Improving your English every day?

[Ralf]

activities in meiningen:

- revision: action verbs
- revision: questions, negations, confirmative statements
- describing activities in simple present + past
- modal constructions with 'do' + did'
- short introduction to will-future
- contrasting will and want
- eating out: food, drink, menue cards
- making and taking orders
- negotiating skills: complaints
- tentative language: would, could
- politeness: how to say sorry, thanks, please, welcome
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[Ralf]

hi torsten,

i'm sorry for our misunderstanding, i didn't mean to keep you waiting yesterday.

now, as for the delitzsch class, it's been quite fun. people have a slightly higher level than the other d-classes. some people have academic backrounds. 'only' one person (oktavia) doesn't speak english, and christa's english education at school was already completed in 1967.

most of monday we spent introducing each other, doing and analysing the afi test, reviewing the basic present + past tenses and creating questions and negations.

tuesday we had a lot of phonetic exercises, learned the international alphabet, had a few vocabulary building exercises and talked about likes and dislikes.

today we tackled nationalities, talked about stereotypes, went on characterising individuals, looked at outer appearances and then asked for personal details. after the break we will learn how to ask for information ('w'-'h' questions, 'do/does') and learn how to do negations.

tomorrow, i think you could employ some games, listening exercises, drill repetition, exercises basing on the afi-test and general chat. maybe have them write down their aims (i only briefly tackled this aspect).

good luck!

ralf
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[Torsten]

Hi Ralf, many thanks for your update, I'll follow your suggestions and do some TOEIC Bridge listening exercises and dictations. We'll also talk about learning goals and how to achieve them.

Regards,
Torsten
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[Ralf]

there is one more thing you should know: since the class is doing 9 units at the moment (until oct 1 i have them take longer breaks so that they are too beat after 2 pm, as happened on tuesday. so this is how i told them to have breaks:

9.00 - 9.20
10.40 - 11
12.30 - 13.10
14.20 - 14.30

game over at 15.40

also worth noting: there's a woman called baerbel in the course who's command is above average, and she's quite eager. may consider clipping her wings at times.

christina (with glasses), jens and andrea speak ok, need some encouragement. in general people are rather willing, and at times able
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[Ralf]

hi torsten,

today we started working with a book Frau Hitsch allowed me to order for the group. "How to communicate effectively?" is a business English book, rororo verlag, ? 8.90 which i managed to get for 2.95 a piece. we are currently working on the first module "presenting yourself". after the break we will have mock interview situations. I'll interview people on behalf of "IMEX", a company specialised in importing and exporting used cars.

see you tomorrow!

ralf
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[Ralf]

hi torsten, a brief summary from frau hitsch's computer:

this week

- commercial correspondence: useful phrases
- structuring a letter
- levels of politeness
- conditional 1+2
- listening comprehension

i also ordered a new book for everyone. participants paid 16 euros for langenscheid's network 3 (level A2.2). started using it today, you can carry on using it tomorrow if you like (ramona won't be there so you could use her book). the unit ends with a text about london...

talk soon!

ralf
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[Catreena_Uae]

Hi every body,

I am a new member here and I'd like to be an active in this forum.To be honest, I faced some difficulties to join this forum but I insisted and made it by the end. Any way, the reason that makes me came here even I do not like fourms is that i have weakness in many English skills like speaking and writing but especially writng because my major required to be good in this skill but i am not. I tried before to improve my writing by reading but it did not work with me mabye because the books are not that good. In this semester, my final results were very good except writing which made me sad because i worked hard in it but i could not take A. I alwayes dream that I can write in good way. Forexample, I dream of writing my daily events or any things happend to me but since i started to write i cut the paper into pecies because i could not start or i am not satisfied about my bad writing. Please I need help here, I am ready to have lessons and follow the instructors step by setp and i will be grateful. Thanks

[Che Gevara]

Not at all
I'd say it becomes worst
There was I time I realy cared ,but not now...
I've much more things to do ,than wasting time ,improving my English
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[Hans_Ulrich]

Hallo Everybody in the forum,
* wishing you all a very prosperous New Year 2008.
I should like to thank you for the very positive cooperation I enjoyed very much resp. we have just started.
I wish you every success for your personal career, stable health, good family and strong network relation for the projects we have in mind.
Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year 2008
Regards Uli

[Alan]

Hi,

Good to hear from you after all this time. Season's greetings to you, too.

Alan
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[Ledeni_Momak_At]

Hello Torsten

I am going to write a summary about a Text that i readed yesterday.

Blue Sky

Blue Sky is a travel company which specializes in adventure holiday such as backpacking in australia or snowboarding in the alps. Blue Sky has a five full time staff including 3 employees, Kate and Michael King who manage the company.
One of the employees runs the Blue Sky homepage and the other 2 employees help Kate to look up customers who call at the company. On the website was only for advertising those holidays but now Michael want also to sell holidays on its website and so is a huge amount of work for the employee that run the website.
Things are going so well that the company has nowadays problems to find staff in booming London. There are simply more jobs then peoples to fill them especially in IT.

So that was a summary about the Text of Blue Sky that is on my school book.

Torsten Please correct my mistakes

I am looking forward to hear from you

Thanks

[Alan]

Hi,

I have made some amendments in CAPITALS:

I am going to write a summary about a Text that I READ yesterday.

Blue Sky

Blue Sky is a travel company which specializes in adventure holidayS such as backpacking in Australia or snowboarding in the Alps. Blue Sky has five full time staff including 3 employees, Kate and Michael King who manage the company.

One of the employees runs the Blue Sky homepage and the other 2 employees help Kate to look AFTER customers who call at the company. On the website THERE was only advertising FOR those holidays but now Michael wantS also to sell holidays on HIS/THE website and so THERE is a huge amount of work for the employee that runS the website.

Things are going so well that the company has PROBLEMS NOW IN findING staff in booming London. There are simply more jobs thAn people to fill them especially in IT.

So that was a summary OF the Text of Blue Sky that is In my school book.

Torsten Please correct my mistakes

I am looking forward to hearING from you.

Alan
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[Anupma]

hi torsten!

How are you .Hope you are doing well. as I told you before I am despirately want to learn how to get fluencey in english as it's my basic need to represent my self in fine art field. Yes! I am a sculptore recently completed my masters in fine arts and to represent my self and my work is very important in my field and I feels very embarace don't know to describe my work in english.

I tell you I can write little bit as you saw but before making a fully sentence in my mind and cann't make sentences fastly while time to speak. I heartly request you to give me a solution for my this problem please.

as I read your email, You talked about 30:30 minutes listening exrcise while doing another works like eating and all, but I cann't do this as I tries to understand english while I do more concentration then how it come to listen and understand english with concentrating on other works.
please reply both my questions I will be thankful to you.

[Torsten]

Hi Anupma,

Of course you can do other things while you have an English audio recording/TV or radio program playing in the background. Anyone can and so can you. The trick is NOT to concentrate on what you hear but on what you are doing. Are you seriously telling me that you cannot eat breakfast when you have CNN or NBC play in the background? Wait until you are really hungry then and I'm sure you will be able to eat while listening to English.

Also, are you trying to tell me you cannot jog for 30 minutes when you are wearing headphones listening to an English audio book? Have you even tried? If you have, what exactly happened? If you failed, try again and again. Don't try to find a short cut to learning English. You first need to complete the 30/30 Challenge exactly as I have explained.

Only after you have completed the challenge can I give you further instructions.
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