English 1.4 lesson 5

• English
• HBO
• Studiejaar 1

Lesson 6 English 1.4

Language skills

Feedback on the summary of the article

Preparation for the letter of interest

Language skills - word formation

• increase vocabulary
• increase versatility - being able to vary your sentence structure 

Word formation

First, establish what the grammatical function is:

• someone/something: a noun
• do/go/think: a verb

noun

verb

adjective

adverb

says something about a verb​, and adjective or a clause

determine whether it is singular or plural​

says something about a noun​

pay attention to tense & form​

Note in word formation

Sometimes, the opposite is needed! anti-  and non- can be used, as well as:

Nouns:

• in-: injustice
• dis-: disinfectant
• de- : decriminalisation

Adjectives:

• in-/il-/ir-/im- : inconsistent, illogical, irreparapable, imprenetable
• un-: unworthy
• dis- : disobedient

Opposite - verbs

Verbs:

• dis- : disrespect
• disrespect (noun); disrespectful
• mis-: misinterpret
• misinterpretation
• un- : undo
• undoing
• de- : deregulate
• deregulation

Apply word formation

Market Leader Advanced, p. 45, ex. H

60 seconds:

First scan the text in one minute

Gap 1

Note: do not use capital letters, unless a word needs to have one.

gap 2

gap 3

gap 4

gap 5

gap 6

gap 7

gap 8

gap 9

gap 10

Language skills - linkers

In breakout rooms, rewrite the following sentences.

One person will fill in the answer for the whole group.

Tip: someone in your group who thinks they're weak at English?

Let this person give the answer!

Rewrite using the words in brackets

1. Even though attrition rates are high, call centres are expected to grow. (despite)
2. Staff morale is relatively good, even though they have to deal with a lot of abusive calls. (despite)
3. He decided to hand in his notice in spite of having been promised promotion. (even though)
4. Employee loyalty was good, although working conditions were appalling. (in spite of)
5. Although the company has a formal grievance procedure, staff hardly ever voice their complaints. (even though)

Note that these sentences are correct. This is a training in versatility; being able to vary your structures.

Even though attrition rates are high, call centres are expected to grow. (despite)

Despite high attrition rates, call centres are expected to grow.

Staff morale is relatively good, even though they have to deal with a lot of abusive calls. (despite)

Despite having to deal with a lot of abusive calls, staff morale is relatively good.

He decided to hand in his notice in spite of having been promised promotion. (even though)

Even though he had been promised promotion, he decided to hand in his notice.

Employee loyalty was good, although working conditions were appalling. (in spite of)

In spite of appalling working conditions, employee loyalty was good.

Although the company has a formal grievance procedure, staff hardly ever voice their complaints. (even though)

Staff hardly ever voice their complaints, even though the company has a formal grievance procedure.

A letter of interest

Enquire after openings for:

• jobs
• internships
• projects
• etc.

Letter of interest

What is a letter of interest?

Go to breakout rooms or work alone

Read pp. 15-16 of the syllabus

5 minutes

which skills would you mention in a letter of interest?

which qualifications would you mention in a letter of interest?

is there anything about your work experience that you would like to point out?

Note

• concise
• great opening
• follow-up
• formal language

Find the chunks

In breakout rooms

• go to the sample letter
• find useful chunks

a chunk is an element that you can use to build a sentence, a text, a letter....

Europe vs the States

Notes on the sample letter:

• In Europe, you spell Mr Smith and Ms smith, so without the dot!
• If you do not know whether a woman is married, you should use Ms/Ms. (Miss is generally not used in business English as it generally is used to refer to girl who is not yet 18)
• Note that in Europe, the most common salutation is "kind regards" if you do not know or have a formal relation with the addressee

Note

Chunks are useful, but be aware that everybody knows them!

Too many of them, and your letter is no more than one long platitude

Homework

Write the letter of interest

Note: it will be assessed from the greeting up to and including the salutation, but finding a company/institution to address it to will help the quality of your letter!