Our Second Week was Tough!

 

We had a really difficult reading this week with so much vocabulary that I had to split it into two different lists on SpellingCity. Click here to see them.   Be sure to check out both VOTP Week 2 Part 1 and Part 2.  If you can't get the premium games or vocabulary list, log in as VOTPstudent.  Your password is 750.  You should be able to do all the games and take the vocabulary test too.  If you have a problem, please tell me or email me at dselleck@ccsf.edu.

Here are some of the idioms we had this week:

• to have something up your sleeve
• to be book solid
• to be not in the picture
• to be set
• never mind

We also had the saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch."

                                                Happy

What's Your Name?

Here's some information about names:

You always use a title with a last name:

·         Mr. Cen

·         Ms. Chau

·         President Ho

·         Dr. Nguyen

If you are a married woman, you can use Mrs. only with your husband’s last name.

You are Mary Smith.

Your husband is Peter Jones.

You are Mrs. Jones or Ms. Smith. Mrs. Smith is your mother.

In general, children take their father’s last name.  For example, Mary Smith and Peter Jones have a daughter, Amy.  Her name would be Amy Jones.  Sometimes, people hyphenate their last names.  Then Amy’s name would be Amy Smith-Jones.  This is called a hyphenated name.

If you are introduced to someone, but you didn’t hear or understand their name:

·         Sorry, I didn’t catch your name. (informal)

·         What was your name again?

·         Please repeat your name.

·         Could you tell me your name again?

·         Please pronounce your name for me.

If you forgot someone’s name:

·         I’m sorry, could you tell me your name again?

·         I’m really bad with names; could you tell me your name again?

·         Please remind me of your name.

Week One VOTP Review!

Hi Everyone!

Did you feel the earthquake this morning? 

We have an idiom "to be shook up."  It means to be scared by something.  I don't know about you, but that shake shook me up!

 

 

 Speaking of idioms, here are the ones we studied this week in class:

• to get the ball rolling
• to get off on the wrong foot
• to stay on your toes
• to be up to something
• to think on your feet

And we had a LOT of vocabulary this week.  You can practice it by clicking here.
You need to click on Week One Vocabulary.  Then a box comes in saying Premium.  Log in as VOTPstudent.  Your password is 750.  You should be able to do all the games and take the vocabulary test too.  If you have a problem, please tell me or email me at dselleck@ccsf.edu.
And Duy used two good expressions:

Please feel free to help yourself to some coffee.

Mr. Smith is delayed.  In the meantime, I could show you our factory.

Thanks Duy!

We are also practicing pronouncing "S."  Here are some tongue twisters to help you:

1.   I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.Where she sits she shines and where she shines she sits.
2.   Seth at Safeway sells thick socks.
3.   Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
4.   Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
5.   She saw the Sheriff's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure she saw the Sheriff's shoes on the sofa?
6.   She sells sea shells by the seashore.  The shells she sells are seashore shells.

Welcome to Fall 2014!

                                 

Hello everyone!  My name is Denise and this semester I am teaching Communication Skills for the Workplace. This class is part of the Vocational Office Training Program (VOTP).   

In this class we will study about cultural diversity and socializing, using a telephone, presentations, meetings and negotiations.  We will concentrate on listening and speaking/pronunciation skills as well as reading, vocabulary and writing.  Every week or more, I will post things here to help you review what we have studied and also other things I think you will be interested in.

 

If you are taking this class to get the VOTP certificate, you will need to type 45 words per minutes (wpm) by May 2015.  You can take one of our ESL or business non-credit keyboarding classes or you can practice in our 12:15 CALL Lab class.  You can also study on your own time.  Here are a couple of sites:

http://www.typing-lessons.org/preliminaries_4.html

http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/tutor/video-tutorial.php?Lesson=1&lang=EN

http://www.powertyping.com/qwerty/lessonsq.html

http://www.powertyping.com/rain.shtml

http://www.powertyping.com/baracuda/baracuda.htm