Vocabulary for Comprehension

Read the information about environmental problems. Then describe or explain using your own words for each of the bold words below.

When our grandparents were children, people had very little awareness of environmental problems. They should have been more environmentally conscious, but they might not have believed there would be a shortage of natural resources such as wood, water, or oil. However, today people all over the world are facing the realization that our natural resources are limited.

What is the root cause of this shortage? One of the causes is our stubborn dependence on cars powered by fossil fuels. Our sprawling cities force us to drive miles and miles every day to satisfy our daily needs. Clogged highways and traffic hams are proof that we are overly dependent on automobiles.

How can we solve this problem? Some urban planners are designing ecocities, cities that are compact, convenient, and environmentally friendly. These cities will have easy access to efficient public transportation, as well as bicycle and pedestrian walking paths. In addition, these communities will be sustainable. They will not simple rob the earth of resources in order to exist. They will incorporate solar and wind-powered energy rather than relying solely on fossil fuels. Residents will be able to grow fruits and vegetables in community gardens and indoor solariums. These cities will also have green spaces, park, and forests, providing a natural habitat for wildlife survival and human relaxation. Furthermore, they will be built with recycled materials and wood from certified sustainable forestry operations. By incorporating all of these features into ecocities, urban planners believe we will be able start restoring our environment so there will be something left for our grandchildren.
(Adapted from NorthStar – intermediate level)

1) Resources:
2) Root:
3) Fossil fuels:
4) Sprawling:
5) Clogged:
6) Convenient:
7) Efficient:
8) Sustainable:
9) Incorporate:
10) Habitat:
11) Restoring:

After you have completed the vocabulary exercise, write two (2) sentences for each of the words above. This is part of your homework. Marks will be given for participation.

What is a storyboard?

A storyboard is a series of drawings or images showing the order of images planned for a film. Or in other definition, it is a graphic organizer such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity.

The story-boarding process, in the form it is known today, was developed at the Walt Disney Studio during the early 1930s, after several years of similar processes being in use at Walt Disney and other animation studios.

(Sources from Wikipedia)


(Original photos)

Write an short paragraph of 80 to 100 words based on the storyboard above. Your last line should end with, "... this is not what I expected it would be."

How to write an essay?

From the video shown above, I would like you to write a descriptive essay based on a topic of "My Utopia". So, from the topic given, describe using adjectives such as,'the extraordinary life','I saw a ginormous dinosaur' and/or 'He is a stunning man' in your writing.

The essay should have an introduction, 3 body-paragraphs and a conclusion. It should written in about 300 to 400 words. Have fun writing!

Adapted on YouTube

Let's test your listening...

Firstly,click on the link below. Look at Track 12 - Unit 4 - Self-study.
http://www2.cambridge.org/interchangearcade/downloads.do

This activity is for lower level.

Part A. Listen to the audio carefully and identify the things each person is wearing.

One
Sam: Welcome to our fashion show. I’m Sam Carson.
Brenda: And I’m Brenda Black. Let’s look at our first model. Kyle is wearing a yellow and dark green .
Sam: Yes, his t-shirt is yellow and his shorts are dark green and Kyle is wearing .
Brenda: Yes, he is. Light-brown sandals. Very nice.

Two
Sam: Here comes our second model. Nicky. She’s wearing a and a .
Brenda: Oh, yes! Her skirt is beige and her sweater is orange. Great spring colours.

Three
Brenda: Now, here’s Josh. Josh is wearing a purple and a red .
Sam: Yes, his suit is purple and his shirt is red. Wow!

Four
Brenda: Our last model today is Tina. Tina is wearing a black and .
Sam: Oh, very nice! What colour are her shoes?
Brenda: They’re white. Tina’s dress is black and her shoes are white.
Sam: Black and white. Very exciting.

Part B. Part B – Listen again. Write the colours of each person’s things.

One
Sam: Welcome to our fashion show. I’m Sam Carson.
Brenda: And I’m Brenda Black. Let’s look at our first model. Kyle is wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
Sam: Yes, his t-shirt is yellow and his shorts are dark green and Kyle is wearing sandals.
Brenda: Yes, he is. sandals. Very nice.

Two
Sam: Here comes our second model. Nicky. She’s wearing a skirt and a sweater.
Brenda: Oh, yes! Her skirt is and her sweater is . Great spring colours.

Three
Brenda: Now, here’s Josh. Josh is wearing a suit and a shirt.
Sam: Yes, his suit is purple and his shirt is red. Wow!

Four
Brenda: Our last model today is Tina. Tina is wearing a dress and high-heels.
Sam: Oh, very nice! What colour are her shoes?
Brenda: They’re . Tina’s dress is black and her shoes are white.
Sam: Black and white. Very exciting.

Today we are learning...PRONUNCIATION...

Why pronunciation is important?

It is important that learners begin to develop their pronunciation of English right from the beginning stages. Bad pronunciation habits become difficult to change and without comprehensible pronunciation, good grammar and vocabulary mean little. Without comprehensible pronunciation, learners will struggle to communicate successfully.

Comprehensible pronunciation does not mean native-like pronunciation. Only a very small portion of adult learners can develop native-like pronunciation, but they can develop comprehensible pronunciation.

(Adapted from immigratemanitoba.com)

Below,there is a video on "7 Commonly Mispronounced English Words". This a tool for you to learn and adapt in your daily conversation, therefore please look and learn those seven words as I will randomly ask in the upcoming class. Enjoy pronouncing!

What are Simple Past Verbs?

Simple Past Verbs consists of one word only. For normal regular verbs, add –ed to the basic verb form. (In this tense, we do not use –s after he, she, it, etc.)

Irregular Verbs have special simple past forms: e.g. the past of speak is spoke. Refer to the list of irregular verbs below.
Special note: was and were are the simple past of is and are.



Common Mistakes in forming the Simple Past.

a. Samantha is met the teacher yesterday
b. Samantha was met the teacher yesterday
c. Samantha has meeting the teacher yesterday

Corrected Sentence: Samantha met the teacher yesterday.

When Do We Use Simple Past?

The simple past is the normal tense for past actions. Use simple past if you want to talk about a finished action or situation, and have no reason to use one of the other ‘special’ past tenses. REMEMBER that we do not use the simple past for general truths. For this we only use simple present.

1. Verbs ending consonant + -y get –ies
For examples;
= to try - she tries
= to fly – it flies

2. If longer verbs end with a single, stressed vowel + consonant, the consonant is doubled:
For examples;
= to admit - we admitted
= to stress – they stressed

3. Exception: “L” is doubled - regardless of stress
For examples;
= to cancel - cancelled
= to roll - rolled

Irregular verbs have unpredictable forms. Irregular verbs do not have –ed forms.



Now,here is an exercise for you to do.

Complete the sentences below. Use the correct form of the words in the list given. Please write your answers in the comment box provided. Marks will be given for participation. Enjoy!

Let's learn PHRASES today!

So,have you all notice the differences between a phrase and a clause? If you have,in today's topic we're going to go in-depth of the types of phrases and clauses. Basically, it's a continuation from previous class on English punctuation.

How many types of phrases do you think in English punctuation? I'm sure you all know that there are five types of phrases. They are:

1) Noun Phrase (NP)
2) Verb Phrase (VP)
3) Prepositional Phrase (PP)
4) Adjectival Phrase (AdjP)
5) Adverbial Phrase (AdvP)

Noun Phrase

A noun phrase (NP) is a phrase that has a noun or pronoun (e.g.: he, Edward, cat) as its head. The noun (or pronoun) can be modified by modifiers such as adjectives (e.g.: the shiny car), determiners (articles, demonstratives, numerals, possessives and quantifiers) and complements (in the form of either prepositional phrases such as "the king of Scotland" or content clauses such as "the face that launched a thousand ships").

Examples:

- Small children should not be left unsupervised.
- George was asleep on the sofa.
- This Land Rover was my first car.
- Lisa dreams of becoming a model someday.

Verb phrase

A verb phrase (VP) is a phrase that has a verb (e.g.: punch, throw, jump) as its head. While verb phrases may be made out of just a single verb, VPs most often consist of a main verb, auxiliary verbs as well as components such as specifiers, complements and adverbs.

Examples:

- God made me do it.
- Simon kicked the ball away.
- I met her at a shopping mall.
- You really should learn how to drive.

Prepositional phrase

A prepositional phrase (PP) is a phrase that has a preposition (e.g.: to, from, at) as its head. This preposition is often followed by a noun phrase (NP) or other such complement to create the prepositional phrase itself.

Examples:

- My cat is sleeping on the couch.
- They came from the West.
- I accidentally pushed Sofie into the drain.
- We continued strolling through the night.

Adjectival phrase

An adjectival phrase (AdjP) is a term for a phrase with an adjective (e.g.: full, tall, old) as its head or a phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun, regardless of its form. In the former case, these adjectival phrases may be used as modifiers before or after a noun or as a predicative (or predicate adjective) to a verb.

Examples:

- My uncle bought a red Ferrari.
- I can't stand the sight of them going out together.
- Johan's black cat doesn't like Jones much.
- I saw Zamir punching Sudarshan in the face.

Adverbial phrase

An adverbial phrase (AdvP) is a term for an adverb (a word that modifies other parts of speech such as verbs, clauses and even other adverbs, except for nouns) or a group of words acting adverbially. Much like in the case of adjectival phrases, words acting adverbially do not have to take the form of an adverb (or adverbs) but rather just the function. Adverbial phrases modify verb phrases, adjectival phrases and whole clauses.

Examples:

- I'll quit smoking when I feel like it.
- Sam hit the thief with my baseball bat.
- I'll meet up with you in an hour.
- Sara took lots of photos on her holiday to show to my family.

Let's look into clauses. There are two types of clauses in English punctuation. They are:

1) Dependent clause
2) Independent clause

Dependent Clause

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence as it cannot stand alone.

For example: When the cake is done baking.

Independent Clause

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence that can stand alone.
For example: Jim studied at Starbucks for his English test.


Now that you have understood the five types of phrases,here's an activity for you.

From each of the phrases that I’ve explained above, try and provide three (3) examples of your own. Please write your answers in the comment box below and state your name. Marks will be given for participation. Start thinking!

Note: For an exercise of dependent and independent clause,click here http://www.myschoolhouse.com/courses/O/1/56.asp

English punctuation....

What is the difference between clauses and phrases???

The difference is:



More English punctuations, visit: http://www.english-the-easy-way.com/Punctuation_English/Punctuation_English_Page.htm

today we are learning.....PREPOSITIONS..........

What are prepositions?

Prepositions are words that specify place, direction, and time. There are three types of prepositions.

Time Prepositions - Time prepositions define time. Examples of Time Prepositions – in, at, on, throughout, during, for, while etc.

Place Propositions - Place prepositions clarify the place someone or somebody. Examples of Place Prepositions – in, on, at, beside etc.

Direction Prepositions - Direction prepositions are used to clarify the direction of someone or something. Examples: under, over, right, left etc.


How to use a preposition?

1. The prepositions usually comes before the noun.

2. Prepositions can be used with all forms of nouns (e.g. collective nouns, pronouns etc).

3. Prepositions can't come after a verb, but can be used before a gerund or verb
in noun form.

4. The rules above do not change and there are no exceptions to the rules.

Here are some exercises for you to do. Please post your answers through the comment box and state your name. Marks will be given for participation. Enjoy!

Fill in the blanks and choose the best word given: against, at, by, for, from, in, like, near, of, on, to, up, with.

1. She is doing a degree course _____ a university.

2. His trousers were washed _____ the washing machine.

3. We had to climb slowly _____ the hill.

4. His house looks _____ a temple.

5. How many _____ the members will join the trip?

6. Don't lean that ladder _____ the wall.

7. I don't usually feel tired _____ the morning.

8. Have you heard anything _____ him yet?

9. My house is quite _____ to your school.

10. Put this _____ your drawer and do not let anyone see it.


Fill in the blanks and choose the best word given: about, across, after, along, among, behind, beside, off, since, through, under, without.

1. The referee ordered two players _____ the field.

2. I could see her _____ the window.

3. He sings whenever he is _____ the influence of alcohol.

4. We have not met _____ early last year.

5. She came up and sat _____ me.

6. Police want to know all _____ it and are calling for witnesses.

7. Innocent civilians were _____ the casualties.

8. Please shut the door _____ you.

9. How long can you survive _____ light or heating?

10. Who is looking _____ you when your parents are not in?