Sunday 1 June 2014

Preparing your speaking test

As I know that your exam is getting closer, I would like to suggest you something for a better pronunciation:
if you are studying on your own, you could sometimes have doubts about the correct pronunciation and intonation of your speech.
It's a good idea to prepare some possible answers that you could use during the speaking test, but learning them with a good pronunciation provides an added value to your preparation.
(click on the picture to find out more).

Copy and paste your sentences on the provided space and click the "Translate and speak English button": you will hear it in a moment!


Sunday 9 March 2014

Speaking test

As promised, I'm adding something for you for practicing your speaking for the exam: first of all a video:


On the following link a page dedicated to the spoken exam: click here.


Sunday 9 February 2014

It could be useful: animal idioms

Do you remember the expression "eating like a horse"?


Click on this link and find out more idioms about animals

And remember: eating like a horse, but as hungry as a bear :)

Thursday 6 February 2014

Grammar and vocabulary exercises: B1

As your certification is getting closer, here are some grammar and vocabulary exercises: don't give up studying!!


It doesn't matter how quick you are, keep going on!

60 grammar question ready for you here


Another grammar exercise here

A difficult grammar test

Vocabulary tests:


Saturday 1 February 2014

A video about American school system

It could be quite difficult to understand, but it's interesting: it'a a full immersion is an American talk!


Video Script of george canada at TED by Marina Priest

Friday 31 January 2014

Reading activities


Activity one: true/false questions
Activity twotrue/false questions
Activity threetrue/false questions
Activity fourtrue/false questions
Activity fivetrue/false questions
Activity sixtrue/false questions
Activity seventrue/false questions
Activity eighttrue/false questions
Activity ninetrue/false questions
Activity tentrue/false questions

Activity eleven: multiple choice questions
Activity twelve: multiple choice questions
Activity thirteen: multiple choice questions
Activity fourteen: multiple choice questions
Activity fifteen: multiple choice questions
Activity sixteen: multiple choice questions
Activity seventeen: multiple choice questions
Activity eighteen: multiple choice questions
Activity nineteen: multiple choice questions
Activity twenty: multiple choice questions

Activity twenty-onetrue/false questions
Activity twenty-two: multiple choice questions
Activity twenty-threetrue/false questions
Activity twenty-four: multiple choice questions
Activity twenty-fivetrue/false questions
activity twenty-six: multiple choice questions

Here you can find reading activities according to the PET format exam











listening B1

  • Here's a list of listening activities 








Wednesday 29 January 2014

Revision: last topics


Pronouns

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/pronouns.htm
Personal (subject, object, possessive)
Reflexive and emphatic: myself, etc.
Impersonal: it, there
Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
Quantitative: one, something, everybody, etc.
Indefinite: some, any, something, one, etc.
Relative: who, which, that, whom, whose

Determiners
a + countable nouns
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/determiners-and-quantifiers/indefinite-article-and
the + countable/uncountable nouns
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/determiners-and-quantifiers/definite-article

Adjectives
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/adjectivetext.html basic
Colour, size, shape, quality, nationality
Predicative and attributive
Cardinal and ordinal numbers
Possessive: my, your, his, her, etc.
Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
Quantitative: some, any, many, much, a few, a lot of, all, other, every, etc.
Comparative and superlative forms (regular and irregular): (not) as...as, not...enough to, too...to
Order of adjectives
Participles as adjectives
Compound adjectives

Adverbs
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adverbs.htm
Regular and irregular forms
Manner: quickly, carefully, etc.
Frequency: often, never, twice a day, etc.
Definite time: now, last week, etc.
Indefinite time: already, just, yet, etc.
Degree: very, too, rather, etc.
Place: here, there, etc.
Direction: left, right, along, etc.
Sequence: first, next, etc.
Sentence adverbs: too, either, etc.
Pre-verbal, post-verbal and end-position adverbs
Comparative and superlative forms (regular and irregular)

Prepositions
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions.htm
Location: to, on, inside, next to, at (home), etc.
Time: at, on, in, during, etc.
Direction: to, into, out of, from, etc.
Instrument: by, with
Miscellaneous: like, as, due to, owing to, etc.
Prepositional phrases: at the beginning of, by means of, etc.
Prepositions preceding nouns and adjectives: by car, for sale, at last, etc.
Prepositions following (i) nouns and adjectives: advice on, afraid of, etc. (ii) verbs: laugh at, ask for, etc.

Connectives
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/gc-connectives.html
and, but, or, either ... or
when, while, until, before, after, as soon as
where
because, since, as, for
so that, (in order) to
so, so ... that, such ... that
if, unless
although, while, whereas

Thursday 23 January 2014

Interrogatives, nouns, genitives

Interrogatives
What, What (+ noun)
Where; When
Who; Whose; Which
How; How much; How many; How often; How long; etc.
Why
revise their meaning and use here

Nouns
Singular and plural (regular and irregular forms)
it's more than just adding an "s": revise here
some important rules to remember here

Countable and uncountable nouns with some and any
explanation and exercises

Abstract nouns
A couple of exercises to enrich your vocabulary: 1 and 2

Compound nouns
An exercise to enrich your vocabulary
a second exercise

Complex noun phrases

explanation

Genitive: ’s & s’
explanation
exercise
special cases

Double genitive: a friend of theirs
exercise

Grammar revision: conditionals, reported speech, question tags

Conditional sentences

Type 0: Zero Conditional: certainty
An iron bar expands if/when you heat it.
explanation and exercises
more examples

Type 1: First Conditional: real possibility
If you do that again, I’ll leave.
explanation and exercises
more examples

Type 2: Second Conditional: unreal possibility or dream
I would tell you the answer if I knew it. / If I were you, I wouldn’t do that again.
explanation and exercises
more examples

Type 3: Third Conditional: no possibility
I would have told you the answer if I had known it.
explanation and exercises
more examples


Simple reported speech
explanation and exercises

Statements, questions and commands: difference among say, ask, tell

Reported Statements
Direct speech: "I like ice cream"

Reported speech: She says she likes ice cream
Reported Questions
Direct speech: "Where do you live?"

Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
Reported Requests
Direct speech: "Close the window, please"
Or: "Could you close the window please?"

Or: "Would you mind closing the window please?"
Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.
Reported Orders
Direct speech: "Sit down!"
Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
explanation
exercises
mixed tense reported statements exercise
Present Simple Reported Yes/No Question Exercise
Present Simple Reported Wh Question Exercise
Mixed Tense Reported Question Exercise
Reported Requests and Orders Exercise

Indirect and embedded questions: know, wonder
Do you know what he said?
I wondered what he would do next.
explanation and exercises

Question tags
Remember: I'm right, aren't I?
explanation and exercises

Friday 17 January 2014

Verb forms

Affirmative, interrogative, negative
Imperatives
Infinitives (with and without to) after verbs and adjectives
Gerunds (-ing form) after verbs and prepositions
Gerunds as subjects and objects

infinitive vs gerund
explanation and exercises
list of verbs followed by infinitive
list of verbs followed by gerund

Passive formspresent and past simple

passive forms: explanation and exercises 

Verb + object + infinitive give /take/send/bring/show + direct/indirect object

double object verbs
explanation and exercises

Causative have/get
explanation 

So/nor with auxiliaries
explanation and exercises

Compound verb patterns
explanation

Phrasal verbs/verbs with prepositions
explanation and list 1, list 2, list 3 and exercises 1 2 3 4 5
A list of prepositions and phrasal verbs to practice 
phrasal/prepositional verbs

Thursday 16 January 2014

Revision: verb tenses

Tenses
Present simple: states, habits, systems and processes (and verbs not used in the continuous form)
Present continuous: future plans and activities, present actions

present simple vs present continuous:
explanations and exercises

Past simple: past events
Past continuous: parallel past actions, continuous actions interrupted by the past simple tense


simple past vs past continuous:
explanation and exercises

Present perfect simple: recent past with just, indefinite past with yet, already, never, ever; unfinished past with for and since

simple past vs present perfect
explanation and exercises

Past perfect simple: narrative, reported speech

past perfect vs past simple
explanation and exercises

Future with going to
Future with present continuous and present simple
Future with will and shall: offers, promises, predictions, etc.

future tenses
tenses comparison - explanation and exercises





Tuesday 14 January 2014

My philosophy for a happy life: Sam Berns at TEDxMidAtlantic 2013

Dear friends,
I think that everything you learn has to pass through a meaningful experience. That can make your learning a unique experience, and it can teach you something more than a plain foreign language!

About three months before he passed away, 17-year-old Sam Berns gave this speech explaining his dislike for obstacles and his strategies for beating them. When he was 2 years old, Sam was diagnosed with the rare disease Progeria, which causes rapid aging and various other side effects, none of which could prevent Sam from leading a happy life.

Enjoy this inspiring video because Sam left a very important lesson to us all!

Thursday 9 January 2014

MOK TEST

1
Mostra solo argomento 1
2
Mostra solo argomento 2
3
Mostra solo argomento 3
4
Mostra solo argomento 4


Grammar revision: modals

Explanations and exercises

can (ability; requests; permission) - could (ability; possibility; polite requests)
would (polite requests)
will (offer)
shall (suggestion; offer)
should (advice) - ought to (obligation)
should have
may (possibility) - might (possibility)
have (got) to (obligation)
need (necessity)
needn’t (lack of necessity)
used to + infinitive (past habits)
Modals for Recommendations (must, have to, should, could)
Modals for Present Deduction (must, may/might, could)
Modals for Past Deduction (must have, may/might have, could have)


Table