Reply
Sat 18 Jun, 2005 12:17 pm
I applied for a job last week. One of the requirements was to make a composition in English. Unfortunately, I did not get the job. Today looking at the assessment paper two things took my attention. First, the examiner corrected my sentence " I think teachers should make extra materials to help students" and writing that you should not write make materials. That would be a wrong collocation. I should have used device materials instead. Moreover, I wrote: "I wish the best to the teachers". The examiner said that was Portuguese into English and did not offer me a correct alternative. My question is: In your experience, does that sound right?
If the examiners said that you should have said "teachers should device extra materials to help students" then they can't write correct English themselves! Device is a noun; the verb is "devise".
Myself I would say that "make extra materials" is not strictly wrong, although "devise", provide" or "supply" are perhaps better, being more specific.
Again, although "I wish the teachers all the best" is more colloquial, and "I send the teachers my best wishes" is more formal, "I wish the best to the teachers" is not an impossible thing for a native English speaker to say.
I agree with syntinen, and I have been in EFL writing since 1979! I am sorry you didn't get the job but maybe it wouldn't be nice to work with people who are wrong but think they are right.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace