Writing: Formal letter/email

• https://www.bestmytest.com/blog/ielts/ielts-general-writing-task-1-formal-letters-questions
• https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-sample-letters-for-writing-task-1/

You missed an international flight due to a problem at the airport. Write a letter to the airline. In your letter:

• Describe what happened that caused you to miss your flight
• Explain how missing your flight impacted you
• Clearly state what you would like the airline to do

Model Essay

Transition words are highlighted in red
Advanced grammar structures are highlighted in green
Topic vocabulary are highlighted in blue

Dear Sir or Madam, 

I am writing in regards to an international flight that I missed due to reasons beyond my control.

For the past two weeks, I have been traveling for business and speaking at international conferences. Unfortunately, I arrived to the Tokyo airport over three hours delayed yesterday afternoon, due to the technical difficulties experienced by one of your company's aircrafts. Consequently, I missed my connecting flight from Tokyo to Madrid, and could not attend the conference.

As a result of the delay, my company had to send another executive to speak at the conference in Madrid. This is not only a major inconvenience on our end, but it is a costly expenditure as well. Additionally, I have had to pay out of pocket for my lodgings in Madrid.

Since the delay was caused by your aircraft, I hope that you will compensate me for the cost of my lodgings in Madrid as well as my additional flight home to Toronto, Canada.

I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Amanda Traynor

You and your family are moving to another country for work, and you are looking to buy a house there. Write a letter to a property agent. In your letter:

• Introduce yourself and your family
• Describe the type of accommodation that you hope to find
• Give your preference for the location of the accommodation

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing to ask for your assistance in finding accommodation in Rome, Italy.

My name is Hannah Roosk, and I will be relocating with my husband and two teenage children. I have recently been promoted at work, which means that I will be based out of Rome instead of Toronto. We are hoping to emigrate at the end of July.

We are interested in buying a small house on the outskirts of Rome. Given the size of our family, we would be interested in a property with at least two floors, three bedrooms, and a detached garage. As we will be bringing our dog, a garden is an important consideration as well.

We would prefer a suburban location within easy commuting distance of the city centre. Most importantly, we would prefer to be within walking distance of the high school that our children will be attending.

I hope that you will be able to help us with our relocation, and I look forward to hearing your response. 

Yours faithfully,

Hannah Roosk

CV - Cover Letter, an interactive worksheet by Javier Martinez
liveworksheets.com

Modals. Revision 2024

MODALS

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

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.

Grammar Exercise - Modals

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Do the exercise on modal verbs and click on the button to check your answers

(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on modal verbs )

Choose the right modal verb

1. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. You                               mustn't               needn't               may not               should not              buy any.
2. It's a hospital. You                               mustn't               needn't               may not               don't have to              smoke.
3. He had been working for more than 11 hours. He                               must               need               had better               mustn't                be tired after such hard work. He                               may               should               must               had better              prefer to get some rest.
4. I                               could               might               can               must              speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Morocco. But after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I                               may               can               must               need              just say a few things in the language.
5. The teacher said we                               can               needn't               must               should              read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional. But we                               could               need               needn't               mustn't              read it if we don't want to.
6.                               May               Need               Must               Can              you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I                               may not               needn't               can't              .
7. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you                               could               need               needn't               mustn't              to work hard.
8. Take an umbrella. It                               need               should               mustn't               might              rain later.
9. You                               shouldn't               need               needn't               may not              leave small objects lying around . Such objects                               must               need               may               mustn't              be swallowed by children.
10. People                               couldn't               needn't               mustn't               may not              walk on grass.
11. Drivers                               could               must               may              stop when the traffic lights are red.
12.                               May               Must               Should               Will              I ask a question? Yes, of course.
13. You                               couldn't               needn't               mustn't               may not               take your umbrella. It is not raining.
14.                               Can               Need               Should               May              you speak Italian? No, I                               shouldn't               mustn't               may not               can't              .

Related pages:

• Modals
• Present and past of modals
• Exercise on modals
• Exercise on modals in the past
• Exercise on modals: mustn't or needn't
• Exercise on the meaning of modals
• Must and have to
• Shall and will

 

Modal verbs exercises

• Quiz 1

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• Quiz 2

  ..
• Quiz 3

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• Quiz 4

American elections.

COMPOSITION: OPINION ESSAY:

LOWERING THE VOTING AGE:

16-year-olds are just as knowledgeable about civics and have the same ability to make good voting choices as older voters

Lowering the voting age to 16 increases voter turnout and develops lifelong voting habits.

At age 16, people should have a voice in the laws that affect their lives and a stake in the future of their country.

The vast majority of Americans of all ages and political views agree that 16-year-olds should not be given the right to vote.

The 18-29 age group has extremely low voter turnout numbers, suggesting that people aren't ready to vote until later in life.

Kids under the age of 18 aren't mature enough to participate in elections.

RETIRED PEOPLE BANNED TO VOTE:

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/eu-referendum-old-people-should-not-vote

https://www.quora.com/What-reasons-should-elderly-people-not-be-allowed-to-vote-and-at-what-age

COMPULSORY VOTING:

https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-voting-be-compulsory

https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-voting-be-mandatory

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/03/2020-election-unpredictable-coronavirus-racial-justice-protests/?arc404=true

How much do you know about politics and elections in the United States? Answer the questions.

1. There are two main political parties and they are called

a. Democrats and Conservatives

b. Democrats and Republicans

c. Liberals and Republicans

2. The people who work in the US Congress to make new laws are called

a. Ministers and Senators

b. Representatives and Secretaries

c. Senators and Representatives

3. The US Constitution is

a. the supreme law of the country

b. the highest court of the country

c. what politicians say they are going to do if they win the election

4. Presidential candidates run for office every

a. three years 

b. four years 

c. five years

5. When a new president is inaugurated and takes office, they have to

a. move into the WhiteHouse

b. throw a party for international leaders

c. promise to support the Constitution

6. A president is allowed to hold office for a total of

a. two terms

b. three terms 

c. there is no limit

What do you know about how American presidents are elected? 

What do you know about how American presidents are elected? 

 

The Electoral College (Adapted from usa.gov)

On Election Day in early November, people in every state cast their votes for their preferred candidates. But American voters are not voting directly for their president. They are actually voting for a group of people called electors. In the US, only presidential elections use the electoral college system.

The electoral college works like this: each state gets a certain number of electors, chosen by their political parties and based on the state’s Congressional representation. States with larger populations have more electors than those with smaller populations. The popular vote is counted state by state, rather than nationally. In mid- December, the electors from each state meet to officially select the candidate who won the most votes in that state. The candidate who has more than 270 electoral votes (out of 538) wins the national election.

In most states, it’s winner takes all: whichever candidate has the largest share of the vote captures all the electoral votes for that state.It is possible that a candidate can receive the most votes in the whole country, but still lose the electoral vote.

The electoral college system was written into the Constitution more than 200 years ago, intended as a compromise between a popular vote and a vote in Congress. To change this system, a Constitutional amendment would be required.

https://plus.maths.org/content/maths-minute-dhondt-method

https://www.lavanguardia.com/elecciones/elecciones-generales-2019/cantabria/cantabria

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circunscripci%C3%B3n_electoral_de_Cantabria

Listening- Personal descriptions

 https://english-practice.net/practice-listening-english-exercises-for-b1-character-traits/

https://english-practice.net/listening-exercises-b1-character-traits/

https://english-practice.net/practice-listening-english-exercises-for-b2-personality-traits/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/why-you-should-ditch-fomo-for-jomo/p07qcm4b

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/the-surprising-benefits-of-being-a-loner/p078r9th?playlist=how-it-feels-to-be-human

Elections. Voting ahead

The year 2024 will be the biggest ever year for voting. National elections will take place in around 64 countries, as well as in the European Union. An estimated two billion people – almost half the global population – could vote at some time this year. The results of these polls will bring big changes for the future of many people. Voters in the world's four largest electoral blocs – the EU, India, Indonesia and the USA – will be casting their votes. One of the first contests will be in Taiwan on January the 13th. For much of the year, eyes will be focused on events in the US. In November, there will be a repeat of the 2020 election if Donald Trump runs for President again.

Journalists are worried about how free and fair many elections will be. The website Bloomberg.com has already posed a question that is on the lips of many people. It asked: "Will 2024 be the year fake news destroys democracy?" Bloomberg said bad actors will use artificial intelligence to change the way people vote via phoney news articles. It said there will be "a storm of disinformation and digital manipulation unlike anything the world has ever seen". It added that disinformation has already begun to spread, and that this "gets harder to spot as fake with every passing month". Fact checkers will have to work extra hard to reduce the number of AI-based posts on social media.

Sources:

• https://time.com/6550920/world-elections-2024/
• https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-12-28/elections-2024-fake-news-could-destroy-democracy
• http://www.koreaherald.com/global_insite/view.php

True / False 

1) About 64 countries will hold national elections in 2024. T / F 

2) A maximum of one billion people could vote in elections this year. T / F 

3) Voters in the world's five largest voting blocks will vote. T / F 

4) The first country that will hold elections in 2024 is Malaysia. T / F 

5) A website asked a question that is on many people's lips. T / F 

6) The website said phoney articles will influence the way people vote. T / F 

7) The website said disinformation is already spreading. T / F 

8) Fact checkers have gone on strike due to too many fake news stories. T / F 

Synonym Match (The words in bold are from the news article. 

1. take place 

2. estimated 

3. vote 

4. focused 

5. repeat 

6. worried 

7. posed 

8. phoney 

9. spot 

10. reduce 

a. fixed 

b. put forward 

c. see 

d. go to the polls 

e. fake 

f. rerun 

g. happen 

h. cut 

i. approximate 

j. concerned

DESCRIBING PEOPLE- COLOURFUL CHARACTERS. U3

 

https://quizlet.com/2993017/flashcards?funnelUUID=4a6edc3b-c4e4-44f7-9c82-72f42a13e8e6

Descriptions are read aloud and students will need to determine the identity of the person being described.

Alanis Morissette – Hand in my pocket

To practise: Adjectives, Describing people
Band/singer: Alanis Morissette

Practise adjectives, specifically adjectives that describe people with this song, Hand in my pocket, by Alanis Morissette

The lyrics of this song contain the following 28 adjectives that can describe people: broke, happy, poor, kind, short, healthy, high, grounded, sane, overwhelmed, lost, hopeful, drunk, sober, young, underpaid, tired, restless, free, focused, green, wise, hard, friendly, sad, brave, sick, & pretty. The song also includes the following more generic adjectives: fine, high, gone, wrong & alright

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUjIY_XxF1g