B.E.L.L. Tips – Roller skating

January 5, 2024 | Jeana Whitaker | Uncategorized

Issue #52

Learn English Here!

Tips and Tricks for Business English Language Learners (B.E.L.L.)

Photo by Quinton Coetzee

Roller Skating

Each week, I will send out some handy tips and useful exercises for adults learning to navigate and use the English language. Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and colleagues. Use the link below for more in-depth language coaching and schedule a 1:1 consultation.

I loved roller skating as a kid. Friday nights at the roller rink, hanging out with friends, and dancing to the music was a blast! It originated in the 18th century in Europe but was a very popular activity in the United States in the 1970s and 80s.

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Vocabulary

Last week, many people made New Year’s Resolutions for goals they hope to achieve in 2024. It is easy to confuse the English words “Hope” and “Wish” because your native language may not distinguish a difference. Here is a short video that explains the difference:

Grammar

Conditionals can take a while to grasp. I still have to look things up, and I am a native speaker with a college degree to teach English. So, let’s review them again, shall we?

Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word if. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tenses. This usage is referred to as “the unreal past” because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring to something that happened in the past. There are five main ways of constructing conditional sentences in English. In all cases, these sentences are made up of an if clause and a main clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using “unless” instead of “if”.

Let’s Practice!

Using the chart above, identify the type of conditional for each sentence below:

If I drink coffee in the morning, it gives me energy all day.
If she shows up today, I will give her the notes from the meeting.
If I were you, I’d buy it as soon as possible.
If I had the time, I’d help you.
I would have handled things differently if I had been in charge.
We wouldn’t be lost if we had looked at the map.
If we fail, who will be held responsible?
If anyone complains, we deal with it immediately.
If we had bought stock in Google, we’d be rich today.
You would not be so tired if you went to bed earlier.

Reading Practice

While American football is a contact sport that women are not allowed to play (professionally), there is a contact sport where women rule – Roller Derby! It is fascinating and fun. Read about this unique American sport involving roller skates, speed and strategy:

https://www.mnrollerderby.com/about-us/derby-101/