Week 16, Descriptive Text

Hello Class

Last week you learned the narrative text and its features. Also you did some practice activities and a test. Now it's time to learn the 'Descriptive Text' which is kind of similar to Narrative Text. However, descriptive has some slight differences towards the narrative one. So let's check out.

Materials

Based on perception in space. Impressionistic of landscapes or persons are often to be found in narratives such as novels or short stories. Example: About fifteen miles below Monterey, on the wild coast, the Torres family had their farm, a few sloping acres above the cliff that dropped to the brown reefs and to the hissing white waters of the ocean...
Purpose
Description is used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a person, place, object or event e.g. to:
describe a special place and explain why it is special
describe the most important person in your life
Descriptive writing is usually used to help a writer develop an aspect of their work, e.g. to create a particular mood, atmosphere or describe a place so that the reader can create vivid pictures of characters, places, objects etc.

Description is a style of writing which can be useful for a variety of purposes:
to engage a reader's attention
to create characters
to set a mood

Language

aims to show rather than tell the reader what something/someone is like
relies on precisely chosen vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs.
is focused and concentrates only on the aspects that add something to the main purpose of the description.
sensory description - what is heard, seen, smelt, felt, tasted. Precise use of adjectives, similes, metaphors to create images/pictures in the mind e.g. their noses were met with the acrid smell of rotting flesh.
strong development of the experience that "puts the reader there" focuses on key details, powerful verbs and precise nouns.


EXERCISE READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

This is Mr. Hadi’s house. It has a living room, a dining room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a garage. There are six chairs and a dining table in the dining room. The dining room is between the living room and the kitchen. There are four armchairs, a table, a room divider, a sofa and a TV set in the living room. In each bedroom you can find a wardrobe and a bed. There is a bucket in the bathroom. In the kitchen there are many kitchen utensils. And Mr. Hadi’s car is in the garage.

Activities

Here you will find some comprehension questions. Read each question carefully and respond it. Good Luck

Test

It's now the time to test your understandings  of this topic. You must take this short quizz about 'Descriptive Text'. Good Luck !

Week 15, Narrative text

Hello Class

Our topic for this week is the narrative text, narrative text is...

Purpose

The basic purpose of narrative is to entertain, to gain and hold a readers' interest. However narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes / social opinions eg soap operas and television dramas that are used to raise topical issues. Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place but differ from recounts in that through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually find a way to be resolved.

Types of narrative

There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience.

Features

• Characters with defined personalities/identities.
• Dialogue often included - tense may change to the present or the future.
• Descriptive language to create images in the reader's mind and enhance the story.

Structure

In a Traditional Narrative the focus of the text is on a series of actions:

Orientation: (introduction) in which the characters, setting and time of the story are established. Usually answers who? when? where? eg. Mr Wolf went out hunting in the forest one dark gloomy night.

Complication or problem: The complication usually involves the main character(s) (often mirroring the complications in real life).

Resolution: There needs to be a resolution of the complication. The complication may be resolved for better or worse/happily or unhappily. Sometimes there are a number of complications that have to be resolved. These add and sustain interest and suspense for the reader.

 To help students plan for writing of narratives, model, focusing on:

• Plot: What is going to happen?
• Setting: Where will the story take place? When will the story take place?
• Characterisation: Who are the main characters? What do they look like?
• Structure: How will the story begin? What will be the problem? How is the problem going to be resolved?
• Theme: What is the theme / message the writer is attempting to communicate?

Now you will find some short narrative stories. Read them carefully and respond the questions posted below. Good Luck !

The hound and the rabbit

One day, a hound dog went hunting by himself in the woods. He saw a rabbit in the bush and chased him out into an open. The rabbit ran. The dog followed. The rabbit ran around trees and through an open field.

When the dog began to be tired, the rabbit, with its last energy, jumped into the bush and disappeared.

As the dog turned back home, a goat herder who had seen the chase smiled at him saying, “Why did you let that rabbit go?”

“You forget,” replied the tired dog, “I was only running for my dinner. He was running for his life!”

The farmer and the goose

Long time ago a remote village, in central China, was inhabited mainly with farmers and hunters.

One day, a poor farmer lost his entire livestock because of flood. He prayed to God for help or his family would die of starvation.

Few days later, an old man with long grey beard, passed by his house took pity on him. He gave him a goose and said, “I don’t have any expensive thing to give you and hope this goose will help you to ease your hardship.”

A week later to almost surprise the farmer found an egg in his yard. This was no ordinary egg. It was a golden egg. He was suddenly overcome with joy.

Thereafter, his livelihood rapidly improved, but the farmer had forgotten his earlier hardship. He became lazy, arrogant and spenthrifty.

Strangely, the goose only laid one golden egg every six months. The greedy farmer lost his patient and slaughtered his goose thinking there were plenty of golden eggs inside its stomach.

Though he was very regretted for his foolishness, it’s already too late.

ACTIVITIES

Here you will find some reading comprehension activities. The first one is about the story 'The hound and The rabbit' and the other activity has questions for the story of 'The farmer and the goose'. Good Luck

The hound and the rabbit activity

The farmer and the goose activity

TEST TIME

Up next you must take this test. Here you will find some questions about narrative text and its elements. Good Luck !

Week 14, Modal verbs

Hello class

This we week we will learn the modal verbs.Modals are special verbs which behave very irregularly in English.


Materials

Here you can fin a tutorial about modal verbs and how to use it. Hope you enjoy it.

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs.html

Activities

Here you will find some activities to practice and test your understandings. Good Luck !

Test

Take this multiple choice test to prove your udnerstandings on this week's topic. Good Luck !

Week 13, Coordinated and Subordinate conjunctions

Hello Class !

Now that we have learned many time sentences it's now the time to learn Conjunctions. Conjunctions are words that we use to connect our ideas or to separate ideas.


Materials

Coordinate Conjunctions

Subordinate Conjunctions

Activities

Here you will find some cordinate and subordinate words. What you need to do is to place them in the right table. Good Luck

Activity #2

This time we see some sentences with gaps or blanks. What we need to do is to read them carefully and then chose the right conjunction for each sentence. You have multiple choices to pick so read them carefully, good luck !

Activity #3 Test

It's now time to evaluate what you learned from the lesson and the activities you made. Here you will find a text about Jairo and his plans forvacations. Along the text you will find some gaps. What you must do is filling those gaps with the correct conjunctions. Good Luck !

Interesting sources

Here you will find a very useful video about conjunctions and its uses. Hope it helps you a lot and of course enjoy it!

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Week 12 Past Progressive & Information Questions

Hello class !

This time we will learn how to use information questions using the past progressive tense. It is just simple. It's used to ask for things that were happening in an specific moment. Good Luck !

Material

Activities

Here you can find a match activity. The sentences are scrambled. Then what you must do is matching the correc clause (what, why, where,etc.) with the correct sentence. Good Luck !

Test

As usual is now time to test your understandings about the topic. It is a test made in educaplay. There are some phrases you will need to build up an information question sentence using Past Progressive. Good Luck !

Interesting Sources

Here you can find more exercises about past progresive tense and information questions. But these exercises has also the answers for each question. Hope this can help you a lot !

Week 11. Making information questions with past simple

Hello class !





















Last section we learned how to make information questions (wh questions ) in present simple tense. Now it's time to learn how to ask for information made in a past time (past simple).


Materials

This material will help you to understand the grammar structure for information questions in past simple. Click in it.
http://www.slideshare.net/hanaksa/wh-questions-with-simple-past-of-to-be

This video show you som examples of information questions using past simple. Watch it twice if you need to because we will do an activity based on the information supported in the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghOQvAi3ZtQ

Activities

This material made in educaplay is a test about the video you just watched. Every question is about some characters you saw in the video. Then be careful to answer the test. Good Luck !

Test

Now it's time to put into test your understandings of the topic of this week. Please take the test pasted below. It's a six questions test. Good Luck !

Interesting sources

Here you can find a webiste with more detailed explanation of Past Simple Tense. Enjoy

http://www.gingersoftware.com/grammarbook/verbs/the-past-simple-tense/

Week 10. Information questions in present simple tense

Hello class !

In this opportunity we will learn how to ask for information using the information quesitons in present simple. We use these kind of questions to request information about manner, locations,  time, quantity and other kind of info. Check the hyperlinks in the material's section for further information and also you must take the activities placed below.

Material

Here you can find more detailed and best explained information about this week's topic

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-wh-questions.php

Interesting sources 

This is a video qhere a group of four guys explain you by singning how to use the information questions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQooC-nIPoQ

Activities

Here you will find some materials made in edilim to practice and test your understandings on this topic

Exercise 2

TEST

This test has two sections. In the first page there are some sentences which clause is missing. Then, by checking the answer next to it question you must identify the question clause (e,g. what, why, how, etc.)
But, in page number 2 there are some sentences in the left side of the page, so in the right side you need to formulate the appropiate question for each sentence. Good luck

Week 9. Past Continuous.

Hello class

We have learned how to use past simple tense. It is used to express actions made. But in this chance we will learn how to tell action that were happening in a paticular  past time. Have fun checking the material and doing the activities for this lesson !


Materials

Introduction to past simple tense

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_past-continuous.htm

Here you can look  the structure of this time tense

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_past-continuous_s.htm

And here you can check how to use it and some examples

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_past-continuous_u.htm


Interesting Sources
Click on the link below. It's a video showing more examples of past progressive usage. Hope you enjoy it !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9t4rt7M6wU


Activities

This is a listening activity. On each green rectangle there is a sentence. Then you need to click on it to listen the sentence hidden. The idea is writing it in the yellow rectangle. You can listen to each hidden sentence whenever you need to. Good luck !

Past Progressive Test

Quiz

 

1. He/ the car / yesterday/ wash
   1.   He was washing the car yesterday
   2.   He washes the car
   3.   He washed the car yesterday
   4.   He wash the car yesterday
2. She/home/go
   1.   she gone home
   2.   she was going home
   3.   she went home
   4.   she come home
3. they/not/the match/watch/yesterday
   1.   they are not watching the match yesterday
   2.   they where not watching the match yesterday
   3.   They were not watching the match yesterday.
   4.   They were not whatching the match yesterday
4. You/ in the shop/ work
   1.   You were not working in the shop
   2.   You are not working in the shop
   3.   You where working in the shop
   4.   You did work in the shop yesterday
5. I/not/a magazine/read/
   1.   I am not reading a magazine
   2.   I was not reading a magazine
   3.   I did not reading a magazine
   4.   I were not reading a magazine

Week 8 Past Simple

Hello Class


This time we will lear the past simple tense. So please check the  videos placed in 'Materials' section. There are 3 videos. Watch them in order (from top to bottom)


Materials


1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5E9SWg6_fw

2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttjAMb3II_Q

3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KWLZELf1Sk

Here you will find a list of verbs for regular and iregular verbs
http://www.myenglishteacher.net/irregular_verbs.html


Activities

Past Simple Filling ap activity

Gap-fill exercise

Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!

A Look at the Intriguing History of Snowboarding
By Keith Kingston

To say who actually the sport of snowboarding would be impossible because people have always loved to slide down a snow-covered hill. Soaring through the snow on some kind of seat or board is nothing new. The ways to enjoy the snow are numerous, and people have devised ways to turn garbage can lids and cardboard into ‘snow boards’ to enjoy an afternoon frolic outdoors. The various ways to glide through snow have become more sophisticated and have evolved into using polished boards or skis in much the same manner as a surfboarder would ride a wave.

There have been many attempts at developing a modern snowboard. In 1965, the ‘Snurfer’ (a word play on ‘snow’ and ‘surfer’) was developed as a child’s toy. Two skis were bound together and a rope was placed at the front end to afford control and stability. Over 500,000 ‘Snurfers’ were sold in 1966 but they were never seen as more than a child's plaything even though organized competitions to take place. The year 1969 a slightly more sophisticated snowboard based on the principles of skiing combined with surfboard styling.

The ‘Flying Yellow Banana’ developed in 1977. This was nothing more than a plastic shell covered with a top surface like that of a skateboard, but at the time it was considered a major advance in the little known sport of snowboarding. The first national snowboard race was held in the area outside Woodstock and was known as ‘The Suicide Six.’ The race of a steep downhill run called The Face in which the main goal was probably mere survival.

Snowboarding to increase in popularity over the next several years. In 1985 the first magazine dedicated specifically to snowboarding the news stands with huge success and the popularity of this exciting sport. Hoards of fans began to organize regional events and pretty soon snowboarding events were held in all parts of the world. In the year 1994 snowboarding was finally declared an Olympic event, much to the delight of fans. The not-so-new sport of snowboarding was finally recognized and a huge victory for serious snowboarders across the globe.

A collection of snowboarding tricks and stunts was released on video in 1996. Filmed in Alaska, the breathtaking beauty and captivating snowboarding techniques featured in the video snowboarding to a new generation, and by 1998 snowboarding almost 50% of all winter activity. Today, nearly all ski resorts accept snowboarders. There are still a few holding on to the past but this is unlikely to continue as the number of snowboarders continually increases.

From the first crudely built snowboards to the advanced and specialized models available today, snowboarders have carried a ‘bad boy’ image. This rebel reputation is still common today in spite of the fact that snowboarding appeals to men, women, and children of all nationalities and social groups. At most major ski resorts you can find snowboarding gear, information, and lessons. Olympic and world wide snowboarding events are among the most popular of winter sports and the competition to be the best is fierce.

Retailers nation wide and around the world carry many types of snowboards, and the choice in specially made snowboarding gear is immense. Snowboarders have participated in the X Games and even charity events such as Boarding for Breast Cancer. From its early meager beginnings snowboarding has progressed into a fully recognized sport, and large numbers of people are turning to snowboarding for adventure, fun, and professional recognition.

Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher offering information on snowboards, skiing, ski vacations, snow removal and snowmobiles at all-4-snow.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Verb Box: Began, invented, brought, was, consisted, continued, mean, furthered, exposed