Speaking: Choosing the right cell phone

Touch screen, smart cell phones are becoming more popular these days. Some of the most sophisticated ones are: Nokia N97, Iphone 3GS and Samsung Omnia i900.

Adam Thomas is one of those possible buyers. He works for a big international company and must travel constantly. Adam is an important employee, and the company is studying what of the 3 cell phones will satisfy Adam's necessities better. Your task will be to analyze the specifications of each of the 3 cell phones and make a decision as to which one the company should purchase.

Pay attention to the user characteristics (Adam's job and personal life) that are listed below:

1) Adam travels every week, Monday through Friday. He very rarely spends one day at home during the weekdays. He is always on the move. He needs to take planes, taxis, trains, etc.

2) He needs to be in constant contact with his company, his employees and his clients. Many times, he travels far away, so he needs to keep in touch even in the middle of the night, because of the different time zones.

3) He needs to be in contact with his family too. He has 2 little children: a daughter and a baby boy. He wants to talk to them, too.

4) During the weekend, Adam comes back home. He enjoys spending time with his family and he loves outdoor activities: trekking, mushroom hunting, water skiing. He always practices activities where his family can participate too.

STEPS:

1) Visit the 3 web pages and write down a summary of the specifications for each cell phone

2) Describe which of these specifications better suit Adam's needs

Grammar: the Use of the Infinitive and the Gerund

WRITING: 

Write a list of words that make you happy, things like “singing a song”, “reading a book”, etc. Write as many things as possible.

GRAMMAR:

When to use the infinitive

The infinitive form is used after certain verbs:
- forget, help, learn, teach, train
- choose, expect, hope, need, offer, want, would like
- agree, encourage, pretend, promise, recommend
- allow, can/can't afford, decide, manage, mean, refuse

• I forgot to close the window.
• Mary needs to leave early.
• Why are they encouraged to learn English?
• We can't afford to take a long holiday.

The infinitive form is always used after adjectives, for example:
- disappointed, glad, happy, pleased, relieved, sad, surprised

• I was happy to help them.
• I am always willing to help  you.
• She will be delighted to see you.

This includes too + adjective:

• The water was too cold to swim in.
• Is your coffee too hot to drink?

The infinitive form is used after adjective + enough:

• He was strong enough to lift it.
• She is rich enough to buy two.

Some modal verbs also use to-infinitive:

• I have to clean up the bedroom.
• She doesn't need to watch tv.

Other modal verbs require a bare infinitive.

• I may (might) do that
• Would you tell me?
• He should have told you
• Peter can (could) pick you up

When to use -ing

The -ing form is used when the word is the subject of a sentence or clause:

• Swimming is good exercise.
• Doctors say that smoking is bad for you.

The -ing form is used after a preposition:

• I look forward to meeting you.
• They left without saying "Goodbye."

The -ing form is used after certain verbs:
- avoid, dislike, enjoy, finish, give up, mind/not mind, practise

• I dislike getting up early.
• Would you mind opening the window?

Let´s read more about the use of the Gerund and the Infinitive and practice a little bit by clicking here

More activities online here

Listening & Speaking: Developing a Healthy Mind

We are going to listen to the following dialog and explain the meaning of some words and expressions.

Click here to listen to this podcast.

We are going to work on this dialog by paying attention to the pronunciation of some words and also to their meaning.

We are now going to take the following test which could tell you how much resilient you are. First, answer the following question "What is the meaning of resilient?"

To take the test, click here 

Let´s now think about the results.

• What were the results of your test?
• Do you agree with them? Why?
• How do you describe yourself in terms of resilience?

GRAMMAR NO. 2: A, the or nothing (use of the articles)

Some general rules on when to use: A, An, The or Nothing

• a = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a number of the same objects) with consonants. She has a dog. I work in a factory.
  

• an = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a number of the same objects) with vowels (a,e,i,o,u). Can I have an apple? She is an English teacher.
  

• the = definite article (a specific object that both the person speaking and the listener know). The car over there is fast. The teacher is very good, isn´t he?
  

• The first time you speak of something use "a or an", the next time you repeat that object use "the". I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four bedrooms. I ate in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was very good.
  

• DO NOT use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and mountains except when the country is a collection of states such as "The United States". He lives in Washington near Mount Rainier. They live in northern British Columbia.
  

• Use an article with bodies of water, oceans and seas. My country borders on the Pacific Ocean.
  

• DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about things in general.I like Russian tea. She likes reading books.
  

• DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about meals, places, and transport. He has breakfast at home. I go to university. He comes to work by taxi.
  

Links to exercises

1. Initial practice here

2. A little bit more difficult here

3. For more advanced students here

4. Let's review here

5. More general exercises here


Review

http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.html

http://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/Grammar/Grammar-articles.asp

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/artikel.htm

LISTENING COMPREHENSION NO. 2: Children can "imagine" pain away

In this session we will practice listening, speaking and writing.

Click HERE to get the handouts and listen to an article on how children can "imagine" pain away.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION NO. 1: New York Travel

Let´s listen to this passage on a trip to New York and see how much we understood.

Click HERE

LISTENING NO. 1: Does School Kill Creativity?

Listen to Sir Ken Robinson speaking about how school may kill creativity...


What has been your personal experience?

GRAMMAR NO. 1: do or make?

Learning vocabulary is many times a question of when to choose a word. In this session we will practice the difference between "do" and "make". Access the following links to learn more about these 2 verbs and when to use them:

1.- Some practice here

2.- Some more here

3.- And more here

4.- Yet one more here

SESSION 1: English Level Test

In our first session, we are going to learn a little bit about our level of English.

We are going to complete an English Level Test by clicking on the following link:

HERE