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.

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.

Proof or evidence?

Hello there again! I've just come across this delightful animation from the Royal Institution, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

It tells us about how ancient Greek thought influenced the way we think about Mathematics, and ultimately about... everything else.

I take the chance, with this video, to make you reflect about similar words. In this case, proof and evidence. They are near synonyms in certain contexts, but as usual... the collocations make the difference. So always keep a good record of where the word appears, what the topic is, and what words it collocates with. For example, evidence tends to appear quite a lot in contexts related to court, justice, and the like. Proof is often used in science, as in this video, where it is used to talk about demonstrations of theorems.

Not to mention the fact that both can be either countable or uncountable, so we must always be careful with the verb and articles we use!

Always look up the examples in good monolingual dictionaries to help with these aspects. In the best scientific spirit, read the examples provided by the dictionary to draw conclusions of use, deduce and then test (through trial and error: use use use, make mistakes, correct your assumptions). The activity here includes:

1. Reading the definitions of "evidence" and "proof" in the Learner's Dictionary widget on the right of the page. Taking notes if necessary.
2. Answering these questions: 
-What is the definition of "proof" in the video?
-According to the video, what is a good proof?
3. Writing down some collocations of the word "proof" used in the video.
4. Enjoying the video!

Key here. Enjoy!



The Greek Legacy: How the Ancient Greeks Shaped Modern Mathematics from 12Foot6 on Vimeo.

The Short Transcript Challenge V: Desert Climates

Hello everyone!

As part of our long-forgotten Short Transcript Challenge, I propose this short video. It's a short description of desert climates and landscapes.

It's one minute long, but it's clear and the speed is quite reasonable. I would like to see your transcriptions in the comments, although I'll be posting a key soon (not too soon this time, though, to make sure you try!)

There are two words that you will need to know in advance, as they are very specific: erg and reg (better known as "desert pavement").


Go for it!

Understanding the weather

Hello again!

This is a video from a fantastic resource website, Education Scotland. Weather and climate facts and concepts explained in a lovely Scottish accent, starting by this video that goes through the most usual terms and symbols you are likely to hear in a weather forecast.

I give you the link so you can browse through their site: it's well worth a look.

To practice some listening comprehension, here's a collection of gaps with variying degrees of difficulty. Notice how some of the sentences are phrased very differently from the original recording, while others are almost verbatim. This is something that can make the activity more or less difficult, and you must gradually train yourselves to deal with any kind of rephrasing of the original text. Memory, note-taking strategies, and a good command of related vocabulary are essential to this purpose.

Here it goes. The link includes a transcript, but I'm also including this one, where you can find a key to the gaps.

Enjoy!

INTRODUCTION

(1)    Over the hills, heavy rain will be ________________________ (becoming).

(2)    What’s the expression they use to forecast sunny weather?

(3)    Where is there a risk of south-westerly gales?

(4)    The specific terms used in a certain field are called j___________.

(5)    To understand something better is to s______ t________ t_______ f________ (idiom).

WIND

(6)    South-westerly wind means ______________________________ the southwest.

(7)    Wind speeds can ______________________________ a gentle breeze blowing around 10 miles per hour that just rustles leaves in the trees to a strong wind at 25 to 30 miles per hour.

(8)    When wind blows at speeds between 39 and 46 miles per hour, it means we have reached ______________________________.

(9)    Storm force winds can _________________ and ____________________________.

PRECIPITATION

(10) If the cloud stretches ______________________________ it gets so cold that the water droplets freeze and become ice particles.

(11) Sleet is ______________________________.

TEMPERATURE

(12) The _____________________ daytime temperatures in Scotland range from around 6 Celsius in December to around 19 Celsius in July. 

(13) In summer, temperatures can be ______________________________.

MIST

(14) With fog or mist visibility ______________________________.

(15) The ______________________________ of visibility changes whether we refer to airports or to road traffic.

HUMIDITY

(16) In Scotland, we say it’s 'close' or 'muggy' ______________________________.

(17) Some of Scotland’s most humid days occur because ___________________________.

PRESSURE

(18) Air in the atmosphere is constantly rising and ______________________________.

(19) Areas of high pressure bring dry and settled weather, and on the map the isobar lines are __________________________, whereas the isobar lines for low pressure areas, which bring wet and windy weather, are often __________________________.

EXTREME WEATHER

(20) One consequence of climate change could be ___________________and ___________________ weather.

(21) Severe flooding can bring about blocked roads or even_________________________.

(22) The most extreme weather in the UK is be ___________________and ___________________, which can knock down trees and damage property.

The life of Celia Cruz

As you know, biography videos tend to make use of certain expressions that recur time and time again, and I'm starting to think that they are a genre of their own in their use of language. Take, for example, the sentences we are looking for to answer these comprehension questions:

"A career that spanned five decades" - can you express this idea in other words?
How many prizes and recognitions did she receive? Can you find the verb+noun collocations that are used in the video to give this information?
What expressions with the word "influence" can you find?
How do they define "the ultimate American spirit"?

I will try to make the key available as soon as possible here ... seeing as most of you decided long ago not to share answers in the comments section. Comments are still (and always) welcome, though!

Enjoy!

Azucar! Life of Celia Cruz from c.p. granado on Vimeo.

The Short Transcript Challenge V: design at the MoMA

To bring some change of subject to our series of minute-long transcripts, here's one on design to challenge our views of art and what is worthy of a place in a museum.

Of special idiomatic interest could be, for example, the expression used here to suggest that the enumeration is just a selection of a larger collection (and it's not "and so on").

Let the transcription challenge continue!

What's on in Bath

Hi everyone!

This video should give you some practice on what's on guides, description of events, leisure activities, etc. Pay attention to dates and common verbs for this type of guides, like coming up, looking towards (April), hosting, showcasing. I remind you that the dictionary widget is available on your right to look them up, but it would be great if you tried to assign meaning to these verbs by using the context.

So, the comprehension questions:

1. What three ways of finding out what's on in Bath does she mention?

2. What can we explore in BathDigital Festival? It's t____  d_____ s_____

3. What's the advantage of getting rugby tickets at the visitor centre?

4. What will Bath In Fashion concentrate on this year?

Answers in the comments! Thank you!

The Short Transcript Challenge IV: Killing Caesar

Violence and power struggle. A timeless classic. You can revise the pronunciation of some vocabulary on history for this transcription, and don't forget the pronunciation of proper names!

A milestone event in ancient Roman history:

Killing Caesar

Enjoy!

The Short Transcript Challenge III: Ancient Superpower

These videos all elaborate on the same subject, and hopefully you will be able to see some progress in your transcription as you get used to the voice, the topic, and the type of discourse. Everything's a matter of frequency and practice.

Gotta love Roman times:

Ancient Superpower

Enjoy!

The Short Transcript Challenge II: Doomsday Pompeii

This is the other video you already know, and which originated work with short transcriptions. Prepare for the exhibition and hone your listening skills with this tiny video:

Doomsday Pompeii

Enjoy!

The Short Transcript Challenge I: The Heart of the Empire

Since some of you were keen enough to send me your versions of some transcripts, I propose comparing them here.

So, for the next entries, and probably from time to time when I find suitable videos, we'll carry out The Short Transcript Challenge (fanfare!)

The procedure is very simple. Just write down your version in the comments and compare with others. I'll include mine, probably on a separate window. I suggest that you check with other people's versions before correction, but to do that, we need some active participation!

We start with your already known The heart of the Empire. If you didn't participate during last week, now's the moment! Very interesting new vocabulary for the people that did it then, don't miss the chance of learning it too.

Enjoy!

Lunar New Year traditions

China celebrates the end of the lunar New Year celebrations with the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first moon. That day is... tomorrow, February the 6th, the first full moon of their calendar.

This tradition is also held in other countries, but we're going to concentrate on China to watch again the video on New Year celebrations you received last month. By the way, in some regions this particular festival is also a lovers' day, a sort of St Valentine's Day!

Here are the comprehension questions:

1. Make a list of adverb + adjective collocations in the video.

2. How long have they been celebrating the lunar New Year?

3. What did they use the colour red, bright light and loud noise for?

4. Why did they fear the New Year?

5. What was the family reunion for?

6. When did the Chinese adopt the Gregorian calendar?

7. What's the traditional Chinese calendar?

8. What do they hang from windows? What for?

9. What do the fish and chicken stand for (represent)?

10. What's the origin of the Lantern Festival?

Enjoy the video and, if you get the chance, the lunar New Year too!

Protected area in Poland

Hello again!

A really good video to identify adjectives! Just that, write down the adjectives you understand, if possible, followed by their corresponding nouns.

Some of you have done this activity already, so I'll be posting your answers in the comments. I'll be posting the answers in a week or so, or when I consider you've participated enough. So, come on, don't just wait for the key, and write your exercise in the comments!

The video is on how a protected area in Poland threatened by the construction of a highway was saved by environmentalists.

Enjoy it!

Visit Britain... with adjectives!

Hi everyone!

Oh, back to the hustle and bustle of everyday activity! This is exciting! Looking back at the latest entries I've noticed they're from the month of April! Shame on me!

Anyway, I hope we all get down to work again with as much enthusiasm as last year! Look at all those exclamation marks!

This is a video that should be familiar to you: the 60-second invitation to visit Britain. It features a number of adjectives that you have to find.

Transcript, as usual: in the comments, in a couple of days or three, to give you time to do the activity and comment if possible.

Visit Britain!

The Berlin Philharmonic

Here we go again with some activities that may ring a bell to some of you. I am posting it here to give you the transcript (in the comments). Thank you very much to Encarna for a transcription of part of the video, and to Irene for astonishing research work on the piece played by Anne-Sophie Mutter on the video.

Sorry for not having been able to subtitle it, I may try again one of these days!

So enjoy it as it is!

As activities, I propose answering the following questions:

1. How do the different people describe the sound of the orchestra from minute 1:30 to 2:00?

2. How does conducting compare to horseriding?

3. How many chief conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic has there been?

4. Where do the people who watch the Berlin Philharmonic come from?

5. Why does Simon Rattle fit in so well with this orchestra, according to the horn?

6. Throughout the 20th century, what has changed and what has remained in the orchestra?

7. Why wasn't this conductor very well received at the beginning?

8. Find an example of a second conditional.

9. What does Simon Rattle compare their work with at the end of the video?

Feel free to ask any questions of comprehension.

Good listening!

Travelling to Japan

A kind look at Japan. The proposed exercised (which must be familiar to some of you) is

1. to list the many collocations with adjectives that appear in the video

2. to transcribe sentences that do not start with the subject

Answers in the comments, as usual. And the key in a week or so...

Enjoy!

The IT Crowd: team players!

Back again with some brief pieces of the hilarious BBC series The IT Crowd. In this episode, which is the first one, Jen goes to an interview where what she has included in her CV turns against her.

Some vocabulary you may need for this piece:

a stare

to know your stuff

As you can imagine, her relationship with the IT team is not precisely great, so they decide to tell their boss that it's not working out for them. Do you remember the collocation, "to work as a team"? Well, you'll hear it a couple of times here.

This second video is subtitled. Some vocabulary you may want to look up before watching:

to escort

the premises (do you remember what it means?)

recruitment

to get on like a house on fire:

http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/get+on+like+a+house+on+fire#house_1

Enjoy!

(dedicated to all the IT technicians and engineers in our classes)

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

A little video in which the meaning of the verb "to claim" is very clear. Let's remember what the dictionary says:

1 [transitive] to say that something is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it

claim (that)… He claims (that) he was not given a fair hearing.claim (somebody/something) to be/do something I don't claim to be an expert.claim something Scientists are claiming a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer.it is claimed that… It was claimed that some doctors were working 80 hours a week.

In this video,

1. What did the psychic claim?

2. What did he not claim?

So, I continue with my vindication of British humour. And a good opportunity to see Hugh Laurie outside his role of Dr.House (and a lot younger, too!)

Enjoy!