eng for gat course outline

Developing English Skills for GAT and Everyday Use: Course Outline

Developing English Skills for GAT and Everyday Use

Course Outline

Teacher’s Name: Mr. Nuttapong Rutamornchai

Phone Number: 087-036-7255

Email: [email protected]

Class Time: -

Course Description

The course enhances students’ vocabulary, grammar, and four language skills,

especially reading and writing. Students practice these skills through handouts,

online sources, and various forms of media. After completing this course, students

can acquire good scores on General Aptitude Test (GAT), Ordinary National

Education Testing (O-NET), and other general tests. Moreover, students are able to

apply what they have learned in everyday life and to use the Internet and other media

as effective tools for self-learning.

Topics Covered in the Course

PART A: Grammar and Writing Skills

Parts of Speech and Basic Sentence Structures


1. Nouns

2. Determiners

3. Pronouns

4. Verbs

5. Adjectives and adverbs

6. Agreement of subjects and verbs

7. Basic sentence structures

Essential Grammar Topics

1. Tenses

2. Conditional clauses

3. Subjunctive clauses

4. Passive voice

5. Question forms

6. Indirect speech

Sentence Writing

1. Simple, compound, and complex sentences

2. Sentence structure analysis

Exam Practice

Error Identification A. The gecko, a lizard several inches long1, often lives2 in people’s houses where3 it is considered a welcome guest because4 its penchant for eating mosquitoes, ants, and other vermin.


Sentence Completion B. Suree doesn’t know what to do with her __________ who has shoplifted three times. 1. daughter is five years old 2. five year olds’ daughter 3. five-year-old daughter 4. daughter five years old C. The survey found that most students were pleased with the college, __________. 1. even the classrooms need to be repainted 2. or they would like to have more qualified professors 3. but they would like to have better food in the cafeteria 4. so they would like to have better classroom facilities Sentence Rearrangement a) Similarly, some people who are poor at languages are excellent at computer sciences. b) IQ tests only measure things that can be measured! c) However, many areas of human excellence cannot easily be measured, such as artistic and musical creativity, emotional maturity, keeping a cool head in emergencies, being able to impersonate other people, and inventiveness. d) Students who have failed in language often do very well on university courses in the arts. e) Some people may excel in these areas but perform poorly in tests that are language-based.

PART B: Vocabulary Skills

1. Guessing word meanings from contexts

2. Word structure

3. Dictionary use


Exam Practice

Odd One Out A. 1. violent 2. forceful 3. aggressive 4. exciting Meaning Recognition B. A New York police officer is armed with a gun and a club. 1. I always work out at that sports club. 2. He was hit with a heavy club. 3. His new golf club is very expensive. 4. The next card player is waiting for a club. Meaning in Context C. When all the __________ were counted, the president was elected with 65% of the vote. 1. opinions 2. records 3. ballots 4. shares Synonyms D. A strong earthquake hit the tourist island of Bali, Indonesia, last December, but there were no reports of damage on casualties. 1. rocked 2. erupted 3. contacted 4. swept

PART C: Reading Skills

Reading Strategies

1. Skimming and scanning

2. Reading for topics and main ideas

3. Reading for details

4. Understanding references


5. Making inferences

6. Outlining and summarizing

Reading Practice through Academic Texts and Articles

Exam Practice

When we are young, we learn that tigers and sharks are dangerous animals. We might be scared of them because they are big and powerful. As we get older, however, we learn that sometimes the most dangerous animals are also the smallest animals. In fact, the animal that kills the most people every year is one that you have probably killed yourself many times: the mosquito. While it may seem that all mosquitoes are biters, this is not actually the case. Male mosquitoes eat plant nectar. On the other hand, female mosquitoes feed on animal blood. They need this blood to live and produce eggs. When a female mosquito bites a human being, it transmits a small amount of saliva into the blood. This saliva may or may not contain a deadly disease. The result of the bite can be as minor as an itchy bump or as serious as death. Because a mosquito can bite many people in the course of its life, it can carry diseases from one person to another very easily. Two of the most deadly diseases carried by mosquitoes are malaria and yellow fever. More than 700 million people become sick from these diseases every year. At least 2 million of these people will die from these diseases. Many scientists are working on safer and better ways to kill mosquitoes, but so far, there is no sure way to protect everyone in the world from their deadly bites. Mosquito nets can be placed over beds to protect people against being bitten. These nets help people stay safe at night, but they do not kill any mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have many natural enemies like bats, birds, dragonflies, and certain kinds of fish.


Bringing more of these animals into places where mosquitoes live might help to cut down the amount of mosquitoes in that area. This is a natural solution, but it does not always work very well. Mosquitoes can also be killed with poisons or sprays. Even though these sprays kill mosquitoes, they may also harm other plants or animals. Although mosquitoes may not seem as scary as larger, more powerful animals, they are far more dangerous to human beings. But things are changing. It is highly likely that one day scientists will find a way to keep everyone safe from mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. A. Based on the information in paragraph 2, we can understand that I. male mosquitoes and female mosquitoes have different eating habits II. male mosquitoes are harmless to humans III. female mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting diseases to humans 1. I only 2. I and II only 3. II and III only 4. I, II, and III B. As used in paragraph 2, minor most nearly means 1. insignificant 2. deadly 3. frustrating 4. dangerous C. Based on information in paragraph 3, it can be understood that if you get sick with malaria or yellow fever, your chances of survival are 1. terrible 2. mediocre 3. good 4. excellent D. It can be understood that the introduction of dragonflies might reduce the number of flies in a given area because dragonflies 1. work together with mosquitoes 2. kill mosquitoes 3. cannot be killed by poisons or sprays 4. attract bats


E. Which of the following best summarizes the information in paragraph 4? 1. Mosquito nets provide adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes. 2. Poisons and sprays provide adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes. 3. The introduction of the mosquito's natural enemies provides adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes. 4. There is no perfect solution to the mosquito problem.

PART D: Speaking Skills

General Conversation in Daily Life

Exam Practice

A. A: Please turn the TV down. It’s driving me crazy. B: __________ 1. Sure, I’m sorry. 2. Okay, I’ll close it. 3. I’ll drive you tomorrow. 4. I’m trying to find the car keys.