Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for English for Secondary education

Sentence Transformation Exercises

1. Comparatives

Germany is richer than India.

- India is poorer than Germany. / India is not as rich as Germany.

2. Reported Speech

“I don’t know”, he told them.

- He told them that he didn’t know.

3. Conditionals

She can’t come to the party because she is so busy.

- If she wasn’t so busy, she could come to the party.

4. Modals

Maybe your friend will call you on your birthday.

- Your friend may call you on your birthday.

5. Indirect Question

“Where is the nearest cinema, please?”

- Could you tell me where the nearest cinema is?

6. Verbal Tenses

I haven’t seen your wife for a long time.

- It’s a long time since I last saw your wife.

7. Conditionals

He didn’t revise for the test so he failed.

- If he had revised...

Hurricane Katrina: A Family's Ordeal in New Orleans

On August 29, 2005, my parents, my sister, and I were sitting in our house in New Orleans, listening to the wind outside. Hurricane Katrina was here! We were all terrified, even our dog, Belle. Eventually, the wind stopped, and we knew the storm was over, so we went to bed.

At first, all was quiet. Then, my mother heard Belle drinking, but she wasn't drinking from her dish—she was drinking from the floor. Floodwater was filling our house! As soon as we realized what was happening, we ran up to the roof. We waited there for two days, with nothing to eat. We were hungry and scared.

Finally, a helicopter came and took us to a safe place. Now we live with my aunt in Houston, Texas. I'm sad that...

1. Transform These Sentences into Passive Voice

• a) Victor told me a lie: I was told a lie by Victor / A lie was told to me by Victor.
• b) Paola will show the exhibition to the tourist: The tourist will be shown the exhibition by Paola / The exhibition will be shown to the tourist by Paola.
• c) They suppose that Tom should fly to Istanbul: It is supposed that Tom should fly to Istanbul.
• d) People speak French in Switzerland: French is spoken in Switzerland.
• e) The hairdresser will cut my hair tomorrow (causative): I will have my hair cut by the hairdresser tomorrow.
• f) Someone stole Omar's wallet: Omar's wallet was stolen by someone.
• f) People must not throw rubbish on the floor: Rubbish must not be thrown on the floor.

2. Finish the Conditional Sentences

• a)

The Kidnapping of Farrow

Chapter 1: The Message in the Book

Farrow has been kidnapped by the Amsterdam Ring, a notorious smuggling organization. He has left a message in a book that Leila, his wife, has found.

Chapter 2: The Smugglers' Journey

Some of the smugglers, Keesing and de Fries, are driving with Farrow to Luxor, to the tomb of Queen Axtarte. Another smuggler, Greer, is kidnapping Mrs. Farrow in a house in Cairo.

Chapter 3: The Radio Contact

Every night, there is radio contact between the smugglers. This radio contact must take place at 19:00, or Christine Farrow will be killed.

Chapter 4: The Steep Slope

Farrow orders Keesing and de Fries to drive up a steep slope so that an aircraft can see them. Salahadin, a pilot, flies to Luxor at that...

The Encounter in the Sand

Jane: Something is moving in the sand!

Charles: Don't be stupid, Jane. You are imagining it.

Billy: She is not imagining it. Look, it is true!

The Sand Monster Revealed

Jane: What's your name?

Charles: What are you?

Billy: Are you a boy or a girl?

It: I haven't got any name; I'm a sand monster, neither a boy nor a girl. I live in the sand because I hate water and you must know, you are really lucky. Every time humans find us, we must give them a wish.

Charles: So now, we have got one wish...

Jane: Each day...

Wishes and Consequences

Everyone: Goodbye, It!

Narrator: Every day, the children ask it for something they want.

Anthea: I want to be beautiful, like a model or actress.

Charles: Please give us lots of gold coins, but our servant...

These days, as we all know, we are all in our houses because of the popular coronavirus. If you don’t know, coronavirus is a new illness that has been created in China, specifically in Wuhan. This virus has given a lot to talk about, as it is very contagious. It is people that are asymptomatic; that means that he or she can infect other people but he or she hasn’t got any symptoms, and this is why this illness is so dangerous. The president of Spain has said that we will stay at home minimum until 26 (twenty-six) of April. In addition, it is expected that scientists will find a vaccine for it in a year.

In my case, I follow the news about the virus every day, although I think that every day is the same, it seems to me that the time doesn’t...

The Plot of Hamlet

Argument:

The King of Denmark dies, and his brother, Claudius, becomes king. He suddenly marries Gertrude, the queen, and Prince Hamlet is thrown into deep depression.

The ghost of his father, the late king, appears one night and reveals that Claudius killed him to gain access to the crown, demanding revenge. The prince hesitates, and meanwhile, pretends to be crazy so that the monarch does not suspect his real intentions. The reason for Hamlet's strange behavior is the subject of much debate:

• The king and queen believe he is disturbed by his father's death.
• Polonius, the old chamberlain, believes Hamlet is suffering from the love he feels for his daughter, Ophelia.

Confirming the Ghost's Revelation

To confirm the ghost's claims,...