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1. The indefinite article -> a – an

————————————-

 

 a pen, a box, a table, a chair, -> a useful book.

 an apple, an umbrella, an animal, an orange,-> an honest man.

 three times a month, $5 a kilo, 50km an hour.

 

 Examples:

 This is a table  -> That is an orange.

 This is a cat    -> That is an animal. 

 I have a book    -> I have books.

 I go to school five times a week.

 I walk 7km an hour. 

 I am a boy       -> We are boys.

 

 

The definite article ->  The

 

 Examples: With *THE*

*********************

 The horse, the cats.

 The Aegean sea, The Atlantic ocean.

 The river Nile, The Alps, The Sahara desert.

 The Cyclades, The Browns(family name), The United States.

 The Hilton hotel, The Rex cinema, The Mary Rose(ship)

 The piano, the violin, the guitar…

 The English language, The Greeks

 

 Examples: Without *THE*

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 I like milk.

 Tom is a boy.

 See you on Sunday.

 My birthday is in May.

 We had lunch at noon.

 John likes Maths.

 Jane plays basketball but -> Liana plays the piano.

 He speaks English.

 home, school, bed, church, hospital.

 go home now!, We go to school

 prison, university, bed, work…

 The police put him in prison.

 

We travel-> by car, by bus, by plane, by taxi, by train  on foot.

 

 

2. To be(I am).

 

 Positive  Interrogative  Negative

 I am          am I ?           I am not      (I’m not)

 You are    are you ?      you are not   (you aren’t)

 He is         is he ?          he is not     (he isn’t)

 She is        is she ?         she is not    (she isn’t)

 It is            is it ?            it is not     (it isn’t)

 We are     are we ?        we are not    (we aren’t)

 You are    are you ?      you are not   (you aren’t)

 They are   are they ?    They are not  (they aren’t)

 

I am     -> I’m              I am not     -> I’m not

You are  -> You’re      You are not  -> You’re not

 He is    -> He’s           He is not    -> He’s not

 She is   -> She’s         She is not   -> She’s not

It is    -> It’s                It is not    -> It’s not

We are   -> We’re       We are not   -> We’re not

You are  -> You’re     You are not  -> You’re not

They are -> They’re    They are not -> They’re not

 

Examples :

**********

 Tony is a boy         -> He’s a boy.

 Mary is a girl        -> She’s a girl.

 Pete and Tom are here -> They’re here.

 Who are you?       – I’m Tim.

 Are you teachers?  – Yes, we are.

 Is he Peter ?      – No, he isn’t

 Are they girls?    – Yes, they are.

 Is this a pen?     – No, it isn’t.

 Is that a train?   – Yes, it is.

 Are these balls?   – Yes, they are.

 Are those pencils? – No, they aren’t.

 Are you a postman? – No, I’m not.

 Who are they?      – They’re Mr and Mrs Brown.

 Are you at school? – Yes, we are.

 

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3. Plural number

—————-

 

Rules and examples.

1. -s

——–

 boy – boys, table – tables, tree, trees.

 

2. – s, ss, sh, ch, x -> – es.

——————————-

 -> bus-buses, kiss-kisses, brush-brushes,

 -> watch-watches, box-boxes, church-churches.

 

3. -> boy – boys BUT -> lorry – lorries.

 

4. -> -f , -fe  ->  Thief-thieves, knife – knives.

BUT -> cliff – cliffs, roof – roofs.

 

5. Tomato – tomatoes BUT -> Piano – pianos, kilo – kilos.

 

Irregular plural

6. man – men,      woman – women,  child – children,  foot – feet

7. tooth – teeth,  mouse – mice,   louse – lice       roof- roofs

8. sheep – sheep,  hero – heroes,  ox    – oxen

 

9. Singular and Plural the SAME.

black –> black    fat   –> fat 

who   -> who      which -> which

what  -> what     where -> where

When  -> when     why   -> why

how   -> how etc.  

 

More plurals:

 this is      ->  these are      I am           ->  we are

 that is      ->  those are    you are        ->  you are

 there is     ->  there are    he, she, it is ->  they are

 me           ->  us               my             ->  our

 you          ->  you            your           ->  your

 him, her, it ->  them       his, her, its  ->  their

 

Examples:

 

This is a horse  -> These are horses.

That is a box    -> Those are boxes.

There is a book  -> There are books.

He’s a man       -> They’re men.

She is a woman   -> They’re women.

I am a policeman -> We are policemen.

You are a boy    -> You are boys.

Look at him      -> Look at them.         

This is a watch  -> These are watches.

That is a red dress -> Those are red dresses.

She’s a tall girl -> They’re tall girls.

Popularity: 4% [?]

English phrasal – written by D.Sclias

D.Education Projects

Phrasal verbs IV with examples

  

14ESphv

Fill in the blanks with a preposition to form the right phrasal verb.

 

blow out = extinguish (usually with one’s breath)

book up = fully engage(have sth to do)

break away = escape (often with speed or by force)

break down = (I) stop functioning (2) collapse emotionally

break in = interrupt

break into = enter illegally in order to steal

break off = stop, end a relationship

break out = start suddenly – escape from a place

break up = end of a school term -  separate

bring about = cause sth to happen

 

1  I’m afraid I can’t come on Saturday, I’m booked [up] (in, up)

2  Finally she has broken [off] the engagement. (of, off)

3  When she heard that her brother had an accident, she broke [down]  (in, down)

4  He blew [out] all the cake  candles,  just with one blow. (off, out)

5  The prisoner broke [away] from his guards and disappeared into the darkness. (away, out)

6  When do we break [up] for Christmas ? asked the pupils. (off, up)

7  The old car broke [down] and we had to walk. (down, up)

8  In 1940 the second world war broke [out] (on, out)

9  Please, don’t break [in] while I’m talking. (in, out)

10. The war brought [about] a lot of changes in people’s life. (around, about)

Popularity: 1% [?]

D.Education projects

Cambridge FC Compositions

 

 1. Letters of Complaint
You ordered five CDs over the Internet. Your order took a lot of time to be delivered, and you were not happy with the CDs you received.

Read the advert (below) for the Internet site, together with your notes. Then, using all the information, write a letter to the company explaining why you are not satisfied. Ask for a partial refund.

 

ADVERT of the SITE

CAN’T FIND THE CD YOU’RE LOOKIG FOR AT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SHOP?

TIRED OF WAITING FOR THEM TO ORDER IT?

Get the music you want –the fast, easy way. Order from our enormous

Collection at MUSIC.com.

Our special deal delivery will get the CDs to your door

Within two weeks – antwhere in the world.

WE GUARANTEE  LOWER PRICES THAN YOU WILL SEE IN ANY SHOP!

 

YOUR NOTES

-One CD missing

-One CD scratched

-Took a month

-Cheaper at local shop

-Ask for some money back!

—

MODEL ANSWER

Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing in connection with CDs which I ordered from your company. I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed with the service, the quality and the prices.
First of all, you claim that you make deliveries within two weeks. In fact, the CDs took an entire month to get to me. In addition, the CDs themselves were not at all satisfactory. One CD is scratched and cannot be used, while another CD that I had ordered was not even included in the package.
Finally, you claim to have the lowest prices of any shop, but this is not the case. I discovered that my local music shop offers prices that are actually slightly lower than yours.
In view of what has happened, I would like a partial refund which would cover the cost of the scratched and missing disks. I feel this refund should also include compensation for the slow delivery and the misleading information you gave about your prices.
I would appreciate an early reply.

Yours faithfully,
Jack Thompson

 

2. REPORTS

A group of students is coming to visit your town. The group leader has asked you to write a report describing the local entertainment facilities and recommending a place where students can spend a free evening (140-180 words)

—

MODEL ANSWER

Introduction
The aim of this report is to describe the entertainment facilities in our town and recommend a place for visiting students to spend an evening.
Mall
Our town has a large mall where the shops are open until 10.30 pm. Its food court offers a variety of snacks and meals.
The mall contains a cinema complex which screens eight films simultaneously, and a bowling alley with 30 lanes and a pizza place.
Arts and Crafts Fair
In the old part of town, artists and craftspeople sell jewellery and handicrafts on summer evenings when the weather allows. Street entertainers such as jugglers and acrobats can usually be seen. The surrounding lanes have a number of small coffee bars and restaurants.
Recommendation
My suggestion is to visit the arts and crafts fair because it is special to our town and allows visitors to feel its atmosphere, while malls are much the same everywhere. The fair would also give the students a chance to buy souvenirs as they walk through it. They could then relax in a nearby restaurant or coffee bar. 

—

 3. Expressing Your Opinion

You had a class discussion about art. Your teacher has now asked you to write a composition giving your opinions on the following statement:

“The ART museum – A good choice for a School Trip?”

 —

MODEL ANSWER

Some people question whether art museums are a good place to take students on school trips. In my opinion, they are a very worthwhile destination.
First of all, the purpose of school trips is to teach students about the world outside school. A museum is the perfect place to do this because there students can see real works of art close up.
Secondly, every person should have the opportunity to be exposed to culture. For students who are not taken to art museums by their parents, school trips may provide their only chance to see art.
Finally, a school trip to a museum is often more worthwhile than an individual trip. Schools are given a guided tour which is suitable to the age level of the students. In this way, students learn to appreciate art more than they would on their own.
In conclusion, I believe that a visit to an art museum is an excellent way to learn about culture. Therefore, art museums should continue to be a destination for school trips.

—

4. Informal Letters

Your pen friend has been asked to organize a trip for a group of young people visiting your town .Your friend has written to you, asking what local landmarks and sights would be interesting for young people to visit in your area. 

—

MODEL ANSWER

Dear Liana,

It was great to get your letter. I’m happy to hear that you’re planning to visit Brighton soon and that we’ll get a chance to meet.
There are lots of interesting sights here for your group to visit. First of all, Brighton is a seaside town with long stretches of beautiful seashore. The pier is the kind of place that’s just right for young people. It’s full of amusement arcades and fairground rides. I’m sure you and your friends will enjoy it.
The most famous sight in Brighton is the Royal Pavilion. It’s the strangest and most exotic old palace in England, built in a mixture of Indian and Chinese styles. Both the outside and the inside are absolutely amazing.
Another place that’s a must is The Lanes, a charming shopping area with old, narrow streets containing antiques, jewellery and fashions. This part of Brighton is one of my favourite places. If I were you, I’d plan to take the group to eat at one of the restaurants there.
I know you’re great at organizing, so I’m sure you’ll have no trouble planning an enjoyable trip for your group. When exactly are you coming? I can’t wait to see you!
Yours,
John

—

5. Articles — Making Suggestions
You see this advertisement in your school magazine:

 

COMPETITION SCHOOL

Our Home Away from Home

School is a place where we spend many hours every day.

How can it be improved?

Write an article giving your suggestions.

The winning article will be published in the magazine. (140-180 words)

—

MODEL ANSWER

 Our Home Away From Home
Although school is a place where students spend much of their time, many students dislike going there. I would like to suggest several ways to make school a more pleasant place.
One way would be to give students more of a say in what they study. If students could study subjects they like, they would look forward to attending lessons. Therefore, more of the schedule should be given to each student to decide.
Another possibility would be to change the way classrooms are set up. Classrooms should be colorful, friendly places, with curtains, rugs and posters. Students should sit in a circle rather than in rows. These steps would make the atmosphere more relaxed and less official.
Thirdly, marks should be done away with. Report cards ought to contain written comments and progress reports by teachers. This would reflect the achievements of each student better than a number.
To sum up, changes should be made in schedules, classrooms and marking systems. This would go a long way in improving the atmosphere at school. 

—

MORE COMPOSITIONS

A complaint

I want to complain about a recent trip I took with my family to South Africa. We spent a week at Noah’s Ark Safari and I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed.For a start, we were unhappy with the services provided by the park staff.

Your advertisement states that expert guides would take visitors on daily excursions to see the wildlife in the park. However, we found that the guides were frequently unable to answer even the simplest questions about the animals. Furthermore, during our stay, we were only taken, on three field trips.

Secondly, my family was displeased with the hotel accommodation. You claimed that the hotel was luxurious. Instead, we were annoyed to find that the sheets were dirty and the doors could not be locked.

Moreover, the air­ conditioners in our rooms did not work, and we suffered terribly from the heat.

Under the circumstances, I would appreciate a full refund for our stay at Noah’s Ark Safari.

**********

—

How can cheating in exams be prevented?

Cheating in exams has become a widespread problem in our schools. Many students feel that they should be more involved in finding a solution to this problem.

One way to prevent cheating is for students to understand what dishonesty is. It is dishonest to ask a fellow student for help and also to give help in a test. Some students who provide help believe that they are only helping out a friend. If the problem were discussed in class, students might realise that the only way to learn is to see what mistakes they make, even if it means, getting a lower mark. Students who think they are helping others are defeating the learning purpose.

Another possibility would be for students to take responsibility for punishing offenders. For example, someone caught cheating, would have to attend a student meeting. During the meeting, the students would decide together on a suitable punishment.

If it is a first offence, the offender could retake the exam. However, if the student has cheated before, a stricter punishment would be necessary.

To sum up, increasing student awareness and responsibility will help to prevent cheating. In my opinion, a combination of both these steps will go a long way towards solving the problem.

***************

—

Writing Model

Talking about famous people.

Fame is something which can be achieved in many ways, whether through money, work or reputation. However, while rich people may be well known, someone who has gained their fame through hard work or good deeds is far more admirable.

Athina Onassis, for example, is treated like royalty every timme she visits Greece, although her only claim to fame is that she will eventually inherit a fortune. Her grandfather, Aristotle Onassis (1906-75), made his fortune through hard work and so was more admired.

Another famous worker was the engineer and architect, Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923). The Eiffel Tower, built in 1889, has come to rep­resent Paris and has made his name famous throughout the world.

Charity work is even more worthy of admiration. Mother Theresa (1910-1997) was a church missionary in Calcutta, India, for most of her life. She never wanted to become rich, and her kindness and gen­erosity were rewarded with the Nobel peace prize in 1979.

Princess Diana was also known for her charity work. She first became famous when she married Prince Charles in 1981, but soon showed herself to be more than a rich, beautiful woman. Her work to help AIDS victims and to ban the use of landmines made an enormous differ­ence to our society. Her tragic death in 1997 also reminds us that fame is not always worth having and can create more sadness than joy.

**************

—

Writing Model

Talking about humour

Different people have different ideas about what is funny. Some kinds of humour are fairly international. The “Mr Bean” programmes, for example, are popular all around the world, perhaps due to the fact that they rely on funny actions and facial expressions. Many other come­dians also use these techniques to emphasize their style of humour. The telling of jokes is also a popular pastime which is, however, limited by the language in which they’re being told. There is nothing worse than not being able to understand the punch line!

A practical joke means playing a trick on somebody. While these can be very funny if done in good taste, there is a tendency for the joke to be overdone and the risk of somebody’s feelings being hurt. Similarly, there is a fashion for televi­sion programmes to show videos of such jokes or of people having “funny” accidents. If these reach the point where we are laughing at somebody who has been badly injured or made so angry it is no longer humorous.

The funniest things are probably those which occur in everyday life; a child confusing its words or somebody’s silly reaction to a simple event. It is always most important to have a sense of humour and to be capable, if necessary, of laughing at ourselves.

****************

—

Writing model

Talking about travelling abroad.

Given the opportunity, most of us would love to visit for­eign places. However, time and budget can be a problem, so we are often limited to taking short holidays, usually in popular sunny resorts. While these can be great fun, they can also be disastrous because they are frequently over­crowded , nosy and stressful. It is also unlikely that we will have the opportunity to visit other places in that country.

An alternative is to book a short-tour holiday, which might cover a country in a matter of days. These introduce the holidaymaker to many places and ideas, but unfortu­nately they are often too exhausting to be really enjoyable. They are also very frustrating, as there is rarely enough time to see everything properly.

To overcome these disadvantages, many people decide to travel independently for a much longer period of time. These people give themselves plenty of time to explore and appreciate the places they visit. They might even stay in one favourite place for some months, living and working there. The obvious disadvantage of this is that it usually means backpacking on a very tight budget, which can be difficult, not to mention tiring. However, the experiences are gained generally make it extremely worthwhile and give these people a much better understanding of the world.

***************

—

Writing model

Talking about celebrations and traditions

There are many celebrations throughout the year, most of which are religious. In the Christian world, the two main occasions are Christmas and Easter. Most people, especially children, love Christmas. Held on 25th December, it is a good opportunity to have some fun in the middle of winter. In the days leading up to Christmas, people decorate Christmas trees with brightly-coloured lights and decorations.

Towns put up special streetlights and the shops have beautiful window displays. There are many parties and people go carol singing, especially on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day in Britain, most families go to church and then have a big dinner with roast turkey and Christmas pudding.

People exchange presents and cards, and of course the children open stockings which have supposedly been filled by Santa Claus the previous evening.

Easter, held during spring, celebrates the Resurrection of Christ. The main celebration is on Easter Sunday, but before that, there is a period of preparation. Many people fast by not eating certain food. People go to church, and eggs are painted bright colours. On Easter Day itself, it is traditional to eat roast lamb and to exchange chocolate eggs. It is also an opportunity to enjoy the first warm weather of the year.

Popularity: 5% [?]

D.Education

Writing Compositions Techniques

In the exams

 

REMEMBER

The teacher who is going to read you composition should understand what you have written, very easily. That’s why you must express your ideas clearly. DON’T write very long sentences, it’s much better to write smaller sentences that can be easily understood. DON’T use words or expressions without knowing their exact meaning.

If you write a wrong word or phrase, it might destroy the whole composition.

Always follow the “SVOA”  -> Subject – Verb – Object – Adverb.

For example: write -> Peter and Tony went to Greece last year.

DON’T WRITE -> Went to Greece last year Peter and Tony.

 

Do NOT copy your work out

It is an exam in the English language, not in handwriting! It is madness to copy your composition out again, so whatever you do, don’t! Time that you might spend copying it out must be spent on essential things, such as those checking for mistakes.

Many people, in fact, make their writing harder to read, not easier, when they copy out, because they do it in such a tearing hurry. What is more, many people make mistakes in copying that were not in their original. Write carefully the first and only time, making sure the examiner can read your writing.

 

NEVER COUNT THE WORDS

There is a little practical trick you can use to count the number of words you have written, not only in your compositions but in any parts of an exam where you need to know how many. Never actually count each separate word you write in an exam. That is a terrible waste of valuable time. Instead, long before the exam, in fact when you first start preparing for it, find out how many words you personally write on average in three lines. Then, when you want to know at any time how many words you have written, you need only quickly count how many groups of three lines there are.

 

Don’t write irrelevant things – stick to the subject

 

You must write about the subject set in the examination; don’t change the subject and write about something slightly or completely different. Of course you can mention some examples to support your opinion but they must always be relevant to the topic.

 

Write what you KNOW IS RIGHT

You cannot pass with lots of mistakes, however clever you intend your sentences to be. Remember that you must show the examiner what you know, not what you do not know. If you do not make mistakes, and you write on the subject they ask you to write on, you are certain to get fairly good marks at least, even perhaps very good marks. So if you are not absolutely sure that what you want to write is correct, do not write it. Write something different.

In a composition nobody makes you write particular words, so don’t make yourself do so. It is quite true that the examiners will want you to use English that suits the subject. But your English will not suit the subject if it is wrong.

It is an examination in English, not in philosophy or originality.

For this reason, too, if you have a choice of subjects you should not always choose the subjects that interest you or that you like. Choose the subjects that you know most English about. If you are crazy about boats and the sea, for example, and one of the subjects given happens to be ‘sailing’, do not write about them unless you know the English words you must use. Choose another subject.

 

Check for mistakes

If at the end of 90 minutes you find you have written too few words, you will have to add a few more. But finish as quickly as you can.

You should spend as much as possible of your final period on checking. This may make the difference between you passing and not passing the whole examination. It is more important to finish the paper and check than to have beautiful, perfect endings.

Please, whatever you do, never leave the examination room early. There is always important work for you to do.

 

Don’t make avoidable mistakes through being too ambitious

There is something very important to bear in mind about the Proficiency essays.

One of the worst things you can do if you are not confident is to try to be clever. You will almost certainly get low marks for your Proficiency essays if you try to do what you cannot do because you feel you have to write very ‘advanced’, very elegant, very sophisticated language. You may be impressed by the high standard of Proficiency. But an essential way in which it is high is that you must quite simply not make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that are allowed in lower level exams are not permissible at the Proficiency level.

 

Use simple language

So again and again we must come back to the truth that it is no good showing the examiner what you cannot do. And do not despise short sentences and simple language. Two of the finest twentieth-century writers in English on the sort of subject you will often be asked to write compositions on were Bertrand Russell and George Orwell. They both wrote simply and clearly, often in very short sentences. You will find you can often keep yourself out of trouble by remembering that the full stop is your best friend.

I must also give a special warning against building too many sentences around nouns. Sentences based on nouns are not only often unEnglish; they tend to be much more difficult to get right. Much more knowledge is needed to fit nouns correctly into a sentence, because for them the linguistic conventions tend to be far stricter. One has to know the particular verbs, the particular adjectives, the particular prepositions that fit a given noun. One usually has far greater freedom if one makes verbs the key words of one’s sentences; one is much less likely to make mistakes with sentences based on verbs.

 

Essay construction: don’t waste time on it

The Syndicate say that the language rather than content is the main concern in the marking of the compositions, and that marks are not deducted for unorthodox opinions. But it also says that candidates are expected to present their arguments logically, and that the material should be well organized, both “as a whole and in terms of individual paragraphs.” There should be a clear pattern of connected ideas. Essays do not have to be particularly original or interesting, but the examiners may criticize candidates for not dealing with the subject properly, or for jumping suddenly from one point to another.

However, do not forget that examiners’ judgement of these things is to quite a large extent subjective. No two examiners are going to mark a composition exactly alike in these respects.

It is therefore impossible to know in advance how the examiners are going to judge your compositions as regards organization and the development of your ideas. So in your preparation for the examination, I believe that spending time and effort on essay organization, if you are still making a lot of mistakes in your grammar and vocabulary, is a luxury you cannot afford. A sense of proportion is needed here. Please get your grammar and vocabulary right first.

Grammar and vocabulary are objective problems. You can know definitely whether you are right or wrong. Concentrate on this area of certainty, not on the vague uncertainty of beautifully constructed essays. If you can write largely without mistakes, and keep to the subject, you will be very unlucky if you do not get at least reasonable marks. You might even get very good ones. But you won’t if you make bad mistakes, however well your essay is organized.

Once again you must be firm with your teacher. If your composition teacher spends time on essay construction, talking to you about how to produce striking beginnings, elegantly developed middle sections and effective endings, and about details like paragraphing, you should ask her or him whether these things are going to make the difference between passing and failing for you personally; whether she or he is confident that you have already shown that your practical command of grammar and vocabulary is so good that there is no doubt that you will pass as far as they are concerned; whether all that is needed to tip the balance is some training in essay construction.

(My advice should perhaps be modified in one respect here, however. If you can master a small set of elegant opening sentences that you know are absolutely right and that can be adapted to a variety of subjects, and can use one of them at the beginning of each composition in an exam, you may well influence the examiner in your favour. Exam markers are human too. While a single superb sentence right at the end of an otherwise mediocre or downright poor composition is unlikely to do you any extra good, at the very beginning it will very possibly make the examiner think more kindly about the rest. But you must be careful. Don’t use such prepared sentences unless you are absolutely sure they fit the context.)

 

 

Summing up

The biggest mistake you can make in the composition paper is to aim too high. We can finally put this aspect of the Proficiency essays another way:

If you try to be “ambitious in concept and approach” and try to use “natural language”, and fail to do so, the best you can hope for is precisely that: that you fail to achieve those things.

But the worst and more probable result is that your mistakes will cause you to lose far more marks than you would have lost if you had not been so ambitious.

So wherever you are not absolutely certain of yourself: KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Popularity: 6% [?]

English Proverbs – written by D.Sclias

D.Education Projects

 

Proverbs with examples

13ESprov

 Proverbs & idioms II

 

1. The older I get the more I learn.    – always learn in life.

2. Everything comes to him who waits.   – be patient to succeed.

3. All that glitters is not gold.       – appearance can deceive.

4. No rose without a thorn.             – nothing can be only good.

5. Honesty is the best policy.          – being honest is the best.

6. A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.- If you are innocent, don’t be afraid of anything.

7. There is no place like home.         – our home is the best place.

8. It is never too late.                – start something at any age.

9. Riches are not for ever.             – run out of money.

10. One swallow does not make a spring. – to succeed once is not enough.

 

 

Please fill in the blanks with a word to form the right idiom or expression.

 

1. He was the only one who worked really hard, but one [swallow] does not make a spring.

2. Grandpa said ” You may not believe it but the [older] I get the more I learn.”

3. I can’t believe that she did it! This makes me remember that there is no [rose] without a thorn.

4. Although he’s very old, he’s studying. People are right when they say  “It’s never [too] late.”

5. You shouldn’t spend so much money because [riches] are not for ever.

6. You must never tell lies because [honesty]is the best policy.

7. We have travelled all over the world but there is no [place] like home.

8. Take my advice and be more patient because everything [comes] to him who waits.

9. Be very careful with this deal because all that [glitters] is not gold.

10. If you haven’t stolen it, don’t worry, a quiet [conscience] sleeps in thunder.

Popularity: 3% [?]

English phrasal verbs – written by D.Sclias

D.Education Projects

 

Phrasal with examples

 

06ESphv

add up = find the sum of

answer back = reply rudely, argue

ask after = inquire about someone’s health

ask out = invite out

back up = support

back out = withdraw

be up to = be engaged in sth wrong

beat up = injure (usually in a fight)

bend down = stoop

blow up = 1. explode  2. enlarge

 

1 The robber backed [out] of the room, holding a hostage. (out, off)

2  If you like her, why don’t you ask her [out]? (about, out) 

3  He bent [down] to pick up his book which had fallen on the floor. (up, down)

4 You shouldn’t keep answering your father [back] because he’s going to get angry.(on,  back)

5  The teacher told the pupils to add the numbers [up] . (on, up0

6 The burglars beat [up] the old man and got all his money. (up, out)

7  What is the matter? The police were here and asked [after] you. (over, after)

8  Don’t worry, I’ll back you [up] anytime you need help. (up, on)

9 What are the kids up [to]? they are acting very strangely. (on, to)

10. The robbers blew [up] the safe and got the money. (of, up)

 

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Written by D.Sclias

©D.Education Projects

  

b4. Preposition and Phrasal (list)

=================

 

absent from  

according to   

accuse of  

aim at              

angry with sb     

apart from    

approve of   

argue with          

ashamed of    

aware of   

comply with  

concentrate on      

consent to

contact with      

convince of     

damage to           

depend on       

die of  

 disappointed with  

divide into         

end in            

explain to    

familiar to sb   

familiar with sth   

famous for     

get rid of  

glad about     

in love with

in my opinion 

in trouble 

 inferior to 

insist on

Interfere with  

jealous of   

learn by heart   

make of

point at           

 popular with 

 prefer to 

prevent from

proud of        

rely on            

remind of  

remind to

satisfy with   

shout at          

similar to  

sorry for

suffer from   

superior to     

surprise at     

take care of

think of        

tired of    

translate into

 

  

6. Phrasal  Verbs. (list 2 )

===========================

 

fall for       -> fall in love     -> be deceived         

Fall on/upon   -> attack              

fall out with  -> quarrel             

fall through   -> fail                

fill in        -> complete            

find out       -> discover            

get across     -> be understood        

get away       -> escape              

get on with    -> be on good terms    

get at         -> mean, imply         

get away with  -> escape punishment   

get off        -> get off a bus, etc.  

get on         -> get on a bus, etc.  

get over     -> recover from        

get around     -> persuade            

get through    -> pass through        

get through    -> pass through         

give away      -> reveal, give free   

give in        -> surrender           

give off       -> emit smells etc.    

give out       -> distribute, end     

 

give up        -> stop, surrender     

I am about to  -> ready to            

I am after s -> go after            

Ι am against   -> be opposed          

Ι am away      -> absent              

It’s over      -> finished            

It’s up to     -> depends on          

go after smb   -> pursue              

go on/ahead    -> continue             

go away        -> get out, stop       

go for         -> attack, apply       

go into        -> investigate         

go in for      -> take part in       

 go off         -> explode, ring  -> spoil (food)

go out         -> be extinguished     

go over sth    -> examine, repeat     

go through     -> suffer, discuss     

go up          -> rise                

hold on        -> wait                

hold over      -> postpone            

hold up        -> delay                 

let down       -> disappoint, lengthen 

let off        -> not punish          

let out        -> make larger         

keep on        -> continue           

 look after     -> take care of        

look down on   -> despise             

look into      -> investigate         

look on        -> consider, watch     

look out       -> be careful         

 look over      -> examine quickly     

look to        -> rely on             

look it up     -> find in a book      

look up to        -> respect

make up           -> invent

make it up        -> reconcile

make up your mind -> decide

make up for       -> compensate

make out          -> distinguish

 put aside         -> save

put away          -> store

put down to       -> attribute

put off           -> postpone

put on            -> wear

put out           -> extinguish

put through     -> connect by phone

put one  up     -> offer hospitality

put up with     -> tolerate

run across/into -> meet by chance

run after       -> chase

run away with   -> steal

run down -> exhausted, knock down

run out of      -> finish

run over        -> read quickly

run over        -> knock down

 

see about       -> deal with

see out/off  -> accompany

see through     -> not deceived

see to sth      -> arrange

set aside       -> save (money)

set off/out     -> begin a journey

set in          -> start

set up          -> establish, trap

stand by        -> support

stand for       -> represent

stand out       -> noticeable

stand up for    -> support

stand up to     -> resist

be taken aback  -> surprised

take after      -> look like

take away       -> remove

take for        -> identify wrongly

take off        -> remove clothes

take on         -> employ

take over       -> take control

take to         -> like

take up         -> begin a hobby

take up  sth    -> fill (time)

think it over   -> rethink

try it on       -> put on

turn down       -> reject

turn into       -> convert

turn on/off     -> switch on/of

turn out to be  -> prove to be

turn to         -> ask for help

turn up         -> appear

wash up         -> do the dishes

what is up     -> what is happening   

work out        -> calculate

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Gerund written by D.Sclias

©D.Education Projects

Gerund

  

9. Gerund  Verb+ ing

===================

 

Active voice                 Passive voice

 

Present -> helping           being helped

Past    -> having helped     Having been helped

 

 Smoking is a bad habit.

 He admitted having stolen the car.

 She avoids getting tired.

 She denied having been helped by them.

 

Use:

subject             -> working is good.

object              -> I love swimming.

after prepositions  -> I’m sorry for being late.

with the verbs  :   -> like    love      hate    begin

                   -> start   prefer  continue  can’t bear

                   -> I hate going to that place.

After certain verbs.

admit        deny      fancy, finish    mind      resent

appreciate   detest    forgive          miss      risk

avoid        dislike   imagine          postpone  stand

consider     enjoy     keep             practice  suggest

delay        excuse    mention          report    understand

 

 She denied having broken the window.

 

With certain expressions.

It’s no use        I object to         there’s no point in

It’s no good       I look forward to   what’s the use of

It’s (not) worth   I am used to        what’s the point of

I can’t stand      I am accustomed to  what about

I can’t help       I get used to       I’m busy

I feel like        give up             I don’t mind

 

Examples:

 I look forward to receiving your letter.

 Don’t avoid seeing them.

 Do you mind staying here ?

 It’s not worth paying for.

 Finally, I got used to living here.

I am not used to living in caves

It’s worth seeing that film.

Be careful!

 see, hear, feel, watch, notice.

1. infinitive without – to  -> I saw her work.

2. with -ing                -> I saw her working.

but in passive voice -> She was seen to work.

 

More examples…

 Her father will prevent her from getting married.

 Fancy meeting them there!

 I object to smoking.

 Your hair needs cutting.

 He watches TV as well as studying at the same time.

 I prefer having coffee rather than tea.

 I remember visiting her in hospital.

 They stopped seeing each other. Etc…

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English Grammar 4A written by D.Sclias

©D.Education Projects

 

b2. Modal verbs

==============

 

 Will – would, shall – should.

 

 Will (shall)  -> Ι will(shall) go to Athens tomorrow.

 Would         -> If she came, we would go to the cinema.

 Shall         -> Shall we go out tonight ?

 Should        -> She is sick, she should go to the doctor.

 

Can – Could

==============

 He can be there tomorrow, can’t he ? 

 They can’t be with us, can they ?

 could you do something for me ?

 

May  – Might

==============

 It may rain later.

 May I speak to Mary please ?

 he might come later.

 

Must         -> We must work hard.

Must not     -> You mustn’t smoke.

Ought to     -> I ought to visit them.

Ought not to -> They ought not to behave like that.

used to      -> he used to smoke.

Used not to  -> He used not to drink so much.OR (he didn’t use to…)

need         -> need I come tomorrow ? -> you needn’t write that.

dare         -> How dare you say such things !

  

After Modal verbs NEVER USE –to, -s, -ing.

  -> I must go             NOT -> Ι must to go

  -> He can come with us.  NOT  -> he can comes.

  -> he must go to school. NOT  -> he must going to school.

 

 -> will not  – won’t      would not    – wouldn’t

 -> shall not – shan’t     should not   – shouldn’t

 -> can not   – can’t      could not    – couldn’t

 -> may not   – mayn’t     might not    – mightn’t

 -> must not  – mustn’t    need not     – needn’t

 -> dare not  – daren’t    ought not to – oughtn’t to

 

 For the PAST

 Modal verb + have + past participle.

 

Active voice:

==============

Present  -> You should  tell  the truth.

Past     -> You should have told the truth.

 

Present  -> We could be killed.

Past     -> We could have been killed.

 

Present  -> He ought to visit the Acropolis.

Past     -> He ought to have visited the Acropolis.

 

Present  -> He might finish the work today.

Past     -> He might have finished the work yesterday.

 

Passive voice :

==================

Present  -> The truth should be told by you.

Past     -> The truth should have been told by you.

  

Remember -> must =  have to

Remember -> can  =  be able to

 

 They must do the work.

 They’ll have to do work.

 

 She couldn’t work yesterday.

 She wasn’t able to work yesterday.

 

 b3. Active Voice

===============

 Simple Present       : He works

Present Con.         : He is working

Simple Past          : He worked

Past Con.            : He was working

Simple Future        : He will (would) work

Future Con.          : He will (would) be working

Present Perfect      : He has worked

Present Perfect Con. : He has been working

Past Perfect         : He had worked

Past Perfect Con.    : He had been working

Future Perfect.      : He will (would) have worked

Future Perfect Con.  : He will (would) have been working

 

Passive voice

================

 Simple Present       : It is sent

Simple Past          : It was sent

Past Con.            : It was being sent

Simple Future        : It will (would) be sent

Present Perfect      : It has been sent

Past Perfect         : It had been sent

Future Perfect       : It will (would) have been sent

 

Some examples:

 

   ACTIVE VOICE                      PASSIVE VOICE

She cleans the house.        -> The house is cleaned by her.

They are doing the work now. -> The work is being done by them now.

We’ll deliver it next week.  -> It’ll be delivered by us next week.

He wrote the book last year. -> The book was written last year.

Someone has stolen my bike.  -> My bike has been stolen.

We’ll have sent it by then.  -> It’ll have been sent by then. 

  

b5. Special comparisons

b====================

 

b1. The + comparative + The + comparative.

  -> The earlier you come the better it is.

  -> The more you sleep, the less tired you feel.

  -> The faster we work the sooner we’ll finish.

 

b2. As much/many + countable or uncountable noun + as

  -> Give me as much money as you have.

  -> I will make as many friends as possible.

 

b3. Not half so/as + adjective + as.

  -> Jane is half as clever as Christine.

  -> Tom is not half so/as tall as Bob.

 

b4. Twice(three/four times etc.)as + adjective.

  -> Peter is twice as tall.

  -> Tony is ten times as fast.

 

b5. Getting + comparative + and + comparative.

  -> It’s getting colder and colder.

  -> She is getting fatter and fatter.

  -> John’s getting taller and taller.

 

b6. As + adjective or adverb+ as.

  -> Is he as clever as that?

  -> Is it as late as that ?

  -> Is Brenda as stupid as that ?

 

b7. As + adjective/adverb+ as possible.

  -> As soon as possible.

  -> As late as possible.

 

 b7. Passive voice 3

b==================

 

Formation -> to be + past participle

 

Simple present      – I am

Present Continuous  – I am being

Simple Future       – I will be

Simple past         – I was      -> + Past participle

Past continuous     – I was being

Present Perfect     – I have been

Past Perfect        – I had been

Future perfect      – I will have been

 

 I am sent  – am I sent ?  – I am not sent.

 You were sent – were you sent ? – you weren’t sent. Etc.

 

From Active voice into Passive voice.

————————————–

Active Voice   ->  She cooks the food every noon.

Passive voice  ->  The food is cooked by her every noon.

 

Active voice   -> Mr Black bought a car yesterday.

Passive voice  -> A car was bought by Mr Black yesterday.

 

Active voice   -> She will post the letter tomorrow.

Passive voice  -> The letter will be posted by her tomorrow.

 

Active voice   -> They will discuss the problem tomorrow.

Passive voice  -> The problem will be discussed by them tomorrow.

 

From Passive voice into Active voice.

————————————

 Passive voice  -> Α film was seen by me yesterday.

Active voice   -> I saw a film yesterday.

 

Passive voice  -> We were made to wait a long time by them.

Active voice   -> They made us wait a long time.

 

Passive voice  -> We have been allowed to enter the building.

Active voice   -> They let us enter the building.

 

Passive voice  -> He’s being laughed at.

Active voice   -> They are laughing at him.

 

Special Verbs:

I must do this work       -> this work must be done by me.

They should buy this car  -> this car should be bought by them.

 

Imperative :

Write this letter       -> this letter must be written.

Don’t write this letter -> this letter mustn’t be written.

 

bTwo objects :

bHe gave me a present -> a present was given to me by him.

                 or -> I was given a present by him.

 

Sentences with ‘that’:

Present : They say that he is rich. -> It is said that he is rich.

                                 or -> He is said to be rich.

 

Past : They said that he was dead. -> It was said that he was dead.

                              or -> he was said to have been dead.

 

Sentences with prepositions:

They sent for a doctor.       -> a doctor was sent for.

 

The ver  hear, see, make.  -> take  ‘to’ in passive voice,

 They made him work hard.   -> he was made to work hard.

The ver ‘let’ in passive  -> allow to.

 They let them play.         ->  They were allowed to play.

 

Not anything -> nothing

Not anybody  -> nobody etc.

 

 They didn’t eat anything. -> Nothing was eaten.

 

 They didn’t find any of their friends.

 None of their friends were found.

 

 b8. Participles

b================

 Active Voice                Passive Voice

Present -> sending         -> being sent

Perfect -> having sent     -> having been sent

 

b1. -> Driving at a very high speed, he had an accident.

b2. -> Having seen the criminal, he phoned the police.

b3. -> Not having seen her, he didn’t speak to her.

 

USE :

b1. like adjectives -> an exciting film, a terrified girl.

                  -> a broken window, stolen money etc.

 

 I am very interested in maths.

   BUT -> Maths is a very interesting subject.

 

 surprised        surprising

 disappointed     disappointing

 tired            tiring

 bored            boring

 interested       interesting

 frightened       frightening

 excited          exciting etc.

 

Examples

 

-> I am very tired because the work I did was very tiring.

 ->The girl entering(who is entering) the room is Mary’s sister.

 ->A well dressed woman came towards me.

 ->I heard her singing a nice song.

 ->I saw him stealing the money.

-> Hearing a noise, he went out to see who it was.

 ->Those students sitting exams soon, must sign this form.

 ->Having spent all the money, they had to walk home.

 ->Not having told them the bad news, they were shocked.

 ->Not having studied much, he failed the exams.

 ->Standing on the pavement, he was hit by a car.

 ->Bananas are delicious when eaten fresh.

 ->They spent all morning writing in the computer.

Popularity: 2% [?]

D.Education Projects

IELTS Writing

MODEL COMPOSITIONS

1. In  the Academic modules, the candidate is required to write two essays in one hour. Task 1 should be a minimum of 150 words and Task 2 should be at least 250 words. The student is advised to spend no more than 20 minutes on Task 1, leaving 40 minutes for Task 2. Both essays are marked in whole points and more weighting is given to Task 2

2. In the Academic module, Task 1 requires the candidate to study a diagram or table and then to reproduce the information in written form in their own words. Task 2 is a discursive essay in which the candidate must write their opinion on a subject or present a balanced argument.

Below there are model essays based on the tasks given in the  tests. These are examples to show how the essays could be written, but of course, many other ways of dealing with the questions are also possible.  

ACADEMIC TEST 1

Writing Task 1

 

 

2. Model answer Writing Task 1

This report describes the enrolments for a number of different subjects in universities in the UK, Australia and France.
As can be seen in the table, medicine is the most popular subject studied in Australia with 10% of the total students compared to France and the UK with 6% and 4% respectively. In contrast to this, Australian students in literature number only 1% whereas in the UK it secured 12% of the student population, the second most favoured branch of learning after media studies which had 15%. Engineering is easily the most studied subject in France with 18% but in Australia and the UK few students selected this as their specialisation with only 3% and 1% respectively. Whilst more modern disciplines such as media studies and sports studies attracted interest in the UK and Australia, gaining 12% and 8% for the latter subject, in France they appear not to exist at all. In all three countries languages do not appear to be very popular with France having the highest numbers at 6% and falling to 2% and 1% for Australia and the UK

 

——-

ACADEMIC TEST 2

Writing Task 1

 

   

Model answer Writing Task 1

This report describes the number of court appearances for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18, in New South Wales, Australia in 1994 and 1995.
As can be seen from the table, at the age of 10 the court appearances for boys are relatively few numbering a mere 25. Until the age of 17 the figures increase steadily every year when they reach a peak at 3495. At 18, the first year of adulthood there is a dramatic fall in the total male court attendances to 1203 cases.
The trend for girls is similar in as much as the fewest court cases is 4 at the age of 11 and the figures rise steadily until the age of 15 at 530. Between 16 and 17 the figures remained stable at 586 and 596 respectively. At 18, as in the case with the male statistics, the numbers drop significantly to 163.
Although the general trend is similar for both sexes, the court appearances for boys are between three and seven times more frequent than those for girls.

 

 

ACADEMIC TEST 3

Writing Task 1

 

 

  

Model answer Writing Task 1

This report describes the sales of hardback and paperback books bought in New York from 1960 to 1990 and the types of books which are preferred.
According to the graph, sales of both kinds of books have risen, with paperback sales being the greater. 20 paperbacks per person were bought in 1960, but by 1985 this figure had more than doubled to 43 books. As far as purchases of hardbacks are concerned, the average number bought in 1960 was only two per person, but sales increased steadily until 1990 when those purchased had increased fourfold, to eight per person per year.
As can be seen in the histogram, books on self-help were the most popular in 1990, at 28% of total sales, and these have experienced a dramatic increase in popularity since 1960, when they made up only 2%. The best-liked books in 1960 were those about religion and politics, but sales in these categories have gradually fallen, from 24% and 22% to 16% and 12% respectively in 1990. (Religious books showed a sudden return to popularity in 1975, however, when they reached 22% of total sales.) The least popular books are those on biography and history, which peaked in 1960 at 17% and 8%, but from 1970 onwards neither category has sold more than 5%.

 

************

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