GRAMMAR - WOULD RATHER (I´D RATHER)

It means "would prefer to" and it is used to express preference in a polite way.

Usage	ONE SUBJECT	TWO SUBJECTS
To talk about the present and future	would rather + infinitive I’d rather do homework. I’d rather not watch TV.	would rather + Simple Past I’d rather you did homework. I’d rather you didn’t watch TV.
To talk about the past	would rather + perfect infinitive I’d rather have done homework. I’d rather not have watched TV.	would rather + Past Perfect I’d rather you had done homework. I’d rather you hadn’t watched TV.

GRAMMAR - THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

The subjunctive mood is one of the three gramatical modos in English, along with the indicative mood and the imperative mood.

The present subjunctive is used for demands and suggestions. It indicates necessity, urgency or strong recommendation.

The past subjunctive is used for impossible situations and hypothetical wishes. It describes things and situations that are contrary to fact, imaginary or unreal.

 

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE

FORM:

Bare infinitive (no –s ending for 3^rd p.sg) / “Be” is used for all persons

TRIGGER WORDS:

Adjectives - Essential, important, necessary, urgent, vital.

Nouns – Demand, proposal, recommendation, request.

Verbs - Demand, insist, propose, recommend, request, suggest.

Examples:

It is essential that you be on time. 

I suggest that he visit his family. 

She recommended that she go on holiday.

 

PAST SUBJUNCTIVE

FORM:

Simple past form / “Be”: “Were” is used for all persons

TRIGGER EXPRESSIONS:

As if/as

If clauses (second conditional)

Suppose / Supposing

Wish + clause

Examples:

She acts as if she had a lot of money . 

They wished they could go on holiday.

Suppose you were rich, what would you do?

GRAMMAR - EMPHASIS II: INVERSION

 Inversion means changes the normal subject – verb word for emphasis. It has a surprising and persuasive effect and it sounds rather formal.

I. INVERSION AFTER NEGATIVE ADVERBIALS:

A. INVERSION IN THE FIRST PART OF THE SENTENCE:

Negative expression + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb, (subject + verb)

1. Negative adverbs or adverb phrase used with inversion: hardly, (in) no way, little, never, no sooner, nowhere, only in this way, on no account, only then/later, rarely, scarcely, seldom.

Hardly had I arrived home when somebody knocked at the door. Little did he know that the thief was about to steal his wallet. Never had I seen such a beautiful castle before.  

2. Prohibition and restriction: At no time, under no circumstances, not only … but also.

At no time did he offer me a lift. Not only does she play tennis, she also does judo and karate.

B- INVERSION IN THE SECOND PART OF THE SENTENCE:

Negative adverb or adverb phrase + subject + verb, auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

Negative adverbs or adverb phrase used with inversion: not since, not until, only after, only by, only when.

Not until she looked at me did I realise she was your sister. Only when I had arrived at the hotel did I relax. Only by studying hard could I pass the exam.

 

II. INVERTED CONDITIONALS (without “if”):

First type: Should + subject + verb, subject + verb + complements

Should she go to watch the film, she will love it.

Second type: Were + subject + to + infinitive, subject + verb + complements

Were he to go to University, his parents would be very proud of him.

Third type: Had + subject + Past Participle, subject + verb + complements

Had it rained, we would have stayed at home.

GRAMMAR - EMPHASIS I: CLEFT-SENTENCES

 

- Use: A cleft sentence is split (“cleft”) into two clauses to emphasize a particular piece of information (subject, object, time expression).

- Types of cleft sentences:

1. IT-CLEFT SENTENCES:

 It is/was … that …

It is Mike that goes to the library every day.

It was yesterday that I saw your sister.

2. WH-CLEFT SENTENCES (pseudo-cleft sentences):

Wh-word … is/was …

What I liked best about travelling was meeting new people.

How the children broke the window is still unknown.

3. REVERSED WH-CLEFT SENTENCES (reversed pseudo-cleft sentences):

… is/was what …

Rest is what I need after a long day.

Your support was what she longed for.

4. ALL-CLEFT SENTENCES:

All … is/was …

All I want for Christmas is you.

All I had to do was send the invitations for the party.

5. “THE THING THAT” CLEFT SENTENCES:

The (one/first/last/only) thing (that) … is/was …

The only thing that I like about your brother is his honesty.

The last thing (that) she did was lock the door.

END-OF-YEAR MEMORY BOOK PROJECT

 

END-OF-YEAR MEMORY BOOK

 

1- ALL ABOUT US – Present Simple

Description of the members of your group:

Name, age, physical appearance and personality, hobbies, favourite film/TV series and song, favourite subject.

 

2- OUR CLASSES – Present Simple (except*)

High school and classroom description

Best class atmosphere

What we want to remember about our classes

What we are going to miss about our classes* (subjects, classmates, teachers)

 

3- BEST MOMENTS – Simple Past

Describe the best memory from a school activity and the best memory from a class

 

4- OUR SUMMER PLANS – “Be going to”

Describe your plans for the summer

 

5- OUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE – Future Simple (“Will”)

What jobs will you have in the future?

What will your lives be like?

LIST OF FREE WEBSITES FOR LEARNING ENGLISH

www.esl-lab.com http://www.englishlistening.com www.listenaminute.com Listening exercises graded according to different levels (the first two sites) and topics (the last one).	DICTIONARIES http://www.wordreference.com     http://dictionary.reverso.net www.oxforddictionaries.com      https://www.macmillandictionary.com https://dictionary.cambridge.org https://www.merriam-webster.com Sentence Examples http://sentence.yourdictionary.com The Internet Picture Dictionary http://pdictionary.com Words ordered by categories, it includes several kinds of activities. Urban Dictionary https://www.urbandictionary.com Dictionary for slang words and phrases.
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http://allphonetics.blogspot.com Learning phonetics through songs.	www.eslfast.com Graded short readings with audio (levels), interactive grammar activities. One reading section about US culture.
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http://www.saberingles.com.ar Flashcards	https://www.ted.com Videos (+subtitles) "Language Leads Love" (Youtube Channel) Subtitled videos for kids about academic topics (A1, A2).
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www.english-at-home.com Speaking / Vocabulary / Grammar sections (theory, not practice), vocabulary wordsearches and quizzes.	http://englishteststore.net Chats, forums, rephrasing tests, graded games (hangman, Mario grammar, vocabulary, memory, crosswords), 4 skills tests, International ESL exams, CEFR levels, High School English grammar tests (grades 6-12).
www.esldiscussions.com English conversation questions about several topics.	http://www.cambridgeenglish.org Cambridge exams (YLE, KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE, BEC) and information about them. http://www.autoenglish.org Cambridge PET and FCE exercises, ESO/Bachillerato/EBAU exercises.
www.manythings.org Selected VOA Youtube videos (subtitled), grammar   and vocabulary videos, Readings, Listenings (audio, video), vocabulary games, sentences, quizzes & puzzles (Java required).	http://www.eslflow.com Grammar, vocabulary theory and exercises, pronunciation, readings picture worksheets and games in PDF (no key) for elementary, pre-intermediate and intermediate levels.
http://www.esldesk.com Very complete, even pronunciation and errors sections, quizzes.	www.usingenglish.com Online grammar, usage and vocabulary tests ("ESL quizzes") graded according to different levels and reading comprehension exercises.
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http://www.tolearnenglish.com Lots of tests, lessons, videos, audios, chatrooms (chat with humans/robots), pen pals.	www.real-english.com Subtitled videos (small screen).
http://www.eflnet.com Wordlists, grammar, listenings, flash, readings, closes, quizzes.	http://www.eslyes.com Short stories with interactive exercises (vocabulary, close, crossword, sentences), audio and grade level.
http://www.learn-english-today.com List of multiple resources, word games, fun, business, phonetics, grammar and vocabulary.	www.havefunteaching.com Clil readings.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar Grammar interactive tests.	www.english.club 4 skills (grammar theory), pronunciation, writing, games.
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https://www.esolcourses.com Lessons, games and quizzes for beginners.	www.perfect-english-grammar.com Grammar videos, theory, exercises, very good grammar pdfs.
www.examenglish.com http://www.flo-joe.co.uk International ESL exams, CEFR levels.	http://www.theyellowpencil.com ESP bilingual vocabulary wordlists & grammar (+audio) theory and activities (also printable), worksheets to colour, children songs.
www.english-grammar.at Online grammar and vocabulary exercises according to different levels (downloadable worksheets and key also available).	www.myenglishpages.com Grammar explanations and online exercises (grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading).

WRITING SKILL - MY FIRST STORY

 

In order to write your first story, these are the steps you should follow:

Opening paragraph - Say WHAT happened in a sentence, adding WHERE and WHEN it happened. 

 

Body of the composition - Explain the details of the experience in an orderly way, using CONNECTORS OF SEQUENCE:

First, ... (The story begins)

Next, ... (The story follows)

Then, ... (The story follows)

After that, ... /Afterwards, ... / After, ...

Finally, ... (The story finishes)

Closing paragraph- Use one sentence or two to conclude your composition, describing your feelings about the story to the reader.