ANIA C2 Group 6 Lesson 17

Class

Discussion: owning a cat

Lexical set

Paw, pawing, kneading, purr, meow, opposable thumbs, kibble (U.S.)/cat biscuits (U.K.)
Breeds - e.g. Maine Coon, Saimese, Russian Blue
Spayed/neutered/steralised
Description - long/short hair, ginger, tabby, tortoise shell, calico

Reading

http://www.care2.com/causes/10-signs-your-kitty-actually-loves-you.html

Going further

Films about cats

A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)

Kedi (2016)


Inside Llewyn Davis  (2013)

ANIA C1 Group 5 Lesson 17

Class

Sentence transformation strategy

(Paper 1, Part 4)

Structures tested

To have difficulty in doing something

To be on the point of doing something

To come as a disappointment/shock/surprise

To feel the effects of something

To insist on something/doing something

Past perfect + By the time + past simple

Homework

Read the guidelines for answering paper one - reading and use of English. 

ANIA C1 Group 2 Lesson 16

Class

Business & Economics Unit 11, Language Leader Advanced p. 113

Reading "Business/Economic Bites"

Vocabulary

retail outlets, turnover, counterfeit/fake goods, inflation, subsidiary.

Homework

Finish question 5, p. 113.

Discussion - How to translate "tirare i remi in barca"
There is not an equivalent expression in English as this discussion from the Word Reference Forum illustrates:

Question:
"When someone for whatever reason (age, physical condition etc ) is required to give up an activity which they love doing (sport, travel etc) in Italian we say "put the oars in the boat". How do you say that in English ? Thanks for your help."

Best Answer:
"Well I have slept on this and I still could not think of an exact equivalent. Due to age if we stop playing sport or retire from work we say "I will hang up my boots". Joan explains this is the same as 'Appendere le scarpe al chiodo'.

Of the previous suggestions : When we avoid arguments and let others take decisions we use "to go with the flow". If we sit back on work already done we "rest on our laurels". In terms of work we could also use "to take the foot off the gas" or "ease off" or "take the pressure off" but none of these equal Tirare i remi in barca as they do not indicate you are stopping.

Adding to Underhouse's comment I can give up sport or work and back down from the responsibility of helping. I would step down from a job or role to allow someone else to do it. The only other phrases I can think of are "to take a rest" or "take it easy". 

However here is the best I can come up with .... Tirare i remi in barca = to give it a rest. I want to play football but my wife has told me to give it a rest now. I want to continue to travel but my body tells me to give it a rest for good. You can even argue with your wife and she will tell you to give it a rest !"

D'Amico Shipping B2 Lesson 23

Class

Presentaion - Giovanni

Peer feedback - Maria Grazia & Andrea

Tutorial - Loredana

Vocabulary skills

Accountability versus reliability
Also see the discussion here: http://wikidiff.com/accountable/reliable

Lexical set: slap, smack, backhand (all nouns and verbs, backhand can also be used as an adjective and an adverb).

Homework
Memorandum of Association - now that you have highlighted the various modals, what do they mean? Look especially closely at the use of will. 

ANIA B2 Group 8 Lesson 15

Class

Speaking skills - discussion

Road safety campaigns

Distracted driving

Vocabulary

Agreement

Produce (verb), product (noun)

Intersection

Checkpoint

Reduce by half

Advertising agency

Slogan

Competition

Corrections

Verb strucure:

Ask to someone. Ask someone.

Countable/Uncountable nouns

We spent many money. We spent a lot of money.

Homework

Subscribe to the 6Minute Grammar Podcast from the BBC and listen to the 16th May episode on "used to". http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0532x49

D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 23

Class

Presentation - Giuseppe

Defining Relative Clauses

Recap

Non Defining Relative Clauses

New Language Leader p. 61, questions 6 & 7, p. 137 G2

Notes - whose

We use whose when the relative pronoun needs to show possession, e.g. 

Albert Einstein, whose theory of relativity is the most famous formula of all time, went to this university.

= Albert Einstein's theory

Vocabulary - punctuation marks

, comma

- hyphen

( ) brackets

Homework

Subscribe to the 6 Minute Grammar Podcast from the BBC and listen to the episode from 2nd May about defining relative clauses.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p051qb9s

ANIA C2 Group 6 Lesson 16

Class

Exam Skills - sentence transformation

(Source: Proficiency Test Builder 4th ed.Test 3, Paper 1, Part 4)

Key structures and vocabulary from the exercise:

To go smoothly

Expose yourself to something (e.g. a risk)

To be deluged with something pronunciation /deljuːdʒ/

In response to

To take note of

To conduct yourself in a certain way = behave in a certain way

To conform to (acceptable standards)

Discussion and Reading

The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.

Source: The Economist http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21721656-data-economy-demands-new-approach-antitrust-rules-worlds-most-valuable-resource

Homework

Read the article again and note the use of metaphor:

gouging consumers

data distilleries

blindsided by a startup

protective moats

shoot out acquisitions

ANIA C1 Group 5 Lesson 16

Class

Exam skills - listening part 4 - multiple matching

Source: Practice Test Plus 2, Test 1.

Key vocabulary from exam audio:

Phrasal verbs

Sitting about

Packed into

To look up to someone

To make up for (something else)

To get someone down

To put up with something

To drift into something (a job)

To put something right

Idioms & fixed expressions

Couldn't care less

Always in a rush

Having to do everything by yesterday

Better off (financially)

Grumpy boss

Breathing down your neck

Much to my colleagues' disgust

I.T. skills

A good career move  

A win - win situation

At a stretch (= at one time (continuously) plus other meanings - click on the link) 

To see the funny side (of a situation)

Light relief

To be on your toes (= alert, ready see definition 16 on the link)

Nothing to write home about (= average, mediocre)

Discorse markers & functional language (e.g. ranking and introducing preferences & opinions)

What thrills me is 

It wasn't worth it 

But that wasn't the real reason

It wasn't so much _ as_

The trouble with _ is

Homework

Attempt the sentence transformation exercise (Test 1, Paper 1, Part 4). Next week we will talk about strategies to help you with the difficult questions.

D'Amico Shipping B2 Lesson 22

Class

Presentation - Matteo

Peer Feedback - Luca

Tutorial - Giovanni

Legal English - memorandum of association

Adapted from: International Legal English (CUP) pp. 23 - 24

Vocabulary

Expired = passed

Who have the right to = entitled to

Instead = in lieu thereof

Provided = on condition

Repealed = cancelled

Amended = revised

Vested in = given to

Modals - Shall

Meanings in Legal English:

Will for the future when used with another modal e.g. "Until two years shall have expired"

Will for promise e.g. " The power to alter ... shall be vested in"

Must for obligation e.g. " The Corporation shall keep minutes of all meetings..."

"The Corporation shall also maintain appropriate accounting records..."

"The Corporation shall maintain a record of its shareholders..."

Homework

1. Look at the uses of may - what does it express? Ability? Possibility? Permission?
2. Download a pdf copy of the D'Amico memorandum of association and search for typical verbs such as shall, may and must. How frequent are they? How are they used? 

ANIA C1 Group 2 Lesson 15

Class

Discussion - business practices

Language Leader Advanced p. 112.

Vocabulary

Compare: Creative accounting and to cook the books  to give a false impression of profits and to falsify financial records e.g. income and expenditure. 
loophole

Homework

1. Read the Fortune article on the United Airlines overbooking

2. Vocabulary - word pairs - Language Leader Advanced p. 112, questions 2a, 2b.

Note - beware when you translate!

How you translate richiamare depends on the context you are using and what object follows the verb.

Recall? Revoke? Appeal? Refer? Ring back? Summon? Cite?

All of the above are possible depending on the context. 

ANIA B2 Group 8 Lesson 14

Class

Language review - used to do (for past habit), to be used to doing (for things you are now accustomed to)

Gap fill quiz from https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_used_quiz.htm followed by free speaking practice

Speaking skills - discussion - The importance of statistics

Vocabulary

Statistical (adjective)

Statistician (noun - person who works with statistics) check pronunciation

/stætɪstɪʃən/

To be fond of someone/something

To remember fondly

Homework

Download some episodes from the More or Less podcast. Listen to how statistics are reported in both formal and informal language.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrss1/episodes/downloads

D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 22

Class

Relative Pronouns

Who - people

Which - things & ideas

Where - places

When - time

Whose - possession

Exercises and examples: p. 59, p. 137 G1

Tertiary Education

Reading and discussion, p. 60

Vocabulary

Scholarship

Bursary

Study grant

Tuition fees

Means test(ed)

Shorthand (&) typing, stenography

Tutorial - Giuseppe

Homework

Look at the highlighted phrases in the reading text on page 60. How are these clauses different from the defining relative clauses we studied today? Think about:

• Function
• Range of relative pronouns
• Punctuation

ANIA C2 Group 6 Lesson 15

Class

Humour and genres in popular culture are often topics which appear in the exam either as a subject for discussion or as the topic of a reading, listening or use of English text.

1. Lexical Precision - laugh

Chuckle, chortle, cackle, guffaw, giggle

Hearty laugh/chuckle, belly laugh, tickle your funny bone

2. Listening - Laughter Yoga in Berlin from Inside Europe.http://www.dw.com/en/inside-europe-11052017/av-38801398 Item starts at 48:10 and runs to 53:20

3. Discussion: Romcoms

1. What are the typical cliches (think about themes, characters, storylines) of rom-coms?
2. Do you think rom-coms are more predictable than other types of genre films? 
3. Do you think rom-coms are popular because of or despite these cliches?
4. Do you have a favourite rom-com? Would you call it a guilty pleasure? Why/Why not? 
5. Imdb describes Eagle vs Shark as "the tale of two socially awkward misfits and the strange ways they try to find love; through revenge on high-school bullies, burgers, and video games.” To what extent do you think it will follow the traditional rom-com template?
6. The film’s tagline is "There’s someone for everyone… apparently” what does this tell you about the tone of the film?

Homework

Eagle vs Shark (2007)

1. Viewing tasks
You can stream Eagle vs Shark from https://www.netflix.com/it-en/
(a) While you are watching make notes on how far the film follows rom-com conventions or how far it subverts them? Think about things like:

• the setting 
• the socio-economic background of the characters
• the treatment of characters from minorities (ethnic groups, sexual orientation, disability)

(b) How would you describe the comedy in the film? E.g. physical comedy, cringe comedy, black comedy, surreal comedy? For an explanation of these terms go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedic_genres
(c) The characters all have fairly strong New Zealand accents. What words are difficult to understand due to accent or intonation?

2. Reading - review http://www.empireonline.com/movies/eagle-vs-shark/review/


Going further

Cringe comedy courtesy of BBC's The Office

ANIA C1 Group 5 Lesson 15

Class

Exam Skills - Listening 

Test 1, Part 3

Source: Practice Tests Plus 2

Collocations, phrasal verbs, idioms and fixed expressions tested in this question:

Any (name of job/position) worth their salt = good at your job/worth your pay

To pick up on

To put across

To call it a day
Click on the links above for definitions and examples

Exam Skills - Reading & Use of English

Test 2, Part 1

Vocabulary tested in this question: 

Far afield

Raw materials

To be keen to do something

By appointment

To provide someone with something

Homework

1. Prepare for next week's listening practice (part 4 of the exam) by thinking of synonyms and parallel phrases for the key words and ideas used in the question and options A - H.

2. Lexical precision. Giggle, chortle, chuckle, guffaw and cackle are all types of laugh, but how are they different?

3. Listen to the last item fron last week's Inside Europe podcast http://www.dw.com/en/inside-europe-11052017/av-38801398 (48:10 - 53:20). What is Laughter Yoga? Listen again and write down what synonyms for laugh you hear. Also make a note of collocations such as infectious laugh. 

ANIA C1 Group 2

Class

The economics of overbooking - discussion and listening (report starts at 00:50 and runs to 05:00)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0500yjw (report starts at 00:50 and runs to 05:00) Reading: http://fortune.com/2017/04/12/united-airlines-healthcare-lessons/

Vocabulary

Long/short haul flight

To turn up (arrive)

To throw in (add)

To bid

Auction (noun and verb)

To cash in

Aghast

To plummet

Homework

Reading - what is the lesson of the United Airlines scandal for other industries? http://fortune.com/2017/04/12/united-airlines-healthcare-lessons/

D'Amico Shipping B2 Lesson 21

Class

Presentation - Maria Grazia

Peer feedback - Stefano

Tutorial - Matteo

Modals continued:

Ability & Probability correction task

Will/won't, would/wouldn't, shall for offers, habits, typical behaviour, intention, refusal and willingness.

It's important not to categorise modals too rigidly - always start with the context. For more notes and examples go to:http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/11442644/Modals

Homework

Finish the exercise on alternatives to modals.

Read the extract overleaf. What is a memorandum of association? 

Notes:
(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 a deduction, a necessity which one gives advice?

British Council Level 6 West

Cover Lesson for Phil
Class 
Resource: Insight Advanced p. 139, pp. 74 - 75

• Learner Training: Revising vocabulary/revising for tests/learning styles

Resources:

Revising

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/08/five-secrets-of-successful-revising

Vocabulary

http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/41184334/Vocabulary

Multiple Intelligences

http://www.literacynet.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

Idioms for relationships  to be at someone's beck and call, to be wrapped around someone's finger, to get on like a house on fire

Vocabulary for the property market  real estate, rent, letting agent, real estate agent, deposit, mortgage, to get a foot on the property ladder

Listening Skills - Choosing a place to live house share, bedsit, gregarious

Hypothetical Structures I'd sooner/rather, If only, Mind you

Homework

"Braveheart" reading and related exercises pp. 74 - 75 

Going Further

• Listening - BBC Radio 4 has a wealth of great  podcasts ideal for your listening practice. Go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts. For example More or Less is great for its mix of formal and informal language.
• Groucho Marx and the Present Perfect 

D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 21

Class

Presentation - Luca

Tutorial - Antonio

Vocabulary from today's presentation

Lexical set: dogs

Breed, bark, hair/fur, groom, brush, feed, kennel

Corrections - profile writing

Countability

He gave us a lot of advices advice 

She didn't give us many homework  much homework

False friends

Vote - grade

Matter - subject

Collocation

Pass/fail an exam/a test/a course

Fixed phrases

In the other hand - on the other hand

Commonly confused words

Say/tell

The meaning is the same but the structure is different:

Say something to someone

Tell someone something

I can tell she was not friendly x - I can tell you she was not friendly or I can say she was not friendly

I can tell (I could tell in the past) means I can see/understand

E.g. I could tell she was nervous because her hands were shaking. 

Reading and Discussion

The Montessori method pp. 58 - 59

Introduction to relative clauses

How you translate "che" depends on the context, function and part of speech. For example:

Adjective: what, which e.g. Which clothes shall I pack?

Conjunction: that, than

Pronoun: who, whom, what, which, such, that

Interjection: What? Really?

When you need to use a relative pronoun you can only use "that" when it introduces a defining (identifying) relative clause. Look at the examples below:

The man who/that lives next door is a famous writer (Defining relative clause, identifies the subject so you can use that or who)

John Smith, who lives next door, is a famous writer. (Non defining relative clause, only adds information must use who)

ANIA B2 Group 8 Lesson 13

Class

Discussion - travel plans/booking tours and flights

Vocabulary: layover, transit, connection/connecting flight, upgrade, hub

Language training: commonly confused structures:

• Usually do (present tense to talk about present habits)
• Used to do (past tense verb + infinitive to talk about past habits that are no longer true)
• To be used to doing something (to be + adjective + preposition + ing/noun for activities that were difficult in the beginning but are easier now)
• To get used to doing something (to gradually become accustomed to a new activity or situation)

For notes and more examples see: http://seansenglishclassroom.pbworks.com/w/page/11442664/Used%20to%20Made%20Easy

Language training: ambiguity and humour

Groucho Marx and the present perfect tense

ANIA C2 Group 6 Lesson 14

Class

1. Groucho Marx and the present perfect tense 
2. Discussion, Reading & Linguistic Analysis - The Importance of English. Source: 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/05/brexit-english-is-losing-its-importance-in-europe-says-juncker

It was interesting to note the number of words, phrasal verbs and expressions that suggested conflict, war or armed aggression:
broadside
to take aim
caught in the crossfire
to clash (with)
to take a swipe
to slap down
intervention

The negotiations haven't even started and already there is a narrative of aggressive conflict being created.
It was also interesting to note phrases such as the gulf of perceptions and both sides of the channel - large bodies of water used as a metaphor for the (irreconcilable?) differences between the parties.

Going Further:
For your listening pleasure:

ANIA C1 Group 5 lesson 14

Class
Exam strategies and skills - the listening exam
Source: CAE Practice Tests Plus 2

1. Exam Strategy - predicting the listening like a reading text. Complete Cambridge Advanced p. 32
2. Test 1: Part Two - Gap Fill
3. Test 1: Part Three - Multiple Choice

ANIA C1 Group 2 Lesson 13

Class
Discussion: Issues of immigration - Australia, France and Italy.

News articles on the recent Australian law changes:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/04/19/immigration-lawyers-blindsided-by-unprecedented-457-changes_a_22046854/

http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/4644685/thats-the-law-how-changes-to-457-visa-legislation-will-hit-home/

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11848424

D'Amico Shipping B2 Lesson 20

Class

Discussion:

• Groucho Marx and the Present Perfect Tense
• The importance of English in Europe post Brexit

Vocabulary:

pun

to meddle

to be caught in the crossfire

a broadside

Click on the words above to check their meaning.

Language Training:

Modals in context - sentence transformations

• Necessity, Prohibition, Obligation, Advice, Permission
• Ability & Probability (Assumption, Deduction and Possibility)

Tutorial: Maria Grazia 

Homework:

1. Do the exercise on the worksheet regarding Intention, Willingness and Characteristics. Think about the different uses of will, won't, would, wouldn't and shall. 
2. Reading: Follow up our discussion with this article on Jean Claude Juncker's comments about the importance of English in Europe. Do you agree with the views expressed? https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/05/brexit-english-is-losing-its-importance-in-europe-says-juncker

How to deal with an overbooked flight - all students

The Importance of English (?) - All Students

This week the President of the European commission, Jean - Claude Juncker, got an enthusiastic response when he told an audience of diplomats that he would continue his speech in French because English was ‘slowly but surely’ losing its importance.

Do you agree with Juncker or do you think that he was merely taking a swipe at British Prime Minister Theresa May over Brexit?

Ambiguity and Humour - All students

One of the keys to speaking and understanding English well is developing the ability to cope with ambiguity. Often meanings are ambiguous due to pronunciation (see the earlier "Mike Hat" video), homophones (words with different means but the same pronunciation) or grammar. The above joke, made famous by Groucho Marx, plays off two different uses of the present perfect simple against each other. What are the two different meanings and what makes this statement funny?

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D'Amico Shipping B1 Lesson 20

Class

• Presentation - Simonetta G.
• Tutorial - Luca

Listening Skills

(New Language Leader Intermediate p. 58, p. 169)

Listening for opinion

Listening for key words (adjectives)

Vocabulary skills - meaning from context

Writing skills - profile 

Vocabulary

pace (noun) = the speed with which something is done

criticise (verb) = to express disapproval by saying what you think is wrong

criticism (noun) 

Note how we can change the negative connotation of criticism by adding the adjective constructive.

Homework

Dictionary Skills

1. Using your dictionary, compare pace with speed, tempo, rhythm. Are they close synonyms? Which would you use when talking about a match or a race? Which would you use when talking about a piece of music or a song? 
2. In what contexts can the noun criticism have a positive meaning? Is this also true of the verb? Look at the example sentences given in the dictionary. 

ANIA C2 GROUP 6 LESSON 13

Class
Overbooking - United Airlines Flight 3411
Listening: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0500yjw (report starts at 00:50 and runs to 05:00)
Reading: http://fortune.com/2017/04/12/united-airlines-healthcare-lessons/

Vocabulary:
From the listening
to cash in 
to place a bet
to auction off
aghast
cheapskate
to spot a problem
why bother?
more often than not
more times than you can count

From the reading
to wrench
tin eared
fill in the blank
to fall short
hub and spoke industry 
specialty (U.S.) speciality (U.K.)

In general
to read (meaning) into something else

Going further:
Gothic (Directed by Ken Russell 1986)
The film stars Gabriel Byrne as Lord Byron, Julian Sands as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Natasha Richardson as Mary Shelley, Myriam Cyr as Claire Clairmont (Mary Shelley's stepsister) and Timothy Spall as Dr. John William Polidori. It features a soundtrack by Thomas Dolby, and marks Richardson's film debut.

The film is a fictionalized retelling of the Shelleys' visit to Lord Byron in Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva focussing on their competition to write a horror story, which ultimately led to Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein and John Polidori writing The Vampyre. The same event has also been portrayed in the films Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Haunted Summer (1988), among others.

The film's poster motif is based on Henry Fuseli's painting The Nightmare, which is also referenced in the film.

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ANIA C1 GROUP 5 LESSON 13

Class
Exam strategies and skills - the listening exam
Source: CAE Practice Tests Plus 2
Test 1: Part One - Extracts

Key vocabulary:
Many of the answers depended on your familiarity with phrasal verbs, fixed expressions and idioms such as the ones below:
to come up with an idea
to get a buzz from something (see definition 6 on the link)
not a big earner
to jump at the chance
number one culprit


Homework:
Look through the questions in the rest of the listening exam.  For parts 3 and 4, think about how the answers could be expressed using synonyms or different phrasing from that used in the multiple choice answers.