28/4/10

OUR AWARDS for 2010


My place for English celebrates its second birthday in MAy 10th in order to share it with all of you that make possible this project, we will publish in a few days the nominees for the different categories.
We have from the best blog of education to the best subscriber, etc.
If you feel part of it and you want that your blog or web be taken into consideration for the prizes please leave a comment in this post.

22/4/10

How to write a CV




The first thing you must remember is that a Curriculum Vitae is a serious document and not an experiment in surealist art. Would-be employers expect to find a CV written in a specific manner. They expect it to follow certain predetermined guideline, to be easy to read and organised logically. Following the advice and suggestions contained below will enable you to produce a professional CV simply and effectively.

Always produce a rough draft of your CV. Always use a typewriter or computer for the final draft.

Your CV should not exceed 2 pages in length and ideally it should be only one page.

Including a passport size photo is not obligatory but is advisable.

It should be presented in a clear, organised manner.

The character size (font size) you choose is important. It should not be so big that it forces you to use more than 2 pages but it should not be so small that you need a magnifying glass to read it.

It is good practice to highlight the section headers in bold type and to leave extra spaces between paragraphs.

Keep the left and right margin equal.

Always spellcheck your CV. A CV that contains spelling errors is destined for the wastepaper basket!

Always use clear unambiguious words. Highly technical words may look impressive but are apt to confuse the reader.

Avoid complicated phrases. Simple phrases are always the best.

Never take things for granted. Explain everything in a clear and concise manner.

Never use abbrieviation unless is it absolutely unavoidable. It you have to use them always explain what they stand for .

Never sign your CV, it´s not required.

Always include a letter of introduction with your CV, especially if you are not delivering by hand.

There are certain phrases and expressions that, when used correctly, will increase the impact of your CV or letter of introduction.



Extremely useful expressions in your CV:

Your description:

- Autodisciplinado (Self-disciplined)
- Persuasivo (Persuasive)
- Autoconfianza (Self-confident)
- Hábito de trabajo (Hard-worker)
- Iniciativa propia (Can work from own iniciative)
- Discreto (Discrete)
- Eficiente (Efficent)
- Receptivo (Receptive)
- Metódico y organizado (Methodical and organised)
- Preciso y cuidadoso (Careful and precise)
- Ojo para los detalles (An eye for detail)
- Con gran sentido de la lógica (Logical)
- Capacidad para conectar con la gente (Teamworker)
- Creativo (Creative)
- Capacidad de dirección
- Integridad (Integrity)
- Forma analítica de pensar (Analitical in thought)
- Gusto por la planificación (Good at planning)
- Inspirar confianza (Inspires confidence)
- Entusiasta (Enthusiastic)
- Sentido común (Common sense)

Professional Area:
- Aceleración de proyectos
- Capacidad de liderazgo (Leadership qualities)
- Reducción de costes (Cost reducer)
- Orientación hacia resultados (Results orientated)
- Programar (Programmed)
- Simplificar (Simplify)
- Incrementar (Increase)
- Establecer prioridades (Prioritiser)
- Adaptar (Adaptable)
- Responsabilidad en el gasto (Cost oriented)
- Habilidad en la gestión (Coordinator)
- Supervisar directamente (
- Respeto (Respectful)
- Capacidad para tomar decisiones (Prepared to take decisions)
- Eliminar situaciones problemáticas (Problem-solver)
- Generar resultados a corto plazo (Capable of genrating short-term results)

What information should you include in your CV


There are hundreds of different types of Curriculum Vitae (all of them are variations on a theme) and all of them contain more or less the same information. Below is an example of a simple but correctly structured CV.

PERSONAL DETAILS

- First and last names
- Place and date of birth
- Nationality
- Home address including postcode
- Passport number
- Telephone number
- E-Mail address

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
(In chonological order beginning with the most recent)
- Name of course and titles awarded e.g. BA Hons in Business Studies
- Name of the academic institution where you studied e.g. Oxford University
- Dates of the course

COMPLEMENTARY COURSES
(In chronological order beginning with the most recent)
- Name of course and tiltes awarded
- Name of the academic institution where you studied
- Dates of the course

LANGUAGES
(Beginning with your mother tongue, if necessary)
- Language
- Spoken and written level (normally: Elementary, intermediate or advanced)

COMPUTING KNOWLEDGE

- Programming languages known or software used
- Level of knowledge (Professional or user)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
(In chronological order beginning with the most recent)
- Dates
- Name of the company or organisation
- Address of the company or organisation
- Job title
- Brief description of your responsibilites

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION
Here you should include any other information that might interest a potential employer e.g. the fact that you have a clean driving licence, that you own a car and are prepared to use it for work purposes or that you are prepared to travel if required, etc.


Example of CV


source: http://www.donquijote.org/

13/4/10

groups of words falling into building-blocks which all act the same way.

Certain sets of words follow group rules of English grammar.
Many rules of grammar are quite mathematical, with groups of words falling into building-blocks which all act the same way.

For example, the spelling rules are the same for ‘practice’, ‘licence’ and ‘advice’:
the noun has a ‘c’,
while the verb has an ‘s’.

" I advise you leaving smokin"------- " He gave me a good advise"
" She practises Golf every day"------ " She has finished her Golf practice"
" The Council lincensed the construction of a new bridge"-----" They got the licence for the bridge"

Complimentary vs Complementary

Both of these spellings exist and are very often used in the wrong context; this can, of course, have a negative impact on the writer/company using the wrong version and can damage hard-won image. Some classic examples of wrong use are outlined below.

Complement

This always has the meaning of ‘completing a set/making up a whole’. This is used when saying that a tie goes well with (complements) a shirt, for example. It is also used to describe a number of people making up a group: ‘This ship has a complement of 50.’

Compliment

This has two meanings: one is that someone is expressing nice things about you, saying that you or something about you looks nice (a compliment/to compliment someone); the other (when used as ‘complimentary’) means that something is free of charge or done as an act of courtesy.
Example:

Therefore, it would be wrong to write: ‘The wine compliments the meal.’ This means that the wine tells the meal how nice it is!

What should be written is: ‘The wine complements the meal.’

Is it Every Day or Everyday?

Both of these expressions exist in British English. They do, however, have different meanings and are commonly mixed up, even by large British supermarket chains on their in-store signs!

Every day

This is used to mean that something is happening daily, as in the following examples:

* We do this every day.
* Every day, we like to contact Future Perfect.
* Available all day every day.

Everyday

This is an adjective (or describing word) meaning ‘ordinary/regular’, as in the following examples:

* This is an everyday occurrence.
* It’s just an everyday event.
* It’s an everyday object.

The bottom line:

Everyday is a single word and is an adjective, so it's the one that is used in front of a noun to describe something as normal or commonplace.
Every day is an adjective (every) plus a noun (day), and it means each day.

12/4/10

LEARNING ENGLISH WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES 2010

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

THESE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS:

Click on the video below.
Watch the video, and pay attention to it! (You can pause and rewind the video.)
Answer the listening comprehension questions below the video.
Check your answers.




QUESTIONS:

1. Dr. Watson _______________________ with Mary's parents. is planning on having tea didn't get to have tea had tea
2. Dr. Watson thinks he's _______________________ for listening to Sherlock Holmes. crazy a good friend smart
3. Watson doesn't like that Holmes leads him into situations _______________________. that are dangerous without telling him what his plans are that are not very well thought-out
4. Which of the following things does Watson NOT accuse Holmes of?: Singing loudly Stealing his clothes Playing violin at night
5. Holmes thinks he and Watson should ________________________. talk about this problem a bit more go out for a couple of drinks spend some time in the country