Week 8: Mid-Term Topics

Topics to be included in the midterm examination

1. Consonant Features

        a. Voicing

        b. Point of Articulation

        c. Manner of Articulation

2. Voicing-Related Topics

        a. Past tense –ed pronunciation

        b. Plural form with –(e)s

        c. Possessives with ‘s
        d. Third person singular forms in present tense

3. The Speech Apparatus

4. Aspiration in English

5. Consonants studied so far

        a. The Stops

        b. The Fricatives

        c. The Affricates
        d. The Nasals

6. Transcription

7. Consonant Recognition / Dictation

8. Listening Comprehension Exercises

Week 5: Listening Exercise / Tech talk at the NY Times

Tech Talk at the NY Times

You will listen to a segment of a Tech Talk report by New York Times reporters J. D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado.  Below you are provided with a set of questions, so please give a brief but direct answer to each of them. Don’t forget to print a copy of this exercise and bring it to class to be checked.

1	What’s the main objective of the social media available? A/
2	Why is it that Google + is not as popular as Facebook? A/
3	Was Google + open to anyone that wanted to join at the beginning? A/
4	What seems to be the reason that Google + traffic dropped by 60% according to advertising networks and research firms? A/
5	Why was the metaphor better than sliced bread used when describing Google +? What does it mean? A/
6	What’s the explanation regarding Google +’s sudden increase and rapid decrease in popularity? A/
7	What are the two theories about why Google + is lagging in the social media? A/ a)     b)
8	What’s the male reporter’s bottom line about Google + and the lack of the “fun factor” or “sticky quality?” A/
9	Compared to Facebook, how user-friendly is Google +? A/
10	What’s the new relationship between Facebook and iPad? A/
11	What are the most important features of the new Facebook app? A/
12	TRANSCRIPTIONS: a)   connected /kǝ’nɛktɪd/ b)  Google Plus c)   apparently d)  increase e)   temporary f)    theories g)  supply h)  stand out i)     features j)    sticky quality k)   the bottom line l)     complicated

Taken and adapted for educational purposes only, from NYTimes.com Podcasts at http://www.nytimes.com/pages/podcasts/index.html

Take a look at the exercise right here.

Get a copy of the exercise here.

And what about the answers?

Week 4: Listening Exercise / The Green Iguana Fact Sheet

The Green Iguana Fact Sheet

Here you have been provided with a video on green iguanas. Listen to the facts given through the explanation and decide if the following statements are true or false. Once you are finished with this part of the exercise, transcribe the words provided at the end, which were part of this listening exercise. And don’t forget to bring a copy of this exercises, not only printed but also answered.

1	T	F	Iguanas are scattered all through the Americas.
2	T	F	An adult green iguana can get to weigh up to 20 pounds.
3	T	F	In the wild, iguanas can live up to 30 years.
4	T	F	Iguanas have two rows of spines from head down to their tails.
5	T	F	An iguana uses her spines against her predators.
6	T	F	Her sharp claws are used to scratch trees while climbing.
7	T	F	An iguana’s long tail is used for balance and for tree climbing.
8	T	F	The tail is also used by the green iguana as a defense mechanism against predators.
9	T	F	The body warmth regulation known as dewlaps is located above their head.
10	T	F	Dewlaps are also used in courtship and in territorial displays.
11	T	F	The number of eggs a female can produce is related to her size and maturity.
12	T	F	Iguanas in general are insectivores.
13	T	F	The green iguana’s parietal eye is basically a third eye.
14	T	F	The parietal eye can see differences in color, light, and movement.
15	T	F	The parietal eye contains a fully-developed retina.
16	T	F	Iguanas use their parietal eye to detect aerial predators.
17	TRANSCRIPTIONS a) iguana /ɪ’gwanǝ/ b) rows of spines c) sharp claws d) predators e) dewlaps f) maturity g) parietal eye

Video material taken from www.youtube.com channel expertvillage

Download a copy of the worksheet over here.

See the worksheet for the exercise here.

And the answers?

Week 3: Listening Exercise / Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips

Here you are presented with a video on the most traditional food eaten in the United Kingdom. Watch the video, as many times as necessary, and complete the following chart with the missing information.

01. Number of portions of fish and chips served year-round
02. Criteria taken into account to give the award to the best shop	a. the product
	b. fresh ingredients
	c. raw ingredients
	d. the finished product
	e. staff training
	f. marketing
	g. interaction with clientele
	h. interaction with locals
03. Reasons why this meal has endured the test of time	a. number one takeaway
	b. better than pizza
	c. major comfort food
	d. can be gotten any time
04. Traditional seasonings used for fish and chips	a. b.
05. Awards given during the ceremony	a. b.
06. Things all competitors share in common	a. passion for the dish
	b. customer satisfaction
	c. variety of fish
	d. tradition in cooking
	e. secret recipes
07. Name of the winning shop
08. Winning shop location
09. Number of times they have participated
10. Their key for success in the competition

Taken from http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/food/video/fishandchips.html for educational purposes

Get a copy of the exercise over here.

Take a look at the exercise here.

Week 2: Listening Exercise / Learning Styles

Think you're an Auditory or Visual Learner?

Scientists Say it's Unlikely

Listen to the following podcast on learning styles taken from National Public Radio. Provide a complete answer to the following questions. Don’t forget to print a copy of this exercise and bring it to class to be checked.

Question about the podcast	Your answers
01. Do teachers plan their lessons taking into account that kids learn in different ways?	Explain your answer.
02. Is there scientific evidence that children learn differently?	Explain your answer.
03. Which of these learners is mentioned by Patti Neighmond?	Check three. * visual learner * tactile learner * auditory learner * ADHD learner * Kinesthetic learner
04. What does Prof. Dan Willingham (University of Virginia) say about the so-called visual learners in the math class?
05. What did Prof. Doug Rohner (University of South Florida) discover about learning styles?
06. According to Willingham, should we consider that brains work differently?	Explain your answer.
07. If this theory about learning styles is not true, do all people learn the same then?	Explain your answer.
08. How should teachers plan their instruction according to Willingham?
09. What does variety in the classroom boost (increase)?
10. What is Mark Bordelon’s idea of learning? Do you agree with his viewpoint?
12.  What other teaching technique does Psychologist Rohrer mention?

Information taken from National Public Radio at http://www.npr.org

Get a copy of this listening exercise over here. Click and wait for about 15 seconds to download the document.

Week 13: Basic Emphasis Pattern (4)

Basic Emphasis Pattern: Structure Words, Part 3

Reducing structure words even more: The reduced can and the silent H

The reduced can

The word “can” can also be reduced to /kʰʌ:n/. The vowel in can is reduced to schwa, but this does not happen in the word can’t, in which it is pronounced as a diagraph: /kʰænt/.

Examples:

Ø John can write very well.

/dʒa:n kʰʌ:n rayt ’vɛrɪ wɛ:ǝl/

Ø John can’t write very well.

/ dʒa:n kʰænt rayt ’vʌrɪ wɛ:ǝl /

Take turns with a partner reading the following sentences. Student 1 reads either (a) or (b). Student 2 answers.

STUDENT 1	STUDENT 2
1. a. John can write very well. b. John can’t write very well.	a. Yes, I agree. b. That’s unfortunate.
2. a. Can you go tonight? b. Can’t you go tonight?	a. Yes. I finished my work. b. Unfortunately, no.
3. a. The audience can hear the speaker. b. The audience can’t hear the speaker.	a. That’s good. b. That’s terrible!
4. a. We can always eat before class. b. We can’t always eat before class.	a. Yes, I prefer that. b. No, sometimes not.
5. a. Did you say they can come? b. Did you say they can’t come?	a. Yes, it’s possible. b. It’s impossible.
6. a. The Johnsons can afford the trip. b. The Johnsons can’t afford the trip.	a. Oh, good! b. That’s too bad.

The silent H

Pronouns are usually reduced so much that words like he, him, her, hers, his, and them lose the beginning /h/-sound. (In the case of them the /ϴ/-sound is also dropped.)

This rule only applies to these words in any position within the sentences except at the beginning of them.

Examples

Written from	Slow, full	Fast, reduced
Is he?	/ɪ:z hiy/	/’ɪ:ziy/
Give her	/gɪ:v hʌr/	/’gɪ:vǝr/
Would he?	/wʊ:d hiy/	/’wʊ:ɾiy/
Sell them.	/sɛ:ǝl ðɛ:m/	/’sɛ:ǝlɛ:m/

As you may have noticed with these examples, linking is especially important with the silent H.

Take turns with a partner reading the following sentences. Student 1 reads either (a) or (b). Student 2 answers.

Student 1	Student 2
1. a. Did he go? b. Did she go?	a. No, he didn’t. b. No, she didn’t.
2. a. Is her work good? b. Is his work good?	a. Yes, she does well. b. Yes, he does well.
3. a. Give him a message. b. Give her a message.	a. He isn’t here. b. She isn’t here.
4. a. Did you take her pen? b. Did you take your pen?	a. No, it’s mine. b. No, I left it.
5. a. Is this his apartment? b. Is this Sue’s apartment?	a. He lives across the street. b. She lives across the street.
6. a. Is he busy? b. Is she busy?	a. No, he isn’t. b. No, she isn’t.
7. a. Can he read? b. Can she read?	a. Yes, quite well. b. Unfortunately, no.

Linking over the silent H

Practice the following dialogue.

Stage Manager	Where’s our singer?
Assistant	I think he’s practicing, sir.
Stage Manager	But we need him on state now!
Assistant	Well, you know how nervous he gets.
Stage Manager	Did you tell him the concert’s about to start?
Assistant	It sounds like he’s practicing just as fast as he can.

Read the following limerick.

A Train Ride

A singer once went to Vancouver,

Thinking the move would improve her.

But the trip was so long,

And her voice grew son long,

At Toronto they had to remove her.

HERE!