Příprava a řízení projektů„Posílení konkurenceschopnosti absolventů MENDELU v oblasti rozvojové spolupráce a managementu přírodních zdrojů v zemích třetího světa“

19.10. 2012, Brno

Připravil: Mgr. Adam Růžek

Our schedule

1. Project writinga) important grammar structures

b) common mistakes, collocations

c) key vocabulary

2. CV in English – structure, phrases

3. Letter of Motivation

Future with “will”

• The project will focus on youth in the Canterbury-Bankstown region…

• SUBJ + will + main verb• more examples

– The research will focus on understanding the physical principles…

– Google is confident that the investigation will conclude it has done nothing wrong.

– The reports will also serve as a management tool for continuous improvement.

• negation: will + not [won’t]

Passive voice

• object of the active sentence becomes subject in the passive– They designed the project (O) to help end poverty.– The project (S) was designed to help end poverty.– Someone stole my car (O).– My car was stolen.

• FORMATION1. object => subject

2. S + be + -ed participle (3rd form)

Passive voice II.

• The project will be managed by experts.

• SUBJ + will + be + past participle• more examples

– This page will be taken down soon. – Stroke patients will be sent to more

specialized hospitals.– April 2012 deadline will be met.

Participles (-ed, -ing)

• make the text more concise• -ing participle

– Students [who attend] the course… • => students attending the course…

– Many believe there are insufficient services for people [who live] in the area. • =>…people living in the area

• -ed participle– …the innocent citizens who were affected by this

catastrophe…– …innocent citizens affected by this catastrophe

Who is it for?

• key vocabulary: target, aim• TARGET (usually passive)

– The Project is targeted at teenagers from EU countries, aged 14-18, who can speak English well enough to communicate.

– It is a new magazine that targets single men.– also adjectival sense: TARGET + noun (usually target

group)• AIM (passive)

– The Project is aimed at people of any age from the UK who want to work with slum dwellers.

Describing a project

• what are the objectives/aims

• The objective of this project is to develop and apply innovative high-performance computing techniques and simulation methods….

• The aim of this project is to discover how e-commerce is conducted…• The purpose of the project is to try and develop an intervention program

targeting HIV risk and alcohol use. • The goal of the project is to allow students, faculty and staff at the university to

view books that the university owns.• The object of this project is to develop method to generate images from

complex real-world data…

The aims – useful words

• research– The goal of the project is to research and document the Kam people's effective

use of land and natural resources• investigate – study, try to understand, examine scientifically

– The objective of the project is to investigate some important factors affecting labour market participation and employment and evaluate related policy measures.

• develop – create something new, make sth. better– The aim of the project is to develop actions for preventing gender-based

violence in secondary schools.• establish – start sth. new / discover, get proof of something

– The objective of the project is to establish lasting international networks in cultural management and to reinforce the transfer of knowledge between China and Germany.

– Child development research has established that the rate of human learning and development is most rapid during the preschool years.

The aims – useful words cont.

• aid/help – The purpose of this project is to aid state legislators in

improving state juvenile justice systems. [sb./sth. in sth.]– The aim of this project is to help facilitate the transition

from our current system to a new one [help sb. do sth. / to do sth.]

• stimulate/promote/encourage– The purpose of the project is to stimulate interest in

nature conservation and sustainable development through outdoor activities in the local environment.

• improve - to make sth. better

The aims – useful words cont.

• eradicate – to get rid of sth. completely (sth. negative)– eradicate poverty, hunger, bullying, pests, tuberculosis

• exterminate– exterminate rats, mice and other vermin

• prevent [prevent sb. from doing sth.]– The goal of this project is to prevent youth from using

tobacco.– The goal of this project is to prevent illegal migration

from Russia and in Russia…

Expressing cause and effect

• because– Because the snow had set in, we decided to abandon

the excursion to the mountain top.– I was late, because there was heavy traffic.

• as– similar to because, more formal– As it was getting late, I decided to book into a hotel.

• due to the fact that– used in formal English– We will be staying for an extra week, due to the fact that

we have not yet finished.

Expressing cause and effect cont.

• because of– followed by a noun/NP– I was late because of heavy traffic.

• due to [+noun]– The project had to be abandoned due to a lack of government funding.

• owing to [+noun]– However, these demands cannot be met by some parents owing to

poverty.• result (as a result of)

– She died as a result of her injuries.– The failure of the company was a direct result of bad management.– The miners' diet was poor with the result that many suffered from

disease.

Expressing cause and effect• give rise to/provoke/generate

– The President’s statement gave rise to / generated / provoked a lot of criticism.

– Poverty gave rise to stealing; although theft more often involved needed goods rather than money.

• bring about/lead to– often used to describe social or political change– The new law brought about / led to great changes in education.– Social unrest led to a revolt in 1930 and a right-wing authoritarian

government under President Getulio Vargas.• stem from [explaining the direct origins of events and states]

– This problem stems from inflation of recent years.– Periodic famine stems from the neglect and lack of commitment on

the part of successive governments of Bangladesh.

Common mistakes: CxU nouns

• confusing uncountable nouns– information– advice– software– accommodation– experience (e.g. work experience)

• no plural form– many *informations, many *advices– many pieces/items of information/advice– some information/advice– a lot of information/advice

Common mistakes: collocations I. (make/do)

• collocation: combination of two or more words that are frequently used together– example: make your homework / do your homework

• research– do: It is impossible to do any research without Internet these days.

[carry out]• work (n.)

– do: He does his work very efficiently.• mistake

– make: Some people often make the same mistakes.• survey

– do: I did a survey of the level of job satisfaction in our department. [carry out, conduct]

Common mistakes: collocations (make/do) cont.

• change– make: They suggested making some

changes in the schedule.• business

– do: I spent two days in the office doing business by the phone. [conduct]

• effort– make: It is worth making an effort to live a

healthy life.

Collocations – noun+adjective I.

• number/amount/quantity– large – This saves a large amount of energy so a Sainsbury's supermarket

today uses only 60% a similar store would have used ten years ago.• choice

– limited, narrow – I have a strictly limited choice of action.

• range/variety/choice– wide

• pressure– to be under a lot of pressure, not *high pressure

• importance– great (not *big): It is a fact of great importance.

Collocations – noun + adjectives cont.

• tree/building/person– tall (not *high)

• progress– great (a lot of), not *big – I have made

great progress in learning English.• decrease

– slight – There was a slight decrease in profits.

Collocations – verb + verb

• suggest– I suggest (that) we send our colleagues on a similar course. [-

ing]– not suggest to

• recommend– I recommend employing a part time assistant.– not recommend to

• consider– I would like you to consider refunding at least some of my money.

• be used to– You should be used to working in teams and be computer literate.

Irregular plural• certain nouns in English form their plural form irregularly • criterion – criteria

– The Health Service should not be judged by financial criteria alone.

– also e.g. phenomenon (phenomena)• analysis – analyses

– To decide what structure of jobs is needed, Drucker has suggested the need for three analyses to be made.

– also crisis (crises), axis (axes)• sometimes, both the regular and irregular form exist

– index – indices – indexes– formula – formulae – formulas

Describing problems I.

• a problem can be… (adjectives)– minor x major: seriousness

• The design is a minor problem.

– growing: increasing (becoming more serious)• Obesity is a growing problem.

– urgent: requires immediate action• Lack of funds is an urgent issue.

– perennial: always existing, not likely to change• Noise is a perennial problem.

– insoluble/insolvable: impossible to solve• The problem seems insoluble.

Describing problems II.• verbs

– arise: begin to exist (occur, come up)• Various problems have arisen.

– confront sb. / sth.• the economic problems confronting the country• (…) carbon dioxide emissions could increase by up to 20 per

cent in the year 2005 if the Government does not confront the problem.

– address sth. (deal with sth.)• We have to address the lack of experience of the team.

– overcome sth.: succeed in dealing with a problem (solve)• The company had to overcome a number of financial difficulties.

– exacerbate sth.: make something worse• The current cuts in public expenditure will inevitably exacerbate

this situation.

Specific vocabulary• disasters/tragedies

– earthquake – a sudden violent movement of Earth’s surface– hurricane/tornado/typhoons – violent, destructive winds– flood – too much rain: The heavy rain has caused floods in many

parts of the country.– tsunami - an extremely large wave caused by movement of the

Earth under the sea – drought – no rain: This year, severe drought has ruined the crops. – famine – a lack of food during a long period of time: Four million

people are now facing famine.– epidemic – disease affecting a large number of people: a flu

epidemic, an epidemic of measles• often modified by severe: extremely bad or serious

– severe flood, severe drought, severe famine

Specific vocabulary cont.

poverty – having little or no money adj.: abject/extreme/grinding/dire poverty

Many people in India still live in abject poverty. v.: eradicate [get rid of it completely]; alleviate/relieve (make less

severe) To alleviate poverty, developing economies need to grow faster, and the poor

need to benefit from this growth. poverty-stricken region/country/area/family

I was born into a poverty-stricken family. appalling living conditions – shocking, extremely bad

Displacement, appalling living conditions and disease - all as a consequence of war - often result in more deaths than the fighting itself.

• slums, shanty towns – areas where poor people live

Shanty town

Area in or near a town where poor people live in shanties.

Shanty – a small house, built of pieces of wood, metal and cardboard, where very poor people live

Disease

• malaria– Malaria is carried / transmitted by mosquitoes, malarial areas

• typhoid (fever)– serious infectious disease, causes fever, red spots on the chest

and severe pain in the bowels [symptoms]• cholera

– is carried / transmitted through food and water• parasites

– The water was contaminated with parasites and their eggs.• rabies

Dogs, cats, foxes and bats can all carry rabies.

He was bitten by a rabid dog.

Disease – prevention and treatment

• vaccination, vaccine, to vaccinate against– There is no vaccine against HIV infection.– I was vaccinated against tetanus.– syringe

• cure [n., v.]– a cure for…– The cure took six weeks.– At one time, doctors couldn’t cure people of tuberculosis.

[cure sb. of something]• treat [v.]

– to use drugs, exercises, etc. to cure a person of a disease or heal an injury

Verbs

• suffer: The area is suffering its worst drought for many years.

• starve: Millions are starving as a result of the famine.• spread: A flu epidemic spread rapidly through the

country.• injure / damage

– 200 people were injured and dozens of buildings were damaged in the hurricane.

• affect– an area affected by flood (!!not effects)

CV in English

• Curriculum vitae• a written record of one’s education,

experience, etc.• STRUCTURE

– personal information– education– work experience– skills– additional details

Personal information

• personal details/information– name– date of birth– address: (17 Oakhill Street)– telephone– e-mail address

Education

• we usually leave out primary school• in chronological order (most recent first)

• other types of school:– (secondary) technical school, vocational school, (secondary) business

school– we should use the official English name of the school– !!!HIGH SCHOOL

• also mention other courses you have completed (language school etc.)

2008-2012 Mendel University in Brno

Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies

2004-2008 Grammar school Breclav

School leaving exam in…

Work

• work experience/professional experience/employment history/career history

• listed in chronological order

• full-time, part-time, temporary (work)

Work Experience

2007-2009 Teacher of English [occupation]

ABC Language School [employer]

2007- present

Skills

• Personal skills (optional)– relevant personal traits

• results oriented• reliable• organized• willing to learn / fast learner• cooperative / team player• hardworking• positive• decisive

Skills cont.

• Computer skills– many different types

• basic / moderate / good / advanced, extensive knowledge of… (C++)

• experienced in (MS Office)• good background in…

– wordprocessing software: MS Word, Writer (Open Office)

– spreadsheet software: MS Excel, Calc– presentation software: MS PowerPoint,

Impress

Skills cont.

• Language skills– an important part of your CV– basic – moderate – good – advanced – fluent

• CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages– A1 elementary– A2 pre-intermediate– B1 intermediate– B2 upper-intermediate– C1 advanced– C2 proficient

• language certificates– FCE: First Certificate in English– CAE: Certificate of Advanced English– CPE: Certificate of Proficiency in English

Skills cont.

• other skills– all other relevant information– driving licence

Additional information

• hobbies– optional, could be helpful if relevant

• awards, achievements• references

– a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability

Letter of motivation

• also cover letter, motivation letter• its aim is to convince• it complements the CV, should be

written with a specific purpose in mind (development aid project)

What should be there…

• explain why you are interested in the project/job

• mention how you learnt about it• convince the person reading it to look

at your CV as well• call attention to relevant experience

and give concrete examples as well

Describing your experience

• pay attention to tenses (present/past)• I am working / I work as a teacher.

– can also use currently, e. g. I currently work…• I worked as a teacher for ten years. [but not any more]• other useful phrases

– I was responsible for EU issues like the Lisbon Treaty... [+noun, -ing form]

– I assisted in developing customer data management process training documentation for corporate training. [+noun, -ing form]

• also assist sb. with sth. You will be expected to assist the editor with the choice of illustration for the book.

Useful phrases cont.

• My responsibilities included the design and development of the site's editorial voice and style, and the daily content programming. [stating further details]

• I take care of managing the different factories, assist in implementing the initial design, in finalizing the samples, in negotiating the price… [take-took-taken]

• During my internship, I gained valuable experience (…) in management.– synonyms: valuable, useful, considerable, wide

Other phrases to remember

• I am working towards my bachelor’s/master’s degree in…

• My coursework has supplied me with many skills…• In addition to sth…

– In addition to my experience in the United States, I have worked in more than fifty other nations in several different roles.

– syn. besides: Besides my experience in the field of research and teaching, I am also involved in some extracurricular activities.

• I believe / think I would be a good / an ideal candidate for the internship, because… [explain why].

…because

• …I have good communication skills• …I am confident in talking to large

groups of people, and I am good at listening to young people's views and opinions.

• … because I am outgoing, friendly, flexible

• …because of my education and enthusiasm to succeed.