Content Language level Page. Crystal clear. Absolutely clear, easy to understand

Transcription

1 Study newsletter 2015, week 12 Content Language level Page Phrase of the week Crystal clear All levels 1 Mind map Loan All levels 2 Czenglish Schools Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 3 Business Writing The Secret of Good Writing Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 4 5 Test The problem with smart people Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 6 7 Phrase of the week Crystal clear Absolutely clear, easy to understand You ca use this phrase i la guage. Spoken Informal Example 1 I eall do t get hat is so diffi ult a out asse li g a hild s ed. Look at the i st u tio s, it s crystal clear! Example 2 You e ot goi g a he e, u less ou ha e ou ho e o k do e. Do I ake self crystal clear? Yes, o. 1

2 Mind map Learning new vocabulary in the most effective way Vyzkoušejte si i teraktiv í Mindmapy zde: Klikejte na slova, usl šíte jed otli á slo íčka a lu e á odilý lu čí. Slovíčka Slovo Mortgage Promissory note Collateral Creditworthy Payable Interest rate Repay APR Settlement Surety Výz a slova h potéka s ě ka zajiště í půjčk ú ě us hop ý splat ý ú oko á saz a splatit oč í p o e t í saz a ákladů o á í učitel 2

3 Czenglish WRONG: RIGHT: My basic school was great fun, but my grammar school was boring. My primary school was great fun, but my secondary school was boring. School names can cause problems for both English and Czechs, because the system is so different. In England, children start school at four years old. From 4 11 they go to primary school (elementary school in the US), from they go to secondary school (high school), and after this, they may go to university (college). Basi s hool as a te does t exist and if you say it, it suggests a school that is very basic, without modern equipment or is undeveloped. A grammar school, historically, is a school where students are admitted on the basis of ability, usual decided in the form of a test. Other schools in the UK are called comprehensive schools. Anyway, here is the same sentence from a Brit and an American: Brit: I went to primary school but I didn t like it. My secondary school was much better, although I didn t get good enough marks to get into university. American: I went to ele e ta s hool ut I did t like it. My high school was much better, although I didn t get good enough grades to get into college. 3

4 Business Writing Business Writing Tip #64 The Secret of Good Writing As a writer I read a lot. Much of what I read is about writing. Today I was reminded of some important things that I learnt about good writing from a master. William Zinsser is a US writer and On Writing Well is one of his best known books. Toda s post is full of uotes f o Zi sse. He said hat he a ted to sa so lea l. In this book Zinsser shares his secret of good writing: The se et of good iti g is to st ip e e se te e to its lea est o po e ts. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that a ies the sa e ea i g that s al ead i the e, e e passi e o st u tio that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to the edu atio a d a k. In August 2009 Zinsser gave a talk to international students at the Columbia Graduate S hool of Jou alis o W iti g E glish as a Se o d La guage. Whether English is your second language, your third, or your mother tongue, the four principles he described are sound. Check out his original article to read the examples he used to illustrate the points he was making. Principle One: Clarity If it s ot lea ou ight as ell ot ite it. You ight as ell sta i ed. Principle Two: Simplicity Si ple is good. Most stude ts f o othe ou t ies do t k o that. Whe I ead the a se te e that I ad i e, a si ple se te e ith sho t o ds, the thi k I joki g... Writing is not something you have to embroider with fancy stitches to make yourself look s a t. Principle Three: Brevity Sho t is al a s ette tha lo g. Sho t se te es a e ette tha lo g se te es. Short o ds a e ette tha lo g o ds. Do t sa currently if you can say now. Do t say assistance if you can say help. Do t sa numerous if you can say many. Do t say facilitate if you can say ease. Do t all so eo e a individual [five syllables!]; that s 4

5 a pe so, o a a o a o a. Do t i ple e t o p io itize. Do t sa anything in iti g that ou ould t o fo ta l sa i o e satio. W iti g is talking to someone else on pape o o a s ee. Principle Four: Humanity Be ou self. Ne e t i ou iti g to e so eo e ou e ot. You p odu t, fi all, is you. Do t lose that pe so putti g o ai s, t i g to sou d supe io. DALICE TROST, pů ode z Aust álie, je a sol e tkou agiste ského studia a age e tu lidský h zd ojů a U i e sit of Ca e a Aust álii. Lekto ka je d žitelkou e tifikátu TEFL op a ňují í k ýu e izí h jaz ků. V á i s é p ofes í p a e zastá ala soké a aže ské pozice jako personalistka, senior supe izo ka, HR a aže ka, a to i o ji é e společ oste h Du aji a Aust álii. Akti ě se ě uje pu likač í p á i o o u zdělá á í a a gli kého jaz ka. Lekto ka je auto kou k ih, ze kte é če pá e t to tip : Business Writing-A Tip a Day for 30 Days 5

6 TEST: The problem with smart people Whe ou e hi i g, p o oti g, o just putti g togethe ou tea, ou e told to (1) for the smartest people in the room, but intelligence is just one of those characteristics needed in the ga e. Fo e a ple, the fo e US e e g t adi g o pa (2) its top talents to run some of its most-profitable divisions without supervision. Though the management were k o as the tea of the s a test gu s, this o e did t tu (3) to be so smart. They took wild chances and lost billions of dollars which i e ita l led to the o pa s dissolutio. The problem with really smart people is that they often think they know more than everyone else, that the o e step (4) of everyone else. And when they think they know the right a s e, the ofte a t elie e that e e o e else does t just see the sa e thi g, a d fall i to. That does t help the i t i g to get othe s to u hate e the e selli g, e ause, u fo tu atel, o ga isatio s do t o k that a. A d he the do t ha e di e t authority pee s the e o ki g ith, the o l a to i g the alo g to a d thei p efe ed out o e is to sell the the idea. I posi g thei supe io solutio just does t o k. The irony is sometimes the most talented person can make for one of the ost (7) a age s. I ase of ai po e, o e does t al a s ha e to ea ette. For example, when employees are motivated to cycle through customers as fast as possible, words like the usto e (8) first are just empty, cynical slogans. It means nothing to sales staff and such st ateg a a tuall det a t f o (9). On the other hand, an online shoe store rewards employees for spending more time with customers who call in with questions about products they are thinking of buying. A d let s ot fo get the (10) effect that accompanies this culture. People who really care about service look for work where the company is interested i usto e s satisfa tio a d ot fi ed p i a il o the p ofit. 1. A watch B see C look D want 2. A fitted B applied C pointed D tapped 3. A go B come C turn D show 4. A in front B ahead C before D behind 5. A line B queue C row D rank 6. A over B above C on D with 7. A uneffective B ineffective C ireffective D miseffective 8. A stands B is C goes D comes 9. A customers B profitability C productivity D awareness 10. A secondary B collateral C side D brink 6

7 Sp á é odpo ědi se doz íte ih ed po doko če í on-line testu zde: Správ é odpovědi z i ulého týd e (How to Avoid Money Problems): 1B, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5C, 6D, 7C, 8D, 9C, 10A. 7