Diets B2 +

Extreme lives - B2 / C1

For more information about Skype classes send an email to lis.j.grant@gmail.com

Let’s talk about diets…

What kind of diets do you already know about?

Examples;

Atkins diet - High protein low carbohydrates

Weight watchers - Points system

Green day Red day - Eating certain combinations of food to increase metabolism.

Have you ever met anyone that has lost weight on one of these diets? And if so,  do you know anyone who has successfully lost weight by following these diets?

Now, let’s take a look at the following video:

http://www.thefruitarian.com/articles-category/beginners

1. Listen to the video and list the advantages and disadvantages to becoming a fruitarian.

2. What are the 5 steps you should take to become a Fruitarian?

3. Would you like to become a Fruitarian? Why? Why not?

Discussion:

Could you live like this? Do you know anyone who would want to live this way? What personality traits would you need to have in order to take on this kind of lifestyle?

Play Devil’s advocate (debate)

Convince the other person that this is the best diet in the world! This diet could save the human race and our planet...

Vocabulary: (make a list of vocabulary you have learnt from this class)

You can practice new vocabulary, by using it as often as you can, also by using these words in sentences.  Write down a few sentences with your new vocabulary to help you remember.

iFriendly loves learning languages!

For more information about skype classes send an email to lis.j.grant@gmail.com

Recover your Confidence - C1

Class 1: Summer classes on Skype

For more information about skype classes send an email to lis.j.grant@gmail.com

C1 Reading & Speaking

Main article:

Want to look smart? Don’t say this.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150604-when-smart-people-look-dumb

Read the article out loud, underline the words you are not sure of.
Your teacher will make a note of the words you are mispronouncing, then practise these words with you.

Vocabulary builder: 
(make a note of the words you have learnt).

Pronunciation: 
(make a list of words you need to practise).

Discussion:
Recycle the vocabulary you have learnt in the above text, by discussing the text with your teacher.
Your teacher will lead the discussion, by asking some questions.

Further reading:

A list of words we all get confused with:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/misused-words-make-smart-people-look-dumb-dr-travis-bradberry

Three different steps to build confidence:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-simple-steps-recover-from-confidence-crash-brian-canavan

Homework:

Write about an event which has taken place recently, where you or someone you know have had their confidence knocked. Where the embarrassing situation take place? How did you or your friend overcome the embarrassment? Do you or your friend still think about it?

175 - 200 words.

Loves learning languages online!

ifriendly lessson plan B2 +

ifriendly aims to:

"Provide you with an English lesson which will not only help you to learn English, but will also guide you into making the right career choices...
ifriendly will motivate you, challenge you and above all will not rip you off!! 
It does not have to cost a fortune to learn English!

Good teachers need their students to work at a their own pace, learn at their own rhythm... Homework should not be compulsory, but a way to learn faster".  Your ifriendly teacher ...Lisa Jane Grant

Here we will work together to make English accessible for everyone! Not just for those of you who are lucky enough to afford private tuition.

Lesson plan...

The history of film making:

Listen to the first 3 minutes of this BBC Radio 4 programme and answer the questions below;

THE FIRST ACTION MOVIE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b041vvw0

*Remember: Don't worry if you can't understand every word!

1. How did the Lumiere Brothers frighten their live audience?

2. What do you think Penny means by the phrase "mind jumps"?

3. When and where was the very first film shot?

4. What does Penny claim was in the North of England in the early years of the 20th Century?


Discussion:
Now discuss a film you have enjoyed... could be a romance, a comedy or another action film. Talk about the location of the film.

Writing:
Now watch a clip of your chosen film on Youtube, make some notes about the location it was made.

If you are in a group, discuss your ideas...

Creative Writing: C1+
Imagine you are a film maker; Write a short essay about a made up film and include; film title, story line and plot. Also think of a location you would like to visit in order to make this film. 200 words

Lumiere Brother's Arrival of the train

Good luck!

Splinter, Sprinter, Spinster, Speedster - Words that sound alike! B2+

Splinter Sprinter Spinster Speedster...

What do they mean? Have you tried saying these words quickly? Difficult, right?

Splinter; (noun) that tiny little piece of wood that gets stuck in your hand, finger, foot or toe... 

Jack: "Ouch! I have a splinter in my finger and I can't get it out!"  

Jill: "How did you manage that?"

Jack: "I was lifting up that wooden table, when I felt something sharp go into my middle finger,"

Sprinter; (noun) someone who runs really fast.  Sprinting; (verb) Running really fast.

Jack: "I wanna be a 100 m sprinter when I grow up".

Jill: "You know you have to train really hard to be a sprinter!"

Jack: "Yeah, I know... It'll be a piece of cake."

Spinster; (noun) an unmarried woman, who lives on her own nor has a partner.

Jack: "If you don't go out with me, you're gonna end up an old Spinster!"

Jill: "So be it... I'd rather be a spinster than put up with you!"

Jack: "How rude!"

Speedster; (noun) a person or a thing that operates well at high speed, for example a fast car!

Jill: "Please don't speed in the car Jack! It's dangerous!"

Jack: "No need to worry Jill! I'm a speedster!"

iFriendly tour - Please save the Koala! B1, B2, C1 level.

Please save the Koala...

This is not a plea for funding...

I fell in love with Koalas on our trip... We saw them in the wild and we got to cuddle a tame one too... Her name was Wilma and (as far as I was concerned) we bonded immediately!

Here are some facts you should know about the Koala:

They are not bears, so the term Koala bear is incorrect... they are really marsupials, they've been around for 42 million years. Yet today they're in danger.

1. Not a bear but a marsupial with a backwards pouch.

2. A blind jelly bean at birth, the baby Koala climbs unaided into its mother's pouch. Six months later it pops its head out.

3. They're main threat is us... Our farms, cars, pets... and their diseases...

Koala in the wild

A little cuddle from Wilma

Paul and Wilma

Homework

B1: Find out two more facts about the Koala. 70 - 100 words

B2: Reasearch and write an essay about the Koala.. Find out why they cannot be found anywhere else in the world; What they eat; Where they sleep; What could we do to save them from extinction?  150 - 200 words.

C1: Research and write a report about another endangered animal. 

Vocabulary builder:

a plea; (noun) a request made in an urgent and emotional manner.

a tame koala; (adj) not wild.

pouch; (noun) a small bag in which Koalas carry their babies... For further reading, click on the link below.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/koala

How to use the word 'NO' in English - All levels

"NO"

When do we use the word 'no'? Well, not as often as you would think!

For a start it isn't considered polite in English to say 'No' as an answer to a question... you will usually hear locals say.. "Not really" or "I don't think so" or "I'd rather not"or "No thank you."

'No' can be used to compare  "The weather is no better today than it was yesterday."

'Any" or 'No' different
"This place is no different from any other place I've lived... why is it so expensive?"

'No good' or 'No use'
"The film was no good" "This computer is no use. Its so slow!"

Other examples with 'No'

No doubt; "I have no doubt in my mind... you will pass your exams."

No longer; "I no longer feel the need to go out as often as I used to."

No matter who; "No matter who knocks on the door... do not let them in!"

No more;  "No more sweets for you young man! Your teeth will rot!"

No need for; "There is no need for all this fuss, I'll be fine once I've had a good night's sleep."

No problem; "I'll sort it out for you... No problem!"

iFriendly will be touring New Zealand and Australia for the entire month of January 2015.

The puzzling world of idioms - Part 4 - C1+

Are you a little bit crazy? 

I mean in a good way... 

Some idioms can be used to describe someone acting crazy or that they could be simply bonkers! You can act crazy, which is of course temporary, but you could also be a crazy person. On one hand, being a crazy person is not necessarily a bad thing, there are people out there who like to have a good time and are fun to be around.  On the other hand we do have expressions which indicate that a person's behaviour is crazy in a bad way.

Here are some examples you could use...

'to lose the plot' - if you have 'lost the plot', you can no longer act normally.  This idiom has a serious side to it, we can use it to describe our brief moments of madness.
"Oh my! For a minute there I thought I had 'lost the plot' completely!"

'off your trolley' - Mostly used in jest. "Your cousin has completely gone off his trolley."

'basket case' - Mostly used in jest, but I have heard it used as an insult. "I want nothing to do with that man, he's a complete and utter 'basket case'!"

'screw loose' - Now this is quite a comical one, as you can imagine the human head as something mechanical, and one of the screws has come loose, meaning that the rest probably cannot operate normally with out it! "Are you sure you don't have a 'screw loose'?"

'taken leave of one's senses' - This is a more polite way of saying that the guys is clearly nuts!  "Have you taken leave of your senses? How on earth are you going to climb Mount Everest with one hand?"

Vocabulary

plot; (noun) the main events of a play, novel or film or similar work, devised and presented by the writer.

jest; (noun) a thing said  or done for amusement, a joke.

Some practice

Why don't you try using these expressions this week? 

Think of a person you would like to use these expressions with. Has someone been acting a little crazy this week?

Why not look for some more crazy idioms you like and write them in the comments section.

Would you like to improve your listening and speaking skills in English? If so, I am offering online classes... Why don't you try a class? The first one is free! Please contact Lisa lis.j.grant@gmail.com.