Message for all my students at the SIOI – thinking of you!

The address of the blog is:

youngdip.blogspot.it (or .com)

You have no excuse now for not studying!

You can call me on my old cell phone 333 2732072 between 10.00 and 19.00 any day, starting today. I will switch it off when I am working, sleeping or eating or if I am with my Sapienza groups. Of course, you have to speak in English. If you send me an essay this would be a good way to check it together.

Meanwhile:

Do lots of translation here:

http://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/are-you-wondering-what-to-do-for-next.html

You should all do the error correction here:

http://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/error-correction-3-to-finish.html

I'll post the answers when you have all done it (Wednesday 18 March?)

For grammar, go to examenglish.com

https://www.examenglish.com/

https://www.examenglish.com/CEFR/cefr_grammar.htm

Start at the lower levels and work up to C1. They give explanations and answers. Where they have not produced an exercise yet for the grammar topic, type the topic into Google Search and add the words 'exercises with answers' and you will find lots of free material from teachers. Here is an example for my Sapienza class:

Verbs that take the gerund or infinitive

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives-exercise-1.html

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives-exercise-2.html

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives-exercise-3.html

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives-exercise-4.html

used to, to be used to, to get used to

https://speakspeak.com/english-grammar-exercises/intermediate/used-to-be-used-to-get-used-to

https://www.stordar.com/used-to-be-used-to-get-used-to/

https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-80920.php

So you could do that too!

Writing:

If you sent me something written it has to be in Word, not pdf or hand-written

I have just put some questions, notes and an essay plan on the blog about migration:

Do some research and discuss the questions on the phone or Skype or FaceTime with a classmate.

https://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/some-questions-about-italy-eu-and.html

https://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-should-italy-and-eu-respond-to.html

https://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-should-italy-and-eu-respond-to_11.html

There are also these titles

http://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/some-titles.html

http://youngdip.blogspot.com/2020/03/for-essay.html

and of course this page

https://youngdip.blogspot.com/2019/09/some-essay-titles-to-think-about.html

You might want to do:

1) Epidemics and the risk of a pandemic – causes and responses. How should individual countries and the international community deal with this kind of challenge? Illustrate your answer with one or more current examples.

or:

You have been sent as a diplomatic representative of the Italian government to a public meeting in Geneva to give representatives of the WHO, other UN agencies and the international press an update on Italy's strategy for dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak.

But not if the topic will upset you! I think instead of writing the whole essay, you should concentrate on writing the essay plan (like in the first 20-5 minutes of the concorso), working out your argument, your introduction and your essay structure. A lot of you really need to improve this aspect of your writing. Your ideas may be good, bur the essay has to have a logical structure and not be a random list of ideas. With no order or connection.

Anything you write, you MUST check by using a dictionary. Otherwise, how can you improve? Some of you get the same mark for your compiti extra each time because you don't do this. ACCURACY in grammar and vocabulary is really essential. The subject also needs to be researched carefully first.

Don't forget Rapid Reading for the pre-selection test:

https://youngdip.blogspot.com/2019/11/some-sites-with-texts-for-reading.html

If you want to write a summary, try this:

https://madamasr.com/en/2020/02/07/feature/politics/without-evidence-or-trial-remand-detention-is-authorities-tool-of-choice-to-imprison-political-opponents/

If you really want to test your vocabulary, you could read it in Italian and write the summary from that but use a good dictionary. It was in Internazionale (21-27 February issue) if you can find it.

Stay safe!