CELTA Pre Interview Task 2020
CELTA Pre Interview Task 2020
CELTA Pre Interview Task 2020
You may like to refer to a grammar book to help you with certain sections of this task.
http://www.englishpage.com
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms.htm
http://esl.about.com/cs/grammar/
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R
PART ONE – GRAMMAR
A. Identify the underlined and numbered parts of speech from the following text.
“I (1) thought no more of Jean Charvin, but (2) by chance I met (3) him (4) next day on the
road. He was (5) coming towards me. He carried a (6) black dispatch-case under (7) his (8)
arm, and except for the (9) pink and white stripes (10) of his uniform and the ugly round
straw that concealed his handsome (11) head of hair, you might (12) have taken him for a
young lawyer on his way to court.”
(from A Man with a Conscience by Somerset Maugham)
B. Name the underlined and numbered tenses (or verb phrases) in the following text and
comment on the meaning.
Example:
1. was waiting = past progressive (or continuous) used to talk about an activity that took place over a
whole period of time
As I was waiting (1) in line at the immigration counter, I became (2) aware of the fact that I
was surrounded by people of my own nationality once again. I had been (3) away for almost
five years and I was no longer used to their accents and style of dressing. Finally, my
passport was stamped (4) by a man who welcomed me back home and I exited into the
arrival lounge of the airport. My parents were there to greet me. ‘You haven’t changed (5) at
all,’ said my mother as she hugged me. My father avoided saying anything personal.
‘Not a very good welcome home, I’m afraid. It’s raining (6) outside,’ he said. I suddenly felt
that coming home was a big mistake.
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R
C. When studying verb phrases with foreign learners, it is often necessary to analyse the form of each
verb phrase, that is, to break it down into its component parts. If we take the first example from the
text above, we can analyse the form in the following way:
I was waiting
Now identify the name of the following underlined verb phrases (or tenses) and analyse
their form in a way that is similar to the above example.
A. In the sentences below, one of the words is used in a way that sounds strange or inappropriate.
Identify the wrong word then supply a more appropriate word and say why this is better.
Example:
A healthy diet makes people skinnier and better looking.
ANSWER: ‘Skinnier’ is wrong here. ‘Slimmer’ is better because it has a positive tone. ‘Skinnier’
sounds too negative in this context.
1. The students made a party to celebrate the end of the school year.
2. He doesn’t concentrate in class; he spends most of his time saying jokes to his friends.
3. The assistant manager left last week so we need to rent a replacement soon.
4. The work I’m doing at the moment is very impossible for most people.
5. Please could you cough up this money within the next seven days?
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R
6. She’s very high but her husband is quite short.
B. In English, there are many words that are pronounced in the same way, but the spelling and
meaning is different, for example, ‘poll’ and ‘pole’. These kinds of words are called homophones.
Sometimes in written English, native speakers make a mistake by using a homophone incorrectly. For
example: I past all of my exams.
1. The boy and girl were playing with a toy that wasn’t there’s.
2. At first, I thought it was a good idea, but then I realised it was floored.
3. I waited until half an hour had past, and then I phoned her.
4. How much is the fair to get into the city?
5. I learnt that it’s a good idea to get students working in pares.
A. List the number of syllables and underline the stressed syllable in the following words:
B. In the following two-line conversation, decide which word in B’s reply is stressed and
underline it.
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R
2. A: Which one do you want to buy?
Rewrite the following text punctuating it and changing any words to make it seem more
natural.
this is your invitation to cruise onboard the worlds most famous ship and experience the
worlds most famous ships unequalled reputation for style comfort and personalised service
in january nineteen ninety six queen elizabeth two embarks on queen elizabeth twos annual
world cruise and queen elizabeth two will again offer new zealand passengers unique and
affordable opportunities to experience a slice of the ultimate adventure
A. A student at elementary level asks you for the difference between the following pairs
of words. How could you convey the difference in meaning between each pair of
words? Remember, her command of English is limited.
slim / skinny
win / beat
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R
borrow / lend
B. You have a group of adult beginner students. You want to teach them ‘Would you
like….?’, as in ‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ What would you do?
Please return this pre-interview task along with your application form to Graeme
Dunlop/ Le Hoang Minh at:
e-mail: [email protected]
address: Apollo Education & Training, 282 Le Quang Dinh, Ward 11, Binh Thanh District,
Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
W H E R E T H E B E S T B E C O M E B E T T E R