conditionals

Zero Conditional

If you heat water enough, it boils.
Does water boil all by itself? No. The condition that makes it boil is the heating.

• condition = heating
• result = boiling

When will this happen? Any time the condition is met. This kind of conditional is used for general truths, facts and everyday occurrences. It's not really connected to any particular time.
The result and if clauses both have present verb forms. In the if clause, either if or when can be used - they have the same meaning.
If / When you leave milk out long enough, it goes bad.
If / When I leave after 8.30, I miss the bus.
If / When I've had a hard day at work, I like to come home to peace and quiet.

First conditional

If I go to the shops, I'll get some milk.
Will I definitely get some milk? No. The condition that leads to getting milk is going to the shops. I might not go to the shops.

• condition = going to the shops
• result = buying bread

Unlike the zero conditional, this is not a general truth or scientific fact. It's talking about a specific time and event, and not something that's always true. It's talking about a time in the future and something that might happen then.
The if clause has a present verb form. The result clause takes will + infinitive without to when we are certain that the result will happen if the condition is met. If we're not certain, we can use a modal verb like may or might.
If I see Mike, I'll tell him about the party.
If you get home before me, can you put the chicken in the oven?
If I pass my exams, I might get a pay rise.
You can use when instead of if in the if clause, but the meaning is different. Compare:
If I go to the shops, I'll get some milk.Am I going the shops? Perhaps, it's a possibility.
When I go to the shops, I'll get some milk.Am I going to the shops? Probably, it's a plan.
For more informaton about zero and first conditionals, see Unit 5

Second conditional

The second conditional is about imaginary results of impossible or unlikely conditions in the present or future.
If I won a million pounds, I'd still carry on working.Will l win the lottery? It's possible but I think it's very unlikely.
If I had that much money, I'd give up my job immediately.
Do I have that much money? No, I don't.

The if clause contains the past simple. There is, however, one exception: if the verb to be is in the if clause, use were and not was in the first and second person singular. The main clause contains would (or other modals such as could or might) followed by the infinitive without to.
If I were you, I'd take a holiday!
If you loaned me some money, I could buy a new car.
If I had the time, I could finish the gardening. But I'm too busy with work.

Third conditional

We use this conditional to talk about an imaginary result of something in the past.
If I hadn't missed the bus, I wouldn't have met the love of my life.Did I miss the bus? Yes I did, so the result is purely imagined.
The if clause has a past perfect structure and the result clause has would (or other modals such as could or might) + have + past participle.
If I had studied harder at college, I could have gone to a better university.
If we had never met, my life would have been a lot less complicated.
If hadn't taken the job, I might have regretted it.
You can see more about the second and third conditionals in Unit 9.

To do

In the activity, check to see if you can identify different conditional structures.

If you knew what we know, then you probably wouldn't have to follow this session about conditionals. Even if you do know all about them, why not check out our review, just to make sure!

Activity 1

About conditionals

What is a conditional sentence?

Conditional sentences connect two things: a condition and a result. Something happens as a result of something else, or happens only if a certain condition is met.
The condition and the result can be real or imagined and can refer to past, present or future time. The condition part of the sentence is called the if clause, or sometimes the conditional clause. The result part of the sentence is known as the result clause, or sometimes the main clause.
The conditional clause and the main clause can be in any order. If the if clause is first, there is a comma between the clauses. There is no comma if the result clause is first.
There are different structures for conditionals, including four types known as zero, first, second and third conditionals.
Here are some examples:
If you heat water enough, it boils. Zero conditional
If I go to the shops, I'll get some milk. First conditional
If I won the lottery, I'd still carry on working. Second conditional
If I hadn't missed the bus, I wouldn't have met the love of my life. Third conditional

Read the text and complete the activity

Christmas

11 Things To Do In Pittsburgh During The Holidays

Some of Pittsburgh's greatest holiday traditions that you simply can't miss this holiday season.

Elan Pringle in The List on Nov 16, 2015

With the holidays quickly approaching, here are 11 must-do things to in the 'Burgh during one of it's busiest seasons.
1. Light Up Night


On Friday, November 20, the 55th annual Light Up Night celebration will take place in downtown Pittsburgh. The official tree lighting ceremony, musical guests, food tents and firework finales are just a few things planned to officially kick off the holiday season. For a complete list of events and locations, visit the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership website here.


2. Ice Skating at PPG Place


At the center of Market Square during the holiday season, a large outdoor ice rink, 2000 square feet larger than the rink at Rockefeller Center, takes over Market Square. The rink is set to open November 20 and will remain open until February 28, 2016. For hours of operation and for other information, visit their website here.

3. Macy's Department Store Holiday Windows

Macy's downtown store may have closed its doors permanently this past fall, but have no fear, their long celebrated holiday windows will be making a return this Christmas. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the developer that purchased the building that once housed Macy's is working on maintaining the holiday windows for at least this season. Macy's has donated two Pittsburgh themed window sets, and the other windows will be created by Pittsburgh cultural groups. Be sure to stop by Grant St. this holiday season to see these one-of-a-kind displays!

4. S.W. Randalls Toy and Gift Store

Only a few blocks away from Macy's, S.W. Randalls is Pittsburgh's largest speciality toy and gift store. S.W. Randalls offers a variety of merchandise for shoppers, from electronics, to Christmas ornaments, to model cars. Explore their three fun-filled floors, and find gifts for everyone in your family. For store hours, visit their website here.

5. Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland Light Show Drive-Thru


It's been four years since the Celebration of Light drive-thru light show has taken place at Hartwood Acres, but this year, only a mere 25 miles north of Pittsburgh, a similar light show is set to make its debut this holiday season at the Big Butler Fair Grounds. This award-winning show is coming the whole way from Bristol, Tennessee, and features "cutting-edge technology, lights and music, with custom-built, animated elements featuring 100 percent environmentally friendly LED lights." For more information on this new light show spectacular, visit their website here.


6. Wintergarden at PPG Place


Conveniently located right beside the PPG place ice rink, stop inside PPG Place Wintergarden to see Santa sculptures from around the world and an extensive gingerbread house display. Or just stop by their coffee shop to warm up after iceskating! Admission is free of charge.

7. People's Natural Gas Holiday Market in Market Square 


After iceskating and stopping by the Wintergarden, be sure to stop by the fourth annual People's National Gas Holiday Market in Market Square. According to the People's Natural Gas website, the market is inspired by the Christkindlmarkt Market in Nuremburg, Germany, and is only one of three of its kind in North America. The market features European-style chalets that offer visitors the chance to purchase hand-crafted items from around the world. Young visitors can stop by Santa's House to visit the big man himself! For hours, a complete list of vendors, and Santa's House hours, click here.

8. The Escape Room

Need a unique one-of-a-kind family bonding experience during the holidays? The Escape Room, located in Greenfield, offers a unique virtual reality game that tests your team members problem-solving skills, surrounding and cleverness in order to get your key to unlock the room. Currently, they offer two room scenarios: Dr. Stein's Laboratory, and Prison Escape. For more information, ticket information and other FAQ's, check out their website here. They are currently taking reservations for the Christmas season, and you don't want to miss out!

9. The Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning


Ever wanted to experience Christmas around the world? In the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, there are thirty classrooms designed to represent the various ethnic groups that settled in Allegheny County. During the holiday season, these rooms are decorated accordingly and tours are available throughout the season. For a complete list of rooms, times and other information, please click here

10. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens


Starting Friday, November 27, Phipps Conservatory will be turned into a Winter Flower and Light Spectacular. Exhibit rooms will be bringing the Christmas carol “Deck the Halls” to life through artful arrangements, decorated trees, LED lights and much more. Don’t miss out on this Pittsburgh favorite this season. All information about this one-of-a-kind experience can be found on Phipps Conservatory website.

11. Holiday Lights at Kennywood Park

Even though the Pittsburgh Plunge and The Phantom's Revenge are closed for the season, Pittsburgh's infamous amusement park is open through the holiday season and is transformed into a winter wonderland with light show spectaculars, not to mention that select rides will be open for park goers. Visitors can visit Santa, ride on the Gingerbread Express, and, this year, board the Polar Express for a new 4D magical experience. For park hours and admission prices, click here. 

Everyday Conversations

Six students from around the world meet. What do they have in common? They are all exchange students studying at a U.S. university for a semester. Throughout the semester, they learn more English, learn about U.S. culture, and learn more about their fields of study. This series of Everyday Conversations is about these six students and their experiences during a semester at a university in the U.S. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.



In this conversation, a student (Ajay) explains the different holidays he will celebrate with another student (Lucía).

Ajay: How’s the studying going, Lucía?

Lucía: I can’t wait for finals to be over! In another week, I’ll be flying back home. What are you doing over the winter break?
Ajay: Alan invited Lee and me to stay with his family. Home-cooked food for three holiday meals!
Lucía: Three holidays?
Ajay: Alan’s dad is Jewish, and his mom is Christian, so they celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. And his mom is a professional chef, so she goes all out for both holiday meals.
Lucía: And what’s the third holiday?
Ajay: New Year’s Day. They have all their family over, and Alan’s mom cooks again. Alan has raved about his mom’s cooking all semester, so Lee and I can’t wait.
Lucía: Holiday meals cooked by a professional chef. I want to hear all about it later. I’ve never had a traditional Hanukkah meal.
Ajay: Neither have I. I’m looking forward to it.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

How’s (something) going? This question is used to ask someone about his/her progress or about life in general. For example, how’s the studying going means what’s the progress of your studying. The general question how’s it going is informal and similar to how are you.
Can’t wait means to be very eager, anxious or impatient for something.
A winter break is a period of vacation between semesters of college or other schools that includes the winter holidays, such as New Year’s Day.
Home-cooked or homemade food means food prepared at home and not made in a factory, store, etc.
Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish holiday, usually in late November or December, that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago.
Commemorate means to do something special to remind people of an important event or person from the past.
To go all out means to put all of your energy into what you are doing or to put a lot of effort into doing something.
To rave about something is to talk or write about something in an excited and enthusiastic way.
A holiday meal is special food prepared and eaten for a certain holiday. Sometimes these foods are only made and eaten during a certain holiday season. For example, for many families in the U.S. on Thanksgiving, the holiday meal includes cranberry sauce. This is not a food that many people eat at other times of the year.

In this conversation, a student (Lee) talks about the Arctic and global warming with two other students (Jana and Akinyi).
Akinyi: The weather is getting so cold. I really hate it!

Jana: I do too. I miss the fall already. September was really lovely here. I wish we could have that weather all year.
Lee: Don’t say that. I don’t want the Earth to get any warmer. One of my classes yesterday got me freaked out about global warming.
Jana: More freaked out than usual?
Akinyi: I think we’re all concerned about global warming. What was different about yesterday’s class?
Lee: We started studying the melting permafrost in the Arctic.
Akinyi: The Earth has to get a lot warmer for the permafrost to melt, right?
Lee: No, and the scariest part is the feedback loop.
Jana: The feedback loop? What’s that?
Lee: Well, there’s carbon frozen in the permafrost, right? And when the permafrost melts, microbes release carbon dioxide and methane. This leads to more climate change.
Akinyi: What’s the loop part?
Lee: We all know that carbon dioxide and methane cause global temperatures to rise.
Jana: And if the temperature rises, then more permafrost melts.
Lee: Exactly. And when more permafrost melts, more carbon dioxide and methane is released. That causes global temperatures to rise even more. And the cycle continues.
Akinyi: That is one scary cycle. What can we do to stop it?
Lee: Reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. For most people this means using less energy, using cleaner energy like solar and wind, and driving less.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

Freak out is a phrasal verb and informal. It means to become anxious, upset or afraid.
Global warming: the increase in the Earth’s temperature caused by the increase of certain gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide.
Permafrost is ground that stays frozen for two or more years in a row.
The Arctic is the area around the North Pole.
To melt means to change from solid form to liquid form because of heat.
The feedback loop in this conversation refers to a cycle that keeps repeating and increasing. The warmer temperatures of the Earth cause permafrost to melt. When the permafrost melts, carbon dioxide and methane are released into the air. Carbon dioxide and methane cause global temperatures to increase even more. This causes more permafrost to melt and then more carbon dioxide and methane are released into the air.
Carbon is a chemical element.
Microbes are very tiny living things that can only be seen under a microscope (a special device used to clearly see tiny objects).
Carbon dioxide is a gas that is produced when people and animals breathe out. Carbon dioxide is also produced when certain fuels are burned. In this conversation, tiny organisms that are frozen in the permafrost release carbon dioxide when the permafrost melts. Increased carbon dioxide in the air can cause the earth’s temperature to increase.
Methane: a gas that can be burned for fuel. Methane absorbs (takes in) heat very quickly and can contribute to global warming.


Students (Lucía, Akyinyi and Ajay) discuss the many different groups of people who have moved from their homeland to the U.S. and the different cultures in the U.S.
Lucía: Hey, Ajay. Akinyi and I are going to an event about diasporas at the Campus Center tonight at 8. Do you want to come with us?

Ajay: I was already planning to go, but let’s all go together. I have an assignment for one of my classes. I need to choose and write about a diaspora community in the U.S., and I think tonight’s event will give me good background information.
Akinyi: It definitely will. There are a lot of different diaspora communities in the U.S.
Lucía: Yeah, we’ve been studying this in one of my classes. The U.S. has more global diaspora members than any other country in the world.
Akinyi: I knew it was a multicultural country, but I had no idea just how multicultural until I got here.
Ajay: Well, which diaspora community do you think I should write about?
Akinyi: I think you should choose a diaspora community that is prominent in this city.
Ajay: Yeah, I could interview people in the community and talk to them about their experiences here in the U.S. and even see how their experiences are different from ours as exchange students. I really want to know what the community is like.
Lucía: You should talk with Kayla. She lives in our dorm. Her family is part of the Ethiopian diaspora, and they own a really popular restaurant downtown. We should all go there for dinner one night.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

A diaspora is a large group of people who have moved from their home country to live in other countries in the world. Often this move is not completely by choice but is because of war, political issues, famine, etc., in the people’s home country.
A diaspora community is a large group of people who have moved from their homeland and live in a different country.
Multicultural: relating to or including people who have many different customs and beliefs.
To have no idea is an informal way to say one does not know. For example: “I have no idea where I’m going” means “I do not know where I’m going.”
Something that is prominent is well-known, important, easily seen.
When we use the phrase what something is like or the question What is something like, we want to know more about the place, object, event or person. For example: Q: What is Florida like? A: It’s hot and humid, but I like it. Q: What is Maria like? A: She’s thoughtful and friendly, and she’s an excellent student.
Dorm is short for dormitory. A dormitory is a large building at a college or university where students live.
Downtown refers to the main or central part of a town or city


In this conversation, a student (Ajay) explains the different holidays he will celebrate with another student (Lucía).
Ajay: How’s the studying going, Lucía?

Lucía: I can’t wait for finals to be over! In another week, I’ll be flying back home. What are you doing over the winter break?
Ajay: Alan invited Lee and me to stay with his family. Home-cooked food for three holiday meals!
Lucía: Three holidays?
Ajay: Alan’s dad is Jewish, and his mom is Christian, so they celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. And his mom is a professional chef, so she goes all out for both holiday meals.
Lucía: And what’s the third holiday?
Ajay: New Year’s Day. They have all their family over, and Alan’s mom cooks again. Alan has raved about his mom’s cooking all semester, so Lee and I can’t wait.
Lucía: Holiday meals cooked by a professional chef. I want to hear all about it later. I’ve never had a traditional Hanukkah meal.
Ajay: Neither have I. I’m looking forward to it.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

How’s (something) going? This question is used to ask someone about his/her progress or about life in general. For example, how’s the studying going means what’s the progress of your studying. The general question how’s it going is informal and similar to how are you.
Can’t wait means to be very eager, anxious or impatient for something.
A winter break is a period of vacation between semesters of college or other schools that includes the winter holidays, such as New Year’s Day.
Home-cooked or homemade food means food prepared at home and not made in a factory, store, etc.
Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish holiday, usually in late November or December, that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago.
Commemorate means to do something special to remind people of an important event or person from the past.
To go all out means to put all of your energy into what you are doing or to put a lot of effort into doing something.
To rave about something is to talk or write about something in an excited and enthusiastic way.
A holiday meal is special food prepared and eaten for a certain holiday. Sometimes these foods are only made and eaten during a certain holiday season. For example, for many families in the U.S. on Thanksgiving, the holiday meal includes cranberry sauce. This is not a food that many people eat at other times of the year.

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Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

In this conversation, a student (Lee) talks about the Arctic and global warming with two other students (Jana and Akinyi).
Akinyi: The weather is getting so cold. I really hate it!

Jana: I do too. I miss the fall already. September was really lovely here. I wish we could have that weather all year.
Lee: Don’t say that. I don’t want the Earth to get any warmer. One of my classes yesterday got me freaked out about global warming.
Jana: More freaked out than usual?
Akinyi: I think we’re all concerned about global warming. What was different about yesterday’s class?
Lee: We started studying the melting permafrost in the Arctic.
Akinyi: The Earth has to get a lot warmer for the permafrost to melt, right?
Lee: No, and the scariest part is the feedback loop.
Jana: The feedback loop? What’s that?
Lee: Well, there’s carbon frozen in the permafrost, right? And when the permafrost melts, microbes release carbon dioxide and methane. This leads to more climate change.
Akinyi: What’s the loop part?
Lee: We all know that carbon dioxide and methane cause global temperatures to rise.
Jana: And if the temperature rises, then more permafrost melts.
Lee: Exactly. And when more permafrost melts, more carbon dioxide and methane is released. That causes global temperatures to rise even more. And the cycle continues.
Akinyi: That is one scary cycle. What can we do to stop it?
Lee: Reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. For most people this means using less energy, using cleaner energy like solar and wind, and driving less.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

Freak out is a phrasal verb and informal. It means to become anxious, upset or afraid.
Global warming: the increase in the Earth’s temperature caused by the increase of certain gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide.
Permafrost is ground that stays frozen for two or more years in a row.
The Arctic is the area around the North Pole.
To melt means to change from solid form to liquid form because of heat.
The feedback loop in this conversation refers to a cycle that keeps repeating and increasing. The warmer temperatures of the Earth cause permafrost to melt. When the permafrost melts, carbon dioxide and methane are released into the air. Carbon dioxide and methane cause global temperatures to increase even more. This causes more permafrost to melt and then more carbon dioxide and methane are released into the air.
Carbon is a chemical element.
Microbes are very tiny living things that can only be seen under a microscope (a special device used to clearly see tiny objects).
Carbon dioxide is a gas that is produced when people and animals breathe out. Carbon dioxide is also produced when certain fuels are burned. In this conversation, tiny organisms that are frozen in the permafrost release carbon dioxide when the permafrost melts. Increased carbon dioxide in the air can cause the earth’s temperature to increase.
Methane: a gas that can be burned for fuel. Methane absorbs (takes in) heat very quickly and can contribute to global warming.


In this conversation, one student (Peter) discusses his family’s holiday traditions.
Peter: Lee, what are your plans for the winter break?

Lee: Ajay and I were invited to Alan’s house for the break. How about you? You’re going to volunteer at a school, right?
Peter: That’s right. But first I’m going to go home and spend Christmas with my family. It’s an important holiday for my family. We have lots of Christmas traditions.
Lee: Interesting. Like what?
Peter: Well, one of our traditions is also a tradition for some families in the U.S. — the Advent calendar.
Lee: What’s that?
Peter: It’s like a large card, with a picture on it. There’s also a small opening with a door for each day in December, up until Christmas. And each day, you open one of the doors. The best part is that behind the door is a piece of chocolate.
Lee: It’s a calendar with chocolate? That’s the best kind of calendar.
Peter: Some of them only have pictures, but my family gets the ones with chocolate. Another tradition is the Christmas market. In the local squares, there’s a market that sells food, drinks and local crafts.
Lee: That sounds great. I think there are some places in the U.S. that have Christmas markets too.
Peter: One different tradition is that we open presents on Christmas Eve. In the U.S., people usually open presents on Christmas.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

A winter break is a period of vacation between semesters of college or other schools that includes the winter holidays, such as New Year’s Day.
To volunteer means to offer to do something without being paid to do it or without being asked.
Christmas (also Christmas Day) is a holiday of Christian origin that is recognized by many people in the United States, as well as in other parts of the world. It is celebrated on December 25. Some traditions of Christmas include decorating a Christmas tree, giving and receiving gifts, and spending time with family and friends.
A tradition is a belief, custom or way of doing something that has been used by a particular group of people for a long time.
An Advent calendar is a large decorated card used to count down the days until Christmas. For each day in December, up until Christmas, there is a small opening with a door. Children open one door each day. Behind each door is a picture or piece of chocolate.
A Christmas market is a street market where food, drink and products are bought and sold. These markets sell traditional food and drink for Christmas as well as local crafts. They are set up and open during the Christmas season.
In the conversation, a square means an open area in a town or city, often in the shape of a square (a shape with four equal sides).
Local: belonging to or relating to a particular area or place.
Crafts are objects that are skillfully made by hand.
Christmas Eve is December 24, the day before Christmas Day.

Secret Teacher

Secret Teacher: I dare not tell anyone about my personality disorder

The stigma is such that, while it makes me a great teacher, I can’t disclose my condition. But it’s getting harder to hide and I’m worried I’ll have to quit 

You know me, you’ve seen me at parents’ evenings. I’m the teacher at the next desk – the popular one, the one you all want to teach your children because the progress made in my class is phenomenal. I’m a damn good teacher and everyone knows it.

What you don’t know is that I have a mental health problem. I was abused as a child and for years I endured appalling assaults – physical, mental and sexual – at the hands of several adults in my life. In these post-Savile days, you might wonder what happens to abused children. Well, we grow up – damaged and scarred, concealing our tragic backgrounds.

I have a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, a condition that can be linked to difficult childhood experiences. Thanks to people like Catherine Zeta Jones and Stephen Fry, we all know of bipolar disorder; borderline personality disorder (or emotional dysregulation disorder) is its lesser known cousin. You might not have heard of it, few have. On the rare occasions it’s discussed – in TV dramas, for example – we are presented as unsympathetic, desperate, out of control, suicidal and violent. The message given is that we are a danger to ourselves or others: avoid us – we are volatile and unpredictable.

But that’s not how it is. As with bipolar disorder, I have mood swings, but they are rapid. In the space of 15 minutes I can go from crying on the train because I see no point to my life, to entertaining large groups of trainee teachers with amusing anecdotes about the profession. My behaviour can be impulsive too; I spend thousands on my credit cards. Reckless, I suppose, but not dangerous, surely? And none of these have any impact whatsoever on my ability to teach.

But still, I do not dare tell anyone the truth at work. My psychiatrist warned me that the stigma associated with my condition is huge. It’s true. Even the name – borderline personality disorder – implies that there is something wrong with one’s identity, one’s personality.

It is much easier to hide under the “stress and anxiety” umbrella. Every teacher knows what that feels like. The problem there, of course, is that no one really believes I have different needs from others so I am not getting the right support. “Huh! We’re all stressed!” a colleague recently grumbled.

And in such a highly demanding profession, where you’re constantly exhausted and yet having to perform at all times, the functioning “normal” part of me gets smaller and smaller as term progresses. Near the end, it is hardly there at all. And that’s when the symptoms break through. It becomes harder to conceal the illness and I can no longer find the energy and enthusiasm to pretend. I am loath to ask for any more help as doing that would reveal more about my condition and I am terrified that
colleagues, students and parents might find out and hound me out of my job. So I struggle on alone.

If colleagues don’t notice, my students are more perceptive. They are with me for longer,

proportionally, and they notice little variations. “Is it ‘cause you are doing too much work, Miss?” they ask. When I smile wryly they interpret that as an affirmative. They know what it is like to struggle with heavy workloads and they do what they can to make things easier – running errands, handing out materials and even ticking each other off for poor behaviour until I am back to my usual self. They tell their parents that they think the school is overworking me and the parents are sympathetic. I know that would change were they to know the truth.
The real injustice is that my personality disorder is what makes me a great teacher. My idiosyncratic personality means that my classroom is full of fun, life, activity and industry. I put on a good show and motivate my students. They want to be in my lessons. One of my pupils told me I had made them love school and helped them go from nobody to somebody. From nobody to somebody. It doesn’t get better than that.

My changeable personality means I also have a very wide range of interests and in my lessons we discuss geography, history, literature, philosophy, science and politics. I teach my students what I know about the world, not just my subject. “Miss – you’re not a teacher, you’re an encyclopedia!” one of them gasped recently.

And I show them the care I never had as a child. I am there, day after day, year after year – dependable, caring and always ready to listen. I care for demoralised students in front of me like the pupil whose parents take drugs, beaten by life before it’s barely begun. I don’t want any of them to suffer as I have. When Marlon failed his GCSE the first time, I took him through the retake course step by step. A year later, Marlon got an A – four whole grades higher than before. I’m the teacher who turns up for work immaculately dressed, with perfect hair and nails, books marked and lessons prepared – the person that gives the impression that all is well in my world.

It isn’t, of course. I can get very sad and feel lonely all the time. When I am not in the classroom, I spend much of my time being reminded of my abusive childhood. The memories surface frequently and I am in emotional pain most of the time. I am extremely sensitive and very self-critical. I am very good at hiding the difficulties, but it gets harder when I am tired.

So, sadly I know that my days in teaching, to which I’ve given two decades, are probably numbered. The teaching is wonderful, but I can no longer keep up with the 70 hour weeks. It would be difficult enough for someone without a mental health problem, but for me, it is nigh on impossible.

I’d rather not quit – teaching really is the best job in the world, and the irony is that despite – and in some ways because of – my condition, I am an excellent teacher. I just need a little more support, more help and much more compassion. But that’s not forthcoming at the moment. Don’t write me off – I have a lot to give my students – but without more awareness and understanding of borderline personality disorder, I am not sure I can continue.

In my experience of teaching juniors (6-11) and seniors (11-16) I have found that there is a notable difference in their attitudes to assessment.

For example, the older age group are much more likely to anticipate a forthcoming test with nervousness and dread, whereas the younger learners display a certain amount of excitement and even pleasure at the prospect of being able to show off what they have learnt. I suppose this is not so surprising when we consider the fact that the outcome of senior tests are likely to have more serious consequences with the added pressure of parent and teacher expectations.

• Overall assessment

• Formative assessment

• Examples

• Results

• Summary

Overall assessment
Another reason for the difference is perhaps the type of assessment that we, as teachers, often administer to juniors and seniors. Whereas the younger learners are usually assessed in a non-threatening, enjoyable environment; working in groups to demonstrate their collective ability, seniors are more likely to experience assessment carried out individually where they are expected to reproduce discrete language items from memory. This more formal type of testing would probably occur at the end of a semester or academic year and the results then used to write a school report and to determine where the student is placed the following year. This is known as overall assessment or summative assessment, which may provide straightforward results for teachers to analyse, but does not necessarily provide a clear picture of an individual’s overall progress or even their full potential, especially if they are hindered by the fear factor of physically sitting a test.

Formative assessment
The alternative type of testing is referred to as ongoing or formative assessment and as well as providing a more positive experience for learners it can also be invaluable for us as teachers, to see if our lesson aims have been fulfilled and our overall objectives have been met. It can also help us to assess student strengths and weaknesses and give us a strong indication as to which type of activities students like and dislike.

Examples
Here is an example of ongoing assessment, which I carried out with a group of 8-9 year old Portuguese learners in their second year of learning English. We were using a coursebook and at the end of each module students were required to complete an evaluation sheet that was divided into 4 parts.
Part 1 - A series of 5 or 6 tasks to demonstrate the skills and language they had just learnt.
These tasks were generally completed in pairs or small groups and would vary in type; matching exercises, sentence ordering, gap-fills, songs, miming actions, reading comprehension, labelling diagrams, describing pictures, performing mini dialogues etc. The important thing was not to repeat the same task-type that the students had completed in the module so that they were demonstrating their understanding of the language, not from memory alone, but by their ability to manipulate it in a different way. After completing the task students coloured in one of three related icons to demonstrate how well they had performed.

• One icon = quite well

• Two icons = well

• Three icons = very well

Part 2 - A list of statements referring to students’ general behaviour and overall class participation.
These statements were presented in a chart that students coloured in according to how well they rated their own performance. For example:

	Never	Sometimes	Always
I speak to the teacher in English
I do my homework
I try to speak to my friends in English
I work well on my own

Part 3 - A simple self-reflection task to show how much the students enjoyed the activities in the coursebook module. Again, they coloured in one of three simple face icons.

• Sad face = didn’t enjoy it

• Neutral face = it was ok

• Smiley face = enjoyed it

Part 4 - A separate box for the teacher to write his/her own comments. Also, a box for parents to sign, as students were expected to take the evaluation sheet home to display as part of their ongoing portfolio of work. 
Results
I found that the students really looked forward to these assessment lessons and were very proud of their completed evaluation sheets. Surprisingly, even at this age, they were able to self-reflect quite openly and honestly and did not automatically give themselves the maximum award if they felt it was undeserved. Sometimes, though, it was necessary for me to intervene if students were colouring in 3 pictures when they had clearly struggled to complete the task.
The opportunity to complete the tasks in pairs or small groups removed the pressure of being individually tested and added an enjoyable element to the assessment process. Clearly, there is also a necessity for students to be able to work independently, which is why students are asked to reflect on their ability to work alone in Part 2. If desired, an individual task could easily be included in the assessment to distinguish the stronger students from the weaker ones.
 
Summary
Overall, I think this type of ongoing assessment is effective not only in recycling and revising language but also in encouraging younger learners to be aware of their own abilities and needs and to perceive assessment as a positive experience.
As far as teachers are concerned, it is also an excellent way of monitoring student progress on a regular basis and discovering which activities students respond to more favourably. This is invaluable information when planning future lessons to suit the learning styles within the group as well as pinpointing which language areas and which skills need developing further.
Finally, I think ongoing assessment works best when it is combined with an element of overall assessment, particularly with seniors, who are perhaps more motivated by the opportunity to display their individual knowledge as well as their ability to work as a group. Personally, I find the productive skills, speaking and writing, which require a process of drafting and editing, are better suited to formative assessment, whereas the receptive skills, listening and reading, can be effectively tested using summative assessment methods. In this way learners benefit from the social, co-operative skills required for group work but also have the opportunity to demonstrate their individual potential.

The five people you meet in heaven

The five people you meet in heaven

THE LIFE

Active or Passive? ·- Had better - Relief or relieved? - Jes Sy asked: How can I use 'as is' properly?

23 horas, Active or Passive?  ·-  Had better  -  Relief or relieved?

Active or Passive?
We usually try to write in active voice because it’s easier to understand.
In the active voice the subject ‘does’ the action:
...

Notice how the subject in these examples is 'doing' the verb's action.
'The boy ate the cake.' [The boy is the subject and he is doing the eating]
'The girl kicks the ball.'
'I wrote the essay.'
But in passive voice the action is performed 'on' the subject. So we can say the subject is 'acted on.'
'The cake was eaten by the boy.' [The cake is the subject and it is acted upon]
'The ball is kicked by the girl.'
'The essay was written by me.'

Had better
When we want to give someone advice we can use the phrase ‘had better’.
‘You had better be careful up there.’
We often use the contraction ‘you’d’: ...
‘You’d better be careful up there.’

Although ‘had’ is the past form of ‘have’, we use ‘had better’ to give advice about the present or future.
‘We’d better talk about buying this car, I’m not sure it’s the right decision.’
The negative form is ‘had better not’.
‘You’d better not tell her you ate all the cake.’
‘I’d better get home before dinner.’
‘She’d better not try to copy my answers again.’

Relief or relieved?
'Relief' is a noun, it refers to the good feeling you get when something bad has stopped, or has not happened.
‘What a relief, my leg has finally stopped hurting.’
‘It is a relief to know you are feeling better. I was very worried.’
...

'Relieve' is a verb, it describes the act of making something painful or unpleasant go away, or feel better.
‘The medication relieved my pain.’
‘I am relieved to see that you are healthy.’

Jes Sy asked: How can I use 'as is' properly?
As is' is a short way of saying 'as it is.'
We use in mainly when talking about buying a second-hand item. It means you will have to accept the item 'as it is', including any problems it has.
'I'll give it to you for $100, as is.'...
‘You can buy the dress for $5 but it does have a hole in it, so you’ll have to take it as is.’

Have you got itchy feet? Don’t worry, we have too! It’s holiday time so let’s hit the road and explore the language of travel.

Bon voyage!

Well-wishers waving goodbye (Flickr CC:Jasn)

As the end of the year approaches, many Australians will take time out for a holiday.

Some people travel to broaden the mind, or increase their knowledge about the world.

But you might just want to put your feet up, or relax.

‘I’ve had a stressful month so I’m just going to put my feet up this weekend.’

Many travel idioms include reference to the feet. For example, if you’ve got itchy feet you have a strong desire to travel.

‘The photos of her trip to Thailand have really given me itchy feet.’

When you’re ready to leave you can say ‘Let’s hit the road.’

‘OK kids, put your toys in the car, it’s time to hit the road.’

Before you leave, your friends may wish you bon voyage.

Perhaps it is the romantic notion of holidays, but the French phrase ‘bon voyage’ is used to wish someone a good journey. Bon voyage can be heard at airports and train stations as we bid farewell to our loved ones.

‘Bon voyage! Have a safe trip!’

Types of travel

Camping in a field (Flickr CC: Wasim Muklashy)

There are many types of holiday.

A popular summer holiday in Australia is camping, either in a National Park or at a caravan park, where you can rent a caravan or put up your own tent.

But camping isn’t for everyone – you might hear people joke about glamping. That’s short for ‘glamorous camping’, where modern comforts might include bathrooms, showers, and maybe even hair dryers or an internet connection!

If this sounds like you, you might prefer to stay in a B&B, that is, a bed and breakfast. A B&B is private accommodation, often a big house, where you can book a room for an overnight stay. The owners will usually provide breakfast, but because it's not a hotel there's usually no room service or restaurant.

Travelling in Australia

Backpackers (Flickr CC:Siim Teller)

Older people who travel around Australia, often retired couples with a caravan, are sometimes referred to as grey nomads.

Young people who set off on longer trips are sometimes called backpackers, after the large bags, or backpacks, they carry. The verb is backpacking.

She is backpacking around Australia this summer.

A backpacker’s is also a shortened form of backpacker’s hostel, a place where backpackers can get accommodation, often in shared rooms.

There’s a backpacker’s next door so it is quite noisy at night.

When backpacking it is a good idea to travel light, that is, to make sure that you only take what you need.

Travel tales

Flickr CC: Gioia De Antoniis

If you’re a regular traveller you might call yourself a jetsetter. That’s someone who regularly flies from place to place, often a wealthy tourist travelling for pleasure.

On the other hand if you're driving to your destination you might say you're going on a road trip.

If you’re hoping to enjoy some outdoors activities on your trip you might be up for some adventure tourism, like rock climbing, white water rafting or bungee jumping.

But if you’re concerned about the environmental costs of all this travel, maybe you’d prefer some ecotourism. That’s ecologically aware tourism, where efforts are made to visit pristine environments without leaving any negative impacts.

Then again, maybe you’re more interested in some voluntourism? That’s volunteer travel, where you travel somewhere in order to volunteer your time helping out with a good cause, like assisting with scientific research or helping to build infrastructure.

Summer shack

Beach shack (ABC: Jake Heinrich)

For a simpler Australian holiday you might choose to stay in a shack by the beach.
A shack is a house located close to beach (or river) and is traditionally very basic. It is used as a place to take holidays or visit on long weekends. You could call it a holiday house or a weekender.
These days the term beach house is also common, although these tend to be more luxurious and expensive houses.
If you are staying at a real beach shack chances are that you have gone off the beaten track. The beaten track refers to the road that most people take: beaten indicates that the track is heavily used and worn into the ground. So to go off the beaten track means that you have deviated from the route that most people take to follow a more adventurous path.

Live it up

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy (Flickr CC: vgm8383)

Once you arrive at your destination, it’s always a good idea to take advice from locals about what to see and do.
If you do try and follow the lead of the locals then someone may suggest ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do', or a shortened version, ‘when in Rome’.
They mean that you should adjust to your surroundings in order to live like the local people. This phrase is used more broadly to talk about adapting to the people around you, and joining in with their activities.
I don’t usually go out dancing on a Monday, but when in Rome!

- See more at: http://www.australiaplus.com/international/2015-12-18/learn-english-travel/1525002#sthash.NcqmmgV5.dpuf

ABA

Hello! I hope that you are having a great Friday!

Tu actual progreso es:

For today’s Friday fun tip let’s take a look at some prepositions of time commonly used in English: IN, ON and AT. Hoy vamos a estudiar unas preposiciones de tiempo muy comunes en inglés: IN, ON y AT. Let’s look at a quick text and see how we use these prepositions correctly when reading, speaking or writing. At 1 o'clock today I am going to my grandparents’ house for lunch. My grandma told us to come at noon but Mum said it was too early. We always go there on Sundays and spend the whole day there. I actually like to spend the night too because Granddad and I wake up at sunrise and spend the morning walking in the mountains. Last year on Christmas day Granny prepared the best meal ever for the whole family. She said that on my birthday this year she would make a big cake and I could invite my friends. In summer I normally go visit my grandparents too because they live on a farm and it’s much better than the city. Once when I had school holidays in 2012 I stayed with my grandparents for 2 months. We had great fun! Hoy iré a comer a casa de mis abuelos a las 13:00. Mi abuela nos dijo que fuéramos a mediodía pero mi madre dijo que era demasiado temprano. Siempre vamos los domingos y nos pasamos todo el día ahí. De hecho, también me gusta pasar la noche allí porque el abuelo y yo nos levantamos al amanecer y pasamos la mañana paseando por la montaña. El año pasado, el día de Navidad, la abuela preparó la mejor comida del mundo para toda la familia. Dijo que este año por mi cumpleaños me haría un enorme pastel y que podría invitar a todos mis amigos. En verano también suelo ir a visitar a mis abuelos porque viven en una granja y eso es mucho mejor que la ciudad. Una vez, en las vacaciones del cole en el 2012, me quedé con ellos 2 meses. ¡Lo pasamos genial! Now let’s take a look at the rules so we can see how easy it is! AT IN ON a specific time months, years, seasons, decades days and dates at 3 o'clock in May on Sunday at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays at noon in the summer on March 6th at dinnertime in 1990 on December 25th at bedtime in the 90s on Christmas day at dawn in the next century on New Year's day at sunrise in July on my birthday Well, I’m sure you understand prepositions better now! Remember, if you want to, you can always refer to unit 21 of the course for more information on how to use these prepositions correctly. Have a great weekend! Best regards, Hello! How are you today? I hope you’ve had an amazing week. Tu actual progreso es: Today let’s look at when and where to use CAPITAL letters in English.Hoy vamos a estudiar cuándo y dónde poner las mayúsculas en inglés. Firstly and very importantly the first person singular subject pronoun ”I” is always capitalised. Look at a couple of examples: • I have already seen that movie.Ya he visto esa película. • Jack said that I could go on holiday with him.Jack dijo que yo podía irme de vacaciones con él. Days of the week, months of the year and important holidays start with capital letters in English, for example: • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdaylunes, martes, miércoles • January, February, Marchenero, febrero, marzo • Christmas, EasterNavidad, Semana Santa We also use capital letters for countries, cities, continents and monuments. Look… • Last year I visited several cities in Spain, for example, Barcelona, where I saw the Sagrada Familia.El año pasado visité varias ciudades de España, por ejemplo, Barcelona, donde vi la Sagrada Familia. • I love Big Ben in London.Me encanta el Big Ben de Londres. • He has visited Europe and Asia.Ha visitado Europa y Asia. • Her favourite country is Italy.Su país favorito es Italia. We also use them for people’s names and titles. Look at some examples: • William Shakespeare • Mrs Jones • Dr Smith • Queen Elizabeth They are also used whenever you start a new sentence or after a full stop. • The car drove very fast. It was hard to see it in the dark.El coche iba muy rápido. Fue difícil verlo en la oscuridad. • Would you like more tea? No, thank you!¿Quieres un poco más de té? No, gracias. • My parents like to go swimming on the weekend. However, my sister prefers seeing her friends.A mis padres les gusta nadar los fines de semana. Sin embargo, mi hermana prefiere quedar con los amigos. Languages are also capitalised in English. Here are some examples: • She speaks Spanish very well.Habla muy bien el castellano. • I can’t believe how hard Chinese is. I have studied it for years and still don’t understand anything!No me puedo creer lo difícil que es el chino. Lo estudio desde hace muchos años y, ¡todavía no entiendo nada! • English is a very useful language for travelling and work. El inglés es un idioma muy útil para viajar y trabajar Writing in any language is important so remember that in section 3 in each unit in the ABA online course there is a section dedicated to writing for you to practise and improve your writing and spelling. Have you tried the first one? Practice makes perfect! Have a great day, Best wishes,