Unit 1 test-english.

com/grammar-points/b1-b2/would-and-used-to

LESSON 1

We tend to fear change."

 Do you agree? Do you think people often avoid (evitar)

change?
 How many people do you know who like making life
changes? Do they have other personality traits i(rasgos)n
common? (común)
 How many don't like to make any change at all? Do they
have anything else in common?

When you're ready, let's continue to learn some new

vocabulary.
VOCABULARY
accept
accept (v.) – to admit that something is true, often something
unpleasant (desagradable)
They just accepted their relationship was over and decided to
separate.

Adapt
adapt (v.) – to change your behavior (comportamiento) so that
it is suitable (adecuado) for a new situation
There was no public transportation, but they quickly adapted to
the situation and used their scooters instead.

be a step forward (estar un paso adelante)be a step

forward (v. phr.) – to be an improvement (mejora) or to indicate
progress (toward (hacia) success)
His promotion to assistant manager was a big step forward in
his career.
be capable (keippobol of ) ser capaz de
be capable of (v. phr.) – to have the ability or qualities to be
able to do (capaz para hacer) something
With enough training and preparation, human beings are
capable of doing extraordinary things, such as climbing to the
top of the highest mountains.
be frightened (fairedaf) of .. miedo, temor
be frightened of ( estar asustado)(v. phr.) – to be afraid of
My sister is totally frightened of flying, but her husband is not.
In fact, there aren't many things he is afraid of.
can't take (tratar con algo desagradable)
can't take (v. phr.) – to not be able to deal (tratar) with an
unpleasant (desagradable)situation
Laura has been really stressed out lately. She just can't
take all the pressure at work.

cope with (poder con difícil situación)

cope with (v.) – to deal quite successfully with a difficult
situation
Scientists who work in the Arctic have to cope with extreme
temperatures and other dangerous circumstances. I don't know
how they do it.
Example
Javier underestimated the amount of work he had agreed to
do that week. On Wednesday afternoon, he realized he still had
two reports to write and a sales conference to organize. He was
pretty stressed. He had to resist the temptation of calling in sick
the next day. Instead he decided to get a grip and face the
challenge ahead of him. He went in early, and he finished late
for the rest of the week. He got through it OK in the end, but
he's going to be a lot more realistic in the future about how
much work he can get done in a week."
VOCABULARY 2
get a grip (tener el control)
get a grip (v. phr.) – to make an effort to control your emotions
and behave more calmly
A: Jon! What have you done to the living room? It's completely
destroyed!
B: Ellen, get a grip. It's really not that bad. But, Jon, you do
need to clean this up right now.
get through (atravesar situación dificil)
get through (trufs) (phr. v.) – to succeed in a difficult or testing
situation
The trip was really difficult. They experienced floods, long
hikes, and lots of mosquitoes. But they kept going, got
through it all, and eventually reached their destination.
Resist (risests)--- poner resistencia
resist (v.) – to refuse to accept or be changed by something
That old donkey was being really stubborn and resisted any
attempts to make it move. It only moved when it wanted.
Nobody could force it to.
Survive (sobrevivir) suvaif
survive (v.) – to continue to exist, and not to fail or be
destroyed
Camels can survive without water for several weeks. They
don't need as much water as humans do to stay alive.
Tackle (abordar) tachcol
tackle (v.) – to try to deal with something or someone
It took him days of hard work and calculations, but he was
finally able to tackle the problem and solve the equation.
Underestimate (subestimr) ander-estimeit
underestimate (v.) – to fail to guess or understand the real
cost, size, difficulty, etc. of something
He underestimated the number of boxes they would have to
transport. But he was glad he found room for all of the extra
ones.
Welcome
welcome (v.) – to be pleased about and encourage or support
something
Luke has always welcomed change, so he keeps trying new
things, moving to new places, and starting life anew.

Example answer
I totally agree with this. People are much stronger than they
think they are. Sometimes when there's a challenge ahead,
they think they can't face it, but we have to tackle bad things in
life, and we usually get through them OK.
Grammar
Present habits
"I tend (TIENDO) to resist change." (simple present)

 We can use the simple present (often with adverbs

of ,frequency) to talk about present habits.
"I usually get up around this time anyway."
 "I usually cope pretty well with changes in my life
 Remember, we use simple present to talk about things we
do regularly and things that are always true.

To talk about undesirable (INDESEABLE) or noticeable
(NOTABLE) habits, use the present continuous with words
 like constantly and always.
"They're always complaining there's nothing to do."
"You are constantly eating, nervous or not."
"Joe's always complaining about the challenges he faces."

 Or, we can also use the present continuous.

"When I'm feeling scared, I eat."
 "We can use the present continuous for a continuing
activity that happens at the same time as another habit..
"When monkeys are feeling tired, they sleep in trees."

 For a continuing activity that happens at the same time as
another habit, use the present continuous.
"When monkeys are feeling tired, they sleep in trees."

 We can also use tend to (TIENDE A) plus a verb.
"We tend to just hang out up here."
 We can also use will plus a verb.
 "I'll do anything not to waste energy."
 You use the base form of a verb after the expression tend
to.
 a modal you can use to talk about present habits is will

 I usually…
When I'm feeling…
My friend is always…
I'll often…
I tend to…
Facing challenges

 accept is the opposite of reject

 be frightened of is similar to be afraid of
 cope with is similar to get through

Model
My brother Sebastian is constantly worrying about everything.
He's frightened of change, so he tends to do the same things.
For example,
he's always saying his job is boring, but he resists any
attempts to let me help him find a new career.
I know he could cope with a lot more responsibility at work. In
fact, I know he's capable of surviving almost any challenge.
I'm always telling him not to be so anxious and to get a grip,
but he doesn't listen. He'll often talk about looking for a new
job, but then he doesn't do anything about it. He
should tackle these problems and
stop underestimating himself.
In his personal life, too, he's often complaining he doesn't
have enough of a social life. He has a few friends he usually
sees on the weekend, but they don't live that close. I've told him
that he has to accept the fact that he will need to make an
effort to meet new people. I've suggested he join a fitness class
at the gym, or take up a new hobby, and he agrees, but does
nothing about it. I don't know how to help him anymore. Any
ideas?
LESSON 2

VOCABULARY 1

The time machine in my living room

by @AmyParsons
Do you ever binge-watch TV shows and feel like you've taken a
time machine to a different place and time? I just watched
"Stranger Things," which takes place in the 1980s. It was like
going back in time to my childhood.
Remember those bikes with banana-shaped seats? One of the
boys in the series rides one, just like the one I used to ride to
school every day. I wouldn't even lock it – I'd just leave it
outside all day. In many ways, life was simple then. But some
things were frustrating…
When you're on the phone, do you move around a lot, like me?
Well, in the 1980s, we could only walk as far as the cord
reached. And with only one phone in the house, we didn't use to
have any privacy. I'd drive my brother crazy because I talked
to my friends for hours. Making calls away from home was
tricky, too. Have you ever used a pay phone? I never used to
have enough coins with me. It was infuriating! And how about
sharing music? You probably use a music app, right? My older
sister used to make me mixtapes with different songs she liked.
I realize now how complex and time-consuming it was. Even
watching TV was more difficult then. It got on my nerves to
have to get up and change the channel all the time because
there was no such thing as a remote control. Now I just push
the "off" button from the couch to travel back to the present and
take a break from binge-watching.
Glossary:
binge-watch (v.) – to watch many or all episodes of a TV show
in one sesión

Frustrating (FRASTREIDING)- FRUSTRANTE

frustrating (adj.) – making you feel annoyed because things
are not happening in the way that you want or in the way that
they should
My last project at work was very frustrating. Every day there
was a new problem, and it never seemed like we were making
any progress.

drive somebody crazy (DRAI SONBADY CREIZY)- VOLVER

LOCO A ALGUIEN
drive somebody crazy (v. phr.) – to make someone feel angry
or annoyed
The girl kicking the back of his seat and singing out loud was
simply driving Frank crazy.

Tricky (COMPLICDO)
tricky (adj.) – difficult to deal with or do
Assembling the dresser seemed pretty simple at first, but it
ended up being quite tricky as the instructions were not very
clear.
time-consuming (CONSIUMING) – PERDIDA DE TIEMPO

time-consuming (adj.) – needing a lot of time

Doing the laundry can sometimes be really time-consuming. It
can take me over two hours to get all my clothes clean and dry

Infuriating (ENFIUREINIG)- DESESPERANTE

infuriating (adj.) – extremely annoying
The traffic in this city can be really infuriating – especially
when you get stuck behind bad drivers. And don't tell me I need
to control my anger. They are the ones who need to learn how
to drive!

Complex (COMPLAX)- COMPLICADO

complex (adj.) – involving a lot of different but connected parts
in a way that is difficult to understand
The problem was so complex that it took our professor several
classes to explain it.

get on somebody's nerves (NERS)- MOLESTAR A

ALGUIEN
get on somebody's nerves (v. phr.) – to annoy someone,
especially by doing something again and again
These kids are starting to get on my nerves. I just wish they
could be quiet for a second. Just one little second...

Definition A: an adjective meaning "difficult to understand"

Definition B: a verb phrase meaning "to annoy someone"
Definition C: an adjective meaning "extremely annoying"

Describing annoying things

infuriating
complex
tricky
frustrating
time-consuming
drive somebody crazy
get on somebody's nerves
VOCABULARY 2
be a waste of time (perdida de tiempo)

be a waste of time (v. phr.) – to be a bad use of time,

especially when time is limited
Flying home through Chicago was a waste of time. I had to
wait six hours for my connection, couldn't work much at the
airport, and the trip ended up taking much longer.

be hard to opérate (difícil de operar)

be hard to operate (v. phr.) – (of a machine) to be difficult to
use or make work
When I first started working here, all these machines seemed
so complicated and hard to operate. But once I got trained on
how to use them, it was actually pretty simple.

Awkward (ACUERD)- DIFICIL

awkward (adj.) – difficult or causing problems
It was definitely awkward to carry the mattress on a bike, but
my cousin managed to!

Clumsy (COMPLICADO)
clumsy (adj.) – (referring to a thing) too big or complicated to
be dealt with easily; (referring to a person) awkward in
movement or manner, or likely to have accidents because they
do not move in a controlled way
The first commercial cell phones sold in the 1980s were
really clumsy. They were huge, heavy to carry, and didn’t really
work that well.

lose patience (LUUS PEISHENS)- PERDER LA PACIENCIA

lose patience (v. phr.) – to stop being patient and become

annoyed
I'm starting to lose my patience with this guy. If he doesn't
stop playing soon, I'll just leave.
 Describing annoying things
awkward
be a waste of time
be hard to operate
clumsy
get on somebody's nerves
complex
drive somebody crazy
lose patience
frustrating
infuriating
time-consuming
tricky

GRAMMAR

never used to have breakfast."

"I used to get up at 5:00 a.m."
"I used to spend hours in traffic."
"I used to have a terrible life!"
"I used to have a terrible life."
"My house didn't use to be this tidy."
"I had a really long commute."

"I wouldn't get much sleep because I had to get up so early."

"I didn't use to get much sleep because I had to get up so
early."
"I didn't get much sleep because I had to get up so early."

Notice that used to has a special meaning (past state or habit),

but use has the same form as a regular verb.

Present habit: "I use a pencil to do my math homework. I don't

use a pen."
Past event: "I used a pencil to do my math homework last night.
I didn't use a pen."
Past habit: "I used to use a pencil to do my math homework.
I didn't use to use a pen, but now I do."
Incorrect: "I use to ride my bike to school."
Correct: "I used to ride my bike to school."

Incorrect: "I didn't used to ride my bike to school."

Correct: "I didn't use to ride my bike to school."

Don't use be before used to when you're talking about past

habits.
Incorrect: I am used to bike to school.
Correct: I used to bike to school.

You can make a sentence negative with didn't or never, but

notice the form of used to after each of these.
"My house didn't use to be this tidy."
"My house never used to be this tidy.
Past habits

 You can use the simple past, used to plus a verb,

or would plus a verb to talk about past habits and past
repeated actions.
"I never ate breakfast."
"I didn't use to eat breakfast."
"I wouldn't eat breakfast."
 To talk about past states, only use used to plus a verb or
the simple past. Don't use would.
"I felt so tired."
"I used to have a terrible life."
 Be careful! For a single past action, use the simple past,
not would or used to plus a verb.
"I just fed my dog ten minutes ago."

 When you're ready, go to the next activity to practice this

grammar. You can say didn't use to, never used to,
or would not
 Say use to in negative statements and questions. Used
to belongs in affirmative statements.
  This statement is incorrect. You can't use would for past
states, but you can use it for repeated past actions.
 Use the simple past for lots of things: single completed
past actions, past habits, repeated past actions, and past
states.

Example answers
Ten years ago...
I had a really boring job, but now I run my own café.
I didn't have a family, but now I'm married with three kids.
I would spend hours commuting to work, but now I work from
home.
I used to travel a lot, but now I mostly stay home.
I didn't use to speak English, but now I'm pretty fluent!
REVIERW

 clumsy and complex

 Be time-consuming means something similar to take a
long time to do.
 If you lose patience with something, you stop doing it.

Past habits

 When you're describing past habits, a base verb comes

after use to (for example, used to live).
 You use the simple past or used to to describe past
states.
 Yes, you can use the simple past to talk about repeated
past actions.

escribing annoying things

 How many adjectives to describe annoying things can you

remember which begin with the letter c? What are they?
 What adjective means something similar to take a long
time to do?
 If you lose patience with something, do you continue with
it or stop?
Past habits

 When you're describing past habits, what kind of verb

comes after used to?
 Do you use the simple past, used to, or would to
describe past states?
 Can you use the simple past to talk about repeated past
actions?

You can tap Show to check your ideas. When you're ready,
tap Next to continue.

Objects from the past

1. a TV with no remote control

2. a Walkman or music player
3. a home phone or payphone

Possible problems

1. changing channels
2. sharing music
3. cords and coins

What we use now

1. a smart TV with a remote control

2. a smartphone or tablet with earbuds and music streaming
3. a smartphone with mobile data and Wi-Fi

You can tap Show to see some example answers and look at
the vocabulary list and the grammar notes again.
Final writen

 assemble
 assembly line
 craftsmanship
 consumer
 identical
 innovative
 mass production

assemble (v.) – to make something by joining separate parts

assembly line (n.) – a line of machines and workers in a
factory that a product moves along while it is being built or
produced
craftsmanship (n.) – skill in making things, especially by hand
consumer (n.) – a person who buys goods or services for their
own use
identical (adj.) – exactly the same, or very similar
innovative (adj.) – using new methods or ideas
mass production (n.) – the process of making a lot of goods
cheaply using machines in a factory

Used to, didn’t use to, and never used to can show past
habits, repeated past actions, and past states.
Would (not) can mean the same thing as (not) used to for past
habits and repeated actions. Do not use would (not) for past
states.
For single actions in the past, we can only use simple past.

When people offer their opinions, they often use certain phrases
to signal an opinion is coming:
Here's my theory:…
I believe…
I feel…
In my opinion,…
In my view,…
If you ask me,…
I think…
Expressing strong agreement
That's so true.
You can say that again.
I couldn't agree more.
These expressions are stronger than just saying, "I agree with
you." They're all very common, so it's worth remembering them
and trying to use them in your everyday conversations.

"When it comes to technology, you can rely on the server to be

unreliable."
The expression "when it comes to" is a way of referring to one
piece of a larger topic that you're discussing. Here are some
other examples:
"When it comes to vacations, there's nowhere better than the
beach."
"When it comes to food, Joe always goes for Chinese. He just
loves it."

You can use generally speaking to say that something is true

or correct in most situations. Similarly, if you say overall, you
mean "in general" or "including all the things that we need to
consider."
These expressions are very similar in meaning, so you can
usually use either one.

In the next part of the lesson, you're going to practice using the
expressions you've learned. First, test your memory. What
expressions can you add to the categories?
Strongly agree
I couldn't agree more.
Disagree and move on
Have it your way.
Discuss ideas
Looking at the big picture,…
Generally speaking,…
You can tap Show to see the complete list of expressions.
When you're ready, continue to the next activity.

Strongly agree
I couldn't agree more.
That's so true!
You can say that again.
Disagree and move on
Have it your way.
Discuss ideas
Looking at the big picture,…
Generally speaking,…
Overall,…
When it comes to…

 You can use the following expressions to agree strongly

with someone:
"I couldn't agree more."
"That's so true!"
"You can say that again."
 "Oh, no. My Wi-Fi is down!" means that the Wi-Fi isn't
working.
 You would put a short pause after "great," where there's a
comma. The main stress goes on great and buy because
those words give the main information.
 Strongly agree
I couldn't agree more.
That's so true!
You can say that again.
 Disagree and move on
Have it your way.
  Discuss ideas
Looking at the big picture,…
Generally speaking,…
Overall,…
When it comes to…

Introduce a topic
Have you ever considered that...
Research shows that...
The long-forgotten skill of... is one that...
There has been a lot of discussion about...
There is currently a lot of interest in...
State an opinion
I firmly/strongly believe that...
In my opinion,...
In my view,...
I think...
In the final paragraph of the essay, before you restate your
opinion, there are also expressions you can use to tell the
reader it's the concluding paragraph.
Conclusion
In conclusion,…
To sum up,…
Therefore,…

ntroduce
Have you ever considered that...
Research shows that...
The long-forgotten skill of... is one that...
There has been a lot of discussion about...
There is currently a lot of interest in...
State opinion
I firmly/strongly believe that...
In my opinion...
In my view...
I think...
Example answer
There is currently a lot of interest in reviving the old tradition of
baking bread at home. This is a useful and engaging skill, and it
has the potential to reduce food waste. It is also a skill that can
be learned by all people, young or old. In my view, it is a very
worthwhile activity and should be encouraged.

Review
Lesson 1: Life changes
Vocabulary: Talking about facing challenges
Grammar: Present habits
Lesson 2: Memory lane
Vocabulary: Describing annoying things
Grammar: Past habits
Lesson 3: Upgrade
Listening skill: Listening for opinions
Pronunciation for listening: Listening for main stress
Speaking skills: Discussing issues and agreeing strongly
Pronunciation for speaking: Saying /ʧ/
Lesson 4: Back to basics
Reading skills: Identifying main ideas and specific information
Writing skill: Organizing an opinion essay

Facing challenges
accept
adapt
be a step forward
be capable of
be frightened of
can't take
cope with
get a grip
get through
resist
survive
tackle
underestimate
welcome
vocabulary

Describing annoying things

awkward
be a waste of time
be hard to operate
clumsy
complex
drive somebody crazy
frustrating
get on somebody's nerves
infuriating
lose patience
time-consuming
tricky

Grammar
Present habits

 Use the simple present (often with adverbs of frequency).

 Use tend to plus a verb.
 Use will plus a verb.
 Use the present continuous for undesirable or noticeable
habits.
 Use the present continuous for a continuing activity that
happens at the same time as another habit.

Past habits

 Use simple past, used to plus a verb, and would plus a

verb to talk about past habits and repeated past actions.
 Use used to plus a verb or simple past (but
not would plus a verb) to talk about past states.

Expressions
Listening for opinions
When people offer their opinions, they often use certain
language that signals an opinion is coming!
To express opinions, we often use adjectives of emotion
(like annoying), modifying adverbs (like so; quite; pretty) or
expressions expressing strong emotions (like I can't take it
anymore; it really gets on my nerves; it drives me crazy.)

Listening for opinions

Here are some phrases that signal that an opinion is coming:
Adjectives: annoying
Modifying adverbs: so; quite; pretty
Expressions for expressing strong emotions: I can't take it
anymore; it really gets on my nerves; it drives me crazy.
Discussing issues and agreeing strongly
When it comes to…
That's so true!
You can say that again.
I couldn't agree more.
Looking at the big picture,…
Overall,…
Have it your way!

When you read to identify the main idea or ideas in a piece of

writing, you're reading to find out the most important points the
writer is making. You can use this advice to do that:

 Read the whole text quickly (skim) to find out what it's
about. Don't worry about understanding every word. Just
identify the topic.
 When skim reading, focus on the first and last sentences
of the article or text – these sometimes contain the main
idea (though not always!).