Download Pre-course Assignment

Pre-course Assignment
This assignment is due Monday, Week 1, at the start of your first workshop
Trainee’s name: ____________________________
Comments box – only for use of course trainers
_____ Please redo the parts marked.
_____ This assignment needs no further work.
Trainer’s comments:
Signature of trainer/date:
To the trainee:
The primary purpose of this pre-course assignment is to get you prepared for parts of the TEFL course
that require you to have a basic understanding of grammar and phonology that you will need for the
course and for your classroom teaching practice. These language areas are often addressed in modern
EFL coursebooks. Remember that taking the time to research language areas is part of our TEFL course
and will be an ongoing part of your career in TEFL. The research for these items can primarily be done by
using the internet.
GOOGLE is a very helpful search engine. Here are sites that will help you with the grammar items in this
assignment:
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englishpage.com
eflnet.com
teachingenglish.org.uk
usingenglish.com
arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar
1. Here are some abbreviations often seen in dictionaries. What do these abbreviations mean? Please
give two examples for each abbreviation.
Abbreviation
n.
adj.
adv.
v.
pron.
prep.
conj.
art.
det.
sing.
pl.
sb.
sth.
Meaning
Noun
Two examples
book, house
XXXX
XXXX
XXXX
XXXX
2. Write a sentence with one countable noun and underline that noun.
Write a sentence with one uncountable noun and underline that noun.
3. Write a sentence with a relative pronoun that refers to a person and underline that pronoun.
Write a sentence with a relative pronoun that refers to a thing and underline that pronoun.
Write a sentence with a possessive pronoun and underline that pronoun.
Write a sentence with a personal pronoun and underline that pronoun.
Write a sentence with a reflexive pronoun and underline that pronoun.
4. English has three articles. Which two are indefinite?
Which one is definite?
5. Give an example of a phrasal verb that begins with the following words:
Example:
look
look over
shut ________________
switch ________________
put ________________
turn ________________
take ____________
6. What is a modal verb? Give three examples.
7. Common verbs that are used as auxiliary verbs are: be, have and do. Write one short sentence for
each verb that demonstrates a form of that verb used as an auxiliary verb and NOT a main verb.
Then underline the auxiliary verb in each sentence.
be:
have:
do:
8. What is a collocation? Give three examples.
9. Please identify the verb tense (and use) in sentences a-h, choosing one of the tenses from the box
below. Then, using a different main verb, write one more sentence with the indicated tense. Some
tenses are used more than once.
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present simple (for habits or states)
present simple (for the future)
present continuous (for an event happening at the moment of speaking)
present continuous (for the future)
past simple (for a completed action in the past)
past continuous (for an action in the past happening over a period of time)
present perfect simple (for completed actions in the past that happened at indefinite times)
present perfect continuous (for an action that started in the past and continues until now)
Example:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
He watches television every evening.
Name of verb tense (use): present simple (for habits or states)
Sample sentence: I often read newspapers.
I’ve been living here for six years.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
The train leaves tomorrow at ten.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
He’s cutting the grass.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
I like swimming.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
I’ve been there three times.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
I’m meeting my boss after work.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
I lived there when I was a child.
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
What were you doing at 9:00 last night?
Name of verb tense (use):
Sample sentence:
10. Consider this sentence: Charles gave Diana a ring.
The subject is:
The verb is:
The direct object is:
The indirect object is:
11. Consider this sentence: It’s a small world.
What part of speech is the word small?
What is the comparative form of small?
What is the superlative form of small?
What article is used with the superlative form?
What is the comparative form of important?
What is the superlative form of important?
Why are the comparative and superlative forms different for small and important?
What do students need to know about the spelling of the comparative and superlative forms of
adjectives like healthy and heavy?
The adjectives good, bad and far are exceptions to the rule. What are their comparative and
superlative forms?
12. Underline the three phrasal verbs this teacher has used in these instructions (note that phrasal
verbs, sometimes called multi-word verbs, are composed of two or three words):
We are going to go over your homework so take out your workbooks. Martina, what did you come
up with for number one?
Restate these instructions using simpler language without phrasal verbs. Complete sentences are
not necessary.
What gestures and materials might a teacher use while giving these instructions?
Why might these things help students?
How could the teacher check to make sure the students have understood the instructions? What
might the teacher do if it’s clear that some students haven’t understood the instructions?
13. What are the mistakes in these sentences (there may be more than one)?:
Example:
She work in bank.
The student has omitted the “s” on the third person singular form of “work” and has dropped the article
“a” before the noun.
a) He drive black big car.
b) They have everything what you need.
c) Charles was married with Diana.
d) He is a strong smoker.
e) I go every weekend shopping.
f)
Can you tell me where is our teacher?
g) I am liking classical music.
h) I am very interesting for Beethoven.
i)
He knows the way how to do it.
j)
We don’t have some milk.
k) I have been there yesterday.
English Phonology
Write alongside these definitions the words they define. The first has been done for you.
phonology
phoneme
diphthong
word stress
sentence stress
phonetics
pitch
vowel
consonant
intonation
The study of speech sounds, how and where they are made, and how they are perceived:
phonetics
The study of the distinct sound units of a language, combinations of sounds, stress and intonation:
A speech-sound where the airstream is partially or completely blocked, or forced through a narrow
opening so that it escapes with audible friction, e.g. /p/, /t/:
A speech sound often considered one vowel in a language, but actually involving one vowel gliding into
another, e.g. in British my, the sound of the y is made by /a/ gliding into /I/:
A speech sound in which the airstream is not blocked, and which is usually pronounced with vibration of
the vocal cords, e.g. /i:/, /æ/:
The smallest unit of sound in a language which can distinguish two words, e.g. /p/ and /b/ make pit and
bit recognizable as different words:
The pronunciation of a syllable with more force than the surrounding syllable, e.g. in British convenience
the ven syllable sounds louder or stronger than the other two:
The pronunciation of a word or words with more force than the surrounding words:
The relative height of speech sounds as perceived by the listener:
The way in which the voice goes up and down in the course of an utterance:
A. Are these phonemes voiced or unvoiced? Write V (voiced) or U (unvoiced) alongside them:
/p/
/d/
/m/
/k/
/ð/
/∫/
/f/
/ŋ/
/h/
B. Write alongside these phonemic transcriptions the words they represent. (Note: some may represent
more than one word-spelling) The first has been done for you.
/naIt/
night, knight
/ðeə(r)/
/d u:s/
/kз:nəl/
/θi:v/
/jet/
/θru:/
/siŋ/
/t∫i:k/
C. Write alongside each of these words the number of the phonemic transcription for the sound of the
final two letters, -ed 1. /d/ 2. /Id/ 3. /t/). The first has been done for you.
feared 1
hummed
wanted
talked
worked
needed
D. Write alongside each of these words the syllable bearing the main stress. The first has been done for
you.
enchant-ed chant
photograph
photographer
photographic
electric
electricity
unity
united
LEXIS - Important Terminology
Match the following terms with their definitions:
1. Antonyms
a. Words that come before a noun to show how the noun is being used
2. Synonyms
b. Words that sound the same but are spelled differently
3. False Friends
c. Words or phrases used as an exclamation
4. Homophones
d. A way of forming new words by shortening the old ones
5. Compounding
e. A way of forming words by putting words together
6. Shortening
f. Words that share a similar meaning
7. Conjunctions
g. Opposites
8. Determiners
h. Words that join other words, phrases or sentences
9. Interjections
i. Words that have a similar form but different meaning in two languages
Give two examples for each:
1. Antonyms
2. Synonyms
3. False Friends
4. Homophones
5. Compounding
6. Shortening
7. Conjunctions
8. Determiners
9. Interjections