Heroes and Relative Clauses!

Wednesday 5^th

Hi Isabel! How are you doing?

Well, let’s get into business!

Your essay was very good! Well done! Yes, I agree with you. The most difficult thing to do is thinking about what to write!

Your choice to write about “diets” was really witty! (clever, ingenious).

We learnt about relative clauses.

And in doing so, we based the grammar on the topic of modern heroes; on the persona of “Che Guevara”, to be precise.

Che inspired the movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”.

·         The film, whose theme song won an Oscar, is based on the motorbike journey that Che made with Alberto across South America.

·         It was the poverty that he saw on his trip which made him decide that revolution was the only answer to South America’s problems.

·         The people who wear Che T-shirts tend to be people who don’t conform.

·         The photo, which was taken in 1960, is probably one of the best-known photos in the world.

There are two types of relative clauses: defining and non-defining, also called extra information clauses.

Defining relative clauses are essential for the meaning of the whole sentence. Extra information (non-defining), can be omitted without affecting the meaning of the sentence. They just “add” information.

Bear in mind (pay attention to)these differences:

Non-defining relative clauses.

·         They go between commas.

·         The relative pronoun can’t be left out (omitted).

·         “That” can’t be used instead of which or who.

Defining relative clauses.

·           “That” can be used instead of who or which.

·           The relative pronoun can be left out as long as it is the object of the sentence; that is, when it goes after the subject of the sentence.

Compare:

·           The girl who (that) is speaking is my neighbour’s daughter.

·           Is that the dog which (that) your brother gave you at Christmas?

·           Is that the dog your brother gave you at Christmas?

·           (no relative because the subject of the clause is “your brother”)

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·      Sue, who(that, is not possible) is speaking about the environment, is my neighbour’s daughter.

·      Mike’s new Mercedes, which (that is not possible; nor can it be omitted) he bought last year, is very elegant.

Talking about “heroes”; we started having a look at Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a hero” but as we ran out of time, we’ll continue next day.

Hope you enjoy the rest of this sunny weekend!

Reading Comprehension on "The Environment"

Relative clauses

Wednesday 26^th

Hello Isabel!

You were happy because you didn’t have homework, weren’t you?

Even though, I can see you revised last weekend.

In our class today we worked on reading comprehension. I can see it’s not exactly your cup of tea (not your favourite).

The reading was about “How to improve your prospects at work.”

The article looked at how you can climb up the employment ladder.

We had the following key words, which are near synonyms, braggart, conceited, cocky, bragging.

·         Braggart: the person who boasts.

·         Conceited: excessively proud of yourself.

·         Cocky: similar to conceited. Thinking very highly of yourself.

·         Bragging: to boast about achievements or possessions.

Some of the tips the article provided were:

·           Focus on specifics

·           Present accomplishments as company victories, not your own.

(look out for the pronunciation of the word “present” /ˈprɛzənt/ when it’s a noun or adj. or /prɪˈzɛnt/ when it’s a verb(mainly tr))

·           Be persistent.

And we discussed advantages and disadvantages about email.

This was a way of getting ready for writing a “For and Against Essay” in which to discuss pros and cons.

You can follow this lay-out:

·           First paragraph: Introduce your topic briefly.

·           Body of the essay: you can divide it into two columns under these headings “On the plus side”, state some advantages and give examples. “On the minus side”, note down (write down) some disadvantages.

·           Last paragraph: conclusion. Sum up (summarize) the reasons and give your opinion on the topic.

And of course, don’t forget to use different connectors.

Sequencing: first of all, firstly, a second point, secondly, another point, last but not the least, a final and very important point.

Contrast: not only…but also, in addition to, although, in spite of, despite, on the other hand.