Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 14: The Simple Present and The Present Progressive
Hi everyone!
In today’s lesson we will study the present simple and the present progressive tenses. These are very simple. But many students make a mistake and use the wrong one! So we will make sure you know which one to use.
1. The Present Simple
This describes:
- A fact.
“I work for a bank.”
“She is a student.”
“France is in Europe.”
“The dog is on the sofa.”
She is a nurse.
- A sequence of events in the present.
“I go to work at 8 o’clock, have lunch at 1 o’clock and go home at 5 o’clock.”
“She makes dinner for her kids and then washes the dinner.”
“The sun goes down and it gets dark.”
To make the present simple:
Subject + Verb infinitive
“I play football on Saturdays.”
“We have lunch at 12:30pm.”
(For he/she/it): Subject + Verb infinitive-s/es
“He needs a new jacket.”
“She watches a movie every Friday evening.”
2. The Present Progressive
This describes:
- Something happening right now.
”We are waiting for a phone call.”
“I am eating a sandwich.”
“The players are getting ready for the game.”
- A plan for the future.
“He’s going to Africa next year.”
“I’m playing football on Saturday.”
“We are leaving soon.”
He is reading a book.
To make the present progressive:
Subject + to be Verb + Verb-ing
I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They + am/are/is + eating/reading/going
“I am going to France tomorrow.”
“She’s running a marathon.”
“They are coming over later.”
Now try the quiz!
The Present Simple and Present Progressive Quiz
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Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 13: The Future Simple and the Future Perfect
Hey everyone!
In today’s intermediate lesson, we are going to look two different ways of using the future tense.
We will learn:
1. The Future Simple
2. The Future Perfect
Let’s start.
1. The Future Simple
This describes:
- Something the speaker thinks/knows will happen
“It will rain later.”
“He’ll be here at 6 o’clock.”
“We won’t need any money today.”
“Sunset will be at 6:55pm.”
"It will be a beautiful day today."
- A sudden decision
“I’ll call the police!”
“I’ll go and get Dad.”
To make the future simple:
Subject + will(shall) + verb infinitive
I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They + will(shall) + watch/eat/go/play/etc.
“You will need an umbrella today.”
Shall is more formal.
“I shall describe it to you.”
To make the negative future simple, use “will not” or “won’t“.
“She will not tell me why she’s sad.”
“We won’t need a car in London.”
To be more formal, use “shall not” or “shan’t“.
“I shall be requiring your help later.”
“We shan’t be returning to this restaurant!”
2. The Future Perfect
This describes:
- Something that will have finished by a certain time in the future.
“I will have found out my exam result by tomorrow.”
“We’ll have arrived in Australia by Thursday.”
“She’ll have finished school in a week.”
- Speculation about something the speaker thinks has probably happened.
“You can’t find your book? You will have left it at school.”(You have probably left your book at school)
“He will have eaten that steak.”(He probably ate that steak)
"She will have had a baby in a month."
To make the future perfect:
Subject + will(shall) + have + verb past participle
I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They + will(shall) + have + eaten/gone/studied/thrown/etc.
“They will have finished their meal.”
“We’ll have run out of money by Wednesday.”
To be more formal, use “shall have“.
“I shall have paid you in a week.”
To make the negative future perfect, use “will not have” or “won’t have“.
“They will not have eaten all the bread by tomorrow.”
“He won’t have finished reading that book in a month!”
To be more formal, use “shall not have” or “shan’t have“.
“You shall not have finished.”
“We shan’t have sold all of the flowers.”
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Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 12: The Simple Past and the Past Progressive
Hey guys!
Today we will look at some ways of using the past tense in English.
There are many ways to talk about the past in English. It can be confusing for English learners to know which form of the past tense to use.
Today we will explore two different forms of the past tense:
- the simple past
- the past progressive
Let’s begin!
1. The Simple Past
We use this to describe:
- An action or actions in the past
“I had an orange for breakfast.”
“I saw my brother at the supermarket.”
“They cleaned the cars.”
The woman smiled.
- Actions that happened in a sequence
“I watched the movie and then walked home.”
“She bought the groceries and carried them to her car.”
“You gave him the letter and then left?”
- Actions that happened in the middle of other actions
“I was relaxing on the sofa when she came home.”
“The kids were playing tennis when the rain started.”
“The burglar stole their TV while they were sleeping.”
To make the simple past, use the past tense (e.g. spoke, ate) and not the past participle (e.g. spoken, eaten).
“I watched him walk away.”
To make the negative simple past, use did not + infinitive.
“He did not study for the exam.”
“I did not know the news.”
To make the negative simple past in spoken English, you should use “didn’t”.
“We didn’t have time to visit you.”
The man was walking along when his phone rang.
2. The Past Progressive
Use this to describe:
- An action that was happening in the past
“I was listening to the radio.”
“She was describing her holiday.”
“We were waiting for two hours.”
- Two or more actions that were happening at the same time
“He was watching TV while she was washing the dishes.”
“The boys were waiting at the beach but the girls were waiting at the mall.”
“The students were studying but the teachers were drinking coffee and talking.”
- A past action that gets interrupted by a different action or event
“I was sleeping until the phone rang.”
“He was driving home when the car skidded.”
“She was sitting quietly when the man entered the room.”
To make the past progressive, use the past tense of “to be” and the continuous form of a verb.
Subject (I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They) + to be past form (was/were) + continuous form of verb (verb-ing)
“He was eating sushi.”
“We were playing golf.”
“I was expecting a phone call.”
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Pictures from Kyoto, Japan
Hey guys!
Here are some pictures I took when I visited Kyoto in Japan.
Kyoto is a famous, historic city with so many beautiful and interesting things for visitors to see. It has a population of 1.5 million people and was once the capital city of Japan.
I had a wonderful time in Kyoto, although it was very very hot! I was very tired every day because of the weather.
If you like the pictures, please share this page on Facebook! See you next time!
Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera
Traditional artwork.
Girl wearing a traditional Japanese kimono.
A metro train in Kyoto.
View of Kyoto city from Kiyomizu-dera.
Couple wearing traditional Japanese clothes.
Japanese girl at Kiyomizu-dera.
Traditional parasols in the Higashiyama District.
Ryōzen Kannon in Kyoto. Made with 500 tons of concrete and opened in 1955 as a memorial to the soldiers who died in World War II,
Ryōzen Kannon in Kyoto.
Motorbike numberplate in Kyoto.
Shopping street in traditional Higashiyama District.
Fountain at Kiyomizu-dera.
Statue of samurai Nakaoka Shintaro in Maruyama Park, Kyoto.
Duck in Maruyama Park, Kyoto
Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto.
Wooden prayer boards, Kyoto.
Information about cat cafe in Kyoto. You can pay to spend time with cats in the cafe whilst enjoying coffee and cake!
Games arcade in Kyoto.
Night view of Kamo River in Kyoto.
Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto.
Dragon shrine fountain, Kyoto.
Buddhist girl, Kyoto.
Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto.
Jazz club, downtown Kyoto.
High street, Kyoto.
Traditional lanterns, Kyoto.
Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, Kyoto.
Motorcyclist near Kyoto Castle.
Man in traditional Japanese dress at Kyoto Castle.
Kitty Wars (Hello Kitty/Star Wars) T-shirt for sale in Kyoto.
Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Interior of Kyoto Train Station.
Advanced Season 1, Lesson 5: An Inspirational Speech
Hey guys,
Today’s lesson is a video lesson. We will start by watching a video. We will then read the text of the video. Then we will watch the video once more. Finally, we will answer some questions about the video.
Let’s start!
1. Please watch the following movie:
2. Now, please read the movie text below.
I’m sorry. But I don’t want to be an emperor. It’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible. Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others’ happiness, not by each others’ misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. This world has room for everyone and the good Earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls; has barricaded the world with hate. Has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.
We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities life would be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men. Cries out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world. Millions of despairing men, women and little children. Victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. For those who can hear me I say “Do not despair!” The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass and dictators die. And the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
Soldiers, don’t give yourselves to brutes! Men who despise you, enslave you; who regiment your lives; tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle! Use you as cannon fodder! Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men! With machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don’t hate, only the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers, don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written “The Kingdom of God is within man. Not one man nor a group of men. But in all men! In you! You, the people have the power. The power to create machines. The power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful. To make this life a wonderful adventure. Then, in the name of democracy let us use that power. Let us all unite! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world, that will give men a chance to work, give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things brutes have risen to power. But they lie, they do not fulfil their promises. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that promise, let us fight to free the world. To do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
3. Now, please watch the movie one more time:
4. Now please take the test. Please click “Start” to begin.
"An Inspirational Speech" Quiz
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What’s your score?
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Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 11: Shut the Door!
Hello English learners!
In today’s intermediate lesson, we will practice using “a/an” and “the”. We will also use the imperative of a verb.
Articles A/An and The
A/An: For unspecified things. (We don’t know which one). Use “An” for words beginning with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u sounds). Use “A” for words beginning with other sounds.
For example:
1. Can I have a sandwich please?
2. I saw an ostrich.
3. There’s a TV show about Africa.
The: For specified things. (We know which one). Or there is only one of something.
For example:
1. Isn’t the moon beautiful tonight?
2. The dog is on the sofa.
3. Prince William’s grandmother is the Queen.
Imperative Verbs
Imperative verbs are used to tell someone to do something.
The imperative form is the same as the infinitive, without “to“.
For example:
infinitive: to eat; imperative: eat
infinitive: to watch; imperative: watch
infinitive: to study; imperative: study
Example sentences:
1. Give me that book please.
2. Put the groceries away!
3. Paint the fence tomorrow.
4. Tell me your name.
5. Be quiet!
6. Stop shouting!
Now let’s practise.
Please click “Start”.
"Shut the Door!" Quiz
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What was your score? I hope this lesson was useful.
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Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 10: The Day of Seven Billion!
Hey everyone!
Welcome to today’s intermediate lesson! This is a reading lesson. Please read the text. At the end of the lesson there is a quiz, so you can check your understanding. Enjoy!
Here is the text:
The Day of Seven Billion
Have you heard of “The Day of Seven Billion”? This was the day that the world’s population reached seven billion. Seven billion people! That’s incredible. Seven billion is seven thousand million. Or 7,000,000,000. What an incredible number of humans.
The Day of Seven Billion was October 31st, 2011. Of course, it’s impossible to count every human in the world. But that was the symbolic day that was chosen by the United Nations.
Where do all the people live?
Here are the population totals of each continent:
Africa: 1,020,000,000 (one billion, twenty million)
Asia: 3,880,000,000 (three billion, eight hundred and eighty million)
Australasia: 33,000,000 (thirty-three million)
Europe: 731,000,000 (seven hundred and thirty-one million)
North America: 535,000,000 (five hundred and thirty-five million)
South America: 386,000,000 (three hundred and eighty-six million)
The population of the world is growing quickly. It reached six billion in 1999, and is expected to reach eight billion in 2027. Why is it going up so quickly? Some of the reasons include better healthcare and nutrition. People have better medicine and food, so they can live much longer.
Having so many people is a big challenge. Many problems like pollution, overcrowding, food shortages and deforestation are caused by a growing population. We will have to work hard to avoid these problems.
On the other hand, a huge population of people can have benefits. Since there are so many humans, we are able to invent new technology and develop our culture very quickly. Also, there is so much diversity in the world, like different races of people and different languages.
Now try the quiz. Please click “Start”!
"The Day of Seven Billion" Quiz
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Happy Christmas Everyone!
Hello everyone!
This is a video message to wish everyone a very happy Christmas!
Please watch the video below:
Here is the text:
Hi everyone!
This is just a message to say that I hope you have a really fantastic Christmas, and a very happy time, whether you’re with family, or friends, or by yourself. Wherever you are, whether you celebrate Christmas in your country, or whether you don’t. I just really hope that you have a fantastic time. And it’s a really wonderful time of the year to look back at what’s happened this year and to think about the year coming, and to look forward.
So, wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, I just hope that you have a really fantastic happy time. Bye.
Beginner Podcast S1E2: I Have Two Dogs!
Hey everyone!
Welcome to the podcast lesson!
Here is the podcast:
Here is the text: I have two dogs. They are very beautiful. I haven’t got a cat. I’ve got a brother. His name is Paul. I don’t have a sister. I’ve got a bike, but I haven’t got a car.
Useful Sentences:
I have = I’ve got
"I have a piano."
1. I have (+ noun)
e.g.
I have two dogs.
I have a piano.
I have six cousins.
I have a white jacket.
2. I’ve got (+ noun)
(I’ve = I have)
e.g.
I’ve got friends in Canada.
I’ve got a problem!
I’ve got no time.
I’ve got a new book.
"I don't have blue eyes."
I don’t have = I haven’t got
3. I don’t have (+ noun)
(don’t = do not)
e.g.
I don’t have blue eyes.
I don’t have a dog.
I don’t have long hair.
I don’t have a watch today.
4. I haven’t got (+ noun)
(haven’t = have not)
e.g.
I haven’t got any money!
I haven’t got a brother.
I haven’t got the book.
I haven’t got a car.
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Pictures From Yogyakarta (Jogjakarta), Indonesia
Hi everyone!
Here are some of my photos from Yogyakarta (Jogjakarta), which is a famous city in Java, Indonesia. I had a wonderful time in this amazing city.
I travelled to Indonesia in the summer of 2010.
You are welcome to download these photos and use them any way you like. If you like these pictures, please share this page on Facebook! Thanks!
Have a great day!
Jon
Please click the pictures for large size
Yogyakarta Taman Sari Water Castle
Yogyakarta Taman Sari Water Castle
Friends enjoying the evening.
Tasty dinner.
A couple having their picture taken in the Taman Sari Water Castle.
So many interesting things to buy in the market.
Horse and cart in the city centre of Yogyakarta.
Taking the cycle rickshaw to get home in the heat!
Rickshaw cyclist in Yogyakarta.
Enjoying the ride!
Delicious street food!
Preparation for a show.
Guitar for the atmosphere.
Great city, great people.
Relaxing with friends in the evening.
One of Yogyakarta's Colourful Bikes
Great fun!
Bikes in Yogyakarta. You can ride them for a small fee.
