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B2 Grammar • 12 Mins Topic: Fair Trade & Ethical Shopping

Adjective + That-Clause

Master how to express opinions, feelings, and facts using adjectives with that clauses.

📌 How to use this lesson

👨‍🏫 For Teacher

Spend 3 minutes going through the four simple rules with the class.

Have students complete the 12 items individually and check their answers together.

🎓 For Learner

Read the four simple rules and example sentences carefully first.

Complete the 12 practice questions step by step from easy to hard.

📖 Core Grammar Rules

Person + Feeling / Knowledge Adjective

Use a person with sure, certain, aware, glad, afraid, or surprised followed by that and a full sentence to show what someone knows or feels. The main actor is always a person.

• Many shoppers are aware that a very cheap shirt can have a hidden cost.

• The local grower is glad that the store buys directly from the farm.

It is + Judgement / Fact Adjective

Start with it is followed by important, essential, vital, clear, or unlikely and that to give your opinion about a situation. The starting word is always it.

• It is important that buyers know where their food comes from.

• It is clear that middleman fees raise the final price of coffee.

Choosing the Right Starting Subject

Match the word to the starting subject. Use a person for feeling words, and use it for words about how necessary or true something is, while certain works with both. Never start words like important or vital with a person.

• It is unlikely that a farmer can pay good wages for very low prices.

• The ethical buyer is sure that fairness matters in trade.

Tense Harmony & Omitting "That"

The second part of the sentence keeps its own action time, using present for now, past for before, and will or would for later times. You can drop that when talking casually, but keep it in serious writing.

• Last year the buyers were sure that the harvest would be small.

• We are aware the supply comes from a sweatshop-free cooperative.

✅ DO (Correct Usage)

She is glad that the product is traceable. Person + feeling adjective
It is essential that we support fair trade. It is + judgement adjective

⚠️ AVOID (Common Errors)

She is important that the product is traceable. ❌ Do not use a person with 'important'.
It is glad that our cooperative expands. ❌ Do not use 'it' with feeling adjectives like 'glad'.

💡 Quick Speaking Tip:

In spoken English, you can leave out that after adjectives like glad, sure, or aware (e.g., "I'm glad you came."). However, always include that in written tests and formal essays!

✏️ Practice Exercises 12 Questions

Test your understanding step-by-step from easy to hard.

Task 1 • Select Correct Sentence (feeling)

1. Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

____ a. The manager is aware that the middleman takes a high fee. ____ b. It is aware that the middleman takes a high fee.

Task 2 • Select Correct Sentence (necessity)

2. Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

____ a. The grower is vital that exports meet safety rules. ____ b. It is vital that exports meet safety rules.

Task 3 • Select Correct Sentence (plan)

3. Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

____ a. The cooperative was glad that the new supplier joined them. ____ b. The cooperative was glad that the new supplier will join them last year.

Task 4 • Sentence Rewrite (worry)

4. Rewrite the two sentences into one sentence using afraid:

"The small grower will lose money. The grower is worried about it."

____

Task 5 • Sentence Rewrite (fact)

5. Rewrite the two sentences into one sentence using clear:

"The sweatshop pays very low wages. Everyone can see this fact."

____

Task 6 • Sentence Rewrite (feeling)

6. Rewrite the two sentences into one sentence using glad:

"Customer loyalty stayed strong this month. The shop owner feels happy about it."

____

Task 7 • Fill in the Gap (certainty)

7. Select the correct adjective to complete the sentence:

"The buyers are _____ that the clothing is made without unfair labor."

____ a. important ____ b. sure ____ c. unlikely

Task 8 • Fill in the Gap (doubt)

8. Select the correct structure to complete the sentence:

"_____ that the factory tries to deceive customers about product origin."

____ a. The supplier is unlikely ____ b. It is glad ____ c. It is unlikely

Task 9 • Fill in the Gap (necessity)

9. Select the correct adjective to complete the sentence:

"It is _____ that every step of the supply chain remains traceable."

____ a. essential ____ b. surprised ____ c. afraid

Task 10 • Error Correction (opinion)

10. Read the short message to a friend and correct the underlined mistake:

"Hi Sam! Maria is vital that our store buys coffee from the new ethical cooperative."

Type the corrected starting phrase below (3-4 words):

____

Task 11 • Error Correction (feeling)

11. Read the short message to a team and correct the underlined mistake:

"Hello team, it is surprised that the middleman lowered his price today."

Type the corrected starting phrase below (3-4 words, starting with a person):

____

Task 12 • Error Correction (time)

12. Correct the verb tense mistake for the underlined word in the message below:

"Dear Alex, the grower was certain that the harvest will be big last winter."

Type the corrected verb phrase (2 words):

____

Adjective + That-Clause: Fair Trade

Adjective + That-Clause

📌 How to use this lesson

📖 Core Grammar Rules

Person + Feeling / Knowledge Adjective

It is + Judgement / Fact Adjective

Choosing the Right Starting Subject

Tense Harmony & Omitting "That"

✅ DO (Correct Usage)

⚠️ AVOID (Common Errors)

✏️ Practice Exercises 12 Questions

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