Answers to Vocabulary and Functional Language 4

1. 1. f  2. c  3. d  4. a  5. b  6. e

2. 1. a box of  2. a packet of  3. a pair of  4. a roll of

3. 1. toner cartridge  2. paper  3. stapler  4. highlighter  5. hole punch

4. 1. red  2. orange  3. blue  4. pink  5. white  6. yellow  7. purple  8. green  9. brown  10. grey  11. black

5. 1. green  2. orange  3. purple  4. grey  5. pink  6. brown

6. 1. running low on  2. price  3. delivery  4. quality  5. run out of  6. give a reduction  7. payments

7. 1. invoice  2. price per unit  3. quantity  4. subtotal  5. discount  6. delivery date  7. payment date

8. 1. June  2. Friday  3. February  4. April, May  5. Tuesday, Wednesday  6. November, December  7. September  8. Sunday, Monday

9. 1. Thursday  2. March  3. January  4. Sunday  5. Tuesday  6. October

Say it! 1. b  2. a  3. b  4. a

Cover Letter Exercise (25th November)

Write a letter of application in reply to the following job advertisement. 

ADECCO

FINANCIAL PLANNER OPPORTUNITY

An opportunity to get first-hand experience in the field of finance. Adecco has been asked by Burlington Associates to recruit a number of candidates for short-term contracts of up to six months. 

The contract includes a paid one-week intensive training programme. These post will probably suit recent graduates from Finance degrees/programmes who possess energy, enthusiasm, and good communication skills. 

Write to: Ciaran Biggs, ADECCO, 102-106 Brewer Street, London SW1 

Tips to help you: 

- Burlington Associates is among the TOP Financial Advising companies in the UK.

- The job includes: 

• financial research
• explaining to clients the details of financial assistance available
• selling financial products
• in-depth reviews of clients' financial circumstances
• assisting clients to make informed decisions
• completing risk analyses
• etc. 

''A financial planner provides specialist advice to clients on managing their money in the most profitable and secure way. Clients can be commercial enterprises, institutional groups/societies or private individuals.''

More exercises to practice Indirect Questions

Those of you who have some trouble or just need to get some extra practice, these are some exercises on Indirect Questions.  

Click on the category and have a try at these self-correcting exercises.

- Indirect Questions (Present Simple)

- Indirect Questions (Past Simple)

Homework AyF 21 November - Indirect Questions

Use the following information to create polite questions. Remember to pay attention to word order! 

A. Asking for directions. Change each question to polite question. Use can you tell me where...? / Do you know where...?

1. Where is the conference room?         Do you know where the conference room is?
2. Where are the toilets?
3. Where is the meeting? 

B. Asking for general information. Change each question to an polite question.

1. What time is it?                                 Could you tell me _____?
2. Where have you been?                     Can you tell me _____?
3. Will it rain tomorrow?                        Do you know _____?
4. Can he speak Russian?                    Do you know _____?
5. When does the bank close?             Would you mind telling me _____?

C. Change the following polite questions to direct questions.

1. Can you tell me if you paid for dinner?
2. Would you mind telling me why you did that?
3. Can you tell me if she is married?
4. Could you tell me who you were talking to?
5. Do you know how long he has had that computer?

Enjoy your weekend!

Homework GAD 21 November

How many items in the picture can you name?Have a nice weekend!

Homework GAD 14th November

Look at the picture below and complete the sentences using prepositions of place. 

0. Example: There is a lamp near the window.

1. There is a desk          the window, too.

2. There is a lamp         the desk.

3. There is a chair         the desk.

4. There is a lamp            the desk.

5. There is a paper bin          the desk.

6. There is an empty box         the paper bin.

7. There is a phone         the desk.

8. There is a filing cabinet        the desk.

9. There is a large wall map          the window.

10. The desk is         the window and the wall map.

above, behind, between, in, in front of, near, next to, on, opposite, under

Have a nice weekend!

And the word of the year is...

Binge-watch has been selected by Collins English Dictionary as the word of the year for 2015. 

Want to know what it means? CLICK HERE to read an article about it and find some other words that have grown in popularity during this last year.

Oh, there's also a wonderful video of Lord Michael Dobbs and his brilliant British pronunciation to go with it... so at least have a look at that.

Homework GAD 7th November.

A little reminder of what I already asked you to do during the weekend last lesson:

Your homework this weekend is to prepare the role-play that puts an end to Unit 2. On Tuesday, we will spend the lesson acting them out. Remember, we will only devote ONE lesson to the role-plays and the corresponding corrections, so make sure you prepare them. 

On page 11 in your book, look at the Your Turn section. In pairs, you will act as a receptionist and a visitor. There are 6 different situations. So, student A will be the receptionist during the first 3 (1-3) situations and then the visitor for the others (4-6).

Student A: Receptionist 1, 2, 3. Visitor 4, 5, 6. 

Student B: Visitor 1, 2, 3. Receptionist 4, 5, 6. 

So, the first part of the role-play will be student B (visitor) asking student A (receptionist).

Part 1 of the role-play:

Visitor/Student B= Wants to have lunch in the cafeteria, has got a meeting with a technician in the lab and has got a meeting with the accountant. 

Receptionist/Student A= Must give Visitor/Student B directions. 

Look at exercise 2 on page 10 to help you. 

Example: 

A: Good morning, how can I help you?
B: Hello, I would like to have lunch in the cafeteria, where is it?
A: The cafeteria is ......
B: Ok, thank you. Also, I have a meeting with the technician in the lab, where can I find it?
A: The lab is.....
B: Thanks! Finally, I have a meeting with the accountant, too. Where should I go?
A: You should go to....
B: Thank you so much, you have been really helpful.
A: You're welcome.

This has been an example of Part 1 of the role-play. Now, you should do your own version and also Part 2. 

All of the information you need is on page 11. Remember that the aim of this exercise is to check that you know how to use and give directions in a building!

Tip: go to page 110, you have some useful vocabulary there. 

Have a nice weekend!

Homework AYF 6th November

Look at these examples of how to ask for information politely. 

You don't know the caller's name. (give)

Could you give me your name, please?

You aren't sure of the name of the caller's company. (repeat)

Would you repeat the name of your company, please?

You want to know where the caller is ringing from. (tell)

Can you tell me where you're ringing from, please?

Could and would are more formal than can. 

Now make questions using could, would and can in a similar way.

1. You aren't sure who the caller wants to speak to. (tell)

2. You want to know the caller's telephone number. (give)

3. You don't know the spelling of the caller's name. (spell)

4. You didn't hear the caller's address clearly. (repeat)

5. You don't know when the caller will be in the office tomorrow. (tell)

6. You aren't sure about your order's delivery date. (confirm)

Enjoy your weekend!

First Speaking Session

CARD 1
1. Are you a good dancer?
2. Are you a vegetarian?
3. Are you the oldest among your brothers and sisters?
4. At what times do you usually eat your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)?
5. Can you play any musical instruments?
6. Can you ride a motorcycle?
7. Could you live in another country for the rest of your life?
8. Do you always eat dinner with your family?
9. Do you cook? If yes, what is food that you cook the most?
10. Do you do exercise?
11. Do you drive a car often?
12. Do you eat bread every day?
13. Do you eat breakfast every day?
14. Do you eat fruit every day?
15. Do you have a car?
16. Do you have any pets? If not, would you like to have a pet?
17. Do you have difficulty with school work?
18. Do you like British food?
19. Do you like food from other countries? If yes, which do you like the most?

Useful resources for GENERAL ENGLISH

Some of you might have already noticed, but there is a new section at your right. Between 'Archivo del Blog' and 'Top 3 entries' you can access the English Department blogs. 

Why is this important? Well, María and Miss Hernando have taken the time to create a selection of the best webs for you to practice different aspects of the English language. Need help with passives? Many or much? For and since? Vocabulary? You name it! They have got it all!

Dive into their blogs and find the á la carte help you need. 

María's Blog: General English tab.

Miss Hernando's Blog: Grammar label

Homework AyF 31st October.

Click on the image to make it larger

Politeness is treating people with respect. Respect makes people feel good. People who feel good will do things for you.

It is safe to say that politeness should be present in all of our basic daily interactions, isn't it?  AyF students, you should pay special attention to this skill. Politeness is something that can be trained, practiced and easily put into action. Those of you who will be making business in a not-so-distant future need to learn how to get people to do things for you. 

That's what business is about, isn't it?

Try and solve the following exercise:  In each case you need to ask someone to do something for you. What do you say? The first one has already been done for you. 

Keep in mind that we don't use the same degree of formality with everyone: you won't speak to a friend the same way you would do to your boss. 

1. You have lost your calculator. Ask a colleague to lend you his.

- Could you lend me your calculator, please? I've lost mine. 

2. You want your secretary to type a letter for you. Her name is Morgan. 

3. You want somebody in your department to finish writing a report for you by Friday. 

4. You can't meet John McClane tomorrow because you've suddenly got to go to Paris on business. Ask a colleague to meet John McClane instead. 

5. You want your friend to get you a coffee. His name is Kevin. 

6. You can't attend the meeting tomorrow because you have a doctor's appointment. Ask your boss to postpone the meeting.

Politeness strategies are something to be learnt, do the exercise the best you can and we will go over it and other politeness-related issues on Tuesday.  

Enjoy your weekend!

Homework GAD 31st October. ANSWERS

Here is what you need to do to practice what we have done in the last lessons. All of the exercises will be marked on Tuesday. 

Look at the map below and answer the following questions (click on the image to make it bigger).

                                                                                                ↑You are here
                                                                  
Exercise 1. Choose the correct name of the building.

1.Take the first street on the left. Take the next street on the right. Go straight on and cross the road. It's on the left.

2. Take the first street on the left. Go down the street. Turn on the right. Take the next street on the right. Go straight on and cross the road. Go straight on. It's in front of you on the other side of the road.

3. Take the first street on the left. Take the next street on the right. Take the next street on the right. Pass the Fire Department. It's on your left.

Exercise 2. Fill in the missing preposition.  

Use: opposite - on the corner - behind - between - next to

1. The Women's wear is            the Jewelry Store.

2. The Movie Theater is         the Book Store.

3. The Women's wear is         the Jewelry Store and the Sporting Goods.

4. The Toy store is             of Main Street and Forest Street.

5. The Jewelry Store is          the Italian Restaurant. 

Enjoy your long weekend!

Answers. Ex 1.1: Furniture; 2: Italian Restaurant; 3:Police Station
Ex 2.  1: next to; 2: opposite; 3: between; 4: on the corner; 5: behind.

Congrats AyF students!!

So, here's a post to say well done to everyone today. You all did a great job, your startups were creative, totally realistic and AWESOME.

Aaand something really important: everybody was able to talk with an audience and explain what their businesses were about. Once again, congratulations!!

Here's a picture to wish you a happy Halloween, too:

Recognize any of your own?

Click on the image to make it bigger