Lesson 7
Welcome back.
In our seventh lesson we looked at ’10B Making the most of opportunities.’
For vocabulary we spoke about expressions with ‘do’, ‘make’ and ‘take’. For grammar, we looked at third conditionals.
Here is a simple video that shows some uses for ‘do’, ‘make’ and ‘take’:
Here is a detailed video that explains third conditionals:
For homework you need to complete the vocabulary exercises for 10B on page 143. You should then read the information for 10B on page 162 and then complete the grammar exercises for 10B on page 163. Finally, you should complete Unit 10B in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 6
Hello again.
In our sixth lesson we looked at ’10A If I was fitter, I’d do it!’
For vocabulary we spoke about sport. For grammar, we looked at second conditionals.
Here is a detailed video that explains second conditionals:
For homework you need to complete the vocabulary exercises for 10A on page 142. You can also do the Listening exercises on page 117. After that, you should complete exercise 5e on page 118. You should then read the information for 10A on page 162 and then complete the grammar exercises for 10A on page 163. Finally, you should complete Unit 10A in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 5
Hello again.
In our fifth lesson we looked at ‘9B I went to concert which changed my life’.
For vocbulary we spoke about music. We also looked at nouns related to adjectives or verbs.
For grammar we read about defining and non-defining relative clauses.
Here is a video that explains defining and non-defining relative clauses:
For homework, I would like you to complete the Reading exercises on page 108-109. Next, you should complete exercise 4g on page 109. Then you need to read the information for 9B on page 160 and do the exercises for 9B on page 161. Finally, you should complete all of Unit 9B in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 4
Welcome back to the blog.
In our fourth lesson we looked at ‘9A Binge watching has been criticised by doctors’.
For vocabulary we spoke about Cinema and TV.
For grammar we looked at the passive.
Here is video that explains how to speak in the passive:
For homework, I would like you to complete the reading exercises on page 105. Next, you should complete exercise 4b on page 106. Then you need to read the information for 9A on page 160 and do the exercises for 9A on page 161. Finally, you should complete all of Unit 9A in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a review of a movie. Use the questions in 5a on page 106 to help you, and also give your opinion of the movie itself. Send your writing to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 3
Welcome back to the blog.
In our third lesson we looked at ‘8B Setting up the website was easy’. We spoke about online reviews, and we also discussed reporting verbs. For grammar we looked at some specific verb patterns.
Here is a good video that looks at using ‘gerunds’ (verbs + ing) and ‘to + infinitive verb’:
Here is a good video that explains ‘gerunds’ (verbs + ing) in more detail:
For homework I asked you to read the information for 8B on page 158 and then do the exercises for 8B on page 159. Then you should complete the vocabulary exercises for 8B on page 141. Finally, you should complete Unit 8B in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 2
In our second lesson we looked at ‘8A I replied that I’d been bored with my music’. For vocabulary we spoke about the sharing information. For grammar we looked at reported speech.
Here is an excellent (but quite long) video which explains reported speech, and the difference between direct and indirect speech:
For homework I asked you to read the information for 8A on page 158 and do the exercises for 8A on page 159. Then you need to do all of the vocabulary exercises for 8A on page 140. Finally, you should complete Unit 8A in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a few paragraphs in response to the opinions listed in exercise 5 on page 94. Send your work directly in an email to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 7
Hello again.
In our seventh lesson we looked at ‘7B There are plenty of things to do’. We spoke about the differences between small towns and big cities, and for vocabulary we also looked at matching verbs and prepositions. For grammar we looked at quantifiers. Click here for a link to the part of the British Council website that explains Quantifiers in British English.
Here is a video that looks at quantifiers in American English (which is almost the same as British English):
For homework I asked you to complete exercise 2e on page 84. You then need to read the information for 7B on page 156 and complete the grammar exercises for 7B on page 157. Finally, you should complete the exercises for Unit 7B on page in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a few paragraphs about the a city area that you know well, and a country area that you know well. Use the instructions in exercise 3f on page 85 to give you some ideas of what to write about. Send your work directly in an email to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 6
Hello again.
In our sixth lesson we looked at ‘7A It might be a holiday home’.
For grammar we spoke about Modals of Deduction. For Vocabulary we spoke about Buildings.
Here is a video that explains Modals of Deduction (or Speculation):
For homework I asked you to complete the Vocabulary exercises for 7A on page 139. After that, you should read the grammar information for 7A on page 156 and do the exercises for 7A on page 157. Finally, you should complete Unit 7A in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can complete exercise 5a on page 89. Send your work directly in an email to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 5
Welcome back to the blog.
In our fifth lesson we looked at ‘6B It’s tastier than I expected’. For vocabulary we spoke about food, and how to describe food. For grammar we spoke about comparatives and superlatives.
Here is a good video about Comparatives and Superlatives:
For homework, I asked you to read the information for 6B on page 154 and doing the exercises for 6B on page 155. You also need to complete Reading exercise on pages 72 and 73. Finally, you need to complete the exercises for for Unit 6B in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 4
Welcome back to the blog.
In our fourth lesson we looked at ‘6A You should wear good walking shoes’. For vocabulary we spoke about compound nouns. For grammar we looked at Modals of Obligation.
Here is a good video about compound nouns:
If you would like to know more about Modal Verbs, here is a thorough video explaining all about them:
Here is a video that explains Modals of Obligation:
Here is another video that looks specifically at the difference between ‘must’ and ‘have to’:
For homework I asked you to read ‘6A Modals of Obligation’ on page 154 and then complete the exercises for 6A on page 155. Finally, you should complete the exercises for Unit 6A in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like me to do some extra writing homework, you have 2 options. Your first option is to write an a letter to a friend in response to the instructions in exercise 5e on page 70. Alternatively, your second option is to write a few paragraphs in response to the prompt in exercise 5 on page 70. Please email your work directly to me in directly in an email (steven.brownn@folkuniversitetet.se) and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 3
Welcome back to the blog.
In our third lesson we looked at ‘5B If nature can do it, we can copy it’ in the textbook.
For vocabulary we spoke about the natural world. For grammar we spoke about Zero and First Conditional.
Here is long video that explains Zero and First Conditionals in a great detail:
For homework, I asked you to complete the exercises for 5B on page 136 (Vocabulary Focus). Next, you need to read the information for ‘5B Zero and First Conditional’ on page 152 and then complete the exercises for ”5B Zero and First Conditional’ on page 153. Finally, you should complete the exercises for Unit 5B in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a couple of paragraphs in response to the prompt in the exercise ‘4 Speaking’ on page 61. Send you writing directly in an email to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today. See you in our next class!
Steve
Lesson 2
Hello again.
In our second lesson we looked at ’5A People will care more about the environment’ in the textbook. For vocabulary we spoke about words related to environmental issues. For grammar we looked at Future Forms.
I also briefly spoke about Phonemic( sometimes called ‘Phonetic’) Symbols, which are symbols which represent the various sounds used in English pronunciation. Click here for a link to a website which displays the Phonemic Chart with all the symbols, and allows you to click/press on each symbol to hear the sound that it represents.
Below is a video which explains the Phonemic (/Phonetic) Chart in a logical manner of grouping, with an explanation of the position of the mouth and tongue when making the sounds, and whether they are voiced or unvoiced consonant sounds. ***PLEASE NOTE***: This video excludes the /i/ sound (as in ‘happy‘), because in some dialects the /i:/ sound (as in ‘tree‘) is used instead:
Here is a video lesson about Future tenses:
For homework you were asked to read the information for ‘5A Future forms’ on page 152 and do the exercises for ‘5A Future forms’ on page 153. You should then complete the Vocabulary exercises on page 135. Finally, you need to do all the exercises for unit 5A in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a few paragraphs in response to one or two of the predictions in exercise 5 on page 58.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 1
Hello everyone, and welcome to the course blog!
This blog is intended to help you get the most out of this course. After each lesson I will update it with a brief outline of what we cover in each lesson, as well as inform you of the homework that has been set. In future blogs I may also include links to videos or other web-pages to read to help your learning.
IF YOU ARE A NEW STUDENT, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE INFORMATION THAT WAS COVERED IN THE PREVIOUS COURSE.
We began our first lesson by introducing ourselves to each other. It was very nice to meet you all. We have students from a variety of different countries and cultures.
The books we will be using are called ‘Cambridge English EMPOWER B1+ Combo A with Digital Pack (Published by Cambridge University Press) and ‘Cambridge English Empower B1+ Combo B with Digital Pack. FOR THIS COURSE ONLY, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY THESE BOOKS. I will provide photocopies. However, if you wish to buy the books please see the information below.
You can buy the books online or in person from Ferdosi International Bookshop, Odengatan 21, Stockholm. If you wish to buy from the shop, please contact them beforehand to make sure they still have copies in stock.
After our introductions we started to look at chapter of the textbook: ‘4B Are you an introvert?’. For vocabulary we discussed adjectives that are used to describe a person’s personality. For grammar, we discussed articles (‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’, or no article).
Here is a long and detailed video that will help you learn to use the correct article (‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’, or no article):
Here is a video that will help you with your pronunciation of words that end in ‘-ed’:
For homework, you were asked to complete all of the Reading exercises on page 48. Next, you need to read the information for ‘4B Articles’ on page 150 and then do all the exercises for ‘4B Articles’ on page 151. Then you need to do all the exercises for Unit 4B in the Digital Workbook (or ‘4B Are you an introvert?’ on page 23 from the workbook of which you were given a photocopy).
FOR EXTRA OPTIONAL HOMEWORK you can write a few paragraphs in response to exercise 6 on page 49. Send your work to me in a new email and I can correct your writing for you.
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading (and watching). I’ll see you all in our next lesson!
Steve
Lesson 7
Welcome back. In our seventh lesson we worked through ‘4A I could sing wey well when I was younger’ in the textbook.
For vocabulary we spoke about abilities. For grammar we looked at Modal verbs and Phrases of Ability.
Here is a video discussing Modal verbs and Phrases of Ability:
If you would like to know more about Modal Verbs, here is a thorough video explaining all about them:
For homework you need to read the information for 4A on page 150 and then complete all of the exercises for 4A on page 151. After that, you should complete the exercises for Unit 4A in the Digital Workbook.
I would like to remind you all that Thursday is our final lesson for this course. If you would like to continue with the next course, you can click here to book your place in the course. Please do this as soon as possible if you wish to continue to help our administration team make all of the necessary arrangements.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 6
Hello everyone.
In our sixth lesson we looked at ‘3B People used to mix us up all the time’ in the textbook.
For vocabulary we looked at family-related words, and also some multi-word verbs. Click here for a link to the British Council website which explains multi-word verbs and gives many examples and exercises to practice.
For grammar we looked at the modal verb ‘used to’ and the adverb ‘usually’. Here is a short video which explains how they are both used:
For homework I asked you to complete the listening exercise on page 36. You should then read the information for 3B on page 148 and then do the exercises for 3B on page 149. You should also complete the exercises for Unit 3B in the Digital Workbook.
Although not part of your official homework, I also strongly recommend that you look at, and complete the exercises for, Units 3C and 3D (pages 38-41). For exercise 4b on page 41, you can email me your text if you would like me to check your writing.
Finally, I would like to remind you all that next week is our final week for this course. If you would like to continue with the next course, you can click here to book your place in the course. Please do this as soon as possible if you wish to continue to help our administration team make all of the necessary arrangements.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 5
Welcome back to the course blog.
In our fifth lesson we looked at ‘3A She had moved there 20 years earier’ in the textbook.
For vocabulary we looked at relationships.
For pronunciation we looked at linking sounds. More specifically, we spoke about when one word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts with a vowel sound, we often link these words. We say them without any pause between the words.
For grammar we spoke about Narrative tenses.
Here is a short video with examples of linking words ending with consonant sounds to words starting with vowel sounds:
There are also other situations where English speakers link words. Click here for a link to a website that has a video explaining more situations where words are linked when spoken. Click on the part that says Read the Full Script for a detailed written explanation.
Here is a detailed video looking at Narrative Tenses (it also include Past Perfect Continuous):
For homework, I asked you to complete the exercise 4e on page 34, and read the information for ‘3A Narrative Tenses’ on page 148. After that, you need to complete the exercises for ‘3A Narrative Tenses’ on page 149. You should also complete the exercises for ‘3 READING’ on page 32. Finally, you need to complete the exercises for Unit 3A in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a paragraph or two in response to the instructions for 5a on page 34. Send your work to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 4
Hello again.
In our fourth lesson we looked at ‘2B I’ve been playing on my phone all morning’ in the textbook.
For vocabulary we spoke about technology, and specifically phones. For grammar we spoke about the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous tenses.
Here is a short video that explains the form of Present Perfect Simple (referred to in this video as simply ‘Present Perfect’) and Present Perfect Continuous, and gives a brief explanation of when to use each respective tense:
Here is a longer video which gives much more detailed explanations about when to use each tense, as well as examples:
For homework you need to read the information for 2B on page 146, and then do the exercises for 2B on page 147. Next, you need to do the exercises for Unit 2B in the Digital Workbook.
For extra (but optional) homework, I recommend you complete Units 2C and 2D on pages 26-29 of the textbook. For exercise 4c on page 29, you may email your work to me if you would like me to check your writing.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 3
Welcome back to the course blog.
In our third lesson we looked at ‘2A They’ve just offered me the job’ in the textbook.
For vocabulary we spoke about Work. For grammar we read about the Present Perfect Simple and Past Simple tenses.
Here is a video that looks at the difference between Present Perfect Simple (just called Present Perfect in the video) and Past Simple tenses:
For homework you need to read the information for 2A on page 146, and then do the exercises for 2A on page 147. After that, you need to complete exercise 3g on page 21. You also need to do the exercises for Unit 2A in the Digital Workbook (or they can be found IN THE BLACK AND WHITE SECTION AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK).
If you have successfully registered your textbook with the website, you should also complete the Listening exercises on page 22. (If you have not registered your book yet, please refer to the blog for the first lesson for instructions.)
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can use the questions from 4f on page 22 as a guide to write a few paragraphs. Send your work to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I can check it for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 2
Hi everyone.
In our second lesson we looked at ‘1B – I’m using an app for learning English’ in the textbook.
We did a speaking exercise where we spoke about using and learning languages.
For grammar we read about the Present Simple and Present Continuous tenses. There are some videos below that look at these tenses in more detail.
For vocabulary I briefly explained gradable and extreme adjectives. Click here for a description of gradable and non-gradable adjectives from the British Council website.
Here is a good video discussing extreme adjectives:
Here is a good video explaining the use of Present Simple:
Here is a video explaining the use of Present Continuous:
Here is another video that compares Present Simple and Present Continuous:
Here is a longer video that also compares these two tenses:
For homework you were asked to read all of the information for ‘1B Present simple and present continuous’ on page 144, and then do all of the exercises for ‘1B Present simple and present continuous’ on page 145.
You then need to do all of the exercises for Vocabulary Focus 1B on page 134 of the textbook.
Finally, you need to do the exercises for 1B in the Digital Workbook (or on page 5 in the black and white Workbook section at the back of the textbook).
IF YOU WISH TO DO EXTRA HOMEWORK you can complete all of Unit 1C and Unit 1D (pages 14-17). This is optional. You will not be able to do any of the listening exercises unless you have a textbook and it is registered to give you access to the website. Your work for exercise 4b on page 17 can be sent to me IN A NEW EMAIL and I can check your writing for you.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 1
Hello everyone, and welcome to the course blog!
This blog is intended to help you get the most out of this course. After each lesson I will update it with a brief outline of what we cover in each lesson, as well as inform you of the homework that has been set. In future blogs I may also include links to videos or other web-pages to read to help your learning.
We began our first lesson by introducing ourselves to each other. It was very nice to meet you all. We have students from a variety of different countries and cultures.
The book we will use is called ‘Cambridge English EMPOWER B1+ Combo A with Digital Pack (Published by Cambridge University Press).
The book can be bought at Ferdosi International Bookshop, Odengatan 21, Stockholm.
These books have a code that will let you use the supporting website for the textbook. The code is on the inside cover of your textbook (You need to carefully scratch the grey material to see the code underneath). You will need then need to scan the QR code OR go to http://www.cambridgeone.org to register your textbook. Before you can register your textbook you will need to create an account. CLICK HERE to see instructions for how to create an account.
*PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT need to Join a Class, that is only for online courses. However, I recommend you use the ‘Self Study’ section. Please have a look at all of this website, it is very helpful. The ‘Getting Help’ section might be useful if you have any problems.
After our introductions we started to look at the first chapter of the textbook: ‘1A – Who likes my posts?’ For vocabulary we discussed friendship and communication. For grammar, we discussed subject and object questions.
Here is a short video that explains subject and object questions:
Here is a longer, more in-depth video that explains subject and object questions in greater detail:
For homework, you were asked to read the information for ‘1A Subject and object questions’ on page 144 and then do all the exercises for ‘1A Subject and object questions’ on page 145. After that, you should complete the Vocabulary Focus 1A exercises on page 133. I also recommend that you complete all of the exercises for ‘2 READING’ on pages 8 & 9, and the exercises for ‘4 LISTENING’ on page 10 (you will need to register your book to listen to the audio files on the website).
We will go through the grammar and vocabulary homework exercises in our next lesson.
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading (and watching). I’ll see you all in our next lesson!
Steve