grammar Points!

How do I use reflexives?

1) Tick the correct sentence in each pair.

1 a My friend and I live in different cities. We phone each other every day. 
   b My friend and I live in different cities. We phone us every day.
2 a When I got home. I made myself a cup of coffee.
   b When I got home. I made me a cup of coffee.

We use me, you, him, her, it, us, them as the object of a verb: 
My uncle came to visit me for three days.
Our teacher is great. We like him a lot.

We use myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves when the subject and object of a verb are the same:
I was angry with myself when I lost my watch.
Take care of yourself.
We went out and bought ourselves a drink.
They introduced themselves by saying where they came from.

We use each other when two (or more) people do the same thing to the other. We often use each other with (get to) know, like, meet, phone, see, tell, understand, write:
I hope we'll see each other soon, Sarah.
Everyone in the class knows each other very well.

2) Underline the correct form

1- Last lesson we all said something about us / ourselves and our families.
2- I share a flat with a student from Madrid. We know us / each other quite well.
3- When Susan lost her key, she hated her / herself.
4- I asked me / myself what I should do.
5- There are twelve of us / ourselves in the class.
6- My friends send them / each other text messages all the time.
7- You should get you / yourselves mountain bikes before we go on the trip.
8- My parents went to New York, but they didn't enjoy each other / themselves

How do I use personal pronouns?

1) Tick the correct sentence in each pair.
1 a That scooter isn't my. so I don't use it .
   b That scooter isn't nine, so I don't use it.
2 a He showed my how the club works. 
   b He showed me how the club works.

We use my, your, his, her, its, our and their with a noun: 
My bedroom is the smallest.
She left her handbag on the train.

We can use mine instead of my + noun when we refer to the same thing again in a sentence. Remember that we use yours, his, hers, ours, theirs in the same way: 
The smallest bedroom is mine. The largest one is yours.

We use me, you, him, her, it, us, them:
• as the object of a verb:
   I hope you'll bring me a surprise.
• after a preposition such as for, to, with: 
   The teacher had some advice for them.


2) Underline the correct form

1 The coach told __ me __ that I'm a good player.
2 My sister painted the furniture because it's ____ .
3 We bought two maps, but only one was for ____ . 
4 My mum left a message on my mobile, so I phoned ____  back.
5 The students asked their teacher and she let ____  go.
6 My boyfriend phoned and I told ____  about my exam.
7 My friend's got a new camera, but I prefer ____ . 
8 Here are your certificates, but we can't find ____ .

Word combinations with 'meeting'

These verbs are often used in front of a meeting'.

Apologies and minutes

If you cannot attend a meeting, you send your apologies (= a message to say you Cannot attend). At the beginning of the meeting, someone reads out these messages.

The Minutes of a meeting are written notes of what is said and decided in the meeting. During the meeting, someone makes the minutes (= writes down what is said and decided). After the meeting, someone sends out the minutes.

Here is your English Lesson "When do I use the past perfect? "

1) the correct sentence in each pair.
1 a Sarah looked different because she had lost weight
   b Sarah looked different because she lost weight
2 a I'd worked for five years by the time I started college last year. 
   b I’d worked for five years by the time I'd started college last year.

We use the past perfect when we talk about the past and we want to refer to something that happened before this:
By the time the fire brigade arrived, the building had burnt down. 
The dog ran down the street. It had jumped out of the car.
* Notice how we often use the past perfect and the past simple together.

We often use the past perfect after a reporting verb in the past: 
David asked me if Sarah had lost weight.

We often use the past perfect when we talk about past events out of sequence. To talk about events in the same order as they happened, we use the past simple: 
The dog jumped out of the car. It ran down the street. (after jumping out of the car)

Answer key:
1. a 
2. a

2) Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verbs.

1 She asked me if I .......... had seen .......... (see) her cat.
2 When Paul started university he .................... (never live) away from home before.
3 There's no point in going now! We .................... (miss) the start of the film.
4 We arrived at the party at midnight, but most people .................... (leave) by then.
5 I was held up at work, so by the time I .................... (arrive), they .................... (stop) serving hot food.
6 Typical! Just as I got into the bath the telephone .................... (ring)!
7 When she got home she .................... (realise) she .................... (forget) her keys.
8 Why didn't you tell me you .................... (change) your telephone number?

) Here is your English Lesson " Perfect tenses: simple or continuous? "

We use the simple aspect of tenses for actions which we think are:
●  finished: I've done my homework. (the homework is finished)
●  permanent: I've lived in England for 10 years. I've worked for this company for most of that time. (I think I will remain in England and continue to work for the same company)

We use the continuous aspect of tenses for actions which we think are:
●  unfinished or in progress: I've been doing my homework. (it isn't finished yet)
●  temporary: I've been living in England for six months. I've been working as an au pair: (1 think I will leave England one day - my job is temporary)

We use past perfect tenses to connect two past actions, and past perfect continuous when one event interrupts another:
I'd been waiting for twenty minutes when the bus arrived.
» The simple or continuous aspect applies across the entire tense system.

Answer key:
1. b
2. b

2) Rewrite these positive sentences in the negative form.

1)  I .............. (live) here all my life and never want to leave. 
2)  I .............. (attend) a beginner's class in Spanish for six weeks.
3)  We .............. (drive) for hours when we spotted the hotel.
4)  I .............. (take) the train for a long time. I prefer to drive.
5)  Mr Georgiou .............. (work) for the company for twenty years when he retired.
6)  The city I grew up in .............. (changed) so much, I hardly recognise it any more.
7)  I .............. (work) in an office for the past month, but my profession is acting.
8)  She .............. (always I take) good care of her finances.

I hope it is helpful for you.