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JOB INTERVIEW. Session02.

Materiales formativos de FP Online propiedad del Ministerio de Educación,

Formación Profesional y Deportes
Aviso Legal

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Job ads.

Caso práctico
Read the text and listen to the situation.

00:00 01:18
Script
Another day begins at British Corporation. Lourdes and Susana are at work
very early because they want to finish the CV they started writing the previous
day.

-Lourdes: I think we need to revise what we did

yesterday and we'll be finished.

-Susana: That's fantastic, but didn't Mr Parker

say that we need to write a covering letter too?
What exactly is that?

-Lourdes: A cover letter is a document that

you usually send with your CV.

-Susana: And what things do you need to include in a cover letter?

-Lourdes: Let me see. In this website it says that a cover letter " provides
detailed information on why you are qualified for the job you are applying for."

-Susana: Ok, so we need to say why we are the right people for the job.

-Lourdes: Yes, that's it! It continues: "Your cover letter may make the difference
between getting a job interview and having your CV ignored, so, it makes good
sense to devote the necessary time and effort to writing effective cover letters."

-Susana: Wow, so, it´s very important to get your covering letter right, isn't it?

-Lourdes: Yes, I should think so.

-Susana: Don't worry, I'm sure we'll write an impressive cover letter. Shall we
start?

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Think about it
Write in the forum:

What about you? Have you ever written a covering letter in English or in
your own language?
What things do you need to take into account when writing a formal
letter?
Is it important to make a good first impression?

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1.- What to say

Citas Para Pensar

“Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't
know where it can lead”

Julia Morgan

Caso práctico
Lourdes has had a good idea: "I think we need to look for a job ad first.
Then we'll reply to that advert in order to make the letter sound more real."

"That's fantastic, but where can we find a real job ad?", replies Susana.

"Well", says Lourdes, "I think we might be lucky with this website. Look at this
one. It sounds like an interesting position:"

JOB AD
F.t. junior legal secretary – established city firm.

A great role to start your career as a legal secretary is now avail.

Ideally, you will have one year's office exp with a secretarial
qualification. Additionally, you will have a typing speed of 40 – 50
wpm. Good knowledge of Microsoft Word req'd. You will have
excellent communication skills and a positive attitude.

Susana looks puzzled: "Ok, I don't understand half of it. What do all these
abbreviations mean?"

"Hmmm", Lourdes seems to be thinking really hard. "I don't know, but we'll
find out. Don't worry".

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Think about it
Can you help Lourdes and Susana? What do you think the abbreviations in the
ad mean?

F.t.
Avail
Wpm
Req'd

Mostrar retroalimentación

F.t.: Full time.

Avail: Available.
Wpm: Words per minute.
Req'd: Required.

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1.1.- Job ads.

What is the first thing people do when they are looking for a job? They usually take a look at
the job vacancies section of the newspaper or they surf the Internet in order to look for
job ads. Did you know that space in newspapers is expensive? Some of the most common
terms used in job advertisements are abbreviations, that is why some people find job ads
rather confusing.

Abbreviations.

Abbreviations Meaning

Exp / Exp'd. Experience / Experienced.

P.a. Per annum (the whole year).

P.w. Per week.

P.h. Per hour.

CV. Curriculum vitae, also called Résumé.

Emp Agy. Employment advertised by an agency.

Ref. Reference.

Ccdl. Clear current driving licence.

Req'd. Required.

F.t. Full time.

P.t. Part time.

Avail. Available.

Pd. Train. Paid training.

Sal. Salary.

Info. Information.

Immed. Immediate or immediately.

a.m. / p.m. Day / night.

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Abbreviations Meaning

Mgr. Manager.

Wk. Week.

Mo. Month.

Yr. Year.

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Ejercicio Resuelto
If you need help with the language, click here to read the Spanish version.

Mostrar retroalimentación

Esta es un lista de las abreviaturas más comunes que aparecen en los

anuncios de trabajo. Su uso hace más difícil la comprensión de dichos
anuncios.

Exp= experiencia / Exp'd= con experiencia.

P.a.= al año.
P.w.= a la semana.
P.h.= a la hora.
CV= Curriculum vitae.
Emp Agy= trabajo anunciado por una agencia.
Ref.= referencias.
Ccdl= permiso de conducir válido.
Req'd= se requiere.
F.t.= a tiempo completo.
P.t.= a tiempo parcial.
Avail= disponible.
Pd. Train= formación pagada.
Sal.= sueldo.
Info.= información.
Immed.= inmediato / inmediata / inmediatamente.
a.m. / p.m.= por la mañana / por la tarde.
Mgr= director o directora / gerente.
Wk= semana.
Mo=mes.
Yr= año

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1.2.- Now put it into practice.

Read the following job advertisements and do the exercise.

OPPORTUNITIES TO START NOW!

TOURISM INFORMATION OFFICER

Working with a young team of highly

motivated people. The role involves general
administration, invoicing, liaising with
clients. Candidates must have a strong
copy typing speed and be IT literate.
Immed. start. 1 yr exp. req'd. Call Oxford
Street now on 030 9384 6723.
pch.vector. CV (CC BY-NC-SA)

SECRETARY

Excellent opportunities in temporary work. Mature, exp'd secretary req'd for

holiday cover. $8.50 p.h. Flexible work schedule. Word, Excel, Copy Typing and
Shorthand preferred. CV required. For an application form and further info,
please write quoting ref. ES/50/34 to Human Resources, Civic Centre,
Rainbow Road, Florida SW3 5TN.

RECEPTIONIST

Receptionist is required for Blue Chip firm in Maryland. Applicants should have
strong communication and interpersonal skills. F.t.- 38 hrs p.w. Exp. no essential.
Training is provided. Competitive salary. Call Peter. Target Employment, 15A Hill
Street, Richmond, Surrey, TW5 2TF. Phone: 020 6735 0100 Fax: 020 6735 8765.

Autoevaluación
What do the abbreviated phrases stand for?

TOURISM INFORMATION OFFICER

Immed.
Yr.
Exp. req'd.
SECRETARY
Exp'd.

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Req'd.
CV.
Info.
Ref.
RECEPTIONIST
F.t.
Hrs.
P.w.
Exp.

Enviar

Easy, wasn't it?

Autoevaluación
Match the correct word from the list below to each of the sentences from
a job ad.

Matching exercise

Sentences Match Words

Must have excellent communication _______. 1. Able.

Must be available to work _______, holidays,

2. Dependable.
and overtime.

Must be flexible, _______, trustworthy. 3. Experience.

Must have a positive attitude, and work well

4. Motivate.
_______.

Must be _______ to speak English and German. 5. Prepared.

Must be able to _______ young people. 6. Skills.

7.
Must be _______ to travel.
Unsupervised.

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Must be enthusiastic and have work _______. 8. Weekends.

Enviar

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1.3.- Writing a covering letter.

Once you find a job you're interested in, you need to
submit your CV to the company in question. The
letter of application you send with your CV is
sometimes called a covering letter. It is usually the
first direct contact between a candidate and an
employer, so make sure it is well-written and
presented. It should normally contain 3-4 paragraphs.

Here is a list of points you should include:

Say that you would like to apply. pch.vector. CV (CC BY-NC-SA)

Say where you found out about the job.

Say why you would like the job.
Say why you are qualified to do the job. Include both objective (education, work
experience) and subjective (what you think about yourself) information.
Say you can provide more information if necessary.
Say when you would be available for interview.

Remember to:

Address your covering letter to a specific person.

Customize your covering letter to the position you are applying to.
State the elements of your background that are relevant to the position.
Provide any information specifically requested.
Market yourself.
Keep the tone and content professional.
Be clear, concise, and focused.
Proofread your letter.

Useful language:

If you do not know the person's name start with Dear Sir/ Madam and finish with Yours
faithfully.
If you know the person's surname Dear Mr/Ms/ Mrs López and finish with Yours
sincerely.

Layout/style:

Put your address in the top right-hand corner with the date underneath.
Put the name and address of the person you are writing to on the left.
Don't use contractions.
Write your full name under your signature.
Put I look forward to hearing from you if you would like a reply.

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Ejercicio Resuelto
Click to read the Spanish translation.

Mostrar retroalimentación

La carta de solicitud que envías con el currículum es normalmente el

primer contacto directo entre un candidato y un contratador, así que
tiene que estar bien escrita y presentada. Debería contener entre tres y
cuatro párrafos.
Debes incluir los siguientes puntos:

Que escribes para solicitar el trabajo.

Dónde supiste de la oferta.
Por qué te gustaría obtener el trabajo.
Tus méritos para dicho trabajo, tanto los objetivos (educación,
experiencia profesional), como los subjetivos (lo que tu piensas
sobre ti mismo).
Que puedes añadir cualquier información necesaria.
Cuándo puedes acudir a una entrevista.

Recuerda:

Dirigir la carta a una persona específica.

Adaptarla al trabajo que se solicita.
Incluir los elementos de tu biografía relacionados con el puesto.
Dar cualquier información que se haya pedido específicamente.
Venderte a ti mismo.
Mantener profesionales el tono y el contenido.
Escribir de manera clara, concisa. Ve al grano.
Revisar tu carta.

Expresiones útiles:

Si no conoces el nombre de la persona a la que estás escribiendo,

comienza con Dear Sir/ Madam y termina con Yours faithfully.
Si conoces el apellido de la persona, comienza con Dear Mr/Ms/ Mrs
López y termina con Yours sincerely.

Formato/estilo:

Pon tu dirección en la esquina superior derecha, con la fecha

debajo.
Coloca el nombre y dirección de la persona a la que escribes a la
izquierda.

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No utilices contracciones.
Escribe tu nombre completo bajo la firma.
Si quieres recibir respuesta, utiliza la expresión I look forward to
hearing from you.

A step ahead
There are many web pages devoted to CVs and covering letters. Here you have
a few good ones:

CV: Tips.

About.com: CV.

Businessballs: CV.

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1.4.- Now put it into practice.

Autoevaluación
Put the sentences in the right order by numbering the sentences 1 – 6
Dear Sir/Madam,
I look forward to hearing from you.
I am enclosing a copy of my curriculum vitae in which you will find details of
my qualifications and experience.
My contact numbers are: 01456879 and mobile: 079865383.
I am writing in response to your advertisement for a Personal Assistant to
the Manager of the Marketing Department of the in yesterday's newspaper.
I will be available for interview at any time convenient to you.
As you will see, I have had five years' experience in a similar business
environment and have a Master's Degree from the London University.
Yours faithfully,
Susana Green
Enc.
Enviar

A step ahead
A few more websites to help you write your CV or covering letter.

Cover letter

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2.- How to say it: Countable and

uncountable nouns.

Think about it
Read the following sentences carefully. What is the difference between them?

I would like an orange.

I have some money.

Mostrar retroalimentación

In the first case, we are talking about something that we can count
"one orange", so we say "I would like an orange" (NOT "I want
orange").
In the second, we are talking about something that is uncountable,
therefore we say "I have some money" (NOT "I have a money").

kmg design. Contable (CC BY-NC-SA)

How do I know if a word is countable or uncountable?

Understanding the difference between countable and uncountable nouns is crucial for correct
grammar usage. Here's an explanation of each, along with examples and rules. It is very

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important you understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns refer to things we can count and therefore, they can take the plural
form and can go with a number before them. Countable nouns are nouns that can be
counted individually. They have both singular and plural forms.

Characteristics of Countable Nouns:

1. Singular and Plural Forms:

!"Singular: one apple, one car

!"Plural: two apples, many cars
2. Can be Preceded by Numbers and Quantifiers:

!"Example: three books, several apples, a few cars

3. Use with Articles and Quantifiers:

!"Singular: a/an (a dog, an apple)

!"Plural: some, many, few (some dogs, many apples, few cars)

Examples of Countable Nouns:

3 boys, 6 tables, 2 jobs, Book, apple, car, cat, chair, idea, house, bottle, student.

Sentences with Countable Nouns:

1. I have three books.

2. There are several cars in the parking lot.
3. She adopted a cat.
4. Many students, few minutes, a few friends, several books.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns (also known as mass nouns) refer to things that cannot be
counted individually. They are usually substances, abstract concepts, or collective
categories. They do not have a plural form and are treated as singular.

Characteristics of Uncountable Nouns:

1. No Plural Form:

!"Example: information, water, furniture (not informations, waters, furnitures)

2. Cannot be Preceded by Numbers Directly:

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!"Incorrect: two advices, three informations

!"Correct: some advice, a piece of information
3. Use with Quantifiers:

!"Examples: some, much, a lot of, a little (some water, much information, a
lot of furniture)

Examples of Uncountable Nouns:

Music, wine, time, information, advice, water, furniture, rice, advice, money,
music, equipment, luggage

Sentences with Uncountable Nouns:

1. She gave me some good advice.

2. There is a lot of furniture in the house.
3. Can you give me some water?

More examples:

Only a few singular quantifiers can go with the uncountable nouns.

Little money, a little time, much water.
Note that while some nouns are countable in other languages, they are usually
uncountable in English.
Furniture, news, accommodation, advice, luggage, trouble, work, toast.
Therefore, these nouns cannot be used in the plural form in English, but they
need a determiner before them to be used in plural.
They gave me two pieces of advice.
I have bought three new pieces of furniture for my living room.
We have also to notice that some nouns can be either countable or
uncountable, depending on the context in which they are used.
I went to the supermarket to buy two cheeses. / Can I have some cheese,
please?
I bought some coffee from El Salvador last week. / Can I have two black
coffees, please?
They grow very good wines in the south of Spain. / I would like some red
wine, please.

Summary of Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Type Characteristics Examples Sentences

Countable Singular and plural Book, apple, car, cat, I bought a book.
Nouns forms chair She has two dogs.
Can be counted There are many
Use a/an for singular chairs in the room.

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Use numbers and

quantifiers

Only singular form

She needs some
Cannot be counted
information.
directly
Uncountable Water, information, Please give me
No a/an, use some/
Nouns furniture, rice, advice some water.
much
He has a lot of
Use partitive
patience.
expressions

Summary

Mostrar retroalimentación

Los nombres contables se refieren a cosas que podemos contar,

pueden tomar la forma plural y pueden ir con numerales delante de
ellos.
Hay unos cuantos cuantificadores que sólo pueden ir con nombres
contables.
Los nombres incontables se refieren a cosas que no podemos
contar, así que no pueden tomar la forma del plural.
Hay unos cuantos cuantificadores que sólo pueden ir con nombres
incontables.
Fíjate que mientras que algunos nombres son contables en otros
idiomas, normalmente son incontables en inglés. Por lo tanto, estos
nombres no se pueden usar en plural en inglés, sino que necesitan
un determinante o partitivo delante de ellos.
También tenemos que saber que algunos nombres pueden ser
contables o incontables, en función del contexto en que se usen.

A step ahead
This is a good site to read about countable and uncountable nouns.

Quantifiers.

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Ejercicios
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the noun (countable or uncountable):

I have two .
Can you give me some ?
She bought three of water.
We need more about the event.
He has many .
There is a lot of in the house.

Enviar

Explanation of the Responses

1. I have two apples.
!"Explanation: "Apples" is a countable noun, which means you
can count individual apples. The sentence correctly uses the
plural form "apples" and specifies the quantity as "two."
Countable nouns can be used with numbers directly.
2. Can you give me some advice?
!"Explanation: "Advice" is an uncountable noun, which means
you cannot count individual pieces of advice. The sentence
correctly uses "some" as a quantifier, which is appropriate for
uncountable nouns. You would not say "an advice" or "two
advices."
3. She bought three bottles of water.
!"Explanation: "Bottles" is a countable noun, and "water" is an
uncountable noun. In this sentence, "water" is quantified by the
countable noun "bottles." This construction allows you to
measure the uncountable noun "water" using a countable
container (bottles).
4. We need more information about the event.
!"Explanation: "Information" is an uncountable noun. The
sentence correctly uses "more" as a quantifier, which is
appropriate for uncountable nouns. You would not say "an
information" or "two informations."
5. He has many friends.
!"Explanation: "Friends" is a countable noun. The sentence

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correctly uses "many" as a quantifier, which is suitable for

countable nouns. The plural form "friends" indicates that there
are multiple friends.
6. There is a lot of furniture in the house.
!"Explanation: "Furniture" is an uncountable noun. The sentence
correctly uses "a lot of" as a quantifier, which is suitable for
uncountable nouns. You would not say "a furniture" or
"furnitures."

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2.1.- Quantifiers 1.
Do you know the difference
between few, a few, little, many or
much?
We are going to study some determiners or
quantifiers now.

The most common English quantifiers

are:

Much, many.
A lot of, lots of, plenty of.
pressfoto. Contable (CC BY-NC-SA)
Little, few, a little, a few.
Some, any, no, none (of).
All, every, the whole, enough, several.

Some pronouns which are derived from the determiners above are:

Something, somebody / someone, somewhere.

Anything, anybody / anyone, anywhere.
Nothing, nobody / no one, nowhere.
Everything everyone / everybody everywhere.

Let's take a look at some of these quantifiers in more detail.

Lots of, a lot of, plenty of: They are used with countable or uncountable nouns and are
normally used in affirmative sentences. They mean: muchos / muchas in the plural or
mucho / mucha in the singular form.
A lot of / Lots of students / books / ideas.
A lot of / Plenty of / lots of sugar / water / information.
She has got a lot of brothers. There are plenty of students here.

Many is used with countable nouns and much is used with uncountable nouns. They
are normally used in questions or negative sentences. Many: muchos / muchas. Much:
mucho / mucha.

She hasn't got many problems / children. There aren't many students here.
We haven't got much information / water / time / money.

Little and few imply negative ideas. Little means not much, poco / poca and it is used
with uncountable nouns. Few means not many, pocos / pocas and it is used with
countable nouns.

There is little time, hurry up! She is quite poor, she has got little money.
There are few people in the street because it is really cold now.

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A little and a few are more positive ideas. A little means some, un poco / una poca and
it is used with uncountable nouns. A few also means some, unos pocos / unas pocas
and it is used with countable nouns.

Don't worry, we have a little time. (This means they have some time.)
I have got a few friends in Seville to visit next weekend. (This means I have some
friends.)

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Ejercicio Resuelto
Click to read the Spanish translation.

Mostrar retroalimentación

¿Sabes la diferencia entre few, a few, little, many, o much? Vamos a

estudiar algunos cuantificadores ahora.

Los cuantificadores más comunes son: Much, many, a lot of, lots
of, plenty of, little, few, a little, a few, some, any, no, none (of), all,
every, the whole, enough, several.
Algunos pronombres que se derivan de los cuantificadores de arriba
son: Something, somebody / someone, somewhere, anything,
anybody / anyone, anywhere, nobody / no one, nothing,
nowhere, everything, everyone / everybody, everywhere.
Veamos algunos de estos cuantificadores en detalle:
Lots of, a lot of, plenty of: Se usan con nombres contables e
incontables en frases afirmativas. Significan muchos/as en
plural o mucho / mucha en singular.
Many se usa con nombres contables y much con nombres
incontables. Normalmente se usan con frases negativas o
interrogativas. Many: muchos / muchas. Much: mucho /
mucha.
Little y few son ideas negativas. Little significa no mucho / no
mucha, poco / poca, y se usa con nombres incontables. Few
significa no muchos / no muchas, pocos / pocas y se usa con
nombres contables.
A little and a few son ideas positivas. A little significa algo, un
poco / una poca, y se usa con nombres incontables. A few
significa varios / varias, unos pocos / unas pocas y se usa con
nombres contables.

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2.2.- Quantifiers 2.

Some is usually used in positive

sentences before uncountable or plural
countable nouns. It means un poco de /
with uncountable nouns and algunos /
algunas with countable nouns.
I bought some wine yesterday. (Un
poco de vino.)
We read some English books every
year. (Algunos, varios libros.)

Any is usually used in negative or

interrogative sentences before pressfoto. Contar (CC BY-NC-SA)
uncountable or plural countable nouns. It
means nada, ningún / ninguna in the
negative form or algo de, algún / alguna in the interrogative form. Sometimes it is not
translated.

I haven't got any time. Is there any water?

There aren't any people. Have you got any children?

Note: Some is used in interrogative sentences when we expect the answer "yes" or
when we offer something.

Can I have some cake? Would you like some tea?

Any is used in the affirmative form:

When it means cualquier / cualquiera.

I can do sport any day of the week.
In conditional sentences.
If you have any questions,...

Ejercicio Resuelto
Click to read the Spanish translation.

Mostrar retroalimentación

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Some se usa en frases afirmativas delante de nombres incontables

(algo de) o de nombres contables en plural (algunos/as).
Any se usa en frases negativas e interrogativas delante de nombres
incontables o de nombres contables en plural. Significa nada, ningún en
la forma negativa o algo de, algún en la forma interrogativa o incluso no
se traduce.
Nota: Some se usa en forma afirmativa cuando esperamos respuesta
afirmativa o cuando estamos ofreciendo algo.
Any se usa en forma afirmativa cuando:

Significa cualquier/a.
En frases condicionales.

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2.3.- Revision of quantifiers.

A piece of advice
Why don't we revise some of the main grammar points we've seen in this unit?
Take a look at the following presentation. You might find it interesting.

Revision of quantifiers (Appendix I).

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2.4.- Now put it into practice (I).

Let's do a few exercises about the things we've learned, shall we?

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Autoevaluación
Classify these nouns. Are they countable, uncountable or both?

Matching exercise.

Nouns Match Characteristic

Sandwich. 1. Countable.

Song. 2. Uncountable.

Furniture. 3. Both.

Beer.

Food.

Tea.

Money.

Water.

Coin.

Music.

Enviar

Countable nouns refer to things we can count.

Uncountable nouns refer to things we cannot count.
Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable, depending on
the context in which they are used.

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Autoevaluación
Complete the sentences with a/an, some or any.

1. Are there mirrors in your room?

2. She doesn't want glass of wine.
3. Could I have salt, please?
4. Are there tables free?
5. We've got orange juice, but we do not have tomato juice.
6. There aren't cookies left. I'm sorry.
7. Could I have clean knife, please?
8. Can I have fried egg and bacon for breakfast?
9. I have bought new furniture this week.
10. The secretary didn't have pens.

Enviar

Easy, wasn't it?

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2.4.1.- Now you put it into practice (II).

Autoevaluación
Rephrase the following sentences using little, a little, few or a few.

1. I knew I didn't have much time to spare. → I knew

I had time to spare
2. There were some people in the queue in front of
me. → There were people in the queue in
front of me.
3. There are some good restaurants in Almeria. →
There are good restaurants in Almeria.
4. There hasn't been much rain lately. → There has
been rain lately.
5. There was some rain yesterday. → There was
rain yesterday.
6. Here's some money for you. → Here's money for you.
7. I haven't got much talent for music. → I have got talent for
music.
8. When I travel, I always take some books with me. → When I travel, I
always take books with me.
9. There are not many books I enjoy reading more than once. → There are
books I enjoy reading more than once.
10. There aren't many people I really trust. → There are people I really
trust.

Enviar

A step ahead
If you want to do more exercises, try the following websites:

Exercises: much, many, some, any.

Exercise: a few, few, a little, little.

Theory and exercises: a few, few, a little, little.

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Autoevaluación
Complete the sentences using one of the quantifiers below.

little - a little - few - a few - much - many - a lot of

1. After the match, we were all really thirsty and drank water.
2. Only people went to the party; There were not things to see
there.
3. Very students pass all the exams in June; as they are rather difficult,
it is nearly impossible.
4. We have got work to do these days before the exhibition
because we are expecting people, nearly 15,000.
5. He takes very care of his computer. It really needs cleaning.
6. Have you got money in your pocket now? Only coins and one 10-
Euro note.

Enviar

Easy, don't you think?

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3.- Words you need: Formal letters.

As we saw in Unit 3, there are different types of letters. Now

we are going to concentrate on covering letters.

Covering letters, cover letters or letters of application are

formal letters. Some of the most frequently used expressions
you may need when writing a formal letter are:

Opening sentences:

I saw your advertisement in ....

I have seen / read your advertisement in ....
I am writing about the advert in ....
I would like to apply for the vacancy advertised in ...
Please consider my application for the post of ... advertised in ...

Body sentences:

As you can see from my curriculum, ...

I studied...
I have been working as a ... for ....
I like ... (travelling, working with people, using computers, ...)
Please find enclosed CV and recent photograph.

Closing sentences:

I hope you will grant me an interview.

I hope you consider me for an interview.
I look forward to an interview.
I would be available for an interview at any time.
I can supply you with the name of 3 references.
Please contact me if you need any further details.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.

In a formal letter, you should include:

Addresses:

1. Your address: it should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter.
2. The address of the person you are writing to: it should be written on the left,
starting below your address.

Date:

You can write the date on the right below the address you are writing to.

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Formal emails and letters have the same basic structure. However, there are
some differences that you have to be aware of:

In a letter, you enclose documents. In an email, you attach documents.

An email already includes the sending date and your contact details, so
you do not need to write any addresses or the date.
For less formal emails, you can begin with ‘Dear Fred', or even ‘Hi Fred' for a
colleague.

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3.1.- Tips for writing a covering letter.

Let's take a look at the following tips to write a good covering letter.

1.- Be brief and to the point. Most of the time a cover letter for a job application only
has to state that you are applying for a position and that the application and supporting
materials are enclosed. That's it.
2.- Make no mistake about it. Absolutely no errors. Your cover letter must be
perfection itself. A typing error, a poor printing job, a misspelling - mistakes will make a
poor impression because they imply that you don't care.
3.- Avoid fancy fonts and colours. You are not creating a flyer or a poster. So use a
business font such as Arial. No colours. Black on white reproduces easily. Use a plain
white paper.
4.- Keep it short. Your cover letter should be one page in length and perfectly
centered. The cover letter and résumé are never folded. They are placed in an envelope
large enough to accommodate them unfolded.
Text adapted from https://www.thoughtco.com/private-school-for-parents-and-educators-4132513

Autoevaluación
Find words or expressions in the text above which are similar in meaning
to:

1. Using very few words.

2. A mistake in a printed document.
3. With decorations, complicated.
4. An announcement printed on a piece of paper that is given to people.

5. Open, extended.

Enviar

If you didn't get this exercise right, perhaps you should read the text
again.

Think about it

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Give your opinion in the forum.

What do you think about the tips above? What advice would you give someone
on how to write a covering letter?

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3.2.- Titles and abbreviations.

A title is a word or phrase that refers to a
person's place in society or in a profession. We
normally use the abbreviations instead of the
full word.

Mr is the abbreviation for Mister. It is

used before a man's name. The plural
form is Messrs. Mr is used sometimes
before the position a person holds.
Yes, Mr President / Chairman.
Mrs is the abbreviation for Mistress. It is
used before a married woman's name
and it is pronounced /misiz/.
Mrs Blanco is receiving visitors.
Ms is written before a woman's name, freepik. abreviar (CC BY-NC-SA)

but we do not specify if she is married or

not. It is pronounced as /miz/.
I sent an e-mail to Ms Swam yesterday.
Miss is used before the name of a woman who is not married or who is not using her
husband's surname. It is also used for girls. It is pronounced /mis/. In some schools,
students call "Miss" their women teachers.
Good evening, Miss Haynes.
I love Miss White´s lessons.
You use all the above titles in spoken or written form to refer to people in a polite way or
when you do not know them well.
Sir is the title used when we don't know the name of a man. Note that it is used alone.
It is used in commercial and official letters. The plural form is "Sirs or Gentlemen". Sir is
also used in schools by students to refer to their male teacher, by shop assistants and
waiters.
Dear Sir: (American style) Dear Sir, (British) - salutation in letters.
What would you like to drink, sir?
Madam is used to refer to a woman when we don't know her name. It is used as a
salutation in official and business letters. In speech, it is used by shop assistants and
waiters.
Dear Madam,...
Can I help you, madam?
Dr. is the title for Doctor and Prof. is the title for Professor.

Autoevaluación

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Insert the correct title before people's names in the following text.
My boss, Freeman, has two partners: Peter Stimpson and his wife
Jackie Stimpson. My boss's daughter, Linda Freeman, is 19 and
sometimes works as a temp in our company. His son works in the local
hospital as a doctor; everybody calls him Freeman. My boss's wife,
Freeman, is also an important businesswoman in town, she owns a huge
insurance company. Her employees call her Billings, because nobody
knows her marital status and she wants to keep her father's surname.
Enviar

Easy, wasn't it?

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3.3.- Dates.
When we write a formal letter, we have to write the
date on the right, under the address of the person
we are writing to. How do we write it, though?

BRITISH STYLE: Day + Month + Year.

9 August 1976 / 9th August 1976

The British write the day followed by the month and

then the year. They use both the cardinal and the
ordinal number for the day.

AMERICAN STYLE: Month + Day + Year.

August 9th, 1976

The Americans write the month first and then the

day. They put a comma between the day (using the srip. calendar (CC BY-NC-SA)

ordinal number) and the year. This can be more

confusing when filling forms because dates are written as series of numbers.

British style: 9.8.1976 9/8/1976 9 Aug, 1976 (Day + Month + Year.)

American style: 8.9.1976 8/9/1976 Aug. 9th, 1976 (Month + Day + Year.)

PRONUNCIATION

Dates can be written in different ways, but they share the same pronunciation. We always say
"the" before the day. Americans sometimes pronounce it "August nine".

August the ninth / the ninth of August.

The day of the week is usually mentioned before the date itself.

What date is today? It's Friday the ninth of August / It's Friday August the ninth.

The year is usually mentioned after the day and month.

I was born on the ninth of August, nineteen seventy six.

ON

In British English you say that something happens on a particular day.

I got married on Sunday 4th September.

Americans sometimes leave out "on".

I got married Sunday September 4th.

The 19...'s

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When you refer to the 1960's -sixties- , you are referring to the years between 1960 and
1969. You can also specify by saying the early 80's (eighties: 1980-85) or the late 70's
(seventies: 1975-79)

Now it´s your turn.

Two interesting websites with exercises to practise dates in written and
spoken English:

Dates in spoken English.

Dates in written English.

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Appendix I.- Revision of quantifiers.

Countable and uncountable nouns / Quantifiers.

Countable / Uncountable nouns

Countable nouns: things you can count. They can be singular or plural: one orange,
three oranges…
Uncountable nouns: things you can’t count. Uncountable nouns can’t be plural: butter,
sugar…
Many nouns are sometimes countable and sometimes uncountable. For example: a
cake, some cake, a piece of cake or some cake.

Quantifiers

Quantifiers for countable nouns: Many / (a) few.

Quantifiers for uncountable nouns: Much, less, (a) little.
Quantifiers for both countable and uncountable nouns: A lot of, some, plenty.

Little / Few

Little and few imply negative ideas.

Little means not much and it is used with uncountable nouns.
Few means not many and it is used with countable nouns.
There is little time, hurry up!
They are quite poor, they have got little money.
There are few people in the street because everybody is watching the football
match.

A little / A few

A little and a few are more positive ideas.

A little means some and it is used with uncountable nouns.
A few also means some and it is used with countable nouns.
Don't worry, we have a little time. (This means they have some time.)
I have got a few friends in Seville to visit next weekend. (This means I have some
friends.)

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Appendix.- Licences of resources.

Licenses of resources used in session 2. "Job ads".

Resource Resource
Resource information (1) Resource information (2)
(1) (2)

By: Ministerio de educación.

License: CC by.
From: Obra derivada de la
imagen con credenciales:
By: David Weinberger.
License: CC by-nc-sa.
From: http:// By: .Sergio m mahugo
www.flickr.com/photos/ License: CC by.
dweinberger/563919/ From: http://
www.flickr.com/photos/
eogez/2840345066/

By: Steven Damron.

By: DaveBleasdale.
License: CC by.
License: CC by.
From: http://
From: http://www.flickr.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/
photos/sidelong/2469153152/
sadsnaps/3676812422/

By: ambimb. By: Ian Wilson.

License: CC by-nc-sa. License: CC by.
From: http:// From: http://www.flickr.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/a photos/
mbimb/4375668645/ foolstopzanet/151936713/

By: Rene Jakobson. By: themiddlemound.

License: CC by-nc-sa 2.0. License: CC by-nc-sa.
From: http:// From: http://www.flickr.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/ photos/
renej/442171804/ themiddlemound/2150504660/

By: Gyrus.
By: saxarocks.
License: CC by-nc-sa.
License: CC by-nc-sa.
From: http://
From: http://www.flickr.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/
photos/saxarocks/3502603724/
gyrus/132436475/

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By: Alan Cleaver. By: Cliff Johnson.

License: CC by. License: CC by-nc.
From: http:// From: http://www.flickr.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/ photos/
alancleaver/4320245924/ disneyspeak/3444081205/

By: Ministerio de educación.

License: CC by.
From: Obra derivada de la
imagen con credenciales:
By: LittleMissPip.
License: CC by.
From: http:// By: .Sergio m mahugo
www.flickr.com/photos/ License: CC by.
pcb85/4258475681/ From: http://
www.flickr.com/photos/
eogez/2840345066/

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Licencia: licencia propietaria

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