WELCOME

Welcome to the English Skills blog for English 140 (Grammar), English 143 (Writing for Academic Purposes), and English 146 (Reading for Academic Purposes) at Athabasca University. These courses may be taken separately or as part of the English Language Proficiency Program. The goal is to increase communication between students and instructors, and to provide students with an opportunity to communicate with each other and to practice the skills taught in these courses. If you post general questions about the assignments or the course, they will be addressed in the blog. If you have detailed questions you want answered, then e-mail your instructor.

Feel free to post comments and suggestions for how to improve this site!

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!

A hearty welcome to all the new students joining these courses. We hope you enjoy your studies and have fun participating in this blog.

Assignments marked with asterisks (*.*) are mandatory for ENGL140 students (Assignment 9).

IMPORTANT: This blog site is open to the public; do not post personal information that could identify you--first name and the initial of your last name are the only personal information you should post. Please watch this video from the Canadian Government explaining privacy issues and social networking. 

Also, be sure to let your tutors know the nickname you have chosen for this blog; otherwise, they will not be able to give you the marks/bonus marks that you have earned for your participation.

Next blog: Friday, June 6, 2014.

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

Samirs always been borrowing his red stylish sporty-looking newer car to his brother who’s lending it while his old battered rust-spotted white vehicle is in the garage for repairing.

1. Name: 

The name "Samir" might be unfamiliar, so you may not have realized that there shouldn't be an "s" at the end. It doesn't make sense to use an apostrophe s because nether the verb "is" nor "has" belongs here, and there is no following noun that would make it possessive.

2. Word confusion: 

Lend and borrow: someone lends to you; you borrow from someone else. Note also that "Loan" is a noun, so you should avoid saying that someone has loaned something.

3. Verb tense: 

If you construe this as a typical or repetitive action, use the simple present tense ("lends"). If you construe it as something that is goes on for a period of time, use the present progressive ("is lending"). If you use the present progressive, put adverb ("always") after the auxiliary verb ("is always lending").

4. Adjective word order: 

The convention for adjective word order is opinion, dimension, age, shape, colour, origin, material. This produces "stylish, sporty-looking, newer, red car" and "battered, old, rust-spotted, white vehicle". Some of you might have wanted to group some of the adjectives and combine them with a coordinating conjunction ("stylish and sporty-looking"). That’s another good way to solve the problem.

5. Verb tense: 

Whether or not the simple present or present progressive tense is used for the verb in the first clause, in the second clause, the verb (which should be "borrow") needs to be in the simple present tense ("borrows"). This means there is no apostrophe s attached to "who".

6. Word form: 

After "for" do not use the gerund, use the basic noun in the either singular or plural form.

Possible solution: 

Samir always lends his stylish, sporty-looking, newer, red car to his brother who borrows it while his battered, old, rust-spotted, white vehicle is in the garage for repairs.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

Please ask her where is she going over the week-end and is her boyfriend going to but don't tell her that I ask for the informations.

Solutions will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle:  

1. Crust - Rust
2. Cheat - Heat
3. Chill - Hill
4. Climb - Limb
5. Cable - Able
6. Cage - Age
7. Cease - Ease
8. Clean - Lean

New Puzzle:

The previous puzzle was so much fun, I thought I would do it again! 

Hint: The two words will be the same except for the extra letter at the beginning of the first word.

Example: Begin --> Sour
Answer:   Start   --> Tart

1. Mark left after healing        -->    Vehicle
2. To have hit                      -->    Vehicle
3. Brainy                            -->     Individual store
4. Little                              -->     Large retail complex
5. Take illegally                   -->    Bluish green
6. Clean the floor                 -->    Cry
7. Expressed in words         -->    Give assistance 
8. Talk                                -->    Highest level; summit 

*Note, the first person with the correct answer gets the bonus point.

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use HAIR:

Watch this video, and then write a sentence that uses one (or more) of these three idioms.

Try not to use the same idiom as the other posters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090306_teacher_body_hair.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the following sentence as indicated.

Amber carefully planted the beautiful flowers in the garden.

Please change only the exact word in the sequence given. Each participant should build on the changes made by the previous participant.

For instance, Participant 1 writes #1 Subject Noun, and changes the subject noun; Participant 2 writes #2 Direct Object Noun, and changes the direct object noun, etc.

You are free to make as many changes as you wish. Just remember to number each change (and indicate the part of speech) so it is clear to everyone where we are on the list.

When all 7 changes have been made, return to the top of the list and continue.

Changes:                                                                                                                          

1. subject noun
2. direct object noun          
3. indirect object noun                  
4. adjective(s)
5. adverb(s)    
6. verb name      
7. verb tense

AFFIXES

The word stem ambi- (meaning "both") occurs in many words. 

Add an affix (either a prefix or a suffix) to this stem to make another word. 

Each participant should add a different word to the list.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCE*

Follow the instructions below to create three different sentences from the following clause.*

... it was good to have another three-day weekend ...

Sentence 1. Add a phrase      
Sentence 2. Add a dependent clause
Sentence 3. Add an independent clause


*Add your words to the beginning or end of the clause (but not both).

*NUMBER CHANGE*

If the sentence is singular, change it to the plural; if it is plural, change it to the singular.

When my sister wants to go out on a date, she styles her hair, applies make-up, and changes from her work outfit to something more appropriate. She always wants to look her best and make a good impression on anyone she meets.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

Use the following two words in one sentence (note the part of speech).

feckless (adjective) or veracity (noun).

To further improve your vocabulary, remember to check out the Word of the Day. 

The site also has word games and puzzles.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe having mixed feelings about something as being ambivalent. 

Provide a synonym and an antonym for this word. Each participant should suggest a different word.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb bear.

In the first sentence, use the verb in the active voice; in the second sentence, use it in the passive voice.

*TIME CHANGE*

Change the time in the following sentences by using a different verb tense and replacing any necessary time clues. Each student should choose a different verb tense.

My parents will arrive for a visit tomorrow. I am worried that they might feel a little crowded in my small apartment and wish that they had gone to a hotel instead. They will have to sleep on a futon in the living room, and we will all have to share the bathroom. It could be awkward for everyone.

*SENTENCE COMBINATION*

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important writing skill. There are many ways to do this. Try to combine the following three sentences.

Sentence 1: The celebration of Victoria Day is associated with the arrival of summer.
Sentence 2: In many parts of Canada, it is still spring as the trees are just beginning to show their leaves.

Sentence 3: Last weekend, many gardeners flocked to greenhouses to prepare their gardens for summer.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary or grammar indicated.

Write a sentence using a dependent clause in the simple past tense and an independent clause in the future perfect tense.

HALF-WAY THERE CHALLENGE!

This is an exercise in advanced sentence combining. 

Sentence 1: Many of us are looking forward to enjoying our parks and gardens soon.
Sentence 2: It is easy to forget about parks and gardens during the long winter.

Sentence 3: Spring and summer tend to make us think of doing outdoor activities.

Grammar:

1.    Use a gerund to combine the sentences.

2.    Use an appositive to combine the sentences.
2.    Use a relative pronoun to combine the sentences.

WELCOME

Welcome to the English Skills blog for English 140 (Grammar), English 143 (Writing for Academic Purposes), and English 146 (Reading for Academic Purposes) at Athabasca University. These courses may be taken separately or as part of the English Language Proficiency Program. The goal is to increase communication between students and instructors, to provide you with an opportunity to communicate with each other, and to practice the skills taught in these courses. Note that not all skills are appropriate to each course. 

Feel free to post comments and suggestions for how to improve this site!

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!

A hearty welcome to all the new students joining these courses. We hope you enjoy your studies and have fun participating in this blog.

Assignments marked with asterisks (*.*) are mandatory for ENGL140 students (Assignment 9).

IMPORTANT: This blog site is open to the public; do not post personal information that could identify you--first name and the initial of your last name are the only personal information you should post. Please watch this video from the Canadian Government explaining privacy issues and social networking. 

Next blog: Friday, May 23, 2014.

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

Studying on my own pace is a lot of benefit for me due to I do not need to be worrying about no time for attend classes.

1. Preposition use:  

We often use the phrase "on pace" to describe something that is proceeding according to schedule; but when we describe how fast something is, we use the preposition "at". Likewise, we often speak of having "time for" something; but in this case we need "to" because we are using the infinitive.

2. Plural:

Since "a lot" refers to more than one thing, we need to use the plural ("benefits"). Otherwise, we could remove the modifier and simply use of the idiomatic phrase "of benefit".

3.  Verb choice: 

We can keep the verb "is" if we use the phrase "of benefit". But if we want to go with the plural, we should say that studying "has" or "offers" a lot of benefits. Otherwise, we could use the adjective form, and say that it "is beneficial". 

4.  Connective problem: 

If you want to keep "due to", then you need to add a noun, for example, "the fact" ("...due to the fact that..."). Otherwise use something like "because" instead.

5.  Verb form: 

After "need" use the infinitive ("to worry").

6.  Negatives: 

Using two negatives this close together is awkward and confusing; omit “no” , and use “having”.

Possible solution: 

Studying at my own pace has a lot of benefits for me because I do not need to worry about having time to attend classes.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

Samirs always been borrowing his red stylish sporty-looking newer car to his brother who’s lending it while his old battered rust-spotted white vehicle is in the garage for repairing.

Solutions will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle:  

1. PYGMY
2. BAGMAN
3. STIGMA
4. PHLEGM
5. AUGMENT

New Puzzle:

Find the word pairs defined below. 

Hint: The two words will be the same except for the extra letter at the beginning of the first word.

Example: Begin --> Sour
Answer:   Start   --> Tart

1. Outer layer                      -->     Oxidized metal
2. Defraud; violate rules       -->     energy in transit
3. Sensation of cold             -->     Local land elevation
4. Go upward                      -->     Jointed appendage; branch
5. Strong metal rope            -->     Having necessary skill
6. Confined; restrained         -->    Old; grew older
7. Stop; discontinue             -->     Freedom from hardship
8. Lacking dirt                     -->      Lacking fat

*Note, the first person with the correct answer gets the bonus point.

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use FISH:

Watch this video, and then write a sentence that uses one (or more) of these three idioms.

Try not to use the same idiom as the other posters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090311_teacher_animal_fish.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the following sentence as indicated.

The young man enthusiastically studied sociology at the local college.

Please change only the exact word in the sequence given. Each participant should build on the changes made by the previous participant.

For instance, Participant 1 writes #1 Subject Noun, and changes the subject noun; Participant 2 writes #2 Direct Object Noun, and changes the direct object noun, etc.

You are free to make as many changes as you wish. Just remember to number each change (and indicate the part of speech) so it is clear to everyone where we are on the list.

When all 7 changes have been made, return to the top of the list and continue.

Changes:                                                                                                                          

1. subject noun
2. direct object noun          
3. indirect object noun                  
4. adjective(s)
5. adverb(s)    
6. verb name      
7. verb tense

AFFIXES

The word stem -spir (meaning "breath") occurs in many words. 

Add an affix (either a prefix or a suffix) to this stem to make another word. 

Each participant should add a different word to the list.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCE*

Follow the instructions below to create three different sentences from the following clause.*

... May is my favourite month of the year ...

Sentence 1. Add a phrase      
Sentence 2. Add a dependent clause
Sentence 3. Add an independent clause


*Add your words to the beginning or end of the clause (but not both).

*NUMBER CHANGE*

If the sentence is singular, change it to the plural; if it is plural, change it to the singular.

My old high school friend often comes over for a visit on Saturdays and spends the day with me. He usually brings his dog, who likes to run around while we throw the ball or play frisbee in the park.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

Use the following two words in one sentence (note the part of speech).

anachronism (noun)  +  perverse (adjective) or perversely (adverb).

To further improve your vocabulary, remember to check out the Word of the Day. 

The site also has word games and puzzles.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe something lively as sprightly. 

Provide a synonym and an antonym for this word. Each participant should suggest a different word.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb deal.

In the first sentence, use the verb in the active voice; in the second sentence, use it in the passive voice.

*TIME CHANGE*

Change the time in the following sentence by using a different verb tense and replacing any necessary time clues. Each student should choose a different verb tense.

Since you have changed your outlook on life, you have become more optimistic, and I have noticed that you have made friends more easily.

*SENTENCE COMBINATION*

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important writing skill. There are many ways to do this. Try to combine the following three sentences.

Sentence 1: The Immigrant Access Fund provides loans for internationally trained immigrants.
Sentence 2: Many immigrant professionals find it hard to pursue their careers in Canada because of accreditation difficulties.

Sentence 3: The loans help pay the costs associated with accreditation, training, or upgrading.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary or grammar indicated.

Write a sentence using a dependent clause in the simple past tense and an independent clause in the simple future tense.

HALF-WAY THERE CHALLENGE!

This is an exercise in advanced sentence combining. 

Sentence 1: Experts believe that another economic crises is imminent.
Sentence 2: Some reports indicate that debt is increasing to unsustainable levels.

Sentence 3: Many people could find themselves in serious financial trouble.

Grammar:

1.    Use a gerund to combine the sentences.

2.    Use an appositive to combine the sentences.
2.    Use a relative pronoun to combine the sentences.