Animals vocabulary – learn the names of 50 animals

 

Many people think that the topic animals is suitable only for children. Thus the learners learn the names of twenty animals when they are young and they think it is enough. However, intermediate students need to know more animals than the twenty they learnt as children. That is why I have created the following post. Here the intermediate students can practice what they learnt a long time ago and add some more new words.

Watch the video and repeat the names of the animals. Each word is pronounced twice.

Animals – mind map

For many people it is much easier to remember new vocabulary if it is organised. Here is a mind map which tries to do this.

https://tinyurl.com/ycxkk9tm

Conditionals grammar – the differences and usage of all the conditionals

 

This is the simplest mind map I have managed to create and students say it is fine and they can understand it now. I hope it works the same way for you.
Read the map from the left side. The two arrows in the midle of the map show that the RESULT part can be at the beginning and the IF part at the end.
The horrible mess in the middle of the Unreal conditionals, shows the mixed conditionals, where the IF in the past can have a RESULT NOW. Or where IF now can have a RESULT in the past. I hope you understand.

https://tinyurl.com/2pdhwm5u

Crazy Vocabulary – learn 11 new words in a rap

 

Scientists claim that the center for rythm is located next to the long-term memory in our brain. Knowing this, we could exploit it to the students’ benefit and teach them vocabulary through rhymes or raps. So, I tried to create the following rap to teach the students the following words: beach, prefer, rhyme, crazy, bone, railway, clothes, lots, fun, sand and shower.

Crazy Vocabulary Rap -video

Crazy Vocabulary Rap – Lyrics

You might want to learn the whole text, so here you are:

I’m going somewhere on this train
I’m going somewhere fun
A place that has a beach and sand
Railway take me to that sun….

I prefer to go somewhere out west
But any beach will do
Before I go I need a shower
I have no water, what to do….

I need a beach where clothes aren’t needed
Cuz mine I do not have
They got destroyed by a beast
Doing something reasonably bad….

He was drinking lots of milk he was
This milk I wanted some
Cuz in my youth I want strong bones
To stay in shape and have some fun

This rhyme is really crazy
This I really know
Time for me to say bye bye
It’s time for me to go….

https://tinyurl.com/3bayc8vc

Winter Olympic sports

 

This mind map contains all the sports and the less typical ones contain a link to a Youtube video where you can see the sport.

https://tinyurl.com/j63hezzu

Negative prefixes

 

Negative prefixes in English, like "un-", "in-", "dis-", "non-", and "im-", are added to the beginning of words (usually nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs) to create the opposite meaning. For example, "happy" becomes "unhappy," "correct" becomes "incorrect," and "legal" becomes "illegal". There aren't always strict rules for which prefix to use, but some patterns exist.

Here's a breakdown of common negative prefixes and their usage:

1. "un-" 

• Most commonly used to negate adjectives, adverbs, and past participles.
• Examples: "happy" becomes "unhappy," "likely" becomes "unlikely," "tie" becomes "untie".
• Often used with words that have a neutral or positive connotation.

2. "in-" 

• Commonly used with words of Latin origin, often before the letters "c," "b," or "s".
• Examples: "complete" becomes "incomplete," "credible" becomes "incredible," "sane" becomes "insane".

3. "dis-" 

• Frequently used with verbs to indicate reversal or negation of an action.
• Examples: "agree" becomes "disagree," "connect" becomes "disconnect," "appear" becomes "disappear".
• Can also be used with nouns and adjectives.

4. "non-" 

• Can be added to almost any noun, adjective, or adverb.
• Examples: "smoker" becomes "non-smoker," "existent" becomes "nonexistent," "toxic" becomes "non-toxic".

5. "im-" 

• Commonly used before words starting with "m" or "p".
• Examples: "mature" becomes "immature," "patient" becomes "impatient," "possible" becomes "impossible".

6. "il-" 

• Used before words starting with "l".
• Examples: "legal" becomes "illegal," "logical" becomes "illogical".

7. "ir-"

• Used before words starting with "r".
• Examples: "rational" becomes "irrational," "regular" becomes "irregular," "responsible" becomes "irresponsible".

Important Notes:

• Some words have irregular negative forms that need to be memorized.
• The choice of prefix can sometimes depend on the origin of the word (Latin, French, etc.).
• Context and usage are crucial for understanding the nuances of negative prefixes. 

https://tinyurl.com/bdd5w5pb

Verbs with two objects

 

Three days ago we were talking about presents with my students and I could hear that they were using the verbs buy,give, get etc. in a way that everyone would understand them but which was wrong. So, I created the following presentation and several exercises. What surprised me was that even after my presentation the students protested that some other forms (the ones they used) were correct too. But it is not true. They are not and you have to use the verbs in the way demonstrated here to be understood and correct.

https://tinyurl.com/38yuz5yx

Time Clauses

 

In time clauses it is important to understand that you cannot use WILL after certain conjunctions, even though you are referring to the future. And that is the whole trick. If you do this (not will do this), your English will be fine. And that is what you need.

 Time clauses – mind map

To make this concept clearer I have created the following mind map. Read the mind map clockwise and start at 12 o’clock.

https://tinyurl.com/39wx3rsd

Definite and Indefinite Articles

 

ByZdenda

As there are no articles in my mother tongue, using them correctly in English is a real challenge. Like many other non-native speakers, I often leave them out or use one too many. And my students do this too.
I have been thinking for years how to teach articles effectively and finally I feel that I found the way. I created a mind map which shows the thinking process you should go through to have the articles correct.

https://tinyurl.com/49p38xab

Containers – mind map

 

The following mind map visually maps the containers and their usage.

https://tinyurl.com/3939h9rp

Prepositions AT, IN, ON for places –mind map

 

https://tinyurl.com/msa2dmmh

12 Phrasal Verbs

 

Phrasal verbs are always difficult to learn. Even though they consist of two or three tiny words, which are easy to remember themselves, they can create so many different combinations that students quickly become totally confused. Moreover, the meaning of the phrasal verb cannot be deduced from its parts. Therefore the students do not know the verbs and refuse to use them.

I created a mind map and several games to help your learn the 12 phrasal verbs.

https://tinyurl.com/ycxu5z4j

Prepositions AT IN ON for time

 

https://tinyurl.com/bdf87rtx

Defining relative clauses – mind map

 

https://engames.eu/page/19/

What is a relative clause?

Click here to download this explanation as a pdf.

See a list of all the exercises about relative clauses here.

We can use relative clauses to join two English sentences, or to give more information about something.

I bought a new car. It is very fast.
→ I bought a new car that is very fast.

She lives in New York. She likes living in New York.
→ She lives in New York, which she likes.

Defining and Non-defining

A defining relative clause tells which noun we are talking about:

• I like the woman who lives next door.
  (If I don't say 'who lives next door', then we don't know which woman I mean).

A non-defining relative clause gives us extra information about something. We don't need this information to understand the sentence.

• I live in London, which has some fantastic parks.
  (Everybody knows where London is, so 'which has some fantastic parks' is extra information).

Defining relative clauses:

1: The relative pronoun is the subject:

First, let's consider when the relative pronoun is the subject of a defining relative clause.

We can use 'who', 'which' or 'that'. We use 'who' for people and 'which' for things. We can use 'that' for people or things.

The relative clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. We can't drop the relative pronoun.

For example (clause after the object of the sentence):

• I'm looking for a secretary who / that can use a computer well.
• She has a son who / that is a doctor.
• We bought a house which / that is 200 years old.
• I sent a letter which / that arrived three weeks later.

More examples (clause after the subject of the sentence):

• The people who / that live on the island are very friendly.
• The man who / that phoned is my brother.
• The camera which / that costs £100 is over there.
• The house which / that belongs to Julie is in London.

Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the subject here.

2: The relative pronoun is the object:

Next, let's talk about when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. In this case we can drop the relative pronoun if we want to. Again, the clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. Here are some examples:

(Clause after the object)

• She loves the chocolate (which / that) I bought.
• We went to the village (which / that) Lucy recommended.
• John met a woman (who / that) I had been to school with.
• The police arrested a man (who / that) Jill worked with.

(Clause after the subject)

• The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen.
• The university (which / that) she likes is famous.
• The woman (who / that) my brother loves is from Mexico.
• The doctor (who / that) my grandmother liked lives in New York.

• Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the object here
• Try an exercise about defining relative clauses, both subject and object here
• Try another exercise about defining relative clauses, both subject and object here

Non-defining relative clauses:

We don't use 'that' in non-defining relative clauses, so we need to use 'which' if the pronoun refers to a thing, and 'who' if it refers to a person. We can't drop the relative pronoun in this kind of clause, even if the relative pronoun is the object of the clause.

(Clause comes after the subject)

• My boss, who is very nice, lives in Manchester.
• My sister, who I live with, knows a lot about cars.
• My bicycle, which I've had for more than ten years, is falling apart.
• My mother's house, which I grew up in, is very small.

(Clause comes after the object)

• Yesterday I called our friend Julie, who lives in New York.
• The photographer called to the Queen, who looked annoyed.
• Last week I bought a new computer, which I don't like now.
• I really love the new Chinese restaurant, which we went to last night.

Prepositions and relative clauses

If the verb in the relative clause needs a preposition, we put it at the end of the clause:

For example:

• listen to

The music is good. Julie listens to the music.
→ The music (which / that) Julie listens to is good.

• work with

My brother met a woman. I used to work with the woman.
→ My brother met a woman (who / that) I used to work with.

• go to

The country is very hot. He went to the country.
→ The country (which / that) he went to is very hot.

• come from

I visited the city. John comes from the city.
→ I visited the city (that / which) John comes from.

• apply for

The job is well paid. She applied for the job.
→ The job (which / that) she applied for is well paid.

Whose

'Whose' is always the subject of the relative clause and can't be left out. It replaces a possessive. It can be used for people and things.

The dog is over there. The dog's / its owner lives next door.
→ The dog whose owner lives next door is over there.

The little girl is sad. The little girl's / her doll was lost.
→ The little girl whose doll was lost is sad.

The woman is coming tonight. Her car is a BMW.
→ The woman whose car is a BMW is coming tonight.

The house belongs to me. Its roof is very old.
→ The house whose roof is old belongs to me.

Where / when / why

We can sometimes use these question words instead of relative pronouns and prepositions.

I live in a city. I study in the city.

→ I live in the city where I study.
→ I live in the city that / which I study in.
→ I live in the city in which I study.

The bar in Barcelona is still there. I met my wife in that bar.

→ The bar in Barcelona where I met my wife is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona that / which I met my wife in is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona in which I met my wife is still there.

The summer was long and hot. I graduated from university in the summer.

→ The summer when I graduated from university was long and hot.
→ The summer that / which I graduated from university in was long and hot.
→ The summer in which I graduated was long and hot.

https://tinyurl.com/3fhr4v6k

Present continuous tense Mind map

 

https://engames.eu/

Verb patterns mind map - V+Ving or V+to+V

 

https://engames.eu/

Past continuous tense mind map

 

https://engames.eu/

Past simple tense mind map

 

https://engames.eu/

Reported speech – mind map