self development
المقررات الدراسية موسومة بـ "self development"
Word Classes
Learn about word classes, identifying them and what they are. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Identifying word classesWhen we identify what class a word belongs to, we may think about the following:
· The meaning of the word (for example, is it a ‘thing’ or a ‘doing’ word?)
· The form or ‘shape’ of the word (for example, does it have ‘ed’ or ‘tion’ at the end?)
· The position or ‘environment’ of the word in a sentence (the context).
Verbs are ‘action’ or ‘doing’ words. Verbs can take place in the following tenses, the verb used is the word ‘jump’.
· Past tense, for example “we jumped on the wall.”
· Present tense for example, “we jump on the wall.”
· Future tense for example, “we will jump on the wall.”
Nouns are naming words for people, places, things and ideas.
Nouns can be subdivided into different types:
1. Concrete nouns are objects we can smell, taste, touch and see such as chair, table and dog.
2. Abstract nouns are ideas, states and feelings such as, love, honour and hope.
3. Common nouns name types of people, places, things and ideas such as, winter, biscuit and city.
4. Proper nouns name specific people, places, things and ideas such as William Shakespeare, Cardiff and Batman.
Pronouns are words that replace nouns (the name of a person or an object) when it is already clear whom or what you are talking about.
For example:
Jane has broken her leg. She’ll not be able to play football today.
In the second sentence, she means Jane.
You will learn
- Word classes
- Identifying word classes
- Verbs
- Nouns and pronouns
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
- Prepositions
- Conjunctions
Types of Speech
Learn about the types of speech and their purpose. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Your purpose might be:
· To inform or describe
· To instruct or explain
· To persuade or inspire
· To entertain or amuse
When you are planning and preparing for your speech you may wish to come up with a one sentence statement about what you want to accomplish.Your one sentence statement should be:
· Worded from the audience’s point of view
· Precise
· Attainable
For example, you might want to complete the following sentence:
“After my speech the audience will …”
You will learn
- Purpose
- Specifying your purpose
- Speaking to inform or describe
- Speaking to instruct or explain
- Speaking to persuade or inspire
- Speaking to entertain or amuse
Essay Writing Process
Learn about the essay writing process and how to successfully and effectively use it. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
The essay writing process consists of 6 parts that lead on from one another:1. Analysing the question
2. Generating Ideas
3. Research
4. Planning
5. Drafting
6. Editing
Analysing an essay title has 4 stages:
1. Pick apart the title. Look for:
a. Topic or content words or phrases that tell you the main subject of the essay
b. Limiting or focus words that tell you which aspects of the subject you should write about
c. Direction words that tell you what you need to do
2. Focus on the title
3. Make notes – write down any questions that are prompted by the title
4. Use the title – keep checking the exact wording and refer to the essay title in your introduction and conclusion
You will learn
- The process
- Analysing the question
- Generating ideas
- Research
- Planning
- Drafting
- Editing
Planning a Speech
Introduction
A good speech needs a good structure. In your speech introduction you should:· Define your key terms (if needed)
· Give a general overview
· Provide a tentative conclusion, so your audience knows where the speech is going
Say something at the outset that will make them sit up and listen to you – because you are saying something interesting and you have an interesting way of saying it.
A good speech needs a good structure.Just like an essay, a speech needs a beginning, middle and end.
Your audience won’t be able to remember every single thing you say, but you need to make sure they remember your key message.
A useful way to do this is:
· Opening - tell them what you are going to tell them
· Main content - tell them
· Closing - tell them what you told them
You will learn
- Structing your speech
- Introduction
- Main body
- Conclusion
- Audio and visual aids
- Tips for using visual aids
- Principles of using audio and visual aids
Hyphens and Dashes
Learn about hyphens and dashes and how and when they can be used. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Hyphens are used for the following:· To link compound words and numbers. For example: Well-being (the hyphen is after the word ‘well’) and fifty-one (the hyphen is after the word ‘fifty’).
· To clarify words that use prefixes. For example: Re-covering (the hyphen is after the ‘re’) and self-taught (the hyphen is after the word ‘self’).
· To write fractions. For example: Two-fifths (the hyphen is after the word ‘two) and one-half (the hyphen is after the word ‘one’)
Dashes are used in the following ways:
· To add comments as part of informal writing. For example: “I might get an ‘A’ grade – you never know.” (The dash is after the word ‘grade’). Note that brackets should be used instead of dashes in formal writing.
· Indicate a range. For example:
o It will take 3-6 days to complete. (The dash is between the 3 and 6).
o To gain a merit you need a mark of 60-70%. (The dash is between the 60 and 70).
You will learn
- Using hyphens to link compound words and numbers
- Using hyphens to clarify words that use prefixes
- Using hyphens to write fractions
- Using dashes to add comments as part of informal writing
- Using dashes to indicate range
Express Fact and Opinion
Learn about fact and opinion and how they are used. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
A fact is a piece of information that can be proven to be trueNote:A false fact is a piece of information that is presented in a factual way, but which can be proven to be inaccurate.
An opinion is a person’s subjective viewpoint. Because it cannot be verified as a fact it is an opinion. Once it is verified it is no longer an opinion but a fact.
One way to distinguish between fact and opinion is to look at the language used.
Language helps us to decide whether a statement can be backed up with evidence and verified in some way, or if the statement is someone’s opinion.
Examples of the language we use to express facts are:
· This review has demonstrated
· According to the results of the latest poll …
· The latest findings confirm …
· Researchers have recently discovered …
Examples of the language we use to express opinions:
· The company claims that …
· The research team argues that …
· In Professor Donald’s view …
Most experts in this field suspect that …
You will learn
- Fact and opinion
- Language used to express fact and opinion
- Misleading facts
- Bias
- Blending fact and opinion
Commas
Learn about commas and why and when they can be used. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
The comma is used to indicate a slight pause in a sentence.It is also used to separate a sentence into blocks of thought or logical groupings.
For example:
They will never go there, whatever they say. (The comma is after the word ‘there’.)
My favourite foods are chocolate, cheese and cake. (The comma is after the word ‘chocolate’.)
Using commas!
Read this piece of writing which has no punctuation.
on our picnic we ate cheese sandwiches fruit salad and chocolate cake
Depending on the punctuation we add in to make it into a sentence, we can have:
· 3 items: cheese sandwiches, fruit salad and chocolate cake. (The comma is after the phrase ‘cheese sandwiches’.)
· 4 items: cheese, sandwiches, fruit salad and chocolate cake. (The commas are after the words cheese and sandwiches.)
· 5 items: cheese, sandwiches, fruit, salad and chocolate cake. (The commas are after the words cheese, sandwiches and fruit.)
· 6 items: cheese, sandwiches, fruit, salad, chocolate and cake. (The commas are after the words cheese, sandwiches, fruit and salad.)
The simple comma makes all the difference to making sense of the meal that has been eaten.
You will learn
- Commas
- Why you use commas
- Using commas to seperate items in a list
- Using commas to mark less important parts of a sentence
- Checking for use of commas
Colons and Semi-colons
Learn about colons and semi-colons and when they can be used. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Intoduction
A semi-colon is a comma and then a dot vertically above it.
Colons
A colon is used:
· To introduce items in a list. For example, he’d lost everything: his friends, his happiness and his pride. (The colon is after the word ‘everything’.)
· Between a statement and an explanation of the statement For example, this time he’d win: he couldn't afford to lose. (The colon is after the word ‘win’.)
· To introduce speech. For example, she grabbed the microphone and asked: “Is there a doctor in the house?” (There is a colon after the word ‘asked’.)
Semi-colons
A semi-colon can be used:
· To join phrases and sentences that are thematically linked (without having to use a conjunction such as ‘and’ or ‘but’). For example, I like your brother; he's a good friend. (The semi-colon is after the word ‘brother’.)
· To punctuate lists of long items. Items in lists are usually separated with commas. However, if the list items themselves contain commas, then semicolons can be used as separators. For example, I have been to Newcastle, Carlisle, and York in the North; Bristol, Exeter, and Portsmouth in the South; and Cromer, Norwich, and Lincoln in the East. (The semi-colon is used after the words ‘north’ and ‘south’.)
You will learn
- Using colons to introduce items in a list
- Using colons between a statement and an explanation of the statement
- Using colons to introduce speech
- Using semi-colons to join phrases that are thematically linked
- Using semi-colons to punctuation long losts of items
Brackets and Parentheses
Learn about brackets and parentheses and how and when they can be used. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
ParenthesesParentheses refers to round brackets
Round brackets are used in a similar way to commas when we want to add extra information to a sentence.
The following sentences have round brackets:
I visited Kathmandu (which was full of tourists) on my way to the Himalayas. (The parentheses are around the phrase ‘which was full of tourists’.)
The government's education report (April 2005) shows that the level of literacy is rising in nearly all areas. (The parentheses are around the phrase ‘April 2005’.)
The sentences still make sense without the brackets and read as follows:
I visited Kathmandu on my way to the Himalayas.
The government's education report shows that the level of literacy is rising in nearly all areas.
Brackets
Brackets refers to square brackets [ ] and can be used to do the following:
To clarify a point in a quote
• Brackets can be used in a direct quote to clarify a point by inserting additional information.
• For example, Hedy Lamarr once said: "Most people save all their lives and leave it [their money] to somebody else." (The brackets are around the phrase ‘their money’.)
To replace words in a quote
• Brackets can be used to replace words in a quote without changing the original meaning of the sentence.
• For example, Alice Cooper famously said that "from the moment [he] leave[s] [his] house or hotel room, the public owns [him]." (The brackets are around the words he, the ‘s’ at the end of the word ‘leave’, ‘his’ and ‘him’.)
You will learn
- Using parentheses to add extra information to a sentence
- Using parentheses to indicate options
- Using parentheses to list using letters
- Using brackets to clarify a point in a quote
- Using brackets to replace words in a quote
English-Adverbs
In this course , learn about adverbs and how they are used. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Adverbs describe, give more information about or limit a verb.Adverbs answer questions such as:
· How?
· When?
· Where?
· Why?
Adverb examples
Here are some examples of adverbs in sentences.
· Mary sings beautifully
o Beautifully - the adverb beautifully tells us how Mary sings.
· David is extremely clever
o Extremely - the adverb extremely tells us the degree to which David is clever.
· The car goes incredibly fast
o Incredibly - the adverb incredibly tells us how fast the car goes.
Adverb positions
Adverbs can occur before or after a verb in a sentence.
Here is an example of the adverb ‘silently’ being used before and after the verb ‘crept’.
The thief crept silently across the rooftop.
The thief silently crept across the rooftop.
You will learn
- Adverbs
- Turning adjectives into adverbs
- Adverb positions
Strategies for Reading
Learn about strategies for reading, what is meant by skimming and scanning, how to read something in detail and how to find what you need from a text. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
In this course we will think about different reading styles that can be used, and which style might be best for finding what you need in a text.If we are flicking through a newspaper, we might only scan the occasional article to see if it looks interesting. If we are reading a book, we are likely to read it in a more detailed way, as we will be paying close attention to the characters and what they are doing.
Reading strategies are basically the different ways you can read a text.
A text could be anything from a newspaper article to a novel, or a long story. When we are reading different things we will probably read at different levels – meaning we will concentrate more or less – depending on the type of text we are reading.
You will learn
· Know what is meant by skimming· Know what is meant by scanning
· Understand how to read something in detail
· Know how to find what you need from a text
Proofreading with SPAG
Learn about proofreading with SPAG, what is meant by this, how to use SPAG as part of your proofreading and how to write your own proofreading checklist. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
In this session we are going to look at the different ways you might proofread, or check through, different parts of your written work.Proofreading is when you read back over a document that you have written – such as a letter or an essay, for example – and you double check that everything is written and punctuated correctly.
Most people will proofread their work multiple times, each time looking for separate things.
· The first time you read your work you might be checking your spelling – is everything spelt correctly?
· The second time you read through your work you might be checking your tenses – is everything written in the right tense? Is everything written in the same tense? And so on.
The main reason for proofreading your work is to check that what you have written is of the best quality that it can possibly be. Here are examples of what proofreading, again and again, can help check for.
· The order we have written things in – does it make sense or could it have a better flow? Does it sound well thought-out or does it sound more like we got distracted halfway through?
· The way we have written things – if we have handwritten our work then this might be a case of checking whether our writing is clear for someone else to read; this point might also encourage us to look at how we have phrased things and whether our meaning is coming across.
· Whether there are any mistakes – checking for mistakes is especially important as not only does this affect how clear your work is but it can also affect how professional your work looks as well.
You will learn
· Understand what is meant by proofreading· Understand what is meant by SPAG
· Know how to use SPAG as part of your proofreading
· Know how to write your own proofreading checklist
Prepositions, conjunctions and articles
Learn about prepositions, conjunctions and articles, what prepositions and conjunctions are, how prepositions are used and when to use a conjunction and a number of different articles. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Prepositions are a type of word that have one or two different uses in the English language. In fact, we use prepositions so often in our speech and our writing that they are thought to be some of the most common words in English.
A preposition is a word – or sometimes a phrase – that is used to explain where something is or when something is happening/will happen in relation to something else.
When we look at some example sentences you might be surprised to see just how many words count as a prepositions. You will probably recognise most of them!
You will learn
- Know what a preposition is
- Understand how prepositions are used
- Know what a conjunction is
- Understand when to use a conjunction
- Know a number of different articles
Units of Measurement
Introduction
To be able to measure something, you need to know what unit to use. A unit is a general term that means a type of measurement.A unit is any measurement that there is 1 of, such as:
· 1 metre
· 1 second
· 1 metre per second (1 m/s)
· 1 gram
· 1 square centimetre (1 cm2)
Units of measurement are standardised, meaning that there is a well-defined way to measure them.
We can use both metric and imperial units of measurement to measure things such as length, weight and capacity. Below are examples of units used in the metric and imperial systems:
Metric
· Length – units include millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres.
· Weight – units include grams and kilograms.
· Capacity – units include millilitres and litres.
Imperial
· Length – units include inches, feet, yards and miles.
· Weight – units include ounces, pounds and stone.
You will learn
- Be able to identify imperial and metric measures commonly used in the UK
- Understand when different units of measurement are used in everyday contexts
- Know the abbreviations for commonly used imperial and metric units of measurement
- Be able to convert between imperial units
- Be able to convert between metric units
Time
Learn about time, key vocabulary related to time, how to read, measure and record time in different formats, order and compare dates and times and convert between hours and minutes. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Intoduction
For example, twenty past nine can be written in the following ways:
· 9:20 (there is a colon between the 9 and the 20)
· 9.20 (there is a full stop between the 9 and the 20)
Time is a non-decimal system. This means it is not measured in tens. For example:
· One day is 24 hours
· One hour is 60 minutes
· One minute is 60 seconds
Because of this, you need to be careful when making calculations that involve hours and minutes.
You will learn
- Understand key vocabulary related to time
- Be able to read, measure and record time in different formats
- Be able to order and compare dates and times
- Be able to convert between hours and minutes
Temperature
Learn about temperature, how to identify, read and compare thermometers used for different purposes and with different scales. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Temperature refers to how hot or cold something is.Temperature is measured in degrees. The symbol for degrees is a small circle that sits slightly above the number in temperature.
The two most common scales are Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F). In the UK, we usually measure temperature in Celsius (°C).
On a standard thermometer, the left hand side measures temperature in Celsius, ranging from 0 (freezing point) to 100 (boiling point). The right hand side measures temperature in Fahrenheit, ranging from 32 (freezing point) to 112 (boiling point).
We measure temperature using a mechanical or electrical device called a thermometer. There are lots of different types of thermometer.
Thermometers may be digital or analogue.
A digital thermometer gives a reading in figures and an analogue thermometer uses a scale.
You will learn
- Identify, read and compare thermometers used for different purposes and with different scales
- Read scales to the nearest labelled and unlabelled division
- Read positive and negative temperatures
- Solve simple problems relating to temperature
Subtraction
Learn about subtraction, subracting three digit numbers and subtracting using a range of methods. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
When you subtract numbers you use the subtraction sign. It is a small horizontal line.We use different words to describe subtraction.
For example, can be described as:
· 25 subtract 6 equals 19
· The difference between 35 and 6 is 29
· 30 take away 10 is 20
· 30 minus 10 is 20
· 19 is 6 less than 25
· If you decrease 25 by 6 you get 19
Subtraction is an arithmetic operation that represents the operation of removing objects from a collection. Subtraction is signified by the minus sign.Subtraction follows several important patterns. It is anticommutative, meaning that changing the order changes the sign of the answer. It is also not associative, meaning that when one subtracts more than two numbers, the order in which subtraction is performed matters.
You will learn
- Subtract three-digit numbers
- Subtract using a range of methods
Rounding and Estimating
Learn about rounding and estimating and unerstanding when it is appropriate to use rounding and estimating and when an exact answer is needed. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Rounding numbers is a way to get a rough idea or an estimate. An estimate might be a little more or a little less than the exact figure. Rounding means making a number simpler but keeping its value close to what it was.Although rounding won’t give you an exact figure, by carrying out an estimate you can check that the answer to a problem is sensible. For example, it’s a good idea to estimate the answer first when using a calculator in case you make keying errors.
Estimation is also really useful with multiple choice test questions. It helps you decide which option is the correct answer before checking by carrying out calculations.
3 of 20 – Benefits of rounding
Rounding is a really important tool with a number of benefits, including:
· Making it easier to describe and understand numbers
· Making calculations easier
· Making it easier to estimate answers
· Helping you to identify mistakes in maths work
· Being useful when you don’t need an exact answer
You will learn
- Understand when it is appropriate to use rounding and estimating and when an exact answer is needed
- Be able to round to the nearest 10 or 100
- Be able to round and estimate in everyday contexts
Ratios and Proportion
Learn about ratios and proportion, the meaning of ratio and proportion and how to solve simple proportion problems. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Ratio tells us the size of two amounts compared to each other.Consider four squares – three of them are purple and one of them is green. Here are three ways that we can express this as a ratio:
· We can write it as a fraction. For example, \( \frac{1}{3} \).
· We can separate the values with the word ‘to’. For example, 3 to 1.
· We can use a colon to separate the values. For example, 3:1 (the colon is between the 3 and the 1).
The order of the numbers in a ratio must match the order of the words.
Again, consider the three purple squares and one green square. The ratio of purple squares to green squares is 3 to 1. This means there are three times as many purple squares as green.
However, if we change the order of the words we must also change the order of the numbers in the ratio. For example, the ratio of green squares to purple squares is 1 to 3.
You will learn
- Understand the meaning of ratio and proportion
- Be able to solve simple proportion problems
Probability
Learn about probability, different ways of putting a number to chance events, how to calculate the probability of events and order events by probability. This course is ideal for intermediate learners.
Introduction
Probability refers to the likelihood or chance of something happening. It can be helpful to think of probability as a scale, ranging from the certain to the impossible.The probability scale is a line with impossible things at one end and definite things at the other end. In the middle are things that are just as likely to happen as they are to not happen; we call this an even chance.
Here are some examples and their positions on a probability scale:
· An example of something that is at one end of the scale and labelled impossible could be: ‘It is impossible to win the lottery if you haven’t bought a ticket!’.
· An example of something that sits in the middle of the scale and labelled as having an even chance could be: ‘When you toss a coin you are just as likely to get heads as tails’.
· An example of something that is at the other end of the scale and labelled as certain could be: ‘I am certain that the sun will set today’.
You will learn
- Recognise different ways of putting a number to chance events
- Be able to calculate the probability of events
- Be able to order events by probability