The Sneaky Grammar of “Recommend” and some Exercises

General, , ,

Ohhh yes… that sentence. That sentence.
The teacher recommended me to study more.
Hands up if your inner grammar siren starts screaming!  Yep. Same here!

Here’s the thing: “recommend” does NOT work like the verbs “tell” or “ask.”
So… “recommend + person + to + verb” = nope.

This little verb is a classic troublemaker for learners, especially because it looks friendly but hides some sneaky grammar rules underneath. And you know that correcting it once, twice, or even ten times doesn’t always do the trick, right? So the question is: how do we fix it so it sticks?

In this post, we’re going to try to fix this common mistake using traditional, tried-and-true methods combined with a tad of AI-powered magic.

Lead-in: The “Expert” Warm-up and Inferring Grammar

Write the verb ‘recommend’ on the board. Tell the class you have a problem and need their advice. Explain that you will listen to their recommendations ( using the verb “recommend”, of course!) ; however, unless the sentence is grammatically correct, you will remain silent or say ‘not quite right.’ you will respond with ‘Thank you very much’ ,only when the verb is used properly.

On the board, write only the sentences with the correct grammar and then, let students infer the grammar.

Some problems you might have

  • I feel completely overwhelmed with my workload this week.
  • I have a very important job interview tomorrow, but I am extremely nervous.
  • I need to book a holiday for my family, but we are on a very tight budget
  • I keep forgetting where I put my car keys every morning.

The Grammar: Display or photocopy the infographic

Apart from being beautiful, this infographic is simple and helps students see the grammar more clearly. Ask students to write or give their own examples using the different structures.

 

Controlled Practice: Digital Sorter (AI Generated)

Display this interactive activity and have the students tell you whether the sentences are correct or incorrect. This is a good opportunity to reinforce grammar.

Individual work: Students at their own pace.

The traditional photocopy. Just because we have AI now doesn’t mean you have get rid of things that work. And doing exercises to reflect and consolidate the grammar works; so here it is. Created with AI? Yes! Why not!

Download the PDF here

Flying Solo: Let’s move

Cards PDF

Oh yes!!! After so much sitting, students are begging me to give them an activity where they move and mingle with other students. So, let’s wrap up this lesson with a nice inetractive activity.

Divide the class into two groups:

  • Recommendation Seekers (students with a problem or dilemma)
  • Recommendation Givers  ( students who offer recommendations)

The Recommendation Seekers receive: A card with a problem or dilemma
(They can also invent their own — creativity welcome!) and a small piece of paper with the words “THANK YOU” written on it (This will be used later!)

Arrange the classroom so both groups sit facing each other in two lines and using a speed chatting format:

  • Each pair talks for 2 minutes
  • The Recommendation Giver must offer a recommendation  using the verb recommend and paying close attention to correct grammar.
  • When the bell rings, Recommendation Givers move one seat to the right

Students repeat the process until each Recommendation Seeker has spoken to 5 different people.

After all conversations, each Recommendation Seeker chooses the best recommendation they received and give their “THANK YOU” card to that student. The student with more Thank You cards is named “The Recommendation Guru” and receives a big round of applause.

Now, students change roles.

A Ready-Made Video Lesson on New Year’s Resolutions (Crisdget Jones)

General

Every January, the internet gets flooded with New Year’s Resolutions. Everyone signs up for the gym, starts a diet or gives up smoking/drinking  and we all swear that this will be the year we will finally stick to our resolutions.

But… confession time!!   I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore. Nope. I quit. Best decision ever. What’s the point, really? The longest I’ve ever kept a resolution was… what? Two weeks? Three, if I was super motivated and life decided to cooperate. Eventually, work gets crazy or I just get tired, and those goals sort of fall apart.

After the Christmas break, there’s one topic that always comes up in class. You know it. I know it. New Year’s Resolutions. It’s everywhere! So of course, as a teacher, I feel I have to give my students a little taste of it. It’s almost tradition, right?

(yes, the person in the image is me; I have swapped my face with Bridget Jones’s)

Lesson Plan: “Resolutions & Reindeer Jumpers”

      • Level: B2 (Upper-Intermediate)
      • Time: 50-60 minutes
      • Video: Bridget Jones’s Diary  (2 minutes)
      • You will find: 3 versions of a warm-up (focusing on grammar) , pre-listening (focusing on vocabulary)  and while listening

Warm up: Three options to choose from. All of them using the 5 unfinished sentences below

WARM-UP: Option 1. The Resolutions. Speed Chatting Cards.

The Setup: Traditional method: write 5 unfinished sentences on the board. Digital method: use the interactive app below.

  1. This year, I definitely want to quit…
  2. I promise to spend less money on…
  3. I am going to take up…
  4. I will try to be more…
  5. My most unrealistic resolution is…

The Activity (Speed Dating Style)

Students stand in two lines facing each other (or inner/outer circles).They have 2 minutes  to discuss the first sentence with the person opposite them. When the two minutes are up, one line of students moves one step to the right and display or say sentence number 2. Repeat until all 5 are discussed.

WARM-UP: Option 2. The Resolutions. Speed Chatting Slot Machine style with an added challenge.

The ‘speed chatting’ style continues for this activity, but with an added challenge: students must discuss the sentences while following the specific instructions on each card. They will interact for approximately three minutes before rotating.

WARM-UP: Option 3. Cocktail Party. Traditional

PDF Cards

Give each student a card. They must walk around the room. When you clap your hands (or play music), they stop and pair up with the person nearest to them.

  • Student A says their resolution in character.

Example (Billionaire): “I promise to spend less money on… buying small islands in the Pacific. I have too many already.”

  • Student B must guess the persona.

Pre-listening. Pre-Teaching Vocabulary: Call My Bluff" (The Lying Game)

We will now focus on activating vocabulary  before watching the video to ensure comprehension.

Put the class into pairs and give each pair one key word. In my case, I have used these words: a Spinster,  a Barrister, to Quit, Curry, Reindeer, Chimney, a Buffet, a Hangover, a Blind Date, to Give Up, Patronizing, to Scale Down, to Mutter, Awkward, High-Flying, A Lush .

They must write 3 definitions for their word ( they may ask for help or, ideally, use an online dictionary)

  • One is True (the real dictionary definition).
  • Two are False (totally invented but must sound convincing).

The Game: Pairs take turns reading their 3 definitions to the class. The other pairs vote on which one is correct. Write the words on the board as they define them.

  • Example for “Lush”:
    • A) A type of soft velvet fabric.
    • B) A person who drinks too much alcohol.
    • C) A very quiet whisper.
While-Listening: The Video

Part A: First Impressions (Gist)

Watch the first 30 seconds. Don’t focus on the words, focus on the eyes.

  • Question: How does Bridget feel about Mark when she first sees him? How does that feeling change exactly 10 seconds later?
  • Answer: She thinks he looks good/is interested.Then she sees the reindeer jumper and is turned off.

Part B: Comprehensive Questions (Detail)

Play the full clip.

  1. What kind of event are they attending?
  2. What is distinct about the jumper Mark is wearing?
  3. Bridget tries to make small talk about her New Year’s resolutions. What are her two main “bad habits”?
  4.  Mark lists three reasons why he isn’t interested in Bridget. Complete his sentences:
    • “I don’t think we’d work. She smokes like a _________.”
    • “She drinks like a _________.”
    • “And she dresses like _________.”

Teacher’s Key (Respuestas):

  1. Event: New Year’s Turkey Curry Buffet.
  2. Jumper: It depicts a reindeer (Diamond pattern).
  3. Habits: Smoking, Drinking.
  4. Similes: Chimney, Fish, Your Mother.
VOCABULARY CONSOLIDATION. BACK TO THE BOARDS. HOT SEAT

 

  1. Display the infographic  below. Ensure the gaps are clearly visible.Place a chair at the front of the class, facing the students, with its back to the screen. Ask for a brave student to sit in the chair. They cannot see the screen.
  2. Point to one specific gap on the screen (e.g., the missing word for “Smokes like a ______”). The rest of the class must help the student in the chair guess the missing word. They shout out definitions, synonyms—etc. Once the student has guessed the word, you write it into the gap on the boards. Pick a new student for the Hot Seat and point to the next word.

(missing words: hungover, nonsense, spinster, chimney, fish, blind)

 

 

 

Do you need the transcript? Here it is

The Transcript

Bridget (Voiceover/Internal): Whoo, ding dong. Maybe this time Mom had got it right.

Pam (Bridget’s Mom): Come on, why don’t we see if Mark wants a gherkin?

Bridget (Voiceover): Mark. Maybe this was the mysterious Mr. Right I’d been waiting my whole life to meet.

Pam: You remember Bridget? Maybe not. She used to run around your lawn with no clothes on, remember?

Mark Darcy: Uh, no, not as such.

Una Alconbury: Come and look at your gravy, Pam. I think it’s going to need sieving.

Pam: Goose doesn’t need sieving, just stirring, Una. Yes, of course. I’ll be right there. Sorry. Lumpy gravy calls.

Bridget: So… so are you staying at your parents’ for New Year?

Mark Darcy: Yes. Yeah.

Bridget: Oh, no, no. I was in London at a party last night, so I’m afraid I’m a bit hungover. Or I should be lying with my head in a toilet, like all normal people.

Bridget (Voiceover/Internal): New Year’s resolution: drink less. Oh, and quit smoking. And keep New Year’s resolutions. And stop talking total nonsense to strangers. In fact, stop talking, full stop.

Mark Darcy: Yes. Well, perhaps it’s time to eat.

Mrs. Darcy (Mark’s Mother): Apparently she lives just around the corner from you.

Mark Darcy: Mother, I do not need a blind date. Particularly not with some verbally incontinent spinster who smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, and dresses like her mother.

Bridget: Yummy. Turkey curry. My favorite.

Bridget (Voiceover): And that was it. Right there. Right there. That was the moment.

 

Grammar: Used to, Get used to, Be Used To. Mixing Tradition and the Power of AI

General, , , , ,

It seems like a bold move to declare I am addicted to AI. However, after three decades of making slides and resources by hand, and with the little time I have to try to juggle  family, friends, classes and workshops, I have to say that I foresee that in the near future I’ll have  Wi-Fi antennas instead of ears! So with that said, allow me to introduce an activity where, as always in my lessons, there is a mix of tech (AI, naturally) and traditional teaching. And for this lesson? Ohhh yes… I dusted off a legend: Reward. Do you remember that gem? The photocopiable activities?

What I am most happy with in this activity? The incredible visuals I have created to explain and activate this point of grammar ( see the gif below)

  • Aim: to teach and activate the grammar of Used to, Be used to, Get used to.
  • Level B2
  • Materials provided:
  • grammar presentation with videoclips
  • interactive quiz to test the grammar
  • writing activity: PDF to photocopy the activity
  • a presentation ( to model the writing activity)

Let’s get started!

  1. Teacher + AI Help: Stunning Visuals to Explain the Grammar

I am sure you will all agree with me that there is nothing like a teacher who knows their stuff to give the best grammar explanation but in case you need some visuals, here are some great ones. I JUST LOVE THEM!!!! Have a look!

  • Grammar explanation + Exercise with short animated videos
  • Sound on and click to hear the characters using the grammar

Click on the arrows to enlarge

+

Used to, Be Used to, Get Used to de cristina.cabal

  1. Hybrid (Teacher+Students+AI) Quiz created with AI with the teacher explaining correct and incorrect guesses.

This interactive quiz was created using the free version of Claude. There are twenty questions. I started by doing the first 5 sentences with the whole class contributig  and then, asking individual students to provide the answers.

Prompt: Create an interactive quiz focusing on the grammar of used to, would (to indicate past) , get used to and be used to. Make 20 sentences. Give 4 optional answers only one of them correct. Add emojis to make the quiz more beautiful.

Link to quiz

Traditional: Activating the grammar: Guessing a new Situation: Writing+Speaking

OK, vale… now we’re getting to the fun part! We already nailed the grammar, so it’s time to put it to work in an activity that always gets my students laughing, thinking, and stretching their English muscles. And the goal? Guessing a brand-new situation using clues built with our three magic structures.

This is my own version of the Reward activity I talked about at the beginning. These are the instructions (straightaway from this excellent resource book)

PROCEDURE
1 Divide the class into Group A and Group B and ask the students to work in pairs with a student from the same group.
2 Tell the students that you are going to give them a list of situations where there have been recent changes in people’s lives. They are going to imagine that they are those people and write sentences about some of the things which they used to do but don’t do now, and also what they are having to get used to.
3 Give one copy of Situations A to each pair of students in Group A and one copy of Situations B to each pair of students in Group B. Tell the students not to show their list to a student from a different group.
4 Ask the students to complete the sentences in any way which is appropriate to the situations.
5 When they have done that, ask each pair of students from Group A to work with a pair of students from Group B.
6 Ask them to take it in turns to read out their sentences, without mentioning the situation, so that their partners can guess what has happened.

PDF here

Writing and Speaking: Used to, Get used to, Be used to de cristina.cabal

AI: Creating a presentation to model the activity

Now, you might want to model the activity first. No worries! I have you covered. This presentation was created with Gemini activating Canva (I have used Shin Chan style to make it more colourful)

Link to the presentation 

And that’s all, folks!!! I have really enjoyed experimenting with AI but know that, AI without the teacher , is nothing.

Informal Emails: Collaborative Writing with Personality Adjectives and Advice Structures

General
As teachers, we’re always looking for ways to make writing more engaging, especially at B2 level where students are ready to go beyond textbook exercises. One of my favourite activities combines informal email writing, personality adjectives, and advice-giving structures—all wrapped up in a collaborative gallery walk.
Before we start with the writing part you know, as  well as I do that if we want our students to actually use new vocabulary, we’ve got to help them revise it first! So, for this activity, I’ve created something super fun: an interactive, editable roulette! Yes!!! You heard that right!!! I made it myself! Wow! Even after using AI for almost three years, my mind still can’t wrap around how much we can create without writing a single line of code.
REVISING VOCABULARY: warming-up
This time, ask for volunteers—no teams, no competition, just brave students ready to test themselves and have a bit of fun along the way! One student at a time sits facing away from the board where the roulette is displayed, while the rest of the class gives clues to help them guess the personality adjective. After five adjectives, it’s time for a new volunteer to take the hot seat.
IMPORTANT: Sometimes, and for no reason, the Remove button won’t work.  Just clic the Spin button again and paste a smile. Sorry about this!
THE WRITING ACTIVITY

Objective:

Students will write an informal email in groups of 3, giving advice about the person’s personality and whether the situation is a good idea, using
  • Personality adjectives
  • Advice structures: I think you should… / If I were you… / Why don’t you.. / What/How about…?

and following the structure for informal emails below

Preparation

Before the activity, I prepare:
  • A set of six situation cards (you can print them or display them digitally).
  • Large sheets of paper or whiteboards for each group.

The Situation Cards

Each group receives one of the following scenarios:
  1. Flatmate – A friend is looking for someone to live with.
  2. New Boss – A friend will work with your current boss.
  3. Travel Companion – A friend wants to travel with someone you know.
  4. Study Group – A classmate wants to form a study group.
  5. Romantic Date – A friend is dating someone you know.
  6. Team Project – A friend will collaborate on a project.

EMAIL PERSONALITY de cristina.cabal

Procedure:

Phase 1: Writing in groups

  1. Divide students into groups of 3.
  2. Each group receives a situation card.
  3. They collaboratively write an informal email followint the layout of an informal email on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper posted on the walls of the classroom

Phase 2: Peer Review

  1. Assign each group to review another group’s email (ensure they are not reviewing their own work).
  2. The groups’ task is to critically read the assigned text and identify potential errors (grammar, vocabulary, or spelling).
  3. Instruct students to undeline any errors they spot directly on the poster

Phase 3: Consolidation and Teacher’s Feedback

  • While students do an activity in their textbooks, correct the mistakes in their emails.(perhaps using a different colored marker), thereby validating or correcting the peer-underlined feedback.

Phase 4: Final review and gallery walk

  •  Instruct the original groups to return to their own email poster.
  • Have them review the peer-feedback (underlined) and the definitive corrections you provided.
  • Ask students to  circulate around the classroom reading all the emails posted on the walls

Tic Tac Toe Writing Challenge, Cristina’s Style

Writing, , , , , , , , ,

This project is a perfect example of what I love most: blending the latest AI tools with good old-fashioned participation and creativity. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it gives every student a voice.

In class, we rarely have enough time for long writing tasks. Between listening activities, speaking practice, and vocabulary reviews, written expression often gets pushed to “maybe next week.” But what if we could sneak writing practice into something short, fun, and completely engaging? That’s exactly what we did this week!

I am currently working on personality adjectives, so I decided to create a Tic-Tac-Toe game using the Canvas option in Gemini.

Canvas option in Gemini?  Yes, this is an option where you create an app using natural language — no programming degree required! I simply typed something like, “Make a tic-tac-toe game I can edit,” and voilà! In seconds, we had our very own interactive Tic-Tac-Toe app, ready to play and personalize. I have made it editable, so you can easily adapt it to your own classes.( Aside note: I give webinars teaching all about it 😆 )

In my case, each square on the grid contained an adjective like embarrassed, confident….. If these words mean nothing to you, click on the Edit button,change the words and click on Save.

 

Tic-Tac-Toe Writing Challenge – Classroom Instructions
  1. Divide the class into two teams: Noughts (O) and Crosses (X). Within each team, students work in pairs, since they’ll be writing together.
  2. The Noughts team starts. They, as a team, choose one square on the tic-tac-toe board.

3. All pairs (from both the Noughts and Crosses teams) must write one sentence using the word in that square.

    • The sentence must be at least 12 words long.
    • Give them about 1–1.5 minutes to write

4.Divide the classroom board (whiteboard) into two halves: O and X.

5. When time’s up, choose one student from each team at random to come to the board and write their sentence on their side of the board. Remember, though they might be Os or Xs, they have been writing their sentence in pairs.

6. Next, ask the rest of each team to read their sentence on the board carefully and look for errors.

    • If someone finds a mistake on their team’s  sentence, they stand up, underline it on the board, and wait for the teacher’s confirmation.
    • Once confirmed, he/she corrects the error.

7. The teacher checks both sentences, gives final corrections if needed, and decides which one is better.

    • The “winner” can be the most accurate, complex, or creative sentence.
    • The winning team claims that square on the Tic-Tac-Toe board

8. Then, it’s the Crosses’ turn to choose a square and repeat the process.

9. Continue until one team wins the tic-tac-toe game or the board is full.

My tip: If you’re looking for a way to turn writing into an active, competitive, and collaborative task, this game is a gem. It keeps every student involved and sneaks in grammar, vocabulary, and peer correction all at once.