Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Statement of Authorship
I declare that this assignment represents my own work. I have not copied from the work of
other students and have not allowed or enabled others to copy from my work.

Trainee name: Mina Houshmand Sarvestani

Date: 04.30.2025

Assignment 2: Language Related Tasks

Name: Date:

Pass (1st Resubmit by Pass Fail

draft) (resub)

Criteria for Assignment 2: Language Related Tasks Met Yes / No

Analysing language for teaching purposes
Correctly using terminology relating to form, meaning and phonology
when analysing language
Accessing reference materials and referencing information you have
learned about language to an appropriate source
Using written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the
task
Overall comments:

Tutor (1st reader): Date:

Tutor (2nd reader): Date:

Comments on resubmission
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Assignment 2: Language Related Tasks (750 – 1000 words)

For this assignment, you need to analyse language items that students typically find in texts they read in
class. Look at the items from the text provided in the next page and choose two of the grammatical
structures and two of the items of lexis, and for each of them, do the following:

- analyse the meaning in the given context, describing how you would check students’ understanding.
Please include at least two concept checking questions (and their answers) and some other clarification
techniques if necessary (e.g. timelines)

- analyse the form

- analyse key pronunciation features

- anticipate problems that students might have with meaning, form and pronunciation

- provide a new generative context in which the language can be used and include three new model
sentences in this context.

Please look at the two examples provided in this document before starting your assignment.

Find here the structures that you can analyse for this assignment:

1. … everything that has happened to us during the day (grammar)

2. We can put off sleeping for a limited period. (lexis)

3. … but sooner or later we have to sleep. (grammar)

4. … we suffer hallucinations, and eventually die. (lexis)

5. … the unpleasant symptoms we suffer (lexis)

6. If scientists invented a pill which, if you took it, would keep you awake forever, would you
take it? (grammar)
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Clive Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig, English File Intermediate, 1999, OUP
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Example 1 – Grammar

A few minutes later, they will be asleep.

MEANING In this sentence, will is used to express certainty about a future situation.

FORM The structure is referred to as Future Simple

Will is a modal auxiliary verb

Affirmative: will + main verb (bare infinitive)

Negative: will + not + main verb (bare infinitive)
Interrogative: Will + subject + main verb (bare infinitive)

The contracted form (they’ll) is common in informal speaking and writing

PRONUNCIATION /ðeɪ wɪl biː əˈsliːp/
will is unstressed
PROBLEMS WITH 1. Students may confuse the use of will in this context with other possible uses (e.g.
MEANING they may think that the sentence expresses a future prediction.

PROBLEMS WITH FORM 1. Students may say “they will asleep”, missing out the main verb

2. Students may say “they will to be asleep”, using the full infinitive with to instead
of the bare infinitive
PROBLEMS WITH 1. Students may stress will
PRONUNCIATION
2. Students may find it difficult to pronounce the contraction they’ll and avoid it
CHECKING CCQ1: Are we talking about the future? Answer: Yes
UNDERSTANDING CCQ2: Are we sure that this is going to happen? Answer: Yes
(remember to include 2 Other clarification techniques (if any):
CCQs) -

GENERATIVE CONTEXT A couple talking about improvements in their new home

Model sentence 1 The sitting room will be redecorated

Model sentence 2 We’ll paint all the walls ourselves
Model sentence 3 Our friends will help us move the furniture.
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Example 2 – Lexis

Because we have disobeyed our brain’s programming

MEANING When someone disobeys a person or an order, they deliberately do not do what
they have been told to do.

FORM Disobeyed is the past participle of the verb disobey.

Disobey is normally followed by an object (disobey an order, someone, a law)

PRONUNCIATION /dɪsəˈbeɪd/

o o O
disobeyed

PROBLEMS WITH 1. Students may think that disobey has a similar meaning to disagree and that the
MEANING example in the text means that we do not agree with the brain’s programming.

2. Students might use the word in an inappropriate context and say “I disobeyed his
advice” when they mean to say they did not follow someone’s advice.

PROBLEMS WITH FORM 1. Students may misspell the past participle and write disobeied

PROBLEMS WITH 1. Students may pronounce the –ed ending as /id/ instead of /d/
PRONUNCIATION
2. Students may say /dɪzəˈbeɪd/ instead of /dɪsəˈbeɪd/

CHECKING CCQ1: Did we do what we were told to do? Answer: No

UNDERSTANDING CCQ2: Did we choose not to follow the orders? Answer: Yes
(remember to include 2 Other clarification techniques (if any):
CCQs) Provide other examples (People disobey the law if they drive over the speed limit)

GENERATIVE CONTEXT A parent telling their child off

Model sentence 1 If you continue to disobey me, you’ll be punished

Model sentence 2 You can’t disobey the house rules
Model sentence 3 It’s disrespectful to disobey your teacher
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

To avoid resubmissions, please read this carefully:

- Use dictionaries and reference books and source them (add them in the bibliography at the end
of the assignment);

- It’s useful to use phonemic script for the analysis of pronunciation. Use an online dictionary or
[Link]

- We strongly recommend writing two problems for each category to ensure you have at least one
suitable difficulty per area.

- if you are analyzing a grammatical structure, the CCQs should be about the meaning of the
structure, not the vocabulary used in the sentence.

- include at least two CCQs. These CCQs should be simple and concise – remember that they
should be less complex than the target language you are checking

- remember to include the word count and bibliography at the end of the assignment.

Books that may help you complete the assignment:

Learner English by Michael Swan

Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrott – Good for finding potential problems.
Practical English Usage by Michael Swan

Your coursebooks – they have grammatical descriptions and useful context ideas appropriate to the
level of the students.

Online dictionaries:
Cambridge Dictionary: [Link]
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: [Link]
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Grammar structure: … everything that has happened to us during the

MEANING In this sentence, “has happened” refers to things that occurred earlier today which
are part of what we're still thinking about or discussing now.
FORM “Has happened” is present perfect. It shows a recent past event (earlier today)
that’s still relevant now, within an unfinished time period.
Affirmative: subject+ have/has + the past participle verb
Negative: subject+ have/has + not + the past participle verb
Interrogative: Have/Has+ subject + subject + the past participle verb

The contracted form (I’ve, He’s) is common in informal speaking and writing

PRONUNCIATION /hæz ˈhæpənd/

Contractions: commonly spoken as /həz/ in fast speech. Weak form of “has” often
used in connected speech. Stress is on “happened”. ”has” is unstressed.
PROBLEMS WITH 1. Students may confuse present perfect with past simple, saying “Everything
MEANING that happened...” instead.
2. Students may not understand the connection between the past events and
the present relevance.
PROBLEMS WITH FORM 1. Students may drop the auxiliary verb: “Everything happened...”
2. 2. Students might confuse subject–verb agreement: “Everything have
happened...”
PROBLEMS WITH 1. Students may omit “has” in speech or pronounce it unnaturally.
PRONUNCIATION 2. Students may misplace stress or say “happened” with incorrect final
consonants.
CHECKING CCQ1: Did the events happen today? Answer: YES
UNDERSTANDING CCQ2: Is the day finished yet? Answer: NO
(remember to include 2 CCQ3: Are we talking about a specific time, like 9 Answer: NO
CCQs) AM?
Other clarification techniques (if any):
We can use a timeline to contrast past simple (finished time) with present perfect
(unfinished time).

GENERATIVE CONTEXT Two friends are sitting together in the evening. They are still shocked about all the
unexpected things that happened to them during the day.

Model sentence 1 I haven’t eaten breakfast today.

Model sentence 2 They’ve missed their flight and still got to the wedding on time!
Model sentence 3 It has not snowed this winter.
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Grammar structure: If scientists invented a pill which, if you took it, would keep you awake
forever, would you take it?

MEANING The sentence describes an unreal future scenario (a pill to stay awake forever) and
asks what someone would do. It’s hypothetical and expresses imagined choices.
FORM The Second conditional: used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations in
the present or future.
If-clause: If + past simple------→ If scientists invented a pill
Main clause: would + base verb-----→ would keep you awake forever

Affirmative: If+ past simple (,)→would +base verb OR would+base verb+if+past

simple.
Negative: If+ past simple(negative) →would+ base verb(the conditional part and the
result part can be both negative)

Note:
this sentence contains an embedded conditional clause, which is common in real
spoken/written English and slightly more complex than the standard second
conditional.
Embedded if-clause: If + past simple-----→ if you took it

PRONUNCIATION "If scientists invented..." /ɪf ˈsaɪəntɪsts ɪnˈventɪd/

"would you" /wʊdʒu/
Sentence stress is on content words: invented, pill, keep, awake, would, take.
Natural connected speech:
"would you" → /wʊdʒu/
"took it" → /ˈtʊkɪt/
PROBLEMS WITH 1- Students may not recognize it's a hypothetical situation.
MEANING 2- Students might think it's talking about the past (due to past simple verbs
like "invented").
PROBLEMS WITH FORM 1- Students might be Confused by the word order in conditional questions
(“Would you took it?”)
2- Students might be Confused by the use of past simple in the if-clause as
real past instead of unreal.

PROBLEMS WITH 1- Students might Mispronounce or over-pronounce contractions: would you

PRONUNCIATION → /wʊd ju/ instead of /wʊdʒu/
2- Students may stress “if” or auxiliary verbs instead of content words.

CHECKING CCQ1: Have scientists invented this pill yet? Answer: NO

UNDERSTANDING CCQ2: Is this a real or unreal situation? Answer: Unreal
(remember to include 2 Other clarification techniques (if any):
CCQs) We can use a timeline to show it’s about an imagined present/future, not the real
past.

GENERATIVE CONTEXT In the classroom, Teacher is playing “What if” game with students after teaching the
second conditionals.
Model sentence 1 Would you buy a Tesla if Elon Musk would give it to you for free?
Model sentence 2 If AI could do all our jobs, would people stop working?
Model sentence 3 If we didn’t need sleep, what would you do with your extra time?
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Lexical item: We can put off sleeping for a limited period.

MEANING In this context, “put off” means to delay something. “We can put off sleeping”
means we can postpone sleep for a short time.
FORM “Put off” is a separable transitive phrasal verb (put + off). It means to delay
something. Example: We can put off sleeping for a short time. Pattern: put off +
noun/gerund.
PRONUNCIATION /pʊt ɒf/ (BrE) or /pʊt ɔːf/ (AmE) O o
It has Two syllables and the stress is on the verb “put”: PUT off
It is often linked in speech: /pʊt‿ɒf/
PROBLEMS WITH 1- Students may confuse “put off” with cancel instead of delay.
MEANING 2- Students may confuse this meaning with another sense of “put off”
(e.g., “disgust”).
PROBLEMS WITH FORM 1- Students may not realize it’s a phrasal verb and try to interpret “off”
separately.
2- Students might get confused about separability (e.g., “put sleeping off” vs.
“put off sleeping”).
PROBLEMS WITH 1- Students may not link “put” and “off” smoothly, making the phrase sound
PRONUNCIATION unnatural.
2- Students may wrongly stress “off” instead of “put”.

CHECKING CCQ1: Do we sleep immediately? Answer: NO

UNDERSTANDING CCQ2: Will we sleep later? Answer: YES
(remember to include 2 Other clarification techniques (if any):
CCQs) We can use CCQs and contrast: “put off” = do it later; “cancel” = don’t do it at all.
We can Use clear context and provide a few different examples in the same
meaning field (delay/postpone).
GENERATIVE CONTEXT A CELTA candidate talking to her tutor about how challenging it is to juggle CELTA
assignments, a Master’s program, and a full-time job.

Model sentence 1 I put off sleeping last night so I could finish my favorite NETFLIX series.
Model sentence 2 He put off studying until the last minute, and now he’s stuck.
Model sentence 3 We can’t keep putting off sleep. It will affect our health condition.
Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Lexical item: … we suffer hallucinations, and eventually die.

MEANING “Eventually” means something happens after a delay or process, not

immediately. In the sentence, it shows that death follows a series of symptoms,
not instantaneously.
FORM Part of speech: Adverb
It often comes before the main verb or at the beginning of a clause:
We eventually found the address.
Eventually, he answered all of the questions on the form.
It modifies the whole action and answers: When?
PRONUNCIATION /ɪˈven.tʃu.ə.li/ or /ɪˈven.tʃəli/ (common reduced form)
The stress is on the second syllable: VEN ------→ eVENtually
PROBLEMS WITH 1- Students may think “eventually” means “soon” or “quickly”.
MEANING 2- Students might be confused with similar time words like finally, at last,
or in the end.
PROBLEMS WITH FORM 1- Students may misuse its position in the sentence (e.g., “We die
eventually after we suffer hallucination”).
2- Students may not realize it as an adverb of time.
PROBLEMS WITH 1- Students may misplace the word stress (e.g., stressing the first syllable).
PRONUNCIATION 2- Students might have difficulty with the /tʃ/ sound in “-tchua-” or
dropping syllables.
CHECKING CCQ1: Does it happen immediately? Answer: NO
UNDERSTANDING CCQ2: Does it happen after some time or steps? Answer: YES
(remember to include 2 CCQ3: Is it the final result? Answer: YES
CCQs)
Other clarification techniques (if any):
We can elicit and contrast meaning using examples. Highlight that “eventually”
often implies a longer or uncertain wait.
GENERATIVE CONTEXT My CELTA partner is talking about achieving goals in the CELTA course.

Model sentence 1 Eventually, I opened my Book Cafe I’d always dreamed of.
Model sentence 2 Don’t give up! You’ll eventually see results.
Model sentence 3 I struggled with “Assignment 2”, but I eventually finished it.

Word count 1067

Assignment 2 – Language Related Tasks

Bibliography:
Cambridge Dictionary (2024). Phrasal verb: put off. Retrieved from
[Link]
Hancock, M. (2013). English Pronunciation in Use – Intermediate. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Macmillan Dictionary (2024). Eventually. Retrieved from
[Link]
Murphy, R. (2019). English Grammar in Use (5th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swan, M. (2016). Practical English Usage (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Underhill, A. (2005). Sound Foundations. Macmillan.
Learner English by Michael Swan
Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrott