Question Tags practice

See if you can finish the following sentences with the correct question tag. The first ones are relatively easy, but then they get more difficult!

• You don't like me, ... ...?
• It isn't raining, ... ...?
• You've done your homework, ... ...?
• I'm not late, ... ...?
• I'm invited to your party, ... ...?
• You like German food, ... ...?
• You'll come to my party, ... ...?
• You remembered to feed the cat, ... ...?
• Let's play tennis, ... ...?
• There's a problem here, ... ...?
• He never says a word, ... ...?
• Nobody came to your party, ... ...?
• Don't forget, ... ...?
• You think you're clever, ... ...?
• So you think you're clever, ... ...?

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Write an effective essay

Have a look to this video and you'll learn more about writting good and effective essays in class.

HAD BETTER (Give specific advice)

Had better ('d better)
We use “had better” plus the infinitive without “to” to give advice. Although “had” is the past form of “have”, we use “had better” to give advice about the present or future.

La fórmula sería Had better + verbo sin to: "you'd better study" para dar consejo. Pero el consejo sería específico, ya que para consejos en general, usamos Should.

•You'd better tell her everything.

•I'd better get back to work.

•We'd better meet early.

The negative form is “had better not”. La forma negativa tampoco va seguida de to:
You'd better not walk over the snake" (mejor no camines encima de la serpiente.)
•You'd better not say anything.

•I'd better not come.

•We'd better not miss the start of his presentation.

We use “had better” to give advice about specific situations, not general ones. If you want to talk about general situations, you must use “should”.

•You should brush your teeth before you go to bed.

•I shouldn't listen to negative people.

•He should dress more appropriately for the office.

When we give advice about specific situations, it is also possible to use “should”.

•You shouldn't say anything.

•I should get back to work.

•We should meet early.

However, when we use “had better” there is a suggestion that if the advice is not followed, that something bad will happen.

Cuando usamos "had better " da la sensación de que el consejo no va a ser seguido por quien lo recibe o que algo malo pasará.

•You'd better do what I say or else you will get into trouble.

•I'd better get back to work or my boss will be angry with me.

•We'd better get to the airport by five or else we may miss the flight.


Online activities to practice grammar:

ACTIVITY ONE (MATCH SENTENCES)

ACTIVITY TWO (PUT IN ORDER)

ACTIVITY THREE (should  or  had better ? )

Singular nouns that refer to group of people agreement : The Government has or have?

The government have (or has?)

In English, we often use singular nouns that refer to groups of people (eg government, committee, team) as if they were plural. (This is less true in US English. )
This is because we often think of the group as people, doing things that people do (eating, wanting, feeling etc).
In such cases, we use:

- plural verb


- plural pronoun (they)


- who (not which)

Here are some examples:

- The committee want sandwiches for lunch. They aren't very hungry.


- My family, who don't see me often, have asked me home.


- The team hope to win next time.
 
Here are some examples of words and expressions that can be considered singular or plural:


choir, class, club, committee, company, family, government, jury, school, staff, team, union


the BBC, board of directors, the Conservative Party, Manchester United, the Ministry of Health

But when we consider the group as an impersonal unit, we use singular verbs and pronouns:

- The new company is the result of a merger.


- The average family consists of four people.


- The committee, which was formed in 1983, has ceased to exist.

THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE ( Reading Comprehension) (FCE)

The Man Booker Prize





The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded every year for a novel written by a writer from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and it aims to represent the very best in contemporary fiction. The prize was originally called the Booker-McConnell Prize, which was the name of the company that sponsored it, though it was better-known as simply the ‘Booker Prize’. In 2002, the Man Group became the sponsor and they chose the new name, keeping ‘Booker’.

Publishers can submit books for consideration for the prize, but the judges can also ask for books to be submitted they think should be included. Firstly, the Advisory Committee give advice if there have been any changes to the rules for the prize and selects the people who will judge the books. The judging panel changes every year and usually a person is only a judge once.

Great efforts are made to ensure that the judging panel is balanced in terms of gender and professions within the industry, so that a writer, a critic, an editor and an academic are chosen along with a well-known person from wider society. However, when the panel of judges has been finalized, they are left to make their own decisions without any further involvement or interference from the prize sponsor.

The Man Booker judges include critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent quality of the prize and its influence is such that the winner will almost certainly see the sales increase considerably , in addition to the £50,000 that comes with the prize.



Questions


Q1 - The Republic of Ireland

is in the Commonwealth.
is not in the Commonwealth.
can't enter the Man Booker Prize.
joined the Booker prize in 2002.

Q2 - The Man group

was forced to keep the name 'Booker'.
decided to include the name 'Booker'.
decided to keep the name 'Booker-McConnell'.
decided to use only the name 'Booker'.

Q3 - Books can be submitted

by publishers.
by writers.
by judges.
by the sponsors.

Q4 - Who advises on changes to the rules?

The sponsors
The judging panel
The advisory panel
Publishers

Q5 - The judging panel

doesn't include women.
includes only women.
is only chosen from representatives of the industry.
includes someone from outside the industry.

Q6 - The sponsors of the prize

are involved in choosing the winner.
are involved in choosing the judges.
are not involved at all.
choose the academic for the panel of judges.

Q7 - The consistent quality of the prize

is guaranteed by the prize money.
is guaranteed by the gender of the judges.
is guaranteed by the make-up of the panel of judges.
is guaranteed by the increase in sales of the winner.

Keys are in comments section.

USEFUL VOCABULARY FOR COMPOSITIONS (1)

We are going to show a very useful list with the most important terms for your compositions in English!
Letter A

a corto plazo <> as soon as possible
a corto plazo <> in the short term
a decir verdad <> actually

a decir verdad <> as a matter of fact

a decir verdad <> in fact

a decir verdad <> to tell the truth

a deshora <> at an unusual time

a diario <> day in day out

a diario <> everyday

a estas alturas <> as late as this

a estas alturas <> at this point

a este respecto <> for that matter
a este respecto <> with regard to this matter

a fin de cuentas <> after all

a fin de cuentas <> all things considered

a fin de cuentas <> finally

a fin de cuentas <> in short

a fin de cuentas <> taking everything into account

a grandes rasgos <> briefly

a grandes rasgos <> in a few words

a grandes rasgos <> in a general way
a juzgar por las apariencias <> judging by appearances

a juzgar por las apariencias <> on the face of it

a la distancia <> in the distance

a la intemperie <> in the open air

a la intemperie <> out of doors

a la larga <> eventually

a la larga <> in the end

a la mayor brevedad posible <> as soon as possible

a la sazón <> at the time

a la ventura <> at random

a la ventura <> with no fixed plan

a la vez <> at the same time

a la vez <> together

a la vista de las dificultades <> in the light of the difficulties

a la vuelta de 6 años <> at the end of 6 years

a lo más <> at most

a lo más <> at the most

a lo mejor <> maybe

a lo mejor <> perhaps

a lo que parece <> apparently

a lo que parece <> to all appearances

a lo sumo <> at most

a los ojos de muchos <> in the judgement of many

a manera de ejemplo <> as an example

a manera de ejemplo <> as an illustration

a mi costa <> at my expense

a mi juicio <> in my opinion

a mi parecer <> in my view

a mi parecer <> to my way of thinking

a modo de ejemplo <> by way of example

a nivel popular (comunitario o local) <> at the grassroots

a ojo de buen cubero <> at a rough estimate
a pesar de <> despite

a pesar de <> in spite of

a pesar de todo <> in spite of everything

a pesar mío <> against my will

a pie juntillas <> firmly (believe)

a posta <> intentionally

a posta <> on purpose

a primera vista <> at first blush

a primera vista <> at first sight

a propósito <> by the way

a simple vista <> at a glance

a simple vista <> at first

a su debido tiempo <> in due time

a su tiempo <> at the right time

a su tiempo <> in due time

a tal efecto <> for the purpose
a tiempo <> on time

a toda costa <> at all costs

a todas luces <> obviously
a través <> through

a última hora <> at the eleventh hour

a última hora <> at the last minute

a veces <> at times

a veces <> sometimes

actualmente <> currently

además <> in addition

además <> moreover
ahora bien <> however

ahora bien <> nevertheless

al aire libre <> outdoors

al azar <> at random

al contrario <> on the contrary

al correr de los años <> as the years go by

al correr de los años <> as the years roll by

al efecto <> for that purpose

al fin <> at last

al fin <> eventually

al fin <> finally
al final <> after all

al final <> in conclusion
al pie de la letra <> exactly according to instructions

al pie de la letra <> literally

al pie de la letra <> to the letter

al pie de la letra <> word for word

al principio <> at the beginning

al principio <> at the outset

al principio <> at the start

al principio <> in the beginning

al pronto <> at first
al revés <> backwards

al revés <> in the opposite way

al revés <> in the reverse order

al revés <> inside out

al revés <> upside down

ambos (ninguno) <> both (neither)

ante <> before

ante mí <> in my presence

ante todo <> above all

ante todo <> first of all

antiguamente <> formerly

aparentemente <> apparently

aparte <> besides

aparte de esto <> apart from this

apresuradamente <> hastily

así <> as

así <> thus

así (que) <> so

así como <> as well as

así parece <> so it seems

aún <> still

aun a pesar de <> even though

aún así <> even so

aún así <> for all that

aunque <> although

aunque <> even though

aunque <> though

aunque no lo parezca <> incredible as it may seem

aunque parece extraño <> curiously enough

aunque sea cierto <> although this may be true

REVIEW OF ENGLISH TENSES

This worksheet gives a general vision about the commonest English tenses. This quick guide is ideal for revising Grammar before your final exams.
(Esta ficha os permite tener una visión rápida y general de los tiempos verbales ingleses para exámenes finales de gramática.)

Review of English Tenses

Rewrite the following sentences (2)

ACTIVITY ONE: Rewrite the following sentences, substituting the verb form for the words given in bold letters.


1. The manager sent no reply for a few days.

2. He accepted all of our proposals.

3. His story did not give me any amusement.

4. It is my belief that he does not mean what he says.

5. The cost of this bag is $10.

6. No invitation was sent to the Mayor.

7. I don’t think that he will be successful in his attempts.
Answers:

1. The manager didn’t reply for a few days.

2. He accepted all that we proposed.

3. His story didn’t amuse me.

4. I don’t believe that he means what he says.

5. This bag costs $10.

6. The Mayor was not invited.

7. I don’t think that he will succeed in his attempts.

ACTIVITY  NUMBER 2: Rewrite the following sentences using the adjective form of the words italicized.

1. He succeeded in his attempt.

2. Fortunately we were well-armed to fight the enemy.

3. Francis Bacon was a man of remarkable industry and intelligence.

4. He takes much pride in his looks.

5. In all probability the meeting will take place today.

6. You can easily get the job if you try.

7. He who shuns labor cannot prosper.

Answers:

1. He was successful in his attempt.

2. It was fortunate that we were well-armed to fight the enemy.

3. Francis Bacon was remarkably industrious and intelligent.

4. He is very proud of his looks.

5. It is probable that the meeting will take place today.

6. It is easy to get the job if you try.

7. He who shuns labor cannot be prosperous.

Rewrite sentences in English

Rewriting sentences in English is sometimes a harsh task, but it develops our communication in the English language. Try this activity and you'll guess your level.

Rewrite Sentences

CLEFT SENTENCES

CLEFT SENTENCES FOR ADVANCED LEVEL OF ENGLISH (B2).

This is the grammar about Cleft Sentences. Good Luck! I hope it will be of help!!

Note: If you want to download or print this handout , you need to click on the picture and you'll read it properly.
Aquí tenéis la gramática , morfología, tipología y ejemplos de estas " complicadillas" frases.
Nota: Descárgate o imprime esta ficha y podrás leerla y estudiarla de una manera adecuada.


CLEFT SENTENCES

How many different ways of "SAY" do you say ?

Semantic Field Say

More IDIOMS and Proverbs for level B2 and 2nd Bachillerato

Getting the short end of the stick - cuando alguien no quiere que te quedes mucho como visita


She was in Ruth's yesterday, but she got the short end of the stick, Ruth was busy

Ella estuvo en casa de Ruth ayer, pero no me quería mucho por allí, Ruth estaba ocupada.



Not fit to hold a candle to- alguien a quien no se le tiene mucha estima

I can have a drink with Paul, but he is not fit to hold a candle to
Puedo tomarme una copa con Paul, pero no lo adoro


Getting a square meal - una buena comida (no penséis mal)

It's very nice when you go trekking like 20 kms and after you get a square meal
Es muy agradable cuando haces trekking como 20 kms y después comes bien

Frog in your shoulder - para curar el resfriado

If you have a cold, you should go to bed. I can also put a frog in your shoulder
Si estás resfriado, deberías irte a la cama. También te puedo poner una rana en el hombro