Natural Disasters- Describing/Listening

1. How many people died at the Japan tsunami?
2. When do fire tornados occur?
3. What can ash clouds after eruption cause?
4. How many people were affected by Katrina hurricane?
5. What did the meteor produce?
6. When and where did the tropical typhoon in Asia take place?
7. How many people died at the Japanese volcanic eruption?
8. What was the Ritcher magnitude in the Haiti earthquake?
9. What happened on Boxing Day 2004?
10. How many injured people were there at the Nepal earthquake?

Describing- narrating: Books and genres...

Questionnaire:

• What is your favorite story?
• Who is your favorite author?
• Who is your favorite character?
• What is your favorite genre?
  • Action
  • Mystery
  • Suspence
  • Detective
  • Science Fiction
  • Children's books
  • War
  • Non-fiction
  • Travel books
  • Self-help books
  • History
  • Biography
  • Autobiography
  • Gothic
  • Classic Literature
  • Modern Literature
• What is the longest book you have ever read?
  • How long did it take you to read it?
• Have you ever belonged to a book club?
  • What books did you read?
• What is the funniest book you have ever read?
• The saddest?
  • The strangest?
• How many books have you read in your life?
• Is there a time in your life when you read all the time?
• How many hours do you spend reading in a week?
• Have you ever been to a book signing or met an author?
• Do you have any ideas for a story for you to write?
• Do you read books based on recommendations?
• What are some of the books that were recommended to you?
• Were you ever given a bad recommendation?
• Did it change your opinion of the person who recommended the book?
• What books have you recommended for other people?
• How often do you go to the library?
• How many books do you check out at a time?
• How do you choose the books you are going to read?
• How important is the cover of the book.
• Do you watch the movie that came from a book?
• Most people say the book is better than the movie. Is this true for you?
• Did you enjoy reading books in school?
• What was your favorite book growing up?
• Is there a book that you have read more than once?
  • What was the title?
  • How many times did you read it?
• Is there a book you just couldn't finish?
  • What was the title?
• What is your favorite time of day for reading?
• Where is your favorite place to read?
• Do you listen to music while you read?
• Do you often read book before go to bed?
• What factors are important to you when choosing a book to read?
  • Reviews?
  • A Recommendation from a friend?
  • The front cover?
• What was the last book that you read?
• What is your favorite book of all time?
• Have you ever read a book and then watched the movie? Which was better? Why?
• Who is the most famous writer from your country?
  • Have you read any of their books?
  • Do you think that they are overrated?
• What genre of book do you enjoy most?
• Have you ever tried to read a book in English?
• Do you think that it is more valuable to read a book than to watch television?
• Have you ever lent books to your friends and never got them back?

Book Talk Builder 

• Title: ________________________________ 
• Author: ______________________________ 
• Genre: _______________________________ 

• List the main characters, with a sentence describing each one. 
• Describe the setting. 
• Summarize the plot in a sentence or two. 
• What conflict is present in the book? 
• What were the three most exciting or interesting moments of the book? 
• List three reasons why you think others will enjoy this book.

Vocabulary. Definitions

• an action movie: a film with fast moving scenes, often containing violence
• to be engrossed in: to be completely focused on one thing
• bedtime reading: something to read in bed before you go to sleep
• to be a big reader: someone who reads a lot
• to be based on: to use as a modal
• to be heavy-going: difficult to read
• a blockbuster: a film that is a big commercial success
• to catch the latest movie: to see a film that has just come out
• the central character: the main person in a film or book
• a classic: of the highest quality
• to come highly recommended: to be praised by another person
• couldn’t put it down: wasn’t able to stop reading a book
• an e-book: a digital book
• an e-reader: a device for reading e-books
• to flick through: to look quickly through a book
• to get a good/bad review: to receive positive or negative feedback
• to go on general release: when a film can be seen by the general public
• hardback: a book with a rigid cover (see ‘paperback’ below)
• a historical novel: a story set in the past
• a low budget film: a film made with a small amount of money
• on the big screen: at the cinema
• a page turner: a book that you want to keep reading
• paperback: a book with a flexible cover (see ‘hardback’ above)
• plot: the main events in a film or book
• to read something from cover to cover: to read a book from the first page to the last
• sci-fi: science fiction
• to see a film: to see a film at the cinema (see ‘watch a film’ below)
• the setting: where the action takes place
• showings: performances of a film
• soundtrack: the music that accompanies a film
• special effects: the visuals or sounds that are added to a film which are difficult to produce naturally
• to take out (a book from the library): to borrow a book from the library
• to tell the story of: to outline the details of someone’s life or an event
• to watch a film: to watch a film on TV (see ‘to see a film’ above)

Idioms:

bookworm  – a person who loves to read and is devoted to reading
book smart – to be very smart or successful in scholastic way (from knowledge in books), but not very smart or successful in real world interactions
an open book – to have very evident and clear emotions and thoughts
to hit the books – to study hard
to read the fine print – to read carefully; to know all the information that is contained in a large document, such as a contact
to read between the lines – to try to understand something that is not expressed openly or explicitly; a synonym to this phrase is the verb ‘to infer’
 “Read my lips!” – This phrase means ‘listen very carefully.’ It is used to emphasize the importance of what a person is saying. This phrase was famously used by the George H. Bush when he was running for President of the United States in 1988. At that time he said, “Read my lips, no new taxes!”
to read someone the riot act – to give someone a strong scolding or to talk to someone severely; to yell at someone
spell bound – to hold someone’s attention completely; a synonym for this phrase is ‘fascinated’
“that’s one for the books” – This phrase is used to say that something is ‘amazing,’ ‘wonderful’ or ‘impressive.’
“you can’t judge a book by its cover” – This idioms is used to say, ‘you should not judge people by their appearance alone.’ This idiom also is used to remind people that the outside of something is not always the same as the inside.

British vs American English

Annabel Lee-E. A. Poe

Students 4th ESO (AR 2016-17)

Grammar- Relative Clauses

Relative Clauses

We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words.

How to Form Relative Clauses 

Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You want to know who she is and ask a friend whether he knows her. You could say:

A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?

That sounds rather complicated, doesn't it? It would be easier with a relative clause: you put both pieces of information into one sentence. Start with the most important thing  – you want to know who the girl is.

Do you know the girl …

As your friend cannot know which girl you are talking about, you need to put in the additional information  – the girl is talking to Tom. Use „the girl“ only in the first part of the sentence, in the second part replace it with the relative pronoun (for people, use the relative pronoun „who“). So the final sentence is:

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Relative Pronouns 

relative pronoun	use	example
who	subject or object pronoun for people	I told you about the woman who lives next door.
which	subject or object pronoun for animals and things	Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof?
which	referring to a whole sentence	He couldn’t read which surprised me.
whose	possession for people animals and things	Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse?
whom	object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who)	I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference.
that	subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also possible)	I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen.

Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun? 

Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used for subject and object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows:

If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used.

the apple which is lying on the table

If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses.

the apple (which) George lay on the table

Relative Adverbs 

A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition. This often makes the sentence easier to understand.

This is the shop in which I bought my bike.
→ This is the shop where I bought my bike.

relative adverb	meaning	use	example
when	in/on which	refers to a time expression	the day when we met him
where	in/at which	refers to a place	the place where we met him
why	for which	refers to a reason	the reason why we met him

Defining Relative Clauses 

Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive relative clauses) give detailed information defining a general term or expression. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas.

Imagine, Tom is in a room with five girls. One girl is talking to Tom and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause defines which of the five girls you mean.

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Defining relative clauses are often used in definitions.

A seaman is someone who works on a ship.

Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with a relative clause without the relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.)

The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice.

Non-Defining Relative Clauses 

Non-defining relative clauses (also called non-identifying relative clauses or non-restrictive relative clauses) give additional information on something, but do not define it. Non-defining relative clauses are put in commas.

Imagine, Tom is in a room with only one girl. The two are talking to each other and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause is non-defining because in this situation it is obvious which girl you mean.

Do you know the girl, who is talking to Tom?

Note: In non-defining relative clauses, who/which may not be replaced with that.

Object pronouns in non-defining relative clauses must be used.

Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice.

How to Shorten Relative Clauses? 

Relative clauses with who, which, that as subject pronoun can be replaced with a participle. This makes the sentence shorter and easier to understand.

I told you about the woman who lives next door. – I told you about the woman living next door.

Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? – Do you see the cat lying on the roof?

Exercises on Relative Clauses

Relative Pronouns and Relative Adverbs

• Exercise on Relative Pronouns 
• Subject Pronouns or Object Pronouns? 
• Relative Pronouns – Necessary or not? 
• Relative Pronouns – Necessary or not? 
• Relative Adverbs 
• Relative Pronouns in the Text „Stonehenge“ (who/which) 

Grammar: Past tenses.

Simple Past – Past Perfect Simple

Form

Simple Past	Past Perfect Simple
2nd column of irregular verbs Example: I spoke	had + 3rd column of irregular verbs Example: I had spoken
regular verbs: infinitive + ed Example: I worked	regular verbs: form of have + infinitive + ed Example: I had worked
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding ed: when the final letter is e, only add d Example: love - loved after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelled after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - worried but: play - played

See also explanations on Simple Past and Past Perfect Simple

Use

We use Simple Past if we give past events in the order in which they occured. However, when we look back from a certain time in the past to tell what had happened before, we use Past Perfect.

Normal order in the past or looking back to an event before a certain time in the past?

Do you just want to tell what happened some time in the past or do you want to tell what had happened before/up to a certain time in the past?

Simple Past	Past Perfect Simple
some time in the past Example: Jane got up at seven. She opened her birthday presents and then the whole family went to the zoo.	before/up to a certain time in the past Example: Before her sixth birthday, Jane had never been to the zoo.

Signal Words

Simple Past	Past Perfect Simple
first then	already up to then before that day after*

*Note: "After" is only used as a signal word for Past Perfect if it is followed by a subject + verb, meaning that one action had been completed before another action began (the new action is in Simple Past).

Example:

After the family had had breakfast, they went to the zoo.

However, if "after" is followed by object + subject + verb, the verb belongs to the new action and is therefore in Simple Past.

Example:

After her visit to the zoo, Jane was exhausted.

More exceptions with signal words

When

Depending on the situation, "when" can be used with Simple Past or Past Perfect. Compare the following examples:

Example:

When Jane saw the elephants, she was amazed. (at the same time)

When Jane had seen the elephants, she wanted to see the giraffes. (second action happened after the first action had been completed)

When Jane went to see the elephants, she had already seen the lions. (second action had been completed when the first action took place)

Before

"Before" as well can either be used with Simple Past or Past Perfect. If the action after "before" is a new action, use Simple Past. If the action after "before" started (and was not completed) before a certain time in the past, use Past Perfect. Compare the following examples:

Example:

Jane had read a lot about elephants before she went to the zoo.

Jane went to the zoo before she had finished reading her new book about elephants.

Exercises on Simple Past and Past Perfect Simple

• Exercise 1, Exercise 2, Exercise 3, Exercise 4
• Exercise on the text Orlando
• The Visitor, The Pilgrims
• Special use of signal words 1, Special use of signal words 2

Tests on Simple Past and Past Perfect Simple

• Test 1
• Test 2

http://another-teacher.net/IMG/pdf/gotye-voc.pdf

USA Election. Trump Triumphs...

President-elect Donald Trump delivered his victory speech after a historic upset, pledging to be a president for 'every citizen of our land.'

(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY)

Donald Trump stunned the world by winning the title of president-elect early Wednesday, storming to crucial victories in a series of battleground states and emerging the victor of a bitterly fought campaign by a razor-thin margin.