Lesson 5
In our fifth lesson we looked at ’10A Would you do the right thing?’
For vocabulary we spoke about multi-word verbs. For grammar we spoke about the Second Conditional.
Here is an excellent detailed video that explains the Second Conditional:
For homework I asked you to complete the Vocabulary exercises for 10A on page 142. You should then read the information for 10A on page 162 and then do the exercises on page 163. Finally, you should complete Unit 10A in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 4
Hello again.
In our fourth lesson we spoke about shyness, and describing our actions and feelings. We did somerelated listening and reading exercises. For homework you will read about verb patterns.
For homework you need to complete exercise 3 and 4 on page 91. You should then read the information for 9B on page 160 and then do the exercises on page 161. Finally, you should complete Unit 9B in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 3
Welcome back.
In our third lesson we looked at ‘9A If I don’t pass this exam, I won’t be very happy.’
For vocabulary we spoke about degree subjects and education. For homework you will also do some education collocations. For grammar we spoke about First Conditionals.
Here is a video which gives a detailed explanation of the First Conditional:
For homework, you need to read the information for 9A on page 160 and then do the grammar exercises for 9A on page 161. Next, you should do the Vocabulary exercises for 9A on page 140.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 2
Hello again.
In our second lesson we looked at ‘8B I’ve been a fan for 20 years.’
For vocabulary we spoke about sport and leisure. For grammar we spoke about how to use the present perfect tense with for and since.
Here is a video that explains how to use the present perfect tense with for and since:
For homework, you need to read the information for 8B on page 158 and then do the grammar exercises for 8B on page 159. Next, you should do the Vocabulary exercises for 8B on page 139. You also need to do the exercises for Unit 8B in the Digital Workbook.
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.
This course is a contuation course. For new students, you should scroll to the bottom of this blog to see the topics that were covered in the previous courses.
For this course, we will be using a textbook. FOR THIS COURSE ONLY, I can provide photocopies for students so that you do not need to buy 2 textbooks.
IF you wish to purchase the book, the textbook we will be using is Cambridge English EMPOWER Second Edition Pre-Intermediate B1 Combo B with Digital Pack.
The easiest and quickest place to buy the book is from Ferdosi Bookshop, Odengatan 21, Stockholm.
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.
In our first lesson we looked at ‘Unit 8A – The photo was taken 90 years ago’ from the textbook. For grammar, we looked at the passive forms for both Present Simple and Past Simple. For vocabulary, we discussed art and music.
Here is a video explaining the passive form in English (please note that it also discusses the passive form for Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Past Simple, Past Perfect, Future, and for Future Perfect. We did not discuss these in class):
For homework, you need to read the information for 8A on page 158 and then do the grammar exercises for 8A on page 159. You also need to do the exercises for Unit 8A in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 7
This course finishes this week. Please click here to register for the next course (Starting 28/11/23).
In our seventh lesson we looked at ‘Unit 7A – I’m the happiest I’ve ever been’ from the textbook. We read about and discussed some life changing events experienced by several famous people. For grammar we looked at comparatives and superlatives. For vocabulary, we spoke very briefly about get collocations.
Here is an excellent video explaining comparatives and superlatives:
Here is an excellent video with 36 examples of some of the most common get collocations:
For homework you need to read the information for 7A on page 156 and then do the exercises for 7A on page 157. You also need to do the Vocabulary exercises for 7A on page 139. If you have the Combo B textbook, you should also complete Unit 7A in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today. I’ll see you in class on Thursday night.
Steve
Lesson 6
Welcome back.
This course finishes next week. Please click here to register for the next course (Starting 28/11/23).
In our sixth lesson we completed the Unit 4 Review and Extension (page 46) and the Unit 5 Review and Extension (page 56).
If you found the Unit 4 grammar difficult, you can watch the videos from the blog for Lessons 7 from the previous course. I have also put some information about will/won’t/shall later in this blog entry.
If you found the Unit 5 grammar difficult, you can watch the videos from the blogs for Lessons 1 and 2 from this course.
Will and Shall are used in basically the same way. Shall is considered to be slightly more polite (and more formal), and thus is used when making suggestions. However, the use of shall is much more common in British English than it is in American English.
Here is a link from the Cambridge dictionary discussing the use of these terms:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/future/future-will-and-shall
And here is a link from the Oxford Dictionary discussing the use of these words:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/shall-or-will
For homework, I asked you to complete the Unit 6 Review and Extension on page 66. If you found the Unit 6 grammar difficult, you can watch the videos from the blogs for Lessons 3 and 5 from this course.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 5
Hello again-
This course finishes next week. Please click here to register for the next course (the final B1 course this year).
In our fifth lesson we looked at ‘Unit 6B – I was very frightened’ from the textbook. For grammar, we looked at uses of to + the infinitive verb. For vocabulary, we looked at adjectives that end in -ed and -ing.
Here is a link to the website of the British Council explaining the use of to + the infinitive verb: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/infinitive
Here is a video explaining the rules on how to pronounce words that end in -ed:
For homework I asked you to complete the Listening exercises on page 61. You should also do the Vocabulary exercises for 6B on page 138. Next, you need to read the information for 6B on page 154 and then do the exercises for 6B on page 155. Finally, you have to complete Unit 6B in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 4
Hello everyone.
In our fourth lesson we completed the Review and extension exercises for Unit 1 (page 16) and Unit 2 (page 26). If you found this grammar difficult, you can watch the videos from the blogs for Lessons 1, 2, 3 and 4 from the previous course. (You can see these old blogs if you scroll to the very bottom of this page.) You can also look at the Grammar Focus section for Unit 3 at the back of your textbook.
For homework I asked you to complete the Unit 3 Review and extension exercises on page 36. If you need help with the grammar difficult, you can watch the videos from the blogs for Lessons 5 and 6 from the previous course. (Once more, you can scroll down this page to find the relevant lessons.) You can also look at the Grammar Focus section for Unit 3 at the back of your textbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 3
In our third lesson we looked at ‘Unit 6A – You should have a break’ from the textbook. For grammar we looked at how to give advice by using verbs in the imperative form, and also how we use the word should to give advice. For vocabulary we did some exercises for verbs with dependent prepositions.
Here is a video about giving advice using the imperative or should:
Here is a link to the website of the British Council which explains the use of ‘to + the infinitive verb’: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/infinitive
For homework you were asked to read the information for 6A on page 154 and do the exercises for 6A on page 155. You should also complete the exercises for Unit 6A in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for today.
Steve
Lesson 2
Welcome back to the course blog!
In our second lesson we looked at ‘Unit 5B – I might get a job today!’ from the textbook. For grammar, we spoke about using will and might for predictions. For vocabulary we spoke about finding jobs.
Here is a great video explaining will and might:
For homework you were asked to complete the READING exercise on page 51. Next, you need to read the text for 5B on page 152, and then do the grammar exercises for 5B on page 153. You should then complete the exercises for Unit 5B in the Digital Workbook. You also need to do the Vocbulary exercises for 5B on page 137.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can write a few paragraphs in response to the instructions for 6a on page 51. Send your writing to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I can check it 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.
For new students, you should scroll to the bottom of this blog to see the topics that were covered in the previous course.
For this course, we will be using two textbooks. We will finish the final units for the B1 Combo A book, and also complete the first few units from the Combo B textbook. FOR THIS COURSE ONLY, I can provide photocopies for students so that you do not need to buy 2 textbooks.
IF you wish to purchase the books, these are the details. The first textbook we will be using is Cambridge English EMPOWER Second Edition Pre-Intermediate B1 Combo A with Digital Pack. The second textbook we will be using is Cambridge English EMPOWER Second Edition Pre-Intermediate B1 Combo B with Digital Pack. (The top 2 books on this webpage.
The easiest and quickest place to buy the book is from Ferdosi Bookshop, Odengatan 21, Stockholm.
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.
In our first lesson we looked at Unit 5A – ‘I have to work long hours’ in the textbook. For vocabulary, we spoke about many different types of work. For vocabulary, we spoke about must/have to/can, and how we use these words.
Here is a short video discussing the difference between must and have to:
Here is an excellent video discussing how to use the word can:
For homework you were asked to read the section for 5A on page 152, and do the exercises for 5A on page 153. I also asked you to do the exercises for 5A on page 137. Finally, you should complete all of the exercises for Unit 5A in the Digital Workbook.
That’s all for now.
Steve
Lesson 7
Hello again.
Thursday is our final lesson for this course. If you wish to continue in the next course which starts on 31/10/23, please click on this link to register.
In our seventh lesson we looked at ‘Unit 4A- I’m going to the hairdresser’s tomorrow’ in the textbook. For vocabulary we spoke about clothes and appearance. For grammar homework you will read about using Present Continuous to talk about future arrangements, and about using ‘going to’ to talk about plans or intentions.
Here is a very basic video about using Present Continuous to talk about the future:
Here is a very basic video about using ‘going to’ to talk about the future:
For homework I asked you to read the information for 4A on page 150 and then do the exercises for 4A on page 151. You also need to do the exercise e for 4A on page 136. Finally, you should complete Unit 4A in the Digital Textbook (or at the back of the book).
That’s all for now. See you on Thursday.
Steve
Lesson 6
Welcome back to the course blog.
Next week is our final week for this course. If you wish to continue in the next course which starts on 31/10/23, please click on this link to register.
In our sixth lesson we looked at ‘Unit 3B – I’ve already given £25 to charity’. For grammar we once again looked at the Present Perfect tense. This time we focused on how it is used in conjunction with the words just, already, and yet. For vocabulary we talked about various words and expressions related to money.
Here is a short video explaining how Present Perfect is used with just, already, and yet (and also still):
For homework you were asked to do the Listening exercises on page 31. After that, you should read the information for 3B on page 148 and then complete the exercises for 3B on page 149 of the textbook. Then you should complete exercise 4e and 4f on page 31. Finally, you also need to complete the exercises for Unit 3B in the Digital Workbook.
If you would like to do some extra writing homework, you can use the questions in 5a on page 31 as a guide and write a few paragraphs about how you would be able to live with less. Send your writing to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check your writing for you.
That’s all for today. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I’ll see you on Tuesday.
Steve
Lesson 5
Hello everyone!
Please click here to register for the next course which starts on 31/10/23.
In our fifth lesson we looked at ‘3A – I’ve never see crowds like this.’
For vocabulary we looked at terms related to money and shopping. For grammar we looked at the difference between the Present Perfect and Past Simple tenses.
Here is as short video explaining the differences between Past Simple and Present Perfect, and when to use them:
For homework I asked you to complete exercise 3a and 3b on page 29. You also need to read the information for 3A on page 148 of the textbook and then complete the exercises for 3A on page 149. After that you should do exercise 4e on page 29. You were also asked to complete the exercises for Vocabulary Focus 3A on page 136. Finally, you should complete the exercises for Unit 3A in the Digital Workbook (OR you can compete the exercises for 3A on page 16 in the black and white section at the back of the book).
That is all for today. I look forward to seeing you all again on Thursday.
Steve
Lesson 4
Hello everyone,
In our fourth lesson we looked at ‘2B – Everyone was waiting for me’. For vocabulary we spoke about travel. For grammar we looked at the Past Continuous tense.
Here is a good video which explains (with examples) how to use Past Continuous and Past Simple separately, and how to use them together:
For homework you were asked to complete the exercises for Vocabulary Focus for 2B on page 135. Next, you need to read the information for 2B Past Continuous on page 146 and do the exercises for 2B Past Continuous on page 147. Finally, you should do the exercises for Unit 2B in the Digital Workbook (or you can do the exercises for ‘2B – Everyone was waiting for me’ on page 11 of the black and white section at the back of the book).
If you feel like doing extra writing homework,you can write a few paragraphs with the details of a bad journey that you had. Send you writing in an email 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!
After looking at the previous lesson’s homework, we looked at ‘Unit 2A – We had an adventure’ in the textbook. For vocabulary, we spoke about tourism. For grammar, we spoke looked at the Past Simple tense. For homework you will read about how to pronounce ‘-ed’ at the end of words.
Here is a short video with a brief explanation of the Past Simple tense:
Here is a video which helps to explain the PRONUNCIATION of words ending in ‘-ed’:
For homework you need to complete exercise 4 on page 19, as well as read the information for 2A on page 146 and then complete the exercises for 2A on page 147. Next you need to complete exercise 5 on page 19. After that, you should complete the Vocbulary exercises for 2A on page 134. Finally, you need to complete the exercises for Unit 2A in the Digital Workbook (or you can complete the exercises for 2A on page 10 in the black and white section at the back of the book).
OK, that is all for today.
I’ll see you all on Thursday.
Steve
Lesson 2
Hello again everyone.
In our second lesson we began by reviewing the homework from the previous lesson. After that we continued working from the textbook, looking at ‘Unit 1B – I’m really into social media’. We completed some reading and listening exercises, and had some discussions in pairs.
For vocabulary we looked at adverbs that make words stronger or weaker. We also looked at adverbs of frequency (how often a verb is performed). For grammar we briefly spoke about the Present Simple tense and the Present Continuous tense.
Here is a video explaining the Present Simple tense:
Here is a short video explaining the Present Continuous tense:
For homework you were asked to read the grammar focus for 1B on page 144 about Present Simple and Present Continuous tenses which explains how they are formed and when we use them, and then do the exercises for 1B on page 145. Next, you need to do the exercises for Unit 1B in the Online Workbook on the website (or you can do them from page 5 of the Workbook at THE BACK OF THE TEXTBOOK).
I also gave you optional homework that you may choose to complete if you wish. You can write a few paragraphs about the different ways you communicate with people, both at work and in your private life. Send your work to steven.brown@folkuniversitetet.se and I will check it 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 textbook we will be using is Cambridge English EMPOWER Second Edition Pre-Intermediate B1 Combo A with Digital Pack.
The easiest and quickest place to buy the book is from Ferdosi 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 had a quick revision of the alphabet, vowels and consonants. After that we had a quick revision of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs. We then began to look at the first lesson in the course textbook (1A – Do you play any sports?). For vocabulary, you worked together in groups and did some exercises on Common Adjectives. For grammar, we looked at the word order in questions. Here is a video which discusses word order in questions and how they are formed:
For homework you need to complete all of the Vocabulary exercises for 1A on page 134. You also need to do the Grammar Focus reading for ‘1A Question Words’ on page 144 and then do the matching grammar exercises for ‘ 1A Question Words’ on page 145. Next, you should complete exercise 4e on page 9. These grammar exercises look at the order of words when forming questions with the verb ‘be’ (am/is/are, was/were) and forming questions with auxiliary verbs. You need to bring these exercises to the next class because we will be going through the answers in our next lesson.
Finally, you need to complete Unit 1A in the Online Workbook (or you can do the exercises for ‘1A Do you play sports?’ on page 4 of the black and white section at the back of the textbook).
That’s all for today. I’ll see you all again in our next lesson.
Steve