Category: Class

What Japanese Prison Food is Like

B2 – Upper intermediate

Prisons all over the world have dark and sinister reputations. Living the life of an inmate is very hard to envision for most people. Just imagine eating prison food every day. What a nightmare it must be.

However, in a prison in Abashiri, Japan, the surroundings and even the food is quite different from what we all know.

Take a look at the video to find out more.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the video all about? Explain it in your own words.
  2. Do you know of anyone who has ever been to prison?
  3. Talk about prisons in your own country. What do you know about them?

Determiners Some and Any

The determiners Some and Any are often confused. These words are placed before count and non-count nouns. They express an indefinite number or quantity.

There are some children in the classroom.

NOTE: We aren’t talking about the exact number of children in the classroom.

I haven’t got any problems.

Tiffany has some relatives in Prague.

Uses of Determiners Some and Any

  • Both determiners some and any are used with a singular and a plural noun.

Have you got any questions?

→ Any is used with the plural noun questions.

We haven’t got any money.

→ Any is used with the singular uncountable noun money.

  • Remember to use some in an affirmative sentence with both countable and uncountable nouns.

I need some water.

There are some books on her desk.

All she needs is some time to think.

  • On the other hand, we use any in a negative and an interrogative sentence.

They haven’t got any children.

Have you got any milk?

Exceptions

  • Sometimes, some is used in making polite requests and offers.

Would you like some coffee?

→ This sentence sounds more natural than ‘Would you like any coffee?’

Could I have some salt and pepper, please?

→ This is a polite request.

Determiners Some and Any Exercise

Answer this exercise on determiners some and any.

1. Everyone makes ___ mistakes in life.

a. some

b. any


2. Could we have ___ bread?

a. some

b. any

3. Allison didn’t make ___ mistakes during her performance.

a. some

b. any


4. They have ___ money so they will buy a new computer.

a. some

b. any


5. Please go to the supermarket because we don’t have ___ milk anymore.
a. some

b. any

6. Has she got ___ questions?

a. some

b. any


7. Would he like ___ coffee?

a. some

b. any

8. They haven’t got ___ questions.

a. some

b. any

9. I don’t have ____ preference.

a. some

b. any.

10. I did not make ____ money helping my neighbor.

a. some

b. any

Find the answers to this exercise here.

See also: Quantifiers, Articles with Countable and Uncountable Nouns, and Some and Any (II).

For additional information on this topic, check out this English Club lesson.

For other English grammar lessons, go to this page.

Is This the Safest Place in the World?

C1 – Advanced

Climate change is a hotly debated topic in many nations across the world. For some, the impact of this phenomenon is something to be seriously dealt with. This is why a group of concerned individuals built a special vault in order to prepare for climate change and it’s consequences.

Watch the video below to find out more.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is this special vault for? Describe what it looks like.
  2. Do you think that this vault is necessary? Why or why not?
  3. Can you think of other extreme measures that people are trying to do in order to battle climate change?

What If You Never Ate Meat?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Steak, burgers, chicken, hot dogs… These are just some types of meat to name a few. The question is, is eating meat good or bad? Meat is a staple in many diet and is a great source of protein and other important nutrients needed by our body. However, It’s a highly controversial food because some people believe that eating meat is unhealthy, unnecessary and it may even kill us.

Watch the video and take a look at the health benefits and potential risks of eating meat.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree with the video? Explain your position.
  2. Cite the benefits and consequences of meat on our bodies or health.
  3. Can you live without ever eating meat? Why or why not?
  4. What kinds of meat do you enjoy eating? Do you think it’s healthy? Share.
  5. What do you think of processed meat?

The Gender Pay Gap

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Data show that the majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women. In spite of all these records, skeptics still do not believe in the existence of the idea. See how the video debunks myths about the gender pay gap.

Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss the six myths about the gender pay gap.
2. Do you experience the pay gap in your company?
3. How can we resolve issues about the pay gap?
4. In what other phenomena are men considered to be more privileged than women?
5. In what events are women thought to be more advantaged than men?

Talk Tips to Ace Your Speaking Exam

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you have cold feet when you take an exam? Well, everyone does, for sure. If you are preparing for a speaking exam, watch the video below to get some tips and have your fear surmounted. Afterwards, do a sample speaking test with your tutor.

Discussion Questions:

1. Tell me about a speaking exam that you had.
2. What other tips can you add to pass a speaking exam?

Sample Speaking Test:
Part 1
Interview
1. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
2. What’s your favorite piece of clothing you own / owned?
3. What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?
4. What would your perfect room look like?
5. How often do you play sports?

Part 2
Short Talk
Choose a topic to talk about for 2 to 3 minutes.
(social media, the best place to go in summer, the best thing about the year, etc.)

Part 3
Two-way discussion
Answer questions about the chosen topic.

Test 654

Es necesario estar registrado en phone english para realizar este test. Si tu nombre no aparece en el campo debes loguearte aqui. El test tiene una duración de 10 minutos como máximo y una vez iniciado el tiempo no se puede detener. Haga click en Start Quiz! para iniciar.

User:

This quiz must be completed in 10 minutes.

Clauses of Purpose

In the English language, there are clauses that are used to express purpose. They are preceded by these words or expressions:

TO + Infinitive

* We use to + infinitive to express why an action is done.

We went to the gallery to support our friend on his photo exhibition.

IN ORDER THAT and SO THAT

IN ORDER THAT

* In order that is more formal and less commonly used than so that.

In order that you can join the organization, please fill out this form.

SO THAT

* We use so that to express that someone performs an action and someone else can consequently do or doesn’t have to do something else anymore.

I cooked some of his favorite dishes so that he can eat well again.

* We use so that + can / could / will be able to / would have to express that one action is possible because of the other one.

We left the office early so that we would have time to have dinner before going home.

* We use so that + don’t have to / won’t have to / wouldn’t have to to mean that one action will help avoid having to do something else.

I’m going to study hard so that I won’t have to worry so much before the exam.

* We use so that + won’t / wouldn’t / don’t to say that one action will prevent another thing to happen.

I always try to stay calm so that I don’t get into altercations.

IN ORDER TO / SO AS TO

* In order to is used the same way as to. However, to cannot be used before a negative infinitive. In this case, we use in order to.

Incorrect: To not be late for work, I woke up earlier this morning.
Correct: In order not to be late for work, I woke up earlier this morning.

Incorrect: They invested their money very strategically to not suffer a great loss.
Correct: They invested their money very strategically in order not to suffer a great loss.

* In order to or so as to is often used before stative verbs such as know, seem, appear, understand, have, etc.

They had a very long meeting about the issue so as to have a better understanding of the situation.

He tried to study his presentation all night in order to know every little detail of it.

FOR + noun

* We use for + noun to express purpose.

She is working hard for a chance at a promotion.

FOR + gerund

* We use for + gerund to express purpose and/or function of something.

Her efforts are all for raising awareness about climate change.

Tethered to Phones

B1 – Intermediate

Parents are concerned about the amount of time their teenage children spend in front of screens, while more others expressed concern about their own screen time.

Experts say parents have a big role in their kids’ screen habits and setting a good example is a big part of it.

https://www.voanews.com/a/study-teens-parents-tethered-smartphones/4539560.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think people are too tethered to their phones? Why or why not?

2. How often do you use your cellphone?

3. Should parents set a good example to their children by showing lesser usage of cellphones?

World Trade Center Subway Station Reopens

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People welcomed the first train rolled into the new WTC Cortlandt station. The train station was buried under the rubble of the Twin Towers on 11th September 2001 and now the new fully accessible station features a mosaic that uses words from the Declaration of Independence.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45463886

Discussion Questions:

  1. In what ways do you think the re-opening of the subway station will be most beneficial?

2. How would Americans feel about the re-opening of the train station?

3. Do you think re-opening of this train station will bring back bad memories of the 9/11 attack?