Week 4

A.  Visiting London

1. Your job is to choose 4 top Things to Do in London based on the list displayed in the following TripAdvisor site: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186338-Activities-London_England.html
2. Read commentaries from people as to why they think it is/was a great destination and justify why you chose them.
3. Find these 4 destinations in the map of London provided in the Blog (separate page)

Now the fun begins:

1. You are staying at a hotel situated on St George's Road, behind the Imperial War Museum

2. How do you get to your 4 attractions from your hotel.

3. You decide to use Uber to get around BUT your realize that the driver does not the city very well. Thus, your job is to instruct him how to get to your 4 chosen destinations.

4. Now you are starting your trip from the intersection between Old street and City Road.  How do you get to your destinations.

Vocabulary to keep in mind when giving and asking for directions:

How do I get to …?

What's the best way to …?

Where is …?

Go straight on (until you come to …).

Turn around./Go back.

Turn left/right (into …-street).

Make a left/right (on....street)

Go along …

Cross …

Go Across

You will pass...

You will see a....on the left/right

Take the first/second road on the left/right

It's on the left/right.

straight on

opposite to

near 

next to

between

at the end (of)

on/at the corner

behind 

in front of

(just) around the corner

traffic lights

intersection, junction

---

B.  Hollywood Time: Camera, Set, Action!

Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Go to movies menu and select Top Movies.  Choose your top 3 movies from the list of Best Movies of 2013 Once you have made your selections, do the following:

1. Read the synopsis of the movie
2. Watch the trailer
3. Read a few user reviews and qualify the movie as:
• Very Bad
• Bad
• Mediocre
• Good
• Very Good
• Excellent
4. Write your own review of the movies
5. Select one of the critics' reviews and make it your own by modifying a few words.
6. Do you recommend this film? Why or why not?

---

C. Some vs Any: When do we use which?

Some and any are used to state the quantity, amount of something. When using some or any, the exact number is not stated. Some and any are quantifiers.
Some and any can be used when:

1. The exact number is not known.
2. The exact number is not important or relevant.
3. Some and any are used with countable and uncountable nouns.

Study the following tables:

Interrogative	Affirmative	Negative
Are there any tomatoes in the fridge?	Yes, there are some.	No, there aren't any.
Is there any orange juice?	Yes, there is some.	No, there isn't any.

Offering	Responding
Would you like some coffee?	Yes please I'd like some.

Making a request	Responding
Would you mind lending me some money?	Of course here you are.

The rules of some and many:

SOME:

Use some in positive (affirmative) sentences. Some is used for both countable and uncountable nouns.

Examples:

I have some friends.( friends is countable)
I'd like some water. (water is uncountable)

ANY:

Use any for countable and countable nouns in:

1. interrogative sentences.
   Examples: Have you got any cheese?
   Have you got any friends?
2. negative sentences.
   Example:He hasn't got any cheese
   He hasn't got any friends in Chicago.

EXCEPTION:

Use some in questions when offering or requesting something.
Example:

• Would you like some bread? (offer)
• Can I have some water, please? (request)

Something, anything, somewhere, anywhere, someone ,anyone:

The same rules are true for something and anything, someone and anyone, and somewhere and anywhere.

Policeman:	Is there anyone at home?
Criminal:	Yes there is someone there! My friend.
Policeman:	Is there anything in your pocket?
Criminal:	Yes there is something. A gun!
Policeman:	Did you go anywhere recently?
Criminal:	Yes I went somewhere. I went to the old man's house to steal his money.

Now, let's test your knowledge. Let's try the following exercises:  Some vs Any

D. Use of Both, Either or Neither

Either indicates a choice between two alternatives. Neither combines two negative ideas. 

We can also use 'I do too' and 'I don't either', which mean the same as 'so do I' and 'neither do I':

• John: I hate mushrooms.
• Me: I do too (=I also hate mushrooms).

• Lucy: I don't live in London.
• Me: I don't either (=I also don't live in London).

The verb changes in the same way as with 'so do I' and 'neither do I' (remember you need a negative verb with 'either'):

• Present simple: John's at the office. I am too.
• Present continuous: Luke isn't going out tonight. I'm not either.
• Present perfect: They've been to Colombia. I have too.
• Modal verbs: Emma can't speak Russian. I can't either.

'Me too' and 'me neither':

We can also use 'me too' and 'me neither'. 'Me too' has the same meaning as 'so + auxiliary verb + I' and 'me neither' has the same meaning as 'neither + auxiliary verb + I'. 'Me too' and 'me neither' are very informal:

• John: I hate mushrooms.
• Me: Me too (=I also hate mushrooms).

• Lucy: I don't live in London.
• Me: Me neither (=I also don't live in London).

Subjects other than 'I':

Of course, we can also use these expressions to talk about what's true for other people, not just ourselves:

• John: I hate mushrooms.
• Me: So does Laura / Laura does too / Laura too.

• Lucy: I don't live in London.
• Me: Neither does David / David doesn't either / David neither.

Some more examples:

• We live in London and so do they.
• Emma loves tennis. Jill and Laura do too.
• My parents don't come here often. Neither does Alex.
• She isn't French and neither is he.
• You don't like cold weather. Neither do we.

Click here and open up the document and let's do the exercises in class.

Ready for some more? Try this worksheet

---

E. The Best Places to Work 2014 - Outdoor version

As you will at some point enter the workforce, here are a few companies that are doing the right stuff to make it into the Top 100 list of Outside magazine (popular outdoor magazine in the US)

1. Go to the following site to look at the Top 100 companies awarded the Best Places to work by the Magazine: Rocking Cool Places to Work
2. In the filter area labeled "Find your dream job" on the left margin, select the following:
1. Filter by Industry "Other" and review the top choices.  Select 1 company that you would like to work for.
2. Filter by Industry "Travel & Recreation" and review the top choices.  Select 1 company that you would like to work for.
3. Filter by Industry "Software & Technology" and review the top choices.  Select 1 company that you would like to work for.
3. Review in detail the information provided for each of the 3 companies selected and  answer the following questions:

• What is the company and what do they do?
• Why makes this place special according to the review?
• What is the culture like?
• What are the perks?
• What are their notable social actions?
• What does this company offer that makes you think it would be your ideal workplace?

1. Present your findings in front of the class

---

F. A challenge: what would you do for 30 days? 

Watch the following video and we'll discuss it in class