UNIT 6: VACATION
WARM-UP
A. Talk about the pictures with a partner. What
can you see?
Where are these places?
B. What do you like to do on vacation?
sunbathe on the beach
go to a theme park
travel to a lot of new places
spend your time on a farm
VOCABULARY 1: VACATION ACTIVITIES
A. Match each activity with a picture.
1. _____ go sightseeing
2. _____ go camping
3. _____ sunbathe on the beach
4. _____ visit pagodas
5. _____ go on a guided tour
6. _____ stay on a farm
7. _____ go to a theme park
8. _____ go hiking
9. _____ visit grandparents
10. ____ go to the cinema
B. Check () the vacation activities you enjoy. Ask and answer questions with a partner.
Do you like to go Yes, of course. sightseeing when
I think going you go on sightseeing is
GRAMMAR FOCUS 1: PAST SIMPLE OF BE AND CAN
Past Simple: Be
Affirmative
I/he/she/it was in Paris.
We/you/they were in Paris.
Negative
I/he/she/it wasn’t in Paris.
We/you/they weren’t in Paris.
Interrogative
Was he/she/it in Paris?
Yes, he/she/it was. / No, he/she/it wasn’t.
Were you/we/they in Paris?
Yes, I/we/they were. / No, I/we/they weren’t.
Note: wasn’t = was not; weren’t = were not
Past Simple: Can
Could is used for all persons.
Affirmative
He could swim when he was child.
Negative
He couldn’t swim when he was a child.
Interrogative
Could he swim when he was a child? Yes,
he could. / No, he couldn’t.
Note: couldn’t = could not
B. Complete the conversation with was, were, wasn’t or weren’t.
Rose: Where _____ you last night, Anne?
Anne: Well, I _____ at home with my mum.
Rose: You _____ at the cinema with John?
Anne: No, I couldn’t go because my mum _____ sick.
Rose: What a pity.
Anne: How _____ the film?
Rose: It _____ pretty good, but the ending _____ very happy.
C. Write sentences using could and was
1. He / read / five
He could read when he was five.
2. John / play piano / six
3. My brother / draw beautiful pictures / seven
4. We / speak two foreign languages / graduate from high school
5. She / dance / eight
6. Tiger Woods / play golf / three
D. Write questions using the Past simple form of be and can.
1. walk / one
Could you walk when you were one? 2. write
you name / three
________________________________
3. read / two
________________________________
4. count from one to ten / two
________________________________
5. talk / three
________________________________
6. ride a bike / six
________________________________
7. swim / five
________________________________
E. Work in pairs. Ask and answer questions in Exercise D.
Could you walk Yes, I could. / when you were
No, I couldn’t. one?
LISTENING
A. People are talking about their vacation. Did they enjoy them? Listen and circle Yes or
No.
1. Yes 2. Yes 3. Yes 4. Yes
No No No No
5. Yes 6. Yes 7. Yes 8. Yes
No No No No
B. Listen again and match.
1. The weather was __________. a. fantastic
2. The people were ____________. b. terrible
3. The ski trip was _______________. c. disappointing
4. Their trip to France was __________. d. nice
5. Her trip to the beach was __________. e. clean.
6. The hotel wasn’t ___________________. f. awful
7. Shopping in Thailand was __________. g. short
8. His vacation was too ___________________. h. terrific
C. People are talking about their vacations. Listen and check the correct answer.
1. She learned to surf very fast. True False
2. It was cool at night. True False
3. The museums were boring. True False
4. The weather was fantastic. True False
5. He traveled to the USA. True False
6. They had a comfortable trip. True False
SPEAKING
A. Read the information about Jim and Army. Make notes about your last vacation.
Questions Jim Army Me
Where/go? Vermont Japan
When/go? last June last October
How a week three weeks
long/stay?
How/travel? train plane
Where/stay? a bed and breakfast with friends
went walking in the visited Tokyo and
What/do?
countryside Kyoto
some beautiful Some beautiful
What/see? mountains and rivers; temples; not Mount
not any people! Fuji
Enjoy the
yes Yes
vacation?
B. Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions with When did you last...? Ask
another questions for more information.
When did you last take a vacation?
Last August.
Where did you go?
To Florida
Yukio took a vacation last August and she went to
take a vacation take a photo write an e-mail
watch a DVD go to a party get a present
go shopping talk on a cell phone eat in a restaurant
Tell the class some things you learned about your partner.
C. Put a check () next to the correct sentence.
1. He bought some new shoes.
He buyed some new shoes.
2. Where did you go yesterday? Where you
went yesterday?
3. You see Jane last week?
Did you see Jane last week?
4. Did she get the job?
Did she got the job?
5. I went out yesterday night.
I went out last night.
6. He studied French at school.
He studyed French at school.
7. What had you for breakfast?
What did you have for
breakfast? 8. I was in New
York the last week.
I was in New York last week.
READING
A. Read the story
My First Trip to Hanoi
My name’s Nam and I want to tell you a funny story about my first trip. Last weekend I went to
Hanoi with my family. We took a cheap flight and we stayed in a hotel in the city centre. I packed
all my clothes and my computer in a bag. My dad asked me not to check it in but I did. We got
our luggage at the airport. When I opened my bag, it was full of books and girls’ clothes. The
bag looked exactly like my bag but there were skirts, shoes and lots of books and magazines. I
phoned the airport but they didn’t know anything about my bag. Therefore, I spent three days
without any clothes and computer. My brother gave me some of his clothes but they were too
big and I looked terrible! We also visited some famous places in Hanoi such as Hoan Kiem Lake,
Tran Quoc Pagoda and I took some photos of my family. On the last day of my trip, my bag
suddenly arrived at the hotel. I was very happy to see it and I didn’t have to pack. Anyway, we
had a great trip.
Hoan Kiem Lake
B. Read the story and answer the following questions.
1. What did Nam take with him to Hanoi?
2. Did he have his computer in Hanoi?
3. How long did he stay in Hanoi?
4. Why did Nam ‘look terrible’ in Hanoi?
C. Read the story and decide if the sentences are T (True) or (False).
1. Nam went to Hanoi with his friends.
2. They stayed in a hotel in the city centre.
3. Nam packed only his clothes in a bag.
4. They stayed in Hanoi for a week.
5. Nam had a bad trip.
GRAMMAR FOCUS 2: PAST SIMPLE – REGULAR VERBS
PAST SIMPLE – REGULAR VERBS
Past Simple tense is used to talk about a completed action in the
past.
The form of Past Simple is the same for all persons.
1. Most verbs: add –ed watch watched
2. Verbs ending in -e: add –d dance danced
3. Verbs ending in a consonant and -y: change –y to -ied
study studied
4. Verbs ending in a short vowel and a consonant: double the
consonant and add –ed chat chatted plan planned
A. Put the time expressions below in the correct order (1-9). Start with the most recent.
four years ago last year yesterday
morning yesterday evening last week last night
last month the day before yesterday two months ago
1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3.
_____________________
4.
_____________________
5. _____________________
6. _____________________
7. _____________________ 8. _____________________
9. _____________________
B. Write sentences using Past simple tense. 1. they/ play/ football/ yesterday
They played football yesterday.
2. last year/ I/ celebrate/ birthday party/ in a restaurant.
___________________________________________
3. My mother/ clean/ house/ at the weekend
___________________________________________
4. Tom/ send a message/ his girlfriend/ yesterday morning
___________________________________________
5. We/ travel/ Dalat City/ three years ago.
___________________________________________
6. My sister/ wash/ her clothes/ last night.
___________________________________________
7. Last week/ Peter and John/ return/ their hometown
___________________________________________
C. Ask each student to use each verb below to create a sentence describing his or her
activity in the past.
chat cook study walk phone visit work watch play listen stay talk
I played chess
with my father
last night.
I visited my
grandparents two
months ago.
VOCABULARY 1: VACATION ITEMS
A. Match each item with a picture.
1. ______ map
2. ______ passport
3. ______ sunglasses
4. ______ camera
5. ______ umbrella Pictures
6. ______ tent
7. ______ first aid kit
8. ______ sandals
B. Match each item above (1-8) with a definition.
1. ______ You can take a lot of pictures with this.
2. ______ We wear these on your feet in hot weather.
3. ______ These protect your eyes when it is very sunny.
4. ______ You sleep in this when you go camping.
5. ______ You use this in case of the rain.
6. ______ You use this when you get injured.
7. ______ This helps you when you are lost.
8. ______ You show this when you enter or leave a foreign country.
WRITING
Write a short paragraph about your vacation in the past using Past simple tense.
Include the following information in your writing.
1. Note where you had your vacation.
2. Note whom you went with and whom you met.
3. Note the place where you stayed.
3. Mention some special places you went to and food you ate during your vacation.
4. Mention some activities you enjoyed and don’t enjoy during your vacation.
5. Provide your feeling about the vacation.
