Thursday, 21 April 2011
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Speaking Practice for beginners - AM/IS/ARE and prepositions of place
Here are some ideas on how to practise using the verb To Be in The Present Simple as well as prepositions of place. Take 8-10 different toys (school objects, flashcards etc.) and preferrably in pairs of various size and colour (for example, 2 rabbits - a small red one and a big pink one, 2 cars - a blue one and a black one). Put all the toys into a bag.
IS Affirmative
Take a toy from the bag, describe it and it is "yours". (It is a doll. It is small and pretty.)
Keep your toys near you. Your partner does the same, so in the end you both have 2 piles of toys. Then you describe one of the toys your partner's got and he/she has to guess what it is.
( It is small and red. - It is a car!)
IS Negative
Now describe the toys using "not" and let your partner guess.
(It is not big and it is not black. - It is a rabbit!)
IS Questions ans short answers
Your partner turns away and you put one of the toys into the bag. He/she must guess what it is without looking at the remaining toys.
e.g. Is it big? - No, it is not.
Is it red? - Yes, it is.
Is it a puppy? - No, it is not.
Is it a kitten? - Yes, it is.
ARE
Do the same as with IS, but this time take 2 toys to speak about. As it may be difficult to find 2 big dolls, 2 red cars etc. you can use the prepositions of place when talking about toys. Put the toy pairs in different places and describe what you see. ( They are dolls. They are on the table.)
You can play the guessing game using the prepositions of place.
AM
Talk about yourselves:
+ I am Oksana. I am short and thin. I am on the sofa. I am happy.
- I am not Ann. I am not sad. I am not on the floor. I am not tall.
To practise questions you can do something funny like sit down on the table and ask your partner: "Am I under the table?" - Yes, you are. /No, you are not.
Then you can make a sad face and ask "Am I glad?"
IS Affirmative
Take a toy from the bag, describe it and it is "yours". (It is a doll. It is small and pretty.)
Keep your toys near you. Your partner does the same, so in the end you both have 2 piles of toys. Then you describe one of the toys your partner's got and he/she has to guess what it is.
( It is small and red. - It is a car!)
IS Negative
Now describe the toys using "not" and let your partner guess.
(It is not big and it is not black. - It is a rabbit!)
IS Questions ans short answers
Your partner turns away and you put one of the toys into the bag. He/she must guess what it is without looking at the remaining toys.
e.g. Is it big? - No, it is not.
Is it red? - Yes, it is.
Is it a puppy? - No, it is not.
Is it a kitten? - Yes, it is.
ARE
Do the same as with IS, but this time take 2 toys to speak about. As it may be difficult to find 2 big dolls, 2 red cars etc. you can use the prepositions of place when talking about toys. Put the toy pairs in different places and describe what you see. ( They are dolls. They are on the table.)
You can play the guessing game using the prepositions of place.
AM
Talk about yourselves:
+ I am Oksana. I am short and thin. I am on the sofa. I am happy.
- I am not Ann. I am not sad. I am not on the floor. I am not tall.
To practise questions you can do something funny like sit down on the table and ask your partner: "Am I under the table?" - Yes, you are. /No, you are not.
Then you can make a sad face and ask "Am I glad?"
