Sumários

Grammar review: Reported Speech

21 Abril 2021, 11:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

Reviewed the reported speech, including pronoun and determiner changes as well as time and place changes. Students did several practical exercises.

Feedback

19 Abril 2021, 15:30 • Thomas Joe Grigg

feed back on remaining final papers

Feedback

19 Abril 2021, 14:00 • Thomas Joe Grigg

feed back on remaining final papers

Grammar review : Verbal complements

19 Abril 2021, 11:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

Reviewed verbal complements. Verbs followed by the gerund vs. the infinitive. Students did several practical exercises.

Oxford Union Debate: is Islam a religion of peace?

16 Abril 2021, 17:00 • Hilda Alexandra Prazeres Eusebio

Today we watched (and learned from) the second part of the Oxford Union Debate entitled: Islam is a religion of peace.

It is imperative that all students who missed the class watch the second half of the debate as this serves as a model for the debates that students will be carrying out for their oral exams.

Here are the links for the first three parts of the debate:
We then began to brainstorm different debating themes which students will have to choose from for their upcoming debates.  Each debate needs six students in total (two teams of three students) to debate for and against each statement. 

So far, the themes that we have come up with are:
  • Israel is a force for good in the Middle East.
  • It is better to be feared than loved.
  • This House would say goodbye to the EU.
  • Are drones efficient and ethical?
  • Democracy only works in the West.
  • China: the benefactor of the 21st century?
  • Can the sex industry empower women?
  • Animal testing
  • Gun control
  • Political Correctness
  • Cancel Culture
  • What is the difference between War and Terrorism?
Students should get in touch with me as soon as possible in order to express an interest in a topic.  Please note, that if insufficient students express an interest in the same topic, you may not get the topic you want.  So please, when you email me your preferences, please give me your first, second and third choice.

Next class: we will put students into groups so that they may begin to organize their teams and come up with their statements.