Links and Downloads not working thanks to dropbox

dropbox is not hosting links or downloads anymore.

Try downloading the quiz files as html files here here


or everything in a zip file here


You shouldn't have to log in. Just click download.


There's nothing much else I can do I'm afraid.

Links won't work after March 15th 2017 thanks to dropbox

After March 17th 2017 all links on this blog will cease to work. This is because dropbox has decided to disable public links.
Grab anything while you can.

David

Thanks to Dropbox for the now (non) interactive exercises on this blog

As from 4th October 2016 Dropbox, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to disable embedding of htm files within a browser.
That means that all the interactive exercises linked from dropbox on this blog do not now work.
None of them.
Sorry about that.

It looks like you get a automatic htm download if you are using firefox but otherwise there is now just a black space where once there was an exercise.

Many of the exercises are downloadable as word docs but nothing here is interactive anymore.

Dropbox has given no reason for this change.

Thanks a bunch dropbox.

The Perfect Match? How is technology affecting our relationships?

You are going to

• watch a short film
• use adjectives to describe personality
• discuss relationships 
• discuss technology 
• watch and discuss a short film

Note these are discussion activities for a speaking class based around a short 8 minute silent film called "97%"
(The film provoked considerable discussion when I used it in my FCE / CAE / CPE classes...)

Before you watch

A) Discuss personality

• Why do friends get on well with each other?
• How would you describe yourself to other people?
• Physically - choose any 3 words - eg tall, brunette, fair, dark-skinned, brown-eyed etc
• Personality - choose 5 words from the list below

• Who else in class has chosen the same words as you?

B) Discuss relationships

• How many of the personality adjectives above would you look for in a partner?
• Are you in a relationship? Do you have a partner/ boyfriend / girlfriend or are you married?
• What is a "perfect match" in a relationship? Is your partner a perfect match for you? Do "perfect matches" exist? Is personality important when choosing a partner?
• What do you look for in a partner?
• Would you accept a 50% match?

C) Discuss technology

• Do you have a smartphone?
• What do you use it for?
• Do you use social media (facebook, instragram, twitter)?
• What apps do you use?
• Are you addicted to it?

D) Watch
Watch the film below
What do you think the 97% in the title refers to?



97% (Short film) from Ben Brand on Vimeo.

E) After you watch - Discuss the film

• What do you think is the "message" of the film?
• Do you agree with it? Why / why not?
• What is the most important scene in the film? Why?
• What do you think is the man's attitude towards a) his phone? b) romantic relationships? c) other people? d) life?
• Do you think technology is changing the way we relate to each other? Can you give any examples from your own experience?
• Do you think using a phone app or a dating site is a good way to find a partner?
• Do you think technology will play an increasing role in our relationships and behaviour?

F) Write 
Choose 1

A) Write a review of the film discussing the film's ideas.

Plan
Introduction

• What is the name of the film? 
• What kind of film is it?
• What is the message of the film?
• Give a short (1 or 2 sentences) summary of the story. Do not give spoilers.

Main text

• Discuss the message of the film?
• Which scene best illustrates its message?
• Discuss the importance, prevalence and role of technology in our lives, our possible addiction to it and the effect it may be having on us and our relationships with each other.

Conclusion

• What is your opinion of the film's ideas and message?

B) "Our relationship with technology is having a damaging effect on the way we relate to each other." To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Plan
Introduction (3 sentences)

• Introduce the subject - modern technology 
• Introduce the idea to be discussed - our relationship with it.
• Introduce the question - What exactly are the effects it may be having on us?

Main text

• Discuss at least 3 examples of technology affecting our relationships or behavior. Give pros and cons. Support your ideas with specific examples.

Conclusion.
What is your opinion? Do you agree with the statement? Can you summarize your ideas in one sentence?

More

• What is beauty? Adjectives, Beauty, Crossword, Describing a person, Elementary, Fashion, Food, Health, IELTS, Intermediate, Life in the UK

•  Are the machines taking over?  Advanced, Business, Future, Future Continuous, IELTS, Shopping, Technology, Upper Intermediate

• Miss Devine Describing a person, Intermediate, Listening, Miss Devine, Past Habits,Upper Intermediate, Would  

• Are you always on your phone? Advanced, CAE, FCE, IELTS, Intermediate, Listening, Technology, Upper Intermediate, Writing, Writing an argument, Writing introductions for argument essays

• Could you live without it? Mobile phones, Living without electricity, Advantages and disadvantages, IELTS, Intermediate, Linking words, Listening, Reading, Smartphones, Writing an argument, Contrasting, Technology

Writing An Article - "The Amazon Echo"

You are going to 

• watch an advertisement
• answer some questions
• discuss technology
• write an article / review

Discuss

• What computer technology do you have / use?
• What activities do we use ICT (information and communication technology) for?
• What is your favourite device / app / website / online activity?

Watch
Watch the commercial for the Amazon Echo below
Answer

• What does it do?
• What questions do people ask?
• Would you like one?

Answers
How many of the questions can you answer?
Highlight below
What is it?
Is it for me?
How's it going?
Is it on?
Can it hear me right now?
What does it do?
What time is it?
Is that where we are going to put it?
How tall is Mount Everest?
How can it know so much?
How many teaspoons are in a table spoon?
What day is it?
What does a dog say after a long day at work?
How do you spell "cantaloupe"?




Discuss

1. What is it? How would you describe it one word?
2. What does it do? Give a summary of what it does in one sentence.
3. Is it important? Will it be popular? Why?
4. Is it useful? What are the advantages of having this product? Give 5 examples of the most important / useful things it does.
5. Does it have any drawbacks / disadvantages / negative aspects? Can you think of any problems it might have?
6. What do you think of it? Would you buy one? Do you think the Amazon Echo will be useful / popular? Could you use it to learn English?

Answers
Highlight below

1. A device called the Amazon Echo
2. It answers questions and performs a number of tasks
3. Student opinions
4. Student ideas - eg It answers questions, tells jokes, plays music, is an alarm clock and takes shopping orders ...
5. Arguments between family members? Privacy concerns? Is it listening to you? What does it know about you? Can it be hacked into?
6. Student opinions

Write
Write an article about the Amazon Echo (150 - 180 words)
Plan your writing

1. How many paragraphs will you use?
2. You can use your answers to the questions above to help you. How would you organize your answers into paragraphs?

Highlight below for answers
4 Paragraphs
Paragraph 1 = questions 1,2,and 3
Paragraph 2 = question 4
Paragraph 3 = question 5
Paragraph 4 = question 6




Read
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/with-amazons-echo-you-are-never-alone/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2014/11/11/amazon-echo-what-you-need-to-consider-before-buying/



 
More

• Are the machines taking over?  Advanced, Business, Future, Future Continuous, IELTS, Shopping, Technology, Upper Intermediate

• Are you always on your phone? Advanced, CAE, FCE, IELTS, Intermediate, Listening, Technology, Upper Intermediate, Writing, Writing an argument, Writing introductions for argument essays

• Could you live without it? Mobile phones, Living without electricity, Advantages and disadvantages, IELTS, Intermediate, Linking words, Listening, Reading, Smartphones, Writing an argument, Contrasting, Technology

• Who was the world's first online shopper? Business, Commerce, Communication, Differentiated Exercises, Intermediate, Listening, Pre-Intermediate, Science, Shopping, Technology, Upper Intermediate

How to be polite - Making Polite Requests

You are going to practise making polite requests


Note - this activity can be done in combination with this post
What is charm? http://efllecturer.blogspot.com.es/2014/05/what-is-charm.html



Discuss

• Why are we polite to each other?
• In what situations is it important to be polite?
• Are you likely to be more impressed by someone who is polite?
• In what ways do you show politeness or respect in your language?
• Does politeness change according to language and culture?
• How do we show politeness in English? What words or expressions do we use?

Look at the presentation.
Ask questions using the photos as prompts.

Polite Requests from David Mainwood

More
What is charm? Adjectives, Advanced, Being Polite, Charm, Describing a person, Listening, Manners, Speaking, Upper Intermediate

What is love? Intermediate , Listening, Love, Relationships, Upper Intermediate 

Life in the UK; The British and how to understand them Discussion Activities, Elementary, Intermediate, Life in the UK, Present Simple, Reading, Webquest, Writing a report

What should you do in a lightning storm?

You are going to 

• listen to a short radio interview about lightning
• look at vocabulary connected with storms, thunder and lightning and extreme weather
• do a comprehension exercise

1) Discuss

Public domain

• What kinds of extreme weather do you have in your country?
• What are the most dangerous kinds of weather?
• What is lightning?
• Are you afraid of it?
• Have you ever been struck by lightning?
• Do you know anyone who has been struck by lightning?
• What should you do in a lightning storm?
• Should you swim in the sea?
• Are you safe in a car?
• What are "wellies" and is it OK to wear them in a thunderstorm?
• What happens when lightning strikes a plane?
• Can lightning strike twice in the same place?
• What's a myth? Can you think of any examples?

Suggested examples of extreme / dangerous weather (students may have more).
Highlight below
tornado  hurricane  blizzard  thunderstorm  flood  hurricane  drought  lightning  ice  fog  heatwave  gales / high winds monsoon






2) Listen
Listen to lightning engineer Rhys Phillips on BBC Radio 4's PM program talking about lightning. 
How many of the questions above do you hear the answers to?

listen to ‘Thunderbolts of lightning, very very frightening’ on Audioboo

Listen again.
A) Do the vocabulary match and listen again.
Then do the comprehension exercise below.

B) Now fill in the gaps in the summary.

Download exercises here




3) Discuss

• What other dangerous kinds of weather are there? Think of some examples. 
• What should you do to avoid being hurt?

4) Write
Turn the information about lightning into an advice leaflet.
or
Make an advice or information leaflet about weather in your country.





5) Check Vocabulary
Can you explain the meaning of these words?

More
Weather forecast Elementary, Intermediate, Listening, Upper Intermediate, Weather 

The Truth About British Rain - The Great British W...Advanced, Describing a cycle, IELTS, Life in the UK, Listening, Upper Intermediate, Weather, Writing

Suggestions and Advice (Why don't you...? / Have you tried?) Advice, Intermediate, Modal Verbs, Suggestions

Giving Advice - should / ought to / had better / must / have to / can't. Advice, Intermediate, Modal Verbs, Pre-Intermediate 




More on lightning

What is lightning? https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/science-schools-%E2%80%93-electricity-lightning-workshop-what-lightning

Lightning protection of aircraft https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/science-schools-%E2%80%93-electricity-lightning-workshop-aircraft-design

Making a news report https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/science-schools-electricity-lightning-workshop-making-a-news-report

Alphabet Quiz Game (ppt download)

You are going to

• play a game 
• practise pronouncing the letters of the alphabet
• test simple vocabulary

Instructions
This ppt game contains moving gifs, sound files and links to pages within the ppt so it should be downloaded as a ppt (see link below).
It is aimed at beginners and young learners and practises alphabet pronunciation and simple vocabulary.

1. You can play as a group or with 2 teams (there are 2 team pages - "A" and "B" with links). You can either throw a dice and move from A - Z cross the square (Snakes and Ladders) or choose a letter in the left hand column and move to the right (Word Square). Choose what's best for you class.
2. Choose a letter. Click on the sound symbol to hear the letter. You must pronounce it correctly. You get 1 point.
3. Click on the letter to go to the page. Say what you see. Click the page again to see the answer. You get 1 point.
4. Click on the arrow to go back to the team alphabet page and choose another letter.
5. Who gets the most correct answers?

Alphabet Quiz Game - (download to play game) from David Mainwood

Download the game as a ppt file here
Feel free to adapt it.



More
Jump and Slide (Quiz Game - Beginners / Elem) Beginners, Elementary, Games, Jump and Slide, Present Continuous, Present Simple, Young Learners 

What's the time? (game) / The Pink Panther - "In The Pink Of The Night" Beginners, Games, Kids, Pink Panther, Present Continuous, Telling the time, Young Learners

What's this? (game) Beginners, Games, Kids, Young Learners

"Been there. Done that" - Present Perfect / Past Simple Contrast + Game

You are going to

• practise the present perfect to talk about things you have done in your life
• use the past simple to give extra details about when / where / why you did it
• play a game to practise the present perfect / past simple

1) Discuss
A) How do we make the present perfect?
Answer - highlight below
The present perfect  = Have / Has  (‘ve / ‘s ) + Participle


B) Look at these verbs.
What are the participles?

 

Answers - highlight below
been  broken  caught  dressed  eaten  failed  found  flown  lost  met  played  ridden  sailed  seen  sung  skied  slept  swum  visited  won 



C) Present Perfect and Past Simple. What's the difference?

1. Which tense do we use to talk about something we have done in our lives (but when is not important)?
2. Which tense do we use to give extra information about the action (when / where / why...)?

Answers. Highlight below
Present Perfect - I have run in a marathon.
Past Simple - I ran in the marathon last year.






2) Speak
A) Look at the presentation and make and answer the questions in the present perfect.
You can answer the follow-up questions in the past simple

Have you ever...? - Present Perfect from David Mainwood

B) Now do the matching exercise

4) Speak / Play a game
What have you done?

1. Think of some things you have done in your life.
2. Write 8 sentences in the present perfect about things you have done. Can you think of anything that (in your class) ONLY YOU have done.

For example;
I've been to New York.
I've swum 400m
I've run in a marathon

Play the  "I'm the only one" game. 

1. Everyone says a sentence in the present perfect. You win a point if you have done something that no one else in the class has done.
2. Win another point if you say when or where you did it in the past simple.

The person or pair with the most points is the winner.





More
Past Continuous / Past Simple (Revison Quiz) Elementary, gifs, Intermediate, Past Continuous, Past Simple, Pre-Intermediate, Quizzes  

Present Perfect Simple Intermediate, Present Perfect Simple

Mystery Person Game Elementary Games, Kids, Past Simple, Speaking, Young Learners
 
Rolling Question Game Elementary, Games, Pre-Intermediate, Kids, Speaking, Young Learners

Rolling Word Game Elementary, Games, Intermediate, Kids, Speaking, Young Learners

Real English: Monty Python "Dead Parrot" Sketch - Idioms for "Dead" and "Broken"

You are going to

• watch / read a TV comedy sketch by Monty Python
• listen to some slang euphemisms for "dead"
• plan / write / act out your own comedy sketch using slang euphemisms for "broken"
• write a formal letter of complaint

Note - this post is designed to get students to use common expressions often heard in the UK. There is another similar post on UK slang here






1) Discuss

• Have you ever had to complain about something?
• What things do people usually complain about?
• What's the silliest thing you have ever complained about?

2) Watch
You are going to watch a comedy sketch from the BBC TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Answer

• Where is the man?
• What is his complaint?

Before you watch look at these slang euphemisms for "dead". How many do you know?

Watch the clip. 
How many of the expressions do you hear?

3) Read
Read the dialogue from the sketch in pairs. Check any vocabulary you don't know.

The cast:

MR. PRALINE - John Cleese
SHOP OWNER -  Michael Palin

The sketch: A customer enters a pet shop.

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint.

(The owner does not respond.)

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, Miss?

Owner: What do you mean "miss"?

Mr. Praline: (pause) I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint!

Owner: Sorry we're closin' for lunch.

Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this parrot what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.

Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue... What's wrong with it?

Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

Owner: No, no, it's  resting. Look.

Mr. Praline: Look, my lad, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Owner: No no it's not dead, he's, it's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue. Beautiful plumage innit,

Mr. Praline: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.

Owner: No no no no, no, no! It's resting!

Mr. Praline: All right then, if it's restin', I'll wake him up! (shouting at the cage) 'Ello, Polly! I've got a lovely fresh cuttle fish for when you wake up...

(owner hits the cage)

Owner: There, it moved!

Mr. Praline: No, it didn't, that was you pushing the cage!

Owner: I did not!!

Mr. Praline: Yes, you did!

Mr. Praline: (yelling and hitting the cage repeatedly) 'ELLO POLLY!!!!!

(Takes parrot out of the cage and thumps its head on the counter. Throws it up in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.)

Mr. Praline: Now that's what I call a dead parrot.

Owner: No, no.....No, it's stunned!
 
Mr. Praline: Look, my lad, I've 'ad just about enough of this. That parrot is definitely deceased, and when I bought it not half an hour ago, you assured me that its lack of movement was due to it being tired and shagged out following a long squawk.

Owner: Well, he's probably pining for the fjords.

Mr. Praline: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that? Look, why did it fall flat on its back the moment I got it home?

Owner: The Norwegian Blue prefers kippin' on it's back! Beautiful bird. Lovely plumage!

Mr. Praline: Look, I took the liberty of examining that parrot and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch in the first place was that it had been NAILED there.

(pause)

Owner: Well, of course it was nailed there! Otherwise it would have nuzzled up to those bars and VOOM! 

Mr. Praline: Look matey, this parrot wouldn't "voom" if Iput four thousand volts through it! It's bleedin' demised!

Owner: It's not! It's pining!

Mr. Praline: It's not pinin'! It's passed on! This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot. It's a stiff! Bereft of life, It rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to the perch It'd be pushing up the daisies! It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!

(pause)

Owner: Well, I'd better replace it, then. 

Mr. Praline:  If you want to get anything done in this country you've got to complain until you are blue in the mouth.

Owner: Sorry Guv, we're right out of parrots.

Mr. Praline: I see. I see, I get the picture.

Owner: (pause) I got a slug.

(pause)

Mr. Praline: Does it talk?

Owner: Not really.

Mr. Praline: WELL IT'S HARDLY A REPLACEMENT, IS IT?!!???!!?

Owner: Look, tell you what, if you go to my brother's pet shop in Bolton, he'll replace the parrot for you.

Mr. Praline: Bolton, eh? Alright.

(The customer leaves.)

(The customer enters the same pet shop. The owner is putting on a false moustache.)

Mr. Praline: Excuse me, this is Bolton, is it?

Owner: (with a fake moustache) No, it's Ipswich.

Mr. Praline: (looking at the camera) That's inter-city rail for you.

(Mr. Praine goes to the train station. He addresses a man standing behind a desk marked "Complaints".)

Mr. Praline: I wish to complain.

Attendant: I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS JOB, YOU KNOW!!!

Mr. Praline: I beg your pardon...?

Attendant: I'm a qualified brain surgeon! I only do this job because I like being my own boss!

Mr. Praline: Excuse me, this is irrelevant, isn't it?

Attendant: Yeah, well it's not easy to pad these programs out to 30 minutes.

Mr. Praline: Well, I wish to make a complaint I got on the Bolton train and found myself deposited here in Ipswich.

Attendant: No, this is Bolton.

Mr. Praline: (to the camera) The pet shop owner's brother was lying!!

Attendant: You can't blame British Rail for that.

Mr. Praline: If this is Bolton, I shall return to the pet shop!


Mr. Praline: I understand that this IS Bolton.

Owner: (still with the fake moustache) Yes?

Mr. Praline: You told me it was Ipswich!

Owner: ...It was a pun.

Mr. Praline:  A PUN?!?

Owner: No, no...not a pun...What's that thing which spells the same backwards as forwards?

Mr. Praline: (Long pause) A palindrome?

Owner: Yeah, that's it!

Mr. Praline: It's not a palindrome! The palindrome of "Bolton" would be "Notlob"!! It don't work!!

Owner: Well, what do you want?

Mr. Praline: I'm sorry, I'm not prepared to pursue my line of inquiry any longer as I think this is getting too silly!

Sergeant-Major: Quite agree, quite agree, silly, silly... Right. Get on with it!

Adapted slightly from http://montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_1/53.htm





4) Speak
The comedy sketch is very silly isn't it?
In pairs plan / write / act out a similar silly sketch / dialogue about someone making a complaint about something which is broken.
Look at these euphemisms for broken. How many do you know?

You must include the sentence "I wish to register a complaint" in your dialogue and as many of the "broken" expressions as you can.
Make it silly. Act out or film your dialogues. The funniest one wins.



 
Write
Write a formal letter of complaint based on your dialogue. DO NOT use any of the slang expressions above.

• Start - I am writing to complain about..."
• Describe the problem
• Say what solution you want - a refund. a replacement...
• Finish in an appropriate formal way - I look forward to hearing from you, Yours sincerely...

More 
BBC News - "Mullered" and 61 other words for beaten at sport



Real English - Popular UK slang Intermediate, Phrasal Verbs / Idioms and Slang, Pre-Intermediate, Upper Intermediate

Carry on Doctor  Film and TV,  Intermediate, Past Continuous, Past Simple, Writing, Writing a letter of complaint

Giving Up Marilyn Manson Fashion, Giving Up Marilyn Manson, IELTS, Intermediate, Listening, Phrasal Verbs / Idioms and Slang, Upper Intermediate, Writing

Haunted House Advanced, Listening, Past Simple, Reading, The Haunted House by Dave Allen, Upper Intermediate, Writing, Writing a story

Remember + -ing (Gerund) or Remember + To (Infinitive)?

You are going to practise 

1. Remember + -ing (gerund) for remembering past actions.
2. Remember to + Infinitive for reminders (= remembering that you need to do something).

1. Remember + -ing (gerund) for remembering past actions.

Speak
The past
What can you remember doing when you were young, last summer / at the weekend?
Look at the presentation and make sentences about the pictures.

Remember + Gerund from David Mainwood

Discuss
Do you know the difference between these structures?

1. Remember + -ing (gerund) - I remember locking the door
2. Remember to + Infinitive - I remembered to lock the door

2. Remember to + Infinitive for reminding (remembering that you need to do something).

Discuss

• Do you sometimes forget you need to do things?
• What do you often forget to do?
• How do you remember to do things?
• What are the most important things we should remember to do?

Look at the questions below.
Match the questions with the answers. 
Can you think of any other important things we should remember to do?







Speak
Look at the presentation and answer the questions for each picture.

Remember + to (infinitive) from David Mainwood

3. Practise
Can you remember the difference?

1. Remember + -ing (gerund) for talking about the past / memories.
2. Remember to + Infinitive for reminding.

Do the exercise

More
Read

• What are the top 10 things people forget to do?

Find out here http://listverse.com/2012/10/27/top-10-everyday-things-we-forget/ 



Listen

• Look at these song titles. Do you know them?
• What are the songs about?
• What are they "remembering"?

Jeff Beck and Imelda May - "Remember (walking in the sand)"

Shakira - "I Can't Remember To Forget You"

More on EFL SMARTblog

Gerund or Infinitive? Gerunds, Infinitives, Intermediate, Pre-Intermediate

Giving Advice - should / ought to / had better / must / have to / can't. Advice, Intermediate, Modal Verbs, Pre-Intermediate

Have + Noun + Participle (Have Something Done) Intermediate , Passive

Past Continuous / Past Simple (Revison Quiz) Elementary, gifs, Intermediate, Past Continuous, Past Simple, Pre-Intermediate, Quizzes 

Modals for Obligation and Prohibition Intermediate, Modal Verbs

Modals of Deduction - Past and Present Deduction, Modal Verbs, Speculating, Upper Intermediate

Present Perfect Simple Intermediate, Present Perfect Simple

Gerund or Infinitive?

You are going to practise some verbs which are followed by another verb in gerund or infinitive.





1) Discuss
Look at these verbs.
Are they followed by a gerund or infinitive?

2) Speak
Look at the list of verbs in the presentation and make sentences using a gerund or an infinitive after each verb.
Example - I can't stand driving in the city.

Infinitive or Gerund? from David Mainwood

3) Practise
Do the exercise

4) Write
Write some sentences using the verbs above which are true for you.
Example - I detest eating prunes.
I'm just a poor EFL teacher. I can't afford to buy new shoes.






5) Practise
Here are 5 songs with gerunds and infinitives in the titles.
How many do you know? Can you think of any more songs with a gerund or an infinitive in the title?

I Promise To Try

I Can't Stand Losing You

Imagine (having no possesions...)

Learn to Fly

I Want To Break Free

More

• Giving Advice - should / ought to / had better / must / have to / can't. Advice, Intermediate, Modal Verbs, Pre-Intermediate 
• Have + Noun + Participle (Have Something Done) Intermediate, Passive
• Modal Verbs for Possibility and Certainty Intermediate, Modal Verbs, Upper Intermediate
• Modals for Obligation and Prohibition Intermediate, Modal Verbs
• Conditionals 1 and 2, Intermediate, Songs

Have + Noun + Participle (Have Something Done)

You are going to practise the construction Have + Noun + Participle (Have Something Done)





Discuss
What's the difference?

1. She cuts her hair.
2. She has her hair cut.

Answer.
In the 2nd sentence someone does the job for her




Speak
Look at the pictures and make sentences using the construction Have + Noun + Participle

Have something done from David Mainwood

Practise
Drag and drop the words to make a sentence. There are 10 sentences.





Write
How many things do you have done by others?
Make a list.




More
Comparatives and Superlatives, Intermediate
Past Continuous / Past Simple (Revison Quiz) Elementary, gifs, Intermediate, Past Continuous, Past Simple, Pre-Intermediate, Quizzes 
Passive (Present simple) Intermediate, Passive, Quizzes
Past Perfect Intermediate, Past Perfect, Upper Intermediate
Present Perfect Continuous / Progressive Intermediate, Present Perfect Continuous / Progressive, Upper Intermediate
Present Perfect Simple Intermediate, Present Perfect Simple
What will happen if..? (1st Conditional) Conditionals, Elementary, Future, Health and Safety, Writing a leaflet 

Are the machines taking over?

You are going to 

• discuss our relationship with technology
• listen to a BBC radio clip about automation and do a comprehension activity
• look at the future continuous

1) Discuss

• How many machines, devices and gadgets do you use every day?
• What is artificial intelligence?
• What is automation?
• How many automated processes or tasks can you think of?
• When can you hear an automated voice?
• Do you prefer to pay at a self-service check-outs or a normal one when you go shopping?
• Do you think automation is a good thing?
• Do you think machines will replace human workers?
• Are machines getting smarter?
• What relationship will humans have with machines and technology in the future?
• Will we be living and working with robots in the future?

2) Listen.
Listen to this clip from BBC Radio 4's "Today" on "The rise of automated machines." 
A) Take notes.What do you learn about the following?

• The number of self-service check-outs in Britain
• The earliest automated machine
• The importance of automation to business
• Intelligent machines

listen to ‘The rise of automated machines’ on Audioboo

B) Listen again and do the quiz.

Printable worksheet here




3) Discuss
How will we be living in the future?
Practise the Future Continuous
Look at the presentation and discuss the pictures.

Future Continuous from David Mainwood

4) Discuss

• How do you see the future? Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
• Do you think the widespread use of technology has risks for humanity?
• Should we be careful about how technology is affecting our lives?
• Do you agree that in the future "The machines replacing humans might end up being better at being human that we are"?
• Do you think machines will replace humanity or radically transform us? 

 5) Write
Choose one

• We live in an age of technological revolution. How is technology affecting our lives today and should we be fearful of the effects it will have on life in the future?

• We are becoming increasingly dependent on computers. They are used in businesses, hospitals, crime detection and even to fly planes. What things will they be used for in future? Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits? Use specific details and examples in your answer (IELTS).

 



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