Possible Futures Video

My latest Youtube video teaches how to use the first conditional to talk about possible futures.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

In this video we will talk about the future of the environment. To talk about possible future events and their results we use the first conditional.

Here is an example of a sentence using the first conditional:
If global warming continues to get worse, sea levels will rise.
If global warming continues to get worse is the possible future.
Sea levels will rise is the result of that situation.

To make first conditional sentences we use if + simple present, comma, will/won't + verb.
If we take showers, we will save water.

We use won't for negative sentences.
If we waste electricity, we won't save the environment.

The if clause can come either first or second in the sentence.
If sea levels rise, polar bears will lose their habitat.
Polar bears will lose their habitat if sea levels rise.

Will/Won't can be replaced by modal verbs such as should/might/can.
If you want to help the environment, you should recycle.
If we don't do something now, it might be too late.
You can save money if you don't waste electricity.

Here is an example of a question using the first conditional:
What will happen if we stop polluting the air?
If we stop polluting the air, we will be healthier.

Here are examples of yes/no questions:
If I use a reusable bag, will it help the environment?
Yes, it will.

Will I save money if I walk to walk?
Yes, you will, and you will help the environment.

The if clause in these sentences describes something that is possible. The if clause can be replaced by different time clauses.
When clauses describe something that is certain to happen.
When technology gets better, we will use more renewable energy.

As soon as is used to say what will happen immediately after something else happens.
I'll buy an electric car as soon as I save enough money.

We use until to say something will or won't happen up to a particular point.
Wildlife will lose their habitat until we start to care about the environment.
Air quality won't get better until we plant more trees.

We use unless to describe a result if something doesn't happen.
The ice caps will melt unless we stop global warming.

Let's play a game about consequences. Can you continue the conversation by saying the consequences of the previous result?
What will happen if we pollute the air?
If we pollute the air, the earth will get hotter.
If the earth gets hotter, the ice caps will melt.
If the ice caps melt...
What do you think will happen if the ice caps melt? Write sentences in the comments.

Here are some more questions which you can answer in the comments section to give you some practice and get you thinking about the environment.
1. What will happen if we pollute the oceans?
2. What will happen if we continue to burn fossil fuels?
3. What will happen if we don't protect the rainforests?
4. What will happen if we don't recycle?
5. What will happen if we plant more trees?
Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments section and I'll check your answers.

Shopping and Prices Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about prices when shopping.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about prices and some of the language we need when shopping.

To ask the price of singular items we can say:
How much is the t-shirt? It's 60 dollars.

To ask the price of plural items we can say:
How much are the jeans? They're 150 dollars.

To comment on the price, we can say:
It's expensive.
It's reasonable.
It's good value.
It's cheap.

Let's look at some examples.

How much is the dress? It's 500 dollars.
It's expensive.

How much are the gloves? They're 4 dollars and 50 cents.
They're cheap.

Now let's review big numbers.
ten million
one million
one hundred thousand
ten thousand
one thousand
one hundred
ten

Now let's combine these big numbers.
ten million five hundred thousand
one million five hundred and fifty thousand
one hundred and fifty-five thousand
fifteen thousand five hundred
one thousand five hundred and fifty
one hundred and fifty-five
fifteen

Let's practice big numbers in a pet store.

Customer: Do you have goldfish?
Salesclerk: Yes, we do.
Customer: How much are they?
Salesclerk: They're 5,000 Won each.
Customer: I'll take two, please.

Customer: Do you have monkeys?
Salesclerk: No, I'm sorry, we don't.

Customer: Do you have cats?
Salesclerk: Yes, we do.
Customer: How much are they?
Salesclerk: They're 300,000 Won each.
Customer: That's too expensive.

To talk about near items we can use this for singular things and these for plural things.
For far items we can use that for singular things and those for plural things.

How much is this watch? It's 25,000 Yen.
How much is that umbrella? It's 850 Yen.
How much are these earring? They're 4,900 Yen.
How much are those shoes? They're 35,000 Yen.
How much is this belt? It's 10,000 Yen.
How much is that handbag? It's 49,000 Yen.
How much are these high heels? They're 29,000 Yen.
How much are those socks? They're 250 Yen.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments and I'll check your answers.
1. What was the last piece of clothing you bought?
2. What colour was it?
3. How much did it cost?
4. Where did you buy it?
5. When did you buy it?
Answer in full sentences.

Describing People Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to describe people.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to describe people's appearance and personality.

Here are some adjectives we can use describe someone's personality.
honest
talkative
shy
funny
outgoing
nice
patient
confident

What's she like? She honest and patient.
What's he like? He's funny and kind.

There are many things we can talk about to describe someone's appearance. Let's look at each one in turn. To talk about someone's attractiveness, height and weight, we can ask one simple question.

What does she look like?
She's cute.
She's pretty.
She's beautiful.

He's handsome.

He's short.
He's average height.
He's tall.

He's thin.
He's slim.
He's average weight.
He's muscular.
He's a little heavy.

She has short hair.
She has medium length hair.
She has long hair.

She has straight hair.
She has wavy hair.
She has curly hair.

She has blond hair.
She has black hair.
She has brown hair.
She has red hair.
She has grey hair.

He is bald.
He has a moustache.
He has a beard.

To talk about someone's age, we can ask: How old is he? There are a number of different ways we can describe someone's age if we don't know their exact age.

He's in his early twenties.
He's in his mid-twenties.
He's in his late twenties.

She's kind of young.
She's kind of old.

She's around 20 years old.
She's around 30 years old.

We use the present continuous to talk about the clothes someone is wearing. What is he wearing? He's wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jeans. Let's review clothing vocabulary.

a blouse
a skirt
a jacket
a sweater
jeans
boots
gloves
a scarf
high heels
a dress

a suit
shoes
a jacket
a shirt
a neck tie
a belt
pants
a t-shirt
flip-flops
shorts
sunglasses
a uniform

There are a few items of clothing that weren't in any of those pictures.
sneakers
socks
a hat
glasses
a raincoat

Now we have all the vocabulary we need, let's look at some examples of questions and answers.
What is she like? She's outgoing.
What does she look like?
She's pretty.
She's average height and slim.
She has long, straight, brown hair.
How old is she? She's in her mid-twenties.
What is she wearing? She's wearing a white blouse and grey skirt.

What is he like? He's honest and kind.
What does he look like?
He's handsome.
He's tall and muscular.
He's bald.
How old is he? He's around 30 years old.
What is he wearing? He's wearing a purple sweater, blue jeans and tan shoes.

What's she like? She's shy.
What does she look like?
She's cute.
She's short and slim.
She has long, curly, brown hair.
How old is she? She's kind of young.
What is she wearing? She's wearing a blue school uniform.

What is he like? He's funny.
What does he look like? He's cute.
He's short and slim.
He has short brown hair.
How old is he? He's kind of young.
What is he wearing? He's wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers.

Here's a homework assignment. Pause the video and describe these two people in the comments in as much detail as you can and I'll check your answers.

The Environment Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about the environment.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about the environment. We currently face many environmental challenges. To learn how to talk about these challenges, we will discuss threats to the environment, their causes, and possible solutions. Probably the biggest threat to the environment is global warming. Let's look at the causes and what we can do about it.

Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, releases carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere. These gases then get trapped in the atmosphere. This layer of gases trap in heat radiating up from the Earth. This causes the planet to get hotter. We call this The Greenhouse Effect, because it is similar to how a greenhouse works by trapping the heat from the sun.

So the Earth is getting hotter. What can we do to solve this problem? We can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we put into the atmosphere. There are many things we can do to help. Here are a couple. We should use energy saving light bulbs. And we can drive more efficient cars.

So burning fossil fuels leads to global warming, but what are the negative effects of higher temperatures and what should we do to help the environment? The ice caps are melting. As a result, sea levels are rising. We should use renewable energy. Deserts are growing. We should plant more trees.

This chart shows the cause and effect of global warming. Burning fossil fuels releases gases into the atmosphere. These gases then get trapped in the atmosphere. This layer then traps heat. As a result, the Earth gets hotter. This causes the ice caps to melt. So sea levels begin to rise.

What other environmental problems are there?
Ocean are polluted. We should save water in the home.
Air pollution causes health problems. We should use public transport.
Wildlife is losing its habitat. We should protect the rainforests.
Landfills emit greenhouse gases. We should reduce, reuse, and recycle. The three Rs. These are probably the greatest things we can do to help protect the environment.
Reduce. It would be better for the environment if we reduced the amount of things we buy and use. It would also save us money.
Reuse. We should reuse things when we can. Don't use disposable shopping bags. Instead take a reusable bag.
Recycle. Help the environment by recycling your waste. We can recycle paper, plastic, metal and glass.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comment and I'll check your answers.
1. What do you do to help prevent pollution?
2. What can large cities do to improve their air quality?
3. Are you worried about global warming?
4. What are some things which you recycle?
5. What is the most important issue facing the environment today.
Answer in full sentences.

Free-time Activities Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about free-time activities.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about free-time activities. We can use 'like' to talk about the things we do in our free time. 'Like' can be followed by a gerund or to-infinitive. The difference in meaning is often small. The gerund or -ing form places a slight emphasis on the action. So let's start by using gerunds to talk about free-time activities. Let's review some questions and answers.
What do you like doing in your free time? I like listening to music.
Do you like playing video games? Yes, I do.

For sentences in the third person singular in the present tense we add s to the auxiliary verb.
What does Mark like doing in his free time? He likes playing golf.
Does Rachel like riding a bicycle? No, she doesn't.

The degree to which we like or dislike something can be described from love to hate.
Julie loves reading books.
Sarah really likes shopping.
Ben likes playing chess.
Michelle doesn't like ironing shirts.
Claire really doesn't like cooking.
Brian hates snowboarding.

To keep the conversation going we can ask follow up questions.
What do you like doing in your free time? I like doing taekwondo.
What belt are you? I'm a black belt.
What do you like doing in your free time? I like jogging.
How far do you usually run? I usually run for 5 kilometers.

We can also use to-infinitive to talk about likes. Let's review some questions and answers using to-infinitive.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to play cellphone games.
Do you like to lift weights? Yes, I do.
What do you do to stay in shape? I like to do yoga.
What does Janet like to do in her free time? She likes to watch tv.
Does Emma like to play cards? Yes, she does.
What does Jason do to stay in shape? He likes to play tennis.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments and I'll check your answers.
1. What do you like doing in your free time?
2. What do you like doing on Saturday night?
3. What do you like doing on Sunday morning?
4. What do you do to stay in shape?
5. Do you like swimming?
Answer in full sentences.

Daily Routines Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about daily routines.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about daily routines. First, let's review some vocabulary for things we do every day.
get up
take a shower
get dressed
have breakfast
go to work
start work
have lunch
finish work
arrive home
have dinner
watch tv
go to bed

Now let's look at some questions we can ask about daily routines and the answers we might hear. What time do you usually wake up? I usually wake up at 7 o'clock.
Note the difference between wake up and get up. For example, I usually wake up at 7 o'clock and then I get up or get out of bed ten minutes later.
What's the first thing you do after you get up? I shave.
Do you ever skip breakfast? No, I don't. I never skip breakfast.
How do you get to work? I usually walk.
What do you usually have for lunch? I usually have a salad.
What do you usually do after you get home? I usually take a nap.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to read books.

Now we will hear what Emily does on a normal day. This story is in the third person present singular so we add an S to the verb. To help describe her daily routine we can use sequence adverbs.
Emily usually wakes up at 7:30.
First, she has breakfast.
Then she brushes her teeth.
Next, she takes a shower.
After that she gets dressed.
Then she puts on make-up.
She goes to work at 8:30. The subway ride takes 20 minutes.
She starts work at 9 o'clock.
Later, she has lunch.
At 5 o'clock she finishes work and goes home.
When she gets home she cooks dinner.
She sometimes goes to the gym in the evening.
Finally, she goes to bed at 11 o'clock.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments and I'll check your answers.
1. What time do you usually get up?
2. Do you ever skip breakfast?
3. What do you usually have for lunch?
4. What do you usually do after you get home?
5. What do you like to do in your free time?
Answer in full sentences.