The past simple, present perfect simple and continuous

Writing an informal letter

Writing informal letters

Opening greetings: Hi Jill, Hello,

Closing greetings: all the best, best wishes,love, hugs and kisses xx

Opening lines: how are you?, How's everything in/at... How's things/it going.. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch/written for ages/so long/a while.

Closing lines: Will write again soon. hope to hear from you soon. Take care of/look after yourself. Make sure you write soon. Well, I've got to go now. Send my love to... Say hello to...for me.

Responding to previous letter/email

Saying thank you:Thank you/thanks (so much) for your letter/email/message.

It was great/really nice to hear from you.

 good news:  (it was)great to read about...(I was) glad to hear about...That's great news about your...

Bad news: I'm extremely/really sorry to hear/read/find out about... It's very sad to hear...

introducing points: By the way, Did you hear about... Another thing, Have you seen... I wanted to ask you if/whether... I was wondering if... Can you let me know if...

1. Write 120-150 words in an appropriate style

Your Scottish friend, Maggie, has sent you an email asking you to help her organise

a special surprise birthday party for her brother Rupert. Read Maggie’s email

and the notes you have made. Then write an email to Maggie using all your notes.

We must make sure that Rupert doesn't know we are planning this surprise.

I'm not sure how many people to invite but our house is definitely too small.

Do you think we should book the Royal hotel for the evening and have the

party there? You know that Rupert is very keen on music so we could hire

a live band.

I've also been wondering what we could all buy as a present. What do you think?

Could you come the day before the party to help with preparations.

There's a lot to plan so I'd really like your help.

Can you suggest something else that will really make the party special?

All for now,

best wishes,

Maggie

Your notes:

Paragraph 1 - Royal Hotel sounds OK but very expensive

Paragraph 2 - Rupert really enjoys fishing

Paragraph 3 - Sorry, busy that day.

Paragraph 3 - Something else - Yes, how about ....

A funny way to learn English (for adults)

*WARNING: Some of the language used may not be suitable for younger learners.

.

.

Spanish Robin Hood?

~Read the text and then use the words below to fill the gaps.

A mayor in a small Spanish town has become a hero (1) ____ helping steal food from supermarkets to give to the poor. The modern-(2) ____  Robin Hood is Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, 59, the elected leader of the southern town of Marinaleda in Andalusia. Mayor Gordillo has (3) ____ from prosecution under Andalusian law and so can break the law without being arrested. He has so far (4) ____ several raids on supermarkets to hand out the stolen food to poor families. Unfortunately, those helping him are not immune from prosecution and seven have been arrested for (5) ____. Gordillo has been mayor for 30 years and his recent exploits have seen his popularity skyrocket, with crowds gathering to see his food (6) ____.
Many Spaniards are (7) ____ severe economic conditions. A quarter of Spain's workforce is jobless and austerity measures mean many now live (8) ____ poverty. Things are even worse in Andalusia where unemployment is over 30 per cent. Mr Gordillo defended his role in stealing food for the (9) ____ well-off. He said: "There are people who don't have enough to eat. In the 21st century, this is an (10) ____ disgrace." Spain's conservative government has criticised Gordillo, accusing him of (11) ____ part in publicity stunts to boost his own popularity. The mayor retaliated by saying he would happily accept being arrested. He is currently (12) ____ a three-week anti-austerity protest march to Spain's capital Madrid.
Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	ante	(b)	post	(c)	subsequent	(d)	after
2.	(a)	day	(b)	week	(c)	month	(d)	year
3.	(a)	immunizations	(b)	immunity	(c)	immune	(d)	immunizes
4.	(a)	composed	(b)	written	(c)	orchestrated	(d)	played
5.	(a)	cleft	(b)	bereft	(c)	theft	(d)	deft
6.	(a)	grubs	(b)	grabs	(c)	grids	(d)	grins
7.	(a)	heading	(b)	mouthing	(c)	nosing	(d)	facing
8.	(a)	in	(b)	up	(c)	at	(d)	on
9.	(a)	small	(b)	less	(c)	poor	(d)	more
10.	(a)	arrested	(b)	austerity	(c)	absolved	(d)	absolute
11.	(a)	raking	(b)	faking	(c)	taking	(d)	making
12.	(a)	leading	(b)	leads	(c)	leaders	(d	led True or False?

a.	The people in a small town are angry their mayor is stealing food.	T / F
b.	The mayor cannot be arrested for stealing the food.	T / F
c.	The mayor only organizes the stealing but does not actually steal it.	T / F
d.	The mayor said prices have skyrocketed for 30 years.	T / F
e.	Around 25% of Spain's workforce is unemployed.	T / F
f.	Unemployment in the mayor's region is double the national average.	T / F
g.	The mayor said he understood his actions were a disgrace.	T / F

h.

The mayor is now on a three-week protest walk to Madrid.

T / F

Synonym  Match

1.	modern-day	a.	robbery
2	immunity	b.	shame
3.	orchestrated	c.	experiencing
4.	theft	d.	exemption
5.	exploits	e.	total
6.	facing	f.	contemporary
7.	poverty	g.	hit back
8.	absolute	h.	deeds
9.	disgrace	i.	arranged
10.	retaliated	j.	destitution

Source: Breaking news English. Follow link for full lesson plan and answers: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1208/120817-robin_hood.html

Writing a short story

Writing a story...

*4 paragraphs

1. Background information
2. The main part of the story
3. The main part of the story/climax
4. Climax/what happened after climax

*It all began when I was sitting in the living room and the phone rang. I picked it up and was surprised to discover that it was my old school friend Jane. She said that she had moved back into the area and informed me that she was on her way to my flat.

*All of a sudden I felt a cold shiver up my spine. I couldn't believe what I had just agreed to. As far as everyone in the village was concerned; Jane Ramsey had been dead for over ten years.

*Shortly afterwards there was a loud knock on the door. I had to put my mind at rest so I opened the door. She gave me a warm hug and said that it was great to see me after all these years. She hadn't changed much, apart from being older.

*I later found out that she had been put into care and her mother was too ashamed to tell anyone what had happened. Looking back , I remember thinking it was strange that I never got invited to the funeral.

1. Find examples of different tenses and describe their purpose in the story.
2. Find examples of expressions and phrasal verbs in the story.
3. Explain the function of the words in bold in the story.

Put the words and phrases into the correct category:

1. Beginning 2.) Ending 3.) sequences 4.)surprise 5.)describing a moment

Suddenly,  Finally,  Once upon a time,   Meanwhile,   A little later,   quite unexpectedly,   eventually,   out of the blue,  later that day,  One day,  Not long afterwards,   On a stormy night,  In the mean time,

When it was all over,   As if from nowhere,  Without warning,  To make matters worse.

Plan a story of between 120-180 words that begins with the following words:

1. It was 5 o'clock in the morning and there was a knock on the door.
2. It was very exciting but I wouldn't like to do it again. (Ending words)
3. I knew I had to leave that city as soon as I possibly could.
4. Suddenly I woke up and realised it had all been a fantastic dream. (Ending words)

*Write one of the stories above.

10 British colloquial words

Below are a list of words that are strictly used in British English (not in the US), they are all colloquial words which are commonly used in informal situations. Some of them are slang.After you have read the words, their synonyms and examples you should check them again on this online dictionary which has an audio function to help you with pronunciation.

1.) Knackered (adjective)
Really tired, exhausted.
Examples:
"I'd love to go out tonight but I'm knackered, I'm sorry, I'll have to give it a miss."

"You look knackered, you should go home and get some sleep."


2.) Dodgy (adjective)
false, dishonest, causing a lack of trust.
Examples:
"The email said that if I send them my bank details they will send me money."
"That sounds dodgy to me, there's a lot of scams going round on the Internet, you should be careful."

"I think it's a pretty safe area during the day but I've heard it's a bit dodgy at night."

"Are you sure you want to meet him on your own, he looks dodgy, I don't trust him."

3.) Whinge ( verb)
to complain continuously in an irritating way, moan, whine.
Examples:
"Stop whinging and get on with it!".

"If you want anything done in this country, you've got to whinge till you're blue in the face!"

4.) Stroppy (adjective)
bad tempered, easily annoyed, touchy, belligerent.
Examples:
"There's no need to get stroppy with me!".

"She's acting like a stroppy teenager again."

5.) Peckish (adjective)
somewhat hungry, to have an appetite.  
Examples:
"If you're feeling a bit peckish, there's plenty of fruit."

"Oh no, I couldn't eat a pizza, I'm just peckish, a sandwich will do."

6.) Chuffed (adjective)
quite pleased, delighted.
Examples:


"I passed my driving test, I'm well chuffed."

7.) Gobsmacked (adjective)
astonished, really surprised, shocked.
Examples:


"I was gobsmacked when I found out it was him, I always thought he was such a nice man."

"She was gobsmacked when I asked her to marry me, I'm still waiting for her answer!"

8.) Shambles (adjective)
a total mess, disorganised, complete disorder.
Examples:


"The economy is in a shambles."

"It is possible to cook the dinner and not leave the kitchen in a shambles, you're not the only one who lives here, you know."

9.) Blatant (adjective)
Obvious, clear for everyone to see, offensively noticeable.
Examples:


"That is a blatant lie."

"I can't believe he did that, what a blatant disregard for her feelings!"

10.) Shirty (adjective)
angry, irritated.
Examples:


"Don't get all shirty with me!"

"He was a bit shirty with her when she arrived late".


If you would like to learn more British slang have a look at the top 100 most beautiful British slang words and phrases

FCE (B2) Speaking test

Part one (3 minutes)


In part 1 the interlocutor (examiner) will ask for your name and then say something like; "First we'd like to know something about you. So I'm going to ask you some questions about yourselves."
They will then ask you about your home town. "What do you like about living there?"

They may ask questions on the following topics:

work/study   leisure/entertainment    home life    travel/holidays   English   personal experience

Example questions


What do you most enjoy doing when you're at home? (I enjoy verb+ing because it makes me feel adjective. I also like verb + ing...)
Could you describe your family home to me? (use of adjectives and household vocabulary)

Do you and your friends share the same ideas?  (We have the same taste in .... but we have different opinions about... we enjoy doing... together)
What's the most exciting thing you've ever done? (The most exciting thing I've ever done is probably when I....Use of past tense. For me this was a very exciting experience because...Use of past perfect).

Here is an example of the speaking test part one. Listen out for the "filler" words and phrases used by the two candidates when they are thinking about what to say next.

Filler words are a good way to fill the time when you are not sure how to answer the question. They are a natural part of spoken English and a good way to avoid awkward silences.
When one of the candidates was asked, "How much TV do you watch?" He could have simply said, "I don't watch a lot of TV". However he used filler words to avoid a very short answer...
"Well... here I don't watch TV because I've got the Internet which is better" .
When asked if she used the Internet to learn new things, Ana began by saying; "I would like to use the Internet to learn new things..."


Filler words/phrases
Well
It depends
That's an interesting question
That's a difficult one
I'm not too sure, let me think
I don't know, maybe/perhaps/probably/ I guess, suppose, imagine, think
*Paraphrasing the question
"What sort of books do you like reading the most?"
"The sort of books that I like reading the most are probably... but it depends, I've just started to get into..."

Speaking part 2 (1 minute and 20 seconds for each candidate)


In part 2 you will be asked to compare 2 photographs and answer a question about them, you will be stopped after 1 minute. The other candidate will have 20 seconds to respond to a follow up question about your photographs. Then you will do the same after the other candidate has compared their photos.

Here is an example of part 2. Listen to the words and phrases the candidates use to compare, contrast and speculate about what they think could be happening...

Words and phrases used to compare and contrast


In the first photo we can see.... whereas/but/however, in the second photo...
Both photos show...

The ... in photo one looks more... than... in photo 2.
This photo doesn't look as...as the other because...

Words and phrases to speculate


Look + adjective (They all look happy)
Look like + noun (It looks like an oxygen mask)
Look as if + verb phrase (They look as if they are enjoying themselves/having fun)

Could/might/may + be + noun/ gerund/adjective  (When we are not sure)
It could be her first bicycle.
She might be looking at a really beautiful view.

*When we are certain about an idea:
must/can't + be + noun/gerund/adjective
He must be teaching her how to play the piano.
It can't be very serious because she looks quite calm.

*When the photo isn't clear:
It's not obvious/clear from the first photo whether they are happy or not.
It's difficult to tell if they are friends or a couple.
I can't quite make out what country they are in but it looks like...

Part 3 (3 minutes) and part 4 (4 minutes)


In part 3 you have to talk about 7 different items individually and then select 2/3.
Example questions:


Talk to your partner about a list of household chores/ jobs/ sports and how you feel about each of them. Try to agree on 2/3 that you like doing the least/most.

Imagine you are organising a film club, package holiday, a cultural event...
How useful would each of the items be in attracting your target audience, choose 2/3 that would be the most useful.

Imagine you want to fight crime/protect the environment in your local area.
Discuss how serious each problem is, select 2/3 that you think are the most serious and decide what you could do to tackle these problems.

In part 4 you will be asked a few questions related to the topic introduced in part 3, where you need to give your opinion.

Here is an example of part 3 and 4. Listen out for words and phrases used by the candidates to agree/disagree and to encourage their partner to speak or give an opinion.

Words and phrases for selecting items in part 3:


Which one shall we talk about first?
Lets talk about... first.
Shall we move on?
What next?
What about/how about...

Words and phrases for agreeing and disagreeing:


Agreement: I agree (with you), I think so too, exactly!, definitely!, I was just thinking the same thing,
I know, me too, me neither, so do I, neither do I, you're right, It's true...

Half agreement/ soft disagreement: I'm not too sure about that because..., well it depends, I know what you mean but..., maybe, perhaps, It's true that... but on the other hand, If it was for... then I think that would be a great idea but I think... is better for..., In my experience..., I don't think that would work because...

Disagreement: I (completely) disagree, I really don't think that's true, I don't agree, I would probably say the opposite, but..., I couldn't agree less.
*Be careful not to offend your partner, there's nothing wrong with disagreeing but don't get angry or make it personal. Smiling and using eye contact may help, try to keep things light hearted as you're both probably just as nervous as each other.

Encouraging your partner to talk and asking for his/her opinion:


*Question tags
That would be a good way to attract more people, wouldn't it?
This photo is really interesting, isn't it?
I think people of all ages will like..., won't they?

I really can't stand... What about you?
What do you think?
Do you agree that....
Ok, so shall we choose these 2?

Giving your opinion:


In my opinion...
personally...
From my point of view...
As far as I can see...
I think...
I strongly believe that...
I used to.... until I found out... and now I see it a different way.
I really like/don't like...

Good luck :)


Relax and be confident, talk as you would in class. If you don't know what to say use fillers rather than hesitation. Be natural. Try to use a range of tenses and vocabulary but don't try too hard to search for new words because you don't have a lot of time. Be expressive and let your emotions come out (not too much) or you will sound like a robot. Let agreement, uncertainty come across in your tone of voice. If you start a sentence that you can't finish, use a filler phrase or start a new sentence and move on. 

Casablanca

Here are some of the most famous lines from the 1942 film Casablanca.

Many of these lines appeared in the American film institutes list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. #67


Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. #20


Round up the usual suspects. #32


Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By. #28


We'll always have Paris. #43


 Here's looking at you, kid. #5


Here are some more famous lines that didn't make it into the top 100


I stick my neck out for nobody.
You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust.


Match the underlined words and phrases with their definitions


1. an act of bringing people or animals together in one place for a particular purpose
2.  the belief that somebody/something is good, sincere, honest.
3.  to dislike and have no respect for somebody/something.
4.  to do or say something when there is a risk that you may be wrong.
5.  a place where people meet to eat, drink, dance.


You can find more definitions in the oxford online dictionary


http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

Which of the above quotes can you hear in this video?

Here is a video from the end of the film (the final scene)


Do Rick and Ilsa stay together?
Why/why not?

Below is the script. Listen again and read the script...

Rick: If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

Ilsa: But what about us?

Rick: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have it before...we'd...we'd lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.

Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you...

Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Here's looking at you, kid.

You can find more famous quotations from the film Casablanca here...

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Casablanca_(film) 

And finally...

The original soundtrack to the film

As time goes by

Is the parrot dead or just resting?

A customer is complaining about a parrot that he bought from the pet shop

Make sentences about the video with the words/phrases below.

1.The customer says the parrot is dead but the pet shopkeeper says that the parrot is just resting.

stunned       pushing out the daisies        

 passed on             expired and gone to meet it's maker     deceased

pining for the fields             kipping on its back             tired and shagged out

Watch the video again and answer these question

1. What does the customer say and do to try and wake up the parrot?
2. Why can't the parrot move off its perch?
3. What does the customer say is the only way to get anything done in this country?
4. What does the pet shop worker offer the customer instead of a parrot?
5.  What does the pet shop worker say he wanted to be?

Role play- customer complaints

• Write a conversation between a customer and a shop assistant.

1. A customer has bought a mobile phone but it keeps turning itself off.
2. A customer wants to return a pair of shoes because they do not fit.
3. A customer wants to cancel a ticket for a train journey.

Head over heels. A love story

What is the meaning of the phrase "head over heels"?

a. When you are so in love with someone that you fall head over heels.
b. When you loose your body and all you have left is your head over heels.

Watch the video and decide why the title is head over heels.

Put the events from the story in the correct order (girl: Sally/boy:Bob)

• While sally is saying goodbye she gets hit by a truck, because she is not............................ to the road.
• Sally meets another boy who has a nice black hat, maybe he is more.................. than Bob.
• Bob has an idea, he stands in the road and waits for a truck to............. him ................
• Bob and sally sit together on a bench, they are...................
• When Sally gets out of hospital she has no body. Bob feels sad because they are not.....................
• The ambulance comes and takes Sally to hospital, her injuries were not ................

Fill the gaps with the missing words

in love         fatal           paying attention            on the same level        well off             knock over

What could Bob have done differently?

What do you think is the moral of the story?

How can you change the story so that it's a happy ending for Bob and Sally?

Blackberry- a fruit or a mobile phone?

All these words have something in common; they are all related to technology.
What are the real meanings of these words?

blackberry         windows                 desktop                home       bookmark       crash

orange             x. box (sounds like another word)        mouse       tool           frozen

Which of the above words are in the video?

         
Watch the video again and put these phrases in the correct order

• They brought two new apples out since then.
• No, no! It's completely frozen.
• What's the problem?
• I'm afraid there's not a lot I can do about that.
• I'm very disappointed.
• I can't make head or tail of them
• I already tried that a few times, all it did was mess up.

1. I'm very disappointed. 

Help
I can't make head or tail of...= I really don't understand.... 

Gingers do have souls

A young American boy with red hair is angry because on the programme south park they said that people with ginger hair do not have souls.  (WARNING: contains swear words)
What else is he angry about?

Match the words/phrases with the words in bold

sad/angry                                                    insult

bully, it hurts my feelings, put down, irritates, demeaning, upset, furious, pick on, slanderous, make fun of, it pisses me off, I'm tired of it.

Watch the video again and answer the questions:

1) What do they call him at school?
2) Why don't they know who has a soul?
3) How does he feel about the insults?
4) How does he feel about his hair colour?

The boy in the video says that he has contemplated suicide, which means that he is so upset about the bullying that he has thought about killing himself.
How can we stop this bullying?
Use these words to explain what these people can do:              
must                                                      The boy in the video
have/has to                                           The children in school
should                                                    His parents
could                                                      The teachers

EXAMPLE:
The boy in the video must tell his teacher the names of the children who are making fun of him.
His parents should talk to the head teacher about this problem.

REMEMBER: Must and have to are used when we give strong advice
                          You have to go to school everyday!!!
                          Should and could are used to make suggestions
                          If your tired you could go to sleep for a few hours.
                          must, should and could are all modal verbs.

Fawlty Towers (The rat)

 Fawlty Towers is a comedy series set in a hotel

The main characters are:

Mr Fawlty (Basil) -The hotel manager

Mrs Fawlty (Cebil) -Basil's wife

Manuel- Waiter and porter

Polley- Waitress and receptionist

Sub characters- The hotel inspector, Major (hotel guest)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPP4P3gKGss

Check words/phrases

Pudding

How on earth...

Pigeon

Popped out

Cuddly

mugged

Filthy/grubby

Rodent

Ship-shape

Match with the correct explanation/synonym

a) A person/animal/teddy bear who likes to hug others or who others want to hug.

b) A bird that is similar to a dove but usually grey. There are a lot in cities and many people think they're dirty.

c) The name given to animals like mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils etc

d) A desert; eg- a cake

e) When things are working well and in order.

f) Said to express surprise at a situation.

g) Dirty/unclean

h) To go outside for a short time.

i) When someone robs you/steals your things; usually with force/threats.

Watch the video and answer the questions

1) Who does the man who is looking in the fridge work for?

2) What problems does he find with the hotel?

3) What instructions does Mr Fawlty give to Manuel?

4) Why is Manuel depressed?

5) Where do they take the rat?

6) What does Manuel tell Polly about the rat?

After you've watched the video...

Write at least 100 words on what you think is going to happen next...

What is going to happen to the rat?

What is the health inspector going to do?

How are Basil and the others going to deal with the situation?