SOME TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

Hello again!

Here you have SOME of the topics covered during these two years. You can practise your monologue with them. Just remember to...

• structure it well (i.e. introduction-body-conclusion)
• include as much specific vocabulary as possible (including phrasal verbs, strong adjectives, )
• avoid basic or common mistakes and use tenses correctly 
• use structures of the level (e.g. conditionals, relative clauses, passives, infinitives/gerunds, I wish, used to...)
• connect your ideas properly

1. Men and women: are we equal?	13. Unemployment: is it getting better?	25.Crime and punishment: should the laws change?
2. There's too much violence on TV	14. Fashion: is it controlling us too much?	26. Is technology isolating us?
3. Should we all pay a TV licence?	15. Tourism: Is it the solution to Spanish economy?	27. Are Spanish streets safe?
4. Stress: how to deal with it	16. Are men too worried about their appearance nowadays?	28. What would the best job in the world entail?
5. Do we complain too little?	17. The worst film you've ever seen	29. Someone you admire
6. Tell an item of news you've heard recently	18. Can we do anything to be luckier?	30. What superstitions do you know?
7. A crime that you've heard of	19. Bad health habits you have	31. Your favourite food/song/group...
8. Have you ever cheated?	20. Who's your favourite relative?	32. Are you careful with money?
9. How would you change your life?	21. Risk sports: have you ever done any?	33. How not to get worked up in a traffic jam
10. Have good manners disappeared?	22. Do you judge people by appearances?	34. How could the Spanish educational system improve?
11. Describe the most amazing building you've ever seen	23. Do you eat sensibly?	35. Are you a shopaholic?
12. Have you ever been near a natural disaster?	24. What's the latest book you've read?	36. How green are you?

Last but not least, here you will find the certification exams we did last year in the Canaries. Try to do them at home and practise as much as possible. Good luck!

SOME REVISION BEFORE "CERTIFICACION"

For some revision you can do these activities:

To practise listening, visit the British Council , the "learning English" section in VoaNews, elllo.org....

If you want to practice the different skills, click on the following link and find certificate exams that have been done in the various language schools around Spain.Have a go!

How to be lucky by Dr Richard Wiseman

Do you want to be lucky?

Watch this video and discover that you can make your own luck!!!

Song: Holding out for a hero

Holding out for a hero

Bonnie Tyler

Vocabulary on clothes

Clothes

 

Applying for a job

 Applying for a Job

Here are some useful exercises for you to practice vocabulary, grammar and even writing skills regarding job applications and interviews. When you have finished, you can check the key posted hereby. Click on the links for more information!

GET THAT JOB (BBC)

If you have ….1.... the interview stage, your CV and letter of application must have been ….2.... ! The company now wants to know more about you. But there is still more work to do if you want to get that job! Make sure you have ….3.... the company as thoroughly as possible - use the Internet, company reports, recruitment literature etc. …..4..... yourself of why you applied to this company. Make a list of the skills, experience, and interests you can ….5.... the organisation. Finally, try to ….6.... the questions you will be expected to answer - imagine you are the interviewer!

1. gained / reached / arrived / achieved
2. effective / important / impressive / significant
3. researched / discovered / inquiered / examined
4. remember / remind /imagine / summarise
5. show / present / offer / demonstrate
6. ask / suggest / give / predict

Key

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/getthatjob/unit4interview/page1.shtml

1. gained / reached / arrived / achieved
2. effective / important / impressive / significant
3. researched / discovered / inquiered / examined
4. remember / remind /imagine / summarise
5. show / present / offer / demonstrate
6. ask / suggest / give / predict

Covering Letters

Letter Content. Here is a list of points you should include:

Say that you would like to apply Say where you found out about the job Say why you would like the job

Say why you are qualified to do the job Say you can provide more information if necessary Say when you would be available for interview

Useful phrases: choose the best option for each gap

Dear Mr Saleh,

I am writing to ….1.... for the position of Editorial Assistant which was ….2.... in the latest edition of Gulf News.
I am currently ….3.... by a Market Research company as a research assistant, but am keen to ….4.... a career in publishing, because I enjoy reading and write my own poetry.
As you will notice on the ….5.... CV, I graduated in European Literature. At University I gained considerable ….6.... working on the student magazine, so I am ….7.... with editing techniques. I work well under ….8.... and enjoy working in a team. In addition, I speak English ….9.... .
I would be ….10.... for interview from next week. Meanwhile, please do not ….11.... to contact me if you require further information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,

Margaret Roan

1. apply / ask / request
2. shown / advertised / presented
3. worked / employed / used
4. want / pursue / take
5. included / mentioned / attached
6. experiment / expression / experience
7. familiarised / femiliar / familiar
8. anxiety / demands / pressure
9. excellently / fluently / strongly
10. available / around / accessible
11. hesitate / wait / stop

Here are some common phrases you might use when applying for a job. However, the prepositions are missing - type out the correct ones choosing words from the table below.

to

of

under

in

for

I would like to apply ….......... the position If you would like to discuss this …........... more detail I enjoy working …............. pressure I was ….................. charge I was responsible ….................. With reference ….................

Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/getthatjob/unit3coverletter/page3.shtml

and listen

Key

Dear Mr Saleh,

I am writing to ….1.... for the position of Editorial Assistant which was ….2.... in the latest edition of Gulf News.
I am currently ….3.... by a Market Research company as a research assistant, but am keen to ….4.... a career in publishing, because I enjoy reading and write my own poetry.
As you will notice on the ….5.... CV, I graduated in European Literature. At University I gained considerable ….6.... working on the student magazine, so I am ….7.... with editing techniques. I work well under ….8.... and enjoy working in a team. In addition, I speak English ….9.... .
I would be ….10.... for interview from next week. Meanwhile, please do not ….11.... to contact me if you require further information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,

Margaret Roan

1. apply / ask / request
2. shown / advertised / presented
3. worked / employed / used
4. want / pursue / take
5. included / mentioned / attached
6. experiment / expression / experience
7. familiarised / femiliar / familiar
8. anxiety / demands / pressure
9. excellently / fluently / strongly
10. available / around / accessible
11. hesitate / wait / stop

I would like to apply the position
If you would like to discuss this more detail
I enjoy working pressure
I was in charge

I was responsible

With reference

STRONG ADJECTIVES

They have the idea of "very" and are followed by a normal adjective

Examples

• gorgeous = very beautiful
• huge = very big

Base Adjectives	Strong Adjectives
beautiful	gorgeous
ugly	awful
dirty	filthy
good	superb, great, fantastic
bad	terrible
happy	thrilled
angry	furious
hungry	starving
tired	exhausted
funny	hilarious
big	huge, enormous
small	tiny
fat	obese
scared	terrified
cold	freezing
hot	boiling

With strong adjectives, for intensifiers we normally use: absolutely - exceptionally - particularly - really - quite

The film was absolutely awful.

He was an exceptionally brilliant child.

The food smelled really disgusting

Very, absolutely and really are used differently according whether the adjective is a base or a strong one:

	very	absolutely	really
Base adjectives
Strong adjectives

Examples:

• He was very happy; he was absolutely thrilled.
• He was really happy/thrilled.

Intensifiers with comparatives and superlatives:
We use these words and phrases as intensifiers with comparative adjectives: much - far - a lot - quite a lot - a great deal - a good deal - a good bit - a fair bit

• He is much older than me.
• New York is a lot bigger than Boston.
• We use much and far as intensifiers with comparative adjectives in front of a noun:
• France is a much bigger country than Britain.
• He is a far better player than Ronaldo.

We use these words as intensifiers with superlatives: easily - by far - far

• The blue whale is easily the biggest animal in the world.
• This car was by far the most expensive.

To practise this grammar point, please go to tolearnenglish.com or english file. For all the other grammar points in this unit (quantifiers, articles, infinitive/gerund), please go the OUP website here.

INFINITIVE OR GERUND?

See this presentation; I hope it helps you:

Inf Ger NI2
If you want to play while you learn, you can try this duel game from englishmedialab.com.

Male brains vs Female brains

"A tale of two brains"

Mark Gungor

In this video Mark Gungor, a marriage expert, talks about the difference between male brains and female brains in a very humorous way. Are you ready to have a laugh?

I WISH...

Would you like things to be different? Then, MAKE A WISH.... and remember...
1. when  we make a wish about the present,  we use 

If only / I wish + simple past

Example:

If only I knew how to use a computer. (I don’t know how to use a computer and I would like to learn how to use it) 

I wish I spoke Italian. (I don't speak Italian) 

Now listen to Avril Lavigne, enjoy the song and sing along

2. To express a wish about the past (usually regretting something):

If only / I wish + past perfect

Example:

If only I had woken up early. (I didn't wake up early and I missed my bus.) 

I wish I hadn't eaten so much. (I ate a lot.) 

3. When you wish that SOMEONE ELSE would do something (you are usually impatient, or you complain about something you don't like / annoys you):

I wish / if only + would + verb

Example:

I wish you wouldn't arrive so late all the time (I'm annoyed because you always come late and I want you to arrive on time) 

I wish it would stop raining. (I'm impatient because it is raining and I want to go outside.)

Finally, to practise a little, go here. to better-english.com, myenglishpages.com... In busyteacher you'll find some sentences and their answers below (please, don't look at them until you've done them first). 
Tolearnenglish has exercises for present wishes, regrets, and past situations, and more...