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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 6

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 7

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We have already heard the story of Eva Hart, a child travelling on Titanic with her family. In this session, we'll look at two more stories from survivors of the disaster: Karen Abelseth and Gus Cohen. You'll read a letter, listen to a dramatic story of escape, do some pronunciation practice, and take a quiz.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 17

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Viktor Frankenstein goes to Britain and works alone to build a bride for the Creature. Plus, find out what you've learnt from unit 17 in our weekly quiz.

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Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil.

Catherine
And me, Catherine. Hello.

In today's programme we're talking about things we used to do...

Catherine
...in other words, things we did regularly in the past.

Yes, we'll look at the phrase used to in positive and negative sentences, and in questions.

Catherine
We'll bring you some spelling and pronunciation tips...

Neil
And we'll finish of course with a quiz.

Catherine
So, let's start with some example sentences from Rob. Hello Rob.

Rob
Hello.

Catherine
Listen carefully and answer this question: What activities did these people do regularly in the past?

Rob
Petra used to eat junk food, but now she eats salads and vegetables.

I used to play computer games, but now I read a lot.

So, Petra used to eat junk food and Rob used to play computer games. The words used to in front of an infinitive verb, like used to eat or used to play tell us that someone did an activity regularly, or several times, in the past. Now pronunciation-wise, we say used to with a short /ju/ sound, used to, not a long /ju:/ like in 'Can I use your phone please?' It's not use, it's use. Here they are together:

Rob
I used to use a desktop computer, but now I've got a tablet.

Now, used to with an infinitive means the activity happened regularly, or repeatedly, in the past. It can also describe a past state or situation, for example: I used to live in Japan, but now I live in London. But to say you did something just once in the past, use the past simple.

Rob
I used to go running every day, but now I go running once a week.

IDENT
You're listening to BBC Learning English.

And we're talking about used to. Let's take a look at negatives. Rob.

My sisters didn't use to talk to each other much but now they speak every day. Esra didn't use to have short hair, but she had a hair cut last week.

Thanks Rob. And the phrase didn't use to helps us talk about past states and activities that didn't happen in the past, but they do now. And for all persons, it's subject plus didn't plus use to plus an infinitive: My sisters didn't use to talk; Esra didn't use to have short hair. And there's a spelling note here isn't there Neil?

Yes there is. In positive sentences, used is spelt u-s-e-d, but in negative sentences and questions, it's just use: u-s-e, without the d at the end. But when we're speaking, they sound almost exactly the same. Listen to this:

Thanks Rob. Now, let's take a look at questions. Neil, which school did you use to go to?

Neil
I used to go to the local school.

OK. So, for questions like which school did you use to go to, it's did plus subject plus use to plus infinitive. And it's the same for yes/no questions. Neil, did you use to walk to school?

Neil
No, I didn't. I used to get the bus.

So, for questions: did, subject, use to and infinitive. And remember, used to is spelt u-s-e; no d.

Neil
That's right. Number 2. What's the missing word? I [BLANK] to use social media every day, but now I only use it once a week.

Neil
...is the correct answer. And number three. Is this sentence right or wrong? I used to go to the gym last Friday.

And that's the end of the quiz - and the end of the show. But there's more about used to at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.

Both
Bye.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 17 / Session 2 / Activity 3

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Neil Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil. Catherine And me, Catherine. Hello. In today's programme we're talking about things we used to do... Catherine ...in other words, things we did regularly in the past. Yes, we'll look at the phrase used to in positive and negative sentences, and in questions.

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Finn
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Finn.

Sophie
And me, Sophie. Hello.

Finn
In today's programme we're talking about the past simple tense...

Sophie
... when we use it, how we form it for regular verbs...

Finn
...we'll take a look at some irregular verbs, negative sentences and questions.

Sophie
...and we'll finish as usual with a quiz.

Finn
Ok - so let's get started! The past simple is a tense in English that we use to talk about an event that happened and finished in the past. Here's Neil with our first example:

Neil
Jack Dorsey invented Twitter in 2006.

Sophie
Thanks Neil. Now, we often find the past simple in stories like this:

Neil
The boy started running. Suddenly, he stopped and listened...

Sophie
... and they are all regular verbs. We make the past simple of regular verbs by adding an 'e' and a 'd' to the infinitive.

Sophie
... did you spot the difference in the pronunciation there?

Finn
Yes, sometimes the 'e' and 'd' at the end sounds like a 't'. 't'. Listen: Stopped. Stopped.

Sophie
Sometimes it sounds more like 'id'. 'id'. Started. Started.

Finn
... or like a 'd': Listened. Listened.

Sophie
Let's hear all three again:

Neil
Stopped, started, listened. Stopped, started, listened.

Sophie
Yes, well we are talking about the past simple, ... but ... irregular verbs are not quite so simple.

Finn
That's true: can you give us some examples of irregular verbs, please, Neil?

Neil
I went to the interview yesterday and got the job!

Finn
And another one please?

Neil
Kurosawa made some wonderful films.

Sophie
And I'm afraid you just have to learn irregular verbs. There is no one simple rule for them.

Sophie
Yes - it's I got the job, you got the job, he got the job...

Finn
We got the job... they got the job...

Sophie
Everybody got the job!

Both
Hooray!

IDENT
You're listening to BBC Learning English.

Finn
Now, for negatives in the past simp... [sfx: loud sound of unwrapping of biscuit and someone taking a bite] ...Sophie, are you hungry?

Sophie [munching] Yes, sorry, I didn't have breakfast this morning.

You didn't have breakfast! Aha! ... past simple negatives ... this is simple... you just put didn't in front of the main verb.

That's right. Didn't plus the infinitive makes a past simple negative: I didn't have breakfast this morning.

Sophie
I didn't have breakfast. I didn't have time!

Now, let's move on to past simple questions. Here's an example:

Neil
Did you make that cake? It's delicious!

Sophie
Did you say 'cake'? Where?

Neil
Did you make that cake? It's delicious!

Or we could say: No, I didn't. For short answers, just drop the verb and use the subject with did or didn't, so it's Yes, I did.

Good! Now for a quiz. I'll say a sentence in the present simple and you change it to the past simple. Here goes: We start work at 10 in the morning. We start work at 10 in the morning.

Sophie
Ok, in the past simple it's: We started work at 10 in the morning.

Finn
We started work at 10 in the morning. Great! Number 2. Here's a sentence in the past simple: you have to make it negative. Ready? Scientists found a cure for the disease. Scientists found a cure for the disease.

Finn
And finally, I'll ask a past simple question. Can you give me a short answer. Sophie: Did you have breakfast this morning? Did you have breakfast this morning?

Sophie
No, I didn't. Or I could say: Yes, I did. Finn, what did you have for breakfast?

Finn
Oh, I had cereal, eggs, toast, orange juice ... coffee, croissants ....

Sophie
Stop, stop!...I'm so hungry... [munching a biscuit]...There's more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.

Both
Bye.

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 6 / Session 2 / Activity 5

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Finn Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Finn. Sophie And me, Sophie. Hello. Finn In today's programme we're talking about the past simple tense... Sophie ... when we use it, how we form it for regular verbs... Finn ...we'll take a look at some irregular verbs, negative sentences and questions.

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Rob
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Rob.

Emma
And me, Emma. Hello.

Rob
In today's programme we're talking about the past simple and the past continuous tenses...

Emma
Yes, we'll look at when we use each tense...

Rob
We'll show you how to form the positive, negative and question forms of each one...

Emma
And as usual, we'll finish with a quiz.

Rob
And first, here's a quick reminder of the past simple. Hello Finn.

Finn
Hello Rob.

Rob
Could you give us an example please?

Finn
Last night I saw the film 'Titanic'.

Rob
Ooh Titanic, what a movie! Finn saw it last night. So, we use the past simple for completed actions in the past.

And we had the past simple of the verb see, which is the irregular form saw.

Rob
And as we know, you just have to learn the irregular verbs.

But the good news is that lots of verbs are regular, and to make them into the past simple, you just add e and d to the infinitive, like this:

Finn
Sandra Bullock didn't win an Oscar for Gravity.

Rob
Now let's look at past simple questions. Emma, did you see the news last night?

Emma
Yes, I did.

Emma
So that's the past simple for completed actions in the past.

Rob
Now, to talk about past activities, we can use the past continuous. Here's an example:

Finn
I was watching a movie on TV. It was raining. We were feeling very bored.

Emma
Now, we can use the past continuous to talk about an activity that was already happening when something else happened, like this:

Finn
Dad was cooking dinner when the police arrived. The children were watching TV when the officers came into the living room.

Rob
So you can put the past simple and continuous together to talk about activities and actions that happened one on top of another.

Emma
Remember those examples everyone - I'm going to test you later!

Now for past continuous questions, it's was or were, with the subject plus an i-n-g verb. And I'm going to demonstrate this by testing you on the examples we had before. Rob, was Mum cooking dinner?

Emma
Correct, well done again!

For past continuous short answers it's: Yes plus subject plus was, or: No plus subject plus wasn't.

IDENT
You're listening to BBC Learning English dot com.

Emma
Right, time for a quiz. I'm going to say a sentence and you have to choose the right verb form to go in the gap. Ready? OK. Number 1. When the phone rang, we ____ a film. Is it a) watched or b) were watching? When the phone rang, we ____ a film.

Rob
It's b) When the phone rang, we were watching a film.

Emma
Good, number 2: Cate Blanchett _____ an Oscar for Best Actress. Is it a) was winning or b) won? Cate Blanchett _____ an Oscar for Best Actress.

Rob
It's b) Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for Best Actress.

Emma
And here's the final question. Ready? When the police _____, Dad was cooking dinner. Is it a) arrived b) were arriving? When the police _____, Dad was cooking dinner.

Rob
When the police arrived, Dad was cooking dinner. Good old dad. Still cooking that dinner. What a hero!

Emma
So, well done if you got those right. And don't forget there's lots more about tenses on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.

Both
Bye!

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BBC Learning English - Course: lower intermediate / Unit 7 / Session 2 / Activity 4

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Rob Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Rob. Emma And me, Emma. Hello. Rob In today's programme we're talking about the past simple and the past continuous tenses... Emma Yes, we'll look at when we use each tense... Rob We'll show you how to form the positive, negative and question forms of each one...

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Will
Hello and welcome to the Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! - but I'll change for person and time! And of course, let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky.

Leslie
Welcome, everyone!

Will
Tonight we're going to be asking three questions about...

Leslie
The past continuous tense!

Will
OK! Now, let's meet our contestants!

Greg
Hi, everyone. I'm Greg!

Will
Welcome back Helen! Ok. Let's get going, and don't forget you can play along at home too. Our first round is a battle round. Contestants ask each other questions about the past continuous until one of them makes a mistake. Helen do you want to start?

Will
That's a shame! Greg, you can go first...

Greg
Oh! Right! What is the formula for the past continuous?

Helen
'Was' or 'were' + 'VerbING'. Ha ha! What do we use the past continuous for?

Greg
Actions which are in progress at a past time. Ha ha - yes! Give me an example.

Helen
I was eating dinner at 6pm last night. Ha ha! Do we use the past continuous with state verbs?

Greg
No, not usually. Ha ha - yes! Do we usually use the past continuous with repeated actions?

Will
Oh! That was vicious! Well played, but Helen, you made a mistake there. Leslie?

Leslie
Mostly right! The past continuous is used to describe actions that were in progress at a past time. It is constructed with 'was' or 'were' and 'verbING' - and, being continuous, it does not usually use state verbs. However, it does not usually describe repeated actions or habits either. Sorry Helen, that's the past simple.

Will
Sorry Helen. 20 points to Greg. Let's move on to our next round. Which one of these sentences is incorrect and why?

a) I was walking when I tripped and fell.
b) I was walking while I tripped and fell.
c) When I was walking, I tripped and fell.
d) While I was walking, I tripped and fell.

Greg
Trick question! They are all correct.

Helen
No, no. B is wrong - we don't use 'while' for quick actions. Ha ha!

Will
Wow. You two are really getting into it! Leslie?

Leslie
We often use the past continuous and past simple together to describe a longer action that is interrupted by a short one. These actions are connected with time words like 'when' and 'while'. However, we do not usually use 'while' in front of the short action. Well done Helen.

Will
Well done Helen. 20 points for you! This is exciting. It's neck and neck! It's time for our final question. True or false: The past continuous can make you sound more polite.

Will
It is true! Can you explain how?

Greg
Using the past continuous makes things more polite because it seems temporary and so more casual.

Leslie
Yep. Using the past continuous can make sentences seem more polite by distancing them from the present - this makes them sound more tentative and less assertive. More gentle. For example - 'I was hoping you could lend me money' is more polite than 'I hope you can lend me money'.

Will
Well, this is tricky. Helen you said it was true and Greg you explained it. Who do I give the points to?

Greg
You should give it to me!

Helen
No, I was the one who answered the questionNo you didn't. I got it right. You should give it to me!

Helen
Oh rubbish!

Will
I know! Wasn't that easier? And that brings us to the end of today's Grammar Gameshow. And the winner is.... Me! Well done! Thank you! What have I won?

Leslie
Cash in mixed currency!

Will
It looks like we'll need two more contestants. Thanks for joining us. Say goodbye Leslie

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BBC Learning English - Course: The Grammar Gameshow / Unit 1 / Session 10 / Activity 1

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Will Hello and welcome to the Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! - but I'll change for person and time! And of course, let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky. Leslie Welcome, everyone! Will Tonight we're going to be asking three questions about... Leslie The past continuous tense!

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BBC Learning English - Course: The Grammar Gameshow / Unit 1 / Session 4 / Activity 1

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Will Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! But I won't! And of course let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky. Leslie Hello everyone! Will Tonight we're going to ask you three questions about... Leslie Used to and Would! Those useful words for talking about past habits.

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Наталья Ганина