Improving your English every day?

English as a Second Language What do you want to talk about?
41

Hi, Torsten, Ralf,
Monday’s D group:

We started reading a text about strengths and weaknesses, quality traits, professional skills. What should a candidate for a position answer regading this question?

Every participant had the chance to read a piece of the text. Then we did some reading comprehension exercises.
New vocabulary was introduced describing trait qualities of a person, positive and negative ones. We made a lot of fun analyzing the qualities of the participants born under two chosen signs of Zodiac (Aries and Libra).

We did more grammar exercises: Future tenses (will-, be going to, be doing-future). They have made a lot of progress in this aspect.

We introduced some important separable phrasal verbs, how to use them etc… And more exercises.

Bye,
Roberto

42

D class, may 16

as suggested, worked on general conversational skills:

  • basic conversations, idiomatic turns of phrase

  • short review of basic tenses

  • present perfect in contrast to simple present+past

  • characteristics: describing people, peoples and animals

  • cultural discussion: humor in germany and abroad

43

Hi Ralf,

Welcome back to Germany and thanks for your great work. Today we practised the tenses, everyone created a couple sentences in the simple past, the past contininuous and the constructions that contained both tenses. Then one person read out their one sentence and their neighbour had to make that sentence negative and then read their statement. So, was like a chain reaction and we tried to build up speed. We then did a dictogloss using TOEIC based texts. Those texts were the basis for a listening comprehension test we did afterwards.

Could you please practise the tenses again and incorporate some business situations. Have the group come up with companies they want to work at. Create a glossary related to the activities those companies do.

Also, you might want to ask Dieter to give a short presentation on how to convert negative phrases into positive ones and how language can impact our thinking. He prepared a presentation today and put phrases on the whiteboard but we couldn’t finish it. (you might have to ask if you can use the same room we were in today, at least for the first 30 minutes).

Also, we have to schedule the work for next week. (It’ll be only 4 days in D as the L group finishes this Friday.)

Best regards
Torsten
PS: Roberto, thanks a lot for your update and excellent work too![YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: Bank executive briefs staff on business goals[YSaerTTEW443543]

44

hi torsten,

thanks a lot for your mail and your guidance. i will consider your suggestions. as for next week, i would like to do tuesday and friday, if that’s ok. if need be, i could do the D class on monday and wednesday as well.

have a good night!

ralf

45

Hi, Ralf, hi Torsten,
Today’s D-class:

  • We picked out a participant (Kathrin) and we described this person by using some information given about her sign of Zodiac (Gemini). Thus we practiced and brushed up many adjectives and nouns related to personality, quality traits etc. We kept a vivid conversation.
    Then we spoke about the origin of some days of the week, their relationship to other languages in Europe. We did some vocabulary and grammar exercises (present perfect versus simple past). We were active in the morning repeating the three forms of the irregular verbs (verb games) and writing down some useful sentences.
    And phrasal verbs + idiomatic expressions.
    We joked our way through the “English present perfect”: puns, metaphors etc and had some small talks such as:
    Polygamy versus monogamy; death penalty, crimes, adultery, also some political aspects, etc…
    In the afternoon: more grammar exercises: Simple future with I hope, I think, I expect, I’m sure, I don’t think, probably etc…
    And more business vocabulary: gain experience, get a rise (or raise), move up, promote, internship, trainee, earn, synonyms for “job” etc…
    Have a nice Wednesday
    Best wishes,
    Roberto
46

L class, may 17:

  • brief tense review

  • characteristics of animals

  • nationalities: charactericstics, stereotypes, prejudices

  • the ideal job: characteristics, glossary

  • how to present oneself positively in an interview

great class, time flew by

47

Hi Roberto&Ralf,

Many thanks for your updates, what do you think of the following schedule for next week (there’ll be only the D group):

Monday: Roberto
Tuesday: Ralf
Wednesday: Roberto
Thursday: bank holiday
Friday: Ralf

Regards
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: New sports club official gives encouraging introductory speech to players[YSaerTTEW443543]

48

Hi, Torsten, hi Ralf,
today’s L-class
I must admit that I enjoyed teaching this class, perhaps a bit more than the D-class (I have been enjoying the D-class and am satisfied with them too, but it is another feeling). It was really exciting and motivating!
We started doing some exercises about irregular verbs an played with the “verb wheel”. Every participant had to pick out a verb and then ask another participant to construct a useful sentence in a selected tense. Then we tried to find out a solid structure for learning these irregular verbs. Some synonyms were also explained: hit, beat, strike; beat and defeat; slay as "false friend (it is not “schlagen”).
They got more computer vocabulary and did some exercises: paste, cut, save, print out, bugs, debug, crash, icons, graphics, software, hardware, laser and inkjet printers, CD-ROM, drives etc…So everyone was involved in small talks regarding the computer world. We took advantage of everyone’s experience on this field (exchanging ideas etc…).
We practised more grammar; present perfect and laughed a lot reading some jokes where the present perfect has to be exercised. In some oral exercises they had to use this tense considering some signal words such as “ever, ever since, yet, already, recently, for, since, etc…”
Spelling and pronunciation drills.
The use and meaning of some important abbreviations ID, Mr., Dr., i.e., etc., e.g., ATM, OPEC, AD, ASAP, RSVP; and also some shortened words such as phone, board, maths, bike, paper, lab, vet etc…More exercises in connection with this aspect and with business vocabulary (in part a repetition). etc.
"Unfotunately I ran out of time and had to say good-bye to them.
They asked me whether they will receive their certificates for the English course tomorrow Friday.
Tomorrow I am doing the D-class.
Have a nice evening,
Roberto

49

Dclass, may 18

  • intensive tense review

  • conditional clauses type I-II-III

  • characteristics of animals, quasi antonyms: brazen vs meek, cunning vs thick, bold vs affectionate etc.

50

Hi, Torsten, hi Ralf,
today’s D-class:

  • Adjectives such as meek, snug, vain, conceited, affectionate, stubborn, obstinate: words related to them. Construction of useful sentences considering grammar aspects such as word order, verb tenses etc…
  • Comparison of German vocabulary with English words: “etymological false friends” (such as clean etc…).
    -Present perfect versus simple past: Sentences such as: How long have you been doing …? I have read three books. Signal words: recently, so far, ever, ever since, for, since etc…
    _ Differences between would, should and could.
  • Vocabulary: Finance, bureacracy, computer, Internet
    -Discussions: Dog therapy, to get married, role of women, are (German, e.g.) women self-assured? Are you conceited? Do you think the INternet will have an important influence on your daily life in future? etc…
    -Exercises: Grammar: verb tenses (present, present perfect, simple past, future); word order;
    Vocabulary: computer terminology, documents, filling in (or out ) forms, etc…
    Best wishes,
    Roberto

PS: could I teach on Friday instead of Wednesday next week?
Monday is o.k. Thanks in advance,
Roberto

51

dear roberto, dear torsten,

i’d like to complement both of you on your english. i know that it is hard for non-native speakers to express yourself in (and even more so to teach) a foreign language. the more you know, the more vulnerable you are to commiting mistakes. it is quite hard to distinguish old habits, first-language interference and idiomatic expression from the actual language in use.

from what i can tell, i think you should both consider it advisable to keep the register a bit lower and the sentences shorter, at least on the forum. i know how much fun debauching in writing can be once you have aquired a certain command of the language. yet, less is more.

such as the last forum entry. i don’t mean to be conceited myself, but since i’m a learner of several languages (including spanish which i will probably never learn to speak…) i know that you appreciate tips: you can call somebody ‘conceited’, but you wouldn’t really, because the register is to high. maybe ‘vain’ or ‘arrogant’ or ‘sophisticated’. and you can be ‘self-assured’, but it’s not really a common means of characterisation. you’d probably say the person is very ‘full/sure of himself’ or ‘has a lot of self-esteem’.

however, i have the greatest respect for your language skills, and i’m sure - also from what the students say - that you both are very decent teachers. i think that this concept of taking turns teaching is a very promising one.

i’m looking forward to co-operating with you!

have a good weekend!

ralf

p.s.: the last class in leipzig went really well. we had a bit of a round-up discussion of all that had been tackled before. in the end we talked about future plans and activities while focussing on the 7 possible future aspects of time, the future tenses so to speak. r.

52

Hi Ralf,

Many thanks for comments, I’ll think about how we can incorporate your suggestions. What about the schedule for next week, can you do the D group on Wednesday instead of Friday?

Roberto, what is your current schedule? (please take a look at the message I posted on May 18th).

Maybe you can do Wednesday? The thing is that I’ll have to work from 7 to 9.30 am on Wednesday and wouldn’t be able to get to D before 10.

Let me know what you think,
Regards
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: Employee announces mark-downs at several departments in a hypermarket[YSaerTTEW443543]

53

hi torsten,

no problem, i can do wednesday instead of friday. what’s happening after the D class, any upcoming new state funded programs? please let me know so i can arrange my schedule for june/juli.

regards,

ralf

54

Hi Ralf,

Thanks for adjusting the schedule. As outlined in my inital message the third course starts on May 29 and lasts 4 weeks until June 23. Tomorrow I’ll make a proposal for the schedule for next week along with some suggestions regarding the contents and purposes of the program.

Regards
Torste[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: University professor of literature introduces herself to her new students[YSaerTTEW443543]

55

Hi, Ralf, hi Torsten,
Ralf, thanks for your suggestions too. The D-class asked me today to tell you to come a little earlier tomorrow morning because of the sightseeing tour in Delitzsch.
Today’s D-class.
-present perfect simple (have done) and present perfect progressive (have been doing). A lot of practical exercises. In addition, we discussed the new words in the exercises and compared both tenses with the corresponding German translations once again (German: not very seldom simply Pr?sens)
-Vocabulary regarding jobs, planning, career ladder, promotion, pay rise (or raise), resign from, quit, fire, dismiss, be on the dole, jobless, hire-and-fire, retire, be in charge of, responsibility, moving up, challenges, take over, etc…Exercises.

  • Translation exercises from German into English: key words: application, applicant, appraisal, assessment, General Manager, appoint, drop-out, prospects, promotion prospects, submit/give in/send in, documents, include, enclose, in-house etc…Grammar: word order, questions, negative sentences, modal verbs, use of articles, countable/uncountable nouns, verbs, imperative, present perfect, passive voice, collocations etc…
    -Grammar exercises: past perfect (I had done).
    -Conversation topics: What does your job involve? Do you enjoy travelling abroad? Experience in Egypt (Elke, Cora, Gerlinde)
    -Verbs: like, dislike, detest, hate, abhor. Fire, dismiss; quit, resign from, leave; give in, hand in, submit, send in; etc…

O.K.
Torsten, I’d prefer to do the D-class on Friday, but if there is not another possibility, I will do this class on Wednesday.
Bye, best wishes
Roberto

56

Hi Roberto thanks for your update. As Ralf said yesterday he’ll do Wednesday instead of Friday:

So, this is what the schedule looks like:

Wednesday: Ralf
Thursday: bank holiday
Friday: Roberto

More soon,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: A traffic report is being given on the radio[YSaerTTEW443543]

57

delitzsch may 23:

  • very good 1 hour sightseeing tour, guide had good english

  • tour discussion. people remembered facts and details.

  • brief review of the basic tenses and word order

  • conditional clauses: exercises

58

Hi Ralf&Roberto,

Here is the schedule for next week (new Leipzig group), please let me know if this is OK with you:

Monday (May 29): Ralf
Tuesday: Torsten
Wednesday: Roberto
Thursday: Ralf
Friday: Roberto

It would be good if you could keep this schedule for throughout the course until June 23rd.

As for the contents and structure, please use the handouts AFI is providing. The participants have to confirm the receipt of the materials and it makes sense to somehow incorporate them into the program. We can talk about the usefulness of these materials later, at this point we simply have to stick to the rules. When it comes to using handouts copyright questions are an important issue. There must be an alternative to photocopying text books and handing out those photocopies to the clients.
In addition the handouts there is a curriculum we have to follow. The main items are (the order and priority can vary):

  • basics of commercial correspondence
  • how to create a business letter (what forms of business correspondence are used - fax, memo, email etc.)
  • payment methods and vocabulary
  • how to deal with complaints
  • how to take phone calls and ask for information on the phone
  • contents and purpose of reminders
  • contents and purpose of a CV
  • how to write a letter of application
  • personal profiles
  • basic grammar items (especially tenses)
  • how to give a job interview
  • how to give a presentation

Also, the TOEIC test should be used a guidline and measuring stick.
Any questions or suggestions?

More on that soon,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: A person announces a raffle explaining the rules and prizes[YSaerTTEW443543]

59

hi torsten&roberto,

it’s good to hear the thing will be kicking off next week. i’m pretty flexible as far as times are concerned since i’ve reserved 8.00-16.00 for our activities. still, if i could do tuesday and friday next week (and only next week, that is)i’d be most grateful. if not, never mind.

the track alignments don’t seem to have changed since the last course. however, i’m sure we can dovetail our activities a bit better than last time. the forum should help us co-ordinate our activities.

i think our activities could be broken up into topic related weeks. to me it would sound like a good idea if we did cognate subjects weekwise; maybe like this:

week 1

mo basic conversational skills, grammar terminology
tue basic tenses + word order
wed making telephone calls
thu writing a personal letter
fri stating personal details/profiles

week 2

mo writing a CV
tue writing a covering letter
wed having an interview
thu how to do a presentation
fri doing a presentation a certain topic

week 3
mo basic telephone conversation
tue basics of commercial correspondence
wed writing an inquiry, offer, order
thu payment methods + terminology
fri writing a complaint, register of politeness

week 4: reviews
mo word order, tenses, intro of conditionals
tue personal details, CV, application, interview
wed commercial correspondence (the whole lot)
thu talking bout the future (incl tenses + job glossary)
fri round up: analysing a text (tenses, structure, purpose etc)

this is just a suggestion. maybe you can think of other important topics or a different time frame. i also think that those days should be quite commutable (i mean of a fairly interchangable nature), so we should opt for whatever suits us best.

let me know what you think!

take care,

ralf

60

Hi Ralf,

Your suggestions make sense, I think it is important with those programs to create a structure and follow a plan. And yes this time we are going to coordinate our activities even better, this will be our third course the three of us are sharing and it will be only one group at a time.

As for Monday, either Roberto covers it or maybe you can do the the first 4 units in the morning? I’ll have morning sessions from 7 to 9 throughout the next couple of weeks.

In addition to the topics outlined above we should also try and concentrate on tangible goals. I mean, this is yet another government organized program funded by tax money. The underlying agenda is to generate new jobs and get people into regular employment again. So, yes we have to cover grammar issues because our participants are used to being taught English that way.

They learned the tenses, the passive voice, the conditionals etc. during 5 to 7 years of school and university tuition. They expect us to use similar teaching methods as their school teachers. But then again we have to do things slightly differently because we want to achieve different results…

Let me know what you think,
Torsten
PS: How do you manage to post on the forum through your mobile phone? I mean, what is the size of your phone display? How do you navigate through a website using your phone?[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: A company president introduces the keynote speaker at a corporate event[YSaerTTEW443543]