BEING A TEACHER....

BEING A TEACHER IS A DIFFICULT TASK NOWADAYS, SO I DECIDED TO FOLLOW THIS PIECE OF ADVICE BY BRUCE LEE:

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

by Bruce Lee

miércoles, 6 de enero de 2016

January, a bitter pill to swallow


Here comes January (a bitter pill to swallow, do we have the same expression in Spanish?). Back to our daily routines, but this time it is the start of a new year, time for resolutions, time to think about the future. So let's begin revising the FUTURE TENSES (remember you can have a loot at all the tenses and their uses in my site):


Present Continuous
  • Future arrangements as part of your agenda (We have already bought the flights for Dublin, so we are flying there from Malaga airport on 14th March)
  
Future Simple
  • Abstract future (One day the Man will travel to Mars and live there.)
  • making general predictions or giving opinions about the future. (I hope I will win the lottery one day. I think she will visit us next summer).
  • Decisions taken at this very moment. ('Someone is knocking at the door.'   'Don't move. I'll open the door)TO MAKE A POLITE OFFER. You can also use SHALL to make a polite offer ('Shall I open the door for you?')
  • TO MAKE A POLITE REQUEST with WILL ('Will you open the door for me, please?). If you want to sound politer, you will use WOULD (Would you open the door for me, please? Would you be so kind...? Would you mind opening...?)
  • TO MAKE A SUGGESTION with SHALL ('Shall we go to the cinema this evening?)
 GOING TO Future
  • Predictions based on evidence. (Look at those clouds! I think it is going to rain this afternoon).
  • Personal plans and intentions (They are going to spend their winter holidays in the Alps). When these plans and intentions are shared with other people, they become arrangements and then we use the present continuous.
 Future Continuous
  • Actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future. (Tomorrow morning at this time I will be lying on the beach next to my girlfriend).
  • Formal arrangements, especially used by tour guides (On Wednesday we will be flying to Copenhagen and then we will be visiting the Lofoten Islands at the weekend).
 Future Perfect
  • Actions or events that will be completed by a specific time in the future, often used with the time expression BY THE TIME (para cuando). (I will have written the composition by the time you arrive home).
 to be about to do sth
  • It is similar to the GOING TO future, but it mainly has a time meaning  >>  La película estaba a punto de empezar (The film was about to start when the TV set broke down).
 to be to do sth
  • It has a similar meaning of EXTERNAL OBLIGATION to the modal verb HAVE TO in some cases and in others it has got a time meaning (You are to watch That's English every morning).

So tell me about your plans, arrangements, resolutions, hopes...





And now what do you think about this issue: Will Obama ever pass a US gun law (News report) in the United States?

Articles to read:



Talking about the future, have you made any resolutions about the way we look (listening exercise)?

LINGOHACK Episode 160106 / 06 Jan 2016  >>>  Expressions presented: announcement, suspended & bionic.


16 comentarios:

  1. In my opinion, January is the worst month of the year, because we back to school after of the christmas holidays and we start the second quarter and and touch back to study, doing homework, go to school...

    For the childrens is a special month because because they come the Magi and the children wants the present and the next day they doesn't want go to school because they want to stay at home for plays with his presents.

    ALBERTO ANTEQUERA GONZÁLEZ 4ºB

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  3. A bitter pill to swallow means I don't like what's happened but I will have to accept it.
    I think that we don't have this expression in Spanish or I've never used. It can be very useful in a lot of situations. I wouldn't use this expression because it is often used in a bad situation.

    Talking about January, it is the best month of the year for me because is the start of a new year, you can see that everybody say 'New year, new life'. Is a lovely month when the children have new toys and they are very happy. In January we celebrate the day of the Magi in Spain, that is like Christmas Day.

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  4. Christmas finished a few days ago, and it costs us to get used to the idea... After all the parties, it seems that we are more tired.
    When a New Year arrived, we always consider new goals to achieve, some a long-term and other closest, although almost always they are wasted.

    The entry of the year is more difficult after the holidays, with too much expenses, a lot of spreads... it is too difficult us to get back to the timetable routines, work... Therefore, we have to get work!

    If you move laziness, you will get good achievement, and so, you will follow other goals. You should set in motion with your projects. And... appart from this, you will be able to have fun!

    Personally, I has started the year with a good beginning. I hope this year will be excellent!

    María Béjar Rodríguez 4º ESO A

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  6. A bitter pill to swallow is a common expression that English people say in bad situations. We have this expression in Spain. It means 'Un trago amargo'.

    I really hate Januray, except at Christmas time. I hate this month because we come back to school, and we start with our daily routines again: Going to school, arriving home, having lunch, doing our homework and sleeping. It's always the same!

    On the contrary, it's the start of a new year, 2016. I hope this year will be very different. My resolutions for this new year are to get good qualifications in June and fatten a bit. I'm sure this year will be incredible! I'm flying to Dublín on 14th, March, I'am going to go to Barcelona to spend my summer holidays and I'm going to take my B1 in English at the Official Language School in Motril.

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  8. In this comment I am going to write about my resolutions and about the purpose to make gun control stronger by Obama. I have some objective this year, but they are not out from the real world. Since Obama entered at the government, he has always tried to control more the selling of guns.

    First of all, my resolutions aren’t reducing weight or studying 5 hours every day, because I know they are out my reach. So in this case for this year I want to pass the B1 at French and pass the B2 at English (these two exams will be difficult, but I’ll try), have good marks at the high-school and try to go running every Saturday. The last one, it isn’t a very good dream, but it is important.

    Barack Obama, the current president of the Unites States, wants to control more the selling of guns, because of the recent increase of murders. The murderers are usually crazy people who have got psychological and who have bought their guns at a legal shop in the USA. The problem is that he can’t do anything for controlling more the sale of weapons, because some Americans think that having gun apart of giving them more ‘security’, is a right which symbolizes his freedom. Other trouble is that arms sales produces a lot of money, so rich and powerful people don’t want their incomes.

    All in all, I think that my resolutions are quite realistic and that having a weapon doesn’t mean that you are safer or free. Guns might be a double-edge sword.

    By: William : )))

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  9. Thinking about my resolutions for this coming year and reading about Obama's gun control plan, I must admit that both of them are a bitter pill to swallow as they will be tough to accomplish. Actually, the goals I have in mind for this year are not out of the real world, but I don't think it will be easy for the current US President to have a tougher control on the sale of weapons.

    First of all, many people might think that my resolutions should be related with reducing weight or studying 5 hours every day, but I'm not supposed to promise things which are out of my reach. Anyway, I wish I could pass the B1 in French and the B2 in English, which will be most difficult, but I will try my best. As well, having good marks at school and going jogging every Saturday are two other things I intend to make an effort to carry out, although I don’t fancy this last one very much, but it is important for my health.

    Since Obama became the President of the United States more than seven years ago, he has always urged the Congress to accept his proposals to have a harder control on the sale of weapons because of the recent increase of murders. There are more and more criminals using weapons, so the announcement he made to have a tighter control is always good news for everybody. However, from my point of view, the problem is that he can’t do much about this issue since some Americans reckon that carrying a gun, apart from giving them more ‘security’, is a right which symbolizes their freedom. Another difficulty that he will have to overcome is that arms sales produce a lot of money, so rich and powerful people don’t want to reduce their incomes.

    All in all, in both cases a lot of effort is implied, and the help of others is required if we want to be successful. I imagine they will be discussing about possible measures in the American Congress for months, but I hope they will have reached a minimal agreement by the end of the year as carrying guns might be a double-edge sword. On the one hand, you can feel freer and safer, but also, on the other hand, the menace of criminals in the streets in American cities is constant.

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  10. On the one hand in the month of January we start with our daily routines like going to school again, arriving home, having lunch, doing our homework.

    Moreover it is the beginning of a new year we spent in family celebrating it and then come the wise men with their gifts, the trouble is that we only have one day to enjoy our gifts because the next day is starting school. Too many people put proposals to start the year as quitting smoking, losing weight, sports ...

    Also January is a cold month in which like being at home without going outside, being with family ...

    I reckon this will be a good year !!

    Paola Ruiz Fernandez 4º ESO A

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  11. January is a month when many people think they want to fulfill desires.
    On the one hand, in this new year my new propositions are studying more, either approve the course and do more sport.
    On the other hand, January is a month in which it is very difficult much back into the routines of going back to school, to study although it is best to see friends.
    After the Christmas holidays, we also enjoyed the gifts so even if the first week is hard, it is good to get back to normal life.

    Antonio Peregrina Martínez 2ºESO A

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  12. I think , January is the worst month of the year, because we back to school after of the christmas holidays . On the one hand in the month of January we start with our daily routines and on the other hand The Reyes Magos come with gifts for everybody and it is the beginning of a new year we spent in family and with our friends .

    Too many people put proposals to start the year as quitting smoking, losing weight, sports ... but 3 of 10 get that proposals are true .The entry of the year is more difficult after the holidays, with too much expenses, a lot of spreads... it is too difficult us to get back to the timetable routines, work... I reckon , I has started with a bad beginning .
    I hope toontinue better the year .

    Jose Manuel Diaz España 4ºB

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  13. Obama wanted to reduce the possession of weapons by anyone, the intention was good, but failed because just over two weeks ago a young man returned to the slaughterhouse in a high school.

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  15. I am going to try passing exams.
    I'm going to study English every day.
    I don't think Cars Will fly 7.000.000.000 km an hour.
    Much people maybe ride an electric skate.
    On saturday Atlético Madrid is playing a gainst Betis.
    Atlético Will change the present.
    On 19 april 4°C is playing against 2°A

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  16. How i think will be the future , i think in the future cars will talk to people , cars won´t need drivers , airplanes will be fasters , people will give classes online , there will be robots they will help people to do things , medicine will be easier , the technology will be better and easier to use than now.
    Carlos 2 ESO A

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