Winter. Kenn Nesbitt — “Snow Mail”. Second Conditional

Exercise. Fill in the blanks with the correct Past Simple form of the verbs in brackets. Pay attention to the use of Gerunds (words ending in -ing) and the "used to" constructions in the sentences.

Level: A1-A2 (Elementary/Pre-Intermediate)	Level: B1-B2 (Intermediate/Upper-Intermediate)
1. ❄️ Snow (make) everything look magical yesterday.	1. 🏔️ Watching the falling snow (be) a magical experience that calmed my mind.
2. 🗣️ He (speak) fluently after he (get) used to the language.	2. 🗣️ Speaking fluently (become) easier for her after she moved abroad.
3. 🧊 I (slip) on the ice because I (be) not careful.	3. ⛸️ Slipping on the icy pavement (result) in a minor injury last winter.
4. 🛌 We (stay) up late and then we (feel) drained.	4. 🥱 Staying awake all night (leave) me feeling completely drained the next morning.
5. 🎉 The celebrations (end) and we (return) to routine.	5. 🗓️ Returning to routine (be) difficult once the festivities (cease).
6. 🌇 It (get) dark early, so we (go) home.	6. 🌆 It (grow) dark so early that we (begin) to feel quite anxious.
7. 📚 I (have) a pile of homework and it (make) me tired.	7. ✍️ Piling up all that homework (be) what caused my recent anxiety.
8. 🪑 She (sit) at her desk and (do) the assignment.	8. 📑 Finishing the complex assignment (take) several hours of focused work.
9. 🍊 He (peel) the orange and (eat) it.	9. 🍊 Peeling citrus fruits (use) to be a relaxing ritual for him.
10. ✨ I (feel) uplifted when I (see) the sun.	10. ☀️ Feeling uplifted (become) easier once the weather finally (improve).
11. 🏫 School (feel) heavy and I (complain) to my mom.	11. 🎒 Complaining about school (do) not help him manage the heavy workload.
12. 💬 They (reply) to the message very quickly.	12. 📧 Replying to that email (be) a task she (put) off for days.
13. 🧠 I (overthink) and I (get) very worried.	13. 🤔 Overthinking the situation (lead) to a lot of unnecessary stress.
14. 🎁 We (be) thrilled because we (win) the game.	14. 🤩 Being thrilled with the results, the team (celebrate) all night.
15. 🛷 The children (go) sledging when it (be) freezing.	15. ❄️ In spite of the freezing weather, they (manage) to go sledging.

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Information about Kenn Nesbitt (born 1962)

1. 🧑‍🏫 Kenn Nesbitt is a modern American poet who writes for children.
2. 📚 He is known for funny, easy poems that are great for young learners.
3. 😂 Many of his poems use humour, surprise, and playful everyday situations.
4. 🎧 Some poems have audio, so learners can listen and practise pronunciation.
5. 🏫 Teachers often use his poems in lessons because the language is clear.
6. ✍️ His poems usually have simple rhymes and a steady, friendly rhythm.
7. ❄️ He writes many poems about seasons, including winter and snow.
8. 🏆 Kenn Nesbitt has won awards for children’s poetry and educational writing.
9. 📖 His poems and books are popular in schools and libraries worldwide.

📬 Kenn Nesbitt — “Snow Mail”

My cousin’s my pen pal. We write back and forth.

My home’s in the south and she lives way up north.

The winter is windy and white in her town.

All season it’s freezing, with snow swirling down.

She says when her city is coated in snow,

the nights are enchanting, with lights all aglow.

The snow sounds delightful! I wish I could see.

I asked her if maybe she’d send some to me.

She told me she boxed up some snowballs and hail,

and shipped me the package last week in the mail.

I’m wondering now… did my cousin forget?

Her package arrived, but was empty.

And wet.

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Second Conditional

Form

• If + Past Simple, would + base verb If it snowed, I would stay home.

Meaning

• We use it for unreal / imaginary / unlikely situations now or in the future.
• It’s about hypothetical results, not real plans.

Key rules

• Would stays the same for all subjects: I/you/he/we/they would…
• In the if-clause, use Past Simple: If school felt heavy…
• “Were” is the classic form with I/he/she/it in more formal English: If I were you, I would… (also common: If I was… in everyday speech)
• Use commas when the If-clause comes first: If I were calmer, I would reply faster. (No comma if it comes second.)

Typical uses

• Advice: If I were you, I’d take care.
• Soft criticism: If you listened, you’d understand.
• Dreaming: If I lived up north, I’d go sledging every weekend.

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Exercise. Complete each Second Conditional sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

A1–A2	B1–B2
1) ✨ If I (be) in her snowy town, I would think snow makes everything look magical.	1) 🗓️ If the celebrations (be) over, I would (return) to routine faster.
2) 💌 If my cousin (write) first, I would write back and forth right away.	2) 📩 If you (reply) sooner, I would feel much more at ease.
3) 🧭 If I (live) way up north, I would wear a warmer cap every day.	3) 🧠 If I didn’t (overthink) everything, my anxiety would be lower.
4) 😰 If school (feel) heavy today, I would feel anxious at my desk.	4) 📚 If assignments (pile up), I would end up with a pile of homework.
5) 😴 If I (stay) up too late, I would hate staying awake in the morning.	5) 🎉 If I got thrilled too quickly, my excitement would (fade) quickly.
6) 🌿 If I (drink) chamomile, I would feel calmer and comforted.	6) 🌨️ If the city were coated in snow, the nights would (enchant) me.
7) 🧊 If it were freezing outside, I would (slip) on the ice and say “Be careful!”	7) ❄️ If the snow (melt) tomorrow, the streets would look completely different.
8) 📚 If I (finish) my assignment early, I would feel quite uplifted.	8) 🛷 If the weather weren’t awful, I would (go) sledging after work.
9) 🪑 If I (sit) close to the desk lamp, I would read in quiet evenings.	9) ✅ If I (manage) to stay calm, I would reply without sounding irritated.
10) 📦 If she (send) snowballs by mail, the package would arrive wet.	10) 🧣 If my nurse (wrap) me well, the cold wind wouldn’t burn my face.
11) 🗣️ If I (speak) fluently, I would answer her letters with confidence.	11) 🍊 If I peeled a mandarin, the smell would (feel) oddly comforting.
12) 😩 If I (feel) drained, I would not want to complain to anyone.	12) 🍊 If my fingers (peel) too much in winter, I would use hand cream.
13) 😠 If I (complain) all the time, people would think I was irritated.	13) 💡 If the streets were full of lights, everything would (glow) all night.
14) ❓ If I (ask) “What was the weather like today?”, she would smile.	14) 🌫️ If the air were that cold, my breath would (cloud) the space around me.
15) 🧊 If I (be) indifferent, I would not care that it gets dark early.	15) 😶 If indifference (take) over, I would stop replying to my pen pal.

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Winter-Time

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 –1894)

Late lies the wintry sun a-bed, 

A frosty, fiery sleepy-head; 

Blinks but an hour or two; and then, 

A blood-red orange, sets again. 

Before the stars have left the skies,

At morning in the dark I rise; 

And shivering in my nakedness, 

By the cold candle, bathe and dress. 

Close by the jolly fire I sit 

To warm my frozen bones a bit;

Or with a reindeer-sled, explore 

The colder countries round the door. 

When to go out, my nurse doth wrap 

Me in my comforter and cap; 

The cold wind burns my face, and blows

Its frosty pepper up my nose. 

Black are my steps on silver sod; 

Thick blows my frosty breath abroad; 

And tree and house, and hill and lake, 

Are frosted like a wedding-cake.