POST 3: MY BEST HOLIDAYS

The topic of this week’s post is your best holidays.  So get inspired and say:

- when they were

- people you were with

- where you travelled

- things you did

- reasons why these holidays were so good

- include images

Please have a look at my sample post below.  Don't forget to write comments on 3 of your partners’ posts and remember that the wordcount is 190 words.

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Holidays are the best part of our lives. I’ve had so many wonderful holidays that it’s difficult to say which have been the best , but probably the most memorable ones are the days I spent in London for the first time, when I had the chance of travelling around Europe, meeting  nice people, and doing lots of interesting things.

My  first time in London was back in 1991 and I remember how excited I was because I had only seen sights of this city in some movies and on the pages of the English text books that I used at the university.  It was like a dream come true where all the things I had seen in pictures came alive, and I was part of that reality this time!  So there I was,  looking at the Houses of Parliament, the Big Ben, the Tower of London, Thames River; window shopping in Harrods;  walking along the Serpentine, the artifical lake in Hide Park;  shopping  in Waterstones,  the famous bookshop; having a “nice cuppa” tea in Covent Garden, and so on and so forth. 

My Chilean and British friends made sure that I went to as many places as possible, so  they took me the best museums and art galleries, the amazing antique fair in Portobello Market Road,  the lively Camdem Town Market, Holland Park, and a long etcetera.

Besides having fun,  I also took up a course to improve my English skills, so I had to spend some time studying and doing homework, but I enjoyed doing that. And I also learnt a lot of new things just by watching television.

As I mentioned before,  I took the advantage of the proximity and visited some other European cities like, the romantic Paris, the colourful Lisbon, and the the spectacular Amsterdam.  I took lots of pictures, but that was a long time before digital cameras were available, so I only have printed photos of that trip.

As you can see I had so much fun, did so many amazing things, and went through so many good experiences that I will never forget those days in London.

POST 2: A COUNTRY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” This quote was written by St. Augustine and I absolutely agree with him on this one.  Travelling is one of the things I enjoy the most in life. Besides, I have learnt lots of  things by talking to  different people from other countries and by seeing them do things in so many different ways.  I’ve been to many places but Guatemala is one of the countries I have always wanted to visit but have never been to. 

I’d like to visit Guatemala because I have heard lots of people say that antigua and Chichicastenango –two of the most important touristic places there- are even more colourful and interesting than some Mexican cities that I have already visited. Antigua is a city which was destroyed by an earthquake centuries ago, but  then it was rebuilt and became the most beautiful colonial Guatemalan city, and Chichicastenango is a place that has an important market where you can buy good fruit and vegetables, along with high quality handcraft –which is something I’m very interested in.

If I went there I would like to walk around the places, eat in nice restaurants, talk to the locals, visit the museums and buy some textiles and pottery. However I wouldn’t like to work or live there, because I think that after spending a few months there I would probably get bored -I’m a city person and I would surely miss the things that a big city like Santiago can offer.

As the saying goes: Where there's a will, there's a way, so I'm saving money and one day lady luck will help me make another dream come true.

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What about you?

Today you’re supposed to write about a country you would like to visit.  Make sure you answer these questions when you write your post.

- Which country would you like to go to? Why?

- What do you know about it?

- What would you like to do there?

- Would you like to study/work/live there? Explain.

Remember to make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts and to write 170 words.

VIDEO 1

The topic of your first video is "A hobby".

You have to record a phone video presentation about a hobby that you have for 2 minutes.

Say:

What the hobby is.

How long you have done it for.

Why you enjoy it.

Mention anything else you think is important.

Make sure you send it before Independence Day holidays.

POST 1: FIRST TERM: GOOD AND BAD POINTS

Your first blog assignment consists of writing about  your experiences during the first term of 2012. You may want to include the positive and negative aspects of it.  Be sure you read my sample post to get some inspiration , and then describe:

- what you learned/studied

- the sports and free time activities you did

- the challenges/problems you had to face

- Others (family, friends, etc..)

- Word Count: 150

- make comments on at least 3 of your classmates posts.

Let me tell you about my last term.

Time really flies, the older you get, the faster it goes by. However, during this swift first term many things happened, I learned new things, I tried to make good use of my free time, overcome some problems, and  spend time with the people I care for.

Although I didn’t study anything in particular, I started to watch the chefs on cable television and learnt how to make some nice dishes. So, at least,  I can’t complain about my diet, which has improved significantly –but I’m afraid I have put on some weight, though. Well everything has  good and bad sides, doesn’t it? 

I´m ashamed to say that I don’t do much exercise, and last term was not an exception, but since I got me a new guitar I tried to catch up on  my playing skills, and so I learnt some new songs and  also spent time singing karaoke, one of my favourite past-times.  I almost forgot to mention that I did lots of repairs in my house, I built a new closet for my tools, got rid of things I had stopped  using  and had my flat painted and new curtains put up -Feg Shui experts should  be very pleased and proud of me!  Unfortunately, all the paint tubes and brushes I bought are still waiting in a box, begging me to use them.

The best thing was that I was offered a contract at the university I work for, therefore my work prospects seem to be getting better.  And something positive in this regard is that I will not have to hop from one faculty to another any more.

Another very positive aspect of last term is that, although I didn’t see much of my family, I met with my friends regularly and also made some good new acquaintances; togheter we went to lots of places, such as restaurants, the cinema, fairs, and interesting sites in Santiago.

 As you can see, even though last term seems to have been too short for me, I managed to do  lots of things. I cant’t complain, can I?

PUTTING YOUR IDEAS TOGETHER

Here is a “helping word” to students in trouble, I mean, several words that will help you when you find it hard to write something  because your ideas are not connected.

These expressions are used to introduce a new topic:

-as for, in regards to, concerning (en cuanto a, en relación a)
-in reference to, with regards to (tocante a , concerniente a )
-about, concerning (acerca de)

You can use these words (Connectors) to link your ideas.

RESULT – SUMMARY
So – Therefore, – as a result – thus – Consequently, – in this way – in short – in brief
CONCESSION
However, – Nevertheless, – despite – in spite of – yet – although – though – still …
CONTRAST
Instead – in comparison – but – on ( the ) one hand – on the other hand – by contrast – whereas – otherwise
ADDITION
Also – and – Furthermore, – Moreover, – in addition ( to ) – besides – above all…
REASON
Because – since – as - because of , due to – thanks to - that’s why – that’s the reason why -
EMPHASIS
As a matter of fact, – in particular – Of course, – In fact, – indeed – in any event…
ILLUSTRATION
For instance – for example …
REPETITION
Similarly – likewise – in the same way…
SEQUENCE
First – next – then – finally – at last – eventually – in the end…In conclusion,
Firstly – Secondly- thirdly…

And here are some useful phrases for opinions:

- Many people claim that…
- It is true that….
- This is not an exaggeration … even though…
- I tend to dis/agree with …
- In my view…
-As far as I'm concerned,
- In conclusion, – To conclude,
- I can understand… However, …
- As we have seen/will see, there are ( at least ) two sides to this issue.
- I am convinced that we can / deal with this situation /improve this situation / solve this problem…
- This is an issue that / can be solved / must be faced …
- Another aspect of the issue is…
- In my opinion, the advantages of… far outweigh the disadvantages…
- We can argue that… but…
- Personally I am in favor of…..

On these websites you will find some exercises on connectors.

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/transitions/2.xml

http://www.englishdaily626.com/sentence_connectors.php?005

http://sana.tkk.fi/awe/cohesion/signposts/contrast/exercises/1r.html

WELCOME

Hi dear students and welcome to my blog. I hope you learn new things by writing your posts  and find the experience interesting.

Here you have some important information that will help you organize your posts and improve your writing skills:

HOW TO WRITE A COMPOSITION

Different Parts of a Composition:
Whatever you choose to write for a composition, you usually follow the same basic structure: Introduction/Opening + Body + Conclusion/Closing

1. Opening (1 paragraph)
-It consists of a presentation of the topic (use an "attention grabber": something to capture the reader’s attention).
-It contains the ideas you are going to deal with (a quick overview of what’s coming)

2. Body (2-3 paragraphs)
-The body is a group of paragraphs that develop on the main idea as introduced in the opening.
-Each paragraph argues, describes, explains, discusses, defines, clarifies, illustrates or whatever on the opening statement.
-One idea is discussed in each paragraph.

3. Closing (1 paragraph)
-It can be a summing up, reviewing or restating the main idea in different words or briefly stating your opinion, feelings or suggesting a solution, or some “food for thought” or a wish…

Ensure the concluding paragraph is not too long; three or four sentences will be enough.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< How can you write an attention grabber?
By...
-Making an unexpected statement
-Using Humor
-Using a relevant quotation
-Posing a Rhetorical question designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer
-Shocking the Audience with an unexpected fact or statistic

Examples:
A good attention grabber: "The death penalty is the most premeditated of murders"; “Elvis is not dead...”; “Who said that the countryside is boring?”; “Seagulls are just rats with wings”; “Hating seagulls is like being racist or homophobic”

A bad attention grabber: “Today I have to write about...”; “the topic of this post is...”