English Class: Theme 2: Trip Memories

You will be able to describe places and compare places you know and narrate expeariences in trip you had.

Describig and narrating experiences I had when traveling.

Vacation Experiences:
-Telling stories about vacation and traveling experiences
-Comparing places

Comparatives and Superlatives
Do the following exercices:

1. Adjectives to describe places
2. Comparatives
3. Do the following Exercises:Comparing places
4. Do the following exercises: Superaltives to describe places
5. Vocabulary to describe places

Practice
Video
Comparatives and superlatives

Listening Practice
Past Continous

1.Listen to a Mystery story
2. Listen and complete the story:

Here’s the transcript to the mystery story, but with some of the verbs ‘gapped’. Try to put them in the correct tense. Listen again to check.
The mystery story:
Last night I _________________ (walk) home next to the river thames, when something strange _________________ (happen) to me. It was late at night and I _________________ (have) a long and difficult day at work. There was a large full moon in the sky and everything was quiet. I was tired and lonely and I _________________ (just have) a few pints of beer in my local pub, so I decided to stop by the riverside and look at the moon for a while.

I _________________ (sit) on some steps very close to the water’s edge and looked up at the big yellow moon and wondered if it really was made of cheese. I felt very tired so I _________________ (close) my eyes and after a few minutes, I _________________ (fall) asleep. When I woke up, the moon _________________ (move) behind a cloud and it was very dark and cold. The wind _________________ (blow) and an owl _________________ (hoot) in a tree above me. I rubbed my eyes and started to get up, when suddenly I _________________ (hear) a splash. I _________________ (look) down at the water and saw something. Something terrible and frightening, and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Something _________________ (come) out of the water and _________________ (move) towards me. Something green and strange and ugly. It was a long green arm and it _________________ (stretch) out from the water to grab my leg. I was so scared that I couldn’t move. I _________________ (never be) so scared in my whole life. The cold green hand _________________ (move) closer and closer when suddenly there was a blue flash and a strange noise from behind me. Someone _________________ (jump) onto the stairs next to me. He _________________ (wear) strange clothes and he had a crazy look in his eyes. He shouted “Get Back!” and _________________ (point) something at the monster in the water. There was a bright flash and the monster hissed and disappeared.

I looked up at the man. He looked strange, but kind. “Don’t fall asleep by the river when there’s a full moon”, he said “The Moon Goblins will get you.” I _________________ (never hear) of moon goblins before. I didn’t know what to do. “Who… who are you?” I asked him. “You can call me… The Doctor.” He said. I _________________ (try) to think of something else to say when he turned around and said, “Watch the stars at night, and be careful of the full moon”. I was trying to understand what he meant, when there was another blue flash and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, he _________________ (go).

I couldn’t believe what _________________(happen). What on earth were Moon Goblins, and who was the mysterious Doctor? And why had he saved me? I was determined to find the answers to these strange questions. I stood up, looked at the moon and quickly walked home.

Listen and read to the mystery story again

The mystery story:
Last night I was walking home next to the river thames, when something strange happened to me. It was late at night and I’d had a long and difficult day at work. There was a large full moon in the sky and everything was quiet. I was tired and lonely and I’d just had a few pints of beer in my local pub, so I decided to stop by the riverside and look at the moon for a while. I sat on some steps very close to the water’s edge and looked up at the big yellow moon and wondered if it really was made of cheese. I felt very tired so I closed my eyes and after a few minutes, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, the moon had moved behind a cloud and it was very dark and cold. The wind was blowing and an owl hooted in a tree above me. I rubbed my eyes and started to get up, when suddenly I heard a splash. I looked down at the water and saw something. Something terrible and frightening, and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Something was coming out of the water and moving towards me. Something green and strange and ugly. It was a long green arm and it was stretching out from the water to grab my leg. I was so scared that I couldn’t move. I’d never been so scared in my whole life. The cold green hand was moving closer and closer when suddenly there was a blue flash and a strange noise from behind me. Someone jumped onto the stairs next to me. He was wearing strange clothes and he had a crazy look in his eyes. He shouted “Get Back!” and pointed something at the monster in the water. There was a bright flash and the monster hissed and disappeared.

I looked up at the man. He looked strange, but kind. “Don’t fall asleep by the river when there’s a full moon”, he said “The Moon Goblins will get you.” I’d never heard of moon goblins before. I didn’t know what to do. “Who… who are you?” I asked him. “You can call me… The Doctor.” He said. I was trying to think of something else to say when he turned around and said, “Watch the stars at night, and be careful of the full moon”. I was trying to understand what he meant, when there was another blue flash and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, he had gone.

I couldn’t believe what had happened. What on earth were Moon Goblins, and who was the mysterious Doctor? And why had he saved me? I was determined to find the answers to these strange questions. I stood up, looked at the moon and quickly walked home.

Holidays
Video
Video 2
Reading about holidays

Writing Practice
Write an annecdote of an experience you lived on a holiday.
How to write a recount

Remember the structures and characteristics of this type of text.

Source: http://mrcrammond.com/Writing/writingfun.swf

2. Read the following recount:

Simon Story

One day when I was on holiday with a group of Friends, I went down to the beach at six thirty because I had woken up very early I hadn’t been able to get back to sleep.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was rising in the sky and the waves were breaking on the shore. A few joggers were running up and down the beach and some fishermen were just coming back from a night’s fishing. It looked absolutely beautiful.

I took a surfboard and paddled out into the bay and then I just laid on my surfboard for a bit thinking about life. I fell asleep. When I woke up and looked around, I got quite a shock because I had drifted a long way from the beach and I couldn’t get back.

I decided to use my mobile phone to get help and then I realised that I had left it back in my room. And that was when I started to feel quite frightened.

My friends found me in the afternoon. They had looked for me all morning and about lunchtime they had become very anxious. They called the air sea rescue service and a helicopter pilot saw me about two hours later.

And the moral of the story? Always tell your friends where you are going and don’t fall asleep on surfboards!

3. According to the recount, Simon Story, answer the following questions:
1. Who was in the experience?
2. What happened?
3. When did it happen?
4. Where did it happen?
5. Why did events happen?
6. How did the narrator change because of this event?

4. Before you write your personal recount, answer the questions above :

1. Who was in the experience?
2. What happened?
3. When did it happen?
4. Where did it happen?
5. Why did events happen?
6. How did the I change because of this event?

4. Following the model of Simon Story, and considering the characteristics and structure of a recount, write your personal recount.

Read and listen the following description about San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the most well-known cities in America, mainly because the city has great weather, wonderful views, and many famous landmarks. The city is on a peninsula so it is surrounded by water, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and San Francisco Bay on the other.

The most famous landmark in San Francisco is probably the Golden Gate Bridge which is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. The bridge was completed in 1937 and is still widely used today. The bridge has an Art Deco design and unique orange color, making it not only practical, but beautiful as well.

Another famous landmark with an Art Deco design is Coit Tower, which is 210 feet tall and sits atop Telegraph Hill. The tower was designed to look like a fire hose nozzle in memory to the many brave firemen who battled the Great San Francisco Fire from the 1906 earthquake.

In San Francisco, even the prisons are unique. Alcatraz is now probably one of America's most famous prisons. It sits on an island in San Francisco Bay so it offers some of the best views of the city. Alcatraz is no longer in use but open for tourists year round.

Unlike the other landmarks that can be seen from afar, Lombard Street is a famous spot that is hard to find. The street sits in a very hilly residential area. Originally, the street was designed with many curves to make it safe to travel down. The street is lined on both sides with various bushes, trees, and flowers making it a drive-thru garden.

Like other large American cities, San Francisco has many tall buildings, or skyscrapers as they are commonly called. The most famous of these is the Transamerica Building which is shaped like a pyramid. The building is not the tallest in the city, but it is definitely its most memorable.

Audio

Grammar
Comparative Adjectives
An adjective is a word or phrase that is used to describe a noun or pronoun.

A comparative adjective is used to make a comparison between two things. This
comparison may show equality or inequality between the two things.

Equal Comparisons:

• To show an equal comparison, you need to use an adjective between the subordinating
conjunctions “as”.

• To show an equal comparison, use the form: as [adjective] as

Example: Julia is as tall as the bookshelf.

Example: The water is as cold as ice.

Directions: Fill in the spaces with the appropriate comparative adjective.

1. The light shines as ___________ as the sun.
2. The runner moves as ___________ as the wind.
3. The apple is as ___________ as a fire truck.
4. The giraffe is as ___________ as the tree.
5. That clock is as ___________ as my grandfather.
6. His voice was as ___________ as thunder.
7. The truck was as ___________ as a house.
8. Your book bag is ___________ as a rock.

Directions: Write two of you own sentences which show an equal comparison.

1) ____________________________________________________________________

2) ____________________________________________________________________

Unequal Comparisons:

• To show an unequal comparison, you need to use an adjective followed by the
subordinating conjunction “than”. You may have to double the final consonant letter for
some comparative adjectives.

• To show an unequal comparison using an adjective with one syllable, you must add
“er” to the ending.

[adjective + “er”] than

Example: Yuri is smarter than Joe.

Directions: Fill in the spaces with the appropriate comparative adjective.

1. Dennis is ___________ (old) than Kiki.
2. I am ___________ (tall) than the bookshelf. 3. My dog is ___________ (fast) than my cat.
4. The soup is ___________ (hot) than the milk.
5. The rock is ___________ (hard) than the banana.

Directions: Write two of you own sentences which show an unequal comparison using
an adjective with one syllable.

1) ____________________________________________________________________

2) ____________________________________________________________________

• To show an unequal comparison using an adjective with more than one syllable that
ends in “y”, you must omit the “y” and add “ier” to the ending.

[adjective + “ier”] than

Example: The plane is heavier than the bird.

Directions: Fill in the spaces with the appropriate comparative adjective.

1. Yuki was at school __________ (early) than I was.
2. Rice is __________ (sticky) than salad.
3. This exercise is __________ (tricky) than the last one.
4. My little brother is __________ (silly) than I am.
5. This picture is __________ (pretty) than the other one.

Directions: Write two of you own sentences which show an unequal comparison using
an adjective with more than one syllable that ends in “y”.

1) ____________________________________________________________________

2) ____________________________________________________________________

• To show an unequal comparison using an adjective with more than one syllable that
does not end in “y”, the ending of the adjective remains unchanged and you must use
“more” or “less” before the adjective.

[more / less] [adjective] than

Example: The butterfly is more beautiful than the spider.

Directions: Fill in the spaces with the appropriate comparative adjective.

1. Her motorcycle is _______ ____________ (dangerous) than my car.
2. Gold is _______ ____________ (expensive) than silver.
3. Butterflies are _______ ____________ (beautiful) than snakes.
4. The grey jacket is _______ ____________ (colorful) than the pink one.
5. I am _______ ____________ (tired) now than I was this morning.

Directions: Write two of you own sentences which show an unequal comparison using
an adjective with more than one syllable that does not end in “y”.

1) ____________________________________________________________________

2) ____________________________________________________________________

Decribing pictures

A moment in time
My favorite photo

Past Progressive and Simple Past

Form

Simple Past	Past Progressive
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs I spoke regular verbs: verb + ed I worked	past form of 'be' + ing form of verb I was speaking you were speaking he / she / it was speaking we were speaking they were speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' : when the final letter is e, only add d. Example: love - loved after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelled after a consonant, final y becomes i. (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - he worried but: play - he played	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming but: agree - agreeing after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: sit - sitting final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelling final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

See also explanations on Simple Past and Past Progressive

Use

After another or at the same time?

Do you want to express that the actions in the past happened one after another or at the same time?

Simple Past	Past Progressive
after another She came home, switched on the computer and checked her e-mails.	at the same time Simon was playing on the computer while his brother was watching TV.

New action or already in progress?

If you want to express that a new action happened in the middle of another action, you need both tenses: Simple Past the new action and Past Progressive for the action already in progress.

Simple Past	Past Progressive
new action My mobile rang (when I was sitting in a meeting.)	action already in progress While I was sitting in a meeting, (my mobile suddenly rang.)

Only mentioning or emphasising progress?

Do you just want to mention that an action took place in the past (also used for short actions)? Or do you want to put emphasis on the progress, e.g. that an action was taking place at a certain time?

Simple Past	Past Progressive
just mentioning Colin played football yesterday.	emphasising progress Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin was playing football.

Certain Verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form).

state: be, cost, fit, mean, suit
Example: We were on holiday.
possession: belong, have
Example: Sam had a cat.
senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch
Example: He felt the cold.
feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wish
Example: Jane loved pizza.
brain work: believe, know, think, understand
Example: I did not understand him.
introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, say
Example: “I am watching TV,“ he said.