I started working for the BBC 3 years ago
I really enjoy my work, but I really would love to live and work in New York
I am going there in the autumn to visit some friends and I am really excited
What about you? What are your plans for the future?
I hope to go to the University in September, but that depends on my exam results
I just want to find my place and work I love
I would like to join a band and to tour around the world
I would love to be a specialist in Middle East of Studies
I am actually planning to move to New Jersey just for 6
Months
I don’t really want to make a long term plans, but I would like to become a solicitor
I hope to move to a bigger place
My house feels a bit small now for our family
I am planning to be a doctor
I would like to stay in London and I would like to work as a research assistant at the University here
I would like to go on, take a gap year out, and do Masters next year
I would like to work with the world health organization and I am going to make internship in summer in Geneva
Well, I would like to come and study here, in London, still acting here and I would like to become may be a studio actor
I’d really love to come to Australia one day, because I am really lucky there, I love the weather and the lifestyle and I also hope to get married in the next few years
I would love to start my tour business and I hope to solve a lot of troubles in that sort of the expedition work
I want to be a graph designer
I would like to move from where I am living, I would like to buy a house and I would like a car
I want to do some architecture, like interior design, because my dad is an architect and I am really interested
I want to become a vet and hopefully specialize in small animals
Happy Holidays
Read Sophie's travel blog. She's having a great time sightseeing in Switzerland - the land of snow-capped mountains, beautiful wooden houses and delicious chocolate!
Word challenge: While you read, try to find words with these meanings. The answers are underneath the blog.
Read the text and complete the activity
"Welcome to Switzerland. I love it here. I often come here for a break and to get away from the crowds and pollution of my home city. It's quite cheap to get here on a low-cost airline and it's quick too: just a two-hour flight and I'm here, enjoying the fresh air, the picture-postcard views and the friendly people.
There are lots of reasons to visit Switzerland. In cities like Zurich and Geneva, you can find amazing architecture from old cathedrals to modern museums and converted factories, exciting cultural life including museums and art galleries, and lots of opportunities for sightseeing and photography - as well as great shopping. But be careful: Switzerland can be very pricey - so if you like to shop, you’ll need to take plenty of money with you.
But it really is the mountains and lakes that I love most, and the best way to get to see them is on a train. No mountain is too high for a Swiss train. I took a train on The Jungfrau Railway, which leads from Kleine Scheidegg through the Eiger and Mönch to the Jungfraujoch.
I love walking in the mountains. The view across the Alps is spectacular as you can see! The air feels so fresh up here and the colours seem so bright, especially the green grass. It's no surprise the cows up here look so happy - but they still need to wear a huge bell around their neck so they don't get lost!
When you're out walking, don't be surprised if you meet some of the local men wearing leather shorts, called lederhosen, and sturdy leather boots. This is traditional clothing in the Alps: it’s not worn to impress tourists but as reminder of their heritage - and apparently they're quite comfortable too!
It can be quite cold in the mountains - so if your ideal holiday involves sunbathing by the pool, the Alps might not be the right place for you. But if you like wonderful views, a peaceful atmosphere, and long walks in a beautiful natural environment, this is a great destination."
Here is the key to the vocabulary challenge. Have a look and check your answers.
Let's practise using some of the vocabulary from Sophie's blog. Try this activity.
Fill the gaps with the correct words
Learn the language: articles
It's good to keep in touch with friends when they go abroad - but not when they're bragging about their holiday. Rob sent Emma a message from a very exciting location. Take a look - and listen out for the articles a and an.
Watch the video and complete the activity
Hello again. My friends are so lucky - they always seem to have the time and money to go on holiday to some really nice places. Rob's just put a message on Facebook...
"Hi! I'm in Sydney, Australia. Wow, what a great place this is. I've been to a concert at the famous Opera House. I went to Bondi Beach but I couldn't go in the sea because a lifeguard said he'd seen a shark. I went on an amazing trip to the Blue Mountains - it's only an hour away on the bus - and I got to stroke a koala bear. The trip's cost an arm and a leg but it's well worth it."
An arm and a leg? That sounds painful! Oh I'd love to go to Australia. How about you - where would you like to go to?
Did you notice the articles Rob used in his virtual postcard? Here is an explanation of how and when to use a and an. Have a read, and try the activity to test your understanding.
a or an means one person or thing.
We use a or an:
Adjectives go between a or an and the noun: What a great place this is! I went on an amazing trip.
Use a before consonant sounds: a chair, a horse, a laptop
This includes letters u or eu when they are pronounced y (/j/): a university, a euro
Use an before vowel sounds. These words usually start with a, e, i, o, u: an architect, an idea, an umbrella
Also use an with words that start with the letter h when the h is not pronounced: an hour, an honour
Now check your understanding with this activity. Look at the notes if you need help.
When to use 'the'
We all have a favourite place we'd like to travel to - maybe to see a famous historic site, to trek in the mountains or just to lie on a beach and sunbathe.
And to describe these places, we need to use the word the. Let's look at some of the rules.
We use the:
Let's practise. Listen to these people making plans to visit Italy and then try the next activity.
Listen to the audio and complete the activity
A or an means one person or thing. We use a or an:
My sister wants to be an engineer.
Use a before consonant sounds: a chair, a horse, a laptop
This includes letters u or eu when they are pronounced y (/j/): a university, a euro
Use an before vowel sounds. These words usually start with a, e, i, o, u: an architect, an idea, an umbrella
Also use an with words that start with the letter h when the h is not pronounced: an hour, an honour
We use the:
Note that we don't use the before plural and uncountable nouns when we are talking about things in general:
Here are some rules:
Use the with
Use zero article (-) with
There is a special rule for these places: school, university, college, hospital, prison, church. Compare these examples:
The children go to school by bus. | I go to the school to help twice a week. |
Ben's studying maths at university. | He works in the canteen at the university. |
She was in hospital for three weeks. | Is there a shop in the hospital? |
If someone is at the place because they are a student / are sick / a prisoner, etc, we don't use the. If they are there for another reason, or we are talking about the building, we use the.
Adjectives go between articles and nouns: What a great place this is! I went on an amazing trip. We went to the famous Bondi beach.
We usually pronounce a/an with a weak vowel sound /ə/ ('uh'). It sounds like the vowel sound in fun, and not the vowel sound in cat.
Before consonants and the letters u or eu when they are pronounced y (/j/), we pronounce the with this weak sound /ə/, too.
But when the is before a vowel sound, we pronounce the with the long ee sound in see.
Choose A, AN or THE for each blank below, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.
Fill in the article a, an or the where necessary. Choose x where no article is used.
Decide whether to use the definite article the or not.
6 Minute Grammar: Articles
What can you learn in 6 minutes? Quite a lot if you listen to 6 Minute Grammar where Rob and Emma talk about articles and Finn talks about elephants in Cambodia.
Decide whether to use the definite article the or not.
Decided whether to use the definite article the or not. If you do not need the article, type an x.
Do you need the definite article the in the following sentences or not? Choose from the dropdown menu.