Exam taking tips.

• Get at least 6 hours sleep the night before a test
  You are more likely to remember what you have learned if you have had a good night’s sleep.
• Eat before a test
  Food will give your brain energy and help you to concentrate.
• Wear comfortable clothing
  Being uncomfortable is a distraction. Also, it’s better to wear several layers of clothing so you can put on or take off an item if you feel hot or cold.
• If possible, sit at the front of the examination room
  If you sit at the front of the room you are less likely to be distracted by other students and can hear the recording better for the listening paper.
• Make sure you understand all the instructions before you begin
  Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner to repeat any information you are unsure about.
• Before you start your test, quickly look at the whole test paper
  Looking at the test paper quickly before you start will help you to manage your time better. Decide how long you should spend on each question.
• Always read the questions carefully.One of the most common mistakes students make is not to read the questions carefully enough. Read all instructions slowly and twice if you have time.
• Answer the questions you find easy first .Answering the questions you find easy first will give you confidence and save you time later on.
• Don't waste time on questions you cannot answer.Spending a lot of time on a question can make you lose confidence. If you can’t answer a question go to the next one and come back to it later, if you have time.
• Check your answers carefully.If you have time at the end of the exam, read through your answers. But remember, your first answer is usually correct so only change answers if you see a mistake.
• Be positive and try to stay relaxed .If you are relaxed you will be able to concentrate better. Breathe slowly and deeply and try to put all negative thoughts out of your mind.

from : http://www.itests.com/xg/editorial/customer/links/13

HOW TO STUDY ENGLISH EFFECTIVELY.

TAKEN FROM : http://esl.about.com/od/intermediateenglish/a/study_english.htm
There are many ways to study English, but many students ask which is the most effective. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a single answer that is right for every student.

However ... I can certainly give advice I some helpful guidelines as to how to study that should help.
Warming-up to Study English
Just as there are exercises to help you warm up before you play some basketball or other sport, there are exercises which can help you warm up to study English.

Here are some simple exercises to help you warm up.
Study English I: Activating Your Vocabulary
Activate your vocabulary by thinking or speaking briefly about the subject you are about to work on. For example, if you are going to study English on topics that focuses on vacations, take a moment to think about your last vacation, what you did, what you enjoyed, etc. This simple exercise will help your brain warm-up to vocabulary that you are likely to encounter as you study English about this particular subject.
Study English II: Activating Your Grammar
Activate your grammar by thinking about the general grammar area before you begin to study. For example, if you are going to study English grammar focusing on the past, stop to think about what you did last weekend, where you went, etc. to help activate what you already understand about using the past. As with activating vocabulary, you'll help your brain bring up what it knows about the past simple in an easy way before you begin to focus on studying English grammar in detail.
Study English III: Singing a Song
Before class begins, or before you sit down to study English sing a song in English to yourself. Make sure to use a song that you understand and know very well. This short and fun exercise will help your brain focus on the English language in a relaxing manner. It's important to be relaxed when you study English! Singing a song also helps activate the creative side of your brain which can help you come up with more examples as your practice conversation or do some creative writing.
Study English IV: Typing a Short Paragraph in English
If you going to study English at your desk, begin by typing a simple paragraph in English. You can type about your day, your hobbies, your friends, etc. Anything will do. Typing helps activate the kinetic part of your brain that helps improve learning through physical activity. I also recommend typing while you study your English grammar. This will help solidify your knowledge with movement.
Study English V: A Thousand Words ...
As the saying goes in English: A picture is worth a thousand words. Help activate the creative side of your brain by trying to describe a photo or other image. You can combine use this also to activate your vocabulary by choosing a picture that has something to do with the subject your are going to study in English.

Study English - Tips for Success
Here are some tips for success to help you as you study English.
Study English Every Day
It's important to study English every day. However, don't exaggerate! Study for thirty minutes every day instead of two hours once a week. Short, steady practice is much better for learning than long periods on an irregular basis. This habit of studying English every day will help keep English in your brain fresh.
Study English Using Different Methods to Learn
Don't just use one way to study English. Use a variety of methods which will help all the parts of your brain (multiple intelligences) help you. For example, if you are learning new vocabulary, create a word map, describe a picture, make a list and study that, type out the words five times. All of these methods together help to reinforce your learning.
Study English by Finding some Friends
There is nothing like having a few friends to study English together. You can practice the exercises together, have conversations together (in English!), and, as you study English together, help each other with exercises you may not understand.
Study English by Choosing Topics that Interest You
One of the most important things to do is to study English using topics that you like. This will help motivate you because you will also be learning about a topic you find interesting while you study English.
More Ideas on How To Study English
How To Improve Your Pronunciation
How To Improve Your English
How to Improve your Vocabulary

LISTENING AND READING FROM :BBC LEARNING ENGLISH.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/081222_download.shtml

Words in the News: Canadian seals: Report (1.2 MB)mp3Words in the News: Canadian seals: Words (1.3 MB)mp3Words in the News: Canadian seals: Text (36 K)pdfFace up to Phrasals: Episode 3: Audio (465 K)mp3Face up to Phrasals: Episode 3: Script (38 K)pdf6 Minute English: Going gliding: Audio (4.8 MB)mp36 Minute English: Going gliding: Script (38 K)pdfWords in the News: Acropolis Museum row: Report (1.0 MB)mp3Words in the News: Acropolis Museum row: Words (1.1 MB)mp3Words in the News: Acropolis Museum row: Text (36 K)pdfQuiznet: At work: Download the quiz (32 K)pdfNews about Britain: Sunbeds: Audio (1.9 MB)mp3News about Britain: Sunbeds: Activities (53 K)pdfKeep your English up to date: Subprime: Audio (2.2 MB)mp3Keep your English up to date: Subprime: Text (34 K)pdfThe Flatmates: Episode 201: Audio (849 K)mp3The Flatmates: Episode 201: Language: Time expressions (66 K)pdfThe Flatmates: Episode 201: Quiz: Time expressions (68 K)pdfTalk about English: Academic Listening Part 8: Audio (8.9 MB)mp3Talk about English: Academic Listening Part 8: Script (48 K)pdfWords in the News: Iran opposition rally: Report (622 K)mp3Words in the News: Iran opposition rally: Words (1.0 MB)mp3Words in the News: Iran opposition rally: Text (35 K)pdfRecipes: Gnocchi: Text (18 K)pdf

LEARN English Grammar, Vocabulary & Pronunciation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/

HERE ARE SOME OF THE LINKS ON THIS BBC PAGE TO HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH:

Words in the News

Keep your English up to date

The Teacher

Active and Passive Voice : THEORY AND EXAMPLES.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html

Simple Past / Present Perfect / Past Perfect

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses. Check your answers by clicking on the link below.

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs12.htm

1. When I (arrive) home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) a beautiful candlelight dinner.
2. Since I began acting, I (perform) in two plays, a television commercial and a TV drama. However, I (speak, never even) publicly before I came to Hollywood in 1985.
3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting (begin, already) without me. My boss (be) furious with me and I (be) fired.
4. When I (turn) the radio on yesterday, I (hear) a song that was popular when I was in high school. I (hear, not) the song in years, and it (bring) back some great memories.
5. Last week, I (run) into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We (see, not) each other in years, and both of us (change) a great deal. I (enjoy) talking to her so much that I (ask) her out on a date. We are getting together tonight for dinner.
6. When Jack (enter) the room, I (recognize, not) him because he (lose) so much weight and (grow) a beard. He looked totally different!
7. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the

Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) by the time Europeans first (arrive) in the New World.
8. I (visit) so many beautiful places since I (come) to Utah. Before moving here, I (hear, never) of Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, or Canyonlands.

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES.

*CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW ,

*READ AND

*STUDY THE EXAMPLES TO IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES.

http://www.edufind.com/English/Grammar/REL2.CFM

PHRASAL VERBS

For the sake of simplicity, the distinction between phrasal and prepositional verbs is not taken into account by some grammarians. However, this distinction is crucial, since it helps us to know where to put the object of the verb.

A phrasal verb can be defined as a verb followed by an adverb; a prepositional verb, by a preposition. Notice that a preposition takes a noun, pronoun or gerund, but an adverb does not. The following examples will help you to illustrate this:
She took her coat off. (phrasal verb)
She took off her coat.
She took it off.
He gets up early in the morning. (phrasal verb)
I’m looking for my hat. (prepositional verb)
I’m looking for it.

The combination ‘a verb + an adverb + a preposition’ is a phrasal-prepositional verb:
I will have to work very hard to catch up with the rest of the class.
She ran off with the money.
He got away from prison last night.

Say whether the combinations in the sentences below (which are given in bold type) are phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs or phrasal-prepositonal verbs.

a She went out of the building.
b Switch the light on/Switch on the light/Switch it on.
c They are looking into the matter carefully.
d She can’t put up with his bad manners.
e The policeman ran after the juvenile delinquent, but he couldn’t catch him.
f Pick it up at once.
g The thieves ran away with their loot.
h She was heading away from her home town when she realised that she had forgotten something there.
i She was heading towards the beach when I saw her.
j Put that cigarette out, please/Put out that cigarette, please/Put it out, please.
k Can we put off the meeting till tomorrow?/Can we put the meeting off till tomorrow?/Can we put it off?
l Ice turns into water when it is heated.
m How are you getting along with your wife now?
n I’ll call you back later.
o Sit down, please.
p Their car broke down.
q When you are exhausted, it is very difficult to get down to work.
r Please write it down.
s We must draw up a plan/We must draw a plan up/We must draw it up.
t Put those toys away immediately/Put away those toys immediately/Put them away.
u Now, turn over the page/Turn the page over/Turn it over.
v We’d better send for the doctor, as he’s very ill.
w Her parents are always telling her to look for a boy and settle down.
x I’m looking forward to my summer holidays.
y She couldn’t get through to you last night, as the line was engaged all the time.
z I waited for her all afternoon, but she didn’t turn up.

FREE ENGLISH TEST.

www.english4today.com/assessment/english4today_leveltest.cfm

It covers grammar, vocabulary, reading, and listening.
YOU NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR ENGLISH LEVEL IS!
WHY?
Good English is no longer just for the academics ... we all need it if we are going to get ahead in an increasingly competitive and information driven culture. The way you speak, read and write English - the way you communicate can mean the difference between success and failure.

PRACTISE LISTENING: Podcast &Listening Downloads

AT:http://www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-podcast-english-listening-downloads-homepage.htm

Visit our new English Podcast homepage for access to all our podcasts and our new feed. Click here.

Lebanon (2.7 Mb) (script) (19Kb)Four Lebanese people talk about their country.
Alcohol abuse (3.3Mb) (script) (20Kb)Listen to an MP talk about the problem of binge drinking.
Social mobility (2.86Mb) (script) (21Kb)A report on social mobility in India.
Report writing (2.5Mb) (script) (87Kb)Listen to an IELTS examiner give some tips on writing reports.
Allergies (3.4Mb) (script) (92 Kb)Why may allergies be on the increase?
The gas industry (2.21Mb) (script) (19.2Kb)Listen to a business news report on the gas industry.
The rise of the amateur (2.52Mb) (script) (19Kb)A young entrepreneur talks about his experiences.
Crime (4.94Mb) (script) (95Kb)A Crime Prevention Officer talks to a burglary victim.
The oil industry (2.42Mb) (script) (97Kb)Listen to a radio news report about the future demand for energy.
Fair trade (2.13Mb) (script) (98Kb)Listen to a market researcher asking shoppers about Fair Trade products.
Logistics (4.1Mb) (script) (89Kb)Five people talk about their work in a logistics company
Studying in the UK (3.37Mb) (script) (87.4Kb)Listen to three university students talking about studying in the UK.
Nuclear energy - a green energy? (3Mb) (script) (96Kb)Listen to people commenting on Lovelock's opinion that nuclear energy is green energy.
The music business (3.57Mb) (script) (104Kb)A discussion about recent changes in the music industry.
The Airbus (2.73Mb) (script) (85Kb)Listen to part of a lecture on the Airbus.
The Future of English (4.11Mb) (script) (90Kb)Listen to a controversial Linguistics expert talking about the future of the English language.

For other listening downloads please go to the Listening downloads archive page.

Combining past simple and present perfect .

Umed from Iraq writes:
In the news, I heard a reporter from BBC World talking about the casualties of a blast.
"Two have been killed and twenty were injured," he said.
My question is: is it possible to use two different tenses when describing the same event (have been and were) and what is meant by this?
......................................................
Roger Woodham replies:
Have been or were?
Combining have been and were in this way is perfectly acceptable here, Umed. Often, in language use, deciding whether to use the present perfect or the past simple depends on your perspective on the event.

Two people were killed when the bomb went off but the effect of that is still with us - the recent past is connected to the present, so I choose to use the present perfect passive tense. Similarly, twenty people were injured when the explosion occurred - I am thinking of that moment in time in the past, so I choose to use the past simple passive. But their injuries are still evident at the present time, so I could have used the present perfect passive. There are no time phrases in this example to guide us, so any combination is possible depending on whether you are viewing it as a past act or one that impacts on the present:

Two people have been killed in an explosion and twenty have been injured.

Two people were killed in a bomb blast and twenty were injured.

Two people have been killed in an explosion and twenty were injured.

Two people were killed in a bomb blast and twenty have been injured

Of course, if you decide to specify the moment in time when this happened as a fixed point in the past, you are obliged to use the past simple passive:
Two people were killed this morning when the bus they were waiting for mounted the pavement and crashed into the bus stop.
You would then continue with this tense:

Six more were seriously injured and taken to the nearest hospital.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Here are some more examples of the way in which these tenses have been combined and used in press and media reporting over the last few days:

Sea marshes return to Norfolk
Sea defences, which were erected to protect farmland on a mile-long stretch of coastline in East Anglia, have been dismantled in order to return 200 acres to salt marsh.

Here, the past simple passive is used first to describe the erection of the sea defenses at some point in the past and then the present perfect passive to describe their dismantling, the effect of which is still with us.

The Oktoberfest draws larger crowds
Beer consumption and attendance have both risen at this year's Oktoberfest in Munich. The world's biggest beer party has so far drawn 5.1 million visitors and roughly 5.7 million litres of beer have been served since 21 September.

Note that this event was still in progress when the report was made, so only the present perfect is used. Note the use of time adverbials, so far and since 21 September, which are associated with the present perfect.
If it had been written after the festival had ended and was clearly in the past, it would have looked like this:

Beer consumption and attendance both rose at this year's Oktoberfest in Munich. The world's biggest beer party drew a total of 5.9 million visitors and 6.4 million litres of beer were served during the course of the festival.

Knifeman attacks Paris mayor
The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, was stabbed during an all-night party at the town hall yesterday. The suspect, Azedine Berkane, a computer programmer, has been arrested. He was taken into custody immediately and has confessed to the stabbing, according to judicial officials.

Here, we are back to a mixture of past simple and present perfect. The stabbing occurred at a particular point in time in the past, so the past simple passive is used. The suspect is still under arrest, so the present perfect passive is used here. He was taken to the police station immediately after the stabbing - this is a finished action, so the past simple again. He has not withdrawn his confession, so we return to the present perfect here.

TAKEN FROM: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/
learnit/learnitv241.shtml

SIMPLE PRESENT:THEORY AND EXAMPLES.

http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/present-simple-tense.html

To form the Present Simple Tense we use the infinitive(go, work, speak, study).

In 3rd person singular (he, she, it), the base form of the verb takes -s/es.

Affirmative form

I /you /we/ they work-go-watch-play-study

he/she/it works /goes /watches /plays /studies

Remember:

to be I am you/we/they are he/she/it is

to do I/you/we/they do he/she/it does

to have I/you/we/they have he/she/it has

....................................

Negative form

I/ you/ we/ they DO NOT /don't WORK

he/she/it DOES NOT /doesn't / WORK

1. She doesn't often go to the cinema.

2. I don't get up early at the weekend.

3. They don't speak English very well.

........................................

Interrogative form

DO you/I/we/they WORK?

DOES he/she/it WORK?

.....................................

Questions and short answers:

Do you like spaghetti?Yes, I do.No, I don't.

Does she know Bulgarian? Yes, she does.No, she doesn't. ..............................

With Present Simple Tense we often use time expressions such as

always, often, sometimes, usually, seldom, on Saturdays, rarely,hardly ever, never, every day, etc. ................................. Notes about formation of the 3rd person singular (he, she, it):

***If the verb ends in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x or -o, add -es to the base form:

kiss - kisses, finish - finishes, watch - watches, mix - mixes, go - goes

***If the verb ends in consonant + y change y to i and add -es:

study - studies, copy - copies, try - tries, carry - carries

SPEAK ENGLISH NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://speaking24.com/index.php

Here you will find people who want to practise their English speaking skills online!
Check on the list who is currently online and just call him using Skype, MSN, ICQ or Yahoo!
You can also fill in your profile to apear on the listand wait for other person's call. Have fun & Enjoy!