Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Teaching & Education for Primary education

Conversation Analysis

Conversation as a discourse type has been defined by Cook (1989) in the followin way: - it is not primarily necessitated by a practical task. - any unequal power of participants is partially suspended. - the number of participants is small. - turns are quite short. - talk is primarily for the participants and not for an outside audience.
Conversation analysis is the study of recorded, naturally occurring talk-in-interaction.
CA is only marginally interested in language as such, but first and foremost in language as a practical social accomplishment. Its object of study is the interactional organisation of social activities. CA aims at discovering how participants understand and respond to one another in their turns at talk,... Continue reading "Conversation Analysis: Principles and Methodologies" »

1. Blame it all on: Mr. Selfridge

He was the first person to write the phrase: "The customer is always right." He always thought that the customer always has to win.

2. Empty vs Full Words: Sarah Hatter

Sarah Hatter talks about achieving the best customer communication by first taking care of your daily basis, curating your language, removing robotic and empty words, and adding more sincere and human "full" words.

• Empty words: feedback, issue, we don't
• Full words: Thank you, really sorry, great idea

3. The New Times

This section discusses why customer service in hospitality is everything. The days when customers were happy only to receive thanks are gone. We have to take into account the level of customer satisfaction to provide the best customer... Continue reading "The Customer is Always Right: Exploring Modern Customer Service" »

Essential English Vocabulary and Grammar

Vocabulary: Personality Adjectives

• Defensive - Defensiu
• Aggressive - Agressiu
• Assertive - Assertiu
• Confident – Confiat, segur de si mateix
• Frustrated - Frustrat
• Innocent - Innocent
• Nervous - Nerviós
• Open - Obert
• Sensitive - Sensible
• Shy - Tímid
• Self-conscious – Tímid, cohibit
• Self-aware - Conscient
• Able - Capaç
• Happy – Content, feliç
• Important - Important
• Modest - Modest
• Safe - Segur
• Generous – Generós
• Polite - Educat

Vocabulary: Related Nouns

• Defensiveness - Defensa
• Aggressiveness - Agressivitat (Correction: Aggressivity)
• Assertiveness - Assertivitat (Correction: Assertivity)
• Confidence - Confiança
• Frustration - Frustració
• Innocence - Innocència
• Nervousness - Nerviosisme
• Openness - Extroversió
• Sensitivity - Sensibilitat
• Shyness

Linguistic Challenges in Postcolonial Literature

Language became a significant concern for postcolonial writers. While the use of English as a literary medium was the most obvious choice, different countries faced unique linguistic situations. Postcolonial societies are generally categorized as follows:

• Monoglossic: Single-language societies using English as a native tongue, typically corresponding to settled colonies such as New Zealand and Australia.
• Diglossic: Bilingual societies, including India, Africa, and Canada. In these regions, English serves as the language of power, government, and commerce. Indigenous peoples, such as the Māori, Native Canadians, and Aborigines, also operate within a diglossic framework.
• Polyglossic: Primarily found

Describing Trends and Data in Graphs

Verbs and Adverbs for Trend Description

• Sales increased dramatically (Ventas aumentaron dramáticamente)
• Sales grew steadily (Ventas crecen constantemente)
• Sales rose sharply (Las ventas aumentaron drásticamente)
• Sales declined gradually (Ventas disminuyeron gradualmente)
• Sales fell gently (Ventas cayeron suavemente)
• Sales fluctuated (Ventas fluctuaron)

Adjectives and Nouns for Trend Description

• There was a dramatic increase in sales (Hubo un aumento dramático en las ventas)
• There was a steady growth (Hubo un crecimiento constante)
• There was a sharp rise (Hubo un fuerte aumento)
• There was a gradual decline (Se observó un descenso gradual)
• There was a slight fall (Hubo una pequeña caída)
• There was a fluctuation (Había

hearing, sigth(vista),smell,taste,touch. Blinding(cegador),Brigth(brillante),crunchy,dark,deafening,faint(suave),Fragant,hard,rich(abundante),rough(aspero),silent,slimy(empalagoso),smooth(suave),soft(blando),spicy,stinky,sweet. Feel(sentir),gaze(mirada),hear,listen, look,savour, see,smell,sniff,stroke(acariciar),swallow,taste,touch,watch. Additional,adventurous, basic, careful, cautius, countless, medical, noisy, original, painful, practical, slimy,stilnky,traditional, universal, active, agreeable, different, dominant, insistent, pleasant. Come together(reunirse), dress up(disfrazarse), hand out(repartir), international, join in(participar), local, multicultural, pack out(llenar), put on(ponerse),religius,secular, set off(provocar, traditional,... Continue reading "Sensory Experiences, Language, Culture, and Fashion: A Comprehensive Guide" »

English Vocabulary for Relationships and Social Life

• Has a reputation → Tenir fama de
• Getting your own way → Sortir-se amb la seva
• Fall out with → Discutir
• Band → Unió
• Stick together → Units/Junts
• Relationship → Relació
• Mutual friend → Amic en comú
• Attracted to → Atret
• Colleague → Company de feina
• Image → Imatge
• Youth → Jove
• Make up → Reconciliar-se
• Proposals → Propostes
• Upbringing → Vida estudiantil
• Acquaintances → Coneguts
• Foster parents → Pares d’acollida
• Partners → Parella
• Fiancé → Prometit
• Host → Acollir
• Companion → Company
• Socialise → Socialitzar
• Fall for → Enamorar-se
• Keep you company → Fer-te companyia
• Loyal → Lleial
• United → Unit
• Fancy → Apetir
• Loathe → Odiar
• Break her heart → Trencar-li el cor
• Break

Tercer rekorda:

Re: Third reminder letter regarding bill RefNOXX. Third payment reminder of invoice refno

Hereby I would like to remind you that as at today your arrent debt with us for the supply of our services/We are sorry to let you know that as at today we have not received any reply to any of our letters dated on 6^thPuesto k a dia de la fch no recib: Since as at today we have not received from you any of our two previous reminder letters. Nuestros 2rekord: Despite our two previous reminders of 2nd and 1st.Relativas al abono de la fact ref444 por un importe de: respectively about the payment of our invoice ref444 amounting to €44,4. Vencio ace mas de: it expired the past 15th januay / is now past due more than.. Deberia aver sido saldada:... Continue reading "Third Reminder Letter for Unpaid Invoice - Urgent Payment Request" »

Metaphors: Rhetorical and Cognitive Understanding

We may understand metaphors in two different ways:

Rhetorical understanding

In its merely rhetorical dimension, there is no attempt to use metaphor beyond the aesthetic dimension. Metaphors in this case are convenient labels that serve the purpose of making speech sound better. As Alexander Spencer himself highlights, they are just a decoration for the discourse, which does not change the meaning.

Cognitive understanding

Cognitive linguistics goes beyond the strictly rhetorical understanding and posits that, in fact, metaphors may have a much bigger effect: metaphorisation is the transference of one concept onto another. Thus, metaphorisation can become an instrument for understanding certain domains... Continue reading "Metaphors in Language: Rhetorical and Cognitive Perspectives on Terrorism" »