CELTA 2 Language Related Tasks

ALAA Albishri
CELTA Assignment #2
Language Related Tasks

1:...everything that has happened to us during the day. (Grammar)

Meaning:
This is present perfect simple which states action or experience in unspecific time in the past
and has connected to the present.1
CCQs:
• Did everything happen in the past? (Yes)
• Do we know exactly when it happened in the past? (No)
• Is it still happening now? (No)
Form:

Past during the day Now Future

The form is shown as the present perfect simple
Subject (singular plural) + auxiliary (has/have) + main verb (past participle).2
Pronunciation:
..... everything that has happened to us during the day.
/həz ˈhæpənd /
The sentence stress is on the content words everything, happened, and day.
The stress on the first syllable of happened and has is pronounced in the weak form.
The intonation pattern is falling.

Anticipation problems and solutions:

Problem: Students might be confused between past simple and present perfect tense.
Solution: Using the timeline to state the differences between both tenses; simple past and present
perfect.
Problem: Students might not recognize the change that occurs in the main verb in the present
perfect simple. They might write has/ have with the verb in the past simple, not in the past
participle form.
Solution: Providing a verb-list in the past simple and the past participle and highlighting the
regular and irregular verbs of past participle like; watch/ write. Then, provide some control
activities.
Problem: Students might stress on the weak form of the auxiliary verb. They might say /hæz/
instead of /həz/
Solution: Marking on the weak form on the board and practicing some drilling activities.

2: …we suffer hallucinations, and eventually die. (lexis)

Meaning:

1 Swan, M (2005) In Practical English Usage. Oxford. 3rd Edition.

2 Scrivener, J. (2011) Learning Teaching. Oxford: MacMillan. 3rd Edition.
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... in the end, especially after a long time or a lot of effort, problems, etc.
CCQs:
• Do hallucinations affect people for a long time? (Yes)
• Do people die immediately after they have hallucinations? (No)

Other example:
The assignment might take her a long time, but she'll do it eventually.
Form:
Eventually is an adverb of the adjective eventual. It modifies the main verb, or verb to be.4
Pronunciation:
…we suffer hallucinations, and eventually die.

/ɪˈvɛnʧəli/
Eventually has five syllabuses and the stress on the second syllabus.
The third syllabus "tu" is pronounced as /ʧ/.
Anticipation problems and solutions:
Problem: Students might confuse the meaning of eventually with the word finally.
Solution: Modelling two sentences to show the difference between eventually that used to
describe an action that involves a long time, and finally which stated the final stage of a step of an
idea or situation.
Problem: Students might misplace eventually with the main verb, or verb to be.
Solution: Providing examples on the board and identifying the different places of eventually.
Problem: Students might mispronounce /ɪˈvɛntʊəli/ instead of / ɪˈvɛnʧəli/.
Solution: Modelling and drilling activity to practice "tu" /ʧ/.

3- …the unpleasant symptoms we suffer (lexis)

Meaning:

Unpleasant: not enjoyable or pleasant5

Symptom: a sign in mind or body that indicates an illness, or something went wrong.
CCQs:
• Do you feel good? No
• Do you feel comfortable? No
• Does have a problem on your body? Yes
• Should you see a doctor? Yes
Other examples:
Covid-19 has unpleasant symptoms like, fever and shortness of breath.
Synonyms:
T: What is another word for unpleasant? S: bad.
T: What is another word for symptoms? S: signs/ evidence.
Form:
"Unpleasant symptoms" is a collocation of a noun phrase (adjective+ countable noun).
Unpleasant has the prefix "un" which gives a negative or opposite form of an adjective.
Pronunciation:

…the unpleasant symptoms we suffer

/ʌnˈplɛznt/ /ˈsɪmptəmz/

3 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
4 Swan, M (2005) In Practical English Usage. Oxford. 3rd Edition.
5 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

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 Alaa Albishri 2020
Unpleasant has three syllabus and the stress on the second syllabus.
The "s" in unpleasant is pronounced as /z/
Symptoms has two syllabus and the stress on the first syllabus /ˈsɪmp/.
Anticipation problems and solutions:
Problem: Students might not realize the meaning of the collocation "unpleasant symptoms", due
to they are not understanding the abstract noun symptoms.
Solution: Referring to the context and explaining the signs of not sleeping enough and use CCQs
to show what “symptom” means.
Problem: Students might misplace the adjective phrase by starting with a noun instead of an
adjective.

Solution: Providing a control activity and eliciting the correct noun phrase.
Problem: Student might pronounce /z/ to /s/ in unpleasant, or they might omit /m/ in symptom.

Solution: Marking on the board the phonemic sound of the words and drilling.

2- If scientists invented a pill, would you take it? (Grammar)

Meaning:
It is the second conditional, and it is called the hypothetical conditional that is an imagining event
or experience that might be possible in the present or in the future.6
CCQs:
Do scientists invent a pill? (No)
Is it likely that someone could take the pill? (No)
Are we talking about an imaginary or real situation? (imaginary)
Are we talking about the past or future? (Future)

Form:

If clause Main clause

if + subject (noun/ pronoun) +past simple, Would + subject (noun/ pronoun) + infinitive
(bare verb)?

There are two clauses: the if clause, which ends with a comma, and the main clause.
If the clauses are reversed, there's no comma.
In the if-clause with the verb 'be', 'was' changes to 'were', e.g. If I were you ..., because it's an
imaginary situation.
Pronunciation:

If scientists invented a pill, would you take it?

/ˈsaɪəntɪsts/ /ɪnˈvɛntɪd/ / ə pɪl/, / wəd jə/ / teɪk ɪt/

The sentence stress is on the content words scientists, invented, pill, would, and take.
In connected speech, the linking between would you creates assimilation; / wəd jə/ and the weak
form of short "you" / jə/ instead of long/ /jʊ/.
There are some linking sounds among words like; invented a pill, would you, and take it.
The intonation of the if clause is falling, and in the main clause is rising because it is the form of
yes-no question.

6 Cowan, R. (2008) The Teacher's Grammar of English.

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Anticipation problems and solutions:
Problem: Students might think that the situation happened in the past, not in the imaginary future.
Solution: Giving examples on the board and asking CCQs to check students' competence.
Problem: Students might mix if clause tense due to they might struggle with conceptualizing the
fact that second conditional is not talking about the past.
Solution: Eliciting the correct if clause tense and highlighting the form of if clause by asking
CCQs above.
Problem: Students might mispronounce the two clauses intonation. Ss tend to rise the if clause instead of
main clause which is the form of yes-no question.
Solution: Modelling and drilling examples to practice the clauses.

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 Alaa Albishri 2020

References:
Cowan, R. (2008) The Teacher's Grammar of English.
Scrivener, J. (2011) Learning Teaching. Oxford: MacMillan. 3rd Edition.
Swan, M (2005) In Practical English Usage. Oxford. 3rd Edition.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

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