Giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing ...

[OK, yesterday we finally understood what the so-called"Reflective Journal" in Speaking was, so today I am sitting here in this old and hot room writing about some functions we learned from yesterday class.]

It's usually seen that when you have an opinion, you can use some normal expressions like:
- In my opinion, ...
- I think that ...
- In my point of view, ...
- To me, ...
These functions are widely used in both speaking and writing [ because they're easy to remember ^_^]. But using different functions to show your opinion may make your essays, your speeches more vivid and clear. This also prevent readers or listeners from feeling bored. You certainly don't want the readers or the listeners to read or hear the same expression: " In my opinion,..." every time you give out a new idea, right ? So try to use some other expressions:

+ Informal : - If you ask me ...
- I'd say that ...
- The point is ...
- As I see it ...
- I'd just like to say that I think that ...
+ Formal: I'd like to point out that ...

In addition, sometimes you need to show others how you feel about what they are saying, keep in your mind that you should always be polite when you disagree with them even though they might be your close friends.

+ Agreement: - I can't agree with you more ! [strongest]
- That's just what I was thinking.
- I agree entirely.
+ Disagreement: - Yes, that's quite true, but ...
- Well, you have a point there, but ...
- I see what you mean, but ...
* The following functions are used when you know the person speaking very well, but in my opinion, you'd better not use them in any cases:
- Come off it!
- Don't be silly!
- You can't be serious!

Alright, so ... what about functions used when discussing ?

If you don't want to strongly present your opinions because you don't want to start an argument. Here are some expressions that might be useful:
- I sometimes think that ...
- Would you agree that ... ?
- Do you think it's right to say that ... ?

If you do not clearly understand what someone 's talking about and want them to explain more, you can use the following expressions:
- I don't quite follow what you're saying about
- I don't quite see what you mean, I'm afraid.
- I don't quite see what you're getting at.

And if someone don't understand what you're saying, you may need the following expressions to rephrase your statements:
- That's not quite what I meant...
- Let me put it another way...
- Sorry, let me explain ...


Phew, I've just introduced some expressions that you might find useful in a discussion or a debate . Hope you'll find them useful. [Mr Violence]

[The expressions and facts come from the book "Functions of English" by Leo Jones]

Here are the links for the pictures I used:

http://www.pmcleadership.com/images/disagree.jpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2008/03/29/npolitics229.jpg

http://www.baronhats.com/images/gatsby-idea!.jpg

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/236674/2/istockphoto_236674_agree_2.jpg

http://www.businessinnovationinsider.com/images/2006/03/Question%20Mark.jpg

http://picasaweb.google.com/canonsnaps/AirForceAndI/photo#4988400447734022162

http://www.reading-sfl.org.uk/images/workshop04/Discussion.jpg

My experience in solving a Political Economy problem

As we read a problem, we may be confused when combining the definitions we've learned with the facts in the problem. Let's put it in this simple way:

- The constant capital (C) is the one that the capitalists use to buy the means of production which include the materials, machines, etc ... . It also consists of wear and tear expenditures.

- The variable capital (v) can be considered as the payment the worker receives. It is also the so-called 'the value of labor of each worker per a period'.

- The surplus value (m) is the value the worker creates without being paid. Most problems don't state the surplus value, they only give you the rate of surplus value (m'). From the given facts, you'll have to find the surplus value yourself.

- The total value of products is the summary of the three quantities C , V (= v. n[the number of workers] , M (= m. n). W = C + V + M.

EX: In an enterprise, the total wear and tear expenditure is $ 100000 . The materials expenditure is $ 300000. Find the total variable capital , provided that the total value of products is $ 1000000 and the rate of surplus value is 200%

Here is the way we'll solve this problem :
- The total constant capital is : C = 100000 + 300000 = $ 400000
- The total value of products : W = C + V + M
=> 1000000 = 400000 + V + M
=> V + M = 600000 (1)
- The rate of surplus value is : m' = m/v = 200% => m/v = 2 => M/V = 2 or M = 2V (2)
- From (1) and (2) we have : 3V = 600000 => V = $200000
- So the total variable capital is $ 200000.
He he, so our problem has been solved.



Here is another example: In an enterprise, there are 100 workers. In a month, they produce 12500 units of products. The total constant capital is $ 250000. The value of labor of each worker per month is $ 250. The rate of surplus value is 300%. Find the value of ONE unit of products and state its structure.



Here we go:
- The total variable capital is : V= 250.100 = $ 25000
- The rate of surplus value is : m' = m/v = 300% => The total constant capital is : M = m'.V = 3. 25000 = $ 75000.
- The total value of products is : W = C + V + M = 250000 + 25000 + 75000 = $ 350000
- The value of ONE unit of products: w = c + v + m = 350000/12500 = $ 28 (This is the value of ONE unit of products created by one worker).
- About the structure:
+ the amount of products a worker creates in a month: 12500/100 = 125 (units)
+ the variable capital spent for one worker: v = 250/125 = $ 2
+ the surplus value created by one worker per one unit of poducts: m = 75000/12500 = $ 6
=> the constant capital spent for ONE unit of product: c = w - v - m = 28 - 2 - 6 = $ 20

* In conclusion: + the value of ONE unit of products is $ 28
+ the structure is: c = $ 20, v = $ 2, m = $ 6

Phew, I've just introduced the two examples of Political Economy problems . Hope you'll find them useful.

[These examples come from the exercises the lecture gave us]
Here are the links for the pictures I used in this entry:
http://www.interiorhealth.ca/NR/rdonlyres/F7F71A9E-0455-4498-B256-F46458F92DEA/5929/manpain.jpg
http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/Public/Editable/Life-Episodes/LS/clsp/images/INGG0509.jpg
http://ocean1025.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/greed-for-money.jpg

Be a good listener ...

As I reached chapter V of our course book, Select Readings (by Jean Bernard & Linda Lee), I discovered this useful skill which seems to be ignored by most people. So I write this entry to share with you about this skill (you'll find the details in chapter V, Listen Up by Madelyn Burley-Allen):

"We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak"

- Epictetus [philosopher & teacher] (A.D 55 - 138) -

Most of us misconcept that listening is basically the same as hearing. In fact, listening is a SKILL and has to be learned and trained. Madelyn divides this skill into 3 levels, let's see which level you are at:

+ Level 1: People at level 1 look for an area of interest in the talker's message; they view it as an opportunity to gather new and useful information. They can see things from the other person's point of view and inquire about rather than advocate a position. They use extra thought time to anticipate the talker's next message, to mentally summarize the stated message, evaluate what was said, and to conciously notice nonverbal cues.

+ Level 2: A person at this level is mainly listening to words and the content of what is being said but does not fully understand what the words mean. He focuses on words, but many times, he misses the intent. To sum up, he HEARS what the speaker says but makes little effort to understand the speaker's intent.

+ Level 3: At this level, people stop listening to the speaker, daydream, pretend to liten while thinking about unrelated matters. This influences either the speaker or the listener reponds by walking away angrily or argue.

* The benefits of Level 1 listening is you set in motion a positive, mutually rewarding process by demonstrating interest in the speaker and what he or she is saying. This encourages honesty, mutual respect, understanding, and a feeling of security in the speaker. It also encourages the speaker to feel self-confident, builds his self-esteem and a feeling of being empowered.

* Guideline for effective listening:

- Be attentive

- Be interested in the speaker's needs

- Listen fro a caring attitude

- Act like a mirror

- Don't get personally involved in a problem

- Use verbal cues

[I must admit that I'm really bad at listening to others. Hah hah, maybe I'm not at Level 3 but Level 4 >:) . But after reading this, I'm trying to change it. Hope you think so]

(All the facts and information of this entry come from the book Select Readings)

[Violence]

BELATED INTRODUCTION

The first thing we want to say is our sincere thank for your endless support during the time we create our blog. We know that you have followed our entries for a long time and that you're longing for meeting the authors ^^. We're terribly sorry for this delay. And now we are ready.... Wait for our profiles? Wait no more as ....HERE WE ARE.
__ Do you still remember the main male singer in two songs that we performed in English Gala? Then, we're proud to say that he is our member. MR. NHU ANH , or another name, MR. VIOLENCE. Possesed of a mesmerizing voice, he is also popular in Class 1C for his kindness and willingness to help anyone in need. We rarely end a discussion without argument but that's productive argument since it always provokes new ideas. But most importantly, we know that behind his seemingly tough appearance, there is a warm heart^^. ( a "hot" heart especially for...^^)

__ Coming next is MISS CASHIER , THU NGAN. A sweet girl with ideal height and an angelic face. However, what lies in that amazing girl is a karate expert. Don't believe me? Try infuriating her and see... Don't blame me for not warning you before^^.

__ Studious, humorous, creative, warm-hearted, helpful.... There are thousands of adjectives that we can use to describe the girl I'm gonna talk a bout. However, I like this one : " faithfulness". This is not only her strong point but also her weak one. It's certain that whenever you talk to MISS QUE MINH, you know that you always get the truth out of her. That's why she, "VIET NAM KHONG NHO", gains so many enemies. But that's also why we love her. Really!

__ Last but not least, the going-to-be-mentioned girl is a strange girl, a SHARK. Don't jump to your feet , it's just a nickname. MISS THANH TAM , who prefersto be called SHARK, is extremely famous for her height.^^. Her lifelong desire is to be accepted as a "normal" person^^ as she's crazy at times.

IN BRIEF, THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND HOPE THAT YOU WILL STILL SUPPORT US TILL THE END.
LOTS OF KISSES

Giang Dien Chronicle ... 09-03-2008

Last Sunday our class made a journey to Giang Dien fall, a tourist attraction in Dong Nai province (my homeland ). Following is the trip: Waiting for the bus at Bến Thành bus station.

(Ah I almost forgot this: half of our group came from International Relations Department, HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities )

On the bus (haizz there are so many pictures like this so I just post a "representative" one)

Wow, at last, we arrived at the gate . What a long journey [nearly 2 hours]

Our "tour-leader" on the way to the fall >:)

Playing together in a circle.

Waiting while other members were meeting with William Cường :))

At the fall

A picture for Mr Photographer he he

Having lunch

At the bridge

"Smile, ladies"

Conquering the fall

"We are the conquerors"

Let's play

Bye bye Giang Dien

I'M DYING...OF WRITING HIC HIC

I'm bad at writing. That's an established fact. That's why I really looked forward to our writing lessons. But... All my hopes just collapsed. He came over as being a hilarious teacher but that was just camouflage for the "real-him". To be frank, I cannot say that we didn't take in anything, it's unfair to him, but I really wish we had got more ....... Another semester has just come and again another hope.........( Sorry , I put too much dots instead of three ones^^)
Marsupilami

Acting, Acting : My Nightmare !

Again it falls down on my head ! I wonder how can I avoid it that I have troubles in making up and acting in a situation ?
First, I cannot make up a situation indeed. With a monotonous, boring situation, surely I can't get the same grade as the others whose situations are more funny and creative. What will happen if all the members in my group don't have the ability to do that ? And the biggest problem is, more than half of our class don't have a good sense of humour. Maybe they could get over this rather smoothly in the first term, but I'm afraid nothing can assure that they can do it again in the second term.
Second, I don't think acting, especially acting in funny situations, is a very popular ability. That some members in our class have that ability doesn't mean the whole class do. Well, individually I think I can never become a good actress in my life. So it means I can never get a good grade for my speaking mid-term test ?
It is said that the grade depends on good pronunciation, good use of functions and so on... But how can we show our good speaking skill in a boring situation and a poor acting ?
And how can we get over this duty, which is to hard for those who don't have an ability of acting and making up situations ?
If only...

Việt_Nam_không_nhỏ

Searching for Information with Google ...

Well, another week has come (of course with new challenges), so I would like to begin my entry with a wish luck for all my classmates in 1C. Today mr Vũ, our grammar lecturer, gave us some interesting tips for searching information in Internet. Have you ever been overwhelmed by hundred thousands of webpages when using Google ? Mr Vũ showed us some tips to make the work more simple. Following are the tips:

- When searching, to make sure Google give you the most relevant webpages, you should put the keywords in " ". And if you just want to look up for a specific part of the whole topic, just add a plus (+) and another keyword. For example: If you want to search for the usages of Present Simple Tense, you should type : "Present Simple Tense"+usages.

- If you ope a link to a webpage and see a message saying that the page is not available, you should return to the result page of Google where you will see a line "Đã lưu trong bộ nhớ cache" [Saved in cache memory] below the big Title of the Webpage Link. That is the link to a copy of that page saved by Google. There you may find the information you need, but beware for the information may not be updated. After all, it's just a copy of that page in a specific day, the information may have been changed.

- If you want to look for "professional" materials which are usually books or report (not webpage), you should add the keywords with "filetype". Usually, materials are often saved in PDF or DOC format. For example: If you want to find materials in Relative Clauses, you should type: Relative Clauses filetype:pdf . This tip can also be used if you want to search for materials in PPT format (Power Point format).

- When reading a book or a webpage, you may find some reference resources containing links to webpages. Often, the link addresses are too long and too complicated. Here is a tip to find the exact information contained in the link. Following is a link the a page containing information about the game "Dynasty Warriors 5":

http://books.google.com/books?id=zMrwAAAACAAJ&dq=dynasty+warriors+5&hl=es.

If you see this kind of link in a book, what will you do ? Type all the letters of it? It'll be easier when you just type the keywords: Dynasty warriors 5 inurl:books.google.com . This method helps you get directly to where the information is stored in the webpage without typing the whole complex address.

Above are just a few small tips. I will add some next time. Hope you'll find them useful.

[Như Anh]

ENGLISH QUIZzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RIGHT OR WRONG???????????
There is only one piece of wrong information in the list below. Which one? Enjoy this quiz and you’ll get very interesting information!!!!!!!!!! Have fun!!!!!!!!

1. Chocolate can kill dogs. Chocolate affects a dog’s heart and nervous system; a few ounces are enough to kill a small dog.

2.Someone paid $ 14, 000 for the bra worn by Marilyn Monroe in the film “Some Like It Hot”( really ????)

3.Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at one end.

4. A kiss lasting one minute can burn more than 100 calories (wow!!!!!!!!!!!)

5. Buckingham Palace in England has over six hundred rooms.

6.There was once an undersea post office in the Bahamas.

7.Abraham Lincoln’s mother died when she drank the milk of a cow that grazed on poisonous snaskeroot.

8. After the death of Albert Einstein, his brain was removed by a pathologist and put in a jar for future study.

HOT!HOT!HOT

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
It’s undeniable that English is the key to success in this modern society. Learning English has become a fashionable trend marked by thousands of English-teaching centers growing in leaps and bounds. However, have we learned English in the right way? I have some interesting stories to share with you…
1. The first story begins with a very well-known place in Viet Nam, Hai Van Mountain Pass. Everyone knows that this place is really famous for its tunnel built about some years ago. Regrettably, a few days ago, I saw that name in a panel in one of the main streets in HCM City. But it was printed “HAI VAN TUNEL”. Remarkably, this panel has been there for years. A little bit annoyed…
=> Imagine one day you travel to a foreign country and you see a Vietnamese word misspelled. What do you feel? Maybe that’s just a small mistake but is that negligible?
2. The second story takes place in a bookstore. I was looking for a book when I suddenly realized that everyone around me mysteriously got so engrossed in their books. I heard some noise and then two foreign women appeared. They seemed to get lost and try to look for help. Then when they were talking to the shop assistant, everyone tried to keep away from them though someone still stole a glance at them.
=> I’m sure that some of, or maybe all of everyone present there that day, could speak English but … what happened?
3. I have been working as a tutor for about three months. One day, my student gave me a piece of paper and asked me why his teacher gave it to him. I quickly realized that that was the tape script for the listening practice. I asked whether his teacher had given him any instruction and I was really taken aback when I heard the answer:
“My teacher told me to learn it by heart in preparation for the forthcoming test.” I told him exactly what it was. He kept silent and then murmured: “It is unfair. Why doesn’t he let us listen ourselves?”. When home, I told my younger sister about that. You know what she said? “It is normal. I also used to receive tape scripts when I was at secondary school.” At a loss for words …
=> I remembered our 1st -term listening test and then … (crying)

Marsupilami