Checked interview

Hello! Can I ask you some questions for the interview?

– Yes, you can. But what’s the thing that is held in your hand? [K3: grammatically possible, but unnecessarily cumbersome in conversation] what’s that thing you’re holding a baton or a magic wand? 

– Oh, it’s a microphone. It is used for making sounds clearer and louder.

– You know, everything here looks so strange! Being here for several weeks, [K3/K4: an unnatural way of expressing duration up to the present] Although I’ve been /Having been here for only a few weeks/, I’ve already seen so many things that I could never imagine to exist. [K3/K4: imagine + object + to-infinitive is possible in limited formal contexts, but this construction is awkward here; the earlier time reference also calls for a perfect form] whose existence I could never have imagined.

– So, what has taken your breath away in this area? [K3: area is unclear here; it normally denotes a geographical region or field of activity] about our world?

– Almost everything! For example, I’ve been to a place that is called “shopping center”. [K4: the common singular countable noun shopping center requires an article] a place called a “shopping center”. When I was wandering through different shops, I saw a store that was called “Kitchen appliances”. There I understood [K3: unnatural collocation when referring to reaching a conclusion] That was when I realized that people from your century don’t have to do anything by themselves! There were knives that can cut vegetables with no human’s help and special machines washing dishes themselves. [K3/K4: with no human’s help is unnatural; the coordinated structures are not parallel; devices is more accurate than ordinary knives] There were devices that could cut vegetables without human assistance and special machines that washed dishes automatically.

– Yes, instruments have been extremely refined [K3: inaccurate vocabulary and collocation in reference to technological progress] technology has advanced considerably since your time, so I can imagine your surprise. Was there anything else that made you feel impressed? [K3: unnecessarily cumbersome causative structure] impressed you?

– There was, but it rather made me feel discouraged. [K3/K4: unnatural placement and use of rather] it made me feel discouraged rather than impressed. When I discovered new kinds of tools and found out that people produce them in places called “factories” with help of [K4: missing article in the fixed expression with the help of] with the help of special machines, I realized that blacksmiths aren’t needed anymore! [K2: an overgeneralisation; modern industry has reduced demand for traditional blacksmiths but has not made them entirely unnecessary. It is acceptable if deliberately presented as the Celt’s mistaken conclusion] traditional blacksmiths are no longer needed as much as they once were!

– Don’t you think that new appliances and electric tools make people’s life [K4: use the plural when referring to the separate lives of numerous people] people’s lives much easier?

– Yes, they do. However, at the same time they reduce people’s knowledge of simple things. [K3: vague and unnatural formulation; the intended meaning concerns practical skills] erode people’s basic practical skills. Just imagine that people get into trouble and they don’t have any special tools to survive. [K2/K3: get into trouble and special tools are too vague for the intended survival scenario] Just imagine people finding themselves in an emergency without any equipment to help them survive. Therefore, they won’t be able to stay alive because they got used to technique’s help. [K3/K4: inconsistent tense; technique means a method, not technological equipment; unnatural possessive construction] have become accustomed to relying on technology.

– Finally, what advice would you offer to us, given what you’ve seen of our world?

– Most of all, I would like all modern people to have independence from technique and devises, [K3/K5: unnatural collocation; use technology, not technique; spelling: devices, not devises] be independent of technology and devices, because it’s essential to have skills of making something by yourselves. [K3/K4: unnatural complementation after skills; people requires the third-person reflexive pronoun themselves] have the skills needed to make things for themselves. For example, make a fire or handmade compass to survive in unexpected situation. [K3/K4: sentence fragment; missing articles before singular countable nouns] For example, they should be able to make a fire or a simple compass to survive in an unexpected situation.

Thanks for your answers!

Assessment

General feedback

The interview has a clear and worthwhile central idea: modern technology makes life easier but may weaken people’s practical independence. Its main weakness is not the content but the high number of unnatural collocations. You t should focus particularly on combinations such as technology advances, rely on technology, develop practical skills and be independent of something. The Celt could also mention specifically Celtic tools, metalworking practices, weapons or survival techniques to strengthen the creative element.

Checked summary

The text is devoted to the invasion of Britain by the Romans. It analyzes the reasons why the British Iles were the aim for submission [K1/K3/K5: spelling: Isles; the British Isles is geographically broader than Britain; an aim for submission is not a natural collocation] the reasons why Britain became a target for conquest and the conqueror’s influence on them. [K3/K4: the possessive is incorrectly singular, while the intended reference is to the Romans; them has an imprecise antecedent] the Romans’ influence on the country.

As for factors that made Britain a tempting prize for its rivals, [K2/K3: the possessive its is unclear because the potential invaders were not necessarily Britain’s established rivals] for potential invaders, the text highlights its mineral and natural-resource wealth. [K3: awkward and partially overlapping categories] its wealth of natural resources, particularly minerals. Also, Iles’ terrain [K4/K5: spelling: Isles; a definite article or a more precise geographical reference is required] Britain’s terrain could serve as a refuge for enemies of one of the greatest Roman rulers, Julius Caesar, who counted Britain as a follow-up to his previous conquests. [K3: unnatural verb and noun combination] regarded the conquest of Britain as the next step in his military campaigns. Firstly, the “Narrow Seas” that surrounding islands made it hard for him to reach the rival’s territory, but finally Caesar managed to invade it. [K2/K3/K4: incorrect relative-clause structure; the rival’s territory is unclear; firstly/finally do not form an appropriate contrast here: Firstly=Во-первых] The “Narrow Seas” surrounding Britain initially made it difficult for him to reach the island; nevertheless, Caesar eventually managed to invade it.

Regarding the Romans time’s impact on Britain, [K3/K4: incorrect possessive construction; use Roman rule or the Roman period] Regarding the impact of Roman rule on Britain, the author empathizes [K3/K5: wrong word; empathize means to understand another person’s feelings] emphasizes the economic and cultural consequences of the foreign occupation. For example, with Romans there was an implement of Mediterranean cuisine items [K3/K4: missing article before Romans; implement is the wrong noun; cuisine items is unnatural] the Romans introduced Mediterranean foodstuffs such as olive oil, fish sauce and wine. They also brought advanced military technology and contributed to spreading of coinage through Britain south of the River Trent. [K3/K4: use either contributed to the spread of or helped spread; through should be throughout] helped spread coinage throughout the parts of Britain south of the River Trent.

Overall, the text prods us to realize [K3: prod is too forceful and informal for a neutral academic summary] demonstrates that Romans’ invasion [K4: missing article; alternatively, use the attributive adjective Roman] the Roman invasion was a turning point in the history of Britain. With their coming Iles’ population gained new cultural features and economic development. [K1/K3/K4/K5: spelling: Isles; missing comma after the introductory phrase; geographically imprecise reference; a population does not normally gain cultural features and economic development] Following their arrival, Britain’s population experienced significant cultural change and economic development.

General feedback

The summary has a clear structure: it introduces the topic, explains the motives for the invasion and then describes its consequences. Relevant details such as minerals, Mediterranean foodstuffs, military technology and coinage are included. The main weaknesses are inaccurate collocations, possessive constructions and geographical terminology.

The distinction between Britain and the British Isles is important. The British Isles include Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands, whereas Roman rule did not extend over the entire archipelago. Unless the source explicitly discusses the whole archipelago, Britain is the safer term. The opening construction The text is devoted to... is acceptable and has not been marked as an error.

Suggested revised version

The text is devoted to the Roman invasion of Britain. It analyzes the reasons why Britain became a target for conquest and examines the Romans’ influence on the country.

As for the factors that made Britain a tempting prize for potential invaders, the text highlights its wealth of natural resources, particularly minerals. Britain could also provide refuge for the enemies of the Roman general Julius Caesar, who regarded its conquest as the next step in his military campaigns. The “Narrow Seas” surrounding Britain initially made it difficult for him to reach the island; nevertheless, he eventually managed to invade it.

Regarding the impact of Roman rule on Britain, the author emphasizes the economic and cultural consequences of the occupation. For example, the Romans introduced Mediterranean foodstuffs such as olive oil, fish sauce and wine. They also brought advanced military technology and helped spread coinage throughout the parts of Britain south of the River Trent.

Overall, the text demonstrates that the Roman invasion was a turning point in British history. Following the Romans’ arrival, Britain experienced significant cultural change and economic development.