
Listen to the story
First Listen: try to understand what Emma has done this year – make a list of things she has done and places she has been
Now listen again: write WHEN she did the things on your list
Comprehension Questions
Answer these questions based on the audio you heard.
When did Emma start her new job?
What did Emma win in April?
How long has Emma lived in her new apartment?
Why did Emma start learning Japanese?
How many blog posts has Emma written?
Which sentence best summarizes the audio?
📰 Emma’s Busy Year (A2)
Test Your Understanding & Learn Vocabulary
Answer each question to reveal its vocabulary explanation:
What is a ‘travel agency’?
Who are your ‘colleagues’?
What does ‘immediately’ mean?
What is the ‘countryside’?
If a place is ‘peaceful’, it is…
What is a ‘competition’?
What is a ‘prize’?
When you feel ‘proud’, you feel…
To ‘decorate’ something means to…
When you ‘prepare for’ something, you…
To ‘volunteer’ means to…
What does ‘ancient’ mean?
To ‘achieve’ something means to…
To ‘publish’ something means to…
When you feel ‘grateful’, you feel…
Grammar Focus: Past Simple
In January, she started a new job at a travel agency.
In the sentence ‘In January, she started a new job’, why do we use ‘started’ (Past Simple)?
Grammar Focus: Present Perfect
Emma has worked there for eleven months now.
Why do we say ‘Emma has worked there for eleven months’ instead of ‘Emma worked there for eleven months’?
Grammar Focus
Past Simple
“In January, she started a new job at a travel agency.”
Pattern: Subject + past form of verb + object/complement (with specific time marker)
Function: Describes completed actions at specific times in the past
Contrast with: Present Perfect – Past Simple is used with finished time periods (in January, yesterday, last week) while Present Perfect is used with unfinished time periods (this year, for X months, so far). Compare: ‘She started in January’ (specific past time) vs ‘She has worked there for eleven months’ (period continuing to now).
Present Perfect
“Emma has worked there for eleven months now.”
Pattern: Subject + has/have + past participle (often with for/since/this year/so far)
Function: Connects past actions or experiences to the present moment, showing results or ongoing situations
Contrast with: Past Simple – Present Perfect is used when the time period is not finished or when focusing on the result rather than the specific time. Compare: ‘Emma has visited her grandmother three times this year’ (this year is not finished) vs ‘She visited her grandmother in March’ (specific completed time). Also used with ‘for’ and ‘since’ for duration continuing to now.