4/30/2009

English's all around!

In case you haven't noticed, English's all around in our branch. Look around and you'll see that all the staff are speaking English. It's a great opportunity to talk to each other in English while you're waiting for class. Have you already played the quiz videogame in the lounge? Well, lots of people are kind of getting hooked to it!
See you on Monday!
Teresa

A word about punctuation

First of all, the keys to the punctuation activities are coming soon! I'll post them by Firday!

As I told you last Monday, punctuation is not a key issue in the writing paper; however, correct use of colons, semicolons, and commas is essential for your text to be understood. Wrong punctuation compromises coherence and comprehension of your writing. Punctuation markers also help organize the various elements in a sentence --- they make it easier for your reader to understand your ideas. This is the reason I've decided to introduce this topic in our class. You can check out some quick rules for the use of punctuation markers on the site below:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/592/01/

The good news is that -- with very few exceptions, the rules are valid for both English and Portuguese.

Capitalizing words such as days of the week and months, for example, also shows good command of the language!

Visit our blog again and check the answers!

Have a nice holiday!
Teresa

4/22/2009

General tips for speaking!

1) Don't worry if the interlocutor stops you before you have finished. This means that time's up. (Make sure you are objective)

2) Don't worry about mistakes you make. Remember that you'll be assessed on:

a) discourse management (how you develop your ideas);
b) pronunciation;
c) interactive communication (looking at your partner, reacting to his or her ideas, agreeing and disagreeing, etc)
d) grammar and vocabulary;
e) global achievement (an overall mark)

3) You have exactly 14 minutes (if you're sitting the examination with another candidate) for the whole paper;
4) Don't try to talk all the time. Don't interrupt your partner while they're speaking. Pay attention to what they're saying so that you don't get lost.
5) Speak clearly so that both the interlocutor and assessor understand and hear what you are saying;
6) You may ask the interlocutor to repeat the instructions and remember that the pictures have the questions written on top!

Cheers!
Teresa

Next class!

Howdy!

Remember that next class we're having Paper 5 practice! Watch the news! Read the papers! Think about your life and lifestyle! What's your favorite leisure activity? What about your family? What do you enjoy doing together? Can you describe the people in your family?

Think about all these issues and prepare for what's coming up!

Enjoy the holiday!
Teresa

4/20/2009

This week's assignment

Dear FCE candidates!

You should acess the following site:

http://www.flo-joe.com/

and look for the FCE papers. You should do all papers. You might also want to do some extra practice! Enjoy this great website!
Have a great week!
Teresa

4/06/2009

Hold on!

Answers to the composition handout - formal expressions, is coming up soon! I didn't have access to my personal computer (where I keep a copy) today. I'll post the answers as soon as possible!
Cheers,
Teresa