12 Mini Lessons of Christmas 2023

The 12 Mini Lessons of Christmas 2023
Contents
Cut Down and Give Up......................................................................................................................... 2
Common questions: At the cinema or in the cinema? ........................................................................... 4
Whole and All ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Gerunds as subjects ............................................................................................................................... 8
Nouns: Known and Unknown ............................................................................................................. 10
Modal verbs of obligation ................................................................................................................... 12
Verbs that can be followed by different prepositions .......................................................................... 14
Reduced relative clauses with verb+ing .............................................................................................. 17
Suffixes ............................................................................................................................................... 19
Used to (with no following verb) ........................................................................................................ 21
'When' for the future ........................................................................................................................... 23
'Will' or 'going to'? .............................................................................................................................. 25
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Cut Down and Give Up
'Cut down (on something)' means to use or eat or drink it less. 'Cut down' is either a type 1 phrasal
verb (with no object) or a type 4 phrasal verb (with 'on + object').
• I'm going to cut down on chocolate (= instead of eating chocolate every day, I only eat it at
the weekend. I still eat chocolate sometimes, but I eat it less often.)
• We cut down on coffee (= we used to drink three cups of coffee every day, but now we drink
only one. We drink it just as often, but we drink less each time.)
• She wanted to smoke less so she cut down.
'Give something up' means to stop using or eating or drinking it completely. 'Give up' is a type 2
phrasal verb, so if the object is a pronoun, it must go before 'up'.
• I'm going to give up chocolate (= I'm never going to eat chocolate again).
• She stopped drinking coffee. She gave it up. (= She doesn't drink coffee now.)
Let's review! Change the sentences so that they include 'give up' or 'cut down'.
1. I need to eat less red meat.

___________________________________________________________________________
2. She stopped eating cake.
___________________________________________________________________________
3. He doesn't drink alcohol any more.
___________________________________________________________________________
4. She works too many hours. She wants to work less.
___________________________________________________________________________
5. They want to stop smoking.
___________________________________________________________________________
6. We stopped computer games.
___________________________________________________________________________
7. We eat less sugar now.
___________________________________________________________________________
8. They want to drink less coffee.
___________________________________________________________________________
9. I am going to stop work.
___________________________________________________________________________
10. I am going to watch less television.
___________________________________________________________________________
Answers
1. I need to cut down on red meat.

2. She gave up cake (or 'she gave up eating cake').
3. He gave up alcohol (or 'he gave up drinking alcohol').
4. She works too many hours. She wants to cut down.
5. They want to give up smoking.
6. We gave up computer games.
7. We cut down on sugar.
8. They want to cut down on coffee.
9. I am going to give up work.
10. I am going to cut down on television (or 'I am going to cut down on watching television').
Common questions: At the cinema or in the cinema?
People often ask if we should say 'I'll meet you at the cinema' or 'I'll meet you in the cinema'. The
answer is that both are correct. We can think about the cinema as a point (in this case we use 'at') or
we can think about the cinema as a building (in this case we use 'in').
However, in normal speech, we generally use 'at', unless we want to make certain that we're going to
meet the person really inside the cinema building and not in the street outside.
• I'll meet you at the cinema.
• I saw him at the cinema.
• We had our first kiss at the cinema.
For all of these examples above, it could be by the door of the cinema but still in the street. It could
also be inside the cinema, where you have to pay, or right inside where the seats and the screen are.
• I'll meet you in the cinema.
• I saw him in the cinema.
• We had our first kiss in the cinema.
For all of these examples above, it could be inside where you pay, or right inside where the seats and
the screen are, but it's not in the street.
This is the same with other buildings, like the bank, or the supermarket, or the library, or the theatre,
or the restaurant.
Let's review! Put in 'at' if the situation is not special, or put in 'in' if the person really wants to
emphasise inside the building.
1. I'm going to meet Lucy ________ the theatre.
2. It's raining, so let's meet _________ the library, by the sofas.
3. We saw that film __________ the cinema, so we don't want to watch it tonight.
4. I bumped into James ___________ the restaurant.
5. She saw him __________ the café.
6. The street is really busy - I'll see you _________ the theatre, by the box office counter.
7. We were sitting ________ the restaurant. It was really hot inside.
8. He met her _________ the library.
9. I really enjoyed out evening _________ the new cinema.
10. Did you see her __________ the supermarket?
Answers
1. I'm going to meet Lucy at the theatre.
2. It's raining, so let's meet in the library, by the sofas.
3. We saw that film at the cinema, so we don't want to watch it tonight.
4. I bumped into James at the restaurant.
5. She saw him at the café.
6. The street is really busy - I'll see you in the theatre, by the box office counter.
7. We were sitting in the restaurant. It was really hot inside.
8. He met her at the library.
9. I really enjoyed out evening at the new cinema.
10. Did you see her at the supermarket?
Whole and All
Sometimes it's easy to confuse 'whole' and 'all'. Here are some differences.
We use 'whole' mostly with singular countable nouns.
Words like 'a' and 'the' come before 'whole'.
• He read the whole book.

• I want to see the whole world.
We use 'all' mostly with uncountable and plural nouns.
Words like 'the' come after 'all'.
• She ate all the cakes.

• He drank all the water.
With 'day' we can say 'all day' or 'the whole day'. They mean the same thing.
• I spent all day at home.

• I spent the whole day at home.
Let's review! Put in 'all' or 'whole'.
1. She loves __________ animals.

2. She performed in front of the __________ school.
3. He gave away __________ his books.
4. They children ate __________ the ice cream.
5. The __________ house was really cold.
6. She watched the __________ film.
7. She sent __________ the emails.
8. I can't believe he finished the __________ thing!
9. He gives presents to __________ the children.
10. The __________ table was covered in food.
Answers
1. She loves all animals.

2. She performed in front of the whole school.
3. He gave away all his books.
4. They children ate all the ice cream.
5. The whole house was really cold.
6. She watched the whole film.
7. She sent all the emails.
8. I can't believe he finished the whole thing!
9. He gives presents to all the children.
10. The whole table was covered in food.
Gerunds as subjects
We often use gerunds (verb+ing) as the subject of a sentence. The verb after a gerund is singular.
• Smoking is not healthy.

• Running is good exercise.
• Cycling can be dangerous in London.
• Writing a book takes a long time.
• Making cakes is very relaxing. (Notice the verb 'is' – it's a singular verb.)
We often see 'no' before verb+ing on signs.
• No smoking! (= You are not allowed to smoke here.)

• No running! (= You are not allowed to run here.)
• No parking! (= You are not allowed to park here.)
Let's review. Use the gerund as the subject.
1. _______________ (ski) can be dangerous.

2. _______________ (smoke) is not allowed inside.
3. _______________ (run) is good exercise.
4. _______________ (garden) is very relaxing.
5. _______________ (eat) is allowed in the theatre.
6. No _______________ (dance)!
7. No _______________ (sit) on the grass!
8. No _______________ (park)!
9. No _______________ (fish)!
10. No _______________ (swim)!
Answers
1. Skiing can be dangerous.

2. Smoking is not allowed inside.
3. Running is good exercise.
4. Gardening is very relaxing.
5. Eating is allowed in the theatre.
6. No dancing!
7. No sitting on the grass!
8. No parking!
9. No fishing!
10. No swimming!
Nouns: Known and Unknown
Sometimes when we use a noun, we're talking about a specific thing, or a specific set of things. For
example, I can talk about one particular book that I have in my mind. I can also talk about a particular
set of books. When I do this, I'm not talking about all books. On the other hand, sometimes we want
to use a noun in general. I can talk about all the books in the world, about books in general.
Today, let's talk about how to use 'a/an' and 'the' with a particular noun or a particular group of nouns.
When I am thinking of a specific thing or a specific group of things, I use 'the' when I think the person
listening or reading will know (or will be able to work out) which thing or person I'm talking about.
On the other hand, I use 'a/an' (for singular countable nouns) or 'no article' (for plural and uncountable
nouns) when I think the listener or reader won't know which thing or person I mean.
The important point is whether the person who is listening knows what the speaker is thinking of, or
will be able to work it out. We know that the person who is speaking knows which thing(s) he or she
means. For example:
• I bought a blue sweater yesterday [the speaker knows which sweater, but the listener doesn't,
so we use a].
• We went to a lovely café [the speaker knows which one but the listener doesn't, so we use a].
Remember:
• If the listener knows which one(s), we use the (with any kind of noun).
• If the listener doesn't know which one(s) we use a/an with singular countable nouns and we
use 'no article' with plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns.
Let's review!
1. When we use a noun, sometimes we're talking about a ___________ thing. Other times we're
talking in general.
2. When I am thinking of a specific thing or a specific group of things, I use 'the' when I think
the person listening or reading will __________ which thing or person I'm talking about.
3. When I am thinking of a specific thing or a specific group of things, I use 'a/an' or 'no article'
when I think the person listening or reading will __________ which thing or person I'm
talking about.
4. When we think the person doesn't know what we're talking about we use 'a/an' for
___________ nouns.
5. When we think the person doesn't know what we're talking about we use 'no article' for
___________ nouns.
Answers
1. specific
2. know
3. not know
4. singular countable
5. plural or uncountable
Modal verbs of obligation
Obligation is when someone tells you to do something or gives you an order to do something. We can
also tell ourselves to do something. We can use 'must / must not' for very strong obligations, like a law
and also for weaker obligations like telling someone to do something.
• You mustn't use your phone when you're driving. (It's the law.)
• You must stop smoking. (=I'm telling you to stop smoking.)
• I must go home and study. (I'm giving myself an instruction or order here.)
We can also use 'have to' or 'have got to', with almost the same meaning.
• You've got to stop smoking.

• I have to go home and study.
Prohibition = it's not allowed
Can (permission) and must (obligation) have very different meanings in the affirmative ('you can do it'
is very different from 'you must do it'). But they are quite similar in the negative, when they tell
someone not to do something. In fact, US English often uses 'can't' in the same situation that UK
English uses 'mustn't'.
• You mustn't smoke here.

• You can't smoke here.
• You mustn't go into the kitchen.
• You can't go into the kitchen.
Sometimes we also use 'may not' or 'be not allowed to' in the same situation.
Let's review!
1. Obligation is when someone ___________ you to do something.

2. We can use ______________ and _____________ for strong and weak obligations.
3. Can (permission) and ___________ (obligation) have very different meanings in the
affirmative.
4. We can use both __________ and 'must not' to tell someone not to do something.
Answers
1. tells
2. must / must not and have to
3. must
4. can't
Verbs that can be followed by different prepositions
Let's talk about verbs that sometimes have different prepositions.
Ask someone for = try to get something
· She asked him for a glass of water.
Ask someone about = try to get information about
· Ask someone about: She asked him about his work.
Agree with someone = have the same opinion as someone
· I agree with you. You're right.
Agree about something = have the same opinion about a certain topic
· I agree about the meal. We should have Italian food.
Throw something at someone = try to hit someone or something
· She threw a shoe at the mouse.
Throw something to someone = throw something so that someone can catch it
· Throw to: She threw the ball to the child.
Pay for = give money for the thing you bought
· He paid for the coffee.
Pay by = this talks about how you paid (notice we say 'in cash')
· Pay by: He paid by credit card.
Hear of = have heard the name of a famous person or place before
· Have you heard of Jane Austen?
Hear about = hear news about something
· Hear about: Have you heard about the new restaurant?
Let's review! Put in the correct preposition.
1. Have you heard _______________ Elvis Presley?

2. The child threw the ball _______________ the dog and the dog caught it.
3. She heard _______________ the new project from me.
4. Do you agree _______________ me?
5. He asked her _______________ a sandwich.
6. Could you pay _______________ the ice creams?
7. She paid _______________ credit card.
8. He threw the ball _______________ the target.
9. She asked me _______________ my children.
10. Everyone agreed _______________ the project dates.
Answers
1. Have you heard of Elvis Presley?

2. The child threw the ball to the dog and the dog caught it.
3. She heard about the new project from me.
4. Do you agree with me?
5. He asked her for a sandwich.
6. Could you pay for the ice creams?
7. She paid by credit card.
8. He threw the ball at the target.
9. She asked me about my children.
10. Everyone agreed about the project dates.
Reduced relative clauses with verb+ing
Here's a relative clause:
• The girl who is sitting over there is my sister.
Sometimes we make this kind of sentence shorter by using a reduced relative clause. That means we
can use verb+ing instead of the whole relative clause.
• The girl sitting over there is my sister.
Today, we're going to practise reduced relative clauses with verb+ing, but there are also other kinds
that we will talk about later.
We can use verb+ing here even with stative verbs.
• Normal relative clause: Those of you who want a drink can get one here.
• Reduced relative clause: Those of you wanting a drink can get one here.
We can only use reduced relative clauses when the original relative clause is defining.
Let's review! Make sentences with reduced relative clauses.
1. My son is the boy who is playing football.

___________________________________________________________________________
2. What is that smell that is coming from the kitchen?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Anyone who owns a car should pay the new tax.
___________________________________________________________________________
4. The woman who is helping everyone is my best friend.
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Who is that girl who is drinking coffee?
___________________________________________________________________________
6. The man who is holding the camera is my boss.
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Here are the people who need a lift.
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Students who agree with me will get chocolate!
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Cities that lack public transport often have a problem with traffic.
___________________________________________________________________________
10. Those are the people who are living above me.
___________________________________________________________________________
Answers
1. My son is the boy playing football.

2. What is that smell coming from the kitchen?
3. Anyone owning a car should pay the new tax.
4. The woman helping everyone is my best friend.
5. Who is that girl drinking coffee?
6. The man holding the camera is my boss.
7. Here are the people needing a lift.
8. Students agreeing with me will get chocolate!
9. Cities lacking public transport often have a problem with traffic.
10. Those are the people living above me.
Suffixes
We can add suffixes to the end of words. Usually this changes the part of speech (for example, from a
verb to an adjective) but sometimes it changes the meaning.
-ness (changes the word to a noun)
• happiness
• goodness
-ment (changes the word to a noun)
• excitement
• achievement
-tion / -sion (changes the word to a noun)
• education
• production
• complication
• pollution
-ity (changes the word to a noun)
• equality
• flexibility
Let's review! Change the word to a noun so that it fits in the space.
1. They are campaigning for _________________________. (equal)
2. She could hardly stand the _________________________. (excite)
3. He is interested in _________________________. (educate)
4. _________________________ is more important than status. (happy)
5. Is there a lot of _________________________ in your city? (pollute)
6. We have another _________________________ that we need to find a solution for.
(complicate)
7. What an _________________________! You must be really proud. (achieve)
8. I'm looking for a job with a lot of _________________________. (flexible)
9. We design the clothes in Switzerland and the _________________________ happens in
Germany. (produce)
10. I think _________________________ and kindness are very important. (good)
Answers
1. They are campaigning for equality.

2. She could hardly stand the excitement.
3. He is interested in education.
4. Happiness is more important than status.
5. Is there a lot of pollution in your city?
6. We have another complication that we need to find a solution for.
7. What an achievement! You must be really proud.
8. I'm looking for a job with a lot of flexibility.
9. We design the clothes in Switzerland and the production happens in Germany.
10. I think goodness and kindness are very important.
Used to (with no following verb)
We've already studied how to use 'used to + infinitive' and 'didn't use to + infinitive' to talk about
something that was (or wasn't) a habit or a state in the past but isn't true now.
• I used to smoke. (Now I don't smoke.)

• I used to have short hair. (Now I have long hair.)
• She didn't use to speak English, but now she speaks really well.
We also often use 'used to' and 'didn't use to' on their own, without a following verb.
• Now he runs every week, but he didn't use to. (= He didn't use to run.)
• These days she doesn't work a lot, but she used to. (= She used to work a lot.)
• A: Do you eat meat? B: Not now, but I used to. (= I used to eat meat.)
An exception: When the verb is 'be', we generally keep it.
• A: Are you a vegetarian? B: Not now, but I used to be. (= I used to be a vegetarian.)
Let's review! Put in 'used to / didn't use to / used to be / didn't use to be'.
1. Now she is healthy but she ________________________.

2. James doesn't study French these days but he ________________________.
3. He lives in London these days but he ________________________.
4. She works as a lawyer now but she ________________________.
5. A: Do you like sweets? B: No, but I ________________________.
6. We aren't stressed these days but we ________________________.
7. The children go to bed at eight but they ________________________.
8. Lucy isn't unhappy now, but she ________________________.
9. Julie doesn't have long hair now, but she ________________________.
10. He is a vegan now but he ________________________.
Answers
1. Now she is healthy but she didn't use to be.

2. James doesn't study French these days but he used to.
3. He lives in London these days but he didn't use to.
4. She works as a lawyer now but she didn't use to.
5. A: Do you like sweets? B: No, but I used to.
6. We aren't stressed these days but we used to be.
7. The children go to bed at eight but they didn't use to.
8. Lucy isn't unhappy now, but she used to be.
9. Julie doesn't have long hair now, but she used to.
10. He is a vegan now but he didn't use to be.
'When' for the future
English is a little unusual because we use the present simple after a word like 'when' to talk about the
future. Many students make mistakes with this structure.
• I'll call you when I get home. (NOT: when I'll get.)
• She'll let us know when she is at the airport.
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
Sometimes we use the present perfect after 'when'. This emphasises that the action after 'when' will be
finished before we do the other action.
• I'll call you when I've written the report. (= I will finish the writing first, then I will call you.)
• She'll come to the restaurant when she has finished work.
• He is going to meet Julia when he has bought the cakes.
Let's review. All these sentences are talking about the future. Use the correct tense.
1. He'll write the report when he __________ (be) on the train.

2. She'll join us when she __________ (do) the shopping. (Emphasise that the shopping will be
finished.)
3. I'll call you when I __________ (get) to work.
4. They'll come over when they __________ (clean) the house. (Emphasise that the cleaning
will be finished.)
5. Let's talk when you __________ (be) at home.
6. What do you want to be when you __________ (grow) up?
7. We'll start the report when we __________ (have) lunch. (Emphasise that lunch will be
finished.)
8. She'll join us when she __________ (have) time.
9. The children will eat when they __________ (be) hungry.
10. Do you want to meet us when you __________ (be) to the gym? (Emphasise that the gym will
be finished.)
Answers
1. He'll write the report when he is on the train.

2. She'll join us when she has done the shopping.
3. I'll call you when I get to work.
4. They'll come over when they have cleaned the house.
5. Let's talk when you are at home.
6. What do you want to be when you grow up?
7. We'll start the report when we've had lunch.
8. She'll join us when she has time.
9. The children will eat when they're hungry.
10. Do you want to meet us when you have been to the gym?
'Will' or 'going to'?
Often, it's absolutely fine to use either 'will' or 'going to' and it makes no difference to the meaning.
However, here are some situations when one is more natural than the other.
Will Going to
Predictions with 'will': we are more likely to use Prediction: we are more likely to use 'going to'
'will' when we give our opinion about the future when our ideas come from something we can
see.
We use 'will' for things we decide while we're We use 'going to' for things we have already
speaking or just before. planned.
We use 'will' with offers, requests, refusals and
promises.
Let's review! Is it better to use 'will' or 'going to'?
1. I ___________________________________________ (look) for a new flat next year. I've

been thinking about it.
2. Have we run out of bread? I ___________________________________________ (get) some.
3. Where ___________________________________________ (John / stay)? (I know John
already has a plan.)
4. You're going to the party? I ___________________________________________ (come) too
then.
5. Hmmmm - what to choose? Okay, I ___________________________________________
(have) a chocolate cookie, please.
6. What ___________________________________________ (you / do) after graduation? (I
think you have a plan.)
7. She has thought about it and she ___________________________________________ (not /
travel) this year.
8. What's your plan? ___________________________________________ (you / look) for a
new job?
9. <Doorbell rings> I ___________________________________________ (get) it!
10. Oh, it's raining! We ___________________________________________ (stay) at home
then.
Answers
1. I'm going to look for a new flat next year. I've been thinking about it.
2. Have we run out of bread? I'll get some.
3. Where is John going to stay? (I know John already has a plan.)
4. You're going to the party? I'll come too then.
5. Hmmmm. - what to choose? Okay, I'll have a chocolate cookie, please.
6. What are you going to do after graduation? (I think you have a plan.)
7. She has thought about it and she isn't going to travel this year.
8. What's your plan? Are you going to look for a new job?
9. <Doorbell rings> I'll get it!
10. Oh, it's raining! We'll stay at home then.

12 Mini Lessons of Christmas 2023

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The 12 Mini Lessons of Christmas 2023

1. I need to eat less red meat.

1. I need to cut down on red meat.

• I'll meet you at the cinema.

• I saw him at the cinema.

• We had our first kiss at the cinema.

• I'll meet you in the cinema.

• I saw him in the cinema.

• We had our first kiss in the cinema.

the screen are, but it's not in the street.

emphasise inside the building.

1. I'm going to meet Lucy ________ the theatre.

2. It's raining, so let's meet _________ the library, by the sofas.

4. I bumped into James ___________ the restaurant.

5. She saw him __________ the café.

7. We were sitting ________ the restaurant. It was really hot inside.

8. He met her _________ the library.

9. I really enjoyed out evening _________ the new cinema.

10. Did you see her __________ the supermarket?

1. I'm going to meet Lucy at the theatre.

2. It's raining, so let's meet in the library, by the sofas.

3. We saw that film at the cinema, so we don't want to watch it tonight.

4. I bumped into James at the restaurant.

5. She saw him at the café.

7. We were sitting in the restaurant. It was really hot inside.

8. He met her at the library.

9. I really enjoyed out evening at the new cinema.

10. Did you see her at the supermarket?

We use 'whole' mostly with singular countable nouns.

Words like 'a' and 'the' come before 'whole'.

• He read the whole book.

We use 'all' mostly with uncountable and plural nouns.

Words like 'the' come after 'all'.

• She ate all the cakes.

• I spent all day at home.

1. She loves __________ animals.

1. She loves all animals.

• Smoking is not healthy.

We often see 'no' before verb+ing on signs.

• No smoking! (= You are not allowed to smoke here.)

1. _______________ (ski) can be dangerous.

1. Skiing can be dangerous.

• You've got to stop smoking.

Prohibition = it's not allowed

• You mustn't smoke here.

1. Obligation is when someone ___________ you to do something.

Let's talk about verbs that sometimes have different prepositions.

Ask someone for = try to get something

· She asked him for a glass of water.

Ask someone about = try to get information about

· Ask someone about: She asked him about his work.

Agree with someone = have the same opinion as someone

· I agree with you. You're right.

· I agree about the meal. We should have Italian food.

Throw something at someone = try to hit someone or something

· She threw a shoe at the mouse.

Throw something to someone = throw something so that someone can catch it

· Throw to: She threw the ball to the child.

Pay for = give money for the thing you bought

· He paid for the coffee.

· Pay by: He paid by credit card.

· Have you heard of Jane Austen?