English Without End

EOI ALCALA CHRISTMAS CARD CONTEST WINNER 2013-14 THE HISTORY CHANNEL: Christmas Unwrapped. Watch the first 10 minutes of this video and answer the following questions: -  What’s the origin of the Christmas Tree? -  How long did the Norse celebrations last?  What were they characterized by? -  What two celebrations were there in Ancient Rome? What did they consist of? -  What does the narrator say about the date of Christian celebration? -  How did the Church adapt pagan traditions? -  What was Puritan England’s attitude to Xmas celebrations? 5 strange Christmas traditions  around the world: For older Christmas posts, click here .

INVICTUS Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. William Ernest Henley (1875) BBC History: Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013 - interactive timeline   (A remarkable life) Nelson Mandela: biography Nelson Mandela: southafrica.org Nelson Mandela: champion of freedom ( 6-minute video ) South Africa timeline South Africa fact file For a previous post on South Africa, click here . Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)

Would you like to boost your confidence in spoken English? Would you like to practise your spoken English outside the classroom but you don't know what to do or where to go? Have you ever heard of MadridBabel? Why don't you check their website? Plenty of activities to choose from, aren't there? Meet people from all over the world in Madrid, practise languages absolutely free & make new friends through our wide range of international activities: http://madridbabel.weebly.com/ Please, do remember: you cannot learn to swim without getting wet

Listen to English and learn English with pie - the podcast site for learners and teachers of English. http://www.podcastsinenglish.com/index.shtml Choose the level, the topic and enjoy while improving your English. Why don't you try n. 91 On yer bike ?

Inventions Fact Files Have you ever heard of   FLYKLY ? The phrase “This changes everything” gets thrown around a lot, but in the sustainable commuting sphere, an invention out of New York by a group of bike enthusiasts just might actually change everything. The Smart Wheel by FlyKly Bikes  is a motorized bike wheel that can fit on almost any bike, instantly turning a regular bike into an electric one, opening up the options of who can bike commute, where, how far and in what terrain. Bike commuting in urban areas has the potential to combat an enormous number of problems: traffic congestion, air pollution, gas consumption, and commuting affordability. But would-be bikers are often limited by various constraints, including weather, physical condition, cost and time. Bicycles remind me of ... post .

The amazing computer page of Count Arthur Strong Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show on BBC Radio: listen online British comedy guide: Count Arthur Strong Nov. 26th 2010 post on MEMORY

Look what I came across! Here you can practise grammar, vocabulary, listening, phrasal verbs, idioms,... so, as George Clooney would say, what else? OneWorldOfEnglish My choice: Grammar exercises with YouTube videos Listening comprehension C1 level (exam practice)

 Multimedia English: unit 10 lesson A Verb tenses exercises

Why do we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night?  video Guy Fawkes protest on central London on Bonfire Night:  video Bonfire mistaken for fly-tipping by council:  article Fireworks display warning over firefighters strike : article Has the fire gone out For Guy Fawkes Night? article Stay safe on Bonfire Night: video For the 2012 EnglishWithoutEnd post, click here . James Blunt - Bonfire Heart song: THE TUDORS: tv show For Tudor history, click  here . HORRIBLE HISTORIES Terrible Tudors: The Wives of Henry VIII and the Tudors songs    

Check this out! Great online dictionary of collocations to help you improve your writing: ozdic

Don't miss this year's The Madrid Players pantomime!! It'll have you in stitches !! What is a pantomime  or panto ?

"I wasn’t doin' nothing bad with it, George. Jus' strokin' it" Of Mice and Men reading guides: Book Drum   ( bringing books to life with immersive pictures, videos, maps and music ) Sparknotes ( Watch the Of Mice and Men Video SparkNote ) The author: John Steinbeck The Great Depression facts Broadway revival of 'Of Mice and Men' 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24379018 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/13/malala-protect-her-from-cult-status Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie

The Spanish language school that delivers language on a budget ( The Guardian , 24/09/2013)

Voice recognition technology? In a lift? In Scotland? (for subtitles click "choose language")

http://www.listen-and-write.com/

  The History of English http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/the-history-of-english Language Timeline England and English History Ages of English Timeline  (BBC) HORRIBLE HISTORIES From Vikings to Normans: The Saxon Report: William the Conqueror: Norman Family Tree Song: Normopoly: Words we get form the Normans: The Roman invasion of Britain report:

Congratulations, everyone! You are an all star: Nothing is gonna stop you now: You must be walking on sunshine: because today it's a beautiful day: All in all, you're simply the best:

She, Elvis Costello

AUSSIE ACCENT (Australian):     KIWI ACCENT (New Zealand): SCOTTISH ACCENT: ENGLISH ACCENT (North): INDIAN, CANADIAN ACCENT: WELSH ACCENT:

Macmillan Cambridge Oxford Longman Reverso Wordreference Merriam-Webster Dictionary.com Wordnik UsingEnglish Idioms The Free Dictionary Idioms Collocations dictionary Free Online Collocation Dictionary UsingEnglish Phrasal Verbs Confusing Words Dictionary Definitions and translations Synonyms and Antonyms Urban dictionary (slang) The Devil's Dictionary  (satirical) Directory of dictionaries

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/teachingenglish/grammar_vocabulary/funky_phrasals/ http://www.tinyteflteacher.co.uk/learning-english/vocabulary/phrasal-verbs-speaking.html http://a4esl.org/q/h/idioms.html http://www.macmillandictionary.com/language-games/

Check this out... video lessons, music, slideshows and so on. http://www.multimedia-english.com/contenidos/busqueda/ For previous posts on crime, click here .

US society divided over gun control after Conneticut massacre:   Massacre prompts bulletproof vest range: video with transcript Previous Education posts here .            "The mediocre teacher tells.             The good teacher explains.             The superior teacher demonstrates.             The great teacher inspires."                   ~William A. Ward~ Multiple choice listening: School Report Lots of exercises about school (vocabulary, reading, listening, idioms, etc.) Baggy trousers official video: THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION : The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, art. 26: (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full develo

Harper Lee sues for copyright of To Kill A Mockingbird   (don't forget to watch the video "Take a tour of Monroeville, which inspired Harper Lee's classic novel). Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird turns 50

English idioms: Health & Fitness 20 idioms based on Health Compulsive exercise post : listening practice and vocabulary Healthcare post : vocabulary and healthcare debate Parodies of "Need You Now", "Dynamite" and "Bad Romance" for a school project about universal health care (beware: not professional singers but the lyrics are worth reading, anyway.)

Catherine Tate Show characters In the following video with English subtitles, you can learn more things about Cockney such as when and where it originated (17th century, can you adam and eve it? ( believe ): Now, this is the video we saw in class this morning (with English subtitles too). Please, do notice the examples from Old English Lauren uses: for sooth (indeed) thou (subject 'you') thee (object 'you') thy (possessive 'your') looketh  (look) wench (girl or young woman) You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road (from a traditional Scottish song): Oh, ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road, And I'll get to Scotland afore ye; But me and my true love will never meet again On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet (from Romeo and Juliet ): Juliet: O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy na

I wish I could... post (Feb. 24, 2011) Regrets, I've had a few... post (May 12, 2009) If you hadn't but you did... post (March 2, 2011)

February 1st, 2011 post on British accents: Welsh QI is a comedy panel game in which being quite interesting is more important than being right. Stephen Fry is joined week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia and to answer some questions as well. QI: Welsh racism with comedian Rob Brydon Stephen: Rob, what's the difference between a Carlisle Surprise, a Reverse Canterbury Pleasure, and a sheep tied to a lamp post in Cardiff ? Rob: Now, this is another example of the institutionalised racism-- Stephen: That's true. Rob: --which is accepted when it's directed towards . . . the Welsh. As it has . . . Is this a reference to the joke about the . . . about: "What is a sheep tied to a lamp post in Cardiff? . . . It's a leisure centre." Now, because . . . because-- Stephen: It's awfully good-- Rob: [pointing to the audience, who is laughing] No! No! No! No! No! [points at Stephen] And . . . and you, no! Stephen: [put

Where's Miranda? Miranda , Series 2 Episode 4 BBC Two Stevie is angry about Miranda having a new friend: Miranda: Right, I am off to the restaurant. Stevie: Off to meet Tamara, are we ? Miranda: What do you mean " are we "? I'm just going to meet Tamara for a coffee. Stevie: Going for a coffee with Tamara, are we ? Remember that sometimes we use an affirmative tag after an affirmative statement to express anger, interest, surprise, and so forth. Once again, intonation is very important here. You can find different exercises about question tags here , here  or here . Fancy some grammar review ?

Did you find the reading exam more difficult that you'd expected? Well, this means you need more practice. Make the most of the next two months before you have to take the real exam in June! http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/tests/pt1index.htm http://www.examenglish.com/CAE/cae_reading1.htm http://englishtests.ucoz.com/index/0-31 http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/certificate+in+advanced+english.html Listening practice also available in the above-mentioned links and here: Listening (multiple choice) Listening (fill in the gaps) Listening (multiple matching) So if you are not going to the theatre tomorrow with the rest of your classmates, you'll have plenty of free time in the morning. Use it well!

Here you have a couple of links  for further practice on unit 5C: http://www.fcepracticetests.com/fce-english-in-use-collocations-4/ Adverbs: some tips from Stephen King on using them sparingly . Wickedly funny ( funny ha ha )

A beginner's guide to Cockney Rhyming Slang Dictionary of Cockney Cockney rhyming slang l ist The Brit List: 15 Cockney Rhyming Slang Terms Cockney rhyming slang explained Cockney rhyming slang: contextual examples  ( The trouble 's been shopping again ) MY WIFE Money slang (so that you can understand the picture above). More money slang here . Some phrases have entered common British speech and are used daily without any awareness of their Cockney origins. Examples include: use your loaf (loaf of bread = head) have a butcher’s (butcher’s hook = look) cobblers – rubbish (cobbler’s awls = balls) porkies (pork pies = lies) donkeys (donkeys’ ears = years) QI   :  Cockney Rhyming Slang:  A Lesson with Stephen Fry - BBC Transcript here Explanation of the Cockney rhyming slang used in this episode: Stephen Fry: Tonight, we're talking Cockney rhyming slang, so without further tea for [tea for two: ado], let's have a butcher

http://www.parlonfilm.com/#!theatre/c12ur http://www.freedomtheplay.co.uk/#!

BBC Voices BBC Voices recordings BBC Inside Out programmes Learning accents: sounds familiar? Well, now, here you have a video Jorge found. Sandra Bullock is interviewed by a British reporter on the red carpet (Oscars 2013). She talks about her new film with George Clooney and she also says how much she loves British accent and how it makes British people look smarter and more respectable. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2013/02/25/exp-pmt-sandra-bullock-oscar-red-carpet.cnn Guess what? When I saw this video the British reporter looked really familiar. I knew I had seen him before and I've just remembered where. Do you recall Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent? He was a member of the jury that evening and he was stunned by Susan Boyle's performance as everybody else, of course. Who would've guessed. (Please do notice Susan Boyle's Scottish accent ) If you're up for more surprising videos, here you have another one.

Side Effects is an old school psychological thriller (you never quite know who to trust...) directed by Steven Soderbergh. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum. It was released in the US on February 8th, 2013. An edge-of-your-seat thriller. Side Effect review BBC Talking Movies :  Director Steven Soderbergh bows out of film with thrille r  (listening exercise) Oscar 2013 : As it happened ( The Telegraph )

Sample letters Sample Complaint letters Sample job application letters

Thanks, Silvia for suggesting this song. It's just perfect! Ver "Chris Brown - Should've Kissed You (Lyrics) FAME Album" en YouTube

Page 1.  "  it really began with Andrew Jackson  " Book Drum is the perfect companion to the books we love, bringing them to life with immersive pictures, videos, maps and music. To Kill a Mockingbird beyond the page.

Speculation and deduction Exercise 1 (with videos) Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Loads of modal verbs exercises After looking at these pictures, comment what you think must, may, might, could or can't have happened. deduction More PowerPoint presentations from EUGENIO MONDEJAR Elementary, dear Watson                                  quote history                                  newspaper interview