Ex.1.READING:Read and translate the article “The 6th annual PICARD Conference”.
Ex.2. INTERNET SEARCH: Find in the Internet the additional information on
the PICARD conferences. Share your findings with your classmates.
Ex.3. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.
Ex.4. TEXT QUESTIONS: Look back at the text and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.
Ex.3. CHAT: Talk in pairs or groups about the “The PICARD Confrnrces”.
Ex.4. PICARD BRAINSTORM: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the abbreviation ‘PICARD’. Share your words with your partner / group and talk about them.
Ex.5. 2-MINUTE DEBATES:Students face each other in pairs and engage in the following 2-minute debates. The subject is “The 6th annual PICARD Conference”.
Ex.6. PUBLIC POLICY: You are a participant of the RCA delegation at the last PICARD Conference. Write a report about this event.
Ex.7. ARTICLE RENDERING: Render the article “The 6th annual PICARD Conference”.
ADDENDUM I.
REFERENCE GRAMMAR MATERIALS
Verb Tense Overview with Examples
Simple Present
Simple Past
Simple Future
I study English every day.
Two years ago, I studied English in England.
If you are having problems, I will help you study English. I am going to study English next year.
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
Future Continuous
I am studying English now.
I was studying English when you called yesterday.
I will be studying English when you arrive tonight. I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight.
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
Future Perfect
I have studied English in several different countries.
I had studied a little English before I moved to the U.S.
I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course. I am going to have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.
Present Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect Continuous
I have been studying English for five years.
I had been studying English for five years before I moved to the U.S.
I will have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive. I am going to have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive.
Active / Passive Verb Forms
Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.
Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.
The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present Perfect
Many tourists have visited that castle.
That castle has been visited by many tourists.
Present Perfect Continuous
Recently, John has been doing the work.
Recently, the work has been being done by John.
Past Perfect
George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Perfect Continuous
Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.
The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.
Simple Future will
Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM.
The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Simple Future be going to
Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.
A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.
Future Continuous will
At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes.
At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John.
Future Continuous be going to
At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes.
At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John.
Future Perfect will
They will have completed the project before the deadline.
The project will have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect be going to
They are going to have completed the project before the deadline.
The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect Continuous will
The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.
The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Future Perfect Continuous be going to
The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.
The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Used to
Jerry used to pay the bills.
The bills used to be paid by Jerry.
Would Always
My mother would always makethe pies.
The pies would always be madeby my mother.
Future in the Past Would
I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM.
I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future in the Past Was Going to
I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.
I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight.
Transitional Words and Phrases
1. Why use transitional words and phrases?
Transitional words and phrases (e.g. however , or , finally , before ) contribute to the unity (cohesiveness) of a text. Indeed, without these words or phrases, a text will most likely seem disorganized and will often be difficult to understand. When used they provide greater organization within a text and lead to greater understanding and enjoyment on the part of the reader.
Grammatically, such words and phrases fall under a number of categories:
• Conjunctions: but, provided, and, although
• Prepositional phrases: in addition to, in conclusion
• Adverbs: also, however, nevertheless
Transitional words and phrases can be placed in various places in a text. This might be:
• between paragraphs
• between sentences
• between sentence parts
• within sentence parts
For example, you could write:
Mexican immigration has recently been the subject of much discussion within US political circles. However, most ordinary Americans know little of this burning issue.
The word 'however'contributes to greater unity or cohesion between sentences.
Or you could write:
Mexican immigration has recently been the subject of much discussion within US political circles but most ordinary Americans know little of this burning issue.
The word 'but'contributes to greater cohesion within a sentence.
