And Now It's Week 6.

First, if you want a good laugh, check out yesterday's post.

Second, here are some things we talked about this week that aren't in the vocabulary list.

If someone says "Thank you," you can say:

• don't mention it
• you're welcome
• not at all
• no problem
• my pleasure

Third, here are some idioms from this week:

• It's clear as mud is the opposite of It's crystal clear.
• To die for
• to put someone out
• to be tied down
• to be tied up

 

And, fourth,  here are this week's words.  Try taking the vocabulary test and then printing it out to see how you did and to get all the definitions with the words.  Remember, if you can't get to the premium activities,  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..

Learning English While Laughing

In class today I mentioned the very old TV show "I Love Lucy"  Check it out!

It's Already Week 5!

This week we have more pronunciation practice with these sentences:

1.  Eddy eats eggs easily on Eddy Street.
2.  Sally sings songs on Saturdays in September.
3.  Betty bought a blue blanket for her baby.
4.  Pete's pet pony prefers pasta.
5.  William watched the whale in the well.

Here's a recording of me reading these sentences if you want to practice.  Again, it's not a great recording, but it's okay.  (I think I said Will in #5 instead of William.)
 https://soundcloud.com/alemany-teach/tongue-twisters-3

We had a a lot of vocabulary again this week so I split them into two.  Click here and here. Remember, if you can't get to the premium activities,  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..

Finally,  one of our vocabulary phrases this week is chances are which made me think of this old song by Johnny Mathis:  (sorry about the cigarette -- DON'T SMOKE!!)

Calling All Students!

We've had a very tough week dealing with the telephone!  

Before we get to work, here's an old song about a telephone number:  

To practice some of this week's vocabulary click here.  Remember, if you can't get to the premium activities,  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.

Remember when you are talking on the phone or leaving a message, it can help to spell things out.  Sometimes, though, that can be confusing too.  In that case it's handy to say, "A as in apple, B as in ball," etc. Here's one I got on the internet, but most words can work.





Finally, here are some of our idioms for this week.  Do you know what they mean?

*take a crack at something

*over my head

*knock it off

*wrap it up Bye for now!   (Hi Marie; hope you had a safe trip!)

Pronunciation Practice

Thanks to a great idea from Irina, I'm going to add sound to this blog so you can practice pronunciation.

I leave time after each sentence for you to repeat it.  

Here is the first group of tongue twisters from two weeks ago.  They practice "s:":

https://soundcloud.com/alemany-teach/tongue-twisters-1

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.

Here are 5 more which practice both "s" and "sh." 

https://soundcloud.com/alemany-teach/tongue-twisters-2

1.     Shy Sally says she shall sew six sheets for her sister   

        Shelly. 

2.     "Surely Sylvia swims!" shrieked Sammy surprised.  

        "Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she 

         shall not sink."

3.       What a shame such a shapely sash should such 

           shabby stitches show.

4.       The sheriff should shoot slowly. 

5.        The sun shines on the shop signs.

 

 

Mind Your Manners

We've been talking about cultural differences.  Here's an interesting short article about food and eating in China, France, India, The Middle East and North Africa, Thailand, Italy and Japan.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/virtuosolife/20140910/#/122