Hello from London

Hi All
I hope you are getting on well with your new teacher - only a week and a half to go before you have finished - so congratulations!!
London is cold and noisy and busy and i miss doha and all of you! I don't like being a student - ha ha!
Well, i will let you know how things are going in a few days!
Take care
Jemma

Relative Clauses

Hi all
Quite a few of you were absent today. We were looking at relative clauses. Here are some exercises, should you get the time to look at them...

http://www.vivquarry.com/wkshts/relative1q.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/worldservice/quiznet/quizengine?ContentType=text/html;quiz=1318_relative_clause

http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/exercise_page.php?ID=73

http://www.1-language.com/englishcourse/unit65_grammar.htm

Enjoy!!!

Jemma

Mahmoud

MAHMOUD, The Hero Of DOHA 2008

verb flashcards

in this link you will fined online irregular verb flashcards help English learners memorize the most important irregular verbs in English

http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregular_verb_flashcards.html

why are you overwieght?

hi all please check this link it's helpfull for people which they need to loss some wieght



http://www4.fatloss4idiots.com/1280index2.html?hop=roeib

Reading Exercises

hey everyone

well done for a great class today. For those of you who were absent we have been discussing different cultures and how to be polite (or not).

Ok - so remember you have a reading test on Tuesday. Here are some websites to look at, but remember the topic is not fixed so don't worry about vocabulary, just try to understand the idea of the sentence, rather than word for word!

so this one is just for newspapers or magazines in english (from all over the world) - no exercises but interesting to read.

http://www.englishpage.com/readingroom/readingroomintro.html

as usual exercises can be found on the learn english website. I believe you can also listen to these as well as read

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-stories-archive.htm

I am sure you can also find some things on go4english but at the time of writing, it wasn't working and i have noticed it has been offline a lot recently.

Any questions, please let me know

Happy studying and don't worry - my tests are never hard!

Jemma

Australian Social Customs

This term means the common or usual way Australian behave in their day-to-day life. As a tolerant society with people from many cultures, each person is encouraged to maintain and share their cultural beliefs and practices. At the same time, we respect the right of others to do the same.
Being aware of some common customs helps you to adapt to life in the community.

How do we greet people in Australia?

When meeting someone for the first time, it is usual to shake the person's right hand with your right hand. People who do not know each other generally do not kiss or hug when meeting. When you first meet someone, it is polite not to talk about personal matters.
Many Australians look at the eyes of the people they are talking with. They consider this a sign of respect, and an indication that they are listening. Do not stare at the person for a long time.
You can address a new acquaintance using their title and family name. You may use their first name when they ask you to or use it in the introduction. In the workplace and among friends, most Australians tend to be informal and call each other by their first names.



What is considered polite behaviour in Australia?

'Please' and 'thank you' are words that are very helpful when dealing with other people, and buying goods or services. When asked if you would like something, like a cup of tea, it is polite to say, 'Yes please', or just 'please' if you would like it, or 'no, thank you' if you do not. When you receive something, it is polite to thank the person by saying 'thank you'. Australians tend to think that people who do not say 'please' or 'thank you' are being rude. Using these words will help in building a good relationship.
Sometimes a sensitive issue may come up in conversation. Not to talk may seem rude. It is more polite to say 'sorry, it is too hard to explain' than to ignore a question.
Australians often say, 'Excuse me' to get a person's attention and 'sorry' if we bump into them. We also say, 'Excuse me' or 'pardon me' if we burp or belch in public or a person's home.
You should always try to be on time for meetings and other visits. If you realise you are going to be late, try to contact the person to let them know. This is very important for visits to professionals as you may be charged money for being late or if you miss the appointment without letting them know before. Most Australians blow their noses into a handkerchiefs or tissues, not onto the footpath. This is also true for spitting. Many people will also say, 'Bless you' when you sneeze. This phrase has no religious intent.



What is some common Australian word usage?

BYO : when an invitation to a party says 'BYO', this means 'bring your own' drink. If you do not drink alcohol, it is acceptable to bring juice, soft drink or soda, or water. Some restaurants are BYO. You can bring your own wine to these, although there is usually a charge for providing and cleaning glasses called 'corkage'.

Arvo : This is short for afternoon. 'Drop by this arvo,' means please come and visit this afternoon.

Fortnight : This term describes a two weeks period.

Snag : The raw type sausages usually cooked at a BBQ. They can be made of pork, beef or chicken.

Chook : The term chook means a chicken, usually a hen.

Cuppa : a cup of tea or coffee 'Drop by this arvo for a cuppa' means please come and visit this afternoon for a cup of tea or coffee.

Loo or dunny : These are slang terms for toilet. If you are a guest in someone's house for the first time, it is usually polite to ask permission to use his or her toilet. 'May I use your toilet please?' Some people ask, 'Where's the loo?'

Fair dinkum : honest, the truth. 'Fair dinkum?' when used as a question means, 'is it really true?'

To be crook : to be sick or ill.

Flat out : busy.

Shout : to buy someone a drink. At a bar or a pub when a group of friends meet, it is usual for each person to 'shout a round', meaning buy everybody a drink. Each person takes a turn at buying a 'round'. It is also acceptable to say that you do not drink (alcohol) by saying that you are a 'teetotaller'. This also means you are not obliged to shout.

Bloke : a man. Sometimes if you ask for help, you may get an answer to 'see that bloke over there'.

How ya goin ? : 'How are you going?' means how are you, or how do you do? It does not mean what form of transport are you taking. Sometimes it can sound like 'ow-ya-goin-mate'.

a great listening site

Hi,

This is a great listening site.

"ELLLO is a free online listening resource of over 1,000 listening activities designed especially for ESL and EFL students and teachers. Most listening activities include images, an interactive quiz, transcript of the audio and downloadable MP3."

The link is:


http://www.elllo.org/english/home.htm


Enjoy listening!

Ralitza

Business English

Here are some Business English exercises if you want...

http://www.better-english.com/exerciselist.html

Enjoy!

Jemma

Question Words

Hi all
I hope you are having a nice weekend. Here are some online sites i found for you to study...

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/311.html

http://www.english4today.com/englishgrammar/grammar/Determiners14.cfm

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-other-areas-question-words.htm

Hope these help

See you on Sunday!

Jemma

some of my favourite blogs

Hi,

I'm glad that you have responded so positively to the idea of blogging. As I've promised, here is a blog with some IELTS practice.

You can check out Nik Peachey's blog for IELTS practice under the tag Exam English:

http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/search/label/IELTS

At the moment I am looking into adding widgets to our blog. There is a youtube video about what widgets are, for those of you who are interested, the link is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRAmQ_m2asg

Regards,

Ralitza

Hi from London

Hi everybody

I would like to say big hi from London :) it's too cold and wonderful !!

I hope all of you in a good health and a good mood to study English ... I think I'm studying here in

the UK mor than you !! English is everywhere :)

have a good time

Fahad

Brief of the grammer for intermediate level

Present Simple & Present Continuous

1. Present Simple:

We use the present simple for:
a) Repeated actions or habits.
ex. We go out every Saturday night.
b) Something we see as a permanent.
ex. My sister works in a bank..
c) Describe a state doesn't change.
ex. I look like my mother.

2. Present Continuous:

We use the present continuous for:
a) Things in progress now, at the moment of speaking.
ex. The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day.
b) Temporary actions or situations that are happening 'around now'
ex. I'm reading a very good book at the moment.
c) Describe a situation which is changing.
ex. People are working longer hours nowadays.

Past Simple & Past Continuous

3. Past Simple:

We use the past simple for:
a) States and Actions which happened in the past. We often say when the action. happened
ex. I saw someone famous yesterday.
b) The action can be short or long, single or repeated.
ex. I dropped the glass and it broke on the floor.
c) To talk about states in the past.
ex. When I was young, I loved playing with my toys.

4. Past Continuous:

We use the past continuous for:
a) Actions in progress at a time in the past.
ex. I was living in London then.
b) Describe the situation or the background to a story. We use the past simple for the main events.
ex. The sun was shining and I was walking along the road. Suddenly
someone shouted to me.
c) Sometimes the past continuous action is interrupted.
ex. They were talking about me when I walked in the room.

d) We use the past continuous for actions we see as incomplete.
ex. I read a book about Italy. (= I read it all)
I was reading a book about Italy. (= I probably didn't read it all)
Present Perfect & Past Perfect

5. Present perfect:

We use the present perfect to talk about the past and the present together. The past action or situation is connected to the present in various ways:
a) The state or action continues from the past to the present.
ex. I've known her for many years. (I still know her)
b) The results of the past action are important in the present.
ex. He's lost his keys. (He doesn't have it now)
c) The time reference in the sentence includes the present.
ex. He's been ill all this week. (This week isn't finished)
d) When we mean 'in my whole life': we do not give a specific time.
ex. I've been to Spain lots of time.

6. Past Perfect:

We use the past perfect to link one time in the past to another time further in the past.

ex. When we got there, everyone had left.



Some Important Note:

1) Some Verbs are rarely found in the continuous forms. These are verbs which describe 'states' rather than 'actions'.
a) Connected with emotions: hate, like, love, want.
b) Connected with understanding: believe, know, prefer, understand.
c) Connected with possession and unchanging qualities: belong, cost, weight.
d) Connected with the senses: hear, smell, sound, taste.

2) We use the past simple for completed actions that are in the past.

3) Whether or not we use the Present Perfect or Past Simple often depends on how we see the actions. If we see it as related to the present, we use the present perfect. If we see it as finished and in the past, we use the past simple, even if we don't mention the time.

4) The present perfect is 'the past of the present', but the past perfect is' the past of the past'.

Keeping English up to date

Hi everyone.
Good to see you all on here. I found this website from the bbc which has slang English and its uses - you can even hear how to say it with the right tone! I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1453_uptodate3/page23.shtml

I hope you all had a good weekend - see you tonight!

Jemma

Hi everybody,

You really have to see this funny video. Don't forget to tell me if you like it.

Hi all

This is me again.

First I want to say sorry if there is some or more mistakes in my spelling or my grammars but that’s being my reason to join British consul.
I’ve being thinking about some thing and I want to share it with some of you who will be interested on it if it’s possible after Ms Jemma approval. What I’m thinking! Most of us as students in British consul are employee in government or private companies or maybe running our own business. and I thought also all of us was joined British consul to improve his language specially because he need it in his job and this what I’m faces it now in my job so what if we tray to make everyone of us talk about him self, his work and his experience than we can check how each one of can help this group through his job or his experience. With this I think we can get some reasons to talk, write and make some contact between us. I’m sure that British consul is not only just a place for study English language only but it’s one of those study consuls which you can start building your contact, friendships or maybe business partners also. Add to that you can know some things about other people’s life, culture, countries…
I will start by my self
I’m working as immigration manager for Regency Group. Regency Group is containing around 23 companies. Witch are doing many businesses like travel, real stat, hotels, widening halls, hospitality, rent cares long contracts, contracting and recruitment recently.
My experience is in immigration and Qatar labor low + HR and my problem it’s … I’m getting a new possession and for that possession I need a very good E. language. Not as talking only but as writing, reading and speaking also. This is the first time for to write that much in one time and this is the first time for my study English since 1995.

Thanks & Warm Regards

Kindly please if you can correct my spelling and grammars mistakes and post it

magic

hi all this is Anwar please look to this guy what he's doning?

this is unblievable!!!

hello every body, it is my greatest pleasure to share u all in this course & pls find attached last sunday's photo.

Regards

Mr.Ibrahim Aonallah

smart,strong and handsome.

The First Post

Hooray!
www.britishcouncil.org
http://www.britishcouncil.org