English Cafe

Academic Writing (1)

2011-05-24T14:15:00.002+10:00

Academic writing is formal writing. Many students who learn English as the second language have trouble telling informal writing apart from formal writing. They resort to informal writing, since it’s easier and more familiar. Characteristics of informal writing include the use of colloquialisms and slangs.

In academic writing tests such as IELTS, you are assessed according to the following criteria:

•Task Response - how accurately to address the task
•Coherence and Cohesion - how organised your writing is
•Lexical Resource - the range of your vocabulary
•Grammatical Range and Accuracy - the correctness of your grammar

Academic writers usually employ tentative language rather than assertive language in their essays or reports by:

1) Using possibly and probably in front of verbs and noun phrases; e.g. 'This is possibly caused by...' or 'This is probably the most important factor.'

2) Using the modal verbs may and might; e.g. 'This may be the most important factor.'

3) Using appears to and seems to; e.g. 'This appears to be the most important factor.'

4) Avoiding always and every, and replacing them with often and many/much
Using formal vocabulary e.g. discuss rather than talk about. One way to do this is by replacing phrasal verbs with more formal ones.

5) Using more formal grammar, for example:

Use 'There' as a subject; e.g. 'There is a serious risk of...'

Use 'It' as a subject; e.g. 'It is very difficult to...'

Use 'One' as a subject; e.g. 'One may ask whether...' ('One' is a formal version of 'You' [plural] in general)

Use the passive voice; e.g. 'Many things can be done in order to...'

Now let's do an exercise by identifying the informal expressions in the following sentences and then rewrite the following sentences, replacing the informal expressions with a more formal equivalent.

1. Unfortunately, since there are so many possible explanations, the correct one is most difficult to find out.

2. Effective vaccines prevent such hazards, but only if a social organisation makes sure that all potential mothers are vaccinated in good time.

3. Modern houses have so many labour-saving things that it is difficult for the person at home to have adequate exercise by doing chores, cooking, and looking after a family.

Lay and Lie

2011-04-12T09:13:00.002+10:00

Good morning folks,

I'm getting a bit better and I hope that I could make it tomorrow.

I read the comments that you made yesterday and I'll publish them when I get everyone's post. Today I'd like you to read the following grammar point which is very confusing to second language learners and then do the activity at the end of the page and post it to me.

Lay and Lie

Be careful not to confuse these verbs.

Lay means 'put down carefully' or 'put down flat'. This irregular verb is always followed by an object. Laying is the present participle. Laid is the past simple and the past participle.
Example:
She laid the papers on the desk.

Lie means 'be in a horizontal position' or 'be in a particular place'. This verb is irregular and is never followed by an object. Lying is the present participle. Lay is the past simple and lain is the past participle.

The papers were lying on the desk.
(NOT)The papers were laying on the desk.
I lay down and went to sleep.
(NOT) I laid down and went to sleep.

The regular verb lie means 'not say the truth'.
He lied to me about his age.

Please post me 3 example sentences for each verb

Direct and reported speech for Monday 11th April

2011-04-10T19:54:00.002+10:00

Good moring everyone,

As Gabby has told you by now, I am away today and possibly tomorrow as I am seriously sick.

For today, I want you to read the text below and do the activity task at the end of the page and post it to me. Those who finish it earlier than 1:15, log in to www.english-grammar-lessons.com and catch up with the grammar lesson than you are not good at.

So have a nice day and good luck with the activities.

Changing from direct to reported speech

When changing from direct to reported speech, you need to change the grammar in certain ways. Verb tense forms usually need to change. In most cases, you change the present tense into the past tense.

She said, “I am staying at the Chelsea Hotel.”

She said that she was staying at the Chelsea Hotel.

If the direct speech is already in the past tense, you need to put the verb even further back in time, using had. This applies to both past tense and present perfect forms of the verb.

He said, “I came by bus.”

He said that he had come by bus.

She said, “I’ve definitely seen John recently”.

She said that she had definitely seen John recently.

However, you do not use this rule if the verb in the direct speech already uses had.

She said, “I had given up hope of seeing him again.”

She said that she had given up hope of seeing him again.

If you report something that someone said, which is still true now, you do not need to change the tense of the verb.

“I want to get married.”

She said she wants to get married.

If the direct speech contains will, shall, or may, these also need to change.

will →would shall → should may →might

She said, “I will see you soon.”

She said that she would see us soon.

Would, should, could, might, and must do not change.

She said, “I could visit him on Thursday.”

She said she could visit him on Thursday.

You also need to change times and places which depend on the speaker’s point of view.

He said, “I saw the car here yesterday.”

He said that he’d seen the car there the day before.

In this case here becomes there because you are in a different place, and yesterday becomes the day before because you are now speaking at a later time.

Also, now becomes then, last week becomes the week before, two months ago becomes two months before, tomorrow becomes the next day, and so on. Of course, if the time phrase does not depend on the speaker’s point of view, it can be used without change.

He said, “I bought the car in November 1996.”

He said he had bought the car in November 1996.

REPORTING QUESTIONS

When you are changing a question from direct speech into reported speech, you follow the same kinds of rules as for statements. The only differences are that you need to use a different word to introduce the reported speech, and the word order of the question becomes like that of a statement. You end the sentence with a full stop, not a question mark.

You use if or whether to introduce a ‘yes‑no question’.

I asked, “Does he eat meat?”

I asked whether he ate meat. OR I asked if he ate meat.

You introduce questions that begin with who, why, what, how etc by using the word which begins the question in direct speech.

She asked, “When will you go back to Iran?”

She asked when he would go back to Iran.

You often mention the person who is being asked the question, by using a pronoun (him, her, them etc) or by mentioning their name.

I asked him if he ate meat.

She asked Michael when he would go back to Iran.

When saying what someone has told or asked another person to do, you usually use an infinitive.

“Go home!”

She told him to go home.

“Can you shut the window?”

She asked him to shut the window.

Now change the following direct speech sentences into reported sentences and post it to me.

1. Alex said, "I am going to meet a friend."
2. Ken asked, "What are you going to do tonight?"
3. I said, "I've been to Mexico."
4. Steve said, "I want to go to South Africa."
5. Allen said, "I'd like to come and visit you."

Stunt city recount

2011-03-29T20:20:00.003+10:00

Dear folks,

Take a look at the video on the right hand side of the blog. Click on the first video and write a short recount about the events that are taking place in the ad. You can start with:

A man was crossing the road....

Recount Writing

2011-03-29T12:24:00.003+10:00

As I explained in the morning, you're required to write two pieces of recount. Topic could be selceted from one the followings: My Wedding Day My last holiday First time I met my wife/husband First day at the English College Each of the reports has to contain the followings: 120 words 10 irregular verbs 10 conjuctions 5 noun groups (adjective + noun e.g smart teacher) 5 sequence words (after that, then, before that, until, finally, first etc..) Remember that your report should contain a topic, an introduction (who, what, where, when...), at least 4 paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph. Good luck!

Colour or color

2011-03-17T15:46:00.001+10:00

Do you know why Americans spell "colour" without "u"?

Writing Tasks (Mon-Thursday)

2011-02-04T16:20:00.002+10:00

Hi everyone,
As I mentioned earlier, while I am away you are required to write 2 reports. One is about your place of birth (your city) and the other one is about Brisbane.

Remember that your reports MUST include the followings:
100 words (each report)
typed and saved (or you can post it to me on this weblog)
10 conjuctions (and, but, because, or, so, however, etc..)
10 noun groups (adj+noun)
topic
at least 4 paragraphs (each paragraph should contain a topic sentence)

I see you on Thursday then. Be nice to Gabby.

A report sample ( No food, No drink for 70 years)

2011-02-04T13:15:00.002+10:00

An 82-year-old man in India is claiming to have not had anything to eat or drink since 1940 and doctors from the Indian military are allegedly studying him to learn his secret.

The man, Prahlad Jani, is being observed in a Gurjarat hospital. Jani claims to be a breatharian someone who does not need to eat or drink, because he draws nourishment from the air and meditation.

As remarkable as his story is, Jani is not the first, nor the only, person to claim such a supernatural power. The claim that people can live without food or water is called inedia, and is actually somewhat of a common claim among religious fakirs and godmen of India. Unfortunately none of the cases have withstood scientific scrutiny. The human body needs both food and water to function; it's as simple as that.

It's easy for anyone to claim that he or she has not had anything to eat or drink for the past few weeks or months (or years). But unless the person has been carefully and continuously watched during that time, it's impossible to prove the assertion true.

Several people who have claimed to survive without food or water were later caught eating and drinking. It can take only a few seconds to eat something, and other than in specific areas such as prisons, conducting a close around-the-clock surveillance on a person is not easy. Often the person will ask for privacy to sleep or go to the bathroom (which is suspicious in its own right) — and then snack surreptitiously. One well-known breatharian advocate in the 1980s, a man named Wiley Brooks, claimed he did not eat yet was caught consuming junk food.

This is not the first time that Jani has made this claim. He was examined in 2003 for about a week, during which time, he apparently did not eat or exercise — but he did lose weight. If Jani's abilities are real, it seems odd that he would lose weight during the time that his food intake was being monitored. If he truly gets all the sustenance he needs from air and meditation, there's no reason he would lose weight when he doesn't eat.

Reports claim that Prahlad Jani "has now spent six days without food or water under strict observation and doctors say his body has not yet shown any adverse effects from hunger or dehydration." Assuming the claim is true — and it's not clear just how strict the observation is — Jani's inedia so far remains unproven. If he really doesn't need food or water, he should be under close observation for months or years to prove it. Given that he claims not to have consumed anything since World War II, this shouldn't be a problem.

New puzzle

2011-02-01T16:32:00.000+10:00

Kelly and Victor are found dead on the floor, amidst a small puddle of water and some broken glass. What happened?

Body organ donation

2011-01-26T21:39:00.002+10:00

Do you know how many lives can you save if you become a body organ doner?

College closed until Monday

2011-01-13T17:12:00.002+10:00

Dear all,
I hope you are all fine and safe. First, I'd like to inform you that our college stays closed until Monday due to the floods and transport interruptions.
Some of you up dated me via facebook or email but I like to make sure that everyone's safe. If anyone has heard from Ex pls let me know. If anyone has affected by the floods and needs help cleaning please let me know.
I will be in Wéstend areas tomorrow and weekend to help those in need.
See u all on Monday then.
Regards
Michael

No school on Thursday

2011-01-12T11:28:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone,
I hope that everyone is fine and your place is dry and safe.
Base on the weather reports, our school stays "closed" on Thursday too. At this stage, I cannot give you any advice for Friday, however, I will try to keep you up to dated via this blog or my facebook.
Try to avoid any unnecessary outing in these uncertian conditions and keep your mobile phones charged as we don't know if the power would be cut or not. Have an evacuation plan for emergency and keep your passports and documents handy in case. As we mentioned before, do not approach the flooding water at any circumstances and keep in touch with friends and family as much as you can.
Good luck
Michael

Lateral Thinking Skills

2010-12-15T21:15:00.002+10:00

Lateral thinking is the ability to think creatively, or "outside the box" as it is sometimes referred to in business, to use your inspiration and imagination to solve problems by looking at them from unexpected perspectives.

Lateral thinking involves discarding the obvious, leaving behind traditional modes of thought, and throwing away preconceptions.

Lateral Thinking Quiz (1)
The following question will test your ability to think laterally. Please post your answer to me by Friday 17th.

A woman goes into a store to buy an item. She asked the shop assistant: "How much does it cost for one?" The assistant replies 2 dollars. "And how much for 10?" The assistant replies "$4" "How much for 100?"She gets the reply "$6 "What is the woman buying?

Website of the week (BBC Language Learning)

2010-11-25T16:29:00.002+10:00

G'day,
Click on the link below and explore its different features.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish

Phrasal Verbs "up" + activity task

2010-11-17T08:35:00.002+10:00

A phrasal verb is a verb which consists of more than one word. Most phrasal verbs consist of two words: the first word is a verb and the second word is a preposition or an adverb.

You can sometimes guess the meaning of a phrasal verb from the meaning of the words it contains, for example come in = come + in.

But more often, the meaning of the phrasal verb is different ‑ often very different ‑ from the meaning of the verb which forms its first part.

One common use for 'up' in phrasal verbs is to indicate an upward movement, an increase or an improvement

1. If you display something such as a poster, you 'put it up' on a wall or a notice-board.
· Have you seen the warning the boss has put up on the notice-board?
· Can you put up a poster in your window?

2. If somebody is miserable and you want them to be happier, you can tell them to 'cheer up'.
· You look really unhappy. Cheer up!
· Michael was sad the other day so I sent him a joke to cheer him up a bit.

3. If you are sitting and then you rise from your chair, you 'stand up'.
· When the judge arrives, everybody must stand up.
· Stand up straight when they’re measuring your height.

4. If you want to make something stronger, you can 'build it up'.
· I have built up a strong relationship between myself and my students.
· I have been ill and need to build up my strength.

5. I can't hear very well these days – I'm old. When you speak to me, you need to speaker, to 'speak up'.
· Can you speak up a bit please? There is a lot of background noise.
· It is a big room. You will have to speak up so that those in the back can hear.

6. The place where you lived when you were a child is where you 'grew up'.
· He was born in Scotland but grew up in England.
· Where did you grow up?

7. If something increases fast, it 'shoots up'.
· The price of petrol has shot up recently.
· My English skills shot up after I started studying with Michael. (It shows you have not wasted your time in my class :-)

Now, I'd like you to make 7 sentences using those new phrasal verbs and post it to me.

What is Peace and how it is achieved or maintained?

2010-11-08T15:09:00.003+10:00

Define the word "peace" and explain how it could be achieved and maintained in a few paragraphs. Due date: Friday12th Oct

Website of the week (writing fun)

2010-11-05T08:37:00.002+10:00

Below is a very interactive website which helps you with your writing in different genres. I hope you like it.

http://www.writingfun.com/writingfun2010.html

After you logged in to the website, you need to click on Enter Here and then you can select the type of text you need more practice on.

Good luck

Phar Lap

2010-11-01T16:27:00.002+10:00

Following our today's lesson about Phar Lap, I'd like you to get in to the link below and listen to the video clip about the famous Australian horse and answer the following quesions.

http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/346/

Understanding the video clip
1. Who was Phar Lap?
2. When did Phar Lap race?
3. Phar Lap raced during the Depression — what was the Depression?
4. What happened to Phar Lap?
5. What evidence is there that people loved him?

Reading (Aussie Customs) + homework

2010-10-29T13:25:00.002+10:00

Australian Social Customs

This term means the common or usual way Australian behave in their day-to-day life. As a tolerant society with people from many cultures, each person is encouraged to maintain and share their cultural beliefs and practices. At the same time, we respect the right of others to do the same.

How do we greet people?

When meeting someone for the first time, it is usual to shake the person's right hand with your right hand. People who do not know each other generally do not kiss or hug when meeting. When you first meet someone, it is polite not to talk about personal matters. Many Australians look at the eyes of the people they are talking with. They consider this a sign of respect, and an indication that they are listening. Do not stare at the person for a long time.In the workplace and among friends, most Australians tend to be informal and call each other by their first names.

What are the clothing customs?

The types of clothing that people wear reflect the diversity in our society just as much as the variation in climate. There are no laws or rules on clothing, but you must wear certain clothing for work situations. Most workplaces have dress standards. Outside of the work situation, clothing is an individual choice; many people dress for comfort, for the social situation or the weather. Clubs, movie theatres and other places require patrons to be in neat, clean clothes and appropriate footwear.

Many Australians live close to the beach and the sea. On hot days, they may wear little clothing on the beach and surrounds. This does not mean that people who dress to go to the beach or swimming have low moral standards. It means that this is what we accept on and near beaches.People from other countries can choose to wear their national dress. They may be religious or customary items and include monks' robe, a hijab or a turban. As a tolerant society with people from many different cultures, clothing is a part of cultural beliefs and practices that is encouraged.

Homework:
1. Find 5 conjuctions

2. Find 5 noun groups ( adj+noun)

3. Find 5 noun compounds (noun+noun)

4. Find 2 collocations

Website of the week

2010-10-29T12:42:00.002+10:00

Gangs,
Here's a fairly good website which in you find interactive exercises such the one below. Following our lesson today about collocations and phrasal verbs, I'd like you to get in to the link below and score yourslef when you have them all done.
Good luck and have a nice weekend.

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/mcclze/collocb.htm

Direct and reported speech

2010-10-27T08:38:00.001+10:00

Following our lesson on Monday, first watch the video clip on the right hand side of the blog which is related to direct and reported speech and then rewrite the following sentences to reported speech.

1. Alex said, "I am going to meet a friend."
2. Ken asked, "What are you going to do tonight?"
3. I said, "I've been to Mexico."
4. Steve said, "I want to go to South Africa."
5. Allen said, "I'd like to come visit."

E-mail abbreviations and smileys

2010-10-26T08:18:00.002+10:00

Emails are usually shorter and more informal than letters and people sometimes use abbreviations and 'smileys' in them. 'Smileys' (also called 'emoticons') are images which look like faces when you see them from the side. They are made using keyboard symbols and are used to express emotions.

Abbreviations
AFAIK as far as I know
BTW by the way
FYI for your information
HTH hope that helps
IMO in my opinion
IOW in other words
TAFN that's all for now
TIA thanks in advance

Smileys
:-) I'm happy
:-( I'm angry/unhappy
>:-( I'm very angry/unhappy
:-O I'm very surprised/shouting loudly
:-@ I'm screaming
:-* I'm sending you a kiss

Now write an email to me and invite me to your birthday party. Try to use some of those abbreviations and smileys. Use an informal writing.

website of the week

2010-10-22T13:05:00.001+10:00

If you would like to improve your grammar here's a very good website to start with.
www.english-grammar-lessons.com
Good luck

A short recount (Our Excursion)

2010-10-19T12:55:00.021+10:00

Hello everyone,

I hope that you enjoyed our last excursion to QLD state library and QLD museum. Take a look at the beautiful photos that Lili and Yuki have taken on that day and then write a few short paragraphs about these photos. Your recount should consist of a topic, orientation (who, when, where, how etc), records of events and a coda or reorientation (optional). I'd like you to use at least 5 noun groups (adj+noun), 10 conjunctions and different simple past verbs (regular & irregular) in your recount.

Make sure to check your spelling before posting your comment to me.

Good luck

Michael

Word Order

2010-10-08T11:42:00.002+10:00

The main way of describing a noun is to use adjectives or words that are like adjectives. You add these words after a, the, my, her etc, before the noun. You can add as many as you want, but you sometimes need to be careful about the order in which you use them.

You have a choice of three kinds of word.
The largest group consists of adjectives.
a lovely day a small round table the best book

You may also use a ‘participle’ before the noun, the “ing” or “ed” form of a verb,
but here used to describe the noun.

a crumbling table her smiling face a cracked window the stolen car

You may also add one noun before another ‑ the first noun is used to describe the second noun, which is the main noun in the phrase.
the school boy a tourist attraction a Brisbane bus

WHICH ORDER?
As soon as you use two or more describing words, you have to decide which order to put them in.
In many cases, there is no rule: you simply say first what comes into your mind first. But many adjectives, and the other kinds of describing word, are typically used in a particular place before the noun.

You should think of these patterns only as a guide to help you, because there are a number of cases which do not follow the rule. But the following patterns are common:

1. Nouns go next to the main noun in the phrase, after any other adjectives.
Examples: a big London bus (NOT) a London big bus
the long country road (NOT) the country long road

2. Words which are closely related to nouns, such as the material something is made of or where something is from, also go next to the main noun.
For example: big leather boots (NOT) leather big boots
a serious social problem (NOT) a social serious problem

3. Participles usually go in front of groups (1) and (2).
a broken garden chair (NOT) a garden broken chair
a smiling American tourist ( NOT) an American smiling tourist
a happy smiling American tourist (NOT) a smiling happy American tourist

4. Adjectives with an ‘intensifying’ meaning, for example entire, whole, same go near the beginning, close to a, the, my, her etc.
the entire local committee (NOT) the local entire committee
the same old battered car (NOT) the old battered same car

5. Other adjectives follow (4) and go before (3). Those with a more general meaning usually come first, and those which describe properties of the noun which can be clearly seen, such as size and shape, usually come last. There are typical patterns here, too, as the table shows.
those lovely red curtains (NOT) those red lovely curtains
a strange triangular table (NOT) a triangular strange table

your opinion about s’th size age shape colour (where s’th is from) material
lovely big old round black American wool
beautiful little young square red French plastic
horrible small new round brown Japanese leather

WORD ORDER AFTER THE NOUN
Some adverbs of time and frequency usually come immediately after the main verb. These include:
always, almost, just, rarely, nearly, already, ever, never, still
She is always complaining. (NOT) Always she is complaining.
They are still working. (NOT) Still they are working.

Always and never are sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence in instructions and warnings, when the verb does not have a subject.
Always keep medicines away from children.
Never look directly at the sun through a telescope.

Adverbs and adverb phrases should not come between the verb and the object.
I like Japanese food very much. (NOT) I like very much Japanese food.
Adverbs and adverb phrases should not come between a main verb and an ‑ing participle, or between a main verb and an infinitive.
Tomorrow we’ll go sightseeing. (NOT) We’ll go tomorrow sightseeing.
In the evenings she likes to watch television. (NOT) She likes in the evenings to watch television.
Adverbs and adverbial phrases should not come between a modal verb (for example can, must, could) and a main verb.
I can speak Spanish quite well. (NOT) I can quite well speak Spanish