BEC-Summer, June 23rd, Unit 1

Unit 1: It's the weekend (Comprehension Questions)

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the radio program?
2. What is the topic of today’s program?
3. Who is in the studio?
4. Where is Yuka from?
5. What’s Yuka’s favourite part of the weekend?
6. What time does Yuka work until on Fridays?
7. What does she usually have for dinner on Friday?
8. What does she do after dinner?
9. Where is Marcello from?
10. What is his favourite part of the weekend?
11. What does he do with his wife in the afternoon?
12. Who do they often meet there?
13. What’s the beach like on Sundays?
14. What do Marcello and his wife do on Sunday nights?

Unit 1: It's the weekend - SCRIPT

Host: Good morning. This morning on Life Around the World we look at how people in different countries spend their weekend. We have some visitors with us in the studio today. Yuka is here from Kyoto, Japan. How are you today?
Yuka: Fine, thanks.
Host: Tell us about your typical weekend. What’s your favorite part?
Yuka: Humhp, that would be Friday nights.
Host: Oh, do you stay home on Friday nights?
Yuka: No, never. I usually work until 6 o’clock or so. And then I go home to eat.
Host: What do you usually have?
Yuka: Well, I never cook on Fridays because I am tired after work. I usually get a take-out bento from a convenient store.
Host: What’s a bento?
Yuka: Oh, it’s prepared food. It has different kinds of vegetables, and fish and rice, all in a box.
Host: Is it good?
Yuka: Yes, and it’s easy.
Host: What do you do after dinner?
Yuka: I usually get together with friends and go to the movies. I love movies.
Host: Yeah, me too. And, on to our next guest. Marcello, you’re from Brazil, right?
Marcello: Yes, from Santos. And, what’s your favourite day of the weekend.
Santos: I love Sundays. I usually sleep late in the morning. Then my wife and I always go for a walk on the beach in the afternoon. We often meet friends there.
Host: At the beeach?
Marcello: Yes. Everybody goes there. The beach is always crowded on Sundays.
It’s THE place to go to.
Host: Interesting.
Marcello: After that we sometimes go out for lunch.
Host: How often do you go out on Sunday nights?
Marcello: Sunday nights? We usually stay home on Sunday nights.
Host: I see. Thanks. And now, Emma from London….

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Grammar: Adverbs of Frequency

What are adverbs?

Adverbs are words that 'describe' verbs. They answer the questions how?, when?, and where? something was done.

In the sentence "The fast man ran quickly," quickly is an adverb that tells you how the man ran. 'fast' is an adjective because it describes the noun 'man.'

In English, we use a special group of adverbs called adverbs of frequency to describe how often something happens.

Common Adverbs of Frequency & How to Use Them

The seven most common adverbs of frequency are:

Always - 100% - If something always happens, it happens every time. It is certain.
Usually - 99%-80% - If something usually happens, it happens most of the time. It is not certain.
Often - 80%-60% - If something often happens, it happens a lot of the time.
Sometimes - 60%-30% - If something sometimes happens, it happens occasionally.
Seldom - 30%-10% - If something seldom happens, it does not happen very often.
Rarely - 20%-1% - If something rarely happens, it usually does not happen.
Never - 0% - If something never happens, it does not happen.

Position of adverbs of frequency - RULES:

The adverb of frequency comes AFTER the verb 'be'. E.g.
She is (verb) always (adverb) tired.
My parents are (verb) never (adverb) in a good mood.
I am (verb) sometimes (adverb) sad.

The Adverb of frequency comes before all other verbs.
She often plays the piano.
We never go on a vacation.
Young people usually stay up late to study.
***** To practice, click on the link:
http://esl.lbcc.cc.ca.us/eesllessons/adverbfreq/adfreqz.htm
http://esl.lbcc.cc.ca.us/eesllessons/adverbfreq/advfill.htm

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Homework: All of Unit 1 in your Workbooks