That's English! - Module 8 - Unit 1: Lifelong learning

This is an issue in fashion as many people think that you learn along your life and not only when you were at school. This is connected to the ability of learning at any age, of changing your career or  adapting yourself to changes or even that's a way of taking advantage of changes. It is also related to how to impove your free time by learning things you like.

As usual, let's start with general questions. Here you are some to work with your partner:

• What does lifelong learning mean for you? Is this course an example for you? Why are you doing this course?
• Have you tried to learn some other things such as knitting, playing an instrument or so on?
• If you could go back to college, what would you like to study? Give reasons for your answer
• Have you ever had to learn something when you were an adult such as driving, using a computer or a mobile, and so on? Tell us your experience.
• Have you ever tried to take up a sport or to do an activity? How did you feel?
• If you had the time and the chance to learn something, what would it be? Why?

Activity 1

Imagine you are a new student and you want to enrol a course of English. Ask questions to your partner who works at the registration office about:

• what kind of course you need
• what skills to improve
• ask details about when, where, how many hours, how much it costs ...
• ask for other extra activities

    Now swap roles with your partner, but now you are in a community centre and you want to join a course of              painting/tennis/History lessons... Use the previous chart to do the activity.

Activity 2

This exercise is a revision of conditional sentences. The game is very simple: one starts with a conditional sentece and the other student has to chain another sentence with part of yours, like in the example:

     A: If I have enough money I'm going to buy a new car

     B: If you want to buy a new car, you'll need a lot of money

     C: If you need money, you should ask for a loan

     A: If I ask for a loan I'll have to pay it back and that means more money

     B: If you don't ask for a loan, you may borrow the money from your parents

     C: But if your parents can't lend you the money, you won't be able to buy a new car

Then do the same with second (hypothetical or improbable conditional) and third (imposible conditional, complaints and regrets) types of conditional sentences.

Activity 3
We should start to prepare our final exam, the one offered by Comunidad de Madrid. I firmly recommend doing the samples which are on the internet. They are in the links of this blog but here is the page you need: click here

Activity 4
Do you think education and learning are necessary? In what ways? How did you start your career? Do you regret your choice?
Here is a listening exercise about learning: click here
This is a listening comprehention about education at university: click here

Activity 5
As I've told you above, this topic is really "trendy" nowadays. I've found some videos about lifelong learning; some are a bit "technical", but you may have a look if you fancy or you're interested in this:

• video 1 (the one we saw in class)   video 2    video 3    video 4

Next classes we'll start to prepare this oral exam in class. We'll also work with written and oral mediation in order to prepare the official exam for B1. Hope to see you in class!

B2.1 - Conditional sentences

In lessong 4B we deal with conditionals. In class we saw all the types and we insist on using the name rather than the number of conditional:

• zero or general conditional: if you have a problem you call an expert
• first or probable/possible conditional: if you have a problem, will you call me?
• second or improbable/hypothetical conditional: if you had a problem, you could call me
• third or impossible conditional (a regret or complaint about past events): if you had had a problem, you should have called me so you didn't have it.

If you want a good summary, you should visit this blog: click here

Here you are some exercises to practise with the connectors:

• exercise 1 (if/unless/as long as)   exercise 2 (if/unless)    exercise 3 (with in case)  exercise 4
• exercise 5 (a list of exercises)

Apart from IF, WHETHER and UNLESS, there are some other connectors such as AS LONG AS, PROVIDING, PROVIDED THAT, SUPPOSING etc. If you want to know a bit more about these connectors, you should use this link and you can practise with these exercises:

• exercise 1      exercise 2     exercise 3

Hope it helps!

NI1 - Units 8B and 9A: 1st and 2nd type of conditionals

Although most of you have learnt conditional sentences as zero conditional, 1st, 2nd and 3rd type, I'd rather give them a "name" which helps them to be identified more easily:

• general truth 
• probable or possible conditional
• improbable  or hypothetical conditional
• impossible conditional

If you want a good explanation about all types of conditional you have this link, but we are going to work with the first 3 types:

TYPE	MEANING	IF-CLAUSE	MAIN CLAUSE
TYPE 0	General truth; it always happens. You can use WHEN instead of IF	Present If you heat some ice	present it melts
TYPE 1	Very probable. When the condition occurs, there will be a reaction.	Present If you have a problem,	future – present – imperative I'll help you the teacher can help you call me, please
TYPE 2	Improbable but still possible to happen. The possibility is more uncertain. There is a special use with WERE	Past simple If you had a problem *If I were you	Simple conditional I could help you the teacher would help you I wouldn't go out today

Here you are some exercises if you want to practise with this grammar point:

• a link with all the types, but you can choose what you want to do: click here
• another link with many exercises: click here
• this is a useful presentation about the use of conditionals: click here
• if you prefer a video, click here
• if you like music, here you have a video with examples of songs which use conditionals
• this video is with songs and grammar expalantions as well: click here

But the best way is to practise by speaking and using them in your daily life, especially some expressions such as:

• If I were you, I wouldn't do it
• What would you change if you could?
• I'd love to do it if I could
• If you need further information, please let me know
• Don't worry; I'll do it (if I can)

NA2 - Working with conditionals

This lesson 6B deals with conditionals. To have some more information here you are some links to help you to revise this grammar point:

• a chart with all the conditional types: click here
• other expressions used in conditional sentences: click here
• practice: exercise 1 ( a list of exercises)   exercises 2    exercise 3    exercise 4

About pronunciation, here you are a video which shows you how to pronoun the third type conditional.; click here

To finish with, here you are the three songs heard in class are:

• What if by Kate Winslet
• If I were a rich man
• If I were a boy by Beyonce

Conditionals in songs

Conditional sentences are very dificult to be used so why don't you try to do it funnier using music? Here you have some examples as a karaoke but once you can understand it go to the official (or without lyrics) and try to recognise the words again:

·        What if – Coldplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbACFMBufhk 2nd type+could

·        What if – Ashly Tisdale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKFvxxrN08&feature=fvwrel conditionals (1^st-2^nd)

·        What if - Kate Winslet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsMo8UuB8XQ 2nd type conditional

Once you’ve tried a couple of times these versions with lyrics, try the official video without words, like the official one of the actress Kate Winslet and you’ll see how well you can understand the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=_vId_4r925o

Here you have a similar chart to the one I wrote on the board (from this site on the internet:http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/if.htm) :

type	if clause	main clause
0-general conditional I-possible conditional	Simple Present	will-future (or Modal + infinitive) or present
II- improbable or hypothetical conditional	Simple Past	would + infinitive * (simple conditional)
III- impossible conditional (regrets)	Past Perfect	would + have + past participle * (perfect conditional)

If you want to practise with conditionals, here you have some explanations with exercises to do:

exercise 1      exercise 2        exercise 3
These exercises are a bit funnier; go to this link for first conditional and here for second conditional