letters

Dear Sir/Madam,

On [date] I stayed at your hotel for [number of nights] in room [number]. As I mentioned to your receptionist at the time, the accommodation was unsatisfactory in the following ways [describe].

When I asked to be moved to another room, I was told that this was not possible; nor were the problems rectified.

I have contracted with you to provide me with [details]. 

These were not provided with reasonable care and skill because [give details of the problem].

It was an implied term of our contract that the accommodation provided would be of a standard of cleanliness and quality reasonably to be expected from this type and price of the hotel.

It's also an implied term that the service provided would be done so with reasonable care and skill as required by the Consumer Rights   

Therefore, you are in breach of contract.

As such, I am legally entitled to receive compensation from you. In consequence, I am claiming the sum of [£xx set out the amount and how it was calculated].

I require your response to this letter within 14 days

Yours sincerely,

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Sumners,

I’m the General Manager here at The Gimmel Resort & Spa. It has been brought to my attention that your recent visit with us was not up to par. As you may know providing the highest level of hospitality is our number one priority and hearing we have fallen below that standard is something we like to address immediately.

I can imagine that our inability to accommodate you with the two bedroom suite you booked started your stay with us on the wrong foot. But I hope you and your family did understand that we had a water pipe break in that section of the building and was unable to put anyone there while the repairs were done which unfortunately took longer than we anticipated. That meant closing that portion of the building for 24 hours.

I hope you can forgive this inconvenience and not let it stop you from staying with us in the future. In fact I would like to offer you and your family a free night on your next stay at Gimmel.

Sincerely,

Howard Brothers

Paraphrasing

reading c tenses

John (travel)................... already a lot. In fact, when he (be)....................... only two years old when he first (fly).............................. to the US. His mother (be)................ Italian and his father(be)..........................American. John (be born)....................................... in France, but his parents (meet)................................ in Cologne, Germany after they (live)..............................there for five years. They (meet)...............................one day while John's father (read)..........................a book in the library and his mother (sit)........................down beside him.

            John always (travel)........................................ a lot because his parents also (travel)....................................... a lot.

As a matter of fact, John (visit)................................ his parents in France at the moment. He (live)........................... in New York now, but(visit)................................ his parents for the past few weeks. He really (enjoy).............................living in New York, but he also (love)..................................... coming to visit his parents at least once a year.

    This year he (fly)................................ over 50,000 miles for his job. He (work).............................................for Jackson & Co. for almost two years now. He’s pretty sure that he (work).................................for them next year as well. His job (require)............................ a lot of travel. In fact, by the end of this year, he (travel)..........................over 120,000 miles! His next journey (be)........................ to Australia. He really (not like).....................going to Australia because it is so far. This time he (go)................................... to fly from Paris after a meeting with the company's French partner. 

            John (talk).................................... with his parents earlier this evening when his girlfriend from New York (phone)........................ to let him know that Jackson & Co.(decide)............................. to merge with a company in Australia. The two companies (negotiate)............................. for the past month. Of course, this means that John (have)..................... to catch the next plane back to New York. He(meet).............................. with his boss at this time tomorrow.

Passive voice increasing practice

Write in the passive

1. Peter bought the house

2. Mary will bring the wine

3. My friends are repairing the car

4. Most students speak English in this class

5. An elderly couple sheltered her

6. A policeman helped him

7. She finished her work by nine o'clock

8. Nobody can repair this broken chair

9. They carried him into the hospital

10.Are they typing the letters?

Write in the active
1.    We are taught grammar by Ms Sullivan.
2.    He was praised by the teacher.
3.    The injured were taken to the hospital by the firemen.
4.    The town was destroyed by an earthquake.
5.    The teacher was pleased with the boy’s work.
6.    The building was damaged by the fire.

. Complete the sentences with a passive construction, using the verbs given in the form suggested.

1. Much of London (destroy) _________ by fire in the seventeenth century. (Past Simple)

2. The man who (bite)____________________ by a snake was given a serum. (Past Perfect)

3. A leader should be a man who can (respect)____________________. (Infinitive)

4. Many slums (demolish) ___________ to make way for new buildings. (Present Continuous.)

5. The police (instruct) ___________ to take firm action against hooligans. (Present Perfect)

6. He (save)______________ from bankruptcy by the kindness of a friend. (Past Simple)

7. A cease-fire (expect) ____________________ (declare) ____________________ later this week. (Present Simple, Infinitive)

Complete the sentences with a passive construction after deciding the tense, using the verbs given

1. In 1987, an emergency decisión ___________________after the oilspill. (take)
2. This morning, aerosol sprays __________from the perfume department. (remove)
3. Next month this river ___________________. (clean up)
4. The 'hole' in the ozone layer___________________by scientists for 30 years. ( notice)
5. If cars ___________________from the area, we will soon suffer from respiratory illnesses. (not ban)
6. If a nuclear bomb exploded, the earth___________________. (destroy)
7. Scientists say that the ozone layer___________________by chemicals. (destroy)

Rewrite the sentences in the passive, making the words in italics the subject of the sentence or clause in which they appear.

1. They gave the oldest councilor the freedom of the city.

2. They denied access to the secret documents to all but a few.

3. Someone showed the child how to use the telephone.

4. They declared him persona non grata and allowed him only forty-eight hours to leave the

country.

5. They gave him artificial respiration.

6. Why didn't they offer him the job?

7. Didn't they promise you a rise in salary at the beginning of the year?

8. Someone left him a legacy of 10.000.

9. When he looked at the stamps, he found they had sold him forgeries.

10. What did they pay you for doing the job?

personal and impersonal Passive voice

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says – it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).

Rep speech int

"It is too late." - I said 
 .
"I have replied." - He claimed that 
 .
"I met you yesterday." - Sam told me 
 .
"I cannot come." - Mary explained that 
 .
"I could fall down." - He was afraid 
 .
"I will pay tomorrow." - He said 
 .
"The Himalayas are the highest." - He knew that 
 .
"I may lend you some money." - Bill promised 
 .
"I have been watching a film." - He replied that 
 .
"Claire must rest." - The doctor said 
 .
"I have not done it today." - I explained that 
 .
"If I was younger, I would accept it." - He thought that 
 .
"I was with him last week." - Jill admitted that 
 .
"You needn't change your shoes in our house." - She reminded me that 
 .
"I am calling my mum." - She said 
 .
"I will finish this picture tomorrow." - Diana supposed that 
 .
"I would buy it." - She said 
 .
"Greg used to be my friend." - He told us 
 .

Past perfect or simple past

In the following sentences, use past perfect or simple past tense of the verbs given in parentheses. Read each sentence carefully before you choose the verb; remember that if the time word before or after makes the time relationship clear, you do not have to use past perfect. 

Example: Class already (start) by the time I arrived. Class already had started by the time I arrived.



 1. Molly (be) a teacher before she (become) a lawyer.
 2. Yesterday I (see) Susan Chan, an old friend whom I (see, not) in many years. At first, I (recognize, not) her because she (gain) fifty pounds.
 3. Joe suddenly (realize) that the teacher (ask) him a question.
 4. It (be) midnight when I finally (go) to bed. 
5. I (feel) better after I (take) some medicine. 
6. When I (go) to see my math teacher about why I (receive) a failing grade on the last test, he (examine) my paper and then (announce) that he(make) a mistake and (change) my grade to an "A." 7. When I (try) to explain to my friend why I (call, not) him in several weeks, he (tell) me not to worry because he (be) out of town for a month. 
8. When Sharon and Will (get married) last month, they (knew) each other for only two weeks.
 9. I (go) to the movies after I (finish) my homework even though I (see) the movie many times.
 10. Jerry (come) to the party, but no one (invite) him

Present perfect

Present continuous

1. (she / go home now) __________________________________________________________________ 
2. (I / read a great book) __________________________________________________________________
 3. (she / not / wash her hair) __________________________________________________________________ 
4. (the cat / chase mice?) __________________________________________________________________ 
5. (she / cry?) __________________________________________________________________ 
6. (he / not / study Latin) __________________________________________________________________
 7. (we / drive to London?) __________________________________________________________________
 8. (they / watch TV? ) __________________________________________________________________ 

Modal verbs

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/multi/modal1.htm

Reading comprehension

 Unsinkable Ship

Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have happened. It was well designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so quickly that most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, had no chance to save themselves: Of those who managed to scramble overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of hypothermia before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea. The final death toll amounted to 912 souls. However, there were an unpleasant number of questions about why the Estonia sank and why so many survivors were men in the prime of life, while most of the dead were women, children and the elderly.

Change it into simple present and conditonal tenses.

Give some cconditional sentences from the choices below

7. One can understand from the reading that ----.

A) the lifesaving equipment did not work well and lifeboats could not be
        lowered
B) design faults and incompetent crew contributed to the sinking of the
        Estonia ferry
C) 139 people managed to leave the vessel but died in freezing water
D) naval architects claimed that the Estonia was unsinkable
E) most victims were trapped inside the boat as they were in their cabins

8. It is clear from the passage that the survivors of the accident ----.

A) helped one another to overcome the tragedy that had affected them
        all
B) were mostly young men but women, children and the elderly stood little
        chance
C) helped save hundreds of lives
D) are still suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder
E) told the investigators nothing about the accident

9. According to the passage, when the Estonia sank, ----.

A) there were only 139 passengers on board
B) few of the passengers were asleep
C) there were enough lifeboats for the number of people on board
D) faster reaction by the crew could have increased the Estonia's
        chances of survival
E) all the passengers had already moved out into the open decks

Complete the dialogues and change them into reported speech

Read the dialogues and choose the most appropriate options to complete the dialogues.

1.
Doctor
         Take this medicine for a week and you'll start to feel better.
Patient
         ---------------
Doctor
         Are you sure? It's the best on the market.
Patient
         Yes I am. Can you please prescribe another one?

A) What shall i do if unexpected side effects arise?
B) What is the ideal dosage for my weight?
C) No, it's too early to prescribe another medicine.
D) But I've used it before and it did not help at all.
E) It looks as if the illness has already been cured.

2. 
Jake
         How did you like the movie you saw last night? 
Karen
         I can't say it was the best I've ever seen. 
Jake
        ---------------
Karen
        Certainly not. Do not waste your time.

A) Did you go alone or with a friend from work?
B) Hadn't you read the reviews before you went to see it?
C) What do you mean by saying it depends?
D) I knew I could always count on you.
E) Then you wouldn't recommend it, would you?

3. 
Father
         What? You crashed the car again? 
Son
         --------------- 
Father
         I'm sure it wasn't. This is the third accident you have had this year.
Son
         You're very angry now, dad. We had better talk about this later on. 

A) I do apologize. I promise it won't happen again.
B) Was the car in good condition?
C) But it wasn't my fault. You've got to believe me.
D) Was it worth the money and time you had wasted?
E) Why do you ask? Don't you know it's too late now?

4. 
Chuck
         --------------- 
Sue
        Why do you think so? 
Chuck
         Whenever we meet, she pretends not to see me.
Sue
         I don't thin k it's because she hasn't got over her anger. She's having
         a bad time at work nowadays. 

A) It seems that Martha is still angry with me.
B) Martha will never make a good manager.
C) I have never seen a smarter woman than Martha.
D) One thing that I especially like about Martha is her sincerity.
E) Martha has finally managed to get over her resentment.

5. 
Tom
         --------------- 
Mary
         Are you kidding? We are in June. 
Tom
         So what? What's wrong with June?
Mary
         The right time to trim your roses is the beginning of winter, when they
         lose their flowers.

A) Are you going to plant those roses in your garden in June or July?
B) Can you help me prune the roses in the garden at the weekend?
C) I didn't know your brother knew so much about gardening.
D) Have you got any idea what the right time is to shorten rose plants?
E) Are we supposed to do anything special to keep the roses fresh?

After holidays reading comprehension and verb tenses

Mother Tongue

First language, also known as mother tongue, is generally the language a person learns first. However, one can have two or more native languages thus being a native bilingual or indeed multilingual. The order in which these languages are learned is not necessarily the order of proficiency. Lacking in first language skills often make learning other languages difficult. Often a child learns the basics of his or her first language or languages from his or her family. The term mother tongue, however, should not be interpreted to mean that it is the language of one's mother. For instance, in some paternal societies, the wife moves in with the husband and thus may have a different first language or dialect than the local language of the husband. Yet their children usually only speak their local language.

Change into Simple past and present perfect

Give questions

1. According to the passage, first language skills ----.

A) take a very long time to develop
B) play an important role in learning a new language
C) are not transferable to the second language
D) can also have negative effects in foreign language acquisition
E) can aid children only in the beginning stages of learning a second language

2. We understand from the passage that ----.

A) most bilinguals don't have a dominant language
B) the acquisition of a first language is the most complex skill anyone ever learns
C) most children have learning difficulties in acquiring their first language
D) one's mother tongue might not be the language of the parents
E) it is very rare for bilinguals to have equal competence in both their languages

3. One can infer from the reading that ----.

A) one cannot be a native speaker of more than two languages
B) very few children throughout the world learn to speak two languages
C) it is possible for a bilingual to become more competent in his second language
D) bilinguals use their two languages for different purposes and functions
E) only a few people learn to speak his or her mother's language like a native