VIDEO, LIFE EXPERIENCES - 2NB

Watch this video (you can read the tapescript but try to understand it without reading) and answer the questions that some people answered:
1. Are you happy with your life?
2. Is there anything you would like to change?
3. How has your life changed in the last few years?




Tapescript
H = Hina W1 = 1st woman etc. M1 = 1st man etc.
H: I feel good about life at the moment. I live in a fantastic city and I’m really happy with my job at the BBC. Tell me about you.
W1: I have a fabulous partner, four beautiful children, a great job- and I live in London.
W2: I’m enjoying my life at the moment because I have a good circle of friends. I have a job that I really enjoy and I’ve just bought a flat.
W3: I enjoy living in the UK, and I have been over here for about nine years, so I do enjoy my life.
W4: I am just about to go on holiday so I am, yeah, looking forward to that.
W5: I’m happy with where I am, yeah. I’ve just graduated for two weeks.
W6: My life’s great. I’ve got two lovely children, a great husband and I just finished paying for my house.
M1: I’ve got a career opportunity going on, progressing a bit, started a new one, just changed the career a couple of years back. Started a family as well. I bought a house. Things like that, you know. Things are going well – so I’m so far, happy.
H: Is there anything you’d like to change?
M1: Eventually yes. But not at the moment, things are going alright.
W2: No, not at all. No, not at the moment, no. A little bit more travel.
W3: I’d like to be richer.
W4: Nothing that I can think of.
M2: I’d like to go on more holidays.
W5: I would like to get into graphic design. That’s something that I’d really want to change.
W6: I’d like to be able to afford to join a gym so that I could get fitter.
H: My life has changed a lot in the past 10 years. I’ve lived in three different countries. How about you? How has your life changed in the last few years?
W1: My life has changed quite a bit in the last two years. Specifically in that I had a five-year break from work, put my career on hold and returned back to full-time employment.
M2: I’ve recently had a young girl, a daughter – my wife’s given birth. And yeah, that’s a big change in your life.
W4: I’m living in a new area that I hadn’t lived in before. So I was completely new to that part of London. So that’s probably the biggest change.
W3: Ten years ago I was a student and so I used to get up late, and I used to have lots of time. And now I have to go to work.
W2: My life has changed. I’ve developed more of an established career. I’ve moved around quite a bit since I’ve moved to the United Kingdom.
M1: Yeah, I’ve changed in every possible way really. Career-wise, I made a big decision of changing my career, coming to HSBC. And then personal life - got married, I had my first child, bought my first property.
W6: I’ve had a family and so I don’t see so much of my friends any more. We do a lot of family things and a lot of my friends have moved out of London so we don’t get together so much any more

Past simple - activities

1. Past simple - regular


2. Past simple - all forms

3. Reading and fill in the gaps

Present perfect - Activities

KEY 1
KEY 2 There is a mistake in the worksheet key: "David have had a well-paid job" should be "David has had a well-paid job
KEY 3 

LISTENING PRACTICE (2NB)

Listening activities
1. Holiday
You can find the questions here: http://esl.about.com/library/listening/blholiday.htm (do not click on the drop-down menu where you will find the answers), listen to the audio first http://esl.about.com/library/media/audio/holiday.mp3.
2. Interview with a dancer
Another one with the same structure: Questions http://esl.about.com/library/listening/bllis_interview.htm, Audio http://esl.about.com/library/media/audio/interview.mp3
3. Do you believe in UFOs?   (UFO = OVNI) 
Another one; Questions with 3 possible answers http://esl.about.com/library/listening/blufo1.htm, Audio http://esl.about.com/library/media/audio/ufo1.mp3 

Present perfect vs. past simple

Watch this useful video with an explanation


Let's practice with some exercises:
Exercises 1
Exercises 2

Past simple (regular + irregular verbs)

Pronunciation of past simple (regular verbs): video

Play a game on pronunciation of past simple regular verbs - classtools

More about past simple (regular and irregular verbs) - click here.

Irregular verbs - click here.

List of irregular verbs (I've promised it) There is a shorter list on the book (pages 154 - 155)



Let's practise as it's the best way to learn:
Past simple 1
Answer questions (past simple)
Affirmative sentences --> negative sentences
Build questions (past simple)

Saint Valentine's Day

Happy Saint Valentine's Day to you all!

Last weekend I prepared two songs with activities for you (level 1 and level 2).

LEVEL 1
Because you loved me (Celine Dion) - You'll be able to practise the past simple of irregular verbs. You can check it if you click here.



 

LEVEL 2
I still haven't found what I'm looking for (U2) - You'll be able to practise the present perfect. You can check it if click here. 

Present perfect: summary + activities

You should click on the link to practise more: present perfect vs. past simple

Let's analyse the different uses:

Yet, already, still or just?

Charles Dickens (He was born 200 years ago!)

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, one of the best writers of all times. Dickens believed that contributing to people’s life with knowledge, education and enjoyment was key to building a fair society and creating opportunities.
Charles Dickens' life (video)
Reading comprehension activity:


Get to know Dickens (with key)
Crossword

Revision of tenses

Write the text using the past simple tense
Difference between past simple and past continuous

Past simple or continuous 


Future: will or going to
Future: will or going to 2

Future tense
Future tenses
Future tenses

Present simple, continuous and past simple
Future, past and present together
Test: present simple and progressive, past simple and progressive, future and present perfect  

Pronouns (with key)