Languages International Blog: May 2010

10 May 2010

Languages International Student Playing in Auckland Concert

Corinne playing in the Auckland Wind Orchestra

An Auckland Wind Orchestra concert at the Aotea Chapel

You may remember Corinne from a previous blog post. She is a Swiss student who has been studying English at Languages International since January this year.

Soon after arriving, she joined the Auckland Wind Orchestra. On Sunday 30th of May, she will have concert at the Aotea Chapel (370 Queen Street) in Auckland.

The details of the concert are as follows:

A Modest Afternoon of Music with Dmitri

Auckland Wind Orchestra Presents a Shostakovic and Mussorsky afternoon

3pm, Sunday the 30th May

Aotea Chapel

370 Queen Street

Auckland CBD

Pieces included:

Mussorsky: 'Pictures at an Exhibition'

Shostakovich: Festival Overture, Finale fro Symphony #5

Tickets $15

Concessions $10

Why not do something a bit different on Sunday, and go hear a live orchestra?

Corinne looks forward to seeing you at the concert!

Video of Justin Bieber's Auckland Bungy Jump

Singer, Justin Bieber did a bungy jump from the Auckland Harbour Bridge on his recent visit. You can watch the video below.

Have you done a bungy jump? What was it like?

Report Writing for FCE

Written by: Languages International Christchurch FCE Students, Katrina, Luzia & Pom

Photo: Writing! by Markus Rödder

A report includes the introduction, main body, recommendation.

Before writing

You have to make your writing plan. Spend around 5 minutes to make your plan which consists of an introduction, main body and recommendation.

Title

Choose a fact so that the person who reads it will get the information about report.

Introduction

- Don’t begin and end your report with Dear Sir/Madam, like a letter.

- Do say how you collected the information

Main body

- Do use headings because this makes it easier for the reader to find the main information.

- Do include two or three points under each heading. Make sure all your points fit with the headings.

- Do use a range oft specific vocabulary or set phrases (e.g. some thought this was a good idea… /other students said they preferred…)

- Don’t use lots of adjectives and dramatic language as you do in a story. A report gives factual information.

- Don’t include irrelevant details or description.

Recommendations

- Do use formal language

- Do express opinions impersonally. Don’t express recommendations or opinions until the conclusion.

- Check your tense forms, the spelling, singular/plurals

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Useful language

You have to make sure that your language is formal.

Introduction

- The aim of this report is to…

- This report is intended to…

Reporting results

- Most people seem to feel that...

- Several people said/told me/suggested/thought that…

Presenting a list

- The gave/suggested the following reasons:

- They made the following points: 1… 2 …

Making recommendations

- I would therefore recommend (that we expand the library/installing a new coffee machine)

- It would seem that (banning mobile phones) is the best idea.

FCE Advice: How to Write a Review

Written by: by Sunny & Mel, students at Languages International

Photo: Blackbird Review by Abizern

A review should…

- use interesting vocabulary.

- try to catch the reader’s interest.

- be clearly organised.

- use a neutral style, but you have to check who you are writing the review

for.

What should you do before you start review writing…

- be sure about what you are reviewing and its purpose

- check who will read it.

- decide what style you will use for your review.

- be careful not to follow a report style.

Useful language

1. introduction: say what you are reviewing.

- The (film, book…etc) I would like to review is…..

- The last Film I saw / book I read was…….

2. explain: give details of what you reviewing.

- It’s set in……….

- The story is based on (a book..) …..

- It’s about…..

- There are many memorable characters including ….

- The main theme of the film is…..

- What the film is saying is…..

3. opinion: give your own opinion of what you are reviewing.

- I would recommend this film to anyone.

- Although I enjoyed it, I would not recommend it for….

- It’s one of the best (shows) I’ve ever seen.

- Although I am not normally keen on (musicals), I am glad

that I decided to go.

- The (film) lifts you out of your everyday life.

DO`s

- DO say what it is about, but not in too much detail.

- DO remember to mention important or memorable characters,

but DON`T spend too much time just describing them.

- DO try to use a range of interesting vocabulary to bring

the film to life for the reader.

- DO remember to link ideas clearly, and to link paragraphs

together.

- DO remember to give your opinion clearly, as this is the

purpose of a review, but not until the end.

08 May 2010

FCE Tips: How to Write an Article

Written by: By Min, a student at Languages International

Photo by: the trial

Type of article

- informal to neutral

* It depends on what magazine it is for (ex : young people magazine : more informal, business/travel magazine : more neutral)

* Do not use formal expressions (ex : Besides, moreover, likewise.. /I would like to give an opposite idea..)

Basic advice

- It should be interesting and catch the reader’s attention.

- Do not just copy sentence from the task.

- Use informal language to involve the reader (ex : Once Carnival starts, the whole town goes crazy!)

- Don’t forget to express your opinion (ex : I love the giant street dolls.)

Structure

1. Heading : think of an interesting title.

2. Introductory paragraph linked to the title : to make the reader interested in the topic, try to use a question.

3. One or two more paragraphs : develop your main points.

4. A final paragraph : summarise the main points and give your concluding opinion or express your feelings.

Useful language:

Involving the reader

1. Are you thinking of (getting married in the near future)?

2. I’m sure you’ll agree (it was a great idea.)

Developing your points

1 . Let’s start with (why it is so important to take plenty of exercise).

2. Another advantage (of using a computer is that..)

3. On top of that,…

Giving your own opinion

1. I think that/In my opinion (traditional celebrations are very important).

2. It seems to me that (people are much more aware of the importance of a good diet nowadays.)

07 May 2010

12 Top FCE Story Tips

Written by: H.P and Min2, students at Languages International

Photo by: LucasTheExperience

1. Use past tenses.

2. After the first sentence, do try to use past perfect to describe history of the story.

3. Do try to use past continuous to describe weather.

4. Do try to use a great range of vocabulary. It helps to make a good descriptive story.

5. Don’t write about a topic if you don’t know some specific vocabulary related to it.

6. Do use direct speech. It makes the story more interesting.

7. Do add extra detail to add to the atmosphere of the story.

8. Do try to create some suspense.

9. Do try to have a dramatic ending.

10. Do use phrases to show when things happened in your story.

(e.g : while, before, after, during)

11. Double check singular and plurals.

12. A story should have

•a good plot, with a dramatic, funny or unexpected ending;

•linking words and time markers to show the order of events;

•correct use of narrative tenses.

04 May 2010

Dear Diary

By: Casey, a Chinese student at Languages International

Having studied at Languages International for 4 weeks, I finished my General English and IELTS courses. This is my first time studying in a foreign country, and the experience is totally different from what I had in China.

The first day here, I was shown around the school and the University of Auckland, which is just opposite our school, by the Chinese advisor. I was really impressed by the beautiful view and the strong academic atmosphere here, and from that moment on, I deeply believed that I would have a wonderful time here at Languages International.

As for the classes, they are quite interesting and lively. The one I can still remember is a game, which helps us with pronunciation. Just use four words, “bread, butter, jam, cheese” and try to read them with rhythm. And then gradually add some linking words, such as “and, then, some”. This exercise seemed so easy, but when I practiced it, I found it was harder than I thought, and this made me realize that I had a long way to go if I wanted to make my English perfect.

In the IELTS class, our teacher not only helped us with the IELTS exam attentively, but also tried to combine the exam skills and real language skills together, so that we could improve our English comprehensively, which is to say not only could we get a higher score in the exam, but we could also improve our language ability in all aspects. I did writing exercises every two days and asked our teacher to check and mark them for me. I made a lot of progress in writing in just two weeks. It was really great because now I can easily deal with any topic or form of writing in the IELTS exam - thanks to our fabulous teachers.

Another lovely aspect of my study at Languages International is the self-assessment in the learning center. This is an amazing place for us to go during our spare time. We can do homework here and ask for help if we have any problems, and the teachers there are patient and experienced enough to solve any problem we have. Books and software on grammar, pronunciation and other skills are available in the corners. The teachers can help me to choose the right book to improve the aspect which I’m weak in and I benefitted a lot from those exercises.

There are also some activities in learning center. The most popular two are the “Conversation Exchange” and the “Writing Exchange”. The former is more like free talk, and the latter is really interesting. The writing exchange is like free talk on paper. You can choose any topic to talk about with your friends, but the only difference is that you don’t talk with your mouth, but with your pen. Writing your words down is sort of recording your way of thinking, and the teacher checks it for you to find the mistakes. I used to be quite confident in my speaking, but after this activity, I found my weakness, and then I tried to practice my speaking with more attention. It actually works!

I spent almost every hour that I wasn’t in class in the learning center and doing exercises or doing some research on the Internet. Also, the online Learning Web provides us with many useful resources and tests so that we can trace our own process.

4 weeks passed quickly. My happy time at this school has come to the end. I have to say goodbye to the wonderful teachers, lovely friends and the learning center. I was so lucky to have this experience and I think I will cherish this memory for a lifetime.

Here are some photos. They have recorded the happy time:

Karen and I. Karen believes that she is one of the BEST, and I agree.

Simon. I learnt a lot from him, not only about how to study, but also about how to teach. He is such a special teacher.

School buildings, hidden in green trees, like living in a fairytale.

Albert Park. My classmates are having lunch with pigeons

My classmates and I in the Learning Center. I really learnt a lot from each of them.

A corner in the learning center. The GRAMMAR corner. I LOVE that corner. I even wanted to live there.... amazing grammar books and exercises.

The most popular activities in Learning Center. I prefer the writing one, but actually I had more fun in Conversation because we talked a lot about the differences in culture, which is quite impressive.

This is the school cat. It is such a lovely school to regard a cat as one of their staff.....I just met him once. You can find his photo on the Staff Photo Board.

The MOST POPULAR tongue twister in the world. I knew this when I was 14 years old, and I saw it in our classroom.

CNN Names Auckland 1 of 10 Best Cities

Downtown Auckland - the circled buildings in the park are Languages International Auckland

Auckland is one of the best cities in the world to live in says CNN. CNN used the aggregated information from annual surveys such as the Economist Intelligence Unit's global livability report, Mercer's quality of living index and Monocle's most livable cities list to make a list of the "10 most livable cities." CNN commented on Auckland's "breathtaking scenery", "top-notch health care" and "relaxed vibe."

(Hat tip Rolê NZ [in Portuguese])

Colin Mathura-Jeffree's Guide To New Zealand

Here are some more great things to do and places to see in and around Auckland, Rotorua and Queenstown:

Colin Mathura-Jeffree's Guide To New Zealand. (Colin Mathura-Jeffree was one of the judges on the TV show, New Zealand's Next Top Model)

Day 1: Auckland and Piha

Day 2: Waiheke Island

Day 3: Rotorua

Day 4: Rotorua - Queenstown

Have you been to any of the places Colin talks about? What did you think of them?

03 May 2010

3 Great Auckland Night Spots

Photo: Auckland waterfront at night by Lens_Flare

Hi, I'm Andrew. Every weekend Emilie and I like to explore new places in New Zealand. In particular, we like to try lots of restaurants and nightclubs, so Emilie is going to write especially about nightclubs and I am going to write about the restaurants.

She went to the Bungallow just in front the waterfront restaurant. This nightclub is really amazing because there is a big wall just with a lot of aquariums!!! (bad trip for the fish) but it's really original, and it's a good place to dance and to relax outside. But her favorite one is the Waterfront!! she knows she wrote it's a restaurant, but after midnight it becomes a nightclub. It's different from the other ones because it's located on the quay and there is a huge deck just in front of the sea and you can smoke on the deck. She knows it's not a really good reason, but to compare with her country, they can smoke everywhere, but it's not respectful of the non-smokers. That's why she thinks the waterfront it is a nice place: because everyone can enjoy the moment without disagreements!!! So she finds New Zealand nightclubs are really interesting because you can invite everybody with different ages, and they will like it for this reason.

I have always loved finding delicious restaurants. When I arrived in Auckland for the first time, some people recommended a few special restaurants, but I wasn't satisfied with them because they were just ordinary. So I have looked for a different restaurant every week. Finally, last weekend, I discovered a restaurant which was located near the Ferry terminal, so I went there with my friend. It's a particular restaurant called "Degree", which is a famous steak restaurant. I was surprised because it has a secret process which puts a steak on a stone to grill according to personal taste. I received a really good impression because I had never seen before this manner of cooking anywhere in my life. The flavor also was yummy!!! and it has an unbelievable view: I could look at the waves in the sea while I was eating my huge steak. So my weekend was wonderful.

By students at Languages International

What are your favourite Auckland or Christchurch restaurants and night clubs?

[You can write your answer in the Comments]

Make Friends While Practising your English

Photo: Mission Bay by gewitterhexer

Hello,

I am French, and I come from Paris. I am at LI for 3 weeks to improve my English among students from around the world that have the same aim. Up to now, I have already experienced the Social Programme activities proposed by LI twice. In my first class week, I participated in a bike ride to Mission Bay with the teacher May. We were 3 students from Russia and Switzerland. The Social Programme really allowed us to meet and of course to speak English together.

I also participated in a Southern Spirit sailing trip with the teacher Matt. We were very lucky because the weather was very sunny. We were about 8 students from Brazil and Switzerland, and we all enjoyed this sailing journey, which of course permitted us to speak together in English only.

With more than 300 students at LI, you cannot of course meet all of them. Social Programme activities contribute in helping students to meet each other in a normal and easy way, just for the fun and also sharing a good stress-free time. Therefore, I recommend to everyone to live this experience that never you will forget.

By Tarek from Paris, a student at Languages International

Go Surfing in Raglan

Photo: Surf Raglan by Bas Schonenberg

Hello,

On the last weekend, I was with friends in New Zealand's surfing paradise Raglan. Raglan is a small nice city on the west coast of New Zealand and only 2 hours away from Auckland.

We rented a car by Jucy Car Rental (the cheapest and best company to rent a car). On Friday, directly after school, we went to Raglan. After our arrival, we cooked ourselves a meal and drank a quiet beer together after that.

On Saturday morning, we went surfing. The Raglan Surfing School picked us up at our BBH Backpacker. We had a 1 hour introduction about surfing and its risks and after that we went to the sea. I tried to surf and after a few times I stood on the board :-). We did that for the next 2 hours and it was so much fun. I got better and better. But after this fantastic experience I was so exhausted.

The only thing that you have to consider is that you get discounts everywhere, but you get them everywhere only if you ask for them all the time.

So my recommendation: Do it as well and you will have a lot of fun!

By Cheers, a student at Languages International

02 May 2010

Brasilia - Capital of Modern Architecture

Brasilia is the brand new capital of Brazil. It is only 50 years old and the city is very modern. The city was designed by Oscar Niemeyer. He was a pioneer in exploring the formal possibilities of reinforced concrete solely for their aesthetic impact. He was born in the city of Rio de Janeiro in 1907 and he is still designing today. He has been praised for being a great artist and of being one of the greatest architects of his generation by his supporters and is well known for being a "sculptor of monuments".

By Bruno Oliveira, a student at Languages International

01 May 2010

Living in Tahiti

Photo: Tahiti Beach - Huahine by tiarescott

l live in Tahiti. It’s an island in French Polynesia . It’s the biggest island there. In all French Polynesia there are only 250,000 people and 2/3 are in Tahiti. In Tahiti it is about 50% Tahitian/indigenous people, 25% Chinese, 10% French, and about 15% mixed, Tahitian-French or Tahitian-Chinese.

Tahiti is attached to France but we have our own government, with our own ministers and president. Tahiti doesn’t have an army now. France takes care of that with the polycie and gendarmarie.

Education is also managed by France. We do some degrees in Tahiti and others in France. We have the same exams. The official language in Tahiti is French, but the Tahitian language is also taught at school and it’s the second language. People in administration are often French.

Living in Tahiti is very pleasant. We often have nice weather and the temperature is about 30 degrees every day. In winter, it’s a bit less during the day and colder in the evening, but it’s never less than 18 degrees. In summer it can be more 30 and sometimes up to 33 degrees.

By a student from Dairne's Lower-Intermediate class at Languages International

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