Simple Past or Present Perfect?
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).
- He (leave / just) his house.
- We (build) a tree house last week.
- Two years ago, Fiona (break) her leg.
- I (wash / already) the dishes.
- The other day, our cat (bring) home a mouse.
Negative Sentences
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).
- We (empty / not) the bin last week.
- She (be / not) there an hour ago.
- He (lose / not) any game so far.
- My brother (pick / not) me up at 8 o'clock.
- I (make / not) up my mind yet.
Questions
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).
- (you / see) Bob recently?
- Who (switch) off the lights a minute ago?
- When (she / become) a teacher?
- (you / ride / ever) an elephant?
- (you / hurt) your knee when you were playing football?
Text
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).
- Last week I (be) very busy and I (have not) the time to do a lot in the household.
- On Monday I (work) three hours overtime and (come) home very late in the evening.
- From Tuesday to Thursday I (be) on a business trip.
- On Friday I (go) to a friend's birthday party and at the weekend I (visit) my grandparents.
- Tomorrow some friends are coming over. I (see / not) them for ages and they (be / never) at my place before.
- I (clean / just) my house so I can show them around. Now everything is perfect.
Use the correct verb tense in the following exercises: Past Simple/Present Perfect/Past Perfect
Be prepared – it’s Friday the 13th!
By Desiree Pakiam | Going Out – By Day – 4 hours ago
Yes, that day is fast approaching — and it's the first of this year. Are you the superstitious sort? Then these are just some of the things you might want to avoid! Warning: You might not want to leave the house after reading this.
1. Pass a funeral procession
Some believe that if you do, you might end up with some form of misfortune the next day.
Some believe that if you do, you might end up with some form of misfortune the next day.
2. Give birth
The child might come across bad luck for the rest of his/her life.
The child might come across bad luck for the rest of his/her life.
3. Change the bedsheets
You risk having bad dreams.
You risk having bad dreams.
4. Cut your hair
You might end up "snipping" the life of a family member.
You might end up "snipping" the life of a family member.
5. Cut your nails
You might experience more bad luck for the rest of the year.
You might experience more bad luck for the rest of the year.
6. Start a new job or open a business
Naysayers could tell you that it will eventually collapse or become bankrupt. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.
Naysayers could tell you that it will eventually collapse or become bankrupt. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.
7. Begin a trip
Problems might crop up. The most famous example of unlucky 13 is the Apollo 13 mission. It was launched at 13.13 hours and was aborted on April 13.
Problems might crop up. The most famous example of unlucky 13 is the Apollo 13 mission. It was launched at 13.13 hours and was aborted on April 13.
8. Embark on a sailing trip
Like the one about travelling, ships should think twice before leaving the harbour this day.
Like the one about travelling, ships should think twice before leaving the harbour this day.
9. Consult a fortune teller
You might not like the news you hear. Also, going to see an astrologer on a "13" day goes against the principles of astrology. Think about it: There are just 12 zodiac signs and 12 months in a year.
You might not like the news you hear. Also, going to see an astrologer on a "13" day goes against the principles of astrology. Think about it: There are just 12 zodiac signs and 12 months in a year.
10. Leave your calendar on the day marked Friday the 13th
You might end up with tons of bad luck. According to legend, the Norse goddess Frey (Friday) came down to Earth and gave a coven of witches her cat. Covens usually gather in groups of 12, but the addition of Frey's cat made the coven 13. Some believe that the 13th coven member was actually the devil!
You might end up with tons of bad luck. According to legend, the Norse goddess Frey (Friday) came down to Earth and gave a coven of witches her cat. Covens usually gather in groups of 12, but the addition of Frey's cat made the coven 13. Some believe that the 13th coven member was actually the devil!
Are you scared, or think this is just hogwash?
Question:
- Are you superstitious? If so, are you familiar with any of the items listed in the articles?
- Do you usually do anything special on Friday the 13th?
- Do you anyone who is very superstitious? What do they fear?
Comparative and Superlative Exercises
Fill in the gaps with the comparative form of the adjectives given.
1. A rock is than a leaf. (heavy)
2. Our house is than yours. (big)
3. The princess is than the witch. (beautiful)
4. Tom is a student than Mary. (good)
5. Bicycles are than motorbikes. (safe)
6. July is than January. (hot)
7. A lion is than a cat. (dangerous)
8. Helen is than Mary. (happy)
9. Computers are than telephones. (expensive)
10. I think golf is than football. (boring)
Fill in the gaps with the superlative form of the adjectives given.
1. It is the shop in town. (large)
2. Monday is the day of the week. (bad)
3. Ben was the person in his family. (noisy)
4. Sam is the in the class. (popular)
5. Which is the subject at school? (difficult)
6. Jim is the player in the football team. (good)
7. Elephants are the animals. (heavy)
8. Let's pick the apple of the tree. (big)
9. Mary is the girl in the class. (thin)
10. That is the sofa in our house. (comfortable)
Fill in the gaps with the comparative or the superlative form of the adjectives given.
1. This armchair is than the old one. (comfortable)
2. Trains are than aeroplanes. (slow)
3. I bought the souvenir I could afford. (expensive)
4. In this classroom there are girls than boys. (many)
5. Ann is the child in the family. (young)
6. That TV set is the of all. (cheap)
7. You are here than there. (safe)
8. Fifi is than Kate. (pretty)
9. This is the film i have ever seen. (exciting)
10. Tim is than Peter. (talented)
Interesting lingo for wine experts
Let’s talk wine
There is food talk and cheese talk so why not wine talk? Here’s a list of terms you will often hear a wine connoisseur use
Many people are bewildered or even laugh at the silly sounding lingo that wine experts use to describe a wine. Experts who have a very developed a keen sense of smell and taste are often able to pick up hints and nuances in a wine that most of us may not be able to. And of course, their extreme love and passion for wine makes their language even more eloquent while talking about a wine. I always try and use slightly easier terms while talking to people about wine, most of them are used to describe food. After all wine does comprise more than 200 chemical compounds, many of which are identical or similar to those found in fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, etc. For example molecules that give bananas or chocolates their taste, are there in wine too. So nothing extra or artificial is ever added to a wine. These descriptions are of molecules that naturally show up in a wine and keep developing flavours throughout its life, right from the vineyard to the bottle.
So now that food flavour descriptions have been explained, there are still a few more wine terms that need explaining. Here you go, these terms are not all that confusing after all. But behind all this wine talk is just a bottle of wine, waiting to be cooled down and cracked open with friends who want to chat and be happy.
- Acidity- Is that mouthwatering, citrus feeling in the wine
- Aroma- Smell of the wine
- Barrel fermented- These wines are fermented in oak barrels instead of stainless steel tanks, thus giving the wine a more oaky flavour.
- Body- The weight of the wine or the heaviness of it on your palate — which ranges from light, medium to full.
- Bouquet- Compilation of smells in a wine that are derived from wine making techniques, barrel aging and bottle aging.
- Character- Pertains to the attribute of the grape variety used in the wine. For eg: The characteristics of a chardonnay are distinctly different from a riesling grape variety.
- Complex- Complimentary term used for a wine that displays layered aromas, flavours and textures.
- Cooked- A wine that has been stored in extreme temperatures spoils. So then it’s a cooked wine.
- Corked- A wine that is off tasting and has been ruined by mouldy smells from an infected cork.
- Dry- Is the opposite of sweet. A dry wine has no level of sweetness in it.
- Finish or length- The after taste of a wine. The lingering flavour of a wine on your tongue after it has been swallowed. It can be a short finish or long finish.
- Legs- The long, thin lines of clear liquid visible inside the glass as it coats the wine glass and drips down after you have swirled the wine in the glass.
- Méthode champenoise- French term for the traditional method of making French champagne.
- Tannins- Found only in red wine. Is more something you feel in your mouth rather than taste. It’s a puckering feeling on the sides or back of your mouth. Same feeling when you drink strong tea.
- Terroir- French term for combination of climatic and soil conditions for grape growing.
- Vintage- The year on the bottle, which denotes the year in which the grapes were harvested.
- Viticulture- The study, science and practice of grape growing.
Put to use your knowledge of comparatives and superlatives by describing your knowledge of wines. How do you describe wines? How do you compare them? Comparison of regions, countries, varieties, etc.
