Everyday Situations: From Storms to Fake Chefs

Everyday Situations

A sudden storm…

The football pitch was flooded by a sudden storm.
The car door was scratched by vandals.
A new planet has been discovered by scientists in Geneva.
The new National Museum will be opened by the president.
The new primary school is being built by a local firm.
The swimming pool was not used by many of the guests.
The two children were rescued by a lifeguard.
The magazine is read by more than a million people each week.


She doesn’t let…
  • her sister borrow her clothes.
  • her
Read More

Cosmetic Surgery: Weighing the Benefits and Drawbacks

Pros – María Núñez

Cons – Ángel Ampudia

Ángel: In my opinion, cosmetic surgery accentuates narcissism in our society. People nowadays are more worried about looking good than getting to know people. It’s true that an image costs more […]

María: I think cosmetic surgery has some positive aspects. First of all, you will feel better about yourself. This is really important because you are the person that is going to be operated on. That’s why there is no need to be afraid. If you feel that you

Read More

Conditional Sentences, Passive Voice, Modals, and More

Conditionals

  • Zero Conditional: If/When/Unless + Present Simple – Present Simple/ modal + base form.
    • If asteroids are tiny, they are hard to detect.
  • First Conditional: If/Unless + Present Simple – Future Simple/imperative/modal + base form.
    • If the weather is good, the spaceship will take off tomorrow.
    • If you need help, please contact us.
    • If the car breaks down, we can’t go on holiday.
  • Second Conditional: If/Unless + Past Simple – would/could/might + base form.
    • If an asteroid crashed into Earth, it
Read More

Common English Phrases and Idioms

Common English Phrases

  • Windward: Facing the wind or on the side facing the wind.
    Ex: On the windward leg of the yacht race, the wind was strong.
  • From the outset: From the very beginning.
    Ex: It was clear from the outset that there were going to be problems.
  • Excruciatingly: Extremely.
    Ex: His poetry is excruciatingly bad.
  • Over the top: So extreme or exaggerated that it seems offensive.
    Ex: His speech was a bit over the top.
  • Riveting: Fascinating.
    Ex: He gave a riveting performance.
  • Flat: A flat book,
Read More

Master English Grammar: Verb Tenses and Modals

Future with “Going To”

“Going to” is used when talking about future intentions, for example, “I’m going to eat more fruit.” The structure is: be + going to + base form of the verb.

  • Affirmative: Subject + verb to be + going to + verb infinitive
  • Negative: Subject + verb to be + not + going to + verb infinitive
  • Question: Verb to be + subject + going to + verb infinitive

The phrase “going to” indicates future actions with evidence or prior knowledge. For example, “My sister is going to have a baby. It’s

Read More

Key Vocabulary for Crime and Detective Fiction

Crimes and Criminals

  • Crime: An illegal action. Someone who committed a crime is a criminal.
  • Murder: The crime of deliberately killing someone.
  • Thief: Someone who steals something.
  • Fraud: The crime of obtaining money from someone by tricking them.

Investigation and Legal Terms

  • Detective: A senior police officer whose job is to try to discover information about a crime.
  • Case: A crime that the police are investigating.
  • Fingersprint: A mark on something that you have touched that shows the pattern of lines
Read More