Tuesday 15 March 2016

ROAD TO B1: LESSON 15





EXERCISE: CORRECT THE MISTAKES! 
                       Another one HERE


LISTENING:

The exercise consists of a longer monologue (one person speaking) and a page of notes which summarises the text. Six pieces of information are missing from the notes. You have to listen to the recording and fill in the missing information.

Haz clic aquí para practicar.

Por otra parte, siempre insistimos en que,  para mejorar tu comprensión auditiva, es fundamental practicar con todo tipo de actividades y recursos. Aquí tienes dos más:

Beatle's song

It's a brilliant game


SPEAKING:



USEFUL LANGUAGE:


  • TALKING ABOUT PERSONAL LIKES /DISLIKES e.g. 'I love/quite like/really enjoy/don’t like/hate camping because …' or 'I find (don’t find) visiting museums quite boring/exciting/expensive/relaxing …' or 'I’m (I’m not) very interested in / quite keen on sport …'
  • ASKING FOR OPINIONS e.g. 'What do you think of Spanish TV?' or 'What’s your opinion? or 'How do you feel about going on a cruise?'
  • EXPRESSING PREFERENCES e.g. 'I’d (wouldn’t) like to live in a big house because …' or 'I’d rather/prefer to live in the countryside because …'

SPEAKING (MONOLOGUE): DESCRIBING A PHOTOGRAPH.

REMEMBER! ∙ Talk in sentences – don’t produce lists of items you can see ∙ Organise your description – don’t describe the same thing more than once ∙ Start with a general idea of the subject of the picture before going into details ∙ Give reasons (related to the picture) for your ideas ∙ Talk about the situation as well as the physical things you can see in the picture ∙ Give some personal reaction to the picture ∙ Listen quietly when your partner describes his/her photo – don’t give help or comment.

                                                                                    

USEFUL LANGUAGE:

  • GIVE A GENERAL INTRODUCTION e.g. 'This picture shows …' or 'In this picture I can see...' or 'This is a picture of …'
  • TALK ABOUT PLACES e.g. 'They’re driving in the country/in a city/in the mountains' or 'She’s sitting inside/outside a cafe' or 'I can see a street market/old building/square/ street/restaurant/beach …'
  • DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S AGE e.g. 'He’s about 50 years old' or 'They’re in their twenties' or 'She’s a teenager/a young child/a middle-aged woman'
  • DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S CLOTHES e.g. 'She’s wearing a pair of shorts and a red T-shirt' or 'They’re wearing quite casual/smart clothes' or 'He’s wearing a uniform'
  • DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S ACTIONS e.g. 'He’s sitting at a desk' or 'She’s standing in a queue' or 'They’re having a meal' or 'Some people are sunbathing and others are swimming in the sea'
  • DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S ROLES IN A PICTURE e.g. 'He’s probably a shop assistant and she’s a customer' or 'This person on the left seems to be a tourist guide – he’s pointing to a building' or 'The man serving the drinks is a waiter'
  • DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S FEELINGS IN A PICTURE e.g. 'You can tell they are enjoying themselves because they are smiling' or 'He seems a bit frightened. Maybe this is the first time he’s tried this' or 'She looks very interested in this activity – she’s concentrating very hard'
  • PARAPHRASE (use these phrases to describe words you don’t know) e.g. 'It’s something you fry food in' (frying pan) or 'It’s a kind of container for flowers' (a vase) or 'It’s a cupboard for keeping clothes in' (a wardrobe).
  • MAKE GUESSES e.g. 'It might be summer because some people are wearing sunglasses' or 'It’s probably in the country, because …' or 'This picture could be in Northern Europe because of the buildings...'
  • DESCRIBE POSITION e.g. 'In the middle of the picture there is a group of people, probably tourists because …' or 'In the background there is a church …' or 'There’s a bookshelf next to/near/behind/in front of the door'.

TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE FINAL EXAM!

LINKS to the registration and information HERE

Paying for this exam will allow you to sit for the exam in May/June and in September.



Please contact me at school before Thursday 17th.

Gabriela

Wednesday 9 March 2016

LESSON 14: USEFUL EXPRESSIONS FOR TALKING AND INTERACTING


Asking for Opinions

What do you think?
What's your opinion?
What are your ideas?
Do you have any thoughts on that?
How do you feel about that?


Giving Opinions

I think we should get a new car.
I don't think we need one.
I believe (that) smoking should be outlawed.
I don't believe (that) it should be illegal.
In my opinionGone with the Breeze is the best movie ever made.
I feel that it's the right thing to do.
I don't feel that it's such a good idea.


Agreeing

I agree.
So do I.
Me too.
Me neither.
I don't either.

(Agreeing about a negative idea.)
(Agreeing about a negative idea.)
You're right.
That's right.
Good idea.
I think that's a good idea.

Disagreeing

I disagree.
I don't think so.
(No.) That's not right.
Yes, but...
(I'm sorry, but) I don't agree.

Rejoinders are quick responses to show that you are interested or paying attention.
(Oh) Really?
That's interesting.
Is that right?
Note how rejoinders are used in the following situations.
1. I just got a new job.
2. I lost my wallet yesterday.

Oh really? That's great!
Oh really? That's too bad.

LESSON 13: PRACTICE FOR THE SPEAKING EXAM



Examples of Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card Questions (MONOLOGUE)

Describe a book that had a major influence on you.

You should say:
  • what the book was
  • how you first heard of the book
  • what is the main story of the book
and why does it play such an important role in your life.

Describe a website you often browse.
You should say:
  • what is it
  • how long have you been using it
  • detailed information about the website
and explain why you often browse this website.

Describe a subject taught in your school.

You Should Say:
  • what the subject was and who taught it
  • how the teacher taught it
  • What you learned from the class
and explain how this subject helped you.

Describe a foreign country you have never been to.

You should say:
  • where the country is
  • when you will go there
  • why you would like to go there
and explain why this is a good country to visit.

A speech that somebody delivered and you heard.

You should say:
  • who gave the speech
  • what the speech was about
  • whether it impressed you or not
and explain why did you like / dislike the speech.

Describe an important decision/ choice that you made in your life.

You should say:
  •     what the decision/choice was
  •     when you took this decision
  •     What the results of the decision was and whether it was a good choice.
and explain why it was an important decision or choice for you.

Describe someone you know who is a good cook.

You should say:
  •  who this person is
  •  how you know him or her
  • what kinds of foods s/he cooks
and explain why this person is good at cooking.

Describe something useful you learned from a member of your family.

You Should Say:
  • what you learned.
  • how this became useful later in your life
  • have you taught it to someone
and exlain why it was important for you.

Describe a stressful day at school/ university/ work.

You should say:
  • how the day started
  • how things went wrong
  • who the people involved were
and explain why it was a stressful day.

Talk about a pet that you or someone you know once had.

You should say:
  • what kind of animal it was
  • what kind of care it needed
  • what you liked/ disliked about it
and explain why this is a popular type of pet.

Describe an occasion or event when you were congratulated.

You should say:
  • what was the occasion
  • when was it
  • who congratulated you and why
and explain how did this make you feel.

Describe a nation (not your own) that you know well.

You should say:
  • which nation it is
  • what and how you learned about this nation.
  • why  you are interested about this nation
and explain what you like most about it.

Describe an outdoor activity that you did for the first time.

You should say:
  • what you did
  • where and when you did it
  • how you felt about it later
and say if you would recommend this activity to your friends.

Describe a building / structure with architectural interest.

You should say:
  • what is it
  • what is the historical significance of it
  • why should we preserve it
and describe the building / structure in details.

Describe the job/ career you have or hope to have.

You should say:
  • what the job is
  • what is involves
  • why you would chose it
and explain why you are interested about this job.

Describe a competition / contest you have entered.

You should say:
  • when the competition took place
  • what you had to do
  • describe the competition
and explain how you felt about participating in the competition/ contest.

Describe a piece of modern technology you own.

You should say:
  • what it is
  • what you use it for
  •  how long you have owned it
And explain why it is important for you.

Describe a situation when you were late.

You should say:
  • what was the event you were late for
  • what was the reason that you were late
  • how did you feel about it
and explain how you handled the situation.

Talk about a part of your city that is changing.

You should say:
  • where is it
  • how is it changing
  • why is it changing
and explain how you feel about this change.

Talk about a job that helps making the world a better place.

You should say:
  • what job is it
  • how you learned about it
  • why do you think it helps so much
and explain why do you think it can make the world a better place.

Describe a good quality you admire in your friend.

You should say:
  • what quality it is
  • how this is a good quality
  • how do you feel about it
and explain why you like this quality.

Talk about a dish you know how to cook.

You should say:
  • what the ingredients are
  • where you learned it
  • how to cook it
and tell if this is an easy dish to cook or not.

Describe your favourite place to eat out.

You should say:
  • where it is
  • what kind of food is served
  • what the décor is like
And say what kind of people you think would enjoy that restaurant/ cafe, and why.

Describe an old object which your family has kept for a long time.

You should say:
  • what the object is
  • where it came from
  • how long it has been in your family
and explain why your family has kept it.

Describe an interesting conversation you had with someone you did not know.

You should say:
  • who the person was
  • where the conversation took place
  • what you talked about
and explain why you found the conversation interesting.

A famous person you would like to meet.

You should say:
  • who is he/ she
  • why do you want to meet him/ her
  • why he is famous
and explain what would you do if you meet him/ her.

Describe an important email you have received.

You should say:
  • who sent it to you.
  • when you got it.
  • what was it about
and explain why this email was important to you.

Describe an interesting advertisement you watched on TV.

You should say:
  • what was it
  • when you watched it
  • what was it about
and explain why it was interesting.

Describe something special that you saved money to buy.

You should say:
  • what was it
  • why you bought is
  • how long you saved money to buy it
and explain why it was important to you to buy it.

Talk about something that you purchased and had not used much.

You should say:
  • what it was
  • where you bought it from
  • why you bought it
and explain why you didn’t use it that much.

Describe a thing that has become a fashion or a matter of status nowadays.

You should say:
  • what is it
  • why people use it
  • do you have it
and explain what influences it has on people nowadays.

Describe a historical event that you find interesting.

You should say:
  • when it took place
  • what historic connection it has
  • how it impacted the history
and explain why you find it interesting.

Describe a TV or radio presenter.

You should say:
  • who is s/he
  • what program s/he presents
  • how he presents the program
and explain why you like / dislike him/ her.


You'll find many  others HERE