


Friday - Each group must present a OHP chart summarising the relevant information from the essay they had to read. All presentations should last for 4 - 5 minutes with each student speaking for one minute.


This week we touched on many issues related to the way Web 2.0 technology is changing our culture and perspective on the world. If you are interested in this topic have a look at what media commentator, Andrew Keen has to say on his site -

http://www.cultoftheamateur.com/

London Met - Month 3 - Week 1

Hi Everyone!

Here is a place and cyberspace where you can ask questions, exchange ideas and practise your English.

The first week of the final month is nearly over and there is a lot of information to get out to you!

SELF STUDY:

Remember you should be working on problem areas each afternoon (as well as doing your homework and researching your essay). If you don't know where to begin take a look at these links below:


SUBJECT AREA

Listening



A lot of lectures at: http://www.personal.rdg.ac.uk/~wcl8/sacll/lectures.php. Maybe you could use them for note taking practice.

Some excellent lectures (but difficult) at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith/


EASE CD-ROM: UNIT 5: Significance and attitude: “Note-taking”, “Vocabulary” and “Conclusion”.

Have a listen to as a lecture at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb062/Unit3/li_spinal/page_01.htm. This site gives you a lot of exercises and a long 23-minute lecture.

Listen to more lectures and do some good exercises at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap/04/du4s50404.htm



Exercises on note taking while listening at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap/03/cdu2s30103.htm

Intensive listening at: http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/english/trailers/trailersindex.htm


Some excellent lectures (but difficult) at: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=1110

TV programmes and exercises at: http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html




Reading



Academic Encounters: Unit 8: pp180-187: Friendship.

Readings with exercises at: http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/tests/tsindex.htm

Readings with exercises at: http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/tests/pt1index.htm


Study Skills


An interesting website of different ways of learning at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb064/studyskills/01/xs70305.htm

Identifying study skills at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap/06/identifying_the_study_skills_you_need.htm


Writing

A lot of academic writing exercises at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/myskills/skills/writing/default.asp. Includes introductions, conclusions, style, note taking and more.

Learn about “Reporting: paraphrase, summary and synthesis” at http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm

What is good academic writing? This is a discussion on what makes good writing. http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb062/Unit4/wr_or_02_x/page_02.htm

Information and tasks related to referencing at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/myskills/skills/referencing/referencingSkills.asp

Tutorials and exercises on paragraphing at:
http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/english/paragraph/index.html

This is a discussion on what people find difficult when they write. http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb062/Unit4/wr_or_03_x/page_02.htm

Nine or ten good exercises on using information in your writing at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm

A good exercise on structuring your essay: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/4ai.html

Organising paragraphs at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm. There are a lot of exercises here, some of which are difficult.

A lot of exercises on writing paragraphs at: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/llc/academic-writing/

An exercise on understanding the question at: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eap/functionsexplanation.htm

More exercises on understanding the question: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/2b_q1.html

An interactive exercise on structuring an essay:
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/effective/2ai_q1.html

A site on structuring your essay:
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/4biii.html

Example Essays


An essay outlining both sides of an argument:
http://users.dragnet.com.au/~dalythom/argueweb/bothsds.htm

An essay on tourism: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/llc/academic-writing/sample-essay.html

A clear example of an essay:
http://users.dragnet.com.au/~dalythom/argueweb/modelmp.htm

A site with a number of marked essays: http://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/essay/sample.html


Presentations


Listen to a presentation at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/materialsbank.aspx?resourceid=2722

A good presentation at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/courses/eap/links/learning_resources.htm. (You’ll have to scroll half way down the page fro the speaking videos.

Pronunciation


Practice individual phonemes at: http://www.shiporsheep.com/

Do an exercise on word-stress for business vocabulary at: http://www.uefap.com/speaking/multi/stress.htm


Vocabulary

Using concordances to improve your vocabulary at: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap/07/zs10208.htm

Vocabulary for tables and diagrams at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm. (You’ll need to scroll down the page to find the exercises – there are about 7 or 8)

An exercise on discourse markers at: http://writingworkshop.edtec.unsw.edu.au/activities/trans2.html

A fantastic site that allows you to copy and paste an essay into a ‘gap maker’. The gap maker will then take all the ‘academic’ vocabulary out and give you an exercise:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/index.htm

Read vocabulary specific to your subject at: http://www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm

Grammar

A LOT of tests at: http://www.vnn.vn/vnn4/test/

Shows how to produce noun phrases: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap/05/vs70402.htm

Improve your tenses at: http://www.english-4u.de/grammar_exercises.htm

A lot of grammar exercises and tests at: http://www.world-english.org/

More grammar exercises at: http://aliso.cnice.mecd.es/~jchamero/home.htm

A lot of grammar and punctuation exercises at: http://www.smic.be/smic5022/Onlineexercises.htm

A very big website with grammar quizzes, punctuation and vocabulary at: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm

A LOT of good descriptions of grammar points (no exercises) http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/


Referencing and Plagiarism

Read more important information about avoiding plagiarism at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm

A very eay-to-understand site on referencing at: http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/lskills/open/sfl/content/harvard/citing/index.html

A pdf about referencing at: http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/students/publications/referencing.pdf

Research


Learn about qualitative and quantitative research at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nursing/sonet/rlos/ebp/qvq/index.html


Month 3 Project - Globalization Essay:

You will find a list of links in your English Course workbook but also have a look at what's available from the Global Policy Forum (www.globalpolicy.org ) and Harvard Working Papers (www.hbswk.hbs.edu )

Essay introductions and outlines are due next Friday (29th August) so you need to get cracking on your research this weekend.

FREE TIME

It's a Bank Holiday weekend so get out there and explore London.

Have you been to....

Greenwich (you could take the River Taxi http://www.london-taxi.co.uk/guides/london/entertainment/river-cruises.htm) ?

Spitalfields Markets http://www.spitalfields.co.uk/markets.php ?

The Prince Charles Cinema http://www.princecharlescinema.com/ ?