Final lesson tomorrow

See you at the same time (for the last time) in the language lab on the second floor!
Write to me here to remind me of your special requests, needs, etc.

'Extra' lessons today (Wed), next Monday and Wednesday

In the lab at the usual time...see you there!

See you on Monday in the language lab, 2nd floor

I will be there waiting for you at 3:00, with some great news!

Answers to questions on reported speech

1. He offered to help me type up the report.
2. He persuaded me not to hand in my resignation immediately.
3. he refused to discuss it with me.
4. He complained about not boing invited/not having been invited to the meeting.
5. The doctor advised him to take it easy for a few days.
6. The police warned him not to go near their house again.
7. The Ministry of Defence have decided to close down the naval base in two years' time.
8. she accused me of reading her diary.
9. He reminded me to apply for a new passport.
10. She apologized for all the trouble she had caused.

As we were working on this in class, it occurred to me that many of you might need to remember the basics rules for reported speech....so, if you think you need more practice, download an explanation here http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/pdffiles/reported.pdf
and a worksheet here http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/pdffiles/worksheetreported1.pdf
and here http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/pdffiles/worksheetreported2.pdf

Answers to the Reading section...

Here are the answers, which may surprise you!

READING (pg. 251)

Passage 1 (pg. 251)

 1.  C

 2. D

 3. B

 4. A

 5. C

 6. A

 7. C

 8. B

 9. B

 10. D

 11. A

 12. Male: C, D, F

  Female: B, E,

Passage 2 (pg. 255)

 1. A

 2. B

 3. D

 4. B

 5. C

 6. C

 7. C

 8. B

 9. D

 10. A

 11. D

 12. A

 13. B, D, E

Passage 3 (pg. 260)

 1. B

 2. C

 3. D

 4. A

 5. C

 6. D

 7. C

 8. B

 9. A

 10. B

 11. A

 12. D

 13. B, C, F

Some sites for listening/reading practice

Check these out and let me know what you think....!

http://www.elllo.org/

http://www.manythings.org/listen/

http://www.esl-lab.com/

http://www.ted.com

If you want a wide array of academic lessons to listen to, use iTunes U:

http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/

Integrated Speaking and Writing Tasks

This week, we took a look at some integrated tasks on both the speaking and the writing sections of the TOEFL exam. We also confirmed that taking good notes will be an important part of both of these tasks.
You can listen again to the conversations from the Integrated Speaking task and read the scripts as well, by clicking on the link for downloads on the right side of this page.

We will be practicing the part of the test regarding Integrated writing again on Monday, but in the meantime you should download the example of the Integrated Writing task (see the link on the right side of this page), listen again to the lecture (read the script if you need to), and then write your answer to the question:

"Summarize the points made in the lecture, and explain how they challenge the points made in the reading."

Remember to summarize important points in the listening passage as related to key points in the reading passage. You must write 150 - 225 words (or more) in 20 minutes (but take MORE time this time to make sure it is perfect!).

News

Hey guys and gals - I have some news from Fabrizia Venuta, who is going to book the TOEFL exam for you. She needs you to download a form and send it to her ASAP. Please do this by going to the CLA site (click here: http://www.cla.unina.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/346 , or copy and paste the address in your browser window), downloading the form, filling in your details and sending it to fvenuta@unina.it. You can also bring it to her directly on Monday. She has the list of dates you signed up for, so this should be the last thing you need to do before you take the exam.
Oh, I mean, except for all that studying you still need to do.........
Thanks! Dianna

So far....So good!

We have been busy in the last couple of weeks, and we will be even busier in the weeks to come!

So far, we have taken a look at some ways to write effective paragraphs, ways to improve our note-taking skills, and ways to build up our vocabulary. We have also started to look at the first type of speaking question on the exam.

If you have missed one of these lessons, or do not have the handouts, all of the materials are now available through the 'download' link on the right.

I hope you are spending at LEAST an hour every day doing exercises in your textbooks, or doing online exercises....it's up to YOU to find the time!

Let me know if you need anything...by writing to me here on the blog!

p.s. Here are the answers to the last few sentences on the paraphrasing download - sample paragraphs for all of the other exercises can be found at the end of the downloaded document!

6. “I’m sorry I broke your mug” Janet said. (breaking)

Janet__said she was sorry for breaking ____ my mug.

7. They cancelled the flight because of thick fog. (off)


The flight_ ______was called off______ because of the thick fog.


8. The summit meeting will be held in Istanbul. (place)


The summit meeting___will take place__ in Istanbul.


9. Roberto took a month to design the concept car. (him)


It__took him a month__to design the concept car.


10. My father took up bowling three years ago. (been)


My father___has been bowling for____ three years.

Welcome TOEFL Students!

I will be using this blog to give you access to links, downloads, tips and other materials for the TOEFL ibt exam. 

I will also advise you here if there is a change of date or cancellation of a lesson.

Feel free to write to me anytime if you have a question or a suggestion for the other students. I will do my best to publish all of your comments within a few days, so just post ONCE and wait until I have time to read it and publish it, ok?

Now - get to WORK!