Will or Going to
27 August 2015 by Diane
GOING TO
Used to express plans for the future (that were made at a past time)
SUBJECT + “TO BE” + GOING TO + BASE VERB
* I am going to visit Africa next summer.
* She is going to eat dinner with me tonight.
WILL
SUBJECT + WILL + BASE VERB
Used to express a decision made at the moment
· I will wear this dress to the party.
· She’ll call you back in a few hours.
Used to make predictions
· Do you think Brazil will win the World Cup?
Used to offer to do something
· I will take you to the airport.
Used to make requests.
· Will you make a photocopy for me?
Used to make promises.
· I won’t tell anyone your secret.
Used to make threats—first conditional.
· If you tell mom about what I did, I will kill you! (This of course is an exaggerated threat!)
Idiomatic Pairs
31 July 2015 by Diane
safe and sound: free from danger or injury
Example: After a long day of hiking, Dan arrived home safe and sound.
above and beyond: doing more than is necessary
Example: They really went above and beyond to make me feel at home.
pros and cons: good parts and bad parts of something
Example: What are the pros and cons of living in the city?
wear and tear: damage from overuse
Example: There’s a lot of wear and tear on my car.
short and sweet: quick and accomplishing the main goal
Example: The meeting was short and sweet, just as I like it.
ins and outs: all of the details; insider knowledge
Example: He has been working there for twenty years. He knows all of the ins and outs of the office.
live and learn: learn from one’s mistakes/experiences
Example: I didn’t make the best decision, but you know what, you live and you learn.
sick and tired: very annoyed with someone/thing
Example: I’m sick and tired of listening to him complain. He needs to quit his job.
black and white: having an obvious right and wrong answer
Example: Not everything is black and white.
ups and downs: good parts and bad parts
Example: Every job has its ups and downs.
now or never: the only opportunity to do something
Example: You need to tell him how you feel! It’s now or never.
wine and dine: provide someone with a nice dinner and special treatment
Example: The company wined and dined me because they wanted me to accept the proposal.
fair and square: fair/honest
Example: He looked at all the evidence before he made a decision. It was fair and square.
Using the Word "Like"
20 June 2015 by Diane
Writing questions and answers using like:
What does he look like? Describe his appearance
What does he like? Describe his hobbies
What is he like? Describe his personality
Who does he look like? Name a person he looks similar to
Who does he like? Name a person he likes
Who is he like? Name a person he acts similar to
During, While, For, Since and Until
30 May 2015 by Diane
DURING (+ NOUN)
Used when we want to talk about something that happened at the same time as something else.
ex. During the summer she worked as a babysitter.
Try not to fall asleep during class.
She could not stop talking during the movie.
WHILE (+ SUBJECT + VERB)
Used when we want to talk about something that happened at the same time as something else.
ex. While I was eating lunch, I read this book.
Please, don't drink alcohol while you are driving.
FOR (+ LENGTH OF TIME)
Used when we want to talk about how long something lasts.
ex. They study for two hours every day.
I worked at the bank for five years.
I have been working on this project for two weeks!
SINCE ( + THE TIME THE ACTION STARTED) * used with a perfect tense!
ex. He has been living in London since 1997.
We've known about it since June.
He has played soccer since he was a child.
UNTIL ( + THE TIME THE ACTION FINISHES)
ex. I will stay in Chicago until June.
She lived in France until she was fluent in French.
He works until 5pm on Fridays.
Comparative and Superlative Bingo
01 May 2015 by Diane
A fun activity for students!
Find someone who...
has a car older than 3 years old ________________ | has been in Chicago longer than 4 months ________________ | is the youngest child in the family ________________ | has the most siblings in the class ________________ | wakes up earlier than 6am during the week ________________ |
is the oldest child in their family ________________ | thinks winter is better than summer ________________ | wants to be taller ________________ | goes to bed later than midnight every night ________________ | exercises more than three times a week ________________ |
has less than $3 with them ________________ | likes Chicago more than their native city ________________ | thinks their native country has the best food in the world ________________ | likes reading better than watching TV ________________ | has more than 4 pairs of shoes in Chicago ________________ |
has more than 1 pet ________________ | thinks math is more interesting than history ________________ | thinks baseball is more entertaining to watch than soccer ________________ | has visited more than 5 countries ________________ | thinks spiders are scarier than rats ________________ |
is from the largest city in their country ________________ | thinks that cats are better than dogs ________________ | is the youngest person in the class ________________ | has less than 3 pairs of pants in Chicago ________________ | thinks pizza is the best food ________________ |
Superlative Questions
What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
Tell me about the time you were the most nervous.
What’s the most disgusting food you’ve ever eaten?
Who is the nicest person you know?
What is the hardest part about learning English?
What is the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?
What is the earliest you have ever woken up in the morning?
Create your own question:
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