для общения на английском

[Abor Mot]

Abor Mot, will you tell more in details why you think that you got nerves? Did they try to make you nerves ? Did you feel yourself nervous at listening etc or only at speaking ?
And why at the end of the day productivity fell down to absolutely zero?
Nataly Kaminski (interviewer) is she from Russia ? I heard that everybody must speak to native.
Anyway keep struggle.

Hi, there
For the first time u always getting nerves. Most difficulties I've got on a listening part.
Hint (probable, not sure): When u filling an application, there is a question "How long did u learn english?". I wrote "3 month or less". So, before the listening test, I saw the map, same as a test it came from BC - guess they are put in front of class - closer to the recorder, the persons with the less experience in english. I got the place in a second row, No matter how your english is going on, it very difficult to be "multitasking" - listen, read the question and answer. Couple of times I lost the canvas - and lost the answers. Hope to get at least all "5" - just to apply, then I want to pass the test again.
About Nataly - I guess she is naturalised. Probable her parents migrate from Poland... But if BC send her to us - I think Eng is really native to her
The topics of speaking with me:
Introducing, where did I learn eng - short excourse in a history,
The books I read last time,
Developing of my city - buildings/roads/population/etc.
Public transport of my city,
How many of rus. own a cars - my statistic, comparing to the Aus statistic.
my car vs public tr. - advantages of disadvantages;
perspectives of transport system - near future of the engines, new kind of fuels;
travelling, the cities I visited last time - my answers Ikrutsk - Novosibirsk, comparing the cities;
how did I travelled - flight/train/etc - how did I came to N-sk (On my car? Why not?) - my answers
I did not spent a minute for prepare - started to answer immediately.
The brief of story. Feel free to ask any question.

[RaJ]

What can I say. Just calm down, the nerves can't help to pass the test. I'm passed this test in 17 April - and I guess i am failed. This test grounded me from the sky... I spent 2 days before the test in BC's library - taking a sample tests... At the end of day productivity fell down to absolutely zero...
Interview was absolutelly terrible - I am get nerves. Only two positive moments I found in this test - Nataly Kaminski (interviewer) and Zoya Murashova (BC officer) are were very kind, and encouraged me when I get panic.
Good luck!

ok... let's focus on some mistakes you have made in your message let's have some работа над ошибками

to be verb+ed <- passive voice, for example, the toy is broken - игрушка поломана (кем то, не сама сломалась, а действие было совершенно над предметом.) поэтому выражение I am passed даже сложно перевести на русский если не использовать конкретную дату, лучше использовать перфект, если с указанием времени - простое прошедшее.

выражение "упасть с небес" - это русская идиома, и дословный перевод на английский - не очень хорошая идея... нельзя переводить какие-то устоявшиеся фразы, лучше подыскать аналог в английском языке...

Besides!!! imagine this situation: you are getting ready for an exam... not as a Soviet student you have been practicing IELTS for three months, and there are 3 days left. FULL STOP!!! Stop torturing yourself!!! It is advised to have at least 48 hours brake before taking any exam. Otherwise, you have каша in your mind. So make a 110% effort to achieve your goal, and do not forget about some particular features of your brain. Any information you are learning will be in the process of digesting for 48 hours, only after that time you will be ready to use the knowledge you got.

2 Abor Mot: if you do not mind, please post your message the second time and any questions you have about English grammar

PS people, Кочалова (I am not sure about the spelling) rules forever!!!

[RaJ]

Abor Mot:
Hi, there
For the first time u always getting nervous. Most difficulties I've got on a listening part. -< It is better to use Simple Past.The listening section was the most difficult for me.
Hint (probable, not sure): When you are filling out the application, there is a question "How long have you been learning English?". I wrote "3 month or less". So, before the listening test, I saw the map, same as a test it came from BC - guess they are put in front of class - closer to the recorder, the persons with the - we do not need an article here less experience in english. I got the place in the second row, No matter how your English is going on, it [you are missing a verb here!] very difficult to be "multitasking" - listen, read the question and answer. A Couple of times I lost the canvas - and lost the answers. Hope to get at least all "5" - just to apply, then I want to pass the test again.
About Nataly - I guess she is naturalised <-you meant native speaker?. Probably her parents migrate so they migrate evry day, always? The Present Simple Tense is used when your are talking about things that happen always, usually from Poland... But if BC send her to us - I think Eng is really native to her
The topics of speaking with me: the Speaking section:
Introduction, where did I learn eng - short excourse in a history,
The books I have read recently,
Developing of my city - buildings/roads/population/etc.
Public transport of my city,
How many of rus. own a cars you cannot use indefinite article with a plural noun - my statistic, comparing to the Aus statistic.
my car vs public tr. - advantages of disadvantages;
perspectives of transport system - near future of the engines, new kind of fuels;
travelling, the cities I visited last time - my answers Ikrutsk - Novosibirsk, comparing the cities;
how did I travelled - flight/train/etc - how did I came to N-sk (On my car? Why not?) - my answers
I did not spent a minute for prepare - started to answer immediately.
The brief of story. Feel free to ask any question.

Past Simple: Noun Verb+ed (or the second column of the Irregular Verbs table, participle I) I went to work 5 days ago.
Auxiliary verb: did
Question: Did Noun Verb bla bla bla. Example: Did you go to work yesterday? as you can see, the verb is in its beginning form.
Answer: No, I did not go to work yesterday, we had a holiday.

any questions? I will be happy to share my modest English skills

[NAVI]

Hint (probable, not sure): When u filling an application, there is a question "How long did u learn english?". I wrote "3 month or less". So, before the listening test, I saw the map, same as a test it came from BC - guess they are put in front of class - closer to the recorder, the persons with the less experience in english. I got the place in a second row, No matter how your english is going on, it very difficult to be "multitasking" - listen, read the question and answer. Couple of times I lost the canvas - and lost the answers. Hope to get at least all "5" - just to apply, then I want to pass the test again.

I do not think so. I indicated in the application that I have been studying English for 3 years but my place was just in fornt of recorder though.

[RaJ]

I do not think so. I indicated in the application that I have been studying English for 3 years but my place was just in fornt of recorder though.

tiny detail: when you start speaking in the Past, you have to convert the rest of your phrase into the Past Tense as well... so we have here: I indicated in the application that I had been studying English for 3 years, but... and so on.

Tense Harmony or Sequencing http://faculty.washington.edu/maryne.../reprtdsp.html

[RaJ]

forumchane, if I am getting too annoying, please let me know

[NAVI]

I do not think so. I indicated in the application that I have been studying English for 3 years but my place was just in fornt of recorder though.

tiny detail: when you start speaking in the Past, you have to convert the rest of your phrase into the Past Tense as well... so we have here: I indicated in the application that I had been studying English for 3 years, but... and so on.

Tense Harmony or Sequencing http://faculty.washington.edu/maryne.../reprtdsp.html

Exactly, thank you for correcting me!

Moreover, I would like to advise Abor Mot to pay more attention to the verbs.
Мне тоже было не понятно почему можно сказать I am interested in, I am pleased to etc., а I am worked нельзя.
Не знаю насколько это правильно/грамотно, но до меня граматика дошла только тогда, когда репетитор разделила глаголы на 3 группы. Есть глаголы "действия", "состояния" и "чувств"... С глаголами действия (e.g. work, pass, etc) никак не может использоваться am or is в значении работал, сдал, прошел и т.д. В этих случая идет просто I passed (действие)... если ставите I am, то используйте континиус с ing'овым окончанием, НО смысл сказанного совершенно другой. Это я думаю не нужно объяснять.
Глаголы, которые обозначают "состояние", меня заставили выучить низусть, впрочем, как и глаголы "чувств", после которых используется герундий тоже. Только после это все встало на свои места. Почему говорят I worked, I am ill or Thank you for coming.
Т.е. учишь наизусть глаголы "состояния" и "чувства", а со всеми остальными совсем все просто.

[Myasych]

Hello, everybody.
Abor Mot, you mentioned Irkutsk. I used to live there. It is my hometown. I lived in a district "Pervomayskiy".
As for IELTS, did they record the conversation ? It may contribute to feel nervous.
What troubles were there with reading and writing ?

[RaJ]

here we go with... an essay!

Nowadays we use computers in schools so freaquent that some people believe there will be no need in teachers in the future.

It all began about 40 years ago. People had had a dream of having assistants in routine day-to-day work and had came up with a computer. Some time passed and one cannot imagine his life without a computer. The further development of Information Technology, for instance, the Internet, provided mankind with new tools of teaching. Some people believe with the further growth of computer use the role of teachers will disappear. Others believe there is even greater responsibility for teachers now.

Let us examine a situation, when computers replace teachers. In such a case there will be a great demand for prorammers and analytics to create thousands of various programs simulating various situations and case studies for students. Not meantioning it is quite difficult to observe each possible issue, we are still in need of tutors who and training coordinators who will be developing that software.

Now let us try to combine these two great achievements of the human race - solid teaching experience and new technology opportunities. We are looking at an example of Finland educational system, which is considered to be one of the best practices in the world. Children are taught to look for information, critically think with the help of Information Technology. Those who live in remote villages can take part in the education process by means of distance learning.

In the conclusion, I would like to state that teachers will play even greater role in the learning process. A combination of a wise teacher and computer technology will be for the benefit of the whole society.


PS basically, I do not like how it is writen I just do not like writing essays

[Abor Mot]

Hello, everybody.
Abor Mot, you mentioned Irkutsk. I used to live there. It is my hometown. I lived in a district "Pervomayskiy".
As for IELTS, did they record the conversation ? It may contribute to feel nervous.
What troubles were there with reading and writing ?

Yes she is. Before to start conversation she is demonstrately pressed record button. Then conversation started.
Writing was the most easiest part. The problem was to understand what the whole sentence mean. I wrote in first part - "letter to a friend" ~250-300 w, second part "armed forces and total serving of a young people" ~ 500-600 w of full bull@#it and asked for a second piece of paper. Now I am understand that it might be shorter and better.
I can't to scale reading part yet. Guess I gave no more than 50% of the right answers.

[Svarliv]

Re: для общения на английском

There is a lot of moments to use a "number" word. What correct synonyms I have to use? As I see "amount" is not good... or what?

"amount" is ok but if you are going to support your statement with figures i guess 'number' is better

"Number" is used for "countable" things, whereas the word "amount" is used for "incountable" things. Compare:

Number of people, animals, books, coins, banknotes.
Amount of money, water, oil, air.

Similar rule is used for "many" and "much".

Svarliv

[masha]

Re: для общения на английском

2 Svarliv agree

Use amount with singular mass nouns
e.g. an amount of money; the amount of love,

and use number with plural count nouns
e.g. the number of castles; a number of sophomores.

Common and Vulgar English frequently use amount with plural count nouns (a huge amount of children on the playground), and repeated exposures to that usage often blur the Standard models for us.

There are also instances where plural count nouns are treated as representing those items in mass and hence usable with amount (He contracted for an enormous amount of apples). In speech such a use might go almost unnoticed, but Edited English would most likely change it to number or find an entirely different way to say it.

[Chyslyvchyk]

Hey there!

I took the theme which was at speaking module on 14/08/2004.
Describe any monument. To whom was it consecrated? Its value? The role of monuments in adult's and children's lives. What is the difference?

Well, there is a big monument in our town which consecrated to Ivan Franko. He was a great Ukrainian poet who wrote a great number of different poems. He was born in nineteenth century in Lviv region. During his life he was not only a poet and cultural figure, he also was a revolutionist who fought for Ukraine and rights of Ukrainian people. The main value of this monument is reminding Ukrainian people that our independence and our culture are not just words. Many people fought for them and died for them. And Ivan Franko is one of them.
The difference between adult's and children's attitude to the monument is obvious. For example, when child looks at Ivan Franko's memorial at first, it is only a funny stone man for hir or her. But the task of his or her parents is to tell the adapted story of Franko's life in order to instill respect for the Ukrainian culture and cultural figures in the younger generation.

[Chyslyvchyk]

The subjective criticism of RaJ's essey

It all began about 40 years ago.
All began about 40 years ago.

People had had a dream of having assistants in routine day-to-day work and had came up with a computer.
Why don't we use simple past? The author wrote that it was 40 years ago... So:
People dreamt to have assistants in routine everyday work and ...
I don't really understand the end of the sentence...Maybe the author wanted to say that they had invented computers?

Some time passed and one cannot imagine his life without a computer.
The time passed and now nobody can imagine his life without a computer.

The further development of Information Technology, for instance, the Internet, provided mankind with new tools of teaching.
New Information Technology inventions, for example Internet, hepl to improve studying methods.

And so on and so forth...To tell the truth the structure of the sentences is Russian.. The author has to learn English structure.

[hukilai]

Re: The subjective criticism of RaJ's essey

It all began about 40 years ago.
All began about 40 years ago.
Actually the original is more correct. "All began..." would mean that this world is only 40 years old. . "It all..." assumes that author is already within some context, or is going to introduce it very shortly.
People had had a dream of having assistants in routine day-to-day work and had came up with a computer.
Why don't we use simple past? The author wrote that it was 40 years ago... So:
People dreamt to have assistants in routine everyday work and ...
Either routine or everyday is redundant, take it away.
I don't really understand the end of the sentence...Maybe the author wanted to say that they had invented computers?
You bet.
Some time passed and one cannot imagine his life without a computer.
The time passed and now nobody can imagine his life without a computer.
"The time" means some certain moment or range of time passed, "his life" - why not her one? (it is a tough issue for natives too though). A standard recommendation here is to rephrase, like "now people cannot imagine their life...".
The further development of Information Technology, for instance, the Internet, provided mankind with new tools of teaching.
New Information Technology inventions, for example Internet, hepl to improve studying methods.
Again, the original is better worded and does not have errors (a article, a comma are missing, one mispelling present)
By the way, capitalizing 'information technology' looks a sort of pathetic in essays - leave it for commercials.

And so on and so forth...To tell the truth the structure of the sentences is Russian.. The author has to learn English structure.

Well, it is not that bad, while it is grammatically correct, he can live it. It will be understandable, though might not always sound natural.

In the next message I will get my hands on the essay itself.

Good luck!