Today’s picture: Jubilee Tower, Christchurch

Part 1: Today's word

Chronological means in the order in which things happened. Normally, stories are told in chronological order, starting at the beginning and going through the actions step by step until the end. Of course, sometimes in films, they start in the middle and then go back to an earlier time – this is called a flashback. Apart from stories, chronological order is normally followed in giving directions and instructions and when writing the procedure section of a research report.

Click here for interactive exercises on academic vocabulary and writing.

Part 2: Test

Here are FOUR sentences with the word of the day. But only THREE are correct. Which is the Odd One Out?

Please refer to the time line (appendix A) for a chronological overview of the project as a whole.

The team comprises (in chronological order): Paul Matthews (60 years old – Senior Consultant), Mika Watanabe (46 – Research Officer), Bob Manahere (42 – Public Relations) and Sue Reynolds (27 – Administrative Assistant).

Careful forensic analysis allowed the police to reconstruct the chronological sequence of the day’s complex events.

The exhibition will follow the traditional chronological format, beginning with the artist’s earliest known works, even before she left her home town for art school.

Part 3: Practice Questions:

Have you structured any of your reports in chronological order?

What are the potential drawbacks of following chronological order in an essay?

Part 4: The Phrasal Test – part 8

Some of these sentences are correct, but others contain errors. Identify the ones which are correct and change the ones which are wrong

Why did you have to go and mess things up? It took me ages to make it look neat.

No one owned up to having poured paint over the teacher’s car.

You ought to put in for a pay rise.

Bill Gates set off to produce personal computers at a price anyone could afford.

It’s time we all stood up for the new boss. He’s just a big bully!

I was completely taken in by his lies.

I think you ought to tone down your complaint, if you want it to be taken seriously.

I’ve worn off three pairs of trainers preparing for the Auckland Marathon.

She wrote off her car in an accident, which she fortunately survived.

Part 5: Kiwi Quiz Question

Can you put these events in chronological order?

Massey University’s Albany campus opened
The Auckland Harbour Bridge opened
Auckland Sky Tower was completed
Smoking was banned in public buildings in New Zealand
The New Zealand dollar was first launched
New Zealand’s current Head of State took office

Part 6: Today's online listening:

This is a short programme from the BBC on how lectures are organised.

Task for the listening:

Complete this summary of lecture organisation, based on the listening. You’ve been given the first three letters of the missing words:

Typically, things are in three parts .. there’s a kind of introduction, giving the pur________ and bac __________ to the topic and the plan of the lecture. The bod _____ of the lecture, in which exa _________ are given, perhaps ideas out _________ and con ___________ and then a conclusion in which the various ideas are eva ___________ and perhaps the lecturer gives their own opinion .... Most lecturers approach their material in one of three ways: in the first, the lecturer presents a seq ______ of events in the order of happening .. we intuitively recognise that when we’re reading or listening and it’s rea ____________ , we know what to expect, we can ant_________ what’s going to come next .... there might be a division of ideas, a kind of mat_________ ... Another very common way of organising texts, both spoken or written, is the situation – problem – solution – evaluation for________ .... the next step is to offer a more refined solution and so on, in a cyc _________ process

Click here for useful listening practice (with vocabulary) from the BBC

Today’s musical suggestion: from the USA
Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper
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