Three everyday sentences:

• "I live in Madrid, and I work in a school."
• "She likes cats, and she likes dogs."
• "We had pizza, and we watched a film."

Before you check: do the two ideas in each sentence agree, or disagree?

Three more sentences:

• "I like coffee, but I don't drink it at night."
• "He wanted to go out, but it was raining."
• "We booked a table, but the restaurant was closed."

What's different about these ones?

1. You finished your homework. You also cleaned your room. Both are true, and there's no surprise.

Tell a friend: "I finished my homework, I cleaned my room."

2. You ordered a pizza. They brought you a burger by mistake — not what you expected.

Tell a friend: "I ordered a pizza, they brought me a burger by mistake."

3. Choose the right word. "She studied all night, ___ she still failed the test."

Three everyday reasons:

• "I stayed home because I was tired."
• "She took an umbrella because it was raining."
• "He passed the exam because he studied hard."

Before you check: does the reason come before "because" or after it?

1. Someone asks why you called the doctor. The reason: you felt sick.

Answer: "I called the doctor I felt sick."

2. Someone asks why the shop is closed today. The reason: it's a public holiday.

Answer: "The shop is closed today it's a public holiday."

3. Choose the right word. "I'm learning English ___ I want to work abroad."

Three everyday results:

• "I was tired, so I stayed home."
• "It was raining, so she took an umbrella."
• "He studied hard, so he passed the exam."

Compare these with the "because" sentences on the last tab. What changed — the words, or the order?

1. Your alarm didn't ring this morning. Because of that, you were late for work.

Tell a colleague: "My alarm didn't ring this morning, I was late for work."

2. It started to rain. Because of that, you all went inside.

Tell a friend: "It started to rain, we went inside."

3. Which sentence means the same as "The trains were cancelled, so I walked to work"?

Think about your day or your weekend — real or invented, it doesn't matter.

Tell the story out loud for one minute. Try to use:

• and — to add another matching thing you did
• but — for something that surprised you or went wrong
• because — to explain why you did something
• so — to explain what happened as a result

Write a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) about the same day or weekend. Try to use at least three of the four words — the checker will tell you which ones it finds.

1. "I was hungry, but I ate a sandwich."

2. "It was cold, because I wore a coat."

3. "She likes pizza, so she doesn't like mushrooms on it."

4. "He was late and he missed the bus."

5. "I love animals, ___ I have three cats and a dog."

6. "The bus was full, ___ I decided to walk."

1. Make this negative: "She like spicy food."

2. Say it out loud: how do you make a question about the past, like asking a friend about their weekend? Give one example question.

3. You tidied the kitchen. You also did the washing. Both true, no surprise.

"I tidied the kitchen I did the washing."

4. You planned a picnic. Then it started to rain — not what you wanted.

"We planned a picnic, it started to rain."

5. Someone asks why you left the party early. The reason: you had a headache.

"I left the party early I had a headache."

6. The shop was closed. Because of that, you all went home.

"The shop was closed, we went home."

Which practice helped you most today — fixing the mistakes, choosing the right word, or the speaking tasks? Say why you think that one worked for you.