Summer Holidays!!!

December's here and relaxing time too! 

We're proud of you for having sat for the Advanced Exam. Now it's your turn to chill out ;)

Happy holidays!!! 

The Open Window by Saki

Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story, and often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. 

Hector Hugh Munro was born in British Burma, which was then still part of the British Raj, and was governed from Calcutta under the authority of the Viceroy of India. 

At the start of the First World War Munro was 43 and officially over-age to enlist, but he refused a commission and joined the 2nd King Edward's Horse as an ordinary trooper. He later transferred to the 22nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, in which he rose to the rank of lance sergeant. In November 1916 he was sheltering in a shell crater near Beaumont-Hamel, France, when he was killed by a German sniper. 

Munro has no known grave. After his death his sister Ethel destroyed most of his papers and wrote her own account of their childhood.

Munro was homosexual, but in Britain at that time this was a crime. It meant "that side of [Munro's] life had to be secret". Munro was a Tory and somewhat reactionary in his views.

Work on the following questions. Add your answers as a comment. Don´t forget to include your name. 

1. Vera cunningly makes sure that Framton Nuttel will have no reason to suspect her story is fiction. What three pieces of information does she extract from Framton before she begins her dramatic tale?

2. If Framton had stayed in the room when the three returned, he would have soon realized that the men were not ghosts, and that Vera had been pulling his leg all along. What do you think he would have said or done? How would Vera have handled the situation?

3. The story is told from Framton´s point of view, but what did Vera think of him? Why did she play such a trick on him?Write a short entry for her diary that day, describing Framton through her eyes and the success of her trick. You could begin:

Such a BORING little man came to visit today. Luckily, my aunt was upstairs when he arrived....

Revision Parts 2 & 3

Source: http://www.globalelt.co.uk/images/CAE-TEST-1-2015/CAE-2015-SAMPLE-TEST.html#p=5

Paper 4 Speaking - Part 3

Tips Galore!

1. Be prepared to ask your partner for his or her opinion rather than simply stating your own. For example:

'What do you think?'

'How about you?'

'Do you think ...?'

2. Listen carefully' to what your partner says and respond to comments he or she makes to help the discussion flow. For example:

'Do/Have/Are you?'

'Don't/Haven't/Aren't you?'

'Do you think so?

'Really?'

3. If you disagree try expressing this politely. For example:

'I see what you mean but ...'

'I can see your point but ...'

'But don't you think ...'

4. Use expressions to allow yourself time to think. For example:

'That's a good question.'

'Well, let me think ...'

'It's difficult to say ...'

5. You'll possibly find you don't understand something your partner has said. If this happens, take control with simple questions like those below to help you deal positively with the situation. 

A) If you didn't quite understand a word or phrase just say something like:

"Sorry but could you explain what you mean by ........" or

"I haven't come across that word/expression before. Could you explain what you mean?"

B) If you didn't hear or didn't understand something your partner has said, ask them to repeat it:

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say that again?"

"Excuse me. Could you repeat that?"

C) Alternatively, you might want to confirm what you think your partner said so you could say something like:

"Do you mean ........"

"When you say ........, are you asking/do you mean ........?"

Paper 4: Speaking. Part 2

http://issuu.com/iccic/docs/caeissuu/6