Lesson 4

Pronunciation feature 7: s/es endings

 Every morning, he gets/guess up early, brushes zis teeth, washes zis face and eats breakfast.
/s/ /iz/ /s/
 He kisses zis wife and kids (kiz) goodbye. He takes two buses to work.
/iz/ /z/ /s/ /iz/
 He usually manages to get to work before his coworkers. He reads his email, checks
/iz/ /z/ /z/ /s/
messages and returns phone calls.
/iz/ /z/ /z/

 He speaks with his colleagues and clients and conducts meetings.

/s/ /z/ /s/ /s/ /z/

 He foucuses on his daily tasks and likes to take only 30 minutes for lunch.
/iz/ /s/ /s/ /s/

Pronunciation feature 8: ed- irregular verbs (70-80%-7; 90% - 8 (9-1-2 mistakes))

“My mother came to New York from Alabama at the age of nineteen. She had nothing but a high
school diploma. She almost didn't make it. There was so much pressure because she was all alone.
Later in life she came clean. She told me that she'd gotten so depressed that she turned on the gas
one night. But my brother and I started crying in the crib. And she was so touched that she decided to
keep going. She became a nurse at Lenox Hill hospital. She was married three times. Three sets of
children. Each time her husband claimed she wouldn't make it without him. Each time she said 'Go
on ahead.' She taught us all the proverbs. She taught us to love ourselves. The punishments could be
harsh. Sometimes she'd go at us with the extension cord. But I always knew there was a steak dinner
waiting for me at the end.”

Feature 9: Contractions

 To be
o We’re here / were
o They’re here / were
o I’m here
o She’s here
o He’s here
o It’s here
o You’re here / your / yer
o That’s it
o This is it
 Will
o I’ll take a look at it
o We’ll take a look at it/will
o You’ll take a look at it / pool
o They’ll = thell take a look at it
o He’ll = hill take a look at it
o She’ll = shill take a look at it
o It’ll be fine
o This’ll be fine
o That’ll be fine
o Won’t
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  Would/had
o I’d love to come
o You’d love to come
o We’d love to come
o They’d love to come
o She’d love to come
o He’d love to come
o It’d be fine
o This’d be fine
o That’d be fine
 Have
o I’ve done it = I vdonit
o You’ve done it
o She’s done it
o He’s done it
o We’ve done it
o They’ve done it
o It’s been nice
 Would have
o I would’ve (wouda) done it
o She could’ve done it/ coulda
o He might’ve done it
o I must’ve done it
o You should’ve told me
o You couldnnve done it/ you couldnna
o I shouldn’ve done it
o She mustn’ve done it

Speaking part 1
 What kind of food do you like to eat?
 What kind of new food would you like to try? Why?
 Have you always liked the same food?
 Is there any food you dislike?
 What is a common meal in your country?
 Do you have a healthy diet?
 What do you think of fast food?
 Do you enjoy cooking?
 What types of things can you cook?
 What kinds of food are popular in your country?
 Do you prefer to eat with other people or on your own?
 Who normally does the cooking in your home?
 Do you watch cooking programs on TV?
 In general, do you prefer eating out or eating at your home?

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Writing task 1
Paraphrasing:

The line graph illustrates the amount of money spent on books in Germany, France, Italy and Austria
spent on books from 1995 to 2005.

Overall, despite some fluctuations, there were increases in the amounts of money spent on books in
all four countries examined, with Austria witnessing the most dramatic rise in the latter half of the
period. In addition, Germany consistently had the highest amount of money spent on books
throughout the period.

About 80 million dollars was spent on books by citizens in Germany in 1995, with subsequent mild
fluctuations in the first 8 years and a final rise from just over 85 million in 2003 to about 95 million in
2005. Similarly, the amount of money spent on books in Italy fluctuated in the range from 50 to 55
million from 1995 to 1999, followed by a progressive growth to north of 60 million in the final year.

The amount of money spent on books in France started at about 55 million dollars, after which it saw a
consistent increase to approximately 75 million in 2005. The amount of money spent on books in
Austria saw similar changes in the first half of the period, growing from 30 million in 1995 to 40 million
in 1999 and subsequently maintaining at this level until 2001. From 2003 onwards, the amount of
money spent on books in Austria increased considerably, ending at almost 75 million in the final year
of the period.

Paraphrasing:

The line graph illustrates how much money people in Germany, France, Italy and Austria spent on
books from 1995 to 2005.

Overall, despite some fluctuations, there were increases in the amounts of money spent on books in
all four countries examined, with Austria witnessing the most dramatic rise in the latter half of the
period. In addition, Germany consistently had the highest figures throughout the period.

About 80 million dollars worth of books was purchased in... was spent/expended on books by citizens
in Germany in 1995, with subsequent mild fluctuations in the first 8 years and a final rise from just over
85 million in 2003 to about 95 million in 2005. Similarly, spending on books in Italy fluctuated in the
range from 50 to 55 million from 1995 to 1999, followed by a progressive growth to north of 60 million
in the final year.

Expenditure on books in France started at about 55 million dollars, after which it saw a consistent
increase to approximately 75 million in 2005. Spending figures for Austria saw similar changes in the
first half of the period, growing from 30 million in 1995 to 40 million in 1999 and subsequently
maintaining at this level until 2001. From 2003 onwards, they increased considerably, ending at almost
75 million in the final year of the period.
________

The table illustrates the numbers of cars produced in three countries, namely Argentina, Australia and
Thailand, between 2003 and 2009.

Overall, while there were rises in the numbers of cars produced in Thailand and Argentina, Australia
saw a significant fall. Additionally, Thailand produced the largest number of cars.

During the first two years, the number of cars produced in Thailand saw an increase of about 50%,
from 735,852 to a peak of 1,162,356. A similar change was also seen in the number of cars produced
in Argentina. It was smallest in 2003, but it rose by just over 100,000 to 352,759, slightly exceeding that
of Australia, whose figure fell by a similar amount.

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Between 2005 and 2009, the changes observed earlier the numbers of cars produced in Argentina and
Australia remained, with the former growing by 100,000 and the latter decreasing by the same amount,
while the number of cars produced in Thailand witnessed a fall of just over 150,000. In 2009, Thailand
produced almost 1,000,000 cars, double the figure for Argentina and four times that for Australia.
________

The table illustrates how many cars were produced in three countries, namely Argentina, Australia and
Thailand, between 2003 and 2009.

Overall, while there were rises in the numbers of cars manufactured in Thailand and Argentina,
Australia saw a significant fall. Additionally, Thailand was consistently by far the largest car producer
throughout.

During the first two years, car manufacturing in Thailand saw an increase of about 50%, from 735,852
to a peak of 1,162,356. A similar change was also seen in Argentina's production. It was smallest in
2003, but it rose by just over 100,000 to 352,759, slightly exceeding that of Australia, whose figure fell
by a similar amount.

Between 2005 and 2009, the changes observed earlier the production of cars in Argentina and
Australia remained, with the former growing by 100,000 and the latter decreasing by the same amount,
while Thailand's data witnessed a fall of just over 150,000. In 2009, Thailand made almost 1,000,000
cars, double the figure for Argentina and four times that for Australia.
________

Task 1: The chart below shows the spending (in million dollars) per household in the US on five
different products in 2010 and 2014. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the
main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar chart illustrates how much an average household in the US spent on various products in the
years 2010 and 2014.

Overall, there were rises in the amounts of money spent on food and smartphones, while a decline
was seen in spending on books. Additionally, expenditure on clothes and toiletries stayed virtually

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unchanged. It is also clear that the spending figures for food were the highest, while those for books
were the lowest in both years.

Task 1: The graph below gives information about U.S. government spending on research between
1980 and 2008.

The chart illustrates how much the US government spent on various fields of research from 1980 and
2008.

Overall, there rises to varying degrees in the proportions of state spending on all kinds of research,
except for that on other unspecificied types. Additionally, spending on research into health care sector
was consistently the highest, with (prepositional phrase + N) general science receiving the least
funding.
________

Task 1: The chart below show the main methods of transport of people travelling to one university
in 2004 and 2009. Summarise the information be selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

The pie chart illustrate how many people traveled to a particular university by different means of
transport in the years 2004 and 2009.

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Overall, there were increases in the proportions of people using all methods examined, except for the
use of cars. It is also clear that cars were by far the most popular means of transport in 2004, but it is
the bus that became the most popular in 2009.

27/06: The table below shows daily oil production in 4 countries from 2000 to 2004.

The table illustrates how much oil was produced in four countries on a daily basis between 2000 and
2004.

Overall, there were rapid rises in oil production in Chad and Somalia, while a stead decline was seen in
Congo, and Nigeria’s data fluctuated slightly. It is also noticeable that Congo generally produced the
largest amount of oil daily, but it was surpassed by Nigeria in the final year of the period.

Grouping information + main features

Group work
Task 1: The picture below shows the use of renewable energy accounting the total energy from
1971 to 2006. Summarize the information selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.

The chart illustrates how much renewable energy was used in six countries between … and …

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Overall, there were increases in the percentages of energy from renewable sources in all countries
examined, except for Finland, whose figures fluctuated wildly and slightly decreased. Additionally,
while the use of this form of energy in Finland was consistently the highest, the UK was the least
reliant on it throughout the period.

The use of renewable energy in Finland, Denmark, France and Germany saw significant fluctuations in
the first half of the period, with subsequent steady rises. The proportion of electricity coming from
renewable sources of energy in Finland started at shy of 25%, after which it fluctuated wildly within the
first 18 years, before increasing from 16% in 1989 to end the period at about 23%. Similarly, the figure
for Denmark varied in the range from 10 to 15% in the first 25 years, followed by a moderate increase to
about 17% in 2011. Similarly, roughly 8% and 5% of the total electricity production in France and
Germany came from renewable energy in 1971, with subsequent small fluctuations in the next 15
years, and a final rapid growth to just under 15% in 2011.

The use of renewables in the US and the UK saw more steady increases. These countries both started
at low levels of 2.5% and 1% respectively. While the former, despite some slight variations, rose rapidly
to end the period at 18%, after surpassing Germany, France and Denmark, the latter recorded gradual
growth, ending at just over 5% at the end of the period.
_________

Task 1: The line graph below shows the percentage of people in Africa subscribing to mobile and
fixed line phones from 1994 to 2004. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the
main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Intro + overview
The chart illustrates how many African people used mobile and fixed line phones between 1994 and
2004.
Overall, there were increases in the proportions of people using the two communication services
examined, with a much more significant rise being seen in the figures for mobile phones. Additionally,
it is important to note that the year 2001 marked the point where the use of mobile phones surpassed
that of fixed line phones.

Body 1
Looking first at the first half of the period, about 1.7% of residents in Africa subscribed to fixed
broadband services in 1994, which was far higher than the share of people using mobile phones, at
0.06%. Over the next 7 years, the use of the former service rose gradually to just under 3%, that of the
latter also saw a progressive increase in the first four years, before growing significantly to exactly 3%.

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Body 2
Between 2001 and 2004, the proportion of African people using fixed line phones increased by about
0.2% toward the end of the period, while the figure for mobile phones saw an almost threefold
increase over the period. BY 2004, 8.8% of Africa’s population had used mobile services, which was
almost three times the figure for fixed line phones.

09/07/2022. Task 1: Pie chart.

The charts below give information about different types of waste disposed of in one country in
1960 and 2011. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and
make comparisons where relevant.

The pie charts illustrate how much waste was discarded in a particular country in the years 1960 and
2011.

Overall, there were significant rises in waste production from food, wood and plastics, while
considerable declines were seen in the figures for textile, paper and other unspecified garbage, and
those for glass and green waste stayed the same. Additionally, paper was overtaken by food as the
largest source of waste.

In 1960, paper waste made up one forth of the total waste production, far higher than textile waste -
the second biggest source, at 17%. Food and unspecified rubbish both accounted for 12%, compared
to around 8% of plastic, metal and green waste. Wood and glass garbage figures were significantly
lower, at about 5%.

In 2011, there were considerable decreases in the porportions of textile, paper and unspecified waste,
to 11%, 15% and 4% in that order. By stark contrast, food waste almost doubled, with 21% of the total
waste output coming from this source, making it the largest source of waste in this year. The figures for
wood and plastic rubbish saw even more substantial increases, ending up at 8% and 18% respectively.
Finally, green, plastic and metal waste remained virtually unchanged, at about 9%.

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10/12/2022. Task 1: Line chart.
The line shows the trends of employment in the USA and predictions to the future. Summarize
the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.

Intro + Overview
The chart illustrates the distibution of the workforce in the US between 1975 and 2025.

Overall, there is a sharp decline in the number of workers in the agricultural sector, while the opposite
trend is seen in the service sector, making it the largest emoloyer from 1980 to onwards.

Body 1
Between 1975 and 1980, agriculture was the field that employed by far the largest number of the US
workforce at the start of the period, with a figure of 80 million, 8 times the manfacturing and service
sectors. Over the following five years, farming's workforce shrank significantly, while the data for the
remaining two areas followed an identical rising trend, and these three sectors each employed 40
million workers.

Body 2
By the year 2025, it is projected that the service sector will have employed far more people than the
other fields, reaching the highest point in the chart, at 90 million. Conversely, the manufacturing and
farming sectors will drop considerably, with roughly 10 million working in these fields in 2025.

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What are the main features?

Introduction – templates
 Agree, disagree?
 Discuss both views?
 Advantages and disadvantages?
 Problems solutions?
 Causes solutions?
 Positive vs negative development?

Agree disagree?
 Paraphrase  Position
 It is true that…/ it is observed that… (FACT – provided in the question.  I agree/ disagree with
the idea that… paraphrase.
 There is an opinion that/ a view that…  I also hold this view/ I personally do not agree with
this view as + reasons.
 There is an opinion that/ a view that/ it is sometimes argue that/ some people think that…/ one
school of thought holds that… While acknowledging the reasons for this thinking, I believe
that…
 There is an opinion that/ a view that/ it is sometimes argued that/ some people think that… /
one school of thought holds that… While… cases, … cases.
 Education is important for children's development. Some people argue that they should go to
school as early as possible. Do you agree or disagree?
 It is true that education has signficiant bearing on a child's development. However, I disagree
with the view that children should attend formal schooling as early as possible as they need
time to develop physically, emotionally and socially first.
 Education is important for children's development. Some people argue that they should go to
school as early as possible. Do you agree or disagree?
--> There is a view that children should attend formal schooling as early as possible. I, however,
do not hold this view as as early as possible as they need time to develop physically,
emotionally and socially first.

Discuss both views?

 While there is an opinion that…, other people believe that… I personally agree with the former/
latter view.
 Fact -> 2 views -> fact. While opposing view…, I side with those who believe that…
 While one school of thought holds that…, others argue that… I believe that these views do not
have to be mutually exclusive and should be adopted together.
 While one school of thought holds that…, others argue that… I believe that both types of sports
can help people gain different skills and are suitable for certain groups of people.

Advantages vs disadvantages?
 Trend  It is true that…/ it is observed that…/ it is widely acknowledged that…/ it is widely
recognized that… While this trend has certain advantages, these are outweighed by the
drawbacks.

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Positive vs negative development?
 Trend --> It is true that.../ it is observed that.../ it is widely acknowledged that.../ it is widely
recognized that... While this trend has certain advantages, it is a positive/ negative
development.
 --> Trend --> It is true that.../ it is observed that.../ it is widely acknowledged that.../ it is widely
recognized that... Despite having certain advantages, this is a positive/ negative development
overall.
 Trend --> It is true that.../ it is observed that.../ it is widely acknowledged that.../ it is widely
recognized that... This, despite having certain advantages, is a positive/ negative development
overall.

Problems solutions?
 Trend --> It is true that…/ it is observed that…/ it is widely acknowledged that…/ it is wodely
recognized that… This trend can cause several problems, but there are several ways to improve
the situation.

Causes solutions?

 Trend --> It is true that.../ it is observed that.../ it is widely acknowledged that.../ it is

widely recognized that... This can be attributed to a range of factors, and in this essay, I
will outline some solutions to it.
 ---> Trend --> It is true that.../ it is observed that.../ it is widely acknowledged that.../ it
is widely recognized that... there are several reasons for this, and this essay will
suggest some solutions to it.

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Body paragraph
Granted, one might argue that there should be a ban on dangerous sports. This is based on the
assumption that any errors would probably cause the death of the player, for example when he or she
is skydiving or parkouring on the rooftops of towering buildings.

However, this line of reasoning is not sound because it fails to factor in the plausibility of enforcing
such a ban. No police officer would be willing to risk their lives trying to prevent or arrest people who
are parachuting off a mountain cliff or free-falling from an airplane.

Idea --> Explain --> Example --> Result/ Discuss

Of course, some museums and art shows justifiably pay more attention to presenting artifacts, relics
and works of art of their own nation. This approach attracts overseas visitors who are curious about an
alien culture, and allows local visitors to learn about their country. A good example is that of the
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which is dedicated solely to showcasing the culture of each ethnic
minority group in Vietnam. As a result, it annually receives millions of both foreign and domestic visits,
and most visitors gave positive feedback regarding the focus of the institution. Thus, this theme can
promote the culture of the country to overseas friends, while instilling national identity in domestic
visitors.

Idea --> Multiple examples

Admittedly, due to technological advancements, a large number of products are only made for the
wealthy. For example, the latest model of an iPhone, which often boasts innovative features and a
stylish design, costs shy of $2000, which is possibly equivalent to numerous people's yearly income.
Similarly, advancements in space technology have allowed people to travel into space, but such a trip
would cost over $200.000. This is surely unaffordable for the vast majority of the human population.
These examples bear witness to how many items are specifically not created to serve people in low-
income brackets.

Multiple ideas
Three main factors are to blame for the increasing waste production worldwide. Firstly, the pervasive
presence of advertising can create a growing demand for consumer goods, and as a result, greater
amounts of waste will be produced through production and consumption of goods. To make matters
worse, more plastic bags and containers are being used more than ever because of the arrival of food
delivery services. Finally, the next possible contributor to our planet being strewn with waste is the low
rates of recycling. In most countries, many manufacturers gravitate towards virgin materials, which are
often cheaper than recycled ones, in the course of production.

 1 idea --> explain --> example --> discussion --> link (optional)
 idea -> example (specific) --> discuss
 idea -> general example --> specific example --> discuss
 idea -> example 1 -> example 2 --> link
 idea -> explain --> acknowledge opposing points --> counter
 idea -> explain --> counter
 Topic sentence -> Idea 1 --> support (result/ reason/ example) --> Idea 2 ->

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Idea wizard
Discussion
(1) What’s happening?
Examples
Reasons + Results (2) What happened?
Idea (General?
(any flaws?) (3) Benefits/ problems?
Specific?)
(4) If not?
(5) Other cases?
Luck is important Born in the right place, Bill Gates (1) Dominating the field of computer
at the right time, meet technology
the right people (2) born: little competition + financial
--> more likely to and political backing
succeed (3) market leader
(4) if not? Different story
Determination + hard Put in more hours Bill Gates (2) Used to work 14 hours a day.
work --> dominate (3) If not? Not likely to be successful.
(5) Other cases? Đặng Lê Nguyên Vũ +
Phạm Nhật Vượng.

Whether or not someone achieves their aims is mostly a question of luck. To what extent do you
agree or disagree?

There are those who believe that luck is the deciding factor behind anyone's success. However, I do
not hold this view as I believe that other factors such as determination and hard work primarily
determine people's successful outcomes rather than good luck.

Of course, there is no denying the role of luck in people's success. The reason for this is that people
need to be born in the right place, at the right time and meet the right people to stand a good chance of
succeeding. This can be seen in the case of Bill Gates, who is the founder of Microsoft and has been
dominating the field of computer technology for the last few decades. His teenage years and early
adulthood coincided with the early stage of computer technology, so with little competition, his
company easily became the market leader. However, if he had not been lucky enough to be born right
around that time and in a family with tremendous financial and political backing, and met a few of his
incredibly smart friends at Harvard, it would have been a completely different story.

However, I am of the opinion that tenacity and industriousness play a more important role in what
decides people's success. This is because those dominating a certain field are often found to
repeatedly put in significantly more hours than their competitors. Looking back at the example of Bill
Gates, it is reported that he used to work around 14 hours every day in his late teens and early
twenties. Clearly, he probably would not have succeeded if he had not worked hard and persevered
after each failure. This can also be seen in many other cases of self-made billionaires who have built
their businesses from the ground up and achieved high levels of success such as Mark Zuckerberg and
Steve Jobs due almost entirely to their perseverance and hard work.

In conclusion, it is a mistake to assume that people's success hinges primarily on luck because
determination and diligence are much stronger predictors of success.

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However, I am of the opinion that tenacity and industriousness play a more important role in what
decides people's success. This is because those dominating a certain field are often found to
repeatedly put in significantly more hours than their competitors. Looking back at the example of Bill
Gates, it is reported that he used to work around 14 hours every day in his late teens and early
twenties. Clearly, he probably would not have succeeded if he had not worked hard and persevered
after each failure. This can also be seen in many other cases of self-made billionaires who have built
their businesses from the ground up and achieved high levels of success such as Mark Zuckerberg and
Steve Jobs due almost entirely to their perseverance and hard work.

VS

However, I am of the opinion that tenacity and industriousness play a more important role in what
decides people's success. This is because those dominating a certain field are often found to
repeatedly put in significantly more hours than their competitors. Looking back at the example of Bill
Gates, it is reported that he used to work around 14 hours every day in his late teens and early
twenties. Clearly, he probably would not have succeeded if he had not worked hard and persevered
after each failure. Although it is true that not everyone who works hard can reach the same level of
success as Bill Gates, this examples does show the undeniably important role of tenacity,
perseverance and hard work in people's success.

Live writing – body paragraph

It is important for all towns and cities to have large public spaces such as squares and parks. Do you
agree or disagree with this statement?

Discussion
(1) What’s happening?
Examples
Reasons + Results (2) What happened?
Idea (General?
(any flaws?) (3) Benefits/ problems?
Specific?)
(4) If not?
(5) Other cases?

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