Category Archives: Upper Intermediate (Level 5)

A Song with ‘going to’ (gonna) for Future Predictions based on Evidence & ‘had better’ for Warnings

Posted on August 28, 2021 by mhardy3222

Today, I’m focusing on the  song, Street Boy, by Rodriguez to highlight the use of ‘going to’ for future predictions: predictions based on evidence. Click on the picture for the video. Rodriguez has an amazing voice and you will hear … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Songs, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Song with Second Conditional & Present Tenses

Posted on July 19, 2021 by mhardy3222

We often use the Second Conditional to talk about how we would like things to change (our life, other people, the world). Sometimes, we are not satisfied with a current situation and imagine how it could/would improve, if … ‘If … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, Grammar, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Songs, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Gerunds & Infinitives – What is the difference?

Posted on May 30, 2021 by mhardy3222

GERUNDS Gerunds are usually nouns but they are different from other nouns because they are made from verbs. ∗ Changing verbs into other forms: nouns or adjectives, for example, is common in many languages. Think about how your language changes … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), TOEIC, Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | 1 Comment

20 English Idioms of Courage

Posted on December 30, 2020 by mhardy3222

On New Year’s Eve, many of us make New Year Resolutions in an effort to improve ourselves or make a positive change.  Maybe you want to exercise more, lose weight, or just get more organised. Not so easy! It takes … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Reading, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Vocabulary | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Happy Christmas!

Posted on December 23, 2020 by mhardy3222

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, a unique individual who was the perfect role model, practising compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness. While many are not interested in the religious aspect of Christmas, it’s fair to say that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Beginner (Level 1), Elementary (Level 2), Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Songs, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What is a Comma Splice?! 📝

Posted on November 11, 2020 by mhardy3222

Originally posted on English with Rachel :
Comma splices -what are they ? They sound like a good thing (the name reminds me of a delicious ice-cream🍦I loved as a kid) but they aren’t .They are punctuation mistakes often made by…

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, Grammar, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Writing | Leave a comment

Freedom of Speech

Posted on October 29, 2020 by mhardy3222

 Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.                          SALMAN RUSHDIE Language is communication. Language is so vital to the human condition … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, Listening, Speaking & Pronunciation, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How to Describe an Experience … in 4 Easy Steps

Posted on October 18, 2020 by mhardy3222

How would you describe an experience? How would you start? Which experience would you like to recount: a new job, a meal at a restaurant, a party you went to? Imagine that you want to describe a recent holiday; where … Continue reading →

Posted in IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Conversations with Aussies # 2

Posted on October 10, 2020 by mhardy3222

Today, I’m talking with Rachel about life on The Gold Coast, her overseas travels, and how she feels about teaching English.  For more information about learning English with Rachel, visit her website: https://rachelschultzenglishteacher.wordpress.com/   ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Cambridge, Elementary (Level 2), ESL Teachers, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), TOEFL, TOEIC, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

When do we use ‘Unless’ and ‘If not’?

Posted on October 5, 2020 by mhardy3222

PURLANDTRAINING.COM has just published a wonderful guide to using ‘Unless‘ and ‘If not‘ which I highly recommend. It comes with free, downloadable worksheets. Just click on the links under the picture. Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/when-do-we-use-unless-1.pdf Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/when-do-we-use-unless-2.pdf ********************************************************

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Grammar, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), TOEIC, Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | 1 Comment