Poetry "The City Planners" by Margaret Atwood

This amusing and provocative poem should be included in every High School English Language and Literature programme, including EFL. The work also appears in the Cambridge Literature syllabus, and so is appropriate for IBMYP, IB Dip and AP.

Advanced Use of English Vocabulary : Speech - direct, reported, indirect

"He said, she said". Not the most engaging of dialogues. "He asked, she answered" is marginally better. Advanced students and users can beautify their reporting, and open a whole new stylistic, linguistic wardrobe, by using indirect reporting. What is this? Find out through this one-hour exploration.

May 2021

 

Click on the event title(s) below for more information. Leave your questions or comments below, or contact us for registration information. These are open sessions from our Seminars, Advanced Use of English and Professional Conversation programmes; contact us to ask about scheduling on demand or closed programmes. This page is updated twice a week so please check back, or contact us to be placed on the emailing list for event announcements.

Poetry "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

This hugely influential poem is one of those works everyone must read, including EFL students and teachers, and should be included in every High School literature programme. The work also appears in the Cambridge Literature syllabus, and so is appropriate for IB MYP and Diploma programmes.

Advanced Reading Comprehension - Rugby

 

This series reviews publications related to the sport of rugby : for example match predictions, reviews and analysis, club and player profiles, and the history and rules of the game, from straight reports to commentary and analysis. The series is partly General English and partly English for Specific Purposes, and while everyone is welcome, players, former players, coaches and fans of the sport will likely find it more engaging. 

Advanced Use of English Practice & Feedback - Grammar : the the

English has five articles and one non-article, each with specific semantic and grammatical functions. This one-hour single-topic session reviews the meaning and purpose of articles, and compares and contrasts the six uses. Of course, vocabulary and semantics are involved.

Advanced Use of English Practice & Feedback - Grammar : gerunds and infinitives

 

Infinitives in related languages such as Spanish can be expressed in three different ways in English, each with a different sense. This one-hour single-topic session reviews infinitives with and without "to" and infinitives v gerunds, corrects mis-learned or mis-applied "rules" and reviews the patterns behind most gerund uses. 

To date, no-one has acheived 100% in this challenge; how well do you know gerund-use and will you be the first to get them all right?

Plug-and-play mini-unit : The History of English

 "The History of English", a four-lesson plug-and-play mini-unit for reading comprehension, vocabulary development and speaking practice. This mini-unit is suitable for use with B2-level students in an EFL / Chilean national programme, or with G6/7 students in an E2L / international programme. The mini-unit can be used as is, and as a model for planning and designing other lessons.

The Five Features of "voice"; improving oral production for teachers and advanced learners

Manipulating and controlling one's voice is a technique frequently-used by professional speakers and entertainers to create effects and to influence the audience. This session reviews the five features of using one's voice, what they are and what effects they have, for teachers, advanced learners and anyone who wants to speak in public including social media. 

Teaching and Assessing Individual Oral Presentations

Individual Oral Presentations include speeches, seminars and exposés, and may be prepared or unprepared. The secret to success for presenters, thus for students and teachers, is to focus on both the what and the how, and that is the focus of this session.