Christmas Break

Christmas Break 2013-2014: 23rd December 2013 - 6th January 2014

Our last class before Christmas break will be Tuesday, December 17th and our first class after Christmas break will be Tuesday, January 7th.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lesson 7 [Tue., 17th Dec. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 4
Vocabulary: adjective suffixes (p43)
Grammar: present perfect tense (p42, p44)

Homework for Tue., 7th January 2014

• Study your notes.
• Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 4 (page 138) and do #1-4 on page 139 on a separate sheet of paper.

Lesson 6 [Tue., 10th Dec. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 3
Vocabulary: metaphors with the word cold  (p35); words to describe statistics (p36)
Grammar: so & such (p34); conditional sentences (p37, p93, p94)

Basically, in English there are four conditionals:

ZERO CONDITIONAL to talk about a general situation, or something which is always true.
If you heat ice, it melts.
IF-CLAUSE: PRESENT TENSE
MAIN CLAUSE: PRESENT TENSE

Using this conditional suggests that we are 100% sure of the result.

FIRST CONDITIONAL to talk about possible situations in the future and their consequences.
If I study, I will pass the exam.
This situation takes place if a certain condition is met. It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.
IF-CLAUSE: PRESENT TENSE
MAIN CLAUSE: FUTURE TENSE

SECOND CONDITIONAL to talk about improbable situations in the present or future or imaginary situations.
If I bought a car like this, everyone would admire me. (I don't intend to buy the car - it's not going to happen!)
If I were you, I would plant some trees in your garden. (but I'm not you — this is unreal!)
IF-CLAUSE: PAST SIMPLE
MAIN CLAUSE:  WOULD + INFINITIVE or COULD + INFINITIVE or MIGHT + INFINITIVE
                           
THIRD CONDITIONAL to talk about a past condition that is impossible be fulfilled (too late!)

If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam. (I failed the exam, because I didn't study hard enough.)

IF-CLAUSE: PAST PERFECT
MAIN CLAUSE:  WOULD + HAVE + INFINITIVE or COULD + HAVE + INFINITIVE or MIGHT + HAVE + INFINITIVE

Things to remember:

1. The conditional sentences are formed in two steps. First, decide if you’re talking about a real or an unreal situation. Then, choose the correct tense. There are two choices: the present-future or the past.

2. Often the condition comes before the consequence, but sometimes the consequence comes first.

• When the condition comes first, it is followed by a comma. e.g. If you don’t water plants, they die.
• When the consequence comes first, we don’t use a comma. e.g. Plants die if you don’t water them.

3. In conditional type 2, we usually use in the if-clause were instead of was even if the pronoun is I, he, she or it, especially when we write. It is more formal!

Homework for Tue., 17th December 2013

• Study your notes.
• Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 3 (page 136) and do #3-5 on page 137 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 8 (page 146) and do #2 and 4 on page 147 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Do # 1-2 (Vocabulary) on page 41 on a separate sheet of paper.

Lesson 5 [Tue., 3rd Dec. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 3
Vocabulary: materials (p31); energy (p32); words that go with problem (p32)
Grammar: future forms: plans and intentions (p31) and predictions (p33)

Homework for Tue., 10th December 2013

• Study your notes.
• Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 3 (page 136) and do #1-2 on page 137 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Read Coming in from the cold (page 35) and do #3 on page 34 and # 1 on page 35.

Lesson 4 [Tue., 26th Nov. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 2
Vocabulary: extreme adj (p23); prepositions (p24)
Grammar: modifiers (p22); used to & would (p25)

Homework for Tue., 3rd December 2013

• Study your notes.
• Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 2 (page 134) and do #4-6 on page 135 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Do # 1-2 Grammar and # Vocabulary on page 29 on a separate sheet of paper.

Past Tenses in English

Let's revise Past Simple, Past Continuous and Past Perfect with an useful tutorial. Visit English Club Pro!

Extra Activity: White Teeth by Zadie Smith

If you want something different from most mainstream novels, or you like character-based, multicultural stories, you might read White Teeth by Zadie Smith or listen to the audiobook @ www.youtube.com

For summaries and discussion questions related to this novel, visit the LitLovers website.

Lesson 3 [Tue., 19th Nov. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 2
Vocabulary: -ing and -ed adj (p19); relationships (p20)
Grammar: Past Tenses (p19-21).

Homework for Tue., 26th November 2013

• Study your notes.
• Study Grammar Focus Unit 2 (page 134) and do #1-3 on page 135 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Read the extract from White Teeth (page 21) and do #3 (Reading) on page 20.

Present Simple and Present Continuous. What's the difference?

 Discover it on www.perfect-english-grammar.com.

Lesson 2 [Tue., 12th Nov. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 1

Vocabulary: Collocations for describing places (p11); the verb to look (p10)

Grammar: Present Simple and Continuous (p9); Questions (p11 and p12)

Video on the Present Tenses in the English Language:

Homework for Tue., 19th November 2013

• Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 1 (page 132) and do #1-7 on page 133 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Do # 1-2 Grammar and # 1-2 Vocabulary on page 17 on a separate sheet of paper.
• Read Towards a definition of cultures (page 13) and do #3 on page 12

BREAKING NEWS: NO English class on Tue., 5th November 2013

There will be NO LESSONS from 1st until 10th November 2013 for exams and public holidays.

The second class will meet on Tuesday, 12th November 2013.

English Learner's Dictionaries ONLINE

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary [link] [free] 

Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary [link] [free]

The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English [link] [free]

Extra Activity: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey was released in December 2012. Listen and complete the transcript of the trailer.

Bilbo: My dear Frodo, you 1).…….……………. me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my 2).………………………….. Well, I can honestly say I have told you the3)……………………... I may not have told you all of it. 

Gandalf: Bilbo Baggins, I’m looking for 4). ………………………….. to share in an adventure. 

Bilbo: I can’t just go running off into the blue. I’m a Baggins of Baggin. 

Gandalf: Bilbo! Allow me to 5) ……………………………. Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, and Ori and the 6) ………………………………… of our company, Thorin Oakenshield. 

(Thorin and dwarves singing) 

Far over the misty 7) …………………………………… cold 

To dungeons deep and 8)  .…………………………… old 

The pines were roaring on the heights 

The 9) …………………………….were moaning in the night 

The fire was red , it flaming spread 

The 10) ……………………………………….like torches blazed with light 

Thorin Oakenshield: I  11) ……………………………………. garantee his safety 

Gandalf: Understood

Thorin Oakenshield: Nor will I be 12)………………………………………………..for his fate 

Gandalf: You’ll have a tale or two to tell when you 13) ……………………………………………….

Bilbo: You can 14)………………………………….. that I will come back? 

Gandalf: No. And if you  15)………………………………, you will not be the same 

Bilbo: My name is Bilbo Baggins 

Gollum: Bagginses. What is a Bagginses? Precioussss …

Lesson 1 [Tue., 29th Oct. 2013]

Topics discussed UNIT 1
Vocabulary: Greetings (p6); English for specific purposes (p8).
Grammar: State & Action Verbs (p6); Present Simple Tense.

Video on the use of Present Simple in the English Language:

Homework for Tue., 12th November 2013

• Visit www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it and obtain information on the Lettorato Exam.
• Study your notes.
• Read the extract from The Hobbit (page 7) and do #2 on page 7. 
• Read A world full of Englishes (page 15) and do #1 [Warm Up] and #1-3 [Reading] on page 12.

GENERAL OVERVIEW First Semester

First Year Lettorato Group 1 & 2 - Pre-Intermediate Level

General information available at www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it.

CLASS TIMETABLE:
Group 1 Tue. 12-2 p.m. Room 3 Centro Linguistico d'Ateneo di via Sant'Ottavio 20 (Go to Google Maps)

Group 2 Tue. 2-4 p.m. Room 1.1 Aule di via Sant'Ottavio 54 (Go to Google Maps)

The first class will meet on Tuesday, 29th October 2013.

ATTENDANCE:
If you sign up for a lettorato, you are expected to attend it regularly, do homework that is assigned and also do additional self-study work. If you are absent three times in a row, you will lose your place in the lettorato group.

SET BOOKS:

• Clandfield, L., & Benne, R. B. 2011. Global Intermediate Coursebook. Macmillan.
• Campbell, R., Metcalf, R., & Tennant, A. 2011. Global e-Workbook Intermediate. Macmillan.

Recommended: Michael V., English Grammar in Context Intermediate with key. Macmillan.

Students are expected to purchase them BEFORE Tuesday, 29th November 2012 and bring the relevant books to each class.

TUTORING/RICEVIMENTO:
Chris Owen's office hours: Tuesday 2.30-4.00 p.m. Palazzo Nuovo 3rd floor, Room 30.

Please return to this blog at least once a week beginning in late October 2013 for updates.

Have a great semester!
Sara Ribotta