Storing links on Storify

Just a quick note for those of you who are doing set classes this year (rather than conversation classes)...

I know it's hard to organize all the links that we talk about and use in class, especially if we're talking about extra reading or radio broadcasts that are related to the topics that we cover. So I've started an account with Storify.com, which helps people organize links around topics. (I know Pinterest does it, too, but I found Pinterest wasn't as good with YouTube videos, and was just .) So here goes! 

• For those of you who are studying for the Cambridge First, here are links that are connected to "The Perfect Storm", which is this year's set text for First, Advanced and Proficiency.
• For those of you who are doing Proficiency for Professionals, here is the story that contains links on culture in the work place. (This one is a little short, but will continue to grow as the course grows. Be sure to check back in to check out new links as they come up.)

Cambridge Exams: Key Sentence Transformation Videos

I just wanted to let everybody know that there are now two Key Sentence Transformation videos available on YouTube.

The first one is a general overview of how Key Sentence Transformation works.
The second one focuses specifically on how to do Key Sentence Transformation with one-word verbs and phrasal verbs (and vice-versa.)

I'll be working on more videos this summer, especially the Key Sentence Transformation videos.

The keys to understanding Key Sentence Transformation

...or something like that. I wasn't going to do this until the weekend, but two people just cancelled class, so I did the audio (and re-did and re-did and re-did the audio, several times) to the latest video.

If you're having problems with Key Sentence Transformation, and you're not exactly sure why, here's a video explaining what NOT to do on that part of that Cambridge exam.  

Important for FCE: What's the difference between ESTIMATED and DEAR?

It's funny....sometimes, I can go months or years without hearing a problem. Then, all of a sudden, that mistake comes up two or three times in a day. This happened yesterday during a couple of First Certificate preparation classes - two different students had problems with how to start formal letters for the compulsory task of the Writing Paper.

If you've ever had any doubts about whether it's okay to start a letter with "Estimated (name)" or "Dear (name)," this video will explain the difference between the two.