CELTA PRE-INTERVIEW TASK

Michel
First Name Last Name Jorge
You may need to refer to a good dictionary or grammar book to complete the following exercises. We recommend
the following resources:

• English Grammar in Use – Raymond Murphy (Cambridge University Press)

• Practical English Usage - Michael Swan (Oxford University Press) or Grammar for English Language Teachers - Martin
Parrot (Cambridge University Press)
• Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (accessible online at http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/)

All of the above can be accessed at The British Library.

PART ONE – GRAMMAR

1.1 Identify the underlined parts of speech from the following sentences choosing from the selection below.

Example question: He was extremely pale. adverb

pronoun
1. I entered my office. adverb
noun
adjective
main verb
2. He found a £20 note.
main verb indefinite article
3. They bought the table. determiner / definite article

definite article auxiliary verb

preposition
4. It’s on the table.

adjective
pronoun
5. It was a soft fabric.
conjunction preposition
noun
6. His name was John.

1.2. Briefly highlight how you would convey to a student the difference in meaning between these pairs of sentences.
You can assume that the learner understands the vocabulary in the sentence.

a. When I arrived, they had eaten. // When I arrived, they were eating.
The first sentence refers to an action that occurred before the other one. (The had eaten)
The second sentence refers to an action that was occurring at that same moment. (They were eating)

b. She speaks Spanish. // She’s speaking Spanish.

The first sentence expresses habits or things she does regularly "speaks".
The second sentence refers to one action that is happening at the present moment "speaking".

c. She has starred in several major films. // She starred in several major films.
The first sentence refers to "she has starred... " at an unknown time in the past and possibly will happen.
The second sentence shows an action that was finished at a specific period in the past.

d. He stopped smoking. // He stopped to smoke.

In first sentence means that "he's a non smoker anymore".
In second sentence means that "he stopped somewhere to smoke".

e. If I win the competition, I’ll celebrate. // If I won the competition, I would celebrate.
The first sentence describes one situation that I think is likely to happen in the future, whereas the second sentence means a thing that I don't think will
really happen. It's subjective; it depends on my point of view.
1.3. Sometimes when teaching English, you may have to analyse the form of a verb phrase, and break it down into its
constituent parts.

For example, ‘they were getting on…’

a. past continuous (or progressive)

b. subject + was / were + verb + ‘-ing’ (or present participle)

Look at the following verb phrases and analyse their form in the same way as above.

1. Chocolate is made with cacao.

Present Passive Voice
a.

Subject + is/are + Verb in past participle + complement

b.

2. I’ll be sitting on a plane this time tomorrow.

Future Continuous
a.

Subject + will + be + Verb+'-ing' + complement

b.

3. We’ve been trying to solve this for months.

Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous
a.

Subject + have/has + been + Verb+'ing' + complement

b.

PART TWO - VOCABULARY

2.1 English contains many homophones: words that are pronounced in the same way but spelled differently, such as
floor and flaw. It is common for English users to make a mistake by writing the wrong one. For example, ‘There are
serious floors in this argument.’

Underline the homophone mistake and write the correction on the line.

bear
1. There was a big bare sleeping quietly behind the tree.

sales
2. The January sails are a great time to buy clothes in the UK.

sew
3. I’m going to ask my friend to sow the hole in my trousers.

pane
4. The window pain was broken, so we called someone to fix it.
2.2 If a learner of English asked you to explain the difference between the following words and phrases, what would
you say? Try to make the language you use suitable for somebody for whom English is a second language.

a. slim – skinny
**Slim is used as an adjective of beautiful and healthy.
Example: "Wow Katy, you look so slim! It's been a while since we met."
**Skinny means that you are unattractively thin.
Example: "Hi David, I think you'd better see a doctor, you look skinny and this is not good for your health."
**Now using "Skinny" for a pair of pants or trousers it means tight-fitting and with very narrow legs.
Example: "In the winter, I love skinny jeans and boots."

b. say – tell
**Say --> is used to convey specified information, an opinion, a feeling or intention, or even an instruction.
Example: "I don't want to say too much today".
**Tell --> is used to communicate an information to someone in spoken or written words, you can use it to report things or in direct speech.
Example: "She's telling me the truth"

c. He’s in prison. – He’s in the prison.

The first statement means that he is confined in a prison somewhere. It doesn't matter his physical location and it indicates his status as a prisoner.
The second statement refers to a physical presence in a specific prison complex.It means that someone is inside the prison right now or in front of it,
possibly on business or as a visitor.

PART THREE – PRONUNCIATION

3.1 The word ‘computer’ has three syllables: com/pu/ter. The stressed syllable is the middle syllable: com/pu/ter.
Write the number of syllables in the following words on the line below, and underline the stressed syllable.

1. photograph pho/to/graph
pho/to/gra/pher
photographer photographic pho/to/gra/phic

cri/ti/ci/se cri/ti/que cri/ti/cal

2. criticise critique critical

3.2. Look at the following mini-conversations. For speaker B, state which word is the stressed one.

Example a. Where do you study?

b. I study in Holborn. Stressed word: Holborn
1. a. Do you speak Spanish?
French
b. No, I speak French. Stressed word:

2. a. Which car is yours?

Red
b. It’s the red one. Stressed word:

3. a. Do you want to fix it?

Sell
b. No, I want to sell it. Stressed word:

4. a. I’m fine.
How
b. No, I asked how old you are. Stressed word:
3.3. Match the words below with the word that contains the same vowel sound. Write them in pairs below.

Example: fate / weight (the sound /eɪ/)

Bear Hair
1. /
bear beer door
Rub Glove
2. / third
Raw Door hair burst
3. / liar
4. Third
/ Burst glove fate
fear
5. Fire
/ Liar
rub fire
raw
Fear Beer
6. /

PART FOUR - TEXT

4.1 Correct the errors in the following passage. Use the space below the words to write the correction.

Example: I thinks that TV have….

think

“I thinks that TV have a big influence on young people, when they dont have a well education. Nowadays parents works a lot...
"I think that TV has a big influence on young people, when they don't have a good education. Nowadays parents work a lot...

...and its children grow up without instruction. It has young people which do not know the different in right and wrong. The most...
and their children grow up without any instruction. There are young people which do not know the difference of right and wrong. The most...

...programmes for children do not set a good example. In addition to this, when people watch TV they waste many time.”
...programmes for children are not a good example. Furthermore, when people watch TV they waste much time."

PART FIVE - TEACHING AND LEARNING

5.1 What techniques might you use to motivate and energise a class of tired adults? (50-100 words)
When I am in class, I try to make an interactive and dynamic class. I sometimes like to take the opportunity to construct their knowledge in a way that is
meaningful to them. For this reason, I have all sorts of materials from OUP (Oxford University Press), references, graphics, short videos, music videos,
films, lectures, podcasts and free resources available. In such a perfect learning environment I think that theses things make them want to learn more.
And every class I start, I create groups of discussion and so quickly they start exchanging knowledge, and also have fun.