(not) enough … to

December 8, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Understanding how to connect ideas is an important part of speaking and writing in English. In this lesson, we look at two very useful structures: so/such… that and too… to / (not) enough… to. These help you explain reasons, results, and limits in a clear way.

1. SO / SUCH … THAT

We use so and such to talk about a cause, and that to show the result.

👉 Grammar

so + adjective + that
- I’m so tired that I want to sleep right now.
such + a/an + adjective + noun + that
- It was such a good movie that I watched it twice.

👉 When to use SO

Use so before an adjective or adverb.
✔ The people were so friendly that I felt relaxed.

👉 When to use SUCH

Use such before an adjective + noun.
✔ It’s such a beautiful day that I want to go outside.

Examples

The problem was so big that I needed help.
She has such long hair that everyone notices her.

2. TOO … TO / (NOT) ENOUGH … TO

These structures explain that something is more or less than we want or need.

👉 TOO … TO

Use too + adjective + to + verb
→ shows something is more than you want or a negative result.

✔ It’s too cold to go for a walk.
✔ He was too nervous to speak.

👉 (NOT) ENOUGH … TO

Use:

not enough + noun
✔ There isn’t enough time to finish.
adjective + enough
✔ She isn’t strong enough to lift it.

→ means you don’t have as much as you want.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

Practice 1

Discuss the following questions

Practice 2

Read the information in the card.

Make a sentence using too, enough, so or such.

Example:

The card says: “There were 20 chairs and 20 people.”

My sentence: There were enough chairs to seat all the people .

Reported Questions

November 26, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Sometimes we want to talk about a question someone asked us in the past.
To do that, we use reported questions.

This lesson will help you understand how to change direct questions into reported questions in a simple, clear way.

1. What is a reported question?

A reported question tells us what someone asked, but we don’t use the exact words.

Direct Question	Reported Question

“Where are you going?”, she asked.

She asked where I was going.

Look at the differences:
✔ no question mark
✔ no question word order
✔ the tense changes (are going → was going)

2. How to change a question into a reported question

Here are the three rules you need to know.

Rule 1: Remove do / does / did

Many questions use do, does, or did. When we report the question, these words disappear and we change the tense.

Direct:
“How do you make that?”

Reported:
He asked me how I made that.

make → made

Rule 2: Change the word order

If the question uses am / is / are / can / will, move the auxiliary verb after the subject.

Direct:
“Where are you going?”

Reported:
She asked me where I was going.

No question form.
It looks like a normal statement.

**Rule 3: Use ask somebody to for requests**

If someone asks us to do something, we use:
ask + somebody + to + verb

Direct:
“Could you give me an example?”

Reported:
She asked me to give her an example.

✔ no “could”
✔ use to + verb

3. Reported Questions – Quick Table

Type	Direct Question	Reported Question	What changes?
Wh- + do/does/did	“How do you make that?”	He asked how I made that.	Remove do. Change tense.
Wh- + be/auxiliary	“Where are you going?”	She asked where I was going.	Change word order.
Yes/No question	“Do you like it?”	He asked if I liked it.	Use if/whether. Remove do.
Request	“Could you help me?”	She asked me *to help* her.	Use ask somebody to.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Transform the direct questions into reported questions

Reported Speech (Grammar review)

November 24, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words.

Direct speech: “I’m tired,” she said.
Reported speech: She said she was tired.

Instead of repeating the original sentence word-for-word, we shift the grammar to fit the new context.

Reported speech helps you:

tell stories
explain conversations
share news
sound more natural in English

You will use it all the time in real life.

Direct speech

“I’m tired,” she said.
→ You repeat the exact words.

Reported speech

She said she was tired.
→ You change the sentence to report the idea.

We usually change:

pronouns
verbs (the tense)
time words

Don’t worry—here are the basic steps!

Pronoun Changes

We change the pronouns depending on who is speaking.

Direct: “I like this class.”
Reported: He said he liked the class.

Direct: “We are hungry.”
Reported: They said they were hungry.

3. Verb Changes (Backshift)

In reported speech, the verb usually moves one step back in time.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“I am tired.”	She said she was tired.
“We are studying.”	They said they were studying.
“I went home.”	He said he had gone home.

Backshift of Tenses – Reported Speech (Intermediate Level)

Direct Speech	Reported Speech (Backshift)	Example
Present Simple	Past Simple	“I work here.” → He said he worked there.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	“I’m studying.” → She said she was studying.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	“I have finished.” → He said he had finished.
Past Simple	Past Perfect	“I went home.” → He said he had gone home.
Will	Would	“I *will* call you.” → She said she would call me.
Can	Could	“I can help.” → He said he could help.
May	Might	“I may be late.” → She said she *might* be late.
Must	Had to (usually)	“I *must* leave.” → He said he had to leave.
Shall	Should / would (rare in modern English)	“I shall return.” → He said he would return.

(At B1, this is the main rule to remember. There are more verb tenses and some exceptions that you will learn later)

4. Time Word Changes

Some time words also change:

Direct	Reported
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the day before
now	then

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2

Third Conditional

November 20, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

For lower levels

1. What is the Third Conditional?

We use the third conditional to talk about imaginary past situations.

Imaginary past situations are things that did NOT happen, but we imagine a different result.

👉 We use it to express regret, relief, or “what could have happened.”

2. Form

Part	Structure	Example
If-clause	if + had + past participle	if he had studied
Result clause	would have + past participle	he would have passed

Grammar structure:

If + had + past participle, would have + past participle.

*had + past participle = past perfect

Positive Forms

What happened (real past)	Imaginary result (third conditional)
She didn’t set an alarm, so she woke up late.	→ If she had set* an alarm, she would have woken up on time.*
They didn’t bring a map, so they got lost.	→ If they had brought* a map, they wouldn’t have gotten lost.*
I didn’t study, so I didn’t pass the test.	→ If I had studied, I would have passed* the test.*

Negative Forms

If-clause (negative)

If she hadn’t forgotten her keys…

Result clause (negative)

…she wouldn’t have been late.

What happened (real past)	Third Conditional (Negative)
She forgot her wallet, so she went back home.	If she hadn’t forgotten her wallet, she wouldn’t have gone back home.
They arrived late, so they lost their seats.	If they hadn’t arrived late, they wouldn’t have lost their seats.
I didn’t save my work, so I lost my project.	If I hadn’t forgotten to save my file, I wouldn’t have lost my project.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Spin the wheel.

Complete the sentences

Practice 2

Answer the questions

Practice 3

Flip a card.

Read the situation.

Make a sentence using the third conditional.

Passive voice (B1 verb tenses)

November 19, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Learning the passive voice help us focus on the action and the result, rather than on who performs the action. In many real-world situations. For example, in news, formal writing, academic reports, and instructions, the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious. That’s where the passive becomes essential.

This lesson reviews the form and use of the passive in all main verb tenses included at B1 level.

1. Why We Use the Passive Voice

We use the passive when:

The doer is unknown:
My wallet was stolen.
The doer is not important:
These phones are made in Korea.
The result is more important than the person:
The meeting has been cancelled.
The sentence sounds more formal or objective:
The survey will be analysed next week.

2. How to Form the Passive

The structure is always:

BE + Past Participle (V3)

The verb BE changes according to the tense.
The past participle stays the same.

3. Passive voice (different verb tenses)

Tense	Form	Example

Present Simple

am / is / are + past participle

English is spoken in many countries.

Past Simple

was / were + past participle

The window was broken last night.

Present Continuous

am / is / are being + past participle

The room is being cleaned right now.

Past Continuous

was / were being + past participle

The documents were being printed when the machine stopped.

Present Perfect

has / have been + past participle

The emails have been sent.

Future with “will”

will be + past participle

Dinner will be served at 7 pm.

Be Going To (future plans)

am / is / are going to be + past participle

A new road is going to be built.

Modal Verbs (can, must, should, etc.)

modal + be + past participle

This form must be completed.

4. When to Include the Agent (by + person)

We add by + agent only when the doer is important or surprising:

The painting was created by a ten-year-old.
The project will be reviewed by the CEO.

In most cases, we omit the agent.

🧠 Quick Comparison: Active vs Passive

Active	Passive
People speak Spanish here.	Spanish is spoken here.
Someone stole my phone.	My phone was stolen.
They will announce the winner tomorrow.	The winner will be announced tomorrow.
They are repairing the road.	The road is being repaired.

Passive Voice (present and past)

Let’s practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Non-Definining Relative Clauses

November 17, 2025November 17, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Non-defining relative clauses help us add extra information about a person, place, or thing.
This information is not essential to understand the sentence. The clause contains an additional, interesting detail.

👉 We always use commas with non-defining relative clauses.
👉 We NEVER use “that” in non-defining clauses.

What Is a Non-Defining Relative Clause?

A non-defining relative clause:

gives extra information
is separated with commas
uses relative pronouns like who, which, where, when, whose
can be removed and the sentence still makes sense

How to Form Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses give extra information about a person, place, or thing.
This information is not essential to understand the main idea.
We always use commas to separate the extra information.

1. Structure

Main clause, relative pronoun + extra information, rest of the sentence.

2. Common Relative Pronouns (for Non-Defining Clauses)

Relative Pronoun	Used For	Example
who	people	My English teacher, who is from Canada, is very friendly.
which	things / animals	The book, which I finished yesterday, was fantastic.
where	places	Vancouver, where my cousins live, is beautiful.
when	times	2010, when I finished high school, was an important year for me.
whose	possession	Anna, whose car broke down, arrived late.

📝 Important:

Always add a comma before and after the clause (unless it ends the sentence).

Don’t use “that” in non-defining clauses.

3. Comma Rules

Put a comma before and after the non-defining relative clause
(unless it’s at the end of the sentence; then you only need one comma).

4. Key Points for Low-Level Learners

You can remove the extra information and the sentence still makes sense.
The verb form inside the clause follows normal grammar rules.
Do not use these clauses to identify someone/something.
(Those are defining clauses.)

Examples:

My brother, who lives in Mexico, is visiting next month.
(extra info: he lives in Mexico)
The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is very popular.
(extra info: its location)
September, when the weather is mild, is my favorite month.
(extra info: weather in September)
Chichén Itzá, where millions of tourists go each year, is amazing.
(extra info: visitors)

🧠 Compare: Defining vs. Non-Defining

Type	Purpose	Example	Commas?	Use “that”?
Defining	Necessary information	The man who works here is kind. The man that works here is kind.	❌ No	✔ Yes
Non-defining	Extra information	My uncle Bob, who works here, is kind.	✔ Yes	❌ No

Defining Relative Clauses

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

BOARD GAME

Passive Voice (present and past)

November 14, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

💡 What is the Passive Voice?

We use the passive voice when the action is more important than who does it.

➡️ The focus is on the object (the thing that receives the action), not on the subject (the person who does it).

🔹 Compare:

Active	Passive
The chef cooks the meal.	The meal is cooked by the chef.
Someone cleaned the classroom.	The classroom was cleaned.

👉 In the active voice, the subject (“the chef”) does the action.
👉 In the passive voice, the subject (“the meal”) receives the action.

🔹 How to Form the Passive

🧱 Structure

Passive = be (am / is / are / was / were) + past participle (V3)

Tense	Structure	Example
Present simple	am / is / are + past participle	The house is cleaned every day.
Past simple	was / were + past participle	The house was cleaned yesterday.

Past Participle

🔹 1. Present Simple Passive

We use it to talk about things that happen regularly or are generally true.

Structure	Example	Meaning
am / is / are + past participle	English is spoken in many countries.	(People speak English in many countries.)
are made	Cars are made in Japan.	(Factories make cars in Japan.)

🧠 Tip:
Use the present passive to describe facts, routines, or processes.

🔹 2. Past Simple Passive

We use it to talk about completed actions in the past, when we don’t know or don’t want to say who did the action.

Structure	Example	Meaning
was / were + past participle	The phone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.	(He invented it in the past.)
were built	These houses were built in 1990.	(Someone built them, but we don’t say who.)

🧠 Tip:
Use the past passive to talk about inventions, discoveries, or historical facts.

🔹 3. Who Did the Action? (Using “by”)

If you want to say who did the action, use by + person.

Example	Meaning
This photo was taken by my friend.	My friend took this photo.
The book was written by J.K. Rowling.	J.K. Rowling wrote the book.

You can also omit “by” when it’s not important:

The window was broken. (We don’t know who did it.)

🧠 Summary Table

Tense	Structure	Example	Use
Present Simple Passive	am / is / are + past participle	The room is cleaned every day.	Routine / fact
Past Simple Passive	was / were + past participle	The room was cleaned yesterday.	Past action
“by” phrase (optional)	be + past participle + by + person	The movie was directed by Nolan.	Who did it

Lets Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

🧭 Modal Verbs: Obligation and Necessity

November 13, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

💡 What Are “Obligation” and “Necessity”?

We use modal verbs like must, have to, need to, and their negatives to talk about things that are necessary or not necessary. For example, rules, duties, or responsibilities.
We can also use them to talk about permission in the present or past.

🔹 1. Obligation in the Present

We use must, have to, and need to when something is necessary or important to do.

Structure	Example	Meaning
must + base verb	I must finish this project today.	Strong personal obligation
have to + base verb	I have to work on Saturday.	External rule or schedule
need to + base verb	You need to wear a helmet.	It’s necessary or required

🧠 Tip:

must = personal obligation (you feel it)
have to = external obligation (someone else decides it)

I must study more. (I want to)
I have to study more. (My teacher said so)

🔹 2. NO Necessity in the Present

We use don’t have to or don’t need to when something is not necessary.

Structure	Example	Meaning
don’t have to + base verb	You don’t have to come if you’re busy.	It’s optional
don’t need to + base verb	She doesn’t need to wear a uniform.	It’s not required

🧠 Note:
They mean the same, but don’t have to is more common in everyday English.

🔹 3. Prohibition (Something Is Not Allowed)

We use mustn’t (must not) to talk about rules or strong advice — when something is not allowed.

Structure	Example	Meaning
mustn’t + base verb	You mustn’t park here.	It’s forbidden
be not allowed to + base form	You are not allowed to park here.	No permission

🧠 Tip:
❌ Don’t confuse mustn’t (not allowed) with don’t have to (not necessary).

You mustn’t smoke here. → It’s against the rules.
You don’t have to smoke. → It’s your choice.

🔹 4. Obligation and Necessity in the Past

We can’t use must for the past. Instead, we use had to or needed to.

Structure	Example	Meaning
had to + base verb	I had to finish my homework last night.	It was necessary in the past
needed to + base verb	We needed to buy tickets early.	It was necessary

For the negative, we use didn’t have to or didn’t need to (something was not necessary).

We didn’t have to go to school yesterday.
She didn’t need to call — I was already there.

🔹 5. Permission (Present and Past)

We can use be allowed to or could to talk about permission.

Time	Structure	Example	Meaning
Present	am / is / are allowed to/can	Students are allowed to use phones at break. Students can use their phones at break.	It’s permitted now
Past	was / were allowed to	We were allowed to stay up late.	It was permitted
Past (general ability)	could	When I was a child, I could go out alone.	I had permission

🔍 Summary Table

Meaning	Present	Past
Obligation	must / have to / need to	had to / needed to
Not necessary	don’t have to / don’t need to	didn’t have to / didn’t need to
Prohibition	mustn’t	—
Permission	am / is / are allowed to/ can	was / were allowed to / could

Modals of Obligation and Possibility

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Correct the grammar mistakes

Speaking

🕐 Past Continuous

November 13, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

💡 What Is the Past Continuous?

We use the past continuous to describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
It helps us talk about what was happening around a moment, or when another action interrupted it.

🔹 FORM

We make the past continuous with was / were + verb-ing.

Subject	was / were	Verb + -ing	Example
I / he / she / it	was	verb + -ing	I was watching TV.
you / we / they	were	verb + -ing	They were studying English.

🧠 Tip: Add -ing to the base verb.
✅ play → playing
✅ write → writing
✅ dance → dancing

🔹 USE 1: Action in Progress in the Past

We use the past continuous for something that was happening at a specific time in the past.

I was working abroad in 2016.
We were visiting friends last night.

🕓 The action was not finished at that moment, it was continuing.

🔹 USE 2: Interrupted Action

We often use the past continuous and past simple together.

🧩 The past continuous = longer action (in progress)
🧩 The past simple = shorter action (interrupted it)

Past Continuous (long)	+ when +	Past Simple (short)
I was cooking dinner	when	my friend called.
They were watching TV	when	the phone rang.

🧠 Tip: Use when before the short action (past simple).

🔹 USE 3: Two Actions Happening at the Same Time

We use while when two long actions were happening at the same time in the past.

while + Past Continuous	,	Past Continuous
We were studying	while	our parents were watching TV.
She was cooking	while	he was cleaning the kitchen.

🧠 Tip:
Use while to show parallel actions, both were in progress at the same time.

Example: While I was reading, my sister was listening to music.

🔹 USE 4: When vs. While

Word	Used before	Example
when	past simple (short action)	I was driving when it started to rain.
while	past continuous (long action)	She was singing while I was playing the guitar.

🧩 Compare: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

Meaning	Past Simple	Past Continuous
Completed action	I watched TV yesterday.	—
Action in progress (background)	—	I was watching TV when the phone rang.
Two simultaneous actions	—	I was reading while she was cooking.

Past Continuous is also known as Past Progressive

Past Continuous = Past Progressive

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2

Linking Ideas: Because, So, and To

November 12, 2025November 14, 2025 teacherjulieta1 Comment

We often need to explain reasons and results in English.
Let’s learn how to use because, so, and to to connect ideas clearly.

1. BECAUSE — to give a reason

We use because to explain why something happens.
It connects a result and a reason in one sentence.

Structure	Example
result + because + reason	I stayed home because I was tired.
result + because + subject + verb	She’s happy because she passed her exam.

🧠 Tip:
Use because to answer “Why?”

❓ Why did you stay home?
💬 I stayed home because I was tired.

2. SO — to show a result

We use so to talk about what happened as a result of something.

Structure	Example
reason + so + result	It was cold, so we stayed inside.
subject + verb + so + subject + verb	I was hungry, so I made a sandwich.

🧠 Tip:
Use so to answer “What happened?”

❓ It was raining. What did you do?
💬 It was raining, so we stayed home.

3. TO — to talk about purpose (why we do something)

We use to + base verb to say why someone does something — their goal or purpose.

Structure	Example
verb + to + base verb	I went to the shop to buy some bread.
verb + to + base verb	She’s studying English to travel abroad.

🧠 Tip:
Use to when the second action shows the reason for the first.

❓ Why did you go to the shop?
💬 I went to the shop to buy milk.

🧠 Summary Table

Connector	Meaning	Structure	Example
because	gives a reason	result + because + reason	I’m late because I missed the bus.
so	shows a result	reason + so + result	It’s raining, so take an umbrella.
to	shows purpose	verb + to + base verb	I work hard to save money.

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

Practice 1