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Showing posts from October, 2010

I WANT YOU TO READ THIS

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

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 that you 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

USE THE SCHOOL LIBRARY

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

U-SING?

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? Lyrics training Subingles Agendaweb songs Allphonetics Saber inglés songs Tune into English Musical English lessons Sing your English Learn English with The Beatles Learn English through Song Learn English A-Z