The Big Cason Family

Watch this video about a family with lots of children.



You can download the exercises here.

Used to and usually

Watch the video to learn how to use USED TO in English.


Click here for an explanation and some exercises.
Now try some exercises here, here, here and here.

Now compare used to and usually. Click here and here.

Writing: a story

Your next writing is a story. You have two options:

Write a biography of someone you know (see instructions on page 41)

OR

Choose one of these two pictures and write the story of their relationship:

David Hockney, Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy

 (By the way, these are real people. Click here to find out more)

By Jack Vettriano

Please:

- Use narrative tenses correctly.

- Use expressions of time.

- Write about a relationship.

Telling a story

Some people have asked me to upload this. Enjoy!

Now click here to listen to a story and do some activities about the narrative tenses.

Describing time

You can find an explanation of some of these expressions here.
You'll find loads of exercises to practise here.
Click here to download class exercises.

How to use narrative tenses

You may want to start by revising last year's information. Click here.

Watch this BBC video to learn to use the narrative tenses in only 6 minutes! (This video includes an explanation about the past perfect continuous, which we haven't seen in class)



Watch this video now and pay attention to the way they use the tenses.




You can now try some exercises here and here or try the ones in this post.

Reading exam practice Asturias

Click here to download the exercise and here for the answers.

Pronunciation: Consonant - vowel linking

Do you want to sound more natural in English? Would you like to improve your understanding of spoken English? Watch this video:



Click here if you want to see the script and try an activity.
Check out our friend Lucy if you want to practise on your own. Click here.

Relationships vocabulary

Click here to practise relationships vocabulary (there are also words from last year's book)

Exam practice Navarra audios

If you want to repeat the listening practice we did the other day, click here for audio one and here for audio two. You can collect the handout in class or download it here (only parts 1 and 2)

My favourite app listening

Click here if you want to repeat the listening we did in class.









And now try the exercises again:

Listen to Karen talking about her phone and answer the questions:

1. What personal information do we learn about her?

2. What kind of apps are these? What does she use them for?

a. Glimpse

b. Map my run

c. Word Streak

Listen again and fill in the gaps with the words you hear:

1.     For me, it’s an extra pair of hands and a _________________ in many situations.

2.     For my _____________, I’m in my 50s, that’s quite a lot.

3.     With the Glimpse app, you just press _____________ of video every day.

4.     It gives a very good ______________ and flavour of the holiday without boring your friends.

5.     It allows me to see in ____________ how far I have run that day.

6.     I can see that maybe I ______________ her on my run that day.

7.     I only do _______________ games.

8.     Most people would be _____________ with the game Boggle.

9.     I’m on my phone probably ____________ as I used to be before.

Technology vocabulary

Click here to learn and practise technology vocabulary.
You can try an exercise here  (scroll down to find it!) and another one here.

Present perfect continuous

Watch this video to see the difference between simple past, present perfect simple and present perfect continuous.


Now try some exercises. Click here for an explanation and some exercises.

You'll find more exercises here, here and here.

What's your favourite app?

Write a short text describing your favourite app. Click anywhere on the wall.

Writing: An informal email

Write an email to a friend telling them some exciting news. You have more information on page 29 of your book.

Don't forget:

- Use expressions to add new information. Don't use "On the other hand".
- Use extreme adjectives to sound enthusiastic.
- You can use the email on page 28 as a model.


Deadline is November 25th.

Adding new information

Click here and here if you want to learn and practise words you can use to add ideas when you write.

Time expressions with the present perfect

Try some exercises with for and since here and other time expressions here.

Click here to download the class handout.

Present perfect vs. past simple

Click here for an explanation and exercises (scroll down to find the exercises)
Try two more exercise here and here and lots of them here.



IF YOU NEED TO REVISE THE PRONUNCIATION OF REGULAR -ED ENDINGS, CLICK HERE.

Work vocabulary

Click here to revise and practise vocabulary related to work.

Giving opinions

Learn more expressions you can use to give opinions here. There's more language and an exercise here.

You can also watch a BBC video here and listen to a programme here.

Remember to use a variety of expressions when you speak!

Listening exam practice 1

This week we made an exam-type listening from another community.
Click here to download the exercise. You'll find the answers here.

Listen to recording 1 here and recording 2 here. Remember that you can only listen twice.

Gradable and extreme adjectives

Click here to learn and practise gradable and extreme adjectives.

Click here to download the class handout.

See an explanation here.
Try some exercises here, here and here.

Present simple and present continuous

Watch the video to revise the difference between present simple and continuous:


Now click here for some revision exercises.

Writing about a skill you have.

Think of something you can do very well and write a text about it.
Write four paragraphs:
1. What is the skill and why do you like it.
2. What is difficult about it.
3. Best ways to learn it.
4. Would you recommend people to try it?

You'll find more information on page 17 of your book.

Deadline for this is November the 4th. Remember that you can hand the text in in class, or email it to me. In that case, make sure you send an attachment (any kind of text document, NOT pdf, please)

Expressing purpose

Read and explanation here about how to use to, in order to, so and so that to express purpose.
Try some exercises here and here.

You can download the class exercises here and here.

Pitch or peach?

Watch these videos and practise the pronunciation of /i:/ and /I/:





Try the exercises again:

1 /i:/	2 /ɪ/
feet	fit
seat	sit
steal	still
feel	fill
jeans	gins
beans	bins
team	Tim
cheap	chip
peach	pitch
leave	live

1.   Those are large jeans / gins!

2.   Can you feel / fill that?

3.   Have you got any news from your team / Tim?

4.   Those are excellent beans / bins.

5.   How are you going to leave / live?

6.   I don’t really like that peach / pitch?

Click here to hear more examples.

Click here to watch more pronunciation videos from the BBC.

Subject and object questions

Watch this video and learn the difference between subject and object questions:


Click here for a written explanation and some exercises.
You will find more exercises about subject and object questions here and here
Click here to download the class handout.

Questions: revision

Remember the basic structures for questions in English:

Click here to revise question words.You will also find some exercises.

Click here to practise different kinds of questions (including subject).

Click here for lots of exercises about questions.

Click here for the class handout.

Julian Treasure: How to speak so that people want to listen

Watch the video about how to speak in public again (I strongly recommend watching the whole video)



Now you can try the exercises again:

Listen to the introduction and complete with one word in each gap.

The human voice: It's the __________________ we all play. It's the most ____________ sound in the world, probably. It's the only one that can start a war or say "I love you." And yet many people have the ___________ that when they speak, people don't ___________ to them. And why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make ___________ in the world?

The seven deadly sins of speaking. Listen to the second part and complete the missing information in the table below:

1.	_______________	Speaking ill of someone who is not present.
2.	_______________	It’s hard to listen to somebody if you know you’re being judged.
3.	_______________	Conversation with his mother: “It’s October the 1st today” “I know. Isn’t it ________________?”
4.	_______________	The national sport in the UK. It’s viral misery.
5.	_______________	Some people don’t take ______________ for their actions.
6.	Embroidery and _______________	We don’t like people who are ________________ to us.
7.	Dogmatism	The confusion of _______________ with _____________.

Click here if you want to read the script in English or even a translation into another language.

And click here if you want to watch more inspirational talks.

Classroom language

Those of you who were my students last year should already be familiar with useful classroom language. Anyway, you'll find an exercise on the handout I gave you last week (perfect day) or click here if you can't find it or your dog ate it. Then click here to check your answers and practise the expressions.

The perfect day

Listen to Richard and Jackie talking about their perfect day. Click here.
What would your perfect day be like? Share your ideas:

Remember the basic structures for questions in English:

Getting started

Let's get cracking!
You can download the general info sheet here and the initial revision here.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog! I hope you'll find it useful to supplement your lessons. 

Posts will appear on a regular basis. They appear chronologically - newest ones first. If you prefer, you can use the labels to navigate the blog and select the most useful sections for you. You'll find the labels on the right.

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Don't forget to visit the links page! You'll find lots of useful pages there.

See you soon!

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