Aller au contenu principal

Spotlight 3 Unit 3: invitations and celebrations

Study Spotlight 3 Unit 3 in English 3AC with invitations, school celebrations, past be, new teaching illustrations and exercises with explained answers.

English 3AC, Morocco · Focus, Spotlight 3 and guided practice · Updated

Download and study offline

By the end of this lesson, you can

  • Invite someone to a suitable school activity.
  • Accept or decline with a clear polite reply.
  • Describe a finished event with was, were and there was/were.

Before you startRead short English sentences and identify the subject and verb.

Un bon cours, ça se partage.

Aide un camarade à comprendre ce chapitre. Envoie-lui cette page et révisez ensemble.

WhatsAppTelegram

Instagram : copie le lien puis colle-le dans un message.

How do I make an invitation clear?

Use Would you like to come to our school celebration? Then give the day, time and place. A guest needs these details to decide whether to come. You can add what will happen or what to bring. Keep the event suitable for the classroom task.

A polite acceptance thanks the sender: Yes, I'd be happy to come. Thank you. A polite refusal can say Thank you, but I'm sorry I can't come. Add a short reason if helpful. Neither reply needs a long invented explanation.

Three reading tables and a book display remain in a school library after an event.
Describe the finished event's setting with there was, there were, was and were.

How do I use was and were?

Was and were are the past forms of be. Use was with I, he, she and it; were with you, we and they. The room was bright. The pupils were proud. A negative adds not: The room wasn't noisy. A question puts be before the subject: Were the pupils ready?

Use there was for one item or an uncountable amount and there were for plural items. There was a book display. There were three reading tables. These structures describe the setting of a completed event.

Invite: Would you like to visit our exhibition? Accept: I'd be happy to come. Thank you. Decline: Thank you, but I'm sorry I can't come.
A clear invitation needs a clear answer.
View full-size image

How can I describe a school celebration?

Set the time and place, describe a few main activities and finish with a personal comment. Last Thursday, we held a reading celebration in the library sets the scene. Later, we read short passages moves the story forward. Use past simple for the finished actions and check was/were in descriptions.

Choose concrete details, such as posters, books, short readings or pupils helping tidy the room. A clear account explains what happened without adding unrelated claims. This is original topic practice, so follow the task and sequence used by your own teacher.

A worked example

A reading celebration and its setting

Last Thursday, there was a reading celebration in our school library. There were three tables of books. The room was bright and the pupils were ready. We read short passages and discussed our favourite stories. At the end, we helped tidy the room.

  1. There was introduces one celebration.
  2. There were introduces three tables.
  3. Was and were describe the past setting; read and helped tell actions.
One item: There was a book display. Plural items: There were three tables. A description: The room was bright. The pupils were ready.
Match was or were to the noun.
View full-size image

How should I use this English 3AC lesson?

  • Try the exercises before reading the answers.
  • Explain a correction in your own words.
  • Return to the examples when two structures look similar.

The semester grouping is an editorial revision order. Follow the units, tasks and pace used by your own teacher and textbook.

Frequently asked questions

What does this Spotlight 3 Unit 3 lesson practise?

It practises invitations and replies, school-event descriptions, past be and there was/there were.

When do I use there was and there were?

Use there was for one past item or an uncountable amount, and there were for plural past items.

How can I decline an invitation politely?

Thank the sender, say you cannot come and give a short reason if useful.

Quiz: 6 questions

6 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 6-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.

Q1There ___ three tables.

Correct answer: were

Three tables is plural.

Q2The room ___ bright yesterday.

Correct answer: was

The room is singular and the time is past.

Q3Would you like ___ our exhibition?

Correct answer: to visit

The pattern is would you like to + base verb.

Q4Which reply declines politely?

Correct answer: Thank you, but I'm sorry I can't come.

It thanks the sender and says that attendance is not possible.

Q5Which question is correct?

Correct answer: Were the pupils ready?

Use were before a plural subject, with no did.

Q6A finished event account should include...

Correct answer: a time, place and main activities

These details let the reader understand what happened.

Exercises with answers

6 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.

Exercise 1

Easy

Complete: Would you like ___ come to our exhibition?

Answer and explanation

To. Use would you like to + base verb.

Exercise 2

Easy

Write a polite acceptance.

Answer and explanation

Yes, I'd be happy to come. Thank you for inviting me.

Exercise 3

Intermediate

Complete: The room ___ quiet. The pupils ___ ready.

Answer and explanation

The room was quiet. The pupils were ready.

Exercise 4

Intermediate

Complete: There ___ one display and there ___ three tables.

Answer and explanation

There was one display and there were three tables.

Exercise 5

Challenge

Make a question: The pupils were proud.

Answer and explanation

Were the pupils proud? Move were before the subject.

Exercise 6

Challenge

Write three past sentences about an imagined school celebration.

Answer and explanation

Possible answer: There was a reading celebration last week. The pupils were happy. We read stories and tidied the room. Other coherent past descriptions are possible.