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Have to must should

Modals for obligation and advice

Listening sites

British Council

Great for practising listenings with a British accent.

VOA Learning English

Great for listening to news delivered by American reporters.

Elllo

A compendium of listenings from all walks of life. Grouped by level and topic. Cool place!

BBC Learning English

Simply marvellous! Give it a try.

TED talks

Talks worth listening to. Inspiring ideas, great voices.

ESL-Lab

Cool place to practice, with exercises. American English.

Word formation

Hey there! I’ve noticed throughout our lessons that more practice related to word formation is needed. Here I´m leaving you all the possible choices regarding this topic. Wish you good luck, and for queries, see you in class!

WF verbs

WF nouns with -ion

WF verbs and adjectives

WF adjectives ful/less

WF negatives

WF nounsWF irregular nouns

WF difficult ones

Past Perfect FCE

past perfect simple

past perfect continuous

Present perfect FCE

Here I’m leaving some exercises according to your level! Good luck! 🙂

exercise 1

exercise 2

exercise 3

exercise 4

Question tags. They are kind of cool, aren’t they?

We add question tags to the end of statements to turn them into questions. They are used in spoken language, especially when we want to check something is true, or invite people to agree with you.

They are mainly used in speech when we want to:

• confirm that something is true or not, or
• to encourage a reply from the person we are speaking to.

Question tags are formed with the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement and the appropriate subject.

A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag.

• Jack is from Spain, isn’t he?
• Mary can speak English, can’t she?

A negative statement is followed by a positive question tag.

• They aren’t funny, are they?
• He shouldn’t say things like that, should he?

When the verb in the main sentence is in the present simple we form the question tag with do / does.

• You play the guitar, don’t you?
• Alison likes tennis, doesn’t she?

If the verb is in the past simple we use did.

• They went to the cinema, didn’t they?
• She studied in New Zealand, didn’t she?

When the statement contains a word with a negative meaning, the question tag needs to be positive

• He hardly ever speaks, does he?
• They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?

Question Tags Summary Charts

(taken from http://www.grammar.cl/Intermediate/Question_Tags.htm)

Practice

tags 1

tags 2

tags 3

The Passive: have something done (Causative have)

We use a causative verb when we want to talk about something that someone else did for us or for another person. It means that the subject caused the action to happen, but didn’t do it themselves. Maybe they paid, or asked, or persuaded the other person to do it. For example, we can say:

• I cleaned my house. (This means I cleaned it myself).

If I paid someone to clean it, of course I can say:

• A cleaner cleaned my house.

But, another way is to use a causative construction. So I can also say:

• I had my house cleaned.

In a sense, using a causative verb is similar to using a passive. The important thing is that the house is now clean. We don’t focus on who did the cleaning.

Have + object + past participle (have something done)

We usually use ‘have something done’ when we are talking about paying someone to do something for us. It’s often used for services. The form is ‘subject + have + object + past participle’.

• I had my car washed.
• John will have his house painted.

Get + object + past participle (get something done)

We can also use ‘subject + get + object + past participle’. This has the same meaning as ‘have’, but is less formal.

• The students get their essays checked.
• I’ll get my hair cut next week.
• He got his washing machine fixed.

Have someone do something (have + person + infinitive)

We can also use the construction ‘subject + have + person + infinitive’. This has a very similar meaning to ‘have something done’, which we’ve already talked about, but this time we say who did the thing – we talk about the person who we asked to do the thing for us.

• I had the electrician look at my broken light.
• The doctor will have the nurse call the patients.
• The teacher had the students write the answers on the whiteboard.

Get someone to do something (get + person + to + infinitive)

Finally, we can also use the construction ‘get + someone + to + infinitive’. Again, this means that you cause the other person to do the action, maybe by paying them to do it, or by asking them to do it, or by persuading them to do it.

• She gets her son to do his homework by promising him ice cream when he’s finished.
• I got the cleaner to clean under the cupboards.

Sometimes, this construction has the feeling that we needed to convince someone to do something, while the other constructions on this page are neutral.

Practice:

Causatives 1

Causatives 2

The Passive

When should we use the Passive?

1. When we want to change the focus of the sentence:
   • The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (We are more interested in the painting than the artist in this sentence)
2. When who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant or obvious or ‘people in general’:
   • He was arrested (obvious agent, the police).
   • My bike has been stolen (unknown agent).
   • The road is being repaired (unimportant agent).
   • The form can be obtained from the post office (people in general).
3. In factual or scientific writing:
   • The chemical is placed in a test tube and the data entered into the computer.
4. In formal writing instead of using someone/ people/ they (these can be used in speaking or informal writing):
   • The brochure will be finished next month.
5. In order to put the new information at the end of the sentence to improve style:
   • Three books are used regularly in the class. The books were written by Dr. Bell. (‘Dr. Bell wrote the books’ sound clumsy)
6. When the subject is very long:
   • I was surprised by how well the students did in the test. (More natural than: ‘how well the students did in the test surprised me’)

An active sentence like I drank two cups of coffee has the subject first (the person or thing that does the verb), followed by the verb, and finally the object (the person or thing that the action happens to).

So, in this example, the subject is ‘I’, the verb is ‘drank’ and the object is ‘two cups of coffee’.

But, we don’t always need to make sentences this way. We might want to put the object first, or perhaps we don’t want to say who did something. This can happen for lots of reasons (see the explanation further down the page). In this case, we can use a passive, which puts the object first:

• Two cups of coffee were drunk (we can add ‘by me’ if we want, but it isn’t necessary).

How to make the Passive in English

We make the passive by putting the verb ‘to be’ into whatever tense we need and then adding the past participle. For regular verbs, we make the past participle by adding ‘ed’ to the infinitive. So play becomes played. Click here to learn about irregular verbs.

Tense	Active	Passive
present simple	I make a cake.	A cake is made (by me).
present continuous	I am making a cake.	A cake is being made (by me).
past simple	I made a cake.	A cake was made (by me).
past continuous	I was making a cake.	A cake was being made(by me).
present perfect	I have made a cake.	A cake has been made (by me).
pres. perf. continuous	I have been making a cake.	A cake has been being made (by me).
past perfect	I had made a cake.	A cake had been made(by me).
future simple	I will make a cake.	A cake will be made (by me).
future perfect	I will have madea cake.	A cake will have been made (by me).

Exercises here:

Exercise 1:  present simple passive 

Exercise 2: past simpel passive

Exercise 3: present perfect passive

Exercise 4: Future simple passive

Exercise 5: Mixed tense passive

Exercise 6: verbs with 2 objects

Writing essays CAE

CAE – essay

Paper 2 Part 1 – Essay

The Part 1 question will be an essay on a given topic. A set of notes on the topic will be provided, and will include three bullet points. Candidates will be asked to select two of the bullet points and to base their essay on those two points. They should not attempt to discuss more than two of the points, as this will lead to the essay being less developed than required. Candidates will also be asked to explain which of the two points is more important in a given respect, and to give reasons for their opinion.
Candidates will be given three short opinions related to the bullet points. They may, if they wish, use these to help develop their essay, but they should do so in their own words, as far as possible.

AN ESSAY is usually written for an academic tutor and may be a follow-up to an activity, such as attending a panel discussion or watching a documentary. It should be well organised, with an introduction, clear development, and an appropriate conclusion. The main purpose of an essay in the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Writing paper is to underline relevant salient issues on a topic, and to support an argument with subsidiary points and reasons.

Hints

• [PLANNING]
  – Use the task input to help you plan but try to avoid copying phrases from the input in Part 1. Use your own words.
• [INTRODUCTION and CONCLUSION]
  – Effective introductory and concluding paragraphs – In the introduction, state the topic clearly, give a brief outline of the issue, saying why it is important or why people have different opinions about it.
  – DO NOT express you opinion at the beginning of your essay (develop you essay in such a way that it guides the reader to the conclusion you draw).
  – DO give your opinion in the final paragraph.
• [SECOND and THIRD PARAGRAPHS]
  – Structure your argument. – Each new paragraph has one main idea, stated in a topic sentence.
  – Include relevant details to support the main idea: these might include examples, rhetorical questions (do no overdo it), controversial or surprising statements… If you include a drawback, give a possible solution, too.
• [GENERAL]
  – DO use a relatively formal register and an objective tone. Do not be too emotional.
  – Remember to use linking adverbials to organise your ideas and to make it easy for the reader to follow your argument.
  – In the exam, allow yourself time to check your grammar, spelling and punctuation thoroughly.

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Model questions and answers

Essay 1 – Model question

TASK

Your class has attended a panel discussion on what methods governments should use to discourage the use of private cars in the centre of the city. You have made the notes below.

Methods governments coud use to discourage the use of private cars in the city centre
• investment
• education ✔
• taxes ✔

Some opinions expressed in the discussion
‘Make businesses pay parking levies for their employees and they’ll move out of the city centre.’
‘Improve the public transport system, then people won’t need their cars.’
‘If people understood how much better pedestrianised ciyt centres are, they wouldn’t want to bring their cars in.’

Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the methods in your notes. You should explain which method you think is more important for governments to consider, giving reasons to support your opinion.

You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed in the discussion but you should use your own words as far as possible. Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

Essay 1 – Model answer

Too much traffic is a major headache for everyone in the city due to the noise, pollution and, of course, terrible delays during the rush hour. How can the government reduce traffic and dissuade people from driving their cars into the centre every day? In this essay, I will discuss two possible approaches to this pressing yet complex issue.

The first option to consider is an education campaign which could comprise of visual and radio advertising, presentations to businesses and special designated days such as ‘Wall to Work day’. Compared to the high cost of significantly upgrading our public transport system, advertising is relatively low-cost and straightforward to implement. On the other hand, it is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of such campaign in advance because it relies on individuals changing their ingrained habits.

A second alternative would be to levy a tax on parking in the city. This could be applied both to businesses and directly to consumers. While it is true that this would have immediate gains in revenue and change behaviour, taxes are unpopular and could also place unfair pressure on small businesses and individuals who do not have other transport options for work.

In my view, a multi-faceted education campaign would be the most effective starting point. In the future, a tax could be a possible option but it would be tolerated better once citizens are educated about the benefits of fewer cars and a more pedestrianised centre.

[+/- 240 words]

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Essay 2 – Model question

TASK

Your class has attended a panel discussion on the action governments can take to promote health and fitness among young people. You have made the notes below.

Action to promote health and fitness among young people
• improve teaching in schools.
• improves attitudes to competitiveness.
• improve the image of sports.

Some opinions expressed during the discussion
‘There need to be specialist sports teachers for children and students of all ages.’
‘Some young people are put off by the pressure to compete.’
‘A lot of young people don’t think it’s cool to take part in sports.’

Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the actions in your notes. You should explain which action you think is more important, giving reasons to support your opinion.

You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed during the discussion but you should use your own words as far as possible.

Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

Essay 2 – Model answer

We often hear about the many benefits of health and fitness. However, less often do we hear concrete suggestions for how to improve participation rates, particularly among young people. In this essay I will discuss two possible actions that governments could focus on in order to promote health and fitness to youth today.

The first possible action is to improve physical education teaching in schools. Local students have at times complained that the curriculum is rigid and emphasises repetitive activities instead of team sports and enjoyment. Better role models and more adventurous options could lead to improved attitude and participation. Naturally, employing specialist sports teachers would incur considerable cost.

A second option would be to attempt to change the overly competitive attitudes that seem ingrained in many of the sports competitions for youngsters. When adults such as parents and teachers focus on winning above having a good time, it puts undue pressure on the participants. They may feel a sense of failure if they lose and also be less inclined to try a new sport.

To sum up, either approach would be a step in the right direction. In my view, it would be wise to prioritise dealing with reducing competitiveness first because I believe it would help young people feel better about the sports they already do. They could then, in turn, influence their friends to join in.

[+/- 220 words]

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Essay 3 – Model question

TASK

Your class has attended a lecture on the action governments can take to make sure cultural heritage is preserved for future generations. You have made the notes below.

Priorities for governments aiming to preserve cultural heritage
• increase funding for museums.
• protect old buildings.
• teach the importance of cultural heritage in schools.

Some opinions expressed in the discussion
‘Cultural heritage isn’t just about buildings – it’s about a way of life.’
‘It’s the responsibility of the older generation to pass on a cultural heritage to the next generation.’
‘Museums are the best places to keep shared memories of a community.’

Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the priorities in your notes. You should explain which priority you think is more important, giving reasons to support your opinion.

You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed in the discussion but you should use your own words as far as possible.

Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

Essay 3 – Model answer

Cultural heritage is an invaluable asset for all generations to enjoy. It is about knowing where we have come from and having pride in the place we live. In this essay I will discuss two priorities for the government’s support of the cultural heritage in our community.

The first idea is to increase funding to museums. People say that museums are the heart of cultural heritage preservation. Not only do they display objects, they also teach and provide information about them. Increased funding could attract better care of objects, more specialised staff and more fun displays, in turn attracting more people to visit and learn. On the other hand, I would argue that it’s unreasonable to expect governments to give more money to museums when they have got more important things to spend people’s taxes on.

The second idea is to protect old buildings. It has become clear in recent years that governments can no longer afford to provide generous grants to help people maintain their historically significant houses. I am sure there are many voluntary organisations which would be prepared to work on conservation projects. Nevertheless, the government could provide protection to ensure that old buildings are not demolished or transformed out of character.

In my view, the most pressing priority is to provide protective legislation for old homes and buildings. I’m not alone in my concern about the loss of historical features which take such pride of place in and give character to our communities.

[+/- 240 words]

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Essay 4 – Model question

TASK

Your class has been involved in a discussion on whether a dress code should be introduced at the college where you are studying. You have made the notes below.

Advantages of proposed dress code
• image of college.
• health and safety.
• discipline.

Some opinions expressed in the discussion:
‘Wearing more formal clothes will prepare students for the workplace.’
‘College isn’t work or school, so students should be free to wear what they want.’
‘Students are turning up to college in inappropriate clothes more frequently, so it’s time for a dress code.’

Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the advantages in your notes. You should explain which of the advantages you think would be most important for the college to consider in deciding whether to introduce a dress code, giving reasons to support your opinion.

You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed during the discussion but you should use your own words as far as possible.

Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

Essay 4 – Model answer

Introducing a dress code

We often hear that it is important for young people to be able to express themselves by what they wear. At our college, our lack of clothing guidelines has led some students to dress in a way that compromises both safety and our reputation in the community. Items of concern include ripped clothing, hoods that obscure the face, offensive T-shirts and very high platform heels. In this essay, I will discuss two advantages of introducing a dress code at our college.

The image that we present to the community is important for a number of reasons, but primarily because overly casual dress makes it more difficult to place students in homestays and on work experience. Recently, this problem seems to have escalated as we have received some phone complaints about students’ scruffy appearance. Additionally, it has come to my attention that a few students have worn T-shirts with slogans that could be considered xenophobic. It seems obvious that implementing a dress code will improve the college’s image.

With regard to health and safety, three students have fallen down the stairs during the last month. One of them, who had been wearing a pair of stiletto heels at the time, unfortunately broke her leg. I have grave concerns that without a dress code outlining suitable footwear choices, further accidents may be inevitable.

In my view, keeping people safe at our school is our responsibility. Consequently, this is the most pressing reason why it is time to introduce a dress code, even if it is initially unpopular with the student body.

[+/- 255 words]

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Essay 5 – Model question

TASK

You have attended a Science Club lecture on how schools could encourage young people to train for careers in science. You have made the notes below.

Ways in which schools could encourage young people to train for careers in science
• enjoyable science lessons.
• careers advice.
• guest lectures from professional scientists.

Some opinions expressed in the discussion:
‘Kids should be able to design their own experiments.’
‘A lot of the careers advice given is already out of date.’
‘A lot of the scientists are too busy to spend time visiting schools.’

Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the methods in your notes. You should explain which method you think is more important for governments to consider, giving reasons to support your opinion.

You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed during the discussion but you should use your own words as far as possible.

Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

Essay 5 – Model answer

Ways to encourage young people to train for careers in science

Nowadays we frequently hear about the lack of students pursuing scientific careers. How can we demostrate to the younger generation that science is a rewarding and satisfying field? In this essay I will discuss two methods that schools could employ to help persuade teenagers to consider further study in this area.

One possible approach would be to ensure that career advisors are on board by providing them with materials, training and even incentives for promoting science. While this would be fairly easy to implement superficially, a lot of information dates extremely quickly. In addition, generally speaking, career advisors have little background themselves in physics, chemistry and biology and therefore may not be able to drum up genuine enthusiasm.

A second tactic that schools might take would be to invite scientists to come to their school to talk about their work. What migh prove difficult would be to secure the scientists themselves, as they are often extremely busy. It would also be crucial to enlist experts able to relate to adolescents or they might actually have an adverse effect.

Overall, I would say that the most effective measure would be to have guest speakers. Hearing an exciting story from the field is much more likely to influence career choice than some second-hand advice.

[+/- 215 words]

– See more at: http://www.rubenvalero.com/english/content/cae-essay#sthash.Al1gPOU7.dpuf

Writing a review FCE

FCE – review

Paper 2 Part 2 – Review

A REVIEW is usually written for an English-language magazine, newspaper or website. The main purpose is to describe and express a personal opinion about something which the writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday, a product, a website etc.) and to give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is like. Description and explanation are key functions for this task, and a review will normally include a recommendation to the reader.

Hints

• It is a good idea to give your review an interesting title.
• In the first paragraph, say what you are reviewing and try to get the reader’s interest.
• Give your opinion of what you are reviewing linked to the question in the second paragraph. Remember a review is not just a list of facts – it’s largely your opinion.
• Give more details of what your are reviewing linked to the questions in the input in one or two more paragraphs, but only focus on those you’ve been asked to develop.
• Summarise your view, using different words from the introduction, and include a recommendation.
• Remember.
  • Use a personal or more neutral style, according to the target reader.
  • It is important that you show a range of structures in the language of opinion, description and recommendation.
  • Add vivid language to add interest.

Useful language for a review

What I liked

• What I liked most was …..
• The thing I liked most was ….
• I was pleasantly surprised by …..
• ….. would appeal to …..
• If you get a chance to ….

What I disliked

• What I disliked most was …..
• I was disappointed by/with ……

Reviews of books

• main character
• is set in
• Fiction: science fiction / thriller / fantasy / mystery / historical / romance …
• Non-fiction: cook book / travel book / textbook / manual / coffee-table book …
• atmosphere / plot
• author
• written by
• chapter
• factual
• unbelievable
• bestseller
• ending

Reviews of concerts

• artist / band / musician / (bass/lead/rhythm) guitarist / (backing/lead) singer / drummer / soloist / trio / orchestra
• auditorium / hall / venue / lyrics / (catchy) tune / score / gig

Reviews of exhibitions

• painting / sculpture / handicrafts
• gallery / catalogue / display

Reviews of films

• lead role
• star role
• star
• star actor/actress
• starring
• secondary role
• He plays a …….
• written by ….
• cast / director / producer
• is set in …..
• based on a true story …..
• believable
• true to life
• not very believable
• far-fetched
• (As for fiction books +): animation / adaptation / comedy
• Costumes / design / photography / script / special effects / soundtrack
• ending

Reviews of TV programmes

• Chat shows / current affairs programme / debate / documentary / series / soap opera/ sitcom (situation comedy)
• Host / presenter

Reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc

• location
• service
• setting
• attractive / disappointing setting
• owned by
• run by
• head chef (restaurant)
• waiters (restaurant)
• staff …….
• staff at reception …….(hotel)
• hotel facilities ….
• reasonable prices …..
• good/excellent/poor value for money …..
• (a bit/somehow) expensive
• overpriced
• not worth the money
• always fully booked
• book in advance

Criticism

• The script seemed rather conventional/predictable to me.
• The plot struck me as completely bizarre/absurd/incomprehensible
• The characters are appealing and true to life
• The dancers were quite brilliant/amateurish

Recommendations

• Judging from this CD / show …
• Overall, if you like …, you’ll love / you should …
• Although some of … he/she/it’s still a great…
• You really must/should buy/see/read/visit …
• I would definitely recommend seeing/visiting/reading/having a look at …

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Model questions and answers

Review- Model question 1

TASK

You have seen this announcement in your college English-language magazine.

Music reviews wanted

Have you been to a great music concert recently?
Write us a review of the concert, telling us about the band or singer and their performance. Say whether you would recommend seeing them perform live.
We will publish the best reviews next month.

Write your review in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

Review – Model answer 1

A gig to remember

Without doubt, the British rock band Arctic Monkeys have given this year’s best live show. As teenagers a few years ago, they made the fastest selling album ever but seemed shy and awkward on stage. Now they have matured and become an amazing live act.

Since the frontman Alex decided to cut his hair and dress like a skinny rock star of the 1950s, he moves confidently around the stage, waving his arms and encouraging us to shake our hips. The crowd were ecstatic!

The set began with their hit, Do you wanna know. The guitar playing was tight, as always, and the rhythm supported by Matt’s powerful drumming. The band were on top form throughout, winning fans with a list that combined older with new hits.

My only reservation is that although the songs have clever lyrics and great melodies and sound fresh every time, some lack the emotional and poetic force of their best.

But this is a minor criticism. Overall, it was a performance to remember and all fans should try and catch them while they’re on tour.

[+/- 185 words]

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Review- Model question 2

TASK

You have seen this announcement in an international magazine.

Book reviews wanted

Have your read a book recently with a story that has held your attention? Write a review of the book, explaining what the story is about and whether the characters are convincing. Tell us whether or not you would recommend it both to younger and older readers
The best reviews will be published in the magazine.

Write your review in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

Review – Model answer 2

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

This is an unusual book, set on a farm. The characters, led by the pigs, are mainly animals, who get rid of the cruel, drunken human owner and take over the farm. They set up a government of their own.

The story isn’t exciting but it’s clever. At first, after the revolution, the animals are equal but later the pigs become more powerful and start to change everything. By the end of the novel, the animals realise they have gone back to where they started.

In one way, the story is obviously not a true story but in another way, it is meant to tell the story of communism from a satirical point of view.

The characters are very convincing. Napoleon, the leader of the pigs, is strong and corrupt. Other animals are honest but weak. They all represent people and the events in Russia in the 1920s and 30s.

Although I enjoyed this book, I can imagine older people who were brought up when communism was still strong in the world and have probably read a lot about the Russian Revolution, would enjoy it even more.

[+/- 190 words]