Category: Class

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?

 

US to Spend Billions on Artificial Intelligence Weapons

B1 – Intermediate

What springs to your mind when asked about AI or Artificial Intelligence? Well, opinions differ for sure. Some would say it is of great advantage and some would say it is dangerous or a few would say they don’t care.

The United States will spend billions on developing AI weapons. They wanted to be ahead in terms of this technology as China and Russia are known to have their own.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1809/180912-weapons.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on AI weapons?
  2. What would be the outcome if these weapons will be used in the future?
  3. Will there be more of the advantages than the disadvantages?
  4. How do these weapons protect the welfare of the country?
  5. Would these weapons make the US more powerful than its counterparts?

Test 609

Please go to Test 609 to view this test

Passive (is done/was done)

ACTIVE VERB

We use an active verb to express what the subject does.

Examples:

Google employs more than 88,000 people.

Stressful situations caused her to be depressed.

Who stole money from the bank?

PASSIVE VERB

We use a passive verb to express what happens to the subject.

Examples:

More than 88,000 people are employed by Google.

Her depression was caused by stressful situations.

How much money was stolen from the bank?

Marketing a Country

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are about 200 countries around the world. Each of which strives to get resources, improve trade activities, and garner attention.

Now, the bigger challenge is, how do you rise above everyone and let the world know that your country exists?

Read more about nation branding from the article below.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45263511

Discussion Questions:

1. In your opinion, what are other ways to boost a country’s profile?
2. What do you think is your country’s image to the world?
3. What part of your country’s brand would you change?
4. Which country or countries do you have very good impression of?

Town Governed Through Twitter

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media has undeniably become a vital part of our societies. It is an essential tool for our daily activities such as communicating, socializing, accessing to news and information, and making decisions.

A small town in Spain takes the use of social media to new heights.

Read the article about Jun, a town governed via Twitter.

https://medium.com/@socialmachines/the-incredible-jun-a-town-that-runs-on-social-media-49d3d0d4590

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think are the positives and negatives of using Twitter this way?
  3. How else do you think social media can be used in a positive way?