Sunday, 18 December 2011
Christmas and New Year Vocabulary
Santa Claus is too unhealthy
An Australian scientist writing in the British Medical Journal thinks Father Christmas is a bad role model for children because he is very fat and drinks too much alcohol.
Listen to the report and give your opinion.
Comparing places
Listen to the following podcast in which Anna tells us some of the differences she has seen between Canada and England.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
News bullletin
World News For Children
4 minute weekday news bulletin for 7-14 year olds. Accompanying scripts available on the BBC World Class website - bbc.co.uk/worldclass.
4 minute weekday news bulletin for 7-14 year olds. Accompanying scripts available on the BBC World Class website - bbc.co.uk/worldclass.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Shopaholics
This week's question: According to some sources, what percentage of the population are shopaholics? Is it:
a) 1%
b) 10%
c) 50%
Listen out for the answer at the end of the programme!
Present perfect/past simple
Present perfect and past simple
There are many situations in English when we mix the verb forms which we use. In this programme look they at breaking news with the present perfect and describing the details with the past simple.
Click here you will listen to the programme
Now practise using the present perfect and past simple by doing the quiz
Another quiz
Did you receive allowance when you were a child?
Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.
Present perfect with for, since, already and yet
Monday, 14 November 2011
Looks, Money, Fame Don't Bring Happiness
Read the following article about money and happines and note down those ideas you agree with.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Can birth order determine your personality and career?
Read the article and note down how your position in the family can affect your personality.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
London 2012
Kevin talks about all the preparation needed to get London ready for the Olympics. This video is from www.podcastsinenglish.com, the efl/esl site for learners and teachers of English.
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Past Perfect
I/you/we/she/it/ we/they had= I'd etc./ he'd + past participle (gone/seen/ finished)
If we want to talk about things that happened before an action in the past, we use the past perfect.
e.g. When I went to Sue's she had gone out.
The man sitting next to me on the plane was very nervous. He'd never flown before.
We arrived to work in the morning and found that somebody had broken into the office during the night.
Past simple /Past continuous
We form the past simple of regular verbs by adding -ed to the main verb. watch-watched
We form questions and negations with the auxiliary verb did/did not (didn't), the subject and the main verb without -ed.
e.g Did you watch TV last night? I did/didn't watch TV last night.
Spelling rules:
-verbs ending in -e take only -d dance-danced
-verbs ending in a consonant+ y, drop the y and take -ied. try-tried
- Verbs ending in a vowel +y, take -ed. play-played, stay- stayed
- Verbs ending in one stressed vowel between two consonants, double the last consonant and take -ed. plan-planned, but open-opened
- Verbs ending in -l double the l and take-ed. travel-travelled, quarrel-quarrelled
Pronunciation of the suffix -ed
/ Id/ when the verb ends in / t/ or / d/
/ t/ when the verb ends in /k/,/s/,/tʃ/,/ʃ/,/f/ or /p/ sound.
/ d/ when the verb ends in any other sound, arrived, prepared, showed, robbed.
Listen
http://eslus.com/LESSONS/PRONUNCI/EDENDING/ED1.HTM
http://www.englishpronunciationpod.com/podcast_31.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1413_gramchallenge26/
Irregular verbs do not form the past simple by adding-ed
We use the past simple:
- for actions which happened at a definite or stated time in the past; that is, we know when they happened. e.g. They graduated four years ago.
- For actions which happened repeatedly in the past but don't happen any more. In this case we can use adverbs of frequency (always, often, usually etc,) e.g. He often played football with his dad when he was five.
-for actions that happened immediately after the other in the past e.g. They cooked the meal and ate it with their friends.
Time expressions used with the past simple include: yesterday, last night/week/year/Monday etc. two days/weeks/months/years ago, then, when, in 1992 etc.
Past continuous
We form the past continuous with was/were and the main verb with the -ing suffix.
We use the past continuous:
- for an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not know when the action started or finished. e.g. At three o'clock yesterday afternoon we were washing tha car.
- for a past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it. We use the past continuous for an action in progress (longer action) which interrupted it (shorted action). e.g. He was reading the newspaper when he heard a terrible noise.
- for two actions which were happening at the same time in the past (simultaneous actions) e.g I was cooking lunch while my children were playing outside.
- to give the background information in a story.
Practice
http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/headway/int/a_grammar/unit03/hwy_int_unit03_1/
http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/naturalenglish/int/a_grammar/unit09/neint_grammar09_exp/
Friday, 28 October 2011
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Monday, 3 October 2011
Taking our diet more seriously
Summary of the text on page 4 in your workbook.
Are you also taking your diet more seriously? Explain your answer.
Most people think that health is important and because of this, many are trying to eat more healthily.
For example: People in the UK are eating less salt and more low fat products,.
In America, fruit is now the second favourite snack.
In Japan cocoa is a healthy alternative to soft drinks.
Global sales are increasing for soy drinks and drinkable yoghurts.
Sales of bread, pasta and cereals are growing much more slowly.
People are becoming more interested in fresh fruit and vegetables.
"Farmers' markets" are getting more popular.
People are buying more products that are healthy, like fruit, salads, and nuts. They are also buying products that help the environment, like organic vegetables.
Are you also taking your diet more seriously? Explain your answer.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Monday, 2 May 2011
-ing or infinitive
Monday, 11 April 2011
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Saturday, 19 March 2011
The school years in England and Wales
The school years in England and Wales
In general, the cut-off point for ages is the end of August, so all children must be of a particular age on the 1st of September in order to begin class that month.
Primary Education
Infant School or Primary School
Reception, age 4 to 5
Year 1, age 5 to 6
Year 2, age 6 to 7 (KS1 National Curriculum Tests - England only)
Junior School or Primary SchoolYear 3, age 7 to 8
Year 4, age 8 to 9
Year 5, age 9 to 10
Year 6, age 10 to 11 (Eleven plus exams in some areas of England, Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests)
Secondary EducationMiddle School, High School or Secondary School
Year 7, old First Form, age 11 to 12
Year 8, old Second Form, age 12 to 13
Year 9, old Third Form, age 13 to 14 (Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests, known as SATs (Standard Assessment Tests))
Upper School or Secondary SchoolYear 10, old Fourth Form, age 14 to 15
Year 11, old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)
Upper School, Secondary School, or Sixth Form CollegeYear 12 or Lower Sixth, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations)
Year 13 or Upper Sixth, age 17 to 18 (A2-level examinations. Both AS-levels and A2-levels count towards A-levels .)
In general, the cut-off point for ages is the end of August, so all children must be of a particular age on the 1st of September in order to begin class that month.
Primary Education
Infant School or Primary School
Reception, age 4 to 5
Year 1, age 5 to 6
Year 2, age 6 to 7 (KS1 National Curriculum Tests - England only)
Junior School or Primary SchoolYear 3, age 7 to 8
Year 4, age 8 to 9
Year 5, age 9 to 10
Year 6, age 10 to 11 (Eleven plus exams in some areas of England, Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests)
Secondary EducationMiddle School, High School or Secondary School
Year 7, old First Form, age 11 to 12
Year 8, old Second Form, age 12 to 13
Year 9, old Third Form, age 13 to 14 (Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests, known as SATs (Standard Assessment Tests))
Upper School or Secondary SchoolYear 10, old Fourth Form, age 14 to 15
Year 11, old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)
Upper School, Secondary School, or Sixth Form CollegeYear 12 or Lower Sixth, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations)
Year 13 or Upper Sixth, age 17 to 18 (A2-level examinations. Both AS-levels and A2-levels count towards A-levels .)
That'll Teach them
That'll Teach 'Em is a British reality television documentary series produced by Twenty Twenty Television for the Channel 4 network in the UK.
Each series follows around 30 teenage students as they are taken back to a 1950s style British boarding school. The show sets out to analyse whether the standards that were integral to the school life of the time helped to produce better exam results, to the current GCSE results and to compare certain contemporary educational methods with modern ones (e.g. vocational vs. academic focus for the less 'gifted').
As part of the experience, the participants are expected to board at a traditional school house, abiding by strict discipline, adopting to 1950s diet and following a strict uniform dress code.
After four weeks, the students then take their final exams, produced to the same standard as contemporary GCE O Levels.
There have been three series of the show, the first airing in 2003 (recreating a 1950s grammar school and featuring academically high-achieving pupils), the second in 2004 (a secondary modern and the academically average or poor) and the third and probably final series in 2006 (a grammar school again, this time focusing on science and with single-sex classes).
Watch the video and answer these questions.
PART 4: THE LATIN LESSON
1. Why will the students be “lacrimose”?
2. Why was the student “repudiated”?
3. Did the kids like the Latin lesson? Why?
4. Why is Latin useful, according to Mr Warr?
5. COMPLETE: Latin is a languageAs dead as ___________ ___________ _____________First it _____________ the RomansNow it's ___________ _____________
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education (GCE). It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous A-Level (Advanced Level). England, Wales and Northern Ireland replaced O-Levels with GCSE exams in 1988. The Scottish equivalent was the O-grade (replaced by the Standard Grade).
Each series follows around 30 teenage students as they are taken back to a 1950s style British boarding school. The show sets out to analyse whether the standards that were integral to the school life of the time helped to produce better exam results, to the current GCSE results and to compare certain contemporary educational methods with modern ones (e.g. vocational vs. academic focus for the less 'gifted').
As part of the experience, the participants are expected to board at a traditional school house, abiding by strict discipline, adopting to 1950s diet and following a strict uniform dress code.
After four weeks, the students then take their final exams, produced to the same standard as contemporary GCE O Levels.
There have been three series of the show, the first airing in 2003 (recreating a 1950s grammar school and featuring academically high-achieving pupils), the second in 2004 (a secondary modern and the academically average or poor) and the third and probably final series in 2006 (a grammar school again, this time focusing on science and with single-sex classes).
Watch the video and answer these questions.
PART 4: THE LATIN LESSON
1. Why will the students be “lacrimose”?
2. Why was the student “repudiated”?
3. Did the kids like the Latin lesson? Why?
4. Why is Latin useful, according to Mr Warr?
5. COMPLETE: Latin is a languageAs dead as ___________ ___________ _____________First it _____________ the RomansNow it's ___________ _____________
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education (GCE). It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous A-Level (Advanced Level). England, Wales and Northern Ireland replaced O-Levels with GCSE exams in 1988. The Scottish equivalent was the O-grade (replaced by the Standard Grade).
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Fashion fan or fashion slave?
Story summary: Are you a fashion slave, spending all your money on the latest clothes even if you don't look good in them, or a fashion fan, enjoying wearing modern clothes but not obsessed by them?
Full article
Thursday, 17 February 2011
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