Friday, September 27, 2024

Short Notice


 Chilliwack, British Columbia. View of a pond from the window. 



Let’s check the homework. BTW, Patrick Cowsill

Notice: look at; pay attention to

Featured: emphasized; shown

It’s pretty short notice: why didn’t you tell me before? I need more time

Whether: if

Up for that: Do you want to do that?

You sound a little down: sad, depressed, a little blue

I thank my lucky stars: I am lucky

I just can’t stand the guy: I don’t like that man; I hate that guy

Alternative: another way; a different way to do it

Awful: bad, terrible, sucks, no good

Brainstorm: think of ideas

Figure it out: understand; know, etc.

1. I just can’t stand the guy: I hate him; I dislike him, etc.

I will choose the students randomly.

Do NOT use sign language to talk to your teacher.

 

It’s up to you:

You can go vertically. You go horizontally. You can go diagonally. You can go backward(s).

Toward / towards

The elephant in Chinese chess goes diagonally.

Do you like Korean food?

What kind of Korean food do you like?

Please use a sentence when you talk in this class to practice grammar. If they say YES with a sentence, write down his/her name. If NO, do NOT write.

Have you ever been to Seoul?

Yes, I have been to Seoul.

Ever is only in the question, not answer.

Why did you go there?

I went there to look at pretty women.

State it: talk, say

Spouse: husband or wife: married

Superficial: shallow

Top

Bottom

Corner

Kimchi is not bad.

Do you want a chicken burrito or a beef burrito?

 

Spouse: husband or wife

Siblings: brothers and sisters

How many brothers and sisters do you have? = How many siblings do you have?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please write down your partner’s answers in English, NOT Chinese.

 

 

1. Yang Ming Mountain is a dormant (sleeping) volcano.

If a volcano erupts within 10,000 years, it is a dormant and not extinct volcano.

2. The police use German shepherds because these dogs are easy to train. They are smart.

3. Vampires don’t like garlic.

4. The smartphone distracts

 

 me because it has messages and gossip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listening Practice:

I will talk. Write down what I say. If you don’t understand, ask:

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell ______?

Difficult    Distractions

What happened…?   Trampoline

Gorilla

 

 

 

 

 

Difficult    Distractions

 

What happened…?   Trampoline

Gorilla

 

 

 

 

1.          Perhaps the most difficult thing the human being is called upon to face is long, concentrated thinking.

Is called upon: must

 

3.          A hundred years later and the problem has only gotten worse.

 

Get/got/gotten

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wood (n)    Wooden (adj)

What happened…?  20%

Trampoline        Gorilla   Genre

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distractions   Wood (n)   Wooden (adj)    Helmet    What happened…?   Trampoline

Genre: kind of movie or book: science fiction, comedy, cartoon, romance, etc.   Gorilla

 

Gotten worse

Multi-tasking: do many jobs at the same time

 

 

 

 

 

Rules: Write down your partner’s answer in English.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

English Collocation

 I have cut and pasted the notes below for last week's class:

Grade Breakdown:

Final Exam (Test) is 30%.

This is the vocabulary (words) and grammar from the textbook.

Placement Test: 15%. You did that last week.

Midterm Exam (test) 15%: I will tell you what words to study before.

Homework / classwork: 20%

Attendance: 10%, come to class. For every hour of class you miss, I deduct (minus) 1%. If you miss nine hours, you just fail

Writing: 10%

Rules: Try to talk English.

Please don’t translate something and try to make me read your phone. Don’t talk with your hands or point. No sleeping in this class. This is a classroom, not a bedroom.

Please speak up. If people can’t hear you, you are wasting their time.

The food I detest is an apple.

The celebrity I have met is

Please answer your partner with a sentence in English. Write down your partner’s answer. If I see lots of writing, I will give you 10/10.

Random: no reason / not on purpose

If we answer with a sentence, we can practice grammar.

Detest: hate

Toss: throw

2/8

Make happy: cheer up

Collocation: the natural order of how we talk; there is no reason, just habit, salt and pepper, black and white

Preposition: in, on, at

Write under You. Don’t write under Classmate. Do NOT

write Chinese. Do not write “no” or “I don’t know.”

8. lightsaber

3. My nationality is Taiwanese.

Taiwan is a country. Taiwanese is a nationality.

Detest: hate

Country: America or U.S.A. (noun)

Nationality: American (adj.)

Rules: If your classmate agrees, write down his/her name.

If your classmate disagrees, do NOT write a name.

Use a sentence to practice grammar.

Community service project: Volunteer

1.    RULES: Write down your partner’s (new friend’s) answers in English. I will give you 10/10 if I see lots of writing.

Cheer up: make happy

 

 

 

 

Listening Practice:

Write down what I say. If you do NOT understand, ask:

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell _________?   Weather   Harry’s

Lightsaber      What happens…     Steve’s

Genre

1.    Where are they?

They are at lumberyard / warehouse.

2.    How is the weather?

It is sunny.

3.    How much time do they have?

They have three minutes.

4.    What color is Harry’s lightsaber?

His lightsaber is green.

5.    What happens to Steve’s head?

His head is cut off.

He was decapitated.

6.    What genre is this movie?

It is science fiction because they have lightsabers.

7.    Harry lost because it took 3 minutes and 18 seconds, but he only had 3 minutes.

I will give 10/10 for homework too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thursday, September 19, 2024

Core English Weeks One and Two

 

WEEK ONE AND TWO.

This is Core English class. My name is Patrick Cowsill.

Here are some rules for our class.

Grades:

10% Attendance. Come to class. For every hour you don’t come to class, I deduct 1%. If you miss 9 hours, you fail this class.

Midterm Exam: 20%

Final Exam: 30%

Classwork and homework: 40%

Please don’t show me your phone so I can read it. I have presbyopia.

Don’t use your hands to talk to me. I don’t understand most hand gestures.

I was born in Berkely, California. I grew up in Prince George, Canada. I went to university in Vancouver. Then I went to university in Taipei. I have worked for 12 years.

I own a restaurant and bar in Yonghe. My wife is Taiwanese. I have one daughter.

BTW: and, furthermore

Tour: trip, travel

Pleasure to: nice to

Ecuador: equator (at 0 degrees)

Random: not on purpose

Please speak up.

What’s your nationality?

I’m a dual citizen. I am both American and Canadian.

Taiwanese.

I am Chinese. I am Malaysian.

 

Write down the first thing you think about under You.

Do not write under Classmate.

Answer with a sentence to practice grammar. If your classmate has the same answer, write down their name.

If they have a different answer, do not write down their name.

Designer    An office worker   Chambermaid

My nationality is Taiwanese. Where were you born?

I enjoy pasta.

Taro

He has bad hand writing.

Write down your partner’s answers in English. If I

see lots of English writing, I will give you 10/10.

Please answer with a sentence. We can practice grammar. 95 percent English.

If they agree, write down their name.

Let’s take a break first. Then we will check the answers after the break.

Occupation: job

Greet: say hello

I will talk. You must write down what I say. Listening practice.

If you don’t understand, ask:
Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell _______?    Weather   lightsaber

What happens to…   Steve’s

 

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Core English Notes

 

This is Core English class. My name is Patrick Cowsill.

Here are some rules for our class.

Grades:

10% Attendance. Come to class. For every hour you don’t come to class, I deduct 1%. If you miss 9 hours, you fail this class.

Midterm Exam: 20%

Final Exam: 30%

Classwork and homework: 40%

 

Write down the first thing you think about under You.

Do not write under Classmate.

Answer with a sentence to practice grammar. If your classmate has the same answer, write down their name.

If they have a different answer, do not write down their name.

Designer    An office worker   Chambermaid

My nationality is Taiwanese. Where were you born?

I enjoy pasta.

Taro

He has bad hand writing.

Write down your partner’s answers in English. If I

see lots of English writing, I will give you 10/10.