CREATING A MICROTALE: WHO? WHERE? WHEN? WHAT?

Keep Calm

Yesterday, The Poppins continued their studies in Labour Integration. While the family was learning new skills to find a job, The Grandma put her business in order. The course is arriving to the end and The Grandma is closing affairs and preparing new objectives for her family, one of them, how to pass a speaking with success.

A PET Exam isn’t an easy thing, especially when the student has been a lot of years without revising the subject. The Grandma is going to explain how to create a microtale, a good tool to practise in the speaking.

More information: PET Exam (Free Practice On Line)

A microtale is a short story where the most important is answering the elemental questions: Who? Where? When? What? with a few words and using an easy vocabulary to feel comfortable during the speaking and avoid nerves and hysterias.

It’s usually a first person and real story where the main character is the narrator. This microtale is often plenty of hilarious situations and lots of sense of humour. The objective of this story is to explain something that can be controlled by the narrator and creates a point of empathy between the student and the examiner. The Grandma has practised this technique during all her travels with The Poppins. She has explained lots of short stories to her family and she has always tried to connect every story with a present fact. 

Finally, The Grandma has prepared some new material for The Poppins. For one hand, attending to Susana Poppins, she has written a small dictionary about Commercial Vocabulary and for other hand, attending to Isa Poppins, she has created a resume of some Verb Tenses.

Download Commercial Vocabulary in English

The Poppins are finishing their trip in Washington DC and they're going to travel to Switzerland where The Grandma hopes to arrive tomorrow evening.

Download Verb Tenses  

There were people who said the Society of Cincinnati
in the American revolution, of which George Washington
was one of the shining lights, was a branch of the Illuminati.

Caroll Quigley

LABOUR INTEGRATION: COURAGE & PERSISTENCE

Let's go to work!

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a written overview of a person's experience and other qualifications. In some countries, a CV is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview.

In the United Kingdom, most Commonwealth countries, and Ireland, a CV is short (usually a maximum of two sides of A4 paper), and therefore contains only a summary of the job seeker's employment history, qualifications, education, and some personal information. Some parts of Asia require applicants' photos, date of birth, and most recent salary information. CVs are often tailored to change the emphasis of the information according to the particular position for which the job seeker is applying. A CV can also be extended to include an extra page for the job-seeker's publications if these are important for the job.

In the United States, Canada, Australia and India, a CV is a comprehensive document used in academic circles and medical careers that elaborates on education, publications, and other achievements. A CV contains greater detail than a résumé, a shorter summary which is more often used in applications for jobs, but it is often expected that professionals use a short CV that highlights the current focus of their academic lives and not necessarily their full history. A CV is generally used when applying to a position in academia, while a resume is generally used when applying to a position in industry, non-profit, and the public sector.

Curriculum Vitae is a Latin expression which can be loosely translated as [the] course of [my] life. In current usage, curriculum is less marked as a foreign loanword. Traditionally the word vitae is rendered in English using the ligature æ, hence vitæ, although this convention is less common in contemporary practice.

The plural of curriculum vitae, in Latin, is formed following Latin rules of grammar as curricula vitae (meaning "courses of life")—not curriculum vita (which is grammatically incorrect), nor curricula vitarum. The form vitae is the singular genitive of vita and is translated as "of life".

In English, the plural of the full expression curriculum vitae is seldom used; the plural of curriculum on its own is usually written as "curricula", rather than the traditional curriculums.

Today, The Poppins are participating in some Labour Integration classes. This afternoon, they're going to meet Barack in the White House. They arrive with a long list of demands and reclaims to be listened and done.

The family continues its preparation for the PET Exam doing some Reading and Comprehension Exercises to improve their personal levels of English knowledge.

   
Correction does much, but encouragement does more. 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

EXAMS? TRUST ON YOURSELVES.

Yesterday, The Poppins practised a part of a PET Official Exam. It was a hard day because the family was exhausted after an intensive weekend in Washington DC visiting a lot of places.

After, the family studied Reported Speech and talked a little about effort, hope and work and the importance of being flexible.

More information: Reported Speech

The course is arriving to the end and the family is going to take different paths very soon but they always must remember that they’re Poppins and this surname is plenty of energy, magic and power.

More information: Reading & Comprehension (35 On line Exercises)

Today and tomorrow, the family is assisting to Occupational Health Hazards and Safe classes and they’re learning about these dangerous risks in their works.

 During exams, students look up for inspiration, 

down in desperation, 

and left and right for information.

Anonymous

SUPERHEROES: SACRIFICE & HUMILITY

Yesterday, The Poppins worked Third Conditional and revised some grammar aspects like Present Perfect, Past Simple, Present Continuous and Past Simple Passive.

The family is preparing the PET Exam and they practised with different texts which demonstrated that it’s not only a question of knowing but understanding and not doing mistakes.

More information: PET Online Examples

After this, some members of the family talked about life and difficult situations that appear suddenly and how to fight against inconveniences appreciating good people and refusing bad ones.

More information: Third Conditional 

Finally, some superheroes joined to the family to share their power with them.

I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...

All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.

Jackie Robinson

THE POPPINS: CONQUERING CALIFORNIA

Today, The Poppins have continued their English classes talking about Present Perfect Simple and some of its clues like Since and For.

More information: Present Perfect Simple 

After doing some exercises about Relative Pronouns, they have read a new chapter of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and they have discussed about which was the best plot for it.

More information: Since & For

An enjoyable character has visited The Poppins thinking in the youngest people of the family and The Grandma has the real promise of him to return next Monday.

Next, the family has been talking about different themes like language education in children, how to get best chances in the PET exam, great institutions which are big businesses and some historical characters like Gaspar de Portolà and Fra Juníper Serra and their influence in California.

 We have seen Indians in immense numbers, 
and all those on this coast of the Pacific contrive 
to make a good subsistence on various seeds, 
and by fishing.

Fra Juníper Serra

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Indiana Jones

The Grandma has been some days in Andorra. She has been skiing, enjoying her country and its culture and she has been controlling her fortune and legacy. Yesterday, she celebrated her 92-birthday. It was a strange day because she was thinking in all her families and hoping the best wishes for all of them. She remembered incredible moments with The Collins, The Addams and The Holmes and plenty of energy she’s returning to London to continue supporting her last family in its objective: PET.

Today, The Grandma, who is a great admirer of public British television, BBC, has decided to share this channel with her family to help them in their studies. In this case, she offers a link to BBC to prepare the Listening Part.

More information: BBC Listening – 6 Minute English

This afternoon, The Grandma has received some incredible news. An old friend, someone who loves Archaeology like her, is going to return very soon. She’s very happy and expectant.

Since today, the final countdown has started. The Holmes have 60 days to arrive to the final and she is going to work as hard as them to reach it.

Come on Holmes, this is the beginning of the end…

Archaeology is the search for fact... not truth.
If it's truth you're looking for,
Doctor Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall.

Indiana Jones

THE HOLMES, FERNANDO & DAVID

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Last Monday, The Holmes revised some aspects of English Grammar. They’re preparing their PET exam with determination. In that case, they studied Reported Speech. Before, they had received the visit of a man who wanted to control The Grandma’s business, Fernando.

On Tuesday, they continued with Reported Speech and they finished the last chapter of Charles Dickens’ A Carol Christmas, a beautiful masterpiece which talks about human feelings and attitudes.

More information: Reported Speech

Yesterday, it was the last day of English classes and they celebrated it with some examples of PET Speaking and some snacks.

Today, the family has received the visit of another person, David, who has been talking about Occupational Health Hazards and Safety.

The Grandma has returned to Andorra, her hometown. She must pay attention to her business during some weeks but she doesn’t leave her family alone, she will continue trying to help them in their crusade: PET exam.

 

There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando.

 ABBA

BUILDING CITIES: PAST IS FUTURE

James Bond

Tonight, The Holmes are in the theatre watching The Phantom of The Opera. They’re excited and they’re enjoying the show.

This morning, the family has received the visit of a mysterious man called Bond, James Bond, who has offered his service to them. The family has been grateful with him but they needn’t anyone because M. Carmen is a great professional and it’s enough.

They continue working with their English classes and they’ve revised The Passive and some connectors. They’ve worked with long and difficult texts to practise in better conditions thinking in their future PET exam.

More information: PET Listening

More information: PET Reading

More information: PET Writing

More information: PET Speaking 

Finally, they’ve studied Third Conditional and they’ve talked about Ildefons Cerdà, a very important engineer who created “L’Eixample” in Barcelona a very beautiful design plenty of octagonal groups of houses which remind the ancient Roman cities with Cardum and Decumanum.

More information: Third Conditional Exercises 

More information: Because/Because of Exercises

Great effects do not always arise from great causes. Small causes especially when they provide mutual support and assistance, often manage to produce effects of the greatest significance, as much within the physical as in the moral order. The challenge, in such cases, lies in finding and identifying there small causes and knowing how to give them the importance they deserve. This cannot be impoverished but is always the product of time, observation, and study.

Ildefons Cerdà, The Five Bases of the General Theory of Urbanization

THE AMISH & OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

After discovering The Grandma has gone to Lancaster County in Philadelphia (PA) to join to the Amish Community, The Collins Family has continued the classes. Today, they have studied occupational safety and health.

More information:  Occupational Safety and Health

Meanwhile, The Grandma continues her searching of new material for helping her family to success the KET, PET and FCE Cambridge Exams. Today, she offers them some information about Speaking:

More information: Speaking-KET

More information: Speaking-PET

More information: Speaking-FCE

Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took...

Sam Cooke

THE COLLINS FAMILY & DOWNTON ABBEY

During two days, The Collins Family has been reviewing some grammar about KET, PET and FCE levels. The family has moving to Downton Abbey and they have been decorating its new home and they’ve replied some letters of the service’s ex members. They're working like Little Hercules.

More information: Vocabulary in English

They have been working during two months for arriving to the exam tests in the best conditions. They know that they must work very hard, as they’ve done it until now and The Grandma is finishing her last manuals for helping them.

Before staying in Downton Abbey, they have gone to French Guiana to get on a shuttle. This has been the last Grandma’s present: sailing into the space.

And if you feel the weight of the world
Put your mind at ease
Little Hercules
'Cause there's so much on your shoulders
But you know it's a breeze

Trisha Yearwood

GEMMA & CAMBRIDGE EXAMS

Last Thursday, we reviewed Future Continuous, some connectors and Zero Conditional. We created a new composition about Occitan Poetry and Gipsy’s tarot and we worked with the W- questions. MJ visited us and talked about the next Cambridge Exams (KET and PET) and their date: 16 May. We talked about online education and some methods of knowledge.

The Collins Family has continued Gemma’s searching. She’s missing since the boat, where all the family was sailing, sunk in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It seems that Gemma is fine because the family has received some tweets located in an unknown spot. 

More information: Cambridge English Language Assessment

In the middle of the river
I found your heart.

If you want to give me your life

Give me it, give me it, baby!

Give me it, give me it, baby!
 

Eva C., Karen & Montse Pottery (Cyprus, Ukraine and Germany)