01-03/06. Monday-Wednesday

Hello

This week we were practising Reporting Verbs (see the previous post if you want to practise more) and Preffixes.
Here´s a link for FCE exercises to practise preffixes and suffixes:
FCE Word Transformation

We also learnt how to write A Restaurant Review. We usually include:
- details of the restaurant
- information about the service
- informations about the menu
- information about the atmosphere
- information about the prices

Here´re some tips for writing a review (FCE level):
FCE Writing Sample Restaurant Review

Review Example

25-27/05. Monday-Wednesday

Hello

This week we talked about World Food and food culture. We learnt  about a new concept - a food city.

What is yout favourite food city? - Madrid? Why?

Practise some listening on the topic:
Soul Food Listening
Tokyo vs. New York Listening

Also here´s a BBC radio programme about Food, listen and check your comprehension:
Food Waste Listening

As for grammar we were talking about affixations (suffixes and prefixes). Practise this with FCE tasks:
FCE Use of English Word Formation

We talked about reporting verbs, apart from "say, tell and ask" there´re a lot more that can be used in the Reported Speech.
The verb patterns are different:

promise + TO Inf = She promised to come back soon.
explain + THAT clause = She explained that she was really tired.
suggest + ING Gerund = We suggested going to the park.
advise + Object + TO Inf = He advised us to take a taxi.

Check for the verbs in this link:
Reporting Verbs List
Reporting Verbs Exercise 1
Reporting Verbs Exercise 2

Hey, plenty of things to work on! Enjoy!

18-20/05 Monday-Wednesday

Hello

Last week we did a lot of grammar within our topic. We talked about Reported Speech. 

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
The boy said to his friend, “I am waiting for you here now.”	The boy told his friend that he was waiting for him there then.

Study this webpage and find out some more info about it:
Reported Speech Explanation

For extra practice, check for these links:
Reported Speech Exercises
Exercise 2

We also started talking about prefixes (mis-, dis-, un-, il-, ir-, im-, in-, over/under- etc.)
Practise with the exercises:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2

11-13/05 Monday-Wednesday

Hello

Last week we started a new topic "Environment" and learnt lots of new vocabulary:
global warming, acid rains, climate change, deforestation, sustainable, renewable energy etc.

If you want to practise or to know more - check for these links:
Environment Vocabulary
Vocabulary Exercise

What environmental problems are there in your country? We discussed different problems and the ideas to solve them. Do some listening on the topic:
Listening 1
Listening 2

We learnt some useful phrases to make suggestions:
Why don´t ...
It would be a good idea ...
We could/should ...
If ..., then ... etc.

Why don´t we use energy-saving light bulbs? We could save the energy consume.

Also to improve your listening skills, watch this series of programmes and do online exercises:
Green is Great Video

Monday-Wednesday. 4-6/05

Hello

On Monday we´re finishing our topic and writing a test - so, revise everything.

We learnt some new collocations:

HAVE fun, a good time, a break, ideas
GIVE a call, a talk, directions, instructions
COME back, by car, first, naturally
MAKE a profit, a choice, a mess etc.

We also watched a video podcast about History and people´s opinions about it. Here´s a link in case you´d like to watch it again:
Podcast - History

Also we were talking about how to write an essay (structure, linking words, supporting sentences) etc. Academic writing is a very important part of any English exams (Cambridge, Trinity, TOEFL etc.)
Here´s a link to get some info from FCE essay:
FCE Writing
Samples of Writing

Monday-Wednesday 27-29/04

Hello

This week we started some new grammar - Active and Passive Voice.

We use Passive:
1. If the action is more important then the agent. 
A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868. The important thing is what happened, not who did it. 

2. If the agent is not known/evident. 
He was offered a job. (someone offered him the job). The robber was arrested.

We form Passive:

To be + Past Participle (to be is the main verb which takes the tenses):

Passive Present simple 
The car is repaired.
Present continuous 
The car is being repaired. 
Past simple 
The car was repaired. 
Past continuous 
The car was being repaired. 
Present perfect 
The car has just been repaired. 
Past perfect 
The car had been repaired. 
Future simple 
The car will be repaired. 
Present conditional 
The car would be repaired. 
Perfect conditional 
The car would have been repaired. 

Exercises to practise:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Monday-Wednesday 20-22/04

Hello

This week we started a new topic "History" where we talked about different important events and inventions in the history.

We learnt some new vocabulary:
a leap in the history, movement, advancement, progress, a turning point, discovery, invention etc.

If you´re interested in some listening, check for this link:
History Listening

For those who are interested in history as a subject, here´s a good link for documentaries on history topics:
Top Documentaries

We learnt some grammar aspects such as Word formation (suffixes to form a noun from the verb):

- ment - punishment
- tion - pollution
- ssion - permission
- ence/ance - dependance
- ure - failure etc.

Here´re some exercises to practise:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3



Also we started talking about Third Conditional:

If + had(not) + Past Participle, would + Perfect Infinitive (have done)

If Galileo hadn´t defended his theory, he would have been a free man.

Exercise 1
Exercise 2






What would have changed in our history if some inventions/discoveries/events hadn´t happened?