Lateral Thinking Skills

Lateral thinking is the ability to think creatively, or "outside the box" as it is sometimes referred to in business, to use your inspiration and imagination to solve problems by looking at them from unexpected perspectives.

Lateral thinking involves discarding the obvious, leaving behind traditional modes of thought, and throwing away preconceptions.

Lateral Thinking Quiz (1)
The following question will test your ability to think laterally. Please post your answer to me by Friday 17th.

A woman goes into a store to buy an item. She asked the shop assistant: "How much does it cost for one?" The assistant replies 2 dollars. "And how much for 10?" The assistant replies "$4" "How much for 100?"She gets the reply "$6 "What is the woman buying?

Website of the week (BBC Language Learning)

G'day,
Click on the link below and explore its different features.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish

Phrasal Verbs "up" + activity task

A phrasal verb is a verb which consists of more than one word. Most phrasal verbs consist of two words: the first word is a verb and the second word is a preposition or an adverb.

You can sometimes guess the meaning of a phrasal verb from the meaning of the words it contains, for example come in = come + in.

But more often, the meaning of the phrasal verb is different ‑ often very different ‑ from the meaning of the verb which forms its first part.

One common use for 'up' in phrasal verbs is to indicate an upward movement, an increase or an improvement

1. If you display something such as a poster, you 'put it up' on a wall or a notice-board.
· Have you seen the warning the boss has put up on the notice-board?
· Can you put up a poster in your window?

2. If somebody is miserable and you want them to be happier, you can tell them to 'cheer up'.
· You look really unhappy. Cheer up!
· Michael was sad the other day so I sent him a joke to cheer him up a bit.

3. If you are sitting and then you rise from your chair, you 'stand up'.
· When the judge arrives, everybody must stand up.
· Stand up straight when they’re measuring your height.

4. If you want to make something stronger, you can 'build it up'.
· I have built up a strong relationship between myself and my students.
· I have been ill and need to build up my strength.

5. I can't hear very well these days – I'm old. When you speak to me, you need to speaker, to 'speak up'.
· Can you speak up a bit please? There is a lot of background noise.
· It is a big room. You will have to speak up so that those in the back can hear.

6. The place where you lived when you were a child is where you 'grew up'.
· He was born in Scotland but grew up in England.
· Where did you grow up?

7. If something increases fast, it 'shoots up'.
· The price of petrol has shot up recently.
· My English skills shot up after I started studying with Michael. (It shows you have not wasted your time in my class :-)

Now, I'd like you to make 7 sentences using those new phrasal verbs and post it to me.

What is Peace and how it is achieved or maintained?

Define the word "peace" and explain how it could be achieved and maintained in a few paragraphs. Due date: Friday12th Oct

Website of the week (writing fun)

Below is a very interactive website which helps you with your writing in different genres. I hope you like it.

http://www.writingfun.com/writingfun2010.html

After you logged in to the website, you need to click on Enter Here and then you can select the type of text you need more practice on.

Good luck

Phar Lap

Following our today's lesson about Phar Lap, I'd like you to get in to the link below and listen to the video clip about the famous Australian horse and answer the following quesions.

http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/346/


Understanding the video clip
1. Who was Phar Lap?
2. When did Phar Lap race?
3. Phar Lap raced during the Depression — what was the Depression?
4. What happened to Phar Lap?
5. What evidence is there that people loved him?

Reading (Aussie Customs) + homework

Australian Social Customs

This term means the common or usual way Australian behave in their day-to-day life. As a tolerant society with people from many cultures, each person is encouraged to maintain and share their cultural beliefs and practices. At the same time, we respect the right of others to do the same.

How do we greet people?

When meeting someone for the first time, it is usual to shake the person's right hand with your right hand. People who do not know each other generally do not kiss or hug when meeting. When you first meet someone, it is polite not to talk about personal matters. Many Australians look at the eyes of the people they are talking with. They consider this a sign of respect, and an indication that they are listening. Do not stare at the person for a long time.In the workplace and among friends, most Australians tend to be informal and call each other by their first names.

What are the clothing customs?

The types of clothing that people wear reflect the diversity in our society just as much as the variation in climate. There are no laws or rules on clothing, but you must wear certain clothing for work situations. Most workplaces have dress standards. Outside of the work situation, clothing is an individual choice; many people dress for comfort, for the social situation or the weather. Clubs, movie theatres and other places require patrons to be in neat, clean clothes and appropriate footwear.

Many Australians live close to the beach and the sea. On hot days, they may wear little clothing on the beach and surrounds. This does not mean that people who dress to go to the beach or swimming have low moral standards. It means that this is what we accept on and near beaches.People from other countries can choose to wear their national dress. They may be religious or customary items and include monks' robe, a hijab or a turban. As a tolerant society with people from many different cultures, clothing is a part of cultural beliefs and practices that is encouraged.

Homework:
1. Find 5 conjuctions

2. Find 5 noun groups ( adj+noun)

3. Find 5 noun compounds (noun+noun)

4. Find 2 collocations

Website of the week

Gangs,
Here's a fairly good website which in you find interactive exercises such the one below. Following our lesson today about collocations and phrasal verbs, I'd like you to get in to the link below and score yourslef when you have them all done.
Good luck and have a nice weekend.

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/mcclze/collocb.htm

Direct and reported speech

Following our lesson on Monday, first watch the video clip on the right hand side of the blog which is related to direct and reported speech and then rewrite the following sentences to reported speech.

1. Alex said, "I am going to meet a friend."
2. Ken asked, "What are you going to do tonight?"
3. I said, "I've been to Mexico."
4. Steve said, "I want to go to South Africa."
5. Allen said, "I'd like to come visit."

E-mail abbreviations and smileys

Emails are usually shorter and more informal than letters and people sometimes use abbreviations and 'smileys' in them. 'Smileys' (also called 'emoticons') are images which look like faces when you see them from the side. They are made using keyboard symbols and are used to express emotions.

Abbreviations
AFAIK as far as I know
BTW by the way
FYI for your information
HTH hope that helps
IMO in my opinion
IOW in other words
TAFN that's all for now
TIA thanks in advance

Smileys
:-) I'm happy
:-( I'm angry/unhappy
>:-( I'm very angry/unhappy
:-O I'm very surprised/shouting loudly
:-@ I'm screaming
:-* I'm sending you a kiss

Now write an email to me and invite me to your birthday party. Try to use some of those abbreviations and smileys. Use an informal writing.

website of the week

If you would like to improve your grammar here's a very good website to start with.
www.english-grammar-lessons.com
Good luck

A short recount (Our Excursion)

Hello everyone,

I hope that you enjoyed our last excursion to QLD state library and QLD museum. Take a look at the beautiful photos that Lili and Yuki have taken on that day and then write a few short paragraphs about these photos. Your recount should consist of a topic, orientation (who, when, where, how etc), records of events and a coda or reorientation (optional). I'd like you to use at least 5 noun groups (adj+noun), 10 conjunctions and different simple past verbs (regular & irregular) in your recount.

Make sure to check your spelling before posting your comment to me.

Good luck

Michael

Word Order

The main way of describing a noun is to use adjectives or words that are like adjectives. You add these words after a, the, my, her etc, before the noun. You can add as many as you want, but you sometimes need to be careful about the order in which you use them.

You have a choice of three kinds of word.
The largest group consists of adjectives.
a lovely day a small round table the best book

You may also use a ‘participle’ before the noun, the “ing” or “ed” form of a verb,
but here used to describe the noun.

a crumbling table her smiling face a cracked window the stolen car

You may also add one noun before another ‑ the first noun is used to describe the second noun, which is the main noun in the phrase.
the school boy a tourist attraction a Brisbane bus

WHICH ORDER?
As soon as you use two or more describing words, you have to decide which order to put them in.
In many cases, there is no rule: you simply say first what comes into your mind first. But many adjectives, and the other kinds of describing word, are typically used in a particular place before the noun.

You should think of these patterns only as a guide to help you, because there are a number of cases which do not follow the rule. But the following patterns are common:

1. Nouns go next to the main noun in the phrase, after any other adjectives.
Examples: a big London bus (NOT) a London big bus
the long country road (NOT) the country long road

2. Words which are closely related to nouns, such as the material something is made of or where something is from, also go next to the main noun.
For example: big leather boots (NOT) leather big boots
a serious social problem (NOT) a social serious problem

3. Participles usually go in front of groups (1) and (2).
a broken garden chair (NOT) a garden broken chair
a smiling American tourist ( NOT) an American smiling tourist
a happy smiling American tourist (NOT) a smiling happy American tourist

4. Adjectives with an ‘intensifying’ meaning, for example entire, whole, same go near the beginning, close to a, the, my, her etc.
the entire local committee (NOT) the local entire committee
the same old battered car (NOT) the old battered same car

5. Other adjectives follow (4) and go before (3). Those with a more general meaning usually come first, and those which describe properties of the noun which can be clearly seen, such as size and shape, usually come last. There are typical patterns here, too, as the table shows.
those lovely red curtains (NOT) those red lovely curtains
a strange triangular table (NOT) a triangular strange table

your opinion about s’th size age shape colour (where s’th is from) material
lovely big old round black American wool
beautiful little young square red French plastic
horrible small new round brown Japanese leather

WORD ORDER AFTER THE NOUN
Some adverbs of time and frequency usually come immediately after the main verb. These include:
always, almost, just, rarely, nearly, already, ever, never, still
She is always complaining. (NOT) Always she is complaining.
They are still working. (NOT) Still they are working.

Always and never are sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence in instructions and warnings, when the verb does not have a subject.
Always keep medicines away from children.
Never look directly at the sun through a telescope.

Adverbs and adverb phrases should not come between the verb and the object.
I like Japanese food very much. (NOT) I like very much Japanese food.
Adverbs and adverb phrases should not come between a main verb and an ‑ing participle, or between a main verb and an infinitive.
Tomorrow we’ll go sightseeing. (NOT) We’ll go tomorrow sightseeing.
In the evenings she likes to watch television. (NOT) She likes in the evenings to watch television.
Adverbs and adverbial phrases should not come between a modal verb (for example can, must, could) and a main verb.
I can speak Spanish quite well. (NOT) I can quite well speak Spanish

Direct and indirect objects

Four easy steps to find the direct and indirect objects in a sentence.

1 Find the subject of the sentence. Do this by asking yourself "who" is performing the action or "what" the sentence is about. Jimmy baked Rhonda a pizza. Who baked the pizza? Jimmy.

2 Determine if the sentence contains an action, linking or state of being verb.
Action verbs have the subject doing something (run, jump, skip).
Linking verbs "link" the subject to the rest of the sentence (am, is, are).
State of being verbs show a condition (seem, remain, feel).
In our example sentence we have an action verb (baked).

3 Find the direct object by asking yourself "whom" or "what" is receiving the action. What did Jimmy bake? A pizza. Congrats! You've found the direct object. Now let's locate indirect object.

4 Find the word between the action verb and the direct object that answers one of four questions: "to/for whom" or "to/for what." For whom did Jimmy bake a pizza? For Rhonda. It's as simple as that.

There are some more tips that you need to know about direct/indirect objects:

1. If the indirect object comes before the direct object, there is no preposition.
They gave Harold a new car.

2. If the indirect object comes after the direct object, a preposition must be used.
They gave a new car to Harold.

3. If the direct object is a pronoun (it, this ... ), it comes before the indirect object, which is introduced by a preposition.

I bought it for my sister.
Can you send it to him? (Not: I bought my sister it.) Can you send him it?)

4. If the verbs read and write are only followed by the indirect object, a preposition must be used.
Please, read to me. (Not: Please, read me).
But: Read me the letter. Read the letter to me. Because there are two objects in these sentences.
I'll write to you soon.
But: I'll write you a letter. I'll write a letter to you. (two objects)

5. We can use the verbs promise, show, and tell with the indirect object only, but without a preposition.
I can't promise you. (Or: I can't promise it to you.)
Show him. (Or: Show it to him.)
Can you tell me?

Website of the week (taggalexy.de)

This website is really good for your vocabulary as it shows you the images related to the word that you've searched for. Very similar to google images but more fun I think. Have a go.
http://www.taggalaxy.de/
type in the word "indigenous" to see what you get.
good luck

Vocabulary activity

Read the sentences and replace the italic words with a word from the list below
that is frequently used in written English. You may need to change the form of
the word.

vital perception wound abandon resolve symbol tale observe

1 My grandmother and I would spend hours together, and she would tell me some funny stories
about her childhood on the cold and remote farm in the mountains.

2 It is important that more schools are opened in this country for children to be educated.

3 The climbers started their ascent of Everest from the base camp early in the morning, but because of the icy conditions one of the climbers was badly hurt when she slipped on some rocks.

4 She wore a necklace round her neck which had a dove on it. I later found out that this is a sign of peace, which didn’t surprise me, as she was such a special person.

5 The general view is that this area of the coast gets most of its revenue from tourism.

6 The visitors were able to see the stunning décor of the mansion as well as the beautiful surroundings.

7 The problems in this neighbourhood need to be sorted out before things get worse.

8 It’s difficult to understand why some people leave their pet dogs a few months after buying them.

Collective nouns + activity task

Definition: Names a group or unit. Collective nouns may be either common or proper.
Examples: United States, congress, faculty, department, audience, team, crowd, herd, army, airforce, navy, police, people, majority, minority, council, company, jury, family, committee, society, public, school, crew, swarm, shoal, cattle and flock.

Each noun from the list above is a single thing. That thing, however, is made up of more than one person. You cannot have a committee, team, or family of one; you need at least two people who compose the unit.

Collective nouns can be either singular or plural, depending on context. But how do you tell if a collective noun is singular or plural? What verbs and pronouns do you use with the collective noun?

Here is the key: Imagine a flock of pigeons pecking at birdseed on the ground. Suddenly, a cat races out of the bushes. What do the pigeons do? They fly off as a unit in an attempt to escape the predator, wheeling through the sky in the same direction.

People often behave in the same manner, doing one thing in unison with the other members of their group. If these people are part of a collective noun, that noun becomes singular and requires singular verbs and pronouns.

As you read the following examples, notice that all members of the collective noun are doing the same thing at the same time:

1)Every afternoon the baseball team follows its coach out to the hot field for practice.
Team = singular; follows = a singular verb; its = a singular pronoun. All members of the team arrive at the same place at the same time.

2)Today, Dr. Ribley's class takes its first 100-item exam.
Class = singular; takes = a singular verb; its = a singular pronoun. All members of the class are testing at the same time.

3)The jury agrees that the state prosecutors did not provide enough evidence, so its verdict is not guilty.
Jury = singular; agrees = a singular verb; its = a singular pronoun. All members of the jury are thinking the same way.

Now imagine three house cats in the living room. Are the cats doing the same thing at the same time? Not this group! One cat might be sleeping on top of the warm television. Another might be grooming on the sofa. A third animal might be perched on the windowsill, watching the world outside. There is one group of animals, but the members of that group are all doing their own thing.

Members of collective nouns can behave in a similar fashion. If the members are acting as individuals, the collective noun is plural and requires plural verbs and pronouns. As you read these examples, notice that the members of the collective noun are not acting in unison:

1)After the three-hour practice under the brutal sun, the team shower, change into their street clothes, and head to their air-conditioned homes.
Team = plural; shower, change, head = plural verbs; their = a plural pronoun. The teammates are dressing into their individual outfits and leaving in different directions for their individual homes.

2)After the long exam, the class start their research papers on famous mathematicians.
Class = plural; start = a plural verb; their = a plural pronoun. The students are beginning their own research papers—in different places, at different times, on different mathematicians.

3)The jury disagree about the guilt of the accused and have told the judge that they are hopelessly deadlocked.
Jury = plural; disagree, have told = plural verbs; they = a plural pronoun. Not everyone on the jury is thinking the same way.

Whenever you cannot decide if a collective noun is singular or plural, exercise your options as a writer. You have two ways that you can compose the sentence without causing an agreement error:
1) insert the word members after the collective noun [jury members, committee members, board members], or
2) use an entirely different word [players instead of team, students instead of class, soldiers instead of army]. Then you can use plural verbs and pronouns without worrying about making mistakes or sounding unnatural.

Now, I'd like you to compose 6 sentences using 6 collective nouns. Use 3 collective nouns as singular and another 3 as plural.

phrasal verbs (Definition + Come)

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb.
Example:
I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. (run + into = meet)
He ran away when he was 15. (run + away = leave home)

Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object.
Example:
He suddenly showed up. "show up" cannot take an object

Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object.
Example:
I made up the story. "story" is the object of "make up"

Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition. In the Phrasal Verb Dictionary, separable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a * between the verb and the preposition / adverb.
Example:
I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car.
She looked the phone number up.

Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the preposition. In the Phrasal Verb Dictionary, inseparable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a + after the preposition / adverb.

Example:
I ran into an old friend yesterday.
They are looking into the problem.

Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places. In the Phrasal Verb Dictionary, such phrasal verbs are marked with both * and +
Example:
I looked the number up in the phone book.
I looked up the number in the phone book.

WARNING! Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun.

Example:
I looked the number up in the phone book.
I looked up the number in the phone book.
I looked it up in the phone book. correct
I looked up it in the phone book. incorrect

Now have a look at the phrasal verbs that you can make with the verb "come".

1. Sometimes you keep something even though you don't need it at the time but because you think in the future it might 'come in useful'.
• Keep that. It might come in useful one day.
• I don't like learning English but it will come in useful when I get a job.

2. When something is falling, you can say that it is 'coming down'.
• The football match was stopped because the rain was coming down so heavily.
• Don't buy an Ipod yet. The prices will be coming down soon.

3. When a book is published, it 'comes out'.
• The magazine comes out once a month.
• My new book comes out in August.

4.If you 'come on to' a particular topic or idea, you start discussing it.
• Can we come on to the subject of parking?
• Before we come on to that, does anybody have any comments?

5. If you 'come across' something, you find it by accident.
• I came across these old photos when I was cleaning out my cupboard.
• She came across Richard in the middle of Oxford.

6. If a feeling 'comes over you', it affects you, often in an uncharacteristic way.
• I'm sorry for shouting. I don't know what came over me.
• A look of pleasure came over her face.

7. If a problem or situation 'comes up' it happens. (We can also say 'crops up'.)
• A big problem came up at work.
• Something has come up and I can't meet you.

8. If you 'come up with' a plan or idea, you think of it or suggest it.
• Peter came up with a good idea today.
• Can anybody come up with a solution?

9. If somebody 'comes across' as having a particular characteristic, they have given you the impression that they are like this.
• When you first meet Susan, she comes across as a shy person but in fact she is quite self-confident.
• Do you know that you come across as very arrogant?

10. When you are talking about the results of a situation, you can talk about what 'comes of' the situation.
• I'll let you know what comes of the meeting.
• No great harm came from it.

11. If an event or action 'comes off', it is successful or effective.
• I hope this high risk strategy comes off for us.
• I don't think it is going to come off.

12. If an idea 'comes upon' you, it develops without your really being aware of it.
• The idea came upon me when I was out walking the dog.
• I came upon the solution by pure chance.

Writing an accident report

Following our 2 lessons about accident reports, I'd like you to write a simple accident report and post it to me.

Make sure to cover the followings in your report.
1. At least 40 words
2. Use only past or past continuous form of the verb
3. Use at least 5 conjunctions
4. Date, time (am, pm) where and how the accident happend
5. Whether you were injured or not
6. What action did you take after accident happened

Excursion to organic farm

Inversion answer keys

1. Hardly had I begun to apologise when the door closed.
2. Seldom have I heard such a talented singer.
3. Had Michael known that Parisa liked curry, he would have brought her to an Indian restaurant.
4. Rarely did the artist pay attention to his agent's advice.
5. Never had he felt so depressed.
6. In no way can the shop be held responsible for customers' lost property.
7. No sooner had the couple arrived than the priest started the ceremony.
8. Only when he saw his wife's face did Tom realize the meaning of the comment.
9. Never at any time had she said (that) she was allergic to cats.
10. Under no circumstances can the restaurant accept animals.

inversion + activity

Inversion means putting the verb before the subject.
It is sometimes difficult to remember when inversion is used. So I am going to list them under different catagories for you and I hope it makes it easier to remember them.

In normal everyday English, inversion is used :
► to make questions : does he? can you?
► after so, neither, nor : so do I, neither do I, nor do I.

In written English, as well as in a very formal style, inversion is used in the following cases :

1. After negative adverbial expressions :
Under no circumstances can we accept cheques.
In no way can he be held responsible.
At no time did she say she would come.

2. ◊ After adverbial expressions of place :
Round the corner came the postman.
On the doorstep was a bunch of flowers.

3. ◊ After seldom, rarely, never, in comparisons :
Seldom have I seen such a beautiful view.
Rarely did he pay anyone a compliment.
Never had I felt so happy.


4. ◊ After hardly, scarcely, no sooner, when one thing happens after another.
Hardly had I begun to speak when I was interrupted.
Scarcely had we started our meal when the phone rang.
No sooner had I arrived than they all started to argue.

5. ◊ After adverbial expressions beginning with 'only'.
Only after the meeting did I realize the importance of the subject.

6. ◊ After exclamations with here and there.
Here comes the winner!
There goes all our money!

Now, I want you to reformulate the following sentences using inversion.
Example : She at no time said she was vegetarian.
At no time did she say (that) she was vegetarian.

1. I had hardly begun to apologise when the door closed .
2. I have seldom heard such a talented singer.
3. If Michael had known that Parisa liked curry, he would have brought her to an Indian restaurant.
4. The artist rarely paid any attention to his agent's advice.
5. He had never felt so depressed.
6. The shop can in no way be held responsible for customers' lost property.
7. The couple had no sooner arrived than the priest started the ceremony.
8. Tom only understood the meaning of the comment when he saw his wife's face.
9. She never at any time said that she was allergic to cats.
10. The restaurant cannot accept animals under any circumstances.

Good luck!

Idiom of the day

fixed in one's ways

People who are fixed in their ways do not want to change their normal way of doing things.

Example: "My grandparent is very fixed in her ways."

Good evening or good night?

We use 'good evening' as a greeting after six p.m.
Use 'good night' at the end of the evening when you leave someone for the day.
Example Sentences:
Good evening Tom, would you like to have some dinner with me?
Good night. I'll see you at work tomorrow.

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some important differences:
1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.

Examples:
He can speak Chinese.
She should be here by 9:00.
2. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past.

Examples:
He should not be late.
They might not come to the party.

3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past tenses or the future tenses.

Examples:
He will can go with us. Not Correct
She musted study very hard. Not Correct

Common Modal Verbs are:
Can, Could, May, Might, Must, Ought to, Shall, Should, Will and Would

Now, insert a modal verb somewhere appropriate in the following sentences. Remeber you might need to use negative modal verbs in some sentences. The first has been done for you.

1. You run faster if you weren't so lazy. You could run faster if you weren't so lazy.
2. It's too cold. I close the window.
3. He be friendly, but he is usually unfriendly.
4. We watch TV so much.5. You leave the class before 1 o'clock.
6. Stop smoking! You really not smoke.
7. We not climb those mountains when we were kids.
8. I have no time. I leave now. My parents are waiting for me.
9. You failed in your final test. You have studied harder.
10. Sami lift that heavy table. He is too weak.

Lay and Lie

Be careful not to confuse these verbs.

Lay means 'put down carefully' or 'put down flat'. This irregular verb is always followed by an object. Laying is the present participle. Laid is the past simple and the past participle.
Example:
She laid the papers on the desk.

Lie means 'be in a horizontal position' or 'be in a particular place'. This verb is irregular and is never followed by an object. Lying is the present participle. Lay is the past simple and lain is the past participle.

The papers were lying on the desk.
(NOT)The papers were laying on the desk.
I lay down and went to sleep.
(NOT) I laid down and went to sleep.

The regular verb lie means 'not say the truth'.
He lied to me about his age.

Please post me 3 example sentences for each verb.

Subject Questions

Subject questions are the one that we ask to find out about the subject. When what, which, who or whose refers to the subject, the question word comes before the verb without the use of the auxiliary verbs (do, does, did).
For example:-
If the answer is
"The train to London was late."
the question would be
"Which train was late?
"If the answer is "I won the race."
the question would be "Who won the race?"

Now you post me 2 subject questions?

Direct to reported speech activity

Following our lesson on Wednesday, first watch the video clip on the right hand side the blog about direct and reported speech and then rewrite the following sentences to reported speech.

1. Alex said, "I am going to meet a friend."
2. Ken asked, "What are you going to do tonight?"
3. I said, "I've been to Mexico."
4. Steve said, "I want to go to South Africa."
5. Allen said, "I'd like to come visit."

" the" instead of "enough"

'the' can be used alone to mean 'enough' placed before a noun.
Example Sentences:
1. Does he have the patience to do the job? = Does he have enough patience to do the job?
2. She doesn't have the money to buy that house. = She doesn't have enough money to buy that house.

Post me two example sentences of your own.

Active to passive voice exercise

Change the following passive voice sentences into the active voice. Should you need any help, take a look at the previous lesson about passive and active voices.
Good luck

1. The instructions have been changed.
2. She will have to be taught.
3. This car was manufactured in Japan by Toyota.
4. Why aren't the exercises being finished on time?
5. Last year 2,000 new units had been produced by the time we introduced the new design.
6. Casual clothes must not be worn.
7. $400,000 in profit has been reported this year.
8. The test will be given at five o'clock this afternoon.
9. Students are required to wear uniforms at all times.
10. This rumour must have been started by our competitors.

Passive voice + activities

Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.)

Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

1. the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
2. the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence

Present Simple
Subject Verb Object
Active: Rita writes a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by Rita.

Simple Past
Active: Rita wrote a letter.
Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Present Perfect
Active: Rita has written a letter.
Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.

Future
Active: Rita will write a letter.
Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Activity:
Now rewrite the following sentences in passive voice.

1. John collects money.
2. Anna opened the window.
3. We have done our homework.
4. I will ask a question.
5. He can cut out the picture.
6. The sheep ate a lot.
7. We do not clean our rooms.
8. William will not repair the car.
9. Did Sue draw this circle?
10. Could you feed the dog?

Passive and continuous

The passive voice is rarely if ever used with present or past perfect continuous forms.

These two sentences are incorrect. Rewrite them in an active form.

1. That bridge has been being worked on for two weeks.
2. That paper had been being studied for two hours before he arrived.

Reading task and homework

Australian Social Customs

This term means the common or usual way Australian behave in their day-to-day life. As a tolerant society with people from many cultures, each person is encouraged to maintain and share their cultural beliefs and practices. At the same time, we respect the right of others to do the same.

How do we greet people?
When meeting someone for the first time, it is usual to shake the person's right hand with your right hand. People who do not know each other generally do not kiss or hug when meeting. When you first meet someone, it is polite not to talk about personal matters.

Many Australians look at the eyes of the people they are talking with. They consider this a sign of respect, and an indication that they are listening. Do not stare at the person for a long time.
In the workplace and among friends, most Australians tend to be informal and call each other by their first names.

What are the clothing customs?
The types of clothing that people wear reflect the diversity in our society just as much as the variation in climate. There are no laws or rules on clothing, but you must wear certain clothing for work situations. Most workplaces have dress standards.

Outside of the work situation, clothing is an individual choice; many people dress for comfort, for the social situation or the weather. Clubs, movie theatres and other places require patrons to be in neat, clean clothes and appropriate footwear.

Many Australians live close to the beach and the sea. On hot days, they may wear little clothing on the beach and surrounds. This does not mean that people who dress to go to the beach or swimming have low moral standards. It means that this is what we accept on and near beaches.
People from other countries can choose to wear their national dress. They may be religious or customary items and include monks' robe, a hijab or a turban. As a tolerant society with people from many different cultures, clothing is a part of cultural beliefs and practices that is encouraged.

Homework:

1. Find 5 conjuctions
2. Find 5 noun groups
3. Find 5 noun compounds
4. Find 2 gerunds.

How to use "arrive"

We use either 'arrive in' with cities, or 'arrive at' with places. We never use 'arrive to'.

Example Sentences:

He arrived in Tokyo after a 12 hour flight.
Tom arrived at work just in time for the presentation.

Now post me your own example sentences.

Have a nice day

Michael

Conditional Clauses

First, follow the insturctions below to get back to Conditional clauses section. After reading the different types of conditional clauses, make your own new example for each type. So I must post me 4 different sentences, Zeor, first, second and third conditional sentences.

1. Click on "2009" down the page
2. Click on "June"
3. Click on "Conditional Clauses"
4. After reading click on "Comments" to post your own examples.

To be able to post me a comment you must sign in first.
Good luck

Weekend recount

Gangs,
I would like you to write a recount about your last weekend and remember that you must write 150 words, 5 noun groups, 10 past tense verbs, independent and dependent clauses using conjunctions and time markers.

Have a go!

Spelling differences

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.

Example Sentences

American: This painting uses many colors. British: This painting uses many colours.
American: He has a good sense of humor. British: He has a good sense of humour.

If you know more words which are spelt differently please add them up.

Arrival Story

My Arrival Story

My name is Rana and I came to Australia last year. I arrived in Brisbane on 19 May 2009. I travelled with Emirates from Iran with my husband and two children but I couldn’t sleep on the plane so I read for a while and then watched a few movies.

I arrived at Brisbane airport at 7:30 in the morning. My husband’s cousin and her family were there to meet us. When I saw her cousin, I felt very happy because I hadn’t seen her for a long time so we both embraced each other and we were so excited.

She took us to her house in Wakerley and we talked about Iran and my family. That night I was very excited to be in a new country but I also felt a bit sad because I missed my friends back home.

The next day she took me around the city. I walked along the beautiful South Bank riverside and the parklands. I liked the city because it was clean and it wasn’t crowded.

I was certain that I would have a good future in Australia because there are many opportunities here for me, however, I need to improve my English first.

Please answer the questions below:
1. What is the topic?
2. How many conjunctions have been used?
3. How many noun groups can you find?
4. How many noun compound are there?
5. Find an independent clause and one dependent clause.

Demonstrative Pronouns

this, that, these, those refer to things. 'this' and 'these' refer to something that is near.
'that' and 'those' refer to things that are farther away.

This is my house.
That is our car over there.
These are my colleagues in this room.
Those are beautiful flowers in the next field.

Do you remember the other types of pronouns that I taught you before? Name them please.

Re: A View of 21st Century Learners

Dependent Clauses

A dependent clause is not a complete sentence.
It must be used together with an independent clause to make sense.
Example Sentences:
Liudmila enjoyed the museum which we visited last week.
She made a hat which won a prize.

Please post me your own example now.

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun is a part of speech that substitutes for a possessive adjective and a noun.
There are seven possessive pronouns in modern English: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs.
This book is mine means this is my book.

Now you have a go to make some more examples.

3 meanings of "I'm stuffed"

Meaning 1
“I’m tired”
Example:
“How was work, (are) you tired?”“Yeah I’m stuffed”

Meaning 2
“I’m in trouble “(prediction of trouble, problems)
Example:
“Did you study for the test today?”“No! I forgot all about it! Oh man, I’m stuffed!”

Meaning 3
“I’m full”, (can’t eat anymore food)
Example:
“(Do) you want anymore dinner?”“No thanks, I’m stuffed”

Tip of the day (subject and object pronouns)

Pronouns come in to keep nouns from getting repetitive or when nouns are not clearly known.

Subject and object pronouns are used in everyday language. The subject always takes action. The object is part of the activity, but it does not do any acting.

Here is an example:
Mila likes talking to Normie. Mila is the subject; she is liking and talking. Normie is the object; all the liking and talking is done to Normie but not by Normie.

Subject pronouns include:
I, you, he, she, it, they, we.

Object pronouns include:
me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

See the following examples:
Subject
I might see you later.
You have to come now.
She lives in Nebraska.
He makes me angryIt just might work.
They caught the last train.

Object:
Sarah hit me on the arm.
I need to tell you something.
Larry took him aside.

Now, you post me some sentences using subject and object pronouns.

Tip of the day (Mustn't compare to don't have to)

While mustn't expresses prohibition, Don't have to expresses something that is not required.

Example Sentences Children mustn't play with fire.
I don't have to work next Saturday.

Now, bring your own examples of each and post it to me.

Our Excursion to QLD Art Gallery

Verbs followed by -ing-

1. admit: I admitted stealing the money.
2. advise: She advised leaving the child alone.
3. anticipate: We anticipate sending the money tomorrow.
4. appreciate: They appreciated receiving the gift.
5. avoid: I avoid eating Sushi.

Now, make new examples with those verbs and post them to me.
Regards
Michael

Nouns in English

Dear all,
I'd like you to read the text below first and then post me an example of each different kind of nouns.

What is a noun?
Noun is a word to define a person, animal or living object, place, thing or quality.
There are many different kinds of nouns in English.
1. Common Nouns - general nouns such as cat, bowl, hand, tree clock etc.
2. Countable Nouns - nouns that can be counted, such as car-cars, child-children etc.
3. Uncountable Nouns - nouns that can't be counted, such as water, fire, air etc.
4. Collective Nouns - nouns that refer to a group of things or people such as family, police, worker's union etc.
5. Proper Nouns - nouns that refer to a specific name of a person, corporation, company, product, such as IBM, Microsoft, Mr. David Green, Dr. Mary Jones.
6. Concrete Nouns - a noun that is a physical object, something that can be touched, seen, such as an animal, window, table, computer etc.
7. Abstract Nouns - is a noun is not a physical object, it can't be touched physically. They are ideas and feelings such as intelligence, love, hate, bravery etc.