Tag: ESL

Adjectives and opposites

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Find the opposites of the words on the left. Choose from the ones in the box on the right:
Ex. Adjectives and opposites (2)Tomorrow the answers will be available on Facebook: Free English Materials (Album: Quizzes’ answers)

Taken from Peter Watcyn-Jones (2000), Test Your Vocabulary 2, Edinburgh, Pearson Education Limited.

“To be in good hands” – English idiom

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To be in good hands

Example sentences from the web:

  • I know the children are in good hands when they visit my mother.
  • Your husband will soon be well again, he’s in good hands in this hospital.
  • I’ll look after Jamie while you go shopping. Don’t worry – he’ll be in good hands.

*A variation of this idiom is: TO BE IN SAFE HANDS.

Up – Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato – Learn English with songs

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Watch the video once, then try this game: Lyricstraining (You can choose between 4 different levels).

This is the lyrics:

I drew a broken heart
Right on your window pane
Waited for your reply
Here in the pouring rain
Just breathe against the glass
Leave me some kind of sign
I know the hurt won’t pass yeah
Just tell me it’s not the end of the line
Just tell me it’s not the end of the line

I never meant to break your heart
I won’t let this plane go down
I never meant to make you cry
I’ll do what it takes to make this fly
You gotta hold on
Hold on to what you’re feeling
That feeling is the best thing
The best thing alright
I’m gonna place my bet on us
I know this love is heading in the same direction
That’s up

You drew a question mark
But you know what I want
I wanna turn the clock yeah
Right back to where it was
So let’s a build a bridge yeah
From your side to mine
I’ll be the one to cross over
Just tell me it’s not the end of the line
Just tell me it’s not the end of the line

I never meant to break your heart
I won’t let this plane go down
I never meant to make you cry
I’ll do what it takes to make this fly
You gotta hold on
Hold on to what you’re feeling
That feeling is the best thing
The best thing alright
I’m gonna place my bet on us
I know this love is heading in the same direction
That’s up

Girl I know we could climb back to where we were then
Feel it here in my heart
Put my heart in your hand
Well I hope and I pray that you do understand
If you did all you have to say is
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
I’m waiting for you
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

I never meant to break your heart
I won’t let this plane go down
I never meant to make you cry
I’ll do what it takes to make this fly

You gotta hold on
Hold on to what you’re feeling
That feeling is the best thing
The best thing alright
I’m gonna place my bet on us
I know this love is heading in the same direction
That’s up

“Bogus” – What does it mean?

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Bogus

Example sentences from the web:

  • Some of the reviews on these sites are bogus, and even the real ones are written by people with an extreme experience to report – either an exceptionally good one or an outrageously bad one.
  • The address on that shipment turns out to be bogus —a rented mail drop.
  • It was just a bogus claim.

Quiz on past tenses

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Fill in the gaps with a verb from the box in the past simple, past perfect simple or past perfect continuous tenses. Use each verb once:

Quiz on past tenses

Tomorrow the answers will be available on Facebook: Free English Materials (Album: Quizzes’ answers).

Taken from Hopkins, D., Cullen, P. (2007), Grammar for IELTS, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 33.

Click here for an interactive version of this quiz: Quiz on past tenses.

“Stick to your guns” – English idiom

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To stick to your guns

Idiom 1-09 example

Example sentences from the web:

  • You must admire the way she sticks to her guns. She is not easy to persuade.
  • I’ll stick to my guns on this matter. I’m sure I’m right.
  • The people of the community stuck to their guns and marched in protests.

ORIGIN OF THIS IDIOM …

This expression originated at a time when guns were becoming the weapon of choice in warfare.
“Stick to your guns” was a command given to sailors manning the guns, on military boats. They were to stay at their posts even when the boat was being attacked by enemies.

Stick to your guns – Bon Jovi

So you want to be a cowboy
Well you know it’s more that just a ride
Guess you got to know the real thing
If you want to know the other side
Ain’t nobody riding shotgun
In this world tonight

And when you spit, you better mean it
You got to make ’em all believe it
If you’re gonna be the one

Stick to your guns
Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you, baby
You can go for the trigger
But only if you have to
Aim from the heart
Some will love and some will curse you, baby,
And you can go to war
But only if you have to
It’s only if you have to

So you want to be the big time
Some people have to drag you down
There’s no living in the backseat
If you’re gonna drive through town
And when you pray for independence
Boy, you better stand your ground

You got to give it all you got now
Or you might get shot down
Fight hard until the battle is won

Stick to your guns
Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you, baby, 
You can go for the trigger
But only if you have to
Aim from the heart
Some will love and some will curse you, baby,
And you can go to war
But only if you have to
But only if you have to

Solo

Well, you know that I been through it
I got the scars to prove it
Fight hard and the Battle is yours

Stick to your guns
Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you, baby
You can go for the trigger
But only if you have to
Aim from the heart
Some will love and some will curse you, baby,
And you can go to war
But only if you have to
It’s only if you have to

But stick to your guns

“To ascertain” – What does it mean?

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To ascertain

Thesaurus:

Ascertain - visual thesaurus

Image source

Example sentences from the web:

  • She hasn’t told the truth as far as anybody can pretty much ascertain for anything significant in years.
  • The level of local government debt nationwide is hard to ascertain.
  • He looked at the sky to ascertain that a half day’s light remained.

“My lips are sealed” – English idiom

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My lips are sealed

Example sentences from the web:

  • I’m not allowed to tell you about the party as my lips are sealed.
  • Don’t worry, Hanna. I won’t tell anyone your secret. My lips are sealed.
  • I’ve been there myself, so no judgments, and my lips are sealed.

Our Lips Are Sealed – The Go-Go’s (80’s song):

Can you hear them
They talk about us
Telling lies
Well, that’s no surprise

Can you see them
See right through them
They have no shield
No secrets to reveal

It doesn’t matter what they say
In the jealous games people play
Our lips are sealed

There’s a weapon
That we must use
In our defense
Silence reveals

When you look at them
Look right through them
That’s when they’ll disappear
That’s when we’ll be feared

It doesn’t matter what they say
In the jealous games people play
Our lips are sealed

Give no mind to what they say
It doesn’t matter anyway
Our lips are sealed

Hush, my darling
Don’t you cry
Quiet, angel
Forget their lies

Can you hear them
They talk about us
Telling lies
Well, that’s no surprise

Can you see them
See right through them
They have no shield
No secrets to reveal

It doesn’t matter what they say
In the jealous games people play
Our lips are sealed

Pay no mind to what they say
It doesn’t matter anyway
Our lips are sealed
Our lips are sealed
Our lips are sealed

iSLCollective

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iSLCollective (Internet Second Language Collective) is a website where you can find useful resources. You must register in order to download the handouts, but it’s for free. For example, this is a poster on daily activities:

My day

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This one is on action verbs:

action verbs

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This one is on Indirect/Reported Speech:

Reported speech1

Reported Speech 2

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On this website, you can also find this kind of printable handouts:

Worksheet on Past Simple vs Continuous Correct answers worksheet past simple vs continuous

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As you can see, there are grammar rules for a quick review, then exercises with answer keys.