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B1 Grammar • 12 Minutes

🐠 Instructions and Warnings

Learn how to give clear checks, reminders, and warnings when caring for an aquarium.

📋 How to use this lesson

For Teachers

Assign this 12-minute interactive module to consolidate instruction and warning patterns at B1 level.

Review student answers automatically through the built-in validation or check written rewrite tasks.

For Learners

Read the 4 quick rule cards and their aquarium examples carefully before starting.

Complete the 12 practice tasks below from easy to hard to check your understanding.

💡

Pattern Example

"Make sure the lid is on the tank, and don't forget to feed the fish every morning."

📖 Grammar Rules & Patterns

Rule 1 Checking Facts

make sure (that) + present simple

Use make sure when you tell someone to check that something is true. Always use the present simple tense in the clause. Do not use will here.

• Make sure the lid is on the tank.

• Make sure the thermometer is working in the freshwater tank.

• Make sure the key is in your bag before you leave the house.

Rule 2 Future Tasks

remember to / don't forget to

Use remember to or don't forget to with a plain verb for a job you must do later. Remember that doing this is for future jobs, not for past memories.

• Remember to rinse the gravel first.

• Don't forget to add the freshwater conditioner.

• Don't forget to charge your phone tonight.

Rule 3 Avoiding Mistakes

be careful not to + plain verb

Use be careful not to with a plain verb to warn someone about a common mistake. Always put not right before to.

• Be careful not to drop the glass tank.

• Be careful not to overfeed the guppies.

• Be careful not to step on the wet floor.

Rule 4 Strong Warning

you'd better not + plain verb

Use you'd better not with a plain verb for a strong warning about bad results. Remember there is no 'to' here and better stays the same.

• You'd better not touch the shrimp.

• You'd better not move the tank when it is full.

• You'd better not walk home alone after dark.

A clean home aquarium with colorful goldfish, tiny guppies, a shrimp on gravel, clean freshwater, green algae scraper, a

Figure: Aquarium equipment, freshwater fish, thermometer, and gravel maintenance.

✏️ Interactive Practice (12 Questions)

Easy → Hard

A Choose the Correct Option

1. Make sure the heater ___ turned on before you leave the house. (check)

____ a. is ____ b. will be ____ c. to be

2. Please ___ the goldfish two pellets tonight. (routine)

____ a. remember feeding ____ b. remember to feed ____ c. remember to feeding

3. The light timer is set carefully. You'd better ___ the buttons. (warning)

____ a. not to touch ____ b. don't touch ____ c. not touch

B Rewrite the Sentences

4. Original: "It is important that the tank lid is closed." (closed)

Complete the instruction using Make sure:

Make sure ____

5. Original: "Do not forget to clean the green algae today." (clean)

Rewrite starting with Remember:

Remember ____

6. Original: "Avoid touching the small shrimp with dry hands." (touch)

Rewrite using Be careful:

Be careful ____

C Fill in the Gaps

7. Fill in the missing phrase to check a fact: (verify)

____ that the thermometer reads 25 degrees.

8. Warn your friend about spilling gravel: (mistake)

Be careful ____ the gravel on the floor when cleaning.

9. Give a strong warning about untreated tap water: (danger)

You'd better ____ tap water directly into the tank without conditioner.

D Correct the Errors in Notes

💬 Note: "Make sure the timer will turn on the lights at 8 AM." (tense)

Fix the incorrect verb form:

Make sure the timer ____ on the lights at 8 AM.

💬 Note: "I left the goldfish food. Please remember feeding them two pellets." (verb)

Fix the verb structure for a future task:

Please remember ____ them two pellets.

💬 Note: "You'd better not to put the tiny guppy with large aggressive fish." (grammar)

Fix the grammatical structure after 'better':

You'd better ____ the tiny guppy with large aggressive fish.

📌

Why this works

Giving clear instructions relies on keeping structures direct. Remember: Make sure takes a present sentence (no will), remember to sets a future task (unlike past remember -ing memories), be careful not to puts not before to, and you'd better not never takes to!

Instructions and Warnings: Aquariums

🐠 Instructions and Warnings

📋 How to use this lesson

For Teachers

For Learners

📖 Grammar Rules & Patterns

make sure (that) + present simple

remember to / don't forget to

be careful not to + plain verb

you'd better not + plain verb

✏️ Interactive Practice (12 Questions)

A Choose the Correct Option

B Rewrite the Sentences

C Fill in the Gaps

D Correct the Errors in Notes

Why this works

Related lessons

Reading: The History of Public Aquariums

IELTS Speaking: Aquariums and Fish

Vocabulary & Pronunciation: Keeping Fish

Writing: Setting Up a Freshwater Aquarium

Zero and First Conditionals and Time Clauses

Quantifiers with Countable and Uncountable Nouns