OXFORDON C1: November 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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* Marriage is outdated.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.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

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.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

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.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

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