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UNIT 1. ENGLISH AT SEA/HOW GOOD AT LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES ARE YOU?

1a. English for seafarers Why do you need or want to learn English? Analysing your needs Before you start your course, it is a good idea to think carefully about what you need or want English for. You could analyse your needs like this. a) Decide on your main purpose for learning English. b) Make a list of the specific situations where you need to use English e.g. speaking on the telephone, answering enquiries, giving information, writing business letters. c) Decide which skills you need for each situation: extending vocabulary, dealing with grammar, listening, speaking, reading or writing. You should then have a better idea about which skills you need to work on and be able to establish your priorities. Here is an example of how one learner analysed his needs. Sven is a Swedish Youth Hostel warden who needs English for his work. He filled in the following chart. Situations Youth Hostel Reception Desk -welcoming new guests -giving information -explaining regulations -answering enquiries -putting notices up Vocabulary Grammar Listening Speaking Reading Writing

Prioritising your needs How much do you know/can you do already? Stig used an assessment scale from 1 to 5: 1= this is the standard I would like to reach-my goal; 5 = I can do very little. I am a long way from my goal.

He considered each skill that he needed and circled the number that he felt represented his position on the scale, as follows: Extending vocabulary 1 2 3 4 5 Dealing with grammar 1 2 3 4 5 Listening 1 2 3 4 5 Speaking 1 2 3 4 5 Reading 1 2 3 4 5 Writing 1 2 3 4 5

He was then able to see more clearly what he needed to improve most. What are your priorities? Stig then gave each skill a priority rating from 1 to 6: 1= highest priority 6 = lowest priority I thought I needed to improve my speaking, but now I realize that it is mainly vocabulary that is missing. My speaking is quite good, in fact. I also realized that I need to concentrate on my listening and writing. I can read English quite well- I dont need to do it much, anyway. Skill Extending vocabulary Dealing with grammar Listening Speaking Reading Writing Priority rating 1 4 2 5 6 3

You could prioritise your own needs in the same way. If you do this, it will also give you a basis for negotiating the content of your course with the other members of your class and your teacher. Now after deciding what your needs for learning English are lets see how you can practice and improve your English? Discuss your ideas with a study partner. 1b. Strengths and weaknesses Listen to the cassette. Six seafarers are talking about their language-learning experiences. What does each seafarer have the most problems with? What does each seafarer feel confident about?

Choose your answers from these language areas: listening speaking writing reading pronunciation vocabulary grammar 1. Sergey has most problems withreading. but feels confident aboutspeaking 2. Junichi has most problems withbut feels confident about. 3. Carlos has most problems with..but feels confident about 4. Boris has most problems with.but feels confident about.. 5. Hans has most problems withbut feels confident about 6. Davide has most problems with.but feels confident about...

1c. Listen again. What specific problem does each seafarer have? How does each seafarer solve his problem? Complete the table. SERGEY JUNICHI reads slowly Times himself reading short articles and writes down main points CARLOS BORIS HANS DAVIDE

specific problem solution

1d. Present Simple and Present Continuous Look at these pairs of examples. Are both examples in each pair grammatically possible? If not, can you explain why? 1. (a) Im attending a two week English course at the moment. (b) I attend a two week English course at the moment. 2. (a) Im practicing English with my study partner every week. (b) I practice English with my study partner every week. 3. (a) I know lots of English words but I cant put them together! (b) Im knowing lots of English words but I cant put them together! 4. (a) I dont have much confidence speaking at meetings. (b) Im not having much confidence speaking at meetings. 5. (a) John always talks to himself. (b) John is always talking to himself.

Present Simple and Present Continuous The Present Simple is used to describe actions which are always, generally or repeatedly true. I always get up when the sun rises. Dont you remember my telephone number? Simon doesnt play a musical instrument. Why does he go to New York so often? The Present Continuous is used to describe actions which are temporary or incomplete. The actions are happening at or around the time of speaking. Im doing a First Aid course at the moment. Are you looking for a new job/ Those stevedores arent working quickly enough! Why isnt he mending the leak? Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form. These verbs describe states, not actions. like love remember depend hate prefer want need understand contain mean realize suppose belong seem consist believe know

He doesnt believe that story. (not He isnt believing that story) That barrel contains oil. (not That barrel is containing oil!) The verb have can be used in different ways. When it is used to describe states, it is not used in the continuous form. He cant come to the meeting because he has a bad cold. I have a large family. The 2nd Officer has a good sense of humour. They dont have a car. When have is used to describe actions, it can be used as a normal verb in the simple or continuous forms. I have a shower every morning. Wait a minute! Im having a shower. Sometimes we use the Present Continuous with always to complain about an irritating habit. Compare:

Hes always forgetting to lock the door. (This means: He forgets to lock the door many times but not every time. This irritates the speaker.) He always forgets to lock the door. (This means: He forgets to lock the door every time)

1e. Complete the sentences. Write the correct form of verb in brackets. Use either the Present Simple or the Present Continuous. 1. The Chief Engineer (come) from Germany. 2.What . (you/do) just now? (listen) to the BBC, but I.(not/understand) very much! 3.Where (your brother/work)? He ..(usually/work) Head office but because the company.. (move) to a new building, he.. (work) from home at the moment. 4. Paul is a keen swimmer. He. (normally/go) to the swimming pool every morning but he.(not/go) this morning because it is closed. 5. The sun (always/set) in the west. 6. Hes so untidy! He.. (always/leave) his clothes and books lying all over the cabin. It really.. (annoy) me. 7. Come over here and look at this. The sun.. (set) and the sky is an amazing colour! 8. (he/watch) the television? No, I think he.. (sleep). 1f. Adverbs of frequency Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. Single adverbs are usually placed before the main verb but after the verb to be. He always usually/normally often/frequently quite often/sometimes occasionally rarely/seldom never rarely sometimes gets up at sunrise

He is They are

late tired after work

If two or more verbs are together in a sentence, the single adverb is usually placed after the first verb. He can usually meet us on Fridays Cargo is often transported by rail.

Always, (quite often), frequently, sometimes and occasionally can also be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence. Occasionally I call up old friends for a chat. She comes to visit me quite often. Always, rarely, seldom and never are not normally placed in these positions. However, you can use always and never at the beginning of a sentence to give an order. Always ask for identification when a visitor boards. Never smoke on deck. Longer adverbs are usually placed at the end of a sentence. We check the fire alarm every day. We inspect the fire hoses once a month. I write to my friends every week/month/year. Saturday/Wednesday. now and again. once a week/a month/a year. twice a week/a month/a year 1g. Put the adverbs of frequency in the correct position. e.g. I walk in the park (rarely) I rarely walk in the park 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. I write down all the words I know connected to a topic. (sometimes) As long as I get the main idea, its enough. (usually) He has helped me in difficult situations. (often) I can understand people speaking on the telephone. (normally) He talks to me in English. (every now and again) I write to her. (once a month)

2a. Thank you for your letter Read this letter. As you heard in exercise 1a, Davide has most problems with writing business correspondence. Identify and correct his thirteen errors. Dear Mr Schultz Thank you for your letter of enquiry about vacancies with your company. Many seafarers are contacting us every day but I am sorry to say that there is no opportunities for new staff at the moment. However, always we are keeping a register of seafarers who apply to our company. All seafarers on the register has suitable qualifications and experience. If you would like to

be on our register, please send us full details of your experience and the names of two referees. Make sure this include your full address and daytime telephone number as we have to sometimes call people at short notice. We also requires copies of your medical certificates. If not up to date, please you arrange a medical check-up. (Our seafarers go to usually Doctor Pederson. He have a surgery at 18, Brenton Street.) If our Crewing Manager decide that you a suitable candidate, we will ask you to come in for an interview. Yours sincerely Davide Manzoni

3a. Which team do you support? Read the dialogue. Three seafarers are discussing football teams. Decide if the statements are true or false. 1. 2. 3. 4. Chris thinks Italy is the most consistent team. Chris is disappointed with Englands performance. All three seafarers were impressed with Brazils 1970 World Cup team . Chris and Giuseppe prefer football as it is today. T/F T/F T/F T/F

Giuseppe: Ive got this great video about the Italian World Cup team. Dont you think that Italy is the most exciting football team in the world? Chris: I dont agree at all. The Italians might be exciting but they certainly arent consistent! If you ask me, Germany is the team to watch for consistency.

Giuseppe; Germany! Do you really think so? I thought you would be an England supporter. Chris: Pablo: Well, yes, but dont you think that since the 1970 World Cup Finals they havent performed so well? 1970? I think if youre talking about consistent genius, the 1970 Brazil team was unrivalled. Thats true. Pele, Jarzinho, Revelinho. They were brilliant.

Chris:

Giuseppe: Yes, I remember watching them on TV. They made it look so easy. It would be interesting to watch those players in todays game. Pablo: Absolutely! Defenders are so much quicker these days. Having said that, attackers get more protection from referees.

Chris:

I reckon that, as a spectacle, the game isnt as exciting as it used to be.

Giuseppe: I totally agree. I mean, take the tackle from behind, for instance. Players are either too cautious or they end up getting sent off. These new rules have taken the thrill out of the game. 3b. Giving your opinion, agreeing and disagreeing Here are some phrases for giving your opinion, agreeing and disagreeing. Giving your opinion In my opinion. Im sure (that) convinced certain I reckon/think (that) Agreeing I (totally) agree Yes, youre right I think so too Disagreeing Thats true, but. Im not so sure about that I dont agree at all

3c. Do you agree? Work with a study partner. Exchange opinions about these statements, saying if you agree or disagree. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Everyone should be able to speak at least two languages. Being a seafarer is an easy life. Generally speaking, women are more intelligent than men. Experience is better than training. Dogs are dirty animals. Ships pollute the sea.

4.a What is the secret of language learning? You are going to read a magazine article about language learning by Dr Emma Carson. Before reading it, discuss these statements with a study partner and note your ideas in the empty sections of the table. Yes/no/not necessarily 1. English is more difficult to learn than other languages. 2. To be good at English, you must learn to sound like an English person. 3. Some people are better than others at learning languages. 4. Confident people are more successful at learning languages than shy people. What do you think?

4b. Scan reading If you need to find a specific piece of information quickly from a lot of written information, it is not necessary to read every word. Run your eyes over the text until you find the information you need. This way of reading is called scan reading. Scan read the magazine article about language learning as quickly as you can and find the answer to this question. Dont attempt to read every word, just look for the answer. The secret of.. Language Learning By Roy Lynch HAVE YOU EVER tried to learn a foreign language and come to the conclusion, like me, that you are just not the type I spoke to Dr Emma Carson, a language-learning specialist, who put my mind to rest. Is English more difficult to learn than other languages? The nature of a students first language certainly plays a part in how easy or difficult English is to learn. Some English sounds, for example, may create difficulties for a student if they do not exist in his first language. In comparison to some other languages, English is rich in idioms, which may cloud understanding. However, I believe that motivation is the key factor to understand. If students are motivated to learn English, they are less likely to be put off by potential difficulties. To be good at English, do you have to sound like an English person? Sounding like an English person does not necessarily mean you are good at English. And being good at English does not necessarily mean you have to sound like an English person. In my opinion, the most crucial factor is being understood by whoever is listening. If people have trouble understanding you because of your accent, it is wise to do something to improve it. It is important to remember that your accent is part of your identity. Because English is spoken around the world, there are many varieties of it. Just think of Indian English, Scottish English, American English, Australian English. The list goes on. These days, a foreign accent is perfectly acceptable. Are some people better than others at learning languages? My personal view is that people who appear to be good language learners are those who make an effort to use the language in their own time. I mean, people who actively look for opportunities to practice, for example by reading a newspaper or listening to songs in their free time. Successful learners tend to be people who can identify their individual strengths and weaknesses and develop ways of studying to suit themselves. Different people prefer to learn in different ways: by studying alone, by watching videos, by playing games, by listening to the teacher, and so on. It is important to recognise which way suits you best. No one way is better than another. Of course, there are many other reasons why some people might pick up languages more quickly than others. As often as not, its a question of attitude: people generally learn better if they feel positive about learning. A positive attitude means; liking the language; tolerating the

differences between your language and the language you are learning; being motivated and determined to learn creating opportunities for yourself to practice; being confident in your abilities; and accepting your mistakes. Does that mean that confident people are more successful at learning languages than shy people? On the surface, it may look like this is the case. It cannot be denied that confidence does play a part in being successful in learning a new language. However, my own view is that being successful at learning a language does not depend on your personality type. More important than personality is the ability to recognize, firstly, what you are good at then to capitalize on it and, secondly, what you are poor at then to work on improving it. I know many shy, introverted people who are in fact highly competent and effective communicators. At the end of the day, there is no one way to learn a language. The only secret is to find the way that suits you and to practice: its all up to you! 4c. Read the text again in more detail. What are Dr Carsons opinions? Fill in this table. Yes/no/not necessarily 1. English is more difficult to learn than other languages. 2. To be good at English, you must learn to sound like an English person. 3. Some people are better than others at learning languages. 4. Confident people are more successful at learning languages than shy people. What does Dr Carson think?

4d. Compare the notes you wrote in exercise 4a. with the notes above. Are any of your ideas the same as Dr Carsons ideas? 5a. Think about these questions then discuss your answers with a study partner. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What is your main reason for learning English? In what way is your language different from English? What opportunities do you have to practice English in your spare time? How do you personally prefer to study English? What do you feel you are good at in English? Can you think of ways to improve your weak points?

5b. Listen to the cassette. Eight people are describing how they record vocabulary. 6a. Word stress Words can be divided into units called syllables. Say these words. How many syllables are there in each word? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. au/to/ma/tic 4 syllables electrician conclusion curl marriage apologized interesting

One syllable in each usually sounds stronger than the other(s). This is the main syllable or stressed syllable. It is said more loudly than the others. Sometimes the stressed syllable also contains longer vowel sounds. en-gi-neer officer vessel na-vi-ga-tion

It is important to use the correct word stress. Your pronunciation could cause problems if you stress the wrong syllable. Unlike some other languages, there are few fixed rules about word stress in English. 1. stress patterns vary. The stress does not always fall on the same syllable in words of several syllables. di-a-logue di-scus-sion un-der-stand

2. stress pattern move. The stress pattern of a word may change if the part of speech changes. pre-fer pre-fe-rence pref-e-ren-tial

When you learn a new word it is important to note the stress pattern at the same time. The rules for word stress in English have many exceptions. Here is a general pattern for two syllable words. In short, everyday words of two syllables, a common pattern is: stress on the first syllable. This pattern tends to apply to nouns and adjectives. station lifeboat lifejacket training master hundred quiet cargo galley language

6b. Odd one out. Look at the table. One of the words in each line does not have the same stress pattern as others. Say the words and circle the one which is different. Stress pattern second syllable first syllable second syllable first syllable third syllable second syllable

anchor purchase expansion photograph transportation consequently

rely vessel cinema syllable European capacity

secure bosun aggressive electric apparently certificate

exact prepare commercial illustrate unemployment political

8. Planning your learning In order to study effectively, it is useful to make a plan for yourself. Look at these two examples. 1. Marco is a seafarer from Italy who is going to be at sea for the next four months on a heavy lift vessel. Here is his study plan: Areas to improve Aim Things to do -reading -to practice reading quickly -dont stop reading to check every new word in the dictionary: try to keep reading -try to read for at least 30 minutes a day

Time Ways of assessing My improvement

-time how long it takes me to read the first three pages of each short story -write down the times in my note book

2. Kostas is from Greece and works on ro-ro vessels. Here is his study plan. To learn more vocabulary I need to: -read articles from magazines -write down new words from these articles -try to use the words every day Now you make your own plan for learning English.

ANSWER KEY UNIT 1. 1b Tapescript Sergey: I meet a lot of people at work who need to speak in English. As I usually work on multinational crewed vessels, I get the chance to practice a lot. I dont mind speaking, in fact its probably the easiest thing for me. However, I dont find reading manuals and telexes easy. Im a very slow reader: it can take me ages to read a few pages of the ships manuals when I know I should be quicker! Im trying to train myself to speed up because its very important for my job. I practice by timing myself reading magazine articles as quickly as possible and then writing down the main ideas. I now realize its possible to understand an article without reading every word. As long as I get the main idea, its usually enough. Junichi: My main problem is not knowing enough words. I can usually speak to people using easy words but I find it difficult to explain something complicated, especially if Im reporting to a senior officer or to the office. Its difficult for me to remember vocabulary unless its all connected to the same theme. I sometimes write down all the English words I know connected to a particular subject. This makes it easier for me to remember them. We studied a lot of grammar at the maritime college so thats probably my strong point. Carlos: I know lots of words-we had to learn them at maritime college and had a test every week-but I cant put them together to make long sentences! Its a bit embarrassing for me to speak to people of this and I dont have much confidence. Also, I think that when I do speak, Im probably saying the sounds wrongly. I want to sound very clear but I think my accent is quite strong. To build up my confidence I record myself speaking onto blank cassette: I describe my cabin or talk about my job or what I did yesterday. Every now and again I read a short text out loud onto the cassette, then I listen to it. I can often hear my mistakes. I record it again, trying to pronounce the words more correctly. Boris: I have to be honest-grammar isnt my favourite subject! The most difficult thing for me is the English tense system: I go, I will go, I will have gone, I had gone, I have gonethe list appears to be endless. The only way I can improve my knowledge of English tenses is to read magazine or newspaper articles from the ships library and underline examples of the tenses used in context. I can then refer to these examples if I get confused again. You see, I think reading is quite easy. I mainly read English magazines about cars and motorcycles. Hans: I studied a lot of grammar at school and then at marine college so that isnt much of a problem. But when I listen to people speaking, I miss most of it. I never seem to catch more than a few words. Why do people speak so fast? We had a visitor on the ship just last week. I think he was from Glasgow. Nobody could understand a word he said1 Ive started watching more English films recently and listening to English songs, just to get used to the sound of English. I hope this will help me understand what people say to me.

Davide: I like speaking English. Actually I just like talking-in any language! The hardest thing for me is definitely writing, especially writing anything more than a few sentences. Letters-particularly business letters and telexes where you have to be so accurate are difficult for me. It isnt always easy to just sit down and write a letter and get it right first time so at the moment Im following the advice of one of my colleagues. He told me to write the message out once and then write it again, making the improvements, and then write it out again, with more adjustments, and so on until I was happy with the finished version. I think this strategy is working and its very satisfying when I finally get it right. 1c specific problem SERGEY JUNICHI reads doesnt slowly know enough words CARLOS speaking in long sentences and speaking clearly writes records down himself vocabulary speaking according onto a to theme blank cassette BORIS tenses HANS DAVIDE understanding writing fast speech business letters and telexes watching English films and listens to English songs writes the message several times until he is satisfied with the finished version

solution

times himself reading short articles and writes down main points

reads short articles and underlines examples of the tenses in context

1d 1. (b) is not possible. Use the Present Continuous because the action is temporary. 2. (a) is not possible. Use the Present Simple because the action is repeatedly true. 3. (b) is not possible. The verb have is not used in the continuous form when it is used to describe a state. 4. (b) is not possible. Know describes a state, not an action. It is therefore not used in the continuous form. 5. (a) and (b) are both possible. Sentence (a) describes a habit. In sentence (b), always is used with the continuous form of the verb to express an irritating habit. 1e 1. The Chief Engineer comes from Germany. 2. What are you doing just now? I am listening to the BBC but I dont understand very much! 3. Where does your brother work? He usually works at Head Office but because the company is moving to a new building, he is working from home at the moment.

4. Paul is a keen swimmer. He normally goes to the swimming pool every morning but he isnt going this morning because it is closed. 5. The sun always sets in the west. 6. Hes so untidy! He is always leaving his clothes and books lying all over the cabin. It really annoys me 7. Come over here and look at this. The sun is setting and the sky is an amazing colour! 8. Is he watching the television? No, I think he is sleeping. 1g. 1. I sometimes write down all the words I know connected to a topic. 2. As long as I get the main idea, its usually enough. 3. He has often helped me in difficult situations. 4. I can normally understand people speaking on the telephone. 5. He talks to me in English every now and again. 6. I write to her once a month. 2a. Dear Mr Schultz Thank you for your letter of enquiry about vacancies with our company. Many seafarers contact us every day but I am sorry to say that there are no opportunities for new staff at the moment. However, we always keep a register of seafarers who apply to our company. All seafarers on the register have suitable qualifications and experience. If you would like to be on our register, please send us full details of your experience and the names of two referees. Make sure this include your full address and daytime telephone number as we sometimes have to call people at short notice. We also require copies of your medical certificates. If they are not up to date, please arrange a medical check-up. (Our seafarers usually go to Doctor Pederson. He has a surgery at 18, Brenton Street.) If our Crewing Manager decides that you are a suitable candidate, we will ask you to come in for an interview. Yours sincerely Davide Manzoni

3a. 1. False 2. True 3. True 4. False

4c. Yes/no/not necessarily 1. English is more difficult to learn than other languages not necessarily What does Dr Carson think? -First language has some influence -if motivated to learn English, you are less likely to worry about potential difficulties -most important thing is to be understood -foreign accents perfectly acceptable nowadays Better language learners: -tend to look for opportunities to practice -know what their strengths and weaknesses are -have a positive attitude to learning Success does not depend on personality. Success depends on your ability: -to recognize what you are good at and poor at -to work on improving your weak points

2. To be good at English, you must learn to sound like an English person. 3. Some people are better than others at learning languages.

No

not necessarily

4. Confident people are more successful at learning languages than shy people

not necessarily

5b tapescript Speaker 1 Personally, I dont like writing things down. Im a bit lazy that way. So I record myself saying new words onto a blank cassette and play them back to myself several times. That way, I can remember them better. Speaker 2 I need to memorise entire phrases for my job. I use a notebook and I write down the phrases in English first. Next to each phrase, I write the translation in Spanishthats my own language. Speaker 3 If I write the word on its own, I can never remember how to use it. So, I write down the word, and then I write an example sentence with the new word in it. I try to remember the whole example sentence. That helps me to remember the word.

Speaker 4 I like to write down words in groups connected to the same topic. If I cant remember a word I look it up on that page. For example, I have a special page for fishing, because thats my favourite pastime. And I have a special page for engineering words. I need these for my job. Speaker 5 I never have the time to look at my notebook after I have written new words in it, so I write new words on pieces of card and carry them around in my pocket. The English is on one side and my language is on the other. I take them out every now and again and test myself. Its also more fun than reading my notebook. Speaker 6 I write new words on bits of paper and pin them on my wall so I am forced to look at them! It gets a bit messy but it definitely works because I can see the words all the time. When I think I can remember them, I take down the pieces of paper and pin up some new words. Speaker 7 I try to write new words on a list. Instead of writing a translation in my own language, I write an explanation of the meaning in English. It takes longer than usual but when I am composing the English explanation, I am also thinking about the word, so it helps me to remember it. Speaker 8 Sometimes it is easier for me to draw a picture of what I want to remember. Say, for example, you want to remember all the parts of a machine. You just draw the machine and label the parts.

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