Sara Ribotta's English Corner: 2014

1st Year English Lettorato Exam Dates

Part 1: Use of English
mar. 20 maggio ore 08,15 c/o Aule 32-34 Palazzo Nuovo o c/o 1M Palazzo Venturi
[Let's practise @ www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it]

The following is a list of the Global units with indications of the vocabulary sections that students should revise for the Use of English test (the sessions in May, September 2014 and January 2015).

Unit 1

The terms from the Glossary, page 7 – look + prepositions, page 10 – the terms from the Vocabulary and Pronunciation section, page 11.

Unit 2

The terms from the Vocabulary and Pronunciation sections, pages 19 and 23 – the terms from the Vocabulary sections, pages 20 and 24 – the terms from the Glossary, page 21.

Unit 3

The terms from the Listening and Vocabulary section, page 32 – the terms from the Vocabulary sections, pages 35 and 36 – the terms from the Glossary, pages 33 and 35.

Unit 4

The terms from the Vocabulary and Speaking sections, page 43 and 48 – the terms from the Vocabulary section, page 46.

Unit 5

The terms from the Vocabulary section, page 56 – the terms from the Vocabulary and Speaking section, page 58 – the terms from the Glossary, page 54.

Unit 6

The terms from the Vocabulary and Listening section, page 70 – the terms from the Vocabulary section, page 72.

Unit 7

The terms from the Vocabulary sections, pages 79 and 82 – the terms from the Vocabulary and Pronunciation section, page 81.

Unit 8

The terms from the Vocabulary sections, pages 91, 94 and 97 – the terms from the Glossary, pages 90, 92 and 95.

Unit 9

The terms from the Vocabulary and Pronunciation section, page 102 – the terms from the Reading and Speaking section, page 104 – the terms from the Vocabulary section, page 105 – the terms from the Glossary, pages 107 and 109.

Unit 10

“in/at the beginning/end”, page 114 – the terms from the Listening and Reading section, page 114 – the terms from the Vocabulary section 115, 116 and 120 – the terms from the Vocabulary and Listening section, page 118 – the terms from the Glossary, pages 115 and 119.

Please download the list @ http://www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it/n_chris5.htm

Part 2: Dictation
ven. 23 maggio ore 09,00 c/o Aule 32-34 Palazzo Nuovo o c/o 1M Palazzo Venturi
[Let's practise @ www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it]

Part 3: Oral
gio. 26 o ven. 27 giugno dalle ore 9,00 c/o Aula 3 Palazzetto Gorresio

cfr http://www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it/1_examdates.htm

Lesson 20 [Tue., 6th May 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 10
Vocabulary: at the beginning/end of & in the beginning/end (p114), books and reading (p115), leaving (p120), farewell (p120)
Function: saying goodbye (p122)

Lesson 19 [Tue., 29th April 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 10
Vocabulary: celebrations (p116), death (p118)
Grammar: pronouns

Homework for Tue., 6th May 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 10 (page 150) and do #3-5 on page 151.
Do # 2 Grammar on page 125.

Easter Break

Easter Break 2014: 17th April 2014 - 22nd April 2014

Our last class before Easter break will be Tuesday, April 15th and our first class after Easter break will be Tuesday, April 29th.

The 1st Year English Lettorato course will finish on 6th May 2014.

Lesson 18 [Tue., 15th April 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 9
Vocabulary: love (p105)
Grammar: comparatives and superlatives (p104)

Function: giving and accepting compliments (p110)

Homework for Tue., 29th April 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 9 (page 148) and do #3-4 on page 149.
Do # Grammar and Vocabulary on page 113.

Lesson 17 [Tue., 8th April 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 9
Vocabulary: stereotypes (p102)
Grammar: verb patterns (pp103,106)

Homework for Tue., 15th April 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 9 (page 148) and do #1-2 and 5 on page 149.

Lesson 16 [Tue., 1st April 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 8
Vocabulary: expressions with lose & lost (p91), expressions with make & do (p94), treasure (p97)
Grammar: revision conditional sentences

Homework for Tue., 8th April 2014

Study your notes.
Do # Grammar & Vocabulary on page 101.
Do #1-2 (Reading) on page 94.

TIPS on Learning English: Improving your English Pronunciation

Learn how to pronounce English correctly on OUP website! And/or have a look at some resources for ESL learners:

New Headway Pronunciation Course. Available at four levels – Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, and Upper-Intermediate – this course improves students’ listening and speaking through extra training in pronunciation.
Ship or sheep?: introducing English pronunciation. Available at Lingue 'Melchiori' Library (424 BAK.SHI)

Lesson 15 [Tue., 25th March 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 7
Vocabulary: abstract nouns (p82), other ways of saying funny (p84)
Grammar: countable & uncountable nouns (p83), wish (p85)

Homework for Tue., 1st April 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 7 (page 144) and do #3-5 on page 145 on a separate sheet of paper.
Do #1-2 (Grammar) and #1-3 (Vocabulary) on page 89.

Lesson 14 [Tue., 18th March 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 7
Vocabulary: inexact numbers (p79), wordbuilding: trade (p81)
Grammar: relative clauses (pp78,81)

Homework for Tue., 25th March 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 7 (page 144) and do #1-2 on page 145 on a separate sheet of paper.
Do #1-3 (Reading) on page 87.

Lesson 13 [Tue., 11th March 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 6
Vocabulary: ways of speaking (p70), listen & hear (p70), electronic equipment (p72)
Grammar: reported speech (pp67,73)

Homework for Tue., 18th March 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 6 (page 142) and do #5-7 on page 142 on a separate sheet of paper.
Do #1-3 (Grammar) and #1-2 (Vocabulary) on page 77.

Lesson 12 [Tue., 4th March 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 6
Vocabulary: take (p66), colors and shapes (p69)
Grammar: passive voice (p67), articles (p69)

Homework for Tue., 11th March 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 6 (page 142) and do #1-4 on page 143 on a separate sheet of paper.

Lesson 11 [Tue., 25th February 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 5

Vocabulary: education compound nouns (p58), control (p58), phrasal verbs with up (p60)

Grammar: present perfect tenses (p59), separable phrasal verbs (p61)

Homework for Tue., 4th March 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 5 (page 140) and do #3-4 on page 141 on a separate sheet of paper.
Do # Grammar and Vocabulary on page 65.

Lesson 10 [Tue., 18th February 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 5
Vocabulary: -ics and -ology (p54), government collocations (p56)
Grammar: modals of obligation and permission (present & past) (pp55,57)

Homework for Tue., 25th February 2014

Study your notes
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 5 (page 140) and do #1-2 on page 141 on a separate sheet of paper.
Do #1-2 (Reading) on page 63

English-language Films and Cinemas in Torino

There are two cinemas in Torino showing films in their original language, usually with Italian subtitles:

- Cinema Centrale Arthouse located in via Carlo Alberto, 27 (see Cinema Centrale Arthouse website or Cinema Centrale Arthouse FB page)

- Cinema Massimo located in via Verdi, 18 (see Cinema Massimo website)

In addition, during the annual Torino Film Festival in November there are multiple screenings of newly released original language films shown at mainstream cinemas which normally only show films dubbed into Italian.

A film's original language and other details can be checked on the Internet Movie Database, which provides information on the director, actors, reviews and awards.

Mock Exam [Tue., 11th Feb. 2014]

Dictation Answer Key

The idea of a machine able to broadcast both sound and vision goes back to 1875. But it was not until 1926 that a Scottish engineer turned the idea into a practical reality. Now his invention dominates the modern media.

The first television pictures were produced just eight years after the First World War. They were in black and white and were not very clear, but it had been proved that the principle worked. Early television sets cost as much as a small car and not many were sold. Soon, though, the original system was improved and in 1936 Britain’s first regular TV programmes went on the air.

It was in America, however, that the real TV revolution began after World War Two. US television expanded enormously in the late forties. Commercial stations began to open in almost every city and national networks made programmes which were seen from coast to coast. One of the American networks – CBS – even developed a color service as early as 1951. Two years later TV covered its first major international event – the coronation of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. It was the first time a worldwide audience of millions had seen history take place in their own homes.

For further practice www.lettoratiinglese.unito.it!

GENERAL OVERVIEW Second Semester

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

The 1st Year Lettorato Pre-Intermediate Course is annual. In the second semester, 12 lessons are scheduled, starting on Tuesday, 11th February 2014.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

If you sign up for a Lettorato you are expected to attend 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. If for some reason you are unable to attend the Lettorato course, it is highly recommended to contact Chris Owen so that you can plan a self-study programme in preparation for the exam.

EXAM POLICY

The first time students can take the lettorato exam is the summer session at the end of the year in which they are enrolled.

Have a great semester!

Sara Ribotta

BBC Learning English

BBC Learning English is a great website for learners at an intermediate level and above. If you are interested in improving your English by yourself, go and visit it.

11th February 2014: Mock Exam

On 11th Febuary it is scheduled a mock exam. It is not a real exam ... it is just some practice for the real one.

You are taking the "Use of English" mock exam consisting of 60 questions in multiple choice format that will check your knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary dealt with in the set books and during the course. There will be 30 questions on grammar and 30 questions on vocabulary. Please revise all the topics (grammar + vocabulary) we have discussed so far (Units 1-4).

You are also doing a dictation which will be read three times. The first time it will be read without pauses (you should just listen). The second time it will be dictated with punctuation; after 2 minutes there will be a third and final reading with short pauses at the end of each sentence.

For further information on the 1st Year Lettorato exam programme 2013-2014, click here.

Apps for Learning English

Learner's Dictionaries: Oxford University Press Apps or The Free Dictionary App (free)

Communication Skills: BBC English: Words in the News

Grammar: LearnEnglish Grammar or English Grammar in Use Tests (€ 3.99)

Graded Reading: Oxford Bookworms

Vocabulary Game: Word Challenge (free) or MyWordBook 2

Pronunciation: Pronunroid (free)

Exam Window Winter 2014

There will be NO LESSONS during the exam window. Our first class after the exam break will be Tuesday, February 11th. For further information http://www.dipartimentolingue.unito.it/Contents/os-didattica-calendarioaccademico.asp

Lesson 8 [Tue., 7th Jan. 2014]

Topics discussed UNIT 4
Vocabulary: crime (p46), stranger and foreigner (p47), usual and unusual (p48)
Grammar: modals of deduction (p47, p97), indefinite pronouns (p49)

Homework for Tue., 11th February 2014

Study your notes.
Study «Grammar Focus» Unit 4 (page 138) and Unit 8 (page 146) and do #5-6 on page 139 and #5 on page 147 on a separate sheet of paper.
Do # 1-2 (Vocabulary) on page 53

TIPS on Learning English: Practising Listening!

Each Tuesday, EnglishClub (click here) publishes a short audio news report in easy English from the previous week. With this resource you can practise your listening, reading, writing and even speaking.

Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.

Study the news story each week and watch your English skills grow!