English Refresher

EnglishRefresher
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English Refresher · CEFR B1 · Unit 3

Hobbies & Interests

Talk about what you enjoy doing and want to try, using gerunds and infinitives. Practice, check your answers, and study the flashcards.

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Speaking

Two Truths & a Lie

What to do: Work in small groups. There is no score for this part — just speak and have fun!
Audio 1Listen to an example
Listen to someone talk about a hobby, then play the game.

How to play

  1. Write three sentences about your hobbies — two true, one false.
  2. Read them to your group. They ask follow-up questions to find the lie.
  3. The group votes. Then you reveal the truth!

Use these patterns

  • "I'm really into rock climbing." (be into + -ing/noun)
  • "I took up painting two years ago."
  • "I'm good at playing chess." (good at + -ing)
  • "I can't stand watching sports." (can't stand + -ing)
Follow-up questions: How long have you done it? · What got you into it? · Why do you enjoy it? · How often do you do it? · What's the best part?
Featured Reading

In Praise of Being Bad at Things

Read the full interactive article and do the comprehension quiz.

Read it →
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Reading

An Unusual Hobby

What to do: Read the text. Then answer the questions and tap Check Answers.

Marta has an unusual hobby: she collects old postcards from the 1950s. She started collecting them three years ago, when she found a box of them in her grandmother's house. Now she has more than four hundred.

Marta is passionate about history, so she loves reading the messages on the back. "Each postcard tells a little story," she says. "I enjoy imagining the people who wrote them."

At first, her friends thought the hobby was strange, but now some of them have taken it up too. Every month, Marta meets other collectors online to swap cards and share ideas.

Collecting postcards can be challenging because some old cards are expensive and hard to find. But for Marta, it is very rewarding. "It's relaxing, it teaches me about the past, and I've made good friends," she explains.

1. What does Marta collect?
2. How long ago did she start?
3. How often does Marta meet other collectors?
4. Why does Marta love reading the messages?
5. Collecting postcards is challenging because…
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Listening

A Hobby Interview

What to do: Listen two times. Then complete the sentences and answer the questions.
Audio 2An interview with Ben about climbing

Interviewer: So, Ben, what do you do in your free time?

Ben: Well, I'm really into rock climbing. I took it up about two years ago.

Interviewer: That sounds exciting! Why do you enjoy it?

Ben: I love being outside, and I'm quite good at solving problems. Climbing is like a puzzle for your body.

Interviewer: Is it dangerous?

Ben: Not really, if you're careful. The hardest part is staying calm. I practice climbing twice a week at an indoor center.

Interviewer: Would you recommend it to other people?

Ben: Definitely. I'd suggest starting indoors with a teacher. It's challenging, but it's so rewarding.

1. Ben is really into ______.
2. He took it up about ______ years ago.
3. He practices climbing ______ a week.
4. What does Ben say is the hardest part?
5. What does Ben suggest for beginners?
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Grammar

Gerund or Infinitive?

What to do: Write the verb in brackets as the -ing form or as to + verb. Remember: after a preposition, use -ing.
1. I enjoy ______ in the evening. (read)
2. She wants ______ the guitar. (learn)
3. He's good at ______. (paint)
4. They decided ______ a chess club. (join)
5. I can't stand ______ in lines. (wait)
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Word Order

Build the Sentence

What to do: Tap the words in the correct order. Tap a word in your answer to put it back. Then tap Check Answers.

1.

2.

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Error Correction

Find & Fix the Mistake

What to do: Each sentence has one mistake with a verb pattern. Type the correct sentence, then tap Check Answers.
1. Correct this sentence:
I enjoy to read books.
2. Correct this sentence:
She is good at to draw.
3. Correct this sentence:
He wants learning English.
4. Correct this sentence:
They finished to paint the room.
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Writing

My Favorite Hobby

What to do: Write a paragraph (about 80–100 words) about your favorite hobby. There is no automatic score — use the checklist to check your own work.
Example: "One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I took it up three years ago, and now I'm passionate about it. I love walking around the city and taking pictures of old buildings. I'm quite good at editing photos, too. It's challenging because the light is never perfect, but it's very rewarding when I get a great shot."
0 words

Did you include…

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Vocabulary

Flashcards

What to do: Tap a card to reveal the meaning and an example. Tap again to close it. Great for quick review or quizzing a partner.
a hobbynountap to reveal
an activity you do for fun in your free time"Photography is my favorite hobby."
a pastimenountap to reveal
an enjoyable activity for your free time"Chess is a popular pastime."
leisure timenountap to reveal
free time when you are not working or studying"I read a lot in my leisure time."
to take upphrasal verbtap to reveal
to start a new hobby or activity"I took up the guitar last year."
to be intophrase · informaltap to reveal
to be interested in / like something a lot"I'm really into board games."
keen onadjective phrasetap to reveal
very interested in; enthusiastic about"He's keen on cycling."
passionate aboutadjective phrasetap to reveal
having very strong feelings of interest or love for something"She's passionate about painting."
to give it a gophrasetap to reveal
to try something for the first time"Why don't you give pottery a go?"
challengingadjectivetap to reveal
difficult in an interesting way that tests your skills"Rock climbing is challenging but fun."
rewardingadjectivetap to reveal
giving you satisfaction or a good feeling"Gardening is very rewarding."

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