CELEBRATING ST PATRICK'S DAY (17TH MARCH) WITH THIS FUN VIDEO QUIZZES! LEARN AND ENJOY!

COMMON SOURCE: islcollective.com

LEARN ENGLISH THROUGH STORY: HALLOWEEN HISTORY WITH SUBTITLES

SOURCE: www.youtube.com/HelenaDailyEnglish

SUMMER IS COMING!: SUMMERTIME VOCABULARY

SOURCE: 7esl.com

 

EASTER IN BRITAIN: WATCH THE VIDEO AND DO THE QUIZ

VIDEO SOURCE: www.youtube.com/AliciaCasimiro

BECAUSE HALLOWEEN IS COMING... TWO HALLOWEEN GAMES

HALLOWEEN QUIZ: WHO WANTS TO BE A SPOOKY MILLIONAIRE?

HALLOWEEN GAME

COMMON SOURCE: en.islcollective.com

HOLIDAYS: MORE VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS YOU CAN USE

HOLIDAYS

Types of holidays

    

When you are on holiday...

You can go:

Abroad

To the seaside

To the mountains

To the country

Camping

On a walking holiday

On a sightseeing holiday

On a package holiday

Transport, Accessories

You can go:

by car, by ferry, by train, by bus, or you can fly 

You need useful accessories:

Suntan

Beach umbrella

Passport

Traveller’s cheques,currency

Your luggage

A camera

A map

A phrasebook

Activities

You can:

Put your feet up

Do some sunbathing

Get sunburnt

Try the local food

Go out at night

Dive

You can do:

 

Sailing

Windsurfing

Waterskiing

Scuba diving

Rock-climbing

Rafting

Snorkelling

Kayaking

Horse-riding

Pony-trekking

Other extended vocabulary and expressions on holidays:

• all-in package/package holiday: a holiday where you purchase the travel and accommodation together
• breathtaking view: an extremely beautiful view
• charter-flight: a cheaper form of flying than a scheduled flight
• check-in desk: the place at the airport where you register for your flight and deposit your luggage
• departure lounge: where you wait for your flight to be called
• far-off destination: somewhere a long way away
• to get away from it all: to take a holiday to escape a busy or stressful lifestyle
• guided tour: an organised group shown around a place of interest by an expert
• holiday brochure: a glossy publication with details of holiday packages
• holiday destination: where you go for a holiday
• holiday of a lifetime: a special holiday that you are unlikely to repeat
• holiday resort: a place where lots of people go for a holiday
• hordes of tourists: crowds of tourists
• local crafts: objects produced locally
• long weekend: an extended weekend holiday including Friday or Monday
• out of season: outside of the main holiday period
• picturesque village: very pretty village
• passport control: the place where your passport is checked
• places of interest: sites of interest to tourists
• wildlife safari: a holiday, often in Africa, to observe wild animals
• self-catering: a holiday where you supply your own food
• short break: a short holiday
• to go sightseeing:  to look around the tourist sites
• stunning landscape: extremely beautiful countryside
• travel agent: a shop that specialises in booking holidays
• tourist trap: somewhere where too many tourists go
• youth hostel: a cheap form of accommodation

FUENTES: www.tolearnenglish.com / www.ieltsspeaking.co.uk

ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSON - SUMMER VOCABULARY

A TRAVÉS DE: www.youtube.com/Let'sTalk

A SHORT STORY IN ENGLISH (LISTENING COMPREHENSION) - SUBTITLES AVAILABLE

A TRAVÉS DE: www.youtube.com/AmigosIngleses

HAPPY EASTER HOLIDAYS! MR. BEAN IS GOING ON VACATION: FIRST CLASS FLIGHT

A TRAVÉS DE: www.youtube.com/BeanVideosHD

THE CHRISTMAS QUIZ

A TRAVÉS DE: www.youtube.com/Thomas8april

CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY GAME

englishflashgames.blogspot.com

LEARNING AT THE BEACH WITH AMIGOS INGLESES (BEACH VOCABULARY)

A TRAVÉS DE: www.youtube.com/amigosingleses

IMPROVING YOUR SPEAKING II: LEARN TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FREE TIME AND HOBBIES

CREATED BY VALANGLIA

Summer is coming and there are plenty of leisure activities we can practice and talk about. Here are some ways to talk and ask about general hobbies, interests and favourite sports in English.

When you want to get someone to know you well or if you want to know someone better, you can always talk and ask about your hobbies and interests:

Saying what you like

like + noun / ing form
I like tennis / I like playing tennis

love + noun / ing form
He loves football / He loves watching football

be keen on + noun / ing form
She's keen on the cinema / going to the cinema

enjoy + noun / ing form
We enjoy sports / playing sports

Remember: I like (+ ing / noun) is for general likes.
I like going to the cinema.

I'd like + verb is for a specific occasion:
I'd like to go to the cinema next weekend.

Adding emphasis:

You can add "very much" at the end of the sentence.

I like tennis.
I like tennis very much.

You can add "at all" to a negative sentence if you don't like something.

I don't like cricket.
I don't like cricket at all.

Talking about your hobby

Use adverbs of frequency (always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, etc) or another phrase to talk about how often or when you do your hobby.

I only watch football at the weekends.

I go to the gym four times a week.

I don't often have time to socialise with friends.

You can say why you like your hobby by describing it with an -ing adjective.

I like swimming because it's relaxing.

Watching football is exciting.

It's interesting to surf the net.

Example conversations

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I spend a lot of time going to discos with my friends.

Are you keen on sports?
Yes, I love playing tennis in summer.

Are you a sports fan?
Not really. I prefer relaxing with friends in a restaurant.

Do you like going to restaurants?
Not much. I prefer cooking at home.

Typical hobbies

These hobbies are popular with British people:

Watching television
Visiting friends
Entertaining friends (when friends come to your house for dinner, etc)
Listening to music
Reading books
Going to the pub
Going to a restaurant
Gardening
Going for a drive
Going for a walk
DIY (doing DIY = doing home-improvement activities)
Photography / Taking photographs
Surfing the net

Typical sports

Here is some vocabulary for different sports:

Ball games

Football
Rugby
Cricket
Tennis
Squash
Hockey
Baseball
Basketball
Volleyball

Martial arts

Judo
Karate
Kickboxing
Boxing

Extreme sports

Paragliding
Rock climbing
Caving
Mountaineering

Water sports

Swimming
Diving
Sailing
Canoeing
Windsurfing

Other activities

Jogging
Keeping fit
Horse-riding
Hiking
Skateboarding
Gymnastics
Athletics

Using play, do and go

When we talk about our hobbies, we can use the verbs play, do, or go:

My sister plays tennis every weekend.
My brother likes doing DIY.
I go swimming three times a week.

Play + sport / game
play football / play video games / play chess

Do + hobby / individual sport
do DIY, do judo

Go + activity
go swimming, go fishing

Questions you can ask

What do you like doing?
What sort of hobbies do you have?
What do you get up to in your free time?

How to reply

In my free time I…
When I have some spare time I…
When I get the time, I…
I relax by (watching TV)

I'm interested in (+ noun / gerund)
I'm keen on (+ noun / gerund)
I'm into (+ noun / gerund)
I enjoy (+ noun / gerund)

You can add "really" or "quite" after "I'm…" for emphasis.
"I'm really keen on football."

Giving a longer reply

You can add more details about your hobbies and interests:

I like arts and crafts. I'm a creative / practical person, and like doing things with my hands.

I'm an outgoing person, and like socialising / hanging out with friends.

I enjoy being physically active, and spend a lot of time playing sports and team games.

Saying why you like your hobby

You can also explain why you spend time on your hobby to make the conversation longer and more interesting.

I really enjoy going to the gym because

…it keeps me fit.
…it gets me out of the house, you know!
…it's sociable. I've met lots of new people.
…it gives me something interesting to do with my time.
…it's not very expensive, and anyone can do it!

More words that you can use to describe your hobbies:
creative
fascinating
practical
cheap
enjoyable
relaxing
different
unusual

Like doing vs like to do

We use like + gerund (ing form) to talk about general likes:
I like fishing.

We use like + infinitive to talk about more specific likes:
I like to go fishing at the weekend.

CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERACTIVE EXERCISE ON THIS TOPIC: 

http://www.english-at-home.com/lessons/speaking-exercise-hobbies

ADAPTADO DESDE: www.english-at-home.com