a screw loose // solid as a rock // tough cookie // life and soul
Extending vocabulary – personality types
Computer geek / nerd / social misfit
hunk / fit / health freak
Family man / new man / sensitive
boffin / egghead / professional man
Lazy / work-shy / good for nothing
workaholic / married to his job
arty / cool dude / beatnik
useless layabout / waste of space
slackers / drop-outs / cool guys / high school kids
There may be good and bad things about all of these. What do you think they are ?
Which type would you like to marry or which type do you think you are ?
REMEMBER– use expressions of opinion
“In my experience…” “As far as I’m concerned…”
“In my opinion…” “Personally, I think…”
“I believe that…” “It seems to me …”
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We had a number of blogs devoted to idioms, so now it’s time to practice using them as part of your everyday English. Not only will IELTS students earn points, but every student will feel closer to English, and sound more like a REAL native-speaker. You can only learn so much from text books …
So, without further ado, a range of dialogues for you to practice:
Dialogue 1
Hello, how’s it going ?
Great, thanks. What have you been up to ?
Oh, same old, same old. Nothing new. Are you busy ?
A little.
Do you want a hand ? (Dya wanna hand)
That would be wonderful. Can you take over for a moment ?
Absolutely !
I’ll be right back. I need to print out some documents.
Dialogue 2
What shall I get on with ?
I just need you to finish off the progress reports.
Oh, piece of cake ! (pieceacake)
You’re an angel.
I know…hahaha.
Dialogue 3
Hello, do you have a minute ?
Sure, what do you need ?
Could we have a little chat ?
OK, let’s go to my office. Have a seat. Now, what’s on your mind?
I’d like an increase in our budget. We desperately need a new photocopier.
Unfortunately, those things cost an arm and a leg. What is the exact price ?
I’ll find out and get back to you. We may have some money in our budget.
Dialogue 4
How’s the new girl ? Are you showing her the ropes?
She seems to be OK but I still need to keep an eye on her. Are we having a meeting later ?
No, it’s been called off.
Ok, back to work. I need to finish off some expense sheets.
Yes, time is money.
See you later.
Dialogue5
What were you doing last night ? I tried to call.
I was watching TV. Was it important ?
We were having a party. I wanted you to come.
Your parties are such fun ! What did you do ?
We were all looking online for bargains. Anna bought some great shoes.
She’s always talking about buying shoes.
I was looking at the clothes from London. So stylish.
Dialogue6
Did you see the email from the Manager ?
Oh, that old windbag ! He was talking so much.
Yes, even his emails go on forever hahahah.
Did you bring your raincoat ? It was raining all night.
I know – it was raining cats and dogs.
They were thinking about calling off the meeting because of the rain.
Yes, maybe the traffic will be chockablock.
Dialogue7
Oh, do you know how to use this Zoom program ?
Yes, it’s very easy. It’s a piece of cake! Have you met Jane’s new boyfriend ?
He seems a real loser. As far as I’m concerned, she can do much better.
What does he do ?
Nothing, the work-shy layabout. I believe he wants her money.
In my experience, guys without jobs are hopeless. A waste of space !
How did she meet him ? She’s such a workaholic ! At the gym ?
Well, not at the gym, he’s no hunk ! It’s obvious to me it won’t last.
I’m convinced it’ll soon be over. She needs a good solid as a rock guy.
Last week, I showed my class how to speak, and think, in longer sentences. I chose a basic question as an example:
Where do you want to visit in Vietnam ?
I showed them a plan:
Introduction / First good point / second good point / something bad / conclusion.
I choose Hoi An
Introduction: DON’T answer immediately but introduce the answer by repeating or rephrasing the question:
Vietnam has many beautiful places but my choice would be Hoi An.
First Good Point:
Firstly, Hoi An is a historical city with a wonderful Japanese bridge and lovely old shops. At night, the shops use romantic lanterns.
Second Good Point:
Hoi An is close to Da Nang, so I can fly there easily and quickly. There are many things to see and do in the local area.
Now, something negative
However, Hoi An is very small and can be extremely crowded in summer. Maybe it will be difficult to find a hotel or a table at a good restaurant.
Conclusion
In my opinion, Hoi An is a very special place to visitbecause it is a town of Vietnamese culture.
How to build sentences:
Use adjectives to describe nouns (beautiful, historic, romantic)
adverbs to describe adjectives and verbs – give more information (very, easily)
opinion phrases (in my opinion)
linking words to connect positive to positive or positive to negative – discourse markers (however)
reasons why an action is being done (because)
Now – your turn: Where do you want to visit ? This can be in Vietnam or anywhere.
SECONDEXAMPLE:
I like coffee
I like coffee so much because it tastes great and makes me wake up although too much will stop me from sleeping at night but, in my opinion, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
Work experience
I teach a brother and sister; the sister is a bit of a handful always chatting or texting during class. In complete contrast, the brother is a really good student as well as being a young gentleman. I feel he is an ideal student.
Now – your turn. Try these:
Living in Sai Gon or in your city
Free time
Working and studying.
Sentence building – becoming fluent and coherent
Use
adverbs
adjectives
opinions phrases
linking words
new vocabulary
EXAMPLE: I like coffee
Ask
how MUCH do you like it (adverbs) ?
What kind of coffee (adjectives) ?
What do you think about this ? (opinions)
WHY do you like it (give reasons)
interesting words, phrases, idioms
I really enjoy hot milky coffee because it helps bring people together as well as making our minds become quite active and somewhat excited. Coffee, in my point of view, is essentially useful if we use it in moderation. On the other hand coffee can be a dreadful waste of money as well as having a detrimental effect on our health. Despite the negative aspects, coffee makes me feel over the moon!
Here’s a quick blog for a class I’m covering tomorrow. As a warm up and review, I’ll play this music as the students enter the class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHWhebFt_r0
The video has a lot of new words, so I will pause the clip and board new words. Following the video, I’ll ask these questions. Being a large class, the students can work in teams, maybe each team having the name of an animal (that should be fun for Team Monkey).
Which big cat has spots, which has stripes ? Why do they have patterns ?
What is the name of the line that goes around the middle of the Earth ?
Rain forests has two things … what ?
What fruit can you find ?
What animals live at the top of trees ?
Is Vietnam in the tropics ?
BONUS POINTS:
Why are rain forests important ?
They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen
They are home to lots of different wildlife
They produce water and rainfall for the planet
Moving on rapidly – Adverbs
Give me a sentence for these photos:
EXAMPLE:
The jaguar runs quickly // The jaguar with black spots, runs very quickly
KaraokeA slothReading in a library ssshhhhhhh …Buster Keaton doesn’t stand in a very safe place
How do I follow that !
The remainder of the lesson is given over to reading, the theme being a music recital, so I can lead in by asking who play an instrument (then explaining that my long nails on my left hand are for playing guitar, not for scaring students).
We’ve had two previous posts chockablock with idioms. Now, when push comes to shove, can you use them in your everyday English. Remember, those studying for IELTS will get extra points by demonstrating a knowledge of idiomatic language … so pull your finger out and put your nose to the grindstone.
This is an extended dialogue sequence. Practice the idioms and intonation and stress. You may wish to try short sections first, before attempting the whole exercise.
Hello, how’s your day been ?
Oh, so-so. And you ? Did you finish off the reports ?
Yes, more or less.
You better make sure they’re finished. You know what the Director’s like.
I know. If things aren’t done, all hell breaks loose !
Better keep on his good side. What else do you need to do ?
File some invoices, send off some emails and I need to get hold of Anna in HR.
I think she’s off sick today.
That’s a pity. Did you finish the wages ?
Yes, piece of cake ! Now I’m going through all the bank statements for the last quarter.
Not cooking the books I hope. Are we still going out tonight ?
Oh, sorry, I can’t know. Something’s come up.
What ? I thought you wanted to see the film. Johnny Depp’s in it.
I know, but I have to work late. Why don’t you ask the Director ? He’s really into cinema.
I don’t think so !
Why not ? He’s such a charming man.
Well, I beg to differ. He’s an old windbag and he drinks like a fish !
Mr Johnny Depp
My manager drinks like a fish
A charming manWriting false numbers – cooking the booksTalk, talk, talk … what an old windbag !
under the table (giving money to get something done quickly) / over the top (something that is too much or a person behaving too loudly).
In Asia, giving money under the table is, sometimes, the only way to get something done.
In USA many TV presenters are so loud, they are completely over the top.
Building longer sentences:
Make these simple sentences into a longer piece by using discourse markers, adjectives and adverbs and opinion phrases:
I work at ATS. My job make me tired. I have many projects to do. My co-workers are nice.
Relative pronouns– who (person), which (thing), where (place).
Adverbs– add information
Opinions– I feel, I believe, in my opinion, from my point of view.
Discourse markers – although, despite, however …
ATS, where I work, can be extremely tiring because there are many projects which, I feel, are very challenging. Having said that, there are many wonderfully friendly colleagues who make me feel happy.
Write a short piece about your school, university or work:
Sentence building:
although / despite / albeit
Can be used like ‘but’ and ‘however’. .. sentence structure may need to change:
Peter likes driving although he hates traffic. ONE sentence
Although he hates traffic, Peter loves driving. TWO clauses
King BBQ is very good albeit very busy NEVER starts a sentence
Despite being very busy, King BBQ is great. NOTE despite + verbing
King BBQ is great despite being very busy (or costing very much / having no beer.)
We love our jobs despite the fact that we have to work long hours.
Write longer sentences using albeit, although or despite.
T_ara are adorable. Their music is nothing special.
Vietjet is cheap. The flights are frequently delayed.
Korea is beautiful. The weather can be cold. (Also add adverbs)
Rolex watches are astronomical. They are good quality
Music vocabulary:
rhythm / beat / melody / production / arrangement / vocals / lyrics / solo
Genres (types of music): pop / rock / country and western / punk / classical / jazz blues / opera / R ‘n’ B / techno / rap
What kind of music do you like ? Ask your classmates, and try to keep the conversation alive for as long as possible. You can say what genres you like, then give examples of artists and special CDs or records. How do you buy music, how do you listen to it (computer, CD, iPhone, MP3 player ?) Do you play an instrument ? Would you like to play something ? Do you ever go to concerts ?
Phrasal verbs:
give in / turn off / start off / put out / cut down/ cut out/ put up with
1 I’m working too much, therefore I must _________ on my hours.
2 You can’t smoke here ! ____________ that cigarette.
3 We have to _________ so much noise and dirt here in Cat Lai (industrial area).
4 I always __________ to my wife when she demands something; it is easier !
5 Time to knock off. Before you go, make sure to _________ your computers.
6 For health reasons, my doctor advised me to _________ fatty food.
7 The film ___________ great, but soon became too complicated.
Speaking practice:
You are at a job interview and have to introduce yourself. Start by giving some facts, your educational background and how long you have worked in your current/ present job. Describe your personality and finish by saying what you like to do in your spare time.
Example:
I was born in …. and I graduated from …. University in 2019 with a major in Business Administration. Since then I’ve had two year’s experience in administrative work at ATHA and followed that with a stint in SLH Corporation.
I’m a very organised person, well-balanced and efficient. I’m hard-working and dedicated.
In my free time, I like to travel and I love to paint. In addition, I enjoy going out and having coffee with friends. I also support Barcelona and enjoy playing badminton after work.
Vocabulary booster:
I live in a:
quiet, residential street. Peaceful at night.
lively and busy commercial area, many shops
dirty and dusty industrial part of town. Very noisy.
My home is a / an:
apartment and I live alone
rented room share with friends
house live with family
pros and cons – advantages and disadvantages
adverbs of degree (very, extremely, incredibly, remarkably, unbelievably)
I travel to work by:
Motorbike. It’s quite / rather far and extremely stressful.
Use Grabbike. It’s very convenient albeit rather expensive.
On the bus. Although it’s incredibly cheap, it’s not very pleasant.
Idioms and expressions
At work I find myself doing the same thing day in day out. It’s tedious.
Learning English is, for me, easy, a piece of cake. It’s very important and fun.
In my free time:
I enjoy watching films and playing sports. I am competitive !
adore hanging out with my friends and family.
love shopping. I can spot a bargain and I hate being ripped off !
Learning English:
in my opinion, is vital for the future. It’s imperative we learn.
is a necessary task. It’s awkward and frustrating, but I need it.
is highly enjoyable and relaxing. I love to improve my mind.
The War Remnants Museum is
extremely popular with tourists, a major attraction in the city.
well laid-out and organised. The exhibits are fascinating.
very sombre and thought-provoking. Well worth a visit.
educational and essential. We can discover much there.
not suitable for children, though I would recommend it to adults.
Increase your word power
Part 1: Match the basic words with others of similar meaning
For example boring = tedious
interesting / on time / forgetful / live (I live in) / smart (clever) / get (by hard work) attain / absent-minded /fascinating / punctual / intelligent / reside
Part 2
unhappy / honest / not often / tired / place / reliable // exhausted / seldom / miserable / trustworthy / dependable / environment
Part 3
small or unimportant / try / make / great / happy / not nice / / endeavour / jovial / prepare / insignificant / nasty / brilliant
Practice:
John is so forgetful; he is _______________
German manufacturers are reliable; they are ____________
The increase is very small; it is _______________
The plane was on time; the service is very _____________
She is so clever; she is very ______________
Now make sentences with the new words. Put class into teams and they have to make sentences with five new words e.g. (for example):
After studying for three years, John attained his BA Degree.
Use these phrasal verbs in new sentences – BUT in the past or continuous tense.
give in / give up / put up with / put off / take off / start off
New Vocabulary
passive smoking
nightmare situation
how can I put it ?
a fair comment ?
peer pressure ?
emulate
inconsistent
willing = happy to do something
luke-warm
concise = short and to the point.
sneaky = crafty, cheeky
I am __________ to help you with your homework.
Please be short and _________ when you give a speech.
The audience was only _____________ after the band played.
People can get cancer just by _________________ .
I have so much work to do and have a meeting with my boss; it’s a ______________
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Thay Paul's Notes 