December 18, 2009

Find the single word that can fill each of these gapped sentences :

We need a big ........ of colour on that wall to stop it looking so dull.

He was quite an extrovert and made quite a ........ in the office on his first day.

Add a ......... of lemon juice to the salad and it's finished.

CPE Reading

When reading English texts, do so quickly and efficienly by being able to ignore unknown words or expressions that do not hinder comprehension. Aim to understand sentences first rather than each and every word. If comprehension is hindered by unknown vocabulary, try guessing the meaning first before using a dictionary. This will help build your confidence prior to the exam when dictionaries will be out of bounds!

In addition, practice the skill of speed-reading:

*Try using your finger as a pointer and run it along a line of text to speed up your eye movement. This will stop you becoming too focussed on individual words and avoid 'skipping back' to previous words or phrases, a tendency we all have when we feel the need to confim we understand something.

*Try reading groups of words rather than individual words.

*Set a very short time limit to scan paragraphs for key words. Then read the text through more slowly to see if you managed to get a general understanding the first time.

*Moving your lips and mouthing the words will slow you down. Read silently with your eyes only!


Post comments asking Angela Dias any further questions and earn a medal for your relevant particpation!

How about some challenge?

Which single word can fill each of these gapped sentences ?

'As the clock ........ twelve I felt quite nervous alone in the house.'

'He ........ a match to try to see where he was going.'

'I ........ your name off the list as you'd told me you didn't want to go on the tour after all.'

Your improved spelling could get you a higher grade

As well as needing accurate spelling in the CPE Writing Paper, you know that exam candidates will lose marks for incorrect spelling in the Listening and Use of English Papers too. So What techniques do teachers and examiners recommend to improve spelling?

1. Read, read, read ... is the first recommendation. Reading in English really will improve your ability to spell so try and look at a newspaper, magazine or even a website each day.

2. Practise with a friend. Choose a short paragraph from a book or newspaper and ask your friend to dictate it to you (i.e. read it out loud) so you can transcribe what he or she has said. You can check against the original text for accuracy.By the way, if you've ever wondered what some of the most commonly-misspelled English words are then take a look at the following list:

accidentally, advice (noun), affect (verb), beginning, believe, benefit, deceive, definite, describe, disappoint, effect, existence, humorous, immediately, led, lose (verb), marriage, necessary, occurred, playwright, preceding, prejudice, principal, privilege, pursue, repetition, rhyme, rhythm, ridiculous, separate, siege, similar, undoubtedly, until



Post comments asking Angela Dias any further questions and earn a medal for your relevant particpation!

If you're attending an interview, whether for work or for the CPE English speaking examination, it's vital that you answer the questions you're asked as fully as possible in order to showcase yourself or your English skills in the best possible light. Listen to an interview featuring Ekaterina from Bulgaria and Teodoro from Chile, who both met for a 'getting-to-know-you' interview in Skype.
As you listen decide how well both Ekaterina and Teodoro respond to each other's questions and the extent to which they managed to hold a natural conversation.

Please, share your ideas in form of comments to this post. I am eager to know your impressions!
A medal will be awarded for each relevant participation!

You can listen to the recording from the link below:
Ekaterina and Teodoro

Find him!

Activity

1)I'm afraid I won't be able to come out this weekend. I'm absolutely snowed ........ with work.
a) in
b) under
c) down
2)
If you ......... down and try to concentrate I'm sure you'll do well in your exams.

a) wrestle
b) grapple
c) knuckle
3)
The doctor's told me to ......... it easy and to avoid stressful situations.

a) take
b) play
c) make

DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

1)For a working mother, the balancing ........ between work and home is a tough one.
a) trick
b) show
c) act
2)
You're going to have to ......... the nettle and speak to the boss about the problem.

a) grip
b) grasp
c) grab
3)
We've done all we can at our end. The ball's now in your .........

a) court
b) field
c) pitch

Romance

1)They really do make the ........ couple. I've never known two people who get on so well.

a) perfect
b) ideal
c) superb
2)
I've heard their marriage is on the ........ and they're getting divorced.

a) bricks
b) stones
c) rocks
3)
It's a match made in ........ And to think they first got together on an Internet dating agency!

a) paradise
b) heaven
c) bliss

Shopping

1)I sold that old CD Player on the Internet for £20! Talk about money for old .........!

a) twine
b) string
c) rope
2)
That shop is trying to sell second-hand clothes for almost as much as if they were new. It's daylight ........!

a) robbery
b) theft
c) crime
3)
I wouldn't pay that much. Those shoes are ten a ........ in the local market.

a) dime
b) cent
c) penny

Travel

1)My car's been playing ........ recently. I think I'll pop it into the garage.
a) up
b) down
c) away
2)
You should always have regular breaks when you make long journeys or you could end up falling asleep at the .........

a) windscreen
b) pedal
c) wheel
3)
I think it's time we made ......... I've got to be up early in the morning.

a) tracks
b) paths
c) ways

Work

1)Bob got his ........ orders for having too much time off work.
a) striding
b) walking
c) marching
2)
Their interview process isn't at all fair. It's set up to give jobs for the ........ .

a) boys
b) chaps
c) men
3)
Her father used to work in the same profession and taught her all the ........ of the trade.

a) topics
b) tips
c) tricks

Money

1)You can bet your ........ dollar that Peter won't be in today. He always seems to have Wednesday off work.

a) last
b) bottom
c) final
2)
That new cafe in town must be making money hand over ........ Have you seen the queue of people they always have?

a) fist
b) palm
c) wrist
3)
Do you know that man who's always in the club ......... his money around? Someone told me he's gone out of business.

a) passing
b) showing
c) throwing

Crime and Punishment

1)That camera is cheap. Do you think it fell off the ........ of a lorry?
a) back
b) rear
c) behind
2)
Now, I know one of you stole the money but who is going to ........ clean and own up?

a) make
b) act
c) come
3)
Michele has been late for work every day this week but always gets away with it scot .........

a) free
b) loose
c) light

Learning

1)You can't always tell someone what's best. They often have to learn the ........ way through their own mistakes.

a) direct
b) difficult
c) hard
2)
Are you trying to teach your grandmother how to ........ eggs? I've been cooking this meal for longer than I can remember!

a) suck
b) blow
c) crack
3)
I couldn't get a grant and had to work my ........ through college.

a) path
b) road
c) way

Health and Ilness

1)Sam won't be coming to school today. He's ........ a bit of a temperature.
a) having
b) showing
c) running
2)
Thomas took a ........ for the worse during the night but he seems to be a lot better this morning.

a) turn
b) move
c) shift
3)
For a woman of her age she is in ........ health and a real inspiration.

a) sharp
b) impolite
c) rude

A few useful tips concerning the CPE

BEFORE THE EXAM:
Arrive early
Take all the materials you need
Stay relaxed - practise deep breathing
Don't talk to other candidates about the exam
Feel confident - focus on the last time you did something well and live the feeling again
IN THE EXAM:
Answer the easier parts/questions first
In multiple choice questions ignore the answers you know are wrong
When you have no idea - guess!
In the Writing paper build in a few minutes to think and prepare what you are going to write
Make sure you have answered all the questions
Proofread your work for spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Fill in the answer sheets correctly and clearly
AFTER THE EXAM:
Try not to compare answers with your colleagues - it's too late to change your answer!
Go out and enjoy yourself!!


Post comments asking Angela Dias any further questions and earn a medal for your relevant particpation!

Business

1)I know you can't give me an exact price but I'd appreciate a ball ........ figure so that I can let my team know.

a) park
b) court
c) field
2)
I hate it when a local business goes belly ........ It's sad to see a small business fail.

a) out
b) over
c) up
3)
If you want to make sure your business is running efficiently you need to get yourself a good number ........ to keep your accounts in order.

a) cruncher
b) juggler
c) squeezer

Food and Drink

1)We've got some officials coming over next week who we're intending to ........ and dine.

a) feed
b) wine
c) drink
2)
The restaurant was lovely and the fish was done to a .........

a) turn
b) roll
c) twist
3)
I told you not to put too much on your plate children. Your ........ are bigger than your belly.

a) eyes
b) mouth
c) teeth

Help needed

Dear fellows,

A little bird has told me that there seems to be an issue with the number of medals awarded so far. If that should be the case, I will deadly need your help to come up with a fair update of the list of medalists. So, please, let me know where or how it has started to go wrong.

Thanks a lot and sorry for the inconvenience!
You ROCK big time!

Health and Ilness

1)Apparently, John's on the ........ following his operation and could be home this week.

a) fix
b) repair
c) mend
2)
I've been sitting in the same position for too long. I've got pins and ........ in my leg.

a) screws
b) needles
c) nails
3)
Poor old Simon is in a ........ way. He sprained his ankle jogging and now can't get around at all.

a) bad
b) poor
c) ill

Work

1)Be careful. The managers are on the ........ over that email that was sent out to all staff criticising management.

a) march
b) rampage
c) warpath
2)
It's a good job. The boss keeps us all on our ........ but everyone is keen to do well and there's a great atmosphere.

a) toes
b) feet
c) legs
3)
It takes courage to put your ........ on the line when there's a difficult decision to be made.

a) arm
b) body
c) neck

Happy Occasions

1)They've been married for 50 years and they're going to ........ the occasion with a huge family party.

a) signal
b) show
c) mark

2)It's a red-........ day for the school as they've had a record number of students passing their exams!

a) letter
b) flag
c) carpet

3)Are you going to lay ........ a party for your daughter's 21st birthday?

a) in
b) on
c) out

Possibility and Probability

1)I think we need to leave ........ the possibility that Simon has decided not to come to the party.

a) open
b) vacant
c) free

2) Your dog ate your homework? That's a ........ story!

a) realistic
b) possible
c) likely

3)There's a ........ chance I won't be at work tomorrow. I might have to stay at home to wait for a delivery.

a) fine
b) slim
c) thin

Learning

1)Schools should go back to ........ and make sure children can read, write and do simple maths.

a) fundamentals
b) basics
c) bases



2)
Nobody thought he would make the ........ but he surprised them all and ended up going to university.

a) grade
b) level
c) mark



3)
I've been reading these instructions again and again but I just can't ........ my head around them.

a) put
b) get
c) make

Business

1)I've just spoken to their sales department and they think they can supply us with what we need. But they have got a track record of not delivering the ........

a) products
b) goods
c) items



2)
We had a salesman in the office earlier trying to give us the ........ sell with a new photocopier. We just couldn't get rid of him.

a) strong
b) heavy
c) hard



3)
I'm enjoying having my own business but if there's one thing I hate doing it's cold ........ to try to get new orders.

a) calling
b) phoning
c) ringing

Money

1)Frank used to make a ........ selling insurance before he went into teaching.
a) income
b) wage
c) living


2)
If you'd like to make a ........ buck do you fancy helping me with a job on Saturday?

a) quick
b) rapid
c) speedy



3)
We're beginning to ........ the pinch since Graham started to work part-time.

a) have
b) see
c) feel

Agreeing and Disagreeing

1)Sorry, but I've got to ........ issue with you over something you said earlier.
a) raise
b) make
c) take

2)
This discussion could go on for hours. Shall we just agree to ........ and move on?

a) differ
b) argue
c) disagree



3)
The two sides in the dispute are ........ odds over how to deal with the problem.

a) at
b) in
c) on

Homework suggestions

Please, check the comments for this post to get a a list of suggested exercises in your workbook.
Cheers!

CPE Collocations

Complete each of the following sentences with the word that collocates with the words in bold.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Victoria has a working ........ of Chinese, which she needs for her job as an international corporate lawyer.

2. The defendant told the judge that she accepted full ........ for her actions and that she would plead guilty.


3. After William realised his mistake he was forced to ........ his pride and apologise.


4. I thought I ........ my position absolutely clear. Either he goes or I do!


5. Tanya came away from the interview with the overriding ........ that she wouldn’t get the job.


6. Although my mother’s in her seventies she is still very young at ........


7. When the shop assistant refused the customer a refund, he was met with a torrent of ........


8. The drowning boy was pulled out of the river and ........ the kiss of life by a medic.

Moods and Emotions

1)
If you need any help just ........ the word and I'll be round immediately.
a) speak
b) say
c) utter



2)
Look, if there's something the matter just get it off your ........ and stop sitting there with a long face!

a) chest
b) head
c) stomach



3)
The builder was late again today. If he's not here at 9.00 tomorrow I'm really going to give him a ........ of my mind.

a) piece
b) bit
c) part

Moods and Emotions

1)The children have been in ........ spirits since we told them about the holiday we've booked.

a) high
b) wide
c) deep



2) I'm as pleased as ........ to be nominated for the award.

a) punch
b) push
c) pull


3)
One minute Sue was quite happy and the next she stormed off in a ........ of pique about a comment someone had made.

a) act
b) fit
c) sign

Character Traits

1)Anna is the ........ of the earth and very popular with all her colleagues.
a) stone
b) soil
c) salt


2)
Our daughter's teacher has got a heart of ........ and is always prepared to spend extra time with the children to help them with their work.

a) silver
b) gold
c) jewels


3)
I'd be careful what you say to Stephan. He's got rather a ........ temper.

a) fast
b) quick
c) snappy

Activity

1)We were sitting in the hospital waiting room twiddling our ........ for hours until we were seen.

a) fingers
b) thumbs
c) hands



2)
We've been up to our ........ in work lately. I've never known it to be so busy.

a) nose
b) hair
c) eyes



3)
You'll never persuade him to help you with the garden. He's bone ........ .

a) idle
b) lazy
c) still

DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

1)We were sitting in the meeting when the boss ........ the bombshell and told us the business was being sold.

a) ignited
b) exploded
c) dropped

2)
I put a brave ........ on things but I was actually feeling quite sad.

a) look
b) face
c) view



3)
Rather than trying to fight a losing ........ you should accept you were wrong and move on.

a) battle
b) war
c) struggle

Power and Politics

1)Dad's ........ his soapbox again, going on about what the Government's doing wrong.

a) at
b) on
c) in

2)
I really don't know who to vote for. Can't I just ........ on the fence?

a) sit
b) stand
c) lie

3)
Mathew is a useful person to know as he has friends in ........ places.

a) main
b) big
c) high

Vocabulary Exercise based on Objective Proficiency

Romance

1)Paul has been using the Internet to search for an old ........ of his.
a) spark
b) light
c) flame


2)
Clare shouldn't really be thinking about meeting someone new yet as she's still ........ the rebound.

a) on
b) in
c) at



3)
You won't get any sense out of Alex at the moment. He's head over ........ in love.

a) toes
b) heels
c) feet

Angela's Challenge - 2 medals each - totalling six good ones

a)
1. The brutal military regime has .... fear into the whole population.
2. She ... a match and lit another cigarette.
3. The management and the employees eventually ... a bargain.

b)
1. She’s been ... a grudge against her boss ever since her transfer was refused.
2. ... criminals is an offence in law.
3. I’m certainly not ... a secret passion for that man, if that’s what you’re thinking.

c)
1. Her doctor was at ... in not sending her straight to the specialist.
2. It’s depressing to have someone always finding ... with your work.
3. I can’t phone my Dad - there seems to be a ... on the line.

Time and Frequency

1)You were supposed to be here at 9.00 o'clock! Never mind. Better ........ than never.

a) late
b) delayed
c) overdue

2
What are you waiting for? Give her a call now. There's no time like the .........

a) reality
b) immediacy
c) present



3
We just popped into the travel agent on the spur of the ........ and booked a holiday.

a) instant
b) moment
c) time

Shopping

1)Have you got any loose ........ on you? I've only got notes.
a) money
b) change
c) cash





2
Have you seen that new car Salvatore has bought? That must have cost a ........ penny.

a) pretty
b) nice
c) shiny


3
Instead of paying through the ........ for expensive designer clothes why don't you look around in one of the ordinary shops?

a) eyes
b) nose
c) mouth

Objective Proficiency Answers

Well, I think the answers are:

4. swallow
5. pinch
6. dropped

Work

1)If you keep working all the ........ God sends you're going to burn yourself out.

a) periods
b) time
c) hours




2)
Edward was my right- ........ man during my time with the company.

a) hand
b) arm
c) side



3)
There's a very clear pecking ........ in the organisation and everybody knows their place.

a) order
b) level
c) system

Snack time

Hey everyone!

Who's taking the snack this Friday?

xxx

Checking pronunciation

Hi, folks! Here's a link to check pronunciation. It's worth trying it!
I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal

Cheers,
Fatima

Pat and Junior, Sol is getting closer and closer! LOL

Open Cloze

Guys, an open cloze for you to have fun! You can find the full text on Google, but try to complete it before reading the full version, ok?

Enjoy!

xxx

Mamma Mia! The Movie will no (1)... find its audience. There will be women of a certain age who will embrace its joie de vivre. And there will be men of a certain persuasion who will adore its kitsch appeal. Beyond these two demographics, (2)..., the movie skids into the arena of cultural car crash. (3)... on stage the flimsy conceit of Catherine Johnson’s `story’ is bulked up with showbiz razzmatazz, on the big screen (4)... thinness is stretched into diaphanous toffee.

Like Across the Universe, Mamma Mia! is a collection of hit songs in search (5)... a storyline. But (6)... the former, it has established its theatrical legs, playing in 170 cities across the globe. Songs like Honey, Honey and Money, Money have been twisted and tweaked to serve new narrative ends, ending up both (7)... a vibrant paeon to Abba and a sort of Shirley Valentine on amphetamines.

Here, we have Meryl Streep as Donna, a doughty, hard-working single mother running a ramshackle hotel on a Greek island. Her daughter, Sophie (Seyfried), is getting married and, behind Donna’s back, has invited the three men that her mother slept with around the time of her conception. Sophie feels that (8)... she discovers the identity of her father, she cannot know who she really is. And so Pierce Bosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård roll up, (9)... to claim the daughter they never knew they had.

Watching the likes of Karen Silkwood, James Bond and Mr Darcy grapple with the familiar hooks of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulraeus’ timeless tunes is akin to indulging in some (10)... of blood sport. While, as (11)..., Ms Streep rises dynamically to the occasion, Brosnan is laughed off the screen as he manfully butchers SOS (‘How can I even try to go on…’). The real star is Christine Baranski, who brings spit and polish to her role as Donna’s friend, Tanya.

There’s gusto to spare, but in the cultural banquet of the film musical, this is strictly choux pastry.

Back in action! Congrats!

Great site

Here goes a link to a wonderful site for our practice. There are even listening exercises. I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.english-test.net/lessons/9/index.html
Cheers,
Fatima

Speaking task

Assuming your task is to talk about the subject: "Does travel broaden the mind?" the suggested vocabulary is
To see the world
To go globetrotting
To develop cultural awareness/cross cultural understanding
To become more open-minded
To break down barriers
Cultural/national stereotypes
To have fixed opinions
To become more tolerant
To experience first hand
Mass tourism
Effect on the local population/indigenous population
Tourist trap

Expressions to offer examples:

For example
For instance
Take...for example
To give you an example
By way of example
A case in point is
To illustrate this
To show you what I mean

Business

Complete the following colloquial expressions:

1)The new owner is known to be ruthless and his first action is likely to be getting rid of any dead ......... in the organisation.

a) foliage
b) matter
c) wood
2)If I can only get my foot in the ........ somehow I'm sure I can make an impression.

a) building
b) door
c) room
3)The deal isn't cut and ........ yet but I'm pretty confident we'll agree terms.

a) dried
b) tied
c) dyed

Reflecting on the use of English paper

The skills and language knowledge that you need to pass the Use of English Paper of the new CPE are slightly different from the traditional grammar and vocabulary items that you used to be tested on when you were regular English students. Since the last time we were together we did an entire mock of paper 3, here's some food for thought.

You have heard the term 'lexical chunks', which are items of language that consist of a few words and cannot really be called 'grammar' or 'vocabulary' but are something in between. Some
examples are language items like the following:
- 'come to light' as in 'New evidence came to light during the police investigation.'
- 'go according to plan' as in 'The party went according to plan and everyone was pleased.'

How might this knowledge be tested? In Part 1 (Open Cloze) or Part 3 (Gapped sentences) you may have to supply a missing word from part of that lexical chunk. In Part 4 (Key Word Transformations) you may have to supply the whole item.

Hope this has helped you somehow, folks!
Keep on blogging!

This week's snack

Hi, guys!

I am one of the students responsible for this Friday's snack. As we have not made arrangements yet, I am thinking about taking two cartons of juice. Enough? What are the other members of "team C" taking? Keep me posted.

Cheers,
Carla

CPE sentence transformation exercises

Hi guys!

Hope it is useful and you have some fun!

http://www.imparareinglese.co.uk/esercizi_inglese/CPE_key_word_transformation_2.html

Missing u!

Gi.

Gapped sentences

Which word best fits the three sentences?

1. I had to spend hours to sort out all those documents – what a _________________!

2. All around her birds whistled their happy tune as they went about their ______________.

3. The manager suspected that there had been some monkey _______________ going on in the office.

FYI - ABOUT THE CPE SPEAKING PAPER

The Speaking paper, which lasts for approximately 19 minutes, consists of 3 parts. The typical arrangement is of two students and two examiners, one acting as interlocutor and assessor, the other as assessor.

Part 1: Conversation between the interlocutor and the candidates
Part 1 consists of the interlocutor asking the candidates to introduce themselves by giving information about themselves and offering opinions. This 'ice-breaker' will last approximately 3
minutes.

Part 2 Conversation between the two candidates
Part 2 consists of a two-way conversation between the two candidates who will be required to use visual and verbal prompts to carry out a task. This task will require the candidates to evaluate, compare, give opinions or speculate about a particular subject and will last approximately 4 minutes.

Part 3 Long turn plus discussion
Part 3 consists of a long turn by Candidate A during which he or she responds to written questions on a prompt card (2 minutes). Candidate B is asked to respond with their own views on the topic in question (1 minute) and then both candidates respond (1 minute). The process is then repeated with Candidtae A taking a long turn and Candidate B responding.


Post comments asking Angela Dias any further questions and earn a medal for your relevant particpation!

my apologies...

Oh, guys, I owe you an apology for last Friday. When I decided not to go to Cultura, I’d completely forgotten about the snack. It was terribly irresponsible of me not to go, so, I’ve got to atone for my sin...

Next class (17th of April, right?), even though I’m not taking part in the group who is going to provide the snack, I’m taking something to keep you sweet. =P

Forgive me, guys, and remind me when it comes closer to the date; I’ve got a mind like a sieve...

Cheers

Fifteenth medal!!! wow!

Key Word Transformation

1. Mary was fired last week.

REDUNDANT

Mary ___________________ last week.

2. If you buy me a chocolate bar, I’ll give you my phone number.

PROVIDED

____________________________ a chocolate bar, I’ll give you my phone number.

3. Your bedroom is a complete mess!

SIXES

Your bedroom ___________________________!



Enjoy!

PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE

Complete each sentence with a different word.

1. I think the fact that she hasn´t had the good grace to apologise _____________ volumes about her.

2. When he _____________ round after the operation, he had absolutely no idea where he was.

3. Terry was finally brought to _____________ for fiddling the accounts.

4. Your office won´t be ready until next week, so could you use Room 11 just for the _______________ being?

All you want to know about English

Great site! I hope I can contribute to your study!

http://www.english-test.net/

See you, folks!

FYI

Your medals will continue to be constantly updated even though you won't be able to visualize them for some time, because I have just formatted my HD and it will take me quite a while to install all the back-up applications and files...

In the meantime keep up the excellent work!

Ask the Bards

Hy guys,

Lets play a CPE vocabulary game on SOPHISTICATED ADJECTIVES?

- This is a chain game that takes as long as the pot boils;
- Each one posts an adjective starting from the last letter of the previous word. Ex: good - dear - radical - ...
- Only 3-syllable (minimum) or compound adjectives are accepted (we're CPE holders to be, right?)

The first word is given below.

Have a Blast!

Why am I not surprised?

A bit of Morphology to spice your lives

Use the words given to form words that fit in each space:

It appears that hypertension has an additive ______ effect on overall prognosis in the diabetic. DELETE

The structures are based upon organic droplets in an ________ medium. WATER

Stalin's body was _________ removed from the Moscow Mausoleum. CEREMONY

GAPPED SENTENCES

Which one word fits all the sentences?

1. What is the ___________ of play in the current negotiations?
2. Their band often plays at the White House on __________ occasions.
3. Ames´dismissal had left him in a distressed _________ of mind.

Junior, Carla, Marissol - Real champions!

Expressions with CHANGE

Complete each sentence with a different word.

1. She'd been with the same company such a long time, she felt she needed a change of ______ .

2. If he wants to carry on living here, he's going to have to change his ______ .

3. That Italian restaurant is nowhere near as good since it changed ______ .

4. She took a change of _____ in her suitcase as they were staying overnight.

Use of English, part 4

Complete the second sentence so that it hás a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given.

‘My trainer’s foreign accent makes it hard to follow what he says’, Sue said.

which

Sue explained to me that it __________ it hard to follow what he said.

I wonder what happened to Hans; he’s normally on time for an important meeting.

unlike

I wonder what’s happened to Hans; it’s most __________ for an important meeting.

For me, his skill as a negotiator was most impressive.

how

I was most __________ negotiator he was.

TWO for creativity + ONE for being unstoppable! LOL

Writing - Paper 2 - Assessment

Composition

Tips on how to write compositions:

http://www.indianchild.com/english_compositions_homework_help_sites.htm

Dictionary

I really don't know if you've heard about this site, I love it!

http://www.visuwords.com/

Have a great week you all.

Fatima

Use of English

Complete the sentences with the same word:

1. The local buses charge a ________ fare of 70p to the town centre.

2. Jeff's demand for a meeting with management was met with a _______ refusal.

3. My car battery's completely ___________ because I must have left the lights on all night.

TWO for creativity + ONE for hitting the right spot!

Here's for your creativity, Fatima!

Idioms

Hi, guys. I was preparing a lesson when I came across this site on idioms. I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/idioms/idioms.html

Cheers,

Fatima

A most wondrous feat!

Brainstorming Moment!!!

Dear CPE candidates,

You must all know by now that there's more to this exam than just making small talk in English. Your English needs to be at least OUTSTANDING, and being acquainted with some expressions is a great starting point.

Hence, let's carry out a brainstorm moment, shall we?

Write a small paragraph which contains 5 expressions with names of 5 different ANIMALS.

Are you mighty enough to withstand this challenge?

Happy postings

Tough competition!

KEY WORD TRANSFORMATION

1. A year later, they go married.
PLACE

Their ___________________ a year later.


2. You should always be grateful for what you are given.
HORSE

You should _______________ the mouth.

3. The tourists were unharmed after the train crash.
NONE

The tourists _______________ for their experience in the train crash.

This trophy is worth three medals!

Hi you all! Thanks Levi for the invitation and what I gotta say to you guys is that U ROCK!!! Keep up the good work that I'm sure you'll breeze through CPE. Here goes something to make you sweat a bit:

Fill in the gaps with the same word:

1. I can't make up my mind on which candidate to choose. They come across as ________ of a muchness to me.

2. _________ as I would like to stay, I really need to go home.

3. I'm not ___________ good at this exercise.


What do the missing words mean?

Have fun!

Lesliê Mulico

Good job, Fatima!

Having some fun

Complete the gaps with the missing words;

A) The new boss seems to have _________ a shine to you. She's giving you all the easy jobs!

B) Despite being like _________ and cheese they've both been very successful as a business partnership.

C) I've _________ touch with so many of my old friends. I must make an effort to contact them soon.

Most recent photo op!

Sol and Pat in the lead!!!

Let me contribute...

Which word can be used appropriately in all three sentences?

After a while, the rain became so heavy that we were forced to _____ shelter.

Mr Williams moved to London to _____ his fortune.

To climb this mountain, you must first _____ permission from the appropriate government department.

Cheers.

Absolute leader for the time being!

What's the word?

Which word fits the three sentences?

1. We were swept ________ by her eloquence.

2. I don't know what went wrong with our relationship, but somewhere _______ the line we just stopped loving each other.

3. Kate's already agreed, but it's going to be harder persuading Mike to go ________ with it.

Enjoy!

Pronunciation

If you do need to know the correct pronunciation of any English word, go to: http://www.thefreedictionary.com , here you can find the meaning of the words and how they are pronounced, I mean there's a button where you can actually hear how it's spoken.

;). have fun, mates

Onelook.com

Hey, guys, don't waste your time looking words up on online dictionaries; go straight to www.onelook.com

Enjoy!

Way to go, Junior!

A champions' parade!

Some word formation for you, guys!

Today's word: "CONTRIBUTE"

1. The charity are very pleased to have received several ........ from local businesses.

2. She has been a regular ........ to the journal since it was first published.

3. Increasing workload was seen as a ........ factor in his decision to resign.

Up for grabs!

xoxo

Carla

List of collective nouns

Hey, you!

if you have trouble with collective nouns as I do, here's a list from Wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_collective_nouns

Have fun

Snack Time!

Last week we got to a conclusion about our snack!!!

Every week, four of us will take something there. Some cookies, juices and pop. Patricia, Mariana, me and Gisele are taking this week. Ruffles, a bottle of pop and two boxes of juice.

This Friday we decide about next week and so on...

USE OF ENGLISH PAPER (detailed reminder)

The Use of English paper, which lasts 1 hour 30 minutes, consists of 5 parts.

Part 1: Open Cloze
A text containing 15 gaps. Candidates must supply the single, misssing word for each gap. The focus of this task is on both grammatical and lexical patterns. To prepare for this exercise candidates should learn grammatical and lexical 'chunks' including, for example, collocations and set expressions.

Part 2 Word Formation
A text containing 10 gaps each with a corresponding stem word. Candidates must supply the correct form of the stem word to complete the gap. This might entail the addition of a prefix or suffix, (help x unhelpful) creating a compound word (book x bookcase) or changing the spelling of the word (high x height). It is very possible that more than one change will be required. Candidates will benefit from keeping systematic records of new vocabulary.

Part 3 Gapped sentences
6 questions containing 3 sentences each with one gap. Candidates must supply the one word that is common to each gap. The word will be the same part of speech for each gap. This word will usually be part of a set expression or collocation and therefore preparation should involve learning vocabulary 'chunks'.

Part 4 Key Word Transformation
8 questions each requiring the candidate to rewrite a sentence. The question will consist of a prompt sentence followed by a second sentence with the middle words gapped. The candidate must supply the missing 3-8 words so that the second sentence has the same meaning as the first. Candidates will need to develop their ability to paraphrase and could do this by recording synonymous expressions.

Part 5 Comprehension Questions and Summary Writing
4 questions based on two texts and a summary writing task of approximately 50 to 70 words. The four questions do not require full sentence answers but the summary must be written in complete, accurate sentences in the candidate's own words.


Post comments asking Angela Dias any further questions and earn a medal for your relevant particpation!

All about paper 5

click here to find out all about the Speaking Paper













Post comments asking Angela Dias any further questions and earn a medal for your relevant particpation!

Amazing video by commediant Amy Walker

Go for it, people!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k

That's her performing like Eliza Doolittle, she's brilliant...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRZz84aHZmY

Thanks for your wonderful contribution, Sol!

How does it feel to have joined the good?

Talk, talk, talk...

Guys,

Some sentences with the word "talk" for you to have fun; complete them with different words:

1) I stayed the whole morning in bed with my husband having some ________ talk.

2) The professor talked my essay _________ just because I'm not a toady to him.

3) He didn't buy our idea at first, but we managed to talk him ___________.

Enjoy!

This is for your recent contributions, Fatima!

Y'all keep on blogging!

One leading, one starting

English Proverbs

Just for the sake of curiosity:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/297086/English-Proverbs

Cheers

BBC - Learning English site

Hi, folks.

I've found this site that may be interesting for our practice. I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

Try this one, guys

Now complete the gaps with the missing words.




A) You started here as a young man and have worked your ______ to the top.

B) Kevin always switches off when he leaves the office and you'll never catch him talking __________ .

C) I've been looking for a program that will help me weed ________ all the junk email I keep getting.

Who's got the book?

Please, post a comment here if you do!

WORD FORMATION

FEAR

The defenders are ___________________ of another attack.
She glanced _______________________ over her shoulder.
If provoked, it defended itself ___________________.

That's what our agenda page will look like today!

Congratulations you too, Carla!

Here are your Medals, Roberto and Patricia !

The Catherine Tate Show

I've decided to go on with the subject brought up last class and in order to get you guys in touch with The Catherine Tate Show, I'm uploading my favourite videos of hers for you to take a look. I hope you all enjoy them as much, or even more, as I do.

Lauren Cooper (cockney 'gal')
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l5twcFiYd0

Valley Girl (American teenager)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py7eaT0ZR8w

Posh Family (Supposedly with a posh southener accent)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvTnqIlppRQ

They're all worth watching. Just so we don't feel very bad whenever we don't catch what they say, in The States all the episodes are subtitled because they can't understand most of what's said on this show either.

And this last one is definitely a chalenger; I couldn't find one subtitled, though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kh4KDhBiSc

Have fun!

Word Formation

Hey, guys!

What about some activities on word formation?


Today's word: "LIMIT"

1. We will offer you totally ........ access to our health club with this insurance scheme.

2. Are there any ........ as to what this new system can achieve?

3. Wind power could offer us a ........ supply of energy if only we invested more in research and development.

Congrats Camille!

wow!

Let´s practice!!!!

Which one word fits all three sentences?

1. She knew beyond __________________ that I was a person who could be trusted.

2. Unemployment has brought into ____________________ the right of married women to work.

3. Are you calling my professinal competence into ___________________?

Objective Proficiency

This is the book we'll be using as of March the 20th, guys!

You should try to buy both the SB and the WB, but if that is not possible,

make sure you get at least the SB as soon as you can, OK?

In the meantime, keep on blogging and take care!!

One more medalist joins the hall of fame!

Two medals:

One for the correct answer + another one for the gapped sentences!!

This is my last contribution this month. I expect to see your own contributions from now on, OK?

Which is the single word that can fill each of these gapped sentences ?


'The experiment was a complete failure and they had to go back to the drawing ........'


'Changes to the workforce are far-reaching and will be felt across the .........'


'All the passengers were told to get on ........ the ship and prepare for departure.'

Junior joins Mariana in the lead!

Could it be harm?

Cheers

Try this one for another medal!

What is the single word that can fill each of these gapped sentences ?


'He'll be perfectly safe on the trip and won't come to any.................'

'Why don't you ask for a pay rise? There's no ............... in trying.

''I'm sorry. I didn't mean any ................ I haven't hurt you, have I?'

Congrats Mariana!!! You are the very first medalist of this term!

Medals anyone?

Which single word can fill each of these gapped sentences?

'The film was so gripping that it .............. my interest from start to finish.'

'She once .............. some shares in the company but now they are worthless.'

'Police .............. the man suspected of murder for further questioning.'

Thanks for the invitation... I wish I could take part in your classes this year...

Cheers,

Fellipe FCS.