WELCOME!

Welcome to the English Skills blog! 

This blog is designed for students in ENG140, ENGL143, and ENGL146 at Athabasca University. 

It is also open to students in ENGL155, ENGL177, and ENGL189 who wish to develop their English language skills.

The goal of this blog 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 it is probably better to e-mail your instructor directly.

Feel free to post comments and suggestions on 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).

For information on how to participate, please visit the instructions page or contact the administrator.

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: Thursday, March 9, 2016

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

As the matter of fact, she was a person who hard being convinced for instant, she certainly would likes to thinks that his opinion are the corrected then any one else view.

1. Article use:

Only use the definite article (“the”) when referring to specific items; for singular, non-specific items use “a”.

2. Word confusion:

Although they sound similar, don’t confuse “instant” with “instance”. The meanings are quite different.

3. Passive form:

While “hard being convinced” seems to be a passive construction, the form is incorrect. The word “hard” needs to be introduced by “was” and followed by an infinitive (“was hard to convince”).

4. Verb form:

After a modal verb, use the base form of the verb (“like” not “likes”).

5. Infinitive:

The infinitive is formed from “to” + the base form of the verb. There is no “s” or any other verb ending on an infinitive, so use “to think” not “to thinks”.

6. Pronoun agreement:

It makes more sense if you change “his” to “her”. “His” is possible here, but it doesn't make as much sense.

7. Word form:

The word “corrected” is a past participial adjective. Here, however, a comparison is needed (i.e., something like “more correct”). A good solution would be to change this expression to “better”.

8. Word confusion:

The words “then” and “than” sound very similar, but they are quite different. Here, we need “than” because there is an implicit comparison.

9. Possessive:

In this case, the “view” belongs to someone (i.e., “anyone else”), so it needs to be possessive (“anyone else’s”).

10. Punctuation:

The first independent clause ends with “convince”, so a semicolon is needed here.

11. Wordiness:

It is clear that the pronoun “she” refers to a person, so restating the fact is unnecessary. Instead of “she is a person who is”, we can simply say “she is”.

Possible solution:

As a matter of fact, she is hard to convince; for instance, she certainly likes to think that her opinion is better than anyone else’s.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

Less people in Canada are planning travelling over this year because of the worse weather that happened in to many parts of the country recently and because it is expensive.

The solution will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle:

1. Push        PIN               Cushion
2. Digital      CAMERA       Shy
3. Crystal     BALL             Park
4. First         CLASS          Clown
5. Bed          ROCK           Candy

New Puzzle:

Add one letter at a time to make a new word:

Example:    a ... adios
Answer:     a/as/sad/dais/adios

e … hamper
o … erosion

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

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use the word beans:

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 participants.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090302_teacher_food_beans.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the sentence below as indicated.

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

For instance, if the original sentence is "Benson hurriedly told the bad news to his friends":

participant 1 could write "#1 Subject Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad news to his friends";

participant 2 could then write "#2 Direct Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his friends";

participant 3 could then write "#3 Indirect Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his wife";

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.

Participants who make all 7 changes will receive 2 bonus marks for their efforts.

When all 7 changes have been made, do not repeat the original sentence; return to the top of the list, but keep building on the changes made by the previous participant.

Here is the sentence:

The little boy showed his friend the treasure he had secretly hidden in his fort.

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 -cur- (meaning "to run") occurs in many words. 

1. Add an affix to this stem to make another word.
2. Explain the meaning of the word and use it in a complete sentence.

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:*

... I'm looking forward to the end of winter ...

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) and do not use a semi-colon to join your independent clause.

*NUMBER CHANGE*

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

The first participant to make the correct changes will receive the bonus mark.

The deer that lives in the woods behind my house likes to chew on the bark of the fruit trees I planted in my garden.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

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

confide (verb) and confident (adjective).

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/wordoftheday/


You can also test your skills while contributing to the World Food Programme here:
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1498

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe something things that happen at the same time as concurrent. 

First, write a sentence that uses this word.

Then rewrite the sentence, first using a synonym and then using an antonym for this word. 

Each participant should suggest a different synonym and antonym.


Example: easy.

Answer: 
This exercise is easy.

Synonym: simple. This exercise is simple.

Antonym: difficult. This exercise is difficult.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb give.

In the first sentence, use the word 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.

While I was working in the office yesterday, I was imagining all the things I would do when I finally retired.

*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. Do not use a semi-colon.

Sentence 1: The weather is cold.
Sentence 2: This weather will continue for a while.
Sentence 3: Soon it will be spring.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary and grammar indicated. Do not use a semi-colon.

Write a sentence using an independent clause in the present perfect progressive tense and a dependent clause in the simple present.

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 on 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).

For information on how to participate, please visit the instructions page or contact the administrator.

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: Thursday, February 16, 2016

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

I am always eating my dinner late while I get home at 8:00 pm but the food is warmed quick in a microwave we brought at a neighbours garage sale.

1. Verb tense:

For repeated actions, use the simple present tense: change “am eating” to “eat”.

2. Word confusion:

With a specific time reference, use “when” not “while”.

3. Word form:

The adverb is “quickly”--“quick” is an adjective.

4. Word confusion:

The word we need here is “bought”, which is the simple past tense of “buy” (“brought” is the past tense of “bring”).

5.  Missing word:

The correct expression is “to warm [something] up”: “the food is warmed up”.

6.  Article usage:

In this example, a specific microwave is bring referred to, so it might be best to use the definite article (“the”).

7. Punctuation:

Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (“but”) when it separates two independent clauses. Also note that an apostrophe is needed in “neighbours” (“neighbour’s”) because it is a possessive.

8. Capitalization:

Capitalize PM. (MLA format).

Possible solution:

I always eat my dinner late when I get home at 8:00 PM, but the food is quickly warmed up in the microwave we bought at a neighbour’s garage sale.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

As the matter of fact, she was a person who hard being convinced for instant, she certainly would likes to thinks that his opinion are the corrected then any one else view.

The solution will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle:

1. bleep
2. pang
3. hassle
4. dumbfound
5. brash
6. chortle
7. intercom
8. blurt

New Puzzle:

Insert one word in each pair to link the two words together.
The end of the first word is the beginning of the second.

1. Push __ __ __ Cushion
2. Digital __ __ __ __ __ __ Shy
3. Crystal __ __ __ __ Park
4. First __ __ __ __ __ Clown

5. Bed __ __ __ __ Candy

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

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use the word egg:

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 participants.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090303_teacher_food_egg.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the sentence below as indicated.

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

For instance, if the original sentence is "Benson hurriedly told the bad news to his friends":

participant 1 could write "#1 Subject Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad news to his friends";

participant 2 could then write "#2 Direct Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his friends";

participant 3 could then write "#3 Indirect Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his wife";

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.

Participants who make all 7 changes will receive 2 bonus marks for their efforts.

When all 7 changes have been made, do not repeat the original sentence; return to the top of the list, but keep building on the changes made by the previous participant.

Here is the sentence:

The doctor happily told us the good news about our friend in the hospital.

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 equi- (meaning "equal") occurs in many words. 

1. Add an affix to this stem to make another word.
2. Explain the meaning of the word and use it in a complete sentence.

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:*

... tomorrow is another day ...

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) and do not use a semi-colon to join your independent clause.

*NUMBER CHANGE*

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

The first participant to make the correct changes will receive the bonus mark.

My birthday dinner was a real pleasure; the food was good and the company even better!

.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

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

emigrate (verb) and equitable (adjective).

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/wordoftheday/


You can also test your skills while contributing to the World Food Programme here:
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1498

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe something believable as credible. 

First, write a sentence that uses this word.

Then rewrite the sentence, first using a synonym and then using an antonym for this word. 

Each participant should suggest a different synonym and antonym.


Example: easy.

Answer: 
This exercise is easy.

Synonym: simple. This exercise is simple.

Antonym: difficult. This exercise is difficult.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb fight.

In the first sentence, use the word 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.

Pancake Day is coming soon. We will celebrate by cooking a huge stack of pancakes. Some people may go out to eat, but we think the ones made at home taste best. Tradition calls for using lemon juice and sugar on top of the pancakes, but we'll add whatever we have available. The idea is to use up lots of good, rich ingredients before the start of Lent.

*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. Do not use a semi-colon.

Sentence 1: The world is uncertain.
Sentence 2: In this world, we cannot cannot know what the future will bring.
Sentence 3: We must be prepared for any eventuality.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary and grammar indicated. Do not use a semi-colon.

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