1EKTA - PAST TENSES

To revise your knowledge of the past tenses, do the following exercise.

Read the story and try to order the activites chronologically (what happened first, what happened next and so on...).

THE STORY:
John and Mary went to the cinema and really enjoyed themselves. When they came home, they discovered that someone had stolen their car. They immediately called the police. While they were waiting for them to arrive, they went to see the nearby neighbours and ask them if they had seen anything. The neghbours had seen a black van and two men walking around the house and were able to describe the men to the police. On the basis of the neighbours' descriptions the police soon captured the thiefs.

1EKTA - ARTS AND LITERATURE

Dear 1EktA students,

here is a task for you. Our next topic is about arts and literature. We will be talking about Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. To see if you already know something about them, do the quiz.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
1. He was
A) a poet.
B) a writer.
C) a painter.

2. He was born in
A) 18th century.
B) 19th century.
C) 20th century.

3. Why did he die?
A) Because he was old.
B) Because he committed suicide.
C) Because he was ill.

4. Which of the following books wasn't written by him?
A) A Farewell To Arms
B) For Whom The Bell Tolls
C) Harry Potter

To check your answers, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway.

PABLO PICASSO:
1. He died in
A) 17th century.
B) 19th century.
C) 20th century.

2. He was
A) a painter.
B) a poet.
C) a singer.

3. His most famous work is called
A) Guernica.
B) Mona Lisa.
C) Sejalec.

4. He was born in
A) Germany.
B) France.
C) Spain.

To check your answers, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso

3ET - INDIRECT QUESTIONS

Dear 3A students,

as we have been talking about indirect questions, here is a task for you.

1. Read the two stories below. They are the same just different pieces of information are missing.
2. Ask questions to fill the gaps with the missing information (use INDIRECT QUESTIONS!).

Story 1
Frank was born in ______ (where?) in 1977. He went to school in Buenos Aires for ______ (how long?) before moving to Denver. He misses _______ (what?), but he enjoys studying and living in Denver. In fact, he _____ (what?) in Denver for over 4 years. Currently, he _________ (what?) at the University of Colorado where he is going to receive his Bachelor of Science next ______ (when?). After he receives his degree, he is going to return to Buenos Aires to marry _____ (who?) and begin a career in research. Alice ______ (what?) at the University in Buenos Aires and is also going to receive ______ (what?) next May. They met in _____ (where?) in 1995 while they were hiking together in the ______ (where?). They have been engaged for ________ (how long?).

Story 2
Frank was born in Buenos Aires in ______ (when?). He went to school in _______ (where?) for 12 years before moving to ______ (where?). He misses living in Buenos Aires, but he enjoys ________ (what?) in Denver. In fact, he has lived in Denver for ______ (how long?). Currently, he is studying at the ______ (where?) where he is going to receive his _______ (what?) next June. After he receives his degree, he is going to return to _____ (where?) to marry his fiance Alice and begin a career in ______ (what?). Alice studies Art History at the ________ (where?) and is also going to receive a degree in Art History next _____ (when?). They met in Peru in _____ (when?) while they _______ (what?) together in the Andes. They have been engaged for three years.

The story is taken from the following website:
http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/blask.htm
and if you would like to know more about indirect questions and do some more exercises, see the following websites:
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/indirectques.html
http://www.esl-houghton.org/teachmater/Indirectquestions.doc
http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/312.html
http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/headway/intermediate/a_grammar/unit11/hwy_int_unit11_1/

4ET - STRANGE STORIES

If you remember, we spoke about strange but real-life stories (Man survives plunge...). Here you have some newspaper headlines of the stories that really happened:
- Burglars Break Into Flower Shop 30 Times
- Man Survives Fall From 17th Floor
- Escaped Chimp Cleans Bathroom
- Driver Follows Navigation Systems, Crashes
- Man Gets Postcard Postmarked In 1949
- Couple Lets Internet Vote Determine Where They'll Live

Choose 2 headlines and try to imagine the story behind them. Write the two reports and do not forget to use the appropriate tenses. When you have finished, you can check on the following websites what really happened.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/strange/main500523.shtml
http://news.aol.com/strange
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/index?section=bizarre&id=3400102

4ET STUDENTS - SUMMARY OF A BOOK OR FILM

Dear 4ET students,

our next topic in the English classes is to do with summaries (either of books or films). I guess some of you prefer watching films, the others reading books, so this task will probably not be that difficult for you.

If you prefer watching a film, follow these instructions:

1. think of a film that you've recently seen and liked,

2. go through the film in your mind and think of TWO things you liked best,

3. now write a summary of the film (you can use these questions to help yourself).

The questions:

What is the title of the film?

Who directed it?

What kind of a film is it? (a thriller, an action movie,...)

Who are the main actors and characters?

Where and when does the story take place?

What is the plot of the film?

What is your opinion of the film?

If you are more of a bookworm, follow these instructions.

1. think of a book that you've recently read and liked,
2. go through the book in your mind and think of TWO things you liked best,
3. now write a summary of the book (you can use these questions to help yourself).

The questions:
What is the title of the book?
Who wrote it?

When was it written?
What kind of a book is it? (a thriller, a biography,...)
Who are the main characters?
Where and when does the story take place?
What is the plot of the story?
What is your opinion of the book?