Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 3.

26th January 2020

Contents

Conversation practice: favourite possessions.

Small talk

Vocabulary booster

Small talk

This is polite conversation, to pass the time, or to get to know some basic information about people. Do not ask anything too personal; this will differ from culture to culture, but in the UK and the west in general:

DO NOT

Ask why someone is not married or has no children.

Ask how much money they earn, get from their job.

Ask how much something cost. “I like your shirt. How much was it ?”

Talk about politics. “You’re from China ? Chairman Mao was a disaster !”

PLAY IT SAFE – talk about music, football, food or … in the UK … the weather.

Very warm for this time of year.

Did you see …….. last night ? (the football game, the news etc)

How long have you worked here ?

The traffic was so bad this morning.

What team do you support ?

Echo questions

John: I can speak German. Peter: Can you ?

Bella: Ms Nguyen went to Thailand. Carole: Did she ?

Bill: He likes K-pop. Harry: ______________ ?

We are going to the pagoda later. ______________ ?

Ms Thinh has a new job.______________ ?

Conversation Practice

Talk about:

house prices in your city / why you have or don’t have a pet

an interesting program you saw recently

What you want to do in the future. / Somewhere you would love to visit.

Keep conversations going:

I see / Do you really think so ? /

That’s good point / I hadn’t thought of that

Oh, that’s interesting/ Yeah, right ! / Sure / OK May I just add something ? /

Oh, where is that exactly ?

Speaking Practice – use discourse markers to extend your speaking and to link ideas.

Describe something you own which is very important to you.

You should say:

where you got it from how long you have had it what you use it for and explain why it is important to you.

You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes.
You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say.
You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

Rounding off questions

Is it valuable in terms of money?
Would it be easy to replace?

This could be a physical object, a memento with sentimental value, or an abstract noun such as health, happiness etc

For my Vietnamese students:

How different is Vietnam from other Southeast Asian countries?

What do you think Vietnam will be like 50 years from now?

What do you think Vietnam’s neighbours think of you ?

Image result for vietnam future — The future of Vietnam ?

Vocabulary booster

You have to use these words:

obviously / consequently / notwithstanding / therefore / speculate

We can only (guess) on what will happen in the future

The student did no work __________ he failed the exam.

It rained several days. That fact ____________ (despite), we still had a good holiday.

If you visit Canada in winter, _________ (of course) you will need jumpers, coats and gloves.

Expressions:

cultural differences / one can only imagine / putting myself in their shoes

There are many _____________________ for Asian students who go to study in the USA.

It can be hard learning English. Many students have to work all day. I try ___________________ and seeing what I can do to make the lessons more interesting.

Being a celebratory isn’t always fun; always having your photo taken. ___________________ what it must be like.

Try using these expressions:

There is so much work, I just can’t take it anymore !

A plague on both your houses ! (from ‘Romeo & Juliet’, Shakespeare)

Are you serious ? What possessed you to come up with such a stupid idea ?

I’m speechless … the film was just so moving and emotional; I’m almost in tears.

Image result for speechless — He’s speechless !

Discourse markers: Try to learn new words / expressions here to help you link idea.

Use these words: First, find the meaning for yourself, then use them in a sentence. After, try to use them in your everyday English.

Practice, practice, practice …

For instance / conversely / above all / alternatively / similarly / therefore as revealed by

Image result for for instance — There are many things I enjoy about writing this blog, for instance receiving notes and likes from people all over the world.

For a case in point, I see I have some readers in Nepal, so, just for them:

Adult Speaking Class, level 3, Part 2.

26th January 2020

Contents

Sentence order – exercises for you to practice rearranging the words in a sentence to make your English more interesting. This is especially useful for IELTS students.

Vocabulary – a feature just on boosting your command of the English language, and finding higher, or better, low-frequency words for basic English.

Vocabulary

Image result for asian girl with thesaurus

Objectives:

Increase vocabulary. The average native-speaker uses about 2 000 words. You can boost your vocabulary by learning verbs, adverbs and adjectives which can be easily found by a Google search. Also, use an online thesaurus.

Speak in longer sentences. Say what you want to say (make your point), then elaborate by giving examples, adding reasons and maybe an anecdote. Along with this, give the opposite view by using conjunctions such as ‘however’, ‘on the other hand’ etc.

Pronunciation. Many native speakers have a problem understanding English learners, so we will practise slow and careful enunciation, intonation and stress.

New vocabulary:

Look up any words you don’t know.

demonstrate / protest / gripping / predictable/ disappointing / media /

excessive/ biased / appropriate / opponent / in opposition to / beat / currently / not my cup of tea

hold your horses / debate / borrow / lend / expect / lease / terrible

Which words would you employ / use ?

Brazil beating Costa Rica was ……..

This film is extremely violent, it’s not ………. for children.

The politicians are ………. the issue of land-………. to the Chinese.

You can ……. money from a bank, but they …… it at a high interest rate.

The match was so ………… However, Spain – Portugal was ………

The man said Ha Noi was the best city, but he is from there so he is ……….

People were on the streets ………. and ………… against higher taxes.

The man went to prison for forty years just for littering. That was ………….

I haven’t finished yet, ……………………..

TV, radio, internet news and newspapers are called the ……..

New vocabulary:

aggravate – to make worse

tensions – bad feelings

keep a lid on it – stop something getting worse, or not to tell someone. We’ve got a new boss coming, but keep a lid on it (don’t tell anyone).

set up – start to do something. Fred is going to set up a new business.

knock out – (from boxing) to hit someone so they fall and stay down for 10 seconds

to eliminate someone / thing

Image result for henry cooper knocks out ali

Historically (adverb from history) – something that has happened over a long time.

They are currently ——– between China and Vietnam. This is nothing new as —— the two countries have had conflicts.

The government are introducing policies to ———— on inflation (prices rising).

President Trump visited North Korea to ease ——- between the two countries. He must be careful what he says or he may ———— the situation.

Image result for president trump in north korea

England have ———– Colombia so I am ———(a great word for happy). However, the greatest shock was Germany being ———— at the group stage.

Image result for england colombia world cup

The coverage in the Chinese media is not impartial, it is unbelievably ——— . However, this is nothing new; the media is the USA is also ———- towards either the left or right.

Project: Look at these headlines from the UK media. Could they happen in your country ?

A story about the Queen’s second son, Prince Andrew, and a sex scandal.

A left-wing paper writing about a right-wing Prime Minister.

Calling the England football manager a ‘turnip-head’.

Changing sentence order:

John read comic books as a boy. As a boy, John read comic books.

Mary sent two emails then went home. Mary went home after sending two emails.

Try changing these:

Watt worked as a maker of mathematical instruments but later found himself working with steam engines.

If we had to give credit to one inventor, it would probably be Karl Benz from Germany. Many suggest that he created the first true automobile in 1885/1886.

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Japan’s high speed bullet trains, also known as Shinkansen trains, offer visitors an experience like no other with speeds reaching up to 320 km/hr !

Image result for james watt steam engine

James Watt and the steam engine.

Adult Speaking Class, level 2, Part 6

25th January 2020

Contents

Grammar: Modal verbs

Listening practice: Life in Japan

Project work: What to do in Tokyo

Speaking practice: Classroom activity / Just A Minute

Listening practice:

Life in Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwg5-YY4pdg

New vocabulary, expressions, listening to accents.

Listen out for:

‘you guys’ (US), omg (oh my god), screwed up, really cool cafes, despite, strict

Check her grammar – any mistakes ?

Image result for amazing things in Japan

Listening for information

This clip ‘7 Cool things to do in Tokyo’ has a lot of practical information.

Write down as much as you can – try without subtitles.

Include prices, opening times, locations etc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3enIWRJtHQ

Project:

You have three days in Tokyo; what would you choose to do ?https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-things-to-do-in-tokyo

Image result for amazing things in tokyo

Grammar

Modal verbs. When to use:

can / could / have to / may /must

ought to / should / will

Permission /Possibility / Obligation

Request / Speculation / Suggestion

Can I get a bus to the city centre from here ? Is it possible ?

Can you hit the lights, please ? request – turn on/off the lights

Who’s that ? It could be Peter. Speculation

You have to get over 60% or Thay Paul will KYA (kick your ass !) Obligation

Oh, you must see the new Iron Man film. Suggestion

Will you help me with my tieng Viet ? Request

May I go to the party ? Permission

You musn’t use your phone when riding a motorbike. Obligation

You ought to stop drinking so much coffee. Suggestion

You should all read English books. Suggestion

Exercises:

….. I use my mobile phone in class ? Asking permission

You ………. answer all three questions. Obligation

It’s too heavy; …… you help me lift it ?

Don’t wait too long – he ……. not come.

… I buy an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy ?

Speaking Practice

This activity makes students speak English to each other, exchanging information and giving them practice in taking down facts such as dates, phone numbers etc.

Arrange class into small groups and give them each an information sheet. They take turns reading aloud to their group, using natural rhythms and intonations.

It’s highly probable that other students will not understand all, so they must use some of the following phrases:

I’m sorry, could you repeat that, please.

I didn’t catch your phone number.

Would you mind speaking slower, please.

How do you spell that ?

Let me confirm, your name is …

Speaker One:

Hello, I’m calling from Los Angles and I want to know what time does your office open ? I’m arriving on the 10^th July so can you meet me at the airport ? My cell is 555 – 0743 – 9291. Also, can you recommend a good hotel downtown ?

Speaker Two:

Hi, this is Mr Muller from the Berlin office. We are waiting for your design for the Audi components. Could you email them as soon as possible. We have an important presentation on the 12^th so we need them.

Speaker Three:

Hello, I’m looking for … Mr nnngggg yyyyyuun ?? Sorry, I cannot pronounce Vietnamese. This is Jack Ginsberg from the Beijing factory. We cannot meet your order by the deadline. We need at least three more days. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Speaker Four:

London calling, this is Mr Thompson for Mr Thanh. We need to rearrange the time of our conference Skype call. We must bring it forward to 11 o’clock your time. Hope that is not an issue. Any problems, give me a bell on my office number or drop me an email.

Speaker Five

My doctor told me to cut down on fast food and to cut out alcohol completely. I also have to hit the gym, go swimming and take up a sport. I tried jogging but I gave up, it was too damn hot. My girlfriend is always on at me to loose weight.

Speaker six:

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

Shakespeare ‘As You Like It’ Act 2, Scene 7

Just A Minute

Can you speak for a minute without deviation, hesitation or repetition ?

Students work in pairs, using a stopwatch. One student has to speak for one minute on a subject but must not repeat information, take too long to answer or to speak about different subjects.

school or work / local food / Asian women / great things about your city / bad things in your city / your family / your hometown / free time

Adult Speaking Class, Level 2, Part 6b

24th January 2020

Contents

Dialogue: speaking practice with phrasal verbs.

Listening Practice: Vietnamese speaking English // Vietnamese urban legends

Vocabulary: agreeing to an extent

Writing exercise: condensing text (‘1001 Nights’)

Listening Practice

Vietnamese culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAi_b__l_c

Image result for weird vietnamese customs

Do you agree with the video ? To what extent ?

BONUS: can you spot any English mistakes ?

I agree totally / I agree to an extent // I disagree // I disagree strongly

She makes a good point // She misses the point

She is spot on // She is way off // In my experience …

wierd = unusual / strange

Now, your turn. Do you agree with these statements:

Learning English is so important if you want a good job.

People who drink and drive should go to prison.

An African football team will win the World Cup before 2040.

Nobody should have to work more than 25 hours a week.

Men and women should earn the same money for doing the same job.

New Vocabulary / expressions

looking up = getting better (things are looking up).

Since we got a new manager, things are looking up.

Match the basic words on the left with words on the right, then complete the sentences with the right-hand words:

interesting // intelligent

on time // fascinating

forgetful // miserable

tired // punctual

smart (clever) // exhausted

unhappy // absent-minded

John forgot his keys again; he’s so _________

The documentary about ocean life was __________

Tony has been very ____________ since his girlfriend left him.

It would be incredible if Vietnamese students could be __________

EXTRA:

ubiquitous = everywhere. In Viet Nam, coffee shops are ubiquitous.

incessant = never ending. The karaoke noise is incessant.

rewarding = doing something that makes you feel better about yourself. Nursing doesn’t pay much but it is tremendously rewarding.

Creating sentences

Use these new adjectives with some of these nouns:

coffee shops / motorbikes / Vietjet / construction work / German trains

charity work / AI (artificial intelligence) / swimming / British weather

Meaning, pronunciation, structure

What is happening here?

I am thinking about a holiday.

Meaning: Am I having a holiday ? Where will I go ? Is it certain ? Alone / with friends ?

Pronunciation: In speech, we would contract “I am” to I’m and link “abouta“

Structure: What tense is being used … why ? Will it happen ?

Try these: Make as many questions / possibilities as possible

He’s having his car repaired

She having a dress made

He looked at a new apartment

My cousin will be applying for universities

I’m not sure about taking the new job.

Urban legends

stories that maybe aren’t true but people believe them

[urban = city // rural = countryside // haunted = a place with ghosts ]

Ten scary Vietnamese urban legends:

Project: Do you know any of these tales / legends ?

Do you know any other Vietnamese legends ?

Have you even been to the places in HCM City ?

Writing exercise

Painting by Ferdinand keller ‘Scheherazade und Sultan Schariar’ (1880).

1001 Nights

The main frame story concerns Shahryār ruling in “India and China”. He is shocked to learn that his brother’s wife is unfaithful; discovering that his own wife’s infidelity has been even more flagrant, he has her killed.

In his bitterness and grief, he decides that all women are the same. Shahryār begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning, before she has a chance to dishonour him.

Eventually the vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, cannot find any more virgins. Scheherazade the vizier’s daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees.

On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the king a tale, but does not end it. The king, curious about how the story ends, is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins (and only begins) a new one, and the king, eager to hear the conclusion of this tale, postpones her execution once again. This goes on for 1,001 nights.

This is quite a long introduction; how could you reduce it to three sentences ?

Some stories in English can be found here: http://www.storynory.com/category/fairy-tales/1001-nights/

Image result for arabian nights book illustrations

Dialogue

Speaking practice:

Mark At last ! Can’t you be punctual just once in your life !

Craig I’m here now, aren’t I ? You look so miserable, why are you fed up ?

Mark I need some coffee. Where can we get some ?

Craig Anywhere, coffee shops are ubiquitious here. What the hell ?

Mark What’s up now ? Your complaining is incessant !

Craig My money got all soggy ! I have to put up with so much.

Mark Oh, get over it ! Some people have no money. Do you help charities ?

Craig It sounds rewarding but after work I’m too exhausted !

Mark You are just talk. Put up or shut up !

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.

IELTS: Hello, India

24th January for 30th January 2020. IELTS Bands 4 – 5.5 Unit 7

Firstly, a big hello to all my readers and followers in India. Yesterday I had over fifty visits from students from the sub-continent and I want you all to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to check out my blog. Thank you so much.

My Indian friends – what is the standard of behaviour in your classrooms ? In my centre, in Sai Gon, Vietnam, we have to employ classroom management (normally reserved for ‘young learners’) to adults. Namely, we have to continually tell the class:

No mobile / cell-phones in the classroom UNLESS it has been sanctioned by the teacher for educational purposes.

No eating, chewing gum, slurping drinks

NO CHATTING WHILE THE TEACHER IS TALKING. THE TEACHER IS HERE TO HELP YOU. FURTHERMORE, IN MOST CULTURES, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLY RUDE AND UNACCEPTABLE.

Take notes, write down new words, practice using them

The teacher is here to help YOU learn. We are not here to entertain you.

These are not MY rules – they are the rules of the centre. If you cannot abide by them, then stop coming to class, stop wasting everyone’s time and money.

Let’s leave the last word to Uncle Ho, bác hồ:

Understand, my Vietnamese classes ? Even Uncle Ho says you,

“need to work much harder.”

And now, without further ado, a warm up exercise to see how much the class has remembered from the last lesson … if anything.

Firstly, complete these phrases and then use them in sentences:

over the ______ // under the ________ // under ________ // more or ________

I’m over the …… because I passed my IELTS test.

Ms Linh is not here, she’s feeling under ………..

The class understood the video, more ……..

So many tests at school, the pupils were under ………

Secondly, what do these words mean, the make a short sentence using them:

absent-minded / jovial / reside / miserable / attain

I shall try to incorporate some teaching points about India in this blog which, although written before the Lunar New Year (Tet Holiday), is for next week.

The above sentence is an example of the type of English that is expected in order to pass the IELTS exam. As you can plainly see, it isn’t too difficult; I inserted a low-frequency word (‘incorporate‘), used a relative pronoun (‘which‘) in order to make the sentence longer and more fluent, then employed a discourse marker (‘although‘) to link contrasting ideas together in a coherent sentence.

To recap, what you will need to use in both writing and speaking are:

adjectives (but not just the most basic, common ones)

adverbs

low-frequency vocabulary

complex sentences (introduce extra information in supporting clauses)

stress and intonation

Adjectives: describe what you see here:

Try these adjectives:

exotic / mysterious / exquisite / captivating / enchanting

Sentence building: Talk fluently and coherently.

Compare and contrast:

Does this look like YOUR city ? What is similar, what is noticeably different ?

Image result for Indian train station — A typical commute to work ?

Vocabulary building and listening

In the real world, most students will not be communicating with English-language teachers, but probably with other non-native speakers, so learning to appreciate and understand English spoken with a ‘new’ accent is an extremely useful skill. Here’s a great video which features a charming young Indian lady teaching new vocabulary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUxuD0m5A8

New Vocabulary:

Instead of using ‘very’ + adjective (I am very tired), use a single word:

Try to use ‘sagacious’, ‘exquisite’, ‘colossal’ and ‘spacious’

The classrooms in Block D are ……….. (big)

The furnishings are perfect, they are ……….

Building an underground train network is a ………… undertaking

The old man was ………. People came to him for advise.

This is also a listening skills exercise.

Do you have any problems understanding her ? Why ?

What to do in India

The American foodie and blogger Mark Wiens travelled to Kolkata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvNdOJMDMyQ

Listen for at least five words you didn’t previously know. In small groups ask each other:

What impressed you ? What disturbed you ? Would you like to go there ? If so, why, if not, why not ?

Here is a chance to practice adjectives, linking words and using the word ‘because’ – giving reasons, supporting your comments.

Famous Indians

In small groups, you have to make a short presentation about one of these famous Indians:

Image result for famous indian people — Mahatma Gandhi

Image result for famous indian siddharta buddha — Siddharta – the Buddha

The class have five to ten minutes to research information, speed read and extract relevant facts with which to enlighten the class. Simply reading straight from Wikipedia is not permitted.

And now, goodbye from this mysterious, exotic land. Hope to meet you very soon …

Adult Professionals: Mechanics, Part 2

23rd January 2020

Various exercises and features aimed at science professionals, mechanics and engineers.

Contents

Engineering fails

Heat transfer

The internal combustion engine

Reading exercises: condensing text, looking for relevant information.

Turbulence

Engineering fails

Engineering fails – bad engineering decisions and designs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPhVZExcGXg

Heat transfer

These are three methods of heat transfer.

Explain what is happening in each case (situation).

What method is used by:

The sun

An air-conditioner / radiator

Heating water in a can by fire.

The internal combustion engine

Image result for internal combustion engine

How does a car engine work ? Watch this video and then explain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKF5dKo_r_Y

Vocabulary / jargon / engineering terms:

crankshaft piston / piston rods / valves / cam shaft / timing belt

tension pulley / idler pulley / momentum

What does four stroke mean ? What does crank to camshaft ratio mean ?

What are spark plugs used for ? What stops the crankshaft stopping ?

How is this different from a diesel engine ?

Starting an old car

From ‘Top Gear’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWTcPdYfsAc

Why is it hard to start these early cars ? Where was this car made ?

New vocabulary:

particular / original / hill-start / rapidly / brutality / you what ?

Firstly, a look at some vintage cars:

According to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, United Kingdom, the definition for each category is the following:

Veteran– officially a car made up to and including December 1918.

Vintage– officially a car made between 1919 and 1930. Although, the term is often used to describe any car made before World War II.

Classic– generally any car that is no longer in production that is still popular. For classic car events organised by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) eligibility is set at 20 years. Generally this term is applied to cars from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. However, no definition is universal.

Turbulence

When I flew from London to Sai Gon, I experienced light turbulence: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/turbulence-air-travel-1.3385566

There is some great new vocabulary in this article, as well as expressions and collocations (‘potentially dangerous’ / ‘do their best’).

What are the causes ? Can turbulence be predicted ? How do air-traffic controllers gather information ?

Reading exercise

Selecting important information

We want to condensethis article so we only need the main facts:

This is about the British engineer Isabard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom BrunelFRS(/ˈɪzəmbɑːrd bruːˈnɛl/; 9 April 1806– 15 September 1859), was an English mechanical and civil engineerwho is considered “one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history”,”one of the 19th-century engineering giants”,and “one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, [who] changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions”.Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.

Though Brunel’s projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his career, Brunel achieved many engineering firsts, including assisting in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and development of SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven, ocean-going, iron ship, which, when built in 1843, was the largest ship ever built.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), was an English engineer who is regarded as a major figure in engineering history. His designs, which were considered ground-breaking and ingenious, included bridges and tunnels, railways and ships.

Despite some engineering fails, he was an innovator and achieved many firsts in enginnering. His ship, the SS Great Britain (1843), was the largest ship of its time.

Now, your turn:

Landmark 81

How to look for important information. Read this Wikipedia entry and re-write in just 3 or 4 sentences, inclusing only the most important information.

Landmark 81 is a super-tall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that was designed by the British design, engineering and consulting firm Atkins.The investor and primary developer for the project is Vingroup, a Vietnamese corporation that is also the country’s largest real-estate company. Landmark 81 is the tallest building in Vietnam, the tallest completed building in Southeast Asia as of July, 2018 and the 14th tallest building in the world.

The 461.5 metres (1,514 ft) tall, 81-storey building is built on the western banks of the Saigon River in the city’s Binh Thanh District, located just north of Ho Chi Minh City’s historic center and to the immediate south of Saigon Bridge. The tower is at the heart of the $1.5 billion high-end mixed-use urban area called Vinhomes Central Park, and was scheduled to be inaugurated in July 2018. The development comprises hotel and conference facilities, luxury apartments, high-end retail spaces, restaurants, bars, and a multi-story observation deck at the tower’s crown.

Adult Speaking Class, Level 3: Third conditional

23rd January 2020

We talk about something that happened to us in the past and how we would have changed it IF we had known some information.

A basic example: A visit a friend and it is her birthday, but I didn’t know. If I had known it was her birthday, I would have bought her a present.

To illustrate, My friend Richard:

Is married to Ms Linh. Yesterday was their wedding anniversary … but he forgot. Ms Linh was …

She was absolutely livid (extremely angry, disappointed and heartbroken)

If he had remembered it was his anniversary, he would have bought her a present, some flowers and taken her out to a romantic restaurant.

However, it is too late NOW ! He’s in the doghouse (in trouble).

Notice all the past tense verbs. Furthermore, would is commonly used in conditional sentences.

If + Subject + had + past participle (verb 3) …… subject + would (or wouldn’t) have.

Now – your turn. Make a story about my friend Tom, who came to Sai Gon on holiday:

My friend Tom, from London

Tom came to Sai Gon, and wanted to go to a nice bar. He heard about the Skybar in Bitexco. The bar is quite luxurious.

Panoramic views over the Sai Gon skyline.

Image result for friendly viet bar girls

Tom began to make friends, and invited them for cocktails. However, when the bill came …

And …

What do you think happened ?

Write a sentence, in the third conditional to explain Tom’s situation.

Project work

These people also came to Sai Gon. Write third conditional sentences to encapsulate their situation

Try to use some of these words or phrases:

typical / typically / obvious / obviously insist / suggest / essential

Why didn’t She (he, they) …

If (he/they) had known it was so (expensive, noisy, boring …)

Emma, 19 Backpacker. Likes shopping, dancing, eating street food. She didn’t book ahead and was too tired and hot to walk around looking for a cheap hotel so she had to stay in a four-star hotel and spend nearly all of her money.

Japanese family. Like family activities, souvenirs and quiet nights. They stayed in the noisy backpacker area, with shouting and screaming and drunken karaoke all night.

Young men wanting a ‘Stag Night’ party, here to have a last hurrah ! They chose a quiet town in the Mekong Delta, but there was only one bar and it closed at 8.00 pm.

(a stag night is a wild party for a man before he gets married. There is normally a lot of drinking … and other activities)

Jewish students. They do not eat pork, or shell-fish. Want to see history and temples. Their guide keeps taking them to eat sea-food and pork restaurants because the guide only speaks Vietnamese and Chinese and the students only speak Hebrew and English.

If these visitors came to your city or town, could you recommend places for them to visit ?

What are your suggestions?

They ALL want a typical local experience, so obviously, they should … ?

Remember, Emma wants somewhere fun but cheap, the family want someone quiet but close to family attractions, the young men want lots of bars and clubs, while the students have strict dietary laws.

Adult Speaking Class, Level 2. Theme: food

23rd January 2020

Contents

Free speaking

Idioms and expressions

Planning a party

Traditional British food

Vocabulary

Idioms and expressions

tea / cherries /nutshell / cucumber / carrot

Idioms and collocations

Growing up is hard, life isn’t always a bowl of _________ .

He walked in, as cool as a _________ , and told the boss he wanted a pay rise.

We’re going to try using a _________ and stick approach

I’m not a fan of karaoke, it’s not my cup of _________ at all.

To put it in a _________ , driving motorbikes is very dangerous.

Image result for life is a bowl of cherries

Vocabulary

prefer / would rather have

When you like many things BUT one more than the others.

I like tea but I prefer coffee. He loves reading but prefers painting.

She would rather have the red dress. I’d rather be in Sai Gon than Ha Noi.

I prefer Indian food to English food. I’d rather have a good spicy curry than plain meat and vegetables.

Image result for Indian food — Indian food

Traditional British

What do you think of this food ?

Roast turkey with stuffing, baked vegetables, sprouts, carrots, potatoes baked ham

Christmas pudding with brandy cream / mince pies / gingerbread men

Image result for uk christmas mince pies

Image result for uk christmas gingerbread men — gingerbread men

Planning a party

There is a party and the managers want to know which food to serve.

The options are:

vegetarian

Korean

sea-food

western fast-food

traditional German cuisine

Image result for korean food — Korean food

Image result for western fast food — western fast food

Image result for german food — German food

Discuss which food to choose. Run through the pros and cons of each one.

Expressions: I adore I really enjoy

I don’t mind … I quite like …. I can take it or leave it

I’m not keen on …. It’s not my cup of tea

I can’t stand (noun or pronoun) I can’t stand it !

Spicy bland hard to eat unhealthy fatty not used to it doesn’t appeal

you can’t please everyone each to their own fussy eater

it’s free food – who cares ?

If music be the food of love, play on;

Hygiene (noun)– hygienic (adj)

I have concerns over the hygiene of street food.

Be wary of street hawkers and scam artists.

If you could recommend …

A Vietnamese party:

Image result for vietnamese food party — Vietnamese party food

My friends are coming to visit so I want to give them a real Viet culinary experience. What food and drink should I serve ?

First – what questions do you need to ask about my friends’ dietary habits ?

Explain everything we need to do – where to buy, how to cook, how to eat.

Free Speaking

Questions:

What is the most unusual food you have tried ?

Dialogues

Speaking practice:

Pat Well, I’m exhausted. I need a damn fine cup of coffee and a big piece of pie.

Sam There’s a Highlands over the road, or we can go to Coffee Bean or Milano.

Pat I’d prefer Starbucks but it costs an arm and a leg. Highlands is also expensive.

Sam But great quality and superb cakes. Come on, I’m starving, I need coffee now !

Pat OK,hold your horseshahaha. After we can meet up with Niall.

Sam Sounds good. Now … shall I have chocolate cake or fruit cake … ?

Inside Highlands

Sam Hi, I’ll have a large cappuccino, please. What do you fancy ?

Pat Tough decision. I’m going for the caramel freeze and a slice of blueberry pie.

Sam Oh, me too. Big slice, no, only joking, I have to watch my weight.

Pat You ? I think you look great. Lets also get some chocolate cake and we can share.

Sam Brilliant. Oh, did I show you my recent photos ? Here, on my phone.

Pat Let me see … oh, so funny. Who’s that ? The man next to Niall ?

Sam That’s Jimmy, he’s Pete’s friend. He plays drums, and drinks like a fish !

Pat And that’s you, a selfie. You look adorable. Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth.

Image result for butter wouldn't melt — Meaning someone looks so sweet, they would NEVER do anything wrong.

Student project

One of my adult students prepared this presentation. For my Asian students, canyou tell me the story of:

Black Glutinous Rice Cake

(Bánh ít lá gai)

1. A story.

2. Flavour

3. How to make it?

Mung bean

Boehmeria nivea

Rice flour

4. Useful.

Adult Speaking Class, level 2, Part 5

22nd January 2020

Contents

Asking questions

Dialogues

Listening practice: UK train prices

Relative pronouns

Speaking practice

Asking questions

A good way to keep a conversation going (to continue speaking) is by asking questions.

Look at this picture, then try to ask questions using:

who / where / when / why / how / what / do \ did / which whose ?

EXAMPLE:

Who are they ?

Where do you think they are ?

How do they know each other ?

Be creative ! Make up a story about them; are any of them boyfriend/girlfriend ? How did they meet ? What do they have in common ?

Relative pronouns:

who = people (Who is the pretty lady ?)

where = places (Where were you born ?)

which = things (Which motorbike is more reliable ?)

whose = possessives (Whose iPhone is this ?)

The Asian lady, whose name is Zhi, is studying Law.

Zhi, who was born in China, has lived in London for one year.

Speaking practice:

Ask each other about their day or their weekend

How was your day ? How was your weekend ?

great

good. On the other hand …

Today was so-so because ……….. However ……….

terrible ! Despite that

horrible / awful / dreadful

boring / tedious

My weekend was …

Example

Today was terrible because I overslept and had no coffee. However in the evening, I have football on TV so I feel very happy.

Notice how the passage mixes past tense (‘was terrible’) with present (‘I have’ …. ‘I feel.’)

How was your day ? (use past tense)

Today, I was very happy at work because I got my salary as well as a bonus (extra money).

When do you get your salary ? When do you get paid ?

Salary = career, professional job – usually once a month

Paid – for a job, can be daily, weekly, monthly – low-income job

Building longer sentences:

Relative pronouns – who (person), which (thing), where (place).

Adverbs – add information

Opinions – I feel, I believe, in my opinion, from my point of view.

Turn and link – but, although, however, having said that

Example:

I teach at public school which can be extremely tiring because there are many students who, I feel, do not want to learn. Having said that, there are also many wonderfully gifted students who make me feel happy.

(I have taught in two different public schools. As in the above Google Images stock photo, we had a blackboard and chalk, fans, not air-con, and windows open onto the street or the quad where students would play sports or keep fit or synchronised shouting. However, my classes were seldom as organised as this, and I often had forty-plus students. )

Make long sentences by answering these questions:

What are you working on at the moment ?

Do you enjoy your latest project ?

Would you like to work abroad ?

Is it good to have a car in a city ?

Can you live without a motorbike in Sai Gon ?

How important is the internet in your life ?

Student presentations

Try to make a short presentation on a subject of your choice.

Include adverbs and adjectives, new vocabulary, idioms, phrasal verbs – parts of English that you have learnt so far.

Examples – family / music / films / motorbikes / your childhood / myths of your home country

Image result for Japanese myths — Mythology from Japan

Image result for African myths — African myths

Listening practice

Prices of trains in UK:

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/expensive-trains-in-england-level-3/

typical = usual, normal / / cost-conscious = aware of the amount of money

actually = in fact, really // adventurous – adjective – likes excitement, travel

When you go shopping, are you cost-conscious or do you just buy what you need ? Do you like adventurous holidays ?

What adjectives describe this news-story ? It costs an arm and a leg = VERY expensive

Learn these new words, then use them in the following exercise:

unbelievable / unexceptional / unavoidable / unnecessary / uninspiring

It is …………….. to bring a jumper to Indonesia because it’s so hot.

The film was ……………….., it was nothing special

How much ? That is ……………. So cheap !

A traffic jam is …………. at this time.

Dialogue: Speaking Practice

Two friends are in a coffee shop

Cal This is a damn fine cup of coffee ! Ok, what shall we do next ?

Dan I have to run to the bank. I need to deposit some money.

Cal Good idea, I need to use an ATM. I also need to buy some dollars.

Dan You can check the exchange rate at my bank. It’s not far, we can walk.

Cal Oh, I love your tie. It’s so elegant. Mine is so ordinary !

Dan No, yours is cool. Mine looks valuable but it’s fake Gucci.

Cal Really ? Looks amazing. A very unique design.

Dan So kind. OK, have you finished your coffee ?

Cal Bear with me … oh, no … it’s started raining cats and dogs !

Past tense conversation practice

Len and Tim are catching up

Len What did you do today ? Anything exciting ?

Tim No, same old, same old. I had to stay late at work. I went to the bank at lunch time.

Len It must have been crowded. Was there a big queue ?

Tim Of course, I waited 15 minutes. I wanted to check the exchange rate for dollars.

Len Today I drank some coffee, made a dress and withdrew money.

Tim You were busy ! How much did you take out ?

Len I checked my account and it was empty, so I couldn’t take out anything

Tim And then it started to rain cats and dogs !

Beginners’ English Part 4

20th January 2020

Contents

Grammar / 15 common verbs / have to or must ? / past tense / phrasal verbs and collocations

Listening practice

Sentence building / linking words / photo descriptions

Vocabulary / come & go / kitchen items /

Grammar – verbs

GRAMMAR – regular verbs in the past tense

Regular verbs add -ed to form the past tense

walk / walked // jump / jumped // look / looked // want / wanted // ask / asked

Irregular verbs are all different. A lot of common verbs are irregular:

have /had // do / did // say / said // be / was/were// go / went // get / got // make / made // take / took

Here are 7 verbs in the PRESENT.

Choose the correct verb AND use it in the correct tense.

teach / live / go / see / drink / am / have

Ms Ha (1) …….. drinking tea yesterday

when she (2) ……. an idea.

I haven’t (3) …….. my neighbours how to drink tea. I am sure they will be happy.

They have not (4) …… to the UK yet.

I have (5) …. in many cities in England.

Now I am in Viet Nam. I have (6) …. many wonderful sights,

but I have never (7) …… a cup of good, English tea.

Image result for asian girl drinking tea

Grammar – verb practice

Here’s the 15 most common:

infinite / present / past /past participle (verb 3)

1 to be / / am // was /been

you are / / were / been

2 to have / / have / had / had

3 to do // do / did /done

4 to say // say / said / said

5 to go //go / went / gone

6 to get // get / got / gotten

7 to make //make / made / made

8 to know // know / knew /known

9 to think // think / thought / thought

10 to take // take / took / taken

11 to see // see / saw / seen

12 to come // come / came / come

13 to want // want / wanted /wanted

14 to use // use / used / used

15 to find // find / found / found

Grammar: must or have to ? mustn’t or don’t have to

must or have to ? don’t have to or mustn’t

have to = other people tell you // must = your decision

don’t have to = not necessary // mustn’t = is forbidden

You have to have a degree in order to be an engineer

I must stop eating at Lotteria (an Asian fast-food chain like McDonalds) !

You don’t have to bring any beer to the party.

You mustn’t run a red light or use your mobile phone on your motorbike.

The new James Bond film may be sold out.We ______ buy tickets NOW !

I hate parties ! Do I _____ go ?

You _______ eat too much popcorn; it’s bad for you.

You ________ be over 18 to see this film

You don’t ____ bring your passport to get intoa cinema in Viet Nam.

Answers: must / have to / mustn’t / have to / have to

Grammar: Phrasal verbs

Phrasal Verbs and collocations

Put

up with / the fire out / up / on a happy face

it in your own words / up or shut up !/ it away / it another way

Get

well soon / over it ! / on with it / away with murder / on the bus

back to work ! / with the program (US) / some fresh air

Complete the sentences:

She looks so sweet but she never does her job ! She gets …….. at work,

Come on, cheer up ! Put ……. and smile.

If you are so good, you do it ! Put ………..

We are all going to work on the new project together, so get …….. or get a new job !

She is not the thinnest lady in the world. OK, let me put ………. she’s fat !

Stop playing and do your homework. Get ……….

His Thai girlfriend left him. He needs to get ……….

Answers:

she gets away with murder (is allowed to do bad things) // put on a happy face // put up or shut up (don’t just talk about it – do it OR stop talking) // get with the program (do what everyone wants to do) // put it another way (to say something differently) // get back to work // get over it (stop being sad, and forget the past).

Sentence building

Linking words: and / as well as / and also / along with

These link positives sentences:

I like tea as well as coffee He plays football and also badminton.

How are they dressed ? How do they look (emotions) ?

Example

Tesco Lotus is quite cheap and also has a great choice.

but / however / having said that / on the other hand

These link positives to negatives / negatives to positives:

Jet Mart is convenient. Having said that, it is (it’s) extremely expensive.

Czech beer is fantastic quality, however it’s not easy to find in Sai Gon.

‘therefore’ is a conclusion word:

The Spanish supplier is reasonable (so-so) quality, but more expensive. Therefore, we will use the German supplier in future.

Photo descriptions

These can be a great way to encourage students to speak and build longer sentences and therefore become more confident in speaking and using English.

Describe what you see in this photo. Use as many adjectives as you can.

Subject first – Do not use a pronoun (he / she / they) Say what you see.

Where are they ? What are they doing ? What do they look like ?

How are they dressed ? How do they look (emotions) ?

What do you think they are talking about ?

Example

I see two young ladies … now try to add more adjectives:

I see two beautiful young Asian ladies. One has very long, straight brown hair. Her friend has medium brown hair, a little wavy.

The lady on the left has a white dress with flowers. The lady on the right wears a blue cotton dress.

Now what are they doing – use continuous verbs – verb + ing

They are talking, laughing and drinking coffee. They are in a nice coffee shop. I see some bags, one yellow, one orange, so I think they like shopping.

Now – your turn. Describe these photos:

I see two young girls … maybe they are sisters …

What do you see ? What are they doing ? Are they both happy ?

What do you think about this ? How does it look ?

Listening:

I would normally read this aloud and then ask the students the questions. You can alter the speed, the natural chunking sounds, etc, to suit the ability of your class.

I usually go shopping once a week. I sometimes go to Big C but I like shopping at Mega Market. CitiMart is good but it’s a long way from my house. Mega Market is quite near my house so it’s easy to get there. It’s a big supermarket and it has everything I need, which is great. The best thing is that it’s not expensive so I can save money.

How often do I go shopping ? Where do I like shopping ? Why ?

What is the best thing about Mega Market ? Why don’t I go to Citimart ?