The top five weirdest addictions!!

Hi guys!
You may think these addictions are  bizarre or these people might be going over the top a bit.Actually, this is very true!!
Find out  for yourself.!!

Hope you enjoy and don't feel put off by it!

Extra practice on MIXED CONDITIONALS

Hi everyone,
here's a couple of  worksheets to get a bit of more practice on MIXED CONDITIONALS.
Hope it can be of great help to you all.

extra practice 1
(  short explanation + answer key)

extra practice 2


         

4B: INFINITIVE or GERUND? ANSWER KEY

Hi guys,

  This is the ANSWER KEY for the worksheet on INFINITIVE  or GERUND I posted a couple of days ago.

a) 

2 to take   3 to be offended  4 Correct   5  for Jack to attend
6  you to feel  7 Correct  8 for our children to go  9 Correct

b)

2 to retake   3 do   4 taking  5 being able   6  stopping   7 using
8 to leave   9 not to arrive 10 to get

Vocabulary:Phones, smart phones, whatsapp, twitter...

Hi everyone,

Some vocabulary below and some useful questions to put it into practice.

Phone-related vocabulary

A top-up card: tarjeta recargable
Call rate: tarifa de llamada telefónica.
Telemarketing, Telesales: ventas por teléfono.
Personal organiser: agenda personal.
rechargeable batteries: pilas recargables.
Mobile operators: operadoras telefónicas.
Switchboard: centralita.
call waiting: llamada en espera
Contacts / phone book: guía
Contract / pay-as-you-go: de contrato/prepago
Desvío de llamada: call forwarding.
Establecimiento de llamada: connection fee.
Flat rate: tarifa plana.
flip phone: móvil que se abre levantando la tapa
Hands-free set / kit: manos libres
Hash key: almohadilla.
Inbox: Buzón de entrada
Keypad: teclado numérico
Keys / buttons: teclas
landline / home phone: teléfono filjo
Larga distancia: long-distance call.
“Long-distance phoning centre”: locutorio
llamada urbana: local call.
Menu: menú
Missed call: llamada perdida.
Mobile phone / cell phone (handset): móvil.
to run out of minutes; not to have any minutes on one’s mobile phone; to run out of credit to call.
Outbox: buzón de salida
Phone charger: cargador de batería
ring tone: tono de llamada

Service provider: operadora telefónica; compañía telefónica (Orange, Movistar, etc.)

slide phone: móvil que se abre deslizando la tapa.
There’s no signal / reception: no hay cobertura
To be cutting out / breaking up: se va el sonido, la voz; se corta la conversación.
to dial: marcar
to hang up: colgar
to jailbreak / to unlock a mobile phone: liberar un móvil.
To give sb a bell: dar un toque
To top up: recargar el teléfono

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOME QUESTIONS TO TALK AND DISCUSS ABOUT

1. How many mobile phones are there in your family?

2. What factors may affect you most in buying a mobile phone: its function, its design, its price, others?
3. How important are the following factors in choosing a mobile phone operator?

• Network coverage.
• Price.
• Family’s operator.
• Reliability.
• Others.

4. Do you use pre-paid cards or do you have a long term contract?
5. Are mobiles easy to use? Are they useful? What do use your mobile mainly for?
6. Do we make a good use of mobiles? What benefits can derive from using a mobile phone? What problems have you ever experienced in your use of mobile phones?
7. Are there any circumstances or situations when you cannot stand mobiles ringing?
8. What do you think of people speaking on their mobiles at the cinema? On the bus? At the bus stop?
9. What is the funniest ring tone you have ever heard?
10. Do you know how to add phone numbers, write and read text messages, send them and erase them?
11. How often do you use  WHATSAPP ,  TWITTER, INSTAGRAM(texts on a mobile)?
12. Do you use voice mail?
13. Are mobile phone calls cheap or expensive?
14. Do you restrict (or try to restrict) your mobile phone use and spending?
15. What do you think of the fact that when you phone someone abroad on your mobile, the person at the other end will have to pay half the call?
16. Do you think landline phones (home phones) may one day disappear?
17. Why is it so difficult for older people to learn how to use mobiles?

4B: A bit of grammar to brush up on!!

Hi guys,

Here's a  worksheet     for you to get some extra practice on the Grammar point seen in class this week. ( Gerund/ Infinitive).
the last bit at the bottom of the worksheet(Activation section), don't do it please.

BE MY VALENTINE!!!

       

Another globalised tradition, Valentine’s Day, is here along with romantic paraphernalia to suit all tastes from naff to sophisticated. Some people disregard this celebration and some revel in it. How do you feel about it?

Humour plays its part too. Some people have written really funny love messages. Click here to read some of them.

Check this one: The gardener inspired by the vegetable world and a love for playful phonetics.
Music and poetry are also ingredients of this date. Some poets, however, have fled from stereotypes and produced some brilliant poetry like Carol Ann Duffy, Britain’s current poet laureate, in her poem Valentine.

Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.

Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.

Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.

Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.

Click here for the video version. As regards songs, there is such an array of love songs that is difficult to choose but this one never fails to move one’s feelings. 

  

Mind you, love songs can also be funny

  

Have you got a favourite love poem or song? Send them in

FROM MONOLOGUE TO DIALOGUE!!!

 Hi everyone!
Time has come! Let's switch to  CERTIFICACION mode!

 The oral exam has two parts: a monologue and a dialogue. You will be able to prepare your parts for about 10 minutes or so in a classroom. You can jot down some thoughts as well but remember you won’t be able to read your notes during the exam. I have mentioned the basics of  what you will be expected  to do in the exam, monologues in particular.However, as it easy to panic about speaking another language I will give you a few more hints. You are not the only ones who have self doubts, check this video



 You see, you speak English  as well as those guys, just be confident and well prepared.

For the monologue, plan some good lines of introduction to impress the examiners and set a relaxed atmosphere, humour is always a good ice breaker but don’ overdo it,  ie:

"My job is to talk to you, and your job is to listen. If you finish first, please let me know."

You have by now been using  in the different pair work or group activities  a lot of excellent structures to negotiate your way in an oral exam, tidy up your notes and come up with a list of good sentences to use:

I would like to point out …Let me start by stating the current state of affairs/status quo….If you don´t mind me saying so,……If I may interrupt …If I may change  the subject…If you can keep a secret…If you see what I mean…If I understand you correctly…Having said that, let’s move on to another side 

of the argument …

 In last year's blog those of you who were with me  in 1st Adv were exposed to a wide variety of structures to use in the oral exams(monologue). This year   not only you'll have to deal with monologues but also prepare dialogues. For this reason,  I've just made a compilation of LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS from the BBC series that I'm certain that  they will be of great help to you all.

The BBC has a great series called How to…? where they go through the language needed in different communicative situations:

How to …. discuss: making suggestions, making a point, disagreeing, expressing uncertainty, ….

How to … instructions, explanations & advice: asking for and giving directions, showing understanding when you are listening to explanations, ….

How to …. good news, bad news: congratulating someone on good news, responding to someone’s bad news, …

How to … conversation: extending a conversation, closing topics, talking about things you like, …

How to … requests, offers & invitations: asking for permission to do something, inviting someone in an informal context, making polite invitations, …

How to … complaints, apologies & excuses: making a complaint, saying sorry, accepting an apology, pointing out the positive …

How to … hello & goodbye : greeting friends, greeting people in more formal situations, introducing people, small talk and follow-up conversations, saying goodbye,…

And if you want to improve your pronunciation follow this advice and check out this good blog from a nice Spanish woman, Iciar, living in London who gives tips on how to get rid of the Spanish accent.

Let’s get talking!

MONOLOGUE & DIALOGUE TIME!!

Hi guys!

Time has come  to get serious about certificacion exams, right?


To begin with, here's a hand-out with  the most common TOPICS  for monologues that have appeared in the last couple of years in Certificacion exams.

In the coming days I will be making a few more post with tips for monologue and dialogue preparation.

Movie segment from the film "THE OMEN"

Hi guys,

Here's a short  segment from the film "THE OMEN".

Watch it   first, and then do the  grammar activity on INVERSION.

Finally, I would like you to  reflect on  the questions at the bottom of the worksheet  to hold a debate next day in class.






Worksheet

Have a laugh with ANNOYING ORANGES

Hi guys!!

Good read!!

Hi guys,

Two books I'd like to recommend for those of you   who are a  bit of a "bookworm" and enjoy reading.. The first one on the left might a bit hard to read due to colloquialisms, but anyway, if you think you are brave enough to do it... go for it.
The second one on the right hand side was a Number 1 bestseller at the time in 1995 and  it's about a neurotic record collector and his failed relationships. This is a lot easier to read and being written by  worldwide acclaimed N. Hornby won't disappoint you!!

In any case, whether you decide to read one or the other, do have fun!!