Grammar: Past simple practice

A lot of students make mistakes with the past simple tense. They don't remember which verbs are regular and irregular. They don't remember how to make negative sentences and they don't remember how to make questions.

Here are the rules for the past simple: http://kapmanchester.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/past-tense-practice.html

Here are some more activities you can use to practise:

Making negative sentences: https://quizlet.com/46805819/past-simple-negative-sentences-flash-cards/

Irregular verbs: https://quizlet.com/46288754/21-most-common-irregular-verbs-flash-cards/

General practice:
https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file05/?cc=us&selLanguage=en
https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/a_grammar/unit09/?cc=us&selLanguage=en
https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/a_grammar/unit10/?cc=us&selLanguage=en
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/practice-irregular-verbs-in-the-past-simple-esl-interactive-hangman/
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/irregular-past-tense-verbs-spelling-activity-online/
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/irregular-past-simple-spelling-activity-online-for-esl/
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/past-simple-irregular-verbs-esl-grammar-interactive-activity-online/ 

Listening and Reading

Here is a story you can read and listen to:

https://elt.oup.com/student/englishforlife/elem/b_stories?cc=us&selLanguage=en

You can listen to the story and write the missing words.

You can read the complete story and listen at the same time. You can read aloud while you listen. This will help you improve your pronunciation and your reading speed.

You can listen to or read the story and then write the story from memory. How much do you remember? You can use the pictures to help you. Then give your writing to the teacher in the study centre and they will check it for you.

Vocabulary Games

Here is the link to a vocabulary game where you can practise:

countries and nationalities: https://elt.oup.com/student/englishforlife/elem/a_games/e4l_game_10?cc=us&selLanguage=en
household objects and rooms in a house: https://elt.oup.com/student/englishforlife/elem/a_games/e4l_game_13?cc=us&selLanguage=en
days and months: https://elt.oup.com/student/englishforlife/elem/a_games/e4l_game_12?cc=us&selLanguage=en
members of your family: https://elt.oup.com/student/englishforlife/elem/a_games/e4l_game_11?cc=us&selLanguage=en

Here is a list of useful vocabulary: https://elt.oup.com/elt/students/englishforlife/pdf/e4l_elem_455wordlist.pdf?cc=us&selLanguage=en

How can I improve my English outside class? (Part one)

There are lots of things you can do to improve your English outside class. Here are a few ideas:

1. Write a diary. This is good practice for writing and vocabulary. You can ask the teacher in the Study Centre to check it. Write something in your diary every day. You can write about what you did last night (in the past) or what you are going to do the next day (Tomorrow, I am going to...). You can write about something you saw, something in the news, a person you met... Anything! Two or three sentences is enough.

2. Follow a twitter account or subscribe to a website. This account looks useful for elementary students: https://twitter.com/EP_Learning You could subscribe to a BBC podcast to practise your listening skills. For example, http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/6min_gram or http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/elt_drama It is important that you listen to the podcast several times a week. These podcasts might be useful for Chinese students: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/aab and http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/suk

3. Use songs to improve your vocabulary and pronunciation. http://lyricstraining.com/ is a good website where you can listen to the song and write in the missing words, but you can just listen to a song and find the lyrics on the internet.

Elementary object questions

We use question words when we want to find out information.

The most common question words are:

what    for things     why     for reasons        where  for places       when   for times       who     for people     
whose  for possession  (Whose phone is this? It is Ryan's phone.)


how often     for frequency (sometimes, always, never)     how far        for distance
how long      for time  (an hour, 30 minutes)                       how old        for age
how much   for the number of uncountable nouns (How much fruit do you eat each day?)
how many   for the number of countable nouns (How many vegetable do you eat every day?)
how much   for the price of countable and uncountable nouns (How much is this laptop?)
how              for solving a problem  (How do you spell that? How do you say that in English? How do you make kabsa?)

Here is a game you can try. Click on the correct question word:
http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz87mca.htm

Here are some activities:
1. https://elt.oup.com/student/headway/elementary/a_grammar/unit04/hwy_elem_unit04_2?cc=gb&selLanguage=en
2. https://elt.oup.com/student/headway/elementary/a_grammar/unit04/hwy_elem_unit04_3?cc=gb&selLanguage=en

Elementary Listening

Here is a link to some exercises where you can practise listening:

http://www.talkenglish.com/Listening/ListenBasic.aspx

You need to click on the number (for example, #01), then click on Step 1. Then click on Step 2 to answer the questions. Finally, click on Step 3 and listen to the conversation again, but now you can read the text too.

Here is another link to some more listening practise: http://www.esl-lab.com/

Modals of obligation: Have to / Don't have to

We often want to talk about choices. For example,

1. "What do you want: a chicken sandwich or a cheese sandwich?" Here there is a choice. You can eat chicken or cheese. "You don't have to eat chicken. You can eat cheese."

2. "What do you want: a chicken sandwich or a chicken sandwich?" Here there is no choice. You can only eat chicken. "You have to eat chicken."

Reading websites

Here are some links to some websites where you can practise reading:

1. http://www.eslfast.com/
2. http://www.agendaweb.org/reading/comprehension_easy_interm1.html
3. http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading-elementary.php

Website: Elementary Games

Here is a link to a website with a lot of language games.

The games are mainly for children, but you can find the games fun and useful too. Try the games at Grade 2.

http://www.abcya.com/second_grade_computers.htm

These games are very useful for you:
1. http://www.abcya.com/dolch_sight_word_bingo.htm
2. http://www.abcya.com/dolch_sight_word_spelling.htm
3. http://www.abcya.com/nouns_and_verbs.htm

Grammar: Present Simple v Present Continuous

A lot of students find the differences between the present simple and the present continuous difficult. Let's remember:

 

Vocabulary: Family

Here are some games to practise vocabulary about family and people:

1.https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/b_vocabulary/unit02/2b_1?cc=us&selLanguage=en
2. https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/b_vocabulary/unit02/2b_2?cc=us&selLanguage=en
3. https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/b_vocabulary/unit02/2c_1?cc=us&selLanguage=en
4. https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/b_vocabulary/unit02/2c_3?cc=us&selLanguage=en

Vocabulary: Weather

The weather is a very important topic of conversation in this country!

Grammar Bubbles Game

Here is a link to the grammar game we played in class:http://gamestolearnenglish.com/grammar-bubbles/

Here is another game to practise longer sentences: http://gamestolearnenglish.com/falling-clouds/

Vocabulary: Food games

Here are some games you can play to learn vocabulary for food. Some of these are good for pronunciation too. Which games do you like?

1. https://elt.oup.com/student/i-spy/games/food?cc=gb&selLanguage=en
2. http://www.angles365.com/classroom/fitxers/1r2n/vegetables01.swf
3. http://www.angles365.com/classroom/fitxers/1r2n/food/fruitmemory.swf
4. http://www.angles365.com/classroom/fitxers/3r/food/vegetables2.swf
5. http://gamestolearnenglish.com/likes/
6. http://gamestolearnenglish.com/food/

Vocabulary: Holidays

There are lots of exercises about holidays here: http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/holidays-and-travel.html You can practise vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening.

Here is a short reading test: http://www.esolcourses.com/uk-english/elementary-course/travel-and-holidays/travel-and-holidays-reading.html

There are many more exercises on their homepage:
1. Elementary http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topicsmenu/elementary.html
2. Lower Intermediate http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topicsmenu/pre-intermediate.html

Vocabulary: Transport and Holidays

Let's practise some vocabulary to talk about transport and holidays!

Grammar: Present simple or Present continuous

We have two present tenses you need to practise: the present simple and the present continuous. We use them to talk about different things and we make them in different ways. Look at the picture:

Grammar: Be

The verb be is very important in English. Some languages don't have the verb be, but in English, we use it a lot. It's important that you learn this verb.

Punctuation: full stops and capital letters

At the beginning of every sentence, you need to use a CAPITAL LETTER. We also use capital letters for names of:

people         countries           cities             languages              nationalities            companies           months        days         roads and streets          attractions (eg art galleries, museums, shopping centres)

Elementary Reading Website Links

Here are the links to the websites we talked about in class today.

First, here is a link to the Cambridge online dictionary:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/essential-british-english/

English Test Store has 35 reading tests. Do one every day:
http://englishteststore.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=31

News In Levels has easy to read news stories every week. Listen to the recording and try and write the first few sentences. Check your spelling and sentences with the reading text. Do one every week:
http://www.newsinlevels.com/

There are lots of graded readers in the Study Centre. Read one every week and complete the activities:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=graded%20readers%20level%202&sprefix=graded+readers+level+2%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Agraded%20readers%20level%202