English Without End

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AUDIOBOOK

2012-02-12T20:04:00.003+01:00

If you don't have time to read but you can listen to music while doing other things, why don't you listen to audiobooks.
Here you have the complete Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, one of my favourite books.

Free audiobooks

SCHOOL SUBJECTS

2012-01-18T10:59:00.003+01:00

Sing along!!!

WONDERFUL WORLD by SAM COOKE, by maria elena sabadini
Find this and other songs exercises in English Exercises .org

CHRISTMAS TIME: LOL?

2011-12-16T10:30:00.000+01:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR BEAN!, by maria elena sabadini
Find this and other christmas exercises in English Exercises .org

UPPER INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVEL:
More Christmas activities

Christmas in Britain: reading

Christmas webquest

Santa Claus is coming to town, by Maria Jose Garcia
Find this and other christmas exercises in English Exercises .org

BASIC LEVEL:

Christmas carols

Christmas Vocabulary, by Zora
Find this and other christmas exercises in English Exercises .org
Christmas, by Edite Tentere
Find this and other christmas exercises in English Exercises .org

And now for everyone, sing along!!!

YOU CAN'T PUT PRICE ON LIFE

2011-07-08T21:00:00.007+02:00

Listen to the song 'Price Tag' to revise the vocabulary about money.

Vocabulary exercise: banking

Vocabulary exercise: the world of money and work

Lots of different exercises about money and banks

Reading: How bartering works

There's a fire starting in my heart....

2011-06-06T21:57:00.005+02:00

Sounds familiar? This is the beginning of one of the most popular songs nowadays. I'm sure you've heard of Adele, haven't you? Well, I really love this song. As a matter of fact, I love all Adele's songs but I'm going to show you 'Rolling in the Deep' just for teaching purposes, ok?

While you are listening to the song, please do notice the way she says 'we could have had it all', 'remind me of us' and 'you played it to the beat'. Also, don't miss the expression "reap just what you sow".

Well, without further ado, here you have this marvellous song. Enjoy and sing along!!

NPR Music: Adele, in concert (you can listen to the entire radio show here)
YouTube mix for Adele

EL HORMIGUERO TV SHOW: CAN THEY SPEAK ENGLISH?

2011-05-20T16:55:00.002+02:00

You see, I was watching TV yesterday and, as usual, there was nothing on. I was just about to turn it off when I came across a programme from AprendeInglés TV . It was about one of the most popular shows on Spanish television nowadays. Maybe you are fans of "El Hormiguero", too. Would you like to know how some of the famous people working there get by in speaking English?

Learning English enemy: dubbing

SPEAKING EXAM PREPARATION

2011-05-18T20:41:00.003+02:00

Hello, guys, here you have a link to a video about telling an anecdote, which is good practice for the monologue part of the speaking exam you are going to take in June. The girl is speaking about a time she did something personally challenging.

I want you to focus on how she structures the information, how she moves on from one idea to another one, how she stops to think, how she uses topic-related vocabulary and so on and so forth. Use the play and pause buttons to listen to her and then to repeat after her, trying to imitate her, actually.

Come on! You can do it!

ONLY NOW DO I UNDERSTAND INVERSION

2011-05-11T17:11:00.002+02:00

Rephrasing

Inversion - several exercises

NEW ZEALAND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

2011-05-10T14:02:00.002+02:00

New Zealand travel website

As I promised, here you can see the video about New Zealand tourism again.

Need some help?

green and pristine environment
the kiwi way of life
the main reason visitors come to NZ is for our environment so looking after it is not only vital for tourism but also the country's economy.
gross domestic product
environmental protection and sustainability measures
Real Journeys (700,000 tourists a year). The possible environmental effect to that volume of people could have is daunting but the company is well aware of its responsabilities.
Real Journeys achieve being environmentally responsible in a number of ways:

- we support conservation causes
- we invest in technology
- we ensure we are operting modern low emission top equipment
- we get into recycling
- we do whatever we can to ensure that we operate in the most environmentally sustainable manner
- we also support a number of organisations

Real Journeys like many other operators works closely with the Department of Conservation (DOC)
DOC's job is to protect and preserve our natural resources and with 30% of NZ set aside on reserves is a big job.
With many business operating within our National Parks, this relationship between conservation and tourism needs to be symbiotic.
We've learnt to live together because we have a common objective. DOC is essentially focused on making sure that our natural places are healthy and that they are there for people to enjoy.
A good example of using natural resources to re-energize a failing economy is Whale Watch Kaikotours.
The primary aim was to create employment. Unemployment was very very high, especially among the Maori and we needed to find a way to create a future here for our people. We didn't have the option to move to another part of the country. This is where we have our roots.
We are looking after you, visitors, sharing with you, visitors, and the natural resources that we have here but doing it in such a way that they'll be here for tomorrow.
I believe in the idea of conservation but I believe whole-heartedly in the idea or the concept of restoration, restoring the natural resources we used to have a hundred years back.
Another marine enterprise working hard to deliver a quality and sutainable tourism experience is Dive Tutukaka, located just off the north east coast of NZ, one of the ten top diving spots in the world.
A fantastic environment, subtropical waters, lots of fish life, tunnels and sea caves ... the spirituality of the place, the Maori history.
Education is actually one of the biggest returns we give to our customers besides having a good time and really enjoying the marine environment. They come back with a lot of knowledge about the marine environment here in NZ and they start to see the benefits of marine reserves and the practice of using marine reserves in a sustainable manner.
Around 2,500,000 visitors come to NZ every year. Managing those numbers is key to the survival of the country and the tourism industry. While NZ's strategy is to promote travel off-peak, it also encourages visitors to travel to most of the country's regions.
With transport, one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, NZ's largest transport network, InterCity, recognizes its obligations to the environment.
The Carbon Zero programme allows us to do that at the moment.
Our goal is to use technology ultimately to get to a point where we actually have zero emission coming out.
NZ geographic isolation and long period without human habitation have resulted in a unique natural environment.
A bird sanctuary roaming with rare and endangered flora and fauna.
It's the most important reason why tourists come to NZ because of the image that we portray.
NZ is a unique and extraordinary place. It may be a small country but it's big on the environmental pledge.
We touch visitors in a certain way when they come here. They go away feeling enriched and with a different attitude to the world and I'll sum it up by saying that we perhaps could change the world, one visitor at a time.

Learn to speak New Zealand
New Zealand pronunciation

IRELAND IS GRAND!!!

2011-04-28T22:48:00.005+02:00

This year our school trip took us to Ireland. What can I say about it? It was absolutely grand!!!! A great crack!!! (notice the use of Irish English slang). We saw amazing scenery, the weather was fantastic (really, it was sunny all the time, can you believe it?) and the students overcame their shyness and took every opportunity they had to practise English.

Well, in this post you can do some exercises to know a bit more about Ireland and Irish English. Plus, I'll show some of the places we visited. I hope you 'll be able to see them in person one day. Maybe, you already have.

Ireland - complete the sentences

Saint Patrick's Day - open cloze

St. Patrick's Day Parades

The Republic of Ireland - complete the sentences

Northern Ireland - audio comprehension

An interview with Brendan (Irish accent)

How to put a convincing Irish accent

Molly Malone - song

Famous Irish people

Angela's Ashes - recommended book

Dublin, 10 things you need to know - video

Useful language when going places (travelling)

Cliffs of Moher

The Giant's Causeway

The Ha'penny bridge (Dublin)

A FAREWELL TO ALARMS

2011-03-31T12:16:00.002+02:00

If you want to see this episode from My Family again, here you have a direct link. Enjoy!!

LAW AND ORDER

2011-03-21T20:27:00.011+01:00

'Crime and punishment' old entries

Crime vocabulary exercise 1
Crime vocabulary exercise 2

Law and Order vocabulary exercises

Crime and punishment and related topics with lots of exercises (vocabulary, reading, listening, games, ...)

Learn English with music: crime vocabulary
Bob Dylan, Hurricane

Learn English with American television: crime vocabulary
Law and Order

Look out for cyclists ad

Whodunnit: who killed Lord Smithe?

Great literature? NY Times
The ingredients for a great Whodunnit
Midsomer Murders (TV series)

My favourite Whodunnit writers:
Agatha Christi
PD James
Ian Rankin
Caroline Graham
Charlaine Harris
Sue Grafton
Camilla Läckberg
Henning Mankell

COMPULSIVE EXERCISE

2011-03-08T11:31:00.008+01:00

Compulsive exercise or gymorexia (a kind of new anorexia) is a new mental disorder where people get obsessed with working out so, the question is: how much exercise is too much?

LISTENING ACTIVITY.
Watch this video and do the fill in the gaps exercise below.

-Some men feel the need to look __________________ and for more and more men their ___________ is turning into an obsession.

- Asked about whether he is addicted, David Moore admits he is a _______________ and worries about calories whenever he misses a day in the gym.

-According to the reporter, gymorexia is due to ___________________ and the _________________ on young men.

-According to sport psychologist, what happens physiologically when you exercise is that the endorphins _________________ and if you miss a day your body feels it’s missing something.

-As the reporter says, the key is finding a balance. Some people like Mark , in fact, have no problems ___________________. He says that if he misses one day or two it’s not the _____________________

Vocabulary question: Can you remember all the expressions used in the report to refer to gymorexia?

Answers:
1- Lean and muscular
2- Workout
3- Slave to the scale
4- The spread of the fitness club culture /increasing pressure
5- Kick in
6- Stepping off the treadmill
7- End of the world

Vocabulary question:
Gymorexia, exercise dependency, gym junkie, being obsessed, pushing their workout to the extreme, slave to the scale, exercise compulsion.

Funky phrasals: health
Health vocabulary and lingo challenge
Feeling healthy quiz
Health quiz
How to... health

House MD about vaccination

House-ism

For March, 4th 2010 post on healthcare, click here.

IF YOU HADN'T BUT YOU DID...

2011-03-02T19:51:00.005+01:00

Listen to this song about regrets and do notice the effort to make words rhyme with 'if', like when she says 'what's the diff?' meaning 'what's the difference?'
The song is quite fast, so the lyrics are provided in case you might need them.
Have fun and sing along, if you can!

Lyrics | If You Hadn't But You Did (From Two On The Aisle 1951) lyrics

Kristin Chenoweth appeared in the popular TV series Pushing Daisies. Have you ever heard about it? It is sometimes referred to as a forensic fairy tale. It centers on the life of Ned, a pie-maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them. There are some conditions to this talent. Ned quickly learns that if something is revived for more than exactly one minute, something of similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead, as a form of balance. Additionally, if he touches the revived person or thing a second time, it falls dead again, this time permanently.

I WISH I COULD...

2011-02-24T16:18:00.008+01:00

Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true. Or as The Dalai Lama said "Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck". Other famous quotes about this are "If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles" by Benjamin Franklin, or "When the gods want to punish us, they answer our prayers" by Oscar Wilde.

Anyway, let's forget about philosophical issues and focus on language learning, shall we?

May 12th 2009 post on wishes and regrets

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

BBC Learning English listening: Three wishes
BBC Learning English, The Flatmates episode 67: Wish (language point and quiz too!!!)
BBC Learning English, The Flatmates episode 177: Third conditional

VALENTINE'S DAY

2011-02-14T20:51:00.004+01:00

Valentine's Day History and things
Videos on the history of VD and the science of love
Valentine's Day crafts and recipes
Valentine's Day crossword
Valentine's Day quiz

Every Breath You Take by The Police

EXAM PRACTICE

2011-02-10T10:51:00.001+01:00

Listening exam: multiple choice and multiple matching

YOU SHOULD'VE...

2011-02-10T10:35:00.005+01:00

More practice about modal verbs in the past?

You should've said no by Taylor Swift (thanks, Silvia, for the tip)

Modal verbs online exercises, click here.

Click here, if you want to read the post I wrote about the song 'Nothing suits me like suit' from the TV series How I met your mother last year. You'll be able to listen to the song again while reading the lyrics at the same time.

BRITISH ACCENTS

2011-02-01T22:03:00.005+01:00

Read this: British or English article

Now, here you have a website where you can listen to people with different accents. Have fun! Accents

What else? Well, Recently, I've watched a TV series called Gavin and Stacey, you might have heard about it. Anyway, it is about a nice boy from Essex (England) and a sweet girl from Barry (Wales) who fell in love and got married. Now their families and friends have to deal with this new situation and I assure you the consequences of this new life for all of them are hilarious. Besides, you can really notice the difference between English and Welsh accents and expressions. For example, Nessa, Stacey's friend, always says "what's ocurring?" instead of "what's the matter?".

Listening exercise: South East Wales voices

Reading exercise: what's occurring with Ruth Jones (Nessa)?

The awkward breakfast: Stacey's uncle makes fun of American accent:

Gavin's friends go to Barry: nobody speaks Welsh here, you slag!!!

Check this out, you can even make the Gavin&Stacey tour. They have a special tour for Valentine's Day. What do you make of that?

CONFUSING VERBS

2011-02-01T19:48:00.001+01:00

In this post you are going to find a bit of everything, such as:

REPORTING VERBS:

31st January, 2010 post on special reporting verbs, click here.

CONFUSING VERBS EXERCISES:
look/see/watch I
look/see/watch II
remember/remind
lend/borrow
let/leave
do/make I
do/make II
take/bring
talk/speak
Confusing verbs
More confusing verbs
Pairs of confusing verbs: pdf files here and here
BBC quiznet (confusing verbs)
BBC quiznet (expressions with take)

Well, you know there are many others such as threat and warn. This morning we had a bit of a problem telling one from the other, but remember, a threat is a warning that something unpleasant is imminent while a warning is a message informing of danger.

FEELING ANGRY:

BBC quiznet

TALKING ABOUT FILMS:

BBC quiznet (collocations)

REASON AND RESULT:

BBC quiznet (cause and effect)

BBC quiznet (reason and result)

COMMON ENGLISH MISTAKES

BBC quiznet

PARADISE LOST: Nauru

2011-01-20T15:15:00.004+01:00

As ABBA said, 'money, money, money, always sunny in a rich man's world'. Why is money so important? Can't we just live with bare necessities? Well, money doesn't buy happiness (but does it help you to be happy?)

In this post, you are going to do some revision exercises about cleft sentences (Exercise 1, Exercise 2 and Exercise 3) and learn more things about Nauru (Nauru's natural phosphate reserves once made millionaires of the entire population. Now they're among the world's poorest countries). Some recommendations about films dealing with this issue will be provided.

Nauru: lonely planet

Nauru Official Tourism Website

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books. The poem concerns the Christian story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Now, when thinking about this, there were several films and TV series that came into my mind. We have the film You can't take it with you by Frank Capra (for movie clips, click here) and the TV series Arrested Development. Of course, we can't forget the meanest character in the history of English literature, Scrooge, from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Now, time for a joke, don't you think?

Lying on his deathbed, the rich, miserly old man calls to his long-suffering wife. "I want to take all my money with me," he tells her. "So promise me you'll put it in the casket." After the man dies, his widow attends the memorial service with her best friend. Just before the undertaker closes the coffin, she places a small metal box inside. Her friend looks at her in horror. "Surely," she says, "you didn't put the money in there." "I did promise him I would," the widow answers. "So I got it all together, deposited every penny in my account, and wrote him a check. If he can cash it, he can spend it."

THE PLASTIC BAG BAN

2011-01-18T19:25:00.013+01:00

The future of the Earth is in our hands, literally. Our planet seems to depend on the way we choose to carry our groceries home, which leads us to one of the most controversial topics nowadays: the plastic debate.

Well, I've prepared a listening exercise for you to do. I took a news item from NPR about the plastic bag ban in San Francisco. Listen to the story and complete the following sentences. When you finish, check the answers at the end of this post and listen once more, now reading the transcript at the same time.

1. A year ago politician Ross Mirkarimi couldn’t imagine __________ he was going to cause.

2. Roplast Industries in Oroville is one of the manufacturers of plastic bags who got a __________ after the plastic ban was passed.

3. A new bag containing more plastic will hold five or six times as much as the standard disposable bag with the advantage of being _________.

4. The best thing about the ChicoBag folds up into a tiny ________ sack.

5. The bag ban was abandoned in Fairfax because of the ________ by the plastic bag industry.

6. The plastic industry threatened to sue on __________.

This issue is the talk of town in the USA now because one supermarket chain, Whole Foods, has decided to stop offering disposable plastic bags to customers. You can read about this in this article from USA Today and, if you have time, you can also watch this video or this video, both covering this piece of news. However, some people claim that with this measure, there is more than meets the eye. Watch this video about Whole Foods Whole Fraud if you want to know more:

KEY TO THE LISTENING EXERCISE:
1. what a stir
2. boost in business
3. reusable
4. wallet-sized stuff
5. threat of a lawsuit
6. environmental grounds

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

2011-01-13T12:04:00.005+01:00

March, 17th 2010 post on the economic crisis: The Last Laugh

November, 20th 2009 post on consumer society: Buy Nothing Day

Multiple choice listening exercise on Adsense: Making Money Online + vocabulary exercises.

Article on the new consumerism by the BBC.

Article on the history of consumerism: industry, consumerism and social change.

Radio programme on consumerism (click on the links at the left-hand side of the page).

Video on how to get rid of debt faster (Martín's blog).

Top Ten songs about money (with videos).

Selling unwanted Christmas gifts on eBay: top tips

100 YEARS OF ESCUELAS OFICIALES DE IDIOMAS

2010-12-26T13:31:00.007+01:00

Have you heard about the celebrations the educational authorities are preparing to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of EEOOII (Official Schools of Languages)? You haven't? Well, no wonder you haven't since nothing is being done. Actually, that's not completely true. Something is being done by the schools themselves, EOI teachers and students but what I mean is that nothing is being done by the people who should do it, taking into account the importance of the event.

Think about it: 1911, that's the year the first school was opened, I mean, in 1911 Spain thought it was important to create an institution where everybody could learn languages no matter their social background. It was a unique institution at the time and it continues being a unique institution at present. Spain is the only country where you can learn languages (and a lot of them) in a public institution, meaning low prices (being state-run) and excellent quality.

Anyway, I don't intend to complain but neither do I want this event to go unnoticed, that's why I decided to write this post about it. If you want to know more, click here for a brief history of EOI and the picture below for videos and more information.

CHRISTMAS, YOU'D BETTER ENJOY IT!!!

2010-12-21T22:46:00.009+01:00

Well, well, ready or not, Christmas is here. If you have some time after all the Christmas celebrations and preparation, here you have some activities to improve your English.

1. December, 18th 2009 post

2. January, 8th 2010 post

I always tend to avoid Christmas carols but after reading Dickens's Christmas Carol and the important role of carolers there, I think that for this year's post you are going to get one. Aren't you excited? The Chosen One is Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I'm sure you've heard it a lot and you might have noticed the use of the structure 'You'd better do something' which is used as a warning or a piece of advice.

Here you have a video with the carol and the lyrics so that you can see this language structure in context and then you can do some of the exercises below.

Had better: explanation + exercises
Had better: additional explanation + more exercises
Had better: more practice, if you aren't tired yet.

Mariah Carey's Santa Claus is Coming to Town version.

Other Christmas songs that I like are:

Mariah Carey, All I want from Christmas is you ( Have you seen Love Actually? If not, you'd better see it. You won't regret it, I promise).

George Michael / Wham, Last Christmas

I wish you all the very best.

May all your dreams come true

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, a good read

2010-11-26T12:07:00.010+01:00

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: read online (and free download) from Project Gutenberg, a site that offers hundreds of books that can be read online and downloaded free of charge because their copyright has expired.

A Christmas Carol: audio version

A Christmas Carol: online quiz

Remember that you should have finished reading this wonderful book by the second week of December in order to enjoy the different activities we, the Avanzado 2 teachers, are preparing for you (a lecture, film viewing and more).

A lot different adaptations have been made of this classic, not only films but also one-off episodes from popular TV series such as Doctor Who or Blackadder.

Doctor Who A Christmas Carol Official Trailer: 2010 Christmas special

Doctor Who: Official Website and Classic Series

Blackadder's parody of A Christmas Carol (Pleasant Ebenezer Blackadder is turned into a cruel and witty miser after seeing visions of his ancestors and descendants). Narrated by Hugh Laurie, here you can see an eight-minute clip.

Ebenezer:
Can I help?

Spirit:
[speaks with Scottish dialect] No thanks, no, no no... I just popped in to say `hello'. [shakes Ebenezer's hand] Spirit of Christmas; how do you do. Just doing my usual rounds, you know: a wee bit of haunting, getting misers to change their evil ways. But you're obviously such a good chap [pats Ebenezer on the knee], there'll be no need for any of that nonsense, so I'll just say `cheery-bye'. Cheery-bye! [turns to leave]

Ebenezer:
Well, can I get you a cup of tea or anything?

Whole script here.

Finally, for those of you who could be described as book lovers, here you have a direct link to the BBC Radio 4 Programme A Good Read, where guests are invited to discuss their favourite books.

MEMORY IMPROVEMENT

2010-11-26T11:33:00.007+01:00

In order to avoid frustrating memory loss and retain and recall more information you can click on the following links:

Memory improvement techniques
Memory improvement tips
Tips and techniques for memory enhancement
Boost your brain power: free brain games
Top 10 mysteries of the mind
Featured memory stories

Dominic O'Brien, aka memory man, has won the Memory World Championship eight times so I think it might be useful to listen to him, don't you?

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-26T11:17:00.004+01:00

How much do you really know about Thanksgiving in spite of the American

TV series invasion? Try this Thanksgiving quiz, if you dare.

If you want to know more, you can click here so that you can visit the November 26th, 2009 post I wrote about Thanksgiving last year.

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES PRACTICE

2010-11-17T20:54:00.003+01:00

Hi, just a couple of links with some exercises that'll help you with this grammatical point.

Nov. 4th, 2009 EnglishWithoutEnd post
My Avanzado 2 colleague's blog

I hope you use this and make the most of it.

CONNECTED SPEECH

2010-11-05T21:06:00.004+01:00

As you all know, connected speech is a very important feature of the English language. I have happened to come across this wonderful song with clear examples such as:

Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor.
It's a quater after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
I said I wouldn't call but I lost all control.
It's quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now.

Now, listen carefully and then sing along. I'm sure you can do it!

FIRST DAY EXPERIENCES

2010-11-03T11:42:00.004+01:00

Hey, everyone. As we are dealing with first day experiences, major changes and huge leaps, in this post you can find the first episode from The Inbetweeners, a British sitcom about a suburban teenager and his friends at a Comprehensive School. "First day" is the title of episode 1, in which Will (the main character), who previously attended a private school, has been relocated to a state school because of money problems.

The episode is divided into three parts and English subtitles are included. Have fun!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

If you are in the mood for more, here you have a direct link to Martín's blog where you can find more videos on first days.

VAGUE LANGUAGE

So, after the fun part, let's move on to the exercise part, shall we? You all know we use vague language or approximating expressions when we don't want to or cannot be accurate. In order to practise this specific speech feature a bit more, click on the following direct links:

Using vague language

Vague language quiz

The Flatmates (BBC Learning English website). Listen to the episode, then read the language point and do the quiz.

I WANT YOU TO READ THIS

2010-10-15T10:19:00.002+02:00

NOTE!!!

I want to help you.
I want you to help me.
So don't you dare say something like *I want that you help me which is totally wrong.

Check some examples here. We use this structure when the wish is for somebody else to do the activity. It happens with other verbs such as would like, expect, need, etc. Well, here you have a direct link for a list of verbs you can use this way plus an exercise.

Finally, I think that after listening to this song, you'll never forget how to use these verbs.

If you want to know more about this band, click here.

A FRESH START

2010-10-13T18:59:00.007+02:00

Unit 1A: A fresh start. This is the first unit from the book we are going to use this year. It deals with the changes people may go through in their lives such as living abroad, for instance.
The English-speaking country we can learn about is South Africa, very popular recently because of the film Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood. It is based on the book Invictus by John Carlin. Here, Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. If you haven't read it yet, I strongly recommend you to do it. It's really outstanding.

Anyway, as a complementary exercise, here you have a direct link to Martín's blog (one of the Avanzado 2 teachers) where you can watch a video on South Africa and try to answer some questions we will discuss in class. Note: I will use my blog as a complementary tool as much as possible so get used to the complementary exercise thing.

And, if you haven't seen this film yet, in spite of not being one of Eastwood's best movies, it's worth seeing. Here you have the trailer:

By the way, Invictus is the title of a poem by W.E. Henley, which was the poem Mandela recited himself when he despaired. Fancy reading it?

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

USE THE SCHOOL LIBRARY

2010-10-06T15:47:00.005+02:00

I am writing this post just to remind you that our school boasts a fantastic library with lots of books (both abridged and original) and dvds (both films and TV series) in the five languages you can learn here (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish). Besides, there are five computers with Internet access that any student can use.

There were almost 3,000 loans last year and this number increases every year. Apart from that, new material is added throughout the course on students' demand or by the teachers' choice. Our "mediateca" is well worth a visit. Even if you are no longer a student here ("antiguos alumnos") you can continue borrowing. Not only can you find books and dvds in other languages which are very difficult to find in your town library but also it will only take you five minutes before or after your class. Isn't it great?

Anyway, here you have a direct link to the EOI Alcalá Library Catalogue, if you wish you check what you can find there.

See ya!

U-SING?

2010-10-03T19:46:00.002+02:00

One of the most useful resources that we can find when learning a second language is music. Songs are part of our lives. Certain songs make us remember certain people, places or important/unimportant moments. In a way, we can say that we have our own life soundtrack. So, my point is, if music plays such an important role and we are able to remember and repeat songs forever after, why don't we use them to our own advantage? If you are not using songs in English as a learning tool by now, what are waiting for?

To make this task easier for you, here you have a list of incredibly useful websites that you can use. So, u-sing?

Musical English lessons

Sing your English

Learn English with The Beatles

Learn English through Song

Learn English A-Z

MAYDAY, WE ARE SINKING!!!

2010-09-23T17:39:00.005+02:00

Hey, everyone! Here I am again, looking forward to starting our new course and full of ideas in order to help you to improve your English. So, welcome on board!!

When I started thinking about what my first post for this new beginning should be, I immediately started looking for something easy and fun but impressive at the same time. What I came across was a funny commercial about the importance of improving your English. I have to say that I couldn't help laughing the first time I saw it. The background is the following: there is a new German coast guard on post. When he is on duty there is an emergency call from a sinking ship and if you want to know what happened...

I told you. Clever, isn't it?

Well, you know that making a new a language your own is neither easy nor fast. You can choose either to keep your head above water (to do just enough to keep going) or to work your heart out (to make the most of it) so what do you prefer sinking or floating and swimming?

Need help?

How to improve your English skills: some advice

EFL Improve your English

BBC Skillswise - NEW!

Write better

Sink or swim game

And very important: don't be stubborn, pronunciation is essential.

A picture paints a thousand words, don't you think?

READING FOR PLEASURE

2010-07-18T17:59:00.009+02:00

ODE TO WORK

I AM TIRED BECAUSE I AM OVERWORKED

The population of Britain is 51 million. 21 million are retired.

That leaves 30 million to do the work.

There are 19 million in school.

That leaves 11 million to do the work.

Of this total, 2 million are unemployed and 4 million are employed by the government.

That leaves 5 million to do the work.

1 million are in the armed forces

which leaves 4 million to do the work!

From that total 3 million are employed by the County and Borough Councils

leaving 1 million to do the work!

There are 620,000 people in hospitals and 379,998 in prison.

That leaves 2 people to do the work!

You and me.

And you are sitting doing nothing reading this ...

NO WONDER I AM TIRED!!!

THE WORK SONG

Well, I swing this hammer from 9 to 5
Been workin' for the man just to stay alive
W-O-R-K is how I spell work

Feel depressed, I miss my family
Maybe if I work long then I'll feel just fine
Haven't smoked in a week
My back is kinda tweaked
Give me work, give me pride, give me loads of overtime

Work, work, work, work, work, work, work

Well, I work all day and drink all night
We fight all morning 'til we get it right
Then, we go to school to be a journeyman

My mother works, my father works
My brother works and now I work
That's all I do is work, work, work, work, work

Lots of pride I get from work
Dad says real men have to work
A union man gets lots of pride from work

In the bailing fields or on the farm
I've only got a tan on half of my arm
I work real quick when you hit me with a whip
Give me work, give me pride, give me loads of overtime

Work, work, work, work, work, work, work

Well, I work all day and drink all night
We fight all morning 'til we get it right
Then, we go to school to be a journeyman

My mother works, my father works
My brother works and now I work
I love to work, work, work, work, work, work

America
A country carried on the back of the working man
A man with fire in his eyes and steel in his belly
A man who could build anything
Like a chair or a table, or he can fix a car, or he can fix a radiator
Without him you wouldn't be able to drive to work
And then you wouldn't be able to work
And no one would go to work 'cause

Work, work, work, work, work, work, work

Well, I work all day and drink all night
We fight all morning 'til we get it right
Then, we go to school to be a journeyman

My mother works, my father works
My brother works and now I work
I love to work, work, work, work, work, work

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH NOW!!!!

2010-05-29T12:07:00.006+02:00

I've just come across this wonderful blog which will help you to improve your English. The difference is that it focuses on the typical mistakes made by Spanish learners of English so that you can improve your English, not by learning new grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, but by correcting the mistakes you make in the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation you already know. I think hablar mejor inglés is a great idea.

Besides, here you have a direct link to a pdf file about the art of learning English. I hope you find it useful.

Fancy reading? "Finding a lost language: the Rosetta Stone" and Timesonline.

What about listening? A history of the world: the Rosetta Stone by the BBC and the British Museum.

əʊvə, əʊvə, əʊvə, əʊvə OVER!!!!

2010-05-25T13:42:00.002+02:00

Hello, everyone. How do you pronounce "OVER"?

WORLD AT LARGE

2010-05-10T17:40:00.007+02:00

VOCABULARY

Exercise 1 (look for "environment" and "holiday")

At an airport: exercise 1, exercise 2

READING

(plus some videos)

CNN News: How will airlines deal with ash backlog?

This makes me wonder: TRAIN vs. PLANE

ENJOY TRAVELLING?

CNN Traveller

Richard Quest's blog

WHO'S RICHARD QUEST?

Business Traveller: Japan on a Budget

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

TO SPEAK OR NOT TO SPEAK

2010-05-10T15:47:00.006+02:00

Pronunciation practice

Game: odd sound out

To speak or not to speak: is that the question? Well, I'm pretty sure that your speaking skill can be improved by listening to music, but not just for fun (which is also great, though), but paying attention to the actual pronunciation of words, how words are linked to each other, and stuff like that. Why don't you try the following song? Focus on the pronunciation of I'm a and the way it's linked (it's all over the chorus) and SING ALONG, of course!

IT'S WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT BLOG

2010-05-04T09:25:00.007+02:00

Guess what? English Without End has been awarded with ‘Vale a pena ficar de olho nesse blog’ award by Ángel Gonzalez, a teacher of English and Science and author of a fascinating blog called Colonial Nuggets. I think you will find this blog really interesting for your kids and also for those of you interested in science. I just remember a couple of weeks ago when one of you was so kind as to share with us the book 'The Complete History of the Universe' by Brian May (former Queen guitarist). A conversation about science followed and other titles were mentioned such as 'A Brief History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson. Make sure you keep an eye on this blog. You won't regret it.

This award is part of an initiative that seeks to highlight the blogs of other teachers and students. The chosen blog has to copy the picture (the one on the left), with a link to the blog from which it has received the award. Then you have to write ten more links to the blogs which are well worth a visit. For me, they are:

Apart from this, you can visit Planeta AICOLE which has a long list of wonderful blogs for you to learn languages. Besides, you can add your own blog to the list if you want (a CRIF Las Acacias project).

I think that it is just amazing not only the number but also the quality of blogs created by all kind of teachers and enjoyed by their students. This initiative is an excellent way to have a direct link to impressive blogs that, otherwise, we would never come across.

ELLIPSIS PRACTICE

2010-05-03T16:38:00.001+02:00

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Lots of exercises

Listening and grammar (here you can listen to speeches from important political figures)

Nelson Mandela Day, Madrid 2010

Nelson Mandela Day was first celebrated in New York in 2009. The second Nelson Mandela Day will be celebrated in Madrid on 18th July, 2010. Throughout the month Madrilians will enjoy the performances of different artists who also think that changing the world is 'in our hands'. If you want to know more about this special celebration, click here or here. Also you can find information in Cadena 100.

If you haven't seen Invictus yet, now it's probably a very good moment. Reading the book by John Carlin, which the film is based on is also a great option.

Reviews:

In spite of Mandela's legacy, problems still arise in South Africa what some claim is threatening this year's Football World Cup which will be held in Mandela's country:

I WAS MUGGED BY A MONKEY!!!

2010-04-24T09:38:00.008+02:00

Today's post:

Vocabulary: crime and criminals

Violence

Police, detectives and prison

Words in the news: listening

Chinese electronics tycoon in court

Parisian shop sues crime writer

Goa's tourism hit by attacks on visitors

As for TV series, I recommend you to see episode 20, season 5 from How I met your mother, where Marshall was mugged ... by a monkey! Absolutely hilarious:)

HAVING SAID THAT, ....

2010-04-22T12:40:00.003+02:00

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4

Examples of participle sentences in use can be found anywhere but I particularly remember a TV series called Pushing Daisies. The story being told by a narrator makes the use of participle clauses a common device. I'm afraid I don't remember any extract so that you can see participle clauses in context but here you have a video which will help you make up your mind about this TV series. I warn you, it is a bit odd but I like it, anyway.

LYRICS TRAINING

2010-04-19T16:23:00.001+02:00

Guess what? I've just come across this absolutely amazing website for you to improve your English through songs (if you are learning other languages, songs in French, Italian, German and Spanish are also provided).

Look, there are almost 400 songs divided into three levels (easy, medium and hard) and the most important feature of this website is that, once you've chosen the song you want to listen to, you are asked to select the game mode (beginner, intermediate or expert). Depending on the mode, the exercise will be more or less difficult but the best part is that the song waits for you while you are completing the lines, can you believe that?

Lyrics Training

So, if you like music, games and English, this is one of the website in which you really have fun while you are learning. Great, isn't it?

Two songs I chose for you:

I wish you were here by Pink Floyd

Something stupid by Frank Sinatra

He is said to be ... PASSIVE!

2010-04-16T10:28:00.001+02:00

For those of you who feel like doing more passive voice exercises, here you have some direct links:
Exercises 1
Exercises 2
Exercises 3

Out of reach by Gabrielle

NEW YORK, I love you

2010-04-14T19:48:00.016+02:00

This year some teachers from the English department (me included) prepared a trip to New York. What started as an ambitious project, finished with a group of 50 students plus 3 teachers, all of them exploring the Big Apple from the 24th to the 30th of April. And now the time comes when we can't stop telling anecdotes to our families, friends and classmates. Besides, this week we are holding the school's cultural week dedicated to ... New York (difficult to guess, wasn't it?). We are having an exposition of photographs from the trip (there will be a prize for the best photograph), conferences and get-togethers for students so that they can share their travelling experiences in NY at the same time that they practise their English.

So, here you have some background music about this utterly incredible city. I hope you enjoy the music and the pictures.

Empire State of Mind (J-Ray and Alicia Keys)

With lyrics

And a classic, New York, New York by Frank Sinatra

Fancy singing?

I found another one:

Lyrics | Manhattan lyrics

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

2010-03-17T13:11:00.002+01:00

Although this issue is no funny, the following video really is.

A CATCHY TUNE

2010-03-10T12:53:00.002+01:00

I've just come across this wonderful website with lots of songs in order to sing along and practise English pronunciation.

Have fun!

Tune into English: Student's area
Tune into English: Karaoke

I've chosen one song of my own. I love this song =)

HEALTHCARE

2010-03-04T19:11:00.015+01:00

Vocabulary exercise 1
Lots of vocabulary exercises
Obesity epidemic (words in the news, listening)
Quiznet: swine flu
Hangman: anatomy and health
Illnesses and medical advice

Multiple choice listening (exam practice)

THE US DEBATE ON HEALTHCARE

In favour...

and against...

Interview to a supporter...

And what Obama is trying to do...

Obama calls for civility in healthcare debate

Healthcare in Spain

And now, the fun part: Bad medicine. Sing along!

A REMINDER: -ed pronunciation

2010-02-26T17:15:00.010+01:00

Watch this:

Now some practice:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Exercise 4 (with sounds)
Exercise 5 (Am.E. with sounds)

And now, a song to practise past simple verbs. Enjoy!

Please, do notice the pronunciation of irregular verbs such as SAID /sed/ or BROUGHT /brɔːt/and the pronunciation of regular verb such as BLESSED /blest/ or LOVED /lʌvd/.

Besides, there are other aspects of English pronunciation that you should pay attention to, for instance, when she says "I'M EVERYTHING I AM BECAUSE OF YOU" /ɑɪmevrɪθɪŋ/.

LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF

2010-02-24T19:58:00.002+01:00

British English or American English? Which do you find it easier to understand? There are differences in grammar, spelling, vocabulary and pronunciation so in this post we'll do some practice about this, what does it sound like?

Br.E. vs. Am.E. guide

Vocabulary differences 1
Vocabulary differences 2
Vocabulary differences with sounds

Now, are you ready to put everything into practice?

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5, listening
Exercise 6, crossword

And, finally, this wonderful song by Louis Amstrong and Ella Fitzgerald:
"Let's call the whole thing off"

Letras de canciones Letras de canciones de Ella Fitzgerald Letra de Cancion Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off

I have come across this wonderful blog in which you can learn English pronunciation and sounds through songs. Believe me, it's amazing!

Allphonetics

Fancy knowing Louis Amstrong better?
Biography
Videos
New York Museum

GENDER GAP

2010-02-17T16:02:00.016+01:00

There are a lot references to this issue in several TV series. Here you have an example from Life with Derek, a Canadian TV series. This episode is called 'Slacker Mom'. Casey's Mom, Nora, decides to quit her job for a while to spend more time with her family who she assumes she's been neglecting.

Part 1

Part 2

RELATIVELY SPEAKING

2010-02-15T16:20:00.009+01:00

In case you might need some more practice about relative clauses, here you have some direct links:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5

A video:

Relative Clauses Exercises

View more documents from Sandra Àlvarez.

And a song:

FANCY SOME READING PRACTICE?

2010-02-15T16:00:00.004+01:00

Advanced English: reading comprehension exams

Enjoy!

SPLENDID SPEAKING

2010-02-09T20:57:00.003+01:00

Hey, everyone. Guess what? I've just come across an awesome website for you to improve speaking. It's called Splendid Speaking and it gives examples and teaches strategies for English speaking exams all over the world. Just what you needed, didn't you?

Practise your English exam video

SPECIAL REPORTING VERBS

2010-01-31T13:45:00.027+01:00

Hello again. If you thought that you were going to get rid of reported speech so easily, you were clearly mistaken :-)

To start with:

He admitted that he hadn't studied for the test.

To continue with:

Video explanation (from minute 3:30, approx.)

To finish with, it occurred to me that there is no better way to assimilate structures than to hear them in context. That's why I have chosen this episode from the remarkable TV series Murder, she wrote. In this episode from Season 11, School for Murder, you have the opportunity to listen to reported speech in context because the adorable Jessica Fletcher is always telling the sheriff what other people said or did. Some examples are:

- Besides, Collin promised that the society would completely protect us, didn’t he?
- Why did Mike and Sarah say they saw it on the floor?
- Mike and Sarah remember that this was on the floor.
- I knew I should not let them talk me into playing.
- And then, after he became headmaster, James Ryerson said he was gonna cut way back on the music department.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

I insist on you doing all the exercises.
I suggest that you do all the exercises.
I urge you to do all the exercises.

;-)

THE CULTURE OF FEAR

2010-01-27T15:05:00.012+01:00

Fear plays a key role in 21st century consciousness. Last century was frequently described as an "Age of Anxiety" but in recent decades, it has become more and better defined as the "culture of fear". Apart from being associated with catastrophic threats such as terrorist attacks, global warming, AIDS or a potential flu pandemic, there are also quiet fears of everyday life.

In addition, since fear has become a powerful force that dominates the public imagination, the amplification of fear through the media has become a paramount tool.

According to some experts, American society is a clear example of this tendency. The questions 'why do Americans have the constitutional right to own a gun? and, what's more, why are they using their guns to kill fellow citizens?" haven't got a simple answer. Obviously, this is a complex issue to deal with in a few words but in this post you'll find some direct links to articles related to it and the video 'A short history of the United States of America' (from the documentary 'Bowling for Columbine') by Michael Moore.

Why Americans fear the wrong things

Living in a culture of fear (A Bowling for Columbine review)

Where Michael Moore is wrong

Capitalism: a love a story (by Michael Moore)

A brief history of the United States of America (according to M. Moore):

HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY

2010-01-26T12:51:00.009+01:00

Your next writing task will be an essay. I intend to teach how to do it in class but I think it would be a good idea if you do some preparation exercises on your own. Essay writing, or writing in general, is not an easy task. Some students feel that they are bad at writing and that there is nothing they can do about it. However, they are quite wrong. You can learn some techniques in order to improve your writing. I hope that the next links will help you to get a clear picture of what you are supposed to do when writing an essay:

Essay writing

Essay tips

How to write an essay

Video explanation:

Argument essay, part 1

Argument essay, part 2

NOTHING SUITS ME LIKE A SUIT!!

2010-01-25T14:48:00.005+01:00

You know I'll never get tired of telling you about the benefits of V.O films and TV series. There are so many things you can learn just by watching TV in English! For example, a while ago, I was watching one of the latest episodes from one of my favourite TV series, How I met your Mother, and when they started singing in a kind of musical style I couldn't but take some notes of the different aspects of the English language that a teacher can develop in a lesson. I can't see a film without thinking of the possible uses in a language class and honestly, I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse but I can't help it.

Anyway, How I met your mother is a love story in reverse. It's the year 2030 and Ted Mosby is telling his kids how he met their mother at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. The story starts in the year 2005 and by 2009 (season 5) we still don't know who his wife will be but, in the meantime, we are witnesses of incredibly hilarious stories performed by Ted himself and their best friends: Marshall and Lily (already a couple), Robin (Ted's former girlfriend) and Barney (I just can't describe him, you have to see the series because you wouldn't believe me).

Well, for the 100th episode, the series creators decided to make a kind of musical scene. Barney, whose favourite sentences are 'Suit up' and 'Wait for it' is a recognised womaniser. However, in this episode (titled "Suits versus girls") he has to choose between a hot girl and wearing suits. If you want to know how this ended up, you have to watch the following video:

And what can you learn from this song? You have examples of the second conditional, the use of past modal verbs (could've (coulda) gone), the use of I'd rather go, colloquial expressions such as that lady cop who's kinda cute, expressions like casual Friday or it's moot, informal vocabulary such as dude, chick, bro or cuz and the pronunciation of the word "suit" /su:t/ and its two meanings as a noun and as a verb.

Now, the lyrics:

For more online episodes, click here.

CLASSES ARE HERE!! WELCOME BACK

2010-01-08T17:06:00.012+01:00

Hey, everybody!! Welcome back. Here we are again after the Christmas excesses that we have to try to burn off now. I can't help you with that but what I can do is help you to get off to a good start on Monday (with a big smile, if possible).

What have you been up to during the holidays? Well, apart from the usual Chistmassy things, I've been reading a lot, visiting museums and expositions, going to the cinema and such. I've also seen some Michael Moore documentaries and I have some ideas for our classes, you'll find out soon.

For now, here you have an episode from Father Ted ("A Christmassy Ted") which is something from the bright side of life. Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

How often do you find the right person? ONCE

2009-12-22T10:22:00.002+01:00

You know, sometimes, just by chance, you find a film that makes you feel something special. This film is usually not a blockbuster so the fact that you see it is just fate. A friend of mine told me about Once, an Irish film I had never heard of, and I realised that I have to pay more attention to the not so famous and popular films we are usually encouraged to go to the cinema to see.

This 2007 Irish musical film is set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames", it tells the story of a busker (street musician) and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.

Once received enthusiastic reviews and awards such as the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for best foreign film. Hansard and Irglová's song "Falling Slowly" received a 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the soundtrack as a whole also received a Grammy nomination.

To know more about this film you can click either here or here.

Trailer

For reviews:

Review 1

Review 2

And, to listen to all the film's marvellous songs:

Once soundtrack

Here you have an example:

Lyrics Glen Hansard - Falling Slowly lyrics

It was the nightmare before Christmas

2009-12-18T20:03:00.012+01:00

Hello, everyone. I don't know if you're on a Christmas mood or not but watching a Golden Girls episode is always a good choice. I hope you have a good time.

This episode from season 2 is divided into three parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

PARADISE LOST: Nauru

2009-12-15T19:31:00.005+01:00

I say, I say, I say, Knock! Knock!Who's there?Robin.Robin who?Robin' you! So hand over your money!. For other Robin Hood jokes, click here (you'll find here most of the jokes used in the Robin Hood Xmas Pantomime we saw last Friday).

Nauru: lonely planet

Nauru Official Tourism Website

One more joke. Sorry, I coudn't resist the temptation: Lying on his deathbed, the rich, miserly old man calls to his long-suffering wife. "I want to take all my money with me," he tells her. "So promise me you'll put it in the casket." After the man dies, his widow attends the memorial service with her best friend. Just before the undertaker closes the coffin, she places a small metal box inside. Her friend looks at her in horror. "Surely," she says, "you didn't put the money in there." "I did promise him I would," the widow answers. "So I got it all together, deposited every penny in my account, and wrote him a check. If he can cash it, he can spend it."

THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2009

2009-12-14T15:48:00.007+01:00

On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes. As described in Nobel's will, one part was dedicated to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". But why did the inventor of the dynamite gave his fortune to these prizes? Surely he is a controversial figure: pacifist or "merchant of death"? Learn more.

I'm afraid another subject of endless controversy is that Barack Omaba was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize last Friday. This is bound to open a serious debate as to whether the award was deserved. The US president himself expressed his surprise and said he would accept it as "a call to action". Would you like to read some articles about this?

msnbc

CNN

The New York Times

BBC News

Learn more about the Nobel Peace Prize from 1901-2009.

Nobel lecture by B. Omaba on 10 December 2009 at the Oslo City Hall, Norway. Click here if you prefer reading it.

All Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.

How much do you know about the discoveries and works awarded de 2009 Nobel Prizes? Test your knowledge in this quiz. If you want to learn more about Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes, why don't you try these educational games?

Now, what is the most suitable song for this occasion? You're right, it's quite obvious. Byeeeee.

CHRISTMAS PANTO: Robin Hood

2009-12-12T08:27:00.017+01:00

Did we enjoy yesterday's panto? Yes, we did.!!! We cheered the goodies, booed the baddies, sang along, shouted out and enjoyed Robin Hood a lot. We ahhed when Robin kissed Maid Marian, laughed with Bear Necessity, and were shocked when Friar Tuck almost said "Triar F***!!! Thanks, MadridPlayers for a wonderful evening.

A Christmas pantomime is a musical-comedy play found in the UK. Traditionally performed at Christmas, with family audiences consisting mainly of children and parents, British pantomime is now a popular form of theatre, incorporating song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, cross-dressing, in-jokes, audience participation, and mild sexual innuendo. There are a number of traditional story-lines, and there is also a fairly well-defined set of performance conventions. Panto story lines and scripts typically make no reference to Christmas. Plot lines are often 'adapted' for comic or satirical effect, and certain familiar scenes tend to recur, regardless of plot relevance. (source: wikipedia)

Bare necessities. Both words, bear and bare /beə/ are pronounced the same way, here the word play. Click on this expression in order to check its meaning and then enjoy The Jungle Book song:

Walking on sunshine: another song from yesterday's play. Sing along!

If you're happy and you know it: dedicated to our EOI students' children who enjoyed the show as much as their parents and who never complained in spite of the show lasting more than two hours. Have fun!

And finally, who is Susan Boyle? You know she was one of the candidates for the Sheriff of Nottingham's evil plan to take the kingdom. I have to admit that I didn't know who she is, but now I do.

ALL-TIME TV SERIES

2009-11-30T15:43:00.010+01:00

Well, everyone. I hope that you enjoyed the Coupling episode this morning. Believe me, this British sitcom is absolutely hilarious. It is aimed at adults since the main topic is sex so you would think that it might be gross, but far from it, it's just great!

If you want to know more about this superb sitcom, you can visit the following websites:

BBC Coupling

Coupling UK

And now, ready to LOL (laugh out loud)? Here you have three videos. The first one shows some of the best moments of this TV series. The second one is called Cushion Rage. Susan asks Steve to choose their new home cushions with her. At the shop, Steve can't stand it any more and gives a speech about their unusefulness. Finally, in the third video, Susan, Sally and Jane provide some handy hints on how to seduce a man. Magnificent, trust me!

Thanksgiving: Nov 26th 2009

2009-11-26T19:14:00.002+01:00

When is Thanksgiving in 2009?
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving world

Unit 2: reading

Webquest

Crossword Puzzle

Timesaving Thanksgiving tips

BUY NOTHING DAY

2009-11-20T20:29:00.006+01:00

Hey, guys. Did you know that Saturday November 28th is Buy Nothing Day (BND) in the UK? It's a day where you challenge yourself to switch off from shopping and tune into life. The rules are simple: 24 hours without shopping. But, can you really buy absolutely nothing for just one day? It's not so easy. Can you actually go one whole day without transacting any business? Are you totally debt free? Do you have a cell phone? Of course, we should not push ourselves to attempt the impossible but we should think about how integrated these transactions are into our daily routines.

2006 ad

Consumerism: the musical

HELP!

2009-11-13T11:27:00.003+01:00

Another trip down memory lane (or, as the Americans say, a stroll down memory lane). Would you like to go with me?

BIOGRAPHY /bai 'a:grafi/

2009-11-10T12:15:00.003+01:00

As you have to choose someone who made or has made a change to the history of the world in order to write a biography, here you have some direct links with plenty of information.

biography.com

the biography channel home

biography channel alphabetical

biography channel video clips

The model biography in your book deals with the suffragette Susan Anthony. As I was reading her biography, what came into my mind was the film Mary Poppins. Do you remember the children's mother? She was part of the suffragette movement. There was even a song, Sister Suffragette, about it. Fancy listening to it?

And, what about the memorable Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Beware, this is a trip down memory lane.

PROBLEMS WITH HOMOPHONES?

2009-11-09T22:02:00.005+01:00

One more example of the importance of phonetics and pronunciation in English:

What about some practice now?

More practice?

Do you prefer to practise homophones using videos?

JUST BECAUSE I LIKE IT

2009-11-09T20:14:00.007+01:00

Sing along!

Jason Mraz official website

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY: ebook readers

2009-11-08T10:54:00.008+01:00

Have you ever wondered about the future of the book? Well, I have, and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about it being both a book and technology lover.

The advantages of the ebook reader are clear. For example, the newest Amazon Kindle 2 offers books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required. It reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight, it holds up to 1,500 books, you can read for days without recharging and you can also download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy. All this in a device as thin as most magazines and lighter than a typical paperback. Obviously, there are drawbacks too, the first one being that IT IS NOT A BOOK for a start.

Well, I'd like you to think about this for a while since we are going to deal with inventions that have changed history in our next lesson. For example, what about the bicycle? Some claim that it led to the women's liberation movement.

Anyway, if you want to know more about ebook readers, here you have some direct links:

Top ten reviews

Ebook reader guide

The Times online

No more

2009-11-04T12:44:00.006+01:00

As I promised, here you have some direct links in order to practise gerunds and infinitives. Besides, you can listen to the songs "Grafton Street" (which we listened to in class) and "Life is for rent" by Dido. Enjoy!

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5
Exercise 6
Exercise 7

More things about singer and songwriter.

Grafton Street

Life is for rent

THIS IS HALLOWEEN

2009-10-30T02:12:00.017+01:00

Hallowe'en (derived from "All Hallow's Eve," so called as it is the day before All Saints day) is celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets.
If you want to know a lot more about this celebration, don't miss the following links. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Reading and listening
More Halloween
Idioms and proverbs
Scary webquest
Interactive crossword
Interactive haunted house
Hookery cookery

HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN AND HOW THE CELTS PLAYED A PART IN THIS POPULAR HOLIDAY.

The Great Pumpkin

Sing along!

This is Halloween _ Marilyn Mason

/rɪˈvɪʒən əv fəˈnetɪks/

2009-10-17T17:11:00.010+02:00

Hello, everybody. Welcome to the 2009/10 Avanzado 2 course at EOI Alcalá de Henares. Here we are again. Summer holidays seem to be so far away now. I hope you are all ready to work hard and have fun. We are on board now so fasten your seatbelts and enjoy your journey!

Well, my phonetics-lover students. Here you can find some direct links to do some exercises in order to practise English phonetic symbols and sounds. You know it is essential to be able to read the symbols in order to improve your listening and speaking so, what are you waiting for? And remember, remember the 16th of October (our Friday lesson), you made a promise I won't let you forget. See you on Monday.

English phonology: parts 01-07

The Sound of English and the International Phonetic Alphabet

Phonetic symbols and sounds

Cambridge English Phonetics (games)
Pronunciation tips by the BBC

Phonetic exercises

Minimal pairs and instant sound

Dictionary with instant sound

And now, the fun part:

Karaoke time!

2009-07-17T22:58:00.003+02:00

If after listening to this song (and singing along, of course) you don't learn how to pronounce the word "change", I don't know what else I can do, honestly (just kidding). Have fun!

Lyrics | Katy Perry lyrics - Hot N Cold lyrics

Giving directions

2009-07-16T09:11:00.003+02:00

Hello, dear teachers. Here you have some direct links to practise giving directions.
See you.

Asking for and giving directions
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Hangman on giving directions

Welcome to London

2009-07-14T14:35:00.004+02:00

Hello, dear teachers. In this post you'll just find a direct link to the BBC Learning English website in which there is an activity called "Welcome to London". Here, you can listen to different conversations (transport, hotel, work, shopping, eating out, etc) by two people who have just arrived in London and want to settle there. This exercise is so useful that you really can't miss it. I posted this link in my blog some time ago under the label "travelling". I suggest that you go through the archive or label sections in order to check previous posts that might be interesting for you.

See you tomorrow!

FANCY GOING TO THE MOVIES?

2009-07-14T14:09:00.005+02:00

The boat that rocked (Radio Encubierta in Spanish) is the last film I've seen (original version, of course). It is a comedy about a pirate radio station in the North Sea in the 1960s in the UK. At this time, the BBC was the only UK mainland licensed radio broadcaster playing little more than two hours of any kind of recorded music each week. In the story a pirate station called Radio Rock began broadcasting rock music twenty-four hours a day from a boat anchored off the coast of England in international waters. Hosted by a colourful band of disc-jockeys, it soon gains an audience of millions and angers the government in the process.

What else can I say? Made by the creators of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love Actually, it's full of humour, good music and references to other films that you'll immediately recognise.

WELCOME, TEACHERS!!!

2009-07-10T13:26:00.009+02:00

This is the welcome post for those Primary and Secondary school teachers that are learning English at EOI Alcalá this summer. Welcome to my blog! You are working so hard that you need some kind of reward. That's why I'll be posting things for you in my blog.

In this post you have some direct links to some grammar and vocabulary exercises so that you can practise what you learn in class. Enjoy!

Past simple 1

Goldilocks and the three bears

-ed pronunciation

Members of the family

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Vocabulary: furniture

Pool of exercises

Ryanair to make passengers stand!!

2009-07-07T12:20:00.003+02:00

A colleague of mine told me about this incredible piece of news. Read it and tell me what you think.

Ryanair to make passengers stand!!

JOINING WORDS: ice-cream, I scream

2009-07-05T23:36:00.003+02:00

You all know that in speech, words are not separated; they join together. Normally, we know from the context what a word is. For example, if I'm buying an ice-cream, that's what people understand (imagine they understood "I scream").

You also know that when one word ends with a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel, we should imagine that the consonant is at the beginning of the next word. For example, if I want to say "I liked it", I should imagine /ai laik tit/.

Well, without further ado, I'm going to show you a song in which this characteristic of spoken English is clearly marked. Pay attention to it and enjoy!!

The mystery city: NEW CLUE!

2009-06-25T08:19:00.007+02:00

Hi, everyone. Long time no see. Well, let's start our game again. Where am I?

Clue 1. English is an official language in this country.

Clue 2. Bollywood film industry was born in this city.

Comments are eagerly awaited, you know!!!

Fun with English

2009-06-16T19:03:00.006+02:00

Hello, everybody. What are you up to these days? It seems to me like ages since we last saw each other. Now I need your comments more than ever since it's the only way we can keep in touch so please, do!!

Well, the aim of this post is to introduce you to a new blog, www.ocioidiomas.blogspot.com, I've just found on the web. It's been created by EOI teachers from Madrid and it's full of ideas and direct links with useful information about leisure time in English. Particularly, I like the links about theatre, conversation groups, free online TV and the quizzes. All the links are listed on the right- hand side of the website.

If you have time, you can watch this video from the 1950s titled "Better use of leisure time". It's hilarious!

Keep in touch!!

Macmillan YouTube channel

2009-06-09T20:39:00.003+02:00

Macmillan has its own YouTube channel. Believe me, it's worth having a look at it!

Macmillan dictionary
Macmillan YouTube channel

The mystery city: THE ANSWER

2009-06-08T19:50:00.007+02:00

So Hobart is it. Manoli, you're right again. Hobart is the capital of Tasmania and the second oldest city of Australia. If you want to know more about this city and other Aussie cities:
Hobart (Tasmania)
Tasmania

Do you remember the writer Bill Bryson? Well, he happened to write a book about Australia. It's called Down Under and, as The Daily Telegraph put it, it is 'as funny as ever'.
Extract from Down Under
Interview with Bill Bryson about his career in travel writing
Review

Now, do you want to meet this witty writer? Here you have a close-up:

Manoli, I'm waiting for the next mystery city picture. Email it, will you?

The mystery city: CLUE 2!!

2009-05-28T13:48:00.008+02:00

I hope you are ready to play this game again because here you have a new photograph and clue. Game on!

Clue 1. Where the bloody hell are you?
Clue 2. The only place where you can find a Tasmanian Devil in the wild

Bert and Ernie: You're it!

2009-05-25T11:44:00.006+02:00

Today I'm feeling nostalgic again so I'm really sorry for today's post.

Do you remember Sesame Street muppets Bert and Ernie (Epi y Blas in Spanish)? I suppose you do. Well, here you have my favourite sketch, the one when Ernie plays a game of tag with Bert, who is reading his book. The game is called "You're it" (Tú la llevas in Spanish). Bert doesn't want to play but after Ernie saying "Bert's it" like a thousand times, he loses his temper and starts chasing Ernie.

Bert & Ernie: Bert's it!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this video and, I don't know about you, but for me it's always rewarding to see all these series from my childhood again, but now IN ENGLISH!!!

Anyway, here you have a direct link to the Spanish version.

How to... by the BBC

2009-05-22T20:33:00.005+02:00

I think that, by now, you're all aware of the wonders of the BBC Learning English website. Well, believe it or not, I've found an amazing section in which you can listen to podcasts providing tips on how to speak better English. Believe me, it's worth a look. See ya!

All- time TV series

2009-05-21T20:37:00.004+02:00

Ok, guys. Listen to this:

Don't tell me you didn't love this lady? Wasn't she cute? Jessica Fletcher, ahh... such memories!

After her husband's death, Mrs. Fletcher starts writing mystery novels (or whodunnits). Her novels become an immediate success. But this is not Mrs. Fletcher only talent. She also has a gift for solving murder mysteries. Well, when you come to think of it, murder seems to follow her around, which makes me wonder.
To be honest, I think that people should run away the moment they meet her because a murder is about to happen for sure.
However, in spite of this, I really loved this series. And, wait a minute, I just realized that, in fact, maybe the plot was not so simple, I mean, it could be a story inside a story. I'll explain myself. Maybe, the TV series is about the mystery novels she writes. Each episode is one of her novels in which the main character is a nosy lady who is a good observer (and likes eavesdropping a bit).

Anyway, any series is good to practise English and if you like this type of shows, I'll tell you that it is not very difficult to follow. Jessica Fetcher, at least, speaks very clearly. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Well, watch this video and see for yourselves.

Now, if you want to revise some vocabulary, here you have a couple of links you might find useful. Have fun!
Quiz 1
Quiz 2

Inapropriate language?

2009-05-21T18:02:00.006+02:00

Do you find the language in this ad so shocking? The British did. They found the words bloody hell inapropriate for an advert so they banned it from British television. Seeing is believing!

If you are an advert fan...
Advertising in America: 1850-1920
Ads in the 1960s
How ad slogans work
How TV affects children
Telly ads

And some vocabulary exercises, of course.
Quiz 1
Quiz 2

Finally, McDonald's best commercial ever:

Hilarious, isn't it?

Regrets, I've had a few

2009-05-12T20:49:00.004+02:00

Today's post:

Start with Frank Sinatra and his song "My Way" (regrets I've had a few... I did it my way).

Practise gramamar: Wishes and regrets

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5

video with situations in context (it might help you understand the different uses of I wish. Worth trying)
listen to a man thinking about regrets and what advice he might give to younger people.

Eureka! That's it!

2009-05-08T12:38:00.007+02:00

This is what Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, said when he discovered that the volume of an object can be calculated by the amount of water it displaces. How did he make this discovery? Well, he was getting into de bath and the bath was so full that the water overflowed.

In this post, you will be able to watch some videos from the Science Channel that you might find interesting. I'll also provide you with some exercises to revise the use of quantifiers. So, let's get down to work, shall we?

To start with, why don't you have a go at the Eureka quiz? It'll be fun.

Time for vocabulary practice. Go through these exercises and the reading and video exercises will be much easier. Promise!
Science and inventions
Numbers and maths

Before watching the video, you can have a look at the following link. Here you can find information about the big 100 discoveries of our time. You might find the top 10 accidental inventions worth reading too.

Now, it's time for video watching. You are all aware of the fact that the Internet is one of the greatest discoveries of our time. That's why I've chosen these videos about Web 2.0 and YouTube.
Enjoy!

If I haven't tired you out by now, you can do these grammar exercises about quantifiers. (And that's all for now. Promise)
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5: do and make

See you on Monday.

DO YOU REMEMBER? All-time TV series

2009-05-06T16:05:00.008+02:00

Since I promised to post some information about top TV series that I remember fondly, here you have the theme song of the one I've chosen for today's post.

Thank you for being a friend. Travel down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant. And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew. You would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say, thank you for being a friend.

Yes, The Golden Girls. Didn't you love them? Tart-tongue Dorothy and her salty Sicilian mother, Sophia, former farm girl Rose and Southern belle Blanche. This sitcom is based on the lives and interactions of these four older women whom have all been divorced/widowed, and are now roommates.

Now, would you like to know what Golden Girls character are you? Well, take this quiz to find out.

I've not chosen this sitcom, just by chance. Apart from loving it myself, I chose it in order to pay tribute to one of the actresses who has recently died. I'm talking about Bea Arthur ("Dorothy") who died last April.

OUT AND ABOUT

2009-04-28T12:00:00.008+02:00

Guess what? I've found a wonderful website in which there is a section called 'Welcome to London'. Here you can follow two characters through a series of situations as they arrive and settle down in the city. What is really good about this is that you can listen to the typical conversations taking place when you are visiting a city (transport, hotel, shopping, eating out, etc). So, welcome!!
Welcome to London

Useful, isn't it? Well, here you have some links if you feel like practising count and uncount nouns again. See you!
Exercise 1
Exercise 2

Space stories

2009-04-21T12:05:00.005+02:00

Hello, everyone. Would you like to do some revision exercises about the use of articles and listen to some funny stories about space and astronauts? Good, that's the spirit.

All right. First of all, here you have some links in which you'll find some exercises that'll help you with the use of articles in English. Enjoy!

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4

Well, after all the hard work, you deserve something good.
Firstly, you can read a newspaper article from abc news about astronauts taking ipods on their space trips. After all, they have plenty of time out there so they should use their time wisely and music is a great pastime.
What do you listen to on Orbit? Astronauts take ipods (from ABC news, NY)

Secondly, it would be a good idea to practise some listening. Here you have a link in which you can watch a news item about threat of space-craft debris. Apparently, NASA is concerned a satellite collision may harm the Hubble space telescope.
Threat of Space-craft debris (from ABC news, New York)

Finally, would you like to listen to some Apollo audios and see some movie segments from the NASA archive? Here you have the link:
Apollo audios and movie segments

That's all for now!

Where am I? the mystery city

2009-04-16T18:19:00.005+02:00

Hey there. Next mystery photo is here.

Clue 1. As the British they drive on the left.
Clue 2. The country takes its name from the metal copper.

Game on!