Today we looked at the present perfect simple & present perfect continuous... Have a look at the presentation : PPS & PPC We also played 'Have you ever' and tried to spot out who was lying! If you want to practice try these : online quiz and you can check your answers online!
We've been talking about health, and food habits... check the slideshow for the grammar we've covered. HABITS We also watched part of SUPERSIZE ME a very interesting documentary, if you have time watch the rest :
In England we experienced major reforms in our school dinners, thanks to Jamie Oliver...
Recently we've been talking about wishes, both past and present! Here are the PowerPoint presentations from both classes: Wishes I & Wishes II
We also spoke about regret, and watched this short movie, remember the quotes : "a simple sorry can prevent life-long regrets"
What things have you regretted doing? Have you ever wished that you hadn't done something / or thought that you should've done something differently ? Try and write some sentences on your own, send them to me and I'll check them for you!
Don't forget to revise the past participles too! Good luck
Today we reviewed containers vocabulary and introduced 'quantifiers', have another look over the presentation please! Containers & Quantifiers If you want to try and make your own sentences, please do, and then send them to me !
Today we spoke about your presentations... You can choose from the following topics which we have either covered already, or we will cover in the future. The topics are very open so you can be creative! 1) Technology
Ideas: anything to do with technology, future inventions, robots or even the problems associated with technology...Don't forget to include your personal opinions!
2) Money
Ideas: you could talk about China, Superpowers, the history of Money, money & society, corruption or even poverty...
3) Idols / Icons
Ideas: Celebrities, politicians, peace-makers, writers etc. You could talk about people (or a group of people) who you believe are/were a bad influence!
remember you can use multimedia, such as videos, sound, PowerPoint, you can either send it to me prior to the class, or bring it in on a memory stick!
Yesterday we spoke about your upcoming presentations. You must each give a presentation which last max. 10 minutes! So, to remind you of your topics: 1) Language
Ideas: the importance of language, language & identity, language in culture, sign language, body language etc. 2) Health
Today we looked at Global Warming, and other environmental threats.
I asked you to think about what you do to help the environment, and why you think that your efforts are important.
If you want have a look at this video and think about what environmental issues are covered:
Passive Voice The passive voice is used more in formal written work such as newspaper articles, have another look at the PowerPoint, try the exercises again, or even try and do some sentences of your own ! PassiveVoice
Today we looked at how to make a conversation flow naturally, and how to appear interested.
In English we do this with question tags & short questions. Have a look at the PowerPoint again and try and create you're own conversation. For example, you have decided to meet up with a friend who you haven't seen for a long time, how would you keep the conversation going. You could even be on a blind date... Check it out here : Questiontags
Just to clarify your presentation topics... You can talk about : 1) Technology & New Inventions This can include any new types of technology of things which are currently being invented now... you cannot 'invent' your own... > Think about the advantaged/ disadvantages of the technology > How could it transform our current lifestyle? > Why does it interest you ? 2) International Culture With this theme you can pick a country or a specific town/city/village and present a part of its culture to the class. This could be a religion, a tribe, a type of music or dance, an artist, a type of food or anything else linked to the culture of the place. > Why does it interest you? > If it it something personal to you, how does it effect your life? 3) Beyond Reason This theme includes anything beyond reason, all conspiracy theories, myths or anything which has never been proved to be 100% TRUE. This could include UFO sightings, Crop Circles, Political conspiracies, witchcraft, ghosts, monsters & paranormal activity! Check out this video about The Loch Ness monster in Scotland .......
Yesterday we went over indirect & direct questions... Now you understand that in being polite we must ask questions in a more 'flowery' way, so that we don't appear too forward. Here is the PowerPoint , so you can try the exercises again : Indirect Questions Remember that intonation / the way you speak is also important when being polite... "Fawlty Towers" is a British comedy from the 70s, considered one of the classics of the 20th Century.
Mr. Fawlty runs a 'Bed & Breakfast', which is like a small hotel, as you will see they encounter many problems in communication, not only with clients but with Manuel their Spanish porter... Note how Mr. Fawlty will ask questions indirectly initially and later (after losing his patience), far more directly!
Have a look at this clip, and note the intonation in the various polite requests!
Activity : Imagine you have just arrived in London, you need to ask strangers for help, write your own direct -> indirect questions that would help you in the situation!
This website is great for listening to music in English... StereoMood
Simply select your mood, be it 'Happy', 'Sad', 'Relaxed' etc. and then listen to a playlist that is based on these moods... If you become a member you can even make your own and submit them. If you have troubles with understanding the words in the songs, simply GOOGLE : the name of the song/artist and 'lyrics'. Enjoy!
Today we went over the specific verb patterns found in the English Language. To download the PowerPoint presentation from yesterday use this link > Verb Patterns Why don't you try the exercise again?
If you feel up to it, try these examples too :
1) We should _____ them (to help).
2) I enjoy ______ with you (to be).
3) We an ______ him (to trust).
4) Remember _______ at the crossroads (to stop).
5) Your computer doesn't work. Try ______ the monitor (to switch on).
Answers: 1) help
2) being 3) trust 4) to stop 5) switching on
After going through the grammar we watched this short film:
I asked you the following questions, try and answer using the correct verb pattern!
1) Through out his lifetime, what things did the boy/man like doing/to do?
Now imagine you are the man aged 90, writing an autobiography...
2) What things do you remember doing ? (habits, routines etc.)
3) What things did you need to remember to do in front of the mirror?
4) What did you stop doing as you got older?
Remember, if you decide to do these questions again, and you would like me to check them, just submit them in the Contact Form
So today we spoke about the future of technology and how this could raise some controversial issues.
Here is the film we watched today about futuristic contact lenses which are connected to online applications. What were the advantages & disadvantages of 'Sight'. Activity : Invent your own piece of technology. Think about what would make your life more convenient, or simply, more fun! Here is the video on Google's project 'Google Glasses' , so it seems we are not too far away from a virtual lifestyle.
