Working with phrases

March 31, 2009 by thibaut

The semester is about building knowledge based on phrases.

By the end of the semester, I would like each student to provide a collection of (50 ?) phrases.

The phrases must come from a real anglophone source.

The phrases can illustrate the use of a word which is new to you, a structure which you are not comfortable with, or whatever you feel will help you improve your English skills.

At this point, I would like you to start :

- collecting phrases

- identifying subjects where you need work (prepositions, phrasal verbs, linking words, you name it)

video resume phrases

March 31, 2009 by thibaut

Here are the phrases we took from the video resume we watched in class :

I’m an undergraduate student of ______ at ____ university, specializing in ___

I will graduate in ______

my objective is to build on my __________ education

to establish a career in __

In order to equip myself to be a suitable candidate for the ___ industry, I have enrolled in a number of ___ related courses, including ____

I believe the knowledge that I have gained through these courses will help me make a better contribution to my future employer.

I’m especially proud to have been a member of the team which ___

In this job I learned a great deal about the importance of delivering ___

It was a very rewarding experience

involved in

on a personal level, I’m strongest in analytical skills, …

I’m also well organised, and I enjoy working in a team environment

my software skills include

please take a moment to look through my full CV

I would/will be grateful for the opportunity to meet with you

background and skills

Thank you for your time and consideration

QUIZ

February 24, 2009 by thibaut

Here are the quiz questions you came up with today. Let’s see if you remember the answers.

********************************************************

TD1 :

Group A (Alexandre, Sophie, Yoann, Ludivine, Karine)

1. He described freedom of information _ _ _ the broader freedom of expression
2. As an aside, he said _ months ago he bought an American iPhone 3G
3. Bossone said he thought the government would relent on issues _ GPS

Group B (Nicolas, Maxime, Quentin, Joris, Laetitia, Aurore)

1. Tim Carpenter, national director of Progressive Democrats of America, which was _ in 2004.
2. They would probably _ _ people around the country to do the same in their own towns.
3. The man behind this musical time-capsule was Alfred Clark, a New Yorker who _ the London-based Gramophone Company and provided the records

Group C (Lou, Yacine, Julie E, Gregoire, Melanie, Floriane)

1. The web is like a _ of _
2. The Internet’s orginial designers never foresaw that the academic and military research network they created would one day _ the _ of carrying all the world’s communication
3. When you say something important _ a _ after it

Group D (Rony, Jordan, Julie T, Virginie, Nassim)

1. Song & Schwartz decided to doublecheck these results with another experiment, this one _ a completely unrelated activity : cooking
2. Arar’s ordeal began in 2002, when he was seized by _ agents
3. The Obama administration will then have to decide whether to _ the indefensable

TD2

Group A (Lionel, Gabrielle, Vincent B, Camille D, Matthieu M)
1. We may never know _ this engineer’s explanation is correct
2. What’s the word used to describe the brain’s texture like a sponge ?
3. Across the centuries, _ a person has uttered the phrase
4. Apple modified its phone without any public _
5. The authorities cracked _ jailing of its organizers

Group B (Ikram, Sebastien M, Solene, Trang)
1. His new _ is from Hart Schaffner Marx, a Chicago menswear frim
2. String instruments were barely audible, in early recordings, technicians favored the _ and wind instruments
3. It was decided to _ the other container
4. Robert Schmul, who _ american studies at Notre Dame university.
5. Obama has _ his first new tuxedo in fifteen years for his inaugural

celebration

Group C (Adrien, Vincent H., Marylin, Julien, Sebastien M)
1. To be out from _ the presenters table
2. When you say something, leave a _ after
3. If it gets another 5 degrees colder in here, I’ll be able to see my _
4. Better yet a _ by _ evolution
5. Today that is already the _ for many corporates

Group D (Camille B., Arnaud, Lucie, Mathieu T., Leslie)
1. Is it possible that the _ (or complexity) of all tasks is described and processed
2. The cartoons were funny because they poked good natured fun at the fundamental irony of _ psychology
3. That point was _ by judge Sack
4. There are _ ways to make something palatable
5. The results were _ the same as before

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Now it’s time to make up more quiz questions from your transcriptions… good luck !

Describing a process

February 22, 2009 by thibaut

One of the projects for this semester is to describe a process. So start looking for videos !

Click here for the recordings from last Tuesday. Enjoy !


A few last minute reminders

January 4, 2009 by thibaut

Here’s a check-list to make sure you’re ready for your presentation :
- Have you studied the evaluation chart ?
- Have you checked spelling and grammar on your visuals and at least on your key phrases ?
- Have you checked sounds and word stress on your key words ?
- Have you practiced in front of a camera/mirror/friend/goldfish and timed your talk ?
- Have you prepared specific presentation phrases for introductions, transitions, etc. ?
- Does your conclusion respond to your introduction ? Does it add something ?
- Have you anticipated questions ?

Good luck !

Thoughts from class on presentations

January 4, 2009 by thibaut

-From the video about powerpoint-

Avoid :
Writing too much of your speech on your visuals
Too much information on your slides
Too many bullet points
Too much info on your graphics  (labels, data)
Too many slides

Recommendations :
Use spell check

Be careful with :
Use of color / color schemes
Graphic effects
Font choice

-From the video about presentations-
Start strong – self confident
Don’t apologize
End strong – any questions ? thank you
Pause, leave a gap

Transcript subjects and sources

December 21, 2008 by thibaut

Here’s the temporary list we established together in class on the last day before the holiday. Please use comments as well as your own blogs to keep the list up to date, add details such as the specific link (and help make sure there aren’t two students using the same source).

TD1 :

ARHALIASS YACINE    viual effects ?
BADOUAL GREGOIRE    visual effects
BINETRUY MAXIME    ?
BRIN FLORIANE    johnny depp
CHARBONNIER MELANIE    julia stiles interview
CHOR KARINE    ?
CLEMENCEAU LUDIVINE    michael jordan interview
CUNIN LAETITIA    photoshop cs4
DANGLES QUENTIN    tim burton interview
DRAGOMAN JORIS    visual effects
ESCOFFIER JULIE    microsoft + liza minelli
FABRE LOU-ADRIEN    ?
GOBERT YOANN    ?
HUYNH ALEXANDRE    tracking fingers
JARD AURORE    ratatouille ?
KHITER NASSIM    bill gates interview
LINH SOPHIE    ?
MARTINO NICOLAS    wall-e
MURAT RONY    remy gailland
NIVET YANN    david cronenberg
RALLIERE VIRGINIE    web 2.0
TRANG JULIE    bob dylan interview
VALNET JORDAN    ski ?

TD2 :

AUGE    LIONEL    Artistic Project Manager of Assassin’s Creed
BATARD    VINCENT    ok
BENOIST    ADRIEN    corporation episode 12/13
BERTELLE    MARILYN    rataouille ?
BOSSOUTROT    CAMILLE    ok
CAVE    LLOYD    podcast how to become a project manager
CORDINA    LUCIE    headtracking with wii ?
DABOUIS    ARNAUD    protools + ?
DE MOOR    ALEXIS    google founder interview
DUTROUILH    CAMILLE    nature design ?
ETRONNIER RENAUD    LESLIE    volvo commercial
GANDON    NASTASIA    ?
HURBOURQUE    VINCENT    project manager video
ISSARTEL    JULIEN    art of start
LE BORGNE    SOLENE    woman engineer
LUYPAERTS    GABRIELLE    nightmare before christmas
MACHER    SEBASTIEN    the sound of miracle
MARGHERITI    SEBASTIEN    sound design
MASSON    MATTHIEU    ben burtt
NACIRI    IKRAM    radio fish shop
PHAN    THI THANH TRANG    wall-e
TAILLANDIER    MATHIEU    peach interviews ?

Wrapping up the semester

December 16, 2008 by thibaut

So here we are, it’s Xmas time and what are you doing ? You’re working hard to get your final presentation ready and your final transcription done. It’s one of the downsides of being a student… but cheer up ! There are many great sides too ! Most of them aren’t PC so I won’t go into them. So back to our issues…

Here are few things to have in mind :

- The video or podcast you use for your transcription cannot already exist online. Here’s how to find out : enter a part of the text in quotes in a search engine and see if it turns up. I can double check for you if you have doubts, TD2 ask TD1 for what we did.

- The presentation should take into account what we looked at in class : the chart which I handed out (see below), the specific phrases found here, the fact that key words and phrases require special attention, the advice we got out of the videos (see below), and whatever you can make of the recordings I’ve posted here (sorry for the pathetic sound quality, I’d forgotten my recorder).

presentation_chart

the big transcription

November 27, 2008 by thibaut

Another big project due by the end of this semester.

First you need to choose a video online. It needs to contain enough English to make the scripting effort worthwhile, and this I can help you assess. The script cannot already exist (and I will search for it).

Each student is to choose his/her own video and submit it to me before beginning the process.

The final paper should be around two pages long (A4-font #12). You may choose several videos and work on parts of each.

Here again, the subject is completely free.

Good luck !

final presentations

November 27, 2008 by thibaut

The two last classes of this semester (in January) will be dedicated to presentations.

These presentations should last about 6 or 7 minutes (as opposed to the 10 I’d announced the other day). Anything under 5 will not be accepted, and if you plan on showing videos I expect a longer overall presentation.

The subject is completely free, as is visual aid.

The criteria are being elaborated during the 2 minute talks. I will post the definitive list before the Christmas break.