Thursday, 28 November 2013

EF2/3 Sentence choices

SIMPLE I am tired.  I drink coffee.
COMPOUND I am tired, so I drink coffee.
COMPOUND I am tired; therefore, I drink coffee.
COMPLEX I drink coffee because I am tired.

COMPLEX Because I am tired, I drink coffee.

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

EF7/ E10 Examples of sentences with quoted material

INCORPORATE!!

“tiny robot mice”
One example of personification is the “tiny robot mice” (1) that clean the house.

“clever”
The “clever” (4) fire burned the house down.

[] square brackets- used to make small stylistic changes
“silhouette in paint” (1)
On the outside wall of the house were five “silhouette[s] in paint” (1) that were caused by what Bradbury suggests was a nuclear explosion.

Stephen Harper said, “I was talking to [Obama] and he wants to meet next week.”

The house was standing in the middle of the “ruined city”. (1)

Later in the morning, the “angry mice” (2) came out to clean up the house.

After the fire broke out, “scurrying water rats” (3) tried to put it out.

The “bared skeleton” (4) of the house burned as the fire consumed it.

The inside of the house was “maniac confusion” (4) as the robots tried to fight the fire.
                                                           
The stove cooked food at a “psychopathic rate” (4) while the house burned down around it.

The cleaning robots were “darting bravely” (4) to clean up the mess caused by the raging fire.

The cleaning robots “dart[ed] bravely” (4) to clean up the mess caused by the raging fire.

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

EF 2/3 Some Nice Uses of Transitional Terms

Some Nice Uses of Transitional Terms

1. Bicycles are becoming more popular in the city; nowadays, you can see riders all year round in the bike lanes.
2. I am hopeful inflation will stay low.  Currently, the economy is not strong.
3. He's too weak to do heavy labour.  In addition, his memory is failing him.
4. The school doesn't have money for books.  Furthermore, the building is old.
5. He says he's a vegetarian.  In fact, he eats seafood on occasion.
6. He calls himself a "professor."  Actually, he's only a teaching assistant!
7. He loved her very much.  However, he didn't ask her to marry him.
8. I hated that job with a passion.  Nevertheless, I stayed for ten years.
9. She was hit by a car.  Fortunately, she wasn't killed.
10. He lost his house in the hurricane.  Happily, his whole family survived.
11. She inherited a million dollars.  Unfortunately, she invested the money badly.
12. He did everything to make her happy.  Sadly, she never grew to love him.
13. He worked hard to make his wife happy.  Likewise, she took good care of him.
14. The lady was active in several service groups.  Similarly, her husband helped the poor in their town.
15. Falcons fly 200 miles per hour.  In contrast, ostriches can't fly at all.
16. He whistled on his way to work.  Obviously, he liked his job.
17. He kept yawning while I was speaking.  Apparently, I was boring him.
18. We were tired and hungry.  Therefore, we stopped to rest and eat lunch.
19. He went out partying every school night.  Consequently, he failed his class.
20. He worked seven days a week, twenty hours a day.  As a result, he got sick.
Adapted from http://www.eslprof.com/handouts

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

E10/ EF7 The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Tis true my form is something odd,
But blaming me is blaming God.
Could I create myself anew,
I would not fail in pleasing you.
If I could reach from pole to pole,
Or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul,
The mind's the standard of the man."

(A poem by Isaac Watts that Joseph Merrick would use to end his letters)


Joseph Carey Merrick (1862–1890) was known as The Elephant Man due to his physical deformities resulting from an unknown congenital disorder.  Merrick began to develop abnormally within the first few years of his life.  His skin appeared thick and lumpy, he developed an enlargement of his lips, and a bony lump grew on his forehead.  One of his arms and both feet became enlarged.  At some point he fell and damaged his hip, resulting in permanent lameness.
When he was 11, his mother died.  After leaving school at the age of 12, Merrick attempted to find employment but had limited success due to his appearance.  He was rejected by his father and stepmother and left home.
After four years in a workhouse, Merrick joined a London-based freak show under the stage title, The Elephant Man.  One customer, a surgeon named Frederick Treves, invited Merrick to London Hospital to be examined and photographed.  Eventually, it was decided that Merrick would be allowed to stay at the hospital for the remainder of his life.  Rooms were adapted for him in the basement of the hospital and he lived there for the next four years.  Treves visited him daily and they developed quite a close friendship.  Merrick also received visits from wealthy ladies and gentlemen of London society.
Merrick died on April 11, 1890, age 27.  The official cause of death was asphyxia, although Treves, who dissected the body, said that it was a dislocated neck.  He believed that Merrick—who had to sleep sitting up, due to the weight of his head—had been attempting to sleep lying down, to "be like other people".  Merrick's skeleton was preserved and remains in the London Hospital.


Adapted from Wikipedia.com

Thursday, 14 November 2013

E10/EF7 UN Declaration of Principles on Tolerance Article 1

Article 1 - Meaning of tolerance
1.1 Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's
cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge, openness,
communication, and freedom of thought, conscience and belief. Tolerance is harmony in difference.
It is not only a moral duty, it is also a political and legal requirement. Tolerance, the virtue that
makes peace possible, contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by a culture of peace.
1.2 Tolerance is not concession, condescension or indulgence. Tolerance is, above all, an active
attitude prompted by recognition of the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others.
In no circumstance can it be used to justify infringements of these fundamental values. Tolerance is
to be exercised by individuals, groups and States.
1.3 Tolerance is the responsibility that upholds human rights, pluralism (including cultural
pluralism), democracy and the rule of law. It involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism
and affirms the standards set out in international human rights instruments.3
1.4 Consistent with respect for human rights, the practice of tolerance does not mean toleration
of social injustice or the abandonment or weakening of one's convictions. It means that one is free
to adhere to one's own convictions and accepts that others adhere to theirs. It means accepting the
fact that human beings, naturally diverse in their appearance, situation, speech, behaviour and
values, have the right to live in peace and to be as they are. It also means that one's views are not to
be imposed on others.

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

E10 EF7 Sentence types

Sentences- variety of sentence styles

Different types, kinds

3 different types-
SIMPLE
COMPOUND
COMPLEX

See it!! Show me the sentences!!

Mix it up!!

Beginners use only simple sentences

1.     SIMPLE- subject & verb
One independent clause
Subject & predicate

SV “We are studying sentence styles.”
SSV “The kids and the dog are playing in the park.”
SVV “His mother plays mahjong and cooks for her friends.”
SVVVV “We went downtown, saw a movie, had lunch, and went home.”

POWERFUL- “(You) Be honest.”

Command sentence- imperative sentence- implied subject

2.     COMPOUND SENTENCE- 2 simple sentences joined together
He plays soccer.  She plays volleyball.

,FANBOYS- for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

He plays soccer, but she plays volleyball.
He likes chocolate, but he hates white chocolate. COMPOUND
He likes chocolate but hates white chocolate.
SIMPLE

FANBOYS
He likes chocolate, yet he hates white chocolate.

so, or, but, and- SOBA

COMPOUND
SV ,SOBA SV.
It’s sunny, but it’s cold.
The superintendent is coming to visit the school today, so we have to make him feel welcome.

SV; SV.
; semicolon

,SOBA = ;
He likes chocolate; he hates white chocolate.

VARIETY IS GOOD!!

He likes chocolate; he hates white chocolate.

SEMICOLON are low frequency- not used often

He likes chocolate; however, he hates white chocolate.

TRANSITIONAL TERMS- powerful

ACADEMIC WRITING- authority, educated

The street light next to my house has been burned out for a month.  I have asked the city to replace it numerous times; however, to date, the light has not been repaired.

The street light next to my house has been burned out for a month.  I have asked the city to replace it numerous times.  However, to date, the light has not been repaired.
HIGH FREQUENCY


SIMPLE
COMPOUND

COMPLEX sentences

Independent clause + dependent clause

ADVERB CLAUSE describes the verb
She is late because the bus didn’t come on time.”
She is late.  The bus didn’t come on time.

                                              ADVERB- WHY
He is wearing a sweater because it is cold.

because, if, when

Please finish the job if you have time.
                           
                                adverb clause
Call your sister when you get home.

CLAUSE= S&V

Call your sister when you get home.
When you get home, call your sister.

She is saving money so that she can buy a pair of winter boots.


ADJECTIVE CLAUSES- describe nouns

The small white dog is cute.
The small white dog that my sister bought is cute.

that, who, which
My sister who is a nurse plays volleyball.


NOUN CLAUSE- think, feel, believe, say

I think that it will rain.
He feels that she is an honest girl.
She believes that her sister will help her.
The character in the novel said that he didn’t want to live in his hometown.
The character in the novel said, I don’t want to live in my hometown.



SIMPLE COMPOUND COMPLEX