Aliens
I will send out some handy tips and useful exercises for adults learning to navigate and use the English language each week. Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and colleagues.
Americans are fascinated by Aliens. Hollywood movies about Aliens are often big hits, and there is an annual UFO (unidentified flying object) festival in Roswell, New Mexico, in June/July every year.
Reading Tip
Language Level – B2
Explore this website to read and discover exciting things about the upcoming annual UFO Festival in Roswell, NM.
https://www.newmexico.org/events/summer-events/roswell-ufo-festival/
Listening Tip
Language Level – B2
Area 51 is a well-known conspiracy theory about a UFO crashing in New Mexico. Watch and listen to this short video about the story behind this fascinating alien story:
Grammar Tip
Language Level B2
Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are a special class of auxiliary verbs that are used to modify the meaning of the main verb in a sentence and they are always used with another verb. They are used to express different kinds of meanings such as possibility, ability, permission, necessity, and more.
Modal verbs include:
- Can
- Could
- May
- Might
- Must
- Shall
- Should
- Will
- Would
Each of these modal verbs has a specific meaning and usage in English. For example, “can” is used to express ability, “may” is used to express possibility, and “must” is used to express necessity.
Modal verbs are also used to create different tenses in English. For example, “could” is used to create the past conditional tense, while “will” is used to create the future tense.
Let’s Practice!
First, let’s practice identifying the meaning of the modal verbs. In each sentence below, identify the modal verb and then match it with the correct meaning from this list:
Ability Permission Obligation Possibility
Request Suggestion Advice Certainty
Challenge Prohibition Likelihood Preference
- I would rather ride my bike to the office today.
- It will probably rain tomorrow.
- Would you be able to work over the weekend?
- Should I take the train or the bus to get to the airport?
- May I come in?
- I dare you to try the spicy salsa!
- I can’t allow you to steal from company funds.
- You must submit the application before the deadline.
(Next week we will create different tenses)
Vocabulary Tip
Language Level – B2
A few vocabulary words from the Oxford 3000. A list of 3000 words someone should know if they are taking the CEFR (Common European Framework Reference) language tests.
- Agenda (n)
- Aggressive (adj)
- Aid (v)
- Aircraft (n)
- Alarm (v)
- Alter (v)
- Amount (v)
- Anger (n)
- Angle (n)
- Anniversary (n)
You will find the definitions to this growing list of B2- level words in this quizlet.
Weekly Challenge
Language Level – C2
Choose the correct word for each sentence in the email below:
I was (1) sorry/unhappy/afraid to hear about the damage to the products that you received this morning. However, I am (2) afraid/apologise/regret that we cannot (3) accept/except/have responsibility in this (4) topic/material/matter. All our products are (5) controlled/checked/looked very carefully before leaving the factory, and the damage in this case must have been caused in transit. I (6) propose/suggest/tell that you contact the shipping company directly about possible compensation. In the meantime, we can ship the same order to you again, if it would help. If you give us a firm instruction to do so (7) until/by/within the next few days, it should reach you (8) until/by/within the end of the month.
Find and correct the mistakes in the emails below:
Email 1:
I am writing with connection to our telephone conversation this morning about your order 7895LG. I must regret for the delay in processing this order. I can now confirm that the goods have been shipped and should deliver you within 10 working days. We have taken special caution to make sure that the items are exactly as you requested. Once again, please take our apologies. If you have any further questions, do not stop to contact me again.
Email 2:
I am writing to you affecting the meeting that we appointed for this Friday. I am afraid something urgent has come up and I will not be able to attend. Can we schedule the meeting until next week? I can make any time Wednesday or Thursday. I apologize for any disadvantage this may cause, and I look forward to know from you.
Questions?
