Check Our Latest Update

Soal Reading Bahasa Inggris Ujian Sekolah & VIERA / TOEIC Preparation - Volume 2

Direction: Choose the best answer to the questions Boy : What are you going to do after completing your study? Are you going to the unive...

Home Archives for June 2012

June 22, 2012

Exercise: How to Express Feelings, Wonder, Curiosity, and Possibility

Exercise: How to Express Feelings, Wonder, Curiosity, and Possibility
In the previous post "Expressions Related to Feelings, Wonder, Curiosity, and Possibility" we have learnt about how to express our feelings related to wonder, curiosity, and possibility. Now, let's do this exercise to see how much you have learnt about those expressions.

I. Complete the following dialogs.

  1. Your friend looks very sad. You can see that she has been crying.
    You: "You look awful. What’s the matter?"
    Your friend: "It’s Trio. I saw him walking hand in hand with a girl last night."
    You: "Are you sure it was him? ...(asking about a possibility)...."
    Your friend: "I couldn’t have been mistaken. I know him very well, and I’m sure it was him that I saw last night. ...(wondering who the girl was)...."
    You: "Take it easy, honey. ...(expressing another possibility)...."
    Your friend: "...(stating a possibility).... I certainly hope you are right."

  2. You and your sister are watching TV when there is a news break, informing that there’s just been a plane crash in the jungle of Kalimantan. A Search and Rescue team has been sent. You are talking about the possibility of survivors.
    You: "What a horrible accident! ...(wondering if the passengers survived)...."
    Your sister: "...(asking about a possibility)...."
    You: "...(stating a possibility that only few survived)...."
    Your sister: "...(wondering when the SAR team can locate them)...."

II. Choose the best answer to the following questions

  1. Man: "You look worried. Is something bothering you?"
    Woman: "Yes, I wonder why I failed the test. ...."
    Man: "Sorry to hear that. But if I were you, I would give it another try."
    1. What have you done?
    2. I’ve never failed in my life.
    3. The teacher doesn’t like me.
    4. I’m very sad to hear that.
    5. I had prepared myself for that.
  2. In the above dialog, the man asked the woman about her ....
    1. wonder
    2. possibility
    3. thoughts
    4. anger
    5. pleasure
  3. In the dialog, the woman expressed ....
    1. wonder
    2. possibility
    3. blame
    4. anger
    5. pleasure
  4. In the end, the man expressed his ....
    1. curiosity
    2. possibility
    3. sympathy
    4. condolence
    5. pleasure
  5. Man: "No way we can open this screw. Is it possible to do it another way?"
    Woman: ".... Try changing your screwdriver."
    1. Please leave it
    2. Forget it
    3. What a relief!
    4. It’s impossible.
    5. There’s a great possibility.
  6. In the above dialog, the man asked about ....
    1. wonder
    2. possibility
    3. thoughts
    4. anger
    5. pleasure
  7. In the dialog, the woman ... a possibility.
    1. stated
    2. asked
    3. blamed
    4. rejected
    5. accepted
  8. Man: "It’s not you to look as awful as you are now. ...."
    Woman: "Lucy has borrowed my dictionary but when I asked her this morning she said that she had returned it. I wonder if she told me the truth."
    Man: "Try to remember. It’s very likely that either of you forget."
    1. Please accept my deepest sympathy.
    2. Are you worried about something?
    3. What a relief!
    4. I don’t understand why you did that!
    5. I’m sorry to hear that!
  9. In the above dialog, the man asked the woman about her ....
    1. pleasure
    2. sympathy
    3. feelings
    4. anger
    5. surprise
  10. In the dialog, the woman expressed her ....
    1. pleasure
    2. sympathy
    3. possibility
    4. wishes
    5. wonder
  11. In the end, the man told the woman a ....
    1. pleasure
    2. possibility
    3. sympathy
    4. curiosity
    5. wonder
  12. Man: "This is not my jacket! ...."
    Woman: "Don’t be too suspicious. There’s a big chance that someone has mistaken."
    1. Don’t take my jacket!
    2. I wonder whose jacket it is.
    3. What a shameful act!
    4. I will take this jacket
    5. I’m sad to see this jacket.
  13. In the above dialog, the man expressed his ....
    1. wonder
    2. possibility
    3. curiosity
    4. sympathy
    5. pleasure
  14. In the above dialog, the woman ... a possibility.
    1. stated
    2. asked
    3. blamed
    4. rejected
    5. accepted
  15. Man: Hey, you’re crying! .... Woman: "I’ve lost Hammy, my hamster pet. I wonder where he is now."
    Man: "Cheer up. He could be playing somewhere. It’s alright."
    1. Please forget it.
    2. Stop crying, can’t you?
    3. What a relief!
    4. You can’t take this anymore.
    5. Are you worried about something?
  16. In the above dialog, the man asked the woman about her ....
    1. pleasure
    2. anger
    3. sympathy
    4. feelings
    5. surprise
  17. In the dialog, the woman expressed her ....
    1. pleasure
    2. wishes
    3. sympathy
    4. wonder
    5. possibility
  18. In the end, the man told the woman a ....
    1. pleasure
    2. curiosity
    3. certainty
    4. possibility
    5. wonder
  19. It’s very likely that the missing victims have drowned in the open sea.
    The above sentence expresses a ....
    1. possibility
    2. sympathy
    3. complaint
    4. certainty
    5. openness
  20. I often wonder why the rumble of thunder lasts so much longer than the lightning flash.
    The above sentence expresses a ....
    1. possibility
    2. wonder
    3. impossibility
    4. certainty
    5. openness

June 21, 2012

Mister Guru in Top ESL Blog Award

Mister Guru is the 8th Finalist of Top ESL Blog Award
Beberapa hari lalu, Mister Guru menerima email dari ecollegefinder.org yang mengabarkan bahwa blog ini telah dinominasikan sebagai salah satu blog ESL (English as Second Language) terbaik dalam ajang "Top ESL Blog Award". Ini benar-benar diluar perkiraan Mister Guru yang nge-blog murni hanya untuk berbagi ilmu dan membantu mereka yang ingin belajar bahasa Inggris. Jangankan menang, masuk sebagai nominee saja Mister Guru sudah bersyukur banget. :D

Dalam ajang Top ESL Blog Award, Mister Guru harus bersaing dengan banyak blog lainnya untuk mendapatkan voting sebanyak mungkin dari publik agar bisa masuk dalam peringkat 3 (tiga) besar. Setelah masa voting berakhir, 3 (tiga) blog dengan voting terbanyak akan diumumkan di blog milik eCollegeFinder dan situs Language Magazine. Pemenang dan finalis akan berhak mendapat badge Top ESL Blogs Award sebagai simbol atas prestasi mereka. So, lupakan traktiran jika menang karena tidak ada hadiah berupa uang. :)

Top ESL Blog Award diberikan oleh eCollegeFinder yang bekerja-sama dengan Language Magazine untuk blog-blog ESL terbaik, yang diperuntukkan bagi mereka yang mengajar atau belajar bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa kedua, serta mereka yang sedang mengejar gelar TESOL. Blog-blog pemenang akan dijadikan sebagai referensi bagi para pembaca yang ingin memperluas pengalaman mengajar dan belajar mereka.

Naah, untuk itu, Mister Guru butuh bantuan para pembaca sekalian untuk ikut memberikan suara dan mendukung Mister Guru dalam voting ini. Jika berkenan, kunjungi http://blog.ecollegefinder.org/esl-blogs-award/ lalu pilih Mister Guru. Suara anda akan sangat membantu dan untuk itu, Mister Guru mengucapkan terima kasih.

June 20, 2012

Expressions of Feelings, Wonder, Curiosity, and Possibility

Expressions of Feelings, Wonder, Curiosity, and Possibility
1. Material Mapping For SMA (Class XII):
Competence StandardBasic Competence
Mendengarkan:
1. Memahami makna dalam teks percakapan transaksional dan interpersonal resmi dan berlanjut dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari.
1.2. Merespon makna dalam percakapan transaksional (to get things done) dan interpersonal (bersosialisasi) resmi dan berlanjut (sustained) secara akurat, lancar, dan berterima yang menggunakan ragam bahasa lisan dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari dan melibatkan tindak tutur: mengakui kesalahan, berjanji, menyalahkan, menuduh, mengungkapkan keingintahuan dan hasrat, dan menyatakan berbagai sikap
Berbicara:
3. Mengungkapkan makna dalam teks percakapan transaksional dan interpersonal resmi dan berlanjut (sustained) dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari.
3.2. Mengungkapkan makna dalam percakapan transaksional (to get things done) dan interpersonal (bersosialisasi) resmi dan berlanjut (sustained) dengan menggunakan ragam bahasa lisan secara akurat, lancar dan berterima dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari dan melibatkan tindak tutur: mengakui kesalahan, berjanji, menyalahkan, menuduh, mengungkapkan keingintahuan dan hasrat, dan menyatakan berbagai sikap
2. Material Mapping For SMK:
Competence StandardBasic Competence
1. Berkomunikasi dengan Bahasa Inggris setara Level Novice (Communicate in English in novice level) 1.4. Menghasilkan tuturan sederhana yang cukup untuk fungsi-fungsi dasar (Producing simple sentences to convey basic language functions).

3. Key word:
Mengakui kesalahan (confessing), berjanji (promising), menyalahkan (blaming), menuduh (accusing), mengungkapkan keingintahuan dan hasrat (expressing curiosity & desire).

4. Material:

Asking About Feelings, Expressing Wonder / Curiosity, Asking and Stating Possibility
Asking About FeelingsExpressing Wonder / Curiosity
  • How do you feel about it?
  • What do you have in mind?
  • What are you thinking about?
  • Do you have something on your mind?
  • What are you looking so serious about?
  • Is something bothering you?
  • Are you worried about something?
  • I wonder what it really is.
  • I was just wondering how to do it
  • I wonder why he could do such thing to her
  • I wonder if she likes studying here.
  • That's amazing. How did you do that?
  • How marvelous. How come?
  • I wonder at her directness.
Asking About PossibilityStating a Possibility
  • Is it possible to do it this way?
  • Is there any possibility of repairing this machine?
  • What possibility is there that they’re still alive?
  • Is there any chance she will survive the disease?
  • What will probably happen to the main character of this story?
  • It’s very likely (that ....)
  • There’s a (big) chance.
  • It’s possible (that ....)
  • There’s a great possibility.
  • It could be.
  • Maybe / perhaps / probably.
  • There could / might be a problem.
  • It might be.
5. Exercise
Complete the following dialogs:
  1. You and your friend have been waiting for more than ten minutes for the school bus to come. You start talking about possibilities that might happen to the bus.
    You: "Where’s the school bus? ...(wondering what has happened)...."
    Your friend: "I don’t know. ...(asking about a possibility)...?"
    You: "...(stating a possibility)..., or ...(expressing another possibility)...."
    Your friend: "...(stating a possibility)...."

  2. You and your friend are going shopping at a supermarket. When you are going to pay for your things at the cashier, you cannot find your wallet.
    Cashier: "Thirty-six thousand Rupiahs, please."
    You: "Oh. Where’s my wallet?"
    Your friend: "What’s the matter? ...(asking about feelings / thoughts)...?"
    You: "I can’t find my wallet! ...(wondering where it is)...."
    Your friend: "...(asking about a possibility)...."
    You: "...(stating a possibility).... How embarrassing!"

Click HERE to do more exercise about expressions related to feelings, wonder / curiosity, & possibility.

June 19, 2012

Exercise: Expressions of Accusing, Blaming, Confessing, Apologizing, and Promising

Exercise: Expressions of Accusing, Blaming, Confessing, Apologizing, and Promising
P
reviously, in the post HOW TO EXPRESS ACCUSATION, BLAME, CONFESSION, APOLOGY, & PROMISE, we have learnt about some common expressions to make or state accusations, blame, confessions, apologies, & promises. Now, in this post, you will have the chance to measure your ability related to those expressions.

I. Match the sentences on the left with the best response on the right

  1. My two-year-old sister dropped my mobile phone and broke it.
  2. A policeman fined me for not wearing a helmet yesterday.
  3. I was late because I ran out of gas on the way to school this morning.
  4. My teacher sent me out of the classroom this morning.
  5. The headmaster got me sign a letter of statement this morning.
  6. Linda was angry with me last night. She said she wouldn’t make friends with me anymore.
  7. The drama was a failure. I forgot a few but important lines and ruined the whole performance.
  8. My computer has been infected by a virus.
  1. What did you expect? You shouldn’t have ridden without wearing a helmet.
  2. It was your own fault. You shouldn’t have been noisy in class.
  3. It serves you right. How many times do I have to tell you this? Never copy a file from an unreliable source.
  4. It was all because of you. I told you to practice and practice your lines but you just took it easy.
  5. I told you to check the tank regularly but you just wouldn’t listen.
  6. I told you not to let her play with it. You should have kept it in a safe place.
  7. You deserve it! You shouldn’t have sent her rude and impolite SMS.
  8. Perhaps that’ll teach you a lesson. You shouldn’t have broken the school rules many times.

II. Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.

  1. Man: "My calculator doesn’t work. What have you done with it?"
    Woman: ".... I didn’t even touch it!"
    1. I was the one to blame
    2. I give you my word on it.
    3. You shouldn’t have done that.
    4. Are you accusing me?
    5. You are forgiven
  2. In the above dialog, the man ... the woman.
    1. confessed to
    2. apologized
    3. blamed
    4. promised
    5. regretted
  3. In the dialog, the woman ... the man’s accusation.
    1. made
    2. expressed
    3. accepted
    4. agreed
    5. denied
  4. Man: "I got E for my mathematics test. I ... for not preparing myself."
    Woman: "I told you. You shouldn’t have played games too much."
    1. regret
    2. sorry
    3. promise
    4. confess
    5. blame
  5. In the above dialog, the man made a/an ....
    1. promise
    2. confession
    3. apology
    4. denial
    5. excuse
  6. In the dialog, the woman ... the man.
    1. confessed to
    2. apologized
    3. blamed
    4. promised
    5. regretted
  7. Student: "I’m sorry, sir. I have broken the class window by accident and I must apologize for that. I honestly regret it, Sir."
    Teacher: ".... I do appreciate your honesty.
    1. I’m afraid that wasn’t true.
    2. It’s good you admitted that.
    3. Who’s to blame?
    4. I think you’re the only person who could have done it.
    5. Thanks for that.
  8. In the above dialog, the student made a/an ....
    1. promise
    2. confession
    3. apology
    4. denial
    5. excuse
  9. In the dialog, the teacher gave a/an ....
    1. promise
    2. confession
    3. apology
    4. denial
    5. excuse
  10. Student: "I’m sorry, sir. I am late because the public minibus which I took had a flat."
    Teacher: "You are forgiven for now. But ...." Student: "All right, Sir. I promise I won’t be late again."
    1. Can I promise you not to be late again?
    2. Can we promise not to be late again?
    3. Will you promise not to be late again?
    4. I want to promise you not to be late again.
    5. Don’t blame me.
  11. In the above dialog, the student made a/an ....
    1. promise
    2. agreement
    3. apology
    4. denial
    5. accusation
  12. In the dialog, the teacher ... a promise.
    1. made
    2. expressed
    3. asked for
    4. agreed
    5. denied
  13. Woman: "What have you done to my CD? It’s scratched."
    Man: "I’m sorry I dropped it just now. ...."
    1. It was my fault.
    2. It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
    3. It will teach you a lesson.
    4. Don’t point your fingers at me.
    5. Don’t blame me.
  14. In the above dialog, the woman made a/an ....
    1. promise
    2. agreement
    3. apology
    4. denial
    5. accusation
  15. In the dialog, the man made a/an ....
    1. promise
    2. confession
    3. agreement
    4. denial
    5. accusation

June 17, 2012

How to Express Accusation, Blame, Confession, Apology, and Promise

How to Express Accusation, Blame, Confession, Apology, and Promise
1. Material Mapping For SMA/MA (Class XII):
Competence StandardBasic Competence
Mendengarkan:
1. Memahami makna dalam teks percakapan transaksional dan interpersonal resmi dan berlanjut dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari.
1.2. Merespon makna dalam percakapan transaksional (to get things done) dan interpersonal (bersosialisasi) resmi dan berlanjut (sustained) secara akurat, lancar, dan berterima yang menggunakan ragam bahasa lisan dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari dan melibatkan tindak tutur: mengakui kesalahan, berjanji, menyalahkan, menuduh, mengungkapkan keingintahuan dan hasrat, dan menyatakan berbagai sikap
Berbicara:
3. Mengungkapkan makna dalam teks percakapan transaksional dan interpersonal resmi dan berlanjut (sustained) dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari.
3.2. Mengungkapkan makna dalam percakapan transaksional (to get things done) dan interpersonal (bersosialisasi) resmi dan berlanjut (sustained) dengan menggunakan ragam bahasa lisan secara akurat, lancar dan berterima dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari dan melibatkan tindak tutur: mengakui kesalahan, berjanji, menyalahkan, menuduh, mengungkapkan keingintahuan dan hasrat, dan menyatakan berbagai sikap
2. Material Mapping for Vocational High School (SMK/MAK):
Competence StandardBasic Competence
1. Berkomunikasi dengan Bahasa Inggris setara Level Novice (Communicate in English in novice level) 1.4. Menghasilkan tuturan sederhana yang cukup untuk fungsi-fungsi dasar (Producing simple sentences to convey basic language functions).

3. Key word:
Mengakui kesalahan (confessing), berjanji (promising), menyalahkan (blaming), menuduh (accusing), mengungkapkan keingintahuan dan hasrat (expressing curiosity & desire).


4. Material:

Blaming/Accusing, Denying an Accusation, Confessing, Apologizing, Forgiving/Accepting an Apology, Asking for and Making a Promise.
Blaming/AccusingDenying an Accusation
  • It was your fault.
  • I told you but you just wouldn’t listen.
  • It’s all because of you!
  • It serves you right.
  • Perhaps that’ll teach you a lesson.
  • You should (not) have done that.
  • You’re the one to blame.
  • I think you’re the only person who could have done it.
  • It’s not my fault/ mistake.
  • Are you accusing me?
  • Don’t blame me.
  • Don’t point your fingers at me.
  • I’m afraid that wasn’t true.
  • It wasn’t me.
  • It’s not true.
  • I’m not guilty / I’m clean.
  • I’m not to blame.
Confessing/Making an ApologyForgiving/Accepting an Apology
  • I must admit that I’ve been wrong so far.
  • It was my (own) fault.
  • I have made a mistake.
  • I was the one to blame.
  • You’re right and I was wrong.
  • The blame’s on me.
  • I honestly regret for having done such bad thing.
  • I must apologize for what I’ve done.
  • Please forgive me for what I've done.
  • It’s good you admitted that.
  • It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
  • Apology accepted.
  • Your apology is accepted.
  • You’re forgiven.
  • Let’s forgive and forget.
  • I forgive you.
  • Let bygones be bygones.
  • You have my apology.
  • Never mind. Forget it.
Asking for a PromiseMaking a Promise
  • Promise me that you will come to the party.
  • Will you promise to be on time next time?
  • Make me a promise, will you?
  • Is that a promise?
  • I want you to promise that you’ll never leave me.
  • Will you give me your word on that?
  • Can you / Will you promise me?
  • Can I trust you?
  • I’ll take your words.
  • I promise I’ll make it to the party.
  • I promise not to be late again.
  • I promise you that I’ll never forget you
  • It’s a promise.
  • You have my word.
  • I give you my word.
  • I swear that I will never leave you.
  • Take my words (for it).
  • I promise you my love and my life.
Now, you have learnt about about how to express an accusation, blame, confession, apology, or promise in spoken English.

June 08, 2012

Exercise: Contrasting The Simple Past With The Past Continuous

Exercise - Contrasting The Simple Past With The Past Continuous
Click here to see the differences between the Simple Past and the Past Continuous tense
I. Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or the past continuous tense.
  1. Tina ...(wait) for me when I ...(arrive).
    Answer: Tina was waiting for me when I arrived.
  2. When I last ...(see) her, she ...(wear) a dark coat.
  3. The soldiers ...(patrol) along the river when the enemy ...(attack) them.
  4. He ...(look) very busy when I ...(see) him this morning.
  5. I ...(greet) him and ...(ask) him what he ...(do).
  6. We ...(do) the assignment when the light suddenly ...(go) out.
  7. While Doni ...(type) the report, the computer ...(break) down.
  8. The car ...(travel) at 80 k.p.h. when it ...(begin) to skid.
  9. From the sounds it was clear that the boys ...(practice) music.
  10. When I ...(look) through the books in the library, I ...(find) a very interesting novel and ...(decide) to borrow it.
  11. When I ...(meet) her, she ...(say) that she ...(not like) her current boarding house and ...(try) to find another.
  12. I ...(chat) with my friends when my mobile phone ...(ring).
  13. When I ...(wake) up last night, the TV ...(be) on and my son ...(sleep) on the sofa.
  14. The weather ...(be) fine when we ...(land) in Jakarta yesterday afternoon. The sun ...(shine) and the breeze ...(blow).
  15. I always ...(tell) him that he ...(waste) his time but he never ...(listen).
  16. When he ...(arrived) home his children ...(play) in the front yard.
  17. There ...(be) many students in the school yard. The girls ...(play) volleyball while the boys ...(play) soccer.
  18. I ...(read) my new magazine when someone ...(knock) at the door.
  19. When I ...(be) young, I ...(want) to be an architect.
  20. When I ...(enter) the classroom the students ...(do) an assignment.
II. Write a short paragraph telling about the people in the picture below. Use Simple Past and Past Continuous Tense.
Contrasting The Simple Past With The Past Continuous

Descriptive Text: Pekalen White-Water Rafting Adventure

Descriptive Text - Pekalen White-Water Rafting AdventureIf you are a river trip enthusiast, you should visit Probolinggo, East Java. Here in the town which is also well-known as "Mango Paradise", you can have a fantastic white-water rafting adventure in Pekalen river, flowing from Mount Lamongan and Argopuro Mountain south of Probolinggo. It takes 1 - 1.5 hour by car or motorcycle to get to the site.

Being a permanent river, it can be used for white-water rafting even in dry seasons. However, the water gets high and the stream becomes extremely strong from December to April when there is a lot of rain. The difficulty level of this river is categorized into Grade II - III+, which is a grade higher than Ayung river in Bali and Saddang river in South Sulawesi. A number of waterfalls and rapids along the river add to the difficulty level and the sheer challenge of white-water rafting. Other challenges that visitors may have to face are repelling as well as lining the raft with a rope, and portaging, that is carrying the raft in case it is impossible to go through an obstacle.

Descriptive Text: Pekalen White-Water Rafting AdventurePekalen Rafting is divided into 3 (three) stages; Pekalen Atas (12 kms), Pekalen Tengah (7 kms) and Pekalen Bawah (10 kms). Pekalen Atas has the highest difficulty level and is recommended for experienced or professional white-water surfers. However, it doesn't mean that rafting in Pekalen Tengah or Pekalen Bawah is less challenging.

Pekalen Atas route reaches 12 kms and can be covered in 2-3 hours. It starts in Desa Pesawahan, Kecamatan Tiris and ends in a basecamp in Desa Condong, Kecamatan Gending. It offers a spectacular view as you struggle your way through high cliffs, rocks, rapids, and even under bat caves and beautiful waterfalls. Rowing your raft is hardly necessary as you will find as much as 55 (fifty-five) rapids, i.e.; Welcome, Batu Jenggot, Pandawa, Rajawali, Extravaganza, KPLA, Tripple Ace, The Fly Matador, Hiu, Cucak Rowo, Long Rapid, and Good Bye rapid. There is also "Inul" rapid, as you may have to shake the raft like "Inul", a famous Indonesian Dangdut singer, in order to get past.

Descriptive Text: Pekalen White-Water Rafting AdventureWhat is special about Pekalen Atas is the view and adventure it offers. The rain forest, wildlife, and 10 (ten) beautiful waterfalls will offer breathtaking view alongside the river. You will not only enjoy the view of the waterfalls, but also feel the fresh water pouring onto you from the cliffs alongside the river as you row your raft below them. You will also go under bat caves where you will find thousands of bats hanging on the high cliffs. Listening to thousands of bats squeaking and watching them flying above will add to the elements of adventure it offers. Whitewater rafting in Pekalen river will certainly be an unforgettable river trip outing experience.

Updated: May 2nd, 2013