Cities That Never Stop Changing
Grammar: There is / There are — full range (was/were, modals, perfect forms, will be)
A Level 4 English lesson exploring society.
What's in this lesson
A Level 4 (upper intermediate) ESL lesson on society, practising there is / there are — full range (was/were, modals, perfect forms, will be). The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Cities That Never Stop Changing
In 2016, the High Line in New York City attracted nearly eight million visitors. It is an elevated railway track — built in the 1930s, abandoned by the 1980s — that the city transformed into a public park running above the streets of Manhattan. Before the renovation, there were only weeds and broken glass up there. Today, there are gardens, cafés, and art installations stretching across nearly two and a half kilometres. Urban planners around the world now study the High Line as proof that there can be a second life for forgotten infrastructure.
Vocabulary
- there were
- there are
- there can be
- there was
- there would be
- there has been
- there have been
- there should be
Grammar: There Is / There Are
- Present: is / are
- There are gardens and cafés on the High Line. — use are for plural nouns
- Past: was / were
- There was a motorway through the centre of Seoul. — singular past situation
Discussion questions
- What is the most interesting building or space in a city you have visited?
- Should old buildings always be protected from demolition?
- Do you think cities are better now than they were fifty years ago?
Cities That Never Stop Changing
Grammar: There is / There are — full range (was/were, modals, perfect forms, will be)
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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