Happy New Year

I would like to wish all of my readers a happy new year. The new year is a great time to set new English language goals and to assess your progress. Have you improved as much as you hoped over the last year? What could you do differently? Here are some ideas to help you this year.

• Keep a chart with your progress. You can divide this into grammar, spoken English, listening and writing. Mark your progress through tests and self-analysis.
• Try taking an English course online. This means that you will be able to study when it suits you.
• Try to speak English more. You could do this by finding a language exchange.
• Practise your writing in English forums. This is also a good place to meet other English learners.

I really hope that 2011 is good for all of you, for both your English learning and generally. Here are some other sites that you may find useful.

speaking and spoken English tips

English conversations

English irregular verbs

Christmas Day – Present Simple

This post will explain a typical Christmas day in the UK using the present simple. We use the present simple to describe habits and routines. The following example is perfect for practising this tense. It is written from the perspective of a young boy.

A Typical Christmas Day – Young Boy

It’s hard to sleep on Christmas Eve as I’m very excited about Christmas Day. I get up very early and then go and wake up my parents. I have to make them a cup of tea before they get up! We then have some bacon sandwiches for breakfast before opening our presents. We take turns opening our presents and it usually takes about 45 minutes. I then play with my new toys before helping my mother clear up all the wrapping paper.

We then go to church and return to cook lunch. The turkey is cooked throughout the day and later my dad prepares the roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy. My grandparents come over for the meal and before we eat, we pull our Christmas crackers. The person who ends up with the middle part wins. After the meal we all sit in the front room and watch movies. There are usually good movies on Christmas day but my dad sleeps through them.

We play games in the evening and then all have some supper. I go to bed quite late and then wake up to Boxing Day. I love Boxing Day because I go to the football and then return to a big party!

Present Simple Tense – Forms and Use

Present Simple Examples through Dialogue

Here you will see some examples of the present simple tense using dialogues. It is important to learn through dialogue as this is how we apply the different tenses in everyday speech.

Talking About things in General

“What time do you usually get up?”
“At 8:00 am. What about you?”
“I get up at 9:00 am.”

“Do you like the new bar?”
“No, I think it’s too big.”

“Where do usually go on holiday?”
“We usually go to the south of France. We have a lot of friends there.”

“How often do you go back home?”
“I go back home every year. I miss my family.”

Generalizations and Facts

“Where is the lake district?”
“It’s in northern England.”

“Leonal Messi is the best player in the world.”

“How many students are there here?”
“Forty.”

“Where do you think is the best place to travel?”
“Good question. I think the best place to travel is in South America. The people are very friendly and the scenery is beautiful.”

Scheduled Events in the Future

“What time does the film start?”
“It starts at 7:45.”

“When time do the shops open tomorrow?
“I think they open at six.”

“When do they go on holiday?”
“Next week.”

Practice these dialogues by saying each one out loud. Try and remember the dialogues without reading. Then write down more examples using different situations. If you have any comments please leave them below.

 

Dialogues Using the Present Perfect Tense

This post will show some dialogues highlighting when the present perfect simple is used. While reading think about the different ways we use the present perfect simple.

Dialogue 1

Paul: Hello Sara, nice to meet you.

Sara: Nice to meet you too.

Paul: How long have you studied here?

Sara: I’ve studied here for three years, and you?

Paul: Two years.

Dialogue 2

David: Have you ever eaten Thai food?

John: Yes, I’ve had it a few times. What about you?

David: I’ve never tried it.

Dialogue 3

Lisa: I have some news.

Mark: What is it?

Lisa: I’ve bought a new bike!

Dialogue 4

Tom: Have you seen Henry recently?

Alejandro: No. Have you?

Tom: I haven’t seen him since the summer.

Dialogue 5

Ed: Has she arrived yet?

Fran: No she still hasn’t arrived.

Dialogue 1  – Actions that continue in the present.

Dialogue 2 – Past Experiences.

Dialogue 3 – New information / change.

Dialogue 4 – Actions that continue in the present.

Dialogue 5 – Uncompleted actions.

If you want to know more about the present perfect simple and to test your knowledge – Present Perfect Form and Test.

About Me – Pedro Talks About His Life – Present Simple

This article will help you with using the present simple. Below you will read about Pedro, his daily routine and his family. While reading the article look for all the tenses in the present simple and think about the use. This is discussed after Pedro’s article.

I have also included some exercises and links to other material.

Me and My Family

Hello. I am going to tell you all a bit about myself, my family and my friends. My name is Pedro, I am 28 years old and I live in Valencia. I currently work at a school in the centre of Valencia and I teach Mathematics.

I love Valencia. It’s a very beautiful place and the climate is one of the best in Spain. I have a lot of friends here and my girlfriend lives just outside the city.

I really enjoy my job because I love being a teacher. I usually get up at about 7.30 am and then have some breakfast. Most days I take a shower but it depends if I get up on time or not! I get to work at 8.15 am and my first class starts at 8.30 am.

I have lunch at 1.30 pm and I usually eat a sandwich or two. I finish work at 4.30 pm. After I finish work I usually go to the gym or go for a run in the park. Sometimes I am too tired to exercise and I go straight back to bed for a nap.

In the evenings I usually prepare for my classes or go and meet my friends. My favourite bar is in the centre of Valencia and there is always someone who I know in there. I also try and do some housework every evening so that the flat isn’t too dirty! I then go to bed at around 11.30pm. From time to time I stay out late and go dancing in a club.

My girlfriend is an artist and she lives just outside of Valencia. She wants to move to Barcelona or even to New York to try and expose more of her work. At the weekends we usually go to the countryside to cook paella or to the beach. We also like mountain biking and I try to do it as much as possible. I also really enjoy watching football on television and in bars. I go to watch Valencia every now and then.

My parents live in Northern Spain. They really like the culture and the people there. They are retired and really enjoy life. My brother lives in Amsterdam and he works in a Shipyard. He has a lot of friends there and we visit him often.

I don’t want to leave Valencia but I might have to do it soon because of my girlfriend. Barcelona is a great city and I like it very much. But I love Valencia. It’s my home.

Notes

Pedro uses the present simple because he is talking about himself, his family and friends. The present simple is used for daily routines, facts, habits and to talk about things in general.

Pedro also uses adverbs of frequency. The ones used in this article are; usually, sometimes, every now and then (expression), often, from time to time (expression), always. For a list of the adverbs of frequency and how to use them – Adverbs of Frequency

Pedro has used a variety of long and short forms. An example of this is – they are = they’re
For more information of the present simple forms and how to use them – Present Simple Rules

Exercises

1. Write about yourself, your friends and your family. Use this article as a guide. Remember to include adverbs of frequency.
2. Write about your daily routine.
3. Take our quiz – Present Simple Quiz

My Trip to the UK – A Story with Past Tense Notes

The following story will help you practice the past simple and past continuous tenses. This story is good practice for all levels of English but it has been written with lower level learners in mind. While reading the stories look for verbs in the past simple and the past continuous tense.  I have included notes at the bottom to help you with this, highlighting the tense and why it has been used.

Another good exercise is to read the story out loud. This gives you some good pronunciation practice. Please refer to the following articles to help you with the past tenses.

Links for Grammar Reference

The Past Simple Tense
The Past Continuous Tense
Pronunciation of Past Simple Regular Verbs
The Past Simple and Continuous

Key Vocabulary for the story

Travel company
Boarding pass
Abroad
Peanuts
Student exchange
Atmosphere
Romance

My Trip to the UK.

My name is Pedro and I’m from Spain. As a teenager I always wanted to go to the UK (1). In English classes at school my teacher talked about the UK a lot. She talked about how beautiful the cities are and how friendly the people are. But she also told us that the food is awful! When I was in school I was very shy (1) and although I wanted to ask more questions about the UK I couldn’t.

When I was 20 I was working at a travel company and I saved up enough money for a trip abroad. There was only one place that I wanted to go and that summer I travelled around the UK for 3 weeks (2). Before my trip I was very excited and I read about the cities that I was going to visit; London, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh.

I took the metro to get to the Valencia airport and it only took me 20 minutes from my house (2). While I was waiting for my boarding pass someone shouted my name (3). I stopped, looked back and Sara, an old friend from school, was standing 10 metres behind me. I went over to her and we chatted while waiting for our boarding passes. She was also going to London and we decided to travel together. I always liked Sara and thought that she was looking really good. I also thought that there might be some romance on my trip!

It was a short journey and during the flight we ate some peanuts and drank some beer. The sun was shining when we landed in London (3) and everything looked so green. We quickly collected our bags and went to find a taxi to take us to a hostel. While we were waiting for a taxi we both saw someone else that we knew. Paul, who we knew from a student exchange 4 years ago, was talking with two friends. He wanted to join us as he was travelling too. He and Sara talked a lot before we all caught our taxi. I think she liked him. After a 15 minute taxi drive we arrived to a lively and friendly hostel close to the centre of London.

After we put our bags in our room I went to find a computer. While I was sending my family an email, Sara and Paul were drinking beer in the bar (4). She definitely liked him! My thoughts of romance soon went away and I decided to start thinking about the trip.

I had a great trip! London was beautiful and I went to see 3 shows in the West End. I also went to Buckingham Palace, rode the London Eye and I walked around the centre and by the river. I really enjoyed Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh also. The northern cities were a lot of fun and the people were very nice. I was very lucky because I managed to get tickets and watch a football game. Manchester City against Blackburn Rovers. The atmosphere was fantastic.

The one thing that surprised me the most was the food. It was excellent. I ate a lot of different foods from all over the world. I now love Indian food and I cook it all the time. I also ate fish and chips, sushi, and some wonderful pub food.

I also met a lot of people and I want to go back again very soon. Sara has now moved to London and she and Paul are now a couple. I liked Sara but I am happy for them. Although there wasn’t any romance, my 3 weeks in the UK was fantastic. In fact, this time 2 years ago, I was drinking beer in a bar in Leeds! (5)

Notes from the story

1. Past Simple – past facts or generalizations.

2. Past Simple – completed actions at a specific time in the past.

3. Past Simple and Past Continuous Together – the past simple action interrupts the past continuous action.

4. Two Past Continuous Actions – two actions happening at the same time.

5. Past Continuous – action in progress at a specific time in the past.

The Past Simple and Past Continuous Rules, Exercises and Quizzes

This post will look at when to use the past continuous and the past simple. It will give you a summary of the two tenses together and also some interesting ways to to help you to try and remember when to use them. I have also included some exercises and a quiz to help you practice.

Past Simple

For a detailed look at how the Past Simple is formed you can see this here – Past Simple Forms

For a detailed look at how the Past Continuous is formed you can see this here. This also includes when not to use it – Past Continuous Forms

1. The past simple is used for completed actions in the past at a specific time. This specific time might or might not be mentioned.

1. I watched the football game last night.
2. He finished his homework.
3. Sarah saw you this morning.

2. It is used for a duration that starts and stops in the past.

1. I lived in Spain for 2 years.
2. Did you speak to her for long?
3. Yes, I spoke to her for 3 hours.

3. It is used for habits in the past.

1. When I was young I played football everyday.
2. They went there all the time.
3. Did you play a musical instrument when you were at school?

Advanced note: This is similar to ‘used to’ e.g. I used to play football everyday

4. It is also used for past facts or generalizations.

1. She was very intelligent at school.
2. We were the best team.
3. Did they move away a long time ago?

Past Continuous

1. Action in progress at a specific time in the past.

1. At 8pm yesterday I was watching football.
2. This time last week you were making a speech.
3. At 3am this morning we were sleeping.
4. The sun was shining when I woke up this morning.

Extra Note: A good example of this on television is when you hear the police interview a suspect, ‘What were you doing on the night of the murder?’

2.  Two actions that were happening at the same time.

1. I was talking with Peter while Sarah was talking with John.
2. They were listening to music while their mother was cooking.

Past Continuous and Past Simple Together

1. Interrupted actions.

The past continuous is used to show that a longer action in the past was interrupted by another action (past simple). Notice the use of ‘when’

1. I was reading the newspaper when my father called me.
2. I saw you yesterday. You were sitting on the bench near the school.
3. The sun was shining when I got up today.

———/———

2. The Past Continuous is used to give the background of an action, followed by the Past Simple to show what actions followed.

1. I was walking in the park when I saw Bill.
2. I was reading the newspaper when she came.
3. They were talking when the concert started.

We keep using the past simple to say that one thing happened after another e.g., I was walking i the park when I saw Bill. I stopped and we talked about the party. Then he had to go.

———/———/———/———/———

Exercises and Questions

1. Answer the following questions;

What did you do last night?
What did you do at the weekend?
What were you doing at 3am this morning?
What were you doing at 3pm on Sunday?
What were you like when you were 12?

2. Finish the following statements

I was walking by the river when..
I was watching television when..
This time last week I was..

Past Simple vs Past Continuous QUIZ – Test your knowledge of the Past Simple and Past Continuous

If you need help on your pronunciation of the past simple – Past Simple Pronunciation

Past Simple Pronunciation for Regular Verbs – “ED”

Forming regular verbs in the past simple can be straightforward once you know the rules and have practiced conjugating them. But how do you pronounce them? This is something that a lot of English learners have difficulty with as there are three distinct sounds. But after learning the rules, familiarizing yourself with them and then practicing the examples you will be able to pronounce them correctly when speaking.

This article will outline the three different sounds of the past simple regular verbs along with ways to practice these sounds.

The 3 sounds are;

1. /id/ e.g., wanted
2. /t/ e.g., worked
3. /d/ e.g., covered

Listen to the sounds  

 

1. /id/

We use this sound when the ‘ed’ is preceded by (t) or (d).

Pronouncing this the ‘e’ changes to an ‘i’. The /id/ sound is added as an extra syllable.

• I started yesterday
• He suggested the restaurant
• I added the water
• We decided to go
• They visited her yesterday

Listen to the sounds  

 

2. /t/

This sound is used when ‘ed’ is preceded by  all unvoiced sounds. (k), (p), (f), (s), (S), (tS)

• I worked on Monday.
• He helped me on Tuesday.
• You laughed all day.
• He faxed the report.
• She washed her hands.
• We watched the game.
• She kissed me!

Listen to the sounds  

 

3. /d/

This is used for all voiced sounds.

• I covered the cake in icing.
• I played football all day.
• He offered me the job.
• I returned the video.

Listen to the sounds  

 

Practice the sounds above and repeat them after the recording. Listen for the ending of each sound and practice saying this out loud. It takes time to familiarize yourself with these sounds and the more you see of them the more natural it will become.

Please take the following quiz that will test your knowledge of the sounds.

Past Simple Pronunciation Test

If you need help forming the past tense simple.

Past Simple Forms and Use

Enjoy!

Learning English Online

Learning English online is an effective way to improve your English. But with any type of learning you need to be prepared. This blog will give you advice and tips on how to get the most out of your online lessons.

Make sure everything is set up

This is an obvious point but also an important one. Make sure that your computer is freshly turned on, that everything is plugged in correctly and that you have tested the connection. Testing the connection is easy with skype. You can make a test call which will test your sound and also your microphone. Doing this before the class means that you will be ready for when the lesson starts.

Come prepared

Do your homework and exercises in good time before the class. If you have been sent an article by your tutor read this carefully and underline anything that you don’t understand. Reading it out loud before the class is great practice and it will make it easier for when you do it again in the class. Practice the grammar that was set in your last class and write down any questions that you may have so that you won’t forget them when the lesson starts.

Understand what is being taught

When grammar or anything else is being taught make sure that you understand it. You won’t need to practice it at this time just make sure that everything is clear. It is a good time to ask questions. The practice will come later!

Conversation

Every class is an opportunity to practice your English with a native and qualified tutor. Try and allow the conversation to flow, listening and talking in a natural way. This is your chance to talk English without worrying about too many mistakes. Don’t worry, the mistakes will be corrected later!

Relax

Come to class feeling relaxed and excited. You should always enjoy language learning and this is especially true for online English courses by Skype. I am currently learning Spanish and try to enjoy every lesson I have and every exercise that I do. I know that I get more out of it this way and it makes it a lot more fun!

After the lesson

After the class do something different. And then within a couple of days review what was taught in the class. You will always receive exercises after every class. Try and do your excises after the review so that you revisit what was taught twice before your next class.

Any comments on how you prepare or approach for online language lessons will be welcome.