HOUSES

Although we are now dealing with a new topic, in the previous lesson we talked about houses and we could not listen to a song which I promised to upload here, so there you are:

OUR HOUSE, by Madness

(a hit from the 80's)

Back to school

From Monday 23rd March, lessons go back to normal.

If I hadn't slipped, I wouldn't have sprained my ankle

Hi, everybody!

As you know I'm on a sick leave due to a sprained ankle (a serious one, believe me) but I can still post here and want to use my situation to introduce/revise the third conditional in the context of "regrets", one of the commonest uses.

This is the uninteresting story of the sprain (but if you don't read it now and ask me how it happened when I get back, I'll make you read it as homework):

"Last Wednesday I went to the gym after breakfast. I got changed and was ready to start when I felt the need to visit the toilet. On my way to the toilet I noticed something strange in my left eye and as I was passing in front of a mirror, I turned to check if there was something wrong. Unfortunately, this mirror was above a washbasin and the floor was wet. It was when I was turning that I placed my foot in the wrong position and on the slippery floor. And then it happened, my ankle twisted and I felt a very intense pain while the whole weigh of my body fell on it. I had to get a taxi to go to the doctor's and now I must spend 15 days without leaning on that foot. A silly accident with serious consequences. Something to regret. If I hadn't gone to the gym, I wouln't have sprained my ankle...(but I did and there's nothing I can do to change the past, is there?)

Conditional sentences: If + past perfect (type III)

Task 1.

Can you think of other situations in which you could use this structure to express regrets?

You can write a composition beginning or ending with a third conditional and then explaining your story and the reason for your regret. I'll be happy to read it in my (hopefully brief) retirement.

Here you are another story in which someone has something to regret. And it also happens in a changing room! (You can also find it in Yapper, where you can read the subtitles but try first without any help)

But not everything must be about regretting. Watch the following video and send your answer to this question as a comment.

What would you have done if you had been there?

Songs and conditional sentences

We've been working with conditional sentences in class and these are some songs to practise them:

If + present
(type zero and type I)

If you don't know me by now (Simply Red)





You can get it if you really want (Jimmy Cliff)

If + past simple
(type II)

If I had a hammer (Trini López)

If I were a bell (from Guys and Dolls, Doris Day version suggested by María)

If I were a rich man, a classical from Fiddler On The Roof. In this song you will also find some first type and mixed type (second and third) conditional sentences.

More than words, by Extreme (one of my favourite songs). Although the version below is clearer, this group sang this song live in Seville at the Expo 92. If you were lucky enough to see them (I wasn't), here is a reminder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE1XRob6KkU

In the following song, the subjunctive "if I were..." is replaced by the more and more frequently used simple past "if I was...", something considered incorrect from a traditional grammar perspective:


All I want is you (

Barry Louis Polisar), from the film "JUNO"

I also think "If I could" by Seal is a good song for this purpose but I couldn't find a listenable version on the web. Any more suggestions?