Kompetenzerweiterung II, Work for Week Six (April 27-30)

This week, please read about unreal time in Unit 13 and complete all of the accompanying exercises and learn ALL of the vocabulary for Unit 14 and complete its accompanying exercises. In addition to this, please complete Review 7 for Units 13-14.

As you will see in Unit 13, the past in English serves many functions. For advanced learners, it's crucial to master "unreal time" because of its function in making statements and requests more polite. It is essential to master "unreal time" in order to soften your speech in professional settings. (The speakers in these videos stress that British speakers place a premium on politeness, but politeness is important for the entire English-speaking world.) You will find overlap with German in many cases. (Some situations do call for directness and/or straight talk, however, so let the context dictate the language you use. You simply want to add polite forms to your repertoire so that you can use them when you deem them necessary. Having options is the essence of being fluent in a language.) These videos are useful resources in explaining unreal time further:
BBC Learning English: When is the past not the past? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdodZEttvSY
BBC Masterclass: Being polite (how to soften your English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQN4-l5AXE0
BBC Learning English: Three ways to use "wish": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvKQb1gB3As
BBC Learning English: Stop saying (Using the correct verb form for "I wish"...and, yes, the teacher's delivery is a bit odd in this one, but the content is good): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEFHUEEoAqk

Additional online quizzes for unreal time:
https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/FCE/fce_grammar/unreal_past_wish_if_only.php
https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/advanced-level-past-conditionals-real-and-unreal
https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/4g7-wishes-and-regrets.php
http://usefulenglish.ru/grammar/subjunctive-mood-exercise-six
https://www.grammarbank.com/its-time-somebody-did-something.html
https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/FCE/fce_grammar/fce_grammar_15.php

Please following channels tie into "quantity and money" and are channels I draw material from for business English classes. I suggest you watch five videos from these channels this week. Even if you are not going to choose business as your focus at the TH, I recommend that all of you gain a solid foundation in the business register and with business terminology. Nearly every professional activity will involve business acumen in some capacity. All the better if you can maneuver in this environment in multiple languages.
CNBC Make It (with some interesting series like "Millennial Money," which features what kind of standard of living a certain salary can get you in various cities, and "Suddenly Obsessed," which chronicles the rise of featured products and trends): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH5_L3ytGbBziX0CLuYdQ1Q
Business Insider (known for their "So Expensive" series, which explains why certain brands and products have such high price points): https://www.youtube.com/user/businessinsider/playlists
Freakonomics weekly podcast (hosted by the authors of the popular Freakonomics books): https://freakonomics.com/archive/

The following resources can be helpful in writing better essays:
https://oxfordhousebcn.com/en/writing-an-effective-essay-cambridge-b2-first/
https://www.caeexamtips.com/blog/c1-essay-examples

Unfortunately, there have been instances of plagiarism in the written assignments for this class. Writing feedback to essays can me take as much as 40 minutes per essay, so please respect my efforts by only submitting to me what are truly your own words. (This is, after all, the only way you will improve your writing.) Take the following quiz on avoiding plagiarism: https://web.williams.edu/wp-etc/acad-resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/QuizAPA.php If you still have questions or concerns regarding what constitutes plagiarism, please contact me. 

Your optional essay topics for this week are: 
1. Can money buy happiness?
2. Does money make the world go round?

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email in an MS Word document by Wednesday, April 29th at 5 p.m. (Due to the holiday on Friday, I need to push the deadline up a bit in order provide feedback to all of my classes.) Try to write your essay within 90 minutes this week. Essays must meet the word-limit guidelines and be submitted by the deadline in order to receive feedback.