Articles
Present Tenses
Passive voice
Conditionals
Past Tenses
100
What is the rule of using A vs AN?
To determine if you should use 'a' or 'an' before a word, you need to listen to the sound the word begins with. Use 'a' if the word begins with a consonant sound and use 'an' if the word begins with a vowel sound.
If the answer was about a letter, not sound, it's not counted.
100
Complete the sentence:
What time ___ your train ___ (depart)?
What time does your train depart? (timetable)
100
Which preposition do we use for mentioning the doer? the instrument? Give examples.
Doer => BY (The document was signed BY me.)
Instrument => WITH (The wall was painted WITH a brush.)
100
If she _____ (ask) me, I'll give it a go.
Asks
100
I was devastated because of what I _____ (hear).
I was devastated because of what I had heard.
200
Which article do we use with the names of rivers, seas, oceans, gulfs, mountain ranges and groups of islands? Provide 1 example for each category.
THE (The Amazonka, the Black sea, the Pacific ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Andes, the Philippines)
200
Ask a question to know if something happened at least once in your groupmates' lives.
Students' answers. E.g.: Have you ever been abroad? Have you seen any unusual animal? etc
200
Change these active sentences to passive:
1) The Government is planning a new road near my house.
2) He had written three books before 1867.
3) Somebody should do the work.
1) The Government is planning a new road near my house.
A new road is being planned near my house.
2) He had written three books before 1867.
Three books had been written before 1867.
3) Somebody should do the work.
The work should be done.
200
Complete the sentence to form an unreal conditional:
This story ______ (make) headlines if we ______ (decide) to publish it.
This story would make headlines if we decided to publish it.
200
Complete the sentence:
While I _____ (wait) in the departure lounge, my friend _____ (text) me that his flight from New York _____ (cancel+passive).
While I was waiting in the departure lounge, my friend texted me that his flight from New York had been cancelled.
300
Which articles do we use with the names of countries? Provide several examples.
We mostly use NO article before the names of countries. However, we use "the" if a country has a political title in its name, or if it refers to a group of islands (the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Central African Republic, the Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the United States (of America), the Netherlands etc). In this case the country is seen as a collection of several parts.
300
Say what annoys you about the current self isolation situation. What tense will you use?
Present Continuous (annoyance).
E.g.: I'm always staying at home, but the weather is so nice!
300
When do we use Passive voice? Provide at least 2 reasons for using it and give examples for each case.
Students' answers. E.g.:
1) We don't know the doer (A page had been torn out of the back of the book.);
2) We want to focus on what is done, so the doer is not important (The milk is specially formulated for babies);
3) We want to follow an impersonal, academic or scientific style (The magazine is produced using a desktop publishing system);
...
300
Change the sentence using UNLESS:
If you don't back me here, I will spread rumors about you.
UNLESS you back me here, I will spread rumors about you.
300
Form all 3 forms of the following irregular verbs:
1) bite
2) cost
3) fall
4) feel
5) lie (лежать)
1) Bite - bit - bitten
2) Cost - cost - cost
3) Fall - fell - fallen
4) Feel - felt - felt
5) Lie - lay - lain
400
Fill in the blanks with ---, a/an, the. Explain your choice:
Carrie works for __ amazing organization; __ organization provides __ food and __ supplies for children in __ Capetown.
Carrie works for AN amazing organization (countable, singular); THE organization (countable, we mention it for the 2nd time) provides --- food (uncountable, we can't use A) and --- supplies (plural, we don't need any article) for children in --- Capetown (we don't use articles with cities).
400
There is a desert island with one lonely long-bearded inhabitant. A rescue ship arrives. A rescuer jumps off to greet the Robinson Crusoe and asks him questions starting with How long..?
Make up 3 questions the rescuer might have asked. What tense will you use?
Students' answers.
E.g.: How long have you been living here?
How long have you been trying to call for help?
How long have you been growing crops for food?
etc
We use Present Perfect Continuous to know how long sth has been happening.
400
This picture shows a room after a robbery. You are a police inspector. You have to make a report of what you see. As it is a report, you will use lots of passive. Make up 3-4 sentences in passive to describe this room. What tense will you use?
Students' answers.
E.g.: Five drawers have been opened.
Papers have been thrown on the floor.
The safe has been broken.
We use Present Perfect Passive.
400
Create a conditional sentence to express regret about sth that happened/didn't happen last year.
Students' answers. Use the following formula:
If ____ had(n't) V3, ____ would(n't) have V3.
400
When do we use Past Continuous? Provide at least 2 reasons for using it with examples.
1) Something in progress at a certain time in the past. (I was working yesterday in the morning. I was working when you entered the room.)
2) Something in progress at the same time as something else was in progress. (I was working in the garden when you were having lunch!)
500
List at least 3 different rules of using THE. Give examples.
1) With ordinal numerals (the second, the fifth, the tenth etc);
2) With superlatives (the biggest, the best, the most expensive etc);
3) When talking about something which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or discussed (There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.);
4) When clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener by telling the listener which person or thing we are talking about (He didn't like the movie that you suggested);
5) In phrases (play the piano, at the moment, by the way, in the beginning, on the left etc)
...
500
Make up a situation in which all 4 present tenses are included: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous. This situation should make sense and the tenses should be used according to the rules.
Students' answers.
E.g.: I have been preparing for the Math test for 2 weeks, and now I'm feeling really nervous though I haven't had the test yet. It starts at 3pm.
500
Describe the process of manufacturing/creating any product using passive. Say at least 5 sentences.
Students' answers.
E.g.: chocolate.
Cacao beans are harvested -> The beans are dried -> The beans are sold -> The beans are cleaned -> The beans are roasted -> etc
500
Create a mixed conditional: start with Conditional 3(unreal in the past), use Conditional 2(unreal) in the 2nd part.
Students' answers. Use the following formula:
If ____ had(n't) V3, ____ would(n't) V (now).
500
Tell your groupmates an interesting story that happened to you last week. Use Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect.
Students' answers.