A selection of English ESL past tense: used to printables with song and nursery rhyme activity, listening comprehension

Song and nursery rhyme activity

Past tense: USED TO

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

This worksheet contains excerpts of 7 songs and listening exercises which may help the students learn the use of the expressions "used to" and "would". 



The songs are:

1. Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra

2. The Way We Used To Be by Eric Carmen

3. Viva La Vida by Coldplay

4. We Used To Wait by Arcade Fire

5. Used To Be by We Are The Grand

6. Used To by Daughtry

7. The Way It Used To Be by Mike Posner

LISTENING: 7 SONGS WITH "USED TO" AND "WOULD"

A beautiful song to practice USED TO and a bit of grammar (second conditional, phrasal verbs and opposites)

Song USED TO Chris Daughtry

This worksheet is for the song "Someone you loved" by Lewis Capaldi. There is an exercise for pracctising "used to" and "let". Students can also practise to write what they can hear. Key is included. It is also highly recommended to watch/listen the song on youtube.com or mp3.

Someone you loved by Lewis Capaldi 

Song for practicing "used to". Also good practice for vocabulary "somebody, anybody, anything, nothing, something". Includes teacher and student version, teacher version with answers and instructions. Song is "Somebody that I used to know" by Gotye.  

Song - Somebody that I used to know

Enjoy the song. Fill in the gaps.With this activity you'll revise the use of "used to"

"just my imagination" The Cranberries

SONG. MEET ME HALFWAY BY BLACK EYED PEAS

A worksheet on the song "It's all over now" (The Rolling Stones)

It's all over now

To practice  the correct use of 'used to' and 'get used to' through a Justin Bieber song. Ss watch the lyrics video or listen to the song, then answer the tasks on the worksheet in pairs. Ss can also learn new vocabulary and idioms.

'Get used to it'  Song Worksheet

It's The Rolling Stones's song which has grammar "used to" lyric.
For Intermediate or adult, we can also discuss about the meaning of its lyric.

used to - song

Enable learners to talk about past habits and activities using used to, They're going to listen to a video song "I Used To Be A Country Singer" by Gordon Lightfoot and do some tasks about it. Of course this worksheet has a slide to work with and a video to watch or listen to.





"I Used To Be A Country Singer"

 

I was sittin' in my hotel room, strummin' my old guitar

Not much to do when you're far away, playin' some smokey bar

I was feelin' a little empty and feelin' a little blue

When the maid came in and asked me if she could do my room 

I put down my old guitar and she gave me a smile

She had a crusty voice and a drinker's look, but she had a friendly style

She dusted my room and made my bed and she talked of days gone by

She spoke of when she wooed the men; a tear came to her eye 



And she said

I used to be a country singer

I could sing a mean Patsy Cline

My husband he could yodel like Wilf Carter

Kitty Wells was a real good friend of mine 



She told me that her husband died and her son was overseas

I could tell by her eyes and her broken smile she was lonely just like me

She asked me if I'd listen to a tape of when she was young

She said I can't sing now I forgot the words and my voice is almost gone 



And she said

I used to be a country singer

I could sing a mean Patsy Cline

My husband he could yodel like Wilf Carter

Kitty Wells was a real good friend of mine 



Oh I cried inside but I couldn't tell if it was for her or for me

So I grabbed my axe and we sang a song in two part harmony

Ever since that day when I'm feelin' down and I can't find a happy tune

I just think if that maid and the feeling she gave, when she came to clean my room 



And she said

I used to be a country singer

I could sing a mean Patsy Cline

My husband he could yodel like Wilf Carter

Kitty Wells was a real good friend of mine 



And she said

I used to be a country singer

I could sing a mean Patsy Cline

My husband he could yodel like Wilf Carter

Kitty Wells was a real good friend of mine

Kitty Wells was a real good friend of mine

	

•	GORDON LIGHTFOOT Lyrics



Used to 

This worksheet is based on the song Used to Love Her - Guns n' Roses. It's a good way to practice the past: USED TO. I hope it's useful and that your students enjoy it. 

11 Past tense: USED TO, Song and nursery rhyme activity, Listening Comprehension English ESL worksheets pdf & doc