Thursday, January 29

2.2. It's a wiki, wiki world

- Reading on "Wikipedia" (p.24)
Some interesting expressions: guy, kooks, thorny business/problem, a security flaw, entry (on the Internet)


- Listening: "The uses of the internet" (p. 23)
& discussion .... how often do you use the Internet?; what do you use it for?; are there any websites that you use frequently?; do you trust what you read on the internet?


- Grammar: comparatives review
Emphasizers to use with comparatives:
. to express a small difference: slighlty, a little bit, a tiny bit, marginally: I'm slightly taller than Peter.
. to express a large difference: much, far, miles (informal), considerably (formal): They're far better than us at football.

Equality:
. as + adjective + as: I'm as intelligent as my sister.
. as + not + adjective + as
. not quite as: This bed isn't quite as comfortable as the other one.
. nowher near, nothing like: He is nowhere near as good as me at tennis.

Preference:
. would sooner / would rather + infinitive without to: I'd rather go to the party than stay home.
. rather than + prefer to: Rather than eat potatoes, I'd prefer to have a steak.

2.1. Living abroad

- Verb patterns (p. 21)
Considering the issue in general terms, we could say that...
. Verbs that show personal tastes
verb+ -ing: adore, fancy, don't mind, detest, can't stand
Mary adores living in her new house.

. Verbs that show one person or thing influencing the actions of another
verb + object + to infinitive: warn, tell, advise, urge, order, persuade, encourage, force, fobid, allow
Mother warned us not to go into the park.

. Verbs which are followed by a preposition + ing
I look forward to seeing you soon / He succeeded in finding a new job / My brother insisted on going to the party

- Speaking & sentence intonation (p. 22)
. What do you understad by 'cultural awareness'?
. Is cultural awareness imortant?
. Are there any customs/habits that are acceptable in your country but impolite in other countries?

Check on some "polite structures":
Would you mind opening the window?
Could you open the window?
Do you think you could open the window?
I was hoping you could come earlier.

Thursday, January 22

Unit 2. Community

- Speaking and vocabulary (p. 19)

- Listening: “Living abroad” (p. 20)

- Giving advice/making recommendations about places (p. 21)
Useful vocabulary: It’s a must-see; It’s not all it’s cracked up to be; One thing to be wary of is…

- Song: "Enjoy the ride" by Morcheeba

Formal Letters

Letters of Request

Remember to use the correct heading and final salutation!

Useful Language
To begin letters:
- I am writing to ask if you would be so kind/generous as to… / I am writing to request your assistance concerning the matter…
- I wonder if you could possibly / if it would be possible for you to help me…
- I would (greatly) appreciate it if you could…
- I would be most grateful if you could…

To end letters:
- I hope that my request will not inconvenience you too much.
- I must apologise for troubling you with this matter.
- I look forward to hearing from you/ receiving your reply as soon as possible.
- Thank(ing) your in anticipation of your/ in advance for your kind cooperation.


Writing task: (Deadline: 30th January)
Choose one of the following situations and write a letter of request:
- You want to request a loan from your bank manager for home improvements.
- You want the town council to place special bins in your area to encourage recycling.

Friday, January 16

Homework

- Review and practice (p. 102)
- Completion of a final ‘mock exam’.

7.3. Perfect Pets?

- Welcome back from the Christmas break! Hope you’ve had a good time and a lot of presents.

- Verb patterns: revision and exercises (p. 95)

- Video listening from ABC News: “Kangaroos” & “Cloning”

- Reading: activities and class comment (p. 96)

- Listening: jobs with animals (p. 96)

- Grammar: describing quantities (p. 97)

- Vocabulary: buying and selling (p. 98). We wrote and read a few interesting online advertisements!
Useful vocabulary: It’s one of a kind, it’s state of the art, it’s on the market, it’s brand new

- Suffixes (p. 99)
Can you think of suffixes you can add to the following words? redundant (redundancy), motivate (motivation), tear (tearful), child (childish), etc.

- Video Listening: “In the wilderness” – do you know anything about the Evenk tribe in Siberia?