Homework for next Monday

Write a paragraph about your childhood: try to use all the past tenses we have studied.

Example

I went to school for the first time when I was five years old and learned how to read and write. It was a small private school in the neighborhood for both boys and girls. My parents were planning to send me the year after  to the nun school where my grandmother had studied but at the end I was not admitted so I stayed at home for the whole year playing on my own. It was a most unusual year but I loved it.

Today students answered a few more How to questions, we also repeated one they had answered last Monday and I was pleased to see they could remember all the terms that were required to do it clearly.

We listened to two different stories, one about an accident when some workers were digging a tunnel for a new underground line and another one about 3 children who had disppeared and had been found well 3 days later. Students had to write questions for some given answers and correct some mistaken sentences about the first listening.

This is a link to a Miami newspaper. Check the world news, find one that you find interesting. Tell us about it. You need to open the news menu and click on world.

Every week is different. Yesterday Edu and Manuel were in class. Edu read his story: it was about Arquimedes, quite interesting.

We did Ex. 2 on page 28, New Headway. It was a bit complicated but quite intersting: students had to connect 3 or 4 sentences and make them into one, changing the verb tenses appropriately.

We were also talking about news and learning ways to react to news.

For the students that did not come yesterday:

You may search for an interesting piece of news and tell us about it in the next lesson. To make it easier for yourself you can try to find it in a digital newspaper in English. Yesterday we were reading about the mayor of Toronto.

I am a bit confused, I thought I had published those exercises yesterday but now I don´t see them.
I apologize. I only published them for the morning group.

I see that it has been a while since I wrote anything here. Anyway, I´m glad I had 4 students yesterday. I must say that it has been a little chaotic lately. I was sick, Cristina was sick, Edu had a lot of exams...

Monday we started working on a new unit. The main grammar point is the past tenses. I am sure you have studied those tenses before, but every time you do it you should refine your use of them a little further.

We are studying the Past Simple, the Past Continuous and the Past Perfect. If we tell a story that happened to us in the past we´ll probably need to use all of them. 

Here is the exercise you need to complete for homework:

Complete the sentences for situations in the past. Decide which tense you need to use.

1. Yesterday, a plumber (come)  to our house.normal narrative past form → simple past

2. He (have)  to repair our washing machine that (break)  down a few days before.1st space: normal narrative past form → simple past|2nd space: looking back to something that had happened earlier → past perfect simple

3. Before he (ring)  at my door, he (look)  for a parking space for about ten minutes.1st space: normal narrative past form → simple past|2nd space: looking back to something that had happened earlier → past perfect simple

4. While the plumber (repair)  the washing machine, I (watch)  the news.simultaneous actions → past progressive

5. Suddenly, I (realise)  that they (show)  our street on TV.second action was already taking place when the first action began|1st space → simple past|2nd space: past progressive

6. The reporter (say)  that a car (crash)  into a stop sign just before reaching the crossroads.1st space: normal narrative form → simple past (say is generally only used in the simple form)|2nd space: looking back to something that had happened earlier → past perfect simple

7. While I (listen)  carefully to what (happen) , someone (knock)  at my door.1st space: emphasising the action's progression → past progressive|2nd space: looking back to something that had happened earlier → past perfect simple|3rd space: shorter action that started while another action was already taking place → simple past (past progressive would sound as if the person had been knocking on the door the whole time)

8. I (open)  the door and (see)  a police officer standing there.normal narrative past form → simple past

9. He (ask)  for the plumber.normal narrative past form → simple past

10.  As it (turn)  out, it (be)  our plumber’s car that (roll)  down the street.1st space: normal narrative past form → simple past|2nd space: condition in the past (after all, it was still his car) → simple past|3rd space: looking back to something that had happened earlier → past perfect simple

11.  In his haste, the plumber (forget)  to set the handbrake.looking back to something that had happened earlier → past perfect simple

You may need to use the Past Perfect Continuous too.

And some more:

1) We (walk) _______ _______ by the bakery when the smell of fresh cinnamon 

 rolls (reach) ____________ our noses. 

2) Dr. Lee (treat) _______ ________ her patient when she (get) ________ a 

 signal from her pager. 

3) Annie and Lilly (climb) _______ _______ trees when Annie (fall) 

____________ and (break) ________ her arm. 

4) While Christopher (dig) _______ _______ a hole in the sand, a 

crab (crawl) ____________ out. 

5) They (sit) _______ _______ on the park bench when the fountain suddenly (light) 

____________ up. 

6) David (ride) _______ _______ his motorcycle on the dirt road when it (hit) 

 ________ a dangerous bump. 

7) Mr. Walker (earn) _______ _______ more than anyone else in his division when 

 he (retire)__________ last year. 

8) The lost dog (wear) _______ _______ his collar when the children (find) 

 ____________ him. 

9) Marcella (hope) _______ _______ to buy a yacht; instead she (buy) __________a 

 small fishing boat. 

10) Nick (water) _______ _______ the plants in the garden when a groundhog 

You may also make a list of any words that are new for you.

And the fairy tale, don´t forget the fairy tale¡

Yesterday  we started the class reviewing "be used to" and "get used to"by answering some questions. Then students had to tell a story they had read and a classmate had to retell it.

 Later we were listening to a recording of some news: some new words and expressions we should remember from it are: get in touch, shelter, trapped, break in the system, rescue, ordinary clothes (or something else)

Enjoy your free time.

Before I forget, this is the link to the the recording we listened to in our class. Listening

We started the lesson practicing dates. Students said the dates of their relatives´ birthdays.

Students read their homework: things they are used to or are getting used to, etc.
Students practiced the expressions be used to and get used to. When they are followed by an action, it has to be in the ing form of the verb.

We were listening to the recording af an interview to somebody who has moved back to the USA.after living in Spain for a long time. Students said what they had understood.

For homework remember to write three true and three false sentences about yourself using these adjectives: terrified, fascinated, excited, disappointed, fond, sick.

If you have the chance to listen to the recording again, please answer these questions.

How long was the person interviewed living in Spain?

What kind of things does he mention when he talks about things he found much cheaper in the States?

That´s for now. I´´ll think of more questions.

Yesterday must have been a good day to stay at home because several  students were missing. There was only one at the beginning of the lesson so we were doing some conversation.  We practiced  a very importan question: What´s your child like? It is a good accassion to remind everybody of how useful this construction is: What  is/are + subject + like? Like in this case is a preposition and not a verb. We use this construction to ask for descriptions.

Later on students were practicing be used to and get used to: when they are followed by an action, then it has to be in the ing form of the verb. Students found thi exercise a little difficult so I told them they could repeat it as homework and that way they would have more time to think about it. Missing students can also work on it.

This is the exercise: write something that you...

are used to doing during the week
don´t think you´ll ever get used to
will have to get used to in the future
would find it impossible to get used to
were´t used to do it at one time, but you are now
are getting used to at the  moment.

Also students are supposed to write 2 sentences with each one of this adjectives: aware, fond, disappointed and shocked. I think. Remember to use the right prepositions.

Also, the difference between being used to and getting used to. Before you are used to something, you must get used to it.The verb get in this case is similar to become and it has a connotation of process, of passing from one state to another.