Thursday, 2 May 2024

EF45 Class 6

 

Good morning, everyone.

We will get started at 12:00

 

Today’s agenda

·      Begin paragraph work

·      Finish overview of sentences

·      Continue dialogues“Interviewing for a Job”

·      Pronunciation work/Minimal Pairs

 

Friday- Butter Day

Most Fridays, I bring my dog, Butter, to school.

·      Begin simple sentences

·      Review of paragraph work

·      Test#1 – easy topic- paragraph of at least 150 ww (final 50m)

·      HW New dialogue for next week

 

Monday

·      Continue simple sentences

Prepare for Quiz#1 on Monday – simple sentences

Explain the structure of the quiz

Choose vocabulary to review for the quiz

 

Tuesday

·      Quiz#1-simple sentences

 

 

 

quiz -20m

test- 50m

exam – 2-3hrs

 

 

Assessment of test

mark your test out of 6 pts.

Double the marks

4/6 = 8/12

Paragarph tomorrow

8/12  plus 1 extra point

 

Things that I am looking for in a paragraph:

Format – how the writing is arranged on the page

-         use regular lined ruled paper

-         heading at the top

-         full name and class at the top right

-         write in pen- blue or black ink

-         doublespace

-         write between the margins (red lines)

-          

Introduction to Paragraphs EF5  

Paragraphs

-         collection of sentences (5,6,7 sentences on one topic)

-         at least 150 words, around 150-250 ww

Sweet spot- a happy medium

the Goldilocks zone- fairy tale, children’s story

 

TRICK FOR COUNTING WORDS-

Count two lines.- average # of words per line

Count how many lines are in the paragraph

 

-         types/modes of writing:      

1.narrative writing - tell a story, you are the narrator of a story (Test#1), comfortable telling their own stories

2.descriptive writing – describes something, descriptive vocab, adj adv, five senses

senses – points of contact to the world

- taste, hearing, sight, touch, smell

3.process writing- teach how to do something, explain how something works, step-by-step

e.g cooking, recipe, how to drive

4.persuasive writing- give your opinion on a topic and give reasons why you hold that opinion, try to convince someone, persuade someone

 

VOCAB mode- a focus, a way- cell telephone “low-battery mode”

laptop “low-power mode”

“Put your phone in Airplane Mode.”

 

your focus at the moment- “I can’t talk right now. I am in work mode.”

 

*Narrative writing – You tell a short personal story about something that happened to you.

e.g.    What did you last Sunday?

Write about a funny/fun thing that happened when you were a kid.

funny(ad)- humorous

fun(adj)- enjoyable

 

narrative(adj) narrate(v) narrator(noun-person who tells a story)

 

 

Structure of a paragraph

Topic sentence- addresses the question, refers to the question

What did you do last Sunday?

-borrow words from the question or use synonyms

 

          EXAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE

          Last Sunday, I was very busy with guests.

 

MY ADVICE

Topic sentence- sets your reader to be able to follow your writing more easily

Supporting sentences

Concluding sentence

 

LESS EFFECTIVE -

Supporting sentences

Topic sentence

 

Title: Test#1   Quiz#2

 

What I am looking for:

1.Good format

2.Well organized

3.Strong sentences

 

 

 

 

Overview of Sentence Types

 

You are probably already experienced with English.

We will learn the fundamental sentences styles that we use everyday. If this is new to you, let’s learn a lot about sentences. Even if you already know about them, I still have some new things to teach you.

 

Full review of the three sentence types: very important, very useful, very practical, everyday usage

We study sentences so that we can use them in your real life- school, work, social life, business, on the street.

IRL- in real life

 

Quick overview of sentence types

1.SIMPLE

2.COMPOUND

3.COMPLEX

4. COMPOUND-COMPLEX (mix of 2 and 3)

 

99.9999% of the time, these three sentence types will allow to write anything you want.

If you want to write and speak well in English, this is what you want to do.

 

**

Side Note: I have a small business where I do editing for university students, mostly nurses and nursing students. What I do is read their essays and papers and then edit their writing. I use almost exclusively simple, compound, and complex sentences.

 

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: Every year on Tuesday nights (5-6pm) from November-January, I do an Advanced Sentence Structure Tutorial on Zoom. This is aimed at upper-level students who want to polish their sentence writing. Feel free to join my Zoom tutorial.

No homework. No assignments. No mark.

Check my blog in mid-October for the Zoom link.

 

 

QUICK PREVIEW- I will go into detail in ensuing classes.

 

THESE ARE THE SENTENCE TYPES:

 

1.    SIMPLE SENTENCE – one main clause, one independent clause

Clause – group of words with a subject and a verb (SV)

 

one main clause, one independent clause = SV,

a complete idea, one idea, a sentence by itself

independent- self-contained

clause = a group of verbs with a subject and a verb

Subject+Verb, S+V

 

SIMPLE SENTENCE S=subject   V=verb

S+V “It is sunny.” It is sunny.

one underline for subject

two underlines for verb

 

SV “It is partially sunny.” It is partially sunny.  rainy- adjective

SV “Today is cold.” Today is cold.

SV “The dog likes apples.”

partial(adj) part(n)

 

IMPORTANT:      Don’t forget a capital letter at the beginning. Don’t forget a period at the end.

 

 

 

 

Different styles of simple sentence:

-SV

The sky is blue.

 

-SSV subject subject verb

You and I are talking on the phone.

 

-SVV “The dog is sleeping and is snoring.”

 

-SVVV (probably the maximum)

The kids are running, yelling, and eating.

 

-SSSV (probably the maximum)

 

-SSVV

The old man and his granddaughter go to the park and play.

 

Basic structures: SV   SSV   SVV   SSVV

 

Another style of simple sentence:

-Imperative, command sentence – tell somebody to do something

Come in.” “Watch out.” “Sit down.” “Open the window, please.”

no subject “You come in.” implied subject, don’t say ‘you’

 

“(You) Come in, please.” Everybody understands that ‘you’ is the subject.

make it sound polite – please

IDIOM the magic word. What’s the magic word?

 

 

 

My way of using commas with ‘please’ (fairly common):

Come in, please. comma

Please come in. no comma

 

Please wash the dishes.

Please, wash the dishes. SOUNDS IRRITATED, ANGRY

 

Wash the dishes, please. WITH COMMA – sounds good

 

Another style of simple sentence:

-interrogative sentence – question, interrogate (ask questions)

“What are you doing?”

“What time is it?”

“Where did you park the car?” SV?

 

REVIEW OF SIMPLE SENTENCES:

SV   SSV   SVV   SSVV   Imperative   Interrogative

 

 

 

2. COMPOUND SENTENCES

SV SV – two simple sentences in a row, connected together

with coordinating conjunctions

 

7 coordinating conjunctions in English- FANBOYS

 

mnemonic (memory aid) for and nor but or yet so

mnemonic pronunciation (new mon ic) Greek word?

 

English is a primarly a mix of Latinate languages, Greek, and Germanic languages

Latinate – Spanish, French, Italian

Latin – ancient language from Italy

 

any word one syllable – Anglo Saxon word

plumber – Gr

pneumonia – Gr

mnemonic

lagubrious -latin – sad

 

MY OPINION: FANBOYS – not that helpful, several are not used often in compound

FANBOYS

 

*for – used very rarely in compound sentences

Sarah is wearing a hat today, for it is cold. not common usage

Sarah is wearing a hat today because it is cold. complex – more authentic

Forget about ‘for’. People don’t talk that way.

‘for’ is used in other ways

Here is a gift for you. simple, not compound

 

*and – very often used

Michelle bought a new coat, and it is very nice. compound

 

*nor – not commonly used in compound sentences, nobody says ‘nor’

Dave does not speak Farsi, nor does he speak Arabic. very unusual, formal

Dave does not speak Farsi or Arabic. simple sentence, authentic English

 

*but – used all the time

It is sunny today, but it is supposed to rain tomorrow.

 

*or – very commonly used

You can go to the party, or you can stay home.

 

*yet – not commonly used in compound sentences

It is cold, yet we are going for a walk. weirdly formal

It is cold, but we are going for a walk. more authentic- real sounding English

SIMPLE SENTENCE Are you finished, yet?

 

*so – used all the time in compound sentences

Maria is tired, so she will take a nap.

 

My suggestion:

FANBOYSF N Y not useful

‘for’ ‘nor’ ‘yet’ not used very often in compound sentences, low-frequency usage, ignore them for the most part

 

We are left with these: SOBA so or but and

mnemonic- SOBA

most useful, high-frequency usage: SOBA so or but and

We use these every day, all day long.

 

soba- japanese buckwheat noodles

Near Chinatown: https://theramenbutcher.com/

 

EXAMPLES OF ‘SOBA” IN COMPOUND SENTENCES

“It is raining, so we can’t play soccer.”

“You can come to school, or you can go to work.”

“I like chocolate, but I don’t eat it everyday.”

“Joan likes hiking, and she also likes skiing.”

, so   ,or   ,but   ,and

  

Next level of compound sentences:

; semicolon – looks professional, high-status, looks smart

; substitute for , so   , or   , but   , and

 

“It is raining, so we can’t play soccer.”

“It is raining; we can’t play soccer.”

 

“You can come to school, or you can go to work.”

“You can come to school; you can also go to work.”

“You can come to school; or you can also go to work.” XXX

 

“I like chocolate, but I don’t eat it everyday.”

“I like chocolate; I don’t eat it everyday.”

 

“Joan likes hiking, and she likes skiing.”

“Joan likes hiking; she likes skiing.

 

Looks great! Your choice- casual, fancier

 

Next next level of compound sentences:

This way, with transitional terms, sounds better.

therefore   however   also   nevertheless   moreover   furthermore  

- Hundreds of them- I will give you about 20. You can focus on learning those- that’s enough for EF45.

 

OPTIONS FOR COMPOUND SENTENCES

“It is raining, so we can’t play soccer.”

“It is raining; we can’t play soccer.”

“It is raining; therefore, we can’t play soccer.” VERY NICE!

 

“You can come to school, or you can go to work.”

“You can come to school; you can also go to work.”

“You can come to school; alternatively, you can go to work.”

“You can come to school; on the other hand, you can go to work.”

On one hand, you can come to school; on the other hand, you can go to work.”

 

“I like chocolate, but I don’t eat it everyday.”

“I like chocolate; I don’t eat it everyday.”

“I like chocolate; however, I don’t eat it everyday.”

 

ANOTHER OPTION “I like chocolate. However, I don’t eat it everyday.” 2 simples

You can still use the transitional terms even if if you don’t use semicolons.

 

“Joan likes hiking, and she likes skiing.”

“Joan likes hiking; she likes skiing.”

“Joan likes hiking; also, she likes skiing.”

“Joan likes hiking. Also, she likes skiing.”

 

 

COMMON ERROR

“Joan likes hiking, also, she likes skiing.” XXX comma doesn’t go there- not strong enough, has to be ;

 

Make up your sentences according to the situation.

This is all about your choice. I want you to have choices.

 

REVIEW-

1. SIMPLE   SV   SSV   SVV  SSVV   Imperative(command) Interrogative(question)

2. COMPOUND   , FANBOYS   , SOBA- much more useful

                               ; semicolon

                               ; therefore, TRANSITIONAL TERMS

3. COMPLEX SENTENCES- adverb clauses, noun clauses, adjective clauses

 

a. adverb clauses – because if when unless until after before although, etc

We will do about 20-30.

 

“Sarah doesn’t want to talk to Maria because they had an argument.”

main clause adverb clause  no comma

“Because Sarah and Maria had an argument, Sarah doesn’t want to talk to her.

adverb clause  main clause comma

 

We won’t go to the beach if it rains.”

If it rains, we won’t go to the beach.”

 

She is happy, because she won the lottery. XXX no comma, small error

She is happy because she won the lottery.

 

** IMPORTANT POINT: You always need a SV. If you don’t have a SV for each clause, you will likely run into trouble. Special case: imperative

Sit down. You sit down. implied subject

 

Example: My sister lives in Vancouver, works in a store. XXX

FIX

My sister lives in Vancouver and works in a store.

My sister lives in Vancouver, and she works in a store.

My sister lives in Vancouver; she works in a store.

My sister lives in Vancouver; also, she works in a store.

 

b. noun clauses – brain, tongue

A.   brain- think, believe, know, guess, understand, imagine, remember, forget, etc.

tongue- say, whisper, state, yell, remind, claim, argue, etc.

B.  that why how

Take a verb from the A group and join it with a word from the B group to make a noun clause.

A think

B that

Mohammed thinks that he should call his brother.” 

 

A think

B how

He thought about how he could fix his car.

 

A believe

B that

The little girl believes that there is a monster in her closet.”

 

A say

B that

Maria said that we need more printer paper.

 

A.tell B.why

Junko didn’t tell us why she quit her job.”

 

A know B how

I don’t know how I can fix my car.

I don’t know how to fix my car.” More common- different pattern

 

“I don’t know how can I fix my car.” XXX

How can I fix my car? SIMPLE SENTENCE - interrogative

“I don’t know how I can fix my car.

I know how I can succeed in my life.

 

c. adjective clauses – describe nouns, use ‘who that which’

who-people

that-things, animals

which- special things, unique things

 

“Fatima’s neighbour, who is 86 years old, still lives on her own.”

“Marta has some nice boots that she got from a fancy store in Tokyo.”

“Beijing, which is the capital of China, is a huge ancient city”

-         commas around adjective clauses – complicated  

- other words less important: ‘whom’ ‘whose’ ‘where’

 

COMPOUND COMPLEX

e.g. Mei loves to eat chocolate, but Junko doesn’t like it because she is allergic to it.

I don’t want to go to the party, but you should go if you want to.

 

 

 

Overview – Over the next few weeks, I will teach these sentences styles to you in great detail. If you learn these styles, you will be able to do anything that you want in written English: school, job, life, writing.

 

SIMPLE

COMPOUND

COMPLEX

COMPOUND COMPLEX

 

If you are willing to come with me on this journey through English sentences, let’s do it! We all will learn a lot. Ready to go?

 

 

“Interviewing for a Job”

2.    HR

3.    Nice to see you. casual

Good to meet you.

Glad to meet you.

My pleasure.

Pleased to meet you.

4.    Please, take a seat.

 

Common interview questions:

What are some strengths that you would bring to this position?

detail-oriented, hardworking, good interpersonal skills, a quick study, fast learner, punctual

What is one weakness that you have?

-talk about a weakness but make it sound like a strength

 

What is your availability? Can you work nights and weekends?

Why did you choose this company?

-         do some homework about the company

 

What are your expectations for salary?

-do your homework about comparable salaries

 

HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS

What would you do if …

STAR

 

Why did you leave your last job/position?

-never talk negatively about old employers

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