Goodbye...for now!

Dear Team,

You have been a wonderful group, so goodbye for now. Please keep up your English by using this blog, the "word bag" and your vocabulary notebook.

Of course, you can do more things to practice English, for example:

• talk to foreigners at work or in tourist areas
• speak English when you go on holiday
• read English books and magazines
• read English websites about your job or hobbies
• read lyrics of songs while you listen to them (find lyrics HERE)
• write an email to Mary -- sometimes I am lonely   :'-(
• fill up the exercises in your English lessons handout package, which we used together
• play video games
• help your children do their English homework
• watch English films with English subtitles
• read the news in English (CNN, BBC)

Good luck, everybody!

Test practice

Dear Team,

Here are some notes for you about the test that we will do on Wednesday.

1. Remember that "until" means the future, for example: In Hungary, you can't buy cigarettes until you are 18 years old. BE CAREFUL!  after until in this type of sentence, use present simple verbs!
2. Remember that "economic" and "economical" are very different words. ? Which one is about economics??
3. Remember what a warning is! And remember what the verb "employ" means, for example, The Logistics Center employs 65 people. ?? Why did I write employs with an "s"??
4. The word "consider" means to think about something carefully, for a long time. For example, when you want to buy a car, you consider it, because you have to think about all the details and look around for good prices etc etc - so you consider buying a car: in grammar, consider + -ing verb
5. Please check the rules for future verbs, in the list of links on the right.

Finally, here is an interesting video for you! Conditionals and personality
(you need about 10 minutes to watch it)

And here's a video about the power of words. Words are powerful, don't you agree?

Mary

CONDITIONALS AND "IF"

Hello, English Team,

Today's message is about conditionals. It's a grammar topic, and we will practice it with a worksheet on Wednesday in your lesson at MNB Soroksár.

Conditionals are used when you talk about an imaginary, unreal action in the present (2nd conditional) or a possible situation in the present and the future (1st conditional).

EXAMPLES
2nd conditional: If I had time, I would call you. It means the present, possible to call you, but I don't have time, so the situation is unreal.

1st conditional: If I have time, I will call you. It means present and future - notice the "will" verb!

FORM
2nd conditional: IF + past simple verb, WOULD + base verb, e.g. go, have, eat, be, etc.
1st conditional: IF + present simple verb, WILL + base verb

Click this link for an exercise

Famous rock n roll songs with conditionals

"If I had a million dollars" (Barenaked Ladies) 2nd conditional
"If I were a boy" (Beyoncé) 2nd conditional
Top Ten Conditional songs with lyrics

Here is a really bizarre grammar lesson! LOL

What would you do if you had a million dollars? Tell us your answer in the lesson!

LEARNING ENGLISH AT HOME IN THE HOLIDAYS

Dear English Team Members,

First, I do wish you all a happy holiday, and may you enjoy a bit of English, too.

In our last lesson, you got a task to read page 72 in your package, a text titled "How to Buy a Safe"
The text has 10 rules.
Find the rule (or rules) that tells:

• why your safe should be attached to the floor (rule number(s) ____)
• you should not gossip about your safe (rule number(s) ____)
• 3 points for choosing the location of your safe (rule number(s) ____)
• the parameters for storing weapons (rule number(s) ____)
• when documents burn up (rule number(s) ____)
• something about stealing things from a safe (rule number(s)_____)

Find two more interesting facts in the text.



Second, here is another task for you:.................----------->----------------> the "Listening Melange" in the new "Hot Links" section of our blog. Click on Listening Melange, and choose something you like. There are lots of Christmas listenings, even a song from LADY GAGA! Have fun!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL FROM MARY

Listening and Video practice

Hello, English Team!

The weather this weekend will be cold and unfriendly, so it is perfect for listening and videos in English! Sit down with a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate and enjoy :


WHY OCCUPY?  WALL STREET (1 minute, 23 seconds) - play it two or three times. Collect new words and be ready to talk about the trouble on Wall Street in our next lesson.

OR...

MINE'S A MARS BAR   !NOTE! You must scroll down the page to the second listening! (3 minutes, 27 seconds) - play it two or three times. Collect new words and be ready to talk about chocolate in our next lesson.

Remember to write the words on paper and bring it to the lesson please!

What is your favorite kind of chocolate? Milk chocolate, semi-sweet, white chocolate or....

ESL Vocabulary Lists

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  ESL Vocabulary Lists

  
  

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

PASSIVE

Dear Students,

We will practice the English passive in our next lesson.


Here are some tips for you:

• Always ask, who is the active person (or animal, thing, etc) ? And who is the one that is acted on ? 

Criminals make counterfeit money. (Active sentence - Criminals are active people, money is acted on)
Counterfeit money is made by criminals. (Passive sentence - money is acted on, criminals are active people) 

• You should review the list of irregular verbs. Why? (Because passive verbs use the 3rd form verb)

 Here is a link to a game with irregular verbs. Have a little fun!

• Here is a video about the passive

• Here is a True/False quiz. Try to get all the answers right, then check yourself. Tell Mary your score!

• There are links on the right side of this page. Use them for practice, too.