New Students Session 5

Good afternoon class of session 5!!!

Well, we all know that "TOEIC IS FANTASTIC", but why?

1. It is a fantastic way to focus your grammar skills.
2. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn as part of a group-structured practice.
3. It is a fantastic chance to practice your English under pressure, which is fantastic for job opportunities.

So, how do you start using this blog?

1. JOIN this blog, so that you get notified of updates.
2. RIGHT-click the links to open new windows ("open in new window").
3. If unsure of what to do, read the blog, ask a partner or ask me!

What about now?

This week's grammar focus is on prepositions (time/place), so here are some links to follow (remember right-click, then "open in new window" please).

1. Let's start by clicking on this moderate-level prepositions QUIZ. (click)
2. Then, here.
3. More here.
4. OKAY, try studying some common prepositions here, then follow the links on the page (if the advert isn't too distracting!).
5. The other thing to do is study YouTube:

Some locations prepositions:







Common errors - prepositions:





If you have lots of time for prepositions, try all these:

Start here with these excellent tables and the exercises that come with them from the ego4u website:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions

These are from the Language Project website:

http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/elementary/elementary_prepositions.htm

Prepositions with People

http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/exercise_page.php?ID=76

Prepositions – Study

http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/exercise_page.php?ID=77

Prepositions of Place

http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/exercise_page.php?ID=97

Prepositions of Time

http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/exercise_page.php?ID=98

From the website 5-minute English: Time and Date:

http://www.5minuteenglish.com/mar18.htm

The following links are from the excellent ESL website a4esl.

Here are the Preposition exercises from there in order of difficulty. Make sure you bookmark the site and go back and use it for other things too.

Prepositions often confused by Donna Tatsuki

http://a4esl.org/q/j/dt/mc-confusedprep.html

A preposition crossword:

http://iteslj.org/cw/1/vm-prep.htm

About, at, for or to by Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/j/vm/fb-prep.html

At, in or on by Nuala Ivic

http://a4esl.org/q/j/ni/fb-prepositions.html

Prepositions by Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/j/vm/mc-prep.html

At in or on by Jack Bradshaw

http://a4esl.org/q/j/jb/fb-prepositions.html

In, At or On by Douglas Gilbert

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9704/dg-in-at-on.html

By Ilker utlu

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz48miu.htm

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz46miu.htm

By Charles Kelly

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz98bck.htm

By Barbara Donnelly

http://a4esl.org/q/h/fb-bd-preposition.html

4 by Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/prepos01.html

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/prepos02.html

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/prepos03.html

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/prep01.html

By Yanti Nading

http://a4esl.org/q/h/0001/yn-prepositions.html

By Leticia Bradley

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/inatplaces.html

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/inonat.html

At on and in used in Time and Dates

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/atonintime.html

At, by, with

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/atbywith.html

Slightly more difficult maybe:

by Senora Edmilson

http://a4esl.org/q/h/0101/es-prepositions.html

By Violeta Tsoneva

http://a4esl.org/q/f/x/xz98mvt.htm

By Charles Kelly

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz65fck.htm

After, for or since by Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/j/vm/fb-afterforsince.html

By Charles Kelly

http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/fb-prepositions.html

By Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/j/vm/ci-prep.html

Charles Kelly:

http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/mc-prepositions.html

In, on or up by Richard Davies

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9801/rd-inonup.html

By Cheryl Newman Maris

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9704/cn-prepos.html

Level 2 by Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/prep02.html

Level 3 by Vera Mello

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/prep03.html

Astronomy quiz to practise prepositions by Joan M Diez

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/jd-astronomy.html

DIFFICULT

Quiz about Manatees (very large and not very beautiful animals that live in the sea) by Alexandra Sanchez

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz36mas.htm

Particles in Conversation by Ted Power

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle.html

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle2.html

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle3.html

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle4.html

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle5.html

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle6.html

http://a4esl.org/q/j/tp/mc-particle7.html

US Holidays and Celebrations by Vera Mello. This is a useful exercise for ECCE students

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/holidays.html

Prepositions for the Writing about Graphs task in the IELTS exam. Also good for CPE students. By Enda Tuomey

http://www.writefix.com/graphs/preps.htm





How do you self-study? Try searching like this on google.com.au (click here).

Homework for TOEIC weekend

Revise the difference between specified and unspecified here:

1. Read this.

2. What are generic nouns???

3. OK, practice the previous TOEIC posts - test practice.

4. Study uncountable nouns.

5. Examples of THE...


6. What's the difference between countable and uncountable?

7. Which one??

8. Practice your understanding here.

9. Practice indefinite articles.

10 and definite.

PART IV answers

part IV answers: 29c 30a 31d 32a 33c34b 35 a36c 37d 38d 39d 40b 41c

TOEIC reading PARTS V, VI, VII

OK, I think the TOEIC LISTENING tests from YouTube were quite useful. Please practice these again at home for homework.

Here are the answers from part II: 10B 11a 12c 13a 14b 15c.

Next, have a look at this series of videos about the READING PARTS v,vi, vii.

Cheers,
Duan.

PART V



CONTINUED:



PART VI



continued:



PART VII



continued:



Final review from YouTube:



Happy studying!

Duan.

TOEIC youtube tests...

Cool! Try these...









Also some of you might need to practice prepositions here:



Here:



and here:



What about conditionals?



Finally, here are some online tips and overview of the TOEIC test:




Try searching youtube for yourself typing in "TOEIC"

Cheers and happy study!

Duan.

Elmo

Ha haha!

This is soooo cute.

Testing

Hi TOEIC!

I hope you had fun doing your TOEIC homework from Thursday... th th th should be perfect!

Also, I am sure you gained a lot from the TOEIC resources in the previous posts - keep practicing your grammar, vocabulary and tests online.

Meanwhile, I want to give one more example of the causative verb grammar from this week:

Duan:"Study! Study Study!" (to students)

What happened? The students studied harder :)

Can you write a causative verb sentence describing Duan's action?

ANSWER: "Duan motivated the students (to study harder)."

Try 3 more sentences using "have, push, encourage". Same sentences - just change the causative verb and tense.

Get it? If not, leave a note on this blog post for questions to me :)

Duan.

CAUSATIVE VERBS

OK, THE GRAMMAR FOCUS THIS WEEK IS CAUSATIVE VERBS, (click here for a great explanation), SO TOO PRACTISING COMMON-SOUNDING WORDS, WHICH ARE OFTEN USED AS TRICKS IN THE TOEIC TEST.

1.So, what is a causative verb??? It's basically when we use verbs like have to imply one subject's effect on another. eg "I had my sister kick my mum!"
2. Study passive forms and active.
3. Look at a teacher discussion of these verbs.
4. OK, let's pracise here! Yay!
5. Read this definition:

Causative Verbs
Causative verbs designate the action necessary to cause another action to happen. In "The devil made me do it." the verb "made" causes the "do" to happen. Here is a brief list of causative verbs, in no particular order: let, help, allow, have, require, allow, motivate, get, make, convince, hire, assist, encourage, permit, employ, force. Most of them are followed by an object (noun or pronoun) followed by an infinitive: "She allows her pet cockatiel to perch on the windowsill. She hired a carpenter to build a new birdcage."

Three causative verbs are exceptions to the pattern described above. Instead of being followed by a noun/pronoun and an infinitive, the causative verbs have, make and let are followed by a noun/pronoun and the base form of the verb (which is actually an infinitive with the "to" left off).

Professor Villa had her students read four short novels in one week.
She also made them read five plays in one week.
However, she let them skip the final exam.

For Homework

Hi! For homework this Thursday, as well as trying the links in the previous posts, have you tried studying pronuciation using YouTube??

Try here, for example! Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th...

Follow

Hi class!

To find out about TOEIC, homework or study updates on this blog, why not sign up? Click the link at the bottom of the page and enter your details to be updated regularly with English study information.

Cheers!

Duan.

TOEIC resources

Hi TOEIC class!

Some of you have asked for additional TOEIC test practice and resources. Try these:

1. Sample test
2. Section 5 example
3. Section 6 example
4. What is the exam? 7 sections described.
5. What sort of grammar questions are there? Try these.
6. How do I study more grammar by myself at home? Try a4ESL.
7. How do I improve my listening? Try listening (L) on this page.
8. Read the description, then try another mock exam.
9. Try some listening practice with headphones at PGIC!
On this page, click each 1-10 below for PART I practice, then try: Part II Part III Part IV
i.e. TOEIC listening 1
1. Autobahn
2. The bund Shanghai
3. Brooklyn Bridge
4. Florence
5. Motorboats
6. Tram
7. London
8. Subway tunnel
9. Air hostess
10. Business team
10. One more TOEIC example test.


More resources.

1. Here
2. HUGE list of TOEIC resources to try here... vocabulary and so on.
3. Why not try searching with Google for yourself?
4. Also, have a look at this useful proficiency page. (Thanks, ref.)

Happy studying!

Duan.

Plural

In English, there are many exceptions for plurals.

1. Study the exceptions.
2. Try this REGULAR PLURALS quiz.
3. Try this IRregular plurals quiz too.
4. Study FOREIGN plurals.

From class:

Every person IS happy.
Each apple IS delicious.
The police ARE useful.
The staff ARE nice.
The employees ARE great.

More reading:

Plurals

Another quiz

Again

Practice makes perfect.

Common

TOEIC April 2nd

Hi TOEIC class!

This week, we have been looking at subject-verb agreement as part of our focus for the TOEIC test. Try the links below to study here and for homework:

What is subject-verb agreement? Click here first!

(Remember, right-clicking your mouse OPEN IN NEW TAB is best!)

1. Read this.
2. Try this simple example quiz.
3. Study more here.
4. Try these!
5. Harder...
6. This page is useful. Try it too.
7. More advanced.


More reading


This week's grammar focus is countable and un (non)-countable nouns and use in grammar structures. This understanding and practice are very important for improving your TOEIC scores. Practice by clicking each of the links below:
1. Study first
2. Try a quiz next
3. http://home.earthlink.net/~eslstudent/grammar/adjadv.html
4. http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/ch-countnouns.html
5. http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/preintermediate/first%20conditional.htm
6. http://preintduan.blogspot.com/


Printed in class: agreement practice.