English Course · Level 5 (B2) · Week 7 of 12
Education and Learning
Grammar: would rather · had better · it's (high) time + past simple
This week's plan
| Day | Learn | Listen / Watch | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Words: The education system · Sentences 1–2 | BBC 6 Minute English: “How learning to read changes lives” (podcast) | Exercise 1 |
| Day 2 | Words: University life · Sentences 3–4 | TED: Sir Ken Robinson, “Do schools kill creativity?” (video) | Exercise 2 |
| Day 3 | Words: Learning phrasal verbs · Sentences 5–6 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Why we forget the things we learn” (podcast) | Exercise 3 |
| Day 4 | Words: Ways of learning · Sentences 7–8 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Learning multiple languages” (podcast) + BBC The English We Speak: “Learn the hard way” (podcast) | Exercise 4 |
| Day 5 | Words: Preferences and advice · Sentences 9–10 | engVid (Alex): “Preference – How to talk about what you want in English” (video) | Write & Speak |
| Day 6 | Review all 30 words + 10 sentences | British Council B2: “An email to your professor” (writing) | Redo mistakes |
| Day 7 | Free day ☺ | BBC 6 Minute English: “For the love of foreign languages” (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 · The education system
- the curriculumالمنهج الدراسي
- a syllabusمقرّر / خطة المادة
- assessmentتقييم
- private tuitionدروس خصوصية
- rote learningالحفظ والتلقين / الحفظ الصمّ
- critical thinkingالتفكير النقدي
Set 2 · University life
- an undergraduateطالب جامعي (مرحلة البكالوريوس)
- a postgraduateطالب دراسات عليا
- a scholarshipمنحة دراسية
- tuition feesرسوم دراسية / مصاريف
- a dissertationرسالة / بحث تخرّج
- a lecturerمحاضر
Set 3 · Learning phrasal verbs
- catch up onيعوّض ما فاته / يلحق
- fall behindيتأخّر عن الآخرين
- brush up onينشّط معلوماته في / يراجع
- drop out (of)يترك الدراسة / يتسرّب من
- take inيستوعب
- cram (for)يذاكر بكثافة في آخر لحظة
Set 4 · Ways of learning
- lifelong learningالتعلّم مدى الحياة
- distance learningالتعليم عن بُعد
- hands-onعملي / تطبيقي
- self-taughtعلّم نفسه بنفسه / عصامي
- a steep learning curveشيء صعب يحتاج إلى تعلّم كثير في وقت قصير
- feedbackتغذية راجعة / ملاحظات
Set 5 · Preferences and advice
- would ratherيفضّل أن
- would soonerيفضّل أن (أقل رسمية)
- had betterمن الأفضل أن / الأحسن
- it's timeحان الوقت
- it's high timeآن الأوان / جه الوقت من زمان
- prefer… to…يفضّل… على…
10 sentences to memorise
- 1I'd rather study online than travel to the campus every day.أفضّل أن أدرس عبر الإنترنت على أن أسافر إلى الحرم الجامعي كل يوم.
- 2You'd better start revising now, or you'll fall behind.من الأفضل أن تبدأ المراجعة الآن، وإلا ستتأخّر عن الآخرين.
- 3It's high time schools focused on critical thinking instead of rote learning.آن الأوان أن تركّز المدارس على التفكير النقدي بدلًا من الحفظ والتلقين.
- 4My parents would rather I studied medicine, but I want to be a designer.يفضّل والداي أن أدرس الطب، لكني أريد أن أصبح مصمّمًا.
- 5I need to brush up on my English before the interview.أحتاج إلى أن أنشّط لغتي الإنجليزية قبل المقابلة.
- 6Cramming the night before an exam rarely works.نادرًا ما تنجح المذاكرة المكثّفة في الليلة السابقة للامتحان.
- 7She got a full scholarship to study in Germany.حصلت على منحة دراسية كاملة للدراسة في ألمانيا.
- 8It's time you stopped relying on private tuition.حان الوقت لكي تتوقّف عن الاعتماد على الدروس الخصوصية.
- 9He's self-taught; he learned programming from online videos.لقد علّم نفسه بنفسه؛ فقد تعلّم البرمجة من الفيديوهات على الإنترنت.
- 10We'd better not be late for the lecture.من الأفضل ألّا نتأخّر عن المحاضرة.
Grammar: would rather · had better · it's (high) time + past simple
would rather + infinitive (same person): I'd rather walk. · would rather + another person + past simple: I'd rather you didn't smoke. · had better + infinitive = strong advice or a warning: You'd better hurry. · It's (high) time + person + past simple = something should already be happening: It's time we left.
الأخطاء الشائعة: I'd rather to stay ✗ وYou'd better to go ✗ — بعد would rather وhad better يأتي المصدر بدون to. ويخلط المتعلم بين 'd = had و'd = would: في You'd better الحرف d اختصار had وليس would. والأصعب: بعد It's time وبعد would rather + شخص آخر نستخدم الماضي البسيط رغم أن المعنى حاضر أو مستقبل: It's time you went to bed (وليس you go) · I'd rather you called me tomorrow.
| Structure | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| would rather (same subject) | 'd rather + infinitive (+ than + infinitive) | I'd rather study at home than in the library. |
| would rather (different subject) | 'd rather + person + past simple | I'd rather you didn't tell anyone. |
| had better | 'd better (not) + infinitive | You'd better not miss the deadline. |
| it's time / it's high time | it's (high) time + person + past simple | It's high time the government reformed the system. |
| it's time to | it's time + to + infinitive | It's time to go. |
Negatives: I'd rather not go (not I wouldn't rather go) · You'd better not be late.
had better is stronger than should; it often warns of a bad result: You'd better leave now, or you'll miss the train.
prefer + -ing / noun + to: I prefer reading to watching TV · would prefer + to + infinitive: I'd prefer to stay.
Exercises
Exercise 1 · Complete with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
- 1) I'd rather ___ (stay) at home tonight.
- 2) It's time we ___ (leave).
- 3) You'd better ___ (not / forget) your ID card.
- 4) My teacher would rather we ___ (not / use) our phones in class.
- 5) It's high time you ___ (start) revising.
- 6) She'd rather ___ (walk) than ___ (take) a taxi.
Show the answers
Exercise 2 · Rewrite the sentences using the words in brackets.
- 1) I prefer to study in the morning. (would rather)
- 2) You should see a doctor, or it will get worse. (had better)
- 3) The ministry should have changed the exam system years ago. (high time)
- 4) I don't want you to tell my parents. (would rather)
- 5) We should go home now. (time)
Show the answers
Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.
- 1) I'd rather to take an online course.
- 2) You had better to apply for the scholarship.
- 3) It's time you go to bed.
- 4) I'd rather you don't call me at work.
- 5) You'd not better be late.
Show the answers
Exercise 4 · Translate into English.
- 1) أفضّل أن أدرس في مجموعة على أن أدرس وحدي.
- 2) من الأفضل أن تراجع دروسك قبل الامتحان.
- 3) آن الأوان أن نغيّر طريقة التدريس.
- 4) أبي يفضّل أن أدرس الهندسة.
Show the answers
Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.
Write & Speak
Example: Dear Editor, I am writing in response to your article “Too Much Pressure on Students”, which was published last week. As a parent of two secondary school students, I could not agree more that something must change. Every evening, my children come home from school, eat quickly and rush off to private tuition. By the time they finish, it is nearly ten o'clock, and they still have homework to do. Many families spend a huge part of their income on these lessons, and some even fall into debt to pay for them. It is high time the education system gave students the support they need inside the classroom, so that private tuition became a choice rather than a necessity. The problem, in my opinion, is the exam system. Because almost everything depends on one final exam, students would rather memorise model answers than understand ideas. Rote learning may produce high marks, but it does not prepare young people for university or for work, where critical thinking and teamwork are essential. I would therefore suggest two changes. Firstly, schools should assess students throughout the year through projects, presentations and coursework. Secondly, class sizes should be reduced so that teachers can give every student proper feedback. Decision-makers had better act soon. Otherwise, another generation will leave school exhausted, anxious and unprepared. Our children deserve to enjoy learning, not to fear it. Yours faithfully, Hala Mostafa Giza