Learning English

though / as though / like

Tamas from Hungary writes: I'm a bit confused about using the word though. It's often used at the end of a sentence. For example: The house isn't very nice. I like the garden though.

Can you help me out and explain the usage of this word? though' as conjunction We normally think of though as a conjunction introducing a contrastive statement, and as the less formal and less forceful equivalent of although and even though. Compare the following: Even though it was suffocatingly hot, she was wearing a thick woollen sweater. Although she was very fond of him, she had no intention of marrying him. We could try to phone her before we go, though we might miss the train if we do.

'though' as adverb But in your example, Tamas, though is used as an adverb as the less formal equivalent of however. We use though and however when we want to add a comment that seems to contradict or contrasts with what has already been said. As in your own example, Tamas, though often indicates an afterthought. Compare the following: I performed so well at interview I thought I would get the job. However, it was not to be. The economic outlook is not very good. However, I can assure you that nobody will lose his job. Im sorry, I cant stay for lunch. Ill have a coffee, though. What a lovely sunny day! ~ Theres a chilly wind, though, isnt there?

as though / as if / like Like though, as though and as if are subordinating conjunctions. We use as if or as though when we want to give an explanation for something which may not be correct: She looked at me as if / as though I were mad. Take an umbrella. It looks as if / as though its going to rain.

I cant understand why shes so keen on him. Its not as if / as though hes good-looking or anything.

In spoken informal English, particularly American English, we sometimes substitute like for as if and as though: She looked at me like I was stupid. It looks like its gonna rain.

Strictly speaking, like, meaning similar to, is a preposition which can only be followed by a pronoun, noun or noun phrase. So, if you want to be grammatically correct, make sure you use like in this way: Like all good curries, it was served with fresh coriander and nan bread. Like me, she refuses to work after six o clock in the evening. On the phone you sound just like your mother. In fact, I always think it is your mother.

adjectives: comparitive and superlative forms ou are quite right, Babek, two-syllable adjectives ending in -y have -ier and -iest as their comparative and superlative. Thus: pretty happy dirty messy prettier happier dirtier messier prettiest happiest dirtiest messiest

Yours is the messiest room I have ever seen. She was the prettiest and happiest girl at the party.

Note that other common two-syllable adjectives ending in an unstressed vowel normally take the -er/-est patterns: simple clever simpler cleverer simplest cleverest

The cleverest solution to any problem is usually the simplest one

Others, particularly participial adjectives formed with -ing and -ed and those ending in -ious and -ful form their comparatives and superlatives with more and most: boring worried anxious careful more boring more worried more anxious more careful most boring most worried most anxious most careful

Watching cricket is even more boring than playing it.

My wife was certainly more anxious than I was when Penny failed to return. I bought the wrong type of hair shampoo for Joan. Next time I was more careful.

Note that most sometimes means very: I was most careful to leave the room as tidy as I had found it. I became most anxious when I heard that there had been a fire at the hospital. I was most impressed by Deborahs performance as Lady Macbeth.

With some two-syllable adjectives, er/est and more/most are both possible: The commonest /most common alcoholic drink in Poland is vodka. He is more pleasant /pleasanter to talk to when he has not been drinking.

Three or more syllable adjectives take more or most in the comparative and superlative except for two-syllable adjectives ending in -y and prefixed with un-: reasonable beautiful untidy unhealthy more reasonable more beautiful untidier unhealthier most reasonable most beautiful untidiest unheathiest

John is the unhealthiest person I know, but one of the most successful

Hyphenated adjectives, which are also known as compound adjectives, normally use more and most for the comparative and superlative forms. This is the general rule. Sometimes we have to use more/most if, for example, the adjectival part of the compound ends in -ed. So, sun-tanned would have to be more sun-tanned, just as tanned would have to be more tanned: Youre more sun-tanned than I am.

Sometimes it is not so clear-cut, so we would say that one form is more likely than the other. In your examples, Babek, both are quite possible, it seems to me. If you want to try some examples look at our Message Board in the You, Me and Us part of our website. emphasizing adverbs

absolutely/definitely/certainly/exactly

There is not very much difference in meaning or in use when these emphasizing adjectives are used to express strong agreement with a statement, question or suggestion. Absolutely is perhaps the strongest. If you use exactly, you are emphasizing that what someone has said is 100% correct. Compare the following: Doesnt Sandra look stunning in that hat? Oh, absolutely! I couldnt agree more. Geoffrey is a complete and utter fool. Absolutely! / Definitely! / Exactly! Will you come shopping with me on Saturday? Definitely! / Certainly! If we cant find those tickets, we shant be able to get into the show. Exactly! Are you going to Turkey again this summer? Definitely! Without a doubt!

bsolutely/simply/utterly/totally/completely/perfectly These emphasizing adverbs are normally used with adjectives that are in themselves already quite absolute. They give even greater emphasis to what is said. Compare the following: Your advice was invaluable absolutely invaluable! I was simply amazed when she said that she was going to marry Henry. It was perfectly clear that she was serious and I was totally powerless to stop her.

I felt that she was completely wrong to even think about it and I am utterly ecompletely or quite Note that quite can mean very much or completely. It can also mean fairly or to some extent. Compare the following: Are you quite certain that Jacks in Paris? Completely sure? Im absolutely sure. Are you coming to the pub? No, Im quite tired, a bit sleepy. I think Ill go to bed. xhausted by it all.

certainly or surely When it is used in response to a request or suggestion, surely means certainly and they can be used interchangeably.

Compare the following: Can you give me a hand washing up? Surely! / Certainly! / No problem! Would you join us for supper tonight? Surely! Where are you eating?

However, surely can also be used to express the speakers surprise that something is happening. Certainly CANNOT be used in this way. Study the following and, as you say them to yourselves, give surely fairly heavy stress: Youre surely not going out again tonight, are you? You went out last night. Surely that cant be Felicity standing over there? I thought she was in Australia. I cant get any reply, but theres surely somebody at home. They cant all be out. Surely youre not suggesting she poisoned him on purpose? I cant believe you could think that.

expressing possibility: perhaps/maybe, may/might maybe / perhaps In British English both of these adverbs are still very commonly used and have the same meaning. You use them to say that something is possible or may be true, but you are not certain. They can be used interchangeably but of the two, maybe is very appropriate for more informal contexts and perhaps is used in more formal situations. Compare the following: I can't find it anywhere. ~ Perhaps / Maybe you threw it away. How old is Jane? ~ I don't really know. In her twenties, certainly. Twentyfive, maybe. There were perhaps as many as fifty badly wounded soldiers in the hospital. Perhaps I should explain to you how they came to be there. St Paul's Cathedral is perhaps one of London's most prominent landmarks. Why don't you join us for the New Year celebrations? ~ Yeah, perhaps / maybe I will. Maybe you are right! Perhaps it would be best if you didn't invite Johnnie

Note that perhaps is pronounced 'praps'. Note also from the above illustrations that perhaps and maybe can be used to refer to past, present or future events. may / might Similarly, we can use the modal auxiliaries may or might to say that there is a chance that something is true or may happen. May and might are used to talk

about present or future events. They can normally be used interchangeably, although might may suggest a smaller chance of something happening. Compare the following: I may go into town tomorrow for the Christmas sales. And James might come with me! What are you doing over the New Year, Ann? ~ Oh, I may go to Scotland, but there again, I might stay at home. If you go to bed early tonight, you may / might feel better tomorrow. If you went to bed early tonight, you might feel better tomorrow. One of my New Year resolutions is to go to the gym twice a week! ~ And pigs might fly!

Note that 'Pigs might fly' is a fixed expression and always uses might. It means that something will never happen. In the first conditional example, will perhaps could be substituted. If you go to bed early tonight, you may / might feel better tomorrow.

In the second conditional example, where might is an alternative for would perhaps, may cannot be substituted. If you went to bed early tonight, you might feel better tomorrow.

perhaps / maybe / may / might Finally, as the very last item for 2001, this joke, which gives you further practice of may and might, maybe and perhaps, has been voted the top British joke of 2001! Does this tell you something about British sense of humour? Happy New Year! Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson* go camping and pitch their tent under the stars. In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes his companion up and says: "Watson, look up at the stars and tell me what you deduce.**" Watson says: "I see millions of stars and maybe quite a few planets among them. It may be true that a few of the planets are quite like Earth and there might be life on them." Holmes replies: "Watson, you bloody fool***! Somebody has stolen our tent! Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were the famous characters created by the British writer of detective stories, Arthur Conan Doyle in Victorian England.

** Deduce is a rather formal verb and is used particularly in questions when you want to know what logical conclusions may be drawn from the available evidence.

*** Bloody is a medium-strong swear word, used to give emotional emphasis to something that you are saying. It should not be used in polite situations. For polite conversation, substitute: You stupid idiot

plural nouns material / materials as nouns In your two examples, Steve, material and materials feature as part of compound nouns relating to the teaching of a school subject. It would always be plural in the first example, materials development, because we are thinking of a range of materials or of a large project which has many elements. In the second example, it could be singular or plural. We speak of both teaching material or teaching materials, depending on how narrowly or broadly we are thinking of them. Whether we use material in the singular or the plural depends on the context of use. When we are thinking of equipment or a number of things that you need for a particular activity, it could be used in the singular, but would normally be used in the plural: The flat needed a good spring clean so I went out and bought lots of cleaning materials. I keep all my writing materials in a special compartment in my briefcase.

When material refers to ideas that you can use as a basis for an article, a book, a play or a film, it is normally used in the singular: I found some useful material for my book on lifestyles in the Sunday papers. For his latest film, he wrote a good deal of the material himself.

Note that even when material is used in the singular here, it has a plural sense. material / immaterial as adjectives Note that material can also be used as an adjective. Quite early on in the campaign against Osama Bin Laden, the Americans were saying that they had sufficient material evidence to bring him to court for the 11 September atrocity.

Material here has a quite specific meaning and refers to evidence or information which is relevant to a court case. The negative adjectival form immaterial is used much more widely and refers to things which are not considered important to what you are talking about: I just had to have the new Renault - the cost was immaterial. Whether he wants to go to the spa or not is immaterial - his doctors say it is necessary

collective nouns Nouns which refer to a group of people or things are often called collective nouns. Some of the most common include: audience cast class committee company firm group family government media press public school staff team

The names of many organisations are also collective nouns. For example: The BBC The British Council

When you use a collective noun, it may be followed by either a singular or plural verb, depending on whether you are thinking of the group as a unit, in which case it will be singular, or as a number of individuals, in which case it will be plural: My family consists of me, my two brothers and my mum. Before the recession, my brother's family were quite well off, but now they are hard up. The government has said it will give more money to hospitals and schools. The government are determined not to let their popularity with the voters slip. The class was / were good academically, but the football team was /were well beaten. The BBC is / are planning to introduce 35 minute news broadcasts in the spring. The British Council have / has offices in over a hundred countries worldwide

plural nouns Nouns relating to certain things people wear, certain things they use or certain things they value are normally found in the plural. They include: glasses clippers directions jeans pliers grounds knickers scales manners shorts scissors means tights tweezers thanks trousers pants greetings

These nouns are normally used with plural verbs. In Mexico, the jeans I had taken were too tight and too hot, but the shorts were perfect. Nail clippers and tweezers are essential items in every washbag. I found my way here with no problems. The directions you gave me were excellent.

His manners are appalling and in themselves constitute sufficient grounds for divorce. My thanks and my apologies were gratefully received.

Note that when you want to refer to single pieces of clothing or single items of use, you must insert a pair of / two pairs of / etc in front of the noun: I took a pair of shorts out of the drawer and put them in my suitcase. I had a pair of field-glasses in my cupboard so I gave them to Tom for birdwatching.

If you would like more practice more please visit our Message Board in the You, Me and Us part of our website as ... as and as

as... as as adverb / preposition Look at this example: He came as quickly as he could.

This structure is used to measure and compare things that are of similar proportion. In this construction, the first as functions as an adverb modifying the following adjective or adverb. The second as functions as a preposition when it relates to the following noun or pronoun. (It can also function as a conjunction when it relates to the following clause.) Compare the following: The meal was as good as the conversation: spicy and invigorating! She spoke as slowly as she could Has everybody eaten as much as they want? I hope you will agree that I am as imaginative a cook as my wife (is)!

Note from the above example that if there is an adjective and a noun after the first as, a / an must go between them. Note also that if we want to make a negative statement, we can use soas instead of asas: He is not so / as intelligent as his sister is. The cafeteria was not so / as crowded as it was earlier.

There are a large number of idiomatic expressions or fixed phrases which we use in informal English when we are making comparisons like this. Here are a few of them in context: He went as white as a sheet when he saw the ghost. My maths teacher is as deaf as a post and should have retired years ago.

She sat there as quiet as a mouse and wouldnt say anything. Electricity will be restored to our homes as soon as possible. All the children were as good as gold when they came to visit me. These stories are as old as the hills and have been passed down from generation to generation.

Remember that when we are measuring or comparing things that are of unequal proportion, we need to use the structure comparative + than: Let me finish the report. I can type much faster than you (can). He played the piece of music more slowly than I had ever heard it played before.

as as subordinating conjunction Note that as by itself is used as a subordinating conjunction in a variety of different ways. as = when (for clauses of time) We may use as as an alternative to when when we are comparing two short actions or events that happened or happen at the same period of time. We often combine it with just: She left the house (just) as the sun was rising. The telephone rang (just) as I was climbing into my bath

as = because (for clauses of reason) We may use as as an alternative to because when the reason is already known or self-evident to the reader of listener. As - clauses are often placed at the beginning of sentences. Because puts more emphasis on the reason or introduces new information. Compare the following: As Mary was the eldest child, she had to look after her younger brothers and sisters. As it had started to rain we had to abandon the picnic.

Ive decided to end our relationship because my boyfriend has been cheating as for clauses of proportion Here, as means over the same period of time as: I think you become more tolerant of other people as you get older. As prices rose, the demand for higher salaries became more intense on me

as as preposition

Finally, note that as can also be used as a preposition when we want to avoid using the verb to be. Compare the following: As his father, it is your duty to ensure that he goes to school every day. As you are his father, it is your duty to ensure that he goes to school every day. As a social historian, I am always interested in peoples life styles. Being a social historian, I am always interested in peoples life styles. He established his reputation as a freedom fighter through many heroic acts. The police described him as a dangerous criminal. The police considered him to be a dangerous criminal

hardly/scarcely...neither/nor....so/too hardly....neither/nor Only Neither do I or Nor do I is possible here, Olga. This is because hardly has a negative meaning. It means almost not at all. So if you wish to agree with what is being said, you will also need a negative adverb and use neither or nor in response. Note that scarcely has the same negative meaning as hardly and that either of them can be used here. Compare the following: I can hardly / scarcely believe you're twenty years old now. ~ Nor / Neither can I! They're hardly / scarcely ever at home. ~ Neither / Nor are we! He's dead now, but I hardly / scarcely knew him. ~ Neither / Nor did I.

Note that neither/nor always come at the beginning of the response clause and that inversion of subject and verb are needed with the tense form agreeing with that of the first clause. not either As an alternative to neither/nor you can also use not either which has the same meaning, but normal word order: She had changed so much. I could hardly /scarcely recognise her. ~ I couldn't either. I've got hardly /scarcely any money left. What about you? ~ I haven't either

neithernor Neithernor are used together when we want to link two negative ideas: When I spoke to him, he neither smiled nor looked at me. Neither the chairman nor the treasurer was / were able to attend the meeting.

Don't bother preparing dessert because neither Jane nor Julie eat / eats anything sweet.

Note that when singular subjects are connected with neithernor, the verb which follows can be either singular or plural. so / too When the frequency of occurrence increases from never or hardly ever to occasionally or sometimes, these adverbs give a positive rather than a negative meaning to what is being said. If we wish to agree with statements in a positive way, this is our opportunity to use so or too. Compare the following: I would never work as a shop assistant in a large department store. ~ Neither would I. I could hardly / scarcely understand a word he was saying ~ Nor could your parents. Neither Henry nor Harry is / are coming to Edward's party. ~ I'm not either. They occasionally eat lunch at 'The Blue Parrot'. ~ So does Tom. / Tom does too. I sometimes have to work at weekends to get everything done ~ So do we. / We do too. I go to the cinema quite often - twice a week usually. ~ Me too. / So do I. She always uses olive oil in her cooking ~ So do my Spanish friends / My Spanish friends do too.

Note that the expressions Me too and Me neither, both of which are used in very informal speech, can only be used with first person singular agreement: Look, it's already two o' clock and I haven't done any work today. ~ Me neither. I'm so tired I could sleep for twelve hours. ~ Me too

Quite
In British English, quite has two different meanings. It does mean completely or entirely, but it also means fairly or rather. quite = completely When it is used for emphasis with adjectives that cannot be graded, quite means completely. The colour adjective black, for example cannot be graded. Things can't be more black or less black. They are just black. So, if we put this into context and look at some more examples of quite with ungradable adjectives, we may find: There's no trace of red in her hair - it's quite black. I see no hope - the future looks quite black to me. It's quite impossible to learn twenty new items of vocabulary each day.

His performance on stage was quite amazing - we were just spellbound for three hours! Are you quite sure? I think you're quite wrong about this.

not quite = not completely When not is used with quite, it always means not exactly or not completely. Study the following: Shall we go? ~ I'm not quite ready. Do you like this one? ~ It's not quite the colour I wanted. Have you finished that book on Che Guevara yet? ~ Not quite.

quite = exactly / I agree Quite can be used in an emphatic way as a one-word response, meaning exactly or I completely agree: I always knew their marriage would never last. ~ Quite! / Exactly! / So did I! If you stay quite still, those animals won't harm you. ~ Quite! / That's absolutely rig

quite = fairly / rather If we are using quite with an adjective that is gradable, it means fairly or rather. The adjective easy, for example, is gradable. Things can be easier or harder. Thus, quite, when used with easy, means fairly or rather. Study these examples: How did you find the maths test? ~ Oh, it was quite easy, really. / It was quite difficult. What did you think of the cabaret? ~ Oh, it was quite entertaining. I'm quite tired but I'll try and finish this book review before I go to bed.

quite with verbs When quite is used to modify verbs, the meaning depends on whether the verb is regarded as gradable or not. Compare the following: I wouldn't want to be on holiday with him, but I quite like him. How did you get on at Barry's party? ~ Oh, it was quite nice. I quite enjoyed myself. I haven't quite finished decorating Jim's bedroom yet, but I will have by Saturday.

I quite agree with you. Young children must never be left at home on their own.

uite with a / an + (adjective) noun When quite is used to modify nouns or adjectives with nouns, it normally has the meaning of rather. Compare the following: I know they left in a hurry. How did they leave the house? ~ Oh, it was in quite a mess. How was the house contents auction? ~ Oh, it was quite a success. Nearly everything went. Let's take a picnic with us. I think it's going to be quite a nice day. Did you get to see Hamlet at the Barbican? ~ Yes, it was quite an interesting production

concern, concerned, concerning You are quite correct, Eunice, to suggest that concern and its related forms are used in a variety of different ways. Here are some of the most important .

concerned (adj) = worried Note the different ways in which the adjectival form is used:

Why do you keep ringing me? ~ Well, I'm concerned about you. Are you all right? I was very concerned that my daughter might not have proper clothing for the skiing trip. I was concerned for her safety as well. There have been a lot of avalanches recently. There was a concerned expression on his face. I knew something awful had happened.

it concerns me = it worries me

Note that when concern is employed as a verb in this way, it cannot be used in the first or second person and it is normally used with the preparatory subject it. Note also that concern is not normally used with progressive forms. We need to indicate the idea of progression in some other way. Compare the following:

It concerns me that she'll be in London for a whole week on her own. Rather than: That she'll be in London for a whole week on her own concerns me). Doesn't it concern you? She's only nineteen.

The pollution problem in that part of the river is beginning to concern all the local anglers

concern (noun) = worry

When concern is used as a noun, it expresses worry about a situation:

There is growing concern that the climbers may have lost their lives. He expressed deep concern about the way in which the elections had been held.

concern (verb) / concerning (prep) = aboutWhen you use concern or concerning in this way, you are indicating what a question or a topic is about. Concerning and relating to are the formal equivalents of the much more informal about. Compare the following: Why are you arguing? What's it all about? What does it concern?

~ It's about the long lunch breaks enjoyed by the senior executives. ~ It concerns the long lunch breaks enjoyed by the senior executives. For information concerning / relating to opening hours during the summer months, contact the club secretary. If you want to know about opening hours in the summer months, give Joan a ring. A number of questions had been tabled relating to / concerning the dangers of the new vaccine. We had a lot of questions about people's concerns about the new vaccine.

concerned as past participle = involved / affected

The participle modifies the noun or pronoun in these examples and can be used instead of a participle clause:

There was a brawl outside the nightclub. Those concerned were held in custody overnight. / The youths (who were) involved were held in custody overnight. Many have lost their savings. The pensioners concerned will receive substantial compensation / The pensioners who are affected by this will receive compensation.

as far as I'm concerned = in my opinion When you want to express an opinion, you can use this formula as an alternative to in my view or in my opinion:

As far as I'm concerned / In my view / In my opinion, the English football supporters should not be held responsible for starting the fight.

as far as x is concerned = concerning x You can use these expressions to introduce the topic that you wish to talk about or the issue you want to refer back to - i.e. it may have been raised once already and you, as the current speaker, want to return to that topic. As far as x is concerned is a bit less formal than concerning x:

As far as foreign languages are concerned, I think they should be taught in primary schools. Concerning foreign languages, in my view it is appropriate to teach them at primary school level

on/off off / on as prepositions Off functions as a preposition of position or movement and is the converse of on. We speak of getting on a bus and off a bus, taking things off the table and putting them on the floor. In your first sentence, Tamas, off appears in off the coast to describe something that is situated near or next to land, but which is not exactly on the coast. Consider these other similar examples: We live just off The Avenue. Drive along The Avenue almost to the end and then turn off to the right into a little cul-de-sac. The Inner and Outer Hebrides are situated off the Western coast of Scotland.

Here are some examples of other common usages of off as a preposition: Did she jump off or fall off the cliff or did someone push her off? ~ Nobody knows! I'm off alcohol just now. A big celebration last Sunday. And it's put me off my food too. I think this crab pate has gone off, you know. It doesn't taste fresh any more. Have you heard? There's 20 % off all CDs at the music shop in Elm Street next Friday. You don't have to keep off the grass in this park. You can walk anywhere on the grass.

In your second sentence, Tamas, off describes time that is taken off work or off school typically because of illness, tiredness or holiday arrangements. Note that we do not need to say off from. One preposition, off, is enough here: We're getting two extra days off school at the beginning of June for the Queen's Jubilee.

I shall have to have a day off soon. I can't keep going like this all the time. ~ Why don't you take the afternoon off today?

expresssions with off We also speak about people being off-balance, off-colour, off-duty, doing things on the off-chance and having off days: I caught him completely off-balance and he didn't know what to say. She'd been off-colour for days, but there was no sign of any real illness developing. Could you just do this for me? ~ Sorry, love, I'm off duty at the moment. ~ When are you on again? I decided to take a detour into Paris on the off-chance that Amelie might be there. Brobbins, the club's leading striker, had an off day and missed three open goals

phrasal verbs with off There are many common phrasal verbs with off, such as put off (= postpone), knock off (finish work), lay off (dismiss from work, usually temporarily), bring something off (complete something successfully), polish off (eat something quickly): I've been putting it off for weeks, but it's no good, I shall have to go to the dentists soon. Aren't you going to knock off soon? You've been staring into that computer screen all day. 700 workers will be laid off in the Belfast shipyards following a decline in orders. They had a wonderful time. I didn't think you'd be able to bring it off. I thought the Christmas cake would hang around for weeks, but they soon polished it off.

future forms: comparitives and superlatives; interlinked learning activities It's important that summer camp language activities are different from what students normally do in class, but at the same time they should build on the language skills and knowledge that they already have. I think it's best therefore to focus on language activities both inside and outside the summer camp classroom which give them the opportunity to practice their language skills in a meaningful way but which also give you some opportunity to teach some new language. There are many language activity books on the ELT market, particularly the British ELT market, and I suggest you check the catalogues to see what may work well for you. Here are two interlinked language activities for inside the classroom to start you thinking.

The first is a warmer or ice-breaker activity which you could use in the first, second or third lesson on the first day. It lasts for 10 to 15 minutes, practises introductions and future forms and will give you an opportunity to remember some names: introductions and future forms: first practice phase Teacher: I'm Donna and I'll be 25 in September. Student 1: This is Donna and she'll be 25 in September. I'm Yasuto and I'll be 16 in November. Student 2: This is Donna and she'll be 25 in September. This is Yasuto and he'll be 16 in November. I'm Megumi and I'll be 17 in March. Student 3: This is Donna and she'll be 25 in September. This is Yasuto and he'll be 16 in November. This is Megumi and she'll be 17 in March. I'm Susumu and I'll be 16 in October. Continue up to student 6 or student 7 and then stop. Select students at random but choose those who appear to want to participate at this stage. You will need to model 'this is' with student 1, but students selected should be able to make an attempt at all other aspects of the round, though you may need to support them by supplying words or phrases as they proceed. teaching phase Choral practice of the months of the year, (in) January, (in) February, etc, if you have encountered any difficulties in this respect. Point out the different word stress between sixteen and sixty, seventeen and seventy if this has been a problem and practice all the 'teens' and 'tys'. Write up the future weak forms I'll be / he'll be / she'll be / they'll be on the board for individual, group and class choral practice. Model each of these and get learners to repeat them. Learners always have difficulty with weak forms and for Japanese particularly the pronunciation of 'l' is difficult. Write up future strong form won't be for intensive pronunciation practice of the vowel sound and add until January / February / March next year. Practise pronunciation of until and next year. Write up 1 January 2003 and tell them that the rule now is that if their next birthday is after 1 January 2003, they have to use the negative pattern. If it is before 1 January, they should use the first pattern you practiced. Ask them to indicate with a show of hands which group they fall into. Start second practice phase of future forms activity, selecting different students, some from each camp, supporting as necessary. When activity is finished, consolidate language as necessary.

Proceed now to second activity which should last for 25 to 35 minutes. stand in line: comparative and superlatives: first practice phase For this activity all the chairs and tables will need to be pushed to the side so that there is room for students to form groups standing and then stand in lines in the classroom. Depending on the shape of your classroom this activity works best with groups of 6 to 10. So if you have 28 students in your class, you could have four groups of 7 or two groups of 9 and one of 10. When they are in their groups, tell them that they must now line up in age order so that the youngest is at the front of the line and the oldest is at the end of the line. Tell them that they must all talk to each other in English to find out where they should be in the line. Appoint a group leader for each group whose job it is to ensure that the line is correct. Move freely between the groups to see what language they are using. teaching phase: Consolidate with the class the comparative / superlative forms they have been attempting to use. Perhaps introduce one or two new patterns that they are not so familiar with: So, who's the oldest / youngest in this line. ~ I'm the oldest / youngest. Who's the second oldest / second youngest? ~ I'm the second oldest / youngest. When were you born? ~ I was born in July 1986. What about Yoshinari and Yoshitaka? ~ He's older than me. He was born What about Naoko and Mai? ~ We're the same age. We were both born on

stand in line: comparatives and superlatives: second phase Keep the same groups. Explain that each group now has a different line-up task and that the task is explained on a task card which you will give to the leader of each group, but everybody must co-operate by asking and answering questions. They must talk quietly to each other so that the other groups do not know what they are doing. Select new group leaders.The four separate task cards could be as follows or you could use other ideas: Line up so that the person with the smallest shoe size is at the front and the person with the largest shoe size is at the back. Question prompts: What size shoes do you take / are you wearing? Line up so that the lightest person is at the front and the heaviest person is at the back. Question prompts: How many kilos do you weigh? / How heavy are you? Line up so that the person who lives nearest to school is at the front and the person who lives furthest from school is at the back. Question prompts: How far away from / close to school do you live?

Line up so that the person who watches most TV is at the front and the person who watches least TV is at the back Question prompt: How much TV do you watch? How often do you watch TV? When everybody is in line, write the four words TV / school / shoes / kilos on the board in different columns and starting with the TV group, ask the other groups to guess what the task was. Proceed similarly with remaining three groups. teaching phase: Consolidate with the class some of the language they have been attempting to use. Write up the question prompts which are printed on their cards and ask them to dictate other questions they used and some of the answers they gave. Practise related comparatives / superlatives, e.g. So, who's got the smallest / biggest feet? All boarded questions and answers should be noted down and practised. You will need to persevere with your Japanese learners, Donna. Japanese are often quite shy of practising language in public, but they should quickly realise how useful it is. Being being + adjective We normally use the progressive form with an adjective when we are talking about actions and behaviour. And being unfair in your example sentence, Boon and Nukoon, relates to somebody's behaviour of not being fair in their actions, so the progressive form is preferred. Here are some further examples: You're being silly / foolish / childish when you do such silly / foolish / childish things. I was walking on tiptoe and being very careful not to wake the baby.

However, when the adjectives relate to feelings, we do not use the progressive form:
I was upset / worried when I heard that they would have to operate on John's knee. I am delighted / overjoyed to hear that you have passed all your exams.

being + past participle

We use being with the past participle, Bhavin, in present progressive and past progressive passive forms. So we might say:

My car is being serviced. Instead of: The local garage is servicing my car. The computers are being installed tomorrow. Instead of: They're installing the computers tomorrow.

My nieces enjoyed being taken to the circus. Rather than: I enjoyed taking my nieces to the circus. I was quite sure I was being followed. Instead of: I was quite sure someone was following me. She was being punished for being cruel to the cat. Rather than: They were punishing her for being cruel to the cat.

Note that cruel in the above example is an adjective describing behaviour so the progressive form is used with it. Note that other passives with being, i.e the future progressive passive (will be being) and perfect progressive passive (has been being) are quite rare.
being in participle clauses

We can use an adverbial participle clause to express reason or cause as an alternative to a because/since/as clause. Using a participle clause in this way is more characteristic of written English or a literary style, rather than spoken colloquial English. Compare the following:

Being French, he is passionate about wine and cheese. Instead of : Because he is French, he is passionate about wine and cheese. Being a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10. Rather than: As I am a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10. Being quite slim, I was able to squeeze through the hole in the railings. Instead of: Since I am quite slim I was able to squeeze through the hole in the railings. Being rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through. Rather than: Because he's rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through.

verb + verb-ing / adj + prep + verb-ing Note that being as verb-ing, is required in all such instances:

Would you mind being quiet for a moment? I look forward to being interviewed on the current affairs programme. She was afraid of being accused of a crime which she did not commit. I am tired of being taken for granted and expected to do all the housework.