2016-07-06 Core: 3 compact houses, intensifiers

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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p. 33 - What type of building does this look like?
parts 2-3 - With your partner, replace the words in part 2 with their synonyms, then categorize the words in part 3.
1 modest/plain, wood
2 blends
3 false
4 ornate, modest/plain
part 3
material: brick, glass, concrete, steel, wooden, ice, stone, cement, metal, plaster, stucco, adobe
period/style: 1960s, modern, futuristic, traditional, colonial, Victorian, gothic, Roman, baroque, brutalist
impression: striking, elegant, characterless, plain, imposing, shabby / rundown, magnificent, luxurious, cozy
type: cottage, office block, tower, shack, warehouse, church, skyscraper, igloo

If you finish before other pairs, add more words to each category.
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p. 34 part 1 - Discuss the questions with your partner.
If you had *less* space, what are the most important things you would keep?

part 2 - Listen to the interview and answer the questions about the two houses.
A - in central Russia. It inspires him because it is very simple, mobile, and uses local natural materials.
B - in Hong Kong. It inspires him because it is multifunctional, efficient, and innovative.
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http://gizmodo.com/5967622/the-tiny-transforming-apartment-that-packs-six-rooms-into-350-square-feet - Video about a small apartment in NYC with many different functions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB2-2j9e4co - Longer video about Gary Chang’s apartment in Hong Kong
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=0 - Article about Chang’s apartment, including some floorplans of different room layouts
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p. 34 part 3 - Listen again and choose the correct options to complete each sentence.
1 the efficient use of space
2 are curious about
3 one room
4 their animals
5 move
6 has mixed feelings about
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Intensifying Adverbs - like “very”, “so”, “completely”, “totally”
These make the meaning of another word stronger.

p. 34 part 5 - Identify the intensifying adverb, the word it modifies, and the part of speech of the modified words in each sentence.
1 completely, changing, verb
2 very, pleased, adjective
3 absolutely, stunning, adjective
4 incredibly, short, adjective; simply, can’t, (modal) verb
5 quite, literally, adverb
6 so, simple, adjective
7 really, overcrowded, adjective
8 entirely, rethought, verb
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BREAK
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We can use different types of intensifying adverbs with different types of adjectives

gradable adjectives - there can be different levels of intensity (extremely good, very good, pretty good)
ungradable adjectives - we don’t usually talk about different levels of intensity, often because the word already has an intense meaning (fantastic = very good, and we don’t say “very fantastic”, but we can say “absolutely fantastic”)
	limit adjectives - a type of ungradable adjective that means you’ve reached some limit
	we can use almost with limit adjectives: almost perfect, almost finished, almost done

part 7 - Are these adjectives gradable or ungradable?
gradable: simple, difficult, strong, innovative, plain
ungradable: brilliant (very bright or very good), filthy (very dirty), freezing (very cold), huge (very big), perfect (the best)
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“quite” + gradable - between “pretty” and “really”
“quite” + ungradable - entirely or completely
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p. 35 part 8 - Choose the correct intensifier to complete each sentence. Then, if possible, change the modified adjective or verb so the other intensifier could be correct.
1 so (or “utterly freezing”)
2 extremely (or “completely tragic”)
3 quite (we don’t use “absolutely” with adverbs)
4 completely (we don’t use “extremely” with verbs)
5 utterly (or “incredibly high” / “incredibly expensive” / “incredibly unaffordable”)
6 absolutely (“entirely” is mostly with limit adjectives, but “entirely perfect” sounds wrong)
7 really (“completely” can be used with some verbs, such as “agree” or “understand”, but not with verbs similar in meaning to “want”)
8 very (or “totally brilliant”)
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https://books.google.com/ngrams/ - To check how common words or phrases are in English books (it also has other languages, and you can choose between American and British English)
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adverb+adjective collocations
(collocations are words that often (or always) appear together)

part 11 - Which two intensifying adverbs *don’t* mean something like “very”?
vaguely, mildly

part 12 - With your group, think of as many examples for each thing as you can
http://www.askamanager.org/2016/07/my-best-employee-quit-on-the-spot-because-i-wouldnt-let-her-go-to-her-college-graduation.html - Story about an employee who quit after making a perfectly reasonable demand to attend her own graduation.
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parts 13-14 - Describe to your partner which of these things your own dream house would have. What other things would it have?
garden / yard / courtyard
terrace / balcony / porch
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Homework: p. 36 parts 1, 4, and 5