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”
As I constantly inform my students, IELTS is not a typical English class … it is IELTS English by which I mean, students have to demonstrate a command of the language that includes a wide range of vocabulary, the confidence to speak fluently, the correct stress and intonation to keep your listener engaged, the ability to form complex sentences and link them with appropriate discourse markers. Additionally, a knowledge of how English is REALLY spoken, to wit, sounding like the student has been interacting with real native-speakers, not merely repeating verbatim from a text book, is a must.
Piece of cake, no ? (an English idiom – you will need to learn some basic expressions, phrases and idioms to make your spoken language more natural and interesting).
OK, let’s break it down. IELTS requires a lot of work, study and practice. Students that come to my class expecting to kick back and be entertained are in for a shock, and then some. As such, I will not be defining the idioms I employ in this blog, e.g. Piece of cake – YOU will have to look them up yourself.
Don’t worry, young lady, I’m here to help you. Having said that, if you’ve been on a three-month course and you’ve left it to the last week to study … then you will probably fail, and deservedly so. Yes, life in the IELTS lane is tough, it’s dog eat dog (though ‘devour’ would be a more IELTS-friendly word than ‘eat’).
Where to start ?
OK, IELTS wants what they term ‘low-frequency’ words. Basically, look at your English; replace any basic adjective or verb or indeed noun, with a ‘better’ word, a word that would be used by the higher-educated native speaker. Your best tool here is a thesaurus of which there are many online, or downloadable for free.
It works thus: Let’s start with a very basic adverb ‘very’. This is too simplistic for IELTS, so type in the word and click enter.
A number of words will appear. As above, the darker-shaded words are what the computer’s algorithm indicate would be more suitable, while giving additional options in lighter shades.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating – so let’s try it: rewrite these sentences using low-frequency words:
I think Bangkok a better destination than Chiang Mai
She bought a cheap bag
The film was good
Stage Two
Linking ideas with discourse markers. I give all my students a print-out of common words and expressions that must be consulted and utilised. I hope that all my students take them home and study them religiously. Conversely they may use the paper to line the bottom of a bird cage. In all reality, the majority of students say, ‘Thank you,” have a glance, put said sheet in their bag and forget all about it. Consequently, several weeks later, the students are still resorting to ‘and’, ‘but’ with a possible ‘however’.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make the horse drink
Discourse Markers
I recommend my students learn at least two from each section.
Adverbs are incredibly powerful and so easily inserted into everyday text
I worked at another large and prestigious language centre, and had the pleasure of marking some essays by teenagers. From twelve pieces of ‘writing’, I found only ONE adverb.
Adverbs add information and interest to your language, but my students seem to avoid them like the plague. They may deign to insert a ‘very’ to please me … but it doesn’t ! I expect, nay, DEMAND more.
Without further ado
An example. IELTS will give students a very open-ended subject and then expect a well-constructed piece of writing, or fluent, coherent speech upon said subject, with no deviation, hesitation or repetition. It is a chance for the student to perform a solo, to demonstrate how much they have learnt and studied … or otherwise … generally it is ‘otherwise’.
Time for an anecdote. I was teaching one class, and endeavouring to give them ample opportunity to speak and practice English. Nobody spoke. If I selected some students, they would make an appalling act of not having heard the question, or to answer in a single word. Some students even began laughing that teacher was asking the class but nobody was responding. Hilarious … but he who laughs last, laughs longest. I decided this class was a waste of my time (because it WAS a waste of my time) and left them to their fate … CUT TO some weeks later, it’s the day of their speaking test … suddenly, they are running up to me for help, “What should I say ?”, “I don’t know what to do”, “I’m going to fail.” Temptation was to tellthem where to go ( that is an expression that does NOT imply direction !), but I gave them what help I could in the minute I could spare. Needless to say … most of the class were disappointed with their score, and no doubt, upon arrival at the family nest, were met were screams and derision. And no doubt they put the blame squarely where it belongs … on the foreign teacher !
The concluding line was an example of irony. I’m not going to tell you what irony is, look it up for yourself ! Do you want a fish or a fishing rod and knowledge of how to catch your own fish ?
So now, a fairly run-of-the mill IELTS question:
Tell me about your favourite gadget
This piece is, as one would expect, quite lengthy and jam-packed with information and detail. I don’t expect you to write or speak at this level … but I expect you to TRY.
As you read, look out for:
Low-frequency words
adverbs
adjectives
discourse markers
complex sentences (sentences which coney more than one piece of information)
expressions, phrases and idioms
THEN – practice reading aloud. Not just once and, “Teacher, finished,” but again … and again … and again. Yes, this is not entertainment but it WILL help you get the score you want from IELTS
My Kindle
One of my favourite electronic devices is my Kindle, an ebook reader, which is small and light. I always take it with me when I travel; I’d be lost without it.
The Kindle is primarily a way to buy, store and read books in electronic format. At first, I wasn’t convinced; I liked reading real books. However, books take up a lot of space and, at least in the UK, are rather expensive. When I saw what a Kindle can do, and that so many books are free, I was hooked ! I had to get one. I bought my device in 2014 and I’m still using it today.
As mentioned, I use my Kindle for reading. Literature, including poetry, is one of my passions. Instead of going to a shop, I just browse the online store, click and wait for it to download. With reasonable wifi, this can just take a minute or so … then I can start reading. It is no surprise that ebooks are ubiquitous in the UK.
Although I read a lot, the Kindle is more than just an ebook. It has wifi so I can access the internet, can play music, write notes and play games.
The wifi is vital, especially when I travel. I can maintain contact with friends and family, watch YouTube if the hotel TV is less than enthralling, or read travel guides such as Trip Advisor. Naturally, I can also book tickets or make reservations and therefore pay significantly less.
I recently travelled to Thailand to meet some friends. I didn’t want to buy a new SIM card, and my friend only had an old phone, so there was a dilemma; how to stay in touch ? Thanks to my Kindle, I had email access, so we could plan when and where to meet.
I can’t watch Vietnamese TV, due to the language barrier. Consequently, the Kindle plays an even bigger part of my life, as I need some way to relax after toiling away for hours at work.
The choice of books is amazing. In the stores, a single book can cost around £10, but recently I downloaded the entire output of the Russian write Tolstoy for less than £1.50 … incredible !
Kindles come in many shapes and sizes, so before you buy, you need to ascertain how you’ll be using it. For example, do you want a basic ebook reader, just for books, or the latest model with wifi ? This will, naturally, affect the cost. Then you have to decide upon the extras, for example how much storage space do you require, or a super-fast charger or protective case ? All of these bump the price up considerably.
If you’re interested in purchasing one, I have some information for you. I did a quick Google search and saw prices started at under 2 million VND, averaged around 5 million, but some were over 15 million. That, for me, is too extravagant.
In conclusion, my Kindle is very much a part of my life. It accompanies me everywhere. I simply don’t know what I would do without it.
Now … YOUR TURN
Write a piece about YOUR favourite gadget, using the above as a model
Best of British to you
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.
Hello everyone,I welcome you to my blog page, and may I take this opportunity to thank ALL OF YOU who have visited my site. Having nearly 100 visits for a teaching blog is extremely gratifying.
Now, without further ado, let’s jump straight in, “Time waits for no man.”
A famous quote from the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer
First off the bat, a little plug for my friend ‘Pete’ who has an online radio show on Mixcloud. If you’re interested, you can listen here: https://www.mixcloud.com/flatwoundssounds/
The playlist is a mix of Jazz, Blues, Soul, R ‘n’ B & Rock ‘n’ Roll. However, in terms of an English lesson, listen to his narrative between songs. Although Pete lives in Birmingham now (central England), his accent betrays his Kent, (south-England) origins. Listen to how his voice deviates from Standard English.
A Propos (speaking about) of music, my last lesson featured two songs, one Nubian, the other a 50s Rock ‘n’ Roll number:
Nubia is a region that encompasses south Egypt and north Sudan
One of my online students has chosen the English moniker ‘Ivy’; consequently, this song is for her.
Now, time to get down to work. I introduced the class to some expressions; therefore we need to revise and practice:
between you and me // let’s get it over and done with // my hands are tied // off the cuff
I would like to let you go home early but …..
……… I think students have too much homework
Jazz musicians are famous for their spontaneity; they often play ………..
Oh, man ! We have to clear up after the party. Oh, well, ……….
Collocations
collect / raise / undertake / boycott
Charities run campaigns to ……….. money
I’m going to ……….. shops that treat their staff poorly
Scientists need to ……. further research into the Corona Virus
There is little recycling, if any, in Vietnam. We need to ……… awareness of the importance to the planet.
ART
Giving opinions – remember, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer; the exercise is to help you express what YOU feel when you see these works of art.
Expressions:
It’s not my cup of tea // it doesn’t appeal to me // I just don’t get // I see no artistic value // I have no time for it.
OR … positive:
It’s very uplifting // the picture speaks to me // I’m drawn to the image // it is ineffable (unable to be expressed in words) // it transcends language.
John Constable 1821Wyndham Lewis 1921Jean-Michel Basquet 1980sAncient Egyptian art
NOW – a curious point … how can a civilisation that can construct these:
only represent the human form like this:
How perfect are the Pyramids ?
“The builders of the Great Pyramid of Khufu aligned the great monument to the cardinal points with an accuracy of better than four minutes of arc, or one-fifteenth of one degree,” Glen Dash, an engineer who studies the Giza pyramids, wrote in a paper published recently in The Journal of Ancient Egyptian Architecture … ” https://www.livescience.com/61799-great-pyramid-near-perfect-alignment.html
Now, take a look at his ariel view, showing the layout:
At this juncture, let’s take a little diversion, from ancient Egypt to ancient Greece.
The night sky has 88 constellations, many named after characters or creatures from Greek mythology. I’d like to focus on one, the giant hunter Orion. This is his constellation, and is one of the more easier groups to see, especially at this time of year:
These random stars (which may in fact be many millions of light years apart) were seen by the Greeks thus:
You see the hunter with his bow and arrow, but I wish to draw your attention to the three stars arranged diagonally in the centre, the ‘belt’ of the hunter. Compare those with the arrangement of the Egyptian pyramids:
How would you account for this ? Coincidence or conspiracy ?
Let’s leave the last word to our National Poet, William Shakespeare, with this famous quote from Hamlet:
Object: encourage creative thinking and sentence building.
Vocabulary: expressions related to money
What would you do IF you were a millionaire ?
What would you do IF you were a millionaire for a day ?
Second conditional – this is used for a situation that is not impossible … but not very probable.
If I had a million pounds, I would … (stop working !)
If you had a billion $, you could … (buy an island)
If + Sub + had …, Sub + would / could
If you had unlimited money, what would you do ?
Plan a luxury day
How would you spend a luxury day ?
To develop narrative writing / speaking – use words/phrases such as:
Firstly, initially, I would start, it would kick off with …
secondly, thirdly etc
after that, afterwards, following that, and then …
for a change, as a contrast, for a break, to take a break from all the …
lastly, I’d end up, I’d round the day off with
Example:
To kick off, I would have salmon breakfast at a five-star … no, seven-star hotel. After that, I would go shopping for some suits and ties and then drive around London in a Rolls-Royce car, chauffer-driven, of course.
To take a break from the hustle and bustle, I’d relax at my hotel spa, then go for afternoon tea at another top hotel.
Lastly, I’d round the day off with a helicopter trip around the city and then fly direct to a stadium and go to my VIP (Very Important Person) seat to see one of my favourite bands play live.
Your turn:
You could:
luxury breakfastluxury spa treatmenthorse-carriage rideshoppingluxury yachtAttend a play at a London theatreSee Barcelona play
OR add your own ideas
Where would you go ? What would you do ? What would you buy ?
Expressions connected to money
A ton of money = very much money
Having money to burn = having more money that someone needs
It costs an arm and a leg = something very expensive
Money talks ! = having money can solve many problems
Rolling in it = having so much money (‘it’ refers to money)
Swanky = slang for very expensive or elegant (it’s a swanky restaurant)
However, as Shakespeare said,
Would money make you happy ?
Can money buy you health, love or happiness … maybe that is for another lesson.
Making the news, across the world, is the continued spread of the Corona Virus.
This is a topic which is affecting millions of people, and having a significant impact on the global economy but of course … health comes first.
I’m writing from Vietnam, where precautions were implemented rapidly. Schools were closed, for example, so my centre is offering online-classes.
I recommend students read as much ‘real-life’ English as possible, not rely solely on the text books, so I was interested by this clip from the BBC, specifically aimed at Vietnamese.
This is a speech by POTUS (President of the United States), Donald Trump. The purpose of this blog is not politics BUT to encourage students to listen to the language and thereby learn new words and expressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twd60cPH7t0
The clip has Viet subtitles so is a great way to learn expressions, vocabulary as well as HOW native speakers speak … where we put the stress and intonation.
Email example: Mr Fricke wrote an email to enquire about the work progress. Here is a template response:
Subject: regarding your question,
Dear Mr Fricke
Thank you for your recent email of the 11th.
In response to your enquiry, I can inform you that the preliminary designs are
now complete and I would be happy to send them to you by email in PDF format.
If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me
Yours sincerely
Gavin Smith
Customer Services Officer
HWZ UK
YOUR TURN:
Write an email to Mr Fricke. He wants to know when he can see the final design
Thank him for his email.
Tell him the designs will be finished on 17th November.
How he can receive them (PDF, Word or weblink).
Email writing
Your supervisor needs you to write an email to a client in India,
Ms Agarwal of SAG Engineering.
Convey the following information:
There will be a Skype meeting at 07.00 GMT
The agenda will include expanding into the Indian market
Need to decide to base in Mumbai, Kolkata or New Delhi
What red tape is there ? (Paperwork, forms, licenses)
When will she be able to visit HCM ?
Does she have any special requirements (diet, religion)
Start with a friendly but appropriate greeting and a suitable sign off.
Email practice:
A supplier has sent the wrong parts. Write an email to complain.Again, an example for you:
From : HWZ UK
To : Le Thi Thanh Computers
Subject: Wrong parts
Dear Le Thi Thanh
On 27thFebruary, we ordered ten (10) cables for our Windows-based laptops. Unfortunately, you sent cables for Apple Mac computers.
We would appreciate it if you could send the correct cables as soon as possible. Our staff are unable to work without them.
This is the first time we have had any problem with your company. Until now, you have always given perfect service.
Hope to hear from you very soon
Nguyen Minh Phuc CFO
YOUR TURN
A supplier has sent the wrong textbooks to your office. They sent iPhone 8 and you requested, and paid for, iPhone X workbooks. Write a suitable email … remember … ALWAYS BE POLITE
Thay Paul's Notes 