Author: Mohammad Hamad

  • Describing Places

    Listen to these interviews and answer the questions

    Now it’s time to join Emma as she meets four people on the streets of London.

    Their names are Milly, Paul, Mariska and Katie.

    Emma asks them:

    • Where are you from?
    • What’s it like there?
    • What do you like about it?
    Here we are on the streets of London
    It’s an international city full of
    people from all over the world so let’s
    go meet some of them. Hi Millie, nice to
    meet you. Nice to—now whereabouts are you
    from? East Grinstead in West Sussex
    probably about 50 minutes south of
    London. And what’s it like there? I guess
    it’s kind of a countryside town, so a lot
    different than London—um, quite green and
    nice. I like it. So what do you like the
    most about it? Um, I think you go down the
    High Street and everyone kind of tends
    to know one another, and it’s kind of
    homely. You feel safe there and
    everyone’s friendly. Hello, what’s your
    name? Hi, I’m Paul. Hi Paul, nice to meet
    you. And whereabouts do you come from? I
    come from London just down the river
    here. What is it like? The best way I can
    answer that is tell you what I’m going
    to do today. I’m going to go and, uh, meet
    a friend, have a coffee. Then we’re going
    to go and see a play at the Globe
    Theater. And then afterwards, there’ll be
    plenty of places open, so we’ll find
    somewhere for a late supper. What is it
    you like most about London? I think there
    are so many things that go on in the
    city—so many different people and types
    of people who live here. It’s just
    exciting and wonderful. Hello, what’s your
    name? Hello, my name is Marisa. Marisa, nice
    to meet you. Where are you from? I’m from
    Holland. What’s Holland like? Holland is a
    small country, very flat, with beaches.
    What do you like about Holland? Um, I like
    uh, the place where I live. It’s a little
    town near the beach, and I like the sun
    and the qui—quiet. It’s really quiet. My
    name is Katie. Hello, nice to meet you. And
    where are you from? I’m from Canada.
    Canada? Wow! What is it like there? It’s
    really cold there. What do you like about
    it? I like how big it
    is. So now you’ve met some of the people
    in London. See you next
    time.

    Which person is from Holland?

    Why does Milly like living in East Grinstead?

    Why does Paul like living in London?

    Which country was described as ‘cold’?

    Which country was described as ‘small’?

    What word does Milly use to describe East Grinstead?

  • How to Use Short Forms To Speak Fluent English

    How to Use Short Forms To Speak Fluent English

    Guess The Short Forms with This Fun Drag-and-Drop Game!

    Read the examples on short forms and their full forms

    ConceptDefinitionExampleTranslation
    whatchaWhat are you …. ?What are you doing tonight?
    ImageVideoAudio
    wannawant toDo you wanna watch too?
    ImageVideoAudio
    lemmelet meLemme know what you think.
    ImageVideoAudio
    kindakind ofShe’s kinda nice.
    ImageVideoAudio
    haftahave toDo you hafta go already?
    ImageVideoAudio
    gottagot to (or: got a)I’ve gotta go now.
    ImageVideoAudio
    gonnagoing toI’m going to travel next month.
    ImageVideoAudio
    gimmegive meGimme your book, please.
    ImageVideoAudio
    dunnodon’t knowI dunno what happened11
    ImageVideoAudio
    interview coaching
    ×

    Listen to this conversation and answer the questions

    From BBC learningenglish.com. Hello and welcome to Six Minute Vocabulary with me, Finn, and me, Catherine.
    And today we’re talking about short spoken forms, like “gonna,” “wanna,” and “gotta.”
    Let’s start by listening to Jason and Yuki talking about their plans for the weekend.
    Who is Yuki meeting on Saturday night? Have a listen.
    “What are you doing this weekend, Yuki?” “I don’t know. I’m probably gonna meet Lucy on Saturday night.”
    “All right. Do you wanna come to the cinema in the afternoon?” “No, thanks. I’ve gotta finish an English essay.”
    “Okay, let me know if you change your mind.”
    Well, that was Jason and Yuki. Who is Yuki meeting? She’s probably gonna meet Lucy.
    English speakers often say “going to” as “gonna” in informal situations with friends.
    Does that mean you shouldn’t say “gonna” in formal situations like job interviews?
    Probably better to say “going to” in formal situations. And you don’t use “gonna” in writing unless writing dialogue.
    Some people never use “gonna,” though it’s more common in American English.
    You can only use “gonna” if “going to” is followed by a verb. E.g., “I’m gonna go to Paris.”
    Now let’s hear more short spoken forms: “What are you doing this weekend?” “I don’t know. I’m probably gonna meet Lucy.”
    Jason said “whatcha,” short for “what are you” or “what do you.” Yuki said “dunno” for “I don’t know.”
    Next clip: “Do you want to come to the cinema?” “No, thanks. I’ve got to finish an English essay.”
    We heard “wanna” for “want to” and “gotta” for “got to” or “got a.”
    Another clip: “Let me know if you change your mind.” “Lemme” is short for “let me.”
    Other short forms include “hafta” for “have to,” “gimme” for “give me,” and “kinda” for “kind of.”
    Now quiz time: What’s an informal way to say “I’ve got to phone the bank”? Answer: “I’ve gotta phone the bank.”
    How to ask what your friend is doing tonight? “What are you doing tonight?”
    How to tell your friend you think it will rain? “I think it’s gonna rain.”
    Well done if you got them all right! Before we go, remember: watch English TV, movies, and videos. Listen for short forms and practice repeating them.
    It’ll help you understand better and sound more natural. There’s more at BBC learningenglish.com. We’ve gotta go now. Bye-bye!
  • Test Lesson Page

    What do you think then Steve?
    Well, the first one was very excitable.
    He kept laughing and speaking fast.
    Perhaps it was just nervousness,
    but there’s no room for that in this business.
    No.
    Now I thought the second interviewee seemed a bit more responsible.
    Yes, she did. Very important when dealing with money.
    And she was polite. Politeness is essential in this job.
    Absolutely.
    Well, I think we both know which one is more employable.

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