How do you feel before your first class of the semester? Do you get nervous? Are you excited?
Do you ever think that a teacher gets nervous? (Yes, we do get nervous sometimes)
Vocabulary
Activity 1: Vocabulary
Activity 2: Grammar: There is/there are; questions (past and present)
Activity 3: Capsule & comprehension questions
Activity 4: Conversation questions
Activity 5: Reading
Activity 6: Dictation
Grammar
There is/there are
there was/there were
We use these expressions to name the presence (or existence) of something.
There is + singular or non-count noun.
- There is a cafeteria downstairs.
- There is break after 1 hour.
There are + plural noun.
- There are several birds outside my window.
- There are a lot of reasons why students don’t do their homework.
There was + singular or non-count noun (PAST)
- There was an accident on the highway yesterday.
- Was there a laptop on the table earlier?
There were + plural noun (PAST)
- There were about 240 people at the conference.
- There were not (weren’t) any absences from my class last Monday.
Past tense questions
Can you determine the rules?
I finished work at 6 p.m. yesterday.
What time did you finish work?
She studied for her biology exam.
What did she study for?
They had a birthday party last weekend.
What kind of party did they have last weekend?
Do you see a patten in the question structure? Maybe this will help.
It rained a lot last night.
When did it rain?
How much did it rain?
That’s right! When the affirmative verb is in the simple past, we use the auxiliary “did” (simple past of “do”) to signal a question. The main verb goes back to the base form.
The teacher prepared the lesson for her students.
Who did the teacher prepare her lesson for?
Marie Curie discovered radium.
What did Marie Curie discover?
William Shakespeare wrote plays and poetry.
What did William Shakespeare write?
In the above example, the verb is irregular, but the rule still applies.
In the next exercise, the structures are in the present and the past.
Watch the capsule
Answer the comprehension questions that follow.
Conversation questions
- The teacher corrects the students by repeating their sentence slowly and using the correct structure. Do you like that strategy? What kind of feedback do you like?
- What kind of activities do you like to do in English class?
- Why would a teacher get nervous before the start of a new semester?
- What kind of questions can you ask a person to get to know them?
Reading
Read this text about two students who are talking about their English class.
Petra: Hey Jorge, ready for the new semester?
Jorge: Honestly? Not really. I am really nervous about our English class. I feel like I’m going to mess up when I talk.
Petra: Come on, everyone’s in that class to learn. No one’s perfect there.
Jorge: Still, I hate the idea of saying something wrong in front of people.
Petra: Dude, that’s literally how you get better. You say something, maybe it’s wrong, then you learn. Nobody cares, and if they do, that’s on them.
Jorge: Easier said than done. I just want to sound fluent already.
Petra: Yeah, but that takes time. Try breaking it down. Like, set a simple goal—say something in class at least once each day. Doesn’t need to be a speech, just a sentence.
Jorge: Hmm… I could probably manage that.
Petra: See? And outside of class, mix in some fun stuff. Watch shows in English, listen to music, or chat with people in the café. Makes it a lot less boring than just studying grammar.
Jorge: So, make it part of everyday life?
Petra: Exactly. The more you hear and use English, the more natural it feels. Try listening to a podcast on your way here.
Jorge: That actually sounds doable.
Petra: And don’t forget, the professor wants us to ask questions. That’s their job. If you’re lost, just speak up. Or see the prof after class. Or go to the Help Center. There are lots of ways you can get extra help if you need it.
Jorge: True… I guess I don’t have to put so much pressure on myself.
Petra: Right. Just take it step by step. By the end of the semester, you’ll see how much you’ve improved.
Jorge: Thanks, Petra. I feel a little better now.
Petra: Don’t sweat it. We got this.
How do we know that Jorge is motivated to improve?
There is plenty of good advice in the text about language learning. What advice could you give to someone who has anxiety?
Dictation