Irregular Verbs

Present Perfect x Simple Past

* click on the picture to view the full image.

Level 6: Passive Voice Exercise

Click on the link below (answer key included)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6dgUspHGwLNQWVveWdraU1zQkk/edit?usp=sharing

See you!

Level 6: Get used to x Be used to - Exercises + Answer Key

Here they are, guys:

Part 1 - Explanation: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6dgUspHGwLNN1RCZEZjcGZaVDQ/edit?usp=sharing

Part 2 - Exercise: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6dgUspHGwLNcU4xRmk2QWhfVkU/edit?usp=sharing

Part 3 - Answer Key: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6dgUspHGwLNVlVJUVczSVFZMDg/edit?usp=sharing

Enjoy!

Top Notch 2: Separable Phrasal Verbs

Click on the link below the picture to access a list of separable phrasal verbs to enhance your knowledge! This is the topic of unit 4. Enjoy :)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/630/02/

Phonetics

Cool video from Rachel. Make sure you follow her on YouTube (Rachel's English)

Video: To x For

Simple Past x Present Perfect

I know this video is reaaaaaaally old, but it helps a lot :) Check it out:

(Nível 5) Present Perfect

This is a nice way of looking at the Present Perfect:

(Level 5) Gerunds x Infinitives

(taken from englishpage.com)

1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence
• Her favorite hobby is reading. complement of sentence
• I enjoy reading. object of sentence

Gerunds can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• He enjoys not working.
• The best thing for your health is not smoking.

2. Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb. The infinitive form of "learn" is "to learn." You can also use an infinitive as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• To learn is important. subject of sentence
• The most important thing is to learn. complement of sentence
• He wants to learn. object of sentence

Infinitives can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• I decided not to go.
• The most important thing is not to give up.

3. Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as the subject or the complement of a sentence. However, as subjects or complements, gerunds usually sound more like normal, spoken English, whereas infinitives sound more abstract. In the following sentences, gerunds sound more natural and would be more common in everyday English. Infinitives emphasize the possibility or potential for something and sound more philosophical. If this sounds confusing, just remember that 90% of the time, you will use a gerund as the subject or complement of a sentence.

Examples:

• Learning is important. normal subject
• To learn is important. abstract subject - less common
• The most important thing is learning. normal complement
• The most important thing is to learn. abstract complement - less common

4. As the object of a sentence, it is more difficult to choose between a gerund or an infinitive. In such situations, gerunds and infinitives are not normally interchangeable. Usually, the main verb in the sentence determines whether you use a gerund or an infinitive.

Examples:

• He enjoys swimming. "Enjoy" requires a gerund.
• He wants to swim. "Want" requires an infinitive.

5. Some verbs are followed by gerunds as objects. List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Examples:

• She suggested going to a movie.
• Mary keeps talking about her problems.

6. Some verbs are followed by infinitives. List of Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Examples:

• She wants to go to a movie.
• Mary needs to talk about her problems

7. Remember that there are many "adjective + preposition" combinations and "noun + preposition" combinations in English as well. These are also followed by gerunds. List of Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds and List of Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds. Once again, you don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

• Sandy is scared of flying. adjective + preposition
• Nick is anxious about taking the examination. adjective + preposition
• His interest in becoming a professional snowboarder was well known. noun + preposition
• Thomas' story about seeing a grizzly bear was really exciting. noun + preposition

8. Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive with little difference in meaning. List of Verbs Followed by a Gerund or Infinitive (Similar Meaning)

Examples:

• She likes swimming.
• She likes to swim

Top Notch 2: Present Perfect

Hey! This is for my Top Notch 2 students (or level 5). Enjoy this big post about the Present Perfect. Make sure to check out the video at the end of the post and try some exercises :)

If you want, you can take this big quiz before you study the rules. Let´s see how much you remember: CLICK HERE.
Lembrem-se que ele se chama Present Perfect por uma razão: tem sempre algo relacionado com o presente de quem fala ou da situação da qual se fala. Comecemos com alguns exemplos:
I have lost my car keys. (Perdi as chaves do meu carro. Não estou com elas agora, portanto não posso entrar no carro.)
Have you done your homework? (Fizeram a tarefa? – Pergunta a professora querendo ver a tarefa feita agora.)
I have broken a glass. (Quebrei um copo. Há cacos de vidro por todos os lugares.)
Why can´t John buy that new car? – He has lost his job. (Por que John não pode comprar aquele carro novo? – Ele perdeu seu emprego. Agora não tem dinheiro para comprar o carro.)
Viram a conexão entre o passado e o presente?
Let´s continue …
O Present Perfect também é usado com uma série de advérbios:
JUST: indica que a ação acabou de acontecer. He has just finished doing his homework. (Ele acabou de terminar de fazer sua tarefa.)
EVER: alguma vez na vida. Have you ever gone hiking in the mountains? (Você já foi fazer trilha nas montanhas?)
ALREADY: já (nas frases afirmativas). I have already been to China. (Eu já estive na China.)
NEVER: nunca. I have never seen such a beautiful thing. (Nunca vi coisa tão Linda.)
YET: 1. já (quando se espera que a resposta seja afirmativa) – Have you done the dishes yet? (Já lavou a louça? – Era esperado que você a lavasse.) – 2. ainda (em frases negativas) – No, I haven´t done the dishes yet. (Não, não lavei a louça ainda.)
SINCE – desde. I have been a teacher since 1992. (Sou professor desde 1992.)
FOR – há, por, faz. I haven´t seen him for a long time. (Não o vejo há/por/faz muito tempo.)
DICAS:
1. Quando a pergunta contiver WHEN nunca use o Present Perfect, sempre use o Simple Past: When did you start studying English?
2. O Present Perfect também é usado para indicar a quantidade de vezes que a pessoa faz algo. Por exemplo: This is the first time I´ve come here. (É a primeira vez que venho aqui.) – She hasn´t been here lately. (Ela não tem vindo aqui ultimamente.)
For exercises, click HERE and HERE.
Check out this cool video about the Present Perfect:

TN2: Present Perfect (aula com áudio)

I love these audio classes...I hope you love them too :)

Clique AQUI para ir à página com o áudio e depois clique no botão play.

Clique AQUI para baixar o material auxiliar com exercícios (arquivo em pdf)

P.S. Aconselho que vocês, ao clicarem nos links, façam-no com o botão direito do mouse e abram em uma nova janela.

Some x Any

Click HERE to check out a very nice post on Tecla Sap Blog about SOME and ANY.

Enjoy, folks!

Top Notch 2: Text

We all use them when we send text messages; now they have been included in the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). They are the online abbreviations OMG, “oh my God”; LOL, “laughing out loud”; FYI, “for your information; and IMHO, “in my humble opinion”. The OED calls them “initialisms” because they are made up of initials. Young people know and use thousands of these shortcuts on social media sites like Twitter and when sending SMS texts. They are useful when there is a limit on the number of characters used in a message. An OED editor, Graeme Diamond, believes there’s more to initialisms than simply saving space in messages. He thinks young people use them to show irony.
Mr Diamond, who is responsible for allowing new words into the OED, said one of the initialisms, “OMG” was not so new as it was included in a letter written in 1917. New entries in the OED include “ego surfing” – the practice of searching your own name on the Internet, and the “five-second rule,” that "allows for the eating of a delicious morsel that has fallen to the floor, provided that it is retrieved within the specified period of time". Lexicographers also decided that the term “muffin top” deserved an entry. This is defined as "a protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers”. It’s also known as “spare tyre” or “love handle”. The dictionary has also included the heart symbol <3 meaning "love".

Source: breakingnewsenglish.com

SHOULD x OUGHT TO x HAD BETTER

SHOULD, OUGHT TO, HAD BETTER Expressing Advice. (Author-Bouabdellah), by Bouabdellah
Find this and other modals exercises in English Exercises .org

Future: Will x Going to

Explanation:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/future_comparison.htm

Exercise 1:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_going_to_future.htm

Exercise 2:
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=3135

Enjoy!

Top Notch 2: Listening exercise page 80 (Unit 7)

Only for my Top Notch 2 students!

Attention: This is UNIT 7!

Download or listen to the audio here.

10-Listening page 80.mp3

Once you've finished doing the exercise, and if you have any questions about vocabulary, download the tapescript here:

Top Notch 2: Listening exercise page 94. (Unit 8)

Only for my Top Notch 2 students! Attention, this is unit 8!


Exercise C, page 94.

Listen to the conversation as many times as you want, answer the questions and if you still have any doubts, check the audioscript file below.

Listen to the audio here:


26-Exercise C page 94.mp3


Audioscript:


I´ll check your answers in class.

Top Notch 2: Past Continuous

Click on the picture above for more exercises and/or watch the video below. Level 4 students, rejoice!!

Websites to practice LISTENING

As I promised to my Summit 1 students, here are some links where you can practice and improve your listening skills. (click on the words below)

BREAKING NEWS ENGLISH

MONTHLY NEWS DIGEST

TED.COM

ELLLO

ESL LISTENING LAB

GUIDE (click on Guide if you want a list of several other sites for listening and speaking...explore the best options on your own)

Enjoy!