Seasons

Seasons and Weather

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Seasons and the weather vocabulary

Summer
In summer,	it's hot. it's sunny. people go to the beach. People usually go on holiday.

Autumn
In autumn,	it's often windy. it's cloudy. it's a bit cold.

Winter
In winter,	it's very cold. it rains. it's rainy. it snows. it's snowy.

Spring
In spring,	it's warm. it's nice. people go on a picnic.

Weather:

What's the weather like?

It's

rainy. cloudy. windy. snowy. sunny. nice. fine. cold. warm. hot

How do we form the will-future?

How do we form the will-future?

We form the will-future with the auxiliary will and the infinitive of the verb.

We use the the same form of the verb every time regardless the subject.

In British English we sometimes use shall instead of will for the first persons (I/we).

will + infinitive

1. Affirmative sentences in the will-future

• I will win the match.
• You will win the match.
• He will win the match.
• She will win the match.
• It will win the match.
• We will win the match.
• You will win the match.
• They will win the match.

2. Negative sentences in the will-future

• I will not win the match.
• You will not win the match.
• He will not win the match.
• She will not win the match.
• It will not win the match.
• We will not win the match.
• You will not win the match.
• They will not win the match.

"Will" is used with promises or voluntary actions that take place in the future. "Will" can also be used to make predictions about the future. For more information on using "will" and associated exercises, visit the Simple Future section of our Verb Tense Tutorial.

Examples:

• I promise that I will write you every single day. promise
• I will make dinner tonight. voluntary action
• He thinks it will rain tomorrow. prediction

More Examples of "Will"

Modal Use	Positive Forms	Negative Forms	Also use:
will future action, prediction	The marketing director will be replaced by someone from the New York office.Fred will be there by 8:00.	The marketing director will not be replaced after all.Fred will not be there. He has a previous obligation.	shall
will volunteering, promising	I will take care of everything for you.I will make the travel arrangements. There's no need to worry.	I will never forget you.I will never give up the fight for freedom.	shall

Telling the tine

Telling the Time

English Vocabulary

There are two common ways of telling the time.

1) Say the hour first and then the minutes. (Hour + Minutes)

• 6:25 - It's six twenty-five
• 8:05 - It's eight O-five (the O is said like the letter O)
• 9:11 - It's nine eleven
• 2:34 - It's two thirty-four

2) Say the minutes first and then the hour.  (Minutes + PAST / TO + Hour)

For minutes 1-30 we use PAST after the minutes.

For minutes 31-59 we use TO after the minutes.

• 2:35 - It's twenty-five to three
• 11:20 - It's twenty past eleven
• 4:18 - It's eighteen past four
• 8:51 - It's nine to nine
• 2:59 - It's one to three

When it is 15 minutes past the hour we normally say: (a) quarter past

• 7:15 - It's (a) quarter past seven

When it is 15 minutes before the hour we normally say: a quarter to

• 12:45 - It's (a) quarter to one

When it is 30 minutes past the hour we normally say: half past

• 3:30 - It's half past three (but we can also say three-thirty)

 

O'clock

We use o'clock when there are NO minutes.

• 10:00 - It's ten o'clock
• 5:00 - It's five o'clock
• 1:00 - It's one o'clock

Sometimes it is written as 9 o'clock (the number + o'clock)

12:00

For 12:00 there are four expressions in English.

• twelve o'clock 
• midday = noon 
• midnight

Telling the time video

Asking for the Time

The common question forms we use to ask for the time right now are:

• What time is it?
• What is the time?

A more polite way to ask for the time, especially from a stranger is:

• Could you tell me the time please?

The common question forms we use to ask at what time a specific event will happen are:

What time...?

When...?

• What time does the flight to New York leave?
• When does the bus arrive from London?
• When does the concert begin?

Giving the Time

We use It is or It's to respond to the questions that ask for the time right now.

• It is half past five (5:30).
• It's ten to twelve (11:50)

We use the structure AT + time when giving the time of a specific event.

• The bus arrives at midday (12:00).
• The flight leaves at a quarter to two (1:45).
• The concert begins at ten o'clock. (10:00)

We can also use subject pronouns in these responses.

• It arrives at midday (12:00).
• It leaves at a quarter to two (1:45).
• It begins at ten o'clock. (10:00)

AM vs. PM

We don't normally use the 24-hour clock in English.

We use a.m. (am) for the morning and p.m. (pm) for the afternoon and night.

3am = Three o'clock in the morning.

3pm = Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Form

Form

Simple Past	Past Progressive
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs I spoke regular verbs: verb + ed I worked	past form of 'be' + ing form of verb   I was speaking you were speaking he / she / it was speaking we were speaking they were speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' : when the final letter is e, only add d.Example: love - loved after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubledExample: admit - admitted final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)Example: travel - travelled after a consonant, final y becomes i. (but: not after a vowel)Example: worry - he worried but: play - he played	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -ee)Example: come - coming but: agree - agreeing after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubledExample: sit - sitting final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)Example: travel - travelling final ie becomes y.Example: lie - lying

Past Continuous and Past Simple

1.  The most common use of the past continuous tense is to talk about something that was happening around a particular time in the past.

• What were you doing at 8 o’clock last night? I was watching television.

I started watching television before 8 o’clock and I continued watching it after 8 o’clock.

• In 1994 he was working in a small town in Poland.
• At 6 o’clock on Saturday morning we were travelling to the airport.

2. We often use the past continuous and the past simple tense together. When this happens, the past continuous describes a longer, ‘background’ action or situation and the past simple describes the action or events.

• When I woke up this morning it was raining and my father was singing in the kitchen.
• I was walking home, whistling happily, when I saw two masked men run out of the bank.

Often, the ‘action’ described by the past simple tense interrupts the ‘situation’ described by the past continuous tense.

• I broke my leg when I was skiing.
• I was playing a computer game when the doorbell rang.

Notice that the past continuous describes ‘situations’ that go on for some time – ‘skiing’ and ‘playing’ but the past simple describes ‘actions’ that happen quickly – ‘broke’ and ‘rang’.

Notice too the important difference between these two sentences.

• When they arrived, Jeff was cooking dinner. Jeff started cooking before they arrived.
• When they arrived, Jeff cooked dinner. Jeff started cooking dinner after they arrived.

Answer

The short answer to your question is that the verb that follows did should be used in its base form. Read below for more information.

The verb did, the past tense form of do, commonly appears before another verb in these two sentence types:

1. Questions about the past

• What did you eat? (The two verbs are did and eat.)
• Did you eat pizza? (did, eat)

2. Negative statements about the past

• I didn't stay late.(didn't, stay)
• Julia didn't come at all last night. (didn't, come)

In both of these sentence types, did is an auxiliary verb (or “helping verb”) that is followed by a main verb, which carries the real verb meaning.

The auxiliary verb (did) is marked for past tense, but the main verb is not. It appears in its base form. A helpful way to remember this is that when there is an auxiliary verb, the main verb does not need to be marked for tense, because the tense is shown in the auxiliary. However, in a sentence about the past without an auxiliary verb, the main verb does need to be in the past tense form, as in this sentence:

• He ate a whole pizza. (ate, the only verb, is in the past tense form)

Past time expressions.

GRAMMAR & STRUCTURE Past Tense Expressions
	Common Past Time Expressions Example Sentences Similar Expressions yesterday (one day before today) I walked to work yesterday. Yesterday, I walked to work. yesterday morning yesterday evening yesterday afternoon the day before yesterday (two days before today) Redd bought a house the day before yesterday. The day before yesterday, Redd bought a house. the week before last (week) the night before last (night) last night (the most recent night) Avril travelled to Halifax last month. Last month, Avril travelled to Halifax. last time last week last month last year this morning (an earlier time on the same day) Kathleen called me this morning. This morning, Kathleen called me. this afternoon this evening one week ago (a specific period of time in the past) Kenneth and his wife had a baby one week ago. One week ago, Kenneth and his wife had a baby. one hour ago one day ago one month ago one year ago in 1990 (a specific point in the past) Darren finished university in 1990. In 1990, Darren finished university. in 1970 in March on Sunday when + subject + past tense verb (a specific period of time, event, or point in the past) Paul played basketball when he was a student. When he was a student, Paul played basketball. when I was born when John finished high school when I turned 18

Occupations

Occupations and talking about them  English lesson

What will I learn from the English lesson occupations and talking about them?

During this lesson you will learn how to ask someone what they do for a living (job) and how to answer someone if they ask you. There is an example of a brief conversation between two people. The last part of the lesson is a description of jobs and a description of the job and where they work.

What does occupation or living mean?

Occupation what do people do for there jobt people do to make a living. And because all of us do something or the other, we often talk about occupations. Here are some sample phrases and sentences you can use to talk about occupations.

How to ask someone what they do for a living

So John, what do you do for a living?

What is your occupation?

What do you do to make a living?

I am a Docter. I help help sick people

I am a hairdresser. I cut hair.

I am a computer programmer. I make computer programs.

An example of a  conversation between two friends.

Mr Bean:-  Hello Mr Jones, what do you do for a living?

Mr Jones:- I am a teacher in a high school.

Mr Bean:- A teacher? that sounds like a lot of hard work.

Mr Jones:- Sometimes. I teach high school children.

Mr Bean:- Is there a lot if of  students  in your class?

Mr Jones:- Most classes have about fifty students on average.

Mr Bean:- Do like your job?

Mr Jones:- yes, It is so rewarding. Teaching at high school is easier then primary. The students are less naughty.

A list of jobs

Type of job	Brief description of the job	they work from?
Computer programmer	Make programs to help reduce work load for peoples or offices	work in offices or can work from home
Secretary	Type letters, post parcels and letters, and arrange appointments	works in office
Office worker	Have computer skills, written skills, ability to plan things	works in office
Hairdresser	Cut and style people's hair.	Hair salon , but can be mobile
Carpenter	Able to make most things out of wood	works in a factory or mobiles in a van
Barber	Cut men's hair and facial hair	Works in a barbers shop
Train driver	Drives trains	work in the cab at the front of the train
Painter and decorator	Paints anything in the home inside and out	works from a van
Footballer	Plays football for vast amounts of money	works for a football club
Fireman	Puts out fires in homes, factories, cars and car accidents	Works from fire station
Student	Studies  at school, college and universities	Studies at school, college and universities
Nurse	Look after patients by giving medicine and dressing to wounds	works from a hospital
Crane driver	Uses a crane to lift various heavy objects	works in a crane
Doctor	Helps look after peoples health	hey work in a doctor's surgery or from in a hospital
Police	Help maintain peace and order	Work from police station
Gardener	Helps keep people gardens tidy and also public gardens	works from a van
Accountant	Look after the finances for businesses	Works in a office
Teacher	Helps students learn various subjects	Works in school, college or university
Waiter	Serve people food and drink.	work in a restaurant or cafes
Baker	Bakes Cakes and bread to sell to the public or shops	work in a bakery
Vet	Look after people's animals.	work from a veterinary surgery or vets.
Plumber	Looks after peoples plumbing in the home or industry	works from a van
Optician	Looks after peoples eyes by testing them	work in an opticians
		Works in a office

CONVERSATION TIME. WH- QUESTIONS

• Are you on time?
• If you are late, what message does this send to the person who is waiting for you?
• Do you prefer to show up late or early?
• What is your busiest day of the week?
• Do you like to be busy, or do you like to have an easy schedule?
• What takes up most of your time?
• Do you think you manage your time wisely?
• Do you manage time, or does time manage you?
• What do you do if you show up too early for something?
• What do you do if you show up too late for something?
• What do you do if you forget an appointment?
• Do you spend a lot of time when preparing for something?
• How much time do you spend sleeping?
  • Do you wish you could sleep more?
• Does waiting for something bother you?
• Do you get bored easily?
• Do you schedule out what you have to do every week? Do you make a schedule for every day?
• Are you good at getting things done on time?
• Do you think time moves slowly or quickly?
• What would you do if you had a few extra hours in a day?
• Would you rather have more time or more money?
• In your culture, is it polite to always show up on time, or to show up a little late?
• How important is time in your culture?
• Do you think people in America are too concerned with time?
• What time do you get up in the morning?
• What time do you go to bed?
• What time does school start?
• What time is it?
• What time do you go to work?
• What time does your work begin?
• What time does your work end?
• What time do you take a bath in the evening?
• When do you do your homework?
• What time do you like to get up?
• What time do you like to go to bed at night?
• What time do you think high school students should go to bed?
• What's the most significant time of your life? (Significant for any reason: because you liked it or hated it; because of your profession; because of a relationship; or because it was a turning point in your life)
• What's your perception of time now? Does it go by slowly or quickly? What does this depend on?
• Can you do without a watch or a clock? For how long?
• If you could stop time, what would you do and why?
• Do you show up early or late for work? Class? Meeting a friend for lunch? English conversation class?
• Are you a "night owl" or an "early bird"?
• Which time of day do you feel you are most productive in your work or study?
• If you are a punctual person and your mate is not, how do you resolve conflicts that arise?
• If you had the power to stop and restart time, when would you use it?
• Do you show up early or late in your home country verses in the United States?

 

From the team that provides tutoring, proofreading, and resume writing to ESL students.

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• 24 Excellent ESL Conversation Questions for Adults

  171K

  When you’re having a conversation with a fellow ESL student, it can sometimes be challenging to get started. Even if you and your classmate are great conversationalists in your native language, you may have trouble coming up with questions to ask each other that will lead to more than just a one-sentence response in English.
  
  The next time you’re stuck coming up with a good conversation starter while practicing your English, try picking something from this list of 24 ESL conversation questions for adults (update: here are another 84 conversation questions). You can even print the questions out so you can easily reference them. Each one is designed to spark a discussion between you and your speaking partner that will go well beyond a simple “yes” or “no” answer.
  
  Check out the 24 conversation questions below:
  
  

  Daily life questions

  1. What’s one thing in your home you couldn’t live without? Why?
  2. If you had $5,000 that you had to spend today, how would you use it? (You can always raise or lower the dollar amount in the question.)
  3. What are you going to do after class today? (If your conversation partner gives a short answer like “Watch TV” or “Study,” ask a follow-up question like “What are you going to watch?” to get him or her to elaborate.)
  4. How do you cope with stress? (Or “How do you relax after a busy week?”)
  5. What is the most challenging part of your job or your studies? What is the most rewarding part?
  6. If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, where would you live and why?
  7. Can you think of a time when a failure actually worked out well? Tell me about it.

  Hobby/interest questions

  8. What was the last movie you saw at the theater? Tell me about it (without spoiling the ending).
  9. What is one thing you’ve never done but would like to do?
  10. If you had to give up your cellphone, your computer, or your TV, which one item would you choose to give up and why?
  11. If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  12. If you were going on a twelve-hour flight and the only entertainment you could bring was a book, what book would you choose? (Ask your conversation partner to tell you a little about this book and why it would keep him or her entertained.)
  13. If you could meet one musician, living or dead, who would it be? (If your partner is not particularly interested in music, choose another category, like authors or scientists. The idea is to get your partner to talk about someone he or she admires without asking a question quite as broad as “If you could meet anyone, who would it be?”)

  Opinion questions

  A note on opinion questions: Asking your conversation partner how they feel about certain current events may be a good way to start a lively discussion, but make sure you are respecting one another’s ideas and not attacking each other’s ways of thinking, even if you disagree.
  

  14. Do you think marriage as an institution is outdated? Why or why not?
  15. How do you think technology, such as smartphones and social media, has changed the way we interact with people?
  16. What is your opinion about legalizing marijuana?
  17. Do you think US colleges are effective (or even necessary) in preparing students for professional careers? (If your conversation partner did not go to school in the US, ask them what they think about their home country’s education system.)
  18. What do you think would happen if the drinking age in the US was lowered to eighteen? (This might lead your conversation partner to talk about the drinking culture in their own country, especially if they grew up somewhere with a lower drinking age.)
  19. Do you think it’s possible to have a happy family and a successful career at the same time? (Your conversation partner may be able to talk about their personal experiences.)
  20. What is your opinion about violence in TV, movies, and video games?

  Miscellaneous questions

  21. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? (If your conversation partner is still in school and has never had a full-time job, they may still be able to talk about a summer or weekend job.)
  22. If you could open up your own amusement park, what would it be like? (Encourage your conversation partner to get creative and pretend they have as much money as they need.)
  23. Do you enjoy spending time on your own? (If your partner answers yes, talk to them about what they like to do on their own. If they say no, ask what they do to keep from spending too much time alone.)
  24. If you were making a movie about your life, which actor/actress would play the part of you? Why did you choose this person?

  Keep in mind that this is just a small sampling of questions. For even more conversation fun, check out these 84 additional questions. You can always elaborate on each question as needed or come up with your own questions in order to keep your conversation flowing.