Assignment #2.12

1. Our next lesson will be on Monday, January 6, 2020.
2. A Christmas time is not only a time to enjoy good food and Santa Claus presents, but also a good opportunity to reflect on more important and serious things. It is also a good time for sweet recollections from the previous occasions like this. For you, Szymon, your dad and your grandfather it will be yet another Christmas without your mum, which is very sad. Surely, you will be thinking about her more than usual these days. If there would be a miracle and she would show up at the Christmas Eve supper and stay with you for just few hours, what would you be asking her? Write down as many questions as you wish. You will have plenty of time before the next lesson, so don't postpone working on this assignment to the last minute. It would require serious thinking.
3. If time allows, we will continue reading about the painting The Arnolfini Marriage.

Assignment #2.11

1. Re-write the 10 questions from the last lesson with the corrections we have discussed. Now, play the role of the interviewed ballet dancer and answer each question.
2. We will continue reading about the painting The Arnolfini Marriage.

Assignment #2.10

1. Imagine, you are a newspaper reporter who is interviewing a Polish ballet dancer who at the age of 20, after early successes in her native country, was invited by the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City to dance there as a guest artist for one season. She was performing there so well, that shortly before her scheduled return to Poland, the Met signed a 5-year contract with her. At the time of the interview she is at the midpoint of the contract. Prepare 10 questions you will be asking the now world-famous dancer. Just questions, no answers. Make sure to use various tenses and voices in these questions. Also, try to apply as rich a vocabulary as you can.
2. We will continue reading about the painting The Arnolfini Marriage.

Assignment #2.9

1. Imagine, you are a police woman who is going to interrogate a man accused of burglarizing the apartment of Mrs Cook and threatening her with a gun during this operation. Formulate 10 questions you might be asking the man. Just questions, no answers. Make sure to use various tenses and voices in these questions. Also try to apply as rich a vocabulary as you can.
2. We will be reading about the painting The Arnolfini Marriage. There is no need to do anything in advance by you to prepare for this reading. This point is just a reminder and the place to include the link to the appropriate web page.

Assignment #2.8

1. Enter as a comment to this assignment the translations of the three questions we have discussed during our last lesson. Write down both the Polish and the English versions.
2. Write a short description of a book which you recently read, or a movie you watched. Express also your opinion about the subject: did you like it? Justify your judgement.

Assignment #2.7

1. Enter as a comment to this assignment the translations of the 6 questions we have discussed so far. As a reminder: these were the questions which I asked you to translate from Polish to English. Write down both the Polish and the English versions. This is now the fourth time you have been asked to do so. On all three previous occasions you misunderstood this instruction and did something else instead. So now, if you have any slightest doubt as to what you have to do, use our WhatsApp communication channel to clarify the issue.
2. Review the grammatical material we have learned last year and which was captured in form of diagrams on the page Pictures. Be prepared to answer questions related to: speech parts, tenses, pronouns, prepositions, and modal verbs.
3. Check whether you know all the words from the list 500 most frequently used English words. 

Assignment #2.6

1. Enter as a comment to this assignment the translations of the three questions we have discussed during our lesson 3 weeks ago. As a reminder: these were the questions which I asked you to translate from Polish to English. Write down both the Polish and the English versions.
2. We will work on directives 2 and 3 from the previous assignment, because last time we fully concentrated on your translation of the essay you were to submit for your English class. Below is the final version of the essay with your teacher's notes.

Assignment #2.5

1. Because of some misunderstanding on your part, you haven't executed the first directive from the previous assignment. Do it now.
2. Based on your written report about this year's Summer vacation, we will talk more about this subject.
3. You will be expected to know the words from the list published for the assignment #2.1 and be able to form sentences in which these words would be applied.

Assignment #2.4

1. Enter as a comment to this assignment the translations of the three questions we have discussed during our last lesson.
2. Write a report on how you spent the Summer vacation this year. Considering the short time remaining before our next lesson, the decision on how much to write is yours. Place your text as a comment to this assignment.

Assignment #2.3

1. Based on our discussion of the sentences you have written for the last two assignments make the necessary corrections to them and place their modified versions (whenever necessary) as a comment to this assignment.
2. Make sure that you know how to formulate questions in English, both in the active and passive modes.
3. Refresh your vocabulary related to the description of your Summer vacation.

Assignment #2.2

1. Create next 20 sentences using the words from the list presented as part of the previous assignment. Try to be more ambitious this time and make the sentences more complex than the last ones. In particular minimize the use of the verbs "be" and "have".  Post the sentences as a comment to this assignment.
2. Be prepared to continue your Summer vacation recollections. Anticipate the vocabulary which you might need to relate the events from this period.

Assignment #2.1

1. We will continue our conversation about how you spent the Summer vacation. Think in advance about what you will be saying and prepare the useful vocabulary.
2. For each of the selected words (your choice) from the list you sent me (shown below), build a sentence in which the word would be used. For the purpose of better readability, the original list has been split into two parts. Place the sentences as a comment to this assignment.

Assignment #22

1. Study the chart Conditional Chart with Examples. 
2. Do Conditional Exercise 1.
3. Study the tutorial Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns
4. Continue reading and listening to the book The Secret Garden: text source * audio source until  the paragraph starting with:She was grinding her teeth. After listening to each sentence, repeat it trying to reproduce its pronunciation as close as possible. If necessary, repeat several times, until you will be satisfied with your performance.

Assignment #21

1. Enter the corrected version of your essay on ballet as a comment to the previous assignment.
2. Read the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article on pointe shoe.
3. Read and listen to the first paragraph from the book The Secret Garden: text source * audio source. After listening to each sentence, repeat it trying to reproduce its pronunciation as close as possible. If necessary, repeat several times, until you will be satisfied with your performance.

Assignment #20

• Read the first paragraph from the Wikipedia article on History of ballet.
• Describe your passion for ballet. When it started and why? How have you learned it? What were some of the most memorable performances you participated in? Address other issues of your choice as well. Follow the procedure Writing an essay. Place the description as a comment to this assignment.
• Read and listen as much as you can from the book The Secret Garden: text source * audio source. After listening to each sentence, repeat it trying to reproduce its pronunciation as close as possible. If necessary, repeat several times, until you will be satisfied with your performance.

Assignment #19

Write about Easter. What is the significance of this holiday to you? Address both its religious as well as its cultural aspect. Which one is more important to you? What is the religious meaning of Easter? What is being celebrated? Which of the religious events related to Easter do you usually participate in? On the cultural level write about food, Easter eggs, Easter bunny, "śmigus-dyngus", etc.

Follow the procedure Writing an essay. Place the description as a comment to this assignment.

Assignment #18

1. Correct your essay from the previous assignment following the discussion we had about it during our last lesson. Place the modified version as a comment to Assignment #17.
2. Describe the picture of your choice (included here, below). Follow the procedure Writing an essay. Place the description as a comment to this assignment. 
3. Read the first three paragraphs of the Wikipedia essay on the European Union. Be prepared to translate and read it aloud.

Assignment #17

1. Describe your recent disease. What have been the symptoms? Have you been suffering a lot? Did you go to see the doctor? What was his or her diagnosis? Did he write any prescription? What were his recommendations for how you should behave during the convalescence? These are only some questions you might consider while writing your report. Address other issues as well. Follow the procedure Writing an essay. Place the essay as a comment to this assignment. 
2. Read the first paragraph from the Wikipedia article on Pneumonia. Be prepared to translate and read it aloud.
3. Do parts 1 through 10 of Verb Tense Exercise 5. There is no need to copy them here as a comment.

Due by next Monday.

Assignment #16

1. Listen to the dialog of the Basic Listening Lesson #32. Only after that look at the transcript (Step 3). Make sure, you understand everything and know how to pronounce all the words. Study the questions (Step 2).
2. Do dialogs 1 and 2 from Modal Verbs Exercise 6.

There is no need to place any comments for this assignment.

Assignment #15

1. Write a short essay describing your recent birthday party. Start with what you told me during our lesson, namely, how you were panicking that you wouldn't be ready with your preparations before your guests would arrive.
   Write the essay following the procedure Writing an essay. The text should be at least 150-word long. Place the essay as a comment to this assignment. 
2. Do sentences 1-10 from Modal Verbs Exercise 2.

Both tasks are due by Monday.

Emilka's school assignment (7.3.2019)

Small corrections:

1. back to home --> back home
2. is good idea --> is a good idea
3. rabbit name --> rabbit's name
4. mum will change opinion --> your mum will change her opinion

Assignment #14

1. Do the English Proficiency Test again. This time, however, don't forget to take notes of your answers and to place them as a comment to this assignment.
2. Improve on the parse tree for the sentence from the previous assignment:

The apples which you see on the table are from my garden.

Next to each node with more than one child write the number of the rule which you used to create the node. Working on the parse, make sure to follow the advice in Parsing sentences using the phrase-structure grammar.

Parse trees for Assignment #13

 The apples which you see on the table are from my garden.

Emilka's school assignment (26.2.2019)

Eecently I had a winter break for two weeks. It was fantastic. I was at the cinema or shopping. I also often met with friends. The best day was Tuesday in the second week of the winter break.
On this day I woke up, ate breakfast and at 11 am I went on skates. I was at the ice rink with my brother Szymon, cousins and their parents, that is, my uncle. We were there for two hours. Then we wanted to go a bowling, but everywhere was occupied, so we went to eat a pizza. We bought three small and one big pizzas. It was delicious.
When we finished eating, everyone started to talk. Then we went home.
At home I with Szymon were playing at many games.
This day was amazing and funny.

Assignment #13

1. Listen to the story A talking frog on YouTube which you will find there. Produce the transcript of the story and place it as a comment to this assignment. Practice the reading of the story from the transcript. If not sure how to pronounce a particular word, play the story again and notice how the word is pronounced. I expect you to read the story to me without my corrections.
2. Continue with the English Proficiency Test. Don't forget taking notes of your answers. Put the answers as a comment to this assignment.
3. Backlog from Assignment #12: Study the pictures about the different types of pronouns and their functions.
4. Study the final parse tree for the sentence which we discussed during our last lesson. This is the last figure in Parse trees for Assignment #12.
5. Parse the following sentence:

   The apples which you see on the table are from my garden..

Next to each node with more than one child write the number of the rule which you used to create the node. Working on the parse, make sure to follow the advice in Parsing sentences using the phrase-structure grammar.

Tasks #4 and #5 are due by Sunday, the remaining ones a day after.

Parse trees for Assignment #12

Sentence to parse:

My next essay will be about a picture which I will be selecting from a big album.

The first failed attempt.

After the suggestion to replace the compound sentence by two simple sentences which would convey the same meaning:

First sentence.

Second sentence.

The above is incorrect, because the NP from the previous sentence, namely "a picture", is missing. It should be:

I will be selecting a picture from a big album.

The second failed attempt.

In the following picture the incorrect fragments have been enclosed in numbered boxes. The comments below correspond to these boxes:

1. There is no rule: VP --> NP PP
2. The correct parse tree should have only one root, in this case it should be S.
3. There is no rule: VP --> VP NP
4. There is no rule: NP --> PP
5. The movement is wrong: NP cannot undergo a change to VP during the movement.

Incorrect fragments are enclosed in boxes.

Correct parse:

The number in red next to a tree node is the number of the rule applied to create this node. For example, 6 corresponds to the rule: VP --> (Aux) (Aux) V ( [ NP PP ] ).

The above sentence could be parsed in other ways as well, but considering the rules introduced so far (shown below), is seems to be the only one possible.

Assignment #12

1. Re-work the description of the picture from Assignment #11 applying the method presented in part "Writing an essay" in Procedures.
2. Study the pictures about the different types of pronouns and their functions.
3. Take the English Proficiency Test. Before starting, translate the description of the test using Google so that you understand how the test works.
4. Parse the following sentence:

   My next essay will be about a picture which I will be selecting from a big album.

using only the Phrase-structure grammar rules. Send me the diagram. Make sure to use a thick pen.

Task #4 is due by Sunday. The remaining ones by Monday.

Assignment #11

Because of the winter break there was no home work for this lesson. However, Emilka decided on her own to work on a description of the following photo:

Polish version

Na zdjęciu widzę kobietę, stojącą na górze i patrzącą się na piękny, rozległy krajobraz.

Ubrana jest w luźne,niebieskie wzorzyste spodnie i brązowy, obcisły top. Ma ona na głowie pomarańczowy turban. Nie ma butów, ani biżuterii. Trzyma się za spodnie. Jest wysoka i posiada ciemną karnację. Jest w wieku około 23 lat. Wydaje się spokojna i szczęśliwa. 

Na drugim planie widzę duży, samotny głaz, który stoi w centrum ogromnej, zielonej dżungli. W dali widzę wysokie góry. może tam jest wioska kobiety, do której zaraz pójdzie. Możemy również zobaczyć, że za głazem jest mały fragment jeziora.

Niebo na obrazku jest kolorowe. Ma ono barwę niebieska i delikatnie pomarańczową, więc domyślam się, że jest to zachód słońca.

Na niebie jest tylko jedna chmura.

Zdjęcie jest bardzo przyjemne i uspokajające.

English translation

On a photo I can see a woman, who stands on a mountain, and she looks at a beautiful vast view.

She is wearing in a loose, blue patterned trousers and a brown tight top. She has got orange turban on her head. The woman hasn't got shoes and a jewelry. She holds her pants.

The woman is toll, and she has got a dark skinned. She is in her mid 23 years old. She seems to be calm and happy.

On the background I can see a big, lonely stone which is stand in a middle of huge, green jungle. I, the distance I can see high mountains. Maybe there is a village of a woman she will go to.

We can also see that there is a small fragment of the lake behind the rock.

A sky on the photo is colorful. It is blue and slightly orange, so I guess it's a sunset. On the sky is only one cloud.

The photo is very nice and reassuring.

Assignment #10

1. Correct the parse tree for the sentence from the previous assignment following the discussion we have had on it during our last lesson. Post the photo of the tree on WhatsApp.
2. Write a description of the picture of your choice:

Describe it first in Polish so that your imagination wouldn't be restricted by the language. Only then translate it into Polish applying the approach we have discussed during our previous two lessons. The English version should have at least 150 words. Insert both versions as comments to this assignment. 

Task #1 is due by Sunday, task #2 by Monday.

Keep learning words from your flashcards on the daily basis.

Assignment #9

1. Produce the final version of  your original essay on the favourite teacher.. Place it as a comment to this assignment.
2. Translate into English your Polish version of the essay, using the approach we have  discussed during our last lesson.
3. Parse the following sentence in a manner illustrated in Sentence structure. Draw its parse tree on paper. Take a photo of the diagram and post it to me on WhatApp.

My next essay will be about a picture I will select from my album.

1. We will continue with the Modal Verbs Exercise 1. Make sure that you would know how to pronounce the words used there.

Tasks #1 and #3 are due by Saturday. Task #2 is due by Monday.

Assignment #8

1. Correct the essay on your favourite teacher following the discussion from the last lesson. Place the new version as a comment to Assignment #7.
2. I was worried that you were not able to write at least 150 words about one teacher. Write this essay again, this time in Polish only, but be more creative. Here are some ideas for you: You could write about his age, his appearance, the way he dresses; about how he speaks (can he express himself fluently, does he have a nice voice?). Is he fair in evaluating students' work? What about his temper? Does he ever get upset and angry? Give some examples of his jokes (you wrote, he had a good sense of humour). Does he assign any homework? If so, is it interesting? Does he correct it? And so on. Place the Polish essay as a comment to this assignment.
3. Study the parse tree of the last, most complex sentence, which I have added to Home assignment #7, task 4. We will discuss it during our next lesson.
4. Finish the Modal Verbs Exercise 1 (exercises 10-20). Process all new words following the procedure Processing new words. Pay special attention to the pronunciation. During our previous lesson you had serious troubles with it.
5. If you haven't done it for the previous lesson already, study the two pictures Modal verbs. Make sure you understand everything there.

 The task #1 is due by Saturday. The remaining ones are due by Monday.

Home assignment #7, task 4

PassS - Passive Sentence * PP - Prepositional Phrase * Prep - Preposition

Assignment #7

1. Write a short essay about your best teacher (now or in the past). Concentrate on explaining why you liked her (or him). Write it following the procedure Writing an essay. The text should be at least 150-word long. Place the essay as a comment to this assignment. 
2. Study the two pictures Modal verbs. Make sure you understand everything there.
3. Finish the Modal Verbs Exercise 1. Process all new words following the procedure Processing new words. Pay special attention to the pronunciation.
4. Parse the following sentences in a manner illustrated in part Sentence structure. For each sentence draw its parse tree on paper. Take a photo of each diagram and post them on WhatApp.
   

   (a) The mysterious Shakespeare wrote many brilliant plays.

(b) Mozart composed 27 piano concertos.

(c) The local library has many beautiful books illustrated by the famous painter from Delft.

Tasks #2 and #3 are due by Friday. The remaining tasks are due on Monday.

Assignment #6

1. Your essay describing your New Year's Eve party was unacceptable. You admitted, you wrote it in a hurry, so no wonder, the result was bad. Write it again following the procedure "Writing a composition / an essay" in Procedures. The text you submitted was 87-word long. Make sure, it would have at least 150 words as requested. Place the new version as comment to this assignment. Don't delete the previous version.
2. Study the diagram "Speech parts" in Pictures. Learn by hard what is the function of each speech part. Be prepared to give some examples of each.
3. Do all the overdue tasks from Assignment #5.
4. Don't wait until the last minute to do this homework. Note the time you will have spent.

Assignment #5

Overdue tasks from assignment #4:

1. Read the part "Complex sentences" from the page Sentence Structure. Process all new words following the procedure "Processing new words" in Procedures.
2. Analyze your errors you made in your posts on the WhatsApp Chat (November 2018). When you will not be sure how to correct them, make a note so you would be able to bring them up for discussion during our next lesson. Enter all the corrected fragments as a comment to the post WhatsApp Chat (November 2018).

New tasks:

1. Aunt Dorota told me that you spent the New Year's Eve at a party. Write a short report of this event. It should have at least 150 words. To count the words use the Word Counting Tool. Place the report as a comment to this post.
2. Go through the Verb Tense Exercise 1 again and process all new words following the procedure "Processing new words" in Procedures.
3. Do the same as in 2. for the Position Prepositions Exercise 1.

 All tasks are due by Monday midnight.