A2 - Extra exercises about Should / Shouldn't and modal verbs miscellaneous

Here I am again!

As this is going to be a very long weekend, I thought you would like to practise modal verb should(n't) online. Click on the links below:

- Exercises should1
- Exercises should2

As for revision of modal verbs, here you are some other online resources: modal verbs revision1 and modal verb revision2.

A2 - Weekly summary

Good morning guys!

We finished unit 6 by presenting modal verb should(n't) to give advice. The context is a radio programme where people phone in with problems, and then listeners are asked to e-mail their advice. There is also a focuse on the pronunciation of -ould (as in should, could, would) and on sentence rhythm.

We have also practised giving advice both orally and in written notes. As for vocabulary, we learnt the uses of get in the vocabulary bank.

Then, we learnt how to describe basic illness symptoms in English through a comedy episode at the doctor's. The useful vocabulary learnt helped us to better understand the practical English section on the book: At the Pharmacy. We revised how to ask for help and we learnt how to ask for medicine at a chemist's or pharmacy.

Finally, you have a worksheet about modal verbs of possibility and advice as homework.

Have a great long weekend!!

B1 - Extra exercises on Reported Speech

Hi guys!!!

Here you some links to practise Reported Speech online:

- Simple statements
- Statements with time expressions
- Reported questions
- Reported questions with time expressions

As for indirect questions, here are some other online links:

- Indirect questions1
- Indirect questions2

B1 - Weekly Summary

Good morning everybody!!!

In this unit we are going to study three quite different grammatical and lexical areas. Then, we firstly focused on reported speech: statements, questions and commands.Shopping and complaining about thing you've bought or bad service in a restaurant or hotel were the main themes for this lesson. As for pronunciation, we focused on consonant sounds.

Next, we learnt a different way to make questions: indirect questions through an extract of a detective novel. The vocabulary is concerned about compound nouns, such as, horror film, murder mystery, police inspector, crime writer or police station.

Finally, you have some extra worksheets on reported speech and indirect questions. Be careful and do only exercise b in the indirect questions worksheet. ;-)

Have a nice a long weekend!

Oops, I'm going to leave here some extra exercises on reported speech and indirect questions so that you can practise at home. It will help!!!  

B1 - Weekly summary

Hi folks!

What a tough week, guys! An important part of the English grammar was taught last week: verbs followed by to-infinitive or ing-form.Therefore, this week we continued studying and revising it through a long list of verbs which are followed by a to-infinitive and another huge list of verbs followed by an ing-form. In order to get into the heart of the matter, we also had a look at some verbs which can be followed by either a to-infinitive or an ing-form, such us remember, forget, stop, try, need and so on.

Sybil helped you revise prepositions in some collocations and vocabulary related to work through a communicative activity. You did a nice job!

Then, we introduced the Reported Speech through a love comic strip at a supermarket!!! We learnt the backshifts of the verb and the time/place expressions in statements and questions. These backshifts will be helpful when we study reported commands next week too! Therefore, as homework, you have to do an extra worksheet on Reported Speech to consolidate this grammar point.


Have a nice weekend!!! See you next week!!

A2 - Weekly summary

Hey pals!!!

How is it going? Ready for our weekly summary? Well, this week we revised, studied and consolidated First and Second Conditional sentences with extra explanation and exercises. Then, we listened to the song Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton to master Second conditional questions. We also introduced modal verbs of possibility may and might for future situations. That was the easiest part of the English grammar! ;-)

We also enjoyed the reading of THE USA book by doing some exercises about some American facts and history with Sybil.

As for homework, you must do an extra worksheet about modal verbs of possibility. Here you are, however, a website with extra information about may / might and four extra exercises. Hope it helps!

B1 - Extra information and exercises on verbs followed by infinitive or gerund

Hi again!

Here you are a useful resource with some Spanish explanations to help you study verb patterns.

In addition, I think it could be a good idea to have some extra exercises on the subject. On the E-grammar website there are six exercises to test your knowledge on verb patters.

Come on! Take them if you dare! ;-)

A2 - First and Second conditional extra exercises

Hi guys!

Here you are some good websites to practise First and Second Conditional types:

- Zero Conditional
- First Conditional
- Second Conditional
- First/Second Conditional types

I hope it helps!

B1 - Weekly Summary

Hiya pals!

We worked hard in class this week. We started a new unit about work. Therefore, we focused on specific vocabulary on the topic through a picture story and the vocabulary bank.

As for grammar, we revised verb patterns, that is, verbs followed by infinitive or gerund, through a questionnaire which helps people see what job would most suit their personality. Then, we studied the context of work with a reality TV programme where contestants have to learn to do a new job in a month and then try to fool a panel of judges into believing that they are profesionals.

Sybil showed you how to analyse a job offer, fill in a form and apply for a job. We also practised a job interview in yesterday's class apart from revising quantifiers and verb patterns.

For next week you must do the extra worksheet on verb patterns and remember to revise that grammar point at home as it is very important.

Have a nice weekend! See you next week!

A2 - Weekly summary

Hi everyone!

Here I am again with our weekly summary! This week we learnt how to express condition in English. We focused on conditional sentences (Zero, First and Second Conditional types). We also learnt the differences between some specific confusing verbs such as win and earn, know and meet, carry and wear, watch and look at, and so on.

Thanks to Sybil you could revise prepositions of movement in English through a communicative game, although we also revised them yesterday in our Friday class. We also revise modal verbs of obligation, prohibition and lack of necessity.

As homework for next week you must do the Reading Exercise on page 67 (Student's Book) and read the book The USA, chapters 1-6.

Have a nice weekend! See you next week!

B1 - Extra Listening Exercise2 for Easter

- E-LEARNING -

This listening exercise is taken from Parapal Online and it talks about e-learning. This is a bit more difficult listening exercises, mainly because you cannot read the transcript. But you can listen to it as many times as you want. Under each question there's a "click here sign". Click it and the questions will appear below. With the red buttons on the left you can go backwards or check the help information.

B1 - Extra Reading Exercise2 for Easter

You are going to read a magazine article about John Prince, a dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. Seven sentences have been removed from the article on the left. Choose the most suitable sentence from the list A-H on the right for each part (1-7) of the article. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. 

                      - Career success in the arts -

John Prince, famous dancer and choreographer, gives advice on how to succeed in a career in the arts.

I asked John how he got started and what requirements there are. "Well, to be a professional dancer it's useful to have had acting lessons or some background in drama. If you want to succeed in musical theatre you have to have a good singing voice as well. When you approach an agent you should take a portfolio with your CV, your statistics sheet and some good photos and reviews of past performances. You'll need dance clothes, ballet shoes, tap shoes, and even roller skates depending on what kind of show you are going to go for."

1

"Of course, you need to be extremely fit if you want to be a professional dancer. I dance or move about for about six hours a day. There are great health benefits to being a dancer. I can eat a lot of pasta without gaining weight because dancing increases your metabolism so much."

2

John has a very busy schedule in the next few months. He took time out to speak to me today from the making of a pop video to promote N-ergy's latest record. "I choreographed the dance routine for the boys and they only had 2 days in which to learn it! I am going to be working on a video for another well known band - but that's top secret. Next month I'll be touring Spain in a production of a musical that was written by a friend of mine, Michaela Evans.

3

As for the future, I've come to realise that I would never be content to be just a chorus dancer - I'm too much of an individual for that. Like all artists I'd love to become a household name by writing and choreographing my own musicals."

John was born in Jamaica to a Jamaican father and a Scottish mother but the family emigrated to England 20 years ago. "I have a little sister I adore, who is also training to be a dancer." How does it feel to have someone else following in your footsteps?

4

Has he much more to learn, I wondered. "I've spent an incredible amount of my life training to get where I am. I went to college for two years in England, I trained for six months in Paris and about eight months in America. But you never really stop training or learning your art."

5

So, would you say it's been plain sailing? "I feel I've been lucky to a degree; many people hit problems breaking into the arts. It can be a vicious circle really. You can't become a member of Equity, which is the actors' and dancers' union, without good contracts. and you can't get good contracts without being a member of Equity. My advice to people who want to get into the arts would be to go out into the world, and try everything else first.

6

What has a dance career done for you as a person? "Thanks to dancing, I've visited and performed in 23 countries so far. This has opened my eyes to the world, and I've been able to understand issues like racism and inequality from a wider perspective.

7

"So all in all I'm really happy to be a dancer!"

MISSING SENTENCES:

A It's fine, but I try not to give out too much advice as it gets irritating!

B And if nothing you like comes out of it, then come back and be an actor or dancer.

C Without a strict daily timetable like this you find yourself wasting too much time.

D After that it's back to England to start a new term of dance classes.

E Hopefully this has enabled me to become a better and more tolerant person as a result.

F When it comes to coping with stress, I find that exercise helps me to cope with my problems, so I stay in good shape mentally as well.

G Like any profession where you're always travelling, you tend to acquire something new almost every day.

H Being fully equipped with all this stuff beforehand makes it easier when you go for auditions.

Source: http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/tests/part3.htm

ANSWER KEY:

1H        2F        3D        4A        5G        6B        7E       

B1 - Extra Listening Exercise1 for Easter

- A PECULIAR FAMILY -

Visit OM First Certificate web page to do this listening exercise.

1. Choose the best title for the recording when you listen to it for the first time.
2. Listen again and choose the best option in a multiple choice exercise.

Then click on the "Click here" section  to listen to the audio all over again while you check the answers in the transcription.

Source: http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/firstcertificate2/listening/fce04a.htm.

A2 - Extra Exercises for Easter

Hi guys!

People asked me to add some extra exercises to practise at home next week. Therefore, here you are the links to some reading or listening exercises:

- Reading exercise about the weather: "A Cold Day" (you can also listen to the text)
- Reading exercise about family and houses: "The Brenners" (you can also listen to the text)
- Reading exercise about sports: "Summer Olympic Games". The multiple choice quiz is below the key vocabulary. (This text is a bit more difficult and here you are the translation of some verb tenses you don't know: will be held [será celebrado / se celebrará], will also be broken [serán batidos / se batirán también]have recently been introduced [han sido introducidos / se han introducido recientemente]).

- Listening exercise about phobias: "Phobias" (click on "Listen" - it takes some seconds to get ready, and try not to look at the text the first time. Do the gap-fill exercise while you listen to the recording. You can also do Quiz1 and Quiz2.)
- Listening exercise: "Dictation"
- Listening exercise: "A story" (click on "Take the Test" to answer the questions)

It's impossible to get bored with all these exercises!! ;)

B1 - Extra Reading Exercise1 for Easter

- MARIE CURIE -

Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered radium, an element widely used for treating cancer, and studied uranium and other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie's amicable collaboration later helped to unlock the secrets of the atom. 

Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. At the early age, she displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Her great exuberance for learning prompted her to continue with her studies after high school. She became disgruntled, however, when she learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women. Determined to receive a higher education, she defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French university, where she earned her master's degree and doctorate in physics.

Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day, one of whom was Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive years working together in the physics laboratory. A short time after they discovered radium, Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stunned by this horrible misfortune and endured heartbreaking anguish. Despondently she recalled their close relationship and the joy that they had shared in scientific research. The fact that she had two young daughters to raise by herself greatly increased her distress.

Curie's feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was asked to succeed her husband as a physics professor at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to be given a professorship at the world-famous university. In 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for isolating radium. Although Marie Curie eventually suffered a fatal illness from her long exposure to radium, she never became disillusioned about her work. Regardless of the consequences, she had dedicated herself to science and to revealing the mysteries of the physical world.

1. The Curies' ____ collaboration helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.

A. friendly
B. competitive
C. courteous
D. industrious
E. chemistry

2. Marie had a bright mind and a __personality.

A. strong
B. lighthearted
C. humorous
D. strange
E. envious

3. When she learned that she could not attend the university in Warsaw, she felt___.

A. hopeless
B. annoyed
C. depressed
D. worried
E. none of the above

4. Marie ___ by leaving Poland and traveling to France to enter the Sorbonne.

A. challenged authority
B. showed intelligence
C. behaved
D. was distressed
E. answer not available in article

5. _____she remembered their joy together.

A. Dejectedly
B. Worried
C. Tearfully
D. Happily
E. Sorrowfully

6. Her ____ began to fade when she returned to the Sorbonne to succeed her husband.

A. misfortune
B. anger
C. wretchedness
D. disappointment
E. ambition

7. Even though she became fatally ill from working with radium, Marie Curie was never ____.

A. troubled
B. worried
C. disappointed
D. sorrowful
E. disturbed 

Source: http://www.testprepreview.com/modules/reading1.htm

ANSWER KEY:

1A         2B         3B          4A          5A          6C          7C