English beginner

Florida
Is your country a peninsula? Do you have a gulf near your home?
The state of Florida is a land mass called a peninsula. (PEN-IN-SOO-LA) It is an area of land surrounded on two sides by water. Unlike an island, it is not totally surrounded by water. On the east coast of Florida is the Atlantic Ocean. On the west coast of Florida is the Gulf of Mexico. A gulf is a body of water that is part of the ocean or sea that extends into the land.

Florida
Read the paragraph below and find the five incorrect prepositions.
Because it is warm and sunny almost year-round, Florida is one on the most popular vacation spots on the United States. It is the home for Disney World, a place where many families bring their children in vacation. People enjoy visiting Florida because on its many beautiful beaches and islands.
Here are the correct prepositions, in the order in which they appear.
1. Florida is one OF the most popular vacation spots...
2. ...IN the United States
3. It is the home OF Disney World...
4. ...where many families bring their children ON vacation
5. People enjoy visiting Florida because OF its many beautiful beaches.

Introductions
GRAMMAR
The verb "to be" is one of the most important and commonly used verbs in English. It indicates a state of being or acts as a helping verb. Here are some examples of the verb "to be" used to indicate a state of being:
1. I am tired.
2. You are happy.
3. She is anxious.
4. He is nice.
5. It is cold.
6. We are hungry.
7. They are late.
In all of these examples the verb is followed by an adjective (a word that describes).
Fill in the correct form of the verb "to be" in these sentences:
1. He _____ angry.
2. They _____ young.
3. I _____ friendly.
4. You _____ smart.
5. We _____ ready.
Answers: 1. is 2. are 3. am 4. are 5. are

Florida
Florida is known as the Sunshine State. It produces and exports a fruit product that is very popular both in the United States and around the world. Do you know what it is? Orange juice! Citrus fruit like oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes is grown in Florida and it is one of the biggest exports from that state. When people think of Florida, they usually think of oranges and orange juice. The State Flower of Florida is the orange blossom, the flower of the orange tree!

Our changing working world
Lucy: I can''t figure this out. The computer just booted me off.
Devin: What are you working on?
Lucy: I''m trying to use this program from the web.
Devin: Maybe that''s the problem. The program might have a virus.
Lucy: I was careful, but maybe you''re right. I''m safer using my old program.
Devin: Old program?! You just bought it six months ago!
Lucy: A six-month old computer program is an antique!
Use a new word or _expression from the dialogue to replace the words in parentheses:
1. I really can''t (understand this).
2. My computer has a (small program that causes trouble).
3. I want to (keep) this work.
4. I like to use the (Worldwide Web) to find information.
5. This computer just (shut down).
ANSWERS:
1. can''t figure this out
2. virus
3. save
4. web
5. booted me off

A family
VOCABULARY
The following are words for some different members of a family.
1. mother (or "mom")
2. father (or "dad")
3. sister (your female sibling)
4. brother (your male sibling)
5. aunt (your mother or father''s sister or sister-in-law*)
6. uncle (your mother or father''s brother or brother-in-law*)
7. grandfather, grandmother (your parents'' parents)
8. cousin (your aunt and uncle''s children)
*Note: The term "in-law" is added to a family member term to show that the person is related to you by marriage. For example, your husband or wife''s mother is your "mother-in-law."

Guide to Verb Structures and Patterns

Verb Type Explanation Examples​

Intransitive: An intransitive verb does not take a direct object
Exp:They''re sleeping.
They arrived late.
Transitive: A transitive verb takes a direct object. The direct object can be a noun, a pronoun or a clause.
They bought the sweater.
He watched them.
Linking: A linking verb is followed by a noun or adjective which refers to the subject of the verb.
Exp:The meal looked wonderful.
He felt embarrassed.

Our changing working world
When my father started working in Canada in the 1960s, he understood that he would work for the same company for his entire career. But in the 1980s, a recession pushed companies to reduce their work forces for economic reasons. Many good workers were "downsized." Many peopleĂ¯s attitudes towards work and companies changed. When I started working in the early 1990s, no one expected to stay with the same company for his or her entire career.

VOCABULARY
Recession the economy is not growing
Downsized to fire workers for economic reasons
How do you think North American workers'' attitudes changed in the 1980s? How do you think this impacted the working world? Has something similar happened in your country?

Summer sports
A HAPPY CAMPER
The _expression "happy camper" is a common one. Guess what this _expression means:
"He/She is a happy camper" means
1. He/She is happy.
2. He/She is not happy.
3. He/She is happy to go camping.
If you chose 1), you are correct.

To be a "happy camper" simply means that you are happy. You can also use this _expression to talk about someone who is not happy by using the _expression sarcastically, but it is used more often to describe happy people than unhappy people.

Our changing working world
Technology is changing our working world very quickly. In North America, it is becoming increasingly popular to work out of the home. Some people "telecommute" to work. They work on their computers and send their work directly to the company. Others have started their own "home-based" businesses. I worked for a company that used "video-conferencing" for business meetings to save traveling time and money. In a few years, it may be common to have the same address for your business as for your home!
VOCABULARY
Telecommute to work from home using the internet, a modem, or fax
Home-based business a business you run from your home
Video-conferencing television sets linked by telephone line used in different places, so people can see and hear each other