Lesson Focus

This unit is about different modes of transport and situations related to travel, like conversations at a hotel. It also covers understanding and responding to formal written texts like a complaint.

Key Vocabulary to Master

• Transport: monorail, tram, aeroplane, space shuttle, hovercraft, ferry, cable car, canoe, skateboard.

• Travel Terms: itinerary, reservation, passenger, check-in, brochure, leaflet.

Grammar Focuses

1. Passive Voice (Present Continuous): Used to describe an action that is happening now, where the focus is on the object of the action.

• Structure: am/is/are + being + past participle

• Active: The hotel is arranging the room.

• Passive: The room is being arranged.

1. Affixes (Prefixes and Suffixes): Adding parts to the beginning (prefix) or end (suffix) of a word to change its meaning or word class.

• Prefix: un + happy → unhappy (changes meaning)

• Suffix: beauty (noun) + -ful → beautiful (adjective) (changes word class)

Important Points for the O/L Exam

• Paper I (Writing): You could be asked to write about an "unforgettable trip." Knowledge of different transport types will be useful. You might also need to write a formal letter (like the hotel dialogue or the complaint letter structure).

• Paper I (Grammar): Passive Voice is a guaranteed topic in the O/L exam. You will be asked to change sentences from active to passive. Word formation using affixes is also a very common question.

• Paper II (Reading): You might get a passage about travel or a schedule/itinerary to interpret.

Tips & Tricks for Studying

1. Passive Voice Hunt: Read an English newspaper article and use a highlighter to mark all the sentences in the passive voice. This helps you recognize the structure.

2. Word Building: Take a root word like 'develop'. See how many new words you can make with affixes: development, redevelop, developer.

Practice Writing: Write a short paragraph describing a real or imaginary journey you took, mentioning the mode of transport and what you saw.