Activities

Word order

The objective of this activity is to be aware of the correct order of words in English sentences.

Put the words in the following sentences in the correct order. It’s not necessary to add or change any words.

  1. You do like my house new?
  2. I an email Mr Smith sent.
  3. Here please down sit.
  4. He speak well quite English can.
  5. We in 1962 to the city moved.
  6. He busy is. He Mr Jones talking is to.
  7. I do like not in the morning at 5 getting up.
  8. I in my job visit often houses other people’s.

  1. Do you like my new house?
  2. I sent Mr Smith an email.
  3. Sit down here, please. / Please, sit down here.
  4. He can speak English quite well.
  5. We moved to the city in 1962.
  6. He is busy. He is talking to Mr Jones.
  7. I do not like getting up at 5 in the morning.
  8. In my job, I often visit other people’s houses / I often visit other people’s houses in my job.

The passive voice

The objective of this activity is to be aware of the use of the passive voice in texts and practise the formation of the verb tenses.

The following text will sound more natural if you use the passive voice instead of the active voice. All the underlined examples have indefinite subjects, so the passive voice is preferred. Rewrite the text changing the sentences in bold type from the active into the passive voice.

People normally believe that good qualifications and a long experience are the most important aspects to get a job when there is a lot of competition. But people should also consider another aspect. If they offer you a job and have to go to an interview, remember to dress appropriately and show a good aspect. They have shown good looks to be the main reason for choosing a candidate, even above qualifications and experience. They will choose a good-looking person instead of an intelligent, but queer-looking person. So remember, next time they call you to go to a job interview, be careful with your aspect.

Answer:

It is normally believed that good qualifications and a long experience are the most important aspects to get a job when there is a lot of competition. But another aspect should also be considered. If you are offered a job and have to go to an interview, remember to dress appropriately and show a good aspect. Good looks have been shown to be the main reason for choosing a candidate, even above qualifications and experience. A good-looking person will be chosen instead of an intelligent, but queer-looking person. So remember, next time you are called to go to a job interview, be careful with your aspect.

Speaking: job interview

The objective of this activity is to introduce yourself and talk about your career in order to apply for a job.

Read the instructions and record a message as if you were going to apply for a job in UK.

Instructions: You are applying for a job in UK. The company got in contact with you and they are interested in your application, though they understand that you cannot travel there only for the interview. So they asked you to send a video or voice recording introducing yourself, giving details about your qualifications and experience, and about the reasons that make you the ideal candidate for the post.

These are some of the question tips to deal with:

  • Reason for choosing the company.
  • How did you find this work placement.
  • What is your job now
  • Prospects
  • Ideal salary
  • Ready to work extra hours

My name’s Marise and I’m 24 years old. I saw your post for a job as a marketing assistant on findyourjob.com, and I decided to apply for it. To start, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to send a voice recording to introduce myself. I recently finished my Business Management degree at the university of Barcelona, and I specialized in Marketing.

I’m currently working as a sales representative in a company related to finance and investment. I sell financial products, and try to attract investors. We offer some products, which are exclusive in our company, and others come from the stock exchange. I visit the clients to show them our financial products. Previously, I had worked for the marketing department of ABC, a Spanish company in the finance sector, where I improved my skills as a salesman and broadened my knowledge of the markets and the financial industry.

As regards to my personal qualities, I’d like to point out my ability to become part of a team. In addition, I’m used to working under pressure and with very tight deadlines.

I have different reasons to choose your company. First of all, I consider your company one of the best in this sector. I’m convinced that I will learn and progress a lot in your company, and that it will help me to develop my career. Secondly, I would like to work for a British company because of the degree of formality, and also because I love the United Kingdom and the culture.

My ideal salary would be 25,000 pounds a year plus comission. I don’t mind if I have to work extra hours, since I love this job. I thank you for considering my application, and I’d like to show you that I’m the ideal candidate for this post. If you need any additional information, please, contact me.

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