Unit 5 - Real Friends

Descriptors

Do a friendship quiz, and read quotes and definitions of friendship.

Read different blog posts about friendship, Facebook friends and social grooming.

Revise punctuation and writing terms, and study "friends" vocabulary, nouns ending in -ship, idioms like take the plunge, and "mouth" idioms.

Revise adjectives ending in -able and -ible, practise word formation and adverb position, and study different uses of should and would.

Listen to an interview and part of a Webinar on social media and friendship.

Review what you have studied so far.

Write and post messages about friends and friendship. (This is an optional activity designed to give you extra writing practice.)

Practise using common expressions and idioms that you have studied.

Practise spoken discourse markers and features.

Practise spelling and pronunciation of words with ie and ei, and practise stress in discourse markers.

Find out more about gossip, social grooming, and the authors of the extracts in this unit.

Practise summarising an article to present to a discussion group, or write about social networks used for work or social purposes.

Talk to your tutor about the unit and the topic you wrote about in Tutorial 2.

Review the work in the unit.

Send us your feedback on this unit.

Test what you have studied in this unit.

Practise the language you study in this unit, and improve your reading, listening and speaking skills.

Wordlist

bail

bail (n)

money paid as security to release a person accused of a crime from jail until the trial

bemoan

bemoan (v)

to complain about something and express your disappointment or displeasure

bond

bond (v)

to form a lasting relationship between people

cheeky

cheeky (adj)

showing a lack of respect to be funny

clan

clan (n)

large family group

cull

cull (v)

to reduce in number

dataset

dataset (n)

collection of data, usually presented in table form

ego-boosting

ego-boosting (adj)

improving self-esteem

forebear

forebear (n)

ancestor

gregarious

gregarious (adj)

outgoing and sociable

handle

handle (v)

to cope or deal with

hermit

hermit (n)

loner, person who lives alone and apart from society

keep_track_of

keep track of (exp)

to continue to be informed about someone or something

leach

leach (v)

to remove a substance from something, to dissolve it, usually using water

pair_bond

pair bond (n)

close social relationship between two humans or animals

pejorative

pejorative (adj)

expressing disapproval or contempt

pledge

pledge (n)

formal promise

ruleofthumb

rule of thumb (n)

general principle seen as more or less correct but not to be regarded as completely accurate

seminal

seminal (adj)

containing new and influential ideas, creative and original

shift

shift (n)

change of position

sitting

sitting (n)

limited period of time when you do one particular activity

track

track (v)

to follow and record

vow

vow (v)

to swear or solemnly promise