Do you know which preposition to use when you talk about Christmas? 

In this lesson, you will learn the difference between at Christmas, on Christmas Day, for Christmas and over Christmas. 
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at Christmas 
We say at Christmas when something happens during the Christmas holiday period. (= just before and after December 25th)

Examples: 

• The whole family gets together at Christmas. 
• People usually visit their families at Christmas. 
• I much prefer to be with my family at Christmas rather than at work. 

on Christmas Day 
We say on Christmas Day when something happens on December 25th. 

Examples: 

• There are lots of things people can do on Christmas day apart from sitting under the tree and opening presents. 
• A large number of employees are expected to be at work on Christmas Day. 

for Christmas 

Examples: 

• Are you in the city for Christmas? 
• Are you going home for Christmas? 
• I'm not going home for Christmas this year. 
• My husband and I prefer to go overseas for Christmas and New Year. 
• I got a lot of presents for Christmas when I was a child. (= You get a present for Christmas.) 
• I'm sorry I didn't make it home for Christmas. 

VOCABULARY: 

• make it (phrase) - If you make it somewhere, you succeed in getting there, especially in time to do something. 

over Christmas 

Examples: 

• I'll be in Thailand over Christmas. I much prefer hot weather to low temperatures and snow. 
• Eggnog is a popular drink over Christmas. It's made from milk, cream, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and alcohol. In the past, it was a wintertime drink for British aristocracy because only the wealthy could afford the ingredients. 

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Other lessons: 
English for Describing Festivals: New Year 
English Lesson: 5 Types of Lifestyle 
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 

English conversation lessons: 
English Conversation: Travel opinions 
English Conversation: Travel experience 
English Conversation: Travelling in Europe and Asia 


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In this lesson, we are going to look at grammar and vocabulary you can use to talk about your childhood. The lesson is suitable for English learners in general and those preparing for the IELTS Speaking test. 

Read the text below and spend some time analysing the grammar points used. What did you notice? 

Now, let's look at the language you need to talk about your childhood. 

1. Learn vocabulary to talk about games you used to play as a child. 
2. Learn phrases and collocations connected with remembering. 
3. Use past tenses, used to and would. 

What was your childhood like and is there anything you miss? 

Well, to be honest, I'm not a very nostalgic person and I don't look back on my life that often. I tend to think more about the future than about the past. Having said that, I have some vague memories of my childhood. 

Occasionally, I may think about my childhood, especially when I try to find out what kind of person I used to be or whether I was happier as a child than I am now. 

Looking back at my childhood I do remember spending lots of time outdoors and playing with other children, which were mainly younger than me. I can't remember my childhood in great detail, but I can think of my summer holidays and staying outdoors until late in the evening. My parents didn't worry about me at all because I would always play in the street with the neighbouring kids, not too far from home. 

On hot summer days, we would always play together late in the afternoon when temperatures were not too high. In the evenings, we would play hide-and-seek, and other games, which I can barely remember now. 

Another thing I really enjoyed doing was riding my bike alone or with other children. Unfortunately, my dad sold my bike when I went to high school and I haven't been on a bike ever since. Honestly, I was very keen on cycling back then, but I'm a bit scared to get on a bike now because I have long forgotten how to do it without falling. 

Sometimes I wish I could remember more from my childhood, but as I get older, I realise that my memories have faded with time. 

VOCABULARY 

• nostalgic (adjective) - having a feeling of sadness mixed with pleasure when you think of happy times in the past 
• look back (on something) (phrasal verb) - to think about something in your past 
• a vague memory (collocation) - not clear 
• childhood - 3-12 years old 
• don't remember/can't remember - used when saying that you have forgotten something 
• in great detail (collocation) 
• play in the street/park, etc. (collocation) - When I was young, I would play in the street until late. 
• hide-and-seek - a children’s game in which one player covers his or her eyes while the other players hide, and then tries to find them 
• keen on doing something - If you are keen on doing something, you want to do it very much. 
• get on/off a bike (collocation) 
• remember something from (your) childhood (collocation) - I remember this place from my childhood. 
• get older (also grow older) (collocation) 
• a memory fades (collocation) - becomes less clear and accurate (Don't forget to change the form of the verb.) 

GRAMMAR 
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Find the sentences with 'used to' and 'would' in the text. 

Used to 
We use used to + infinitive to describe past habits or past states that are now finished. 
The negative form is didn't use to. 

Would 
We can also use would + infinitive to describe past habits. 
The negative form is rarely used in English. 

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TASK: 

1. What do you remember about your childhood? 
2. Do you think that technology is changing childhood? [How?] 
3. If you were a child these days, what would you do in your free time? 

English conversation lessons: 
English Conversation: Travel opinions 
English Conversation: Travelling in Europe and Asia 
English Conversation: Travel experience 
English Lesson: Describing a Friend 

Lessons with English collocations: 
Collocations for Urban Life 
Collocations for Rural Life 
Collocations for Success 
Collocations for Feelings 

Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 
IELTS: Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the Internet 


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