27 enero, 2008

shopping

Hi Firsts,
do you want to practice some listening, Try these exercises.
http://www.elllo.org/english/0851/853-Reb-Peeve.html

25 enero, 2008

MISTAKES IN THE KEY- INNOVATIONS REVIEW UNITS 1-4,page 32, 33 and 34

5 CONVERSATION
1a 2c 3b 4h 5f 6g 7d 8e

10 IDIOMS
1f 2c 3g 4b 5a 6e 7d

21 enero, 2008

THE UFFIZI MUSEUM & GEORGE ORWELL

Exercise 2
1. foremost (adjective) 2. programme (noun) 3. capacity (noun) 4. fail ( verb) 5. better (adverb) 6. hard (adverb) 7. programme (noun) 8. which (relative pronoun) 9. practically (adverb) 10. schemes (noun) 11. displaying (verb) 12. work (noun) 13. those (pronoun) 14. amazing (adjective) 15. paintings(noun)
Exercise 3
1 d
2 a
3 j
4 h
5 g
6 c
7 f
8 b
9 e
10 i

New “digital canon” tax proposal would hit MP3 owners’ pockets

1.so 2. As 3. Opposed 4. Proposals 5. Would 6. While 7. Into 8. But 9. Should 10. However 11. Under 12. At 13. Other 14. Such 15. Complaint 16. Support 17. Who 18. Both 19. Against 20. On.

INNOVATIONS

P. 26. 1 The – ing form as a verb1. surfing the net 2. Studying English 3. Raising money for sick animals 4. Singing 5. Gardening 6. Planning my holidays 7. Hill-walking 8. Helping homeless people.
Pattern a: Whenever I can, as often as I can, all my life, on Tuesdays
Pattern b: most of my evenings, all my Saturdays mornings, all my life, half my life
P. 27. 3 All right1.c 2. F 3. B 4. A 5. D 6. G 7. E
4 More –ing forms in use1 What do you mean just watching it or actually boxing /do you actually box yourself?
2 What do you mean just watching it or actually playing/ do you actually play it yourself?
3 What do you mean just going to Chinese restaurants or actually making/ do you actually make it yourself?
4 What do you mean just going to galleries or actually painting/ do you actually paint yourself?
5 What do you mean just youth culture or Beethoven and things like that?
P. 29 Reading. It’s a man’s world.
5 Comprehension check.
1 They go off in a huff
2 A glass ceiling.
3 The British Boxing Board of Control.
4 No, because she was being sarcastic.
6 Vocabulary check1. Champion 2. Ring 3. Sarcastically 4. Research 5. Earn 6.opposition 7.taking 8.crime.
P. 31 USING GRAMMAR
1 Would and ‘d
1.c 2.e 3.a 4.b 5.d
2Grammar in context
1. I’d quite like to. 2.that’d be great 3.I would if I could 4. If you’d rather 5. That’d be great 6. I would if I could 7. I’d quite like to 8. If you’d rather.

07 enero, 2008

grammar and vocabulary tips

Hi Fourths,
I hope all of you have had happy holidays.
I’ve been checking your compositions and these are some of the most common mistakes. I’ve tried to write some tips so you can correct them. There are some exercises to practice as well.
(grammar and vocabulary tips)
Job –work
Your job is the work that you do regularly in order to earn money, especially when you work for a company or public organization. My last job was with a computer firm. He finally got a job in a supermarket.
Work is used in a more general way to talk about activities that you do to earn money, either working for a company or for yourself. Will you go back to work when you’ve had the baby? I started work when I was 18.
Work is what you physically do on the job.
Your work would be the skills you were hired and get paid to perform.
DO NOT say: What is your job? Or what is your work? SAY what do you do? Or what do you do for a living?

For – during
During from the beginning to the end of a period of time
During the summer she worked as a lifeguard. He slept calmly during the early part of the night. Foxes remain hidden during the day.
At some point in a period of time
My father was killed during the war. I mentioned the subject during our discussions at her Washington office.
During -The preposition "during" is used to represent the length of time of an action that is while the action is happening. "During" is used with a noun/pronoun (or any other form of nouns).
I will be really busy during the week.
The kids were sleeping during the party.
The lights went out during the storm.
FOR used to say how long an action or situation continues for.
Bake the cake for 40 minutes. We had been talking for a good half hour. He's been off work for a while.
For - The preposition "for" is used to express how long something or someone is doing something. "For" is used to state a period of time and is usually used with a noun/pronoun (or any other form of nouns) .
I have been riding my bicycle for 2 hours.
The dog has been barking for a long time.
The traffic has been bad for the last three days.

As –like

AS can be a preposition meaning in the capacity of / in the function of like in the sentence ex: He works as a clerk. But it is usually a conjunction of manner and goes therefore followed by a verb form,Ex: When in Rome do as Romans do.
It also appears in comparative structures:ex: She is as busy as a bee.
In the group such as it means like:
Ex: There are different ways of travelling such as (=like) walking, flying or driving.
Use AS in comparisons in the expression as... as, with an adjective or adverb in between. Basketball is as popular as football here. He can’t read as well as his classmates
As is also used in the expressions not so... as and the same (...) as I wouldn’t go so far as that. He is the same age as me
LIKE Is a preposition and goes therefore followed by a noun. It expresses similarity:
ex: She feels like a rolling stone (=in the same way as) It was like a dream (=similar to)
Like is a preposition and is therefore followed by pronouns in the object form. ex: They said they didn't want people like me in that group.
It can also be followed by a verb, in the -ing form Ex: There's nothing like fishing from a boat
In fact, when we want to ask about the description of something we use
WHAT IS something LIKE ? which is quite different from
HOW is something /someone ? where we become interested in personal state, etc.
Use LIKE in comparisons followed by a noun. A movie is not like a book. (Not as a book). Like other people, (not as other people) he values his privacy.

AS or LIKE ?
1. There's no business___________show buisiness.
a) as
b) like
2. ___________a lawyer, I would advise caution
a) like
b) as
3. I once worked _______a bus conductor.
a) as
b) like
4. This motorway is___________a car park.
a) like
b) as
5. People________the Joneses always copy us.
a) as
b) like
6. ___________it was getting cold, we decided to go into a cafeteria.
a) like
b) as
7. There's nothing ____________fishing in the sea. It's so relaxing
a) as
b) like
8. Mary weighs the same____________her brother.
a) like
b) as
9. She is always as busy _____________a bee. She never has time.
a) like
b) as
10. ________he opened the door, he discovered that he had a nice visit.
a) like
b) as
online quiz & key at:
http://english.baladre.org/sedaviwebfront/aslike.htm
more exercises at:
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/aslike.htm

04 enero, 2008

Letter Writing Resources

Letter Writing Tips
Writing an effective business or personal letter is more difficult than most people think. This article summarizes the key points to follow when writing any kind of letter.http://writinghelp-central.com/letter-writing-tips.html

Letter Writing Formats
There are many different letter writing formats. This page will take you to my recommended letter writing formats for: Business Letters, Business Memos, and Personal Letters.http://writinghelp-central.com/letter-formats.html

Sample Letter Templates
Of course, to get started with writing a particular type of letter, it always helps to use a sample as a model. This page contains links to almost 50 fully-formatted real-life sample letter templates.http://writinghelp-central.com/sample-letters.html


Writing formal letters - Useful phrases -

You already know how important it is to speak good English in an international working environment. If you work for a company which does business abroad, you probably read and write a lot of English, too. Writing, just like speaking, is communication. In our letters and emails we need to express many things: authority, gratitude, dissatisfaction, etc. Expressing ourselves well and with the correct level of formality is a skill.
To get you started, we've prepared some lists of standard phrases. Take a look at:

Opening lines
Why do we need an opening line in a business letter or formal email?- to make reference to previous correspondence- to say how you found the recipient's name/address - to say why you are writing to the recipient.

10 Good Opening Lines:
With reference to your letter of 8 June, I ...
I am writing to enquire about ...
After having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like ...
After having received your address from ... , I ...
I received your address from ... and would like ...
We/I recently wrote to you about ...
Thank you for your letter of 8 May.
Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Thank you for your letter/e-mail about ...
In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...

Closing lines
Why do we need a closing line in a business letter or email? - to make a reference to a future event- to repeat an apology- to offer help

10 Good Closing Lines:
If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
I look forward to your reply.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to seeing you.
Please advise as necessary.
We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience.
We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom.
I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

When 'Yours faithfully' and when 'Yours sincerely' in a business letter?
When the recipient's name is unknown to you:
Dear Sir ... Yours faithfully
Dear Madam ... Yours faithfully
Dear Sir or Madam ... Yours faithfully

When you know the recipient's name:
Dear Mr Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Mrs Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Miss Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Hanson ... Yours sincerely

When addressing a good friend or colleague:
Dear Jack ... Best wishes/Best regards
Addressing whole departments:
Dear Sirs ... Yours faithfully