Exercise (preposition)

1. _____ the picture, I can see a woman.      a.) At  b.) In c.) On
2. The woman is sitting  ____ a table.           a.) at   b.) in front of  c.) on
3. She is sitting___a chair.                            a.) at   b.) in    c.) on
4. There is another chair ____the woman.    a.) across  b.) beside  c.) opposite
5. Her feet are____the table                        a.) beside   b.) on  c.) under
6. The woman is holding a cup_____her hands.  a.) at  b.) in  c.) into
7. ______the table are a laptop, a paper, a calculator, an appointment calendar, two pens and a muffin.  a.) above  b.) at  c.)  on
8. The woman is looking _____ her laptop.   a.)  at      b.)  on     c.) to
9. The woman's bag is _____ the table.        a.) between b.) behind  c.) under

Preposition of Time

1. Peter is playing tennis ______ Sunday.
2. My brother's birthday is_____ the 5th of November.
3. My birthday is _____ May.
4. We are going to see my parents ______the weekend.
5. ______ 1666, a great fire broke out in London.
6. I don't like walking alone in the streets ____ night.
7. What are you doing _____the afternoon?
8. My friend has been living in Canada _____two years.
9. I have been waiting for you ______ seven o'clock.
10. I will have finished this essay _____ Friday. 

A painting

1. Look _____ this painting.
2. _____ the painting, you can see a little girl.
3. So, it is a painting _____ a girl.
4. A famous painter painted it. So it is a painting _____ a famous painter.
5. My grandma once owned the painting, but she gave it to me on my birthday. So it is a picture _____ my grandma.

Prepositions

Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).

The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:

 

Prepositions – Time

English	Usage	Example
on	days of the week	on Monday
in	months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time (when?	in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour
at	for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?)	at night at the weekend at half past nine
since	from a certain point of time (past till now)	since 1980
for	over a certain period of time (past till now)	for 2 years
ago	a certain time in the past	2 years ago
before	earlier than a certain point of time	before 2004
to	telling the time	ten to six (5:50)
past	telling the time	ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until	marking the beginning and end of a period of time	from Monday to/till Friday
till / until	in the sense of how long something is going to last	He is on holiday until Friday.
by	in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time	I will be back by 6 o’clock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English	Usage	Example
in	room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world	in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world
at	meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)	at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party at the cinema, at school, at work
on	attached for a place with a river being on a surface for a certain side (left, right) for a floor in a house for public transport for television, radio	the picture on the wall London lies on the Thames. on the table on the left on the first floor on the bus, on a plane on TV, on the radio
by, next to, beside	left or right of somebody or something	Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
under	on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else	the bag is under the table
below	lower than something else but above ground	the fish are below the surface
over	covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle	put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall
above	higher than something else, but not directly over it	a path above the lake
across	getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side	walk across the bridge swim across the lake
through	something with limits on top, bottom and the sides	drive through the tunnel
to	movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed	go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed
into	enter a room / a building	go into the kitchen / the house
towards	movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)	go 5 steps towards the house
onto	movement to the top of something	jump onto the table
from	in the sense of where from	a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

English	Usage	Example
from	who gave it	a present from Jane
of	who/what does it belong to what does it show	a page of the book the picture of a palace
by	who made it	a book by Mark Twain
on	walking or riding on horseback entering a public transport vehicle	on foot, on horseback get on the bus
in	entering a car  / Taxi	get in the car
off	leaving a public transport vehicle	get off the train
out of	leaving a car  / Taxi	get out of the taxi
by	rise or fall of something traveling (other than walking or horse riding)	prices have risen by 10 percent by car, by bus
at	for age	she learned Russian at 45
about	for topics, meaning what about	we were talking about you

Expressing yourself

http://englishforeveryone.org/PDFs/Expressing%20Yourself.pdf

boat and bought / pot

Bought and Pot will sound VERY similar or actually be the same sound.

Part 1: Common spelling for 0 as in Boat

boat	note	no	blow	toe	sew
goat	tote	go	glow	Joe
soak	joke	so	flow
croak	mope	Mo	show
soap	cope		snow
loan	stoke		stow

Part 2: Common spellings for bought / pot (as pronounced in California)

bought	got	caught	dawn	pause	long
thought	lot	naught	lawn	cause	song
fought	shot	naughty	fawn	cautious	stocks
	not				model
	top
	lost

Part 3: Recognition: Which is different

Example: Boat Bought Boat

1. Soap Post Sop
2. Cope Top Cop
3. None Not Note
4. Coat Pause Caught
5. Long Loan Lawn
6. Stock Stop Stoke

Part 4: Which do you hear?

1. Their boat got caught on a sand bar.
2. She couldn’t cope with all the problems she had in her marriage, so she got divorced.
3. It isn’t as easy to get a home loan as it was a few years ago.
4. He had to stoke the fire to keep it going since it was going out.
5. They normally use a lot of soap when they wash their dog before a competition.
6. How many different coats do you wear every winter?
7. Is it important for you to have a nice green lawn, or would you be happy with just rocks?
 

Complete me (GE 4 and up)

Fill in the blanks with the correct letters to complete the word that matches the clue inside the parentheses.

1. _i _e            (opposite of narrow)
2. i_ _ _ o        ( an Eskimo's house)
3. _i _ _           (a staple food of asians)
4. _ _ i _ _      (to glow)
5._i_ _ _ _ _   (part of the house where we cook)
6. _i_ _ _ _      ( common taste of medicine tablets)
7. i _ _ _i _ _   ( to ask)
8._ i _ _ _        (to quarrel)
9. i _ _             (sick)
10. i _ _ _ _ _  ( land surrounded by water)
11. _ _ i _ _ _  (opposite of dark)
12. _ _ _ _ i _  ( used in drawing or writing)
13.i _ _            ( it is placed in juices or softdrinks for it to become cold)
14. _ i _ _ _     (opposite of heavy)
15. _ _ i _        (outside covering of humans)

long and short "i" (elementary)

pig                  gorilla
lion                 lizard
fish                 rhinoceros
will                 kite
tip                  quantity
file                 drill              
candidate      dilate
film                library
giraffe            kitten
rabbit            firefly
cricket          alligator
crocodile      spike
spill              will
kite

Useful things (image)

http://www.eslflow.com/Useful_things.pdf

ice breaker

What Am I? Icebreaker

Grade Levels: Pre-K - 2

Objectives

Students use their power of hearing to determine animal sounds.

Procedures

1. Say, "I went to the zoo and I heard this sound _____." (For example, growl like a lion or squawk like a parrot.)
2. Then say, "I turned around and saw a _____."
3. Ask students to guess what animal you saw.
4. Continue playing, making new animal sounds.
5. After a few rounds, ask student volunteers to lead the game.
6. A variation of this game is to change the location (try sounds in the country; in the city; in the forest; at school).

image

http://www.eslflow.com/Travel___culture.pdf

http://www.eslflow.com/Telling_stories1.pdf

Forming Nouns (IELTS, TOEFL)

Nouns may be formed from verbs or adjectives by adding suffixes.

A suffix is one or more syllables placed after a root word to help shape its meaning and often to determine its part of speech. Study the following.

Verb/Adjective                    Suffix                       Noun
acquit                                   -al                         acquittal            
allow                                   -ance                     allowance
serve                                   -ice                        service
invent                                  -tion                       invention
establish                             -ment                      establishment
please                                -sure                       pleasure
honest                                -y                           honesty
dark                                  -ness                      darkness

Complete each sentence with the appropriate noun form of the word in the parentheses.

1. The student council is awaiting for the ------- of their--------. (approve) (resolve).
2. All those present recognized the -------- and ------- of the occasion. (sanctify) (solemn).
3.The --------of the accident victim has not been established yet. (identify)
4.----------and-------- are not the same, are they? (wise) (intelligent)
5. The -------- and -------violence of the recent storm was frightening. (intense) (violent)
6. The young man's -----------and-------- are admirable. (efficient) (dedicate)
7.Artists are known for their ---------and-------. (sensitive) (creative)
8. The future is bright for one who has acquired an ---------. (educate)
9.The ophthalmologist was amazed at the ---------of the old woman's vision. (sharp)
10.Evangeline's -----------often turns off friends, but nobody could question her --------and integrity. (frank) (honest)
11. We value your---------- as well as the-------- of your company. (friend) (please)
12. Our village has launched a ---------- and ----------- campaign recently. (clean) (sanitize)

Possessive nouns (GE 3, 2)

A possessive noun shows ownership. It is used to show that something belongs to someone. It is usually followed by the thing owned. Study the following rules on forming the possessive of plural nouns.

* To write the possessive form of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and s ('s)

the actor's costume
a citizen's arrest

* To write the possessive form of a plural noun that ends in s add only an apostrophe ( ' ).

the passengers' luggage
the birds' feathers

* To write the possessive form of a plural noun that does not end in s, add an apostrophe and s ('s).

the women's songs
the children's stories


On the blank before each number, write the correct singular possessive or plural possessive form of the noun in the parentheses.

---------1. The (public) interest in a musical often centers on the dancing.
---------2.The (actors) roles in a musical require them to be good dancers.
---------3. A (choreographer) job is to create dance steps to go with the music.
---------4. Jerome Robbins in one of (America) popular choreographers.
---------5. This (man) work with the musical West Side Story was superb.
---------6. West Side Story captured the (world) attention
---------7.The them is based on (Shakespeare) play Romeo and Juliet.
---------8. The story and songs are about (teenagers) lives.
---------9. The (women) roles were as intense as the (men) roles.
--------10. The (musical) popularity caused it to be made into a film.

TOEIC (with listening skills )

READING TEST
A word or phrase is missing in each of the sentences below.
Four answer choices are given below each sentence. Select the best answer to complete the sentence.

1.Register early if you would like to attend next Tuesday’s ------- on project management.
(A) seminar (B) reason (C) policy (D) scene

2. Paul Brown resigned last Monday from his position as ------- executive of the company.
A) fine (B) chief (C) front (D) large

3.The financial audit of Soft Peach Software ------- completed on Wednesday by a certified accounting firm.
(A) to be (B) having been (C) was (D) were

4.The organizers of the trip reminded participants to ------- at the steps of the city hall at 2:00 P.M.
(A) see (B) combine (C) meet (D) go

5.------- is no better season than winter to begin training at Silver’s Fitness Center.
(A) When (B) It (C) There (D) As it

6.The recent worldwide increase in oil prices has led to a ------- demand for electric vehicles.
(A) greater (B) greatest (C) greatly (D) greatness

7.Maria Vásquez has a wide range of experience, ------- worked in technical, production, and marketing positions.
(A) having (B) has (C) having had (D) had

8. Tickets will not be redeemable for cash or credit at any time, ------- will they be replaced if lost or stolen.
(A) but (B) though (C) only (D) nor


Ms. Monica Eisenman
555 King Street
Auckland
New Zealand
Dear Ms. Eisenman:
I am ------- to confirm our offer of part-time employment at Western Enterprises. In your role
(A) pleased (B) pleasing (C) pleasant (D) pleasure
as research assistant, you will report to Dr. Emma Walton, who will keep you informed of your specific duties and projects. Because you will be working with confidential information, you will be expected to ------- the enclosed employee code-of-ethics agreement.
(A) follow (B) advise (C) imagine (D) require
As we discussed, you will be paid twice a month ------- the company’s normal payroll schedule.
(A) accords (B) according (C) according to (D) accordance
Your employment status will be reviewed in six months. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Otherwise, please sign and return one copy of this letter. You may keep the second copy for your files. We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Christopher Webster
Human Resources
Enclosures

English conversation 2 (21 up)

With a partner, plan a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii. Write a dialogue you might have as you book a room.
Agent: Thank you for calling ________________ in Hawaii. ______________________?
You: I’d like to ___________________________________.
Agent: When will you be in Hawaii?
You: ____________________________________________.
Agent: What type of room would you like?
You: ______________________________________________.
Agent: Do you need a smoking room?
You: ________________________________________________.
Agent: We have a ____________________________________.
Would you like me to ___________________________________?
You: ________________________________________________.
Agent: We’ll _________________________________ until 6 p.m. Check-out time is
____________________________________.
You: I don’t arrive until 10 p.m. ___________________________________?
Agent: __________________________________________________.
You: I might be hungry when I arrive. ________________________________________________________?
Agent: Yes. _______________________________________________.
____________________________________________________________.
You: Great. ____________________________________________________?
Agent: I’ll need a _________________________________________________.
You: _____________________________________________________________.
Agent: Expiration date?
You: ____________________________________________________________.
Agent: _____________________________________________. We’ll see you on July 8th.

English conversation (21 up)

 

Fill in the Blank

Choose the correct word from the list below to complete the sentences. You may have to alter the word to fit

the sentence. In other words, you might have to change a singular noun to its plural form. Or you may have to

change a verb from present tense to past.

Accommodations   book   reservation  vacancy  hold   complimentary  depart

1. My flight will _____________________________ at 10 p.m. so I should arrive at the airport at 8 p.m.

2. It is better to make a _____________________________ for a hotel room in advance so you will make sure.

to have a room when you arrive.

3. Hotels will _____________________________ rooms for you if you let the agent know you will be arriving

late.

4. My secretary will _____________________________ a hotel room for you at the hotel near our offices.

5. I was happy I had made a reservation because when I arrived in Bangkok, the hotel had no

_____________________________ and other people were searching for a hotel with open rooms.

6. Ms. Lee won’t need money for breakfast because it is _____________________________.

7. When I book a hotel, I always choose budget _____________________________ in order to save money.

Dialogue

Hotel Agent: Thank you for calling Worldwide Hotels in Manhattan. How can I help you?

Ms. Lee: I need to book a hotel for a business trip to New York.

Hotel Agent: When will you need the accommodations?

Ms. Lee: July 8th and 9th.

Hotel Agent: So, you’ll need a room for three days and two nights. You’ll be departing on July 10th, correct?

Ms. Lee: Yes, that’s right.

(pause…hotel agent typing or checking screen)

Hotel Agent: We do have vacancies. Would you like to make a reservation?

Ms. Lee: Yes, I would.

Hotel Agent: Do you want a king or double?

Ms. Lee: I’ll be traveling alone so a room with a king-sized bed will be fine.

Hotel Agent: Do you prefer a smoking or non-smoking room?

Ms. Lee: Non-smoking, please.

Hotel Agent: We do have a non-smoking, king room available for those nights in July. Would you like me to

hold that for you?

Ms. Lee: Yes, please.

Hotel Agent: Your name, please?

Ms. Lee: Yu-ping Lee.

Hotel Agent: Okay, Ms. Lee, we’ll hold the room until 6 p.m. on July 8th and you’ll be able to check in at 3

p.m. Check-out time is noon on July 10th.

Ms. Lee: Can I please request a late check in? My flight doesn’t arrive until 8 p.m.

Hotel Agent: Of course. We’ll hold the room until 10 p.m.

Ms. Lee: Thank you. Does the hotel have a restaurant?

Hotel Agent: Yes, it has two. It also has a room service menu if you prefer to eat in your room. Your hotel

room fees include a complimentary continental breakfast served in the lounge by the lobby.

Ms. Lee: That’s wonderful. Thank you. What else do I need to do to reserve the room?

Hotel Agent: I’ll need a credit card number in order to reserve and then you’ll be all set. We accept Master

Card, Visa, and American Express.

Ms. Lee: I’ll use my Visa. The number is 1234 4321 9999 0000.

Hotel Agent: The expiration date?

Ms. Lee: September 2009.

Hotel Agent: Great. The room is reserved. We’ll see you on July 8th. Please let us know if you need anything

else.

Ms. Lee: Thank you.

Mass nouns and count nouns (GE 3,4)

What do milk, coffee, sugar, salt and rice have in common? Of course, they are all edible. But they are all mass nouns, too!

Mass nouns name things that cannot be quantified or counted by a number. Thus, we cannot say two milks, three coffees, four sugars, five salts or six rices.

Instead, we can use certain words to indicate the quantity or amount of mass nouns.

For example, we may say a quart of milk, a cup of coffee, a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a sack of rice. In the preceding example, the words quart, bottle, teaspoon, pinch and sack are used as counters. Counters are used to show the quantity or amount of mass nouns, Counters may also take the plural form. For example, we may say two teaspoons of sugar or three sacks of rice. Below are examples of  mass nouns with counters.

* a kilo of chicken
*a scoop of ice cream
* a bottle of vinegar
* two bowls of soup
* three glasses of water
* two liters of water

Challenge yourself
In each number, choose and underline the mass noun that may be best quantified by the given counter on the left.

1. a bag of (flour, oil)
2. a spoonful of (meat,sugar)
3. ten kilos of  (chalk,rice)
4. two bars of (soap,ink)
5. strands of (sand,hair)
6. five  liters of (gasoline,salt)
7. a dash of (pepper,soup)
8. grains of (cloth,sand)
9. two loaves of (bread,fish)
10. ten sheets of (ice cream, paper)

Singular and plural (GE 3)

A singular noun names one person, place, thing or idea.
A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing or idea.
Basic rules:

·          In writing the plural form of most nouns, we simply add -s at the end.

            bag- bags
            book- books
            idea- ideas

·         Add –es to nouns ending in ch, s, sh, ss, x, or z

arch- arches
class-classes
fox-foxes

·         Add –s to nouns ending a vowel and y. Change y to i and add –es to nouns ending in a consonant and y.

key-keys
melody-melodies

·         Add –s to nouns ending in vowel and o and to musical terms ending in o.

zoo-zoos
piano-pianos

·         Add –es to nouns ending in a consonant and o.

tomato- tomatoes
hero-heroes

·         Add –s to nouns ending f and ff.

roof- roofs
cliff-cliffs

·         For some nouns. Drop the f or fe and add –ves.

leaf- leaves

wife- wives

·         A few nouns have irregular plural forms.

man- men
tooth-teeth
mouse-mice
ox-oxen
child-children

·         Some nouns have identical singular and plural forms.

deer-deer
sheep-sheep
series-series
Japanese-japanese

·         For nouns formed from two or more words, make the most important word plural.

taxpayer- taxpayers
son-in-law-sons-in-law

·         Add –s to nouns ending in –ful.

handful- handfuls
cupful-cupfuls

 I.                   Give the plural form of the following nouns.

1.      pathway                      17.mystery

2.      box                             18.cattle

3.      biography                    19. concerto

4.      array                            20. campus

5.      topaz                           21. gas

6.      knife                            22.  carabao

7.      proof                           23. wolf

8.      calf                              24. woman

9.      echo                            25. goose

10.  mouse                         26. volcano

11.  bucketful                     27. family

12.  brush                          28. toy

13.  datum

14.  foot

15.  assistant manager

16.  handkerchief