Teacher Inma Garín's Blog: Grammar: The noun phrase

Thursday 12 November 2009

Grammar: The noun phrase

Througout my career as a teacher I have not found activities or information in the classbooks about the noun phrase. I strongly believe that noun phrases play a key role in the way proficient speakers use the English language. Students often tend to use very simple noun phrases. This power point is intended to make you aware of this aspect of the English language system in order to empower you to use language in a more precise and professional way.

The noun phrase

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RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Adiga, Aravind: The White Tiger

Auster, Paul: The Brooklyn Follies
Beckett, Samuel: Collected Shorter Plays
Capote, Truman: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Chevalier, Tracy: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Conrad, Joseph: Heart of Darkness
Dickens, Charles: A Christmas Carol
Golden, Arthur: Memoirs of a Geisha

Harris, Joanne: Chocolat

Highsmith, Patricia: The Talented Mr Ripley

Hornby, Nick: Juliet, Naked

Ishiguro, Kazuo: The Remains of the Day

James, Henry: The Turn of the Screw
McCall Smith, A.: The Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

McEwan, Ian: Solar

Orwell, George: Homage to Catalonia
Tan, Amy: The Joy Luck Club
Woolf, Virginia: Mrs. Dalloway

IDEAS TO PRACTISE YOUR ENGLISH OUTSIDE THE CLASS

→ Workbook of “Speakout, upper intermediate Here you can find lots of interesting and useful grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening exercises to work on your own

→ Conversation and laboratory classes in the school. Attend as many classes as you can to improve your speaking and listening skills

→ Satellite dish

→ TDT (digital television). You can watch films, serials and documentaries in original version in most of these channels

→ “Aprendeinglés”. Try to tune this channel in your television where you can find programmes to learn English of all levels

→ www.vaughanradio.com. Visit this website to listen and learn English.

→ That´s English (curso 3ª). You can watch this programme on television (channel 2). A copy of the exact timetable of this programme will be stuck to the wall of the classroom. It will be interesting for you to record these programmes.

→ Babel, UGC cinemas and Filmoteca. You can watch foreign films in original version with Spanish subtitles in these cinemas.

→ DVDs. Watch your favourite films in original version with or without subtitles.

→ English songs. Listen to and sing your favourite songs. Now you can find the lyrics easily on the net.

→ Read as much English as possible. You can find all kinds of magazines and newspapers about different topics you may like (cinema, computers, politics) in many bookshops, libraries and newsagent´s in Valencia (Soriano, FNAC). You can also visit webpages where you can read English texts on all kinds of topics

→ “Café Las Horas”(C/ Conde Almodovar, 1, exchange Mondays 20.00h) “The Lounge” (C/ Estañería Vieja, 2, exchange Mondays, 22.00h), “Café Dublín” (C/ Sueca, 51, trivial party, Sundays, 19.30), , The Black Sheep” (Porta del Mar, 6, exchange Tuesdays, 21.30) “Sally O´Brien” (Avda/ Aragón, 8, quiz, Sundays, 19.00h) and “Tandem” (sofa-club, 1ª planta. Mercado Fuencarral, Avda/ Tirso de Molina, 16, exchange Tuesday, 19-22hours) are meeting points where you can meet native English speakers to practise your English. Go along and have fun in English!!

→ “bbc.learningenlish.com” and “wwwmansioninglesHYPERLINK "http://www.englishlistening.com/".com” are two webpages where you can find activities and exercises to improve your English. If you know another interesting webpage to learn English, tell your teacher and she will tell the rest of the class. You can also surf on the Internet and bring to class interesting articles to share with the class

→ “You-Tube”. You can find whatever information you´re interested in on this webpage (Obama´s speeches, interviews with your favourite actor/actress, pieces of popular serials like CSI, live concerts of your favourite singers, etc. Learn, enjoy and practice your English visiting this webpage

→ “series yonkis” and “mejoren VO.com” Visit these two websites and watch your favourite serials in English

→ www.bbbc.co.uk/worldservice. Be updated on the latest news visitingthis webpage where you can also practice your listening skill listening to radio bulletins

→ “Pod-cast”. Download podcasts from some English webpages and then listen to them in your MP3 or Ipod

→ Write a diary in English

→ Write letters to e-friends or chat on the net (always in English!!)

→ Speak English with your classmates before or after the class

→ Conversation exchanges with native English speakers who study Spanish at the EOI, or others who work/live near you

→ Travel to English-speaking countries if you can

FAQs

Q. Why should I write a post?
A. a) To express myself.
b) To share knowledge.
c) To ask for help.
Q. How long should the post be?
A. A post deals with one single topic, which sould be well-structured in about three paragraphs at double space (about 150 words).
Q. What are the post functions?
A. a) inform
b) give help
c) give an opinion
d) open a debate
e) keep in touch with the teacher and classmates
Q. Can I make mistakes?
A. Although the style can be informal and spontaneous, it has to be respectful with the norms, so revise your post before publishing it with the help of a grammar book and a dictionary.
Q. How many posts can I write?
A. As an average, try to write a post every 4 weeks.
Q. Shall I be assessed for what I write in the blog?
A. Your mark at the end of each term will be raised if you have been a regular participant and your language is up to the level NA1.
Q. Will my posts be corrected by the teacher?
A. As a general rule, they won't, although sometimes the teacher can use a post in class to illustrate something.

Learning English can be fun!

Thursday 12 November 2009

Grammar: The noun phrase

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