English Without End

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...

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 ...