Second summary exercise

Here you can find a presentation by Hans Rosling.  Please watch it one or two times while taking notes, and then write a summary, which should be one double-spaced page. You can send your summaries to me before our session on Tuesday, 22nd of April.

Articles

Here you can find the document on articles along with the key for the exercises.

Living in Belgium

For our next session, we will be talking about living in Belgium.  In this context we can table some of the best kept secrets of this country for day and/or weekend trips.  We can also talk about the cultural activities on the offer in Brussels.  Finally, we can exchange some unique experiences we have had living in this country.

You can hereby have access to Agenda, the weekly magazine for the cultural events in Brussels. The website seems to be only in Dutch and French, but the paper version is in three languages, i.e., English, Dutch and French.  If you live in Brussels, you can get a free subscription for home delivery.

Economic crisis in Europe

Here you can find an article from The Economist's The World in 2013. 

Summary task

Here you can find two articles which you can synthesize in a summary report.Your summary should not be longer than one double-spaced page.  Please send it to me before our session on Tuesday, 9th of April.

Linkers

The first and second parts of the documents on linkers are hereby available.  You can also find the key for the exercises here.  As you do the exercises, please remember the following three types of linkers we have identified:

• Linking words that connect two parts of the same sentence as in the following example: We only have one week off for Easter, so we will be staying in Brussels.
• Linking words that connect two separate sentences as in the following four examples, which are different ways of saying the same thing:

1. We only have one week off for Easter.  Therefore, we will be staying in Brussels.
2. We only have one week off for Easter; therefore, we will be staying in Brussels.
3. We only have one week off for Easter.  We will, therefore, be staying in Brussels.
4. We only have one week off for Easter; we will, therefore, be staying in Brussels.

• Linking words that are covered under both the first and second types as in the four following examples:

1. Besides giving his friend a lift after work, he helped her with her grocery shopping.
2. He helped his friend with her grocery shopping, besides giving her a lift after work.
3. I am afraid I am not allowed to help you with that question.  Besides, I do not know the answer myself.
4. I am afraid I am not allowed to help you with that question; besides, I do not know the answer myself.

Note that the meaning of the word 'besides'  in the first two examples is different from its meaning in the last two examples.

In all these examples, please pay special attention to the punctuation.

Relative, -ed and -ing clauses

Here you can find some exercises on relative, -ed and -ing clauses along with the key.