Language Awareness – Interactive Task
The following questions are similar to the types of language questions we ask in the interview tasks. See how much you already know and perhaps get some tips for the tasks.
1.
World Classes - A person, object, or thing (including abstract concepts like 'thought').
2.
A word used instead of a noun (it refers to a person, object, or thing).
3.
Adds information about when, where, how, how long, how often, etc.
4.
An action (e.g., eat, walk, take) or state (e.g., be, have, exist).
5.
Describes people, objects, things, etc.
6.
Used as a link to information about position, direction, place in time, etc.
7.
I didn’t see my brother since last week.
8.
I ate a very enormous pie for dinner.
9.
The spider spun it’s web. Its a very beautiful web.
10.
A wire has come lose at the back.
11.
I’m having two brothers and a sister.
12.
Please turn down the music. Hey, I said please turn down it!
13.
I had a wonderful long weekend away in Donegal. I really enjoyed.
14.
He got on the car and drove to work every day.
15.
If I won the EuroMillions, I’ll take everyone away on holiday.
16.
I told you, I done my homework already.
17.
Vocabulary. Which of the four items in each list is the odd-one-out? Which one is different from the others in some way? The reason is something to do with the kind of word it is. (click on the item that you think is the odd-one-out)
24.
Tenses and Time. The Present Simple tense can be used to refer to past, present and future time. Look at the following examples of sentences that use the Present Simple. What is the time reference in each? Past, present, future, always?
… and Messi passes the ball to Pedri…
25.
Rudolf tells me you are going to be flying by helicopter this Christmas.
26.
I’ll call you as soon as I arrive.
27.
Stephen travels to school by bus.
28.
So, I’m sitting in a pub when the past and present come up to me… it was tense.
29.
The earth goes around the sun.
30.
The Irish drink a lot of tea.
31.
What time does the train leave?
32.
Functional Language. A function is the communicative purpose – i.e., the reason why we say or write something. If students are studying in Ireland, they will need some functional language immediately, e.g., to make polite requests, to ask for directions, to ask for clarification.
He's got longer hair than his girlfriend.
33.
It's a huge house with 5 bedrooms.
34.
I'd love to learn to ride a motorbike!
35.
I'm not sure that's a good idea.
36.
They may have a car, I'm not certain.
37.
What she's trying to say is...
38.
Functions in Context. The situation, or context, the speakers are in is very important for understanding what the speaker wants to say and for choosing the best expression to use. It is important to use language that is appropriate, that is, suitable for the person spoken to. The level of formality or informality will change, depending on the relationships between speakers and the situation they are in. Decide if the expressions below are appropriate or inappropriate in the situation described:
Customer to waiter: “Would you be so kind as to give me a menu, please?”
39.
Bus driver to passenger: “Shut up, will you?”
40.
Doctor to patients in the waiting room: “Hi guys!”
41.
Friend to friend eating sweets on a train: “Give me one!”
42.
Shop assistant to customer: “I’m afraid we don’t have it in your size.”
43.
Ending of an e-mail from a student to a new tutor: “Lots of love, Su”
44.
Functional Language and Modal Verbs. Modal verbs (can, could, must, may, might, should) have many different functions. The modal ‘can’, for example, is used to express ability, make a request, ask for permission, express prohibition, and to express logical deduction. Which of these functions are expressed in the sentences below?
Can you open the door, please?
45.
Can I have tomorrow off to go to the doctor?
47.
It can’t be Elvis Presley, he’s dead.
48.
You can’t eat in this classroom.
49.
Conveying the Meaning of Words. Conveying meaning is perhaps the most important skill of any language teacher. As a general rule, the use of bi-lingual dictionaries or translators in an English language classroom is not encouraged - particularly at higher levels. It is better for the learner to make a real connection with the English word, which will help them to remember it more easily. Have a look at the following words and think how you would explain them in a class clearly and concisely. Don’t just think about explaining the meaning with an explanation. More words often lead to more confusion. Try to think how you can use pictures, gesture, mime, or real life examples. Match the description of the most effective way to quickly convey the meaning with the piece of vocabulary being described.
Establish a situation - tell a story, possibly starting right at the beginning with the time of the crime!
50.
Gesture with your hands - your student(s) and yourself.
51.
If you're able to draw a circle, a straight line, and an outline of a house, you can do a quick drawing of this on the whiteboard or blackboard.
52.
Mime the action, or if you're (un)lucky you might even find some on the classroom floor!
53.
Take in a professional picture or a photo - are you good enough at drawing to distinguish between breeds?
54.
Use a cline - this adjective will be at one end.
55.
Use realia (a real life object) - if you don't have one in your pencil case, there should be one in the staff room or at reception.
56.
You probably have one or two of these in your pocket; use them to make a sound.
57.
Pronunciation (Word Stress). Throughout our CertTESOL course you will hear reference to Meaning-Form-Pronunciation. For every piece of language you teach you will have to cover its exact meaning, its precise form, and the how to say it. We’ve looked at some aspects of form and meaning in the previous questions, so we’ll finish this introduction to language awareness with a couple of questions about pronunciation. Words are made up of syllables. The word ‘information’ for example, has four syllables, in-for-ma-tion. You can work out the number of syllables by counting the vowel sounds in a word. In every word there is one syllable which is stressed. A stressed syllable is louder in volume and higher in pitch than the other syllables. The stress in information, for example, is on the third syllable – inforMAtion. Identify the stressed syllable in the following word:
62.
Pronunciation (Vowel Sounds). While there are five letters in the English alphabet that represent vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), there are actually many more vowel sounds in spoken English. Again, the way that letters combine to make different long and short sounds is a major problem area for many learners of English. Which word does not have the same vowel sound as the others? Click on the answer you think is the odd-one-out.
