The Weather - Pre-Intermediate Lesson

Stormy Weather

The winter has finally arrived!  Last week we had a very bad storm, with heavy snow in some areas. In my village, we had 320 mm of rain in 4 days.  I have been telling my students about the storm and I have noticed that most students don't have the vocabulary to describe the weather.  It is a common topic of conversation and English people love talking about it.  So today's post is all about the weather.

What is stormy weather? 

Look at the amazing stormy weather pictures from the National Geographic website:

Photo by Jim Reed National Geographic

* Discuss the pictures and the vocabulary in the captions:     
  Rain/Clouds/Lightening/Thunder/Storm/Wind.

Top 10 Confusing Adjectives - Intermediate level

Top 10 Confusing Adjectives

Adjectives often sound similar and mean similar things, but are used differently in English.  This can be very confusing for students.  Here are my 'Top 10'with explanations and examples:

Number 1 : Much and Many

Many: Means a lot of, it is used with countable nouns (people/women/meetings/books), positive sentences, negative sentences and questions.

Examples:

I have to attend many meetings this week.

There are many free books on eBay.

How many times have you seen that movie?

Do you have many friends in Paris?

I don't have many meetings today.

Much: Means a lot of, it is used with collective nouns (army, group, team, class, company) and singular uncountable nouns (money/coffee), in negative sentences and questions.

Examples:

How much does that cost?

He doesn't have much luck in life.

He doesn't have much money?

Exceptions:

He has too much money.

She talks so much.

I love you very much.

They are in so much trouble.

Say and Tell - Intermediate Level

In many languages 'say' and 'tell' mean the same and are used in the same way.  In English, both verbs mean to communicate verbally, but they are used differently:     

Say: You say something.        

Tell: You tell someone something.

SAY: Is used to express something in words, to report, to make a statement or to repeat.

TELL: Is used to give a detailed account, to inform, to give instructions.

We can say:  "She said to me to go."  

We cannot say: "She said me to go". 

SAY structure

1. Say + direct object (something/the thing you said).

    e.g I said sorry. 

2. Say + direct object +to + indirect object(someone, the person to whom you said it).

    e.g I said sorry to Mike.

3. Say + noun

    e.g. Say a prayer.