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Teejay · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59

Hi there,
HELP!!!
I am applying for a CELTA course and I need your help for these sentences because I have a difficulty in spotting some errors in some of the tasks like:

a. She remarked a suspicious looking man in the doorway.

b. It's not sure it'll rain today.

I have to resubmit the application because I haven't found error of these.

Thanks.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

a) noticed
b) certain

Sonnet · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 235 Location: South of the river

Sorry to be the harsh one, but...

If you can't work these out on your own, you shouldn't expect to pass a CELTA course. I'm guessing you're a non-native speaker, and I've taken courses with, worked with, and trained some *fantastic* NNS EFL teachers, but...

... frankly, if your language analysis isn't up to scratch, you shouldn't be taking a CELTA course. I'm sure you can find an EFL teaching position without the certificate, and maybe do a reasonable job there, but, well, this ain't the time for your CELTA. Sorry.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

unfortunately have to agree with sonnet... CELTA is a fairly considerable investment financially, and if you're not able to spot the errors on their pretest, your prospects of passing are not the strongest...

tedkarma · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:54 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the two previous posters.

It would probably be best if you commit some time to studying grammar before taking the course.

Even this sentence has several errors in it:

Teejay · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59

Thanks to all of you. I gathered books for me to study. I'll take the CELTA by November. I appreciate all your opinion and it's a great challenge for me.

tedkarma · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:10 am Post subject:

Good luck! Go get 'em!

Teejay · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59

hey tedkarma,
I printed them all. I'm sure this one will give me a refresher's course. Thanks a lot. Smile

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

Did we answer the original question? Number 1 seems to be one of those ambiguous ones that has no context to help us out.

I agree with Spiral and his 'noticed' but could we not say 'remarked on' for number 1.

To the OP. How bad REALLY is your grammar? Did you just make an informal post here on Daves's and made a slip (note slip not mistake or error) in 'I haven't found error of these'

If that really was an error I agree with the guys here that you should do something about your grammar. Actually if you are making that kind of error(and I'm not saying you are) then I would revise your decision to teach English full-stop.

But don't turn down doing the CELTA and lose confidence just cos you made a slip and have been thinking about a question that is ambiguous.
The CELTA is just a course to give you a grounding on teaching methodology, planning and techniques. My grammar was not spot on when I did it and even my CELTA tutor said 'It's something that you improve on over time'

Real experience in class will help you with grammar and you don't normally get that until you've finished the course.

If you feel confident enough with your grammar -go for it MAN.

Teejay · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59

hi sheeba,

I got good grades in grammar from high school till college. But I am not confident that's why I am determined to have a refresher's course through studying books. I believe that if I have a good foundation in terms of grammar and its usage, I can help the students more. I haven't been teaching for 4 years but I am a teacher by profession. I decided to teach and I think CELTA will equip me in terms of methodologies. I need feedback as well.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:06 am Post subject:

Did the task ask for only a word/item to be changed, or were actual additions allowed to be made? If the latter were also OK, there could be more than one possible answer:

a. She remarked a suspicious looking man in the doorway.
> noticed (I changed a word); remarked upon (I added an extra word, 'upon'. However, this example is not entirely natural - I suspect that the objects of 'remark upon' are more definite than indefinite, and more complex than simple. Still, I just wanted to point out the existence of 'remark upon').

b. It's not sure it'll rain today.
> I'm not sure... (changed item); It's not certain... (changed word) (; It's not for certain/sure... (added extra word))

[That being said, the different answers I've given, especially for a), are really all about the same thing: complements/patterns of complementation, and their semantics (note that I'm talking about more than just subject complements of BE and other copulas - 'complement' is 'an ambiguous term, but the basic idea is that it is something added to another constituent in order to "complete" the meaning or structure associated with that constituent' (Leech, in his Glossary). But all this is a bit too technical and grammatically "linear": it might be better to just think in general terms, about the semantics that restrict possible word combinations - see below)].
You can learn a lot by studying the definitions and grammar codes in learner dictionaries, (and pondering the underlying semantic "frames"):

remark: to SAY something (i.e. words, which get reported indirectly), especially about something you have just noticed > remark that...
She remarked that a strange man was loitering outside.
remark upon/on sthg

If you notice something or someone, you realize that they exist, especially because you can see, hear or feel them > notice sb/sthg doing sthg
notice (that)...

(based on the LDOCE4)

I'll leave you to look up the adjectives 'certain' and 'sure'. One thing I will say though is that 'It's sure/BOUND/?certain to rain' is possible. The test was just to see if you knew that only humans can be (not) sure/certain (that) something will or won't happen (interestingly, it seems that "dummy" 'it' - dummy sure is the appropriate word here - can be 'not certain' but not 'not sure', making 'sure' the more human and therefore conversational of the two words).

Actually, I have to say, I think that native-level competence is too "easy" a thing to test and too "hard" a thing to bother to justify; that is, the difficulty that natives might have in explaining why X is correct and Y not is surely some indication of how hard it could be, for even those testees (note the two e's LOL) who can pass, once the course is over (do they then themselves have to "construct" and/or mark such tests? In many cases, yes!). Perhaps a better test of all concerned would be to give non-native potential trainees some propositions in their languages to translate into (harder) or match with (easier for the testees at least) simply [i]servicable[i] English, rather than the often too intricate yet "untouchable" phrasings they are forced to encounter and endure.

Teejay · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59

Wow fluffy! It's so enlightening. I learned a lot from you. I have to resubmit because of these two items...my answer were She noticed a suspicious looking man in the doorway and It's not certain it'll rain today.

Remarked upon- I'll try this one. I'm not sure it will rain today- hmmmm...maybe. Smile

Thanks anyway!

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

Thanks fluffy. I'll have a look at your points when my head is in grammar mode.

Teejay. I think you are being overcautious. You sound like you are reasonably literate to say the least. I think you could start the course tomorrow and do well. You get time to plan your lessons. I never got asked grammar questions on my CELTA in input sessions, nor on my Diploma. I did get asked after I had planned a lesson and in evaluations of lessons. You will have your grammar concepts clear before you go in and teach(believe me!) and that should be the case for any teacher who teaches a grammar point in ANY class.

On my Dip one of my tutors said to me 'never admit to not knowing a simple grammar rule'. I say fiddlesticks to that crop of xit. Nobody knows grammar inside out and the rules are always harder than one can imagine. There is room for subjectivity within grammar and opinion.

But if you wanna prepare then all the best with it. I think you'll be fine.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:26 am Post subject:

You're welcome, Teejay!

Sheeba also remarked upon 'remarked upon'. Smile

fluffyhamster · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:12 am Post subject:

Note the hyphen in 'suspicious-looking man', Teejay (you never know, the tutors could be real sticklers). Wink

BTW the example sentence supposedly from the LDOCE4 is actually one that I made up to illustrate a point rather than explain yet more (I can go on a bit too much sometimes).