What do employers look for?

Hi everyone!

This video  is a short collection of interviews with HR managers who tell us about the qualities they look for in a candidate. I propose completing these sentences (listening for specific information).

I'm not going to make this one too difficult: I'll transcribe the sentences as they are uttered, with gaps. Do take a look at useful vocabulary before listening, as it helps comprehension more than you may think. Use the dictionary widget on your right.

traits
to make x out of y : to turn y into x. For example, "to make a drama out of the situation" means to turn the situation into a drama, that is, to exaggerate it. What is the use of this expression in the video and what does it mean?
to figure out a solution


Go for it!

As usual, any questions will be answered in the comments section, and key here. You're welcome!


1. I'm looking for proven track record; I'm looking for a proven ability to _________ and execute.

2. I'm always looking for people that are _________  learning and developing so that they can make a career out of this _________  a single job.

3. An aptitude to do any type of job, as employers aren't necessarily looking to lock somebody into _________ .

4. Traits to me are almost more important than skills. And you're looking for someone who can be a leader, that can be responsible, who can understand the task and get them _________ . But also someone who, who is obviously intelligent and hardworking and that is, those traits are more important than any _________  you can show me.

5. I'm looking for someone who is _________ , who has a desire to help others, someone who has an active _________  communication and complex thinking skills.

6. You have to be able to communicate well and work well with other people, because it's going to _________ all those problem-solving minds _________  to really be able to figure out the solution for the business.

Four-day working week... or three -day weekend?

Hi there!

Some of you have already seen this video, and now it's here for you to come back to it if you want to, together with some comprehension questions and some interesting vocabulary. And if you comment later on, you'll have learnt something, and I'll be happy replying. It's win-win!

A four-day working week as described in this video consists in working 10 hours from Monday to Thursday, so that Fridays are free. How would you like that arrangement in your own working or studying life?

To work with vocabulary (lexical chunks and idioms), I suggest that you try to find out these expressions in the video, and transcribe their context. What do they mean? Once you have tried approximating the meaning by context, you can use the dictionary.

is far from cheap

it takes getting used to = it requires getting used to (it)

make the switch

to get through the day

to be out and about

to wake up to sth = to have something suddenly, from one day to the next

For comprehension, answer these questions and then check with the video:

1. What happens to commuting costs when you implement a four-day working week?

2. What happens to commuting time?

3. How do we save energy with this measure?

4. What is the main disadvantage for the employee?

An additional comprehension exercise: transcribe the reporter's conclusion, which he introduces with the phrase "bottom line" (short for "The bottom line is...").

There are closed captions available on this video (CC button). You can also write a comment to check your answers, I'll be happy to reply or solve your doubts!

Super recognisers

Hi there again!

This video is about a job that certainly caught my attention. Would you be able to pick a criminal's face out of a crowd? There are police officers that can, in fact, recognise criminals by trawling hours and hours of footage until they find a match. Their objective: to accuse criminals of as many offences as possible.

Why would they want to do this? The answer is in the video.

I suggest you check some vocabulary first, and that you read the news item below the video if you need further help with comprehension, or if you want to read the same information in other words.

I'm available for questions, as usual: just tell me the minute you're having difficulties with and I'll try to help.


Vocabulary:

squad
convicted (of)
to plead guilty (to)
to trawl
to spot someone
to bring someone to justice/to court
CCTV footage

Questions

1. According to MCI Mick Neville, why is it an advantage to identify the criminal's face in several crimes?
2. When was the squad created? In what sort of crimes has the squad helped identify criminals since then?


I would love to see your answers in the comments section!

Like the bookmobile, I came back with materials for you

Hello again!

You may be wondering what happened during this year and a half. Well, most of you know, of course, but this is the internet and who knows, I may have a reader far away. What happened was that I became a mom, and between pregnancy and raising the baby this was out of my list of priorities. 

Now I'm back to work, much busier, but I'll do my best to keep this blog alive! So I count on you participating on the comments, finally, right?

I am basing this activity on a lesson by Rachael Roberts, from elt-resourceful. 

Here's the story of Storm Reyes, a woman of Native American origin whose life changed when a bookmobile came to the camps where she lived. 

Complete the first part of her interview with weak forms (remember: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs in the affirmative, determiners), then watch and listen to the video, and check.

Some gaps contain one word, some contain two words.

Storm Reyes (SM)

SM: The conditions _____ pretty terrible. I once told someone _____ I learned _____ fight_____ knife long before _____  learned how _____ ride _____ bicycle. _____ when _____  grinding day after day after day, _____ no room _____ you _____ hope. There _____ isn’t. _____ don’t even know _____ exists. _____ nothing _____ aspire to except filling _____ hungry belly. That’s how _____  raised. But when _____  12, _____ bookmobile came _____  fields. _____  have _____ understand _____  wasn’t allowed _____ have books, _____ books _____ heavy, _____ when _____ moving _____ lot _____ have _____ keep things _____  minimal _____ possible. So when I saw _____ big vehicle _____  side _____  road, and i_____  filled _____ books, _____  immediately stepped back. Fortunately when _____ staff member saw me, _____  waved me in, _____ said, “These _____ books, and _____  take one home. _____ have _____ bring _____ back _____ two weeks, but _____  take _____ home _____ read _____ .” _____  like, “What’s _____ catch?” _____ explained _____ me _____  no catch. 

Are you curious about what happened next? Watch the rest of the video to find out. Here's the text for you to locate the weak forms in this second part of the interview and practise saying the sentences with appropriate rhythm. Remember the key is in rushing through the weak words so the beats fall on stressed words. You can be sure you're doing it right if you imitate Storm's rhythm as faithfully as possible.

Then he asked me what I was interested in. And the night before the bookmobile had come, in the camps, there was an elder who was telling us about the day that Mount Rainier blew up, and the devastation from the volcano. So I told the bookmobile person that I was a little nervous about the mountain blowing up. And he said, “You know, the more you know about something, the less you will fear it.” And then he gave me a book about volcanos. And then I saw a book about dinosaurs. I said “Oh, that looks neat.” So he gave me a book about dinosaurs. And I took them home, and I devoured them. I didn’t just read them, I devoured them. And I came back in two weeks and had more questions. And he gave me more books and that started it. That taught me that hope was not just a word. And it gave me the courage to leave the camps. That’s where the books made the difference. By the time I was 15, I knew there was a world outside of the camps. I believed I could find a place in it. And I did.

You can find the text and the original interview here. 

Welcome back and enjoy the activity! I'll see you in the comments section for any doubts you may have.

Like the bookmobile, I came back with materials for you

Hello again!

You may be wondering what happened during this year and a half. Well, most of you know, of course, but this is the internet and who knows, I may have a reader far away. What happened was that I became a mom, and between pregnancy and raising the baby this was out of my list of priorities. 

Now I'm back to work, much busier, but I'll do my best to keep this blog alive! So I count on you participating on the comments, finally, right?

I am basing this activity on a lesson by Rachael Roberts, from elt-resourceful. 

Here's the story of Storm Reyes, a woman of Native American origin whose life changed when a bookmobile came to the camps where she lived. 

Complete the first part of her interview with weak forms (remember: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs in the affirmative, determiners), then watch and listen to the video, and check.

Some gaps contain one word, some contain two words.

Storm Reyes (SM)

SM: The conditions _____ pretty terrible. I once told someone _____ I learned _____ fight_____ knife long before _____  learned how _____ ride _____ bicycle. _____ when _____  grinding day after day after day, _____ no room _____ you _____ hope. There _____ isn’t. _____ don’t even know _____ exists. _____ nothing _____ aspire to except filling _____ hungry belly. That’s how _____  raised. But when _____  12, _____ bookmobile came _____  fields. _____  have _____ understand _____  wasn’t allowed _____ have books, _____ books _____ heavy, _____ when _____ moving _____ lot _____ have _____ keep things _____  minimal _____ possible. So when I saw _____ big vehicle _____  side _____  road, and i_____  filled _____ books, _____  immediately stepped back. Fortunately when _____ staff member saw me, _____  waved me in, _____ said, “These _____ books, and _____  take one home. _____ have _____ bring _____ back _____ two weeks, but _____  take _____ home _____ read _____ .” _____  like, “What’s _____ catch?” _____ explained _____ me _____  no catch. 

Are you curious about what happened next? Watch the rest of the video to find out. Here's the text for you to locate the weak forms in this second part of the interview and practise saying the sentences with appropriate rhythm. Remember the key is in rushing through the weak words so the beats fall on stressed words. You can be sure you're doing it right if you imitate Storm's rhythm as faithfully as possible.

Then he asked me what I was interested in. And the night before the bookmobile had come, in the camps, there was an elder who was telling us about the day that Mount Rainier blew up, and the devastation from the volcano. So I told the bookmobile person that I was a little nervous about the mountain blowing up. And he said, “You know, the more you know about something, the less you will fear it.” And then he gave me a book about volcanos. And then I saw a book about dinosaurs. I said “Oh, that looks neat.” So he gave me a book about dinosaurs. And I took them home, and I devoured them. I didn’t just read them, I devoured them. And I came back in two weeks and had more questions. And he gave me more books and that started it. That taught me that hope was not just a word. And it gave me the courage to leave the camps. That’s where the books made the difference. By the time I was 15, I knew there was a world outside of the camps. I believed I could find a place in it. And I did.

You can find the text and the original interview here. 

Welcome back and enjoy the activity! I'll see you in the comments section for any doubts you may have.

Housing options: a "transformer apartment"

Hello everyone!

As you probably know, June is here, and that means more videos to practise for the exam! (Yayyy...!)

This one is to practise two areas: one is vocabulary about space, particularly house space, and their descriptions. The other element is accent... This person is from Hong Kong, so you can guess the accent is going to be challenging!

The format is in fact a presentation, not a video, but it is here because I enjoyed it so much. It consists of 20-second-long slides with a voiceover. The person who speaks is the owner of a 32-square-metre flat who has refurbished it several times throughout the years. The best summary I can make is, in his own words: "The place changes for me, I don't change for the place".

So your task is to find out this information:

1.  How many people have lived in the apartment in the different stages he describes?
2. How has he created a home cinema?
3.  What was his inspiration for the last concept?
4. Which parts of his house are movable? What do they transform into?

Some vocabulary you might need:

partitions
to double as
transient
permutations
Swiss Army (knife)
bathtub
hide-and-seek

I hope you enjoy this transformer apartment! And I'd love to see your answers in the comments section!

Dealing with the weather in London

Hi everyone!

Finally back after this forced break. But you know there's a period of frantic activity coming... exams are just round the corner so it's time for more frequent videos.

This is a short, funny guide on how to deal with the weather, whether (see what I did there?) you visit London in sunny summer or rainy autumn.

These are some expressions you may want to check before watching the video:

the odd ... ( = not usual)
spring has sprung
alfresco dining (yay! Our favourite word in action!)
unwind
thermals
duck into (the shops)
when the weather turns
to keep (the chills) at bay

The activity is a sentence completion. Disable closed captions (CC button) to do it, and then enable them to check your answers.

Careful in sentence 7, as it contains one feature of pronunciation we have only seen in the C1 course: the intrusive "r" (an "r" sound between one final vowel and one initial vowel).

Enjoy!

1. You must be ready to adapt, because the weather in London can be a little __________________.
2. Even if spring is mainly sunny, you might see the odd __________________.
3. If you get a bit hot under the collar, the best idea is to leave the bus and tube __________________ and hire a bike.
4. Don't forget a picnic! __________________ the blanket and enjoy some alfresco dining.
5. Even though the long summer days may be __________________, autumn is still a great time to be in London.
6. London is a top shopping destination, and some of its __________________ include Carnaby Street and Covent Garden.
7. As the nights __________________, find yourself a bar or go to a show.
8. During winter, there are many places that are __________________ from the cold outside.
9.A pub, in front of a roaring fire is a wonderful way to __________________ a winter's day.