Merry Christmas!

HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!

It's been a pleasure meeting all of you!

No matter what you do or where you go, I hope you all have a fantastic life 

full of fun, wonder, excitement, and plenty of happiness!

AND AN AWESOME NEW YEAR!

Christmas Is Almost Here...

Online Test for Unit 2

You can do the test any time between 

Thursday 15th November 1700

and

Tuesday 20th November 1700

Here is the link to the test:

Unit 2 Test

You will also receive an email directing you to the appropriate web site.

If you have any questions, please put them in the comment section of this post.

Thank you.

IMPORTANT: There is a software problem with Question 9 and 34 only, so if the computer marks you as being incorrect for either of these questions, there is a chance you may not be.  Everyone's results are being manually verified.  Your score will be recalculated, if necessary.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Answers

On page 34 and page 35 of your Student Book there is a section called What Do You Remember? and What Can You Do? respectively.  It is a good idea to do the questions on these pages in preparation for the upcoming test on Unit 2.

Below are the answers to the questions on page 34 and page 35 for you to check once you have completed the questions:

GRAMMAR

1a  2c  3c  4b  5a  6c  7b  8a  9c  10b

VOCABULARY

a1 hooded  a2 smart  a3 station  a4 backpack  a5 hang up  a6 friendly

b1 off  b2 out  b3 behind  b4 up  b5 in  b6 like  b7 at

c1 lately  c2 fit  c3 even  c4 hard  c5 luggage  c6 especially  c7 getting changed

PRONUNCIATION

a1 linen  a2 nearly  a3 weren't  a4 took  a5 changed

b stylish  undressed  arrivals  passenger  actually

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THIS TEXT?

a1 E  a2 A  a3 B  a4 D  a5 C

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THESE PEOPLE?

a1 b a2 c  a3 c  a4 a  a5 b

b1 Cold, reserved, often depressed, and maybe suicidal.

b2 Quite a lot, except for the suicide rate.

b3 Because it hasn't fought in a war for 200 years.

b4 They are very patriotic, passionate about protecting the environment, and very good at recycling.

b5 They are very good in the house.

Past Perfect Continuous

Here are some further exercises on past perfect continuous/progressive:

Past Perfect Continuous 1

Past Perfect Continuous 2

So, Such, & That

We use so ... that and such ... that:

a) to show a fact (usually with a result or consequence)

• Pamela Ander's feet are big.
  (Expresses a fact).
• Pamela Ander's feet are so big that she can't find shoes her size.
  (Emphasizes that you feel strongly about the size of her feet).

b) to show extreme feelings or an opinion about something

• George Bushoff is an idiot.
  (Merely a statement of fact/opinion).
• George Bushoff is such an idiot that he doesn't even know the capital of his own country.
  (Emphasizes the speaker's opinion of the intensity of George Bushoff's idiocy).

SO with adjectives and adverbs

so + adjective/adverb + that + result

• The teacher speaks so clearly that everyone can understand her.
• The sun was so strong that they got burnt within 15 minutes.

SUCH + Nouns

such + a + (adjective) + singular noun + that + result
(It is common to put an adjective before the noun)

• He is such a tight person that he even reuses his tissues.
• Christopher is such a handsome man that all the ladies want him.
• She made such a long speech that everyone stopped paying attention to her.

such + plural/uncountable noun + that + result

• She has such big feet that she has to buy special shoes.
• Woodward Restaurant has such good food that it's always full of people.

For further practise:

So & Such

The Teacher Is Ill

Homework - Points Of View

Choose one of the following statements and then write 200-250 words saying whether or not you agree with it.   Your opinion piece (not an essay) can be formal or informal, and must include reasons and/or examples as to why you have taken your particular stance.

* Making mistakes in English is okay as long as people understand you.
* My friends should come from the same social background as I do.
* It is impossible to have a happy family life and a successful career.
* War is not an option for solving international disputes.
* Multinational global corporations are to blame for most problems in the world today.
* Women will never be equal to men in the workplace.
* Marriage is outdated.  There is no need for state or church approval or recognition of a partnership.
* Gay marriage is wrong.
* The death penalty is acceptable in some cases.
* Celebrities earn too much money.
* Foreigners should not be allowed to vote.
* The government is responsible for making sure that all citizens of a country have at least a minimum living wage job.
* Quality of life will greatly improve in the future.
* Teachers give too much homework.
* Military service should be obligatory.

It is to be typed and printed, and is due on December 6th.

Adjectives & Expressions In Fashion Magazines

Follow this link to a blog article if you wish to read more about the range of words and expressions used by various fashion magazines to describe clothes or people.

Adjective Order

When using more than one adjective to describe a noun, place the adjective in the following order before the noun:

1. Opinion

2. Dimension

3. Age

4. Shape

5. Colour

6. Origin

7. Material

Here are some examples of nouns modified with three adjectives in the correct order based on the list above.

• A wonderful old Italian clock
• A big square blue box
• A disgusting pink plastic ornament
• Some slim new French trousers 

If you wish to do some further exercises on adjective order, click on this link and answer the ten questions towards the bottom of the page.

Online Test for Unit 1

You can do the test any time between 

Sunday 20th November 1500

and

Thursday 24th November 1500

The web link to the test is here, but you will
also receive an email the moment the test is online.

If you have any questions, please put them in the comment section of this post.

Thank you.

Newspaper Headlines

Newspaper headlines are often incomplete sentences (Unexpected Visit; Difficult Times Ahead), which means it is sometimes difficult to fully comprehend what they mean.

Some examples of headlines are:

* Terrorist Attack
* Layoffs Cut Deep
* Morgue Shooting Spree
* Thousands Crowd Airport

It's useful to ask yourself questions such as From what?, About what?, From whom?, To whom? when reading these type of headlines. By asking yourself these questions, you can begin preparing yourself for the article. This practice helps the brain prepare itself by starting to think about vocabulary related to the subject.

Something else important to note is that newspaper and magazine headlines use simple tenses instead of continuous or perfect forms. Not only that, auxiliary verbs (was, has been) and articles (a, an, the) are often not used. A headline is designed to stimulate interest, not be a model for correct grammar.

Look at the post concerning Newspaper Sections and then decided which section of the newspaper you would find the following headlines:


* Dow Breaks 10,000
* Great Rail Journeys
* Networking As A Job Search Tool
* Evidence Of New Solar System Found
* Hollywood Summer Blockbusters

Manga for Jay

GoAnimate.com: Jay is off sick by angielskiwbiznesie

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!


After lesson by pawelsledz

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!


GoAnimate.com: Kris Musst by mukrzysztof

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!


GoAnimate.com: peter c1 by crash018

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!


GoAnimate.com: Suggests for Jay by majmic

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!


GoAnimate.com: Aleksandra Dolińska by adolinska

take care! Ola

Customer service

Hi guys,
Below are the videos on customer service from today's lesson:

1. "Little Britain - Carol in Spain"

2."Carol Beer - Hospital Receptionist"

After watching, please do the exercise  click here >>>

Also, below there is a video message for you.

We look forward to seeing your animated video comments!

OXFORDON team
--------------------------

Jay is off sick

Newspaper Sections

The Different Sections Of A Newspaper

A typical Sunday newspaper is divided into multiple sections:

• Local/domestic/national news
• International news
• Business/finance/economy
• Politics
• Sports
• Weather
• Classified ads
• Interviews
• Letters from the readers
• Opinion/editorial
• Entertainment/comics/crossword puzzle/horoscopes
• Arts, culture, literature
• Events/movies
• Broadcast/cable television guide
• Society/people
• Tourism/travel tips
• Computers
• Automobiles
• Style/fashion
• Cooking/cuisine
• Health/medicine
• Home & decoration
• Family
• Kids/youth
• Magazines and other supplements

Present Perfect - Songs

U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Queen - We Are The Champions

Anastacia - Left Outside Alone