English Language Lab

About Passive Voice

2010-05-10T15:25:00.007+03:00

In this lesson you will revise the usage and then practice passive voice...

1. First, check the usage of Passive:
Introduction Of Passive (10 min)

2. Then go through these:
Exercises on Passive Voice (10 min)
Change sentences into passive

More Exercises on Passive (40 min)
Exercises on passive voice with difficulty levels

The Statue of Liberty
Portal Dolmen
The fellowship of the Ring Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

Grammar in Texts

Tests on Passive

Tenses Active and Passive

3. You may do additional exercises:

2010-05-05T10:35:00.005+03:00

The Island

Can (be allowed to), can't (not allowed to), have to, don't/doesn't have to, may/might/can

This is a movie with an interesting idea about cloning. This scene shows what the clones are allowed (or not) to do.

Watch the movie segment, and fill in the blanks

with can/can’t, have/has to or don’t/doesn’t have to, may/might/can:

Now Answer these Questions. Write your answers on a piece of paper:

1) Those people _____________ walk around the building.

2) They _________________ leave the building.

3) They __________________ wear identification bracelets.

4) They _______________ wear bright colored suits.

5) They _______________ work out together.

6) They __________________ swim in the pool.

7) They ___________________ wear swimsuits.

8) Monitors _________________ wear black clothes.

9) They _______________ sunbathe in tanning booths.

10) They __________________ wait in lines to have breakfast in the cafeteria.

11) They ___________________ to write their names before entering the cafeteria.

12) Lincoln Six Echo _______________ eat bacon.

13) Lincoln Six Echo ________________ pay for his food.

14) Jordan Two Delta __________________ stay too close to Lincoln Six Echo.

15) They _________________ have classes at the same time.

16) The students _________________ read books out loud together.

Now write sentences saying what you can (not)/ have to / don’t have to in your English class.

Ex:
I don’t have to speak all the time.

I can help my friends

I can’t speak Portuguese in class.

Modal Verbs

2010-05-04T15:30:00.011+03:00

Free Tutorial and Exercise on Modals:

Tutorial

Modal Quiz 1

Exercises (They can do the exercises 1 to 7)

Modal Verbs - Can, could, to be able to

Modal Verbs of Deduction Exercise

Can, could, may and might

Don't have to, mustn't

Modal Verbs of Obligation

Modal Verb Exercises 2

More Modal Verbs Exercises

All Modal verbs - Exercises

Present Perfect Tense

2010-05-04T13:37:00.003+03:00

Practise Present Perfect Tense
Free Tutorial and Exercises

Usage
Usage
Exercise on Perfect Tense
Exercises on Tenses
For or Since
More Exercise on Tenses

Week 6 Day 1 - Level C

2010-05-04T13:33:00.002+03:00

Level C - King Arthur Legend

1. Read the story first:

The Story of The King Arthur

Vocabulary

Legend: a story that may not be true
Knight: a soldier serving a King in the Middle Ages.
Brilliant: very intelligent, talented, etc.
High-King: the strongest king
Monk: a man who is a member of a monastic order; a religious man
Saxon: a member of a Germanic people in ancient times
Spectacular: (adj) impressive, unbelievable, marvelous to see (NOTE: root – spec = see)
Victory: success or winning over an enemy in war
Settlement: a village or place where people live

2. Answer the Questions:

a) What was the most famous victory of the King Arthur?
b) How did the King Arthur die?
c) Who were the “Knights of the Round table”

3. Read The Full Story of King Arthur

Duke: the male ruler of small state.
Wizard: a person who practices magic; magician
Countryside: a rural part of a country
Mysterious: secret or hidden
Appear: to come into sight; become visible
Sword: a weapon of a long, straight or slightly curved blade.
Carry on: continue
Tournament: a meeting for contests as between teams of different nations
Trouble: to cause problems
Amazed: greatly surprised
Beneath: below, underneath
Scabbard: a sheath for a sword to put in.
Opponent: a person who is on an opposing side in a game, contest.
Adventure: an exciting or very unusual experience
Holy Grail: a cup that in medieval legend was associated with unusual powers
Sneak away: leave silently
Inherit: to take or receive something from your relatives
Combat: fight
Pretend: to appear falsely, as to deceive

4. Summarize the each story with your own words.

5. Answer these Questions

Why did King Uther give his baby son to Merlin?
Where did the magical stone appear?
What was written on the magical sword?
Who crowned Arthur as the King?
What was the name of Arthur’s sword?
What kinds of people were allowed to sit at the Round Table?
What were the adventures of the Round Table Knights?
Who was in love with Lancelot?
When was Arthur badly hurt?
Where did they return the sword Excalibur at the end?

6. Watch the video below:

The Wizard Merlin and The King Arthur

Woolly Mammooths

2010-05-04T08:47:00.003+03:00

Go to this link and find the story of the Wooly Mammoths (to work smoothly, run Safari not Firefox)
On the right of the story click on"Listen Mp3"
Listen to the lecture twice between the minutes 5.57 and 9.48
Fill in the blanks in the outline sheet on your hand
Go and search for "Lyuba"

The movie of Week 6

2010-05-03T13:50:00.003+03:00

You can watch the trailer of the movie Slumdog Millionaire on this link:
Apple Trailers-Slumdog Millionaire

Toefl Practise - Reading

2010-05-01T11:51:00.000+03:00

Toefl Practise

Grammar and Vocabulary Practice

anniversary:
The couple, married in the 1950’s, just celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary.
isolated:
Hawaii is an isolated island, remote from the U.S. mainland.
alliance:
The two countries formed an alliance to defeat their common enemy.
donate:
People are encouraged to donate blood as often as they can.
enlighten:
The purpose of a school is not only to prepare you for a job, but to enlighten your mind as well.
dismantle:
An expert mechanic can dismantle an automobile engine in just a few hours.
pedestal:
Artworks are usually mounted on a pedestal so they are easier to see.
architect:
The most famous American architect is Frank Lloyd Wright.
harsh:
A fifty year prison sentence for jaywalking would be very harsh.
renovate:
Renovating old abandoned buildings in large cities is very profitable.
spectacular:
The view from Mt. Everest is quite spectacular.
dedicate:
The doctor dedicated his life to finding a cure for heart disease.
vibrant:
Vincent Van Gogh was well known for his vibrant use of colors.
inspire:
Shakespearean plays have inspired dozens of movie adaptations.
massive:
Modern battleships are so massive that they cannot enter most harbors.

These are simulated TOEFL questions based on the reading.

Time: 6 minutes

1. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams ------ died on July 4, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

they were both

both
they are both
both are

2. Cross out the wrong one:

The architecture of the ancient Greeks inspired the creation of the most greatest buildings of the Renaissance era.

3. During the years of alliance between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg ------ any better movie making team in Hollywood.

there was hardly

hardly was

hardly were there

when there hardly were

4.Cross out the wrong one:

The vibrant colors of the Northern Lights are considering to be one of the most spectacular sights in nature.

5. Often ------ their books to family members or close friends.

authors dedicate

authors dedicated

the dedication of authors

dedicating authors

6. Cross out the wrong one:

The gravity pull of planets, moons, and other massive body all affect the orbit of Earth as it circles the sun.

7. ------ undocumented donations allowed in an American political campaign.

Why no

Not only

There are no

8. Cross out the wrong one:

It is not known for sure what type of pedestal the Colossus of Rhodes was placed upon since the structure is completely destroyed by invaders more than two thousand years ago.

9. Cross out the wrong one:

The predecessor to the United Nations, the League of Nations was dismantle after several years of unsuccessful operation.

10. ------ incidents of Ebola virus outbreaks have been isolated incidents.

The most

Mostly

Most

Most of

Reading Passage

1 In 1877, to celebrate the centennial anniversary of America’s independence from England, the French government presented the United States with a colossal statue that has come to be one of the most beloved symbols of America. The gift was presented in honor of the alliance between France and America during the Revolutionary War. The formal name of the figure is Liberty Enlightening the World, but it is almost universally known as the Statue of Liberty.

2 Since the French government donated the money for the project, French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and engineer Gustav Eiffel were put in charge of the design. The massive structure was assembled in Paris, where it was put on exhibition before being dismantled, then shipped to New York and finally reassembled on Bedloe Island, which was later renamed Liberty Island.

3 The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away. The statue holds a torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, upon which the date of America’s declaration of independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

4 Due to the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade. After the statue was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over the dedication ceremony. After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. Funded by both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one. The newly restored monument was unveiled a few years later, as vibrant and inspiring as ever.

Reading Comprehension

Time: 14 minutes

11. Which two countries formed an alliance during the Revolutionary War?

O France and Britain
O Britain and the United States
O France and the United States
O Britain and New York

12. Why were French artists responsible for designing the monument?

O because the French are the best artists
O because the French were funding the project
O because America did not want the monument
O because France owed money to the American government

13. Look at the word they in paragraph 3. What word does they refer to?

The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away.

14. Look at the word it in paragraph 3. What word does it refer to?

The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away. The statue holds a torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, upon which the date of America’s declaration of independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

15. Look at the word clutches in paragraph 3. What word is closest in meaning to clutches in paragraph 3?

The statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick. They are riveted to an iron framework, which forms the shape of the statue. The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of a large pedestal made of concrete and granite, which was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible for miles around. The statue holds a torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, upon which the date of America’s independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

a) see

b) grasp

c) expose

d) eager

16. Look at the word one in paragraph 4. What does one refer to?

After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. Funded by both the French and American governments the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one.

17. Look at the word approximately in paragraph 4. What word or phrase is closest in meaning to approximately?

Due to the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade. After it was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over the dedication ceremony. Several years later, Bedloe Island and nearby Ellis Island became part of a processing center for European Immigrants coming to New York. During the sixty years that the Ellis Island complex was open, it welcomed approximately sixteen million people entering America. The site is now the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and it hosts roughly a million visitors every year.

a) almost

b) more than

c) equally

d) sincerely

18. Where was the statue first assembled?

O Bedloe Island
O Liberty Island
O New York
O Paris

19. Click on the paragraph that explains how the Statue of Liberty suffered damage.

O Paragraph 1
O Paragraph 2
O Paragraph 3
O Paragraph 4

20. It can be inferred that the restoration process began in

O 1776
O 1876
O 1886
O 1986

21. The following sentence can be inserted into paragraph 4. Click on the square to insert the sentence.

The copper sheeting of the statue is highly reactive with carbon dioxide from car exhaust and with salty air from the New York Bay.

1 Due to the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade. 2 After the statue was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over the dedication ceremony. 3 After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. 4 But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. 5 A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. 6 Funded by both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one. 7

22. The following sentence can be inserted into paragraph 4. Click on the square to insert the sentence.

All of the building materials surrounding the monument detracted greatly from its beauty, but they were necessary to preserve the statue.

1 After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became a beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers. 2 But after decades of exposure to pollution and harsh ocean air, time had taken its toll on Lady Liberty, as the statue is sometimes called. 3 A full century after the dedication, a restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements. 4 Funded by both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one. 5 The newly restored monument was unveiled a few years later, as vibrant and inspiring as ever. 6

23. Which of the following is NOT a name by which the monument is called?

O Lady Liberty
O Statue of Liberty
O Liberty Island
O Liberty Enlightening the World

Structure Practice

These questions come from the reading section--we want you to reinforce your vocabulary while you are doing TOEFL Structure questions.

Time: 10 minutes

24. In 1877, to celebrate the centennial anniversary of America’s independence from England, the French government presented the United States ------ colossal statue that has come to be one of the most beloved symbols of America.

O to
O it was a
O to the
O with a

25. Cross out the wrong one:

Gift was presented in honor of the alliance between France and America during the Revolutionary War.

26. The formal name of the figure is Liberty Enlightening the World, but it is almost universally known by the Statue of Liberty.

27. Since the French government donated the money for the project, French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and engineer Gustav Eiffel were put ------ the design.

O in charge
O charging
O in charge of
O to charge

28. The massive structure was assembled in Paris, where it was put on exhibition before being dismantled, then shipped to New York ------ on Bedloe Island, which was later renamed Liberty Island.

O which assembled
O and finally reassembled
O to finally assemble
O which was assembled

29. Cross out the wrong one:

Statue is made of thin copper sheets, each just a tenth of an inch thick.

30. The copper sheets are riveted to an iron framework, ------ the shape of the statue.

O to forming
O forms
O forming
O which form

31. Cross out the wrong one:

The statue itself is 151 feet tall, but it stands on top of large pedestal made of concrete and granite.

32. Cross out the wrong one:

Total height of the statue and the pedestal is 305 feet, making it a spectacular sight on the New York City skyline, visible from miles away.

33. The statue holds torch in one hand, which is meant to symbolize liberty.

34. In the other hand, the figure clutches a book, ------ the date of America’s declaration of independence, July 4, 1776, is marked.

O which
O which is
O upon which
O being

35. ------ the difficulty and expense of working on an isolated island, construction took nearly a decade.

O Due to
O Because
O Despite
O Although

36. Cross out the wrong one:

After it was completed in 1886, President Grover Cleveland came to New York to preside over dedication ceremony.

37. After the unveiling, the Statue of Liberty became beacon of freedom for both newly arriving immigrants and longtime city dwellers.

38. A full century after the dedication, restoration effort was launched to repair damage from age and the elements.

39. ------ both the French and American governments, the renovation of the statue required enclosing it in a scaffold while workers renovated the copper sheeting and replaced the glass torch with a gold one.

O Funding by
O To fund it
O Funded by
O Because of funding

40. Cross out the wrong one:

Newly restored monument was unveiled a few years later, as vibrant and inspiring as ever.

Answers

Level C W5/2

2010-04-29T10:50:00.006+03:00

At the Restaurant

1.Watch the video Restaurant Phrases and Vocabulary

2.Do the vocabulary exercise on

a) Restaurant Vocab
b) Esl-Lab

3. Listening Part. Listen the conversation about Pizza Delivery and do the follow up activities.

4. Additional exercises:

Level B Week 5/2

2010-04-26T22:13:00.009+03:00

*Watch the video first:
Past Tense - Video

*Go to:
1. Irregular verbs of Past Tense
2. Exercise on Past Tense
3. Past Tense

*When you do all of the items above go to this page and do the reading practice:
My Friend Peter

Level D - Week 5

2010-04-26T20:56:00.003+03:00

Read the following passage. Then answer the questions on your paper.

Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory.

There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the short term memory. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long term storage.

When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in "rote rehearsal". By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks to come in before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he will likely forget the number instantly.* Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long term memory.* A better way is to practice "elaborate rehearsal". *This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long term memories.*

Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by recognition or recall. Humans can easily recall memories that are stored in the long term memory and used often; however, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a memory can be retrieved. This is why multiple choice tests are often used for subjects that require a lot of memorization.

Glossary:
semantic: relating to the meaning of something

Cast Away - 2000

2010-04-26T16:45:00.002+03:00

Comma Splices

2010-04-26T15:42:00.004+03:00

Comma Splices, etc.

Level D

2010-04-14T10:41:00.000+03:00

VOA News

Level C W3, D1-Mr Woodcock

2010-04-13T13:05:00.002+03:00

(This video is taken from moviesegments.blogspot.com)

Wk 7

2010-01-06T09:58:00.001+02:00

Only English Camp

Week 7 - Level C

2010-01-04T10:41:00.002+02:00

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia Video

Hagia Sophia Virtual Tour

Week 6, Day 2 Level A

2009-12-30T08:54:00.005+02:00

Exercise on Simple Present and Present Progressive (exercise 1-12 and tests 1-3)

Review of Present and Present Progressivehttp://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/sp_or_pc.html

Verb Tenses http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html
A - ex. 1,2,3,4

PRONOUNS http://a4esl.org/a/g.html
Possessive pronouns
Possessive adjectives
Object pronouns

Listening practice: Medical Advice http://www.esl-lab.com/office/offrd1.htm

Readıng practice: Smokers Have a New Way to Quit

Week 6, Day 1

2009-12-28T12:55:00.003+02:00

Level B

Smokers Have a New Way to Quit

Week 6, Day 1

2009-12-28T10:23:00.003+02:00

Level C
1. Read the story first:

The Story of The King Arthur

Vocabulary

Legend: a story that may not be true
Knight: a soldier serving a King in the Middle Ages.
Brilliant: very intelligent, talented, etc.
High-King: the strongest king
Monk: a man who is a member of a monastic order; a religious man
Saxon: a member of a Germanic people in ancient times
Spectacular: (adj) impressive, unbelievable, marvelous to see (NOTE: root – spec = see)
Victory: success or winning over an enemy in war
Settlement: a village or place where people live

Duke: the male ruler of small state.
Wizard: a person who practices magic; magician
Countryside: a rural part of a country
Mysterious: secret or hidden
Appear: to come into sight; become visible
Sword: a weapon of a long, straight or slightly curved blade.
Carry on: continue
Tournament: a meeting for contests as between teams of different nations
Trouble: to cause problems
Amazed: greatly surprised
Beneath: below, underneath
Scabbard: a sheath for a sword to put in.
Opponent: a person who is on an opposing side in a game, contest.
Adventure: an exciting or very unusual experience
Holy Grail: a cup that in medieval legend was associated with unusual powers
Sneak away: leave silently
Inherit: to take or receive something from your relatives
Combat: fight
Pretend: to appear falsely, as to deceive