这英语课真没什么好上的。

# 02-18

In class: James
In written communication: Mr. Philpott

8:00 - 9:30 Reading & Writing
10:00 - 11:30 Listening & Speaking

# Periodicals

4-types:

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Trade journals (depends on which journal)
• Scholarly journals (academic)

Fill in the table below:

Professionals, Lots, Common language, Some, Complex language, Colourful, Current events, General public, Academics, Research & development

# What's your day?

• 5-8 pm evening
• 10 pm night

# ideas of electronic devices

Electronic devices are highly prevalent in the modern world. How do they impactt our lives?

positive:

1. Easy to find and spread information
2. Shopping and traveling are more convenient
3. Programs can correct our mistakes
4. Automated tools improve productivity and efficiency
5. Information and behaviours are more unified and easy to be controlled.

negative:

1. imformation online is not always reliable
2. Loss of control over data
3. Less need to learn or practice things ourselves
4. Connection between people is less
5. Maybe harmful to health
6. Divert attention than reading books

conj: However, Overall

If we use them for long time, then...

responsibly

# Cohesive devices

Use to link clauses => sentence.

To begin:

• First of all...
• To begin with...
• Firstly...
  To add an idea

First of all, I think electronic devices do have the positive effects of our lives. For example, there are many automated tools that can improve productivity and efficiency. However, there are also negative effects of electronic devices. For example, information online is not always reliable, and it can weak the connection of people. Also, if we use them for long time, then it may be harmful to our health. Therefore, we should use electronic devices responsibly.

# 02-25

# Academic Readig Skills

1. Skimming and Scanning
   1. skimming: extensive reading, looking for general information, top-down process
   2. scanning: intensive reading, looking for specific information, bottom-up process

Quotation. 引用

下面是一个阅读练习

# Journals

• Trade journals
  • limit use of jargon
  • may conain in-text citations
  • not peer reviewed
• Scholarly journals
  • jargon used
  • contain in-text citations
  • usually peer reviewed

Jargon: special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.

Paraphase: ideas from the source but written in your own words.
Direct quotation: double quotaiton marks are used. The page number must be used to show the location of a direct quote, but optional in paraphase.

Scholarly journals

Two main types of artical:

1. Original research articals: detail laboratory research and/or data analysis
2. Review articals: summarise and evaluate published literature

However, articals often contain elements of both types.

Homework: skim-read 3 articals which we will use in future lessions.

1. trade journal
2. research article
3. review article

# Speaking

Are the 'new ways' better than the 'old ways'?

paper books & tickets: for collecting.

• I play with my phone all the time.
• I play games on my phone.
• They will play with their phone rather than concentrating.

# Academic listening skills

1. Listening vs Reading.
2. Verbal signposts.
3. Distinguishing main ideas.

# Listening vs Reading

• extensive listening
  • listening for the topic and orher general information
• intensive listening
  • listening for specific words or phrases

# Verbal signposts

Signpost: 路标。

• Introducing the topic:
  • The purpose of this lecture is...
• Outlining the structure:
  • The topics we will cover are...
• Introducing sections:
  • Firstly... Next... Finally...
• Summing up:
  • Let's conclude by...

# Distinguishing main ideas

• Before:
  • Look at the title
• During:
  • Listen for the verbal signposts.
  • Listen for intonation slowing down, speaking louder.
  • Listen for repeated terms.
• After:
  • Look back at your notes and highlight the key details.

# The Urban Landscape

是一段听力练习。

Two areas of focus:

• the effect of vegetation on the urban climate
• ways of planing our cities/environment better

Large-scale impact of trees

• they can make cities more or less windy
• in summer they can make cities cooler
• they can make inland cities moore humid

Local impact of trees

• they can make local areas:
  • more shady
  • cooler
  • more humid
  • less windy
  • less dangerous

Comparing trees and buildings

1. Temperature regulation:
   • trees evaporate water through their leaves
   • building surfaces
2. Wind force:
   • tail building ground
   • filter
3. Noise
   • trees have a small effect on traffic noise
   • low frequency noise passes through trees

Important points

• room

# 03-04

# Sentence Structures

# Punctuation marks

标点符号。

# Parts of Speech

Determiner usually go before a noun, including 'a', 'the' and etc.

# Groups of words

s -> z (pronunciation)
eg: nose

# Structures

• Simple Sentence 简单句
  • one independent clause
  • The dog barks.
• Conpound Sentence 复合句
  • two or more independent clauses
  • coordinating conjunction
    • including and, or, but, so, yet, for...
  • the alternatives of conjuction include colon(😃, semi-colon(😉, and dash(-).
  • That dog is barking, but it looks happy.
    • The comma before conjunction is necessary.
• Complex Sentence 复合句
  • one independent clause and one or more dependent clause
  • subordinating conjunction
  • The dog is barking bucause it is hungry.
    • The conjunction is the part of the dependent clause.
    • No comma here when the independent clause is the first one. But when the dependent clause is the first one, a comma is necessary. For example: Because it is hungry, the dog is barking.
  • Subordinating conjunctions + alternatives:
    • because, if, since, unless, so, until, even though, whereas, although, since, etc. (et cetera)
    • relative pronouns: that, whose, which etc.
    • relative adverbs: where, when, why, how etc.

'So' can be a coordinating or subordinating conjunction.

• where 'so' = 'therefore', 'so' is a coordinating conj.
  • I said I would not give you homework today, so I won't. (Coordinating conjunction)
  • I stayed up late yesterday, so I'm tired today.
• where 'so' = 'in order that', 'so' is a subordinating conj.
  • I got up at 7am so I could go jogging before breakfast. (Subordinating conjunction)
  • I stayed up late yesterday so I could go to bed early today.

The important thing of PhD is to know where to put the comma.

# Passive voice

• Active voice
  • Subject does the action.
  • James added 250ml of water to the glass.
• Passive voice
  • Action is done to the subject.
  • 250ml of water was added to the glass by James.
  • Using verb 'to be' and past participle of the verb.

Passive voice is used in academic weiting:

• to maintain the objectivity
• where the 'actor' is unimportant
• to emphasise something

In most passive sentences, the 'actor' is removed.

• 250ml of water was added to the glass.

# Public Speaking

Public speaking is speaking to an audiance, usually a speech or a presentation.

# Prearartion

1. Developing ideas
   • How many?
   • Examples?
2. Organising ideas
   • Linking words.
   • Refer to the title/topic.

# Delivery

1. Notes:
   • key points only.
2. Rehearsing:
   • Practice with different audiences.
   • Reduce reliance on notes.
3. Presenting
   • Loud and clear at a suitable speed.
   • Maintain eye contact.

Introduce a place you have travelled to (30 seconds).

• location.
• interesting facts.

Vancouver port city

Gas Bell. big ben

powered by steam

the age of steam and industry

# Common problems

1. Poor delivery
2. Volume too low
3. Issues of notes
4. Good notes to good speech.
5. Errors in vocabulary or grammar, such as spelling, verb conjugation, part of speech, etc.

example new & old ways:

positive:

• Programs can correct our mistakes
• Automated tools improve productivity and efficiency
• Information and behaviours are more unified and easy to be controlled.

workflow

negative:

• Less need to learn or practice things ourselves

• Connection between people is less

• Maybe harmful to health

• Divert attention than reading books

• two-edged sword

• present attention, AI student

• On the positive side:

  • automated tools
    • make us efficient
    • keep
  • workflow
  • software help concentrate

• negative

  • divert ~
    • switch the state easily
    • short videos, games, shopping
    • spend money easily

Oral test: individual presentation.
Homework: group presentation.

# 03-11

# Figure of speech

Language used in a figurative rather than a literal way.

Where can you see them?

• Very common in novels and poems.
• Common in magazines, newspapers, trade jurnals.
• Rare in scholarly journals.

# Sounds

• Alliteration (头韵):
  • Repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
  • Example:
    • big business
    • quick question
• Assonance:
  • Repetition of vowel sounds
  • Example:
    • I have a need for speed!
    • Just go with the flow!
• Homoeoteleuton (尾韵):
  • Repetition of sound at eht end of words
  • Example:
    • Correlation does not imply causation.

# Words

• Word repetition
  • Repetition of words
  • Example:
    • Let's have a heart-to-heart conversation.
• Polyptoton
  • Repetition of words from the same root
  • Example:
    • Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton

# Phrases

• Simile (明喻)
  • Compares two similar things, often contains 'like' or 'as'.
  • Example:
    • Watching that film was like watching paint dry.
• Metaphor (暗喻)
  • Declares that two things are so similar as to be the same.
  • Example:
    • Time is money.
• Analogy
  • Metaphor or simile which describes and explains an idea.
• Metonymy (转喻)
  • Referring to something via a thing associated with it.
  • Example:
    • The White House is calling a press briefing tomorrow.
• Synecdoche (提喻)
  • Referring to something via part of it or part of something via the whole.
  • Example:
    • He showed off his new wheels.
• Hyyperbole (夸张)
  • Describing something as greater that it really is.
  • Example:
    • I could sleep for a week!
• Understatement (轻描淡写)
  • Describing something as less than it really is.
  • Example:
    • There's been a slight issue with your paperwork.

# Speech Presentation

# Vocabulary building

• Derivation
  • a word which has been formed from another word
  • Example:
    • convenient -> convenience
• Collocation
  • words which commonly apprear together
  • Example:
    • have lunch