Vocabulary for Beginners: Autumn Vocabulary

Suitable for beginners CEFR A1+

The leaves are turning shades of golden yellow, burnt orange and red here in southern England. Squirrels are collecting acorns, pine cones are scattered on the ground and children are playing with conkers. It's getting dark earlier and rain clouds are gathering. Autumn is here, so wrap-up warm. It's my favourite time of the year!

Leaves (n.) (pl.)  Leaf (s.)

 

Leaves fall from the trees in autumn.

Squirrel (n.)

Squirrels are small mammals that live in trees and feed on nuts and seeds.  



Acorns (n.)

 


Acorns grow on oak trees.  



Pine cone (n.)

 

Pine cones are traditionally used to make a variety of seasonal decorations. 



To scatter (v.)
 

The man is scattering seeds on the ground. 


Conkers (n.)





 

Conkers are fun for children to play with.



Rain clouds

 

These clouds bring rain.



Wrap-up

 

Wear a scarf or a hat and coat to wrap-up warm. 


Do you know any other autumn vocabulary? Write words in the comments!

IELTS Writing Task 1: How to Use the Passive Form of Present Simple

Suitable for intermediate CEFR B1+

The passive form of present simple is often used to describe processes, where the person completing an action is either not important or unknown. You can often see the passive form of present simple used in formal texts that describe processes and in documentary programmes. 

The passive form of present simple is also used in part 1 of the academic IELTS writing test to describe process diagrams. 

The passive form of present simple is made with the present form of the verb to be. 

is / are + past participle (third form)

For example:

          Cars are made in the factory. 

          The cows are milked every morning

          The coffee beans are harvested in South America.

          The plastic is dyed one of three colours. 

          The pond is cleaned thoroughly, and weeds are removed every year. 

In these sentences the object receiving the action (verb) is most important and comes at the beginning and the person or subject completing the action is omitted. In some cases the subject may be added to the end of a sentence in the passive form using the preposition by.

Now try changing the active sentences in the following exercise into the passive form.

Exercise

1. The boss sends a weekly email to the employees. 

2. People destroy the rainforest.

3. The secretary deletes unnecessary files. 

4. Housekeepers clean the hotel rooms every day.  

5. Birds eat a variety of insects.

Post your answers in the comments below.

Improve Your Accent: The 3 Pronunciations of -ed Regular Verbs in Past Simple

Suitable for low intermediate CEFR A2+

#pronunciation #verbs 

 

You are probably familiar with the -ed suffix in English. It is used at the end of regular verbs to change them into the past tense. 

But did you know that it has three very different pronunciations?

Being aware of the three different pronunciations of -ed is really important to improve your general English level, and can help you sound more fluent instantly. Take a look at the pronunciation rules here and practise your knowledge in the exercise at the end. 

1. soft /d/

The soft /d/ sound is the most common of the three pronunciations of -ed, as in the following  examples. 

used

listened

believed

described

finished

argued

influenced

cleared

cleaned

called

continued

hoped

released

played

shared

agreed

informed

achieved

2. hard /t/

The hard /t/ sound is generally used if the word ends with K, S, Ch, Sh, F, P or Th as in the following examples. 

helped

packed

marched

walked

watched

jumped

stopped

locked

washed

asked

talked

3. /Id/

The pronunciation /Id/ is used if the word ends with D or T as in the following examples. 

wanted

limited

consisted

affected

suggested

visited

waited

recorded

tended

invited

reported

Exceptions

The following words are exceptions to these pronunciation rules.

aged   

blessed   

crooked 

dogged   

learned   

naked 

ragged   

wicked   

wretched 

Exercise

Write the correct pronunciation /d/ /t/ or /Id/. 

1. The car was damaged in the accident. ___

2. He laughed at my joke. ___

3. She rented an apartment in the city. ___

4. We wanted to leave early. ___

5. At the end of her presentation, she repeated the most important point. ___

6. I asked him to leave the classroom. ___

7. They packed their bags before they went on holiday. ___

8. I cleaned the house yesterday. ___

9. She mentioned that she enjoyed her stay at the hotel. ___ ___

10. The little crooked house was destroyed in the storm. ___ ___

Write your answers in the comments!