Category: Class

Phrasal Verbs – Common

• Phrasal verbs are usually formed when we pair verbs with adverbs or prepositions.

We  usually use the following to form phrasal verbs:

In, off, on, by, up, down, out, away, back, round, through, about, along, over, forward

Example:

I will get off at 7th Street.

Get off is an example of a phrasal verb

• Sometimes a phrasal verb is followed by a preposition.

Examples:

run away + from – Turman’s cmpany ran away from its obligation.
look forward + to – We look forward to meeting you in person.

• Sometimes a phrasal verb has an object.

Example:

pick up + someone / pick someone up

-She picked her son up at the airport.
-She picked up her son at the airport.
– She picked him up at the airport.

BUT – “She picked up him at the airport.” is WRONG.

• We often use on/off/out etc. with verbs of movement.

Example:

Get on – She has to get on the train before it leaves!

Get off – I usually get off at Pearl Drive.
Go out – I had to go out of the office for a bit.

• However, adding these words to verbs often changes the meaning of the phrase.

Example:

get by – manage to do something

The exam was quite challenging. How did you get by?

An Unhealthy Habit

B1 – Intermediate

Dining out was once reserved for the wealthy or a special occasion. Not anymore. Now more than a third of the food Americans eat is made up of so-called “away-from-home” foods, which include both restaurant food and prepackaged or prepared foods purchased at supermarkets. And about 40 percent of that comes from fast-food restaurants serving the likes of cheeseburgers and French fries.

It seems then that the more you “buy out”, the more likely it is that you will have a calorie and fat rich diet that is poor in nutrients.

Let’s read the article to learn some of the issues with eating “out of the home” and talk about the questions that follow:

http://www.amdietetics.com/articles/eating-out-an-unhealthy-habit

  • How often and where do you usually go when you eat out?
  • Who do you usually go with when you eat out?
  • What do you think about eating out?
  • In what ways have people’s eating habits changed over the years?
  • How have your eating habits changed over the years?
  • What’s the best and the worst experience you ever had at a restaurant?
  • Do you like to try new restaurants, or do you prefer to go to those you have already been to? Why?
  • Do you care what a restaurant looks like, or is the food the only thing you care about?

To Tip or Not to Tip… or Should it be Banned?

B2 – Upper intermediate

How much should you give?  There’s a long tradition of tipping in the U.S. Non-tippers are considered cheap (the ultimate insult to an American) .  Most Americans are shocked by anyone who doesn’t tip or who tips too little, and some go to extremes and tip everybody in sight.

Could America’s generous tipping culture be coming to an end? Let’s read the article and talk about the questions that follow:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22846846

Discuss:

  1. Do you usually leave a tip?
  2. How much are you suppose to tip different people?
  3. Is tipping common in your country?
  4. Do you think it’s important to leave tips?
  5. Can you think of jobs where tipping is an important part of the salary?
  6. When are some times you shouldn’t leave a tip?
  7. When was the last time you left a tip for someone?
  8. How much do you usually leave for a tip?
  9. Would you leave a tip even if you thought the waiter or waitress didn’t seem to work for it?
  10. Can you think of some places where tipping is required?
  11. Can you think of some places where tipping is optional?
  12. Can you think of some places where tipping is not necessary?

Test 218

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Conversation with Colleagues

B1 – Intermediate

Business is all about good communication. While communicating with customers is important, internal communication must be given attention, too.

Communicating effectively with your colleagues minimizes misunderstandings and increases work efficiency. Active communication also produces healthy working relationships. This, in turn, creates a more pleasant and less stressful work environment.

Watch the video about a conversation with a colleague.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it easy to communicate with your colleagues? Why or why not?
  2. What do you often talk about with your colleagues?
  3. Talk about a situation when you had a miscommunication with your colleagues. How was the problem resolved?
  4. What can be done to avoid miscommunication at work?

Test 636

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Irregular Verbs

• If a verb is irregular, the past simple and past participle do not end in –ed.

Example: The security guard foresaw the robber’s intent to cause panic in the shop.
(Foresee-foresaw)

• All three forms (infinitive, past, participle) are the same with some verbs.

Example: The government shut down our branch in Osaka last year.
(shut down – shut down- shut down)

• Some irregular verbs have the same past and past participle forms but not the same infinitive form.

Example: The CEO thought that Jeff’s proposal was interesting.
(think – thought – thought)

• For other irregular verbs, all three forms are different.

Example: Our Company underwent an unprecedented growth last year.
(undergo- underwent – undergone)

• Some verbs can be regular or irregular.

Example: He burned his hand while cooking.
She burnt the eggs she was cooking.

Burn-burned or burnt

Spell-spelled or spelt

Learn-learned or learnt

Spill-spilled or spilt

Smell-smelled or smelt

Spoil-spoiled or spoilt

Irregular verbs

bid-bid-bid

-To submit a competitive proposal to buy or sell
products or services

hold on to – held on to – held on to

-To keep in one’s possession

undertake-undertook-undertaken

-To accept a challenging/difficult responsibility

Why Translation Technology Should Not Replace Learning Languages

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Trying to understand someone who does not speak your language could now be a thing of the past, thanks to some groundbreaking gadgets that claim to translate foreign languages in real-time. Imagine how easy it will be to communicate with people from any parts of the world without breaking a sweat. However, the rise of this technology should not replace learning languages and stop people from doing so.

Click the link below to know the most accurate reasons for that.

Translation Technology Should Not Replace Learning Languages

Discussion Questions:

1. According to the text, why should translation technology not replace learning languages?

2. What are your thoughts on translation technology?
How much do you rely on translation tools?

3. Besides English, what other languages are you learning or do you want to learn?

4. Give an example of a Spanish word, phrase, or idiom that is often mistranslated to other languages.

5. As you see it, should or should not translation technology replace learning languages?

Oxford Word of the Year 2017

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Post-truth, ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ Emoji, vape, and selfie are just some of the words Oxford declared as Word of the Year in the past four years.

Find out last year’s Word of the Year and why Oxford chose it.

And the Word of the Year 2017 is…

Discussion Questions:

1. How did youthquake come into rise?

2. What do you think of the youth in this generation?
How do they differ to the youth in the past?

3. Explain how you can observe youthquake in Spain in the recent years.

4. What is the most significant cultural, political, or social change that arose in Spain last year? What significant cultural, political, or social change would you like to emerge in Spain?

5. If you could coin a word, what would it be?

6. What could you choose as 2017 Spanish Word of the Year?

Test 625

Please go to Test 625 to view this test