TP 2 - The Participial Phrase

Hi how are you ? Remember I promised to discuss The Participial Phrase ? 
Well, I didn't have time to write anything here, but  :

CLICK THIS

And....read....cu in class :)

TOEFL iBT prep - Talking about the Essay.....

The last time we met in class, I gave you a task of correcting / checking your essay.... Yes, what I was talking about is that you should check if your essay already has a correct essay outline. Here are some of diagrams and models of Essay Outlines...maybe these will help you in checking your essay writing :

Note : For the Toefl iBT, you don't have to make 3 Body Paragraphs...
because the time is short...you can make 2 Body Paragraphs to support your thesis.

 Picture credits :

 ugdsb.on.ca, onlineteaching.humanities.curtin.edu.au, 

Here is a link to ets.org , there are tips on how to answer TOEFL iBT questions, including tips on how to deal with Independent Writing , Just click HERE

You will see this list :

Writing Question 1 (Flash) | View Transcript
Writing Question 2 (Flash) | View Transcript
Speaking Question 1& 2 (Flash) | View Transcript
Speaking Question 3& 5 (Flash) | View Transcript
Speaking Question 4& 6 (Flash) | View Transcript

On the page click the line that I typed in red above. It will take you to a video on tips to answer the Independent Writing task.


Here is another video that I hope will help you to understand the Thesis Statement. From 07:12, the video shows how to create Thesis Statements in connection to the kinds of questions found in the Independent Writing part of TOEFL iBT.

Video from YT by Kentonadultes

Okay, I hope the things I included in this post was helpful for you, btw....there are other videos in the series, feel free to browse around and watch the videos of topics that you need to understand :)

GOOD LUCK !!

TOEFL iBT prep - Essay Outline

Sometimes I feel like the above person 

when I have to write an essay :)

Picture Credit : pippinsmind.blogspot.com

Today we were practicing the Independent Writing Task for iBT and we had some discussion about Essay Outline, specially the Thesis Statement. I hope this post can be of help to you.

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY

Like all first impressions, the introductory paragraph of your essay will leave a lasting imprint. Therefore, it is extremely important that it be well written. To favorably impress your readers, your introduction should contain the following:

• Hook

A "hook" in an essay is used to catch the attention of your audience. To accomplish this, begin your essay with an interesting, thought-provoking idea about the topic you have been assigned. Avoid stating a fact that everyone knows is true. For example, "Learning a new language is difficult" is a fact known to be true by almost everyone, and, therefore, serves no useful purpose.

Sometimes a quotation (or proverb) works well as a hook if it is particularly relevant to the thesis.

• General Statements Regarding the Assigned Topic

Your introduction should only introduce the main ideas of your essay. This is not the place for you to provide supporting details, such as specific names, places, and dates. Save these for the body of your essay.

• Thesis

The thesis is the most significant statement in your essay. It consists of one sentence only and is usually the last sentence of your introduction. A thesis must be a complete sentence (unlike a title). It should also be narrow enough for you to be able to discuss it within the short time frame allowed on the TOEFL and within a two- or three-paragraph body. Yet it must also be general enough for you to be able to write two to three sub-points on this topic.

Unlike some countries, in the United States, we do not state directly what we plan to do or say in our 'essay; for example, "I will write about..." is unacceptable in an American essay.

The thesis serves two basic functions.

Firstly, it states the main topic of your essay.

Secondly, it provides a viewpoint or position that you, the writer, hold about this topic. 

For example, this is not a thesis: "Smoking In restaurants In New York is illegal."

It merely states a fact, but provides no position or opinion regarding this fact.

This is a thesis: "Not allowing smoking in restaurants in New York is highly unfair to the smoker and gives too much power to the nonsmoker." [ Ms. L.T : remember the control I talked about ? from the thesis above there are two ideas that could be written about in your body paragraphs]

Remember: You are entitled to your own opinion.

The readers are only interested in whether you have logically, clearly, and effectively supported the position that you have taken.

Be sure the thesis statement:


    • Contains one, and only one, complete sentence

    • Provides a clearly defined main topic

    • Takes a clearly stated position on the topic (instead of merely stating a fact)

    • Doesn't explicitly state what you plan to do/say [Ms. L.T : like stated above, "I will write about..." is not acceptable].

THE BODY OF THE ESSAY

  

The main purpose of the body of your essay is to give support to your thesis (usually the last sentence of your introduction). To give sufficient support, you need to provide a minimum of two or three paragraphs in your body for an essay examination. However, a take-home essay generally has several body paragraphs.

All body paragraphs begin with a topic sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the body paragraph, a main sub-point of your thesis. For this reason, it may be said that after your thesis, topic sentences are the most important part of your essay.

Immediately following the topic sentence, you should provide clear, specific details [Ms L.T : details = support] to lend credence to the argument of your paper; specifically, to the topic sentence of that paragraph. Generally the body paragraphs are longer than the introduction and conclusion.

However, be sure that each body paragraph contains only one main idea. Every new idea requires a new paragraph.


While you will want to use transitions within your body paragraphs, you also need to use them to connect one body paragraph to another. This is necessary to make your paper smooth and coherent. For example, if you are writing a compare/contrast essay, you may want to begin your second body paragraph with a transition phrase such as on the other hand or in contrast. 

THE CONCLUSION OF THE ESSAY

The conclusion of the essay is often neglected.

One reason for this is that students often run out of time during the essay examination and never get beyond the body of their papers. Another factor is that students often do not know how or when to end their essay.  However, if you have gone through the recommended organization steps laid out in our earlier sections and practiced timed writing on your own, finishing your essay should become an easier task.

The following guidelines can help you improve your concluding paragraph:

    • Before writing your conclusion, reread your introduction (paying special attention to your thesis) and your topic sentences. This will refresh your memory as to the main idea and main subpoints of your paper.

    • Begin your conclusion with a paraphrase of your thesis. It is vital that you not repeat your thesis verbatim. Doing so is redundant and boring, and you miss the opportunity to show your readers the breadth of your vocabulary.

    • Follow with general statements. These should be a summary or evaluation of previously mentioned main thoughts.

    • Your last sentence should provide a final thought or comment concerning your main topic.

The following should be avoided in a conclusion:

    • New information does not belong in a conclusion. 

    • Avoid detailed information in support of your thesis.

    • Don't begin your conclusion with "to conclude" or "in conclusion." [ Ms. L.T : these phrases are better to be used in your speaking tasks]  because it is clear to your reader that this is your final paragraph and is obviously your conclusion. (You may, however, begin your conclusion with transitions like therefore, thus, to sum up, or in summary.)

    • A conclusion should not be lengthy. In general, three or four sentences will suffice. This is especially true of a 30-minute essay examination conclusion

Okay... I hope this post makes some things clearer. As one of the points that will be scored in the Independent Writing Task of iBT is the organization of your essay, the Essay Outline is important, because that is how you organize your essay....by using the Essay Outline.

Good Luck to my students in Room 101 :)

.

 

Source : 

http://rapidsteps.com/en/en/topic/207/TOEFL+iBT.+The+Essay+Structure 

TP 2 - Subject Verb Agreement

I'd like to give you a few links to read about Subject Verb Agreement :

FIRST LINK

In this first link, there's a video....

you could watch it after you read the lesson.

SECOND LINK

I will put more information (not links) here when I find them, meanwhile the lessons in the two links will help you in understanding Subject Verb Agreement. Okay....if you have any questions, we will discuss it in class.

CV 4 - Passive Voice

Hi to all my CV 4 students^^

Wow....time really flies and here we are at the end of the term again. I'm wishing you luck on your promotion test, OK ! Don't forget to review the exercises in your work book ^^ Alright, let's get on with it....we were talking about Passive Voice, here's some more information about it to make it easier for you in understanding, recognizing and using the passive Voice :

Understanding :

You could create a Passive Sentence by making the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. So, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the subject of the sentence. 

Example :

Active Voice :

  

Passive Voice

To create Passive Voice, you have to use this formula :

form of "to be" + past participle = passive voice

Recognizing :

Now that you know the formula, passive voice are easy to recognize. Just look for a form of "to be" [is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being] followed by a past participle.

Using : 

1. To emphasize an object.

Twenty performers are needed for the drama

This sentence emphasize the number of performers needed. The Active Voice of this sentence [ The drama needs twenty actors ] puts the emphasis on the drama.

2. To de-emphasize an unknown subject/actor.

Many kinds of costumes have been made for school festival.

If you don't know who the actor is [ if you don't actually know who made the costumes], you can write in the passive voice. If you do know the actor, and it's important to let every one know who it is,  then use an active voice [Miss Barley made many kinds of costumes for the school festival].

3. If your readers don't need to know who's responsible for the action.

Baby Sophia was delivered at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.
 

To the family, this is an important announcement....they are happy to hear that the baby has been born. Usually the family is not interested to know who delivered the baby.But for a hospital report, it's important to know who was responsible for the action [Dr. Susan Jones delivered baby Sophia at 3:30 a.m. yesterday]. 

 

Lets look at this :

What do you think ? He he he...
tell me the answer in class, OK !!

Good luck on your examinations !!

Errr...emmm...oh dear !

Source : 
writingcenter.unc.edu and luizotaviobarros.com.

CV 4 - Answering tricky questions in interviews

Here are some of the tips for answering those tricky questions in job interviews ! There are only  4 questions I discuss here, please tell me other questions you want me to discuss here, and I will update  this post, OK. See you in class !

1. Why do you want to work here ?

To answer this question, you really have to do your "homework", that is find out as much as you can about the company. Then you can show them that you can fulfill the company's needs by contributing your experience and qualifications. [ Do you have what they need ?... what is it?..how can you help? ].

2. Why did you quit your last job ?

Be careful answering this [specially if you were fired]. Don't say anything negative about your last job. Answer positively.

3. Why should we hire you ?

This is a chance to "sell yourself", talk about your strengths,your experience and your achievements. If you have a special quality that other applicants do not have, it will be an advantage for you.

4.What is your biggest weakness ?

Tell the truth about your weakness and how you have dealt with it. You can describe how you dealt with your weakness in the past....what actions did you take ?

CV 4 - Embedded Questions

Here are some information about Embedded Questions for you.

An embedded question is a question contained within a statement or a question. 

Where is the library?

Above is a regular question in which the word order is verb and then subject.

I don't know where the library is.

Do you  know where the library is?

The examples above show embedded questions. 

The word order is subject and then verb.

Notice that the first one is not a real question,

but a statement.

Source  : http://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com

Video from You Tube by learnamericanenglish

Explore 2 - Extreme Sports

Here are some videos of the extreme sports we were talking about in Lesson 1.

I hope these videos could help you to understand our topic. See you in Class:)

Video from You Tube by soultes83

Video from You Tube by ProTradersClub