CLI

ইউক্রেনের এমভি বাংলার সমৃদ্ধিতে হামলায় নিহত থার্ড ইঞ্জিনিয়ার হাদিসুর রহমানের পরিবার ও বন্ধুদের প্রতি আমাদের সমবেদনা। আমরা যুদ্ধের ট্র্যাজেডিতে শোকাহত।

Chattogram Language Institute

CLI updated their address.

https://clibd.info

https://clibd.info

Congratulations to Rabiul from Southern University Dept of English, who made such huge improvements in his speaking and writing in such a short space of time! Great that this also helped so much with your final exam results!

Here is the program of events conducted by Chittagong Arts Complex - unfortunately, while finals are going on.... But, if you have time, try to drop in!
We need to support the arts more in Ctg and CLI should take an active role in doing so!

Do apostrophes still matter?

I think apostrophes matter! But an old boss and friend of mine at the British Council in Sri Lanka, Dave Rowlands, used to laugh at my pedantry. What do you think?

bbc.com The end of the Apostrophe Society has sparked debate over the modern state of grammar.

Have a cup of coffee at CLI

CLI

Poet Kaiser Haq on writing in English in Bangladesh, his time in Liberation War, more

And Professor Haq will be at Southern University Bangladesh and at Chattogram Language Institute on 24 November!

indiatoday.in Eminent Bangladeshi poet, translator and professor Kaiser Haq spoke at the session 'Past the brick lane' on English writing in Bangladesh.

ALTHOUGH, DESPITE & IN SPITE OF, cont.

These sentences all employ ALTHOUGH. We need to use a verb ending with -ING to substitute DESPITE for ALTHOUGH:

1. Although he speaks French, he was not selected for the post.
2. Although they left early, they actually enjoyed the show.
3. I like pineapple, although I am allergic to it.

ALTHOUGH / DESPITE / IN SPITE OF
In Bangladesh, people commonly make many mistakes with these conjunctions. So, here are some tips!

1. IN SPITE OF is three words, not two
2. DESPITE is never followed by OF
3. If you start a sentence with ALTHOUGH, you cannot use BUT later in the sentence.

ALTHOUGH, DESPITE and IN SPITE OF have exactly the same meaning but their grammar is different.

ALTHOUGH is followed by a sentence - then a comma - then another sentence:
ALTHOUGH + SUBJECT + VERB, SUBJECT + VERB

DESPITE & IN SPITE OF are followed by nouns or by verbs ending in -ING.

Here are some examples:

Although it was raining hard, they still played the match.
Despite the heavy rain, they still played the match.
In spite of it raining hard, they still played the match.

Now, what's wrong with these sentences?

1. Although Karim is very rich and handsome but no girls want to date him.
2. Despite Karim is very rich, no girls want to date him.
3. Inspite of Karim being very rich, no girls want to date him.

More on this topic tomorrow!

People are starting to talk at and about CLI

What is the difference between BY and WITHIN?

In Bangladesh, people use 'within' before nouns and times of the day, but in standard English, we only use this before amounts of time:

"I'll be there within an hour."
They left the haunted house within days of seeing the ghost, leaving most of their possessions behind.

Compare this with BY:

He promised to finish the job by Friday.
By September of that year, the war was over.

Now answer these questions:
1. He arrived in Britain _____________________ a few days of sending his mail.
2. I'll be there ___________________ midnight.
3. She learnt French ___________________ 6 months.
4. The bridge will be completed ___________________ March.

What is the difference between GRATEFUL and APPRECIATE? Of course, GRATEFUL is an adjective and APPRECIATE is a verb. We often include these words in letters and so they could help in your General Training IELTS exams and also in your work emails.

We often use them with the polite WOULD form and a past tense verb (called 'the second conditional'):

"I would be grateful if you could call me back."
"The children would be so grateful if you paid our school a visit."

But if we use the verb APPRECIATE, we need to put IT or an object after it:

"I would appreciate it if you could call me back"
"The children would appreciate it if you paid our school a visit."

Look at the following sentences. Are they right or wrong? We will post the answers tomorrow evening:

a) We would all appreciate it if he comes a few minutes before the ceremony begins.

b) They would be grateful if you decided not to stop the payments until after Eid.

c) I would appreciate your comments on my latest short story.

d) If you speak a few words of Bangla, the audience would appreciate it.

e) My mother would appreciate if you stop for tea.

Saturday 2nd November from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Chattogram Language Institute. Practice with IELTS Exam Tips: The Academic Writing Paper

From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. FREE MOCK TEST: Listening, Reading, Writing papers + interview

Saturday 2nd Novermber: Last day for admission on our courses starting 5th November.

CLI

From Sunday 27th October, we will answer your grammar and vocabulary questions on this FB page. A 24-hour service for all!

CHATTOGRAM LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
Something new in language teaching in Chattogram!
UK and Bangladeshi teachers.

Shazia Omar, author of 'Like a Diamond in the Sky' (shortly to be re-issued by Bengal Lights Books) and 'Dark Diamond', has promised to hold a literary evening in Chattogram in February. Hopefully, she can persuade Saad Z Hossain, author of 'Djinn City', and other friends to join her! Watch this space for more details!

Come and see our new centre on Friday at 5pm or Saturday at 3pm and sit for a test to see if you are ready for an IELTS Preparation course starting in the first week of November!

CLI- English Tips Answers (4)

1. The authorities are going to build a bridge over the river at this point but maximum local people do not want one. Not 'maximum' but MOST

2. I'm not feeling so great. I can't seem to make any decisions. I'm having an off day.

3. I am delegating this task to Ahmed so that he can do the needful. Not 'do the needful' - DO WHAT'S NECESSARY

CLI- English Tips (4)

In Bangladeshi English, there are many phrases and words which are not used in standard English. Here are only a few of them but we will post more on a regular basis and, so, please keep on visiting this site.

DO THE NEEDFUL is never used in standard English. Instead, we would say, DO WHATEVER'S NECESSARY or DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO

OFF DAY. In English, this phrase has a different meaning: it suggests that you are feeling unwell or are not as good at something as you usually are. We use DAY OFF to talk about a holiday.

ALMIRA is a Portuguese word which is not used in English. Instead, we use WARDROBE.

MAXIMUM in standard English means the utmost, the very highest possible. For instance, "He scored maximum points in his test." (He got 100%). In Bangladesh, very often people use 'maximum' to mean 'most'. We do not do this in standard English.

In standard English, when we use the word AUTHORITIES (which is always a plural), we are referring to government organisations, like the police or the municipality. We can use AUTHORITY as an uncountable noun to mean THE RIGHT TO MAKE DECISIONS. Here's an example 'She does not have the authority to expel the boy from school'.

On the other hand, if we want to talk about our bosses, we refer to THE MANAGEMENT, not 'the authority'.

Now, have a look at these sentences. Are they right or wrong? We will post the answers tomorrow;

1. The authorities are going to build a bridge over the river at this point but maximum local people do not want one.

2. I'm not feeling so great. I can't seem to make any decisions. I'm having an off day.

3. I am delegating this task to Ahmed so that he can do the needful.

CLI- English Tips Answers (3)

There are many nouns in standard English which are uncountable - in other words, that you cannot use in the plural or put A or AN before. Here are a couple of examples:

MONEY and RICE:

Of course, we can count money, but we cannot count the noun MONEY. Look "one money, two moneys, ... eight moneys". We all know those are wrong. That's because MONEY is an uncountable noun. Try doing this with RICE. You'll find the same thing.

Here are some more nouns which in standard English are uncountable but which in Bangladesh we often hear in the plural:

INFORMATION

ADVICE

RESEARCH

STUFF

EQUIPMENT

Look at these sentences. Are they right or wrong? Answers will be posted tomorrow:

a) If students are going to get any benefit from this laboratory, we will need to buy many more equipments. NO! EQUIPMENT cannot have an S on the end

b) Don't leave all that old stuff in my room! Put them in the garage! NO! "Put it in the garage!"

c) I don't have much information about it. You should ask Student Affairs. Yes