Pre-Interview task (2019)

CELTA PRE INTERVIEW TASK
You may like to refer to a grammar book to help you with certain sections of this task.
Suggested titles are:
English Grammar in Use – Raymond Murphy (Cambridge University Press)
Grammar for English Language Teachers - Parrott, M. (Cambridge University Press)
Oxford Guide to English Grammar - John Eastwood (O.U.P.)
Practical English Usage (new edition) - Michael Swan (O.U.P.)
An A – Z of English Grammar - Leech, N; Cruickshank, B.; Ivaniec, R.
Alternatively, the following web site addresses may also be of use:
http://www.englishpage.com
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms.htm
http://esl.about.com/cs/grammar/
Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Hanoi :181-183-185 Pho Hue st., Hai Ba Trung Dist. (84-24) 7308 8666 Website: www.teachatapollo.com
HCMC : 282 Le Quang Dinh st., W.11, Binh Thanh Dist. (84-28) 7305 5567 E-mail: teacher.training@apollo.edu.vn
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R
PART ONE – GRAMMAR
A. Identify the underlined and numbered parts of speech from the following text.
Example: 1. ‘I’ = subject pronoun
“I (1) thought no more of Jean Charvin, but (2) by chance I met (3) him (4) next day on the
road. He was (5) coming towards me. He carried a (6) black dispatch-case under (7) his (8)
arm, and except for the (9) pink and white stripes (10) of his uniform and the ugly round
straw that concealed his handsome (11) head of hair, you might (12) have taken him for a
young lawyer on his way to court.”
(from A Man with a Conscience by Somerset Maugham)
2. ‘But’ = coordinating conjunction

3. ‘met’ = verb
4. ‘him’ = personal object pronoun
5. ‘was’ = auxiliary verb
6. ‘a’ = indefinite article
7. ‘under’ = preposition
8. ‘his’ = possessive adjective
9. ‘the’ = denifite article
10. ‘stripes’ = noun
11.’handsome’ = adjective
12. ‘might’ = model verb

B. Name the underlined and numbered tenses (or verb phrases) in the following text and
comment on the meaning.
Example:
1. was waiting = past progressive (or continuous) used to talk about an activity that took place over a
whole period of time
As I was waiting (1) in line at the immigration counter, I became (2) aware of the fact that I
was surrounded by people of my own nationality once again. I had been (3) away for almost
five years and I was no longer used to their accents and style of dressing. Finally, my
passport was stamped (4) by a man who welcomed me back home and I exited into the
arrival lounge of the airport. My parents were there to greet me. ‘You haven’t changed (5) at
all,’ said my mother as she hugged me. My father avoided saying anything personal.
‘Not a very good welcome home, I’m afraid. It’s raining (6) outside,’ he said. I suddenly felt
that coming home was a big mistake.
2. became = simple past is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now.
3. had been = past perfect is used to talk about actions that were completed before a
particular point in the past.
4. was stamped = passive voice used when the subject is affected by the action of the verb.
5. haven’t changed = present perfect is used to express actions or events that have been
completed or have happened in a period of time up to the present.
6. is raining = present continuous used to talk about actions or events that are happening or
developing now.
Completed or continuing events
We use the present perfect simple with action verbs to emphasise the completion of
an event in the recent past. We use the present perfect continuous to talk about
ongoing events or activities which started at a time in the past and are still
continuing up until now.
I’ve written the Politics essay. Completed event.
I’ve been writing the Politics essay. Ongoing activity: I’m still writing it.
I’ve thought about buying a laptop. Suggests that I’m not thinking about it
any more.
I’ve been thinking about buying a new Focuses on the action of thinking over a
laptop for a while but I haven’t decided period of time up to now.
which one to get.

C. When studying verb phrases with foreign learners, it is often necessary to analyse the
form of each verb phrase, that is, to break it down into its component parts. If we take the
first example from the text above, we can analyse the form in the following way:
I was waiting
past continuous (or progressive) =
subject + was / were + verb + ‘-ing’ (or present participle)
Now identify the name of the following underlined verb phrases (or tenses) and analyse
their form in a way that is similar to the above example.
7. He’s been working here for more than ten years.

Present perfect continuous (or pregressive) =
Subject + has/have been + verb + ‘-ing’ (or present
participle)
8. A lot of coffee is produced in Brazil

Passive voice =
Subject + Be (is) + past participle
9. She’ll be meeting him on Tuesday.

Future continuous =
Subject + will be + verb + ‘-ing’ (or present participle)
7. Present perfect continuous used to refer to an unspecified time between “before now” and
‘now’. The activity may have just finished or may still be going on. Using present perfect
continuous to focus on the process of the activity.
8. Passive voice used when when the subject is affected by the action of the verb.
9. Future continuous used to refer to temporary actions or events that will be in progress at
a particular time in future.
Affirmative: khẳng định

Negative: phủ định
Interrogative: câu hỏi.

PART TWO - VOCABULARY
A. In the sentences below, one of the words is used in a way that sounds strange or inappropriate.
Identify the wrong word then supply a more appropriate word and say why this is better.
Example:
A healthy diet makes people skinnier and better looking.
ANSWER: ‘Skinnier’ is wrong here. ‘Slimmer’ is better because it has a positive tone. ‘Skinnier’
sounds too negative in this context.
1. The students made a party to celebrate the end of the school year.
ANSWER: ‘made’ is inappropriate here. ‘Threw’ is better because it is a frequently used
collocation in English. ‘Made’ is often used in the meaning of creating or preparing
something by combining material or substances.
2. He doesn’t concentrate in class; he spends most of his time saying jokes to his friends.
ANSWER: ‘saying’ is wrong here. ‘Telling’ is better because it focuses more on the content
or message of what someone said, while ‘saying’ focuses on the words someone said.
3. The assistant manager left last week so we need to rent a replacement soon.
ANSWER: ‘rent’ is wrong here. ‘Hire’ is better here because it means to employ someone
or pay someone to do a particular job, while ‘rent’ is usually used for objects.
4. The work I’m doing at the moment is very impossible for most people.
ANSWER:’impossible’ is inappropriate here. ‘Difficult’ is better because it means not easy;
needing effort or skill to do which is suitable to describe work. ‘Impossible’ is usually used
to describe a situation which is difficult to deal with or solve.
5. Please could you cough up this money within the next seven days?
ANSWER: ‘cough up’ is inappropriate here because it means to give the money unwillingly.
‘Pay this money back’ is more polite in this context.
6. She’s very high but her husband is quite short.
ANSWER: ‘high’ is wrong here. ‘Tall’ is better because it is used to describe both people and
objects. ‘High’ is only used for objects.

B. In English, there are many words that are pronounced in the same way, but the spelling and
meaning is different, for example, ‘poll’ and ‘pole’. These kinds of words are called homophones.
Sometimes in written English, native speakers make a mistake by using a homophone incorrectly. For
example: I past all of my exams.
Correct the homophone mistakes in the following sentences:
1. The boy and girl were playing with a toy that wasn’t theirs.
2. At first, I thought it was a good idea, but then I realised it was flawed.
3. I waited until half an hour had passed, and then I phoned her.
4. How much is the fare to get into the city?
5. I learnt that it’s a good idea to get students working in pairs.
PART THREE - PRONUNCIATION
A. List the number of syllables and underline the stressed syllable in the following words:
Example: photo - 2 syllables /ˈfoʊ.t̬ oʊ/
1. Photograph - 3 syllables /ˈfəʊ.tə.ɡrɑːf/

Photographer - 4 syllables /fəˈtɑː.ɡrə.fɚ/
Photographic - 4 syllables /ˌfoʊ.t̬ əˈɡræf.ɪk/
Photography - 4 syllables /fəˈtɑː.ɡrə.fi/
2. Economy - 4 syllables /iˈkɑː.nə.mi/

Economic - 4 syllables /iː.kəˈnɑː.mɪk/
Economical - 5 syllables /ˌiː.kəˈnɑː.mɪ.kəl/

B. In the following two-line conversation, decide which word in B’s reply is stressed and
underline it.
Example: A: Are you Kerry?
B: No, she’s Kerry.
1. A: Do you live in Hanoi?
B: No, I work in Hanoi.
2. A: Which one do you want to buy?
B: I want the blue one.
3. A: I want to do the course in Hanoi.
B: No, when do you want to do the course?
4. A: I’m 1.82 metres tall.
B: No, how old are you?

PART FOUR – TEXT
Rewrite the following text punctuating it and changing any words to make it seem more
natural.
Example: This is your …
this is your invitation to cruise onboard the worlds most famous ship and experience the
worlds most famous ships unequalled reputation for style comfort and personalised service
in january nineteen ninety six queen elizabeth two embarks on queen elizabeth twos annual
world cruise and queen elizabeth two will again offer new zealand passengers unique and
affordable opportunities to experience a slice of the ultimate adventure
This is your invitation to cruise onboard the world’s most famous ship Queen Elizabeth II
and experience its unequalled reputation for style, comfort and personalised service. In
January 1996, Queen Elizabeth II embarked on the ship’s annual world cruise and will again
offer New Zealand passengers unique and affordable opportunities to experience a slice of
the ultimate adventure.
PART FIVE - TEACHING AND LEARNING
A. A student at elementary level asks you for the difference between the following pairs
of words. How could you convey the difference in meaning between each pair of
words? Remember, her command of English is limited.
slim / skinny
Slim is used to describe someone who is thin, in a way that is attractive.
Skinny is used to describe someone who is very thin, especially in a way you find them
ugly.
win / beat
You can win (in) a game, a race, a battle, an argument, but you have to say you beat the
person that you’re playing/arguing/fighting, etc. against.
borrow / lend
When you give something to someone for a short period of time, expecting that you will get
it back; you lend it.
When you get or receive something from someone, intending to get give it back after a short
time, you borrow it.

B. You have a group of adult beginner students. You want to teach them ‘Would you
like….?’, as in ‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ What would you do?
Firstly, I would explain the formula “would you like…” is a polite way of offering or
inviting.
Secondly, I would give them some examples in various contexts and show them how
to response to those questions. For example:
Would you like to go to the cinema with me? “yes, I’d (would) love to”
Would you like anything to drink? “yes, I’d like a large soda, please”
What would you like to do on Friday night? “I’d like to go shopping”
Thirdly, I would clear up some misunderstanding between “would you like…” and
“do you want…” or “do you like…” since Vietnamese students often use “do you
want…” to make an offer or invitation.
“do you want…” is too direct and definite so it my may sound rude and selfish
“would you like…” is more polite and indirect because “would like” expresses
something imagined (subjunctive).
Finally, I would have my students practise the lesson in pairs and give them more
examples by showing video lessons or movies.
Please return this pre-interview task along with your application form to Graeme
Dunlop/ Le Hoang Minh at:
e-mail: teacher.training@apollo.edu.vn
address: Apollo Education & Training, 282 Le Quang Dinh, Ward 11, Binh Thanh District,
Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM


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CELTA PRE INTERVIEW TASK

Suggested titles are:

English Grammar in Use – Raymond Murphy (Cambridge University Press)

Grammar for English Language Teachers - Parrott, M. (Cambridge University Press)

Oxford Guide to English Grammar - John Eastwood (O.U.P.)

Practical English Usage (new edition) - Michael Swan (O.U.P.)

An A – Z of English Grammar - Leech, N; Cruickshank, B.; Ivaniec, R.

Alternatively, the following web site addresses may also be of use:

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Example: 1. ‘I’ = subject pronoun

2. ‘But’ = coordinating conjunction

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Completed or continuing events

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

past continuous (or progressive) =

subject + was / were + verb + ‘-ing’ (or present participle)

7. He’s been working here for more than ten years.

8. A lot of coffee is produced in Brazil

9. She’ll be meeting him on Tuesday.

Affirmative: khẳng định

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Correct the homophone mistakes in the following sentences:

PART THREE - PRONUNCIATION

Example: photo - 2 syllables /ˈfoʊ.t̬ oʊ/

1. Photograph - 3 syllables /ˈfəʊ.tə.ɡrɑːf/

2. Economy - 4 syllables /iˈkɑː.nə.mi/

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Example: A: Are you Kerry?

B: No, she’s Kerry.

1. A: Do you live in Hanoi?

B: No, I work in Hanoi.

2. A: Which one do you want to buy?

B: I want the blue one.

3. A: I want to do the course in Hanoi.

B: No, when do you want to do the course?

4. A: I’m 1.82 metres tall.

B: No, how old are you?

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Example: This is your …

PART FIVE - TEACHING AND LEARNING

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

Address Tel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApolloTeacherTraining/

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