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4A GRAMMAR

Local survey
Complete the survey about your town/city. Then, discuss your answers in pairs and groups.

Survey
Making your town/city a better place to live

1 There is too much traffic downtown. 6 There isn’t enough green space.

I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion    I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   

2 There are too many tour buses. 7 There’s not enough public transportation late at
night.
I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   
I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   
3 There are enough movie theaters.
8 There isn’t any nightlife.
I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   
I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   
4 It is too noisy downtown in the evening and on
the weekend. 9

I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion    I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   

5 There are a lot of reasonable cafés and 10


restaurants.
I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   
I agree     I don’t agree    No opinion   

Personal Best Add two more sentences to the survey (items 9 and 10).

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GRAMMAR 4A

4A Grammar
Local survey
Quantifiers

Sts complete a survey about their town or city. They compare results in pairs, and then groups. The aim is to review quantifiers;
e.g., much, a little, plenty of, too many, not any.

PREPARE PERSONAL BEST


Make one copy of the resource sheet for each student.
Sts add two extra sentences to the survey about where they
live, using the target language, and discuss their answers
PRACTICE with a partner.
1 Give each student a copy of the resource sheet and ask
sts to complete it individually. Pre-teach council. Explain EXTRA PRACTICE
that the survey is being carried out by the local council
to get people’s views on how to improve the town or city. Fast finishers write sentences in their group, reporting their
Explain that items 9 and 10 are to be completed as part of results.
Personal Best.
2 In pairs sts compare their results and make a note of their
answers for each sentence; e.g., Question 1: 2x I agree.
Question 2: 1x I agree, 1x No opinion. Question 3:
1x I agree, 1x I don’t agree.
3 Pairs discuss their results with another pair, making a set
of results for their group of four.
4 Sts compare their group results with another group.
5 Groups report back and a set of class results can be
collated. Then, sts make sentences about the results
of the survey; e.g. Most people felt there wasn’t enough
public transportation late at night. Groups should make
recommendations to the council based on the results.

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4A VOCABULARY

The compound noun game


STUDENT A

1 Unscramble the letters to make words.


A
1  tra 2  inthg 3  maj 4  roste

5  poginshp 6  tpah 7  tol 8  tneecr

9  wond 10  blcu 11  pntdsraiee 12  cliubp

2 Make compound nouns by matching your words with Student B’s words.
3 Make sentences with the compound nouns.

Personal Best Describe what the compound nouns mean with a partner.

STUDENT B

1 Unscramble the letters to make words.


B
1   thnig 2   reaa 3   kginrap 4   tnemtraped

5   llma 6   ciffatr 7   tropss 8   ionstrpoatnrta

9   ontw 10   rlageyl 11   file 12   kibe

2 Make compound nouns by matching your words with Student A’s words.
3 Make sentences with the compound nouns.

Personal Best Describe what the compound nouns mean with a partner.

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


VOCABULARY 4A

4A Vocabulary
The compound noun game
Compound nouns

Sts work in pairs. The aim is to review compound nouns connected with urban areas; e.g., public transportation, sports center,
nightlife.

PREPARE PERSONAL BEST


Make one copy of the resource sheet for every pair of sts. Cut
Sts work in pairs to describe what each of the compound
or tear the sheet where indicated.
nouns means.
PRACTICE
EXTRA PRACTICE
1 Sts work in A/B pairs. Give each student one half of the
resource sheet. Tell them not to show their sheet to their Sts work in pairs to say which of the places is nearest to the
partner. classroom. They draw a map and describe it.
2 Ask sts to look at their grid. Tell them to work individually
to solve their anagrams and write them on their grid.
Explain that each word is part of a compound noun that
comes from the vocabulary for urban areas.
3 Explain the rest of the activity. In their pairs, sts take turns
saying a number from 1 to 12. Their partner looks at their
grid and says the corresponding word. If the first student
can make a compound noun by matching that word with
a word in their grid, and can then use the compound
noun correctly in a sentence, he/she wins two points.
Demonstrate the activity with two confident sts. Ask sts
to keep a note of the matching numbers and compound
nouns; e.g., B3 A7 = parking lot. Remind sts not to choose
a number they have already used.
4 Report back scores and answers to the rest of the class.
Answers
A1 B10 - art gallery
A2 B11 - nightlife
A5 B5 - shopping mall
A9 B9 - downtown
A11 B2 - pedestrian area
A12 B8 - public transportation
B1 A10 - nightclub
B3 A7 - parking lot
B4 A4 - department store
B6 A3 - traffic jam
B7 A8 - sports center
B12 A6 - bike path

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4B VOCABULARY

You do this when …

your coat off

a snack your promise weight

a friend for coffee

a bus/train a fact a class

a ball
someone by
a good time in touch
chance

your keys
someone to
a party a secret the station

a bus/train
someone for a a coffee a photo
long time

an exam

a call a game a cold

Personal Best Tell your group about the last time you did some of the things from the resource sheet; e.g., the last time you took an exam,
met someone by chance, etc. Answer any follow-up questions from your group.

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


VOCABULARY 4B

4B Vocabulary
You do this when …
Common verb phrases

Sts play a game in small groups. The aim is to review verb phrases with have, take, catch, keep, know, lose, meet, miss.

PREPARE PERSONAL BEST


Make one copy of the resource sheet for each group of four.
Sts talk in groups about the last time they did the things
on the resource sheet; for example, when they last took an
PRACTICE exam or met someone by chance. The others in the group
can ask questions for more information.
1 Sts work in groups of four. Give each group a copy of the
resource sheet.
2 Sts play the game in two rounds. Set a time limit for each EXTRA PRACTICE
round, and monitor and help while they play.
Fast finishers extend the game by thinking of other phrases
3 In the first round, sts take turns choosing a square without with have, take, catch, keep, miss, lose, meet, and know, and
telling the others and describe the corresponding verb make new definitions for their group to guess.
phrase; e.g., You do this when you arrive home. The other
sts compete to be the first in the group to say the correct
verb phrase; e.g., take your coat off. The first one to say
the phrase wins a point. Tell sts to keep a note of the
score. Cross off the square when it has been used.
4 In the second round, sts take turns choosing a square and
miming the corresponding verb phrase. The first one to
say the correct verb phrase wins a point. You could tell
them not to do mimes with the verb know as they may
find it too difficult. Tell sts to keep a note of the score.
Cross off the square when it has been used. The winner is
the person with the most points over the two rounds.
5 After the game, go through the words in the squares and
elicit the correct verb phrase in each case.

Answers
have: a snack, a good time, a party, coffee
take: your coat off, someone to the station, a photo,
an exam
catch: a ball, a bus/train, a cold
keep: your promise, in touch, a secret
miss: a class, a call, a bus/train
lose: weight, your keys, a game
meet: a friend for coffee, someone by chance
know: a fact, someone for a long time

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


4C GRAMMAR

What connects?
1 Work in pairs. Name the category for each group of items.
Category
1 chicken beef lamb

2 Thames Amazon Danube

3 New York Mexico City Tokyo

4 Earth Jupiter Saturn

5 economy business first

6   

7 Japanese Spanish Arabic

8 classical rock jazz

9 Madonna Beyoncé Adele

10 train plane car

11 Manchester United Real Madrid Paris Saint-Germain

12 Marco Polo Vasco da Gama Christopher Columbus

13

14

15

16

2 Put the items in each category in order. Then, discuss your order in groups.

Personal Best Write three more groups of items. Compare your items with a partner, and discuss an order for each group of items.

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


GRAMMAR 4C

4C Grammar
What connects?
Comparatives and superlatives, as … as

Sts work in pairs to name categories. Then, they compare the items in a group. The aim is to review comparatives, superlatives, and
as … as.

PREPARE PERSONAL BEST


Make one copy of the resource sheet for every pair of sts.
Sts write three more groups of three items to complete the
resource sheet, and they discuss the order for each group
PRACTICE with a partner.
1 Sts work in pairs. Give each pair a copy of the resource
sheet. Explain that they are going to decide what connects EXTRA PRACTICE
the three items in each group and name the category. Do
number 1 as an example. Ask: What’s the category? and Fast finishers add extra items to the groups and compare the
elicit the answer: meat. Explain that numbers 14–16 are items again.
to be completed as part of Personal Best.
2 Sts complete the other categories. Monitor and help out if
there are any vocabulary issues.
3 Sts work in groups of four to check their answers.
4 Ask sts to work in their original pairs and put the items
in each group in order. Tell them that they can go in any
order that they choose, but they must be able to explain
why they chose that order. Do number 1 as an example.
The order could be in terms of price (expensive/cheap),
taste (tasty/nice), availability (common/rare), ease of
cooking (easy/difficult), etc. Elicit possible sentences; e.g.,
Beef is (a lot) more expensive than lamb. Chicken is (much)
tastier than beef. Chicken is more common than lamb.
Chicken is (by far) the most popular. Lamb is not as easy to
cook as chicken.
5 Pairs discuss their answers with another pair and explain
their order in each case.

Answers
1 meat
2 rivers
3 cities
4 planets
5 airline classes
6 hotel/restaurant ratings
7 languages or cuisines
8 types of music
9 singers
10 means of transportation
11 soccer teams
12 explorers
13 animals

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4A
2B
4C VOCABULARY

Home puzzle
STUDENT A

Do the puzzle with your partner. You have half of the clues. Read each clue to your partner and try to guess the word together.
Use the letters in the grey boxes to help.

1
C 1 makes you feel physically relaxed
B
2 3 using the latest design
Z
3 5 very small in size
D
4 7 elegant and attractive
P U
5 9 extremely large in size
N
6 11 the simplest kind
G
7
Y
8
V T
9
H
10
A
11
I
12
L - A

Personal Best Use some of the adjectives to describe your home. Tell your partner.

STUDENT B

Do the puzzle with your partner. You have half of the clues. Read each clue to your partner and try to guess the word together.
Use the letters in the grey boxes to help.

1
C 2 warm and safe
B
2 4 large, with a lot of room
Z
3 6 full of light
D
4 8 near to a particular place
P U
5 10 with little light
N
6 12 belonging to the past
G
7
Y
8
V T
9
H
10
A
11
I
12
L - A

Personal Best Describe


Use somewhat
of the
the
adjectives
compound to describe
nouns mean
yourwith
home.
a partner.
Tell your partner.

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


VOCABULARY 4A
4C

4C Vocabulary
Home puzzle
Describing homes

Sts do a puzzle in pairs. The aim is to review adjectives for describing homes; e.g., stylish, cozy, bright.

PREPARE PERSONAL BEST


Make one copy of the resource sheet for every pair of sts. Cut
Sts describe their homes to their partner, using some of the
or tear the sheet where indicated.
words from the puzzle.
PRACTICE
EXTRA PRACTICE
1 Sts work in A/B pairs. Give each student one half of the
resource sheet. If you have an odd number of sts, you Fast finishers describe a particular building they know well,
could have one group of three: two Student As and one and the other student has to guess the building from the
Student B. description.
2 Explain that sts have to work together to complete the
puzzle. Each student has half of the clues needed. They
take turns reading the clues, and then both sts try to guess
the missing word. The letters in the gray boxes will help
them.
3 Set a time limit for sts to complete their puzzle.
4 Go through the answers with the class, and check spelling.
Answers
1 comfortable 7 stylish
2 cozy 8 convenient
3 modern 9 huge
4 spacious 10 dark
5 tiny 11 basic
6 bright 12 old-fashioned

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


4D SKILLS

Pass me an e-mail
Look at the first lines of the e-mail in section A, and complete them. Then, pass the sheet to the left.

Re: Hi!

From: magdaP623@Imail.com

To: anaZ779@Imail.com

A Dear Ana,
It was to hear from you. Sorry for my late reply, but I have been really
. I am a lot these days.

B I was really pleased to hear your news. It’s great that you are going to . I hope you enjoy
yourself there! Have you found somewhere ?

C Anyway, I have some news, too. I got a new job! I’m going to work for in
. I will be a . I start next Monday.

D So, why don’t you come to to visit me? We could or


. When are you free? Let me know. You could come on a or a
. I’m free both days.

E By the way, do you remember , who was in with us? She lives
here as well. She’s a . She’s still very . Maybe we could all go
out for dinner one evening?

F Speaking of dinner, I have to stop writing now. I’m going out for with
, who is visiting this weekend. He says hi!
Talk to you soon,
Magda

Personal Best Make short sentences with a partner using the discourse markers in the e-mail.

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 


SKILLS 4D

4D Skills
Pass me an e-mail
Informal discourse markers

Sts complete parts of an e-mail in groups. The aim is to review the discourse markers anyway, so, by the way, and speaking of.

PREPARE PERSONAL BEST


Make one copy of the resource sheet for each student.
In pairs, sts think of other short sentences using the
discourse markers anyway, so, by the way, and speaking of.
PRACTICE
1 Arrange the class into groups of six (or three if it is a EXTRA PRACTICE
smaller class).
2 Tell the class that, in their groups, they are going to write Fast finishers work in pairs or small groups and try to write
six different e-mails with the same informal tone. the e-mail from memory.

3 Tell sts to complete the first lines of the e-mail (section


A). They can complete the blanks however they choose.
When everyone has finished, they pass their e-mail to the
person sitting on their left, who completes the next part
of the e-mail (section B). Remind sts to make sure there is
continuity in the content of each e-mail.
4 When everyone has completed section B, sts pass their
e-mail to the left and continue in the same way until
the six e-mails are complete and the student who wrote
section A has their original e-mail back.
5 Ask sts to read out their completed e-mails to the rest of
the group. Get the group to correct any errors.
6 When sts have completed the task, ask them to make up
a short telephone conversation between Magda and her
friend based on one of the sections of the e-mail.

Personal Best B1+ © Richmond 2018 

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