Firstly, let me start by wishing you all the best. I hope you are staying safe and well. Aside from the medical implications of this pandemic, the widespread lockdown is affecting people’s psychological health, their jobs and therefore their financial security.
As the death toll in my native UK approaches five thousand, our Prime Minister has been hospitalised, and people are being advised to stay indoors, self-isolate and maintain social distancing.
Against this backdrop, I have two recent clips to help my students.
I appreciate that learning English isn’t a priority at the moment, but my school remains open (for online teaching) so people can continue working and therefore have money to pay living costs and help the economy continue.
On the 5th April, Queen Elizabeth II addressed (spoke to) the nation.
For students, this is a chance to hear Queen’s English, as spoken by the Queen. Not only will this assist your pronunciation, but you will also encounter many new words and expressions.
As listening is very hard, I suggest only playing ten or twenty seconds, then replaying until you feel confident that you understand. After, copy, imitate the accent, listen for stress and intonation.
I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.
I want to thank everyone on the NHS front line, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles, who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I am sure the nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times.
I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones. Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.
I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.
The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.
Across the Commonwealth and around the world, we have seen heart-warming stories of people coming together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort.
And though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths, and of none, are discovering that it presents an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect, in prayer or meditation.
It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We, as children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do.
While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed – and that success will belong to every one of us.
We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.
But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.
The second clip is from the newly-appointed leader of the Labour Party, Sir Kier Starmer. This clip has English subtitles:
anti-Semitism: prejudice and hatred towards Jewish people
NHS: the National Health Service
poignant:feeling of strong sadness
play its full part: to do a job properly
we will shine a torch on: we will look carefully at something and discuss it if we disagree.
to call something out: to speak if you think someone has made a mistake or is doing something wrong.
You will hear many new expressions in this speech. Write down words and phrases you don’t know, look them up online, then try to use them in your English.
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
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
The Tuareg are a large group of Berber people from many different ethnic groups who live in the Sahara region of northern Africa. No one really knows where they first came from …
This is the normal procedure (way / method) to hail a taxi in NYC. However, this would not be acceptable in Bangkok.
Hailing a taxi in Bangkok
Notice how the hand points down. In Thailand, people beckon (call) a dog with their hands up, so a taxi driver would think this was very impolite and rude. The driver would be offended; the hand signal would cause offence.
Cultural differences are one way of inadvertently causing offence. However, some people can say, write or do things that upset other people:
The 45th President is famous for his somewhat un-presidential tweets. He is referring here to the North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-il:
However, in the interests of fairness, North Korean leaders have made comments that could be offensive to the USA. The former leader, Kim Jong-un:
And sometimes, within the same country, people can disagree with each. This is all part of a free society. The problem arises when people stop arguing the facts or beliefs, but start to attack people for their looks, religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation. Some times, people can go too far in what they say:
This is the singer, and animal-rights supporter, Morrissey. He is talking about the treatment of animals in China, which he feels is intolerable. He can object. However, in this quote, he insults the entire country as seeming to be “a subspecies,” that is, not quite human. He makes his point, but do people understand his message, or get offended by his words ?
doubt – when you are not sure about something but don’t think it will happen (will England win the World Cup again ? I doubt it !)
swoop – to grab something quickly – a bird swoops down and grabs the bread.
Expression – to give someone the benefit of the doubt
Expression– in one swoop – something happening very quickly
Expression – to cut ties – to stop having contact with someone.
Practice:
I think Mr Smith took my iPhone but I didn’t see him. Therefore, I have to give him _____________
His comments were ________ to women.
John was talking to Jenny but Peter _____ in and took her away.
I had to __________________ with my colleague after he posted some racist tweets online.
Japanese students are famous for being so _____________ to their teachers. On the other hand, in Viet Nam, some students talk during class which is very ____________________ .
In Asia, it is the custom to show ________________ to old people.
Conversation practice
Time to use these new English words, speaking to each other.
Ask each other questions. Ask for more details (probe) Give full reasons.
Make people explain their answers.
Use opinion expressions.
Which of these would cause offence ?
A supervisor calls you an idiot – but you know it’s a joke.
A supervisor calls you an idiot – but is serious.
Your neighbour has a loud party but doesn’t invite you.
You are riding your bike and a taxi honks for no reason.
A foreigner says that your local food is terrible.
A Chinese says that one day Viet Nam will be part of China again.
A restaurant manager shouts at you to leave as soon as you finish your food.
You buy your girlfriend a present … and she says it’s too cheap !
Listening practice: A non-native speaker talks about a crime.
Reading exercise: Sherlock Holmes
Vocabulary: exercises
Warm up game: Eyewitness
Crime and detection.Being an eyewitness.
Crime and Punishment
This is a famous book by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Give students five to ten minutes to research information about him, then present it to the class. This practises extracting relevant information. Reading verbatim from Wiki or other sites is forbidden !
Warm up game:
Eyewitness: Show students a slide or picture of three people for two minutes. Tell them that today some computers were stolen from the office and these people were seen. Ask them to describe the people they just saw. Prompt for as much detail as possible. This will test the students’ ability to use adjectives and learn new vocabulary from each other:
Do you like detective shows ? Which are your favourites ?
The above shows are from USA, UK & South Korea. Detective shows are popular all over the world. Even famous film directors can write detective novels:
I was walking with a friend along Main Street, around 4 in the morning. The street was ………….quiet, just some tourists and a little traffic.
I was wearing a small bag, strung across my shoulder. A security guard was behind me, talking to a person in a car. …….., a motorbike came towards me on the pavement. He stopped, …………..my strap, then drove away.
Naturally, I shouted but it was too late; he was gone. My friend was worried but I told her it was OK, nobody was hurt. The ………of the bag were really worthless: pens, some medicine, a book, but also my designer glasses.
The security guard was comical in his incompetence. He shook his head, mouth open wide, and said, “It all ………. so quickly, there was nothing I could do.”
I should, …….. , have reported it to the police, that was the ……….. but people told me the thief would never be found. What I learnt from this unfortunate experience was to be very careful and never walk around with valuables.
The greatest of all fictional detectives, Sherlock Holmes, along with his loyal companion Dr. Watson, made his first appearance in Arthur (later Sir Arthur) Conan Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet (1887) and continued into the 20th century in such collections of stories as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894) and the longer Hound of the Baskervilles (1902).
Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
New Vocabulary Practice:
What is the ……… for reporting a crime. (noun)
Most of what we learnt on the first day was ………… (adj)
His wife ……….. (verb) him of eating the cake but the real ….. (noun) was the dog !
Jet Mart had two cases of Tiger beer boosted (stolen). In Mr Wall’s house, there were two cases of Tiger beer but, his lawyer defended, this is not proof, merely ……….. …………….
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 ?
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.
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
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:
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Thay Paul's Notes 