Complain Letter

Match game 1
Match game 2
Match game 3
Match game 4
Match game 5

Ordering exercise 1
Ordering exercise 2
Ordering exercise 3 

Fill in the blanks 1
Fill in the blanks 2
Fill in the blanks 3

ELT exercises

British English

Game

Answer to a complain letter

Link 1

Reading Comprehension

Link 1

Temporal Linkers

Temporal Linkers

One thing before another

Before	+ Noun Phrase	Before going to work I wrote some letters.
	+ Clause	Beore I  went to work I wrote some letters.
Prior to	+ Noun Phrase	I had written to her prior to meeting  the committee.
Prefiously		It was nice to be in Rome. Previously I had only been in Venice.
Earlier on	(informal)	I was in the office from 2.30. I was out earlier on.
Formerly	(formal)	The city is now called Thatcherville. Formerly it was Grabtown.

Things that happen at the same time

While		While I waited , I read the newspaper
As		As I was driving to work, I saw an accident.
Whenever		Whenever I watch a sad film, I cry.
Just as		I saw her just as she was turning the corner.
During	+ Noun Phrase	During the war, I lived in Dublin.
Throughout	+ Noun Phrase	Throughout the war, food was rationed.

One thing after another

After	Clause	After I had locked up, I went to bed.
	Noun Phrase	After looking up, I went to bed.
After that,		First we went to the theatre. After that, we had a meal.
Then		First we went to the theatre. Then, we had a meal.
Afterwards		He fell ill was admitted to hospital. He died soon afterwards.
Following	(formal)	Following my visit to Beijing, I bought several books about China.

Time when

When		When I’m rich and famous. I’’ll buy a yacht.
As soon as		As soon as we’ve packed we can leave.
Once		Once we’ve finished we can go and have a coffee.
The moment / the minute		The moment/ the minute I saw his face I knew I’d met him before.
On that occasion	(formal)	I met Polly at Ken’s wedding. On that occasion she was with a different man.

Connecting two periods or events

In the meantime		Dinner will be ready in about an hour. In the meantime, relax and have a drink.
Till then		The new computers are arriving soon. Till then, we will use the old ones.
Since then		I last met him in 1985. Since then I haven’t seen him.
By the time		By the time I retire, I will have worked here 26 years.

Online exercises 1
Online exercises 2
Slideshare 1


Exercise 1: Complete with a temporal linker

a. Wait for me here ...... I go into the Post Office to buy some stamps.
b. I didn't see her, because I arrived ............ she had left.
c. Don't worry, I'll do it .............. I can.
d. We can't leave .................. the taxi comes.
e. I'll buy a new car.......... I sell the old one.
f. They had an accident ............ they were driving home.
g. You must finish your homework .............................. you go out.
i. ................................. he rings me up, I'm in the bath.

Exercise 2: adverbial clause of time

A bird-lover has been watching some birds (swallows) which travel from Africa to Europe every spring.

Complete her diary by putting a word or phrase from the box in each gap.

after     as soon as      since      till

This year the swallows did not arrive _______________________ 2nd June. _______________________ they got here they started building their nests _______________________ . The other flies backwards and forwards to get food for the family. _______________________  it has brought back one mouthful it flies off for more without wasting any time at the nest.

The swallows wil be here _______________________ the end of September. _______________________  that they will fly off to Africa, and it will be another six or seven months _______________________  I see them again. I have been watching swallows every year _______________________  I came to live in this village. That was four years ago. I wonder if it is the same birds which have been coming back _______________________  the first year I was here? _______________________  seeing them return to my house year after year I feel as if they were old friends of my family.

Exercise 3: Fill in the spaces in the sentences with one of these words

when	after
as soon as	as
whenever	while
before	until

1. Arthur promised to pay the rent ______________________________ he got his salary.
2. The news is always bad ______________________________ I read a newspaper.
3. In Britain you can’t get a driving licence for a car ______________________________  your are seventeen.
4. But you can ride a moped ______________________________  you are sixteen.
5. Mrs Harrison used to wash the clothes by hand ______________________________  she bought a washing-machine.
6. I read the newspaper ______________________________ I was waiting for a bus.
7. Don’t look at the answers ______________________________ you have tried all the questions.
8. Their first child was born three years ______________________________  they had got married.
9. She cut her finger ______________________________ she was peeling the potatoes.

Exercise 4. Fill the spaces in this letter with either the present tense or the future tense of the verb in brackets.

Dear Mother and Father,

When you (read) ______________________________  this letter, I (be) ______________________________ in London. I have decided to try and find a job there. I (stay) ______________________________ with a friend until I (start) ______________________________  to earn some money, but as soon as I (find) ______________________________  a job, I (look for) ______________________________ a cheap flat and (send) ______________________________  you the address. Perhaps you (come) ______________________________  to visit me when I (be) ______________________________ settled.

I hope you (not worry) ______________________________  about me I (write) ______________________________  to you again as soon as I (know) ______________________________  my new address.

Please look after the dog for me. I (miss) ______________________________  him.

With love from

Informal letters

Link 1

Fill in the gaps 1
Fill in the gaps 2
Fill in the gaps 3
Fill in the gaps 4
Fill in the gaps 5
Fill in the gaps 6

FANBOYS

FANBOYS is a handy mnemonic device for remembering the coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. These words function as connectors. They can connect words, phrases, and clauses, like this:
Words: I am almost dressed and ready.
Phrases: My socks are in the living room or under my bed.
Clauses: They smell really bad, so they will be easy to find.
Notice the comma in the final example. You should always have a comma before FANBOYS that join two independent clauses (two subjects and two verbs that make up two complete thoughts). Look carefully at the next two sentences to see two independent clauses separated by comma + FANBOYS.

If you do not have two subjects and two verbs separated by the FANBOYS, you do not need to insert the comma before the FANBOYS. In other words, if the second grouping of words isn’t a complete thought, don’t use a comma. Try reading the words after FANBOYS all by themselves. Do they make a complete thought?


Taken from: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/commas/

Exercises

Link 1
Link 2
Online link 1
Online link 2
Online link 3 
Online link 4

Formal letters to request for information

Writing formal letters to request information

Link 

Reason for writing:

• I am writing to receive further information about
• I am writing to enquire about
• I am writing to receive more detailed information about
• I am writing to receive further details about

Requesting first piece of information:

• The first thing I would like to know is
• First of all I would like to know
• I wonder if you would mind telling me first of all ....?

Requesting further information:

• Could you also tell me....?
• Could you also inform me ....?
• Would you also mind informing me ....?
• Would you also mind telling me ....?
• Do you know ....?
• I would also like to know if
• I would also like to know whether
• I hope you might also let me know about ...

Thanking for information:

• I would like to thank you in advance for this information
• Thanking you in advance for this information
• Thanking you in advance

Online exercise

IELTS exercise

E-Mail

Closing

Contrast Linkers

Link

Addition Linkers

	.	In addition	,
		Additionally
		Furthermore
		What’s more
		Not only that
Main Clause				Clause

		as well	.
		too
Clause	Clause

	and
	as well as
	together with

                     

Not only		But also

Addition Linkers

Link 1

	.	In addition	,
		Additionally
		Furthermore
		What’s more
		Not only that
Main Clause				Clause

		as well	.
		too
Clause	Clause

	and
	as well as
	together with

                     

Not only		But also