November 2009


 The ViCTE Newsletter

 Helps professionals keep and improve their English through the Internet since February 2009

Number 15                                                                                   November  2009

 

Editorial

SVOMPT stands for S – subject, V – verb, O – object, M – manner, P – place, T – time. It is about word order in English, which is extremely important for this language. Only by the place of a noun in a sentence you can distinguish a subject from an object. Confusing the subject with the object can quite change the meaning of the sentence and hence your thoughts. It could cause a variety of ambiguities and complications when communicating. For this reason non-native speakers should fix the English word order by heart and use it automatically in oral and written communication.

The abbreviation SVOMPT characterises the word order in affirmative (or declarative) sentences. In interrogative (or question) sentences the word order differs from that and is regulated in compliance with proper rules.

The article  Basic word order in English clearly explains the rules of English sentences construction and illustrates them with examples.

 

Exercises

Find below exercises based on the technical texts in Windows 7 , History of Microsoft Windows , Windows Development . Look through the texts again and do exercises. Doing the exercises helps you to fix the word order in affirmative and interrogative English sentences. Last exercise 3 serves for practising quick alignment and comprehension when reading.

 

Exercise 1  Make sentences putting the given words into a correct order using the text above:

  1. has – Microsoft – system – Windows 7 – specifications – published – just – running – minimum – for a  – their –.
  2. recommendations – are – for the – editions –  32-bit  – much –  the same as – for premium – version –  of Vista – Requirements –.
  3. 32-bit – versions –  the 64-bit –  versions –  have – than the – However, –  requirements – higher –.
  4. has –  advisor –  upgrade – company  – The – released an –  recently –  Microsoft –.
  5. with – This  – advisor – scans a – compatible – see if  – it is  – Windows 7 – computer to –.
  6. Center –  for a – hub –  living–room TV – Media – serves – Windows – home-entertainment – as a –.

 

Exercise 2  Make questions beginning with the words in bold:

  1. Windows 7 can be used on different kinds of personal computers.   Where … ?
  2. Windows Vista introduced a large number of new features.   What … ?  (write two questions)
  3. The company Microsoft was using a variety of new tracing tools for measuring the performance of the operating system.   What tools … ?
  4. A tablet personal computer is equipped with a touch screen instead of a keyboard or a mouse.   What … with?
  5. A graphic tablet/screen hybrid enables to operate the computer with a stylus or a digital pen, or a fingertip.   What … ?  (write two questions)
  6. A 10-foot Graphical user interface lets users easily read from a display at a distance of 10 feet (approximately 3 m).   What distance … at?

  

Exercise 3   Match the words in Column A to the expressions in Column B:

  Column A   Column B
1 tablet personal computer a application with a 10-foot user interface designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub for a living-room TV
2 pinning b standard Red Green Blue colour space created cooperatively by Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft for use on monitors, printers, and the Internet
3 Windows Media Center c technique used when assembling large or heavy model kits. It involves drilling a hole in two pieces of the model to be joined, and using a “pin” to strengthen the bond when they are glued.
4 sRGB  d a laptop or a slate-shaped mobile computer equipped with a touch screen or a graphic tablet/screen hybrid to operate the computer with a stylus or a digital pen, or a fingertip, instead of a keyboard or a mouse.

Vocabulary 

English Russian Czech
advisor советчик poradce, rádce
affirmative sentence утвердительное предложение oznamovací věta
application прикладная программа aplikace
display дисплей obrazovka, monitor
home entertainment hub центр домашних развлечений domácí zábavné centrum
interrogative (sentence) вопросительное (предложение) věta tázací n. tázací zájmeno/příslovce
performance of the operating system производительность операционной системы výkonnost operačního systému
”pin” крепить ”шпилькой” ”sešpendlit”
printer принтер, печатающее устройство tiskárna
scan a computer просматривать, изучать компьютер prohledávat (podrobně, pečlivě)
slate shaped mobile computer в виде шиферной плиты přenosný počítač ve tvaru břidlicové tabulky
stylus игла звукоснимателя hrot (snímací)
tablet personal computer лэптоп, небольшой портативный компьютер c сенсорным экраном laptop,přenosný počítač s obrazovkou ovládanou dotykem
touch screen сенсорный экран obrazovka ovládaná dotykem
upgrade модернизация, апгрейд modernizace, zlepšení/ vylepšení

 

PS:   Find keys to the exercise at  Keys to exercises on this blog

  

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 The ViCTE Newsletter

 Helps professionals keep and improve their English through the Internet since February 2009

Number 14 November 2009

Windows 7

The new Microsoft operating systém Windows 7 was launched on 22 October 2007.Window 7 became immediately a bestseller. The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone’s expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the biggest-grossing pre-order product of all-time, and demand is still going strong,claimed managing director Brian McBride, Amazon UK on October 22, 2009. 

 

Visit http://techenglish.wordpress.com and read texts about Windows 7 in Windows 7 , History of Microsoft Windows , Windows Development using the vocabulary below and do the exercise about articles just after the vocabulary.

Good luck!

 

References:

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

PS: If you are interested in more details obout Windows 7, find them in  Windows 7 review | Windows 7 Media Center review.

 

Vocabulary

English Russian Czech
desktop настольный компьютер, десктоп stolní, příruční (počítač)
fingertip кончик пальца koneček/špička prstu
fingertip access доступ с помощью клавиатуры přístup pomocí klavesnice
keyboard клавиатура (компьютера, телефона, смартфона, пишущей или наборной машины) klávesnice
keyboard layout раскладка клавиатуры prstoklad
laptop лэптоп, небольшой портативный компьютер laptop, přenosný počítač
model kit набор, комплект для моделирования modelová souprava
patch патч, “заплата” (ПО для оперативного исправления ошибки в программе, часто размещается на сайте разработчика) program pro pohotovou opravu chyb v softwaru
pinning крепление шпилькой sešpendlení
taskbar панель задач ovládací lišta
security patch патч для устранения ошибок защиты program pro opravu chyb v zabezpečovacím softwaru
stylus

игла звукоснимателя

hrot (snímací)
taskbar button кнопка панели задач tlačítko ovládací lišty
text font комплект шрифта font
touch screen сенсорный экран obrazovka ovládaná dotykem
tracing tool трассировщик

zkušební program

NOTE: When doing the exercise below, visit Some details concerning a (an) and the, and Students do not care about articles.

Exercise  Insert articles a, an, the or 0 (no article):

  1. Windows 7 is latest version of Microsoft Windows produced for use on home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, and tablet personal computers.
  2. Windows Vista introduced large number of new features.
  3. Windows 7 is intended to be more user focused, incremental upgrade to Windows line.
  4. The company was using variety of new tracing tools to measure performance of many areas of the operating system.
  5. In general terms, tablet personal computer refers to laptop or slate-shaped mobile computer equipped with touchscreen or graphic tablet/screen hybrid to operate computer with stylus or digital pen, or fingertip, instead of keyboard or mouse.
  6. Microsoft also plans to support USB 3.0 in subsequent patch, although support would not be included in initial release.
  7. Windows 7 supports mounting of virtual hard disk (VHD) as normal data storage.
  8. revamped taskbar in Windows 7 also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons.
  9. Windows Media Center is application with 10-foot user interface designed to serve as home-entertainment hub for a living-room TV.
  10. 10-foot user interface is software GUI (Graphical User Interface) designed for displaying on large television.
  11. “10 foot” refers to fact that GUI elements – i.e. menus, buttons, text fonts, etc., are theoretically large enough to easily read at distance of 10 feet (approximately 3 m ) from display.
  12. sRGB is standard Red Green Blue colour space created cooperatively by Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft for use on monitors, printers, and Internet.
  13. Pinning is technique used when assembling large or heavy model kits. It involves drilling hole in two pieces of model to be joined, and using “pin” to strengthen bond when they are glued. Pinning is useful technique for reinforcing joints. It is essential when making models from parts that were not designed to go together.

 

PS:  Find keys to the exercise at Keys to exercises on this blog

 

Again about articles in English, which are the biggest problem for non-native speakers

Look at them again!

Check yourself

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/218.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/219.html

Good luck!

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