B1 CHRISTMAS REVISION

 

Have a very happy Christmas time!!

Here's some revision for these days:

Vocabulary

https://www.english-practice.at/b1/vocabulary/topics/top006-describing-people.pdf

https://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2941

https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-81416.php

https://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/food/eating-out/at-the-restaurant.html

https://agendaweb.org/exercises/vocabulary/food/vegetables-multiple-2

https://www.vocabulary.cl/english-games/fruit-picture-game.htm

https://www.esleschool.com/b1-travel-and-transport-vocabulary/

https://www.examenglish.com/vocabulary/travel.htm

Listening

https://www.examenglish.com/B1/b1_listening_holidays.htm

https://www.examenglish.com/B1/b1_listening_transport.htm

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/video-uk/food-britain

https://www.elllo.org/english/1451/1478-Shantel-Burgers.htm

https://www.elllo.org/english/1351/T1379-Meg-03-Baking.htm


Reading

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading/intermediate-b1/a-travel-guide

B1 WEEKLY REVISION (11th-18th December)

 

There are some revision activities in the previous B1 post.

Listening

https://elllo.org/english/1501/1524-Angela-Photo-Etiquite.htm

https://elllo.org/english/1501/1523-Angela-TechEtiquite.htm

Reading

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/magazine/life-around-world/british-manners

B1 WEEKLY REVISION (4th December)

 

This week we've started topic 4B.

Revision activities:

Listening

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening/intermediate-b1/an-interview-about-listening-skills

https://www.elllo.org/english/1451/1499-Ben-Hana-English-Tips.htm

https://www.elllo.org/english/1451/1487-Gyri-Viyasan-HardWork-Talent.htm

Grammar

https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/modals/can.htm

https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/can-could-be-able

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modals-can-could-able-quiz.htm

B1 ONLINE WEEKLY REVISION (27th-29th November)

This week we continued with unit 4A. We also did some revision activities. In the above slide you have the homework for next week.

Revision activities

Listening

https://elllo.org/english/1501/1524-Angela-Photo-Etiquite.htm

https://elllo.org/english/1501/1523-Angela-TechEtiquite.htm

Reading

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/magazine/life-around-world/british-manners

B1 WEEKLY REVISION (20th-22nd November)

 

This week we've studied obligation and prohibition with must/mustn't/have to/don't have to/should.

Grammar revision

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1/have-to-must-should/

https://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2786

http://digitalcampus.free.fr/Level2/Unit24/SubUnit243/MCQ01.jqz.htm

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/2g9-mustnt-dont-have-to-difference.php

http://mrsc.free.fr/4LV1-4-oblig-interdict.htm

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/2g8-must-have-to-difference.php

B1 WEEKLY REVISION (13th-15th November)

 This week we've been dealing with the last few activities of unit 3B. Next week we'll revise some points belonging to this last part and continue with unit 4A.

Listening Revision

https://elllo.org/english/1351/T1381-Sarah-Cowgirl.htm

https://elllo.org/english/1001/1015-MixPop.htm

http://mythatsenglish.blogspot.com/2015/03/listening-test-stereotypes.html

Dependent prepositions

https://www.eltbase.com/quiz/063_02.htm

https://www.eltbase.com/quiz/063_01.htm

Articles

https://agendaweb.org/exercises/grammar/articles/a-an-the-1

https://agendaweb.org/exercises/grammar/articles-a-an-the

https://agendaweb.org/exercises/grammar/a-an-the-exercises

B1 WEEKLY REVISION (6th-8th November)

 

This week we've been doing some revision on unit 2 and also worked on pages 42-45.

For next week, we'll continue on p. 45, prepare 6a and b.

p. 46-47: 1b, c, d, e, f. 2a and c. 3a, b and c.

P. 48-49: Do the listening 4a, b, c and d. Do vocabulary 5a, b, and c.

Vocabulary (travel and transport)

https://www.esleschool.com/b1-travel-and-transport-vocabulary/

https://www.examenglish.com/vocabulary/travel.htm

Listening

https://www.examenglish.com/B1/b1_listening_holidays.htm

https://www.examenglish.com/B1/b1_listening_transport.htm

Reading

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading/intermediate-b1/a-travel-guide

B1 WEEKLY REVISION

 

This week we've finished unit 2. For Monday we'll continue with some revision and if we have time we can start unit 3.

You can do the video activity on page 33 at home. The video material and the transcript is in the virtual classroom. Prepare the mediation you can also find in the virtual classroom.

Pp 42-43: Do 1 a and b, 2 a, b and d. do 3 a, b, c, d (reading), f , g (listening) and h.

Pp 44-45: Do 4 a, b and c. 5 a. Prepare 6 a and b.

WIMBLEDON VOCABULARY

 

EXAM RESULTS

 

The exams results will be accessible on Tuesday 20th June, from 10 am on Mirador website.

Exam revision: 20th June, 7 pm. in our classroom.

THESE ARE THE TOPICS WE'VE STUDIED THIS YEAR

 

B2 WEEKLY REVISION (15th-19th May)

This week we've worked with the most outstanding activities in unit 10B. Prepare the following at home (you'll find the key in google classroom) :

P. 166-167: 1b, c and d. 2b and e. 

P. 168-169: 3c, d, e, and f. 6a and b.

P. 170-171 (for next Monday class)

ENCUESTA DE LA EOI DE CARAVACA

B2 WEEKLY SUMMARY (8th-12th May)

 

This week we've finished unit 9B. this is the homework for the next few days:

P. 162-163: 1a and b, 2 a, e, and f. Prepare 3.

P. 164-165: 4 a b, c. 5 a, b, c and d.

P. 166- 167: 1 f. 2 a, b, d, e. 4 b, c, e and f. 5 a. 6 a and b. 

P. 170-171.

BOTH, EITHER AND NEITHER

 

We use 'either + a singular noun' to mean 'this one or that one' when we are talking about two things of the same kind (like two drinks or two t-shirts).

Either drink is fine. I like both kinds.

We could go to either restaurant.

Julie might buy either t-shirt.

We use 'neither + a singular noun'' to mean 'not this one and also not that one' when we are talking about two things of the same kind.

Neither drink is fine. John hates both of them.

Neither restaurant is good. Let's go somewhere else.

We use 'either of + plural noun' and 'neither of + plural noun' before a pronoun or a word like 'this' or 'the' or 'my'.

Either of my dresses is good. (= this dress is good and also that dress is good.)

Either of us can get the key.

Neither of my dresses will do. (both of my dresses are not good.)

Neither of us will be on time.

We can use 'either' and 'neither' on their own when we have already said the noun.

Which drink would you like? Either is fine.

Which cake do you want? Neither! I'm going to have an apple.

If we want to talk about two different things, we can use 'either + noun + or + noun'. We don't need to use 'of' in this case.

Either coffee or tea is fine.

We could use either blue paint or red paint.

She will buy either some apples or some oranges.

We can also use 'neither + noun + nor + noun'. This tells us about two negative ideas, but it's quite formal. It's more normal just to use 'not + or'.

I don't like coffee or tea.

I like neither coffee nor tea.

We can also use 'neither' at the beginning of a sentence or clause. It means 'also not'. We need to use inverted word order afterwards.

I'm not at home. Neither is John.

This is often used to answer someone.

A: I don't like coffee. B: Neither do I.

In an informal style we can use 'me neither'.

A: I don't like coffee. B: Me neither.

We use 'not... either' to mean the same thing, but we use normal word order.

A: I don't like coffee. B: I don't either.

Revision activities

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1/both-either-neither/

https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/vocabulary/both-either-neither-nor

B2 WEEKLY REVISION (24th-28th April)

 

This week we've continued with unit 9B. Homework:

P. 150-151: 4 a, b, c and prepare d. 5 a and b. 6 a, b, and prepare c.

P. 152-153: 1 a and b. part 2 a. Part 3 a. 2 a. 3 a, b, d.

P. 162-163: 1b, 2a and f. prepare 3.

P. 164-165: Read the text the reality of sci-fi. 5 a and b.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE ON CONFUSING VERBS

 

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/359.html

https://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/synonyms-exercise-seven

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/385.html

https://www.autoenglish.org/gr.seem.i.htm

https://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/esl-tell-speak-say-talk1.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/327.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/279.html

https://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/synonyms-exercise-six

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/274.html

COLLABORATIVE STORY

 

Este relato ha sido realizado por todo el alumnado de inglés de la Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Caravaca, desde A1 hasta C2.

Enhorabuena a todos los que habéis participado, de una manera u otra.

Enlace al relato https://read.bookcreator.com/2xxIj0ozEAYiPnJva1PsiKldvcx2/kHJdofvZQhCeCsMQYw8gUA

B2 WEEKLY REVISON (17th-21st April)

 This week we've finished unit 9A and started 9B. Homework:

P. 148-149: 1 and 3 a and b.

P. 150-151: 4 a, b, c and prepare d. 5 a and b. 6 a, b, and prepare c.

P. 152-153: 1 a and b. part 2 a. Part 3 a. 2 a. 3 a, b, d.

Revision

listening

https://english4real.com/practice/b2_l1-good-business.html

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening/3L17-a-democratic-right.php

Vocabulary revision

USED TO, WOULD, BE/GET USED TO

 

When we talk about things that happened in the past but don’t happen anymore we can do it in different ways.

Used to

We used to live in New York when I was a kid.

There didn’t use to be a petrol station there. When was it built?

We can use ‘used to’ to talk about past states ….

I used to go swimming every Thursday when I was at school.

I used to smoke but I gave up a few years ago.

… or we can use ‘used to’ to talk about repeated past actions

Remember that ‘used to’ is only for past states/actions that don’t happen now – we can’t use it for things that still happen now. Also, ‘used to + infinitive’ should not be confused with ‘be/get used to + ‘ing’ form’ – this is covered in a separate section.

Would

Every Saturday I would go on a long bike ride.

My teachers would always say “Sit down and shut up!”

We can use ‘would’ to talk about repeated past actions.

Often either ‘would’ or ‘used to’ is possible. Both of these sentences are possible.

Every Saturday, I would go on a long bike ride.

Every Saturday I used to go on a long bike ride.

However, only ‘used to’ is possible when we talk about past states.

We used to live in New York when I was a kid.

We would live in New York when I was a kid.

Past simple

We went/used to go/would go to the same beach every summer.

We can use the past simple in the same way as ‘used to’ and ‘would’ to talk about repeated past actions.

I had/used to have a dog called Charlie.

We can also use the past simple for past states.

I went to Egypt in 1988.

However, if something happened only once we can’t use ‘used to’ or ‘would’ – we must use the past simple.

be used to and get used to

Be used to means 'be familiar with' or 'be accustomed to'.

She's used to the city now and doesn't get lost any more.
He wasn't used to walking so much and his legs hurt after the hike.
I'm a teacher so I'm used to speaking in public.

We use get used to to talk about the process of becoming familiar with something.

I'm finding this new job hard but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon.
It took my mother years to get used to living in London after moving from Pakistan.
I'm getting used to the noise now. I found it really stressful when I first moved in.

Be used to and get used to are followed by a noun, pronoun or the -ing form of a verb, and can be used about the past, present or future.

Revision

https://www.grammarism.com/be-used-to-exercises/

https://www.grammarism.com/be-used-to-exercises/?qid=389675

https://www.grammarism.com/be-used-to-exercises/?qid=651823

https://www.grammarism.com/get-used-to-exercises/

https://www.grammarism.com/get-used-to-exercises/?qid=150993

https://www.grammarism.com/get-used-to-exercises/?qid=839129

EITHER ... OR/NEITHER...NOR

 

1.Either / or - used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities

We can either eat now or after the show - it's up to you.

2. Neither / nor - used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true

Neither my mother nor my father went to university.

When using either/or and neither/nor, note the following rules:

1. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too.

Either the father or the mother has to attend the meeting. (The nouns 'father' and 'mother' are singular; so the verb 'has' is singular too).

Neither Leila nor Nancy is going to write the report. ('Leila' and 'Nancy' are singular; so the verb ' is' is singular too).

2. However, if one of the elements is plural, then use a plural verb.

Either Sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight. (The noun 'girls' is plural; so the verb 'are' is plural too).

Neither the teacher nor the students were in the classroom this morning. (The noun 'students' is plural; so the verb 'were' is plural too).

Revision activities

https://www.myenglishpages.com/english/grammar-exercise-either-or-neither-nor.php

https://www.engblocks.com/grammar/exercises/either-or-neither-nor/either-or-neither-nor-exercise-1/

CLAUSES OF CONTRAST AND PURPOSE

 

https://todayschool.es/grammar/grammar-practice-clauses-of-purpose-and-contrast/

https://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/evenexercise.htm

B2 WEEKLY REVISION (10th-14 April)

 This week we continued with unit 9A. For next week prepare:

P.147:  5 a and b. 6a, b, prepare c.

P. 148-149: 1a, b and c. 3a and b.

Revision

clauses of contrast and purpose

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/clauses-contrast-purpose/

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/clauses-contrast-purpose/2/

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/clauses-contrast-purpose/3/

https://todayschool.es/grammar/grammar-practice-clauses-of-purpose-and-contrast/

Listening

https://english4real.com/practice/b2_l2-shopping.html

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening/3L4-online-trouble.php

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening/3L6-answering-machine.php

B2 WEEKLY REVISION (27th-31st March)

We've seen the first part of unit 9A. This is the homework for the 12th April.

P. 146-147: 4b, c, d, e. 5 a and b. 6a, b, prepare c.

P. 148-149: 1a, b and c. 3a and b.

There's also some work to hand in on Google classroom.

Have a good Easter break!!

PAST MODALS (DEDUCTION)

 

We can use modal verbs for deduction – guessing if something is true using the available information. The modal verb we choose shows how certain we are about the possibility. 

must have

We use must have + past participle when we feel sure about what happened.

Who told the newspapers about the prime minister's plans? It must have been someone close to him.
The thief must have had a key. The door was locked and nothing was broken.

might have / may have

We can use might have or may have + past participle when we think it's possible that something happened.


I think I might have left the air conditioning on. Please can you check?
Police think the suspect may have left the country using a fake passport.

May have is more formal than might have. Could have is also possible in this context but less common.

can't have / couldn't have

We use can't have and couldn't have + past participle when we think it's not possible that something happened.

She can't have driven there. Her car keys are still here.
I thought I saw Adnan this morning but it couldn't have been him – he's in Greece this week.

Revision

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/4g3-modals-deduction-exercise.php

PERFECT AND PASSIVE INFINITIVE AND THE -ING FORM

 

The perfect infinitive has the following structure: (to) have + past participle. For example: to have missed, to have written, to have worked, to have left etc. The perfect infinitive often refers to things that might have happened in the past:

You seem to have annoyed him

But perfect infinitive can also refer to something that will be completed at a point in the future:

We hope to have finished the car repair by the end of May.

A perfect infinitive is an infinitive in the form of “to have + past participle”. It is mainly used after some verbs to emphasize that something happened in the past.

She seems to be very optimistic.

She seems to have been very optimistic.

The perfect infinitive also appears in the passive voice:

He is supposed to have met the American president.

Mia is considered to have been the best manager of the company.

The perfect infinitive continuous is an infinitive in the form of “to have been + verb + ing”. It is used after some verbs to emphasize that something happened in a particular moment in the past.

He seems to have waited for a long time.

When I saw him, he seemed to have been waiting for somebody.

She pretended to have been reading, but in fact, she was listening to their conversation.

The passive infinitive is used in some constructions of the passive voice and is common after modal verbs. We use the passive infinitive when we want to focus on the receiver, or when we do not want to mention the agent (the person who does the action):

The carpet needs to be washed.

These doors should be shut at night.

He is going to be interviewed tomorrow.

The passive perfect infinitive form is used to talk about the past.

The corporation may have been sold last week.
We should have been told about the dangers.

The passive -ing form is used to express a continuous action.

I don’t like being cheated.
He remembers being given the 

A passive gerund is a verb with -ing ending in the passive voice. It may appear in one of two forms: present (e.g. being shown) and past (e.g. having been shown).

I remember being taken to the hospital.
I hate being spoken to as if I’m a child.

He showed no signs of having been warned.
The notice, having been written in small letters, was not clearly visible.

Revision

http://passivecausality.weebly.com/passive-infinitives-and-gerunds.html

http://passivecausality.weebly.com/personal-and-impersonal-constructions.html

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b2/gerunds-infinitives-complex-forms/

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b2/gerunds-infinitives-complex-forms/2/

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b2/gerunds-infinitives-complex-forms/3/

REVISION ON FOOD AND COOKING

 

If you want to work on the topic of food and cooking, watch the video and do these activities:

Vocabulary

https://www.highlevellistening.com/food-vocabulary-part-2/

https://speakspeak.com/english-grammar-exercises/advanced-vocabulary-exercises/food

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/vocabulary/3v12-cooking-vocabulary.php

Listening

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/audio-zone/a-special-restaurant

https://www.esl-lab.com/difficult/diet-plan/

https://www.esl-lab.com/difficult/hamburger-restaurant/

B2 WEEKLY REVISION (13th-17th March)

 

This week we've been working with unit 8B about the media. 

Homework:

P. 134-135: 5 a, b, c, d and e. 6 Watch the video and do a and b.

P. 136-137.

P. 144-145: 1a, b and c. 3 a, b, c.

Revision

Reporting verbs

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/reporting-verbs/

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/reporting-verbs/2/

https://english4real.com/practice/b2_g-reporting-verbs.html

https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/4g11-reporting-verbs-exercise.php

Listening

https://english4real.com/practice/b2_l-press-intrusion.html

https://www.esl-lab.com/difficult/free-phones/

https://www.esl-lab.com/difficult/cyberbullying/

VOCABULARY TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE

WORDS TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE

A very tall and thin man is a lanky man. 

Some people are skinny, with bony elbows. They're skin and bones.

A stocky man has a very short, strong-looking body.

A wiry man is thin but strong. 

A chubby person is a slightly fat person.

Professional models have a well-built body. Sometimes they’re skinny, with slender legs, slim hips and narrow waist and they look gorgeous.

Some men used to wear sideburns but didn’t wear beard, goatee or moustache.

People who swim are usually broad-shouldered and broad-chested.

My daughter wears a ponytail. 

Peter’s so skinny that’s got bony elbows. He’s skin and bones. 

A hunky man is a strong and attractive man. 

A petite woman is a small and slim woman. 

WORDS TO TALK ABOUT CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY

You look jolly. Have you had some good news? 

He is a moody person. He has moody swings. 

He’s bad-tempered / surly. You need to be careful with him because he can be very rude. He’s a bit off-hand with people.

She’s so conscientious / thorough that she always does her best in everything. 

Tom is so vain / conceited / boastful. He’s full of himself.

An arrogant person tends to think he’s better than other people. 

It’s easy to empathise with someone who has been through the same experience as you. 

She’s trustworthy / dependable and supportive. You can rely on her.

A mean / tight-fisted / stingy person is the one who never buys their friends a drink in a bar. 

A sly / cunning / crafty person is clever and good at deceiving people. 

A glum person the one who always feels unhappy. 

She always tries to be sensible / level-headed, showing good judgement. 

If you judge something unfairly because of your personal opinion, you are a biased / even-handed person. I don’t like grumpy people, who are always complaining about everything. 

You‘ve to be very careful with her because she’s very touchy. She’s easily offended or annoyed. 

My son’s a fussy eater, he only likes a few things. 

He’s a courageous person because he takes brave decisions. 

You can’t withhold anything to Mary. She’s quick-witted person. 

The children were constantly on the go when we lived in the country. 

I’m afraid that his girlfriend is a bit anti-social. 

she’s always thinking how to make other people happy. She’s a thoughtful person. 

A thoughtless / inconsiderate person doesn’t think about other people. They’re selfish / self-centred because they only think about themselves. 

An ambitious and single-minded person is the one who knows exactly what he / she wants to achieve in life and how to get there.

B2 WEEKLY SUMMARY (13th-17th February)

 This week we've finished unit 7A. For next week we'll be working on these pages:

P.114-115: Do 1e

P. 116-117: 3a, b, c and e. Pronunciation 4 and reading 5 a, b, c.

P. 118-119: 1a,b. part 2 a and b. part 3 a. 2 and 3 a, b, d and e.

Revision  (verbs often confused)

http://a4esl.org/q/j/dt/mc-confusedverbs.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/250.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/254.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/277.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/385.html

https://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/synonyms-exercise-seven

Listening

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening/b1-listening/difficult-situations

https://english4real.com/practice/b2_l2-participating-in-a-seminar.html

LESS VS. FEWER

 

Fewer and less can be confusing. Although both words are used as comparatives, they are used differently. 

FEWER

Fewer is used with countable nouns, things that can be counted or that normally have a plural such as friends, books, students..

Examples:

There are fewer customers theses days than last summer.

I should eat fewer candies.

There are fewer cookies in the box

LESS

Less is used with uncountable nouns, things that can't be counted or that don't normally have a plural such as money, bread, water...

Examples:

He has less money

There is less drinking water in the village because of the drought.

You should spend less time playing video games.

Less with numbers

Less is normally used with uncountable nouns and fewer with countable nouns. There are some exceptions; less can also be used with counting nouns that denote distance, amount, or time.

Examples:

Less than two weeks

Less than two miles.

Less than three kilos.

Revision activities

https://www.englishgrammar.org/less-and-fewer/

https://www.myenglishpages.com/english/grammar-exercise-fewer-less.php

ALLOW AND PERMIT

 

These verbs can be followed by either an –ing form or an infinitive. They are followed by –ing forms if there is no object. If there is an object, we use an infinitive.

I wouldn’t advise buying a used car. (NOT I wouldn’t advise to buy a used car.)

Here the –ing form is used because the verb advise has no object.

I wouldn’t advise you to buy a used car. (NOT I wouldn’t advise you buying a used car.)

The college doesn’t allow / permit smoking on the campus. (NOT The college doesn’t allow / permit to smoke on the campus.)

The college doesn’t allow / permit students to smoke on the campus. (Here the infinitive to smoke is used because the verbs allow / permit has an object.)

These structures can be changed into the passive. 

Buying a used car is not advised. (Here the –ing form becomes the subject of the passive verb.)

Smoking is not permitted on the campus. (Here again the –ing form becomes the subject of the passive verb.)

You are not advised to buy a used car.

Students are not allowed to smoke on the campus.

Revision activities

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b2/modal-verbs-permission-obligation-prohibition-necessity/

https://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_11.htm

SLANG TERMS

 

Do you know these slang terms?

Peng = someone who is good-looking
Bare = lots of or a large amount of
Fam = short for family or a close friend
Bruv = short for brother
Bait = when something is blatantly obvious
Calm = no problem

Fam, imagine if man said you couldn't use words like "peng", basically and "dem tings dere" in your classroom.

Didn't understand any of that? This might be because you were born in a different generation.

Just imagine if you were not allowed to use slang words that meant "beautiful" or "lots" when you were in school. That is the case for some students, who are being urged to ditch slang words in lessons in order to teach them how to use formal English.

In fact, some schools have even introduced anti-slang posters and stickers, grammar police badges and word jails, where slang is written on posters with jail images.

Does that mean that pupils studying there have to tell their classmates they look "jolly well splendid" rather than a "peng ting"?

However, a linguistics expert is warning that slang bans may actually cause more harm than good. "There's no incorrect or correct way of using language," says Ian Cushing, a lecturer in education at Brunel University London. He carried out a study by visiting schools and speaking to teachers in England over a year and found examples of slang being banned and policed in lessons. These included words such as "peng", "bare" or abbreviations such as "emosh" for emotional.

There were slang bans at about 20 of the schools he visited, which were mostly located in urban areas.

"Language is just one part of your identity - just the same way you wear your hair and clothes," said Dr Cushing. "Young people will police their own language - they don't need other people to police it for them, they understand the context of their situation, and know when to shift it accordingly. "Shakespeare is full of slang and we don't see teachers banning that - there's a hypocrisy here, which is rooted in cultural and linguistic snobbery."

The linguistics academic says slang is a natural way of speaking, and banning it may be a threat to a person's identity. It may also make students feel discriminated against and less motivated to take part in lessons. "Young people are typically the innovators of language change, so actually we should be celebrating that rather than banning it in the classroom," said Dr Cushing.

Francesca, a student at South Thames College, a further education college in Wandsworth, south-west London, says she is allowed to use slang in her lessons. But the idea of a slang ban on students does not appeal to her. "It's like taking away their voice in a way," says the business student, warning that young people might feel they were unable to "express themselves". "I think it will end up driving more students to not want to communicate. "I would probably end up getting in trouble for things that would slip out, not by purpose," she says, adding that a slang ban could stop students wanting to "interact" in the classroom.

Fellow student Tomas migrated to England five years ago and could not speak English. He started learning slang in secondary school and now uses it with his friends. "I think if slang was banned in primary or secondary, it would be understandable, because that's when children are growing and start listening to slang," he says. "On the one hand I think it should be banned, because it will help children and young adults to learn and be prepared for the working world. But banning it can also mean that the freedom of speech for some people can be affected."

Another student, Imran, says: "If my teacher told me that I cannot use slang words, I will feel a bit uncomfortable, mainly because it's not harming anybody. "Slang is something that I've grown up with and it's just something that I wouldn't be able to finish the sentence with, without using it. "There are cultures that use slang as a language, and if it's being stopped, they wouldn't be able to communicate with people the way they previously did when slang was involved."

Maybe using slang in school ain't that bad after all, innit? However, other people argue that a slang ban is indeed necessary.

Chris McGovern, chairman of Campaign for Real Education, says allowing slang is not doing any favours for underprivileged children. He says they are left in an "employment gutter" because of their "linguistic impoverishment". "Nurturing street slang is fine for linguistic acrobats such as Cambridge graduate Sacha Baron Cohen's alter ego, Ali G," he says. "It is much more difficult for that 20% of school leavers who, according to employers' organisations, are largely unemployable because of poor literacy. "In the UK today, around nine million adults are functionally illiterate, and many of them suffer under-employment, unemployment or destitution as a consequence."

Source: BBC News

WISHES AND REGRETS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS (revision)

WISH + SIMPLE PAST

It is used when the speaker wants reality to be different.

I wish I lived here .

I wish I went to London next summer.

WISH + WOULD

It is used to refer to general wishes for the future about others.

I wish the weather would change.

I wish my brother would come.


WISH + PAST PERFECT

It is used to express regret about past actions.

I wish I had studied harder to pass the exam.

He wishes he had learnt French to go to France.

IF ONLY

It is used with the same verbs as wish but we express stronger feelings.

If only I could visit my mother.

If only I had never left my house! If only he would call!

IT´S TIME+ S. PAST

It is used to talk about present/past but to express that the action should have been done before.

It´s time you went to bed, you have an exam tomorrow.

It´s time we went to the train station, it´s very late!

WOULD RATHER + S. PAST

It´s used to express preferences for the pres/future.

I´d rather you didn´t leave London.

I´d rather she didn´t drive tonight.

WOULD RATHER + PAST PERFECT

It is used to say what we wanted to happen in the past.

I´d rather you hadn´t left home, I miss you.

They´d rather you had studied.

WOULD RATHER + VERB

It is used to express our own preferences about ourselves.

I´d rather go to the cinema.

She´d rather eat a burger.