We'll have in-person lessons Mondays at 8:15. Here is our topic for our next class and a brief reminder of some of the things we learned in class:
August to December 2024
25 November - Destination - please finish page 93 and do exercises A and B on page 96 before the lesson.
18 November - can you read this article about the mental anguish suffered by some victims of scams.
11 November - we'll work with Destination. Please do up to page 92 before the lesson.
For homework finish page 93 and start the passive. (See class notes)
4 November - I'd like you to read this article about living to 100. Before the lesson I would like you to read the article aloud, underlining any words that you find tricky to pronounce.
28 October - we'll continue with Destination and do some work on pronunciation. Make sure you have done pages 88 and 89 before the lesson.
For homework, please finish up to page 92 in the book.
21 October - Can you read this article about the ban on smoking in outdoor spaces. Before you look at the article try to guess which country was the first to enact such a ban.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
discussed (not discussed about)
blessing in disguise
pronunciation – alliance, lithium, initiative, catastrophe
headstrong
stubborn streak
streaking
vocabulary – flavours, inhale, notes (not notices), influential, the coast
14 October - holidays, no lesson
7 October - holidays, no lesson
30 September - we'll continue with Destination. Make sure you've done page 87 before the lesson.
Another good lesson - well done! For homework I'd like you to do the following:
finish pages 88 - 89
Check 'ill health' in Skell
Check the pronunciation of veins, uncomfortable and antibiotics in Youglish
23 September - Can you listen to this podcast about Supercommunicators. It's 2 hours long but you don't need to listen to all of it! It would be great if you could listen to the first 33 minutes.
Here's some of the things we discussed
depends on (not of)
I've known him for ....
the difference between say and tell
reading between the lines
people do this all the time (not 'make')
16 September - We'll look at Destination - please finish page 82 and do page 85 before the lesson.
We had a good question looking at vocabulary associated with health and fitness. Here are some things we discussed:
thin and slim
ward and clinic
prescription (not recipe)
to spread butter and diseases (streichen und streuen)
phrasal verbs
verb patterns with try
Please do page 87 before the next lesson.
9 September - No lesson, Knabenschiessen
2 September - Can you read this article on the Kennedy men and their treatment of women before the lesson.
26 August - We'll look at Destination unit 13. Can you do page 82 before the lesson. We talked about modal verbs and semi modals such as ought to, have to and need to. You came across new vocabulary including, bear in mind (think about), numb and to be put off doing something (discouraged).
For homework I'd like you to finish page 82 and do page 85. Can you also read this blog post about past tenses.
19 August - it's the first week back after the summer holidays. Let's do something that isn't too long to start with. Can you read this article about dementia care in the Netherlands.
April to July 2024
25 Jul - No lesson as it's the summer holidays. If you want to keep up with your English you can read this long article about the floods in a German valley.
Should you want any more articles to read, here are some suggestions:
Climate ruling rejected in Switzerland - click here.
Trouble at one of England's matches - who is to blame? Click here.
The man who turned his home into a homeless shelter. Click here.
Denmark - a country where people trust each other. Click here.
Are electric cars too heavy for British roads. Click here.
8 Jul - It's the last lesson before the summer holidays so we'll play word games.
1 Jul - Let's discuss any questions you have on review 6 and then start on unit 13.
We had a good lesson, talking about the rules of modals and semi-modals. For homework, please do page 81.
24 Jun - Read this article suggesting that bullies do prosper and consider whether the findings are surprising.
We talked about the word 'inundated'. I've checked Skell and it is often used to talk about flooding, as well as being used in the metaphorical way to describe having too much of something e.g. we've been inundated with complaints. Other words we talked about included:
adverse and adversity
pronunciation of conduct (adj) and conduct (v)
solution and solvable
landslide
distressing
mnemonic
boss's wife
17 Jun - We'll go through your questions on unit 12 and then move on to review 6.
Here are some of the differences we discussed in the lesson. The difference between:
capital and corporal punishment
putting up with something and dealing with it
backing down and calming down
damage and fault
coming up with an idea and coming forward with information
athletes and athletics
For homework, please finish review 6.
10 Jun - After the 2-hour podcast, you've earned the right do read something brief. This is from The Guardian's 'A Moment that Changed Me' series and includes some useful idioms. Should you want to do more, you could look for another episode from the Diary of a CEO podcast or try one from the Daily Stoic.
Lots of useful points from today including thinking about which idioms are worth learning. Vocab included competition, being judged, woodwind/ wind instruments, to listen out for something and word transformation for the word mistake. Can you think of a verb, noun, adjective and adverb based on this word?
3 Jun - Back to Destination again. We'll look at unit 11 & 12.
Today we learned the difference between a barista and a barrister (the ones who wear wigs in court). We talked about sheds and barns, veins and arteries, capital punishment and corporal punishment and prosecute and persecute. Word class came up – for example, it's important to recognise whether the word 'suspect' is being used as a verb or a noun. For homework, please finish unit 12.
27 May - This week we will speak about happiness. I'd like you to listen to a 2-hour Diary of a CEO podcast featuring Mo Gawdat. I found it fascinating and would love to discuss the topics raised. The podcast is available here on YouTube but you can also find it on Spotify or other streaming providers. Make sure you listen to the right one. The full title is – The Happiness Expert That Made 51 Million People Happier: Mo Gawdat | E101. There's no need to listen to all of it - just listen to as much as you can.
Vocabulary we learned today included notice rather than remark, traumatised, information (no s), more slowly (not slowlier) and to vent (get something off your chest).
20 May – no lesson – Whit Monday. Please start on your homework for next week, which is a fairly long podcast. Can you also try to do the second conditional challenge.
13 May – We'll do something topical this week - let's look at why Hugh Grant has accepted damages rather than continue to pursue his claim against the owners of The Sun newspaper. Read this article here paying attention to any conditionals used. If you're not sure why Hugh Grant was suing The Sun, you can do a spot of research.
Words we learned in the lesson included the following:
Pronunciation - blouse, clothes
Vocab - 1970s, even though, apron, shying at that fence (think of a horse), defunct and oblivion
6 May - we'll look at Destination, unit 11. Before then I'd like you to try my second conditional challenge.
Today we practiced superlative and comparatives for both adjectives and adverbs. You learned how to pronounce infamous, island and hotel and asked lots of great questions regarding spelling (fitter) and choosing between two options. I learned that Swiss cats have seven lives whereas English ones have nine!
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