The Future = Will or Going To??

WILL	PRESENT CONTINUOUS	BE GOING TO
- Para realizar predicciones. - Decisiones que se toman en el momento de hablar. - Para hacer ofrecimientos. - Con ciertas expresiones como: I think              I believe        I suppose I expect            I hope        I’m sure Perhaps            Maybe        Probably Con oraciones condicionales y temporales. If I finish early, I’ll go to the gym.	- Se utiliza para acciones planeadas. Obligatoriamente en estas oraciones de futuro necesitamos tener un CCT que nos indica cuándo se va a realizar la acción. I am visiting my grandparents tomorrow.	- Para realizar predicciones, PERO necesitamos tener una marca en el presente que nos indique de alguna manera que la acción es factible o se puede realizar. It’s cloudy. It’s going to rain. - Para acciones planeadas. I’m going to visit my grandparents tomorrow.

Use of English Practise

A great website for tests to help you practise for your exam.

http://www.better-english.com/ 

Shakespeare, Iambic Pentameter and Hip Hop

The "intrinsic" rhythm of iambic pentameter allows music to imitate the rhythm of life, says Akala in his great TED Talk on Shakespeare's relevance to modern Hip Hop. Look at 05'40" for an example of Sonnet 18 as a rap. 

"Hip Hop and Shakespeare: Best Friends!", says MC Lars in his talk about Shakespeare's influence on musical history.

Eminem's 8 Mile movie has amazing examples of rap battles... we'll be using this as inspiration for a Shakespeare related task! Here's a clean version.

Writing a Biography

When writing biographies, sites like Wikipedia are your friend. However, it's really easy to tell if you have plagiarised (stolen extracts from other websites), so please don't do it! 

It is useful to follow the format below so that you ensure your writing is well-structured and you have included all the relevant points. 

Title:

Please always make sure you include a simple title as part of your work. It looks professional and helps your teacher/examiner to know what they are marking!

Introduction:

Introduce the subject - who they are and what they do
Key Dates - Birth, death (as appropriate)
Explain what they are famous for

Paragraph Two:

Key facts about their early life
Personal life
How they have achieved success 

Paragraph Three:

Mention any notable achievements, awards or titles they have won
What they are currently doing
This is your opportunity to reveal why you have chosen to write their biography

Conclusion:

Future plans and forthcoming projects
Final summary about them as a person 


Here is an example Biography (remember to choose someone you actually admire and respect - it makes it much more enjoyable to write about them!!): 

Leonardo DiCaprio - A Biography 

Award winning actor and producer, Leonardo DiCaprio is famous for his roles in blockbuster films such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Titanic. Born on 11th November 1974, DiCaprio, aged 40, is still arguably one of the most handsome heartthrobs in Hollywood! 

Early acting debuts include the character of Arnie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, where he starred alongside Johnny Depp, and Jim Carroll in Basketball Diaries. Yet, the film which elevated him to global superstardom is the one and only Titanic. Playing the part of Jack, this young actor won the hearts of people all over the world. He was born in Hollywood, California, and has German and Russian heritage. Apparently, he can speak fluent German - we await his German film debut with baited breath. 


      

Despite being nominated for 5 Oscars, he is yet to actually win one! However, this hasn't hindered his success with the ladies and DiCaprio continues to be one of the most sought after bachelors of Hollywood. Relationships with other famous A-listers, such as Gisele Bundchen and Blake Lively, has kept him in the spotlight.  

DiCaprio is not only an amazing actor, he's also an influential eco-warrior and all-round good guy. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation was set up to raise awareness and funding for environmental issues such as Global Warming and wildlife conservation. He is currently filming The Revenant and forthcoming projects include more producing credits as well as being named a UN Messenger of Peace. Whatever he's doing, it's sure to be successful and the eyes of the world will forever be upon him. 

Informal Email Example

Informal emails are normally to friends or loved ones, so your language can be much more colloquial (relaxed and conversational) and you can use abbreviations.  

Informal Email Greetings: 

Hello Alex / Hi Alex / Hey Alex

Introductory Paragraph:

Sorry I haven't written for ages
Sorry it's taken me so long to write
How's it going?
How are you?
How are things with you?

How're things?
Thanks for you email
Thanks for your message

Introducing points:

By the way...
Did you hear about...
Did you see...
Have you seen...
Tell me about...

Oh, another thing...
Anyway, I wanted to say...

Ending the email:

Well, time to go
Well, it's time to go
Well, got to go
Well, time to close
I've got to leave off now
Write soon
Make sure you write soon
Love
Lots of love
All my love
Will write again soon
Look after yourself
Take care of yourself
All the best


Following on from the lesson on Thursday (2 Bach.), here is my model response to Alex's email (FCE test paper):

Hey Alex,

Thanks for your email. How´re things? I´m so excited about my visit and, yes, I'd love to go to the new activity centre with you!

I think that I’d prefer to go mountain biking, if it´s ok with you? I´m really rubbish at climbing (and a bit scared of heights) and I´m not a very good swimmer, so the sailing wouldn´t be too good for me.

I think you´re right, we will probably be exhausted on Saturday night. Maybe we could just relax, get a pizza and watch some films?

By the way, I´m not able to come on Friday because I have to babysit my sister while my parents go out. Sorry about that. Looking forward to seeing you though.

Take care,

Sarah

Reading in English

A great way to practise for the ´reading´section of your exam is to...well...READ in English!

Here are a few ideas for interesting blogs and webites you can keep an eye on. The most important thing is to find stuff which INTERESTS you.

If you have any ideas for other sites, please post them in the comments section below.


REDDIT is full of up-to-date, weird and wonderful news and entertainment stories.

Holy Moly is a great website if you like celebrity gossip!

Buzzfeed shares entertaining real life stories and news (make sure you go to the English version).

Huffington Post for news, politics and current affairs.

The Guardian newspaper online is useful for breaking news stories.

The BBC is also a good one-stop-shop for everything from entertainment to politics.

Writing a Review

Writing a Review

TASK: Think about a film you have watched recently or a book you have read. Brainstorm your ideas about why you want to write a review of it - was it really excellent or utterly awful? The power of extremes is good in review writing. Using the following guidance, write a review of 250-300 words. 

Here are some pointers, from the BBC Bitesize website, about how to write a review:

Purpose and Audience:

• To inform. The review needs to tell people who is in the film, who it is by and where or when people can see it.
• To describe. The review should describe the story, characters and some of the action - without spoiling the plot or giving too much away!
• To analyse. A good review gives an opinion on whether the film is good or not and why.
• To advise. Finally, the review should tell the reader whether or not to go and see the film

How to structure your review:

1. Introduction: this gives an overview of who is in the film and what it's about. It also sums up the reviewer's conclusion about the film (so readers can form an opinion without reading the whole of the review). Start your review in an interesting way, you could use a rhetorical question or a triple emphasis for effect. 
2. Paragraph 2: start to describe the plot and the action, while informing the reader which actor plays which role. 
3. Paragraph 3:  then analyse the film in more detail, talking about the director and then the actors´ performances, looking at good things as well as bad things.
4. Finally: sum up your ideas, advise the reader if they should watch this film or not.

Useful Language

It´s important to use the right language for discussing films. Make sure you comment on some of the following:

• Performance: how the film is acted.
• Direction: how the story is told.
• Editing: how the parts of the film or action are put together.
• Cinematography: how the film looks (how it is photographed).
• Music and sound effects: how the music works with or against the pictures.
• Special effects: how the film uses unusual techniques such as computer-generated imagery (CGI).
• Camera angles: how the film creates mood by manipulating the camera, eg:
• Close-up and extreme close up
• Mid-shot
• Long-shot
• Panning shot: the camera is fixed but the lens moves across a scene, eg a landscape

Sentence Starters and Devices:

Remember that style is important when writing a review. You need to think about who will be reading it and tailor your writing style for them. As a review is based on your personal opinion, it is useful to use rhetorical devices (P.E.R.F.E.C.T) to engage your reader.

P          Personal Language     

(I, You, Me, We, Our...you are talking to your reader about what you think and giving them advice)

E          Exaggeration              

(Use of exclamation marks ! to emphasise points and exaggerate your opinion)

R         Rhetorical Questions  

(How would you feel if...? Have you ever thought about...? Ever wondered what would happen if...? Rhetorical questions make your reader think about what you are saying and feel that you are talking directly to them)

F          Facts and Figures       

(Numbers, dates, statistics: in 2015 100% of students wrote excellent reviews. They get 5 stars!)

E          Emotive Language      

(A heart-breaking story of love and loss... If you want to be crying with laughing all day, make sure you watch this film!... The only film to make you think about your life and question your own mortality... Wow! I never felt so scared in my whole life!)

C         Commands                  

(Go and watch this film right now!... You need this book in your life. Read it!... If you only buy one thing this year, make sure it´s an iPhone!)

          

T          Triple Emphasis        

(Thrilling, gripping and utterly terrifying... Shocking, stunning, superb!)

Helpful Websites:

http://www.theguardian.com/film

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews 

P.E.E Paragraphs

An example of how to write a P.E.E paragraph, using 'Of Mice and Men' as a reference. 

Task: Write a paragraph describing the character of Curley. 

P = Make a point. 

E = Give evidence to prove your point. This must include a quotation from the text.

E = Explain how your evidence proves your point.

Here is an example:

Steinbeck introduces Curley as a guarded and unfriendly character. When he first meets the two protagonists he " glanced coldly” at them. The word 'coldly' suggests that Curley's attitude towards Lennie and George is hostile and unkind. The fact that he merely 'glanced' at the two men implies that he is indifferent to their presence. Perhaps he is so used to seeing vast numbers of migrant workers pass through the ranch that he simply can't be bothered to be pleasant; he knows that they too will move on eventually. Furthermore, he may also be feeling threatened by the new arrivals and wants to convey a sense of authority over them. As this is the first time Curley appears in the novella, readers can infer that Steinbeck knows his readers will be sympathetic towards Lennie and George and therefore be wary of the boss' son. 

Keywords:

implies = suggests, hints at, points to
convey = show, transmit
infer = assume, speculate, interpret
wary = unsure, suspicious, distrustful 

Less is More!

For the writing parts of any exam, you will often have a specified word count to adhere to. You should try not to go over or under this count by more than 10%. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how confident you are with the topic. 

If you are struggling to keep within the word count limit, have a look at my example attached below. 

You can see in the first version, I am using superfluous* words and phrases which are not really adding any value to the content. In the second version I have removed these and (hopefully) it still makes sense.

I have also added notes so you can see some of the rhetorical devices used in the writing. 

*superfluous = unnecessary or excessive 

PAU EXAM – Writing Practise

5. Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic.

Does technology help you to save time or make you waste it? Explain your views.

Pre-edited version

(An essay arguing FOR technology)

Example 1: Pre-edited Version

Without technology, my life would be disorganized, inefficient and maybe even a little dull. From waking up in the morning, to falling asleep - and even while I am sleeping - technology is saving me time.

The sleep tracker app on my iPhone monitors my sleep pattern exactly, so that it wakes me up at precisely the optimum time for my body. This saves me endless minutes of ´snoozing´, which just makes me grumpy and late and ruins my whole day!

Added to this technological time-saving device, Google Maps lets me check my journey time in advance, so I know when I need to leave the house. This means I get more time sleeping (not snoozing) and less time hanging around a bus station waiting for a bus that is still 30 minutes away.

Anyone who says technology doesn’t save you time has clearly too much time on their hands! Think about it. Without a dishwasher, microwave and washing machine, our lives would be burdened by domestic chores. Instead, we just press a button and the dishes get cleaned while we sit back and watch amazing videos of dancing grannies on YouTube! Thank heavens for technology – it’s given me my time back!                                                                  

202 Words

Example 1: Edited Version (yellow highlighted words have been removed)

Without technology, my life would be disorganized, inefficient and dull[U1] . From waking up in the morning, to falling asleep, technology is saving me time.

The sleep tracker app on my iPhone monitors my[U2]  sleep pattern, so that it wakes me up at the optimum time for my body. This saves me endless minutes of ´snoozing´, which just makes me grumpy and late![U3] 

Additionally, Google Maps lets me check my journey time in advance, so I know when to leave the house. This means more time sleeping (not snoozing[U4] ) and less time hanging around a bus station.

Anyone who says technology doesn’t save you time has clearly too much time on their hands![U5] Without a dishwasher, microwave and washing machine, our lives would be burdened by domestic chores. Instead, we just press a button and the dishes get cleaned while we sit back and watch amazing videos of dancing grannies on YouTube! [U6] 

151 Words

 [U1]Triple emphasis (power of 3)

 [U2]Personal language

 [U3]Emphasis

 [U4]Repetition

 [U5]Exaggeration

 [U6]Humour and emphasis 

(An essay arguing AGAINST technology)

Example 2: Pre-edited Version

In today’s society there are so many distractions around us, we can hardly get anything done. Technology, in my view, is simply a time-wasting device which enables us to sit around the house playing mindless video games when we could be getting work done, or be outside interacting with each other and benefitting from fresh air and exercise.

It is so depressing that people spend hours at a time with their eyes glued to their mobile phones. What are they actually doing? ‘Liking’ a ridiculous photo of someone’s ugly baby on Instagram? Playing some terrible ‘Candy Crush’ game (what is that anyway?) which a ‘friend’ you didn’t even know you had invited you to play on Facebook? How is this a good use of your time?

Think about all of the books you could read, instruments you could learn to play, hobbies you could have without some pesky technological gadget robbing you of minutes, hours, days of your life.

No one ever dies wishing they had spent more time on YouTube, do they? Technology is draining your life and your time away. It’s time to reclaim your precious time by spending it with your friends and family (in the real world, not the virtual one). Click the ‘off’ button. Permanently.                          

210 Words

Example 2: Edited Version

Technology, in my view[U1] , is simply a time-wasting device which enables us to sit around the house playing mindless video games when we could be getting work done, or be outside interacting with each other.

It’s so depressing that people spend hours with their eyes glued to their mobile phones. What are they doing? [U2] ‘Liking’ a ridiculous photo of someone’s ugly baby on Instagram? Playing some terrible ‘Candy Crush’ game (what is that anyway?) which a ‘friend’ you didn’t even know you had invited you to play on Facebook? How is this a good use of time?

Think about all the books you could read[U3] , instruments you could play, hobbies you could have without some pesky technological gadget robbing you of time.  

It’s time to reclaim your[U4]  precious time by spending it with your friends and family (in the real world, not the virtual one). Click the ‘off’ button. Permanently.                                     
150 Words

---

 [U1]Personal language

 [U2]Rhetorical questions

 [U3]Command

 [U4]Personal language

Cambridge English Language Assessment

Turn exam hell into exam heaven by doing some quick research online.

Take a look at the Cambridge website for help with the FCE and CAE exams.

There are loads of helpful hints and tips on how to prepare. 

Good Luck! 

Watch TV in English!

Download  zenmate to help you watch TV programmes in English. 

You'll find plenty of fun and interesting TV series', one-off documentaries and films on the following websites:

• BBC
• 4od
• ITV

Please make sure you get permission from a parent or guardian before accessing these sites.