IELTS: Mini-lesson review

11th January 2022

The photo shows Tricot who are a Japanese rock band. The band, who sing in Japanese, are very talented. I would love to see them. Furthermore, I really wish to visit Japan although hotels in Tokyo cost an arm and a leg.

Let’s review the idioms and vocabulary covered in our first lessons. Let’s kick off with:

Basic idioms:

it’s raining cats and dogs

it costs an arm and a leg

piece of cake

I’m burning the candle at both ends

once in a blue moon

pass with flying colours

turn over a new leaf

put your nose to the grindstone

IELTS - Tôi tự học!: [IDIOMS] : " It's raining cats and dogs"

Let’s put it to the test – what idioms would you use ?

It’s no problem at all, it’s a __________

She needs to get a high score, I want her to ______

I must be more serious about learning piano. I have to _______

The iPhone X is very expensive, it _______

You need to stop going out every night and missing school. You need to _____________

She dances all day, then sings all night; she’s _________________

Bring an umbrella if you go to the UK, it’s always ____________

Ms Anna simply adores Chanel perfume however, because it _____________ , she only wears it __________________________________.

Relative Pronouns

Happy African Girl Studying In... - Stock Photos | Motion Array

This lady, who wants to work in London, is studying hard for her IELTS.

who for people:

This is the man who helped me to learn German.

which for things:

We tried fish and chips which is delicious.

where for places:

Let’s go to the shop where we saw the great bargains.

Whose possessive:

That’s Tricot, the band whose record we heard last night.

Endgame

Can you remember, what word means ‘everywhere’ ?

Can you give me an example ?

Instead of saying, “I think,” you could say … ?

Again, please give me an example.

The Talmud: Why has a Jewish law book become so popular? - BBC News

Middle Age Arabic Couple, Woman And Man Serious Face Thinking About Question, Very Confused Idea Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 104957805.

Answers

Ubiquitous:

In Sai Gon, which is the largest city in Viet Nam, coffee shops are ubiquitous.

Motorbikes are ubiquitous in Viet Nam.

Fast food shops are ubiquitous in the USA.

In my opinion

In my opinion, learning English is incredibly important.

Sai Gon, in my opinion, is the best city in Viet Nam.

In my opinion Tricot are absolutely amazing.

10 Useful Ways to Say Goodbye in Japanese | FluentU Japanese — Goodbye, see you next class

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Poland: history, culture and beer

27th December 2021

A compilation of exercises about this east European country, birthplace of the scientist Nicolaus Copernicus, the musician Frédéric Chopin, filmmakers Roman Polanski & Krzysztof Kieślowski and footballer Robert Lewandowski, to name just a few.

14 miles from Krakow in South Poland is this deep salt mine. Everything here has been hand-carved from blocks of salt. The mine has nine levels with over 300km of tunnels. Part of the mine is open to visitors.

The mine has 22 galleries, 64 metres to 135 metres underground. Guided tours take about two hours.

Additionally there is a chapel here measuring 54 m by 18m and 12m high. It took two men over thirty years to build. Visitors can also see an underground lake, and musicians playing brass instruments.

Pope John Paul and Bill Clinton are some of the famous visitors.

Image result for Krakow" — Krakow Town Square

Poland is famous for its vodka, as well as its beer.

It’s beer o’clock !

What does our friend think of this Polish beer ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUjQhsbAi6k

Cheers – Twoje zdrowie

New vocabulary:

infamous / indication / originally / generic /bouquet / aroma /synthetic

Instead of saying ‘ let’s smell it’, he says ……..

What does he say before he drinks ?

Just by watching his expression, can you tell if he likes it ?

How does he describe the taste ?

20 Things to do in Kraków

Do you think they planned their trip well ?

If not, why not ?

story of (my / your / our) life (lives) / place was buzzing / our mood / for starters / hop aboard / simmer down / booze cruise / the place was buzzing

Did you notice any superlatives ?

(the highest, smallest, most fascinating etc)

What do you think about Krakow ?

How does it compare with your home city or town ?

Polish food and drink

Would you like to try any of the food the travellers tried ?

Were there any new expressions you heard ?

Is Polish cuisine closer to the Russian or to the German cuisine? What does a Polish dinner table and food for dinner look like? Are there any pictures? - Quora

Peter O’Toole: a legend

24th December 2021

During the 1950s a new group of actors emerged who captivated audiences, firstly on stage, later on screen. Talent, charm, charisma, personality, magnetism, attributes that could never be taught; actors such as Richard Burton, Richard Harris, John Hurt and Peter O’Toole had these gifts in abundance.

I was lucky in that living in London, I was able to go to the theatre and saw Mr John Hurt in ‘Month in the Country’, while I caught Peter O’Toole in ‘Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell’. Additionally, I once ‘met’ Mr O’Toole at a book signing in London.

Actor Peter O'Toole new book expose | UK | News | Express.co.uk — Peter O’Toole in ‘Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell’

As for Mr Richard Harris, I had the pleasure of serving him one time in an upmarket bakery in west London. He was on form that day, possibly having partaken of a liquid lunch. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to see Mr Richard Burton. Now, back to Peter O’Toole.

I have a great clip of the magnificent Irish actor being interviewed by the fast-talking USA TV host David Letterman. Students can compare the two accents.

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Letterman asks O’Toole if he has a story about fellow actor, Richard Harris. Instead of a rather pedestrian, “Let me see …,” O’Toole, cigarette in hand, responds, “Oh, I’ll shuffle through my memory,” before proceeding to tell said story (this occurs at 0:32 – 3:33).

The activity can be extended by asking the students to copy O’Toole’s voice and elocution. Obviously I don’t condone smoking but students have had great fun sitting crossed legged, imaginary cigarette held aloft, and repeating, “Oh, I’ll shuffle through my memory.”

The serious aspect here is to demonstrate the rhythms and stresses in English – the elongated “oh,” as he thinks, the focus on the verb, “shuffle’, the linking of “through my,” and the final stressed but downwards – intonations of “memory.” A lot of work covered in just six words. Good value for your teaching bucks !

Peter O'Toole Documentary | Brendan O'Connor - RTÉ Radio 1

Two birds with one stone: listening and vocabulary

11th December 2021

Two Birds with One Stone”: Transmedia Serialisation in Twin Peaks | M/C Journal

Outside of the classroom, students will often be using English with other non-native speakers. Therefore, it is good practice to listen to people speaking English to see how much, or how little, you understand.

With that in mind, here’s a short video on extending your vocabulary, learning ‘low-frequency words’, or better words. However, the instructor is from India and has an accent. To test your understanding, try listening first, then look to check if you are correct:

New Vocabulary

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

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

The classrooms in Block D are ……….. (big, plenty of room)

The furnishings are perfect, they are ………. (very tasteful)

Building an underground train network is a ………… undertaking (very big, challenging)

The old man was ………. People came to him for advice. (very clever, wise)

Traffic talking points

7th December 2021

A lesson chockablock with phrases, slang and expressions on the subject of traffic.

THEME: Traffic

rush hour / ring road / congested / blind spot / flyover / motorway Metro or Subway/ U-Bahn (Germany) / the Tube (London) / roundabout

road rage / one-way street / traffic jam / chockablock / cutting in / cut me off / hit every red light !

Discuss any words you don’t know with your teacher or look online

What are the issues facing you when you travel around your town or city? [what problems do you have ?]

This is an opinion question, so start your answer with:

In my opinion // In my experience // For me // I believe // I think / It seems to me

First, think of the positives:

Is it easy to travel around ?

Is petrol or gas cheap ? Are there many petrol stations ?

Can anyone attain a driver’s licence ?

What about public transport ? Cheap, reliable, clean, safe ?

Conversely, think of the negatives such as the time spent travelling.

Accidents and costs: insurance, petrol, maintenance

Dangers: pollution, other drivers, road etiquette

Condition of roads

Is traffic getting worse in your home city ? Why do you think so ?

What can be done to ease this situation ?

Finally, what is your conclusion ?

What is happening here ?

What do you think will happen to the driver of the bus ?

Taking a Viet driving test

The second clip is from ‘Top Gear’ (UK). The boys came to Vietnam, in 2008. They had a challenge: to buy a car then drive from HCM City to Hanoi.

What could possibly go wrong ?

Note down any new expressions, then practice … and practice … and practice

I Me Mine: Pronoun Declensions

3rd December 2021

The English language, despite having a multitude of idioms, slang, vernacular, dialects, neologisms etc, can be easier to learn than other languages when it comes to the definite article. I am referring to the word ‘the’.

English nouns have no gender; the language doesn’t have the complex German structure of declension when the word ‘the’ changes depending if the noun is the subject, object or indirect object.

However, it’s not all plain sailing. English speakers employ declension when it comes to pronouns. Please allow me to illustrate:

A cuckoo clock, invented in Germany (not Switzerland, as is often believed).

I bought this clock from a friend so it now belongs to me. It is my clock, it is mine.

However, with the wrong declension:

Me bought this clock from a friend so it now belongs to mine. It is I clock, it is my.

Last night, a level 6 class (aged around 10) were having a lesson on conservation. The examples were all in the second person (your), and the students were having problems changing the pronoun. Hence, this blog:

School Kids Stock Photos & Royalty-Free Images from PhotoDune — Let’s go to work

Let’s keep it simple. There are three cases:

the subject, the object and the possessive

I, Me, Mine

In our example I bought this clock from my friend, the first noun is ‘I’ (subject)

so it now belongs to me. (object)

It is my clock, it is mine. (possessive)

Now … let’s practice

I // me // my or mine

you // you // your or yours

he // him // his

she // her // her or hers

we // us // our or ours

they // them // their or theirs

EXAMPLE: What can you do to stay healthy ?

black-lady-weights - Carla Fields Fitness

I can exercise. Being healthy is important to me. These are my weights. They are mine.

How about changing the pronoun ? Tell me about this man:

He is very funny. Many people like him. It is his dog. The dog is his.

Tell me about this lady

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai disappeared after denouncing rape - Tennis - Sports - Nenroll-Nenroll

— is very happy. I can not beat — in a game. — racket (bat) is very expensive. It is —-.

Let’s use ‘you’

Ayushmann Khurrana wanted to shave his head for Bala, says 'I resembled my grandfather after prosthetics' | Bollywood - Hindustan Times

— can wash your hair. I will buy some cologne for — . It is —- cologne, it is —– .

Tell me about these people

—- are American. If you go to the USA, maybe you will meet —-. This is —– flag, it is ——.

Get Back ! We spoke in the past tense.

9th November 2011

Recent online classes have revealed a distressing lack of ability using basic verbs in the past tense or Verb 2 as they are called in my neck of the woods.

In Vietnamese, the past tense is formed differently.

The verb remains the same but other words are added to indicate the tense. Alternately, time indicators are employed. Very briefly, a literal translation from the Vietnamese could be:

Yesterday I eat rice

Therefore a language teacher needs to be aware of the linguistic differences. Be that as it may let’s Get Back to basics.

Activity 1

What is the past tense (Verb 2) of these verbs:

eat / drink / do / play / see / go

Activity 2

help / visit / work / ride / talk

Activity 3

‘to be’:

I am / I was

you are / you were

he is / he was

she is / she was

Let’s use past tense (verb 2) with an adjective

Tell me what is the sentence if we use verb 2

EXAMPLE: I am happy. = I was happy.

NOW … YOUR TURN

You are sad = You ______ sad.

He is tired = He _______ tired.

She is funny = She _______ funny.

I am shy = I ______ shy.

He is small = He ______ small.

She is big = She _____ big.

You are young = You ______ young.

Activity 4

What did you do today ?

Each student takes a turn. Use these photos to help you.

Extra practice:

buy / drink / surf the internet / help parents / cook / do homework / wake up

Present tense ——– Past tense

act —— acted

go —- went

learn —— learned OR learnt

play — played

read —– read (pronounced ‘red)

ride —— rode

sleep —– slept

watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)

win —- won

What is the past tense (Verb 2) ?

I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.

I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.

I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.

I learn English. Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.

Piano playing monkey | Playing piano, See monkeys, Gershwin

The monkey plays piano.

Last night, the monkey _________ piano.

ally gong asian girl cute mug reading book inspiration milan kundera ignorance - Ally Gong

She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.

Sleep may trigger rhythmic power washing in the brain | Science News

He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.

Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man is a great New York movie

I watch the amazing Spiderman.

Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.

Put these verbs into the past tense, then complete the sentences:

want ———

take ———

decide ———

see ——–

buy ——–

think ——–

learn ——–

I —— to stay in bed this morning

She —– great photos with her new iPhoneX

We have (decide) —— to go to Thailand for Tet

Last night I —- a great film !

He (buy) —- food for Christmas.

Tuesday ! I (think) —— today was Wednesday

We (learn) —– about past simple in our lesson.

More exercises can be found on this omnibus blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/21/past-tense-various-exercises-2/

IELTS Level: writing exercise. ‘1001 Nights – The Arabian Tales.’

5th November 2021

While school lockdown continues, an opportunity for higher level students to practise their writing skills as well as learning about some classic literature. I am referring to ‘The Arabian Nights’ otherwise known as ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ which was compiled in the Middles Ages.

The collection features stories from the Middle East and Indian, though the exact time of writing, and by whom, is still uncertain. As with Classical mythology, many characters are still referenced in modern life, characters such as Sinbad, Ali Baba, Aladdin and Scheherazade.

Writing exercise

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

The original blog was posted: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/01/24/adult-speaking-class-level-2-part-6/

Jazz Music

29th October 2021

Charlie Parker (sax) with Miles Davis (trumpet)

JAZZ MUSIC

I love all types of music, but one of my favourites is Jazz. It can be exciting, or thought-provoking, upbeat or mellow, but it’s always different.

Unlike other types of music, Jazz is spontaneous. This means that you never hear the same song the same way; each performance is different.

Jazz started in New Orleans but moved up to Chicago, New York and even west to California. The first records were made in 1917 and the first true Jazz genius was Louis Armstrong. If you want to hear jazz, you should listen to his records from the 1920s.

You may know some famous Jazz artists such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane or Charlie Parker. I can recommend these musicians to you as first-rate examples of Jazz.

I hope this has made you curious about Jazz, and that you go online to listen for yourself. Who knows, maybe you too will learn to love Jazz.

Duke Ellington's Far East Suite by Duke Ellington (Album, Big Band): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music

More idioms than you can shake a stick at !

27th October 2021

Premium Photo | Beautiful portrait young asian woman smiling sitting study and learning writing notebook — Image from freepik.com

Idioms are used frequently in conversational English, not to mention formal and informal writing, and in song lyrics. Additionally I have heard British politicians, speaking in Received Pronunciation, employ an idiom in two in their remarks.

Generally students like having a few idioms under their belt, as it makes them feel that they are closer to everyday English, and can hold their own in a conversation.

Therefore, here is a one-stop shop for various idioms I’ve introduced over the years. Now, put your nose to the grindstone and get cracking.

Idioms

it’s raining cats and dogs

it costs an arm and a leg

piece of cake

I’m burning the candle at both ends

once in a blue moon

pass with flying colours

turn over a new leaf

Another string to (your) bow – a new skill or learning experience

bear with me – please wait a very short time (usually spoken as opposed to written)

bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry

down in the dumps – depressed, unhappy, feeling gloomy

hit the ground running – to start something immediately and with all your energy

like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc

run of the mill – ordinary, typical, normal, usual, boring

up in arms – to be very angry about something, to protest strongly

you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous

tickled pink = very happy – I’m tickled pink

fit as a fiddle = very healthy

Keep an eye on = watch something carefully

under the table = to give money to someone unofficially

kick the bucket = to die (informal) Did you hear ? Old Tom kicked the bucket.

A spanner in the works = a serious problem

In the right ball park (US) = not correct but close

On the right track (UK) not correct but close

Confident african businessman 991151 Stock Photo at Vecteezy — veckteezy.com

Learning the ropes = learning what the job involves

Snowed under = very busy

number-cruncher = a slang term for an accountant

cooking the books = writing false information in accountants – a serious crime

Let’s call it a day = We can finish work now

Can you run that by me again ? = Please repeat.

Food Idioms Bulletin Board Kit by Apples to Zippers | TpT

tea / cherries / nutshell / cucumber / carrot

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 _________ , philosophy is very difficult.

Fostering Student Learning through the Use of Debates — Image from facultyfocus.com

Speaking Practice can be accessed on this blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/06/06/cat-got-your-tongue-time-to-talk-idioms/

what have you been getting up to ? // raining cats and dogs

chockablock // hold your horses // under the weather // chop chop // vicious circle

// can you follow me ? // a screw loose // not my cup of tea // kick the bucket

cut and dry // turn over a new leaf // pull your socks up //

as much use as a chocolate teapot // let’s call it a day

You may not know some of the above, so just ask your teacher, or do an online search

Extra idioms lessons may be found on these pages:

https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/06/01/idioms-a-piece-of-cake/

https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/06/02/idioms-part-2-are-you-pulling-my-leg/

https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/06/04/idioms-part-3-all-above-board-nothing-under-the-table/