Show the Chucky bus stop prank video until 2:20, tell students to focus on the actions:
Have them report back the different actions they saw.
Powerpoint
Go through the powerpoint, it will take students through present participle clauses and perfect participle clauses.
Guess My Job Game
Cut out and give out the job cards on the hand out, tell students to keep them secret from the rest of the class.
Students have to imagine that they are the person on their card; they have been invited to the class to share their experiences with the other students and give advice using participle clauses.
Example: Explorer, Having traveled all over the world, I can say that there’s no place like home. Having learnt 6 different languages, I thoroughly recommend it because it has broadened my mind immensely.
Give students a couple of minutes to think of their sentences, they then read them to the rest of the class who have to guess what job card they were given.
“Having robbed a lot of banks, I have loads of money” “Are you a bank robber?” “Yes, I am!”
Homework
Set a film/book review task as participle clause can easily be used to describe narratives, encourage students to use at least 2 in their review.
“Seeing her sister nominated to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteered to take her place.”
“Having never seen a troll before, Bilbo was petrified.”
Before you use these materials… We’ve created a new podcast aimed at B2+ level English students and teachers alike. You can listen for free at our SoundCloud page below. We have released 5 episodes so far and you can download teacher’s notes to accompany them from our Facebook page or from this blog. All comments and feedback welcome! Give us a like and a share 😉
The new CAE writing part 1 is a formal essay based on a talk/lecture that the student has recently attended. There are always 3 bullet points that the lecture discussed, of which the candidate must only address two. There are also some quotes from other attendees/surveyed people that can be used. The final part of the task will include a question that the essay MUST answer.
Credit: Spotlight on Advanced – Cengage Learning and National Geographic.
Planning
Make enough copies of the 2nd page of the hand out for one between two. Cut the hand out up, give the slips of paper with the different planning steps to the students and have them put them in order. My suggested order is as follows:
Read task carefully. Underline most important parts; focus on the question that your essay MUST
Brainstorm ideas based on the 3 bullet points.
Choose the 2 bullet point you have the most ideas about.
Brainstorm ways to express your ideas and the quotes in the task using advanced grammar:
Inversions: Not only is/do…..but also… Rarely/seldom do people….
Double comparatives: The cheaper the…., the more popular…
Participle clauses: Being a keen shopper myself,… Having bought many products online,….
Advanced linkers: Despite the fact that…., ….. due to the fact that = because
Plan your introduction:
An interesting way to introduce the topic.
Formal questions that the essay will answer.
Plan your conclusion: Focus on answering the question you underlined in step 1.
Write
Reread carefully checking for:
Repetition of words/structures.
Contractions
Boring/informal vocabulary.
Also Furthermore/moreover. Because due/owing to the fact that. Although In spite of the fact that. However nonetheless/nevertheless.
Have you answered the question completely?
Have students complete step 1 in pairs:
Have students complete step 2 as a CAE speaking part 3 task. Draw a spider diagram on the board. In the middle write: What influences where/how people shop? On the 3 spokes write the three bullet points: Convenience, cost and enjoyment. Briefly recap some language for speaking tasks and have students discuss the topic for 3 minutes.
Hold a plenary session and board all the students ideas in note form. Then put them in pairs to complete the next step: Brainstorming impressive grammar structures to use.
When shopping online not only do you avoid paying parking fees, but also crowds of people.
Having shopped both online and in stores, I would say that….
Linkers activity
Give out 1 copy of the third page of the handout to each student and have them complete it in pairs.
Pimp my paragraph
Either hand out the paragraph upgrade sheet out or project it on to the board. Students must upgrade the language in the paragraph to make it more impressive and more formal.
Introduction Phrases:
I got these great phrases from another handout I found on the internet:
More and more families are choosing to have only one child.
The trend nowadays is towards having smaller families.
Over the past ten years or so the media have frequently carried reports of ……………
Recent research indicates that the number of teenagers who smoke is increasing.
Hardly a week goes by without another report of …………….. appearing in the media.
This raises the issue of whether ……………..
Although most people would generally agree that …………… few would deny that …………….
I hope you find these activities useful in developing your students’ writing abilities, I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism in the comments section.
Here’s a sentence completion worksheet with lots of common expressions and structures that come up in the CAE use of English paper. Use of English Revision Complete the sentences with 1 word:
I think of him _____ a father figure.
He’s my favourite uncle; I really look ____ to him.
Everyone thought it would be a complete disaster but it turned _____ fine.
Haha! Look at Tina, she has her jumper on back ___ _____.
There were _____ over 100 people there (much more than)
The company has run ______ trouble.
The project is 4 weeks _______schedule, the boss is not happy.
Everything is going according ____ plan.
He’s making quite a ______for himself in the acting world.
The police tried to prevent the protestors _____ entering the building.
I think James would _______ an excellent Dad.
There will be a show after dinner = Dinner will be ________ _____ a show.
____its height, this bar had 1000s of customers every night.
He has promised to ______ us _____ a tour of the old town in the morning.
The vandals _____ fire to the carpet and the curtains.
Less people are visiting the park = there has been a _______ in the number of people visiting the park.
He made a great _______ of money selling old cars.
We had to stop because a _______ of cows was crossing the road.
We had to walk a mile or _____ (approx.) before we found a house.
I was ____ the point ____ giving up when I found it.
As _____ as you eat all your vegetables you can have some ice-cream.
As _____ as we know there’s no life on Mars.
As _____ as you get the results, call me.
As _____ as computers are concerned, I’m no expert.
We are currently ____ the process of having our house done ____. (renovated)
Only when I got home ___ I realise she had been flirting with me.
I’d _______ not walk home alone if that’s ok.
I’d _______ not to walk home alone if that’s ok.
I’ve put a lot of time and effort ____ the project.
My dentist has told me to cut _____ ____ fruit juice.
I need a new TV, the old one takes ____ too much space.
A high sugar diet can _____ to diabetes.
A high fat diet can g_____ r______ t_____ obesity.
This report is based ____ a survey carried ____ by members of the school council.
My bicycle tires are completely worn ____, I need to get new ones.
I definitely take ______ my Mum, we’re almost identical.
Key:
as
up
out
to front
well
into
behind
to
name
from
make
followed by
at
take on
set
fall/drop
deal
herd
so
on of
long
far
soon
far
in up
did
rather
prefer
into
down on
up
lead
give rise to
on out
out
after
Here’s another version which includes some relative clauses:
My CAE students have a progress test next week so here’s their test on some of the grammar and vocab we’ve covered this year so far. Download the hand out and key here:
This is a lesson plan for higher levels (B2+) to teach verb patterns with reporting verbs using video and scripted roleplays. It will be especially useful for CAE students as these structures tend to come up in key word transformations quite often.
Write the verbs “accuse” and “deny” on the board. Then play the first minute of the following video:
Elicit the following sentences from students:
The Dad asked the boys who had got the paint out.
The older brother accused the younger brother of gettting/having got the paint out.
The younger brother denied getting/having got the paint out.
The older brother accused the younger brother of building stairs out of blocks.
Analyse the sentences and come up with the formula for the verbs accuse and deny:
accuse somebody of doing/having done something
deny doing/having done something
Ask students if they have ever been in a similar situation with a sibling or friend.
Have you ever been wrongfully accused of doing something?
Stage 2: 4 groups of reporting verbs
For this part you can either give out the handout on the 4 groups of reporting verb patterns. Or model the sentences on the board and have students dedicate a page in their vocab books for each group of verbs.
You’re going to need a lot of space on the board for this part. Divide the board into 4 quarters.
Write the following sentence, one at the top of each quarter:
I’ll come to the party. (say)
I’ll come to the party. (tell)
I will definitely help with the cleaning. (promise)
I didn’t steal the money. (deny)
Tell students to change the sentences to reported speech using the verb in brackets:
He said that he would come to the party.
He told me that he would come to the party.
He promised to help with the cleaning.
He denied stealing the money.
Tell students that these are the 4 groups of reporting verbs.
Group 3: Reporting actions: Promises requests etc.
He promisedto help with the cleaning.
Subject + reporting verb + infinitive with to
Common verbs of this type:
agree
ask
claim
demand
offer
promise
propose
refuse
threatentell (imperative)
He encouraged meto take maths instead of history.
Subject + reporting verb + DO + infinitive with to
Common verbs of this type
advise
ask
beg
convince
encourage
forbid
instruct
invite
order
persuade
remind
tell
urge
warn (not to)
Group 4: Reporting verbs with gerund.
He deniedstealing the money.
Subject + reporting verb + gerund
Common verbs of this type:
admit
deny
mention
propose
report
suggest
Verbs with prepositions and gerund:
Accuse sb of doing st
Confess to doing something
Apologise to sb about/for doing st
Blame sb for st
Complain to sb about st
Insist on doing st
Object to st/doing st
Advise ab against doing st
Stage 3: Controlled Practice
Have students complete the 10 sentences on the back of the handout.
Report the sentence using the verb in brackets
I want to see the manager! (demanded)
_________________________________________
Don’t leave the path, there are dangerous snakes. (warned)
_________________________________________
I will help you clean up after the party (promised)
_________________________________________
Don’t forget to feed the fish. (Reminded)
_________________________________________
No no no! I’m paying for dinner. (Insisted)
_________________________________________
Listen everyone! I’m moving to New York next week. (announced)
_________________________________________
You are not allowed to chew gum in class. (forbid)
_________________________________________
I will punch you if you call me that again. (threatened)
_________________________________________
I’m really sorry that I broke your favourite cup. (apologised)
_________________________________________
Stand up and put your hands on your head. (ordered)
________________________________________
Key
He demanded to see the manager. He demanded that he saw the manager.
She warned us not to leave the path. She warned (us) that there were dangerous snakes.
She promised to help clean up after the party. She promised (me) that she would help clean up.
He reminded me to feed the fish.
She insisted on paying for dinner. She insisted that she paid for dinner.
He announced that he was moving to New York the following week.
She forbid me to chew gum in class.
He threatened to punch me in the face if I called him that again.
She apologised for breaking my favourite cup.
He ordered me to stand up and put my hands on my head.
Stage 4: Scripted role-play
Split the class into groups of 2-3 and give out the role-play scenarios, give them a couple of minutes to read and rehearse and then have students come to the front of the class and act out the scenarios. Then the other groups have to write sentences using as many reporting verb patterns as they can based on what happened in the scenarios. Guide students and model sentences, encourage them to place them in the correct group.
Reported speech – Scripts
Scenario 1
A: Hi son, How’s it going?
B: Hi Dad. I’m going out.
A: Wait a minute, wait a minute. Have you done your homework?
B: Ahhh come on Dad, it’s Friday night.
A: I don’t care, have you done it or not?
B: No. But I promise I’ll do it tomorrow.
A: Ok, but if you don’t you’ll be grounded for a week.
B: Ok it’s a deal.
They shake hands.
Scenario 2
Sarah: Hi Fiona, how’s it going? Are you coming to the party tonight?
Fiona: No I don’t think so; I’m not in the mood and I have to work tomorrow.
Sarah: No you don’t! Tomorrow is a holiday, the shop is closed.
Fiona: Oh yeah! I’d completely forgotten. I’m still not sure.
Sarah: Oh come on, you’ve got to come! Tommy’s going to be there.
Fiona: Really? Hhhhmmmm well, ok go on then, I’ll come.
Scenario 3
Teacher: (to John) You stole €5 from the charity collection box!
John: Me??? It wasn’t me! How dare you accuse me! It was Sandra who stole the money. I saw her do it!
Sarah: Me? No way! He’s lying!
Teacher: I want to see what’s in your pockets right now!
They turn out their pockets. John’s pockets are full of money.
Teacher: Aha! What’s all this?
John: Ok, it was me. I admit it.
Sarah: I think it’s unfair that I was accused of this crime. I’m going to tell my parents.
Teacher: I’m terribly sorry Sarah, it was a misunderstanding.
Scenario 4
Anna and Natalie are having a party. The music is very loud. There is a knock at the door.
Anna: (opening the door) Yes? Who is it? What do you want?
Little old lady: It’s 3am, I can’t sleep please turn the music down.
Natalie: Turn it down? No way! We just graduated!
Little old lady: Oh please please please turn it down, I’m so tired.
Anna: Nope sorry, we’re not going to turn it down.
Little old lady: (angry) Well, if you don’t turn it down I’m going to call the police.
Natalie: Go ahead! You can come in and use my phone if you want.
Little old lady: oooo the cheek of it! That’s it! I’m going to call the police!
Reported Speech Script Key
Scenario 1
The Dad asked the son if he had done his homework.
The son admitted that he hadn’t done his homework.
The son admitted to not doing/having done his homework.
The son promised to do his homework the day after.
The Dad warned the son that if he didn’t do his homework he would be grounded for a week.
Scenario 2
Sarah asked Fiona if she was going to the party tonight.
Fiona replied that she didn’t think so. She said that she wasn’t in the mood and that she had to work the day after.
Sarah reminded Fiona that the day after was a holiday.
Sarah persuaded/convinced Fiona to come to the party by telling her Tommy would be there.
Scenario 3
The teacher accused John of stealing/having stolen the money.
John denied stealing the money and accused Sarah of stealing the money.
The teacher ordered them to turn out their pockets/demanded that they turned out their pockets.
John admitted to/confessed to stealing the money.
Sarah objected to being accused of stealing the money.
The teacher apologised for accusing Sarah of stealing the money.
Scenario 4
Anna asked who it was and what they wanted.
The old lady asked/urged them to turn the music down.
Natalie refused to turn the music down.
The old lady begged them to turn the music down.
Anna refused to turn the music down.
The little old lady threatened to call the police if they didn’t turn the music down.
Anna invited the old lady to use her phone.
The old lady announced that she was going to call the police.
Stage 4: Follow up activity, students write their own scripts.
Students come up with their own scenarios trying to use as many of the different verb patterns as possible. Other groups have to correctly guess the verb they were trying to express.
Before you use these materials… We’ve created a new podcast aimed at B2+ level English students and teachers alike. You can listen for free at our SoundCloud page below. You can download teacher’s notes to accompany them from our Facebook page or from this blog. All comments and feedback welcome! Give us a like and a share 😉 https://www.facebook.com/2tspodcast/
CAE Speaking Phrases
Here’s a phrase list for the CAE speaking exam. There are also some speech bubble powerpoints to drill the language in class, click on each phrase to make it disappear. Drill all the phrases repeatedly taking one out each time until the class can repeat all 5 expressions by heart.
Give students a few seconds to decide which food item completes the expression, then countdown from 3 to 0 on zero all the groups hold up the card they think completes the sentence (this way they can’t copy each other) award 1 point to each team that guesses correctly.
Award extra points for teams that can correctly define the expression.
Winning team is the one with the most points.
Then challenge students to write a story containing as many of the idioms as possible in 5 minutes.
Expressions:
A piece of cake – very easy
A couch potato – a lazy person who watches too much tv
The apple never falls far from the tree – like father/mother like son/daughter
To bring home the bacon – support a family financially
….is not my cup of tea – not my thing/something I like
Salt of the Earth – a genuine, charitable, down-to-earth person
As cool as a cucumber – very calm and relaxed
Spill the beans – reveal a secret/sensitive information
There’s no point crying over spilt milk – a problem has happened and there’s nothing you can do, so don’t worry
To butter somebody up – to compliment/treat someone nicely in order to get something
We use the short answers “So do I/Neither do I” to express agreement or something in common that we have with another person.
We use “So do I” to respond to positive sentences and “Neither do I” for negative sentences.
A: I love Spanish wine. B: So do I!
A: I don’t like fast food. B: Neither do I.
Auxiliary Verbs
The auxiliary verb we use depends on the sentence we are responding to.
Present Simple: DO
A: I love Spanish wine. B: So do I!
A: I don’t like fast food. B: Neither do I.
Past Simple: DID
A: I went to the cinema last weekend. B: So did I.
A: I didn’t like the film though. B: Neither did I.
Or if another auxiliary verb is present we repeat it.
A: I can run the hundred metres in under 11 seconds. B: So ______ I.
A: I wouldn’t like to go there at night. B: ________ _________ __________.
Write the short answer responses in the first person for the following sentences:
I’ve always wanted to visit Hong Kong. __________________________
I’m not a big fan of basketball. _______________________
I’d quite like to try to scuba diving. ___________________
I shouldn’t smoke so much. _____________________
I work in a bank. ______________________
I can’t stand karaoke. _________________
I had seen the film 3 times before. ____________________
I couldn’t believe my eyes! _________________________
We can also use this structure with a possessive pronoun (mine/his/hers etc.)
A: My husband works in finance. B: So does mine.
A: My children go to St. Peter’s school. B: So do mine.
Role-play the perfect date
You go on date with someone you met on tinder. First, complete the following sentences about yourself, and then read them to your date. You discover that you are a match made in heaven!
Student 1:
I’ve always dreamed of_____________________
I’m crazy about_______________________
I can’t bear____________________________
I’m petrified of ___________________________
I will never forget___________________________
I really should _____________________________
Tomorrow I have to_________________________
When I was I child I used to_______________________
When I was little I couldn’t________________________
I’ve been ______ing ________________ for___________________.
My ex was a_______________________
My sister ________________________________
Student 2:
I will always remember________________________
If I wasn’t so ___________________, I would_________________
I must remember to_______________________
I can’t_____________________________
My grandparents__________________________
I should_____________________________
I’d love to________________________
When I was a student I used to_________________________
If I could go back in time, I would______________________
Before last week I had never___________________________
I couldn’t live without ___________________________
I’m a huge fan of__________________________
Disagreeing – A date from hell
If we disagree or don’t share the same taste or opinion as the person we can talk to we can simply repeat the auxiliary verb in affirmative/negative:
A: I love Woody Allen films. B: I don’t.
A: I wouldn’t like to try sky-diving. B: I would. – Repeat the date role play but disagree with everything!
This is a handout for CAE exam students. It contains a selection of the collocations, expressions, phrasal verbs and grammatical structures that can come up in the exam.
Carry out (do/perform) tests/experiments/studies/orders.
End up – We ended up sleeping in a doorway.
Run out (none left) – We’ve run out of milk.
Run short/low on (not have much left) – we’re running short on milk.
Lead to (cause) – The accident led to huge traffic jams on the main road.
Meet up with (people) – We always meet up at the same café on Sunday afternoon.
Take up space/time – We threw our old sofa out because it took up too much space. I can’t do yoga anymore; it takes up too much of my time.
Stand out (be obviously different) – Alan is 185cm at 14 so he really stands out in his class.
Take after (a parent) (inherit their traits/characteristics) – Neil really takes after his Dad, their mannerisms are exactly the same.
Call for (require) – This job calls for a good head for numbers.
Meet with (encounter) problems/reactions – Joe’s plans for the company met with angry reactions from the employees.
To wear out (to be damaged with use/tired) – The two kids wear me out so much at the weekend. My tires are completely worn out; I need to buy new ones.
Put in (effort/time) – I put a lot of time and effort into the project.
Cut down on (consume less) – I’m going to cut down on cigarettes.
Collocations
A head for figures/numbers (talent)
On an annual/daily basis (every year/day)
An error of judgement
Loose clothes, a loose tooth, the animals got loose (escaped)
Run a business (manage)
A spot of rain, a spot for a picnic, To spot something (see)
Put something to use
Make use of something
Have a vast impact on st
A fall/drop/rise in the number of…
River bank
Sea shore
Clearly distinguishable
Come to light
Animal behaviour
Herds of dinosaurs/cows
Operate machinery
Operate on a person
Raw materials
Disposal of waste/waste disposal
The state of the environment
A pressing problem
Confront/face a problem/be confronted/faced with a problem
Life support systems
Set fire to st
A risk of fire
It soon became clear
Keep an area clear
Short space of time
parking space
release a film/CD/album
Release fumes into the atmosphere
A great deal of + uncountable noun (a lot of)
Snow-capped mountains
A point of interest
Pursue a hobby/leisure activity
A small/large sum of money
Expressions
A metre/day/etc. or so (approx.)
I think of him as a father figure
As much (noun) as possible
Upside-down
Back-to-front
Inside-out
Run into trouble (encounter problems)
Take somebody on a tour
… will be followed by…
It follows that (therefore/so)
Even the (superlative) bravest person would be scared.
Contrary to popular belief…
Behind/ahead of schedule
What do you make of this? (think about)
To make (quite) a name for oneself
I’d be grateful if you could…
This belongs to me
… is nowhere near…
… isn’t anywhere near…
… proved to be… (turned out)
Well over + number (there were well over 100 people at the event)
…is/are considered to be
… would make an excellent/terrible… (doctor/parent etc.)
It’s hard to believe that…
Prevent something from happening
At the height of his fame/success
In (his/its etc.) heyday
At its height (the height of its success/fame)
Common Key Word Transformation Expressions and Grammar
Would rather (not) do something (no to)
Would prefer (not) to do something
Deny + gerund – She denied having stolen/stealing the money
Accuse sb of + gerund
Spend time doing st
It took me (10 mins) to do ….
In spite of/Despite never having done st….
In spite of/Despite + noun
Get something done – I need to get my passport renewed
Were to + inf in conditionals. If I were to win the lottery, I would…
In the process of doing st – the house is in the process of being rebuilt
We wasted little time (in) starting the game.
There wasn’t a single… left.
Have great difficulty (in) doing st – he had great difficulty opening the box.
I can’t make it (come) to the meeting.
On no account/under no circumstances + should/must/to be – On no account should this door be opened. Under no circumstances am I to be disturbed.
As far as… Is concerned… is… – As far as computers are concerned, John is a real expert.
It was only when …. That …. – It was only when I arrived home that I realised I had been robbed.
Just about to do st
To be on the point of doing st – I was just about to open the door when the phone rang.
