Month: February 2016

Past simple vs past continuous

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Past simple vs past continuous..jpg

Fill in the gaps with the past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets

  1. I ______________ (walk) home when I ______________ (meet) Maria.

  2. John __________________ (wait) for me when I ________________ (arrive).

  3. I haven’t seen Andrew for ages. When I last _________________ (see) him, he ___________________ (try) to find a job in Dublin.

  4. He _________________ (read) the newspaper when the phone _______________ (ring).

  5. I _________________ (make) a sandwich when Mike _______________ (arrive).

  6. We ________________ (not go) out because it ________________ (rain).

  7. When I was young, I _____________ (want) to be a doctor.

  8. He usually wears sandals but when I last ______________ (see) him he _________________ (wear) boots.

  9. My brother ______________ (see) you in the park two days ago. You__________________ (play) football with Stuart.

  10. While I _________________ (work) in the garden, I _________________ (hurt) my back.

 

Correct answers:

1) was walking; met.
2) was waiting; arrived.
3) saw; was trying.
4) was reading; rang.
5) was making; arrived.
6) didn’t go; was raining.
7) wanted.
8) saw; was wearing.
9) saw; were playing.
10) was working; hurt.

Downloadable PDF – past simple or past continuous – quiz with answers

 

 

“Smart” – What does it mean?

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smart meaning - English Vocabulary.jpg

Visual thesaurus of this term (source):

smart - visual thesaurus

More example sentences from the web:

  • John is smart enough to get A’s in this class.

  • You’ re very smart but you don’t get certain things.

  • We know you can be useful to us, a smart kid like you.

*Notice that SMART means STYLISH, FASHIONABLE.

Ex. Now we will dress smart and we will eat together on the terrace of the hotel.

 

“Love is blind” – English proverb

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St. Valentine’s Day is approaching, for this reason, I decided to tell you about this proverb:

love is blind

 

I think this saying is common all around the world, but what is less known is that a research study was conducted to find out if the blindness of love was just a figurative matter. In 2004, a group of researchers of  UCL (University College London) found that feelings of love suppressed the activity of the areas of the brain that control critical thought. So guys … be careful with love be careful with love !

What’s the origin of this proverb?

This saying was first found approximatively in 1405, in Chaucer’s Merchant’s Tale:

For loue is blynd alday and may nat see.

At that time, it didn’t become a popular expression. Only later on, Shakespeare decided to use it in several of his plays making it famous and popular all around the world.

Two Gentlemen of Verona:

SPEED: Because Love is blind. O, that you had mine eyes;
or your own eyes had the lights they were wont to
have when you chid at Sir Proteus for going ungartered!
(2.1.67-69).

 

Past simple – quiz

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Fill in the gaps with the past simple form of the verbs in brackets:

1. You and Sally _________ not a school yesterday. (to be)
2. Uncle Conrad_________ to catch his bus. (to hurry)
3. Two doctors _________ into the room. (to rush)
4. I ________ Jesse in the park. (to meet)
5. Mozart ________ more than 600 pieces of music. (to write)
6. I __________ to the cinema two times last week. (to go)
7. When did Mr Black _______? (to die)
8. She _________ happy. (to feel)
9. He _________ his hair yesterday. (to cut)
10. Brenda __________ 20 books last year. (to read)
11. Our neighbour _________ his door open by accident. (to leave)
12. My boyfriend __________ back from the war last month. (to come)
13. Our horses __________ a lot yesterday. (to eat)
14. I __________ to lock the door.(to forget)
15. The queen __________ for her servant. (to ring)

I suggest that you take a look at this post if you need to review this topic ;-): irregular verbs.

These are the correct answers:

1. hurried, 2. rushed, 3. met, 4. wrote, 5. went, 6. die, 7. felt, 8. cut, 9. read, 10. left, 11. came, 12. ate, 13. forgot, 14. rang

Downloadable PDF: Quiz on past simple (without answers)

Downloadable PDF: Quiz on past simple (with answers)

 

 

What is the Zika Virus? – vocabulary, video, and exercises with answers.

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I suggest that you read this list of words you may not know before watching the video.

VOCABULARY

To spread : to become larger or to affect a large area.
Ex. The fire spread through the six-storey building via the single staircase which acted as a chimney.

To detect : to discover or ascertain the existence.
Ex. Irregularities were detected on seven of the websites.

To break out : if something dangerous or unpleasant breaks out, it suddenly starts.
Ex. War broke out in 1914.

To transmit : to give or pass from one person to another; to cause (a virus, disease, etc.) to be given to.
Ex. Hepatitis C is a life-threatening viral disease transmitted primarily by blood contact.

To link : to make a connection between two or more things, ideas or people.

Paralysis : a condition in which you can’t move or feel al or part of your body.

Spike : a very high level.

Outbreak : a sudden increase, rise.

Mild : not strong in action or effect.

Vaccine : a substance injected into a person or animal to protect against a particular disease.

Downloadable PDF: What is the Zika Virus – vocabulary

Answer the following questions:

  1. How many people could be affected by Zika virus this year?

  2. Where was it discovered and when?

  3. Where did it break out in 2015?

  4. How is this virus transmitted?

  5. What are some of the effects of Zika virus?

  6. Is there a treatment for this virus?

  7. When could be ready a vaccine against Zika virus?

Fill in the gaps with the correct word from the box.

fill in the gaps

 

  1. Zika virus could _________ tofour million people this year.

  2. It was ____________ in Uganda in the 1940’s.

  3. It ______________ in the Americas and the Caribbean in 2015.

  4. Zika is _______________ through a particular species of mosquito that ______________ mostly in tropical regions.

  5. Zika has been _______________ to paralysis and birth defects.

  6. Officials are now _____________ pregnant women not to travel to places where there is an active Zika ___________.

  7. Officials say finding a vaccine could _____________ to a decade.

Downoadable PDF: What is the Zika Virus – exercises

Downloadable PDF: What is the Zika Virus – correct answers