B1 (File 4B) : Listening activities + vocabulary bank : houses

6 minutes English BBC- house swapping

A. Before listening- Guess the following questions without listening to the programme.
1. What does house swapping mean?
2. What are the benefits of house swapping? 
3. If you didn't have enough money for a holiday, would you consider the option of house swapping?
4. What kind of houses are mentioned in the programme?
B. While listening- answer this question:
1  According to a recent survey which is the most popular destination for UK home swaps?

a) Australia
b) UK
c) USA

Listen out for the correct answer at the end of the programme! 

• audio
• transcript download
• Vocabulary from the programme ( click here and scroll down)

C. Optional activity -After listening: ( Basics of home exchange in 8 minutes)  

1. Name the advantages of house swapping. Now think about the disadvantages.
2. What kind of houses do you see in the video?

Watch this video and find out! 

3. Movie about home exchange

Have you seen the movie "The Holiday" about home exchange? Click here to read more...

Watch the trailer here. ( and click on media ( trailer)

FYI ( For your interest) : The Holiday Speak up DVD is at the library.

KEYS- FILE 4B - Vocabulary

p. 151-Vocabulary Bank: houses.
1 Types of houses
1 terraced house
2 block of flats
3 cottage
4 detached house

2 Where people live
1g   2 d    3e   4b    5a    6c   7f

3 Parts of a house

1 chimney    2 roof    3 balcony   4 garage    5 wall    6 gate    7 garden   8 steps   9 terrace   10 path

4 Furniture 

bathroom-washbasin, shower
kitchen-sink, dishwasher
living room-coffee table, armchair
bedroom-bedside table, chest of drawers

B1 ( song) : Gotye - Somebody that I used to know

1. Read Gotye's ( biography).
Gotye " Somebody that I used to know" wins best record of the year at
Grammys.

1. Watch the video and answer these questions:


1. Here's a link to extra activities

After listening activities

2. Grammar questions
a.  What does the title of the song " somebody that I used to know" refer to?
 The expression " I used to":
a- A relationship that was going on in the past.
c- A relationship that's going on in the present.

B1 (THE FLATMATES BBC- Language point) : Giving advice

In file 3A we learnt that the modal verb " should " is used to give advice or opinion on a topic. In addition, there are other ways of giving advice. Please visit the links below and do the activities.
Giving advice-
Instructions for self- learning:
There are 3 links below with the activities. Follow the 3 steps and answer the question at the end of this post.

1  Listen to the first video and try to note down as many expressions as you can  used to give advice.
2. Click on number 2 below, listen and check your answers with the trascription. 
3. Finally, read the explanation and do the quizz below.
 
- 1. video ( hidden text)
- 2. video ( with transcription)
- 3. quizz.

QUESTION: What other new verbs do John and Helen use to give advice? ( You can submit your answers on the blog)

A1- B1 ( SONG Exercise) : I set fire to the rain ( Adele)

Fill in the gaps and then click Score to see your results.
Watch the video and click on the activities below ( open in a new window to do the activity).

 SONG ACTIVITIES:
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
BEGINNER LEVEL

B1- SONG: ADELE ( Skyfall)

Adele wins Best Original Song Motion Picture during the Golden  Globe Awards.

Follow this link,  where you'll find a tanscription of part of her speech.



Now listen to her song ( Skyfall) and do the exercises.

 Exercises

FYI ( for your interest):FREE AUDIO BOOKS

Here's a link where you can download audio books for free.
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/
Enjoy reading!

B1 (FYI): Revision material- Agreement with Quantifiers

Quantifiers and agreement usually raise doubts in English. This link is perfect to clarify this point. QUANTITY PHRASES:   QUANTIFIER + SINGULAR AGREEMENT;  QUANTIFIER + PLURAL AGREEMENT.
I'm sure it'll help you to use them more confidently.

A1-C1: Saying Hello and Goodbye!

Level elementary to advanced.

Levels of subtitles in English: intermediate- advanced
Levels of explanation in English:intermediate- advanced

B1 Listening: Global Waste: food for thought

Global waste: food for thought

How much food do you throw away? Chris discusses with Jen the problems of global food and water waste in this week's 6 Minute English.

This week's question:

How much food is wasted every year around the world? Is it:

a) 5,000 tonnes
b) 1 million tonnes
c) 1.3 billion tonnes

Listen out for the answer at the end of the programme.

Writing: correction code

CORRECTION CODE

This document explains the meaning of the symbols I normally use to correct written assignments.