GRAMMAR

Future Probability

May 25, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

When you ask for opinions about future probability, you usually use will + base form or be going to + base form. However, there are other alternatives that are also common in spoken English.

In the table below, you can find a collection of useful phrases and expressions that will help you convey future probabilities with confidence. The table includes various patterns and grammar structures, including modal verbs like “will” and “might,” as well as phrases such as “there’s a good chance” and “I’m sure of it.”

Phrases	Grammar Pattern	Explanation	Examples
will/be going to	will/going to + base form	Expresses future events or actions without indicating certainty	“I will go to the party tomorrow.” “What do you think they‘re going to do about it?
Definitely	will definitely + base form	Indicates a high level of certainty or confidence in a future event	“She will definitely win the race. She’s the fastest runner.”
I’m sure	be sure of something be sure + subject + will + base form	Indicates strong confidence or certainty in a future outcome	“I’m sure it will rain today. The sky is cloudy.”
I’m bound to	be bound to + base form	Suggests a high likelihood or inevitability of a future event	“If you keep practicing, you’re bound to improve your skills.”
There’s a good chance	There’s a good chance + subject + will + base form	Indicates a favorable probability or possibility of something	“There’s a good chance she will get the job. She has relevant experience.”
Fairly likely to	be fairly likely to + base form	Expresses a moderate probability or likelihood of a future event	“He is fairly likely to pass the exam. He studied hard.”
Might	might + base form	Suggests a possibility or a lower level of certainty in the future	“I might go to the concert if I can get tickets.”
There’s a chance something will/won’t happen	Phrase	Indicates the existence of a possibility or an unlikelihood	“There’s a chance it will rain tomorrow. Bring an umbrella.”
Unlikely	be unlikely that + somebody/ something + will + base form	Expresses a low probability or unlikelihood of a future event	“It‘s unlikely that he will arrive on time. He’s always late.”
There’s only a small chance that something will happen	Phrase	Indicates a very low probability or likelihood of something	“There’s only a small chance they will cancel the event. It’s well-organized.”
Doubt somebody will do something	doubt + subject + will + base form	Expresses skepticism or lack of belief in a future event	“I doubt they will win the competition. Their performance wasn’t strong enough.”
Doubt something will happen	doubt it will + base form	Indicates skepticism or lack of belief in a future outcome	“I doubt it will snow tomorrow. The weather forecast says it’ll be sunny.”
To be not the first person but definitely not the last	be not the first person + base form, but definitely not the last	Implies a level of certainty or confidence, although not the highest	“I’m not the first person to say it, but definitely not the last – he’s talented.”
Bound to	be bound to + base form	Suggests a high probability or inevitability of a future event	“With her skills, she is bound to succeed in her career.”
Hope so	Phrase	Expresses desire or optimism about a future outcome	“I hope so! I really want to win the competition.”
Think so	Phrase	Expresses a belief or opinion that something will happen	“I think so. Based on the evidence, he is likely to be promoted.”
Not think so	Phrase	Expresses a belief or opinion that something will not happen	“I don’t think so. It’s unlikely they will change their decision.”

Grammar practice

Speaking practice

Imagine what life will be like in ten years’ time.
Spin the wheel and discuss each statement on the spinning wheel
Express how likely you think each will be.
Negotiate where to place the statement next to the thermometer of probability, with high temperature meaning It’ll definitely … and cold temperatures meaning It definitely won’t … .
Try to use a range of phrases during their negotiations.

GRAMMAR

Passive Voice

May 22, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

The passive voice is a grammatical construction used in English to emphasize the object of an action rather than the subject. In a passive sentence, the subject is being acted upon or is receiving the action, while the doer of the action is often placed in a prepositional phrase or omitted altogether.

Points	Explanation
Formation	The passive voice is formed by using the appropriate form of the verb “to be” (e.g., is, am, are, was, were) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Object as the subject	In passive voice sentences, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Use of “by” (optional)	When we want to mention the doer of the action in the passive voice, we use the preposition “by” followed by the doer.
Focus on the action or object	The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the action itself or the object being acted upon, rather than the doer of the action.
Common situations for passive voice	The passive voice is commonly used when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context. It is also used when talking about general truths, scientific facts, or processes.

Grammar Patterns

Tense/Form	Grammar Pattern	Examples
Simple Present	is/are + past participle	The car is washed every week.
Past Simple	was/were + past participle	The book was written by Mark Twain.
Past Continuous	was/were being + past participle	The house was being renovated last month.
Present Perfect Simple	has/have been + past participle	The package has been delivered.
Present Perfect Continuous	has/have been being + past participle	The movie has been being filmed for months.
Past Perfect Simple	had been + past participle	The project had been completed before the deadline.
Modal + Passive Form	modal verb (can/could/may/might/should, etc.) + be + past participle	The document can be signed tomorrow.
Be Going to + Passive Form	am/is/are going to be + past participle	The room is going to be cleaned this afternoon.
Gerund + Passive Form	being + past participle	Being loved by everyone is a great feeling.

Grammar Practice

Speaking Practice

GRAMMAR

Comment Adverbs

May 18, 2023May 23, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Adverbs are a type of word that provide more information about verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs in a sentence. They describe how an action is done, when it happens, where it takes place, or to what extent.

This lesson will focus on a specific group of adverbs called “comment adverbs.” These adverbs express the speaker’s attitude, opinion, or comment about the action or situation. They add more depth and emotion to a statement. Let’s explore some common comment adverbs:

Comment Adverb	Meaning	Example
Actually	Emphasizes truth or reality	“I thought it was expensive, but actually, it’s quite affordable.”
Amazingly	Expresses surprise or astonishment	“She sang amazingly well and impressed everyone.”
Apparently	Based on available evidence, seemingly true	“Apparently, he won the lottery, but I’m not sure.”
Basically	Simplifying or summarizing	“Basically, it means we have to start over.”
Clearly	Indicates something is evident or understood	“He explained the rules clearly, so we understood.”
Generally	Broadly or typically	“Generally, people enjoy going to the beach in summer.”
Hopefully	Expresses positive expectation or desire	“Hopefully, we’ll have a successful event tomorrow.”
Luckily	Something positive happened by chance	“I forgot my keys, but luckily, I found a spare set.”
Personally	Indicates a personal opinion or experience	“Personally, I think it’s the best movie I’ve seen.”
Obviously	Something is easily understood or apparent	“He didn’t study, so obviously, he failed the test.”
Sadly	Expresses sorrow or regret	“Sadly, she couldn’t attend the party due to illness.”
Surprisingly	Highlights something unexpected	“Surprisingly, the cake tasted better than it looked.”
Unfortunately	Something undesirable or negative	“Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled due to rain.”

The Position of Adverbs

Grammar practice 1

Grammar practice 2

Speaking Practice

Get into pairs or small groups.
Take turns being the speaker and the listener.
Spin the wheel to see a question.
Start speaking about the topic on the wheel.
Try to use a comment adverb every time you share your opinion.

GRAMMAR

Present Perfect and Adverbs

May 18, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Present Perfect Review

The present perfect tense is a verb form used to connect past actions or events to the present. It indicates that something started in the past and has a relevance or connection to the present moment. In other words, it emphasizes the relationship between past actions and their impact on the current situation.

Grammar pattern
Form: Subject + have/has + past participle (3rd form)

Use	Example
Expressing Experiences	“I have visited Paris several times.”
Unfinished Actions	“They have studied English for three years.”
Actions with Relevance	“She has lost her keys.”
Recent Past	“He has just arrived home.”

Adverbs used with Present Perfect

There are some adverbs that we can use with present perfect to make emphasis or add additional details.

Adverb	Meaning	Example
Already	Before the present time or earlier than expected	“I have already finished my homework.”
Even	Emphasizing a surprising or unexpected situation	“I’ve been very busy. I haven’t even had time to have lunch.”
Ever	At any time in the past or in one’s life	“Have you ever traveled abroad?”
Just	Referring to a very recent past or a short time ago	“He’s just come back from Brazil.”
Lately	In the recent past or during a recent period	“I haven’t seen him lately.”
Never	Not at any time in the past or in one’s life	“I have never been to Australia.”
Only	Indicating exclusivity or emphasizing limitations	“I’ve only done the first year of my course.”
Recently	In the near past or not long ago	“She has recently started a new job.”
So far	Describing the extent of an action up to the present time	“They have visited three countries so far.”
Still	Indicating that a situation or action is continuing or ongoing	“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
Yet	Expressing an action or event expected to happen but hasn’t occurred until now	“They haven’t finished their project yet.”

Grammar practice

Speaking practice

GRAMMAR

Future Forms

May 15, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

For High-Intermediate English learners

There are different ways of talking about the future in English. While one structure may be preferred for certain meanings, in many cases more than one structure can be used with little or no change of meaning.

Future Form	Grammar Pattern	Meaning	Explanation	Examples
Present be going to	subject + be + going to + base verb	Planned or intended actions in the future	Used when something is already decided or planned	I am going to visit my grandparents next weekend.
Will	subject + will + base verb	Spontaneous decisions, predictions, promises, or offers	Used for decisions made at the moment or predictions/promises	It’s hot here. I will open the window.
Present Continuous	subject + am/is/are + present participle (-ing form)	Fixed plans or arrangements in the near future	Used for actions already planned or arranged	I am meeting my friend for dinner tonight.
Might/May	subject + might/may + base verb	Possibilities or uncertain future events	Used when there is a possibility, but uncertainty	I might go to the party if I finish my work early.
Future Continuous	subject + will be + present participle (-ing form)	Ongoing actions or events in the future	Used to describe actions happening at a specific time	They will be watching a movie this time next week.

Future (will/ be going to/ be + verb+ing)

Future Perfect vs. Future Continuous

Grammar Practice

Speaking Practice

GRAMMAR

Reported Speech

May 11, 2023May 12, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is used to report what someone else said.

It’s different from direct speech, which is when we repeat the exact words that someone else said.

In reported speech, we need to change the tense and pronouns to match the new speaker and the time of reporting. Here’s a table that summarizes the changes:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Example
Present Simple	Past Simple	“I like pizza,” said John.
		John said that he liked pizza.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	“I am playing soccer,” said Emily.
		Emily said that she was playing soccer.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	“I have visited France,” said Kate.
		Kate said that she had visited France.
Present Perfect Cont.	Past Perfect Continuous	“I have been studying Spanish,” said Tom.
		Tom said that he had been studying Spanish.
Past Simple	Past Perfect	“I went to the store,” said Sarah.
		Sarah said that she had gone to the store.
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	“I was watching TV,” said Mike.
		Mike said that he had been watching TV.
Past Perfect	Past Perfect	“I had finished my homework,” said Jane.
		Jane said that she had finished her homework.
Past Perfect Cont.	Past Perfect Continuous	“I had been studying for hours,” said Alex.
		Alex said that he had been studying for hours.
Future Simple	Conditional (would) + Infinitive	“I will come to the party,” said Peter.
		Peter said that he would come to the party.
Future Continuous	Conditional Continuous (would + be + Ving	“I will be working late,” said Mark.
		Mark said that he would be working late.
Future Perfect	Conditional Perfect (would + have + PP)	“I will have finished by then,” said Anna.
		Anna said that she would have finished by then.
Future Perfect Cont.	Conditional Perfect Cont. (would + have + been + Ving)	“I will have been studying for 4 hours,” said Sam.
Here/There	Changed according to the new location	“I live here,” said Lisa.
		Lisa said that she lived there.
Personal Pronouns	Changed according to the new speaker	“I love this song,” said Tim.
		Tim said that he loved that song.

Grammar Practice

Speaking Practice

Open the box
Look at the picture
Answer the following questions using reported speech

What did they say?/ What did they ask?

GRAMMAR

Past Perfect Simple

May 10, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

The past perfect simple is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Grammar Pattern	Meaning	Examples
Subject + had + past participle (3rd form)	Expresses an action completed before another action or time in the past.	I had already eaten when he arrived. She had studied English before she moved to London. They had finished their work before the deadline.

In order to master this verb tense it is crucial that you know by heart the past participle of the most used irregular verbs. Below you can see a list of the basic irregular verbs that intermediate/ high-intermediate learners MUST know already.

Base form	Simple past (2nd form)	Past participle (3rd form)
be	was/were	been
begin	began	begun
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
build	built	built
buy	bought	bought
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feel	felt	felt
find	found	found
fly	flew	flown
forget	forgot	forgotten
get	got	gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
hit	hit	hit
hold	held	held
keep	kept	kept
know	knew	known
leave	left	left
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
meet	met	met
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
read	read	read
run	ran	run
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
speak	spoke	spoken
spend	spent	spent
stand	stood	stood
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
understand	understood	understood
wake	woke	woken
wear	wore	worn
win	won	won
write	wrote	written

Grammar practice

Speaking practice

Choose a box
Open the box
Each team member will complete the sentence using their own ideas
Share your sentence with your classmates

GRAMMAR

Simple Past vs. Past Continuous

May 9, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

The simple past and past continuous are both verb tenses used to describe actions or events that occurred in the past. Here’s a table that explains the differences between the two tenses and provides examples of each:

Verb Tense	Grammar Pattern	Explanation	Examples
Simple Past	[Base Form + –ed / Irregular Verb Past Form]	Used to describe a completed action or event in the past.	She studied for three hours yesterday. He played soccer with his friends last weekend. They traveled to Europe last summer. I cooked dinner for my family last night.
Past Continuous	[Past form of “be” (was/were) + Present Participle (-ing)]	Used to describe an ongoing action or event that was happening at a specific time in the past.	She was studying for three hours yesterday. He was playing soccer with his friends when it started to rain. They were traveling to Europe when they heard about the hurricane. I was cooking dinner when my friend called me.

It’s important to note that the simple past is formed by adding –ed to regular verbs, or using the second form of irregular verbs,

The past continuous is formed by using the verb “to be” in the past tense (was/were) and adding the present participle (-ing) of the main verb.

Base form	Simple Past
be	was/were
begin	began
break	broke
bring	brought
build	built
buy	bought
choose	chose
come	came
do	did
draw	drew
drink	drank
drive	drove
eat	ate
fall	fell
feel	felt
find	found
fly	flew
forget	forgot
get	got
give	gave
go	went
have	had
hear	heard
hit	hit
hold	held
keep	kept
know	knew
leave	left
lose	lost
make	made
meet	met
pay	paid
put	put
read	read
run	ran
say	said
see	saw
sell	sold
send	sent
sing	sang
sit	sat
sleep	slept
speak	spoke
spend	spent
stand	stood
swim	swam
take	took
teach	taught
tell	told
think	thought
understand	understood
wake	woke
wear	wore
win	won
write	wrote

Here’s a table with the spelling rules of the present participle (-ing verbs):

Rule	Example
Add -ing to most verbs	talk → talking
If the verb ends in -e, drop the e and add -ing	dance → dancing
If the verb ends in -ie, change -ie to -y and add -ing	lie → lying
If the verb ends in a single consonant after a single vowel, double the consonant and add -ing	run → running
If the verb ends in -c, change -c to -ck and add -ing	picnic → picnicking
If the verb ends in a vowel followed by -l, double the -l and add -ing	travel → travelling
If the verb ends in -w, -x, or -z, add -ing without any changes	chew → chewing

Grammar Practice

Quiz

Speaking Practice

ASK TEACHER JULIETA

The Power of your Native Grammar 📑

May 3, 2023May 4, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Dear English learner,

I know that learning grammar in English can be challenging and confusing. However, I know for sure that if you have a basic understanding of your native grammar, you can learn English grammar easier and faster. Let’s take a look at why this is important for English learners.

Having a basic understanding of grammar patterns in your native language is important when learning a foreign language because it helps in several ways.

🌠 Transferable skills

Learning grammar in one language can help in the acquisition of grammar patterns in another language. This is because many languages share similar grammar structures, and understanding the grammatical concepts in one language can make it easier to recognize and learn them in another language.

👍 Comprehension

Knowing the grammar patterns and syntax of your native language can help you understand the structure and function of sentences in a foreign language. This will allow you to better comprehend what you are reading or hearing, and make it easier to remember the new language’s grammar patterns and vocabulary.

💬 Communication

A basic understanding of grammar in your native language can help you better express yourself when speaking and writing in a foreign language. This is because you will have a better grasp of sentence structure and be able to construct more complex sentences.

🚩 Error correction

Knowing the grammar of your native language can help you remember grammar patterns easily and identify errors in the foreign language you are learning. This is because you will be able to recognize when a sentence in a foreign language does not follow the grammatical structure you are accustomed to.

🚀 Freedom

Knowing the basic grammar of your own language can help you use a new language on your own. You will know more about how languages work and understand grammar patterns and syntax better. This will make it easier for you to speak and write the new language with more confidence, and you won’t need to depend on a teacher or dictionary all the time.

So, if you’re learning a new language, don’t forget to *brush up on your grammar skills in your native language! It can make learning the new language much easier and help you communicate with more confidence.

Plus, you’ll be able to identify errors and correct them on your own, without always needing a teacher or dictionary. Good luck on your language-learning journey!

With love,

P.S. *brush up on is a phrasal verb. It means to review or refresh your knowledge or skills in a particular subject or activity that you have learned before. It’s like giving yourself a quick reminder of what you already know.

ASK TEACHER JULIETA

What is ✨ Magical Thinking ✨ in Learning Languages?

April 28, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Dear English learner,

I know that learning a new language can be challenging, and sometimes it’s tempting to look for quick fixes or magical solutions that will make everything easier. Unfortunately, this type of thinking can actually hold you back from making progress in your English learning journey. In this post, I’ll explore what magical thinking is, why it can be problematic, and how to avoid falling into its trap.

What is Magical Thinking?

Magical thinking is when someone believes that two things are connected, even if there is no logical reason for them to be related. For instance, if you think that wearing a lucky charm will help you pass a test, even though there’s no proof to support that idea, then you’re using magical thinking.

It’s important to remember that believing in things like lucky charms, mantras, and positive thoughts won’t necessarily help you achieve your goals. To succeed in learning English, it’s better to focus on practicing regularly and using effective learning strategies.

When it comes to learning English, magical thinking can take many forms. Some examples include:

Believing that grammar is not important and that you can become fluent just by speaking with native speakers or watching TV shows.
Some people believe memorizing grammar rules or vocabulary lists will make them fluent, but this is not enough.
Thinking that you’ll magically “get it” one day, without putting in the necessary time and effort to study and practice.
Expecting that you’ll become fluent in a matter of weeks or months, rather than accepting that language learning is a long-term process.
Assuming that you’ll understand everything perfectly once you’re immersed in an English-speaking environment, without realizing that confusion and misunderstandings are a natural part of the learning process.
Assuming that you’re too old or too “bad at languages” to learn English, without giving yourself a chance to try and improve.
Assuming that it is normal to be confused ALL the time.
Assuming that an advanced English level class will help you learn faster because one day you will magically grasp the basics of the language that you can easily and smoothly learn in a lower level class.

In a nutshell: Magical thinking is when people think they can learn a language quickly without much effort.

Why is Magical Thinking Problematic?

Magical thinking can be problematic 2 main reasons:

1 Unrealistic expectations

Magical thinking can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment when things don’t go as planned. If you believe that you’ll become fluent quickly and easily, and then find yourself struggling with grammar or vocabulary, you may feel frustrated and demotivated.

2 Laziness

Magical thinking can prevent you from taking action and making progress. If you believe that there’s a magical solution to your language learning challenges, you may not be willing to put in the necessary time and effort to study and practice. As a result, you may not make the progress you’re capable of and may miss out on opportunities to improve your language skills.

How to Avoid Falling into the Magical Thinking Trap

To avoid falling into the magical thinking trap, it’s important to have a realistic and growth-oriented mindset. Here are some tips to help you:

Recognize that learning a language is a long-term process that requires time, effort, and practice. Don’t expect to become fluent overnight, and be willing to invest in your language skills over time.
Focus on the process of learning, rather than the outcome. Instead of obsessing over how fluent you are or how many words you know, focus on enjoying the learning process and making incremental progress.
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes or feeling confused. These are natural parts of the learning process, and they’re actually signs that you’re challenging yourself and making progress.
Seek out resources and support that can help you improve your language skills. This could include textbooks, online courses, language exchange partners, or a tutor.
Stay motivated by setting realistic goals and celebrating your progress along the way. For example, you could set a goal to learn how to use five new words each week, and then celebrate when you achieve this goal.

Don’t let magical thinking hold you back from achieving your language learning goals.

Language learners must practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening regularly. It’s also important to use various resources, like books, podcasts, and news articles. Avoid thinking that one method or tool is all you need for success. Remember, everyone learns differently. It’s good to practice speaking with English speakers, even if you make mistakes.

Wishing or visualizing won’t make you learn faster. The most effective way to learn is to study and practice consistently.

Remember that there are no shortcuts or magical solutions – the key to success is hard work, dedication, and consistent practice.

With love,