Life Pre-intermediate Unit 1a

Present simple

Tips and advice for foreign students in the UK

Over 150,000 overseas students live and study in the UK.

Read what some of them think.

Do people in the UK seem friendly?
My experience is very positive. British people like meeting people
from other countries.
Rosa, Chile

What differences do you notice?

People say the English are very punctual but I don’t think it’s true.
For example, my physics class never starts on time.
Frank, Switzerland

Presentation
Use the present simple tense to talk about … Affirmative
• facts (things that are always or currently true): I / You / We / They live
Over 150,000 overseas students live and study in the in the UK.
UK. He / She / It lives
• repeated events and routines:
Negative
I have a Physics classes every Monday at 9 a.m.
It never starts on time! I / You / We / They don’t (do not)
think it’s true.
• likes/dislikes and opinions: He / She / It does not (doesn’t)
British people like meeting people from other
countries. You usually use the contracted forms don’t/doesn’t when
I don’t think it’s true. speaking and writing informally.
Third person (he/she/it) -s: key spelling rules Questions and short answers
You usually add -s: live → lives Do I / you / we / they
However, there are exceptions: seem friendly?
Does he / she / it
1 Add -es to verbs ending in -ch, -o, -s, -ss, -sh,
and -x: watch → watches, go → goes I am. I’m not.
2 Change verbs ending in consonant + y to -i: Yes, you / we / they are. No, you / we / they aren’t.
study → studies he / she / it is. he / she / it isn’t.
3 Do NOT change the ending -y after a vowel:
buy → buys NOT buies do I / you / we / they
Where come from?
4 Note also have → has does he / she / it
See page 233: Spelling rules

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 1a
Exercises

1 Complete the sentences with the present simple form of the verbs in the box.

catch cost enjoy feel go have live study travel understand

1 Ricki goes to English lessons twice a week.

2 The US President in the White House.
3 We always the bus to work at eight in the morning.
4 This bicycle over 500.
5 He playing computer games with his friends.
6 Most people in France their summer holiday in July and August.
7 Nigel and Bruce for their exams in the evenings.
8 The moon round the Earth at 3,683 kilometres per hour.
9 How do you today? Are you better?
10 I don’t this question. Can you help me?

2  Complete the interview for a school magazine. Use the present simple form
of the verbs in brackets. Then listen and check.

Gabi Teschner, a German exchange student, is spending three months in the USA.
Interviewer: do you notice (notice) about students in the USA?
What 1 ................................................
Gabi: They 2 get up
........................ (get up) very early for school.
Interviewer: What time 3 ................................................. (school/start) in Germany?
Gabi: We also 4 .............................. (begin) at eight o’clock but in the USA the
school day 5 .............................. (last) longer. Also the timetable 6 ..........................
(not give) much time for breaks and lunch.
Gabi Teschner
Interviewer: What 7 .............................. (you think) of American food, Gabi?
Gabi: I 8 .............................. (like) the breakfasts because they are similar to Germany
but the school lunch 9 .............................. (not taste) very good. It’s always
burgers or pizza and fries.
Interviewer: And what 10 .............................. (students do) in their free time?
Gabi: Sport is very important in the USA so they 11 .............................. (play)
baseball or football after school.
12
Interviewer: .............................. (you play) these sports in Germany?
Gabi: Yes, I’m in a women’s football team but we 13 .............................. (not use)
an oval ball. Our footballs, or soccer balls, are round!

3 Correct the sentences. Three sentences are correct.

1 Everyone has a mobile phone these days. ✓ 6 The children like the cake.
2 What time does you get up? do 7 How often does he goes to the gym?
3 I doesn’t believe everything in 8 It not feel very comfortable.
newspapers. 9 My sister studys modern languages at
4 Do they like meeting people? university.
5 The postman bring the letters in the 10 W hat similarities you see between the two
morning. nationalities?

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 1a
Adverbs and expressions of frequency: Present simple

The Culture Are these true or false?

Quiz 1 You don’t need to arrive for dinner on time in the UK. Guests
are often late.

2 The Queen celebrates her birthday twice a year.

3 The Chinese New Year is always on the same day of the year.

4 On her fifteenth birthday, a girl often receives gold in Colombia.

5 The Irish always celebrate St Patrick’s Day on 27th March.

6 In Russia, people don’t often give presents on 25th December.

Christmas Day for them is on 7th January.

5F (St Patrick’s Day is on 17th March.) 6T

Answers: 1F 2T (She has an official birthday and her normal birthday.) 3F (The date changes from year to year.) 4T

Presentation
Use adverbs and expressions of frequency to say how  o Russian people often give presents on 25th December?
D
often something happens. You often use these adverbs • after the verb to be
and expressions with the present simple tense.
Guests are often late.
Adverbs of frequency Guests aren’t often late.
These are some of the most common adverbs of frequency: Are guests often late?
0% never Expressions of frequency
hardly ever/rarely
not often once a(n)
occasionally/sometimes twice a(n) hour / day / week / month / year
three times a(n)
often
hour / day / week / month / year /
normally/usually
every Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday /
100% always
six months / five years
The Irish always celebrate St Patrick’s Day on 17th March.
The Queen celebrates her birthday twice a year.
Position of adverbs of frequency The Irish celebrate St Patrick’s Day every year.
Adverbs of frequency normally come … We play football once a week.
• before the main verb
Position of expressions of frequency
The Irish always wear green on St Patrick’s Day.
Expressions of frequency can come at the beginning or
Russian people don’t often give presents on the end of the sentence:
25th December.
Every year they celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
They celebrate St Patrick’s Day every year.
(don’t say They every year celebrate St Patrick’s Day.)

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 1a
Exercises

1 A hotel interviewed the guests about meals. Look at the results and then choose
the correct words in the summary.

1 How often do you use the hotel room service for your meals?
5% Once a day ....................
Every meal .................... 45% Not often ....................
50%
2 Which do you normally prefer for breakfast?
85% Full English breakfast ....................
Continental breakfast .................... 3%
12% Don’t eat breakfast ....................
3 Do you ever eat at the restaurant in the evening?
6% Sometimes ....................
Yes, every night .................... 69%
25% No, I usually eat out ....................
Five percent of the guests 1 always / often use room service for meals and 45% eat in their rooms
2 every / all day. The rest 3 hardly ever / sometimes use room service. Only 3% 4 rarely / never eat

breakfast and most people 5 occasionally / usually have the Continental breakfast instead of the
Full English breakfast. Most people 6 always / normally eat out in the evening. Only 6% 7 always /
sometimes eat there.

2 Complete the second sentence so that it has 3 Add the adverbs and expressions of
the same meaning as the first sentence. frequency in brackets to the sentences.
Use the phrases in the box.

always don’t normally don’t often

hardly ever once a year twice a week
1 My brother is never on time. Cultural Habits
My brother is late. Breakfast habits around the world
2 Spanish people rarely eat before nine usually
in the evening. 1 What we eat for breakfast is the same
every day. (usually)
Spanish people eat
before nine in the evening. 2 In Madagascar, people eat dried beef. (a few
3 We have English lessons on Mondays times a week)
and Thursdays.
3 Canadians put maple syrup on their morning
We have English lessons pancakes. (always)
4 My family live apart but we always meet on
4 Many of us start the day without either tea or
the first of January. coffee. (rarely)
My family live apart but we meet
5 Italians drink a cup of coffee before they do
5 People in my country usually offer tea to a visitor. anything else. (normally)
People in my country offer
coffee to a visitor. 6 Most breakfast tables around the world include
bread. (every day)
6 My schedule is busy so I often work at weekends.
My schedule is busy so I have a
free weekend.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 1b
Present simple and present continuous

I’m currently
The moon orbits
orbiting the Earth
the Earth once a
at a speed of
day at a speed of
28,000 kilometres
3,683 kilometres
per hour!
per hour.

Presentation

Present simple Present continuous

Use the present simple to talk about … Use the present continuous to talk about …
• facts and things that are always true: • actions happening now:
The moon orbits the Earth once a day. (= this is I’m currently orbiting the Earth. (= this is
always true) happening now)
• things that are generally true: • something that is happening now or around now:
I often have problems with my computer. (= this is I’m having lots of problems with my computer.
generally true) (= at the moment)
• general tendencies and repeated situations: • changing situations:
It gets cold at this time of year. (= every year) It’s getting colder. (= at the moment)
• permanent situations: • temporary or new situations:
Where does he live? He lives with his mum. Where is he living now? He’s staying with friends
(= there’s no plan to change this situation) (= for the moment, but this situation will change)

Stative verbs Time expressions and adverbs

You usually use the present simple with verbs such You often use these adverbs and expressions with the
as be, like, believe, look, understand and know. These present simple tense: always, sometimes, every day,
verbs describe states. You rarely use them in the present all the time.
continuous form: You often use these time expressions with the present
I understand what you mean. ✓ continuous: at the moment, currently, now, today.
I’m understanding what you mean. ✗

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 1b
Exercises

1 Choose the correct forms.

1 The Earth has / is having a population of 6.7 billion people.
2 The climate of the Earth becomes / is becoming warmer at the moment.
3 As you move towards the equator, the temperature becomes / is becoming warmer.
4 You live in France now but where do you come / are you coming from originally?
5 My family lives / is living in Nigeria for two years. After that we’ll move to Alaska.
6 Sorry, I can’t hear you because I stand / ’m standing on the platform at the train station.
7 The train comes / is coming into the station now. I’ll be home in ten minutes.
8 This car never starts / is never starting in the winter.
9 How often do you take / are you taking a holiday?
10 Do you understand / Are you understanding what I’m saying?
2 Complete the article about an internet businessman. Use the present simple or
present continuous forms of the verbs in brackets.

A day in the life of Simon Nixon of www.moneysupermarket.com

I normally 1 .................... (get up) at seven o’clock, but this week
I 2 .................... (start) work earlier because it’s a busy period.
I 3 .................... (usually arrive) at work by nine and I 4 ....................
(check) my emails. Today, I 5 .................... (work) on reports on
our websites because these tell me how many people
6
........................................ (currently visit) our websites. For
7
example, we .................... (have) about six million visitors
every month and this number 8 .................... (increase).
We 9 .................... (also make) a lot of improvements to our sites at the moment.
The internet business is very competitive and it 10 .................... (get) harder to stay at the top.

3 Complete these questions for Simon. Use the present simple or present continuous forms.
1 What time do you get up?
At seven o’clock.
2 W hy earlier this week?
Because it’s a busy period.
3 When at work?
Around nine.
4 What today?
The reports on our websites.
5 How many people every month?
About 6 million.
6  the number of people who visit your sites ?
Yes, it is.
7  easier to stay at the top?
No it isn’t.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 2b
have to, have got to, don’t have to, must and mustn’t

RULES FOR WAITERS

#Work starts at five. You mustn’t be late.
#You have to wash your hands before you start work.
#You don’t have to wear a uniform. Black trousers and
a white shirt are fine.
#You must be polite to customers at all times!

Presentation

Use have to, must and mustn’t to talk about obligation. Affirmative and negative
Use don’t have to to say that there is no obligation to do I
something. You have to
don’t have to doesn’t mean the same as mustn’t
•  We don’t have to
They wear a uniform.
You don’t have to do it. = It isn’t necessary.
You mustn’t do it = Don’t do it! He has to
She doesn’t have to
• have got to means the same as have to
You’ve got to wash your hands. = You have to wash your
Yes/No questions
hands. (have got to is informal.)
TIP There isn’t much difference between have to and Do I / you / we / they wear a
have to
must. You can use must to talk about personal Does he / she uniform?
obligations:
I must lose some weight.
Short answers
Have to is more impersonal:
Police officers have to wear a uniform. I / you / we / they do.
Yes,
he / she does.

I / you / we / they don’t.

No,
he / she doesn’t.

Key vocabulary Work: clean the kitchen, clear the table, cook the food, job, job description, rules, serve the
customers, tidy the clothes, wear a uniform
Clothes: shirt, trousers, uniform

Practical Grammar 1 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 2b
Exercises

1 Choose the correct forms.

1 Shop assistants must / mustn’t be polite to customers.
2 Teachers have to / don’t have to wear a uniform.
3 Nurses must / don’t have to wash their hands.
4 Engineers have to / don’t have to get a special qualification.
5 Taxi drivers in the UK don’t have to / mustn’t drive on the right.
6 Police officers have to / mustn’t wear a uniform.
7 Waiters have to / don’t have to cook the food.
8 Journalists have to / don’t have to ask questions.

2  Complete the conversations about jobs with do, does, have to, has to or mustn’t.
Then listen and check. What are the jobs in conversations 1 and 2?
Conversation 1
A: What time do you start work?
B: I 1 have to be there at nine o’clock. Ι 2 be late.
A: 3
you 4
wear a uniform?
B: Yes, I 5
.
A: What jobs 6 you 7 do?
B: I 8
clean the restaurant and serve the customers.
Conversation 2
C: Does Emily like her new job?
D: Yes, because she doesn’t 9 get up early! The shop doesn’t open until ten.
C: 10
she 11
serve the customers?
D: Yes, she 12
. And she 13
tidy the clothes.
C: Can she smoke?
D: No, she 14 smoke in the shop so she 15 smoke on the street.

3 Look at the rules and the job descriptions. Write sentences about Paolo and Macy. Use has
to, doesn’t have to or mustn’t.
1 food Paulo has to cook the food.
Macy doesn’t have to cook the food. RULES
2 smoke Paulo and Macy
• Work starts at nine - don’t be late
3 tables Paulo
• No smoking
Macy • Wear a uniform
4 uniform Paulo and Macy
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
5 late Paulo and Macy
Paolo: Cook the food
6 customers Paulo
Macy: C lear the tables, serve
Macy the customers

Practical Grammar 1 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 3a
Comparatives: Adjectives and adverbs

Do you find that, as you get older,

your memory is getting less reliable
than it used to be?
Do you want to remember things better and
for longer?
Try our five-day starter course and your memory will immediately be more efficient. With each
exercise your memory will get stronger and stronger until you find that you can think more clearly,
study harder and work more efficiently than ever before.

Presentation
Use the comparative form …
• to make comparisons: This course is better than the last one.
• to describe the results of a change: Your memory will be more efficient (than it was before).
• to describe how something is in the process of changing: Your memory is getting less reliable.
Adjectives
To form comparative adjectives, use -er or more / less.

Short adjectives (one syllable or two syllables Long adjectives (two syllables or
ending in -y) more)
adjective + -er more / less + adjective
old → older, easy → easier, big → bigger efficient → more efficient / less efficient

Some adjectives have two possible comparative forms: more quiet / quieter, more gentle / gentler
Some adjectives are irregular: good → better, bad → worse, far → further
The spelling sometimes changes when we add -er: big → bigger, silly → sillier
See page 233: Spelling rules
Adverbs
Form comparative adverbs in the same way as comparative adjectives, using -er or more / less.

Short adverbs (one syllable) Long adverbs (two syllables or more)

adverb 1 -er more / less 1 adverb
hard → harder, fast → faster efficiently → more efficiently / less efficiently

Some adverbs are irregular : well → better, badly → worse

than
Use the preposition than to link the two objects, people or situations that you are comparing:
My memory is less reliable than it used to be.

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 3a
Exercises

1 Complete the text with the correct comparative form of the adjectives and adverbs.
Use -er, more or less.

Do you find that you’re getting Desk Top Aerobics. The new version is
1
______________ (busy) every day? You’re guaranteed to make you 6____________ (fit)
working ___________ (hard) than ever, but
2
and 7__________________ (healthy). It’ll help
you’re getting 3_________________________ you feel 8____________________ (stressed).
(efficient)? You’ve never got time to It’ll help you work 9______________________
get to the gym and you’re getting (quickly) and 10__________________________
4
______________ (fat) and _______________
5
(efficiently). You’ll love it. Your boss’ll
(slow)? Then try our new, improved love it. Start now!

2  Complete the texts using the comparative form of the adjectives and adverbs in the boxes.
Then listen and check.

good grey long stressed happy healthily short stressed

I hate my job! I’m working I love my new life. I can relax now
1
hours so I’m 5
than ever and the wages aren’t than before. I’m working
getting any 2  . 6
hours. I’m
I’m 3 than eating 7 .
I’ve ever been before. My hair’s I’m 8 and
getting 4 by enjoying life more than I ever have
the day! I don’t think I can take it before.
anymore!

3 Write sentences that give your opinion. Use a comparative form using -er, more or less.
1 pizza / ice-cream  (tasty) I think ice-cream is tastier than pizza.
2 work / studying  (stressful) I think
3 listening to music / doing sport  (relaxing) I think
4 travelling by car / travelling by train  (fast) I think
5 dancers / golfers  (fit) I think
6 teachers / lawyers  (work hard) I think

4 Complete these sentences so that they are true for you.

1 I am less than I was five years ago.
2 I think is more important than  .
3 is easier than  .
4 is better for you than  .
5 I’d like to be more / less than I am at the moment.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 3a
Superlatives: Adjectives and adverbs

Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, has been voted

the best city in the world to live in. Zurich’s parks
make it one of the greenest cities in the world, its air
is the least polluted and it’s one of the cities where
you can travel most comfortably. And with the third
lowest crime rate, it is certainly one of the safest.

Presentation
Use the superlative form to show that one thing or Common expressions
person in a group has got more or less of a quality than Superlative adjectives are often used with …
all the others in the same group: Zurich is Switzerland’s • one / some of the … : one of the greenest cities, some
largest city. (= no other city in Switzerland is larger.) of the cleanest water
Adjectives • the second / third etc. … in … : the third lowest in
Europe
To form superlative adjectives, use -est or most / least.
• the most … ever … : the most exciting city you’ll ever
Short adjectives (one syllable or two syllables visit
ending in -y)
Adverbs
adjective 1 -est Form superlative adverbs in the same way as superlative
large → largest, green → greenest adjectives, using -est or most / least.
big → biggest, easy → easiest
pretty → prettiest Short adverbs (one syllable)
adverb 1 -est
Long adjectives (two syllables or more) hard → hardest, fast → fastest

most / least 1 adjective

expensive → most expensive, exciting → most exciting, Long adverbs (two syllables or more)
polluted → least polluted most / least 1 adverb
safely → most / least safely
Some adjectives have two possible superlative forms: comfortably → most / least comfortably
most polite / politest, most gentle / gentlest
Some adjectives are irregular: good → best, bad → worst, Some adverbs are irregular: well → best, badly → worst
far → furthest We can use superlative adverbs both with and without the:
See page 233: Spelling rules It’s the city where you travel most comfortably / the most
the and possessive adjectives comfortably.
You often use the, a possessive or possessive ’s before a
superlative adjective: The best city, its best attraction,
Switzerland’s largest city.

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 3a
Exercises

1 Complete the text by adding most or -est to the adjectives in brackets. Make any necessary
spelling changes.
 ierra del Fuego is one of the 1
T (fascinating) places
on earth. Its snowy mountains offer some of the 2
(spectacular) views you will ever see. The 3 (high) peak
stands at 2448 m above sea level. The 4 (easy) access to
Tierra del Fuego is from Argentina, and Ushuaia is the 5
(popular) destination with tourists. But the 6 (southern)
town in South America, and the world, is Puerto Toro, Chile. It is also one
of the 7 (small) towns in South America with a
population of under fifty people. A visit to Puerto Toro will certainly be one
of the 8 (unforgettable) experiences of your life.
2 Complete the sentences using most, least or -est and the adjectives and adverbs in the box.
cold expensive fast high hot northern small visited

1 Ulaan Batar, Outer Mongolia, is the capital city in the world. It has an average
temperature of 21.38 C.
2 Bangkok is the city in the world, with an average temperature of 308 C all year round.
3 Chonqing, China, is probably the growing city in the world. Experts believe its size
will double from ten million to twenty million in the next thirteen years.
4 Paris is the city in the world. It has over thirty million tourists a year.
5 The Vatican City is probably the world’s capital city. Just under 1000 people live
inside its walls.
6 La Paz, Bolivia, situated at 3640 m above sea level, is the capital city in the world.
7 Asuncion in Paraguay is possibly the capital city in the world. The cost of living in
Asuncion is only a third of the cost of living in New York.
8 Hammerfest, Norway, situated just outside the Arctic Circle, is one of the cities in
the world.
3  Complete the conversations with the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in
brackets. Then listen and check.
Conversation 1
A: So, what did you think of Prague?
B: Amazing. It’s definitely 1 (beautiful) than any of the other cities I’ve visited so far.
But, I must admit, the food is 2 (good) in Paris.
Conversation 2
C: What’s 3 (good) way to get to London?
D: Well, the train probably gets you there 4 (quick). It’s definitely
5
(fast) than going by car.
Conversation 3
E: What was the hotel like?
F: Well, it wasn’t 6 (comfortable) hotel I’ve ever stayed in! It was on one of
7
(busy) streets in the town – it was really noisy. And the second night was
8
(bad) than the first. The air-conditioning wasn’t working and there was a party
going on in the street. That was probably 9 (bad) night’s sleep I’ve ever had!

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 3b
as ... as ...

It looks like a normal sports car, it’s as fast as a normal

sports car, it drives just as well as a normal sports car, but
it isn’t a normal sports car. It’s 100% electric. It may be
twice as expensive to buy as a traditional sports car, but
it’s a hundred times more ecological and it isn’t nearly as
expensive to run. With this car, saving the planet isn’t
nearly as difficult as we thought – and it’s much more fun!

Presentation
Use as … as … to compare two things and say that they Modifying as … as …
are similar: You can modify expressions using (not) as … as … to
It’s as fast as a normal sports car. (5 Sports cars are fast. show the degree of similarity or difference.
This car is equally fast.) • small difference: This one is almost as exciting as that
Use just with as … as … to emphasise the similarity: one.
It drives just as well as a normal sports car. • big difference: This one is twice as expensive as that
one.
Use not as … as … to compare two things and say
Small differences
that they are different, and that one possesses less of a
certain quality and ability than the other: almost as exciting as
nearly as cheaply as
It isn’t as expensive to run as a traditional petrol-fuelled
not quite
car. (5 It’s cheaper to run than a traditional petrol-
fuelled car.) Big differences
(not) as adjective as noun twice / three times … as expensive as
adverb not nearly as cheaply as

It’s as cheap as a bicycle. Common expressions

It drives as well as a normal sports car. As … as … is used in a lot of common fixed expressions:
as soon as possible, as quickly as I can, as good as new, as
Also use not as … as… to explain that an object, person good as gold, as old as the hills
or situation has less of a quality than you imagined:
It isn’t as difficult as we’d expected.

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 3b
Exercises

1 Put the words in order. Start with the phrase which is underlined.

Question:
Old-fashioned style or new tech comfort? Which camper van do you prefer?

1 popular as the new model isn’t the original model as

2 stylish not the new van as is

3 it’s as comfortable sleep to in just

4 to run not expensive as the new model is

5 the new one the old one big as as just is

2 Complete the sentences using as … as … and the words in brackets.

1 bus ($25) train ($40): The bus isn’t (nearly / expensive) the train.
2 car (5 passengers) van (10 passengers): The car isn’t (quite / big) the van.
3 bike (no fuel) car (full tank of fuel): Obviously a bike isn’t (nearly / expensive) to
run as a car.
4 bike (30 mins) bus (30 mins): You can get there by bike (just / quickly) by bus.
5 January (4) August (18): The weather in January isn’t (warm) it is in August.
6 bus ( ) train ( ): The bus isn’t (quite / comfortable) the train.
3  Complete the common expressions with the words in the box. Then listen and check.

bad easy good much  quickly young
1 A:  Thanks for looking after the kids.
B:  You’re welcome. It was a pleasure. They’ve been as as gold.
2 A:  Hi! Sorry I’m late. I got here as as I could.
B:  Don’t worry. We started without you.
3 A:  You can fix the car, can’t you?
B:  Mmm … I’m not sure. It isn’t as as it looks.
4 A:  Help yourselves to some food. Take as as you want.
B:  Thanks! It looks delicious!
5 A:  Look at this! It’s ruined!
B:  Let me see. No, it isn’t as as you think. It’ll come out in the wash.
6 A:  Ouch! I’m not as as I used to be!
B:  Watch out Fred. You’re showing your age!

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 4a
Past simple: Time expressions

MY TOP TWENTY FILMS

15 In A Lonely Place
For Dix and Laura it was love at first sight. But then a girl died.
The police were sure that it was Dix who murdered her. Laura
defended him. She didn’t believe the stories about his violent
iolent
past. But Dix became more and more possessive and d she
wasn’t so sure. Did Dix kill the girl? Was their love strong trong
enough to survive?

Presentation
Use the past simple to talk about actions and situations to be
in the past.
was
I / He / She / It
to be wasn’t (was not)
sure.
The past simple forms of to be are was and were: You / We / They
were
weren’t (were not)
It was love at first sight. The police were sure Dix was the
murderer.
I / he / Yes, I / he / she / it was.
Was
Regular Verbs she / it No, I / he / she / it wasn’t.
right?
With most other verbs add -ed to form affirmative verbs: you / we / Yes, you / we / they were.
Were
kill → killed, defend → defended they No, you / we / they weren’t.

Use did/didn’t + infinitive to form questions and negatives. Other verbs

Did Dix kill the girl? (not Did Dix killed the girl?) believed
I / You / He / She /
Laura didn’t believe the stories. (not Laura didn’t It / We / They
the stories.
didn’t believe
believed the stories)

Use did/didn’t to form short answers. I / you / he / she / it /

What did ask Laura?
we / they
Did Laura believe the police? No, she didn’t.
I / you / he / she / it /
Irregular Verbs Did believe the stories?
we / they
Some verbs have an irregular affirmative form in the
past simple: Yes, I / you / he / No, I / you / he /
did. didn’t.
become → became, leave → left, tell → told she / it / we / they she / it / we / they

See page 235: Irregular verb list Key spelling rules

Time expressions You may need to make small changes to the spelling of
Here are some common time expressions often used the verb at times:
with the past simple: yesterday, last week, last year, two 1. live → lived (not liveed)
years ago, five minutes ago 2. cry → cried (not cryed)
See page 233: Spelling rules

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 4a
Exercises

1 Complete the text with the past simple form of the verb in brackets or short answers.
Dix 1 (be) a writer and Laura 2 (be) a young actress. They
3
(live) in the same apartment block, but they 4
(not know)
each other. One night Dix 5 (bring) a young girl back to his flat. As they arrived,
they 6 (meet) Laura. She and Dix 7 (look) at each other.
They 8
(not speak), but they were instantly attracted to each other.
The next morning the police 9 (ask) Laura to go to the police station.
The girl 10
(be) dead. The police 11 (think) that Dix was the murderer.
‘12 (you see) Dix leave with the girl?’ they 13 (ask).
‘No, I 14
,’ she replied, ‘I 15
(see) him standing at his bedroom
window – alone.’
Dix and Laura’s eyes met across the room. Everyone could see they 16 (be) in love.
2 Complete the questions with the past simple form of the verbs in the box.
ask  be (3 2) do meet talk tell
1 What job Dix ? He was a writer.
2 When Dix and Laura first ? One night, when Dix brought a girl home
to his flat.
3 they to each other? No, they didn’t. They just looked at each other.
4 Why the police Laura to go to the police station? They wanted to ask
her some questions.
5 Dix worried? No, he was sure Laura could prove his innocence.
6 What she the police? That she saw him standing alone at his
bedroom window.
7 they in love? Yes, it was obvious to everybody.
3 Put the words in the correct order to make questions.
1 night what you last do did?
2 see you what film did?
3 actors were who the?
4 about was what it?
5 it you enjoy did?
4 Match the responses a–e to the questions in exercise 3. Then listen and check.
a Yes, it was great.
b A writer and an actress who fell in love.
c An old black and white film called In A Lonely Place.
d We went to the cinema.
e Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 4b
Past continuous and past simple: Actions in progress, temporary
actions and situations, the background to a story

It was winter. I was staying

with my grandparents at the
time. One day I needed to go
to London. My grandparents
offered to drive me to the
station. It was snowing and the
traffic was moving really slowly
so I decided to get out and walk.
As I arrived at the station the
last passengers were getting on
the train. I ran to the platform,
but it was too late. The train
was leaving the station.

Presentation
Use the past continuous to talk about actions and Past continuous and past simple
situations in progress at a particular moment in the past: You can use the past continuous with the past simple to
It was snowing and the traffic was moving really slowly. talk about two actions that happened at the same time.
Use the past continuous to talk about the action which
Past continuous
was already in progress. Use the past simple to talk
Affirmative and negative about a second, shorter action:
was
I / He / She / It
wasn’t (was not)
running.
were She arrived on the platform
We / You / They
weren’t (were not) time

The train was leaving the station

Questions and short answers
When she arrived at the platform, the train was leaving
was I / he / she / it
Where going? the station.
were we / you / they

Yes, I / he / she / it was. No, I / he / she / it wasn’t.

The second, shorter action sometimes interrupts the
Yes, you / we / they were. No, you / we / they weren’t. action already in progress:

You also often use the past continuous to describe the

background to a story: The ticket collector stopped me
It was winter. I was staying with my grandparents at the time
time.
I was running up the stairs
Do not use the past continuous with stative verbs:
I needed … (not I was needing.) I was running up the stairs to the platform when the
See Unit 9 for information about stative verbs. ticket collector stopped me.

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 4b
Exercises
1 Complete the sentences with was, were, wasn’t or weren’t.
1 What you doing at ten o’clock last night?
2 Why he running away so fast?
3 He doing his homework. He watching TV instead!
4 They disturbing the neighbours with their loud music.
5 I’m sorry. I working late at the office and I forgot to call.
6 Sorry, we listening. What did you say?
7 She living there for very long, only a few weeks, I think.
8 They having problems with their car, so they took a taxi.

2  Choose the correct form of the verb. Then listen and check.
Conversation 1
A: What 1 did you do / were you doing at 2 a.m. this morning? 2 Did you have / Were you having a party?
B: No, not a party. We 3 invited / were inviting some friends round for dinner. Why?
A: The music was really loud! I 4 tried / was trying to get to sleep.
B: Sorry! I 5 didn’t know / wasn’t knowing it was so loud.
Conversation 2
C: Oh! Hello! I didn’t know you 6 waited / were waiting for me. I 7 spoke / was speaking to Mark on the phone.
D: It’s OK. I 8 finished / was finishing work about half an hour ago. Would you like to go for a quick coffee?
Have you got time?
C: Yes, I have. I 9 just looked / was just looking at a report, but I can finish it later.

3 Complete the text with the past continuous or past simple of the verbs in brackets.

A man 1 (walk) down the street. It 2 (be) a beautiful

day – the sun 3
(shine) and the birds 4
(sing). The
man 5
(walk) past a park bench when he 6
(see) a piece
of paper on the floor. He 7
(pick) it up. It 8
(be) a lottery ticket.
He 9
(cross) the street to a shop where a woman 10
(write) the
winning lottery numbers on a board. He 11
(read) the numbers on the board and
12
(look) at the numbers on his ticket. He couldn’t believe his eyes! As he
13
(walk) out of the shop, he 14 (dream) about how he
would spend his three-million-pound prize!

Practical grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 5a
much/many, lots/a lot of, a little/a few

How much exercise do you do? How many hours a week do

you exercise?

A lot. I spend lots of time at the gym every

week and I play a few sports like football and Not many. I know I should do more but I have
tennis. I also make sure I always have a little lots of meetings at work and I have very little
free time for golf at the weekends. free time at the weekends.

Presentation
Use much, many, lots, a lot of, a little and a few to talk a lot of / lots of
about quantity. Use lots of or a lot of to talk about large quantities with
much / many uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns:
You usually use much / many in questions and negative I spend a lot of money on food. I have lots of meetings.
statements. Use much with uncountable nouns and There is no difference in meaning or use between lots of
many with plural countable nouns: and a lot of:
I haven’t got much time. I don’t have many friends. I spend a lot of money on food. = I spend lots of money
How much money do you earn? How many different on food.
sports do you play? Do not use of when there is no noun:
Don’t use much in speech in affirmative statements. You How much exercise do you do?
normally use a lot / lots: Say A lot. (don’t say A lot of. )
Say I’ve got a lot of free time this weekend. (don’t say
a little / a few
I’ve got much free time this weekend.)
Use a little and a few to talk about small quantities.
You can use many in affirmative statements, but it can
seem very formal: Use a little with uncountable nouns: I have a little free time.
Use a few with plural countable nouns: I play a few sports.
I’ve got many things to do today. (formal)
I’ve got a lot of things to do today. (more common) You can also use little and few without a but there is a
not much / not many difference in meaning.

Use not much and not many to talk about small quantities. A little or a few has a positive meaning. Little or few has
a negative meaning:
Use not much with uncountable nouns:
I haven’t got much work to do this weekend. I have a little free time today so let’s play golf.
Use not many with plural countable nouns: I have little free time so I can’t play golf.
I don’t exercise many hours a week. TIP n
 ot much / not many have a similar meaning to
You can also use not much and not many in short answers: very little / few:
I don’t have much free time = I have very little time.
How many hours a week do you exercise? Not many.
I don’t have many friends at work = I have very few friends.
Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning
 Pre-intermediate Unit 5a
Exercises

1 Choose the correct words. Then listen and check.

A: Are you spending 1 lot / lots of time at the gym these days?
B: No, not 2 much / many. What about you?
A: No, I have very 3 little / few spare time at the moment.
B: Me too. A 4 little / few of my friends find time to go out after work but I find there
aren’t any hours left for anything else.
A: How 5 much / many hours do you work a week?
B: A 6 lot / lots! Last week I worked over one hundred hours.
A: Don’t you get any holiday?
B: I have a 7 little / few days off next week, actually.

2 Correct the mistake in lines 1–7. Underline the mistake and write the correction.
a lot / lots of
1 A survey of gyms and fitness centres suggests that people spend a lots of

2 their spare time at the gym, but very little people are actually losing any weight.

3 In answer to the question ‘How many weight have you lost since joining the

4 gym?’ only 23% of the members said they were fitter. A little people (4%) even

5 said they had gained a few weight. But gyms needn’t worry about these results.

6 When asked the question ‘Will you pay your membership next year?’ only few

7 people answered ‘no’ (9%). It’s clear that much members are more interested in

the extra benefit, e.g. the sauna.

3 Choose the correct words. In two sentences both answers are possible.
1 A:  How much / many milk do you like in your tea?
B: A lot / lot of, please.
2 Lot / Lots of students study online nowadays.
3 Few / A few people write letters anymore. Everyone uses email.
4 Can I have much / a little ice cream, please? It looks delicious!
5 Would you like a little / few milk?
6 Sorry, but we don’t have much / many information about train times.
7 You don’t earn much / little money as a teacher!
8 There isn’t much / ’s very little bread left. Can you buy some?
9 The post office is only a little / a few metres from the cinema.
10 In my opinion, not many / few children learn to be polite anymore.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 5b
Zero article

Home About Me My friends Messages Settings Logout

Name: Natasha, but Free time

everyone calls me Tash! activities: I spend
hours listening
Occupation: Illustrator. to the radio on
I love it! I don’t go out to my computer and
TASH work. I work from home! watching TV. I love
playing football and
Favourite food: I love
I’m learning to play
pasta. I hate peas and
the guitar.
green beans.
What you admire
Likes and dislikes:
in a friend: A good
I love cats but I hate
sense of humour,
dogs, especially really
honesty, intelligence
small dogs – and the two
– and a great music
big black dogs that live
collection!
next door.

Presentation
The zero article means you do not use a/an or the. Some special cases
You do not use an article with plural or uncountable • play + sports
nouns to talk about people, animals or things in a You say play tennis (and other sports) with no article,
general way. but you say play the piano (and other instruments).
• plural nouns I play football. I’m learning to play the guitar.
I hate dogs = You hate all dogs. (don’t say I hate the • home, work and school
dogs.) You do not use an article when talking about home,
Compare with: The two big black dogs that live next work or school as part of your day to day life.
door. (= two specific dogs) I’m staying at home tonight.
• uncountable nouns I’m not going in to work tomorrow.
I love pasta. = You love all types of pasta. (don’t say Where are the children? They’re at school.
I love the pasta.) Compare with:
Compare with: I love the pasta your mum makes. Her grandmother lives in an old people’s home.
(= a specific type of pasta) (= a specific kind of home)
• abstract nouns and concepts I’ve finished all the work I had to do this weekend.
I love silence. (don’t say I love the silence.) (= a specific amount of work)
Compare with: I love the silence in the early morning
The children go to the school at the end of the road.
when everyone is sleeping. (= a specific example of
(= explaining which school)
silence)
• by + transport
by car, by taxi, by train

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 5b
Exercises

1 Complete the text with the or Ø (zero article).

Name: Fred

Favourite food: I love 1________________ homemade food. I particularly love

2
_______________ food my grandmother makes. I hate 3_________________ burgers
and 4_________________ chips and 5_________________ coffee from 6_________________
FRED machine at work.
Likes and dislikes: I love 7_________________ dancing and spending time with
my friends. I especially love going to 8_________________ park and listening to
9
_________________ music on my mp3 player.
Free time activities: I like to keep fit. I play 10_________________ basketball twice
a week and go swimming in 11_________________ local pool every morning. I spend
12
_________________ hours playing 13_________________ games on my computer and I
love watching 14_________________ DVDs of old black and white films. I’m learning
to play 15_________________ saxophone. I’m not very good but it’s 16_________________
great fun.

2 Cross out the definite articles which are not 5 The money cannot buy the happiness.
necessary. 6 Jim is the happiest person I know.
1 I admire the people who know what they want 7 A:  How did you get here?
to do in the life. B:  I came by the bus.
2 Those are the people who live in the house next A:  The number 1?
door to us. B:  No, the number 3.
3 I loved the apple pie your mum made for us last 8 A:  Where are you working at the moment?
night.
B:  At the new school near the stadium.
4 The bus is always late in the morning and I’m
always late for the work! 9 A:  Does Tom do any sport at the school?
B:  Yes, he plays the football twice a week.

3  Add the to the conversation where necessary. Then listen and check.
the
A: Would you and kids like to have lunch with us on Sunday?
/\
B: Yes, we’d love to. Kids love food you cook!
A: Is there anything they don’t like? I’m thinking of making chicken and rice. And ice cream for dessert.
B: Great! They both love chicken – especially with special homemade tomato sauce you always make.
A: And maybe we can go and see a film later? New Disney film is on at Odeon Cinema near us.
B: I can take them if you want and you can stay at home and enjoy some peace and quiet.
A: That sounds great!
B: No problem. See you on Sunday then.
A: Yeah, bye.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 6a
Verb patterns

How do you learn new words?

Tick ( ) the techniques you use for learning new words in English.
A I translate it in my notebook in case I want to read it again later.

B I practise repeating the word a few times.

C I learn by listening to the new word.

D I need to write a sentence with it.

E I keep using it in conversation for the rest of the day.

How many did you tick? Can you think of any otherr techniques?
techniiques? Why
Why not
not try
tr y all
all of
of them?
them?

Presentation
The main verb in a sentence is sometimes followed by verb 1 preposition 1 -ing form
a second verb. This verb can be an infinitive or the When a preposition follows the first verb, the next verb
-ing form. uses the -ing form:
I want to read it again. Which of these techniques do you use for learning new
I keep using it in conversation. words in English?
The choice depends on the main verb. Some verbs I learn by hearing the new word.
are always followed by a to-infinitive; some verbs are Common verbs followed by a preposition + the -ing
followed by the -ing form. form: apologize for, learn by / from, plan on, stop from,
See Unit 73 for information about verbs that are thank for, think of / about, use for, worry about
followed by both forms.
verb 1 bare infinitive (infinitive without to)
verb 1 to-infinitive You use the bare infinitive (infinitive without to) with
Certain verbs are always followed by the to-infinitive form: do / does / did when you form negatives and questions
I want to read it again later. and with modal verbs, e.g. can, must, will:
Common verbs followed by to-infinitive: agree, decide, How do you learn new words?
expect, hope, learn, manage, need, offer, plan, promise, How many did you tick?
seem, want Can you think of any other techniques?
verb 1 -ing form
Certain verbs are always followed by the -ing form:
I keep using it in conversation for the rest of the day.
Common verbs only followed by the -ing form: consider,
dislike, enjoy, finish, imagine, involve, keep, mind,
postpone, practise, suggest

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 6a
Exercises

1 Complete the sentences with the correct words a, b or c.

1 I never learn by words down.
a write b  to write c writing
2 Can we that film again? It’s great!
a watch b  to watch c  watching
3 Don’t keep your music up so loud.
a turn b  to turn c  turning
4 Did the owners of the company agree us more money?
a pay b  to pay c  paying
5 I hope a professional football player after school.
a become b  to become c  becoming
6 How many new words do you a day?
a learn b  to learn c  learning
7 My neighbour paid me for his car.
a clean b  to clean c  cleaning
8 Let’s postpone out tonight. I’m too busy.
a go b  to go c  going
9 This mp3 player doesn’t seem  .
a work b  to work c  working
10 Are you going to apologise for your little sister?
a hit b  to hit c  hitting
2 Cross out to where necessary.
1 Can you to help me? 6 How long did you to work here?
2 Can you to stay late at work tonight? 7 Did you want to speak to someone?
3 They’ve decided to get married. 8 Will you to be able to finish the project on your own?
4 When do they to plan to get married? 9 You mustn’t to drive so fast on this road.
5 Do you want to try that exercise again? 10 I don’t expect to be back here for a while.

3 Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs. Then listen and check.

Good morning everyone and thank you for 1 coming (come)

today. Do you dislike 2 (look) for new words in a
thick, heavy dictionary? Can you imagine 3 (have)
instant access to the world’s biggest dictionary in every language?
Well, today I want 4 (present) the latest in
electronic dictionaries, the XtraLingo. It’s so simple that anyone can
5
(use) it. First of all, you need 6
(press) the ON button. Then you begin by 7
(type) in a word in English and the machine will automatically
8
(give) you the translation in any language.
And don’t worry about 9 (carry) it around because
the XtraLingo is the size of a mobile phone.

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

Life Pre-intermediate Unit 6b
going to and present continuous: Plans, intentions and arrangements

Presentation
going to Present continuous or going to?
You can use be 1 going to 1 infinitive to talk about You can use either form to talk about plans and
intentions or plans for the future: arrangements in the future:
I’m going to stay single. We’re playing tennis tomorrow.
I’m never going to get married. We’re going to play tennis tomorrow.
Affirmative and negative When you use the present continuous to talk about
the future you normally use a specific future time
I ’m / ’m not expression:
He / She / It ’s / isn’t going to get married. We’re playing tennis tomorrow.
You / We / They ’re / aren’t If you don’t use a future time expression (or the time
is not obvious), the present continuous refers to the
Question present time:
Am I We’re playing tennis tomorrow. (5 future)
(When) Is he / she / it going to invite Harry? We’re playing tennis. (5 now at the moment of
speaking)
Are you / we / they
go and come
Present continuous
You normally use the verbs go and come in the present
You can use the present continuous to talk about continuous, not with going to:
arrangements in the future:
Who’s coming to your wedding? (not Who’s going to come
Paula and I are getting married on 1st May. to your wedding?)
I’m meeting Harry tomorrow night at eight. Who’s going to the wedding? (not Who’s going to go to the
See also Units 8 and 9. wedding?)

Practical Grammar 2 1 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-intermediate Unit 6b
Exercises

1 Look at the pictures and write sentences. Use going to and the phrases in the box.
become a firefighter  buy a Ferrari  get married  grow her own food  have a long holiday
start his diet next week  travel round the world  try something exciting

1 He’s going to travel round the world. 2 He

3 They 4 She

5 He 6 He

7 She 8 She

2 Tick the sentences where you can use the present continuous without changing the future
meaning.
1 We’re going to speak to everyone in about an hour. ✓
2 I’m going to ask him to call you back. ✗
3 Lucinda isn’t going to arrive until three.
4 Is she going to explain how to answer these questions?
5 I’m going to tidy my room. I promise I will.
6 The children are going to start school at the end of August.
7 Everyone is going to meet in the town square at midnight.
8 They’re going to rebuild that old house.
9 Are you going to tell her how you really feel? She needs to know.
10 The whole family is going to spend their next holiday on the beach.
3 Complete these sentences about your plans and intentions for the future.
1 Next week I’m going to  .
2 Next month I’m going to  .
3 Next year I’m going to  .

Practical Grammar 2 2 © National Geographic Learning

 Pre-int Grammar Practice Worksheets
Life Answer Key

Unit 1a 10 What similarities do you see between

the two nationalities?
1
1 goes Unit 1a(2)
2 lives
3 catch 1
4 costs 1 always
5 enjoys 2 every
6 have 3 sometimes
7 study 4 never
8 travels 5 usually
9 feel 6 normally
10 understand 7 always

2 2
1 do you notice 1 always
2 get up 2 don’t normally
3 does school start 3 twice a week
4 begin 4 once a year
5 lasts 5 hardly ever
6 doesn’t give 6 don’t often
7 do you think
8 like 3
9 doesn’t taste 1 What we eat for breakfast is usually the
10 do students do same every day.
11 play 2 In Madagascar, people eat dried beef a
12 Do you play few times a week.
13 don’t use 3 Canadians always put maple syrup on
their morning pancakes.
3 4 Many of us rarely start the day without
1 correct either tea or coffee.
2 What time do you get up? 5 Italians normally drink a cup of coffee
3 I don’t believe everything in newspapers. before they do anything else.
4 correct 6 Most breakfast tables around the world
5 The postman brings the letters in the include bread every day.
morning.
6 correct Unit 1b
7 How often does he go to the gym?
8 It doesn’t feel very comfortable. 1
9 My sister studies modern languages at 1 has
university. 2 is becoming
1
3 becomes 7 have to
4 do you come 8 have to
5 is living 9 have to
6 ’m standing 10 Does
7 ’s coming 11 have to
8 never starts 12 does
9 do you take 13 has to
10 Do you understand 14 mustn’t
15 has to
2 Conversation 1: waiter
1 get up Conversation 2: shop assistant
2 ’m starting
3 usually arrive 3
4 check 1 Paulo has to cook the food.
5 ’m working Macy doesn’t have to cook the food.
6 are currently visiting 2 Paulo and Macy mustn’t smoke.
7 have 3 Paulo doesn’t have to clear the tables.
8 is increasing Macy has to clear the tables.
9 ’re also making 4 Paulo and Macy have to wear a uniform.
10 ’s getting 5 Paulo and Macy mustn’t be late.
6 Paulo doesn’t have to serve the
3 customers.
1 do you get up Macy has to serve the customers.
2 are you starting work
3 do you (usually) arrive Unit 3a
4 are you doing/working on
5 visit the website 1
6 Is … increasing 1 busier
7 Is it getting 2 harder
3 less efficient
Unit 2b 4 fatter
5 slower
1 6 fitter
1 must 7 healthier
2 don’t have to 8 less stressed
3 must 9 more quickly
4 have to 10 more efficiently
5 mustn’t
6 have to 2
7 don’t have to 1 longer
8 have to 2 better
3 more stressed
2 4 greyer
1 have to 5 less stressed
2 mustn’t 6 shorter
3 Do 7 more healthily
4 have to 8 happier
5 do
6 do 3 Students’ own answers.
2
 2 quite as big as
4 Students’ own answers. 3 nearly as expensive
4 just as quickly
Unit 3a(2) 5 as warm as
6 quite as comfortable as
1
1 most fascinating 3
2 most spectacular 1 good
3 highest 2 quickly
4 easiest 3 easy
5 most popular 4 much
6 most southern 5 bad
7 smallest 6 young
8 most unforgettable

2 Unit 4a
1 coldest 1
2 hottest 1 was
3 fastest 2 was
4 most visited 3 lived
5 smallest 4 didn’t know
6 highest 5 brought
7 least expensive 6 met
8 most northern 7 looked
8 didn’t speak
3 9 asked
1 more beautiful 10 was
2 better 11 thought
3 the best 12 Did you see
4 the quickest 13 asked
5 faster 14 didn’t
6 the most comfortable 15 saw
7 the busiest 16 were
8 worse
9 the worst 2
1 did, do
Unit 3b 2 did, meet
3 Did, talk
1 4 did, ask
1 The new model isn’t as popular as the 5 Was
original model. 6 did, tell
2 The new van is not as stylish. 7 Were
3 It’s just as comfortable to sleep in.
4 The new model is not as expensive to 3
run. 1 What did you do last night?
5 The new one is just as big as the old one. 2 What film did you see?
3 Who were the actors?
2 4 What was it about?
1 nearly as expensive as 5 Did you enjoy it?
3
 2 much
4 3 little
a5 b4 c2 d1 e3 4 few
5 many
Unit 4b 6 lot
7 few
1
1 were 2
2 was 1 A survey of gyms and fitness centres
3 wasn’t, was suggests that people spend a lot/lots of
4 were 2 their spare time at the gym, but very few
5 was people are actually losing any weight.
6 weren’t 3 In answer to the question ‘How much
7 wasn’t weight have you lost since joining the
8 were 4 gym?’ only 23% of the members said
they were fitter. A few people (4%) even
5 said they had gained a little weight. But
gyms needn’t worry about these results.
2 6 When asked the question ‘Will you pay
1 were you doing your membership next year?’ only a few
2 Were you having 7 people answered ‘no’ (9%). It’s clear
3 invited that a lot of/ lots of members are more
4 was trying interested in
5 didn’t know 8 the extra benefits, e.g. the sauna.
6 were waiting
7 was speaking 3
8 finished 1 much, lot
9 was just looking 2 Lots
3 Few
3 4 a little
1 was walking 5 a little
2 was 6 much
3 was shining 7 much
4 were singing 8 both
5 walked 9 a few
6 saw 10 both
7 picked
8 was Unit 5b
9 crossed
10 was writing 1
11 read 1Ø
12 looked 2 the
13 walked 3Ø
14 was dreaming 4Ø
5 the
Unit 5a 6 the
7Ø
1 8 the
1 lots 9Ø
4
10 Ø Unit 6a
11 the
12 Ø 1
13 Ø 1c 2a 3c 4b 5b 6a
14 Ø 7c 8c 9b 10 c
15 the
16 Ø 2
1 Can you to help me?
2 2 Can you to stay late at work tonight?
1 I admire the people who know what they 3 correct
want to do in the life. 4 When do they to plan to get married?
2 correct 5 correct
3 correct 6 How long did you to work here?
4 The bus is always late in the morning 7 correct
and I’m always late for the work! 8 Will you to be able to finish the project
5 The money cannot buy the happiness. on your own?
6 correct 9 You mustn’t to drive so fast on this road.
7 A: How did you get here? 10 correct
B: I came by the bus.
A: The number 1? 3
B: No, the number 3. 1 coming
8 correct 2 looking
9 A: Does Tom do any sport at the school? 3 having
B: Yes, he plays the football twice a week. 4 to present
5 use
3 6 to press
A: Would you and the kids like to have 7 typing
lunch with us on Sunday? 8 give
B: Yes, we’d love to. The kids love the 9 carrying
food you cook!
A: Is there anything they don’t like? I’m Unit 6b
thinking of making chicken and rice. And
ice cream for dessert. 1
B: Great! They both love chicken – 1 He’s going to travel round the world.
especially with the special homemade 2 He’s going to become a fire-fighter.
tomato sauce you always make. 3 They’re going to get married.
A: And maybe we can go and see a film 4 She’s going to try something exciting.
later? The new Disney film is on at the 5 He’s going to buy a Ferrari.
Odeon Cinema near us. 6 He’s going to start his diet next week.
B: I can take them if you want and you can 7 She’s going to have a long holiday.
stay at home and enjoy some peace and 8 She’s going to grow her own food.
quiet.
A: That sounds great! 2
B: No problem. See you on Sunday then. 1✓ 2✗ 3✓ 4✗ 5✗ 6✓
A: Yeah, bye. 7✓ 8✗ 9✗ 10 ✓

3 Students’ own answers.

5
Unit 7a 2 The comet is travelling towards the
planet.
1 3 He’s putting the statue onto this plinth.
1 in 4 He’s falling down.
2 in 5 He’s getting into his car.
3 at, in 6 She is driving through a tunnel.
4 In 7 She’s walking across the bridge.
5 at 8 The criminal is running away from the
6 on police officer.
7 in 9 They’re climbing up the mountain.
8 on 10 The girl’s diving off the board.
9 in 11 He’s taking the statue out of the box.
10 in 12 The sharks are swimming around the
boat.
2
1 He’s at a party. Unit 7b
2 They’re on the fifth floor.
3 The tourist is in Australia. 1
4 The cars are on the motorway. 1 ’ve eaten
5 My dog is in the garden. 2 has, won
6 Madge and Ron are at their wedding. 3 Has, met
4 haven’t done
3 5 Have, been
1✓ 6 haven’t been
2 It starts at seven thirty. 7 Have, studied
3✓ 8 Has, seen
4 They’re all meeting at Felicity’s house.
5 Are they coming in her car? 2
6 No, they’re coming on the underground. 1 Have you ever travelled abroad?
7✓ 2 Have you ever been to a live concert?
8 Oh! There’s a message on my phone 3 Have you ever taken part in a sports
from Felicity. competition?
4 Have you ever been on TV?
9✓
10 They’re in the building now.
3 Students’ own answers.
Unit 7a(2)
4
1 Have you tried
1
2 have
1 along
3 ’ve been
2 out of
4 went
3 into
5 did you think
4 onto
6 Have you ever thought
5 through
7 have
6 onto
8 spoke
7 away
9 did he say
2
1 The boat is floating along the river.

6
5 2 often go
1 Did you eat well when you were in 3 is
London? 4 ’ll take
2 This is only the second time I’ve slept in 5 see
a tent. 6 will you let
3 I’ve never been here before. It’s really 7 usually covers
beautiful. 8 is
4 Have you ever been to Australia? I’d
love to go. 3
5 He’s visited so many interesting places 1 you study
in these last three months. 2 it rains
6 Did you enjoy the film last night? Yes, 3 John wants to
we did. It was great. 4 we can’t get a babysitter
7 Is this the first time your kids have 5 you don’t water it
visited Disneyland?
8 I saw Paul yesterday at the swimming 4 Students’ own answers.
pool.
Unit 9b
Unit 8a
1
1 1 were grown
1a 2d 3f 4c 5b 6e 2 are produced
3 are used
2 4 are eaten
1 where 5 is used
2 whose 6 was introduced
3 who 7 were brought
4 which 8 are caused
5 when
2
3 1 is bought
Answers 3 and 4 2 is eaten
3 were thrown away
4 4 was started, the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’
1 which stores information organisation
2 where you can relax 5 were persuaded to waste less food
3 whose new song we like so much
4 who controls the traffic 3
5 when you feel a little special 1 Pasta was first brought to Italy by Marco
Polo.
5 Students’ own answers. 2 Pasta is now eaten by people all over the
world.
Unit 8b 3 Tomatoes were first grown in South
America by tomato growers.
1 4 The first cookbook with tomato recipes
1a 2d 3f 4e 5c 6b was written in Naples by a writer.
5 Parmesan cheese is made in Italy by the
2 cheese makers of Parma.
1 don’t have
7
6 The cheese is made by cheese makers 3 annoying
with cow’s milk. 4 interesting
5 amusing
4 Students’ own answers. 6 embarrassed
7 depressed
Unit 10a
3
1 1 Elephants are frightened of mice.
1 What did 2 My children are excited about the
2 Where did holidays.
3 Where did 3 My best friend is interested in the books
4 Who of JRR Tolkien.
5 What 4 Are you worried about leaving home?
6 When did
7 Who Unit 11a

2 1
1 What did you do 1 used to
2 What happened 2 used to
3 When did she join? 3 didn’t use to
4 Who thought 4 used to
5 who did she arrest 5 used to
6 who released the boyfriend 6 didn’t use to
7 what did Uncle Sanchez say 7 didn’t use to
8 What is he going to do 8 used to

3 2
Exercise 1: 1 O 2 O 3 O 4 S 5 S 6 O 7 1 Did you use to have
S 2 did
Exercise 2: 1 O 2 S 3 O 4 S 5 O 6 S 7 3 used to have
O 8O 4 Did you use to help
5 used to take
Unit 10b 6 didn’t use to like
7 used to be
1
1 irritated 3
2 confusing 1 My brother used to keep snakes.
3 amazing 2 not possible
4 exciting 3 He used to keep them in a box in the
5 pleased garage.
6 interesting 4 He used to look after them very well.
7 depressed 5 not possible
8 terrifying 6 not possible
9 surprising 7 He used to visit them there once a week.
10 bored 8 not possible

2 4 Students’ own answers.

1 relaxing
2 pleased
8
Unit 11b 2
1 won
1 2 would
1 Yesterday, he said that he was happy to 3 I’d buy
help. 4 needed
2 They said that they were going out at 5 I’d give
seven. 6 Would
3 She said that she had done all her 7 I knew
homework. 8 would
4 He thought that they had forgotten his 9 I had
birthday. 10 I’d start
5 The politician said that she wanted to 11 I’d open
improve people’s lives. 12 I started
6 The team said they weren’t going to win. 13 I’d want
7 She said that she was busy so she
wouldn’t come. 3
8 He said that he didn’t know if he could 1 didn’t have to work this morning, I’d
come. have
2 had enough time, I’d go
2 3 had enough money, I’d buy
1 were going out 4 knew how to drive, I’d be
2 couldn’t meet
3 were having 4 Students’ own answers.
4 would be
5 had booked
6 weren’t going to

3
1 I know how to drive it.
2 I am going to be an astronaut when I
grow up.
3 I’ll be home early.
4 I can play the guitar.

Unit 12b

1
1 If I won the lottery, I’d give the money
to charity.
2 He’d be a great basketball player if he
were taller.
3 I’d have more energy if I did some
exercise.
4 He wouldn’t mind if you asked for some
help.
5 If I didn’t have a car, I’d go to work by
bus.
6 If I were you, I’d stop worrying about it.
9