Lesson 3

Pronunciation features?

 Sounds
 Ending sounds
 Ed/ s-es endings
 Reduction
 Contraction
 Stresses (words + sentences)
 Intonation
 Linking – connected speech
 Chunking

Feature 2: Schwa sound /uh/ ope(uh)n

-reduction – advanced

 At the bottom of the street

 In the middle of the afternoon
 An American doctor
 An amateur runner

Feature 3: Some words have weak forms

(reduction) – advanced feature

 I met your/ ya brother (I meh cha brother)

 Do you/ ya like eggs?
 What are you doing? (‘whadaya doing)
 He lives at the top of the street
 I can swim
 Canya swim?

Pronunciation features 4: Word stress

Common mistakes:

 Necessary, necessity, unnecessary, unnecessarily

 Desert, dessert
 Present, present
 Education, hospital, presentation
 Photograph, photography, photographer, photographic

Pronunciation features 5 – sentence stress

 I didn’t say he stole that money

 I DIDN’T say he stole that money
 I didn’t SAY he stole that money
 I didn’t say HE stole that money
 I didn’t say he STOLE that money
 I didn’t say he stole THAT money
 I didn’t say he stole that MONEY

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Pronunciation features 6 – ending sounds

 Bô  bố  bổ  bộ  bỗ (are they the same?)

 What about this?
Why  white  wine  wife  wives  while  wild  wide
 Are they the same?
Your wine is delicious  your wife is delicious?

Practice: t/d p/b/k/g – stop sounds

“I felt like I had to prove something to my parents. I’d gone to art school without their approval, and I
wanted to show them that I’d made the right choice. So, I overworked myself in every possible way. I
tried to qualify for scholarships every year. I did little side jobs, and volunteer work, and lots of
extracurricular activities. I actually enjoyed bring so busy, even though it was exhausting. It made me
feel alive. Like I was growing. And building myself. And moving forward. I felt like I wasn’t a loser in the
race. I was keeping toward the front. But the whole time my body was deteriorating. It started with
being tired all the time. Then I began to lose weight. Then little illnesses: a cold, the flu, digestive
problems. I was carrying pills with me all the time. Then last year I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
It was curable, and the surgery went well, but for the first time I was forced to think about dying. I
always thought I wasn’t afraid of death. But before my surgery, I was scared. I realized that I didn’t
want to die. I’m too young to die. So, right now I’m taking a break from life. I just want to get healthy.
I’ve moved back in with my parents, and my plan this year is to have no plan. No obligations. No self-
improvement. Nothing. It hasn’t been completely peaceful. There are moments when I feel anxious.
Like I’m standing still. And the world is going in without me. And everyone is doing something:
studying, earning money, building a career. But I’m not. I’m just here.”

Pronunciation features Practice 1 Practice 2

- Correct sounds?
- Reduction?
- Stress?
- Ending?
- Chunking?
- Linking?
- Intonation?

Additional practice

 How old were you when you started school?

 How did you get to school each day?
 Did you enjoy it? (Why/Why not?)
 What were some of the most popular activities at primary school?
 Have you ever returned to see your old school again?
 Are you still in contact with any of the friends you had in primary school?
 What is your favorite celebrity in your country?
 Do you like any foreign celebrities?
 Would you like to be a celebrity? Why?
 Do you think we should protect famous people’s privacy?
 How do celebrities influence their fans in your country?

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Writing – Task 1
Task 1: Paraphrasing

 Countable nouns
 The number/ quantity of students…/ How many (intro)/ data… = the figure + synonyms (8.0+)
 The chart illustrates how many (S+V) people traveled to 5 Asian countries between 2000 and
2020.
 The number of people who had/ having a vacation in Vietnam started at 150.000, after which it
…,… . The figure for China…
 150.000 people visited Vietnam in 2000, with…
 600.000 people traveled to Vietnam…
 600.000 people paid a visit to.. Vietnam…
 The number of international/ overseas visits/ tourists/ visitors to Vietnam… (8.0-9.0)

Practice

 The number of people aged 25-30 in Vietnam started at 30 million in 2015, after which it
experienced/ saw/ witnessed a significant rise to 45 million in 2019. It is expected to continue
to rise, ending the period at 47 million in 2025.
 The chart… how many people fell into different age groups in Vietnam from…
 30 million people in Vietnam were in the 25-30 age bracket, with a significant rise to 45 million
in 2019. This figure is projected/ anticipated/ predicted to keep rising, finishing the period at 47
million.
 The number of 25-30-year-olds in Vietnam rose significantly from…, after which it is projected
to…
 This figure for those in the ages from 25 to 30…
 The number of people who were in the 25-30 age category/ cohort/ band…
 Uncountable nouns
 The amount of… / how much…/data…/ the figure + synonyms
 The chart illustrates how much money was spent on/ invested in different sectors of the
economy in Vietnam from…
 The amount of money spent on education in Vietnam was $100 million, after which…
 $100 million was allocated to/ spent on/ invested in/ allotted to education by the Vietnamese
government in the year 2000.
 Meanwhile, the spending figures for healthcare…
 Meanwhile, spending on healthcare…
 Meanwhile, expenditure on healthcare…

Practice

 The amount of oil consumed/ used in Japan started at 30 million barrels per day (MBPD),
followed by a significant drop to 20 million in 2000.
 The chart… how much oil was used in several countries from…
 30 million barrels of oil were used/ consumed in Japan per day/ on a daily basis/ daily/ each
day, with a considerable fall to 20 million MBPD in 2000. The figures for US…
 Oil consumption in Japan…
 The use of oil
 Oil usage

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 Percent
 The percentage = proportion = share of (overview) N/ how many/ how much/ data…the
figure… (synonyms/ define/ generalization)
 The chart illustrates how many overseas students chose to live alone when studying in the US.
 3% of the students who studied abroad in the US lived alone.
 The proportion/ percentage/ share of overseas students living alone in the US was 3%.
 3% of students who study/ pursue an education/ in another country/ overseas live alone/ live
on their own/ live without others. (synonyms)

How do paraphrase?
 Synonyms ><
 Word forms
 Generalization (these/ this/ such) – the natural world  this topic
 Specification
 Definition
 Change grammar???

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Writing task 2
 People have little understanding of the importance of the natural world. What are the reasons
for this and how can people learn more about the natural world?
It is observed that a sizable proportion of the public are unaware of the significance of the natural
world. There are several reasons for this, and some viable ways to encourage people to learn more
about this topic.
 Environmental protection is the responsibility of politicians, not individuals as individuals
can do too little. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
There are those who believe that/ it is often argued that/ it is believed that/ some people say that
environmental preservation/ protecting the environment is the duty that should be shouldered by
politicians rather than individuals because individuals cannot effect any meaningful changes. I
personally do not hold this view as the collective to the status quo of the environment.
 Developments in technology have brought various environmental problems. Some believe
that people need to live simpler lives to solve environmental problems. Others, however,
believe technology is the way to solve these problems. Discuss both views and give your own
opinion.
It is true that technological developments have caused a range of environmental issues. Given
this, there are those who propose that people should lead simpler lives to reduce these problems.
However, others, myself included, are of the opinion that future technological advancements are
key to creating a more sustainable future for everyone.
 With the increasing demand for energy sources such as oil and gas, should people be looking
for sources of oil and gas in remote and untouched places? Do the advantages of this
outweigh the disadvantages of damaging such areas?
It is true that there is growing demand for energy. Given this, some people propose that we should
look for natural resources in untouched areas. Despite having certain benefits, this proposal has
far more dire consequences/ repercussions.
 Thanks to low-cost airlines, many people can travel abroad. Is it a positive or negative
development?
Given the increasing affordability of air travel, many people can travel to other countries. I believe
that despite some environmental concerns, this is a largely/ predominantly positive development
for personal, social, economic, and cultural reasons.

Important structures
Live writing
 Governments should make people responsible for looking after their own local environment. Do
you agree or disagree?
 Some think that climate change reforms will negatively (adversely) affect business. Others feel
they are an opportunity for businesses. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.
 In many countries, plastic containers have become more common than ever and are used by
many food and drink companies. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
 Some people say that supermarkets and manufactures have a responsibility reduce the amount of
packaging on products they sell. Others believe that it is the consumer’s responsibility to avoid
buying products which have a lot of packaging. Discuss both views and give your opinions.