English Course · Level 5 (B2) · Week 2 of 12
Ambition and Success
Grammar: The impersonal passive · It is said that… · He is believed to…
This week's plan
| Day | Learn | Listen / Watch | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Words: Ambition · Sentences 1–2 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Inside the head of Jeff Bezos” (podcast) | Exercise 1 |
| Day 2 | Words: Success and failure · Sentences 3–4 | TEDx: Larry Smith, “Why you will fail to have a great career” (video) | Exercise 2 |
| Day 3 | Words: Success collocations · Sentences 5–6 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Working for yourself” (podcast) | Exercise 3 |
| Day 4 | Words: Reporting beliefs · Sentences 7–8 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Why everyone loves the underdog” (podcast) + BBC The English We Speak: “Onto something” (podcast) | Exercise 4 |
| Day 5 | Words: Successful people · Sentences 9–10 | TED: Dan Pink, “The puzzle of motivation” (video) | Write & Speak |
| Day 6 | Review all 30 words + 10 sentences | British Council B2: “Cultural expectations and leadership” (reading) | Redo mistakes |
| Day 7 | Free day ☺ | BBC The English We Speak: “Understood the assignment” (podcast) | Tick your tracker |
30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.
30 words to learn
Set 1 · Ambition
- ambitiousطموح
- an aspirationتطلّع / طموح
- determinationعزيمة / إصرار
- driveدافع / حماس داخلي
- goal-orientedيركّز على أهدافه
- perseveranceمثابرة
Set 2 · Success and failure
- an achievementإنجاز
- a breakthroughإنجاز كبير / طفرة
- a setbackانتكاسة / عقبة
- a milestoneعلامة فارقة / محطة مهمة
- accomplishيُنجز / يحقّق
- thriveيزدهر / ينجح ويتألّق
Set 3 · Success collocations
- reach your full potentialيصل إلى أقصى إمكاناته
- set yourself a goalيضع لنفسه هدفًا
- make progressيُحرز تقدّمًا
- fulfil an ambitionيحقّق طموحًا
- climb the career ladderيترقّى في السلّم الوظيفي
- work your way upيشقّ طريقه إلى القمة بجهده
Set 4 · Reporting beliefs
- it is saidيُقال
- it is believedيُعتقد
- it is thoughtيُظَنّ / يُعتقد
- it is reportedأفادت التقارير / يُذكَر
- it is claimedيُزعَم / يُدّعى
- it is expectedمن المتوقّع
Set 5 · Successful people
- resilientصلب / قادر على التعافي بسرعة
- disciplinedمنضبط
- self-motivatedلديه دافع ذاتي
- resourcefulواسع الحيلة / بيعرف يتصرّف
- modestمتواضع
- a visionaryصاحب رؤية / ذو بصيرة
10 sentences to memorise
- 1It is said that Naguib Mahfouz wrote at the same time every day.يُقال إن نجيب محفوظ كان يكتب في الوقت نفسه كل يوم.
- 2Mohamed Salah is believed to be one of the hardest-working players in the world.يُعتقد أن محمد صلاح واحد من أكثر اللاعبين اجتهادًا في العالم.
- 3The company is expected to announce record profits this year.من المتوقّع أن تعلن الشركة عن أرباح قياسية هذا العام.
- 4She worked her way up from receptionist to general manager.شقّت طريقها من موظفة استقبال إلى مديرة عامة.
- 5Every setback taught me something new.علّمتني كل انتكاسة شيئًا جديدًا.
- 6It is widely thought that talent matters more than effort, but research suggests otherwise.يُعتقد على نطاق واسع أن الموهبة أهم من الجهد، لكن الأبحاث تشير إلى غير ذلك.
- 7The young engineer is reported to have made a major breakthrough.أفادت التقارير بأن المهندس الشاب حقّق إنجازًا كبيرًا.
- 8If you want to reach your full potential, you need discipline as well as talent.إذا أردت أن تصل إلى أقصى إمكاناتك، فأنت تحتاج إلى الانضباط بالإضافة إلى الموهبة.
- 9Graduating from university was an important milestone in my life.كان تخرّجي في الجامعة محطة مهمة في حياتي.
- 10Resilient people see failure as a chance to learn.يرى الأشخاص ذوو الصلابة النفسية الفشلَ فرصةً للتعلّم.
Grammar: The impersonal passive · It is said that… · He is believed to…
Use the impersonal passive to report what people in general say, believe or expect, without saying who. Two patterns: It + is said / believed / thought + that + clause · Subject + is said / believed / thought + to + infinitive (to do / to be doing / to have done).
في العربية نقول «يُقال إن…» و«يُعتقد أن…»، فيترجمها المتعلم حرفيًا: It is said that he is rich ✓، لكنه يخطئ في النمط الثاني فيقول He is said that he is rich ✗. القاعدة: إذا بدأت بـ It فاستخدم that، وإذا بدأت بالشخص نفسه فاستخدم to + المصدر: He is said to be rich. وإذا كان الحدث في الماضي نستخدم to have + التصريف الثالث: He is said to have left the country (يُقال إنه غادر البلد).
| Active (people say…) | It + passive + that… | Subject + passive + to… |
|---|---|---|
| People say that he is very rich. | It is said that he is very rich. | He is said to be very rich. |
| Experts believe that the city is growing fast. | It is believed that the city is growing fast. | The city is believed to be growing fast. |
| People think that she left the company. | It is thought that she left the company. | She is thought to have left the company. |
| Reports said that the minister was ill. | It was reported that the minister was ill. | The minister was reported to be ill. |
to + infinitive = same time (to be) · to be + -ing = in progress now (to be growing) · to have + V3 = earlier (to have left).
Common verbs: say, believe, think, know, expect, report, claim, consider, estimate, understand.
This structure is typical of news reports, essays and formal writing: it sounds objective and impersonal.
Exercises
Exercise 1 · Rewrite the sentences starting with “It”.
- 1) People say that the new manager is very strict.
- 2) Experts expect that prices will rise next year.
- 3) People believe that the pyramids were built by skilled workers.
- 4) Journalists reported that the actor had left Egypt.
- 5) Many people think that money brings happiness.
Show the answers
Exercise 2 · Rewrite the sentences starting with the words given.
- 1) It is said that Hany is a brilliant chef. → Hany …
- 2) It is believed that the company is planning a new branch in Alexandria. → The company …
- 3) It is thought that the thief escaped through the window. → The thief …
- 4) It is known that she speaks five languages. → She …
- 5) It is reported that two people were injured. → Two people …
Show the answers
Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.
- 1) He is said that he is a millionaire.
- 2) It is believed the singer to be very generous.
- 3) She is thought to leave the country last year.
- 4) The new bridge is expected open next month.
- 5) It says that hard work beats talent.
Show the answers
Exercise 4 · Translate into English.
- 1) يُقال إن هذا المطعم هو الأفضل في القاهرة.
- 2) يُعتقد أن اللاعب أُصيب في التدريب.
- 3) شقّ طريقه إلى القمة بالمثابرة والعزيمة.
- 4) من المتوقّع أن تحقّق الشركة نجاحًا كبيرًا.
Show the answers
Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.
Write & Speak
Example: What does success really mean? It is often said that success means having a big salary, an expensive car and a flat in New Cairo. Successful people are thought to be the ones who appear on television or have millions of followers. But is that really the whole story? In my opinion, success is far more personal. Take my uncle, Mahmoud. He is known to have started his career as a waiter in a small café in Mansoura. Over twenty years, he worked his way up and now runs his own restaurant. He is not famous, and he is certainly not a millionaire, but he is respected by everyone in his neighbourhood. For him, success means providing for his family and treating his staff fairly. It is widely believed that talent is the key to achievement. However, psychologists who study high achievers suggest that determination and perseverance matter just as much. People who keep going after a setback often go further than those who give up at the first obstacle. So what should young people aim for? I would argue that the best goal is not to impress others but to become the best version of yourself. Set yourself realistic goals, celebrate every milestone and learn from your failures. If you do that, you will have achieved something that no salary can measure: a life you are proud of.