SOMETHING FOR A CHUCKLE :)

Pretty much every post on this blog has been about grammar or one of the other English skills that are tested in the FCE.  So what do you say we have a post that's a little bit more fun?  You like that idea?  Cool! :)

Enjoy your day! :)

THE WEEK BEFORE THE EXAM

Okay, so there's only one more week and then it's the exam!  Where did those 12 weeks go?!

And now you're probably thinking: Have I studied hard enough?  Do I remember all those grammar rules and that huge collection of vocab and expressions we covered?

Whatever your answer is, remember this:

DON'T PANIC!

I know, easy to say, not so easy to do.  But seriously, with one week to go, just take it a day at a time.  Work out a schedule.  Plan when you will study and for how long.  This final week is not for going out to the pub with friends or cranking up that copy of Skyrim: Special Edition which you just bought for your Xbox.  By working out a plan you become focused.  Put your mobile away during these times, because once you say "I'm just gonna check this one message", that's it, your mind has wandered and you're no longer thinking about English.

PRIORITISE!

Work out which areas you are good at, and which areas you need to improve.  If you're doing well in listening, don't waste your time trying to improve even more.  It's easier to increase your score from 55%-60% than it is from 85%-90%.  Review the exercises in the book and texts you did during the last 3 months and see where you went wrong.  These are the things you need to know.  If you had difficulty with prepositions or collocation, go back and learn them.

TIMING!

Do some practice tests to make sure you have enough time to complete the exam tasks.  One of the worst things that can happen to you in an exam is running out of time, losing points simply because you didn't answer a question.

RELAX!

On the night before the test, try not to study too much - or don't study at all.  You need this time to allow you and your brain a chance to let everything you've been studying settle down.  When people study the night before they often get all the information mixed up, and it confuses them even more.  Chill out.  Relax with a good movie.  Go for a leisurely stroll along the beach.  And go to bed early to ensure you get a good night's sleep!

However, if there are times when you feel a bit stressed, stop what you're doing and go for a quick walk.  Get out of the house (by yourself!) and wander around the block and get some sun on your face.  After 15-20 minutes, head back inside and start again.  The mini break will do you the world of good :)

SPEAKING EXAM!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the Speaking Exam for FCE.  Everyone's done a lot of practice, has a good understanding of the four different parts of the exam, and they know what to expect.  But remember these important tips:

• Speak slowly to give yourself time to think
• Speak clearly
• Be sure to answer the question!
• Make eye contact
• Learn useful expressions for speculating, comparing, etc.
• Reasons!

If you need a reminder of what to expect tomorrow, then watch these:

Above all, don't forget this:

You're going to be fine.  

You can speak well.

You can share opinions.

You can clearly say what you think. 

Just be yourself :)

THE PASSIVE

The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action.  It is not important, or sometimes not even known, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My car was stolen.  We do not know who stole the bike.
Example: The cake's been eaten.  We do not know who ate all the cake.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, remember:

• the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
• the form of the be verb is changed + past participle
• the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is not used at all)

 And now, due to popular demand, here are some exercises you can do to make sure you have a good understanding of how to use the passive voice:

Passive - Present Simple

Passive - Past Simple

Passive - Present Perfect

Passive - Mixed Tenses

EXTREME ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are words that give us more information about a noun or pronoun.  Some adjectives in English are gradable, meaning you can have different degrees or levels of that adjective.  For example: the weather can be a little cold, rather cold, very cold, or extremely cold.

Extreme adjectives are words that mean "extremely + adjective".  For example, "freezing" means "extremely cold."  The weather can't be "a little bit freezing" or "very freezing" because "freezing" means "extremely cold."

Here's some examples (the regular adjective is first, the extreme adjective is second):

angry/furious
bad/horrible
big/gigantic
clean/spotless
cold/freezing
crowded/packed
dirty/filthy
good/wonderful
hot/boiling
hungry/starving
interesting/fascinating
old/ancient
scary/terrifying
tired/exhausted
ugly/hideous

And here's (as always) some exercises you can do:

Exercise 01

Exercise 02

Long and Difficult Adjective Exercises

WISH, IF ONLY, & HOPE

We use wish/if only + past simple to say we would like a present situation to be different: I wish I had more Pokemon cards (because at the moment I don't have enough).  If only I was rich (I am not).

We use wish/if only + would to say we wany something to happen: I wish my car would start (I can't start it, but I want it to start).  If only the lesson would end (I want it to end, but I am still in class).  We also use wish/if only + would when we want someone to start doing something that they are not doing: If only you'd listen to me! or we want someone to stop doing something which annoys us: I wish you wouldn't use my Xbox without asking!

We use wish/if only + past perfect to talk about things which we are unhappy about, but which happened in the past: He wishes he had bought an Xbox instead of a PS4 (he did buy a PS4, but thinks an Xbox would be better).

If only means I wish.  When talking about other people we use he wishes, they wish, etc.  We use if only when we feel something very strongly.  If not, we use I wish.  We use hope when we want something to happen or to be true, and there is usually a good reason to think this: I hope you have a good holiday.  She hopes her boyfriend will buy her an Xbox for Christmas.  He hopes that the new Spider-Man movie will be really good.

We can use hope when we want something to be true about the past, but we don't know if it is true: I hope you bought the new Halo game (I don't know if she did).  I hope you had a fantastic holiday last week (I don't know if you had a fantastic holiday).

• Optimistic about something?  Use hope.
• Pessimistic about something happening, or sure it won't happen?  Use wish.
• Talking about a present situation?  Use wish + past simple: I wish I had an Xbox.
• Talking about something you would like to happen or something you would like someone to do?  Use wish + would: I wish you wouldn't spend so much time playing video games.
• Talking about past time?  Use wish + past perfect: I wish I hadn't bought No Man's Sky at full retail price.

And, as always, here are some links to exercises you can do:

Wish & If Only 01

Wish & If Only 02

Hope & Wish 01

Hope & Wish 02

MODAL VERBS

Modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, and should.  They are used with other verbs to talk mainly about ability, obligation, and possibility.  Modal verbs are unlike other verbs.  They do not change their form, and they have no infinitive or participle.

And here are some exercises for you to practice your modal verbs! :)

Modal Verbs of Ability

Mixed Modals 01

Modal Verbs of Obligation

Past Modals

Mixed Modals 02