WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS IMAGES OF WAR THAT ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG READERS
April 30th is a national holiday in Vietnam. My Vietnamese students should know why, other students can probably guess.
Describe this photo:
What is the subject ? What is the background and history ? Why is this picture significant ?
What happened after this snapshot?
background– recent story or history to some event.
significant (adjective) – very important or large.
significance (noun) / significantly (adverb)
snapshot– a moment in a photo – captured by time.
In this photo we can clearly see …
The photo shows …
The photo depicts …
Vocabulary:
war / conflict / civil war / agent orange / reunification / peace treaty / ceasefire / chemical warfare / the seat of government / reeducation / education growth / Le Duan / public opinion / anti-war sentiments / Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC / My Lai / Kim Phuc
Use the above vocabulary to describe the following photos. Organise your thoughts, then employ discourse markers to link your ideas together.
If you are not certain, you may use expressions such as:
I’m not entirely sure, but I think …
This would seem to show …
I’m not familiar with this image …
Practice speaking in complex sentences by using relative pronouns (who, where, which, whose)
This is a great opportunity for IELTS students to interpret the information represented on this graph. What is the trend ? What is the anomaly ? How would you categorise the fluctuation in figures from 2007 – 2010 ?
War Memorial in USATo commemorate the My Lai massacre in Vietnam
WARNING:
NEXT PHOTO MAY DISTURB SOME READERS
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC PHOTOS, NOT JUST OF THE WAR IN VIETNAM, BUT OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
THERE ARE NO ADJECTIVES CAPABLE OF DESCRIBING THE IMAGE.
THE PHOTO HAS BEEN CREDITED WITH TURNING AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION AGAINST THE WAR.
Ms Kim Phuc, aged 9, after her village was bombed June 8th 1972Ms Kim Phuc now, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.Ms Phuc’s story can be read in this (highly recommended) book.
The story so far … we have two young Asian cousins who are about to meet each other, after a long time. Boram, a caring, thoughtful young music student, is going to the train station to meet Leon, also a musician, who is travelling to Seoul but doesn’t know the city. Despite having a busy schedule, Boram insists upon meeting Leon and making sure he is safe.
After his journey, Boram feels certain Leon must be hungry and in need of coffee. She decides to take him to a great cafe near the station. They can talk and get to know each other.
Boram pays for the drinks, and they go to find a table:
Here, there are introducing themselves. The conversation may go something like this:
Boram: How was the journey ? Are you tired ?
Leon: No, I’m Ok, thanks. This coffee looks great. Wow, how long has it been ?
Boram: Hhmmm, let me think … it must be six years since we last meet. How are your parents ?
Leon: Both very well, thank you, and they send you a little present. So, mum says you play piano ?
Boram: Violin. I play in the university orchestra. You’ve grown so much !
Leon: Of course, I’m not ten anymore haha. You play ? Can I hear you sometime ?
Boram: Actually, I’m playing this afternoon. If you like, I can take you and introduce you to some of my friends.
Leon: That would be cool. You are so kind. I insist on buying you lunch to say thank you.
That was a fairly natural exchange of pleasantries. They both appear nice people, and very polite. However, it is not very exciting or interesting. So, let’s make Leon less grateful and more self-centred:
Boram: How was the journey ? Are you tired ?
Leon: Oh, man … it was like … boring, you know. No hot girls on the train.
Boram: Oh. Sorry. How is your coffee ?
Leon: It’s terrible, We have much better in Busan. This place is lame. Don;t you know any cooler joints ? You look a bit boring. Mum says you’re a musician ?
Boram: Yes, I play vio…..
Leon: I’m a musician, I play bass in a radicle hip-hop, thrash-metal band.
Boram: I’d love to hear your band.
Leon: Ha ! I don’t think so. We don’t make music for little girls. This is real music.
Boram: Oh, well, would you like to hear my orchestra play ?
Leon: Yeah.
Boram: Great ! We are playi …
Leon: No, idiot, I’m joking, I can’t listen to that old crap ! Hey, can you give me some money ?
What do you think of Leon now ? Not so nice, hey ? See how he interrupts Boram, mocks her music and then demands money ? He’s a ‘nasty piece of work.’
Let’s turn the tables. How about if Boram, despite looking angelic and ‘butter-wouldn’t-melt- in-her-mouth’ appearance, is in reality arrogant, impatient and thoughtless.
Leon: It is so nice of you to meet me. I haven’t been to Seoul before on my own.
Boram: I had no choice. My mum made me, I don’t want to waste my time here.
Leon: And thank you for buying the coffee. I was really tired.
Boram: Mum gave me the money. Come on, drink it then I can go. I’ve got more important things to do.
Leon: Oh, I don’t want to keep you if you’re busy …
Boram: ‘Busy’ ? I have rehearsals in two hours and I have to go all the way across the city to meet you. Ridiculous, a grown man like you needs me to hold his hand.
Leon: Really, if you need to go, it’s ….
Boram: Well, if you say it’s Ok, I’ll go. You know the way ? If not just ask someone or, I don’t know, get a taxi. Do you have my phone number ?
Leon: No, what is i… ?
Boram: Oh, it doesn’t matter, I’m to busy to pick up. I gotta go.
That should change our perception of Boram. Not so friendly now, is she ?
Try writing short dialogues for different situations:
1: Leon really wants to see the top museums
2: Boram wants Leon to meet her friend, she thinks they would be good together
3: Leon is having an interview for a job and he is very nervous. Boram supports him.
4: Boram wants to take Leon shopping for new clothes. Leon likes his clothes and they have a playful argument.
5: They discover they really don’t like each other but they have to stay together because they are family.
And now … what to do if you’re stuck at home, self-isolating, and have lots of time to kill. My internet friend, Rachel Kim, from South Korea has a tip about a new craze sweeping her homeland:Dalgona coffee:
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.
Wow, hot dog ! What a list, extensive, exhaustive, exhilarating. See how your language can improve. However, it is always a good idea to check the definition first, as the words are all slightly different, and some may not be appropriate. For example, ‘foxy’ and ‘shapely’ are more sensual, while ‘refined’ and ‘angelic’ are more innocent.
You may be as descriptive as you wish, for example, Boram has:
stunning, high cheek bones / luscious almond-shaped eyes / long wavy brown hair, enticingly and charmingly wrapped in a soft pink bow.
Continue by describing her clothes and setting (where she is). Now, compare this with Leon. Follow the pattern, tell me what you think of Leon, what he looks like, how he’s attired (dressed), where he might be and what that tells us about his character.
Next: personality
In a standard lesson, I would emphasis that we DON’T know the person, so we cannot say, for example, Boram is sweet and cheerful. Instead, we have to use expressions such as:
In my opinion / I feel Boram is / Boram seems to me / I get the impression that Boram is …
But we are now in the realms of creative English and this is YOUR story … use your imagination … tell me what Boram is like.
The following are my thoughts – you may well disagree, in fact I hope you do. I want YOU to think and create your own character.
In MY story, Boram is incredibly sweet and thoughtful. She is such a caring lady, the radiance of her face is a physical manifestation of the purity and honesty of her heart.
However, she will often put other people first and can be disarmingly vulnerable and perilously innocent.
Do you see how the adjectives were intensified by adverbs – ‘disarmingly vulnerable’, ‘incredibly sweet’. By now, you should be able to use basic adverbs such as:
very / so / extremely / unbelievably / incredibly /
Therefore, try to find new adverbs. Watch out for adverbs as you listen to music, watch films or TV, read books, newspapers, online media and even this humble blog.
Now, repeat with Leon. This is YOUR story, so Leon can be whatever you decide.
Finally today, think about the story. Boram lives in Seoul (but you are free to change her name, location etc) and her cousin Leon (again, change his name if YOU wish) is coming to visit.
Boram is worried that Leon will be lost in the big city when he arrives (by bus, or train, or even plane), so she insists on meeting him, despite having commitments (she is a musician and needs to rehearse with her orchestra in the afternoon).
They meet at, for example, the train station. Leon is very hungry and tired, so Boram takes him to a cafe for some food and coffee. Here they have a chance to catch up (to talk about what they have been doing). What do they say ? What phrases or expressions could they use ? Is Leon grateful or arrogant ? Will be look after Boram, or exploit her kindness ?
We can decide that in the next blog … so get thinking !
Stay safe, stay healthy. From Thay Paul in Sai Gon … Goodnight and good luck
This lesson is to encourage students to think creatively, and to help them with sentence buildings by encouraging the use of discourse markers and complex sentences.
Additionally, here is a golden opportunity to utilise adjectives and adverbs, so often conspicuous by their absence, not to mention a chance to create dialogues where characters can use idioms, expressions and features of everyday real English.
Let’s kick off (start) with an example.
Storytelling
Describe these two people. What are they wearing ? What are their personalities ? What do you think they do ?How do they meet ?
Students can here perform a task suited to their level.
Firstly, just describe the photos. Remember do not start with a pronoun (he, she, it). Instead, tell me what you see.
Example: I see a young lady with a bow in her hair NOT She has a bow in her hair.
For more advanced students, explain more about the young lady. Do you think she is beautiful (or pretty, cute, adorable, gorgeous) ? What are her origins ? She looks Asian, but she could live anywhere in the world. Describe how she looks and what she’s wearing. What do you think her personality is ?
After, do the same with the young man.
For advanced students, look at the background. The young lady is standing in a white room, with a book and some flowers. What does that suggest to you ? White is often associated with purity and innocence. Flowers could be sweet and feminine (although different flowers have different significance in different cultures), while the book indicates education and intelligence. Her hair bow appears to have musical notes as a pattern, so possible she is a musician ?
As for IELTS students, write a description then replace any basic words with low-frequency vocabulary (example, replace beautiful with gorgeous, stunning etc).
Now, let’s get creative:
Write a short story using dialogue and adjectives.
MOTIVATION: why do the characters do what they do ?
PLOT: what happens … and why ?
CHARACTERS: make sure each one is an individual and speaks differently.
Ideas:
Where do they meet ?
How do they meet ?
How do they know each other ?
What do they think of each other and how do they express it ?
EXAMPLE:
Boram, a young Korean lady, is at home getting ready to go out. She has put on her favourite white and pink dress and, with her lucky pink bow in her luscious chestnut hair, looks absolutely stunning.
Today she is going to meet her cousin who is coming to Seoul for the first time. Boram needs to practice violin, because she plays in the university orchestra and they have an important concert coming up, however, she is concerned about her cousin getting lost in the big bewildering city. That is typical of Boram, always putting other people first. She is a very sweet and thoughtful caring lady.
[In the first sentence I named the lady – Boram. Therefore, we can use a pronoun – she – because we know the subject]
Tell me about her cousin, Leon.
Now, try the same exercise with any of these situations:
Next time, we can work on dialogue … have fun and STAY SAFE
Life goes on as normal … or does it, indeed can it, should it ? The Scottish MP and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, addressed the issue in a recent press conference. In her view, we all have to change our lifestyles and accept that there is a pandemic sweeping the globe.
The measures, including closing down restaurants and cinemas, are intended to stop the spread of Covid 19. The virus can easily spread in big cities such as New York, Tokyo and London.
Different countries have imposed different restrictions, and I’d like to focus on Vietnam where, as of 14.00 today, the 25th March, there are 134 reported cases but no fatalities. We shall examine what steps the Vietnamese government has taken, after a quick revision.
Remember, IELTS students have to be able to use these low-frequency words in order to pass the exam.
isolate // implement // significant // rely //
precautions // quarantine // regulations
Students are given three minutes to write three sentences using three of these words.
Now, once these words roll off the tongues of the students, we can move on; actions taken by the Vietnamese authorities.
Latest Updates from the Vietnam- Briefing.com website
What do you think about these measures ?
To what extent do you agree with them and why ?
As a resident of Sai Gon, do these measures make you feel more secure, or more scared ?
As of March 25, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health confirmed a total of 134 cases of COVID-19. The latest cases were all linked to international flights. 19 cases were announced on March 22 itself – the biggest single day total.
Ho Chi Minh City authorities have ordered the closure of all restaurants (with a capacity of 30 people or more), gyms, beauty salons, barbershops from March 24 to March 31.
Vietnam has stopped exporting rice from March 24 to ensure national food security.
All international airlines have been asked to stop transporting overseas Vietnamese to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City from March 25 to March 31 to prevent overcrowding at quarantine facilities.
Vietnam has suspended the entry of all foreigners from March 22 to limit the spread of COVID-19. The measure will not apply to diplomats and officials as per Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The Prime Minister also ordered the suspension of all international flights, though it’s unclear exactly when this will take effect.
The Health Ministry has advised all arrivals from March 1 to self-isolate at home if they have not been quarantined in a centralized zone in the past 14 days.
Vietnam and Cambodia have closed their borders from March 20 to further prevent the spread of the epidemic. The measures do not apply to official and diplomatic passports.
The Vietnamese government is expected to unveil a credit package of US$10.8 billion and a fiscal package of US$1.3 billion in March for businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
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.
This blogsite, aimed mainly at English-language students, contains lesson plans, listening exercises, video clips and suggestions for improving skills and ability.
With nearly two hundred blogs, the site may be a little hard to use, so I hope this page will explain.
When you click on this site, you will see the most recent post. Scroll down to see other posts. However, the blogs will appear by date, not by level or category.
If you want to find blogs that are aimed at your level, scroll down (go to the very bottom of the page) until you see:
Classes
Then a box that says:
Select category
Click on the blue arrows and you will see a menu – a list of different classes and subjects.
Adult classes Level 1, 2 and 3
These are lesson plans and extra notes, work and information for students who are over 16. They are based on the text book my centre uses (‘American English File’).
Adult Professionals
English at a higher level, and specifically aimed at engineers and mechanics. The subject are often science-based, including various video clips for the English terms as well as an opportunity to hear native-English speakers.
Adult Speaking Classes, Levels 1 – 3
My own plans and teaching notes aimed at increasing the students’ skill, as well as affording the chance to use English, construct complex sentences, listen to ‘real-world’ English speakers and be introduced to various types of music. Many blogs are theme-based, focusing on different countries or subjects. The higher level blogs are primarily for my online followers.
Beginners’ English
Simple lessons for students who have started learning English. Lots of photos and basic grammar, vocabulary and help with speaking in sentences.
Business English
Exercises for people who have a good command of English, but want to cultivate their skills especially with regards to business, such as email-writing or interview techniques.
IELTS (4- 5.5 & 5 – 6.5)
Lesson plans for IELTS students, emphasising the requirements and expectations needed in order to pass the test with superb results. Contains extra work not covered in the class. Highly recommended for students who are serious about passing IELTS.
Kindergarten
Lesson plans with video links, photos and pictures to introduce young learners to English
Teenagers
Various lesson plans and links, photos and music.
Young Learners Beginners, Levels 1 – 5
Based on the ‘Everybody Up’ text book. Extra work and links to help bring the lesson alive and engaging for students aged 5 – 11.
Young Teens
Lesson notes for students aged 12 – 15. Ideas for class games and activities, video links and suggestions for improving language skills.
Additionally, there are various personal sections, recording various aspects of life in Sai Gon in general and Viet Nam in particular. These are generally written in a more natural style, so students will encounter new words, phrases and expressions.
These sections include posts on food and coffee … I LOVE coffee … accommodation, my holidays and general life here in Asia.
In terms of tone, I have chosen to adopt the attitude of Godard, Truffaut et al when they were writing their ‘Cahier du Cinema’ articles; why waste time writing about bad films, when you can write so much about GREAT films. To avoid any unnecessary argy-bargy or aggro, I try to focus only on the positives. Furthermore, I do NOT mention any schools or centres by name although if any prospective teacher has a question, I will answer in a direct mail.
Following on from the above, I do not post any photos of my current centre as it is private property and I have to respect their wishes. Ok, full disclosure, I did it ONCE and … there was a request that it be removed. Said photo highlighted the reality of teaching in Viet Nam … let’s just say that not all students are attentive, motivated and respectful.
Alternately, you may wish to study up on a particular subject.
At the top of the page you will see ‘Subject Index’
Click and you will see a blog page:
The contents are:
Subject:
Dialogues: short conversation pieces for natural language practice.
Famous Quotes: used in the lesson: Shakespeare, philosophy, Bible, politics.
Films, TV & Theatre: list of media referenced in the blogs.
Grammar: blogs for all levels.
Games: activities and games for classes of all ages, including student surveys.
Music: list of artists and songs featured in the blog posts.
People: famous people mentioned or included in the lessons.
Photos: interesting photos used in the plans.
Thay Paul Photos: photos of the blog author. Not recommended !
Reading exercises: a very useful resource. Where to find English literature online, but in simple English, specifically for language students.
Sentence building: exercises to help students speak and write more fluently.
Speaking exercises: including grammar practice.
Video Clips: a one-stop list of all videos used in the blogs. Please note, sometimes video are removed from YouTube, or a certain clip will not play in a certain region.
Vocabulary building
Vocabulary exercises
Writing exercises and reading exercises links: a brief collection of useful links for students at a higher level.
So … how does it work, Thay Paul ?
It’s Easy.
Find a subject that interests you, look at the category and then the date.
Go to Classes and ‘Select category’.
Click on category
When that page appears, scroll down until you find the date.
You may have to click on the ‘older posts’ button to see more posts:
Hey, Thay Paul, can you give me an example ?
Sure can … OK, say, for example, you have an interest in seeing my blog on Apple iPhones. It is on an Adult Class, Level 3, from the 14th November 2019.
Go to Classes
Select category
Select Adult Class, Level 3
Scroll down, look down the page until you see 14th November 2019
And … Bob’s your uncle. Oh, sorry, that’s an English expression which means ‘there you are’ or you have finished your job or what you need to do.
So … hope this helped
This is Thay Paul saying … “Good Night … and Good Luck”
Thay Paul's Notes 