Inglês da Professora Denise Mardegan

Let’s face it. You know that when you think about that special person in your life, you may say that you like them or even that you love them. And that’s great, but for today’s English lesson, I have 15 different ways you can talk about your strong feelings for someone. I fell for you!  ← It means, I fell in love with you. I’m crazy about you!  ← It means I’m very attracted to you or I love you. I’m gaga over you!  ← It means I’m infatuated with you. I’m head over heels for you!  ← It also means I’m very attracted to you or I love you. I’m hot for you!  ← It means I’m physically or sexually attracted to you. I’m hung up on you!  ← It also means I’m infatuated with you.  Be careful! You need the be verb with this one  →  I’m hung up on you!  If you say I hung up on you it means you cut the phone call while she was speaking! I’m nuts about you!  ← It also means I’m very attracted to you or I love you. I’m smitten with on yo...

The past perfect tense is usually used with two past actions. The verb in the past perfect shows the first past action. She  had visited  several doctors before she  found out what the problem was . First action (verb):  had visited Second action (verb):  found out The word order can be changed but it doesn't change the meaning: Before she  found out  what the problem was, she had visited  several doctors. simple past past participle find found found visit visited visited * find out / found out = learn; discover Remember to      in your notebook Singular Plural I had visited We had visited You had visited You had visited He had visited She had visited They had visited It had visited examples He  had  already  started to make breakfast before his wife  woke up . ( already  is frequently used with perfect tenses. It usu...

Here are expressions you can use when complaining: I have a complaint to make. ... Sorry to bother you but... I'm sorry to say this but... I'm afraid I've got a complaint about... I'm afraid there is a slight problem with... Excuse me but there is a problem about... I want to complain about... I'm angry about...  Examples: I have a complaint to make. Your pizza is just too salty. I'm sorry to say this but your food is inedible. 1. I'm afraid I've got a complaint about your child.He's too noisy . 2. I'm afraid there is a slight problem with the service in this hotel. 3.Excuse me but you are standing on my foot. 4. I want to complain about the noise you are making. 5. I'm angry about the way you treat me. Responding to complaints  Positive response to complaints: I'm so sorry, but this will never occur / happen again. I'm sorry, we promise never to make the same mistake again. I'm really sorr...

Complaining roleplay: 1. Student A: You are staying in a 5 star hotel, there is a famous rock band staying in the room next door, it is 3am and they are having a wild party, throwing televisions out the window and keeping you awake. You have an important business meeting at 9am. Student B: You are the receptionist in a 5 star hotel, it is 3am a guest has come to complain about noise, there is a famous rock group staying in the hotel, they have paid €1million to have a party in their room. The hotel is full. 2. Student A: You are checking out of your hotel. When the receptionist gives you the bill it is very high, you have been charged for 2 bottles of don perignon Champagne from the mini bar and 2 “adult” movies on the TV, you didn’t drink any champagne and you didn’t watch the movies. Student B: You are a hotel receptionist, student A is coming to complain about his / her bill.

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student B) 1) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘complain’? 2) Are you a complainer? 3) Who do you usually complain to? 4) What complaints do you have at the moment? 5) Have you ever complained in a restaurant, hotel, airplane or train? 6) How often do people complain to you? 7) How often do people complain about you? 8) Do you have any complaints about English? 9) What are your biggest complaints about your friends? 10) Do men or women complain more? STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student A) 1) What kinds of things do you complain about? 2) When was the last time you complained about something? 3) Have you ever written a l...

Cultural note It is important to remember that English is not as direct as other languages. It is important to be polite and follow rules for socially acceptable behaviour. For example, it is normal, when making a complaint, to start by saying “ sorry ” or “ excuse me ”, even though you haven’t done anything wrong. Being polite will help you get what you want. Example: In a shop You’re in a shop and the assistant gives you the wrong change. “ Excuse me , I think you’ve given me the wrong change.” OR “ Sorry , I think this change is wrong, I gave you £10 not £5.” In a hotel Customer “ Excuse me , but there’s a problem with the heating in my room” “ Sorry to bother you , but I think there’s something wrong with the air-conditioning.” “ I’m afraid I have to make a complaint . Some money has gone missing from my room.” “ I’m afraid there’s a slight problem with my room – the bed hasn’t been made.” Hotel worker Normally the worker will apologise deeply ...

When complaining in English, it helps to be polite. This page will help you with this important English speaking skill. In a shop You're in a shop and the assistant gives you the wrong change. "Excuse me, I think you've given me the wrong change", or "Sorry, I think this change is wrong. I gave you $20, not $10." In a hotel "Excuse me, but there's a problem with the heating in my room." "Sorry to bother you, but I think there's something wrong with the air-conditioning." "I'm afraid I have to make a complaint. Some money has gone missing from my hotel room." "I'm afraid there's a slight problem with my room – the bed hasn't been made." When people apologise, they normally say "sorry" and offer to put the situation right. "Excuse me, but there's a problem with the heating." "I'm sorry – I'll get someone to check it for you." or ...

Role plays can often be a fun and entertaining way of getting the class to practice their English. There are literally hundreds of possible ideas available, and what is listed below is only a few of them. Language of course is meant to be spoken. It originally evolved as the spoken word, and in historical terms writing is more or less a new invention. As a result,  speaking classes are probably one of the most essential parts of teaching a language . Understanding and learning the grammar  is all well and good, but if the students don’t get practice, then how will they be able to use the language effectively? By putting them in different scenarios, students’ minds will pick up faster and be able to work properly. Taking a look on the Internet, one can find a whole range of pre-written role plays that can be adapted for the class, or used in their original format (you have checked our own ‘ Role Plays ’ section already, right?). This is usually up to the teacher. Often, whe...

These activities are all designed to motivate lower level learners to speak in pairs or small groups. Planning time has been shown to increase production in speaking tasks. Lower level learners often find it especially difficult to speak spontaneously, so these activities incorporate ‘thinking time’ during which learners can prepare for speaking by planning what they are going to say, and asking the teacher or using a dictionary to look up missing vocabulary. The following activities are relatively short, with minimal materials preparation time for the teacher. They are designed for use as a warmer or a filler in the middle or at the end of a class.  Definitions lists This activity is good for activating existing vocabulary or revising vocabulary studied in previous lessons. Procedure: Choose a vocabulary topic (this can be vocabulary you have recently studied or a topic you want to introduce). Tell students to write a list of 10 words they associate with ...

List of possible topics for your oral exam  -  Social Networks  (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, ... = dangers and benefits). -  Food  (problems of obesity, organic food VS GM Food, ...). -  Discrimination and Racism  (segregation, Apartheid, racism today, ...) -  The environment  (global warming, pollution, endangered species, green concerns ...). -  Smoking  (health, smoking bans, ...). -  North VS South  (how wealth is unequally distributed, ...). -  Our consumer society  (shopping addiction, over-consumption, exploitation of child workers, globalization, fair trade, ...). -  Appearances and looks  (looks, tattoos and piercing, ...). -  The American Dream  (problems of immigration, success, metling-pot, failure of integration, ...). -  Women's roles in society  (evolution, place at work, differences between men and women, ...).  -  Afro American...

(general guide to an oral exam at intermediate level) The following list is to give you ideas and some vocabulary which may be useful at an oral language exam. Personal introduction personal particulars, ID (identity card), passport, driving licence how you prove your identity (when do you need to prove it?) permanent address, temporary address, marital status personal code number (cp. human rights in data procession) what to do when losing your ID (authority, form, revenue stamp) education, studies, degrees The family relatives, relations; getting along with the members of the family; the ideal family image; describe somebody from your family (look + character & behaviour) Look, appearance, character figure, face, hair, eyes, (eye)brows, (eye)lashes, complexion, nose, mouth, etc. behaviour, manner, temper Picture description in the middle/centre/foreground/background, on the left/right (hand side), to the left/right of ... , at the top/bo...