English Without End

Hello again. If you thought that you were going to get rid of reported speech so easily, you were clearly mistaken :-) To start with: list of reporting verbs 1 list of reporting verbs 2 referring to sources when writing He admitted that he hadn't studied for the test . To continue with: Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4 Exercise 5 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 rem...

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 ...

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

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 ...

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