Replacing informal words with academic vocabulary

1. a hot topic A. people

2. get (e.g., high exam scores); get (e.g., B. becoming; growing
money)
3. getting C. acquired; attained; received
4. got D. major; large; significant; crucial
5. As we all know E. an increasing number/ a growing/rising
number (countable nouns); an
increasing amount; a growing amount; a
growing amount (uncountable nouns);
increasingly
6. big F. highly; notably; greatly; abundantly
7. more and more G. Additionally; Furthermore; It is also true
that
8. just H. preferable; beneficial; effective;
advantageous
9. Nowadays, I. It is well know that; It is generally
agreed that; It is widely
accepted/understood/believed that; It is
generally believed that
10. Besides, J. In recent years; In recent times;
Recently; Currently; Today
11. good K. undesireable; not preferable; porr;
ineffective
12. bad L. as few as/as little as
13. a lot of/a lot M. a controversial issue; a contentious
problem
14. you; we (e.g., You/We should stop N. many; a considerable number of; a great
polluting the environment.) deal/amount of/ a considerable amount
of/considerably/significantly
15. really O. attain; receive; earn; make;

Intonation revision

• Wh-word questions: …….......

• Yes/No questions: …………….
• surprise:
• Statements: …………………….
• Question-Tags: 'chat’ - ……………………….; 'check’ - ………………..
• Lists: … , … , … , … .
• strong feelings of approval/disapproval: …………….
• limited agreement: ………………..
Read the following sentences with intonation indicated:

1. We must protect the en’vironment. (fall)

2. Why are the roads so dangerous? (fall)
3. Is our planet in ‘danger? (rise) Yes. (rise-fall)
4. The planet isn’t in ‘danger. (fall-rise)
5. We can’t go on polluting the planet the way we are at the ‘moment. (fall-rise)
6. You wouldn’t do an awful thing like that, would you? (rise) No. (rise-fall)

Formal and informal intonation

With your partner, read these sentences with appropriated intonation.

1. Good evening (very polite – fall-rise)

2. It’s so good to see you! (informal excited – rise-fall)
3. Where could I leave my car? (polite – fall-rise)
4. Tom, do you have a moment? (informal)
5. Professor Johnson, do you have a moment? (polite)
6. Could you open the door please?

Pronunciation in formal settings – exercise

A. In each sentence, two possible speech unit boundaries are marked with //. Underline the one
that is more likely.

EXAMPLE The only college // that teaches medical statistics // is to close next year.

1. The ship was launched // in September 1942 // and destroyed a month later.
2. Property prices will increase // as long as interest rates // remain low.
3 The bird is often heard // but seldom // seen in the wild.
4 They took what they could carry // and left the rest // of their belongings behind.
5 Why students drop out // of university // is a complex issue.
6 Thieves made off // with the painting // I despite security guards in the building.
7 Most people also speak French // which is taught // from the age of six.
8 Who gave the order // to shoot // is to be investigated further.
9 Women // who are pregnant // should avoid alcohol.
10 He claimed // he was innocent // but the jury disagreed.

Pronunciation in formal settings – pair work

Prepare to read aloud this extract from a talk about complementary therapy. Think about where
you will put speech unit boundaries and mark these with //. Read the extract aloud to your
partner and then your partner should do the same. Have you put speech unit boundaries in the
same places?

Complementary therapy,// which focuses on the whole person, // is becoming

more widely used. It considers a patient’s physical symptoms and also takes
lifestyle into account.
Most practitioners believe that the body seeks a state of balance. What
complementary therapy does is help people achieve this balance. Treatment not
only relieves the disease but also promotes general wellbeing.

How complementary therapy works is still not entirely clear. Recent research has
compared it with traditional medicine. In one study conducted in Canada a group
of patients who had severe back pain were treated either with complementary or
traditional treatments. Patients who had complementary treatments showed
faster rates of improvement.