Sunday 30 August 2009

Crossword - Phonetics 3 (Intermediate Plus)

Test your phonetic knowledge. This is suitable for intermediate upwards. Answers will be available in the next post.
Have fun learning!

Phonetics 3

Thursday 27 August 2009

Crossword - Phonetics 2 (Intermediate Plus)

Test your phonetic knowledge. This is suitable for intermediate upwards. Answers will be available in the next post.
Have fun learning!

Phonetics 2

Wednesday 26 August 2009

Unscramble these jumbled sentences: Past Simple (Intermediate Plus)

These sentences are extracts from three recent news reports.
First, try to put the jumbled words into the right sequence.
Then, see if you can classify the sentences into the three groups.
When you’ve done that, give each group a headline.
Finally, invent three short reports using the sentences.
Answers are available in a separate post - you'll just have to look for it!
Have fun learning!

Jumbled Sentence Simple Past 1 (Intermediate Plus)

Monday 24 August 2009

Crossword - Phonetics 1 (Elementary Plus)

Test your phonetic knowledge. This is suitable for elementary upwards. Answers will be available in the next post.
Have fun learning!

Phonetics 1

Saturday 22 August 2009

Ideas for practising dialogues (for Teachers)

You have a dialogue script; perhaps you’d prepared it yourself, perhaps you’d obtained it from another source, maybe from this very blog, or perhaps your students themselves had prepared it – so, what do you do after that? You tell your students to form pairs and practise, and you go around the class from pair to pair, monitoring their output, right? Well, here are some variations you could use to spice that up.
  • Change partners: They perform the dialogue with a different partner or partners.
  • Vary the environment: Instead of being seated, they stand or they walk around the class. Bring them out into the patio, or play music as if they are in a party. Ask them to do an activity while speaking, e.g. passing an object, such as a ball, to and fro. Be flexible, be creative. Students will love you for breaking their daily school monotony.
  • Pump up the volume: They have to speak louder (as if the other person is hard of hearing or they are speaking over a bad telephone line), or alternatively, they lower their voice down to a whisper, as if they were communicating secretively.
  • Modify the contents: Alter a few words or expressions; sometimes by changing a few key words, you can transform a dialogue from, say, an invitation to a cinema to one to a restaurant.
  • Add contents: Add lines before and/or after the dialogue, or ask the students themselves to imagine possible situations before and after, or script could be added for a third person.
  • Challenge them: Ask them to practise without looking at their notes, or wipe the dialogue from the board. If necessary, you could increase the challenge gradually by removing words or lines, a few at a time. You could also prepare picture or word cues to help them remember the dialogue.
In addition to varying the dialogue activity, you can also change the way the pairs are formed.
  • Traditional pairs: Here you ask them to pick their partner, or you allocate one. They usually remain seated on their chairs.
  • Act it out: The traditional pair work above is sometimes followed by getting them to perform the dialogue pair by pair, usually in front of the classroom.
  • Back-to-back: They stand or sit back-to-back instead of face-to-face. This is especially useful for telephone conversations, or when you want to encourage the students to communicate through their voice alone, without the aid of body language.
  • Line formation: They stand (or sit) in two rows, facing each other. They practise their dialogue. You then ask the student at the end of one row to move to the other end of the same row. The rest move down one seat, so that each now has a different partner. They then practise the same dialogue again, or a different one, if you wish.
If you have few students, you can have them in one row, talking to their neighbour. Then you just move the student from one end to the other, and they’ll all now have different partners.
  • Concentric circles: They stand in two circles, one inside the other. The inner circle faces the outer, unless they’re working on a back-to-back formation. When they finish their dialogue, one of the circle moves round one place, so that everyone now faces a different person. They practise the dialogue again.
You can also vary this by moving more than one place, or you can play a form of musical chairs, whereby the circle moves until you stop the music. Try asking getting them to close their eyes while moving! This method can also be employed in the party activity (see vary the environment above) where you can have them moving around the room, from partner to partner, miming a dialogue, until the music stops. Then, they start to practise the dialogue with their newly found partner.
  • Gap formation: This is very appropriate for pumping up the volume (see above). They start close to each other in the centre of the room. They begin speaking. While they are speaking, they move backwards until eventually they are at opposite ends of the room.
Naturally, you can do the reverse where they start at opposite ends of the room and gradually move closer.

This is also a great activity for the outdoors!

Another variation of this is you can assign a pair as the ‘loud’ pair, and station them at quite a distance from each other. While they are speaking to (or more like shouting at) each other, the other students also engage in the dialogue albeit at a lower level, and they move freely around these ‘loud’ pair.

Remember most dialogues are quite short, so they would have to start when you give them the signal. If you have any further ideas to add to these, please share them here.

執業理念的對話(教師)

I'm trying my darnest to crack into the Chinese market, hehe. This has been done by Google translator, so I have no idea what it says! If you read Chinese, let me know if it makes sense at all!

你有一個對話的腳本,也許您希望自己編寫它,或許你想獲得它從另一來源,也許在這個博客,也許你的學生自己編寫了-因此,您做什麼之後, ?你告訴你的學生和實踐形式對,你去附近的一類配對,監測其產出,對不對?嗯,這裡有一些變化可以用香料行動。

*更改夥伴:他們執行的對話,以不同的合作夥伴或合作夥伴。

*更改環境:相反的坐姿,他們站立或走動,他們的階級。讓他們進院子,或播放音樂,好像他們是在黨。問他們這樣的活動而發言,例如通過一個對象,如一個球,來回。是靈活的,具有創造性。愛你的學生將打破他們的日常學校單調。

*泵的數量:他們必須更響亮(如其他人聽力困難或他們講了一個壞的電話線) ,或者他們自己的聲音降低到耳語,因為如果他們溝通secretively 。

*修改內容:修改了幾句話或表現形式,有時通過改變幾個關鍵詞,你可以改變一個對話,也就是說,邀請一家電影院一至一家餐館。

*新增內容:新增行前及/或之後的對話,或要求學生自己想像可能出現的情況後,或腳本可以增加對第三人。

*他們提出挑戰:問問他們實行不看自己的筆記,或擦拭對話董事會。如果有必要,你可以逐步增加的挑戰,消除字或行,有幾個人。您還可以準備圖片或文字提示,以幫助他們記住了對話。

除了不同的對話活動,您也可以變更的方式,對正在形成。

*傳統的對:在這裡,您要求他們選擇的合作夥伴,或者您分配一個。他們通常留在座位上的椅子。

*法出來:傳統對上述有時工作之後,讓他們的對話,對執行的對,通常是在前面的教室。

*背靠背:他們站立或坐在背對背不是面對面。這是特別有用的電話交談,或當你想鼓勵學生進行溝通,通過他們的聲音本身,而援助的身體語言。

*在線生成:他們的立場(或坐)在兩排,面對對方。他們信奉其對話。然後,您可以要求學生在年底一列移動到另一端的同一行。其餘下移一個席位,以便每個現在有不同的合作夥伴。接著,他們從事相同的對話,或不同的,如果你希望。

如果你有幾個學生,你可以讓他們在一列,談論他們的鄰居。然後,您只要將學生從一端到另一端,他們現在都將有不同的合作夥伴。

*同心圓:他們站在兩個圈子,一個在其他。面臨的內圓外,除非他們正致力於背靠背形成。當他們完成他們的對話,其中一個圓圈移動輪一個地方,讓大家現在面臨著一個不同的人。他們信奉的對話了。

您也可以變更這一移動多個地方,或者您也可以發揮一種形式的音樂椅子,即循環移動,直到你停止音樂。嘗試要求讓他們視而不見,而移動!這種方法也可以受聘於黨的活動(見上面的環境各不相同),您可以讓他們四處走動的房間,來自合作夥伴,合作夥伴,挖掘了對話,直到音樂停止。然後,他們開始實行的對話與他們新發現的合作夥伴。

*間隙形成:這是非常適合的抽水量(見上文) 。他們開始彼此接近的中心會議室。他們開始講。雖然他們說,他們後退,直到最終他們是在兩端的房間。

當然,你可以做相反,他們開始在兩端的房間,並逐步靠攏。

這也是一個偉大的戶外活動!

另一個變化是,您可以指定一對作為'大'對,和他們站相當距離對方。雖然他們說話(或更象在大聲)對方,其他學生也參與對話,儘管在一個較低的水平,他們自由移動圍繞著這些'大'一雙。

印象最深的對話很短,所以他們將不得不開始當你給他們的信號。如果您有任何進一步的想法加入到這些,請他們在這裡分享。

Thursday 20 August 2009

Dialogue quiz: Invitation to a cinema (Int Plus)

This is now superseded by this version:
http://aclil2climb.blogspot.com/2010/11/dialogue-invitation-to-cinema-matching.html

The dialogue is in jumbled order. Pair up the sentences and order them correctly. The answers can be found in a separate post - you'll have to search for it!

To start the game, click on the icon below.

Games for Education, 游戏学英语

This dialogue has a handful of common expressions, which, however, may be unfamiliar to some learners. Try to do the quiz before looking at the explanations below.

gorgeous - an adjective, used for saying something is wonderful or someone is very beautiful, e.g. these prawns are absolutely gorgeous!

You don't look too bad yourself - it'd have meant the same if Jane had said, 'You look good, too.' Here, basically, Jane is politely returning the compliment. She's saying, 'Thank you, but look at yourself - you look good, too.'

Say - an interjection used to get someone's attention before you say something.

fancy - this is used a lot in informal setting. It means 'feel like' or 'want to'. Notice the -ing form. "Do you fancy some ice cream?" "What do you fancy doing this evening?"

ages - a long time. The more correct form would be 'I haven't been to the cinema for ages!' but 'to the cinema' is understood in the conversational context, so it was left out.

What have you got in mind? - What are you thinking of? What plans/ideas have you got? What do you want to do?

thinking, meaning - stative verbs don't normally take an -ing form, but compare the meanings of these examples:

I think it'll be a good film (My opinion is that it will be a good film)
I'm thinking of cutting my hair (I have this idea, and this is to cut my hair, although I haven't really decided yet)

Gorgeous means very beautiful (gorgeous can be replaced by the word very beautiful, i.e. they have the same meaning)
I've been meaning to call you (My intention was to telephone you)

shall - Although it's becoming uncommon, it is still used quite often in British English for offers, suggestions, requests for instructions, and requests for advice:

What shall I cook for lunch? Not: What will I cook for lunch?
Shall I carry your bag? Not: Will I carry your bag?
When shall we meet? - Jane is asking for instructions. Could she have said: 'When will we meet?' Yes, though here it would imply that Pete had no idea before, and he would be making a spontaneous decision.

great - has several meanings, but here it is used to express pleasure.

We could go for a Chinese after - What Pete means is that he has the idea of going for a Chinese meal after the show. Again, 'the show' is understood, so it was omitted.

mere - used for emphasis. Just thinking about the Chinese food has already made Jane feel hungry.

half seven - In spoken British English, people often say ‘half one’, ‘half two’ etc, which has the same meaning as ‘half past one’ and ‘half past two’.

If you like this game, please link to it by copying and pasting this HTML code (click anywhere inside the box, click ctrl+A, then ctrl+C) into your own blog or web template. This is the badge you'll get:

Games for Education

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Dialogue quiz: Booking into a hotel (Pre-Int Plus)

This has been superseded by this post: http://aclil2climb.blogspot.com/2010/09/at-hotel.html

The dialogue is in jumbled order. Pair up the sentences and order them correctly. The answers can be found in a separate post - you'll have to search for it!

To start the game, click on the icon below.

Games for Education, 游戏学英语

If you like this game, please link to it by copying and pasting this HTML code (click anywhere inside the box, click ctrl+A, then ctrl+C) into your own blog or web template. This is the badge you'll get:
Games for Education

Sunday 16 August 2009

Unscramble these jumbled sentences Part 3: Daily Routines (Elementary)

23 March 2010: The online version can be found here.

Here's one for the elementary level. The theme is daily routine. Pay careful attention to the instructions, and, as usual, comments are much appreciated. Answers are available in a separate post - you'll just have to look for it!
Have fun learning!

Jumbled Sentences: Daily Routines (Elementary)

Saturday 15 August 2009

At the Airport - vocabulary

In the previous couple of posts, we looked at some vocabulary common at airports, such as scales, check-in, baggage, aisle, carry-on bag, on business, and boarding pass. Here are more useful words and expressions:

flight attendant / stewardess
row
overhead compartment
excess weight
baggage reclaim

Where are the trolleys?
They’re over there.
Where are the car rental agencies / information centre /lost baggage office?
Where’s the bathroom / exit /the duty-free shop /bus stop?
Where can I find the taxis?
What’s the best way to get into town?
Your flight has been cancelled / delayed.
Flight IB 2314 is boarding right now.
Please proceed to gate nº 28.
Please don’t leave your luggage unattended.
Where can I change some money?

If there are any words or expressions which you don't understand, look them up in the dictionary (on the left column). If you still don't understand, then email me.

Friday 14 August 2009

Dialogue - At the Airport Check-In, Matching Game (Elementary)

This has been superseded by this one:
http://aclil2climb.blogspot.com/2010/11/dialogue-at-airport-check-in-desk.html



For an improved version of this quiz see here.

The dialogue is in jumbled order. Pair up the sentences and order them correctly. The answers can be found in a separate post - you'll have to search for it! See also this other post.

To start the game, click on the icon below.

Games for Education, 游戏学英语

If you like this game, please link to it by copying and pasting this HTML code (click anywhere inside the box, click ctrl+A, then ctrl+C) into your own blog or web template. This is the badge you'll get:

Games for Education

Wednesday 12 August 2009

If music be the food of love...

It may be just a promotion stunt; it may be all vaguely familiar because we'd seen it somewhere else before...but what a wonderful way to start the day! Imagine if this were to happen every morning around the world! There just might still be hope for peace in this world.

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Dialogue - At the Passport Control, Matching Game (Elementary)



For an improved version of this quiz see here.
This has been superseded by this:
http://acliltoclimb.blogspot.com/2010/11/dialogue-at-passport-control-matching.html
 
The dialogue is in jumbled order. Pair up the sentences and put them in the right sequence. The answers can be found in a separate post - you'll have to look for it!

To start the quiz, click on the image below.

Games for Education, 游戏学英语

If you like this game, please link to it by copying and pasting this HTML code (click anywhere inside the box, click ctrl+A, then ctrl+C) into your own blog or web template. This is the badge you'll get:

Games for Education

Sunday 9 August 2009

Unscramble these jumbled sentences Part 2: swine flu (advanced)

If you haven't attempted Part 1, there's no better time than now.
This one is quite difficult, and is suited for advanced levels. The theme is swine flu. Pay careful attention to the instructions, and, as usual, comments are much appreciated. Answers are available in a separate post - you'll just have to look for it!
Have fun learning!
Jumbled Sentence Swine Flu (Advanced)

Saturday 8 August 2009

Keys to Games and Quizzes

Wizard's Widgets: 1b; 2b; 3a; 4b

Unscramble these jumbled sentences!

  1. Peter walks two kilometres to his office every day.
  2. Music is an important area for Microsoft.
  3. The new optician’s next to the bank will open next Friday.
  4. We’re waiting patiently for the bus at the bus stop opposite the church.
  5. If the tennis court is busy, we can go to the gym instead.
  6. The internet should not be controlled.
  7. We could drive to the lake and go fishing.
  8. The department store opened until 10 o’clock because they were having a massive sale.
  9. I’ve agreed to meet Dan in the old market place outside the library.
  10. Jennifer bought a couple of cakes at the bakery, then ran to the post office.
  11. The government has vowed to crack down on internet pirates.
  12. Research has shown that illegal filesharing has decreased by a third among teenagers.
  13. Michael Jackson was preparing for 50 London performances at the time of his death.
Match the Dialogue: In a Shop

Assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: Yes, I'm looking for a pair of green jeans.
Assistant: What size are you?
Customer: 12.
Assistant: How about these over here?
Customer: They look great. Could I try them on?
Assistant: Certainly! The changing rooms are over there.
Customer: Thank you.
Assistant: Do they fit?
Customer: Yes, I'll take them. Do you accept credit card?
Assistant: Yes, we do. Visa and Master Card only.
Customer: That's fine. Here you are.

Match the Dialogue: In a restaurant.

Waiter: Good evening, have you got a reservation?
Customer: Yes, the name's Turner. William Turner.
Waiter: For how many people?
Customer: Two.
Waiter: Smoking or non-smoking?
Customer: Non-smoking, please.
Waiter: Are you ready to order?
Customer: Yes, I'll have the house salad for starter and roast beef to follow.
Waiter: I'm sorry; we've run out of roast beef.
Customer: That's ok. I'll have the steak instead.
Waiter: How would you like your steak?
Customer: Medium-rare, please.
...
Waiter: Is everything all right?
Customer: Yes, this is delicious, thanks.
...
Waiter: Have you finished?
Customer: No, I haven't.
...
Waiter: Would you like anything else?
Customer: No, nothing else.
Waiter: Would you like your bill?
Customer: Yes, please. Do you accept American Express?
Waiter: I'm afraid we don't.
Customer: How about Visa?
Waiter: Yes, that's fine.
Customer: There you go.

Have you been reading my posts? Missing words quiz.

1. It is [important] that learners are taught the different registers of [the] language, [and]
debate is an excellent oportunity for them to [practise] formal usage.
2. When you consider that plastic bags take between 500 and 1,000 years to degrade, you wonder how [this] has been permitted [to] carry [on] [for] as long as it has.
3. Although he [was] well known among [musicians], his music was seldom commercial
enough to bring him to [the] attention of the [general] public.
4. In other words, a pandemic disease is an epidemic affecting many [people] over a [wide] geographical area, but an [epidemic] is not necessarily [pandemic].
5. Next time [you're] on the beach, before [you] [start] complaining of how crowded it [is],
spare a thought for these people in China!
6. He had [wormed] his [way] into the family’s affections after meeting her [daughter] [on]
Facebook.
7. Free Rice [is] a website which, through the UN World Food Program, donates 10 grains of rice for every [answer] you [get] right in a [simple] quiz.
8. I [often] use raisins as they are [cheap] and I always [have] some in [the] kitchen.
9. If you're a teacher, you are probably already aware of the value of using games as an
educational tool, [and] [if] you're a [student], you probably think [games] are great fun!
10. When Bradt [ran] The Palouse [Waterfalls], [risking] [life] and limb, he broke the previous world record of 127 feet, held by Brazilian Pedro Oliveira.

Classify their Musical Instruments (Part 2)

B B King - guitar, string
Antonio Vivaldi - violin, string
Jimi Hendrix - guitar, string
Stephane Grappelli - violin, string
Ravi Shanker - sitar, string
Bonnie Raitt - guitar, string

John Coltrane - saxophone, woodwind
Stan Getz - saxophone, woodwind
Charlie Parker - saxophone, woodwind
Benny Goodman - clarinet), woodwind
Woody Allen - clarinet, woodwind
Bill Clinton - saxophone, woodwind

Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet, brass
Miles Davies - trumpet, brass
Louis Armstrong - trumpet, brass
Glen Miller - trombone, brass
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet, brass
Maurice André - trumpet, brass

Ringo Starr - drums, percussion
Billy Cobham - drums, percussion
Phil Collins - drums, percussion
Elvin Jones - drums, percussion
Buddy Rich - drums, percussion
Keith Moon - drums, percussion

Unscramble these jumbled sentences, Part 2

1. They were closed because too many teachers were ill
2. Governments are taking different approaches to slowing the spread of the virus
3. Experts expect the flu will pick up activity in the autumn
4. Governments are taking different approaches to slowing the spread of the virus (sorry, I know. I goofed and duplicated this)
5. Closing schools are unlikely to do much to prevent the spread of the swine flu pandemic
6. It appears that the new H1N1 is now too widespread to try to stop
7. Schools were not closed for the purpose of trying to control the spread of disease
8. The flu service website handed out over 150,000 doses of Tamiflu in its first week
9. Those who believe they have symptoms are advised to contact the National Pandemic Flu Service over the phone or online
10. Thousands of healthy workers are thought to have taken advantage of official guidelines on the pandemic to extend their summer holidays

Dialogue - At the Passport Control, Matching Game

Immigration Oficial: Good morning.
Businessman: Good morning.
Immigration Oficial: Can I see your passport, please?
Businessman: Sure. Here you are.
Immigration Oficial: Thank you very much. Are you a tourist or on business?
Businessman: I’m on business.
Immigration Oficial: How long will you be staying?
Businessman: One week.
Immigration Oficial: Where will you be staying?
Businessman: I’m staying at The Shangri-La Hotel.
Immigration Oficial: That's fine. Have a pleasant stay.
Businessman: Thank you.

Dialogue - At the Airport Check-In, Matching Game

Good morning. Can I have your ticket, please?
Of course. Here you are.
Would you like a window or an aisle seat?
I'd like a window seat, please.
Do you have any baggage?
Yes, one suitcase and this carry-on bag.
Please put your suitcase on the scales.
And this carry-on bag, too?
No, just the suitcase. Did you pack your case yourself?
Yes, I did.
Here's your boarding pass. Boarding is at 19:45, at gate 23. Be there 15 minutes before.
Thank you. Bye bye.

Unscramble these jumbled sentences Part 3: Daily Routines

  1. She wakes up early every morning
  2. He washes his face after he wakes up
  3. He takes a shower before breakfast
  4. She dries her hair after her shower
  5. He brushes his hair after his shower
  6. He eats breakfast before he goes to work
  7. He brushes his teeth after he finishes his breakfast
  8. She gets dressed after she finishes her shower
  9. He goes to the bathroom every morning
  10. He makes his bed after he wakes up
  11. He goes to school at 7:30 in the morning
  12. He goes home at 2 o’clock in the afternoon
  13. He eats lunch when he arrives home
  14. He does his homework after he finishes his lunch
  15. He eats dinner at 8 o’clock in the evening
  16. He takes a bath after he finishes his dinner
  17. He goes to bed about 11 o’clock at night
Dialogue Quiz: Booking Into A Hotel

Receptionist: Good afternoon, can I help you?
Client: Er...yes. I've got a reservation in the name of Hernández, Miguel Hernández.
Receptionist: Mmm...hold on a sec, let me check. Ah, yes. A twin room. Could you fill in this form, please?
Client: Sure. There's one thing though. I booked for 5 days, but I might have to stay longer.
Receptionist: Oh dear... we're fully booked this week.
Client: It's just that they're planning to extend the meeting I'm attending, and I'd like to be present.
Receptionist: If you could confirm the check-out date as soon as possible, we'll see what we can do.
Client: Ok, thanks very much. I'll try to confirm it later today.
Receptionist: How would you like to pay for the room, sir?
Client: Will American Express do?
Receptionist: Sure. You'll have to sign here. We'll close the bill when you check out. Here are your keys...
Client: Thank you. Could you tell me where the nearest bank is?

Dialogue Quiz: Invitation to the cinema


Jane: Hi, Pete! How are you?
Pete: Hiya Jane! You're looking gorgeous today!
Jane: Thanks! You don't look too bad yourself.
Pete: Say, do you fancy going to the cinema tonight?
Jane: The cinema? I haven't been for ages! What have you got in mind?
Pete: I was thinking we could go watch the new Harry Potter at the Odeon.
Jane: Harry Potter? I've been meaning to see that. Ok, when shall we meet?
Pete: Shall I pick you up around 7:30? The show starts at 8.
Jane: You've got your car today? Great! But won't you have problems finding somewhere to park?
Pete: There's a car park right opposite the cinema. We could go for a Chinese after.
Jane: Mmm, I'm feeling hungry already at the mere thought of it!
Pete: That's agreed, then. I'll see you around half seven!

Unscramble these jumbled sentences: Past Simple (Intermediate Plus)

Terrorist Attacks

1. No one was hurt in the rocket attacks.
2. They fired shots into the air as they fled.

Tourists warned as Asian hornets terrorise French

1. Hundreds of insects attacked a mother with her five-month-old baby.
2. There was nothing to halt their spread.

Female pilot killed in acrobatic display

1. A champion aerobatic pilot died when her light aircraft crashed.
2. She flew straight up in the air and then straight back down again.
3. She dropped straight into the ground.
4. An ambulance arrived very quickly but nobody took the pilot away.
5. No one else was injured in the incident.
6. The crash happened in the south-west corner of the famous racing circuit.

Unscramble these jumbled sentences: Past Simple 2 (Intermediate)

1. She suffered from anorexia for fifteen years.
2. He fell through overhead wires onto the track.
3. My story began with a simple desire to get fit.
4. At dawn, aircraft resumed water-dropping on the fires.
5. The attack took place at Mrs Davenport's home in Springfield Avenue.
6. The boy was hit by the 4.55pm Glasgow to Ardrossan Harbour train.
7. There was huge damage to the countryside.
8. He served eight years of his life sentence.
9. He was an overweight alcoholic with a 40-a-day smoking habit.
10. Professor Cummer caught the images of the event by chance.
11. The fires began late on Friday in Grammatiko and spread rapidly through forests.
12. Between 1910 and 1912, Amundsen led the first expedition to reach the South Pole.

Unscramble these jumbled sentences: Present Perfect (Advanced)

1. A teenage boy has died after falling from a bridge onto a railway track.
2. Since then, the 47-year-old has clocked 619 marathons.
3. The UK recession has ended according to a new study.
4. Officials have not said what started the fire.
5. The Scottish Parliament has returned a week early to take part in the emergency session.
6. Police have appealed for anyone with any information about the stabbing in Kempston to contact them.
7. There has been no significant increase in the proportion of patients referred to the services.
8. The Foreign Office has dismissed reports that ministers in London actively encouraged the Libyan's release.
9. Studies have shown that rehabilitation gives heart-attack patients a 26 per cent greater chance of surviving after five years.
10. The wildfires have raged unchecked for two days, burning houses and forcing thousands to flee their homes.***
11. Police have interviewed his doctor, but he has not been named as a suspect.
12. Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, has denied any wrongdoing.
13. The coroner's office has not published its findings regarding the singer's death.
14. Controversial world champion athlete Caster Semenya has arrived home in South Africa to a hero's welcome.


Unscramble these jumbled sentences - idioms (Advanced)


1. No additional evidence has come to light since this case has concluded.
2. In a slip of the tongue, U.S. President Barack Obama described Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as president.
3. The social networking site Facebook has come under fire for planned changes to its privacy settings.
4. Harriet Harman digs in her heels to demand tougher rape law.
5. She smiled and laughed as I tried to get to the bottom of it.
6. Piquet endured a torrid time at Renault before being unceremoniously dropped.
7. Spain had their backs to the wall throughout the game against the United States.
8. European cars have started to make inroads into the Japanese market.
9. There is no love lost between Contador and Armstrong out of the saddle.
10. Sir Elton John was sent packing with a flea in his ear.
11. Rumours of sightings of Michael Jackson's ghost spread across the Internet like wild fire.
12. The 33-minute address was a splash of cold water for Africans who blame colonialism for their problems.
13. Morrison was an absolute monster who wormed his way into the family’s affections.

Thursday 6 August 2009

Singapore rocks F1 again! Reading comprehension

Read the short text and answer the questions that follow.

Last year, we saw the first Formula 1 night race being inaugurated amidst the bright Singapore night, and we saw how fortune smiled on Alonso making him the surprise winner in spite of having a lacklustre Renault under his control.While it's doubtful whether Alonso can turn the wheel of fortune to his favour again, we can be sure of yet another fascinating inauguration. Formula 1 now wants to present not just a grand sporting event, but a grand entertainment package: this year, the sounds of the engines roaring at more than 300 km/hour will not be the only noise that cuts across the Singapore night skyline, but spectators will also be rocking to music from the likes of people like ZZ Top, Simple Minds and Beyoncé.

F1 ROCKS™, stretching from 24-26 Sep, will be broadcast around the globe. Would we see Schumi trying to sweat excess baggage off, or Alonso bopping with Hamilton to Beyoncé?

Now, answer the following questions.

1. The English language has quite a few idioms with the word 'fortune', two of which were used in this post. What are their equivalents in your language?

2. Very often, we don't say what we mean directly, but we used metaphors and other means, and you'd need to read between the lines to see the hidden meaning. Could you explain what I was trying to say or refer to when I wrote the following?

a. 'the noise ... cuts across the ... night'
b. 'Schumi trying to sweat excess baggage off' and
c. 'Alonso bopping with Hamilton...'
d. '... the bright Singapore night'

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Pull the Plug - Listening Exercise

Read the questions first - there are eight of them. Don't look at Page 2 as it contains the answers. If you cheat, you're only cheating yourself!
Play the video - the questions appear as you're listening, but concentrate on the broadcast. Listen to it as many times as you wish, and then answer the questions.
Don't forget to comment below!

Pull the Plug

Tuesday 4 August 2009

Games for Education: Keys

Due to requests, I'm publishing the answers to some of the games and quizzes, but to prevent cheating, and since I know how much you all like to play, the keys are 'hidden' somewhere among all these posts. :-)
It's actually quite easy to find, but I'm not giving it away! ;-P

Dustbin Game: Classify their musical instruments! (Part 2)

This one is especially for Betty. ;-P If you haven't played Part One yet, you'd be well advised to do so before attempting this one. It's a little different: this time, the clues are names of famous people. First, you'd have to guess the instrument which is associated with them, then you classify it in the relevant bin. You've got to be quick to get a low score! Don't you just learn to have fun!

If you like this game, please link to it by copying and pasting this HTML code (click anywhere inside the box, click ctrl+A, then ctrl+C) into your own blog or web template. This is the badge you'll get:

Games for Education

Monday 3 August 2009

Chinese Whispers - 5 min fillers {游戏学英语}

All teachers will be aware that it's always best to have too much prepared than too little, so it's always handy to have a stock of 5-minute fillers in your resource mind bag. One of the popular ones is Chinese Whispers, a game often played by children in parties or in the playground, where the first player whispers a phrase or sentence to the next player. Each player successively whispers what that player believes he or she heard to the next. The last player announces the statement to the entire group. The result is often hilarious due to errors being accumulated as the sentence passes from one person to the next.

Chinese whispers is actually nothing to do with the Chinese. It originates from the old (I hope) European stereotype of the Chinese language being incomprehensible. The term is now considered offensive to some people, so other terms are being used, such as Chain whispers, Telephone, Broken Telephone, Gossip, etc.

The other day, we read about how Tyler Bradt broke the world record for running waterfall. Here we see a sillier kind of record, the record for the longest chain whisper, but the whispered message is rather a novel way of doing something significant. Watch this and you'll see what I mean.


Sunday 2 August 2009

Have you been reading my posts?

Well, have you? Here's a simple fill-in-the-gap activity. There are 10 sentences with 4 missing words from each. You choose the missing words from a jumbled list. No cheating! Try it first before looking for the answers. As usual, have fun learning!
Have you been reading my posts?

Saturday 1 August 2009

Games for Education: Dialogue - in a restaurant (Elementary) Parts One and Two

This is now superseded by this one here:
http://acliltoclimb.blogspot.com/2010/11/dialogue-in-restaurant-matching-game.html

The dialogue is in a jumbled sequence. First, match them up, then put them in the right sequence. Have fun learning!

To start Part One, click on the icon below.
Games for Education


To start Part Two, click on the icon below.
Games for Education


If you like this game, please link to it by copying and pasting this HTML code (click anywhere inside the box, click ctrl+A, then ctrl+C) into your own blog or web template. This is the badge you'll get:

Games for Education