dimarts, 21 de juny del 2016

Conditionals

Go to the following link and take notes about conditionals. You will need them afterwards! 

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/conditionals.html

What would I do without...

Read the following text about three different people talking about social networks. Once you have read it, do the exercises the teacher has given you. 


Lisa, 16.
I have had Facebook since I was 13. I think it is a very useful tool as I use it for lots of things: it is not only about my social life. I also use it to work online with my classmates and it is very useful if you want to know the homework. In addition, I can understand all the jokes they say in class, as normally they are related to things that are on Facebook. 

John, 17.
I am a Twitter user since I was 15. At first, I didn’t know how it worked and so I left it aside. After a while, I went online again and I started to discover how Twitter works. I installed it in my smartphone and I use it daily. I have met lots of people there, specially some friends who like the same online game as me. Now we play together and we have created a team. I have also lots of fun in Twitter, as people tell a lot of jokes. 

Rita, 46.


I wasn’t very keen on smartphones. In fact, I did not understand how my daughter could spend hours talking on the telephone. Then, I bought myself a smartphone and my daughter installed Whatsapp. Since then, I have been using Whatsapp daily. I use it to talk to my friends and to send them nice videos. It is also useful to talk with my sister, who lives far away. I am also able to have pictures from my little niece, who is growing up very fast!

dilluns, 20 de juny del 2016

Passive vs. Reported Speech

It is now time to complicate things a little bit. We have been working on the passive and we have also been working on reported speech. Some of you still confuse them and, to avoid that, these exercises have been created for you. 

Copy them in an entry in your blog called "Passive and Reported Speech" and solve them. 


IDENTIFY if the following sentences are passive or reported speech. Underline the verb forms of the sentences. 

1. Gina said she would never use a computer.
2. A computer has never been used by Gina.
3. A message was being written to Steve.
4. The message said that he was a very handsome boy.
5. Christian asked Mary if she had changed her telephone number.
6. Mary's telephone number had been changed.
7. Markus heard Lisa saying that she wanted a new tablet.
8.  Lisa's old tablet was broken by accident. 


Now answer this question: What is the main difference in the form? 

diumenge, 19 de juny del 2016

Session 3. Activity 2

Now that we have found some examples on the passive sentences, click on the link and read more about passive (it is important to refresh your memory!). 

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/passive.html 


After reading it, do the following exercices on passive so that we do not forget how it works. Copy these exercises on your blog  in an entry called "Passive" and provide the answers.


Exercise 1. Transform these sentences into passive. BE CAREFUL! In some cases two options are possible. Write both of them.

1. John has bought a computer.

2. Tiara played a new computer game. 
3. Peter is surfing the internet.
4. They wrote Emma an e-mail.
5. Ainara uses the online dictionary,
6. Molly lent Steve her PC two days ago.  
7. A lot of people uses Facebook.
8. Frank can write e-mails very quickly.  

Exercise 2. Identify if the following sentences are passive or active. 


1. My mouse has been broken.

2. The keyboard doesn't work properly.
3. The computer fell down from the table.
4. It is possible to create a webpage without help.
5. Computers nowadays are quicker.
6. A laptop had been forgotten in the school's library.
7. The wire is being connected by Brittany.
8. The shop was being closed at 8:00pm. 

A Robbery

Read this short text. Can you see the passive sentences? 

I have bought the newspaper today. In the main section, they explain that the new computer shop was robbed yesterday night. The door has been broken and someone has entered into the shop. Then, ten computers have been stolen. It is said that the thieves want to resell the computers in order to make some money. Thank God the shop assistant wasn’t there when it all happened!   


divendres, 10 de juny del 2016

Time to work!

Now that we have listened to Thomas and his hobby, it is time that you think about an app. It can be an app that you use freqüently or that you like a lot. 

You will have to prepare an oral presentation explaining the app. During the oral presentation you can explain:

- what it is about
- what users can do with this app
- why it is useful
- what do you use it for... 

Write on a comment which app you are going to work on. If you see your app is already taken, please change it, so that we can learn about a lot of different apps! 



dijous, 9 de juny del 2016

Session 2. Activity 1

Dear students, 

Please follow the link below and read all the interesting things in there. 


http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech.html

Once you have read it (and maybe taken some notes), please complete the following exercise and post it in your blog in a new entry. Call the entry "Reported Speech". 

EXERCISE 1: Transform the following sentences into reported speech.


Example: “I can’t afford this expensive tablet” said Gina
                  Gina said she couldn’t afford that expensive tablet.

“My daughter got her first tablet when she was 12” said Mary.

“Tablets are useful for office workers because they are more interactive” experts say.

“Have you seen the new tablet John has bought?” asked Susan.

 “What kind of tablet are you looking for?” asked the shop assistant.

"I have bought a very expensive tablet” said Peter.

  Christian told Mary “Stop playing with this tablet and listen to me!”



Thanks,


Session 1. Activity 2.


Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning a Smartphone

Having a smartphone seems to be the trend of the future of wireless communication. As with all new technology, there are both advantages and disadvantages to having one, both in and outside of the workplace. Overall smartphones seem to have more benefits than risks and this has been proven by their rise in popularity and increasing saturation of the consumer market in recent years.


There are numerous advantages to having a smartphone in and outside of the workplace. Increased connectivity is a major advantage of owning a smartphone, allowing for immediate access to data online, whether one is at home, travelling, or at work. Users today can use their phones to order movie tickets, find restaurants, and even pay bills from the phone’s web browser. These phones also integrate contact information, which makes keeping in touch with friends, family, and coworkers much easier. For the workplace specifically, they are useful for storing all business contacts. Since many companies now require the employees to travel or be in constant reach, smartphones make managing information on the go much easier and they can do much more than the standard cell phone. They require no additional carrying burden because most people carry cell phones anyway. Smartphones also decrease the number of technological devices that professionals like businessmen and doctors need to carry. It was not that long ago that we would see businessmen carrying, a cell phone, a palm pilot, and a pager and now thanks to technological advances the excessiveness is passé. The many applications offered for smartphones allow users to customize their phones with tools that they will use, which have a greater range than the few preloaded applications that come on traditional cell phones. These applications contribute to the better entertainment for even the times when users are waiting in line at stores. 


Though few, users have still found some disadvantages to having a smartphone for use at home or on the job. One of the main concerns that people have over smartphones is that they are typically expensive to own because most of these phones require purchasing wireless data plans. Another large concern about these phones is that they contain typically large amounts of private and work-related data that if the phone is lost or stolen, then it is a liability for hacking and identity fraud. If smartphones break, then it is costly because so much information is stored on them and the phones themselves are expensive. This is very easy to do because most of these phones are very fragile and have glass screens, so precautions must be taken to protect them. With all the applications and entertainment options, it would be really easy for users to get distracted at work. When comparing smartphones to office computers, smartphones have very limited memory storage space and they are not efficient to use for typing long reports on the small keyboards. The resolution of photos from a smartphone cannot replace that of a regular camera and most of these phones do not come equipped with a flash for taking pictures at night. Also, older people might not understand the new technology and the small screens can be difficult to use for email and other advanced functions for people with bad eyesight.


I do not own this text. All credits:

http://www.academia.edu/9095661/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Owning_a_Smartphone

Entry 1. Welcome

Hello and welcome to this new project!

As you know, during the next sessions we are going to talk about technology. Specifically, we are going to deal with smartphones, apps, computers, social networks and other technological devices such as robots. But, before we start, I would like you to think about how much technology you have around you. In order to do so, you will have to add a comment to this entry explaining which technological devices you have, what their use is and how often you use them.

As it is a pair work, try to decide which is for you the most important device you have and provide a reason why it is so important.

Thank you and have fun!