Week 10/9 - 15/9

Modal Verbs Exercises

Gap-fill Exercise

Complete the sentences using the words listed in the box below. Positive and negative forms can be used. Some gaps may have more than one answer. 

might     must     should    could     have to  

1. Nancy said you didn't need to buy her anything for her birthday, but I really think you  at least get her some flowers or a nice bottle of wine.

2. Debbie said she was really busy this week, but I think she  show up at the party if she doesn't have to work overtime on Friday.

3. Nina said she would come over right after work, so she  be here by 6:00.

4. Oh my God, he's unconscious. Don't move him - he  have internal injuries. Somebody call an ambulance.

5. You  be kidding! That can't be true.

6. Dan: Where's the remote control? I want to change the channel.
Fiona: I don't know. It  be under the couch. Or, perhaps I absent-mindedly took it into the kitchen. I'll check in there.

7. For most people, learning a language is a challenging undertaking. Experts agree that to make the most of your language learning experience, you  practice the language regularly and push yourself to maintain old vocabulary while acquiring new words and expressions.

8. New research suggests that exercise can reduce the chance of heart disease as well as cancer. That's why I told my father that he  start walking once a day.

9. We should invite Sally and her husband to come to the picnic on Saturday. We haven't seen them in weeks, and they  really enjoy a nice day at the beach.

10. Tim: While I was a student, I spent a year and a half studying Pygmy culture in the Central African Republic. My research focused on unique aspects of the their social structure and religion.
Simona: That  have been absolutely fascinating!

11. We had better call Tony to see if he's at home before we go over to his house. He  be there and we don't want to drive all the way over there for nothing.

12. At first, my boss didn't want to hire Sam. But, because I had previously worked with Sam, I told my boss that he  take another look at his resume and reconsider him for the position.

13. You  worry so much. It doesn't do you any good. Either you get the job, or you don't. If you don't, just apply for another one. Eventually, you will find work.

14. I would love to go on the cruise to Tahiti with Robin and Michelle. But such a luxurious trip  cost a fortune. I doubt I could afford something like that.

15. The book recommends adding fresh soil and using plant food to make your garden flowers grow. Since some people might be allergic to chemicals in artificial plant foods, the book says that you  use an organic brand to avoid skin irritations.

Time and Place Prepositions IN, ON, AT, TO 

I was born in Seattle, Washington on the 19th of April in 1961. Seattle is in the State of Washington in the United States. That was many years ago. Now, I live in Leghorn in Italy. I work at the British School. I sometimes go to a movie on the weekend. I meet my friends at the movie theater at 8 o'clock or later. In the summer, usually in August, I go home to visit my family in America. My family and I go to the beach and relax in the sun in the morning and in the afternoon! In the evening, we often eat at a restaurant with our friends. Sometimes, we go to a bar at night.

Reference chart below:

IN	We use in with months - in May year - in 2011 seasons - in winter country - in Greece city or town names - in New York times of the day - in the morning, afternoon or evening BUT at night!
ON	We use "on" with specific days - on Friday, on New Year's Day, on April the 19th American English - "on the weekend OR on weekends"
AT	We use "at" with specific times - at 7 o'clock, at 6.15 at night specific places in a city - at school British English - "at the weekend OR at weekends"
TO	We use "to" with verbs which show movement such as go and come - He goes to school. She returned to the store. They are coming to the party tonight. Destination - flying to New York, running to the finish line Infinitive - I want to eat a hamburger, I like to play the piano

Fill in the gaps in this paragraph with the prepositions - in, on, at or to. Click on the arrow to see the answer.

Janet was born                 --                        in             Rochester                 --                        on             December 22nd                 --                        at             3 o'clock                 --                        in             the morning. Rochester is                 --                        in             the state of New York                 --                        in             the United States. Now, she goes                 --                        to            classes                 --                        at             the university> She usually arrives                 --                        in             the morning                 --                        at             8 o'clock.                 --                        On (American) or At (British)             weekends, she likes driving                 --                        to             her friend's house                 --                        in            Canada. Her friend lives                 --                        in             Toronto. She usually arrives                 --                        at             9                 --                        in             the evening and leaves                 --                        on             Sunday morning.                 --                        On             Saturday, they often meet friends                 --                        at             a restaurant.                 --                        At             night, they sometimes go                 --                        to             a disco.                 --                        In            summer,                 --                        in             July for example, they often go                 --                        to             the countryside.

What about you? Where do you live, where do you work, where were you born, where were you this summer, what do you like to do, what is your early morning ritual, what time do you wake up, what time do you go to bed?

Write down a long paragraph about yourself answering the questions above

In general, we use:

• at for a POINT
• in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
• on for a SURFACE

at	in	on
POINT	ENCLOSED SPACE	SURFACE
at the corner	in the garden	on the wall
at the bus stop	in London	on the ceiling
at the door	in France	on the door
at the top of the page	in a box	on the cover
at the end of the road	in my pocket	on the floor
at the entrance	in my wallet	on the carpet
at the crossroads	in a building	on the menu
at the front desk	in a car	on a page

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:

at	in	on
at home	in a car	on a bus
at work	in a taxi	on a train
at school	in a helicopter	on a plane
at university	in a boat	on a ship
at college	in a lift (elevator)	on a bicycle, on a motorbike
at the top	in the newspaper	on a horse, on an elephant
at the bottom	in the sky	on the radio, on television
at the side	in a row	on the left, on the right
at reception	in Oxford Street	on the way

Michael Phelps made sports history by winning eight gold medals                    1                   in                   on                   at                  the 2008 Olympics                   2                   in                   on                   at                  Beijing, China.   Born                    3                   in                   on                   at                  June 30, 1985, Phelps was just 15 years old when he qualified for the Sydney Australia Olympics                    4                   in                   on                   at                  2000.   Phelps shattered the 200 meter butterfly by swimming it                    5                   in                   on                   at                  record time.  He swam it                    6                   in                   on                   at                  1:56:50 seconds. He went on to break many more records                    7                   in                   on                   at                  the 2004 Athens Olympics.                     8                   In                   On                   At                  August 2008, he arrived                    9                   in                   on                   at                 the Beijing Olympic games determined to break, former Olympic swimmer, Mark Spitz' 6-gold medal record.  He qualified to compete                    10                   in                   on                   at                  three team and five individual events. He swam 17 races                   11                   in                   on                   at                  nine days and won gold medal                    12                   in                   on                   at                  all eight events.                    13                   In                   On                   At                  August 16, Phelps won his seventh gold medal of the Games                    14                   in                   on                   at                  the men’s 100-meter butterfly event, setting an Olympic record for the event.  He did it                    15                   in                   on                   at                  50.58 seconds, edging out his nearest competitor by 1/100 of a second. When his team won the 4 X 100 meter medley relay, he stood                    16                   in                   on                   at                  the podium overwhelmed with emotion as he received his eighth record-breaking medal.

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The 2012 London Paralympics

Listen to the following article (http://www.npr.org/2012/09/02/160457798/before-dnc-contrasting-views-of-host-city) and do the following:

1. Provide a 2-3 minute summary of the story: who are the actors, where is this taking place, what is interesting about the story
2. Did you learn anything new about the Paralympics by listening to this podcast
3. If you had to conclude this story, how would you conclude it? What is the moral of the story?

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Modal Verbs

Modal Verb	Meaning	Expressing	Example
must	to have to	100 % obligation	I must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
	to be very probable	good probability	He must be very tired after such enormous work
can	to be able to	ability	I can swim
	to be allowed to	permission	Can I use your phone please?
	it is possible	possibility	Smoking can cause cancer !
could	to be able to	ability in the past	When I was younger I could stay up all night and not get tired..
	to be allowed to	more polite permission	Excuse me, could I just say something?
	it is possible	possibility	It could rain tomorrow!
may	to be allowed to	permission	May I use your phone please?
	it is possible, probable	possibility, probability	It may rain tomorrow!
might	to be allowed to	more polite permission	Might I use your phone please?
	it is possible, probable	weak possibility, probability	I might come and visit you in America next year, if I can save enough money.
need	necessary	necessity	I need to buy a new car.  The old one broke down.
should/ought to	used to say or ask what is the correct or best thing to do	50 % obligation	I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.
	to suggest an action or to show that it is necessary	advice	You should / ought to revise your lessons
	to be very probable	good probability	He should / ought to be very tired after such enormous work

Modal Verbs: What would you tell them...

Please provide appropriate advice in the form of a short paragraph for the following use cases.  It's important that you use as many modal verbs as possible including should, must, need to, have to, could, etc.

1. Advice to all kids feeling a little sad about going back to school last week.  What could/should/must they do and why? 
2. A friend looking to go to Canada to live there for 1 year.  
3. You just inherited 50K.  What would you do with it?
4. Do an inventory of your skills.  How would you sell yourself to a future employer?
5. You want to give RC some advice about improving the social aspect of the office.  What would you tell them they need to do?
6. A person looking to improve his health.  Advice about diet, stress and exercise.
7. A person thinking about applying for a job at RC in marketing.
8. Your best friend to be happier.
9. President Francois Hollande to improve the economic health of this country.
10. You meet someone in Canada or the US that tells you that he wants to move to France.  What advice do you have for him? What's your survival guide for this person?

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Tongue Twisters

1. I have got a date: I have got a date at a quarter to eight; I’ll see you at the gate,so don’t be late
2. I thought of thinking: Although I thought about you, I never thought of thanking you for your nice thoughts.
3. one one : One-one was a race horse. Two-two was one too. One-one won one race.
   Two-two won one too.
4. Seven slick snails: Seven slick slimy snails, slowly sliding southward.