Sunday 21 December 2014
Thursday 18 December 2014
Thursday 4 December 2014
Vocabulary practice: Do vs Make
Do and Make are two verbs which frequently confuse students. Here we will learn about the difference between Do and Make and when to use each one.
When do you use DO?
DO is used as follows:
1. DO is used when talking about work, jobs or tasks. Note, they do not produce any physical object.
- Have you done your homework?
- I have guests visiting tonight so I should start doing the housework now.
- I wouldn't like to do that job.
2. DO is used when we refer to activities in general without being specific. In these cases, we normally use words like thing, something, nothing, anything, everything etc.
- Hurry up! I've got things to do!
- Don't just stand there – do something!
- Is there anything I can do to help you?
3. We sometimes use DO to replace a verb when the meaning is clear or obvious. This is more common in informal spoken English:
- Do I need to do my hair? (do = brush or comb)
- Have you done the dishes yet? (done = washed)
- I'll do the kitchen if you do the lawns (do = clean, do = mow)
Remember Do can also be as an auxiliary verb (for making questions in the present tense - Do you like chocolate?) For more about Do used in this case, see our page about Do vs Does. Here we will be talking about Do as a normal verb.
When do you use MAKE?
Make is for producing, constructing, creating or building something new.
It is also used to indicate the origin of a product or the materials that are used to make something.
- His wedding ring is made of gold.
- The house was made of adobe.
- Wine is made from grapes.
- The watches were made in Switzerland
We also use Make for producing an action or reaction:
- Onions make your eyes water.
- You make me happy.
- It’s not my fault. My brother made me do it!
You make after certain nouns about plans and decisions:
- make the arrangements,
- make a choice
We use Make with nouns about speaking and certain sounds:
- make a comment
- make a noise
- make a speech
We use Make with Food, Drink and Meals:
- make a cake
- make a cup of tea
- make dinner
Compare Do and Make
A: You have to make a cake for Simon.
B: I’ll do it later.
Notice how in the response the verb DO is used. This is because the meaning is clear and to avoid saying “I’ll make it later.” which could sound repetitive.
Monday 1 December 2014
Thursday 27 November 2014
Monday 24 November 2014
Thursday 20 November 2014
Conversation questions- Speaking
- What is one of your favorite TV shows?
- Why do you like it?
- When is it on?
- Does you father like it, too?
- Are you going to watch TV tonight?
- If so, what will you watch?
- What did you watch on TV yesterday?
- What is one of your favorite TV shows?
- Why do you like it?
- When is it on?
- Does you father like it, too?
- Do you like ___? (Insert the name of a TV show.)
- Do you prefer listening to the radio or watching TV?
- Do you think it is good for children to watch TV?
- Do you think TV is educational?
- Do you think there is too much violence on TV?
- Do you think that TV is a good thing?
- If you could design a new television show to boost ratings, what kind of show would it be?
- How often do you watch TV.
- What are the advantages of watching TV?
- What are the disadvantages of watching TV?
- What do you usually watch on TV?
- What kind of TV programs do you usually watch?
- What kind of TV shows do you not like? Why?
- What is your favorite program on cable TV.
- What channel is your favorite channel? Why?
- What TV commercials do you like?
- Why do you like it?
- Which ones do you hate?
- What's your favorite commercial?
- What is the purpose of advertising a product?
- Do you think there are subliminal messages?
- When you drive or walk, do you get distracted by advertisements on buses or billboards?
- When you go food shopping, do you buy foods you've seen in TV commercials?
- Do you like the _____ advertisements? If not, why? (You can substitute any company's name.)
- Do you think it's right to see naked women in TV commercials selling beauty products?
- What types of TV program are there?
- Which type do you like best?
- When do you usually watch TV?
- Do you think that TV makes people lazy?
- Do you think too much time is spent watching TV?
- Does TV make a person passive? Does TV take away a person's ability to think for himself or herself?
- Do you think that TV prevents people from communicating?
- What do you think of TV shows that are designed to "discover new talent?"
- If you couldn't watch TV at home but had to stay there, what would you do?
- Could you live without TV for a week?
- What do you think about reality shows?
- Would you participate in one if you were invited?
- Which channel do you like the best?
- Do you like watching TV alone or with your family?
- Who decides what to watch: the parent or the child?
- What do you think about Reality Shows?
- Is television one of the best inventions of all times?
- Why do you think television industry is so successful?
- What do you think of the "rubbish" programs on TV which are only dedicate to gossip about famous or pseudo famous people?
- There is a famous English saying that goes "you are what you eat." Does this apply to television? Can the programs you watch affect your behavior?
- What kind of entertainment do children like?
- Do you think children watch too much TV these days?
- What are the benefits of being an EU member?
- What are the drawbacks of being an EU member?
- Do you think that every future politician should be vetted for security reasons?
- Who is the most controversial politician in your country?
- Do you think there are any possible dangers to society from the material broadcast on TV channels?
- How do you feel when watching explicit scenes on TV with your parents? How do your parents usually react?
- Does violence on TV influence some young people to engage in violent behavior?
- What do you think should happen if a cell phone rings in class?
- In a restaurant?
- In a movie theater?
- During a concert or speech?
Monday 17 November 2014
TV PROGRAMMES VOCABULARY
There are three ways to go about presenting vocabulary. Have a look at the following mind map.
If you do not like any of the materials above, all the new vocabulary is listed in the worksheets too.
Now you have a chance to practise your knowledge in a playful way. The first quiz is fully in HTML5 so it should play on your mobile devices too. Try to solve the quiz by matching the words and the pictures and by writing the appropriate words to the pictures.
The second game is going to play only on your desktop as it is in flash. The name of the game is Half a minute and your task is to unjumble the words. Good luck.
TV programmes – Half a minute game
Wednesday 12 November 2014
Welcome to my life
Just as part of our eTwinning Project. Welcome to our life and our project ALL ABOUT US
http://twinspace.etwinning.net/2329/home
http://twinspace.etwinning.net/2329/home
Thursday 6 November 2014
Monday 3 November 2014
Easily confused words
The words travel, journey, trip andvoyage can easily be confused by learners of English.
I suppose it’s a good time of year to look at these words, as the spring and summer holiday seasons will soon be starting for many people.
Travel (noun)
The noun travel is a general word, meaning to move from place to place, usually over long distances.
We can say: air travel, food and travel, space travel, business travel, a travel agency.
- Air travel is getting more expensive.
- The magazine is a food and travel guide.
We can also say travels, which is a plural noun:
- Where did you go on your travels?
- Jack Kerouac wrote many books about his travels.
Travel is also a verb:
- I travel 20 km to work every day.
Journey (noun)
A journey means moving from one place to another, especially in a vehicle. It is asingle piece of travel. A journey can also be a regular thing.
Here is an example. Let’s say we go from London to Leeds then back again. That istwo journeys (London to Leeds is the first journey, Leeds to London is the second journey).
We can say: a bus journey, a train journey, the journey to school, my journey to work.
Be careful with the plural: journeys NOT
journies.
- How long does your journey to work take?
- Did you have a good journey?
Did you have a good travel?
Trip (noun)
A trip describes the whole process of going somewhere and coming back. (It is more than one journey.)
Once again, let’s go from London to Leeds then back again. As I said above, that is two journeys, but it is one trip.
Some examples: a day trip, a round trip, a round-the-world trip, a boat trip and a business trip. We say go on a trip.
- We went on a three-week trip to Scotland.
- He’s gone on a business trip to Germany.
- Let’s go on a trip to the mountains this summer!
The trip there took three hours.The journey there took three hours.
Voyage (noun)
Voyages are less common nowadays. A voyage is a very long trip, usually at sea or in space:
- At the age of twenty-three, Sir Francis Drake made his first voyage to the New World.
- A voyage around the world often took four or five years.
The French Bon voyage! translates into English as Have a good trip! or Have a goodjourney!
I hope that’s clear. Here’s a quick exercise for you to test your understanding:
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Thursday 16 October 2014
Environmental issues in Spain
Third of Spaniards breathing polluted air above EU safety limits, says World Health Organization
New study finds that 95% of population is exposed to unhealthy contamination levels
Car pollution is responsible for many premature deaths.
New research has found that 36 percent of the Spanish population, around 16.8 million people, is breathing air whose pollution levels exceed the EU’s legal limits.
The Annual Air Quality Report, drafted by the green group Ecologists in Action, and using 2013 data, warns that if stricter recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) are taken as a standard, then 95 percent of Spanish citizens have been exposed to unhealthy pollution levels.
This percentage coincides with the latest air quality study conducted by the European Environment Agency, which says that around 90 percent of Europe’s urban population is exposed to air pollutants that the WHO considers harmful to people’s health.
The new document, which used official data from 705 measuring stations, notes that the most problematic pollutants are nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, tropospheric ozone and particulate matter. Diesel engines are a major source of pollution in cities.
“International health authorities estimate the number of premature deaths [in Spain] at 20,000 a year” due to complications arising from air pollution, said Miguel Ángel Ceballos, one of the report coordinators, at the study presentation.
This figure is 12 times higher than road accident fatalities.
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