Man From the South

Literary terms:

Atmosphere: physical setting for a story

Question: What atmosphere is present in the story? How is it described?

Characterisation: actions, personalities, and motivations of the characters that are revealed through their physical descriptions, speech, and observations of the writer or other characters
Question: What is your impression of the main characters of the story: the old man and the American cadet? What details helped you imagine these characters and understand their personalities and motivations?

Dialogue: conversation between characters which helps to create realistic setting and add to characterisation
Question: What role does dialogue play in this story? Do you think the story would be more interesting or less interesting without the dialogue of the main characters?

Local colour: the use of specific details such as dialect, accent, dress, or scenery
Question: What details of local colour did you find in the story? Are they important for your understanding of the characters?

Surprise ending: unexpected ending

Question: What ending did you expect to find in the story? Did your impression of the old man change in the end? In what way?

Discussion questions:

1. What do you think the author wanted to share in this story?

2. In what part of the story did you begin to feel that the bet was going too far?

3. What do you think about betting and people who like to bet? Have you or anyone you know ever been in a difficult situation because of a bet?

Writing task: Write a four-paragraph narrative essay (introduction, two body paragraphs, and conclusion) on one of the following topics:

Topic 1: Retell the story “Man from the South” from the point of view of one of the characters. Do not use dialogue.

Topic 2: Write about an unusual personal experience.  

Of Mice and Men: Chapter Three

1.What is George thanking Slim for in the beginning of this chapter?

2.When did George stop making fun of, and playing jokes on, Lennie?

3.What additional details does George provide about what happened in Weed? What does he say about Lennie’s involvement?

4.What does Slim find unusual about unusual about George and Lennie’s relationship? Which other characters have had similar reactions? Why do they feel they way they do?

5.Discuss with your group why YOU think George travels with Lennie.

6.How does Carlson explain to Candy how he will shoot his dog? What is Candy’s reaction to Carlson’s plan? How does he finally react after Carlson completes his task?

7.What additional details does George provide about his and Lennie’s plans for their own place?

8.What offer does Candy make to George and Lennie?

9.What does he think will happen to him if he stays on the boss’s farm? Do you agree?

10.Why does Curley come after Lennie? Hoe does Lennie respond at first?

11.What does George tell him to do, and what is the result?

12.When Curley picks a fight with Lennie, what does Lennie eventually do to Curley that essentially stops the fight?

13.What story does Slim feed to Curley about what happened to his hand?

14.Why does Curley accept these terms? 

Mixed Conditionals

Work through all of the mixed conditionals exercises via the links below. You must copy and paste ALL of the tasks into a Word document!

Mixed Conditionals 1

Mixed Conditionals 2

Mixed Conditionals 3

Mixed Conditionals 4

Mixed Conditionals 5

Mixed Conditionals 6

Blog Writing

•You are volunteering for a local organisation that is trying to clean up local forests and to protect the animals within them.

•Write a blog post to reflect on your experiences so far…

Writing a blog...

Make sure you have an engaging title.

How to start?

·         For many people,…

·         I’ve been waiting to write this for some time…

·         So, if you haven’t heard about the recent controversy of …

·         So, I recently went to …

·         I know I’ve posted about … before, but …

·         From … to …, our … have

·         There’s a story currently…

·         Nowadays, I find myself …

·         So, this post is going to …

Expressions/ Idiomatic vocabulary

·         Well, it goes without saying that …

·         If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …

·         Shame it doesn’t work like that.

·         It goes hand in hand with …

·         Rhetorical questions and answers: Who knows? I don´t. …, right? But when did … become …?

·         Yes/No, …

·         A distraction that I, for one, can’t wait to get rid of.

·         How dare he/ she/ they!

·         I have never eye-rolled this much…

·         Let’s face it …

·         Boo them!/ Cheer them!

·         Needless to say …

·         Anyway, each to their own.

·         To become a dartboard - to become a target

·         To go through the roof - to increase

Introducing yourself in the text/ expressing opinions

·         As a teenager

·         As a black woman…

·         How much I care…

·         But that’s just me.

·         I never thought I’d find myself saying this but …

·         I must say that I agree/disagree with …

·         If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …

·         What I do know is …

·         Aghh, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound like …

·         So, I’m here to …

·         As much as I think that …, I also think that …

·         I love…

·         I reckon… (informal for I think)

·         I guess there is/are …

·         I was pretty freaking amazed…

·         Oddly, while…

·         Aside from the fact that I’m …, I also think …

·         Shock horror, I’m not into …

Speaking directly to your reader

·         Ha! Don’t be ridiculous!

·         Don’t try and kid yourself!

·         Don’t be silly enough to…

·         Get off your high horse!

·         Get off your soap box!

·         Make a difference!

·         By the way, …

How to end?

·         If you want to share/ offer your opinion and join in with this conversation, please leave a comment below.

·         I’d love to know your thoughts so leave a comment below!

·         If you agree with me, please share my post.

EXTRA: Idioms are an excellent way to show off in informal writing. Try to learn some of the ones below and use them in your blog.

CAE Idioms

More Idioms

Writing Task: FORMAL LETTER

Dear Sir/Madam (In case you don’t know the name → Yours Faithfully)

Dear Mr X (→Yours Sincerely)

Reason for writing (Who I am (not the name!), What I want, When and Where it happened)

I am writing with regard/reference to (the article which appeared when/where) to express my concern about/disappointment with/dissatisfation with/disapproval of/apologies for (motivation)

Body (2/3 paragraphs – Points from input material)

• Firstly/To begin with/Moreover
• In fact/Furthermore/In addition/Finally
• (I feel) I must also (dis)agree with
• I would like to/ I want to  point out that
• According to your (article)/ Your (article) states that.. However/which is completely wrong

Action Step/Desired outcome

• I trust/very much hope you will (print this letter in the next issue of your newspaper)
• I would appreciate it/be grateful if you would
• It seems only fair that you should
• I look forward to receiving/seeing
• In light of the above (I feel I am entitled to a full refund and a formal apology)

Ending

Yours faithfully/Yours Sincerely

Firma

(Ruolo/Carica)

Linking Words:

	Formal	Less formal
Addition	furthermore, in addition to, in the same way as, moreover, similarly	also, and, as well as, besides, just as
Opposition	although, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, whereas	but, or, so, on the other hand
Reference	in all cases, in general, in many cases, in most cases, in some cases, regarding, with reference to	since, so
Cause and effect (result)	accordingly, consequently, on the whole, therefore, thus, unfortunately	anyway, at any rate, because, because of
Listing	firstly, finally, in the first place, secondly, lastly, next	after, and, and then, before, first, last, second, soon, then

Debating Vocabulary

Verbs:

To improve / worsen

To encourage / prevent

To support / object to

To develop

To provide (with)

To implement

To solve

To allow / permit / let

Scenarios

Imagine a society where…

Wouldn’t you prefer …?

BE CONVINCING

Without a shadow of a doubt, …

It is absolutely vital that / crucial that …

There is no question that

TECHNIQUES TO INVOLVE THE LISTENERS / AUDIENCE

We all know that… (get the listeners on your side)

Think about it: … (use imperatives to attract the audience’s attention)

I’m sure that everyone in the room would agree / recognize / accept … (encourage your listener to agree)

Let’s face it, … (making something seem like a self-evident truth)

Imagine a school where … Does this sound ……….? (scenario)

Would you really ………? (rhetorical question – add detail)

What next? Would you accept …(use exaggeration)

CONNECTIVES

·Although / Even though / Though

·Despite / In spite of

·Therefore / As a result of this / Consequently

·On the other hand / However / Yet / Conversely

·Otherwise / If not

·This may  lead to / This could cause

·Without

·If

·As

·Whereas

·While

·Therefore

·Due to this

·First of all / Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly / Furthermore / Moreover / In addition to this

·In conclusion / In summary / To sum up, …

·…for two main reasons: Firstly…., Secondly, …

·Unfortunately / Undoubtedly / Currently / Unsurprisingly

Responding to the opposition

After listening to your points, I must point out that …

While it’s true that ……, you must admit that …

I would like to point out one major flaw in your argument: …

Although I accept that …., as you have said, I find …. absolutely preposterous!

Don’t you think that it’s a little naïve to assume that … ?

You claim that … But it’s completely realistic to suggest that…

Rhetorical questions (Add detail and develop the question)

Do you honestly want to implement a system which ….?

Lists of 3:

Adjectives (It is expensive, inefficient and unreliable)

Nouns (It would negatively affect students, parents and teachers.)

Verbs (to improve, renovate and develop …)

Points (It would lead to an increase in the profits of the company, a positive impression of the business and a number of new customers)

Knock down the other side of the argument

While it’s true that …,

Although many people may agree that…

Yes, …. Yes, … and yes, … However, have you seriously considered ….?

Reading Comprehension Practice

In preparation for the exam tomorrow, work through the reading comprehension exercises via the following link:

B2 Reading Practice

Criterion A: Comprehending Spoken and Visual Texts

Watch the following TEDTalk about artificial intelligence:

Grady Booch:Don't fear superintelligent AI



You should create 3-4 questions that are inspired by some of the key words/sentence openers etc. from EACH of the three categories (and ten questions in total). Read through all of the questions and key words first and look up any words whose definition you are unsure of:

i) Evaluating and drawing conclusions 
Begin questions using words such as: define; give examples; compare and contrast; argue; give reasons for; judge; justify; criticize; consider; conclude; critique; summarize; appraise; suggest; decide; evaluate.

ii) Author's / Speaker's choice of style, format and ideas
What are the ideas, messages and attitudes presented by the creator/speaker? What is the creator/speaker trying to tell us? How has he or she expressed this meaning/opinion/concept?
What is the tone of the text (formal, sarcastic, ironic, aggressive, familiar, charming, rude, enthusiastic)?
What does the tone of the text tell us about the meaning and the creator’s/speaker’s attitude towards ...?
[List of words, images or an extract from the text]. Why has the creator/author/speaker used these words/images?
Who is the audience? What has the creator/author done to get the interest of the viewer?
Why has the creator/author chosen these words/images/this layout and presentation?
How does the creator/author of this presentation create mood through the visuals that contradict the spoken message?

iii) Opinions / Personal responses
How has this webcast/website/advertisement/presentation/cartoon/story/documentary/short film/music video influenced your ideas or feelings about ...? 
What did you think of the ...? 
Have you ever felt like ...? 
What was your reaction to ...? 
What/how did you feel when …? 
Do you believe …? 
Do you agree with the creator/author? 
“The speaker shows bias when he refers to one of the nationalities.” Explain, providing specific examples. 
“This is an effective advertisement.” Support or oppose this statement, referring to the efficacy or lack of efficacy of propaganda techniques used. 
How does the second speaker express disagreement without doing so directly? 
What effect do you think the creator/author was aiming for by using a mix of formal language and slang in the final dialogue? Support your answer with examples.

Adjective Order

Work through the following exercises to consolidate your understanding of adjective order:

Adjective Order 1

Adjective Order 2

Adjective Order 3

Adjective Order 4

Preparing for the listening exam...

All Four Poems...

Quickdraw

I wear the two, the mobile and the landline phones,
like guns, slung from the pockets on my hips. I’m all
alone. You ring, quickdraw, your voice a pellet
in my ear, and hear me groan.


You’ve wounded me.
Next time, you speak after the tone. I twirl the phone,
then squeeze the trigger of my tongue, wide of the mark.
You choose your spot, then blast me

through the heart.
And this is love, high noon, calamity, hard liqour
in the old Last Chance saloon. I show the mobile
to the sheriff; in my boot, another one’s

concealed. You text them both at once. I reel.
Down on my knees, I fumble for the phone,
read the silver bullets of your kiss. Take this …
and this … and this … and this … and this …

The Manhunt – Simon Armitage

After the first phase,
after passionate nights and intimate days,
only then would he let me trace
the frozen river which ran through his face,
only then would he let me explore
the blown hinge of his lower jaw,
and handle and hold
the damaged, porcelain collar-bone,
and mind and attend
the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade,
and finger and thumb
the parachute silk of his punctured lung.
Only then could I bind the struts
and climb the rungs of his broken ribs,
and feel the hurt
of his grazed heart.
Skirting along,
only then could I picture the scan,
the foetus of metal beneath his chest
where the bullet had finally come to rest.
Then I widened the search,
traced the scarring back to its source
to a sweating, unexploded mine
buried deep in his mind, around which
every nerve in his body had tightened and closed.
Then, and only then, did I come close.

The River God

I may be smelly, and I may be old,
Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools,
But where my fish float by I bless their swimming
And I like the people to bathe in me, especially women.
But I can drown the fools
Who bathe too close to the weir, contrary to rules.
And they take their time drowning
As I throw them up now and then in a spirit of clowning.
Hi yih, yippity-yap, merrily I flow,
O I may be an old foul river but I have plenty of go.
Once there was a lady who was too bold
She bathed in me by the tall black cliff where the water runs cold,
So I brought her down here
To be my beautiful dear.
Oh will she stay with me will she stay
This beautiful lady, or will she go away?
She lies in my beautiful deep river bed with many a weed
To hold her, and many a waving reed.
Oh who would guess what a beautiful white face lies there
Waiting for me to smooth and wash away the fear
She looks at me with. Hi yih, do not let her
Go. There is no one on earth who does not forget her
Now. They say I am a foolish old smelly river
But they do not know of my wide original bed
Where the lady waits, with her golden sleepy head.
If she wishes to go I will not forgive her.

Out of the Blue

You have picked me out.
Through a distant shot of a building burning
you have noticed now
that a white cotton shirt is twirling, turning.

In fact I am waving, waving.
Small in the clouds, but waving, waving.
Does anyone see
a soul worth saving?

So when will you come?
Do you think you are watching, watching
a man shaking crumbs
or pegging out washing?

I am trying and trying.
The heat behind me is bullying, driving,
but the white of surrender is not yet flying.
I am not at the point of leaving, diving.

A bird goes by.
The depth is appalling. Appalling
that others like me
should be wind-milling, wheeling, spiralling, falling.

Are your eyes believing,
believing
that here in the gills
I am still breathing.

But tiring, tiring.
Sirens below are wailing, firing.
My arm is numb and my nerves are sagging.
Do you see me, my love. I am failing, flagging.