Language focus- Modals

 Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so on. Below is a list showing the most useful modals and their most common meanings:

Modal	Meaning	Example
can	to express ability	I can speak a little Russian.
can	to request permission	Can I open the window?
may	to express possibility	I may be home late.
may	to request permission	May I sit down, please?
must	to express obligation	I must go now.
must	to express strong belief	She must be over 90 years old.
should	to give advice	You should stop smoking.
would	to request or offer	Would you like a cup of tea?
would	in if-sentences	If I were you, I would say sorry.

Modal verbs are unlike other verbs. They do not change their form (spelling) and they have no infinitive or participle (past/present). The modals must and can need substitute verbs to express obligation or ability in the different tenses. Here are some examples:

Past simple	Sorry I'm late. I had to finish my math test.
Present perfect	She's had to return to Korea at short notice.
Future	You'll have to work hard if you want to pass the exams.
Infinitive	I don't want to have to go.

Past simple	I couldn't/wasn't able to walk until I was 3 years old.
Present perfect	I haven't been able to solve this problem. Can you help?
Future	I'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.
Infinitive	I would love to be able to play the piano.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional auxiliary in negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I must come?), or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke).

Important: The explanations and examples on this page are just an introduction to this extensive and complex area of English grammar. Students of English who want to learn more should consult a good reference work, such as Swan's Practical English Usage.

Do a quiz on modal verbs.

Modal Verbs

MODALS PPT 

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es/english-grammar/verbs/modal-verbs

Here is a list of modals with examples:

Modal Verb	Expressing	Example
must	Strong obligation	You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
	logical conclusion / Certainty	He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.
must not	prohibition	You must not smoke in the hospital.
can	ability	I can swim.
	permission	Can I use your phone please?
	possibility	Smoking can cause cancer.
could	ability in the past	When I was younger I could run fast.
	polite permission	Excuse me, could I just say something?
	possibility	It could rain tomorrow!
may	permission	May I use your phone please?
	possibility, probability	It may rain tomorrow!
might	polite permission	Might I suggest an idea?
	possibility, probability	I might go on holiday to Australia next year.
need not	lack of necessity/absence of obligation	I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge.
should ought to	50 % obligation	I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.
	advice	You should / ought to revise your lessons
	logical conclusion	He should / ought to be very tired. He's been working all day long.
had better	advice	You 'd better revise your lessons

Remember

Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to", also called the bare infinitive.

Examples:

• You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
• You should see to the doctor.
• There are a lot of tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/upper-intermediate/unit-25/session-1

Analysisng current affairs. A look at the European politics

 Nationalism has always been a feature across Europe's political spectrum but there has been a recent boom in voter support for right-wing and populist parties.

It is visible from Germany, where the AfD has become the biggest opposition party in the Bundestag, to Spain, where Vox has become the third largest force in parliament. In part, voters are frustrated with the political establishment, but they also have concerns about globalisation, immigration, a dilution of national identity and the European Union. In the European Parliament, nine far-right parties have formed a new bloc, called Identity and Democracy (ID).

So where in Europe's political landscape do right-wing nationalists hold sway?

Italy

Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has claimed victory in Italy's election, and is on course to become the country's first female prime minister.

Ms Meloni is widely expected to form Italy's most right-wing government since World War Two. That will alarm much of Europe as Italy is the EU's third-biggest economy.

However, speaking after the vote, Ms Meloni said her Brothers of Italy party would "govern for everyone" and would not betray people's trust.

"Italians have sent a clear message in favour of a right-wing government led by Brothers of Italy," she told reporters in Rome, holding up a sign saying "Thank you Italy".

She is predicted to win up to 26% of the vote, based on provisional results, ahead of her closest rival Enrico Letta from the centre left.

Ms Meloni's right-wing alliance - which also includes Matteo Salvini's far-right League and former PM Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia - now looks to have control of both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, with around 44% of the vote.

Her own party's dramatic success in the vote disguised the fact that her allies performed poorly, with Mr Salvini's party slipping below 9%, and Forza Italia even lower. Four years ago, Brothers of Italy won little more than 4% of the vote but this time benefited from staying out of the national unity government that collapsed in July.

The decision on who becomes Italy's next leader is up to the president, Sergio Mattarella, and that will take time.

Although Giorgia Meloni has worked hard to soften her image, emphasising her support for Ukraine and diluting anti-EU rhetoric, she leads a party rooted in a post-war movement that rose out of dictator Benito Mussolini's fascists.

Earlier this year she outlined her priorities in a raucous speech to Spain's far-right Vox party: "Yes to the natural family, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology... no to Islamist violence, yes to secure borders, no to mass migration... no to big international finance... no to the bureaucrats of Brussels!"

Describing changes. The world of statistics

 

Verbs to describe an upward trend

The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes up.

• climb (past: climbed)
• go up (past: went up)
• grow (past: grew)
• increase (past: increased)
• jump (past: jumped)
• rise (past: rose)
• rocket (past: rocketed)

Sentence examples using words that show an upward trend:

• The number of enrolments increased significantly between 2005 and 2010.
• Production rose from 800 units in May to 1000 units the following month.

Verbs to describe a downward trend

The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes down.

• decline (past: declined)
• decrease (past: decreased)
• drop (past: dropped)
• fall (past: fell)
• go down (past: went down)
• plummet (past: plummeted) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value
• plunge (past: plunged) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value

Plunge and Plummet, when describing trends, have the same meaning.

Sentence examples using words that show a downward trend:

• Prices of Model X dropped significantly once Model Y became available on the market.
• Company profits decreased in 2013 by 15%.

Words and phrases used to describe a stable trend

To describe a more or less stable pattern, you can use the following expressions:

• maintain (past: maintained)
• remain (past: remained)
• stay (past: stayed)
• constant
• stable
• steady
• unchanged

Adverbs used when describing trends

Adverbs describe HOW something happens. They usually come after a verb.

• sharply, rapidly, quickly, steeply
• considerably, significantly, substantially
• steadily, gradually, moderately
• slightly, slowly

Nouns used when describing trends

• decline
• decrease
• dip (a momentarily small drop in the level of something)
• drop
• fall
• fluctuation (= an irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation)
• growth
• increase
• peak (= the highest point)
• rise
• slump (= a severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something)
• variation (= a change or difference in condition, amount, or level)

Prepositions for graphs,trends and statistics 

Prepositions when they try to use statistics to describe graphs and trends. 

Prepositions for graphs and statistics (PDF)

Prepositions for graphs and statistics

Describing  graphs and trends: making sentences  worksheet 

This is  a worksheet to help  English language learners write and talk about graphs and trends. Students try to write appropriate sentences for the pictures using the vocabulary at the bottom of the page.

Describing graphs sentence writing (PDF)

Listen to the audio and fill in the missing words

Describing graphs vocabulary and sentence writing (PDF)

(see the video version on Youtube)

Describing graphs and sentence writing

Describing graphs and trends

Warming up. Getting to know each other

 

 All about me

Welcome back. Year 22-23

1st Bach. Year 2022-23

• Decreto 73/2022, de 27 de julio, por el que se establece el currículo de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y del Bachillerato en la Comunidad Autónoma de Cantabria
• Orden EDU/42/2022, de 8 de agosto, por la que se dictan instrucciones para la implantación del Bachillerato en la Comunidad Autónoma de Cantabria.

La Segunda Lengua Extranjera en la etapa de Bachillerato tiene como objetivo principal la adquisición de la competencia comunicativa en la lengua extranjera, de modo que permita al alumnado comprender, expresarse e interactuar en dicha lengua con eficacia, fluidez y corrección, así como el enriquecimiento y la expansión de su conciencia intercultural.

Specific competences:

1.  Understanading and interpreting texts.
2.  Text production (oral and written)
3.  Active interaction and co-production (oral and written)
4.  Language mediation (oral and written)
5.  Luinguistic repertoire and plurilinguism
6.  Diversity awareness (linguistic, cultural and artistic). Critical assessment

Criteria for evaluation.

• Based on the specific competences and the development of the different skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing, Interaction (oral and written) and mediation (oral and written). Homework, tasks, attitude and participation.

Essential/key knowledge:

• Communication
• Plurilinguism and language reflection
• Intercultural awareness

Ready for C1 Advanced.  STUDENTS BOOK WITHOUT KEY. Amanda French y Roy Norris.MacMillan. ISBN  9781380052445

Tienda online de la editorial:

https://tienda.macmillan.es/es/782-ready-for-c1-4th-edition

1 Aiming high   

2 Times change 

3 Gathering information 

4 Work time 

5 Getting on 

6 All in the mind? 

7 Feeling good 

8 This is the modern world 

9 Going places 

10 House and home 

11 A cultural education 

12 The world about us 

13 Food for thought 

14 Money matters