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

STATE & ACTION VERBS

Verbs in English are either state/stative or action/active verbs.  An action verb means something is happening: John is cleaning the room; Sarah put the books on the shelf.  A state verb means something staying the same, or not an action: Joe owns the house.  The shelf contained books.  It is usually action verbs that can be used in a continuous form: kick, eat, play, swim, talk, etc.

State verbs generally fall into 4 groups:

Emotion: love, hate, want, need
Possession: have, own, want, belong
Sense: see, hear, seem, smell
Thought: know, believe, remember, recall

But English is a crafty language, and some verbs can be both state and action verbs:

Example:
"I have a car." or "I am having a bath."
"I think that movie was fantastic." or "I am thinking of going to the movies."

So you want to do some state and action verb practice?  Excellent - you've come to the right place!  Below are some links to exercises you can do at home, on the bus, or even down at the beach - as long as you have an Internet connection you can do them wherever you please :)

State and Action Verbs 01

State and Action Verbs 02

State and Action Verbs 03

CONDITIONALS PRACTICE

Here are some more exercises you can do to ensure you have a good understanding of conditionals.  Coming to grips with conditionals will help you do well in Part 4 of the Use of English paper.  Hope you had a fantastic weekend! :)

Conditionals 01

Conditionals 02

Unreal Past Tenses

(This last link includes wish, if only, and hope)

PAST SIMPLE OR PRESENT PERFECT?

Here are some exercises for you to enjoy over the weekend! :)

Past Simple or Present Perfect 01

Past Simple or Present Perfect 02

Past Simple or Present Perfect 03

Past Simple or Present Perfect 04

THE "-ING" FORM

The "-ing" form is extremely versatile in English and can be used in a variety of ways.  Let's check some of them out:

It can be used as a noun, an adjective, or a verb:
* Smoking is forbidden
* I had a long working day
* I don't like dancing

It is used after prepositions:
* Before leaving, you need to hand in your essay
* After discussing it with her, I thought she was right
* Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I went out with my friends

When "to" is used as a preposition it can be followed by the "-ing" form:
* I don't object to working on a Saturday
* I'm looking forward to seeing that movie again
* I'm used to getting up very early

There are numerous verb + -ing combinations:
* I admit telling him
* I avoid working on the weekends
* He denied telling her
* I enjoy dancing
* I've given up working on Saturdays
* I don't mind playing golf
* I can't stand drinking beer

Here's some links to a number of "-ing" form exercises (be careful, some of the answers don't require an "-ing" form.  Instead, they need an infinitive):

Number 01

Number 02

Number 03 

MIXED TENSES - EXERCISES

As we get closer to the exam, it's always good to do some further grammar revision - and what better way to do that than with a series of exercises that enable you to put your knowledge of tenses to the test!

So, without anything further, here are the links :)

Mixed Tenses 01

Mixed Tenses 02

Mixed Tenses 03

Mixed Tense 04

Verb Patterns

What Tense Is It?

PREFIX/SUFFIX EXERCISES

During the Use of English part of the exam you will sometimes have to change the form of a given word by adding a prefix or a suffix.

It is extremely important that you read the whole text first, because then you will understand the context, and it will make it easier for you to understand what form of the word you will need to put into the gaps.

Focus on the word that comes before or after the gap.  Is it a noun?  Is it a verb?  If the word is a noun, then there's a pretty good chance you'll need an adjective.  If the word is a verb, then it's likely you'll need an adverb.

And when you have some free time read as much as you can.  Read something online, read a magazine, read a newspaper, read a novel - just read.  And make sure it's in English ;)

Now it's practice time! :)

Prefixes

Prefixes & Suffixes

Suffixes

ARTICLES - AGAIN! :)

Here's some more links to exercises about articles (a, an, the), because they're a super important part of the English language.  If used correctly they provide extra detail when you're trying to express or explain something.

Remember, an article is basically an adjective.  Like adjectives, they modify nouns.

Articles are the, a, and an.  The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns.  A/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns.

For example:

If I say "let's see the movie" I am talking about a specific movie, one that you and I have already discussed.

If I say "let's see a movie" I am talking about any movie rather than a specific one. There are many movies, and I don't care which one I see.

And, as promised, here are the links:

Articles 01

Articles 02

Articles 03

Articles 04

PREPOSITIONS!

Due to popular* demand, here are some links to a variety of exercises about prepositions.  Do them tonight, tackle them on the weekend, or organise a party with a group of friends and instead of watching a movie you could all sit around and do them together - you'll have fun while learning! :)

Whatever you get up to this weekend, I hope you enjoy it! :)

* In this context, my definition of popular may differ from yours...or that of a dictionary.

Prepositions with Verbs

Various Prepositions Quiz

Prepositions after Nouns

WORD FORMATION EXERCISES

Knowing how to change the form of a word (for example, from a noun to an adjective, or from a verb to a noun) will ensure you not only do well in the First Certificate exam, but it will also increase your vocabulary and give you heaps more confidence when speaking to people.  It's a win-win situation! :)

Tips:

* What form do I have to change the word to?  A verb?  A noun?  An adjective?  An adverb?

* Nouns often end with ment, ion, ness, ity.

* People nouns often end with er, or, ist, ian.

* Adjectives often end with able, ible, ive, al, ic, ed, ing.

* Some verbs end with ise, ate, en.

* Adverbs often end with ly.

* If the new word is negative, then you may need a prefix (un, im, in, dis...)

And remember: if you don't know the answer, then guess!  It's much better than not trying at all.

Word Formation 01

Word Formation 02
Word Formation 03

Word Formation 04

Word Formation 05

READING IMPROVES YOUR ENGLISH...SERIOUSLY :)

One of the very best ways to improve your English (especially the grammar side of it) is by reading.  Reading books, short stories, articles - pretty much anything that will engage you for more than fifteen minutes at any one sitting.  Flicking through Facebook updates or checking out the posts on  reddit is not the same!

But why is reading going to help improve my English?

* You can learn vocabulary in context.

* You can see words and phrases used naturally, instead of in a textbook.

* You can see structures and expressions that you can use when you write.

* You can go fast, slow - at any speed you wish!  You can read 10 pages in ten minutes, thirty minutes, or even an hour.  It's doesn't matter.  Take your time.  The choice is yours.

* You can choose something that you like to read.  If you like soccer, then read about soccer.  If you like gripping thrillers, then read them.  If you're interested in historical Rome, find something about that.  Read whatever you want! :)

Above all, read regularly.  It's a skill, like speaking, so the more you use it the better you get at it.

So what do I read?

If you're not into novels or short stories, then surf the web for a web site that is about a subject you like.  Find an article and read it.  If it's boring, then find a better one.  Just don't give up!

However, if you're interested in short stories or short novels (sometimes called novellas), one of the best sites to go to is http://english-e-books.net.  They're numerous fictional stories on this site which you can download (for free!), and each of them (did I tell you they're free?) has been altered to match the level you're at, so there's no excuse not to check them out.

(I told you they're free, didn't I?)

For my FCE evening students, here's the entire text of Ira Levin's A Kiss Before Dying.

Happy Reading! :)

VOCABULARY - COMMON MISTAKES

There are numerous words in English that look (and sound) very similar to each other, which can make it confusing when you want to use them in the right context.  Moreover, you want to make sure that you spell each of these words correctly, because in the FCE incorrect spelling means an incorrect answer.

So below are five links to some common mistakes FCE students make in the exam when it comes to words that are similar to each other.  Check them out, and I hope you do well :)

Common Mistakes 01

Common Mistakes 02

Common Mistakes 03

Common Mistakes 04

Common Mistakes 05