phone english blogPast Tense Verbs with /-ed/ ending such as “talked”, “banned” and “awaited” are pronounced in three different ways.
Please refer to the video below to find out the reasons why /-ed/ is pronounced either as /t/, /d/ or /id/ in past tense verb endings.
B2 – Upper Intermediate
Every workplace needs rules. They discourage employees from coming to work late, getting drunk at their desks, and most importantly, are intended to ensure efficiency. However, a lot of companies have rules that frustrate employees because they sometimes cross the line into ridiculousness.
Read the article below then express your thoughts about it.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do agree with the items listed? why or why not?
2. Give examples of “dumb rules” you’ve encountered.
3. Why do you think rules are necessary?
B2 – Upper intermediate
Tourism is travelling for pleasure. It also involves the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, as well as the business of operating tours.
People will always want to travel. The tourism industry has been growing in the past years and travelling has been a lot of people’s passion and hobby.
Answer the questions below and be ready to have a discussion about tourism and travelling.
Discuss:
1. How important is tourism in your country?
2. What is the biggest tourist destination in your country?
3. What are the benefits of international tourism? Are there any drawbacks?
4. Do you prefer tourism package tours or do you prefer to plan your own vacations? Why?
5. Is it better to go to popular tourist destinations or lesser known tourist destinations? Why?
6. Should a government try to improve domestic tourism or try to attract international tourists instead? Why?
7. What’s the best way to travel when you visit a country? Train, car, bicycle, bus?
8. If you could create a tourism slogan for your country, what would it be?
9. What’s the best way for a country to bring in more tourists?
10. How do you feel about tourists who visit your country?
B2 – Upper intermediate
Childhood is a moment in life when children enjoy their time with friends, parents and teachers in school. A moment when they should feel safe from violence and abuse. A time when they can learn and grow.
How would would describe your childhood? Answer the questions below and be ready to practice your sentence construction.
Discuss:
1. What was the best thing about your childhood?
2. What do you miss most about being a child?
3. Do you think that children these days have a better or worse childhood than your generation? Why?
4. What do you think is important to have a happy childhood?
5. Where did you grow up? How did that affect your childhood?
6. What were some of your favorite activities when you were a child?
7. Who, besides your parents, had the biggest impact on your childhood?
8.What do you want to provide your children that you didn’t have when you were growing up?
9. What was your experience at school like? (elementary, junior high, or high school)
B1 – Intermediate
Watch the video below and learn how to use the expression “I’m dead meat”. Be ready to answer some discussion question as well.
Discuss:
1. Explain the expression “I am dead meat”.
2. Why did the character in the video say that he is “dead meat?”
3. What are other situations you can use the expression “I am dead meat”?
4. Describe a time you were in trouble or in a middle of a difficult situation.
B2 – Upper Intermediate
When you go travel somewhere, probably, one of the things you would usually pack is food. Ever wonder how astronauts’ food are prepared for their space travel?
Read the article and watch the video. Be ready for a discussion.
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/nasa-developing-food-for-mars-flights/3625387.html
Discussion Questions:
1. What are the things to consider and challenges encountered preparing food for Mars explorations?
2. What are your thoughts on Mars space missions?
3. What do you think of the idea that we could escape into space if (or when) the earth becomes uninhabitable for whatever reason?
4. If you would be sent to space, what food items would you want to bring with you and why?
5. Should rich countries invest more money on these efforts?
Anger is an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.
Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings, for example, or motivate you to find solutions to problems.
But excessive anger can cause problems. Increased blood pressure and other physical changes associated with anger make it difficult to think straight and harm your physical and mental health.
1. Why do we have the emotion of anger?
2. Are you an angry person? Do you stay angry for a long time?
3. What are you like when you are angry?
4. Is it easy for you to control and hide your anger?
5. “For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” Do you agree?
6. “Never write a letter while you are angry.” Do you think this is good advice? Have you regretted writing an angry letter?
C1 – Advanced
Animal rights is the idea that some, or all, non-human animals are entitled to the possession of their own lives and that their most basic interests—such as the need to avoid suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings.
Read the article below and be ready to practice your reading comprehension.
Discuss:
1. What springs to mind when you hear the term ‘animal rights?
2. How are animals rights viewed in your country?
3. What rights do you think animals have?
4. What rights do humans have that animals should also have?
5. What do you think of testing cosmetics and medicines on animals?
6. Should we all be vegetarians and not kill animals for food?
7. What do you think of killing animals for fur?
B2 – Upper Intermediate
There is a growing curiosity and intrigue about how life goes on in North Korea. A handful of reporters and journalists have attempted to record and document the existence of settlers from the other side of the border.
Watch the video below then be ready for a discussion.
Discussion Questions:
1. After watching the video, how would you describe living conditions in North Korea? Why do you think it is called the Hermit Kingdom?
2. Describe education of children in North Korea.
3. What punishment does a North Korean citizen get if he or she talks against the government?
4. How did you react after watching the video?
5. Why do you think some citizens still choose to stay in North Korea despite the harsh living conditions?
B2 – Upper intermediate
It’s interesting how we can have one language and have more than one way of pronouncing the same words. Whether you’re American, British, Irish or Chinese, the way we speak English will have differences.
Read the article below to learn how American accent and British accent came to be.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents
Discussion Questions:
1. According to the article, how did the American accent become different from the British accent?
2. What are the differences between the American accent and the British accent?
3. Which accent do you find easier to understand?
4. What other accents do you know of?
5. Does your country also have different accents depending on the region?