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Writing practice tests…
Several students have asked me for more writing exercises… please note that many past tests are available on this blog…. see the menu at the top of the page… you can click on the Writing tests link at the top right-hand side of the home page to see a list of available past exams…
here are a few more…. you can dowload them by clicking on the links below..
More on cohesive devises…. including extra work on parallelism
Checking through student papers I’ve seen that many students are still having trouble with parallel structures….
so here is a 2nd PowerPoint presentation (used in class on May 30th) with some more exercises to do, and some further explanation…. click on the file name below to download the presentation…
2nd semester news…
Hello ! This semester we started the first lesson talking about PARALLEL STRUCTURES. Thnis is a concept that is important to understand, and that can help you eliminate lots of mistakes from your writing.
You can download the PowerPoint Presentation we used in class by clicking on the name below:
Week 7 extra materials….
Downloads:
This week we’ll be discussing a Power Point presentation about the language of ads…
Also, we’ll be discussing lots of examples of different language devices such as puns, metaphor, metonymy and synecdoche …. The following handout will give you an idea of what we talked about in class….
Weeks 5-6-7-8-9-10
Hello everyone !
First, let me answer a question: some students have asked “where can I learn how to write instructions ?” The answer is: in your textbook ! You need to do the listening exercise for chapter 10 and take notes on what makes a good set of instructions; you also need to do the reading activity about instructions, which shows you a good set of instructions to analyze, and gives you some information on the verb tenses you find in instructions. Then…. you just need to use all the information you have collected, and write some instructions !
Second… if you haven’t completed the two compositions on “happiness” and “courage” assigned in the past weeks, try to finish those and hand them in for correction.
Week 5:
In the last week of module 1, we did different things w/ different groups. To be sure you are caught up with the rest of the students, be sure you have completed all the grammar chapters on present, past and future, and the grammar work on -ing / infinitive. If you are still having problems w/ -ing v. infinitive, download the powerpoint presentation on this blog…. and go back to your 2nd year grammar book and do the exercises there.
We discusssed Chapter 1 in Behind Business. As a homework assignment, students were asked to prepare a signboard or sandwich board … see exercise in book on page 15. Be sure you read the entire chapter and do the exercises on the CD-Rom.
We also finished discussing two handouts on how to write introductions and conclusions. I’ll add those below, for you to print, if you missed class. You will find sample ideas for good intros/endings, plus several pages w/ example intros and conclusions written by students:
Download here by clicking on images:
examples of students’ introductions and conclusions……
and basic info on writing Introductions (left) and conclusions (right) ….
Now, let me give you a basic outline of what we will be doing in the coming weeks. Each week I will be adding a short post with more precise information…. so keep checking the blog weekly for new posts. Remember, snow days and holidays may cause us to change schedule a bit.
Week 6:
This week we will be discussing homework (signboards) and completing chapter 3 of Behind Business. If we have the lab available, we will be doing a past listening test on digital advertisements.
Your homework will be to design and write a brochure or leaflet, using some of the language strategies discussed and following the instructions you find in the chapter and in the listening exercise on the CD-Rom.
Grammar work:
Complete review of past tenses; use the Champion Company Profile exercises on pp. 70-71 to help you think about the use of past tenses in a business context ….
Week 7:
This week we will be working on understanding the language of ads and the language strategies used in advertising messages. We will be working with Chapter 2 of Behind Business, and a power point presentation in class. The presentation will be uploaded onto the blog during week 6.
You will be asked to invent a slogan, using the language strategies discussed and the process described in your book.
Grammar homework:
This week, review everything your grammar book tells you about ADJECTIVES … their position & order, comparatives, superlatives, etc. … and ADVERBS.
Writing homework:
Download the following articles and write a composition using the information you read. Be sure to use the strategies we talked about for writing introductions and conclusions.
Week 8:
This week we will be examining your slogans and continuing to discuss the grammar and style of persuasive language, using Chapter 7 in Behind Business… We will also be taking a quick look at your compositions regarding safe driving, and discussing them.
In Behind Business, we’ll begin to look at Chapter 7, which deals with ‘Direct Mail’. Your homework activity will be to prepare a piece of direct mail : you may choose to write either a direct mail package or a newsletter (traditional or e-newsletter).
Grammar:
This week, be sure to review everything in your grammar books regarding the use of a, an, the, some, any
Week 9:
This week we will be looking at Chapter 5 of Behind Business, which describes catalogue copywriting, and completing the exercises regarding Champion sportswear.
Week 10:
This week we will be doing a mock exam, and briefly discussing the Shell International company profile in Behind Business– pp. 92-102. The chapter discusses company reports and mission statements. Be sure to do the activities on the CD-ROM.
The remaining chapters of the book will be discussed with Professor Taylor during his corso monografico.
Work to do: Weeks 3 and 4….
After marking your work over the last 2 weeks, I’m afraid I’m VERY worried about the level of preparation of this year’s students. Most of you still are using basic tenses incorrectly — and that is a very serious problem.
Grammar week 3:
On your own: continue reviewing the use of present past and future tenses, if you haven’t finished yet. In class, we will be discusing the use of the INFINITIVE and -ING forms. Your grammar book discusses this topic in chapter 12– so that is the next chapter for you to study ! The diagnostic test is on page 21.
If you are unable to attend class, you can download the power point presentation we will be using. 2010 Infinitive or ing
Writing practice:
Last week we discussed writing effective INTRODUCTIONS. We looked at a handout w/ examples in class. I will upload it over the next few days, just in case you missed class and don’t have a copy. For this week, you need to choose one of the past exams from September or May 2010, and write a composition following the exam instructions.
Listening week 3:
We will be listening again to the recording about INSTRUCTIONS and how it could have been summarised.
in Behind Business:
This week we will be starting to use the book. We will be beginning with Chapter 10: Training and Technical Support Documents. This week (3) – and next (4) — we will be watching examples from DVDs containing training and technical videos for different automakers.
The exercise you will be asked to do during week 4 involves WRITING a set of INSTRUCTIONS. During week 4 we will be watching videos of instructions, too.
Hello English 3 students !
you will need to buy these 2 books immediately
Welcome to this blog … and to this year’s course !
This blog is meant to help you keep up with classroom activities, and plan your studies carefully, so that you will be ready to take your English 3 exam successfully in May 2011.
During the first week of class, we will be discussing the exam format, and how to prepare for the English 3 exam. Please download and print the following document and bring it to class with you.
Click on file name to download: basic course info AA 2010_2011
Textbooks
You will need to buy the books we will be using in the first semester: Behind Business and Longman Advanced Learner’s Grammar.
Groups
Students wil be divided into 3 groups: C1a, C1b & C1c.
- Cla – per chi studia il francese o il russo
- C1b – per chi studia lo spagnolo
- Clc – per chi studia il tedesco
Contacts
If you need to reach me by e-mail, my e-mail address is: betsypontellini@yahoo.com For the first ‘module’ of the first semester: my ‘office hour’ for students (ricevimento studenti) will be Mondays, from noon to 1 pm, at the CLA. This will only change if the class schedule is changed.
Class topics
The topics we will be discussing in the first module are press releases, instructions, summarizing and composition writing, as well as a grammar review, including the use of the infinitive vs. -ing. In the second module, we’ll continue with writing and listening practice, grammar exercises such as mixed irregular conditionals and articles , and look at the language used in signs, press ads and catalogues. We’ll also look at how to write effective brochures in English. For those of you who will not be coming to class, be sure to read the next blog entries, explaining what we will be doing each week !
Downloads
Each week you will also find study materials to download: you will see the links in each post.
One of the first things we will be doing is a mock listening test, using one of the past exam recordings. For those of you who will not be attending class, the audio files are available here on the blog; click on the ‘play’ arrow button below to listen to the file. You can also download the exam paper, by clicking on the image on the right.
This audio file is a recording of the May 2005 English 3 listening test. The topic was ‘instructions’.
Please download the following documents, too, and bring them with you to class. These are three examples of past writing exams:
week 2 scritto Jan 2009_press release_essay_instructions
Download the article “This Generation’s Moonshot”- by BONO from Time magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1124333,00.html
Grammar Homework: Week 1
This week, you need to test your knowledge of basic present, past and future tenses, as well as questions and negative forms. You may not realise that you still have some problems with these tenses ! Use the ‘Diagnostic tests’ in your grammar book to check your understanding. Do tests 1-2-3-4-5-6 (pages 10-16). When you finish the tests, check your answers. If you’ve made any mistakes… you know you need to keep working on how to use basic tenses .. and you need to start doing that NOW !!!!!
Grammar Homework: Week 2
This week, you will need to try to complete the exercises on present and future tenses in your new grammar book.
These exercises may look simple to you, but in reality the examples are more complicated and the exercises are more difficult than those found in your 1st and 2nd year grammar books. These examples are more similar to what you will find in the real world !
It is very important for you to finish this ‘review’ and consolidation work immediately. There are many new grammar topics to study this year… so you need to be sure you know the basics !
Downloads – Week 2
In class, we will be quickly reviewing how to use the future. Download and print out the following grammar handouts, and bring them to class with you.
Can you explain the use of will and going to ?
Look at the exercise on the left: can you explain the use of going to and will ?
Can you identify and explain all the future tenses in the exercise on the right ?
Try both exercises BEFORE rewiewing the future in your grammar book !
Listening work -Week 2
This week, we’ll continue talking about the writing exam, writing instructions, and note-taking and summarizing. We will be listening to another past listening test. You can download the test paper and listen to the audio here, if you miss class:
We will also be listening to and reading some samples of instructions. We will be watching some instruction videos on YouTube. Be sure to check the blog at the end of the week for info on what to do if you missed class !
be sure to check this blog in the coming weeks for uploaded info on summary writing and compositions, as well as grammar PowerPoint presentations…
Buono studio !!!!!
