Tag: B1-B2

The Second Conditional:

Welcome to the Scrambled Eggs blog! Here you can find many different resources with which you can learn English. There are listening exercises, grammar exercises, vocabulary boosters and all kind of interesting articles on a variety of topics! Learning English should be fun, so we hope you like what you see and hear.

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then ‘would’ and the infinitive:

  • Example: if + past simple, …would + infinitive

When do you use the second conditional?

Typically it is use to talk about things in the future that will probably not happen.

For example:

  • If I won the lottery, I would travel the world
  • If I played hockey as a kid, I would have made it to the NHL

Also, we can use it to talk about something in the present that seems impossible.

For example:

  • If I were you, I would go to the gym more.
  • If I had a gym membership, I would go to the gym everyday!

 

The difference between these two examples is that in the second examples these sentences are a lot more unlikely to actually happen.

Second Conditional Quiz:

Practice: Complete the following sentences use the second conditional.

Learn through Summer Songs!

Today you’ll learn some fun English phrases through music! We’ll explore the song “Summer Loving” from the movie “Grease.” As we enjoy the catchy tune, we’ll find phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions. Whether you’re a language enthusiast or a beginner, music offers a vibrant and melodious approach to enriching your language skills. Let the warm melodies of “Summer Loving” serenade you as we set sail towards a language adventure that’s bound to leave you singing, “Tell me more, tell me more”!

Before we listen, we must learn important phrases  from the song!

“I met a girl, crazy for me”
Crazy for me: To be Crazy for means to be extremely infatuated or in love with someone. In this context, it means the girl in the song is deeply attracted to the boy.

“Summer days driftin’ away”
Driftin’ away: Drifting away literally means to move or be carried slowly and gradually in a specific direction. In the song, it suggests that summer days are passing by slowly and fading away. 

“Summer lovin’, had me a blast”
Had me a blast: To have had a great and enjoyable time or experience. In the song, it implies that the summer was full of excitement and fun.

 “Was it love at first sight?”
Love at first sight: If you choose to memorize any phrase from this song this should be the one! Love at first sight. The experience of falling in love with someone instantly upon meeting them for the first time.

“We went strollin’, drank lemonade”
Strollin’: To walk in a leisurely or relaxed manner. In the song, it likely refers to taking a leisurely walk with someone during the summer.

 “We made out under the dock”
Made out: To engage in passionate kissing or intimate physical contact with someone, often suggesting romantic involvement.
Dock: A platform or structure extending from the land out into the water, typically used for boarding boats. In the song, it may suggest a romantic encounter under the dock by the water. 

“Summer dreams ripped at the seams”
Seams: The lines or stitches where two pieces of fabric or material are sewn together. In this context, it could refer to the end of the summer when things start coming apart or ending.

Now, let’s sing together before putting the vocabulary learned into practice!

Summer Nights Lyric:

[The boys]
Summer lovin’, had me a blast
Summer lovin’, happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
Met a boy cute as can be

[The girls]
Summer days driftin’ away
To, uh oh, those summer nights

[The boys]
Well-a, well-a, well-a, huh

[The girls]
Tell me more, tell me more
Did you get very far?
Tell me more, tell me more
Like, does he have a car?

[The boys]
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh

[The girls]
Tell me more, tell me more
Was it love at first sight?
Tell me more, tell me more
Did she put up a fight?

[The boys]
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh

[The girls]
Took her bowlin’ in the arcade
We went strollin’, drank lemonade
We made out under the dock
We stayed up until ten o’clock

[The boys]
Summer fling, don’t mean a thing
But, uh oh, those summer nights

[The girls]
Tell me more, tell me more
Was it love at first sight?
Tell me more, tell me more
Like, does he have a car?

[The boys]
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh

[The girls]
Summer dreams ripped at the seams
But, oh, those summer nights

Learn through Summer Songs Quiz

Try and fill in the blanks of the following sentences using your newly learned vocabulary words:

Polite English

In today’s blog post we will learn all about how to ask or request something in a way that is more polite in English by using a few verbal phrases and different conjugation strategies! This skill can be useful not only for navigating everyday life situations with ease but also at work when writing email to colleagues that you need to request information from!

Generally, in English, in order to be seen as more polite, it is a good idea to try and refrain from being to direct when requesting information or assistance. There are of course a group of polite words that we can tac on to the beginning or end of sentences to make them more polite:

  • Excuse me
    • This is great to use right before asking a question!
    • Ie: Excuse me, do you know how to get to the cafe in town?
  • Please
    • This is great to add onto the end of a sentence when you are asking for something in a short phrase.
    • Ie: I would like one brioche please!
  • Thank you
    • We use when someone has completed an action for us.
    • Here is an example based off of the previous scenario:
      • Waiter: Here is your brioche.e
      • You: Thank you so much!

We can use the auxiliary verbs would, could, and should instead of verbs like can and will. Here are some examples of all three:

Instead of saying: Will you bring my my luggage?

You could say:  Would you bring me my luggage?

*** if you wanted to make it even more polite you could use the verbal phrase “would you mind + verb  with gerund”. Would you mind means would you be willing to do this?

For example: Would you mind bringing me my luggage?

 

Instead of saying: Can I have a pizza?

Say: Could I have a pizza please?

 

Instead of saying: Brush your teeth more!

Say:  I think, maybe, you should brush your teeth more.

 

The fun of this is that you can combine a mixture of all of these strategies to make sentences extra polite! Here are some examples of some seriously polite senteces using combinations:

 

  • Go to bed earlier!
    • I think it could be a good idea if you went go to bed earlier.
  • Bring me my purse!
    • Excuse me, but would you mind bringing me my purse please?
  • Where is the metro?
    • Excuse me, but do you happen to know where the metro is?

      Polite English quiz

      Now try to pick the polite version of these sentences! Note that you can communicate these sentences politely in more than one way. However, in the options below there is only one polite sentence to choose!