Erratum: There was a typo in tonight's notes - the name of the case is Carlill not Carhill
Homework
Go to the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting at http://www.iclr.co.uk and choose a case. Print off the summary and bring it with you to class next week. This case will be the material for your writing and speaking assessment.
BEC Vantage Writing Task - short email. Criteria, analysis and practice, p. 45
Unit 8 - Advertising - introduction - vocabulary and discussion pp. 62 - 63
Vocabulary
giving/leading a seminar/workshop
Homework
Find a TV commercial that you particularly like or find memorable. Post a link to it in the comments section below (you will probably need to log on to Google to do this) and tell us why you like this ad. Did the ad make you buy the product or think more favourably about the company it was advertising?
A recent favourite of mine is "Piggy Sue" from Vodafone New Zealand. As an animal lover I couldn't resist it. I was already a Vodafone customer in New Zealand (though not in Italy - but that could change soon when I free myself from the contractual obligations of an odious competitor) before seeing the ad but I felt that the commercial enhanced the company's image by showing how Vodafone was keeping people connected especially in isolated rural areas.
The ad campaign was so successful that it produced another commercial especially for the Christmas holidays.
English Grammar Today provides the following breakdown for the difference between suit and fit :
If something fits you or fits into a place, it is the right size or shape for you or for that place:
These fit perfectly. And I like the colour. I think I’ll buy them. (trying on shoes in a shoe shop)
I’ve put on weight and my trousers don’t fit me anymore!
Will this table fit into the space between the bookshelf and the wall?
If something suits someone or something, it is right for that person or thing or situation, or it makes that person or thing look more attractive.
Wednesday at ten o’clock for the meeting suits me perfectly. That sofa suits the room really well – the colours match the walls. Black doesn’t suit me; I look better in lighter colours.
Warning:
We don’t use fit when we mean that something is right for a person or thing or situation:
This restaurant suits people who like simple food.
Not: This restaurant fits people …
However: If you add a preposition into the mix, the distinction is not so clear: fit with something
to harmonize with something; to go well with something.
Do you think that your behavior fits with the occasion? This coat doesn't fit with these slacks. fit (somebody/something) in with somebody/something
to belong with something
We must fit new buildings in with the styles and scale of buildings that have been here for two hundred years. She will fit in well with those high-powered environmental lawyers. fit in with
to modify your plans to be compatible with someone else's (especially schedules and timetables)
Don't worry about us, we'll just fit in with you. (A house gusts to their host) Let's meet on Tuesday if that fits in with you. Also when used as a noun, fit can have the wider meaning of "suitability". The new position was a good fit for his skill set. There is also the expression in statistics goodness of fit which refers to the extent to which observed sample values of a variable approximate to values derived from a theoretical density, often measured by a chi-square test
The title track to Patti Smith's 1978 album mixes references to the French poet Arthur Rimbaud with imagery of the crucifixion.
Ester Sunday we were walking
Easter Sunday we were talking
Isabelle, my little one
Take my hand time has come
[Chorus:]
Isabella, all is glowing
Isabella, all is knowing
And my heart, Isabella
And my head, Isabella
[Verse 2:]
Frederic and Vitalie
Savior dwells inside of thee
Oh, the path leads to the sun
Brother sister time has come
[Chorus:]
Isabella, all is glowing
Isabella, all is knowing
Isabella, we are dying
Isabella, we are rising
[Verse 3:]
I am the spring the holy ground
I am the seed of mystery
The thorn the veil the face of grace
The brazen image the thief of sleep
The ambassador of dreams
The prince of peace
I am the sword the wound the stain
Scorned transfigured child of Cain
I rend I end I return again
I am the salt the bitter laugh
I am the gas in a womb of light
The evening star the ball of sight
That bleeds that sheds the tears of Christ
Dying and drying as I rise tonight
Idioms - their use depends on cultural, regional and social factors and sometimes the power relations between the speakers. Reading: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/22/language-idiom-red-herrings-skeletons. Some of the idioms discussed include: a red herring(a misleading clue), skeletons in the closet (a shameful secret), taking the mick(ey out of someone) (to mock/make fun of), Bob's your uncle(a simple way of achieving a successful result). Some idioms can date quickly e.g. martini yodel (a 1950's expression that means getting so drunk that you end up vomiting).
Writing Style - participle clauses, register, target reader (adapted from CPE Gold pp. 46 - 47)
Notes
Participle clauses
These can be:
Present (showing) to describe events happening at the same time or in rapid succession.
Past (shown) to describe a condition
Perfect (having shown) to show events separated by a longer time gap or to show cause or reason
Passive (being shown, having been shown)
Homework
Inversion, hardly/no sooner. (p. 48)
There is no lesson next week. See you all again on 7th April.
In the meantime...
Going Further
Why not see a film in English?
Hail Caesar and Brooklyn are currently screening at Nuovo Olimpia.
Watch The Big Short as recommended by Annalaura and then fact check the statistics it quotes with the More or Less podcast. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03kpvk2
If you haven't yet seen Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures (which was discussed in the lesson on participles), I would thoroughly recommend you catch up with it on DVD.
"One reason some people are confused about "bring" and "take" is that there are many exceptions to the basic rules. For example, idioms such as "bring someone down a peg" and "take a bath" and phrasal verbs such as "bring up," "bring about," "take down," and "take after" don't comply with the rule that "bring" means to cause something to come to the speaker and "take" means to cause something to go away from the speaker." - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/bring-versus-take?page=1#sthash.2t7EtX9N.dpuf
* rort = an Australasian word for a fraudulent or dishonest practice.
* a gravy train = a very easy job that gives you lots of money or benefits.
Vocabulary
Compare: last night (yesterday) and the other night (a few nights ago).
There is no lesson next week. Happy Easter and see you all again on Wednesday 6th April.
The line of traffic comes to a stand still For the love King, out in the morning air I find a place I started from The wild is calling, this time I follow Easter parade
In the bureau typewriter's quiet Confetti falls from every window Throwing hats up in the air A city perfect in every detail
Easter parade
I know you, birthday cards and silent music Paperbacks and Sunday clothes
In hallways and railway stations Radio across the morning air A crowd of people everywhere And then the people, all running forward
Following last year’s ground-breaking campaign, BFI Flare (London's annual LGBT Film Festival) has teamed up with British Council again to host #FiveFilms4Freedom.
Analyse the language - These are articles by Italian writers in English, would a native speaker have made different lexical and structural choices? Is there room for improvement?
The aim of ItalyEurope24 is to "illustrate (Italy) as it really is," do you think that the article achieves that goal?
In this week's programme, after concerns voiced by pilots about drones potentially crashing into planes, how effective is the law at dealing with this new technology? You will also hear from two senior Judges about the digital revolution taking place in U.K. court rooms. But is the new system working or will it be another costly public sector digital disaster?
Class Countability
Countability is an essential characteristic of English nouns (like gender for French, Spanish or Italian nouns) and must be learned. Making a mistake with a noun's countability can lead to a whole series of errors including verb agreement, articles and quantifiers. Adding to this difficulty is the fact that countability does not necessary mean that the noun can be "counted". Money can be counted but the word itself is uncountable.
Many nouns can be both countable and uncountable with a change in meaning, e.g.: Email - uncountable - the technology Emails - countable - the messages Communication - uncountable - the process Communications - countable - messages Experience - the knowledge and skills acquired Experiences - important or influential events and situations Contact - the act of communicating Contacts - people you know Paper - the material Papers - documents or newspapers
Many uncountable nouns can be made countable by adding a piece of.
E.g. A piece of toast, a piece of fruit, a piece of paper, a piece of information, a piece of advice.
Some uncountable nouns can appear with a definite article in a fixed phrase, e.g. a good knowledge of English.
Research and advice are two uncountable nouns which students often make mistakes with. This may be due to confusion with the pronunciation of verb forms (John researches at the university and advises the government on climate change) or other noun forms that can be countable and plural e.g. researchers, advisers.
Exercise
How countable is tested - extra word exercise (BEC Vantage Reading Part 5) p.42
How countable is tested - extra word exercise (BEC Vantage Reading Part 5) p.42
Countable/uncountable/proper nouns (workbook p. 25)
Notes
a few + countable plural noun, a little + uncountable noun = positive - a small number/amount but enough while few and little on their own are negative.
There was a little money left, so we were able to buy some wine.
We got to the party late but there were still a few people left and we had a good time.
We had little money left and were really starting to worry.
The Union Rep was fed up because few people attended the meeting.
A number of + plural noun emphasises how many so is followed by a plural verb.
The number of + plural noun emphasises a single figure/amount/statistic so is followed by a singular verb.
The aim of ItalyEurope24 is to "illustrate (Italy) as it really is," do you think that these articles achieve that goal?
(2) Tenses - Relating the past to the present, state verbs (perception, mental states & feelings, relationships and states of being) and event/dynamic verbs (momentary acts, activities, processes).
When state verbs are used in the continuous form to emphasise the temporary nature of the situation or with a change of meaning.
Compare:
He's very helpful.
He's being very helpful.
He appears to be quite cold.
He's appearing in a play.
They have a house in the country.
They're having a party on Saturday.
Can you see the mountains from here?
Karen is seeing quite a lot of Geoff at the moment.
Fade Into You (1994) Fade Into You (The Avener Rework) (2015)
Performed by Mazzy Star
Written by Hope Sandoval (lyrics) and David Roback (music)
Fade Into You was the biggest hit from U.S. alternative band Mazzy Star, whose genre of music has been described as shoegaze and dream pop. The song was remixed and released last year by French deep house and electro music producer The Avener.
[Verse 1] I want to hold the hand inside you I want to take a breath that's true I look to you and I see nothing I look to you to see the truth You live your life, you go in shadows You'll come apart and you'll go black Some kind of night into your darkness Colors your eyes with what's not there [Chorus] Fade into you Strange you never knew Fade into you I think it's strange you never knew [Verse 2] A stranger's light comes on slowly A stranger's heart without a home You put your hands into your head And then its smiles cover your heart [Chorus] Fade into you Strange you never knew Fade into you I think it's strange you never knew Fade into you Strange you never knew Fade into you I think it's strange you never knew
Analyse the language - These are articles by Italian writers in English, would a native speaker have made different lexical and structural choices? Is there room for improvement?
The aim of ItalyEurope24 is to "illustrate (Italy) as it really is," do you think that the article achieves that goal?
Homework
Record yourself reading the Bond paragraph. How did you pronounce the 'ed' endings? /t/ /d/ or /Id/?
Compare your recording with the one I made at Soundcloud.
(1) London Has Fallen review by Mark Kermode from the Wittertainment Podcast BBC Radio 5 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lvdrj Key Vocabulary rant meat headed shriek inducingly cheap pretty dull utterly rubbish from beginning to end utter tripe * Shut Up Buttwad is their joke name for the actor Gerard Butler * effing and jeffing is a variation of the term effing and blinding which means swearing.
(2) Listening, Note Taking and Report Writing Swedish Refugees and the problems with statistics - from the programme More Or Less http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03gzh7x Vocabulary for statistics
Hail Caesar! The new comedy from the Coen Brothers is showing in Rome this week in English. Go to http://www.mymovies.it/cinema/roma/4910/ for cinema details and screening times.
Class
Pronunciation workshop ed endings and ea spelling
Vowels sounds, voiced and unvoiced consonants
Introduction to negotiation skills
Vocabulary
tion and sion nouns
Merger clause
A merger clause (a.k.a. integration clause) prevents a party from claiming the contract does not reflect the complete understanding of the parties after the contract was formed. Parties often attempt to do this by relying on pre-contract negotiations or oral agreements after the contract is formed. The merger clause ensures that the written contract is the complete agreement between the parties. A typical merger clause will say, "This agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties." - See more at: http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/merger-clause-lawyers.html#sthash.u7D5Ieok.dpuf Homework
Phrasal verbs: find synonyms for the phrasal verbs in the reading: find out, give up, turn down, fit in, set up, bring up, come back, give yourself away, watch out, point something out, go on, shut up, stand up.
Read through the article again and note any new fixed phrases, expressions, phrasal verbs or collocations. For example, what do the following mean?
To come into use
In-trays, out-trays
To tend to do something/the tendancy to do something
To take up time/space
To let out frustration/anger
It goes without saying
Not such a bad idea/thing
Going further
Listening can really help you with every aspect of your language development, including your speaking. Try listening to podcast such as More or Lesshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrss1/episodes/downloads or something from the wide range of podcasts available to download from the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts . Even if you don't understand everything, regular listening will enable you to pick up more vocabulary and notice how grammatical structures work.
Countability is an essential characteristic of English nouns (like gender for French, Spanish or Italian nouns) and must be learned. Making a mistake with a noun's countability can lead to a whole series of errors including verb agreement, articles and quantifiers. Adding to this difficulty is the fact that countability does not necessary mean that the noun can be "counted". Money can be counted but the word itself is uncountable.
Many nouns can be both countable and uncountable with a change in meaning, e.g.:
Email - uncountable - the technology
Emails - countable - the messages
Communication - uncountable - the process
Communications - countable - messages
Experience - the knowledge and skills acquired
Experiences - important or influential events and situations
Contact - the act of communicating
Contacts - people you know
Paper - the material
Papers - documents or newspapers
Many uncountable nouns can be made countable by adding a piece of.
E.g. A piece of toast, a piece of fruit, a piece of paper, a piece of information, a piece of advice.
Some uncountable nouns can appear with a definite article in a fixed phrase, e.g. a good knowledge of English.
Research and advice are two uncountable nouns which students often make mistakes with. This may be due to confusion with the pronunciation of verb forms (John researches at the university and advises the Government on climate change) or other noun forms that can be countable and plural e.g. researchers, advisers.
Casimir Pulaski Day appears on Sufjan Steven's 2005 disc, Illinois, a concept album which references places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Illinois. Casimir Pulaski Day is a local holiday officially observed in Chicago on the first Monday of every March in memory of Casimir Pulaski, a cavalry officer. Born in Poland, Pulaski is remembered for his contributions to the U.S. military in the American Revolution and was known as "the father of the American cavalry". In the song, Stevens links the holiday to the loss of his girlfriend from cancer, an event which challenges his belief in God.
Goldenrod and the 4H stone
The things I brought you when I found out
You had cancer of the bone
Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry
In the morning, through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading
All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth
Tuesday night at the Bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens
I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse
In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared
All the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you
Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of your mother
On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom
In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window
In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March, on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing
All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes
Cleft (divided) sentences in formal writing - like contrastive stress in speaking it often implies a contrast with a previous statement
Intensifiers: So + adjective, so + adjective + a + noun, such + noun
Notes & Examples
So & Such
It's so hot! I can't stand it.
It took such a big effort to get out of bed this morning. (both of these are colloquial and emphatic uses - in some cases using very may be more appropriate)
It's so cold that my ears are numb. (followed by a that clause to give a result)
It was so difficult a journey that they feared they would not achieve their goal. (for formal contexts)
So hot was the day that no one could work. (inversion for formal, dramatic contexts)
So far did he travel that he had enough air miles for two round trips to London. (when the main verb is not be and there is no auxiliary verb, do is added)
Cleft Sentences
1. It + be to emphasise a subject, object or adverbial
It was Bonnie who saw Clyde.
It was on Thursday that the meeting took place.
It must have been Bonnie who saw him.
(If there is a modal in the sentence it goes before the verb be)
2. What..../All... + be to emphasise any part of the sentence including the verb.
Going to the theatre was what I particularly enjoyed about living in London.
What has happened is that many voters have become disillusioned with the process.
All I wanted was a glass of wine and a curry.
What we're doing is asking our customers for input.
3. Cleft sentences with relative clauses.
Use of general words e.g. person, time, place followed by a relative clause.
The person who is doing the best job is Travis.
The reason why she went to Singapore was to get away from him.
Class Vocabulary for competitions - a lexical set
to build up a head of steam = to develop power
to peak too soon
to gain/get (the) traction
an upset
a solid choice
a safe bet
to sneak in/past/through
to root for
a tight race
a victory lap
a photo finish
Podcasts are a great source of listening practice as they are largely unscripted and conversational in style. As well as being a great source for vocabulary - especially, fixed expressions, idioms and phrasal verbs, podcast also give you the opportunity to practice useful skills - such as listening for a speaker's opinion or attitude - that are tested in exams. The BBC has a wealth of material available here http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts which you can either listen to on line or download for free.
Take out insurance/travel insurance/an insurance policy
Cosmonaut
Researcher
Environmentalist
Conservationist
Pronunciation
Although
Equipment
Corrections
Did you went sightseeing? X
Did you go sightseeing?
When he born? X
When was he born?
He born in 1957. X
He was born in 1957.
Going further
Listen to Calypso John Denver's tribute to Jacques Cousteau.
To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean To ride on the crest of the wild raging storm To work in the service of life and the living In search of the answers to questions unknown To be part of the movement and part of the growing Part of beginning to understand Aye*, Calypso, the place's you've been to The things that you've shown us, the stories you tell Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit The men who have served you so long and so well Like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you To light up the darkness and show us the way For though we are strangers in your silent world To live on the land we must learn from the sea To be true as the tide and free as a wind swell Joyful and loving in letting it be Aye, Calypso, the place's you've been to The things that you've shown us, the stories you tell Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit The men who have served you so long and so well Aye, Calypso, the place's you've been to The things that you've shown us, the stories you tell Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit The men who have served you so long and so well *Aye - from the expression "Aye Aye Captain" to show compliance with orders.
Vocabulary to sail close to the wind = to do something that may be illegal to think something through to take someone to court to land in court substantial damages (to be in) hot water = to be in trouble to hold fire = to wait to let slip = to give away some confidential information by mistake
Corrections If I don't say wrong If I'm not wrong It's very stressing it's very stressful Or...or Either ... or I'd like to summing up by saying... I'd like to sum up by saying... I'm at the end of my presentation That brings me to the end of my presentation The parts to the action The parties to the action Homework
Look at the 4 ethical dilemmas on the photocopy Sailing close to the wind. What are the ethical issues involved? What are the legal issues involved? What would you advise the parties to do?
(Answers to last week's homework, p. 39, question 8)
The exercise was testing collocation (confidential information, waste time/money), fixed phrases (check something for errors), phrasal verbs (set up a meeting, pass on information) and word complementation (to deal with, to communicate with).
Series 2: Lesson 1 Class Listening, Note Taking and Report Writing Swedish Refugees and the problems with statistics - from the programme More Or Less http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03gzh7x
I am a freelance teacher based at the British Council in Rome. This is a Blog for my students, not only to keep up with what we are doing in class but also to ask questions, share ideas and practise English.
