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Showing posts from 2018

DERRY GIRLS: For those in need of coping with the Xmas blues

Northern Ireland's troubles are nothing compared to theirs. The Troubles :   The Norhtern Ireland conflict 1968-1998) Belfast murals you need to see (theculturetrip.com) What could possibly pull you out of the depths of despair at one of the, for some, most depressing times of the year?  Derry Girls :  This coming of age comedy is set in what would appear to be one of the least comedic locations – the city of Derry, in the middle of the Northern Ireland conflict in the early 1990s – but it’s actually laugh-out-loud funny. Derry Girls trailer . Derry Girls is the comedy you need to beat the January blues ( radiotimes.com article ). Being a teenager myself in the 1990s, I can nothing but relate to the wonderful Derry Girls soundtrack: With lyrics. 10 Irish-made TV shows to binge watch . Single-handed : A lone cop fights crime and corruption in rural Ireland. Gripping. Do you know what a garda is? What's the ori...

PHRASE FRENZY: Christmas idioms

Phrase Frenzy - Christmas Watch this video and try to work out three English idioms from the pictures you see. But be quick, you only have 15 seconds per phrase. Course: The Experiment The Experiment is a collection of short series that are a little different to our usual programmes - but still help you improve your English.  The first series, We say - You say , shows how your language can help you remember English expressions. Students challenging their brain in our Christmas Pub Quiz.  Such a lovely morning! Here you have some videos for real pub quizzes: Smartphonepub quiz - SpeedQuizzing Pub Trivia Australia Brooklyn Bar Trivia International Pub trivia night in Ottawa Pub Choir is a phenomenon that started in Brisbane a year ago, but the fascination of uniting hundreds of strangers to learn a pop song as a collective voice is expanding nationally. BBC News Story : Pub Choir   Pub Choir #11 - ZOMBIE (the Cranberries) W...

HOW TO CHEAT AT PRONUNCIATION: Tips & Tricks

Another useful YouTube channel: Emma Saying Learn how to say words in English correctly with Emma Saying free pronunciation tutorials.

Trending words of 2018 quiz

Have you been keeping up with the latest trending words in 2018? See how many of those words you are familiar with! Trending words of 2018 quiz

CREATE YOUR READING NOOK AND READ!

How to create a comfy reading nook 3 Must-Haves for a Comfy Reading Nook - IKEA Home Tour C1-A 2018-19 Recommended books to read:

Beautifully crafted short stories

14 brilliant pieces of literature you can read in the time it takes to eat lunch It's mighty easy to feel like you don't have time to read — especially quality literature. Life is hectic, jobs are busy and it's much easier to scroll through a photo feed than it is to sink your brain into some juicy reading matter. But with these incredibly short and incredibly beautiful stories, all you need is a few minutes (a lunch break, say) to read great work from the best writers around. These stories are poignant revelations about life and at only a few pages each, they can be read in the time it takes to eat a sandwich

A ROLLING STONE...gathers no moss

Thank you, Eva, for this wonderful suggestion. Common idioms & expressions used in tourism (learn with flashcards). The Travel Bug tv show (Aus.E.) Travels with my father (Br.E.) BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 1: After Negative or Limiting Adverbs
A report on a school trip abroad Look at the report and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

SEVERE WEATHER (Using newspapers to hone your skills)

I am sure you know the Spanish newspaper El País has an English edition. Why don't you practise your mediation skills by reading an article both in Spanish and English while jotting down the most relevant expressions and collocations? You can widen your ideas, knowledge of the world and vocabulary if you pick articles from different topics. Fin de semana invernal con hasta 19 grados menos y nieve a 700 metros. Weekend of wintry weather in Spain, with sharp drop in temperatures. Today's lesson:  Severe weather: UK buffeted by blizzards British Weather vocabulary exercise (Advanced) Weather idioms exercise.

I kista girl and I laiktit (Katy Perry)

I  kista girl and I laiktit    (song) Fancy some practice? Exercise 1: http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/pronunciation1/index.php Exercise 2: http://www.better-english.com/grammar/pastsimplepronunciation.htm Exercise 3 (with sound): http://eolf.univ-fcomte.fr/uploads/ressources/pronunciation/01_-ed_endings/01_ed.htm Exercise 4: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/how-to-pronounce-ed.html Past simple pronunciation quiz: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=past-simple-pronunciation-regular-verbs Irregular verbs pronuciation with sound: http://english-irregular-verbs.blogspot.com.es/ Now, the fun part and you know what that means: SONGS!!!!! Notice the way she says: 'Does he brush up?' Never brushed up' /brʌʃtʌp/ Please, do notice the pronunciation of irregular verbs such as SAID /sed/ or BROUGHT /brɔ:t/and the pronunciation of regular verb such as BLESSED /blest/ or LOVED /lʌvd/.Besides, t...

Thu. 22nd Nov: ALCINE SHORTS FESTIVAL

Pre-watching help: Nooks and crannies Not to have the knack More info about the shorts for Thu. 22nd November at 12:00. Flea  (Vanessa Caswill): here you are a  trailer  and this link will help you to understand the film: click  here  and  here Negative Space  (Ru Kawahata, Max Porter):  this is the  trailer  and this  link  shows you some facts like the numerous awards, like this  one Poles Apart  (Paloma Baeza): here you are this  link  with information about this film. The Nest  (Jamie Jones): this is the  trailer  and a bit of info  here We Love Moses  (Dionne Edwards): here you are this  review  and this is another  review

MEDIATION: Writing activity

Last year was a record-breaking year for tourism, and once again France has topped the charts . Which country is the second most visited ? Which countries'  numbers only keep rising ? Which country is becoming more and more popular? Which countries have climbed up places ? Which country continues to rank as the most popular country to visit in Southeast Asia? For some help, you can check your textbook (p. 140) . Remember that you can modify comparisons in three ways: - A big difference - A small difference - No difference Don't sweat! This exercise is nowhere near as difficult as it may seem at first glance.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE IN OUR ALWAYS-ON DIGITAL ERA

From the Norwegian explorer, a stunning meditation on the power of silence and how to shut out the world. Extract from Silence in the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge ( The Guardian , Sept. 2017). On  Silence in the Age of Noise  by Erling Kagge ( Gnorb blog, trying to live a life less ignorant). Of Kagge and Cage: On Silence   ( Gnorb  blog, trying to live a life less ignorant). The Guardian :  Tracy Chevalier on the power of silence .  When Tracy Chevalier encountered communal silence at a Quaker meeting, she knew she had to build it into a novel. The sound of silence: is cutting out noise the answer to a stress-free life?   ( The Guardian). If you’d like to hear the interview to this amazing explorer, just click on Radio 3 a la carta (RNE podcasts) and listen to the programme “Hoy empieza todo (Marta Echevarría)” on Friday 9 th November 2018. The interview is both in English and Spanish, ( honing mediation skills...

GUY FAWKES NIGHT: Remember, remember the 5th of November

Bonfire Night:  Who was Guy Fawkes and why do we celebrate with firework displays? Bonfire Night Plans And How To Stay Safe Across Solent Area The Gunpowder Plot on  Horrible Histories   (2009) To find out more: Bonfire night webquest Play the Gunpowder plot game Guy Fawkes Day:  Remembering The Fifth Of November With  V For Vendetta . The Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom. a bestselling mix of Tudor history and mystery . For older posts about Bonfire Night, click here .

James Rhodes: “I have no reason to lie when I tell you that everything is better in Spain”

Sometimes, we do need a reminder. Thank you, James. British concert pianist James Rhodes explains why he calls Madrid and not the UK home Video : LATE MOTIV - Bienvenido James Rhodes He is learning a second language (Spanish) and his tweets about his experiences are both hilarious and comforting: (¡Me parto!  ≅  Laughing into stitches!)         Real boost of self-confidence, aren't they? If you'd like to know about James Rhodes, you can visit  https://www.jamesrhodes.tv/

Nollywood Horror Films

6 Nollywood Horror Films to Watch On Youtube This Halloween , if you dare! 3 new Nigerian TV shows you need to watch

Thu. 22nd Nov: ALCINE shorts festival

More info about the shorts for Thu. 22nd November at 12:00. Flea (Vanessa Caswill): here you are a  trailer  and this link will help you to understand the film: click  here  and  here Negative Space (Ru Kawahata, Max Porter):  this is the  trailer  and this  link  shows you some facts like the numerous awards, like this  one Poles Apart (Paloma Baeza): here you are this  link  with information about this film. The Nest  (Jamie Jones): this is the  trailer  and a bit of info  here We Love Moses (Dionne Edwards): here you are this  review  and this is another  review Pre-watching help: Nooks and crannies Not to have the knack

This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween,...

Learn English with songs: This is Halloween Learn English with songs: Thriller Halloween corner:     Treasure hunt     Listening exercise     Reading exercise History of Halloween:  listening comprehension Halloween quiz : spooky destinations Halloween in the USA:  listening comprehension Learn English with songs:  prepositions exercise Halloween vocabulary: Spooky idioms and ghostly phrases Idioms and proverbs for Halloween quiz Guess the Halloween idiom powerpoint Seriously scary TV shows to watch this Halloween: The Walking Dead (more than just zombies) Buffy, the vampire slayer (more than just vampires) Stranger Things  (I want more...) The X-Files (a classic) Twin Peaks (who killed Laura Palmer?) Black Mirror (British accent) Fringe (binge watch alert) For bookworms: Dracula by Bram Stoker Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (yes, The Treasure Island ...

Put it in your diaries: THE BLA CHRISTMAS BAAZAR

The British Ladies Association: 76 years of solidarity in Madrid

HOW TO EXPRESS YOURSELF IN AN INEXACT WAY

VAGUE LANGUAGE 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. Using Vague Language – How to Sound Like a Native Speaker – Video Lesson Black-ish is an American TV series in which a  family man struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighbourhood. Black-ish spin-off is Grown-ish in which the   Johnsons' eldest daughter Zoey heads off to college and begins her journey to adulthood. She quickly discovers that not everything goes her way once she leaves the nest she always knew.

WRITING: 1D

Exam training: writing How to write paragraphs