General Notes about my English lessons and life in Viet Nam.
Author: Thay Paul's notes
London-born English teacher, now living and working in Sai Gon, Viet Nam.
I want to use this site to post lesson notes, extra work, helpful links as well as general notes about my time in SE Asia and Viet Nam. I also want to give real classroom experiences and how to deal with real classes of noisy, unmotivated and resistant students. Additionally, I'll be posting links to films, publishing plays and stories, and introducing friends who work in the arts.
My Princess requested some extra help with reading and gleaning information from text. Therefore, I prepared this little exercise about a Truly unique musical icon, David Bowie.
David Bowie was born David Robert Jones in Brixton, South London, England, on January 8, 1947. Bowie’s first hit was the song ‘Space Oddity’ in 1969. The original pop chameleon, Bowie became a fantastical sci-fi character for his breakout Ziggy Stardust album. He later co-wrote ‘Fame’ with Carlos Alomar and John Lennon, which became his first American No. 1 single in 1975. An accomplished actor, Bowie starred in The Man Who Fell to Earth in 1976. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Shortly after releasing his final album, ‘Black Star’, Bowie died from cancer on January 10, 2016.
Black Star
Ziggy Stardust
Questions
1. When was David Bowie born ?
2. What was his first hit ?
3. What was the name of his breakout album (LP) ?
4. With whom did he co-write ‘Fame’ ?
5. What film did he star in ?
6. When was he inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame ?
7. When did David pass away ?
8. What was his last LP ?
Now … IELTS language
Your turn to be a chameleon. Change this run of the mill passage into a piece of text worthy of an IELTS student.
Today, David Bowie’s music is (everywhere) (but) this wasn’t always the case. When he was (beginning phrasal verb) he was not successful, and he felt (sad – use an idiom). People only heard his music on the radio (rarely – use an idiom). However, by (not giving up) he finally archived fame.
He worked incredibly hard (idiom) and played concerts across the USA. He (idiom) by acting in a big movie in 1976. Unfortunately, the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle was (bad) to his health, so he decided to (idiom), stop his bad habits, and move to Berlin, Germany.
Today, Bowie memorabilia can (idiom); for example, a lock of his hair sells for over £12, 000. That is out of this world !
Bye bye from David Bowie
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Juliette Greco, actress and singer, suffered a traumatic childhood. Her mother withheld maternal love, claiming that Juliette was conceived without the mother’s consent. The mother, along with Juliette’s sister, were arrested by the Gestapo in World War II, and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. After liberation, the mother left Europe for Indochina, leaving Juliette in the care of her former French teacher.
In the immediate post-war years, Juliette frequented the bohemian areas of Paris, meeting such luminaries as Albert Camus & Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Cocteau and Boris Vian, among others.
Paris hosted an International Jazz Festival in May 1949, and it was there that Juliette first saw American Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.
Miles, coming from an affluent African-American family, began playing trumpet at the age of nine. In 1944 he was accepted at the prestigious Institute of Musical Arts (now called Juilliard) but dropped out in order to devote his time to playing, and he got a gig playing with Jazz legend Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker.
In 1949, as part of the Tadd Dameron Quintet, Miles travelled to Paris. He was spellbound by the freedom and respect he encountered, the lack of racial prejudice. Then he met Juliette Greco, and fell totally, head over heels in love.
My close friend and band mate Niall has written a song about this doomed affair, and it has just been uploaded to YouTube:
Our style of music could be defined as ‘Post-Rock’ meaning it deviates from a conventional song. Instead, Niall has written a short story which he narrates, and enlivens the track with Jazz music, sound effects and sound bites.
I hope you can find time to listen to the piece and, if so moved, ‘Like’ and ‘Subscribe’. This really helps new channels, so thank you in advance.
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
One of the most famous British legends is that of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Arthur was the son of Uther Pendragon. When he was a boy, Arthur stayed with Merlin who was a wizard. Merlin knew magic, and was able to advise young Arthur.
Merlin the wizard
A famous legend is how Arthur became king. A sword was in a stone. If anyone could life the stone out, that person would be king and would rule the country.
Many people tried and many people failed. When the boy Arthur wanted to try, everybody laughed. He was too small and weak. However …
Arthur had some soldiers called knights around him. The knights had to be brave, loyal, show respect and protect women. Arthur and his Knights sat at a round table.
Arthur has many legends, that are very interesting and exciting. You can learn more in this short video:
Or you can read in many different books:
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Part 3 of the speaking test can be tremendously daunting. However, with some tricks up your sleeve, you will be able to ace the test, pass with flying colours and do yourself proud.
Right off the bat, relax … be cool. You merely have to:
1) demonstrate you understand the question
2) demonstrate you have IELTS-standard language to respond
3) reply based on either your opinion or experience. YOU DECIDE
As per usual, let’s kick off with a killer introduction
Prepare some expressions so you can adapt them for the specific question. To refresh your memory:
Well, that’s a very complicated question …
What a hard question, I may have to think about this
I’m not sure I know how to answer that because I don’t have enough information, however …
Next stage is to explain how you’re going to answer:
in my experience
allow me to tell you what I do
I can’t speak about other people, but I …
Finally you answer, only now, YOU are in control, you are in the driver’s seat.
Respond in a way that will earn you points. We want to hear low-frequency words, idioms, phrasal verbs, vernacular (“big time !”).
Furthermore, frame your answers in complex sentences, use body language and intonation and stress.
If you can illustrate your response with an anecdote, all the better.
Examples
What do you think schools will be like in the future ?
This type of question invites you to give YOUR thoughts (“In my opinion,” etc)
Well, I’m currently in my last year of high school, so this is a very pertinent question for me. Naturally, I can’t foresee the future however, I could offer some predictions though, of course, this is just my opinion.
To start with, I can only speak about …… (say your country) as I don’t know enough about the educational systems in other countries.
For me, I feel that technology will play a greater part in schools, such as using the internet, working on tablets and joining online groups. Personally, I’m in a small Facebook group to help with learning English and I find it tremendously helpful and rewarding.
On the other hand, this can be extremely expensive. Providing tablets for a whole school will cost an arm and a leg, so maybe this will only occur in private schools. Furthermore, as the population increases, there will be many more students. This could lead, inevitably, to larger class sizes.
I really hope our system continues to improve although we have to be realistic; higher standards means higher costs … but I feel it will be worth the expense.
Now, that was quite a long reply but let’s break it down:
The first paragraph personalises the question, as well as adapting an introduction expression.
The second explains how you are going to answer.
The third states your main point. Moreover, it includes an anecdote (this doesn’t have to be true).
The fourth gives an opposing view – thus affording you the chance to use a discourse marker, to alter your body language and intonation, and to throw in an idiom for good measure. Also, some L-FWs, which are always impressive (if used correctly).
The final paragraph is to conclude and is, as you can clearly see, purely personal. Did you also notice the poetic repetition ? Allow me to point it out – “Higher standards means higher costs.”
Piece of cake, right ?
See you in the next blog
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Apart from idioms, phrasal verbs and low-frequency words (LFW), IELTS students need a collection of expressions and collocations to spice up their English.
With that in mind, here are some notes from the previous lesson, along with revision exercises and a splattering of vibrant vocabulary.
As for speaking tests, I listened to eight students last week and only heard one complex sentence. Now, it wasn’t one of my classes; my students know exactly what I will do if they don’t speak in IELTS-style sentences:
I just jammed around with two key words: ‘heart’ & ‘gold’.
Exercise 1: define these expressions & idioms
HEART
a heart of gold
a heart to heart
hand on heart
heart-felt greetings
heartbreaking
a heart of stone
GOLD
King Midas
The bard of Stratford
a heart of gold (yes, again, it’s called practice)
as good as gold
the golden touch
golden handshake
silence is golden (especially when one works in Vietnam)
Exercise 2: use these expressions & idiomsin an IELTS style, employing complex sentence(s).
EXAMPLE: My mother, who works incredibly long shifts at the hospital, has a heart of gold. Even when she is exhausted, she always finds time for me.
facetious // uncharacteristically // overheads // euphemism // lingua franca // prima donna
shaking in my boots // going to powder my nose // going to see a man about a dog // footloose and fancy free
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
visually stunning / mouth-watering / a waste of money / spectacular / you get what you pay for / significantly / somewhat / according to / how can I put it ? / unforgettable / traditional / breathtaking / unique / once in a lifetime experience / never to be forgotten /
Exercise 1: write a narrative
My old friend was visiting Bangkok and, as Thailand is close to Vietnam, I decided to take a short holiday and meet up with him.
The students must flesh out the notes, using adjectives, discourse markers, adverbs and interesting expressions. Additionally, I need to hear a structured speech, using ‘signpost language’ such as:
To begin with / firstly
After that / secondly / following that /
Then / afterwards / another memorable moment was
For me the highlight was /
In conclusion / to sum up / all in all
Along with this, the voice must depict excitement or disappointment, indicate what is factual and what is an opinion.
Ready ? Let’s go !
I flew with …
Then took the BTS Skytrain
Then a …
To my hotel. I travelled alone, however I planned to meet up with …
The highlights of the trip undoubtedly:
Not forgetting the …
And Thailand is famous for the friendliness of its people…
The only black cloud was how short the break was, and having to go …
All good things must end. It was an amazing trip and the fact that I could meet an old friend made it even more memorable. I hope we can repeat the experience, sooner rather than later.
Exercise 2:talk about your dream holiday
Tip: choose a place you can discuss at length, somewhere that offers many attractions.
I choose Hoi An
Recently, I have been burning the candle at both ends, studying hard for tests so I feel ready for a well-earned break. I don’t need to travel abroad asVietnam has many beautiful places and of these, my choice would be the unique town of Hoi An.
Firstly, Hoi An is a historical city with a wonderful Japanese bridge and lovely old shops. At night, the shops use romantic lanterns.It really is a once in a lifetime experience to see such a romantic and majestic sight.
Hoi An is close to Da Nang, which has breathtaking beaches. Living in the city, I only get to swim in the sea once in a blue moon. There are so many things to see and do in the local area apartfrom sunbathing and, naturally, mouth-watering, incredibly fresh seafood is ubiquitous and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. As for the travel details, I can fly there easily and quickly from Sai Gon. I can be there in next to no time.
Having said that, Hoi An is very small and can be extremely crowded in summer. Prices could reflect this, and a good hotel room may be astronomical in the tourist season. Additionally, it is good to be prepared for scams and being overcharged. Unfortunately, this can bea reality of travelling.
All in all, Hoi An is a very special place to visitbecause it is a town of Vietnamese culture, and unlike anywhere else. It is a never to be forgotten experience so if you go, make sure you take many photos to help you preserve the memory.
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Comes from a song written by Robert Charles Guidry, and released in 1955. The lines are:
“See you later, alligator, after while, crocodile.”
Crocodiles are bigger and more aggressive than alligators. A crocodile’s snout is V-shaped, an alligator’s is U-shaped. Viewed from the front, a crocodile will display both sets of teeth while the alligator only shows the top row.
Crocodiles
Crocodile tears
Meaning: shedding fake tears
“He acted like he was sad but they were just crocodile tears.”
Bats
Blind as a bat
Meaning: to have very bad eyesight
“I can’t see without my glasses, I’m blind as a bat.”
Bats, actually, are not blind but have very sensitive vision, especially for seeing in the dark. However, bats use a form of sonar called echolocation to search for food, and to help with navigation. They do this by producing sound waves above the range of human hearing. Additionally, the belief that bats always turn left when flying out of a cave is simply not true.
Buffalo
To be buffaloed
Meaning: to be confused, puzzled, or tricked by someone. This, I believe, is an idiom from the USA although I have never come across it, either in life or in the media.
Buffalos are native to Africa and Asia, bison in the USA and Europe. Although related, they are different species. Buffalo Bill, a soldier, hunter and showman, should really have been named Bison Bill
Butterfly
The butterfly effect
Meaning: a small, insignificant action can have enormous consequences. Based on Chaos Theory; if a butterfly flaps its wing in Brazil, will it cause a hurricane in Japan ?
The link between butterflies and Chaos Theory is actually based on the patterns made on paper when recording data:
Camels
The straw that broke the camel’s back
Meaning: a small but final event that causes someone to react strongly
“My boss kept making me overtime, but when he told me I had to work on my free day, I quit ! It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
A perennial question in my Young Learners’ class is “What does a camel store in its hump ?” the answer being fat (not water). Furthermore, camels have three sets of eyelashes. However it is perhaps not so widely known that camel milk is incredibly healthy.
Cows
Until the cows come home
Meaning: some thing that will take a long time, last a long time, or will never happen
“Steven owes me money but I’ll be waiting until the cows come home before he pays me.”
In the Marx Brothers film ‘Duck Soup’ (1933) Groucho declares, “I could dance with you ’til the cows come home. On second thoughts, I’d rather dance with the cows ’til you come home.”
Cows have 32 teeth but lack upper front ones. They have great memories and sense organs, being able to smell something up to six miles away.
Deer
Like a deer caught in the headlights
Meaning: paralysed with fear, unable to move. Totally shocked or surprised and unable to speak or react.
“When his mum caught him at the mall instead of being at school he was like a deer caught in the headlights.”
The Chinese water deer is the only species of deer not to have antlers. Deers, apart from having a great sense of smell and hearing, have a wide field of vision due to their eyes being on the side of their heads.
Ducks
Water off a duck’s back
Meaning: something done or said that has no effect
“She kept insulting her boyfriend about his laziness and being a slob but it was all water off a duck’s back.”
See you later, alligator !
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
A typical, run of the mill IELTS question will be about your hometown or about your neighbourhood.
N.B. neighbourhood means the area in which you live; neighbours are the people living next or close to you.
First, some new vocabulary. I will expect you to learn these, to have them down pat:
gritty / industrial
quite / safe / residential
boring / peaceful / suburban
bustling / vibrant / city centre / lively / a happening place
apparently – something you believe to be true
conversely – the opposite, on the other hand, however
actually – saying something that is surprising or is the truth
New idioms
bear with me – please wait a very short time
bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry
like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc
run of the mill – ordinary, typical, unusual, boring
you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous
NOW … your turn
Tell me about your neighbourhood
Remember, give me a great introduction, have a positive point, a negative point and a short conclusion. You should be able to speak for two minutes without pause or repetition
Tips: Use some of the adjectives listed above to describe the area.
Say what amenities you have close by; shops, restaurants, entertainment, transport links etc.
Try to tell an anecdote – a short true story about something that happened to you.
An apartment block in the Cat Lai area of Sai Gon. Artist’s impression.
The reality of living in Cat Lai, one of the busiest ports in south east Asia
Well, that question is a bit of a sore point with me because I live in a terribly noisy gritty industrial area. My apartment is near the Cat Lai port which is one of the busiest in Vietnam. Consequently, we have containers driving past, day and night which, as you can imagine, creates so much pollution.
However, allow me to talk about the good points. Firstly, it is significantly cheaper than, say, District 1 or 3, as it is quite far from the centre. The shops also tend to be on the cheap side. Additionally we have some street markets where I can pick up some very cheap food and fresh fish. We are well-served with several convenience stores although, in my opinion, Family Mart charges an arm and a leg.
Conversely, my friends avoid visiting me because it is so dangerous to ride a motorbike here, we really take our lives in our hands every time we go out. Furthermore, I love fresh air so I open my windows, but I have to dust and clean every day because so much dirt accumulates. Finally, we have open-air karaoke nearly every night and street wedding parties most weekends which means loud and terrible singing. It’s like a madhouse, I really detest this horrible noise.
I am lucky with my neighbours, who are all so friendly, and the apartment is really spacious. Having said that, the area is so bad that as soon as possible, I will leave and find somewhere cleaner and safer.
Landmark 81 in Sai Gon
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Meaning: A burden or something unpleasant that stays with you
“He wrote that tweet when he was angry, and everybody saw it. It’s like an albatross around his neck now.”
The phrase comes from the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, where a sailor shoots an albatross, a symbol of good luck, and is forced to wear the dead bird around his neck.
Ants:
To have ants in your pants
Meaning: Always moving around, not sitting still
“Keep still ! Do you have ants in your pants ?”
In Greek, ants are myrmex. The soldiers who followed the hero Achilles were referred to as Myrmidons. One origin myth is that ants survived a plague, and the god Zeus turned these into people. Even today, ants have been found to be extremely resistant to nuclear radiation.
Achilles addresses his myrmidons
Bears:
Bear with me
Meaning: Please wait a very short time
“Let me check for you. Bear with me a minute.”
In some Native American cultures, the bear is a symbol of a teacher
Birds
Birds of a feather flock together
Meaning: People tend to stay with or befriend people with similar interests or habits
“The naughty students all sit together. Birds of a feather !”
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Meaning: It is better to have something definite than something better but uncertain
“Should I buy these now or wait until next week when they may be cheaper ?” “Buy now. A bird in the hand.”
The European bird Robin Redbreast actually has an orange chest, but the word ‘orange’ didn’t exist in English until the 16th Century, by which time the bird was already known as ‘redbreast’.
Cats:
To let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: to tell a secret
“John told me. He let the cat out of the bag.”
No room to swing a cat
Meaning: Very limited space. However, the ‘cat’ here is a whip used by the navy, a cat o’ nine tails.
Cats were sacred to the Egyptian god Bast (or Bastet), so killing one was extremely unlucky. Cats helped kill rodents, who would eat the grain, and were therefore treated with the highest respect.
Chicken
Don’t be chicken
Meaning: Do not be afraid
“Come on, let’s watch this horror film. Don’t be a chicken !”
Chicken Little
Meaning: A person who is alarmist, who always predicts that bad things will happen
“Jane says we should cancel the picnic because it may rain, but she’s such a Chicken Little.”
Chickens, who originate from southeast Asia, have remarkable memories. They have been found to identify over 100 other chickens just by their faces.
Dog
The tail wagging the dog
Meaning: The person or people in control are actually being forced to do something they don’t want.
“Your students tell you what they are going to do ? That’s the tail wagging the dog.”
1997 film which takes its title from an expression
Donkey
Talking the hind legs off a donkey
Meaning: Someone who can talk and talk, extremely loquacious
“He could talk the hind legs off a donkey.”
Donkeys are mentioned over 140 times in the NIV of The Bible. They are seen as symbols of peace and servitude. An ass is a wild donkey. A donkey is the ‘star’ of Robert Bresson’s 1966 film ‘Au Hasard Balthazar’.
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Complex sentences, which use relative pronouns and subordinate clauses, are imperative in attaining a respectable IELTS score.
You will, no doubt, experience a feeling of triumph once you have mastered this technique which, I admit, does require extra effort on your part but will, without a shadow of a doubt, enable you to attain the score for which you are aiming.
And now, without further ado, let’s kick off. First, a warm-up. Of today’s three highlighted expressions, which would you use:
1 when you are certain or 100% sure about something
2 to start immediately, with no more interruptions
3 to express great happiness when you have achieved or won something
Answers at end of blog
Here are some standard IELTS-type questions, followed by a typical answer and then, by way of comparison, an extended response to demonstrate improvements.
1 Tell me about your hometown
2 How often do you go online ?
3 What jobs will be important in your country in the future ?
4 Tell me about a time you received good news
An average answer, which would probably result in a middle score, around 4 – 5 would be, to take one example, (Number 2):
I go online every day because I need the internet to help me study. I use the internet to check new words in English. I go online for information for my work.
What do you notice about this ? Firstly, what are the mistakes ?
The candidate answers the question immediately; a sentence leading into the response will make for a longer answer.
The second sentence is acceptable for providing more information although I advise students to be careful in case they start deviating from the subject.
Lastly, the third sentence just repeats what has already been said, even using the same phrase “I go online“, and then explaining the reason for using the internet NOT how often it is used.
Here’s a different way of answering
Well, that’s interesting because I have internet access at school, at home and on my phone so I would say I’m absolutely online every day. How much time I spend online varies from day to day, but I am probably online about three hours daily, sometimes more if I have a project or if I’m playing a cool game.
See how this answer only uses two sentences , but is far superior. Let’s break down how it earns points.
Initially, we have a short introduction and then the question is answered directly in the first, extended sentence.
Secondly, the opening sentence includes a list of three, so this is a chance to practise speech rhythm (one, two and three) – remember, you get points by HOW you say something as well as what you say.
Thirdly, the answer uses three everyday adverbs (highlighted); ‘so‘ can also be used as an adverb, but here it is a conjunction (a word such as ‘and’, ‘but’, etc).
Additionally, the sentences employs an expression, “from day to day,” which examiners like to hear, as it shows familiarity with vernacular language.
Lastly, the candidate explains the reasons for being online, and how it affects the time spent on the internet.
Now … your turn
Try to answer the same question, following this pattern.
Now … let’s move on.
Question 1: Tell me about your hometown.
This time, I will give you facts and you arrange in an answer.
My hometown is Da Nang. Fifth largest city in Viet Nam. Is in Central Vietnam. Near historic town Hoi An. Important port. Many tourists. Has a cable car and a dragon bridge. Famous for its beach.
Thank you for letting me introduce to you my hometown which is Da Nang, one of the biggest cities in Vietnam, although it is much smaller than Ha Noi or Sai Gon. My hometown is in the middle, sorry, I mean in central Viet Nam, and had many tourists. They come to see many things such as the Dragon Bridge, go on the cable car or for swimming. Also, Da Nang is very near many famous place such as Hoi An. As it is on the coast, my hometown is also a busy port.
Check for
Introduction
Information in first sentence
Discourse marker ‘although‘
Correcting a mistake in line 3
A list of three items in lines 4 and 5
Can you spot two grammatical errors ?
Change of sentence structure in the last line: instead of saying,
“My hometown is also a busy port because it is on the coast,”
I started with the end of that sentence (“it is on the coast,”) and replaced ‘because’ with ‘as’ (though because would also be all right to use).
Dragon Bridge at Da Nang. Bye bye – see you next blog
Answers:
1 = without a shadow of a doubt
2 = without further ado
3 = feeling of triumph
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Thay Paul's Notes 