Today we are going to use all our English skills to create a wonderful story. We shall use adjectives, adverbs, perfect grammar and show off our amazing vocabulary.
Are you ready ? Let’s Rock ‘n’ Roll !
Oasis were a band of five musicians. They were from Manchester in north England. First, watch this video:
Tell me a story about the video.
Who is the main subject ?
What are they doing ?
How do they look ? Where are they ?
How about the other people in the video ?
How do they feel and why ?
What do they do ? What do they look like ?
There is so much to write about, so plan your story before you start writing.
WILF (What I’m Looking For):
A strong start, tell me about the main subjects.
DO NOT START WITH PRONOUNS
Remember to use new, exciting adjectives. Look at your class notes.
What are they doing and how – use adverbs.
Here’s some brilliant words to make your story glorious:
irritating // annoying // thoughtless //
spyhole // letter box // dart board //
neighbours // tough guys // lady in a sari
tower block (a tall apartment building)
TOP CATS – some new expressions
Can’t hear myself think
The noise drives (the neighbours) crazy
The walls are paper-thin
If your work is sub-standard, you will have to sing this song in front of the whole class … so be brilliant !
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.
I will show you some photos and I want you to write a short piece using adjectives, adverbs and some creative thinking.
Please, Thay Paul, give us an example.
OK, look at the above photo. What adjectives describe the subject ?
The lady is: Asian / beautiful / cute / healthy / intelligent / kind / popular / young
She has: long, black, wavy hair.
She wears a (an) light blue / comfortable / expensive / fashionable dress.
Where is she and what is she doing ?
She is at work, in a bright / clean / modern office. Maybe she is at home in her quiet / new apartment.
She is working on a (an) expensive / fast / new laptop. Her work is difficult / easy / important.
How does she work ?
She is smiling, so maybe she works quickly, or happily or well. Maybe she has finished and can now relax.
So what’s the story ? Let’s use present tense (verb 1).
A beautiful, young, Asian lady is working happily on her new laptop. She has finished her difficult, English homework so she feels fantastic.
How many adjectives did I use ?
Where did I put the adverb ? After the verb ‘work’. Here I used the continuous form (verb + ing). So, put the adverb after a verb (Verb 1, Verb 2 or verb + ing).
Now … your turn
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.
Today you will need pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks and paper.
You are going to tell me about Tet Holiday.
I want to know what you do that is special, what you eat and what you wear.
Do you like Tet ? Explain why … or why not !
First, we need a vocabulary bank. Here are a list of adjectives you should try to use.
Write these words in your notebook next to the meaning in Vietnamese
traditional // lucky // fun // funny
delicious // beautiful // colourful
loud //terrible //
What is happening here ?
What is in the red envelope ?
Tell me about the food.
What are the ladies doing ?
What are the men doing ?
Write and draw about Tet Holiday.
At Tet I … (my family) …
I eat …
I see …
If I have lucky money, I will buy …
My family go to …
My Mummy …
My Daddy …
I like (don’t like) Tet Holiday because …
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.
Many interviews have similar questions. Read the following and then role-play with a partner. Feel free to add your own information, or make up something new.
Possible questions:
What experience do you have ?
What do you know about the company ?
Have you ever had to work to a deadline ?
Tell me about yourself
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 ABC and XYZ 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. Furthermore, I enjoy going out having coffee with friends.
What do you know about (COMPANY) ?
DFG are an established company with a good reputation. They help …….. and there are over (x) sites in VN (or your country).
What are your strengths ?
I feel I am easy-going, hard-working, careful and diligent. I think my greatest strength is my positive outlook, even during times of stress. I can work under pressure and I really enjoy a challenge. Lastly, I like working in a team.
What are your weaknesses ?
Well, my English isn’t perfect, so this will be a great chance to improve. Maybe I can be a little quiet sometimes; that’s why working as part of a team will help bring me out.
Can you give an example of when you had to deal with an angry customer ?
One time, a customer didn’t like the price of a visa, and he began shouting and getting angry. I asked him if I could explain the reason. I then told him how it wasn’t our fault, but that I understood his anger and said sorry. Then I told him he could check elsewhere, but we would still be happy to serve him. He calmed down, said sorry to me and bought the visa and was happy.
Where do you see yourself in two years ?
My short-terms goals are to work hard and efficiently, so I can master this job. However, in the long-term, I would be interested in possibly doing more courses so I could be a manager.
What can you bring to the job ?
I’m very friendly and enjoy working with people. I always try to be happy at work and share my positive outlook. I’m very motivated and open to learning. I’m very excited about being a part of this great company.
Do you have any questions ?
May I just ask, what career opportunities are there at ABC ?
It is not a good idea to ask immediately about salary, money and bonuses, although this is an important part of the interview process.
Congratulations, when can you start ?
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.
How many times does 4 go into 100 ? What goes into 100 4 times ?
Practice – how would you say these:
25 + 30 =
12 x 10 =
95 – 35 =
39 ÷ 13 =
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.
Yes it, isn’t. i is hoping these answered you questions ,
When someone is learning a new language basic communication, making oneself understood, is the main factor.
However as one develops, the rules of grammar become increasingly important especially if students sit tests and are graded according to their command of the language.
Here, then, are some incorrect sentences that the students can correct. For online classes, students can type in their Chat Box, and that way, everyone is kept busy and productive.
Let’s start with a Level 1 Class
The students have just been introduced to basic sentences, so the aim is to get them using multiple words, not just shouting out single word answers.
Game 1
EXAMPLE: What is it ?
It is a yellow banana.
It’s a yellow banana.
First letter is BIG (a capital letter).
Use an adjective before the noun.
End with a full stop (.)
NOW … Your turn
Write the answers in your Chat Box
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Game 2
EXAMPLE: Who’s this ?
this me grondfather … NO
This is my grandmother.
NOW … Your turn
Write the answers in your Chat Box
Number 1
this is my Brotherr
Number 2
this is m grandFATHr ?
Number 3
th is is me mother
Game 3
EXAMPLE: I like … I don’t like
I like chicken I no like fish … NO
I like chicken. I don’t like fish.
NOW … Your turn
i liek pizzza i do no like chicen
I like iceream i like cake no
I like breadd I like don’t ricee
Game 4
EXAMPLE: What can you see ?
I can see a dog. I can see a happy black dog.
I can see 2 dogs
NOW … Your turn
Bye bye, see you soon.
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.
If only my Zoom classes were this sedate and genteel
With heavy heart (and a lighter wage packet) schools in Viet Nam shut down on the 10th May, and will remain closed at least until the end of the month, quite probably longer.
Can you hear the collective moans and groans of despair ?
We now enter our third period of online classes and while some teachers, of infinite sense, said, “No way, Jose !” yours truly signed up for nine two-hour sessions.
I know, tell me about it, or rather DON’T … online teaching, for the Admin staff, for the TAs, for the company and its economic stability, not to mention the lowly teachers is:
Google images, but seems a fair representation
Maybe in another blog, probably after we have to returned to ‘normality’ (which is pretty crazy at the best of times), I’ll write down some highlights of the online experience but for now, here’s a coping mechanism.
Instead of being irritated by various phenomenon, turn them into a game. This is something I can try with the more amenable TAs (who fight tooth and nail to avoid working with me … being assigned to my class is seen as the equivalent to being sent to Siberia, and I can’t say I blame them, poor things).
So let’s dive in: here’s how it’s played
During the course of an online class, one is likely to encounter the following:
A shirtless man, Daddy or Grandfather, wandering into the screen
A sibling entering the picture and making faces into the camera
An irate parent, usually the Daddy, sometimes shirtless, shouting, “Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello etc …” into the mic
A ‘student’ constantly changing their screen image, adding filters, wearing computer glasses, despite being told several times to keep a plain background and not play with the settings
A ‘student’ turning off their mic and / or camera after being told to turn on their mic and / or camera
‘Student’ saying, “I don’t know,” to every question
‘Student’ giving a stupid answer to a question. Example from last weekend, when shown a picture of a bat, a moody pre-teenage girl said that it was a swan, and I’m supposed to find that humourous and adorable and acceptable and be patient because [insert pathetic excuse here].
‘Student’, with mic muted, unmutes, makes a loud noise into mic, then mutes.
Lesson interrupted by the sound of a family screaming at each other (referred to as normal conversation in Viet Nam)
When these happen, and they will, oh, man, they will, players get points. Breaks down like this:
Shirtless Man (2 points) // Sibling action (2 points) //
Cam & mic on\off (1 point) // I don’t know (3 points) //
Stupid answer (4 points) // Random noises (2 points) //
Family noise (2 points)
This can be developed for teenagers, and adult classes e.g. ‘students’ saying their cameras aren’t working when we can all see them clearly, (likewise their mic) // refusing to turn on camera and mic despite paying for a speaking class // sitting in the dark and saying that they have no electricity (but wifi, computer, music all seem to work fine // ‘student’ deciding to go to the noisiest place possible for the lesson // ‘student’ thinking that an online lesson is simply TV and that the teacher is here to entertain them for two or three hours etc, etc, etc …
Maybe you, dear reader, have picked up on a certain vibe. Yes, I am lucky to have work, but work like this … is it worth it ?
Due to the return of COVID to Sai Gon, schools and language centres have been closed down, and online classes have restarted.
A big shout out to the staff at my centre. Instead of taking things easy in the build up to Tet, and enjoying time with their family, they had to work all hours to prepare for the change to distance learning.
To make these lessons work, we need students, and their parents, to follow these simple rules:
Respect your teacher and your teacher will respect you
tôn trọng giáo viên của bạn
You HAVE TO turn on your camera. If your camera is not working, you HAVE TO inform the centre.
Answer your teacher when you are asked a question.
Please control your background noise. No music, computer games or talking. Try to find somewhere quiet for the class.
Let’s work together and make the best of this situation and hopefully, we can all meet at the school in the near future.
Thay Paul's Notes 