News
Use this page to find your way around our lower intermediate course. Click the links to go to our other course sitemaps.
Lower Intermediate Course – A=activity, L=listening, R=reading, V=video
Grammar
Vocabulary
News and Drama
Unit 1 – Nice to meet you!
L Question forms 6 Minute Grammar R Keith Wallace, travel journalist Question forms practice R Questions forms Grammar reference
L Suffixes 6 Minute Vocabulary V Ways to say hello R Formal and informal writing
L News Report Tipping
L The Race – Episode 1 Asking questions and giving information
Unit 2 – What to wear
L Present simple and present continuous 6 Minute Grammar V Tom Ford, fashion designerUsing present simple and present continuous R Present simple and present continuous Grammar reference
L Adjectives and adverbs 6 Minute Vocabulary V Smart or scruffy? Describing your clothes
L News Report How fashionable is business?
L The Race – Episode 2 Present simple and present continuous
Unit 3 – Like this, like that
L 'Like' as a verb and preposition 6 Minute Grammar L London voxpopsWhat's it like where you live?
R 'Like' Grammar reference
L Prefixes 6 Minute Vocabulary V Do you like cats? Vocabulary to describe cats L Nick Grimshaw, DJ Using 'like' as a filler word
L News ReportHow dangerous are cats?
L The Race – Episode 3 Using the word 'like'
Unit 4 – The daily grind
L Adverbs of Frequency 6 Minute Grammar L London voxpopsCommuting and adverbs of frequency
R Adverbs of frequency Grammar Reference
L Chunks of language 6 Minute Vocabulary L Travel vocabulary L Pronunciation Two ways to say 'often'
L News Report Extreme commuting
L The Race – Episode 4 Adverbs of frequency
Unit 5 – Christmas every day
L 'Have to' and 'must' 6 Minute Grammar L 'Have to' and 'must'Future and past usage
L Jagtar's interview Language practice R 'Have to' and 'must' Grammar reference
L Binomials 6 Minute Vocabulary
L Informal English'Have got to' versus 'have to'
V Pronunciation Silent letters
L News Report Christmas dinner
L The Race – Episode 5'Have to' and 'must'
Unit 6 – Great achievers
L Past Simple 6 Minute Grammar L Rob and the triathlon Learn the past simple A Danny Murphy, footballer Past simple questions & negatives R Past Simple Grammar reference
L -ing and –ed adjectives 6 Minute Vocabulary L The pub quiz Using the past simple V Pronunciation Past simple endings
L News Report Is Ronaldo the perfect player?
L The Race – Episode 6 Using the past simple
Unit 7 – The Titanic
L Past simple and continuous 6 Minute Grammar V Eva's story Past simple and continuous R Learn the language Past simple and continuous A Past simple and continuous Quiz R Past simple and continuous Grammar reference
L Lexical sets 6 Minute Vocabulary R Titanic vocabulary V Eva's animated story Titanic survivor R Karen's letter Titanic survivor L Gus's audio story Titanic survivor
L News Report Happy and sad jobs
L The Race – Episode 7 Past simple and continuous
Unit 8 - Travel
L Articles 6 Minute Grammar L Learn the languageArticles
A When to use 'the' L When to use the zero article
R ArticlesGrammar reference
L Compound adjectives 6 Minute Vocabulary L Holiday vocabulary V Pronunciation Articles in spoken English V Talking about your city St Petersburg
L News Report The island at the end of the earth
L The Race – Episode 8Articles
Unit 9 – The big wedding
L 'Going to' and present continuous 6 Minute Grammar A Past, present or future? Wedding stories A 'Going to' and the present continuousPlanning a wedding
R 'Going to' and present continuous to talk about the future Grammar reference
L Word stress 6 Minute Vocabulary R Wedding vocabulary L Pronunciation 'Gonna' V Is that rain? Different ways to talk about the future Language for making plans
L News Report A wedding on a budget
L The Race – Episode 9 'Going to' and present continuous to talk about the future
Unit 10 – Sunny’s job hunt
L Verb patterns 6 Minute Grammar R When to use the gerund and when the infinitive after a verb R Verb patterns Grammar reference
L Job Suffixes 6 Minute Vocabulary R Sunny's mistakes Writing a covering letter L Craig, BBC HR Manager Interview advice
L News Report Girl power in Ghana's schools
L The Race – Episode 10 Verb patterns
Unit 11 – The bucket list
L Present Perfect 6 Minute Grammar L Londoners' experiences Past participles and the present perfect A Asking questions Present perfect questions R Present perfect Grammar reference
L Contractions 6 Minute Vocabulary A Life experiencesCollocations
R Susan Boyle's present perfect life V Pronunciation Present perfect
L News Report Swiss children used as slave labour
L Frankenstein – Episode 1 Present perfect with 'never' and 'ever'
Unit 12 – Moving and immigration
L Present perfect with 'for' and 'since' 6 Minute Grammar R Present perfect reminder R Present perfect with 'for' and 'since' Grammar reference
L Adjective order 6 Minute Vocabulary L Sourena, broadcast journalist Changing jobs L How long have you lived here? Students speak about the UK
L News Report Mushrooms are the business for Burmese migrant
L Frankenstein – Episode 2 Present perfect with 'for' and 'since'
Unit 13 – Welcome to BBC Broadcasting House
L Comparatives and superlatives 6 Minute Grammar R Newest, largest and bigger Comparatives and superlatives explained R Much and more More about comparatives R Comparing nouns R Comparatives and superlatives Grammar reference
L Similar words 6 Minute Vocabulary R Find out about the BBC Superlatives and comparatives activity
V The BBC A superlative guide L Describing change in your neighbourhood
L News Report Minecraft player builds virtual city L Frankenstein – Episode 3 Present perfect with 'yet', 'just' and 'already'
Unit 14 – New Year, New Project
L 'Just', 'already' and 'yet' with the present perfect tense 6 Minute Grammar R 'Just' and 'already' The rules A 'Yet' More rules R 'Just', 'already' and 'yet' with the present perfect tense Grammar reference
L Compound nouns 6 Minute Vocabulary V New Year's resolutions A A vegetarian breakfast?Present perfect with 'yet', 'just' and 'already' practice
L 'Just', 'yet' and 'already' in business Business vocabulary L The Sagrada Familia A listening activity
L News Report Too many graduates, not enough jobs L Frankenstein – Episode 4 Comparatives and superlatives
Unit 15 – From Handel to Hendrix
L Defining relative clauses 6 Minute Grammar R Handel and Hendrix Getting a handle on relative clauses R Which, where or that R Relative clauses A structure
R Defining relative clauses Grammar reference
L Homophones 6 Minute Vocabulary V Famous London Descriptions with relative clauses A What does … mean?A useful question
L The Handel House Museum A listening activity
L News Report The Taj Mahal in your living room L Frankenstein – Episode 5 Relative clauses
Unit 16 – What’s the weather like?
L May, might and could 6 Minute Grammar R The weather supercomputer Understanding might, may and could R Predicting the weather Using will and might R May, might and could for possibility Grammar reference
L Weather words 6 Minute Vocabulary A Welcome to the weather Weather vocabulary and symbols V A weather forecast Understanding a weather forecast? V Climate change Cause and effect relationships R Climate changeIs the risk from extreme weather set to rise?
L Meet a weather presenter Using 'could' and 'couldn't
L Britain's great storm
L News Report Entrepreneurial spark L Frankenstein – Episode 6 'May', 'might' and 'could'
Unit 17 – The Digital Revolution
L Used to 6 Minute Grammar R Talking about change A guide to used to R Used to and the past simple What's the difference? V Used to or use to? R Used to Grammar reference
L New words 6 Minute Vocabulary V Modern technology is great? selfie, photobomb and trolling L Modern technology – the debate old-school, bizarre, video call … R Robot trucks do the jobs Mining and tech vocabulary L Christine's life Using 'used to'
L News Report Experimental schools of the 1970s L Frankenstein – Episode 7 Used to
Unit 18 – A detective story
L Subject questions 6 Minute Grammar A Inspector Stone's case notes (Ep 1) Possessive 's' and subject questions R Gathering the evidence Forming subject questions R The Inspector finds a notebook Word order R 'Whose' or 'who's'? L Inspector Stone's case notes Intonation and question tags
R Subject-object questionsGrammar reference
L Male and female job words 6 Minute Vocabulary V Inspector Stone Episode 1 Wedding vocabulary V Inspector Stone Episode 2 Listening for specific information More on subject questions V Inspector Stone Episode 3 Practising the past simple negative R The mother of the bride Find the past simple negative mistakes V Inspector Stone Episode 4 Intonation and solving the crime
L News Report Murder mystery L Frankenstein – Episode 8 Subject questions
Unit 19 – A place to live
L 'Too', 'very', 'enough'6 Minute Grammar
A Modifying adjectives with 'too', 'very' and 'enough'
R 'Too much', 'too many', 'enough', 'not enough', 'very'Grammar reference
L Strong adjectives6 Minute Vocabulary
V Goldilocks and the three bears'Too', 'very' and 'enough'
R London’s housing crisisHousing vocabulary
V 'ough' wordsPronunciation tips for words like ‘enough’
L 'Too', 'very' and 'enough'Using these words to say what’s wrong
L News ReportSchool shortage
L Frankenstein – Episode 9'Too much', 'too many', 'enough', 'not enough', 'very'
Unit 20 – The Cult of Celebrity
L Tenses6 Minute Grammar – present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, going to, present continuous with future meaning
V Daisy's auditionPresent simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect
V Living in The BoxPresent simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect
R Mixed tensesGrammar reference
L –ic and –ical adjectives6 Minute Vocabulary
V Life after The BoxTalking about plans for the future
R Daisy goes globalFame vocabulary
R A disease called fameFame vocabulary
L News ReportRobin Williams honoured
L Frankenstein – Episode 10Past simple, present simple, present perfect, present continuous, 'going to' future
Unit 21 – Welcome to your new job
L Indirect questions6 Minute Grammar
R Indirect questions
R Indirect questionsGrammar reference
L Multi-word verbs6 Minute Vocabulary
V Going Up: Amith's First DayPolite language
R Indirect questions with 'if' and 'whether'
L 'I wonder if you could help me'Listening to phone messages
R French cafe causes a stirRead an article about a French cafe
L News ReportWork after sport
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 1Indirect questions
Unit 22 – Beyond the planets
L Present and past ives6 Minute Grammar
R The ive voice
R Present and past ivesGrammar reference
L Onomatopoeia6 Minute Vocabulary
L NASA's last shuttle flightSpace vocabulary
R Is there hope for the future?Stories about the future
L News ReportComets
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 2Present and past simple ives
Unit 23 – Great expectations!
L First conditional6 Minute Grammar
L Advice for new mumsUsing the first conditional
R First conditionalGrammar reference
L Silent letters6 Minute Vocabulary
L Baby talkIdioms relating to having a baby
L Parents-to-be'If' + present simple + will
R Different countries, different systemsReading about healthcare and pregnancy
L News ReportDads attending births
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 3The first conditional
Unit 24 – Eco-tourism
L The second conditional6 Minute Grammar
L Would the world be better if…Second conditionals
R Second conditionalGrammar reference
L Re- pre- and pro-6 Minute Vocabulary
R Would you go to Antarctica?Eco-tourism vocabulary
L My dream holidayTalking about dream destinations
L News Report
If cars could run themselves
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 4The second conditional
Unit 25 – Moving house
L State verbs6 Minute Grammar
A State verbs: 'love' and 'hate'
R State verbs and action verbsGrammar reference
L Phrasal verbs and context6 Minute Vocabulary
R Finding somewhere to liveVocabulary relating to living together
L Getting along with your housematesTalking about living together
R How can you avoid choosing a terrible flatmate?Talking about the problems of living together
L News ReportSharing accommodation
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 5State verbs
Unit 26 – It must be love
L Present perfect and past simple6 Minute Grammar
R Present perfect and past simpleGrammar reference
L Spelling words that begin with /s/6 Minute Vocabulary
L She’s the oneTalking about relationships
R The man who robbed a bank for love
L News ReportBreaking News
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 6Present perfect and past simple
Unit 27 – Job hunting success… and failure
L Question tags6 Minute Grammar
A Making questions in English
A Find the correct question tags
R Question tagsGrammar reference
L Business jargon6 Minute Vocabulary
R The ideal candidateVocabulary of job adverts
R The dos and don'ts of job interviewsVocabulary relating to job interview processes
L News ReportJob interviews
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 7Question tags
Unit 28 – Speeding into the future
L 'Will', 'going to', 'might' and 'be likely to'6 Minute Grammar
R Predicting the future'Will', 'going to', 'be likely to' and 'might'
R 'Will', 'going to', 'be likely to', 'might'Grammar reference
L British and American English6 Minute Vocabulary
R Too much tech?Vocabulary relating to digital technology
R Do we need to rescue our kids from the digital world?Vocabulary relating to use of digital technology
L News ReportThe future of travel
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 8'Will', 'going to', 'might'
Unit 29 – Lost arts
L 'Used to' and 'would'6 Minute Grammar
R 'Used to' and 'would'Grammar reference
L Pronouncing verbs and nouns6 Minute Vocabulary
L The Knowledge'Used to' and 'would' in context
R How to plant the perfect treeSuggestions, instructions and advice
L News ReportHealth stories
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 9'Used to' and 'would'
Unit 30 – Tales of survival
L 'Can', 'could', 'be able to', 'manage'6 Minute Grammar
R Turning tragedy into triumph'Can', 'could', 'be able to' and 'manage to' in context
R Present and past modals of abilityGrammar reference
L Words with double letters6 Minute Vocabulary
R Surviving in tough timesTalking about ability
R After Typhoon HaiyanVocabulary relating to natural disasters
L Meet JackieBroadcasting in and about disaster zones
L News ReportSurviving the tsunami
L Alice in Wonderland – Part 10Expressions of ability in the past and present
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