jueves, 29 de octubre de 2015

PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs). (GERUND VERBS ARE VERBS IN THE -ING FOR:"PLAYING/ LAUGHING/ STUDYING")
Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several translations depending on the situation.
There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. 
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:

Prepositions – Time

EnglishUsageExample
  • on
  • days of the week
  • on Monday
  • in
  • months / seasons
  • time of day
  • year
  • after a certain period of time(when?)
  • in August / in winter
  • in the morning
  • in 2006
  • in an hour
  • at
  • for night
  • for weekend
  • a certain point of time (when?)
  • at night
  • at the weekend
  • at half past nine
  • since
  • from a certain point of time (past till now)
  • since 1980
  • for
  • over a certain period of time (past till now)
  • for 2 years
  • ago
  • a certain time in the past
  • 2 years ago
  • before
  • earlier than a certain point of time
  • before 2004
  • to
  • telling the time
  • ten to six (5:50)
  • past
  • telling the time
  • ten past six (6:10)
  • to / till / until
  • marking the beginning and end of a period of time
  • from Monday to/till Friday
  • till / until
  • in the sense of how long something is going to last
  • He is on holiday until Friday.
  • by
  • in the sense of at the latest
  • up to a certain time
  • I will be back by 6 o’clock.
  • By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

EnglishUsageExample
  • in
  • room, building, street, town, country
  • book, paper etc.
  • car, taxi
  • picture, world
  • in the kitchen, in London
  • in the book
  • in the car, in a taxi
  • in the picture, in the world
  • at
  • meaning next to, by an object
  • for table
  • for events
  • place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)
  • at the door, at the station
  • at the table
  • at a concert, at the party
  • at the cinema, at school, at work
  • on
  • attached
  • for a place with a river
  • being on a surface
  • for a certain side (left, right)
  • for a floor in a house
  • for public transport
  • for television, radio
  • the picture on the wall
  • London lies on the Thames.
  • on the table
  • on the left
  • on the first floor
  • on the bus, on a plane
  • on TV, on the radio
  • by, next to, beside
  • left or right of somebody or something
  • Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
  • under
  • on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else
  • the bag is under the table
  • below
  • lower than something else but above ground
  • the fish are below the surface
  • over
  • covered by something else
  • meaning more than
  • getting to the other side (alsoacross)
  • overcoming an obstacle
  • put a jacket over your shirt
  • over 16 years of age
  • walk over the bridge
  • climb over the wall
  • above
  • higher than something else, but not directly over it
  • a path above the lake
  • across
  • getting to the other side (alsoover)
  • getting to the other side
  • walk across the bridge
  • swim across the lake
  • through
  • something with limits on top, bottom and the sides
  • drive through the tunnel
  • to
  • movement to person or building
  • movement to a place or country
  • for bed
  • go to the cinema
  • go to London / Ireland
  • go to bed
  • into
  • enter a room / a building
  • go into the kitchen / the house
  • towards
  • movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)
  • go 5 steps towards the house
  • onto
  • movement to the top of something
  • jump onto the table
  • from
  • in the sense of where from
  • a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

EnglishUsageExample
  • from
  • who gave it
  • a present from Jane
  • of
  • who/what does it belong to
  • what does it show
  • a page of the book
  • the picture of a palace
  • by
  • who made it
  • a book by Mark Twain
  • on
  • walking or riding on horseback
  • entering a public transport vehicle
  • on foot, on horseback
  • get on the bus
  • in
  • entering a car  / Taxi
  • get in the car
  • off
  • leaving a public transport vehicle
  • get off the train
  • out of
  • leaving a car  / Taxi
  • get out of the taxi
  • by
  • rise or fall of something
  • travelling (other than walking or horseriding)
  • prices have risen by 10 percent
  • by car, by bus
  • at
  • for age
  • she learned Russian at 45
  • about
  • for topics, meaning what about
  • we were talking about you

Exercises on Prepositions: 

For exercises, go to this website: 



jueves, 22 de octubre de 2015

GEOENGINEERING (REPORTED SPEECH)


REPORTED SPEECH





http://www.tinyteflteacher.co.uk/learning-english/grammar/exercises/reporting-verbs.html

NOW WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO ON GEOENGINEERING AND USING REPORTING VERBS, WRITE A PARAGRAPH REPORTING WHAT DAVID KEITH SAID: 

Use at least 10 of the following verbs: admit, complain, claim, deny, report, add, remark, refuse, doubt, suggest, advise, reckon, encourage, insist, argue, recommend...
The beginning of the paragraph has been done for you.

Geoengineering is the intentional, large-scale technological manipulation of the Earth’s systems. It is also known as Climate Engineering because it is often discussed as a technological solution for combating climate change. It is a rather controversial issue. David Keith explained that...

martes, 8 de septiembre de 2015

Speech writing

HOW TO WRITE A SPEECH

“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t
and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it”
-Robert Frost

Before writing your speech you should have a clear purpose and target audience in mind. Remember also to adjust the level of formality to the kind of speech.


OPENING PARAGRAPH


You should:
*     Get the attention of your audience by:
a   raising a thought-provoking question (rhetorical question)
a   citing a personal experience
a   making a shocking statement
a   narrating a comical situation or reciting a joke

*     Introduce your topic
*     State your purpose


BODY


ARGUMENT 1
*     POINT: Present your argument
*     REASON: Justify your argument
*     EXAMPLE: Give examples
*     SUMMARIZE: Summarize your point


ARGUMENT 2
PRES

ARGUMENT 3
PRES

CLOSING PARAGRAPH


General comments that summarize the main points of your speech. You may also:
*     Provide further comments for thought for your listeners.
*     Leave your audience with positive memories of your speech.
*     Choose a final thought to close your speech in an effective way. You can use
a   a proverb
a   a quote
a  a well-known expression              

*     In persuasive speeches mainly consider the use of Rhetorical devices to support your ideas:


Ø  Repetition
Ø  Pattern of three (magic # 3)
Ø  Parallelism
Ø  Alliteration
Ø  Metaphor and simile
Ø  Rhetorical questions
Ø  Emotional appeal
Ø  First person plural
Ø  Personal involvement
Ø  Direct address
Ø  Quotes
Ø  Facts and statistics