Unit 2 Grammar Review (1st Batxillerat)

Here you have some links that you can use to practise grammar of this unit:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_present_perfect.htm

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-23351.php

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-1740.php

You can check your answers immediately.

USED TO

Here you have a summary of the different uses of the USED TO structure. At the end, there are two web sites that you can visit for extra practice. ( From www.englishgrammarsecrets.com)

USED TO

Used to do

We use 'used to' for something that happened regularly in the past but no longer happens.

· I used to smoke a packet a day but I stopped two years ago.

· Ben used to travel a lot in his job but now, since his promotion, he doesn't.

· I used to drive to work but now I take the bus.

We also use it for something that was true but no longer is.

· There used to be a cinema in the town but now there isn't.

· She used to have really long hair but she's had it all cut off.

· I didn't use to like him but now I do.

'Used to do' is different from 'to be used to doing' and 'to get used to doing'

to be used to doing

We use 'to be used to doing' to say that something is normal, not unusual.

· I'm used to living on my own. I've done it for quite a long time.

· Hans has lived in England for over a year so he is used to driving on the left now.

· They've always lived in hot countries so they aren't used to the cold weather here.

to get used to doing

We use 'to get used to doing' to talk about the process of something becoming normal for us.

· I didn't understand the accent when I first moved here but I quickly got used to it.

· She has started working nights and is still getting used to sleeping during the day.

· I have always lived in the country but now I'm beginning to get used to living in the city.

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/english_lessons/used-to-exercises

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/usedto/menu.php

Stars signs and your personality

This is a follow-up activity, after talking about adjectives that describe personality in class. Here you have a link of an Astrology page. Take a look and then answer the questions below.

http://www.prokerala.com/astrology/zodiac-sign.php?zodiac=Aries

1- Look for your star sign and find out which adjectives describe your personality. Are there any coincidences with the way you described yourself in class?
2- According to this site, which professional fields are best for you? What element do you belong to? What is your colour? Is there anything that surprised you?
3- Do you agree with any of this? Why? Why not?

Prepare your answers using elaborate sentences because you will have to comment them in class. Feel free to post any comments here. If you need help with vocabulary you can check the on-line dictionary link provided in the main page.

The Adventures of Tintin : The secret of the Unicorn

While and after watching the film  questions: 

1-Where does Tintin live?
2-Who does he live with?
3-What is the name of his pet?
4-What is his profession? Why is he famous for?
5-What does he buy in a street market? 
6-What is the name of that  object?
7-Why is it so important for other people?
8-What was inside the mast?
9-What bad thing  happens in Tintin's house?
10-What are the names of the twin detectives?
11-Where is Tintin going when he is kidnapped ( secuestrado) ?
12-What is the name os the captain?
13-Why is he so important for Tintin? 
14-Who is the creator of Tintin?
15-When was he created?
16-How many Tintin's stories or adventures are there?
17-When was this film released?
18-Who directed this film?

George and the dragon

By the way, did you know that there is a free adaptation of Saint George? It has little to do with the story though.  Have a look...

Saint George

Here one of the possible legends of Saint George.
 Legend of Saint George (source from Storynory)

                                             Author: Edward Burne- Jones

Preparing an oral presentation

Here you have some important tips which can be very helpful when you have to do an oral presentation.

1. Choose the topic you want to talk about. If the choice is up to you, it is better if you know the topic or  if you talk about something you like ,such as a personal experience or a passion you share.
2. Remember that it is an oral presentation, so the most important is that you speak! Communicate! Don't read from a paper or from your presentation on the board, because this can bore the audience..
3. Prepare the audience to know what you are going to talk about, so it is good to make a list of things you are going to develop.
4. Speak calmly and clearly, if you speak fast the audience will not enjoy your presentation.
5. Including pictures or videos can make your presentation more interesting. 
6. Make questions to the audience to see if they have any doubts. 
7. Enjoy! 

Watch this video and get the good ideas from it, it may be long and all the information may not be necessary for you, but there are interesting things you can get.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJvUcd963LM

Working with songs: a guide to prepare activites for students

Here you have a series of  steps you can follow if you want to prepare an activity with a song.

1. First of all, you have to choose the song. Think about the level of difficulty so you shouldn't get things too complicated.
2. Look for the complete  lyrics so as to prepare activities.
3. Decide which activities you want to do. You have different options: work on the lyrics, analysing the text and/or working on the video of the song. In the next steps you have various possibilities to develop.
4. Types of activities on the lyrics: A) Listening :  fill in the gaps ( you can focus on certain words like nouns, verbs, etc  or  words related with a topic) with clues or without ; put the sentences or words in order ( preferably organize it by paragraphs) . B) Analysing the song: here you can make questions about meaning of words , finding words in the text, looking for certain tenses ( past, present or future), work on expressions or collocations, etc.
5. Working on the video: here you can make questions about things that happen in the video, such as actions, objects that appear in it, opinions on the song and the video itself...
6. It is very important that you give clear instructions about what has to be done and value the level of difficulty

World , Hold on

Here you have the video we saw last day in class. Listen and see if you understand the lyrics.

How to work with songs

Here you will find different ideas of how to work songs in English. Soon...very soon...

Mr Bean checking in

Watch the video and explain what happens to Mr Bean when he does the check in. Remember to use the vocabulary worked in class and to use the present simple to describe the actions.

Explaining a travel experience

What do you have to do? You must write a text explaining a travel experience that you remember well. In this writing you should include the following points:

• Where did you go? When?
• Who did you go with?
• How did you travel? (transport)
• Where did you stay?
• What was the thing you liked the most/ the least?
• Was there any anecdote you remember from that travel?
• Was it expensive/ cheap?
• Would you recommend it to someone?

Then in class you will have to explain it orally, but you can look at your text.
Have a nice weekend!

PASSIVE

Here you have some links on passive structures. You will find explanations and loads of exercises to practice with key. Remember to fix the structures since this is the key to move further.

Passive 1
Passive 2

Prefixes

What is a prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters which you can add to the beginning of a root word* to change the meaning of the word. e.g. mis + fortune = misfortune

*A root word stands on its own as a word but you can make new words from it by adding beginnings (prefixes) and endings (suffixes).
For example, 'comfort' is a root word. By adding the prefix 'dis' and the suffix 'able' you can make new words such as 'discomfort' and 'comfortable'.

Prefix meanings:
Every prefix has a meaning, for example:
The prefix 'un' means 'not'
The root word 'clear' means 'bright', 'free from difficulty'

un + clear = unclear which means 'not clear' or 'dim', 'difficult to see or understand'

There are no rules to help you remember which prefix you should use, although knowing the meaning of the prefix can help.
Here are some examples of prefixes and their meanings...

Prefix	Meaning
mis	means 'wrong' or 'badly' e.g. 'misspelled' or misspelt means 'wrongly spelled'
sub	means under e.g. 'subway' means 'a way under the ground'
pre	means 'before in time', 'in front of' or 'superior' e.g. 'prepacked' means 'packed before'
un	means not (there are also several other prefixes which mean not) e.g. 'unhurt' means 'not hurt'

Adding prefixes to root words

1. Generally when you add a prefix to a root word* the spelling of the prefix and the root words stays the same.

*A root word stands on its own as a word but you can make new words from it by adding beginnings (prefixes) and endings (suffixes).

Prefix	+	Root word	=	Word
un	+	kind	=	unkind
im	+	mature	=	immature
bi	+	cycle	=	bicycle
mis	+	fire	=	misfire
in	+	visible	=	invisible

Exceptions
When you add a prefix to a root word the spelling of both usually stays the same, although when the prefix 'all' is added to a root word the final 'l' of 'all' is dropped.

all + together = altogether
all + ways = always

2. With some root words more than one type of prefix may be added to give the word different meanings.

Prefix	+	Root word	=	Word
dis	+	appear	=	disappear - means to no longer appear, or cease to appear
re	+	appear	=	reappear - means to appear again

3. Sometimes you can add more than one prefix to a word at the same time.

Prefix	+	Prefix	+	Root word	=	Word
re	+	dis	+	cover	=	rediscover

4. You can also add a prefix to a word which already has a suffix* added to it.

*A suffix is a group of letters that you add to the end of a root word.

Prefix	+	Root word	+	Suffix	=	Word
re	+	play	+	ing	=	replaying
un	+	want	+	ed	=	unwanted

Prefixes meaning 'not'

There are several prefixes which reverse the meaning of a word. An easier way to remember them is if you think of them to essentially mean 'not'.

Prefix	Meaning
un	means not e.g. 'unhurt' means 'not hurt'
im	means not e.g. 'impolite' means 'not polite'
il	means not e.g. 'illegal' means 'not legal'
in	means not e.g. 'informal' means 'not formal'
ir	means not e.g.'irregular' means 'not regular'
dis *	one of the meanings of this prefix is also 'not' e.g. 'disagree' means 'not agree'

Other prefixes

Here are some other examples of common prefixes for you to learn.

Prefix	Meaning
dis	means away, apart, between, utterly (when used with a negative word) and not. e.g. 'disarm' means to remove or take weapons away
mis	means 'wrong' or 'badly' e.g. 'misfortune' is when your are not lucky and things go wrong or badly
under	means 'below' or 'beneath' e.g. 'underground' means below or beneath the ground
over	means upper, outer, over, superior or excessive e.g. 'overweight' means too heavy or fat
re	means again e.g. 'replay' means to play something again
trans	means across or through e.g. 'transatlantic' means across the Atlantic ocean
inter	means among, between or together e.g. 'intermission' is the short period of time between the parts in a performance or a film
super	means in excess, beyond e.g. 'supersonic' means faster or beyond the speed of sound
anti	means against, in opposition to e.g. 'anticlockwise' is opposite to the direction that the hands of a clock move in
ante	means before e.g. 'antenatal' means before giving birth
post	means after e.g. 'postpone' means to put something off until later, or after it was originally planned

You can find Skillswise at http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
This factsheet is BBC Copyright