Thursday 23 June 2016

INSPIRING TRAVELLERS

WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT AN ARGENTINIAN FAMILY WHO ARE TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD IN A VINTAGE CAR. WOULD YOU DO THIS? WHY OR WHY NOT?

CLICK HERE AND WATCH

SPEAKING TIME


UNIT 6 - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Tuesday 21 June 2016

TRIP, TRAVEL, JOURNEY, VOYAGE

Travel (noun)

The noun travel is a general word, meaning to move from place to place, usually over long distances.
We can say: air travel, food and travel, space travel, business travel, a travel agency.
  • Air travel is getting more expensive.
  • The magazine is a food and travel guide.
We can also say travels, which is a plural noun:
  • Where did you go on your travels?
  • Jack Kerouac wrote many books about his travels.
Travel is also a verb:
  • I travel 20 km to work every day.

Journey (noun) 

A journey means moving from one place to another, especially in a vehicle. It is a single piece of travel. A journey can also be a regular thing.
Here is an example. Let’s say we go from London to Leeds then back again. That is two journeys (London to Leeds is the first journey, Leeds to London is the second journey).
We can say: a bus journey, a train journey, the journey to school, my journey to work.
Be careful with the plural: journeys NOT journies.
  • How long does your journey to work take?
  • Did you have a good journey?
  • Did you have a good travel?

Trip (noun)

A trip describes the whole process of going somewhere and coming back. (It is more than one journey.)
Once again, let’s go from London to Leeds then back again. As I said above, that is two journeys, but it is one trip.
Some examples: a day trip, a round trip, a round-the-world trip, a boat trip and a business trip. We say go on a trip.
  • We went on a three-week trip to Scotland.
  • He’s gone on a business trip to Germany.
  • Let’s go on a trip to the mountains this summer!
  • The trip there took three hours. The journey there took three hours.

Voyage (noun)

Voyages are less common nowadays. A voyage is a very long trip, usually at sea or in space:
  • At the age of twenty-three, Sir Francis Drake made his first voyage to the New World.
  • A voyage around the world often took four or five years.
The French Bon voyage! translates into English as Have a good trip! or Have a good journey!

Here’s a link for you to test your understanding:




ip

-voyage

Thursday 16 June 2016

Tuesday 14 June 2016

A REPORT

A report is a formal document prepared by one person or a group of people who have been studying a particular subject. There are two basic kinds of reports:

  • The first simply provides information on a topic and gives a brief conclusion or summary at the end. Example: a report on the educational system in a particular country, written to help someone research the subject.
  • The second sets out to identify strengths and weaknesses in a particular situation and make recommendations for improvement. Example: a report on the library facilities in a college written at the request of the principal.

Language and register
Reports are the most impersonal kind of writing and it is usually best to avoid expressing personal opinions or feelings, except, perhaps, in the conclusion. Instead of I think that … or I found that… for example, you can use the impersonal “It” construction and a passive, eg It seems that… It was found that …

It is also advisable to avoid making very definite statements unless you’re absolutely sure they’re true. Instead of saying It is for example, you can use a modal verb eg It could/may/might be or a more tentative expression such as It seems to be or It tends to be.

Layout and organisation
Reports should have a clear factual heading and may also have subheadingswhich divide the writing into shorter sections. The information should be organised and presented as clearly and logically as possible, with a short introductionexplaining the aims of the report and how the information was obtained and a suitable conclusion, summing up the information and making recommendations if necessary.


Useful language

Introduction:            The aim of this report is to..                                    It is based on…
                                    This report is intended to..                                      It draws on 
                                    This report looks at / describes..                            It uses..


Reporting an
observation:            It seems/appears that..                                            It was found that..
                                    The majority / minority of …                                    It was felt that ..

Quoting:                    According to …         As X said…               In the words of …

Speculating:            It may / could / might (well) be that ..

Generalising:           In general      On the whole                        In the main

Commenting:          Interestingly              Curiously             Oddly                    Strangely      
                                    Surprisingly              Predictably
                                    As might be (have been) expected           It is interesting that

Making a recommendation:         It is recommended that ..
                                                            (Perhaps) it would be advisable for X to (do)
                                                            (Perhaps) X might /should consider

Summing up:           To sum up / To summarise On balance               In short


Sunday 12 June 2016

PLAY THIS GAME AND REVISE REPORTED SPEECH


CLICK HERE AND PLAY

REVIEW VOCABULARY

SOME EXAMPLES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR REVIEW:

INTRODUCTION
The film/book tells the story of ... Thefilm/story is set in... The book/novel was  written  by ... The film is  directed by ... It is a comedy/horror film/love story

PLOT
The story concerns about/begins ..    The plot is (rather) boring, thrilling. The plot has an unexpected twist.

GENERAL COMMENTS
It is rather long/boring/confusing/slow. The cast is excellent/awful/unconvincing.  The script is dull/exciting. It is beautifully/poorly/badly written. It has a tragic/dramatic end.


RECOMMENDATIONS
Don't miss it. It is well worth seeing. I wouldn't recommend it because .. I highly /thoroughly recommend it. It's bound to be a box-office hit. Wait until it comes out on video. It is a highly entertaining film.


Tuesday 7 June 2016

ALLEGORY, FABLE AND SATIRE

Allegory

An allegory describes a story that has both a literal meaning and a second level of meaning. This second level of meaning may be political or historical, with characters representing important historical personages, or it may be more conceptual, with character embodying certain ideas or principles. For instance in John Milton's "Paradise Lost," the character of Satan has two children named Sin and Death who serve as embodiments of the principles of their namesakes.

Fable

A fable represents a type of allegory, often illustrating a moral through the use of animal characters. Aesop's Fables are examples of this genre. For instance, in "The Tortoise and the Hare," a hare makes fun of a tortoise for being slow. But, when the two race, the hare thinks he is so fast that he can afford to take a break. The tortoise, who maintains a regular pace, wins. The moral of the story is "slow and steady wins the race."

Satire

A satire is a work of literature that derides a particular subject. Because it often derides its subject by evoking laughter from an audience, satire represents a type of comedy. For instance, Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" satirizes the British Victorian upper classes, deriding their manners and morals. Many of the plays of George Bernard Shaw also satirize the British upper classes.

Allegory, Fable and Satire

A single work can combine elements of an allegory, fable and satire. For example, the novel Animal Farm" by George Orwell is full of farm animal characters who represent Russian historical figures. The novel satirizes Communist ideas through the events and actions that the animals engage in on the farm. The story works as an allegory. On one level it is about animals living on a farm but, on another level, it is about the history of Russian Communism. The animal characters who possess human qualities make the story a fable and the novel's use of exaggeration and ridicule make it a satire.

Monday 6 June 2016