martes, 18 de noviembre de 2008

16 - End of semester blog (final blog)

El presente blog es una actividad que el maestro Lic. Juan Enrique Cabrales Sánchez sugirió para mejorar la habilidad en Idioma Inglés. No es perfecto, pero la intención es para notar la diferencia entre la escritura del Idioma Inglés y el Español.

Me gusto esta idea porque es una forma distinta, novedosa y práctica de reforzar los elementos de la gramática y la sintaxis del Idioma Inglés. Es una manera diferente de hacer tareas utilizando las herramientas, la tecnología y los medios del futuro. Y... el futuro es hoy.

15 - Book Pg. 92 - Exercise 6A

Match these words with their definitions.
Bargain - Something on sale for a lower price that its true value.
Bill - A piece of paper showing money owed for something bought.
Credit - A way of paying for goods or services at a later time.
Deposit - Money paid as part of the full price when you've agreed to buy something.
Discount - Rduction in the usual price of something.
Guarantee - A promise that something bought will be repaired or replaced if defective.
Receipt - A piece of paper showing that something has been paid for.
Refund - Money returned to you when you return goods to a store.

14 - Book Pg. 91 - Exercise A

Rewrite these questions as noun clauses.
1 - It is possible to stop people from littering? I wonder whether or not it's possible to stop people form littering.
2 - How can we convince people to pick up after their dogs? I'd like to figure out how we can convince people to pick up after their dogs.
3 - Why do motorcycles have to be so loud? Why do motorcycles have to be so loud is a mystry to me.
4 - When are they going to help the homeless people? I'd like to know when they are going to help the homeless people.
5 - How can I help to maintain the city parks? I want to find out how I can help to maintain the city parks.
6 - Would hiring more police help to lower crime? I wonder if hiring more police would help to lower crime.
7 - Why can't the city add more street lights? I don't understand why the city can't add more steet lights.
8 - Why do drivers honk their horns so much? Why drivers honk their horns so much is something I can't understand.

13 - Book Pg. 89 - Exercise B

Dear Sir of Madam:

Last weekend my girlfriend and I arrived at your popular cafeteria looking for a very nice time to spend together. The motto in you window reads "Where your friends are as special as you are". Unfortunately the service that day didn't reflect those words.

As soon as we arrived there we had the chance to sit at a table and we waited for almost half an hour for a waiter to help us. There were not too many people for this to happen but I have to point out that the music was good and this helped us to be patient. However, when we were finally serviced, the waiter spilt a cup of coffee on my brand new jacket. It costed me $15.00 dollars to have it cleaned.

My jacket doesn't look that good anymore. I have never had an experience such as this anywhere. I hope you can understand my complaint because I want you to refund the money for another brand new jacket.

Sincerely yours,
Narno Chavez

12 - Book Pg. 89 - Exercise A

Dear Sir or Madam:

1 - On July 16 my friends and I arrived at our inn hoping to spend an enjoyable weekend. Unfortunately, because of your poor service, our weekend was a disaster. Since your ad says "have a a fabulous time or get your money back", I am requesting that you refund our money.

2 - From the moment we arrived, there were problems with the service. First, a very unfriendly desk clerk couldn't find our reservation. After waiting almost half an hour, we were led by another unfriendly clerk to our room. The room, which had a view of a parking lot instead of the bay, had not yet been cleaned, so we found dirty towels on the beds and cigarette butts in the ashtrays. Despite these problems, none of your employees apologized to us. This was not the weekend we had been looking forward to.

3 - Service at your inn was not always like this. My previous visists were always enjoyable because of the courteous service and clean rooms with beatuiful views. Until things change at your inn, I will never recommend it to anyone. I expect to recieve my refund shortly.

Sincerely yours,

Dale Thomas

lunes, 3 de noviembre de 2008

11 - Book Pg. 69 - Exercise A

Read the composition and choose the best thesis statement.

My high school years were an incredibly exciting time of my life.
I have notheing but regrets about the time I spent in high school.
When I think about high school, I have both good and bad memories.

When I think about high school, I have both good and bad memories. During high school, the future seemed very far away. Now that I'm older, I think about those days a lot. I remember things that I wish I hadn't done or had done differently. I also remember things I did and would never change.
I have only one regret about the time I spent in high school: I should have taken more advanced classes. For example, I had the opportunity to take an advanced English class, but decided to take the regular class. I made that decision because I didn't want to study too hard. I also wanted to spend more time with my friends. Now I'm in college and have to take a beginning English class. I wish I'd studied harder in high school!
I'm glad that I had an opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities. I was a member of the gymnastics team. We practiced every day after school and had competitions on Saturdays. We even won several competitions! My teammates became my good friends. Now I know that extracurricular activities are important because you can learn about responsability, discipline, and teamwork.
Good and bad experiences are a part of everyone's high school years. Is it possible to learn from these experiences? I think it is because even the bad ones help to prepare you for the future.

Very true - good and bad experiences are necesary to value things in life.

10 - Book Pg. 77 - Exercise A

Read this composition and decide where the writer changes focus. Write a "P" where you think each new paragraph should begin. Compare with a partner.

Lucy Gomez is the most creative person I know. She started piano lessons when she was only 6 years old. At school, she was always creating interesting projects in her art class. When she was only 12 years old, she won a citywide poetry contest.
P Now Lucy works as a sitcom writer for a popular TV show. She works with a group of writers, and together they have to think of fresh ideas. They also have to come up with funny dialog for the actors on their show because the actors have to play believable characters that will make the audience laugh. It is not an easy job, but Lucy does it well.
P She starts work late in the morning and often works until 7 or 8 at night.
P Lucy is very curious. She likes to travel and meet new people who have opinions that are different from hers. She often carries a notebook with her and writes down what she sees and hears. Lucy tells me that these new experiences are a good source of ideas for her work. I always enjoy talking to her and am happy to know someone as bright and creative as Lucy.