MARRY / DIVORCE/ BREAK UP AND THE LIKE: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THESE WORDS CORRECTLY?

TALKING ABOUT LOVE AND COMMITMENT IN A RELATIONSHIP

This song worksheet is divided into different tasks and should be used to help students talk about love relationships and commitment. That’s why a glossary has been added. Students listen to the song, choose the correct word, match the sentences and then use context to guess meaning. Suitable for intermediate and upper- intermediate levels.

TALKING ABOUT BREAK-UP REGRETS

HOW ABOUT LEARNING PHRASAL VERBS WITH A SONG?

Phrasal verbs are verb phrases that have idiomatic meanings. Because what is meant is not obvious from the individual words that make up the phrase, students of English often find the topic very confusing. In other words, ‘phrasal verbs' don't seem to make any sense! Whether it is true or not, you can’t be proficient in English without using multiword verbs, right? 

All things considered, I’ve devised a song worksheet to help students learn phrasal verbs in context. The song is called ‘Photograph’, by Nickleback, and talks about our younger years, or better, it is sheer nostalgia. 

The worksheet can be used not only to encourage students to talk about their memories, but also to help them grasp the meaning of several phrasal verbs.The tasks may be used with both intermediate and post-intermediate students. Learners are expected to fill in the gaps, do a matching exercise, learn new vocabulary and sing along with the lyrics.  

Listen to the song by getting access on https://www.youtube.com/watch? Have fun!

EXPRESSING REASON

When we express reason, we want to give explanation. Although there are several different words/ grammatical structures to express reason in English, pre-intermediate/ intermediate students often stick to “because”. For this reason, this lesson focuses on how to express reason in different ways and, consequently, how you can improve your writing. 

Because

This is the most commonly used linking word for giving reason or cause. It can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence

What’s the difference between because and because of? Because of is followed by a noun.

e.g I didn’t go to the beach because of the rain / I didn’t go to the beach because it was raining

Because can be shortened to cos /kəz/ or /kɒz/ in informal speaking and writing:

Since/ As

Used in much the same way as “because”.As and since are more formal than because

e.g  As English is an international language, learning it is essential.

As everyone already knows each other, there’s no need for introductions.

Due to ( = because of)/ Due to the fact that

Due to + N

Due to+ clause

e.g: He failed his exam due to anxiety. He failed his exam due to the fact that he was very anxious.

Owing to/ Owing to the fact that

Owing to + N

Owing to (+ clause)

e.g Owing to his carelessness, the accident happened. /Owing to the fact that he was drunk, the accident happened. 

Given/ Seeing that

e.g Given her age, she’s decided to retire./ We’re going to the party seeing that we’ve got the tickets

FOR PORTUGUESE SPEAKERS. 

Pay attention to the difference between ‘because' and ‘because of’: 

'Because', in Portuguese, means “porque”.

'Because of’  is equivalent to “por causa”.

'Since' here expresses cause and means ’visto que’, 'eis que’ . It is different from the word 'since' which expresses time and is commonly used in the  Present Perfect Tense. 

'As' has got several meanings, but in this lesson, it stands for “como”, “visto que”, ‘já que”. In turn, "due to" and "owing to” mean “devido a".

'Given' means “considerando".

GIVE /MAKE COLLOCATIONS (B2 / C1 Levels)

Becoming aware of collocations is part of vocabulary learning. How well can you use GIVE and MAKE collocations? These two verbs collocate (= go together) with specific nouns and are widely used in everyday speech. Interestingly, we say "give someone a ring/ a call", but we should say "make a phone call'. Likewise, it is correct to say "make a choice" (=choose something), as in "I can help you to make your choice”,  whereas we say "give somebody a choice". e.g "Her doctor gave her a choice: take medicine or lose weight.” The following exercise will give you practice in GIVE and MAKE collocations and can be used both to work in class and as a home assignment. 

PRACTICE

1)Would you _____________ a ride to a stranger requesting one?

2) What does it feel like to __________ a speech to a large crowd?

3) Have you ever __________ the wrong impression to someone you're attracted to?

4) In your opinion, how do I ___________ an excellent first impression on someone ?

5) How can you _____________ suggestions in English?

6) Have you ever ____________ someone a second chance after she/he hurt your feelings? 

7) Is it hard for you to _________________ an apology?

8) Do you prefer texting or __________________ phone calls?

9) If you found 1 million dollars on the street, would you keep it or __________ it back?

10) Would you let your children watch a woman ___________ birth? 

11) What piece of advice might you________ to someone who wants to learn a foreign language? 

12)What’s the most difficult decision you’ve___________?

13) Have you ever deleted or ________ changes on comments you’ve ________ on facebook?

14) What suggestions would you __________ to improve education in your country?

15) What _____________ you the idea to study English?

16) Have you ever ________________ a hard decision?

17) Have you ever used your consumer rights to _________ a complaint in a shop?

18) is it OK to _________________ mistakes in a foreign language?

19) Is time more important than ____________ money?

20) Do you _______________ friends easily

ANSWER KEY

1. give; 2) give/ make; 3) given; 4) make; 5) make; 6) given; 7) make; 8) making; 9) give; 10) giving; 11) give; 12) made; 13) made/ made; 14) make; 15) gave; 16) made; 17) make; 18)  make; 19) making; 20) make

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME ( B1 LEVEL)

FOR STUDENTS

Make sure you understand the words in the table.  imagine you are meeting someone for the first time. Ask the question ‘How do you spend your time?'  In this activity you are going to learn how to keep a conversation going. Student B should answer the question in detail, and student A is expected to ask follow up questions. Use the phrases provided, but try to add your own ideas.

FOR TEACHERS

Give students time to prepare what they are going to say and ask you for any vocabulary they do not understand. Encourage them to fill in each category with the words given as well as the vocabulary they already know. Encourage them to use the phrases provided, but emphasise that they can add their own ideas if they want. Explain that to carry out the task, they should try to  find out as much as possible about each other. 

They should make notes to help them when they report back to the class. As they interview each other, feed in any language they need in an informal way and refer them to the phrases provided.  Do not correct at this stage unless absolutely necessary, as this will interrupt communication. Note down errors with language used for analysis at the end of the task.

TALKING ABOUT (UN) HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

This a a conversation lesson about (Un)Healthy Lifestyles. You should try to find out as much as possible about your partner. Ask and answer the questions and whenever possible, make your own to keep the conversation going. Refer to the phrases in Useful Vocabulary, but add your own ideas if you want.

As a warm up activity, brainstorm words/ expressions you already know about the topic. Later on, fill in the word map according to the questions and list of  vocabulary provided.

STUDENT A

1. Do you think you have a healthy life style? Justify
2. Are you an early bird or a night owl? Do you think that you sleep too much or not enough?How many hours' sleep do you need daily? What happens when you do not get enough sleep?
3. Is it possible to have a healthy life style nowadays? How has technology affected our lifestyle?
4. Do you pay attention to what you eat?
5. Do you have a snack every time you are hungry or do you wait for the lunch or dinner? What is better for health?
6. What should you do to burn calories and fight fat?
7. Do you agree with the saying: "Eat your breakfast, share your lunch with a friend and give your dinner to your enemy”?
8. Have you ever tried to go on a diet? Did it work?
9. Is there any connection between the person's style of life and life expectancy? Quote a few changes you can make in your lifestyle to help you live longer.
10. How often do you work-out?What are the benefits of physical activity such as jogging, going to a gym, or swimming?

___________________________________________________________________________

STUDENT B

1. How do you usually cope with stress? What is the effect of stress on health?
2. Do you have any unhealthy habits? Do you skip any meals?
3. Do you think people have become more health conscious in recent years?
4. Do women pay more attention to their health than men? How often do you get a medical check-up?
5. Why do you think some people continue bad habits when they know that they are causing damage to their health?
6. What are the most popular ways of keeping healthy in your country?
7. In your opinion, how can parents encourage healthy habits?
8. Do you feel guilty after eating junk food? (pieces of chocolate cake, scoops of ice cream or handfuls of chips,)? If so, what do you do to wash away this feeling?  
9. In your opinion, do pets have a positive or negative influence on people’s health? Why?
10. What do people generally believe about (un) healthy lifestyles?

USEFUL VOCABULARY

Colloquial Language/ Personality Traits

a fitness freak (=obsessed with sport and fitness)
a couch potato (=a person who spends little or no time exercising and a great deal of time watching television.)
a live-wire (an energetic person)
a calorie- counter (=someone who counts calories is one way to monitor weight loss.)
an early bird = (a person who gets up early.)
a night owl= (a person who often stays up late at night.)

Important Verbs/ Collocations

to be health conscious

to damage someone’s health

to do good x to do bad (= to do harm) to your health

to keep/ get fit

to have regular physical exercise

to stop + Verb ING ( e.g to stop smoking) = to quit

to improve/ to enhance ( e.g self-esteem, memory)

to reduce the risk of… (e.g stress, symptoms of anxiety and stress)

to prevent (e.g heart disease)

to have a healthy lifestyle

to have a sedentary lifestyle

to get involved with sports and outdoor activities

to feel guilty

to lose weight

to go on a diet

to set an example

to release (e.g energy, hormones)

to be on the go (= to be always busy)

to burn calories

to be addicted to sth

Phrasal Verbs

to work out ( =to exercise in order to improve the strength or appearance of your body:

to cut down or cut back =to start doing less of something, especially because it is bad for your health e.gThe doctor advised him to cut down (on) his working hours.

to cut out= to stop eating something or doing something, especially because it is bad for your health e.g.I’ve cut out chocolate completely.

to put on weight = to gain weight

Nouns/ Noun Phrases

• a balanced diet
• physical and psychological well-being
• health/ unhealthy habits
• junk food
• fastfood
• obesity
• overweight
• weight gain/ loss
• calorie
• longevity/ life expectancy
• will-power/ determination/ motivation
• vitamin supplement
• fattening foods
• metabolism

Nutrients

• protein
• carbohydrate
• fat
• sugar
• vitamins
• minerals

Kinds of diet

• the low-carb diet.
• the detox diet

Health problems:

• diabetes
• cholesterol
• stroke
• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• eating disorders
• depression
• stress
• anxiety

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE

This is a worksheet I like using on the 1st day of class to practise student-teacher classroom language. Students are expected to fill in the gaps according to the pictures provided. This set of classroom vocabulary is very helpful for elementary/ pre-intermediate students to interact with the teacher in English. Hope you like it.