Unit 1 — Social Media & Networking

01 · Overview

What You'll Learn in Unit 1

This unit explores the world of social media and online networking while developing key language skills. You will practise four present tenses, learn vocabulary related to digital content creation, and read texts about YouTube stars and internet safety.

💡 Unit Learning Goals By the end of this unit, you will be able to: use Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect Simple, and Present Perfect Continuous correctly; apply noun suffixes to form new words; understand and use digital media vocabulary; and read for detail in longer texts.

📋 Unit Roadmap Grammar (tenses) → Vocabulary (suffixes + digital terms) → Reading (YouTube Stars & Internet Safety) → Practice Quiz

02 · Grammar

Present Tenses — When to Use Each

English has four present tenses. Each one describes a different kind of action or situation happening now, around now, or continuing from the past up to now.

🔵 Present Simple

Use for general truths, habits, permanent situations, and repeated actions.

(+) Subject + V1 (s/es)
(-) Subject + do/does + not + V1
(?) Do/Does + Subject + V1

Social media platforms play a significant role in our lives.

🟡 Present Continuous

Use for actions happening at this moment or temporary ongoing situations.

(+) Subject + is/am/are + V-ing
(-) Subject + is/am/are + not + V-ing
(?) Is/Am/Are + Subject + V-ing

The internet is becoming more important in modern days.

🔵 Present Perfect Simple

Use for situations that started in the past and are still true, or things that have just / already happened.

(+) Subject + have/has + V3
(-) Subject + have/has + not + V3
(?) Have/Has + Subject + V3

I have created my own website to showcase my blog content.

🟡 Present Perfect Continuous

Use for unfinished actions that started in the past and continue now. Often answers "How long…?"

(+) Subject + have/has + been + V-ing
(-) Subject + have/has + been + not + V-ing
(?) Have/Has + Subject + been + V-ing

The topic on Twitter has been capturing everyone's attention for the past week.

⚠️ Common Mistakes Don't use Present Perfect Continuous with state verbs like be, have, know, like, want. Use Present Perfect Simple instead. ✗ "I have been knowing him for years." ✓ "I have known him for years."

🔑 Signal Words to Remember Present Simple: always, usually, every day, often
Present Continuous: now, right now, at the moment, currently
Present Perfect Simple: already, just, yet, ever, never, since, for
Present Perfect Continuous: for, since, all day/week, how long

03 · Key Structures

Formula Reference Cards

Present Simple (+)

S + V1 (s/es)

He posts videos every week.

Present Continuous (+)

S + is/am/are + V-ing

She is streaming right now.

Present Perfect Simple (+)

S + have/has + V3

They have uploaded 16 billion photos.

Present Perfect Continuous (+)

S + have/has + been + V-ing

He has been growing at 33% per year.

Sentence Examples Table

Tense	Structure	Social Media Example
`Present Simple`	S + V1	Social media platforms play a significant role in our lives.
`Present Continuous`	S + is/am/are + V-ing	Are online platforms doing enough to protect their users from cyber threats?
`Present Perfect Simple`	S + have/has + V3	Instagram users have already uploaded more than sixteen billion photos.
`Present Perfect Continuous`	S + have/has + been + V-ing	Have you been streaming your content to reach a wider audience?

04 · Vocabulary

Word Building & Digital Media Terms

💡 Noun Suffixes Suffixes can change the word class of a word. Adding a suffix to a verb or adjective can create a noun. Common noun suffixes include: -tion / -sion (communicate → communication), -ment (achieve → achievement), -ity (able → ability), -ship (member → membership).

✅ Suffix Patterns secure (adj) → security (noun) · achieve (v) → achievement (noun) · connect (v) → connection (noun) · communicate (v) → communication (noun) · develop (v) → development (noun)

✍️ Vocabulary Exercise 1 — Noun Suffixes

Add the correct noun suffix to the word in bold to complete each sentence.

1. The internet has improved with friends abroad.

2. The of smartphones changed everything.

3. I am careful about my personal online.

4. I have a very close with my sister.

5. You can apply for a gym through the website.

6. The internet offers great opportunities for .

Digital Media Vocabulary

✍️ Vocabulary Exercise 2 — Digital Terms

engagement endorsement AdSense affiliator traffic clickbait web analytics

1. The influencer received a substantial on her latest post.

2. Companies often seek celebrity to promote their products.

3. Many bloggers use Google to display relevant ads.

4. An earns commission for every sale through their referral link.

5. Successful platforms attract high volumes of website .

6. That sensational headline was a classic example of .

7. Understanding your reveals user behavior insights.

Term	Definition
`engagement`	Likes, comments, and shares on a post — measures audience interaction.
`endorsement`	A celebrity or public figure publicly promoting a product or brand.
`AdSense`	Google's ad-placement service that lets creators earn money by showing ads.
`affiliator`	Someone who promotes a product and earns commission per sale via a unique link.
`traffic`	The volume of visitors coming to a website.
`clickbait`	Sensational headlines designed to lure users into clicking on a link.
`web analytics`	Data and statistics about website visitors and their behavior.

05 · Reading

Text: YouTube Stars

📋 Reading Strategy This is a multiple-matching task. Read each question first, then scan the four profiles (A–D) to find which person matches each description. A person may be chosen more than once.

We know you love watching YouTube, but did you know that you can make serious money through it? Get enough people watching your channel, or upload a video that goes viral, and you might make a lot of money from the ads on your page. Here are a few people who've made it.

A. Jack Harries

Jacksgap is a successful YouTube vlog channel, started in July 2011 by Jack Harries from the UK to record his travel experiences during his gap year. He was soon joined by his twin brother, Finn, and by September 2012 the channel had 190,000 subscribers and over 8 million views. In fact, the advertising revenue they made covered the cost of the boys' travels in Thailand. With over 4 million subscribers, Jacksgap now includes vlogs that encourage social and environmental awareness, and raises money for various charities.

B. Greyson Chance

Back in 2010, someone uploaded a video onto YouTube of a 12-year-old boy playing piano and singing at a school concert in the US. The boy was Greyson Chance, and the song was a cover of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi. Initially, only a few people saw the video, until chat show host Ellen DeGeneres heard about it. What followed next was a dream come true for Greyson: an appearance on the TV show, millions of views, fame and awards, tours of the US and Asia, and a recording contract. And it all started on YouTube!

C. Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou

'Let's Play' or 'LP', is a term that gamers use for videos of someone playing a video game. LPers record themselves playing the game and talking about it at the same time. Chiggaaconroy (real name Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou) from the USA is a good example. Starting in 2006 aged 16, and specialising in Nintendo games, Emiliano's videos quickly gained popularity. By the end of 2013 he had posted over 1,400 videos and he remains popular today with over 1 million subscribers. If you're a really keen gamer, you ought to think about making some videos of your own.

D. Bunny Meyer

It's increasingly common to see vloggers reviewing everyday products. One of the most popular is Bunny Meyer from Texas, USA, also known as grav3yardgirl, who has 6 million fans. Bunny is known for her series 'Does this thing really work?', where she tests beauty products that have been advertised on TV. Some of her videos have been viewed almost 5 million times each and her fans love her excited, crazy style and attitude. They help her make around half a million dollars a year!