Dear Students,
Unit four consists of four sections. The first is a reading text on the use of Facebook in classrooms. The second introduces the form and use of Passive Voice in English. The third explains one of the language functions: Complaining. The fourth section enables you to write an email.
- Find main ideas of the text: The Use of Facebook in Classrooms.
- Recognize the key words of the reading text.
- Change from active into passive voice.
- Formulate expressions for making, accepting, delaying, and rejecting a complain.
- Write formal and informal emails.
The Use of Facebook in Classrooms
No one can deny or undermine the importance and influence of technology on students' daily life. They are very active and professional in their use of various means of social networking. Facebook is one of the most attractive sites for them. They spend hours day and night searching, chatting, posting messages …etc. This situation creates some problems and challenges to parents, students and instructors. How can we make technology a good servant for students and instructors at schools? Facebook, as the most attractive social site for students and others these days, is not only beneficial for communications and building social relations but it could be a significant tool of teaching and learning.
Facebook empowers teachers to create groups for their students. These groups could spend fruitful time working on some assignments and projects assigned by their teachers. Students - instructor interactions are likely to be constructive and amazing to all participants. Thus, instructors contribute to the success and development of teaching learning process outside the traditional class. This way of communication offers effective and informal learning environment for students. They establish friendly relations with their classmates and their teacher. This social interaction enhances students learning abilities and language skills.
Moreover, teachers should be fully aware of the various uses of technology in order to engage and motivate their students who are experts in the use of Facebook these days. Otherwise, a gap of communication and possibly lack of motivation on the part of students could hinder or misshape the optimal learning process. Another challenge for teachers is to differentiate between entertainment and academic activities.
In brief, Facebook is as important as the traditional class for students and teachers. For some students who cannot attend traditional classes, technology is the solution. Teachers and students should be creative and be able to cope with huge advancements in technology. "Either sink or swim". Facebook is likely to be your virtual class. A traditional class is no longer enough particularly for ambitious and creative students and teachers.
- Introduction
- Pre - reading
- Read and Find Out
- Read and Answer
- Self Assessment
The use of Facebook in classrooms is a short reading text. It explains the value of this electronic tool as an effective social media in students’ learning progress. It helps you to understand how we can make technology a good servant for students and instructors at schools. Through your reading, you easily realize that Facebook could be a significant tool of teaching and learning.
Upon completing this section, you should be able to:
- Find main ideas of the text: The Use of Facebook in Classrooms.
- Recognize the key words of the reading text.
Before you read the text, you are strongly advised to work on the two activities below:
Activity (1) : Listen and look.
Listen to the audio and look at the reading text as you listen.
Activity (2) : Look the words up
It is important that you know the meanings of the words in orange color in the reading text. If you do not know the meaning of a word, click on the word to know its meaning before you start reading.
Activity(3): Read and find out
Now read the text quickly, and find out an answer to each of the following questions:
- How does Facebook empower Students – instructor interaction?
- Teachers should be fully aware of the various uses of technology. Explain why this is important.
- In your opinion, how do teachers differentiate between entertainment and academic activities?
- In brief, Facebook is as important as the traditional class for students and teachers. Explain how .
Read the text again, very carefully this time, and make sure that you understand it very well. After you have done that, do the exercises that follow.
- Introduction
- Using Passive Voice
- Forming Passive Sentences
- Exercises
- Self Assessment
The passive voice is a grammatical construction in English. It is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known; however, who or what is performing the action. Sometimes a statement in the passive voice is more polite than in the active voice, as saying “A mistake was made.” Therefore, the passive is particularly useful, even recommended, in two situations: When it is more important to draw our attention to the person or thing acted upon, and when the actor in the situation is not important.
Upon completing this section, you should be able to use passive sentences correctly by applying the different verb tenses you already studied in previous sections.
Activity(1): Look and find out
Look at the following sentences and find out when the passive is used:
- Two police officers were killed in London last night.
- Computers are nowadays widely used in scientific research.
- The house was surrounded by guards.
- I have been told that Ali is in prison.
Watch the following videos then construct the rules of changing active to passive
Object is/are/am Inf. verb being been has/have Main verb (P.P)
1. Present simple : V(s)/(inf.) .
________________ ________________ ________________Object is/are/am Inf. verb being been has/have Main verb (P.P)
2. Present continuous : is/are/am V-ing .
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________Object is/are/am Inf. verb being been has/have Main verb (P.P)
3. Present perfect : has/have Main verb (P.P) .
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
Object
is/are/am
was/were
being
been
has/have
Main verb (P.P)
4. Past simple : V.2 .
________________
________________
________________
Object is/are/am was/were being been has/have Main verb (P.P)
5. Past continuous : was/were V-ing .
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________| No. | Active Sentence | Passive Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Susan helps the students a lot in doing the homework. | The students are helped a lot in doing the homework. How? |
| 2 | You were doing the homework. . | The homework was being done.
How? |
| 3 | The decorator is painting my room now. | My room is being painted now.
How? |
| 4 | The postman has delivered the mail. | The mail has been delivered.
How? |
| 5 | We helped my mother yesterday. | My mother was helped yesterday.
How? |
| 6 | She was cooking the meat. | The meat was being cooked.
How? |
- Someone writes the notes on the board every Sunday.
The notes are written on the board every Sunday. - We are doing the job.
The job is being done. - My sister is cleaning the rooms.
The rooms are being cleaned. - I have done it.
It has been done. - The postman has delivered the mail.
The email has been delivered. - She was cooking the meat.
The meat was being cooked. - We helped my mother yesterday.
My mother was helped yesterday. - You were doing the homework.
The homework was being done.
- Introduction
- Making Complaints
- Expressions for complaining
- Exercises
- Self Assessment
When you have a bad experience, it’s easy to get angry and complain. Sometimes that’s not the best way to get what you want. Here are some simple tips to help you stay calm, be polite and get what you want when you complain in English.
Upon completing this section, you will be able to :
- Express dissatisfaction politely.
- Use various expressions and forms of complaining.
- Communicate with others nicely.
Watch the following video then fill in the blank with the expressions of making a complaint
-
Noor : Good afternoon,
can I help you?
-
Nariman : I hope so. I
with this television.
have a problem
- Noor: ?
What is wrong with it
- Nariman: . There's a dark line down the left-hand side of the screen.
The sound and picture quality are awful
- Noor: Do you have an outdoor antenna?
- Nariman: Yes, I do.
- Noor: Do you ?
remember when you bought it
- Nariman: I think, one month ago.
- Noor: Good. ?
Do you have the receipt
- Nariman: As a matter of fact, I do.
- Noor: ?
Do you like to exchange it
- Nariman: . A friend of mine bought the same model here and had exactly the same problems. ?
I want a refund/ Can I get cash back instead
- Noor: ,Madam. I can give you store credit?
I'm afraid it isn't our policy to give refunds
- Nariman: ?
What is that
- Noor: I can give you good for 49.99 $.
a store coupon
- Nariman: .
Okay, I'll take the coupon
Watch the following video then fill in the blank with the expressions of complaining .
- Nader: I am having some on this tour.
big problems
- Maher: ? We are here to help you.
What seems to be the problem
-
Nader: This tour company . No one seems to have a clear picture as to where we are going and when we are going to get there.
seems very disorganized - Maher: the accommodations on the tour?
I will see what I can do about that. How about
- Nader: So far, we have been staying in really out-of-the-way accommodations.
- Maher: ?
Is anything wrong with your room
- Nader: in our room .
The television/ was broken, and they didn't send anyone to fix it.
- Maher: I will complain to the hotel manager about that. ?
How about the hotel restaurant
- Nader: .
The food in the restaurant was terrible
- Maher: ?
What happened exactly
- Nader: A few people from our group got sick. They suffered from sever pain and vomiting.
- Maher: I am so sorry that you had such a bad experience. We .
would like to offer you a free city tour and lunch to make it up to you
- Nader : . I should see the manager.
Sorry, I have lost a lot of money
- Maher: . The manager is not available. Could you leave your contact phone number? We will contact you soon.
Okay, I’m afraid we can’t help you at the moment
How to complain politely
Start politely
Starting a complaint with “
I’m sorry to bother you
” or “
Excuse me, I wonder if you can help me
” puts the listener at ease. People are easier to deal with if they feel comfortable. So even if you are angry, try to stay calm and start the conversation with one of these phrases. For example “
I’m sorry to bother you, but I
wanted a baked potato, not fries.”
Explain the problem
Rather than saying, "Your information is wrong," explain what the correct situation should be by introducing it with the expression “
There has been a misunderstanding."
This makes what you want clearer while not blaming the person you are complaining to for making the mistake. For instance, you say, “
I’m afraid there may be a misunderstanding. "
Don’t blame the person you are dealing with.
“I understand it’s not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday.”
Expressions for complaining
- I’m afraid I have to make a serious complaint.
- Look, I’m sorry to trouble you, but….
- Excuse me, I’m afraid…
- Excuse me, there seems to be something wrong with…
- I wonder if you could help me…..
- I’m ringing to complain about…
- I’m sorry, but I’m not satisfied with…
- Unfortunately, there’s a problem with…
- I am very dissatisfied with the service I received .
- Could you give me some details, please?
- What happened exactly?
- What seems to be the problem?
- Oh, I’m sorry about that.
- I wish it never happened.
- Oh dear, I’m really sorry .
- I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize ….
- I just don’t know how to say….
- I just don’t know what to say…..
- I suggest you leave it with us and we’ll see what can be done.
- I suggest you leave it with us and we’ll see what we can do.
- I’m afraid the manager/boss isn’t in at the moment. Could you call later?
- I’m afraid we can’t help you at the moment. Could you leave your contact phone number and address? We will contact you soon.
- It’s not our policy to replace items.
- It’s not our fault that it hasn’t arrived.
- I’m afraid that’s not quite right.
- I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.
- Well, I’m afraid there is nothing we can do about it actually.
- Well, I’m afraid there isn’t much we can do about it.
- Elan: Are you ready to order, Sir?
- Richie: I wanted to try something new today, but I don't see anything interesting on the menu.
- Elan:
- Richie: Hmm.. nothing specific. Actually, I’ve tried all the dishes that are listed here. I was looking to explore new ones.
- Elan: Let me talk to the chef. I’m sure he can suggest something.
- Richie: Let me just suggest that you add some more food variety to your menu. I haven’t seen any changes in it, for a while now.
- Elan: You’ve been one of our more regular customers. I’ll definitely take your suggestion to the manager.
- Richie: you can bring me the red sauce pasta and potato wedges.
- Andy: Excuse me! Are you out of vegetables today?
- Sam:
- Andy: I ordered a Creamy Vegetable Soup and there aren’t many vegetables in it. It’s mainly just broth.
- Sam: I really apologize for that. to replace it with a better one.
- Andy: No. That’s alright now. I’ll just fill up on the main course.
- Sam:. As a token of our apologies, we won’t charge you for the soup.
- Andy: That’s good. I hope we won’t be disappointed with the food quality.
- Sam: .
- Introduction
- Writing Emails
- Exercises
- Self Assessment
For most of people, an email is the most common form of communication specially in business communication. Therefore, it is essential to write emails properly. Although emails usually are not as formal as letters, they still need to be professional to present good images of the writers of emails and their professions. Because email is a widely used tool for communication, this section will present some useful tips that help learners to write effective emails.
Upon completing this section, you will be able to:
- Write formal emails effectively.
- Write informal emails appropriately .
Activity (1): Watch and sort
Watch the following video and then put the parts of the email in the correct order.
- Subject: Major Issues at Today’s Staff Meeting
- Regards,
- I wanted to let you know that we’d had a staff meeting in the morning even though you were unable to attend.
- We also discussed some issues related to confidentiality of data filings and the budget update.
- Tom informed everyone about the progress made by our department in solving the security issues.
- From: Victor Smith
- Victor
- Dear Richard,
- You will find the detailed description on your desk.
- To: Richard Travis
- From: Victor Smith
- To: Richard Travis
- Subject: Major Issues at Today’s Staff Meeting
- Dear Richard,
- I wanted to let you know that we’d had a staff meeting in the morning even though you were unable to attend.
- Tom informed everyone about the progress made by our department in solving the security issues.
- We also discussed some issues related to confidentiality of data filings and the budget update.
- You will find the detailed description on your desk.
- Regards,
- Victor
Susan,
Are you still taking a trip to the US this summer?
travel with you then. America is a wonderful country. It has nice people.
enjoyed the last trip a lot. So, I want to visit it again with you. The restaurants are amazing and the food is delicious. There are some cheap shops that we can visit together. I can help you with
. My husband
a nice hotel and he is going to take us there! So,
.
Susan!
Hi
Susan,
How are you doing dear friend? I really miss chatting with you!
Are you still taking a trip to the US this summer?
I am going to
travel with you then. America is a wonderful country. It has nice people.
My kids
enjoyed the last trip a lot. So, I want to visit it again with you. The restaurants are amazing and the food is delicious. There are some cheap shops that we can visit together. I can help you with
the shopping; never mind dear
. My husband
told me about
a nice hotel and he is going to take us there! So,
no worries
.
I am looking forward to hearing from you dear
Susan!
Love,
Elizabeth
,
on our discussion last Wednesday.
, I filed a work order with the facilities department regarding the damage to the ascending escalator you reported.
An examination of the escalator found that there was a shoelace caught in the gears. The shoelace has been removed and the escalator was tested extensively to ensure this would not happen again.
the tests were passed and the escalator has been reopened.
to our attention.
any other problems in our facilities.
Dear Ms Anderson
,
I am writing to follow up
on our discussion last Wednesday.
As you requested
, I filed a work order with the facilities department regarding the damage to the ascending escalator you reported.
An examination of the escalator found that there was a shoelace caught in the gears. The shoelace has been removed and the escalator was tested extensively to ensure this would not happen again.
I am pleased to report that
the tests were passed and the escalator has been reopened.
Thank you for bringing this issue
to our attention.
Please continue to inform us should you have
any other problems in our facilities.
Sincerely,
Tom Novak
Property Manager
Novak Skyscraper construction
Write an email to your friend to invite him/her to your birthday party next week.
You are Harry Macdonald, Novatech company manager. Write a formal email to Tomas, an employee in the company, to inform him about a meeting next week that decides if he will continue working in the company or not.
- Al-Quds Open University (1991). English Language Proficiency, Al-Quds Open University: Amman, Jordan
- Cambridge Dictionary, Retrieved from dictionary.cambridge.org
- ESL Teachers Board. Retrieved from eslteachersboard.com
- Theory and Practice in Language Studies. dx.doi.org