Tag: English School

Common False Friends – A2 Level

There are many words in English that are similar to words in Italian! When we find these similar words, it makes learning English much easier! For example, in English we say film, like in Italian! We also say spectacular, like spettacolare, fantastic, like fantastico, and splendid, like splendido.

Unfortunately, not all words that sound similar have the same meanings. These words are called “false friends” and they can be very tricky! Some false friends have slightly different meanings while others can mean the exact opposite of what you want to say!

In order to help you make only true friends in English, we’ve compiled a list of common false friends that occur between English and Italian. Take a look to see if you have ever been tricked by these tricksters!

Cold – caldo

When it is cold, I need to wear a heavy jacket, thick socks, and a very warm scarf. It is cold in the fall and very cold in the winter.

Annoyed – annoiata

My little sister annoys me a lot! I always ask her to stop making sounds and playing music when I study but she never listens to me!

Brave – bravo

I don’t like to public speaking. I am very afraid when I give presentations in front of a lot of people, but I need to be brave and face my fears!

Morbid – morbido

My friend is very morbid. She likes to watch a lot of horror films and read scary stories!

Noisy – noioso

New York is a very noisy city. You can hear the sirens from ambulances all the time, even at night!

 

Common False Friends | True or False

Indicate which sentences are true and which ones are false.

 

Common False Friends | Synonym Match

Put the following words to the correct synonyms.

Common False Friends | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words

Superlatives Exercise

You might know how to compare things in English, but do you know the superlative equivalents?

Superlatives are used when describing extremes. For example, you may think pizza is good, but is it the best food ever?

Most adjectives in their superlative form take the ending -est, for example:
Adjective – Big
Comparative – Bigger
Superlative – Biggest

This rule is followed for most single syllable words (small, quick, slow, clean, high, loud etc.).

The only exception to this rule is when the verb ends in -y. In this case, we change the -y to an -i, and then we add -est. For example:
Adjective – Angry
Comparative – Angrier
Superlative – Angriest

Other examples of these adjectives include bossy, cloudy, dirty, funny, hungry, scary etc.

However, if the adjective has 3 or more syllables, we don’t use -est. Instead, we add ‘the most’ in front. For example:
Adjective – Beautiful
Comparative – More Beautiful
Superlative – Most Beautiful

Other adjectives that take this form are wonderful, powerful, incredible, fantastic etc.

There are also some adjectives which only have 2 syllables which also take ‘the most’. For example:
The most famous
The most stupid
The most upset

Lastly, there are the irregular adjectives. These include:

Good – The best
Bad – The worst
Old – The eldest
Little – Least
Many – Most
Far – The furthest

Here are some examples using each type of superlative…

-I went to the best rated restaurant in Milan yesterday, but the food was the worst.

-The Beatles are one of the most famous bands in the world, but I don’t like their music!

-I think Italy is the most beautiful city in the world, and they have the most incredible food.

-My friends stayed in the dirtiest hotel last weekend. They won’t be returning.

-You don’t need to be the richest person in the world, as long as you are happy!

So now you know the rules, have a go at the quiz and test your knowledge!

Superlatives Exercise

Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.

 

Let us know in the comments how you did on the quiz, and if you’d like to further improve your knowledge of English then check out our huge collection of exercises, audio quizzes and blog posts here!

Learn English with the News – Apple Unveils new iPhone 12 Series

The new #iPhone is out and there are quite a few changes. Most important? Price decreases that will make it more accessible to all. Beyond this, they will also be launching the most intricate phone in Apple history, and therefore also more expensive.
Watch the video and then do the accompanying English language exercises.

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored.

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Apple Unveils new iPhone 12 Series | Definition Match

Match the words to the correct definitions.

Apple Unveils new iPhone 12 Series | Fill in the Gap

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words.

Apple Unveils new iPhone 12 Series | True or False

Decide if the statement is true or false.

 

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:

https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/tag/learn-english-with-the-news/

Full Text:

“Recently, Apple unveiled its new series of iPhones, the 12, 12 pro, 12 pro max and 12 mini.
In order to appeal to all economic ranges of its consumers, Apple will be charging slightly less for
the 12 and the mini, whereas the pro and pro max are the most advanced phones Apple has ever
made, and therefore come with a hefty price tag.
The pro and pro max are mostly similar but differ in screen size and camera quality. They also
come with a special sensor to help with low-light photography. The screens are now using OLED
technology rather than LED like their predecessors. This means that the devices are also around
11% thinner than before.
This new range of iPhones will be the first to function on the speedy 5G network, which CEO Tim
Cook said “will bring a new level of performance for downloads and uploads, higher quality video
streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity and so much more”.
Aesthetically, the devices have also had a re-vamp. The edges are more squared and sharper, with
flat sides instead of curved.
In an unpopular move, Apple has also announced that the phones will no longer come with a
charger or headphones in order to reduce the environmental impact. Apple are expected to suffer
a small loss in profits with the introduction of its new mini device, but it will also be a welcome
saving for the general public who want a smaller, cheaper phone.
The iPhone is the bestselling smartphone brand in the UK and the second-most popular in the
world in terms of market share.
Apple has also launched a new smart speaker, named the home pod mini. It supports a wider
range of voice commands than before, and also syncs with your home intercom system. This
speaker will be sold for £99.”