PRE-INTERMEDIATE

Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Technical Academic Committee-2022 Edition:

Dr. Naji Masned AlQbilat Chairman
Dr. Shireen Hikmat AlKurdi Member
Dr. Nibal Abdelkarim Malkawi Member
Dr. Abdallah Hussien Al-Amri Member
Dr. Rula Tahsin Tarawneh Member
Dr. Amal Abdallah Thneibat Member
Qadri Farid Tayeh Member
Ali Odeh Alidamat Member
Hana' Fathi Farajallah Member
Atika Mohammad Hasan Ismael Member

Technical Executive Committee-2022 Edition:

Ahmed Taha AL Qurneh Coordinator
Eng. Safaa Yousef Al Adwan Member
Orwa Ahmed Al omyan Member

0 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Balqa Applied English 1

Unit 1
Table of Content

Unit 1
Learning and Memory
Subject Page no.

Learning Objectives 2

Vocabulary Activities 3

Reading 6
-Information Retention
-Alzheimer Disease (AD)
Grammar 9
-Simple Present
-Frequency Adverbs
-Order of Adjectives

Grammar Activities 14

Listening 17
- All About Listening
- Mnemonics

Pronunciation 20
- Consonants
Pronunciation Activities 23

Speaking 24

Writing 24

Word List 25

1 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Recognize words that appear together frequently. These are

referred to as collocations.
Use and order adjective correctly.
Read and understand passages on topics introduced in this unit.

Write a paragraph using the new vocabulary from this unit’s

Word List.
Recognize the consonant sounds.

2 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

'Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they
were to success when they gave up'.
- Thomas A. Edison

Vocabulary

Activity 1
Multiple Choice
Select the Correct Word

Select the correct option to fill in the blanks.

1. There are certain methods to help you information.

maintain
retain
destroy

2. Anna was advised to on the internet for answers to her

questions.
hinder
check
certify

3. Before answering the questions, it is important that you ____ the text.
ruin
focus
read

4. During the course, Sawsan will many skills.

lose
purchase
acquire

5. Tom needs to his grades so that he can

move up to the next level.
improve
recover
expand

6. You need to your password to access the website.

forget
believe
remember

3 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

7. After an hour, Amir was still in a conversation with

the tutor.
connected
engaged
employed

8. After reading the full article, Mike was able to the concept.
grasp
forget
evaluate

9. His memory is terrible. He has been diagnosed with __ .

Alzheimer’s Disease
dyslexia
autism

10. We're fighting for lower fees.

advising
tuition
orientation

11. He has difficulty reading because he has a learning ________.

memory
disability
information

12. I'm afraid her husband has a ________________ memory

problem.
decisive
intelligent
short-term

4 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 2
Write It
Match the Meanings with the Words

Write the words to match the meanings in the table below.

brain – memory – remember – forget - term

Word Definition
the part of the brain where
information is kept
keep in the memory; not
forget
not remember
period of time

the organ of the body that

stores information

Activity 3
Hangman

Read the following clues and try to guess the words.

memorize – remember – information – issue – repeat – retain

1. a subject for discussion

2. to keep or continue to have

3. knowledge or facts

4. to have something in your mind or to bring something back into your

mind

5. to say, write or do something again or more than once

6. the ability to keep information etc. in the mind and remember it

5 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Reading

That is what learning is. You suddenly

understand something you've understood all
your life, but in a new way.
Doris Lessing

Activity 1
Multiple Choice
Information Retention

Read the following passage and select the correct options to complete the
sentences that follow.

It is common for people to forget most of what they have studied. Research
reveals that within twenty-four hours of acquiring information, people forget
nearly eighty percent of what they have attempted to learn. After more time
passes, these losses increase steadily. In fact, after a month, most people retain
only ten percent of what they have read! But there is good news, you can
prevent this loss of information.
To begin with, don't just read passively, instead, actively process what you
are trying to learn and review the information regularly. One way to do this is
to revise what you have just read, preferably, within ten minutes of reading it.
Another way to improve your chances of retrieving that information at a later
date is to ask yourself questions about what you have read. Each time you
actively process information, you increase your chances of retrieving it at a later
date. So, when you are studying for an exam, review and revise the information
you are trying to memorize. Then ask yourself questions about it. If you follow
those simple steps, you'll remember everything you need to do well on your
exams.
When studying languages for instance, repeat what you read aloud -
especially the conversations - and then think of different ways of engaging in
conversations by applying what you have just learned. If you keep doing this,
you will see dramatic improvements in your performance. Some studies indicate
that people have the potential to retain close to one-hundred percent of what
they have read by applying one or several of these techniques. Just think, if you
use these methods, you could retain so much more of what you have studied!
It's up to you.

6 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

The first paragraph discusses __________________________.

 Ways to remember information.
 percentage of memory retention
 people who forget

The second paragraph states that _______________________.

 revision of information is not necessary
 reviewing information increases your ability to retrieve it
 no reviews are needed

According to paragraph three ___________________________.

 your performance will improve dramatically if you apply what you have
learned
 you need to think of one way to engage in conversations
 only reading out loud improves your performance

7 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 2
True or False
Alzheimer's Disease

Do our memories improve with age?

Read the passage below to find out more.
Read the passage below and answer the true of false questions that follow.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

AD is a disorder of the brain. It begins slowly. At first, the only symptom may
be mild forgetfulness. In the early stage of AD, people may have trouble
remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things.
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes AD. Age is the most important
known risk factor. The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years
beyond age 65.

As we grow older, our brains and bodies begin to age. Most of us will start
experiencing some changes in the way we remember things. With AD, brain cells
stop functioning properly, and patients begin to experience serious memoryloss,
confusion, and, eventually, they lose the ability to do any kind of job.

Most of what we have learned about AD has been in the last fifteen years.
Scientists still have not discovered a cure but there are certain treatments
available that provide patients with a better quality of life as they battle the
disease.

AD can be very stressful and frustrating for those who have it. If someone you
know has AD, there are simple steps they can take to make things less stressful.
Take a look at the following tips:

 Keep a notebook to keep important names, phone numbers, addresses

and appointments.
 Place notes all around the house to remember dates, appointments and
things to do.
 Keep important phone numbers in your cell phone.
 Write notes and paste them around the house as a reminder to take
medications.
 Keep photographs of loved ones with their names written to identify them.
Those are just a few steps that someone who has AD can follow to minimize
their stress and frustration, and live a more normal life.

8 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

1. AD affects the brain very quickly. T-F

2. Scientists have discovered a cure for AD. T-F
3. Serious memory loss and confusion are some symptoms of AD. T-F
4. Elderly people are more likely to have AD. T-F
5. There is nothing that can be done to help patients feel better. T-F
6. Any type of memory loss indicates the presence of AD. T–F

Grammar

Grammar Focus

Focus 1: Simple Present

A: Structure and use
B: Forming negatives
C: Forming yes/no questions
D: Forming wh questions
E: Spelling changes caused by third person singular‘s’

Focus 2: Frequency Adverbs

A: Rating of frequency adverbs
B: Position of frequency adverbs

Focus 3: Order of Adjectives

A: What are adjectives?
B: How to order adjectives

Focus 1: Simple Present

A: Structure and use

When building a sentence in the simple present tense, we have to pay attention
to the subject. If the subject is singular, an ‘s’ is to be added to the end of the
verb. This ‘s’ is called the third person singular ‘s’.

Example:

o Nurses work in hospitals.

o A nurse works in a hospital.

9 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

For more study this table:

We speak three languages.

They speak three languages.
You speak three languages.
I speak three languages.

He speaks three languages.

She speaks three languages.
It speaks three languages.

The simple present tense is used to talk about:

1. Habitual (repeated) actions

The simple present tense is used to show that an action happens repeatedly,
like habits, hobbies, daily events and scheduled events.

Examples:

 Sam plays football.

 Tara collects stamps.
 I brush my teeth before going to bed.
 The conference starts on the 12th of January.
 The plane to Austria leaves at 12:00 p.m.

2. Facts

The simple present tense is used to express facts in any field like
geographical facts, physical facts, facts related to religions and languages,
etc.

Examples:

 The Nile runs in Africa.

 Sheep eat grass.
 London is the capital of the U.K.

10 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

B: Forming negatives

If you want to form negative sentences, you need to have a helping verb so that
‘not’ can be attached to it.
Examples:
 Positive: Pauline is usually at home in the afternoon.
 Negative: Pauline isn’t usually at home in the afternoon.

But what is to be done if no helping verb is available? Here we either use ‘do’
or ‘does’.

Examples:
 Positive: We drink tea very often.
 Negative: We don’t drink tea very often.

Note: Did you pay attention to the subject? Is it plural or singular?

 Positive: Robert washes his mother’s car.

 Negative: Robert doesn’t wash his mother’s car.

Note: Did you pay attention to the subject? Is it plural or singular?

Can you explain what happened to the third person singular‘s’ at the end of
the verb ‘washes’ in the negative form of the sentence?

C: Forming yes/no questions

A yes/no question starts with a helping verb.

Examples:
 Jaber is a professional musician.
 Is Jaber a professional musician?
i. Yes, he is.
ii. No, he isn’t.

But what if no helping verb is available? Here you can use either ‘do’ or ‘does’.
Examples:

 Festivals take place in Jordanian cities every summer.

 Do festivals takeplace in Jordanian cities every summer?
i. Yes, they do.
ii. No, they don’t.

11 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

 Liz goes to the swimming pool every weekend.

 Does Liz go to the swimming pool every weekend?
i. Yes, she does.
ii. No, she doesn’t.

D: Forming wh questions

A wh question is the question that starts with a wh word. Wh words are: what,
where, when, why, who, whom, whose and how.

To form wh questions, you start with the wh word followed by a helping verb.

Example:

 The World Cup Championship takes place every four years.

Wh. Q: How often does the World Cup take place?

Question word helping verb subject main verb

 Tea grows in hot places.

tea grow?
Wh. Q: Where does
Question word helping verb subject main verb

Focus 2: Frequency Adverbs

A: Examples of frequency adverbs

always – usually – often – sometimes – seldom – hardly ever/ rarely – never

B: Position of frequency adverbs

The frequency adverbs are placed before the main verb.

Examples:

 Ashraf always comes home before 9:00 p.m.

 Sonia never drives her car down town.

Frequency adverbs are placed after the verb to be (i.e. is, are, am).

12 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Examples:
 Alia is always late for work.
 Bill and Laura are sometimes free in the evening.

Some frequency adverbs like sometimes, occasionally and normally can

be placed at the beginning of a sentence or directly after the subject.

Examples:

 Normally, Lana takes dinner at home.

 Samer, sometimes, listens to his father’s advice.

Focus 3: Order of Adjectives

A: What are adjectives?

Adjectives are used to describe and give more information about nouns.

B: How to order adjectives:

Sometimes we use two or more adjectives. How can we order them? Which
comes first and which comes last?

Adjectives follow this order:

Opinion – size – age – shape – color – origin – material - purpose

Notes:

 If there are two adjectives of size, start with the one expressing length.
 If there are two color adjectives, use and between them.

Examples:

 a large French wooden kitchen table

 a beautiful new blue Egyptian cotton t-shirt
 an interesting long black and white Indian film

13 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 1
Point and
Click

Select the Correct Verb

Chose on the correct form of the verb.

1. When Jordanians meet, they _ hands.

shake
shakes

2. Water _ at zero degree.

freeze
freezes

3. His parents _ to Turkey every summer.

travel
travels

4. The Sun _ in the east.

rise
rises

5. I don't drink coffee after 6:00 p.m. It me stay up late.

make
makes

Activity 2
Write It
Simple Present Tense

Write the simple present tense form of the verb in brackets in the space
provided.

1. A plumber the water pipes. (fix)

2. He is a senior pilot. He _ large planes. (fly)

14 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

3. Financially speaking, Salem is well-organized. He the bills

on time. (pay)
4. She birds and takes very nice photo of them. (watch)
5. Tania never gives up. She _ more than once. (try)

Activity 3
Write It
Jumbled Words

Arrange the words below to form questions. Then write those questions in the
spaces provided.

use ? ever Does Facebook She

they Do tennis Play ever ?
Mr. Does Bean on teach Saturday ever ?
always in English ? they speak class Do
you Do your in the brush always ? morning teeth

1. _

2. _

3.

4.

5.

15 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 4
Write It
Negative Sentences

Write the correct form of the verb in brackets to form negative sentences.

1. Sara to become a dentist. (want)

2. Royal Jordanian to Hawaii. (fly)
3. Jane and Sue Spanish. (teach)
4. Anne lunch at home. (have)
5. The sun around the earth. (go)
6. I coffee in the morning. (drink)
7. Zaid and Faris sushi. ( like)
8. Dave _ the story. (believe)
9. The banks at 2 o'clock. (close)
10. Sami the answer to this question. (know)

Activity 5
Write It
Adverb of frequency

Rewrite the following sentences using the adverb of frequency provided.

1. Plastic shoes hurt my feet. (always)

2. Ali brings delicious home-made sandwiches to work. (usually)

3. Ghazi is in bed at 8:00 p.m. (never)

4. She apologizes after doing something wrong. (rarely)

5. Sarah eats more sweets during exams time. (usually)

16
 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 6
Type It
Adjectives

Write the adjectives in brackets in the correct position.

1. a new jacket. ( Finnish, wool)

2. a long snake. ( fat, green, black, dangerous)

3. a German car. ( fine, red, modern. racing )

4. a heavy carpet. (sitting- room, Persian, silk, expensive)

5. leather seats. (luxurious, large, British, black)

Listening

Activity 1
True or False
All About Listening

Listen to the passage and answer the true or false questions that follow.

To communicate effectively, it is important to develop listening skills.

Listening isa vital skill for almost all interaction. The more closely you listen, the
better yourcommunication skills will be. As you can imagine, listening is an essential
meansto learning any language. By improving your ability to listen carefully, you
can increase the amount of input you receive. As a result, you assist the process
of language acquisition.

Listening can be separated into two distinct categories: extensive and

intensive listening. Extensive listening refers to general listening to natural English.
This type of listening assists you in expanding your vocabulary and learning new
language structures. Extensive listening refers to listening for pleasure. This type of
listening doesn’t require us to pay a lot of attention to content and language.
Examples of extensive listening include listening to stories, watching films, viewing
plays or listening to musical lyrics.

Intensive listening is much more concentrated, with specific and planned

learningobjectives. Intensive listening greatly accelerates language acquisition and
improves general comprehension and understanding. Intensive listening is most
17 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC
 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Frequently associated with classrooms in which courses are taught. Although

intensive listening is by far the best way to learn language – and learn it correctly
– a combination of both extensive and intensive listening methods are the most
effective way to learn any language.

Tips to improve listening:

1. Sometimes lectures contain stories or ideas with a logical sequence. To

improve your ability to listen, arrange these ideas in the form of lists.
2. Listen to events and try to understand the sequence or the development of
ideas.
3. Summarize ideas instead of taking extensive notes.
4. Later, try to form complete sentences of the few words. This will help you
review the ideas presented in the lecture.

Questions:

1. By learning how to listen carefully, you can improve your communication

skills and you can improve your ability to learn a new language. T - F

2. Extensive listening refers to listening with planned and specific learning

objectives. T - F

3. Examples of intensive listening include: watching films or listening to

musical lyrics. T - F

4. Extensive listening is listening for pleasure. T - F

5. The combination of intensive and extensive listening is the best way to

learn a language. T - F

6. Summarizing is one way of developing your ability to listen. T - F

18 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 2
True or False
Mnemonics

Listen to the following audio script and answer the true/false statements that
follow.

Audio Script:

How good is your memory? Can you easily recall things like names, telephone
numbers or the people you meet on a daily basis? Or is it common for you to
forget things that you see in a couple of minutes? If the latter is the case, try
mnemonics.

A mnemonic is a memory aid that often serves an educational purpose.

Mnemonics are made up of words. They can be something like a very short poem
or word (which may be made up), or lists. Mnemonics use repetition toremember
facts. They also use associations between easy-to-remember information and to
be remembered data. The sequences must have some connection to a person's
existing semantic associations.

For example, we might be able to remember the telephone number 4070704 if

we notice that it contains similar numbers 7 and 0. Then we only have to
remember and link three numbers - 4, 7 and 0 -and we have the whole number.
Option words:

1. A mnemonic is a memory aid that should not be used to study for

tests. T - F

2. Mnemonics are made up of numbers. T - F

3. Mnemonics can be short poems or lists that help you form

associationsbetween words. T – F

4. Mnemonics help move facts into your long-term memory. T - F

5. You cannot use mnemonics to help you remember words and

numbers. T - F

19 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Pronunciation

Consonants

FOCUS:

In English, there are about 24 different sounds that we use to make words with our

mouths. These are called consonant sounds, and they include sounds like "p," "b,"

"t," "d," "k," and "g." To help people understand these sounds, we use special

symbols called International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

These symbols help us to write down how the sounds are made in our mouths; so

that people can learn how to make them correctly. When you are learning English,

it's important to practice making these sounds so that you can speak clearly and be

understood by others.

20 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Consonant sounds
Here are the 24 consonants of English:

Consonant Sounds in English

/p/ pay | happy | cup /t/ tip | letter | sat

/b/ bay | trouble | rub /d/ dip | ladder | sad

/k/ came | talking | back /f/ fine | offer | off

/g/ game | bigger | bag /v/ vine | saving | of

/θ/ thin | method | both /s/ sue | missing | face

/ð/ then | other | with /z/ zoo | crazy | phase

/ʃ/ show | pushing | rush /ʧ/ choke | watching | catch

/ʒ/ measure | Asia | vision /ʤ/ joke | charging | large

/l/ /m/

love | follow | well mail | humor | some

/n/ /ŋ/

nail | funny | nine singer | sing

/h/ /r/

heal | perhaps real | correct

/j/ /w/

you | beyond we | showing

21 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Vowel sounds

The following is a list of 12 vowels and 8 diphthongs is based on standard British

English, often referred to as RP (Received Pronunciation).

No. Symbol Example words

1 i: feet /fiːt/ leap /liːp/
2 ɪ fit /fɪt/ lip /lɪp/
3 e men /men/ bed /bed/
4 æ man /mæn/ bad /bæd/
5 ʌ mud /mʌd/ nut /nʌt/
6 a: fast /faːst/ pass /paːs/
7 ɒ top /tɒp/ rock /rɒk/
8 ɔ: fall /fɔːl/ lord /lɔːd/
9 ʊ book /bʊk/ foot /fʊt/
10 u: boot /buːt/ food /fuːd/
11 ɜ: girl /gɜːl/ bird /bɜːd/
12 ə a lot /ə□lɒt/ apart /ə□pɑːt/
13 eɪ mail /meɪl/ May /meɪ/
14 aɪ fly /flaɪ/ buy /baɪ/
15 ɔɪ boy /bɔɪ/ boil /bɔɪl/
16 aʊ cow /kaʊ/ house /haʊs/
17 əʊ sold /səʊld/ low /ləʊ/
18 ɪə beer /bɪə/ dear /dɪə/
19 eə hair /heə/ rare /reə/
20 ʊə sure /ʃʊə/ pure /pjʊə/

22 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Activity 1
Write it

Match the sound with the corresponding word.

sound word
/p/ "bat"
/b/ "church"
/t/ "pat"
/d/ "house"
/k/ "judge"
/g/ "top"
/ʒ/ "like"
/h/ "red"
/m/ "we"
/n/ "pleasure"
/ŋ/ "yes"
/l/ "dog"
/r/ "sing"
/j/ "man"
/w/ "no"
/tʃ/ "go"
/dʒ/ "cat"

23 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Speaking

Activity 1
Offline Activity
Ice Breaker

1. With the person beside you.

2. Form questions to ask each other.
3. Form the answers to those questions.
4. Take turns asking and answering.

Look below for a few ideas about the kinds of questions to ask:

i) Facts about yourself, such as: name, age, major, career goals
ii) Likes and dislikes: favorite food, singers, films, music, etc.
iii) Hobbies
iv) Hopes, dreams and aspirations

Writing

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell

them, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out
how to do it.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)

Activity 1
Offline Activity
Select a Topic

1. Look at the sentences below.

2. Select one of those sentences to begin writing your paragraph.
3. Your paragraph should not exceed 100 words.
4. Once you have finished, work with a partner to check your paragraph for
mistakes.
5. Correct the mistakes.
6. Your instructor will provide you with instructions in class about how to
submit the assignment.

Note: Use words from the Word List.

1. Learning is not a very easy process ……..………………
2. Learning a new language can be fun…………………….

24 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Unit1 Learning and Memory Student File

Word List

aspire (v.): to seek; to have a very strong desire or ambition

category (n.): things or people classified as being similar to each other
concept (n.): an idea
developed (v.): made or became bigger or better
diligent(adj.): hard working
hobby (n.): an activity you do in your spare time because you enjoy it
issue (n.): a subject for discussion
source (n.): the place from which something comes
potential(adj.): the ability of a person or thing to develop in the future
process (n.): a series of actions for making or doing something
retain (v.): to continue to keep something
review (v.): to inspect or survey
revise (v.): preparing for an exam
technique (n.): method of doing something skillfully
method (n): way or process of doing something
severe (adj.): something very bad, suffering or very serious
acquire (v.): obtain or get
enthusiastic (adj.): to be eager; to show keen interest
tuition fees (n.): the money that students pay to a university or a school
grasp (v.): to understand

25 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC