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

1. Do You Play Football Well?

Are you a good football player?

2. Do Watersports Interest You?

Are you interested in watersports?

3. Which is Your Favourite School Subject?

Which school subject do you like best?

4. How is Your Surname Spelt?

How do you spell your surname?

5. Your Bedroom is Tidier Than Mine

My bedroom isn't as tidy as yours.

6. Gerry Doesn't Do the Washing-Up as Fast as Paul

Paul does the washing-up faster than Gerry.

7. The New Armchair Isn't Nearly as Comfortable as the Old One

The old armchair is much more comfortable than the new one.

8. Every Evening, Sally Does a Lot More Homework Than Rachel

Every evening, Rachel does a lot less homework than Sally.

9. This Music Isn't Nearly as Bad as the Music They Play on Radio 2

The music they play...

Smartphone Review: Features and Usage

What does it look like? What are its main qualities? This is a review of my smartphone. It is big and very useful because it allows you to find information or communicate with your friends and family.

Functionality and Operation

What can you use it for? How do you operate it? You can use it to send messages, make calls, play games with your friends, and listen to music. To use it, you press the lock key, slide your finger on the screen, and choose the option that you prefer.

• Pros: Very useful for everything.
• Cons: Spending too much time on it affects your eyesight.

I would recommend it because you can use it to do your homework.

Description of My School

Our school is a big, modern high school. Some teachers are...

Analyzing Tone and Sarcasm in The Company Man

Throughout The Company Man, Ellen Goodman adopts a critical stance toward the workaholic protagonist, Phil. This perspective is conveyed through a bitter, judgmental, and sarcastic tone.

The Use of Sarcasm and Tone

Goodman’s disdain for the "company man" is evident when she writes, “He worked like the Important People.” Her sarcastic tone emphasizes his work habits, ultimately revealing that Phil was not as indispensable to his company as he believed. This sentiment is reinforced by the cold, clinical description of his replacement process.

The Routine of a Workaholic

Goodman utilizes short, definitive sentences to highlight the monotony of Phil’s life:

• “To Phil, it was work.”
• “He always

Haunted Berkeley Plantation: Charles City's Spectral History

Berkeley Plantation, founded in 1619 by 38 settlers from Berkeley Castle in England, stands as a testament to Virginia's rich, and often eerie, past. The magnificent manor house, built by Benjamin Harrison in 1726, has hosted historical figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Its grounds also bear the scars of the Civil War, having been occupied by General George B. McClellan's Federal troops after their retreat from Richmond.

After the war, the plantation was acquired by John Jamieson, a Scotsman who had served as a drummer boy for McClellan. In 1927, his son Malcolm inherited the estate, and it has remained in the Jamieson family ever since. Beyond its historical significance,...

English Grammar and Vocabulary Practice Exercises

Multiple Choice Quiz

1. Last Saturday, the burger restaurant was so crowded that the girls __________ to wait outside.

• was told
• told
• sit down
• were told

2. The hyperloop train is a __________ train that can reach speeds of around 1,200 km/h.

• time-consuming
• high’s speed
• high-speed
• high-school

3. People sometimes forget the __________, and they get stuck on rocks with water all around them.

• wave
• tides
• sunsets
• sunrise

4. I love walking in the fields at __________ when the first light appears in the sky.

• sunrise
• sunset
• dawn
• twilight

5. My order __________ until next Monday.

• won’t ship
• will be shipped
• won’t be shipped
• won’t be shipped

6. Pollution from nearby factories is killing the native __________.

• wildlife
• sources
• threats
• transport

7.

Using "Would You Like Me To" for Offers

Would you like me to:

• Would you like me to hold him for you?
• Would you like me to help you carry them?

Answer: "Well, yes. Thanks very much."

Offering Help in English

Ofrecimientos de ayuda:

• A: "I'm really cold."
• B: "I'll lend you my coat."
• Response: "Oh, could you? Thank you."

Predictions with "Will"

Structure: Verb + Will

• Don't drink so much soda; you'll be sick.

Intentions with "Going To"

Structure: Verb to be (am/is/are) + going to + verb

• We're going to listen to Mr. Adams.
• We're going to play cards.

First Conditional Structure

First Conditional: 2 Clauses (Cláusulas).

One with If (Circumstance/Circunstancia), another with Will (Prediction/Predicción):

• If it rains, we will stay at home.
• If we get bored, we will watch

Reported Speech Examples

Suggestion: "Let's use these old bottles and cans," Lisa suggested. // Lisa suggested using those old bottles and cans.

Offer: "I can help you do your project," Dad said. // Dad offered to help me do my project.

Order: "Put the jars in the correct bin," the woman said. // The woman told me to put the jars in the correct bin.

Request: "Would you please take these bottles to the recycling bin tomorrow?" Mum asked. // Mum asked me to take those bottles to the recycling bin the next day.

Question: "Did they cut down many trees here last month?" he asked. // He asked if they had cut down many trees there the previous month.

Statement: "These men are dumping litter into the sea now," she said. // She said that those men were dumping...

1. Loss and New Beginnings

The father dies of pneumonia. His favorite daughter had just died a few weeks earlier, and this caused him to fall into a deep depression. He was so depressed that he didn’t mind living or dying.

After the father's death, the family didn’t go back to Norway. The mother was pregnant and had to take care of six small children. Nevertheless, she wanted her children to go to an English school, as her husband had wanted.

2. The Sweet Obsession and the Dead Mouse

The kids were obsessed with the sweets from a particular shop. They had a hole under the floor in their classroom where they hid some sweets and ate them at the end of class. One day, they find a dead mouse inside the hole and decide to place it inside a candy...

Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band Case Begins

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson rise unusually early one morning to meet Helen Stoner, a young woman who fears her life is being threatened by her stepfather, Sir Grimesby Roylott. Roylott, a doctor who practiced in India, had married Helen’s mother there.

Helen's Urgent Plea

Helen’s sister had died almost two years earlier, shortly before her wedding. Helen had heard her sister’s dying words, "The speckled band!" but had been unable to understand their meaning. Now Helen, too, is engaged, and she has begun to hear strange noises and observe strange activities around Stoke Moran, the estate where she and her stepfather live.

Sir Grimesby Roylott's Peculiar Household

Sir Grimesby Roylott keeps strange...