Lunch conversation tips

Here are the tips you shared with you during lunch:

- 9 et Voisins: Good price-quality ratio restaurant in Brussels
- De Valck: Good price-quality ration restaurant in Leuven; try the lamb steak
- Spicy Grill: Good Indian restaurant in Brussels
- Small's: Jazz club in NYC

Tenses and key words

Here you can find many exercises on tenses.  I am also hereby making a list of all the tenses and key words available.

What and which

Here you can find a document with information on the use of 'what' and 'which'.

Sample business letter

Miles Davis

Rue du Bebop 12

1000 Brussels

Tel: 02 217 7855

Email: davis@email.com

Brussels, 17^th of January 2013

Ms Jennifer Smith

Director of Human Resources

Joint Research Centre

Rue Guimard 10

1049 Brussels

RE: The project manager vacancy (reference no. 123)

Dear Ms Smith,

Having seen the project manager vacancy posted on your HR website, I would like to hereby apply for the position.

Currently, I work as a project manager assistant in DG Research and Innovation at the European Commission. During my three years here, I have had the opportunity to acquire extensive experience not only as a team leader but also as the Acting Project Manager working on nuclear fusion research support. In addition, I specialised in nuclear fusion as a biophysicist during my PhD studies, with a Dissertation on transgenetic mutations. Due to my deep fascination with the intricacies of this matter, I have always been keen on pursuing my professional endeavours within the same field. Moreover, I cherish working in a multicultural environment, since I see diversity of perspectives as an invaluable asset in approaching a given issue.

Even though working in DG Research has been a very rewarding experience concerning my professional and personal development, I am now ready for new challenges. Therefore, I am very enthusiastic about the prospect of joining your team, since you have an excellent track record in supporting nuclear fusion research. On a more personal note, I also share your views on making nuclear technology environmentally sustainable. Thus I am confident that my profile is a perfect match for the position, especially given the fact that you specialise in eliminating radiation exposure in France, where I did part of my research as a PhD candidate.

Should you want to meet me in person to discuss the details of my CV,  I would be happy to come in for an interview at a time suitable for you.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Looking forward to hearing from you at your soonest convenience,

Sincerely yours,

SIGNATURE

Miles Davis

Enc: CV

Conversation Exchange

Here you can have access to the Conversation Exchange website.

Minutes

Here is a document on writing minutes. 

 

Here you can find an example for minutes.  Source: Market Leader Upper Intermediate Business English Course Book by David Cotton, et al.

Comparative and superlative

Here you can find some information with exercises on comparative and superlative. Here is the key to the exercises.

Journalistic titles

Here you can find a brief explanation on journalistic titles used in, e.g., newspaper headlines.  We, however, should not use this style for our titles in administrative writing.  How would you change the headlines provided as examples in the hot-linked document into administrative style titles? 
 
Here is a newspaper article with a headline on a topic we discussed this Tuesday.

Obligations

Positive obligations for the present, future or in general:

Stronger:
You have to put on your seat belt. (US)
We are going to/will have to go through the customs when we arrive in New york. (future)
She must put on her seat belt. (UK)
Members shall follow the club rules. (formal/legal/religious/moral codes in writing)

Weaker:
You should take off your shoes in their house.
You ought to take off your shoes in their house. (UK)

Negative obligations for the present, future or in general:
Stronger:
You cannot drive without your seat belt on. (US)
You must not drive without your set-belt on. (UK)
Thou shall not kill. (formal/legal/religious/moral codes in writing)

Weaker:
You should not enter their house with your shoes on.
You ought not to enter their house with your shoes on. (UK)

Positive obligations for the past:

Stronger:
We had to go through the customs when we came from the US to Belgium last week.

Weaker:
You should have taken off your shoes when you entered their house yesterday evening.
You ought to have taken off your shoes when you entered their house yesterday evening. (UK)

Negative obligations for the past:

Stronger: 
The waiter could not serve beer to my 17-year old cousin when we were in the US last year.  (US)

Weaker:
You should not have entered their house with your shoes on yesterday evening.
You ought not to have entered their house with your shoes on yesterday evening. (UK)

Lack of obligations for the present, future or in general:

You do not have to take off your shoes when you go through the security check at the airports in Europe.
You are not going to/will not have to take off your shoes at the security check in Zaventem airport when you arrive there. (future)

Lack of obligations for the present, future or in general:

We did not have to take off your shoes when we went through the security check at the airport last week.

I am hereby making some exercises on have to vs. must and should along with the key available.

Past continuous

Here are some exercises on the use of the past continuous tense:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs3.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs4.htm

Democratic deficit in the EU for 8th of April 2014

Here you can find an article from The Economist on the democratic deficit in the EU. After having identified the problem, we can exchange some ideas about how to close the deficit..

'Like' vs. 'as'

Here you can find the document and exercises on the use of 'like and 'as' along with the key.

Synthesis summary

Here you can find two articles which you can synthesize in a summary report. Please send me you one-page double-spaced summary by Thursday, 24th of April.

The U-bend of life
Why, beyond middle age, people get happier as they get older

According to many recent social, medical and economic studies, people should not dread ageing, as life is not a long slow decline but rather a U-bend.
After a cheerful adulthood and a depressing mid-life crisis, luckily things do not go downhill further. Although old age means losing treasures such as vitality, mental sharpness and looks, what is surprising is that the elderly finally find what they spend their lives pursuing, namely happiness.
Unconvinced by the conventional direct relationship between money and well-being, some economists have established a new branch of economics based on the new concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which policy makers have been increasingly taking into account.
Statisticians have been trying to find the answer to the perennial question of what makes people happy. Surveys have been conducted to measure two sides of this issue, i.e., global well-being and hedonic or emotional well-being. Moreover, the following four main factors have emerged from the collected data: gender, personality, external circumstances and age.
The U-bend was noticed in the early 1990s, and if turned upside down, it becomes an arc, peaking at the age of 46, when people are the most depressed.
Researchers believe that the U-bend must be the result of internal changes, not external circumstances. Older people have fewer rows and come up with better solutions to conflicts; they are better at controlling their emotions and at accepting misfortunes; they are also less prone to anger, and come to accept their strengths and weaknesses.
The U-bend also shows us that old people are healthier, as happier people are less likely to catch viruses and recover from illnesses more quickly. Thus, the cheerfulness of the old helps counteract their crumbliness and loss of productivity due to declining cognitive skills—a point worth remembering as the world is trying to work out how to deal with an ageing workforce.

Money really can buy you happiness with some qualifications
 
It is widely believed that money cannot buy happiness, and that growth-oriented free-market economies have got it wrong. Many recent studies have shown only a loose correlation between money and happiness when measured over time or across countries. The “Easterlin paradox” suggests that well-being depends not on absolute, but on relative income. For, people feel miserable not because they are poor, but because they are at the bottom of the particular pile in which they find themselves.

As data on the effect of income on well-being is now available almost everywhere in the world, the huge variation in life satisfaction across countries is becoming increasingly evident. Although developed countries score up to eight and developing countries as low as three out of ten, cultural factors are also at work, such as the ones prevailing over the surprisingly gloomy Portuguese in the Western World. Another example is the case of Hong Kong and Denmark, which have similar incomes per person, but respectively score 5.5 and eight on the ten-point scale. Along the same lines, the saddest place in the world relative to its income per person is Bulgaria.

Future perfect and future perfect continuous

Here are some exercises with future perfect and future perfect continuous tenses:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs25.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs26.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs27.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs28.htm

American vs. British English

Here you can find a list of the main differences between American and British English. (Source: English Grammar in Use: Intermediate by Raymond Murphy)

Semicolon, colon and lists

In Sections  3.5 - 3.10 of the English Style Guide published by the Directorate-General for Translation, you can find the rules on the use of colon and semicolon with the appropriate hyperlinks for other relevant issues, such as lists.

You can hereby find more information on the use of colon and semicolon as well as providing lists as it is presented in the Interinstitutional Style Guide.

Here you can find a document on the use of semicolon and colon, including the use of the latter to introduce lists.  The first rule on the use of colon in this document is at odds with what is said in the Commission's "English Style Guide" and  the "Interinstitutional Style Guide".

Here you can find a quiz on the use of colon and semicolon with the key and explanations.  In the explanation for the answer to question 21, you can find the capitalization rule in sentences after colon.

PechaKucha

Here you can have access to PechaKucha, which is an online tool for flowing presentations.

Prezi

Here is the link for Prezi, an online tool for presentations.  You will have to create an account if you want to use it.

More tips on PowerPoint presentations

Here you can find list of do's and dont's for PowerPoint presentations.

The dont's for PowerPoint

Here you can find Don McMillan's standup on the dont's of a PowerPoint presentation.

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

Here you can find Guy Kawasaki's recommendations on the length (10 slides), duration (20 minutes) and font size (30 points) in a PowerPoint presentation.

Here you can find a stream of his pitch. ('Bozo' means 'fool'.)

Lists of three and the rule of three: two speeches

Here you can find the first part of Steve Jobs's iPhone product launch speech.  
Here you can find Barack Obama's inauguration speech.
In both of them, please pay attention to the usage of the lists of three and the rule of 3s. Here is a stream where the rule of 3s is explained among other useful tips on making presentations.

Telephone for 25th of March 2014

Here you can have access to the BBC webpage on telephone conversations.

Listening summary

Here is the link for a presentation  by Hans Rosling on population growth. Please send me your summaries by Sunday evening.  The summary should be maximum one double-spaced page.

GLOBAL POPULATION GROWTH

Presentation by Hans Rosling in Cannes

Introduction

Hans Rosling presented how world population have been changing since 1960. He also made a prediction on how the progress will continue, if no action is taken to stop the growth in the poorest developing countries. He used colourful boxes to describe the population sizes and statistical data on progress. Each box represented one billion people.

Evolution

In 1960 there were two boxes for the developing world and one box for the industrialised western world. There was a big gap in levels of wealth between the West and the rest. While people’s goal in the western world was to get their own cars, people in developing countries dreamed of new sandals.

Since 1960 the gap between these two categories of countries has been reduced, and world population has more than doubled. If the growth continues at its current trend, the population will reach 9 billion by 2050.

Solution

According to Rosling the only way to stop this growth is by getting the poorest people out of poverty, giving them education and increasing their child survival rate. This will dramatically affect the number of children per woman.

The most developed poor countries have gotten closer to the western world when it comes to birth rate. However, we still have the 2 billion poor people, whose birth rate is almost six children per woman. If four of those children survive to adulthood, the population in the poorest countries will double from 2 to 4 billion in one generation.

Statistically, it is shown that birth rate is lower in the wealthiest and healthiest countries, where child survival rate is near 100%.  As such, Rosling describes child survival as the new green. Only by investing in improving the living conditions of the  poorest countries, the current trend can be stopped, and the rate of global population growth can be kept at a sustainable level.

Position of adverbs

Here are the main rules and exceptions on the position of adverbs in sentences:

First rule: if there is only one verb in the sentence, the adverb comes before the verb as in the following example: He usually comes to work on time.
Exception to the first rule: if the only verb in the sentence is 'to be', the adverb comes after the verb as in the following example:  He is usually on time.

Second rule: If there is more than one verb in the sentence, the adverb comes after the first verb as in the following example: He has already arrived at work.
First exception to the second rule: if the first verb in the sentence is an auxiliary verb with 'to', i.e., have to, need to, ought to and used to, the adverb comes before the first verb as in the following example: He usually has to start working by 9:30 AM.
Second exception to the second rule: if the first verb in the sentence is a contracted negation, the adverbs 'probably', 'possibly' and 'certainly' come before the first verb as in the following example: He probably won't come to work on time.

These being the main rules and exceptions, there is more to this topic.  You can find more information on this webpage, which also provides you with some exercises. 

Here is another document with exercises on the same topic.  You can find the key for the exercises here.

Climate change; support for renewables; nuclear fusion for 18th of March 2014

Here you can find a debate with extra articles from The Economist.  They are on climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels.

Here you can find a short piece on nuclear fusion from The New York Times.

Here you can find a TED talk on fusion energy.

Gerund vs. infinitive

Numerous exercises on gerund vs. infinitive along with their key are hereby made available for you to have access at your convenience.  You can also find the list of verbs used with gerund and/or infinitive here.
Here you can find more information and exercises on the same topic.

How to tackle obesity: Should there be regulation? Diet: organic food for 11th of March 2014

The New York Times on the topic.

The Guardian on the topic.

State vs. action verbs

Here is  a document where you can find information and exercises on state vs. action verbs, along with key for the  exercises. (Source: English Grammar in Use: Intermediate by Raymond Murphy)

Here is a link for a webpage where you can find some  exercises on the same topic.   

Here you can find the list of verbs we have looked at. (Source: LONGMAN Advanced Learners’ Grammar by Mark Foley &  Diane Hall)

Plans

Here are the four different functions we can use to talk about plans:

1. I will/shall call you in 10 minutes. (spontaneous)
2. I am going to spend the evening at home. (premeditated in spoken English)
    I will/shall be spending the evening at home. (premeditated in written English with an action verb)
    I will be in New York during Easter.  (premeditated in written English with a state verb)
3. I am flying to New York at 8:00AM tomorrow. (premeditated and arranged with an action verb)
    I am in New York during Easter. (premeditated and arranged with a state verb)
4. My Flight departs at 8:00AM tomorrow. (time-tabled event)

Here are some links to some exercises on this topic:
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/goingtoorwill/menu.php
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/presentformsforfuture/menu.php
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/willbedoing/menu.php

Linkers

The first and second parts of the documents on linkers are hereby available.  You can also find the key for the exercises here.  As you do the exercises, please remember the following three types of linkers we have identified:

• Linkers that connect two parts of the same sentence as in the following example: We only have one week off for Easter, so we will be staying in Brussels.
• Linkers that connect two separate sentences as in the following four examples, which are different ways of saying the same thing:

1. We only have one week off for Easter.  Therefore, we will be staying in Brussels.
2. We only have one week off for Easter; therefore, we will be staying in Brussels.
3. We only have one week off for Easter.  We will, therefore, be staying in Brussels.
4. We only have one week off for Easter; we will, therefore, be staying in Brussels.

• Linkers that are covered under both the first and second types as in the four following examples:

1. Besides giving his friend a lift after work, he helped her with her grocery shopping.
2. He helped his friend with her grocery shopping, besides giving her a lift after work.
3. I am afraid I am not allowed to help you with that question.  Besides, I do not know the answer myself.
4. I am afraid I am not allowed to help you with that question; besides, I do not know the answer myself.

Note that the meaning of the word 'besides'  in the first two examples is different from its meaning in the last two examples.

In all these examples, please pay special attention to the punctuation.

Subjunctive

A webpage on the use of subjunctive is hereby made available.
 
Here you can find more information with exercises on the subjunctive and unreal uses past forms.  Here is the key for the exercises. 

Compound nouns and possessives

Here you can find some information on composite nouns and possessives with exercises, as well as the key for the exercises. 

I am hereby also making another document on the same topics with exercises, as well as the key for the exercises.

Sochi Winter Olympics for 4th of March

Here are the hyper-linked titles and topics for some material on Sochi Olympics:

• LBGT-rights ad prepared for Sochi Olmypics
• Russian gold medalists kiss on medal stand at world championships to protest anti-gay laws 
• Push for Sochi sponsors to rally against Russia's anti-gay law
• LIVE AND LET LOVE - Russian National Anthem 
• Holdout’s Faith Rewarded Amid Olympic Makeover

Relative, -ed and -ing clauses

Here you can find some exercises on relative, -ed and -ing clauses along with the key.

Ukraine for 25th of February 2014

Here are the hyper-linked titles and topics for some material on Ukraine:

• I Am a Ukrainian   
• Van Rompuy's press release 
• The New York Times on Ukraine

Sample email

Dear Ms Smith,
 
Knowing that your entry into service at the European Commission is approaching, I would like to hereby extend you a warm welcome to our Unit, and provide you with some practical information.
 
As agreed during your job interview, you will be in charge of the follow-up of inter-service consultations. This position involves regular interaction and coordination with the other services of our DG as well as with other DGs. You will be working closely with Ms Black in our Unit, as inter-service consultation follow-up is a shared responsibility. Under my supervision, Ms Black will be explaining to you the various procedures, so that you can become acquainted with our working methods as soon as possible. As an attachment, I am resending your job description, in case you need it for a quick reference.
 
You should have been already informed that you will be attending a two-day training course organised by DG HR, i.e., the Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security, before taking up your duties in our Unit. This very useful course should provide you with additional information regarding the functioning of the European Commission, its working environment, and the rights and duties of its employees. During the course, you will have the opportunity to get your badge ready; all the relevant information will be provided by the trainers.
 
As a newcomer in Brussels, you might also be interested in receiving information on matters such as accommodation and public transport. Please note that the orientation leaders in DG HR will be handing out an information package during the training course, and that a legal advisor will be at your disposal to check the leases you might be considering before you sign a contract. If you need to search for an apartment, the best place to start is the immoweb website (http://www.immoweb.be/). There is also plenty of short-term accommodation available in Brussels, especially in the Schuman area close to the European Institutions. You can find all the necessary information about public transport in Brussels at http://www.stib.be/.
 
I would also like to hereby invite you to take up your duties in our Unit on Wednesday, 16th of March, i.e., after the completion of the training course mentioned above.  I propose starting the day with a meeting in my office at 9.30 am.  Afterwards, I will be introducing you to the members of the team you will be working in. Moreover, you will need to make an appointment to see Mr Miller (tel: +32(0)2/291 7811) in the afternoon of the same day.  I suggest making the appointment at least three days in advance, since he is usually very busy.  He is the HR focal point in our DG, and thus he will be your interlocutor for all contract related issues .
 
As you probably remember from your interview, our office is located at rue de la Science, 15, close to rue Belliard. With your badge, you can come up directly to our Unit, which is located on the 7th floor; I am in office 123.
 
Looking forward to meeting you in person,
 
With kind regards,

 Iris Wellington

Greetings and closers

Here is a list of greetings you can use in your formal emails depending on the recipient:

• Anonymous singular:

1. Dear Sir/Madam
2. Dear Madam/Sir
3. Dear Sir or Madam
4. Dear Madam or Sir

• Anonymous plural:

1. Dear Sirs/Ladies
2. Dear Ladies/Sirs
3. Dear Sirs and/or Ladies
4. Dear Ladies and/or Sirs

• With a given male name: Dear Mr Smith

• With a given female name:

1.  Dear Ms Smith (civil status irrelevant or unknown)
2.  Dear Mrs Smith (married)
3.  Dear Miss Smith (single and younger than fifty)

• With given names to a group of less than three people (male):  Dear Messrs Smith and Jones

• With given names to a group of less than three people (female):

1. Dear Mses Smith and Jones (civil statuses unknown, irrelevant or different)
2. Dear Mesdames Smith and Jones (both of them married)
3. Dear Misses Smith and Jones (both of them single and younger than fifty)

• With given names to a group of less than three people (mixed gender and not related to each other by marriage or blood): 

1. Dear Messrs Smith and Jones, and Ms Presley 
2. Dear Ms Presley, and Messrs Smith and Jones

• With a given name to a couple who use the same last name:

1. Dear Mr and Mrs Smith 
2. Dear Mrs and Mr Smith 

• With given names to a group of more than three people (mixed gender):

1. Dear Sirs/Ladies
2. Dear Ladies/Sirs
3. Dear Sirs and Ladies
4. Dear Ladies and Sirs

• With given names to a group of more than three people (all male): Dear Sirs

• With given names to a group of more than three people (all female): Dear Ladies 

• With a given first and last name and the gender is not clear:  Dear Alex Smith

Here is a list of closers which apply to all formal emails regardless of their content:

• With kind regards
• Kind regards
• Regards

You can hereby find a document on how to address various VIPs in different contexts.

Style guides

Here you can find the Interinstitutional style guide. 

"English Style Guide" released by the Commission can be accessed  here.

How to Write Clearly

Here you can find the Commission guide entitled "How to Write Clearly".