This is a phrase sheet for my CAE students to help them with some nice informal expressions for the speaking assessment. The expressions are collected from various other worksheets but they idea was to have them all in one place for ease of studying. Download the sheet below.
Here’s a worksheet for CAE students to help them prepare for part 3 of the use of English paper. Download the worksheet and key below, I found the exercises on quizlet so full credit to evatrn for making the set. Use the quizlet set below to revise.
This is a conversation topic for adults and teenagers on the subject of crime and punishment. Students discuss how safe they feel in their city, discuss the attraction of crime films and decide the correct punishment for some heinous (and not so heinous) crimes. Download everything below:
This is a grammar activity designed for C1 students. Students learn how to express preference using “would rather” and “would sooner” then put them to use in a roleplay. Download the powerpoint, handout and key below:
Use the powerpoint to present the rules, it is designed in a test, teach, test structure. Make sure that students copy down the rules and several examples then have them complete the worksheet and finally put the structures to use in a fun role-play. Students will role play being a married couple having a very civilised argument. Once they have finished have them feedback in open class: “Can the marriage be saved? Or is it on the rocks?” My teenage CAE students found it absolutely hilarious and used the structures in very creative ways.
Handout
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets:
I would rather ____________ a light salad than a steak for dinner. (have)
I would rather he ________________his dirty cups all over the house. (not leave)
Venice was nice but I’d sooner __________________ to Paris. (go)
He’s quite antisocial he’d just as soon ____________ video games all weekend than go to a bar. (play)
I wanted to give the present to granny! I’d rather you _______________ for me to arrive before you gave it to her. (wait)
We had dinner outside but it was too cold. I’d much rather ______________ inside the restaurant. (eat)
Complete the key word transformations using 3-6 words.
My brother is always stealing my chocolate out of the fridge.
RATHER
I’d _______________________________________ my chocolate out of the fridge.
Why did you tell the boss I was leaving?
RATHER
I ____________________________________ the boss I was leaving.
I prefer visiting museums to lying around on the beach all day.
JUST
I ____________________________ than lie around on the beach all day.
The chocolates he gave me were ok but I wanted roses.
RATHER
I _____________________________ me roses instead of chocolates.
The art gallery was sooo boring; I wanted to go to the casino.
RATHER
I _______________________________ to the casino instead of that boring art gallery.
He would prefer to do anything instead of watching a football match.
SOONER
He ___________________________________ anything instead of watching a football match.
Role-play
Role-play the following scenario with your partner:
You are a married couple; you have been married for 23 years. You have just got back from a party at a friend’s house. At the party you both got drunk and did a lot of things to annoy your husband/wife. You are both also annoyed about some things that the other does or doesn’t do around the house. Have a civilised argument using as many “would rathers” and “would sooners” as you can.
This is a lesson plan for intermediate adult students in which they learn how to use “used to” and “would” to talk about past habits then use them to talk about their first jobs. Download the handout and key below:
I got my first job when I was 12 years old. I worked as a paperboy delivering newspapers to people in my village every morning. I used to get up very early and deliver the papers to half of the village while my friend Ben would deliver to the other half. I used to love seeing the empty streets of the village before anyone got up but I used to hate the job on rainy days. I would sometimes ride my bike to get the job done faster. Ben was luckier than me, sometimes if he couldn’t be bothered to do his paper round, his Dad would drive him around his route in his car!
What was his first job?
He had to deliver papers to the whole village T/F
What did he enjoy about his job?
What didn’t he like about his job?
He always did the job on foot T/F
Sometimes someone helped him do his job T/F
Language Focus
Underline all the uses of “used to” and “would” in the text. Both can be used to describe habits in the past.
Complete the rules below with “would” or “used to”:
__________________ can be used to describe past habitual actions, likes/dislikes, states and opinions that are not true now.
__________________ can only be used to describe past habitual actions NOT states and opinions.
Look at the text again, in which cases can we use either “used to” or “would” and which ones can we only use “used to”?
Complete the sentences below with “used to” or “used to + would”
I _____________ be really fat but I’ve lost a lot of weight.
When I was a child I ___________________ play football in the park for hours.
I _____________ hate olives but I love them now.
When I worked in the city centre I ___________________take the metro to work every day.
I ____________________ think that living alone was boring but I’ve changed my mind now.
When I was at primary school we __________________ go swimming every Monday afternoon and on the way home we __________________ stop to buy sweets and Coca-Cola I ________________ love Monday afternoons!
Note: We normally start a story about a past habit with “used to” and then use “would” to describe actions:
I used to work in advertising; I would travel all over the world meeting different clients. On Fridays we would take the day off and go to a casino or a bar.
Practice
Step 1: Write a short text (2-3 lines) about your first job. Include your responsibilities and some things you liked and disliked about it.
Step 2: Read your text to your partner. Then let them ask you some questions about your job:
For example: What did you use to wear? Were you a good employee? Etc.
Step 3: Change partner and tell them about your old job but this time try to do it from memory DON’T READ FROM THE PAPER.
Reflect
Who used to have the most different job to the one they do now?
Whose first job sounds the best/worst?
What are the most common first jobs in your country?
What age do you think people should get their first job?
How can we prepare young people for the stresses of the working world?
Key
Reading
He was a paperboy
False, his friend delivered to half the village
Seeing the empty streets in the morning
Doing the job on rainy days
False, he sometimes rode his bike
False, his friend Ben sometimes got his Dad to help him
Complete the rules below with “would” or “used to”:
Used to can be used to describe past habitual actions, likes/dislikes, states and opinions that are not true now.
Would can only be used to describe past habitual actions NOT states and opinions.
This is a vocabulary activity for adults intermediate students. Students will learn some vocabulary related to the world of work and put it to use in a discussion. Download the handout and teacher’s notes below:
How do people train for these jobs in your country?
Do you have any skills in these areas?
What are the advantages of these jobs compared to an office job?
Procedure
Give out the handout and have students complete the questions with one word from the box. Check their answers, students then ask and answer the questions in pairs or groups of three. Feed back in open class.
Students then try to name the different tradespeople then ask and answer the discussion questions.
Key
Wage (normally refers to hourly or weekly pay from a job)
This is phrase sheet for CAE students to help them tackle informal letters of recommendation, which sometimes come up in part 2 of the writing paper. Download the handout below:
A possible letter task in the CAE is an informal letter to a friend recommending (or not) a course/activity/holiday you have been on. Below is an example:
You have recently been on a two week adventure holiday in a foreign country. A good friend writes to you because they are thinking about booking a holiday with the same company. You should describe the highlights of the holiday and any problems you encountered and state if you would recommend the experience to your friend.
Informal greetings
Hello mate!
How’s it going?
What’re you up to nowadays?
Lovely to hear from you.
It’s been ages since we last saw each other.
I hope all’s well.
Mixing good with bad
In the task you have to tell your friend about both the positive and negative sides of the activity. What I don’t want you to do is write one paragraph of good points and one of bad because who writes a letter like that? I want you to mix the good with the bad.
Despite/In spite of + noun
Despite/In spite of + the fact that + clause
In spite of the dreadful weather (bad), we had a wonderful time. (good)
Despite the fact that it poured with rain all week (bad), we had a wonderful time. (good)
Although/Even though + clause
Apart from + noun + relative clause
Even though the instructor didn’t speak English (bad), we still managed to pick up the basics. (good)
Apart from the first day when it poured, we had clear blue skies every day.
Apart from the taxi driver who tried to rip us off, all the people were lovely.
2nd Conditionals
If you did decide to go, I could lend you…../I might come with you.
If I were you, I’d………..
If I were in your shoes, I’d………………
3rd Conditionals
It would have been better if there had been…………
I would have been better if I had/hadn’t………………
If I had/hadn’t……………., we could have………….
Not only
Not only did we ….(do 1 activity), but also …….(another activity)
Not only did we learn how to ……….., but also ……………
Not only did we see lions and elephants, but also giraffes and monkeys.
Phrasal verbs
To take up a hobby – to start doing a hobby
I have just taken up snowboarding.
To make up for – to compensate
The excellent food more than made up for the awful weather.
To pick up new skills – to acquire
I picked up some useful skills, such as……..
To get a lot out of something – to take benefit from something. (enjoyment, knowledge, etc.)
I got a lot out of the training sessions.
To catch up with someone – to share the latest news about your life with someone.
We should meet for a coffee and catch up.
To come across – to find unexpectedly (not people)
We were walking through the jungle when we came across some old ruined buildings.
To get on/along with someone – to like and be friendly with someone.
This is the lesson plan I designed for my DELTA vocabulary assignment. It is designed for B2 students. Students read online dating profiles and decide if the people are compatible and then learn compound adjectives and put them to use in a discussion. Download the students’ materials, powerpoint and lesson plans below:
9. Sts check which ones end in an extra syllable. Do first two as an example. Identify stressed syllable: First in second word. Fun and loving stressed.
10. Mumble drill first two. “Practice saying the first two to yourself quietly. Then say them to your partner.”
11. Controlled practice questions. In pairs, ask first question to your partner, they remember the compound. Example with strong pair (Aris and whoever)
12. New questions, new compounds. Do top up in OC:
· Opposite of dark-haired – light/fair-haired.
· Someone with dark skin – dark-skinned
· Someone with green eyes – green-eyed (jealous/envious)
Work with a partner, try to guess the compound. Do first one as an example. Ask to class. MAN-EATING CROCODILE
13. Practice: Discussion. What are your preferences for appearance? Do you like brown or blonde-haired men and women? “I like brown-eyed women because their eyes are very mysterious.”
14. Wrap-up/top-up. Look at boarded vocabulary. Work on pronunciation. Maybe do opposites etc: badly-paid, badly-educated. Dark/light-skinned etc.
15:05
15:15
15:18
15:23
15:28
15:37
15:42
15:45
15:55
16:00
Procedure
Stage
Time
Focus
Procedure
Aim
Pre-reading
5 mins
pairs
Sts discuss the typical information people put on dating profiles.
To engage students top-down knowledge of relationships and online dating
Reading
10 mins
Pairs
OC
Sts read Jon and Sally’s dating profiles. Then decide if the two are compatible in pairs.
Feed back in open class, T encourages discussion.
To introduce compound adjectives in context. To develop students receptive understanding of compounds
To check sts understanding of the text
Language Focus: Meaning
2 mins
5 mins
Pairs
OC
Sts underline all the compound adjectives in the two texts.
Sts match compound adjectives to their definitions on handout.
Task check across class and using powerpoint to confirm
To check sts ability to identify compound adjectives.
To develop sts understanding of the meaning of the target language.
Language Focus: Form
5 mins
Pairs
OC
Sts group compound adjectives based on their form
Task check using powerpoint.
To develop sts understanding of the different compound adjective patterns.
Language Focus: Pronunciation
2 mins
5 mins
Pairs
pairs
Sts contrast the “-ed” compounds that end with /ɪd/ with those that end /d/ and the stress patterns in the different forms.
T highlights rules on powerpoint:
· ends in “t” or “d” –ed = /id/ extra syllable
· others –ed = /d/
· noun is stressed in noun + present participle compounds (fun-loving)
Sts use phonemic script from handout to mumble drill target language individually then practice in pairs. T monitors and corrects.
To highlight different forms of pronouncing “-ed” endings and stress patterns in compound adjectives.
To practice the pronunciation of compounds.
Vocabulary practice
10 mins
Pairs
OC
Sts ask and answer first set of questions on handout which elicit the target language. T monitors, reactively helping with pron.
T tops up:
· Opposite of dark-haired – light/fair-haired.
· Someone with dark skin – dark-skinned
· Someone with green eyes – green-eyed (jealous/envious)
Sts answer 2nd set of questions to attempt to identify new compound adjectives by applying the rules of form they have just learned.
To consolidate meaning of target language, practice pronunciation and increase chances of retention.
To encourage autonomous application of the rules of compounding.
Personalised practice
10 mins
Pairs
OC
Sts discuss their hair and eye colour preferences in pairs. Then decide on the 2 best and worst personality characteristics for a partner.
T monitors and boards emergent language.
Feed back to open class looking for agreement/disagreement and discussion.
To encourage creative use of the target language and make sts process it at a deeper cognitive level.
Wrap-up/topping-up
5 mins
pairs
T draws students’ attention to boarded emergent language and tidies up doubts and pronunciation errors.
To exploit learning opportunities with emergent language.
Materials
Read Jon and Sally’s dating profiles below. Do you think they are compatible? Why? Why not?
Jon, 26 years old, Edinburgh.
I’m a hard-working medical student from Aberdeen in Scotland. I go to the gym four times a week so I’m quite well-built. I do a lot of voluntary work and I’m training to be a doctor.
Turn-ons
I’m crazy about blonde-haired, blue-eyed women, I find them really attractive. I like women who are open-minded because I love travelling and trying new experiences.
Turn-offs
I really don’t like selfish people, with some people it’s all “me, me, me” and I can’t stand that. Another big turn-off for me is narrow-minded people, there are so many wonderful places to visit and people to meet in the world and I can’t wait to get started.
Sally, 25 years old, York.
I’m a fun-loving advertising executive from York in northern England. My job is well-paid but quite stressful so I like to have a good time at the weekends. I also like to do sport and help out at the local children’s hospital once a month.
Turn-ons
I’m into dark-haired mysterious men, but the most important thing for me is that they are kind-hearted, adventurous and have a good sense of humour. I read a lot and like having a good debate so I’m looking for someone who is well-educated.
Turn-offs
The biggest turn-off for me is big-headed guys, I can’t bear people who think they are better than others. I also don’t like bad-tempered people, I’m an optimist and I always try to see things in a positive way.
Read the texts and underline all the compound adjectives you can find.
Language focus
Match the compound adjective (1-12) to its definition (A-L)
1. I’m a hard-working medical student.
A. Someone who often gets angry.
2. I’m crazy about blonde-haired, blue-eyed women.
B. Someone who is strong and has muscles.
3. I’m a fun-loving PhD student.
C. Someone who works hard.
4. I’m looking for someone who is well-educated.
D. Someone who is nice and generous.
5. I don’t like big-headed people.
E. Someone who has blonde hair. Someone who has blue eyes.
6. My job is well-paid but stressful.
F. Someone who likes to socialise and have a good time.
7. I also don’t like bad-tempered people.
G. An arrogant person who thinks they are better than others.
8. I go to the gym four times a week so I’m quite well-built.
H. Someone with brown or black hair.
9. The most important thing for me is that they are kind-hearted.
I. Someone who is open to different opinions and activities.
10. I’m into dark-haired mysterious men.
J. An intolerant person who doesn’t listen to other people’s opinions.
11. I like women who are open-minded because I love travelling.
K. Something you earn a good salary for.
12. Another big turn-off for me is narrow-minded people.
L. An intelligent person with a good education.
Form
Put the different compound adjectives in the correct box:
A. Adjective + noun + -ed
1. Narrow-minded
2. _________________________
3. _________________________
4. _________________________
5. _________________________
6. _________________________
7. _________________________
8. _________________________
B. Adverb + past participle
1. Well-built
2. __________________________
3. __________________________
C. Adjective/noun + …ing
1. _________________________
2. _________________________
Pronunciation
Look at the phonemic script of the compound adjectives:
In which adjective is the “-ed” pronounced as an extra syllable?
Which syllable is stressed in the compound adjectives?
Blue-eyed – | bluːˈaɪd |
Well-educated – | welˈedʒʊkeɪtɪd |
Blonde-haired – | blɒndˈheəd |
Big-headed – | bɪɡˈhedɪd |
What’s different about the stress in this one?
Fun-loving |ˈfʌnˈlʌvɪŋ |
Practice
Take turns to ask these questions to your partner to test your memory.
What do you call someone with blue eyes?
What do you call someone with blonde hair?
What do you call someone who has dark hair?
What do you call someone who has a good education?
What do you call a job with a good salary?
What do you call an arrogant person?
What do you call a person who is often angry?
What do you call someone who is open to new experiences and opinions?
What do you call someone who isn’t open to new experiences and opinions?
What do you call someone with muscles?
What do you call a nice, generous person?
What do you call someone who isn’t lazy?
What do you call an active, sociable person?
Use the different forms of compounding to make more compound adjectives to answer the questions.
What do you call a crocodile that eats men?
What do you call someone who writes with their left hand?
What do you call a job with a bad salary?
What do you call a child that behaves well?
What do you call someone who looks good?
Discussion
Discuss these questions with your partner using the compound adjectives.
Appearance
Do you prefer a specific hair or eye colour for a man/woman?
Do you find muscles attractive?
Personality and lifestyle
Is it important that your partner has a good salary? Why/why not?
What are the two best personality characteristics for a partner? Why?
This is a worksheet on expressions related to friendship for higher level learners. I designed it with CAE students in mind. Download the worksheet and key below:
Have students complete the worksheet in pairs and then personalise the expressions so that they are true for them.
BFFs!
Match the expressions on the left with the simple definition on the right.
1. My best friend and I have been through thick and thin together.
2. My best friend is such a good laugh.
3. My best friend and I are like brothers/sisters from another mother.
4. I can always turn to my friend for advice or help.
5. My best friend always stands up for me in an argument or fight.
6. I know that my best friend has got my back if there’s any trouble.
7. If I tell my friend a secret, I know that their lips are sealed. They would never spill the beans.
8. My best friend is definitely not a fair-weather friend.
9. My best friend and I are lifelong friends.
10. My best friend from primary school and I have drifted apart.
11. My best friend and I are joined at the hip.
12. I often crash at my friend’s house at the weekend.
a. My best friend isn’t a person who is only around for the good times.
b. My best friend from primary and I have slowly lost contact.
c. My best friend is very trustworthy and good at keeping secrets.
d. My best friend and I spend almost all our time together.
e. My best friend is very funny.
f. I often sleep over at my friend’s house.
g. My best friend and I have experienced both good and bad times together.
h. I know my best friend will defend me if anything bad happens.
i. My best friend always defends me in a fight or argument.
j. My best friend and I are very similar.
k. If I have a problem, I can always talk about it with my friend.
l. My best friend and I have been friends for a very long time.
Complete the sentences
Try to complete the sentences from memory
I won’t tell anyone, my lips ________ _________.
You’re such a ________________, as soon as there are any problems you disappear!
I always see those two together, they’re practically joined _____ ______ _______.
Jenifer spilt ______ ________ to everyone at the party about Sarah and Johnny.
Don’t worry, if they start a fight I’ve _____ ______ ______. I’ll definitely stand _____ _____ ______.
Freddy was there for me when my dog died but also when I got my dream job, we’ve been __________ ______________ ____________ _______________ _____________.
I don’t know what happened, we were best friends at uni but I guess we just _________ __________.
It’s getting late and I can’t be bothered to walk home can I ___________ _________ yours tonight?
I always have so much fun with Tony, he’s such a __________ __________.
We’re so similar it’s ridiculous we’re like _________ ____________ ___________ _______________.
Describe a close friend to your partner using as many expressions as you can.
