Final lesson_18 April
Hello everybody,
First of all, I’d just like to say thank you for doing the course and for being interested in improving your English. You’ve been a pleasure to teach. One thing I learned on Tuesday is that Ukrainians can be quite competitive, but you’ve also been very excellent ambassadors for your country and taught me a lot too. Dyakuyu!
Anyway, it’s a pity we have to finish here but “it is what it is”, as they say, (or maybe Kseniia would prefer “sh*t happens”). I hope I’ve helped you all a bit, plus of course you have lots of material for reference and the best grammar book in the world to help you.
Please find attached the last of the material, i.e. the homework keys. I’ve also included some phrases that I’d planned to do as part of an exercise but ran out of time.
Finally, I can’t wish you enough luck for the future, which hopefully will be better than the recent past. And feel free to drop me a mail if you ever have any questions.
Break a leg!
Eddie
Homework keys and phrases
5. no way_ piece of cake Lesson 9_11 April
Morning everybody,
Hope you’re all well and many thanks for yesterday evening. I admit I was a bit worried when a few of my best “regulars” arrived slightly late. Otherwise life seems much nicer now that springtime is finally here (touch wood).
One thing I’ve discovered during this course is that I need to update some of my material. It’s been a few years since I taught a “general English” course as I mostly teach business English and legal English nowadays. Plus of course I did almost no teaching at all during the pandemic. I’m still a bit rusty (idiom).
I should also mention that I’ve given you a lot of material, but it’s up to you to make use of it if you can.
Homework this week is as follows:
Grammar – modal verb exercise (there may be several possible answers)
Vocab – similes with like
Honesty quiz (this also covers some modal verbs, but less directly)
Everything else is from class time.
Hope to see you all next week!
Best wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 8_4 April
Morning everybody,
Hope you’re all well and many thanks for yesterday evening as always. I was very grateful for the nice writing, which is the best way I have of helping you individually (I still need to correct it though). By the way, it was interesting to read as well.
I’d also like to apologize slightly for “screwing up/messing up” (2 phrasal verbs) the vocab exercise. I’m not afraid to admit when I make a mistake. I was trying to be too clever because there are lots of different words that mean “change” and I wanted to include more of them. Unfortunately (and unbelievably), when I was doing my prep I accidentally cut out the word “change” instead of the “evolve” in the word grid. Careless.
Not to worry, homework this week is as follows:
Grammar = Modal verbs. Please read the work sheet. They’re not very difficult but there are lots of them. VERY useful though.
Vocab = parts of the body idioms
Linking = 10 useful discourse markers
Sadly, we only have 2 classes left so next week I’m planning to do some more interesting language…idioms, sayings (not quite the same thing https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/saying ), phrasal verbs and similes.
Please also find attached the very useful lists of linking words and a list of “money vocabulary” that I didn’t have time to cover during class time.
Hope you have a great rest of the week!
Bests wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 7_28 Mar
Morning everybody,
Hope you’re all well and many thanks for yesterday evening, especially to Tetiana for coming all the way from Enköping, although I see that it’s “only” just over an hour on the train. I’m trying to make it worthwhile.
Yesterday, we did a fair amount of grammar, but also things that are quite tricky for speakers of Slavic languages. It never hurts to practice.
Homework this week is as follows:
1. Grammar exercise = somebody and anybody etc
2. Vocab = 10 words to do with money
3. A very easy questionnaire about “shopaholics”
I’ve also attached the key to “how to count uncountable nouns” and “exercises with articles”. There’s an extra exercise you can do if you like. Also remember you have the world’s best English grammar book to practice with
Hope you see you all next week.
Best wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 6_21 Mar
Morning everybody,
Hope you all made it home safely and many thanks for yesterday evening, as always. It’s very gratifying that you all come to class, despite having worked all day or living in Enköping (!), and I’m doing my best to make it worthwhile. Truth is, yesterday I was feeling a bit tired myself, I’m not quite sure why, and drank a lot of coffee to compensate. Not good for my focus.
Anyway, homework this week is as follows:
1. Grammar — Countable and uncountable nouns. Please read and digest the work sheet and I’ll try and clarify some of it next week.
2. Vocab – parts of the body
3. Writing – Either write an article about your country, city or region, OR a description of your short-term or long-term plans. Please send it to me at this address (in a Word doc if possible) by next Tuesday.
The main thing is that you should do a bit of writing in English because it’s the best practice, imho, and if the topics I’ve given you are too sensitive, feel free to write about anything you like…a book review, the best day of your life, a business email, whatever.
I’ve also included a link to the Advancing climate folder from 2021 if you’re interested (it was too big to attach)
And if you’re interested in Viking culture and history, there’s a very nice walk you can take in the summertime in the north of Stockholm to look at the runestones and Viking remains (after all, Kievan Rus’ was founded by “Swedes” ). I’ve attached the brochure for that as well. (also quite a large file)
Have a great rest of the week.
Best wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 5_14 Mar
Hello everybody,
Many thanks for this evening and for the interesting discussions. And apologies to Verona and Nata for getting your names wrong/mixed up. I always make a point of learning everybody’s names but it doesn’t help if I learn the wrong ones.
(Nata, my FU blog …https://blogg.folkuniversitetet.nu/stored/)
Homework this week is as follows:
1. Reading = “The Environment – how can you help protect it?” (advice for young people in the UK). Even if you’re not especially interested in environmental issues, the article is full of useful everyday vocab.
2. Vocab exercise = emotions exercise
3. I’ve also included an exercise for next week “Americans Abroad”. Have a look at the questions. Next week we can do a quick comparison between the US and Ukraine.
Everything else if from class time plus the key to last week’s word association quiz.
Next week I’m thinking of giving you some writing to do but this week I’ve been very busy translating this https://www.lakarmissionen.se/media/351880/lm-annual-report-2021.pdf (last year’s version).
Hope to see you all next week!
Best wishes,
PS Nataliia, you have a very well-behaved son
Homework
Class material
Lesson 4_7 Mar
Hello everybody,
Many thanks for this evening as always. I hope you all made it home safely. Actually, the blizzard (snow storm) wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, so far anyway.
Re. you speaking Ukrainian in class (and/or missing speaking Ukrainian) I totally understand where you’re coming from. It’s just that I’m very committed to improving your English and I’d be letting you down if I didn’t nag you about it, especially as you’ve taken the trouble to come to class.
Just a reminder that homework this week is as follows.
1. Grammar = Pls read the work sheet on the present perfect tense.
2. Vocab = Please do the word association exercise
3. Castaway = preparation for group discussion. Next week you’re going to discuss which items would be the best options to choose and trying to agree about it
Everything else is from class time.
Have a great rest of the week!
Best wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 3_28 Feb
Hello everybody,
Many thanks for this evening’s lesson, as usual. Olena, Tetiana and Verona it was very nice meeting you. I think you’re going to fit in perfectly.
Apologies for messing up my planning and timing this week as well. No taboo, sorry about that. And I have to admit I’m having trouble with the quick change-overs as I’m used to getting to class a bit early and taking it a bit easy.
I should probably also mention that I always respect everybody’s opinions, especially about vegetarianism.
Homework this week is as follows:
1. Vocab: 16 useful character adjectives — please do the quite easy exercise
2. Grammar: “Will”, “going to” or “the present continuous”? (Eeny, meeny, miny, moe)
3. Style: Formal or informal in e-mails? — please do the exercise.
Everything else is the material from class time.
Hope to see you next week!
Best wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 2_21 Feb
Hello everybody,
Many thanks for this evenings’s lesson. You have the makings of a very nice group.
And thank you Kseniia for the heads-up that you won’t be able to attend for the next two weeks. Much appreciated. Yuri, I’ll be bringing my piggy bank next week.
Homework this week is as follows.
1. Writing = Informal letter to a friend at home. Please read the instructions in the attachment and write your letter, preferably in a Word document (you can use the spellcheck to help you, of course), then send it to me. You have one week to do it.
2. Grammar = please read the work sheet on the future tenses.
3. Reading + analysis = please read the 4 extracts and decide whether they’re formal, neutral or informal, and what the source and purpose of the writing is (plus anything lese you can about the writing)-
Please also find attached the material from class time and the key to the homework from last week that unfortunately I didn’t have time to review.
Hope to see most of you next week!
Best wishes,
Eddie
Homework
Class material
Lesson 1_14 Feb
Hello everybody! Many thanks for this evening and for your patience and enthusiasm. It was very nice meeting you all and I hope you enjoyed it.
Today’s class was a bit less structured than I’m used to because I wasn’t sure how many of you would come.
It’s a pity that not everyone could attend, but hopefully there will one or two new faces next week.
Please also make sure to tell me if there’s anything in particular about the English language that you’d like me to explain or study. You’re welcome to contact me at either of my addresses, but I normally check my topstoreytuition@gmail.com address more often because it’s my business address.
Homework this week is as follows:
1. Vocabulary Unit 34 Communications and the Internet — please read the texts and do the vocab exercises.
2. Grammar — please read the worksheet on the Preseent Simple versus the Present Continuous
3. I’ve also included a cultural quiz..”What should you say in these social situations”
Everything else is from class time.
Have a nice week rest of the week and see you next Tuesday, I hope!
Best wishes,
Eddie
Class material
Homework