Euro dips 5% – graphs and trends

by David Sweetnam on October 8, 2011

Here is a reference sheet which presents verbs to use for describing graphs and trends.

This week I had two lessons where we looked at graphs and trends. In one case we looked at words to use for presenting company sales figures, whereas in another class we looked at some of the language you need to know to be able to do Writing Task 1 of the IELTS exam.

Please note that I added a few words by looking at today’s Financial Times.

Also check you know the answers to these questions:

  • are there any differences in meaning among verbs in the same boxes?
  • which verbs have a noun form?
  • which verbs are irregular?

Get it here:


Or here-> Euro dips

Also check out:

Sales hit one million – graphs and trends

So, how was the flight? – small talk

by David Sweetnam on October 5, 2011

To kick off today, some site news about Get Into English:

Image: sa-ku-ra (licence CC by 2.0)

While I continue to post articles and worksheets on learning English, I’m also looking for a professional designer to help improve the look of this blog and to make it a better reading experience. I’ll be asking around for feedback from friends and students, and please feel free to add your views on how Get Into English can improve below.

In addition, I’m planning a client-only zone, which I think will be great for students and clients who wish to learn English in Prague with me. More on this later on!

So you may see some changes in the coming weeks and months, but overall I’m sure it will help make this blog a better read for everyone.

David

ps and check out the new page on Facebook here ;)

Small talk phrases

So, did you catch the game?

The (AFL) Australian Football Grand Final took place at the weekend, and Geelong came through in the end. Almost 100 000 people were at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with millions more watching on TV. I can imagine on Monday that it was the only thing that people were talking about in pubs and at water coolers in offices all over the city!

It’s a reminder too that talking about sport, the weather, what you did last night or at the weekend is an important part of the language and culture across the English-speaking world.

We call it small talk. We use informal phrases, phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions when we chat and ask each other about how we’re going:

I hear you went to the party. How did you find it?
I’m popping over to Bill’s later on – want to come?
How did you like the big match?
What did you get up to yesterday?
Did you get up to much over the weekend?
Busy day?

The funny thing about this however is that SO much teaching time at some English language schools is devoted to grammar. Yet when you land in Australia or the States or Great Britain, will you be prepared to actually speak with the locals?

For some learners I’ve had over the years in Prague, they don’t see the sense in small talk, as it’s not as big a feature of Czech compared to English. I remember when I first arrived in town and asked some friends “jak se máš?” (how are you?), only for them to smile and respond:

“Actually we don’t really say that, David.”

I also remember having a class in a company when the first student to arrive was an IT guy, someone who preferred to study the rules of the language rather than have a conversation at 8am in the morning with a guy from Australia. Those first five minutes before the others came were painful, probably for both of us:

- So how was your weekend?
- Good.
- Did you go anywhere?
- Yes, I was at the cottage..

At that point he had this look on his face like “I hope the real lesson will start soon.”

Then one day I did something different:

- What did you read in the newspaper this morning?

Suddenly he was speaking for ages about his thoughts on the war in Iraq!

Today I won’t argue so much about why these conversational phrases and expressions are important for students to be exposed to and practise, partly as my own students generally agree that they are useful for speaking English naturally.

Small talk phrases worksheet

So we can move forward here and look at this recent worksheet I did with one student. I’m sharing it here for my other students and hope you too will find it useful :)

Level: Upper Intermediate (B2+)

Time: if you practise the language by asking your friends the questions (or your teacher), this can take more than 30 minutes.

Task: fill in the gaps with the right word. As well, there are some typical features of English conversation in the worksheet – what do you notice that seems different to what might be in a ‘traditional’ English coursebook?

The pronunciation of the questions and phrases is important to practise, which we can do in the next lesson as a warm up.

Please download it here and if you have any questions, feel free to ask below!



Or get it here if the link doesn’t work:
Small talk – so how was the flight

Let me know how you go!



Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david [at] GetIntoEnglish [dot] com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish
Now on Facebook

Carn the Hawks!

by David Sweetnam on September 30, 2011

You might already know that Australia’s top summer sport is cricket. But what about winter? Australian Rules Football is a sensational game that gets your heart goin’, and in 14 hours from now, over 90 000 people will pack in to the famed MCG, with millions more watching in pubs and bars across the land.

Well, I wanted to say “Carn the Hawks!” but Hawthorn lost to Collingwood in last week’s epic last-gasp Preliminary Final battle, which means tomorrow’s big AFL Final is between Geelong and Collingwood. Talk about a dilemma – who to prefer out of those two?!

Australian Football is kinda hard to explain. The best thing is to check it out below and see what you think. Here’s the last 8 minutes of last week’s match, where no one really knew who would win:

If you can’t see the video, click here

What do you think? How does it compare to soccer for you?

As I’ve been away from home for some time, I’ll be itching anyhow to watch the game. You’ll be able to catch the latest through Melbourne’s better newspaper, The Age.

Get Into English new page on Facebook!

Further reading

Sports vocabulary answers..and a piece of cricketing history [with worksheet]



Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david [at] GetIntoEnglish [dot] com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish
Now on Facebook

Telephone Bingo – phrases for calling a friend

by David Sweetnam on September 26, 2011

Are you a bit nervous about calling up your friend and speaking in English? Many learners get a bit toey before they make the call, but today’s activity just might help lessen those nerves.

Image Mark Fischer licence [CC by 2.0]

One of my students made a comment last week about how nervous they felt when having to speak on the phone in English. For some reason people do get nervous about calling someone up in a foreign language, and yet it has nothing to do with their linguistic level.

I’ve had people with a lower level of English enthusiastically phone up about having English lessons or perhaps they were answering an advert regarding our flat. I’ve also known friends in Prague who were advanced (C1) yet wouldn’t dare call someone up or even answer the phone! They’d text back instead.

Is this you?

There are two ways to approach this. First, it will give you some confidence to know some phrases and vocabulary we use to make social calls. Check out the ‘further reading’ below for more on this.

Beyond this, however, the only way to get better at something which you find difficult or which makes you nervous is simply to do it.

You need real-world practice. How will you know you can do it until you do it for real?

With the internet and Skype we can practise this in class, and this is something I’d like to do this week.

Today’s homework

  • Download the ‘Telephone Bingo’ reference sheet below and use it to call up a friend to organise a meeting
  • If you’re a student of mine, you can start by calling me up to set up our next lesson. If I’m busy, I’ll call you back. No texts ;)

Telephone Bingo

The idea of this worksheet is like bingo, a game where you have words or numbers on a sheet of paper, and when someone calls out a word or number on your paper you cross it off, like getting a point.

In our case the idea is to try to use as many of the phrases as you can. Each time you use a phrase in context, tick it off your list and give yourself a point ;)

Extension

After you speak with your friend or English teacher, call them back to tell them your plans have changed and that you want to change the time of the meeting!

Report how you felt

How did you feel before you made the call? What about afterwards? Make a few notes on this and report back to your teacher. Feel free to leave a comment below about your experience.

Practice – again and again

If you get nervous by telephoning in English, one call won’t cut it. Make it a regular habit! We feel more confident about doing difficult things by doing them again and again, so add calling me up once a week to list of things to do.

If you’ve paid for 10 lessons and you have a ‘bonus’ lesson to come, why not consider this 90 minutes to be used for a few Skype calls?

For the classroom

Students can get some practice in a supportive environment by arranging a meeting in a class role play. The same principle applies – they try it a few times, ticking off the phrases as they use them. If students are in groups of 3 one can be an umpire to make notes and give feedback.

Activity: organise a meeting



Or get it here -> Telephone bingo

What else can you do?

Why not write your own story of a phone call. Add some spice to it – it could be a guy calling up a girl he just met to set up a date. Use your imagination. Writing the story can help keep some of those phrases fresh in your mind for your next call. Here’s an example written today by Marcelo, check it out here.

The final word

Today can be the first step in getting better at telephoning in English. It can also be a new step in feeling more confident in using English in the real-world. Start dialling!

Further reading

“How about next Sunday?”

Expressing future time: plans and arrangements

Phrases for telephoning



Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

“How about next Sunday?” – plans and arrangements

by David Sweetnam on September 20, 2011

Want to set up a date or arrange a meeting? Here’s an intermediate (B1+) level activity you can do on your iTouch on the way to work. It’s one way of revising vocabulary for making plans and arrangements which you’ve already learned, or simply to see how good your ‘English instincts’ are.

Image: techcocktail Licence [CC by 2.0]

Plans and arrangements

In one of my classes last week we looked at phrasal words and expressions for making plans and arrangements. What follows is a short activity to revise some things we did.

What’s the next word in the following sentences?

Example:
- Why was the match called ………………….. ?
- Because the oval was flooded. Someone had left the sprinklers on all night!

answer: OFF
to call off an event | meeting = to cancel

  1. - Hey Laurence what are you up …………………..?
    - Nothing just now.
    - Great. How about we head out for a beer?

    2.  

  2. I’m hoping to go to Brazil this Christmas, if all goes according to …………………..

    3.  

  3. - About today’s meeting.. I’m really busy now with work. Do you mind if we put it …………………..?
    - Not really. How about Wednesday then?

    4.  

  4. - I think I’ll be ok for 3 o’clock Monday. I’ll pencil that …………………..
    - Ok, but please confirm it tomorrow as I’ll need some time to prepare.

    5.  

  5. - Do you think the project will go …………………..?
    - I hope so. We’ve put so much effort into it already, it’d be a shame if it didn’t work out.

    6.  

  6. - I’m really sorry, I’ll be late – something’s just come …………………..

    7.  

  7. - Shall we fix up a meeting to talk about our new project?
    - Sure, that sounds …………………..

    8.  

  8. - Are you free on Friday?
    - Sorry, I’ve already got something …………………..

    9.  

  9. - John, sorry, I’ve got too much work on today. I won’t be able to make …………………..


  10. - Is Eva there please?
    - Sorry, she’s tied …………………..
    - Well, when will she be free? I didn’t expect her to be so busy this morning…


How did you go? Scroll down for the answers.

Fix Up

One of my students took a liking to this phrase in last week’s lesson:

“Why don’t we FIX UP a meeting for Friday?”

FIX UP is a phrasal verb used in a friendly way to arrange a meeting or event.

eg “Let’s fix up a time to meet this week.”

FIX UP can also be used in these sentences:

  • “We finally fixed up our shelves” = repair or mend
  • “I’m sure we can fix you up with a room, Betty” [fix someone up with something] = provide; supply
  • “I can’t believe you tried to fix me up with Terrace, he’s awful!” [fix someone up with someone else] = set someone up with someone else to have a date; to introduce a potential romantic partner or date to someone

Answers

There may be more than one possible answer, so if you have something else, please add a comment below + we can check it together ;)

1. to 2. plan 3. off/back 4. in 5. ahead 6. up 7. good/great/fine (or a similar word) 8. on/planned/organised 9. it [or whatever 'it' is eg the meeting/the conference] 10. up

Language from today

Do you feel comfortable with what these phrasal verbs and expressions mean?

The meeting was called off
What are you up to?
How about we head out for a (drink/beer)
If all goes according to plan..
Do you mind if we put it off?
I’ll pencil that in
I hope the project will go ahead
I hope it works out
Something’s just come up
Let’s fix up a meeting
That sounds great
Are you free on Friday?
Sorry, I’ve already got something on
I won’t be able to make it
I’m tied up

Homework

  • Call up or text a friend to organise a meeting this weekend. Which of these phrases can you use?
  • Text another friend to put off your meeting and suggest a new time.
  • For my Prague students, which of these phrases can you use to organise our next lesson?

Further reading

Check out Oxford Idioms and Phrasal Verbs Intermediate: Unit 45 I can discuss plans and arrangements

Expressing future time: plans and arrangements
Phrases for emailing

And if you’re an advanced level (C1+) learner, check out the previous ‘What’s the next word?’ here

Did you enjoy this post? If so please share it with your friends

David Sweetnam
Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david (at) getintoenglish dot com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish

What’s the next word – 15 idioms to get you going

by David Sweetnam on September 18, 2011

Here’s one way to go over some collocations and idioms you’ve looked at in class, or simply to see how good your English instincts are. Can you guess the next word in the sentences below..?

Image: Gadl (Alexandre Duret-Lutz) licence: (CC by 2.0)

 

The sentences below include some collocations and idiomatic expressions, so there should be just one appropriate answer (or just a few possibilities).

Level

Please note that this is suitable for Advanced [C1+] learners – I’ll do an intermediate version another time ;)

What’s the next word?

Example:
When Brad met Sandra, it was a case of love at first …………………..
Love at first SIGHT.

1. – How about going out?
- Sorry Bill, I’m really tired. Think I’ll have an early ………………….

2. “He won’t get re-elected. He doesn’t understand that people are hurting, he’s a Harvard elitist who doesn’t know how the real folks live. He’s out of ………………….”

3. Despite her many successes, she told herself to keep moving forward, never to rest on her ………………….

4. When John came home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, Julie was thrilled to ………………….

5. “I don’t see why Bill likes Natasha, she bad-mouths him and treats him like ………………….”

6. If you want to work in advertising and sales, you really have to think on your ………………….

7. “I had to tell my husband about my lesbian lover. For too long I was living a …………………. “

8. George got the promotion but he knew nothing about the share market. He was completely out of his ………………….

9. After Sally came to work two hours late every day last week, her boss finally gave her the ………………….

10. – So how much should we pay?
- Well, we both spent the same, more or less. I had 2 teas and a cake, you had a coffee and a wine. Let’s just go ………………….

11. – You don’t seem too happy about the wedding, Betty. What’s up?
- Oh, it’s Frank. I’m not so sure anymore. I think I’m having second ………………….

12. “It’s so obvious that Pavel fancies Hillary – he wears his heart on his ………………….”

13. When she heard about her child’s accident, she broke down in ………………….

14. “Hey I hope it all goes well with the job application, Laura. Keep me …………………. ”

15. “I’m afraid of taking John to the party, with the stuff he says. He swears like a ………………….!”

[Scroll down for the answers]

What do they mean?

First, try to guess from the context. If you’re still unsure, ask me below and I’ll be happy to explain more.

In-class activity

You also can play this as a quiz game in class.

Students are divided into teams, and points are awarded according to the most appropriate answer. Teams write down the word on a separate piece of paper, and hold up their answers at the same time.

Teams get 2 points if they’re the only ones who have the best or most appropriate answer.

Teams get 1 point for an answer that others also have.

Alternative: teams can be awarded points for having the most creative response.

Answers

nb If you have a different answer, and you think it is ok, leave a comment below and we’ll check it ;)

1. night 2. touch 3. laurels 4. bits 5. dirt [or shit, crap, rubbish, garbage!] 6. feet 7. lie 8. depth 9. sack 10. halves (or go Dutch) 11. thoughts 12. sleeve 13. tears 14. posted 15. trooper

Idioms from today

to have an early night
to be out of touch
to rest on your laurels
to be thrilled to bits
to treat someone like dirt
to think on your feet
to live a lie
to be out of your depth
to give someone the sack (especially AUS/UK)
to go halves
to have second thoughts
to wear your heart on your sleeve
to break down in tears
to keep someone posted
to swear like a trooper

Over to you

Choose 3 of these questions below to answer the comment box:

When was the last time you had an early night?
Which political leader in your country is out of touch? Why do you think this?
When do you rest on your laurels?
When was the last time you were thrilled to bits?
Why do you think some people treat their partner like dirt?
Are you good at thinking on your feet? If not, describe a friend who is.
Do men in your country pay for the date or do they ask to go halves?
Do you know someone who swears like a trooper?

Still unsure about any of these idioms? Fire away below : )

Further reading

This activity is also mentioned in Teaching Online [DELTA Publishing]

David Sweetnam
Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david (at) getintoenglish.com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish