Language

A modal passive uses modal + be + past participle: Every applicant should be assessed fairly. Negation follows the modal: A job must not be reserved for one gender. The passive focuses on the action and receiver, not an unknown agent. Equality means fair access and treatment, not the claim that every person has identical interests or skills.

Comparatives compare two items: smaller than, more effective than. Superlatives identify an extreme in a stated group: the smallest, the most effective of the three. Some forms are irregular: good–better–best, bad–worse–worst. Do not double-mark comparison: not more better. A comparison needs a criterion; a cheaper programme is not automatically more effective.

A defining relative clause identifies which person or thing: The student who lent me a tablet is absent. A non-defining clause adds information and is separated by commas: Lan, who sits beside me, shared her notes. Use who for people, which for things, whose for possession; that can replace who/which in defining clauses but not after a comma in non-defining clauses. Do not repeat the subject: not the app which it helps me.

GEN-er-ous, DIF-fi-cult, de-TER-mine, en-COUR-age. In encourage, the middle syllable carries primary stress. Read: We encourage students to determine their own goals. Keep unstressed vowels short; British and American vowels may differ without changing the stress.

inter-NA-tion-al, organi-SA-tion, edu-CA-tion-al, oppor-TU-ni-ty. Read: International cooperation creates educational opportunities. Primary stress is marked by capitals; secondary stress and vowel quality may vary by accent. Practise whole words in phrases, not isolated stressed syllables only.

We DOWNLOAD the NOTES before CLASS. Function words such as the and before are often weaker; content words carry the main beats. Contrast can change the focus: I downloaded the NOTES, not the video. Read both versions and explain what information is corrected. Do not treat capitals as instructions to shout.