Happier alone?

 

"Happier alone"  "I beg your pardon. I am quite happy being part of a group, a family, a team, meeting friends and relatives...", although it is true that sometimes it is better to be alone than in bad company.

Some years ago there was a new trending behaviour that was born in South Korea that staying single was a better option.

Happy alone: the young South Koreans embracing single life (The Guardian)

A loneliness epidemic is spreading worldwide. Seoul is spending $327 million to stop it (CNN)

Why South Korean women aren't having babies (BBC News)

Apart from the fact that humankind is meant to live in groups (family, society, country, continent, planet...), we have to be careful as a well-worn meme of a cartoon dinosaur says in the last article: "Be careful," the dinosaur says. "Don't let yourself become extinct like us."

 

Learning English from the News:   Global impact of US-Israel war with Iran  (BBC Learning English) 

 

• Globalisation is under threat from Iran war (The Guardian)
• How the Middle-East war could hurt the global economy (CNN) 
• How is the Iran war impacting global relief efforts? | DW News

  

  

 

 

Beating Speaking Anxiety:   I'm scared I can't be myself  (BBC Learning English)   >>>>  How to be yourself in English   

Learning English Grammar (NARRATIVE TENSES):   Stories from the past  (BBC Learning English) 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Until you come back to me by Aretha Franklin. And here's a version with the undefined for you to sing along.

 

Real Easy  English:  Talking about rain    (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

 

Here are some more activities for my students (International Women's Day):

• Listening exercise for you to do:  Should we pay more for chocolate?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)  

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  Leadership: Are women better leaders than men  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Listening exercise for you to do:  Women in the workplace  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 

• Listening exercise for you to do:   The bond between sisters  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

     

Here are some activities for my students:

• in 4º ESO... Exercises on Reported Speech:

 

A. Transform these sentences into Reported Speech.

 

1. "I can't stop laughing", the student to the teacher.

2. "They're laughing at me now", said Mary.

3. "I can't afford to buy your car", Albert to Fernando Alonso.

4. "FC Barcelona will win the King's Cup tomorrow", said Messi in the press conference.

5. "We don't like this exercise", said the students.

6. "I'm afraid of spiders", said my mum.

B. Fill in the gaps with 'said' or 'told' and then transform these sentences into Direct Speech.

 

1. They ....... that they couldn't find a cash machine in that city.

2. Mary ........  them that the fish tasted awful.

3. Fernando Alonso ........ Albert that he was saving for a new car then.

4. My parents ..... my aunt that they wanted to borrow her house in the mountains.

5. Nadal ......... that his elbow was very painful.

6. She ...... me that her coat was made of leather.

C. Rewrite the sentences using REPORTED SPEECH. First, decide which verb to use: ‘said’ or ‘told’

1. The student to the teacher: “I don't think it is made of glass”   

The student ....................... ___________________________________________

2. The children: “We collected lots of cans in this river”. 

They .................. ______________________________

3. Jane to her father: “I have invented a new tyre”.  Jane .................. ______________________

4. The students to the robotics teacher: “We are building a smart house.” 

They .................. _______________________________

5. Maria to her boyfriend: “I’ll help you, Tom”. She ................... _________________________

6. My parents: “We must save more energy”. They ................... _________________________

 

• in 2º ESO:

Make these people agree with the statements.

Comparing actions. Make these people agree with the statements.

Examples:  "I write more clearly than my brother. "   >>  "_____________ I"  ("So do I")

                     "I have got a new car."  >>>  "__________ my English teacher"   ("So has my English teacher")

"I don't write English well"   >>   "____________ my English teacher"  ("Neither/Nor does my English teacher")

"I haven't got a car"   >>  "_____________ I"   ("Neither/Nor have I")

 

1. "I am taller than my brother. "   >>  "_____________ I"   ,   "______________ my sister"

2. "She writes a letter to her parents every day. "   >>  "_____________ I"      ,   "______________ my sister" 

3. "My father hasn't got a new job. "   >>  "_____________ I"   ,   "______________ my sister"

4. "I worked yesterday. "   >>  "_____________ my parents"   ,   "______________ we"

5. "We aren't doing an exam. "   >>  "_____________ you"   ,   "______________ Tom"

Unit 4. Translation sentences

1. ¿Para quién trajiste el pastel?        2. ¿De qué se hace el pan?     3. ¿Con quién vas al supermercado?  4. ¿De qué caja cogiste el libro?

English with Lucy: Are you saying it wrong? 5 common mistakes in English  

 

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learning English with Mind your language -  A point of honour   

 

 

 

Old stories about Nadal:

Nadal vs Djokovic  - Full Match Nadal vs Djokovic 2020 Men's final | Roland-Garros

 

 

 

What a tug of war!

 

How far will they go? This tug of war is such a foolish thing to go on with and we don't know how long it will last, and if they will ever come to an agreement.

Learning English from the News:   US-Israel war with Iran  (BBC Learning English) 

 

The Tug of War: Balanced vs Unbalanced Forces Explained!

There are tugs of war everywhere in our everyday life between teacher and students, between parents and children, between husband and wife, between boys and girls... but actually success is achieved when they work together, when we concentrate our efforts to fulfil a certain goal. So let's bury the hatchet, have peace and get the ball rolling. There are so many problems in life ahead to solve!

  

Real Easy English:   Talking about SPORT  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

 

Beating Speaking Anxiety:   I'm scared I'm not improving  (BBC Learning English)   >>>>  How to celebrate your progress   

 

Our world in English:   Love in a war zone  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Tug of War by Paul McCartney. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

Learning English Grammar (It was as if..., It was as though..., It seemed (like)...):   An interesting sight  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Why are some animals black and white?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)  

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  The English We Speak: Learn the hard way  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Office English: Apologies  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with BITE  (BBC Learning English)

     

English with Lucy: 60 confusing English words  

 

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learning English with  Mind your language   

 

 

 

Old stories about Nadal:

Nadal vs Thiem  - Full Match Nadal vs Thiem 2019 Men's final | Roland-Garros

 

 

 

These are the bare facts

 

 

 

Facts are facts, and you cannot disguise them. We see it everyday in our lives. Countries attack other countries and they say it is on behalf of the freedom of the other country's citizens. Nonsense! 

 

Some articles for you to read about the issue: 

• US and Israel strike Iran as Netanyahu says ‘many signs’ Khamenei ‘no longer alive’ (The Guardian)

• What we know so far about the US-Israel attacks and Iran's retaliation (BBC News)

• Attacks on Iran trigger global Shiite protests (DW News)

 

 

It is said that there are different types of English teachers, some better than the others, but the bare facts are that there is only one English language and that at the end of the road you will have the same control for every student in our secondary schools. And that will the moment when we will learn what we have really learned.

 

My congratulations to our student Martín Toledo (4º ESO A) for having just passed his B1 in English (Cambridge) obtaining excellent results in certain skills (he even got a B2 level in the Reading skill). Facts are facts!!!

 

🔊FULL EPISODE: Bubblevicious/The Bare Facts | Powerpuff Girls | Cartoon Network

 

 

The English We Speak:   Go through a rough patch  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

 

Beating Speaking Anxiety:   I'm scared I won't forget the joke  (BBC Learning English)   >>>>  How to show your funny side in English     

 

Learning English from the News:   Violence after Mexican drug leader killed  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Riding with the King by BB King & Eric Clapton. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

Learning English Grammar (I was thinking..., Let's not..., Might I suggest...):   Making suggestions  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Dreaming of being a chef  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)  

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  Real Easy English: Talking about BIRTHDAYS  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Office English: Do you always follow the rules?  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with HIT  (BBC Learning English) 

     

English with Lucy: If you laugh, you are fluent  

 

 

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learning English with  SUITS   -  Rachel discovers Mike's secrets

 

 

 

Old stories about Nadal:

Nadal vs Wawrinka  - Full Match Nadal vs Wawrinka 2017 Men's final | Roland-Garros

 

 

It could have been... a frog??

 

Are you sure? No, but they say it could have been due to a frog. When we are not sure of something, we speculate and if it is of something in the past we have to use the Perfect Infinitive.

 

Learning English from the News:   Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK says  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and four European allies say (The Guardian)

The frog poison that killed Alexei Navalny likely lab-made (DW News)

Russia killed Alexei Navalny using dart frog toxin, UK says | BBC News

 

 

Time flies, but we are not pressed for time to make a decision about who will be our English teacher next year. We can leave it till the end and make up our minds right in the nick of time when the summer comes, but time will tell if we were right or wrong. We all know bachillerato is a real challenge for all of us and you have to ready and make a commitment. But always remember that you will need a B2 in English for yout university degree (news). Check the meaning of these expressions in the section English in a Minute below.

 

 

Beating Speaking Anxiety:   I'm scared of speaking in front of people  (BBC Learning English)   >>>>  How to build your speaking confidence     

 

The Reading Room:   Is your dog reading your mind?  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Hello Again by Neil Diamond. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

Activity:  Listen to the song and fill in the gaps (the number of letters of each word is provided to give you a clue)

HELLO AGAIN by Neil Diamond

Hello, again, hello

Just called to _ _ _ hello

I couldn't _ _ _ _ _ at all tonight

And I know it's _ _ _ _

I couldn't _ _ _ _

Hello, my friend, hello

Just called to let you _ _ _ _

I think about you _ _ _ _ _ night

When I'm here _ _ _ _ _

And you're there   _ _     _ _ _ _

Hello

_ _ _ _ _ it's been crazy

And _ _ _ _ _ I'm to blame

But I put my heart _ _ _ _ _ my head

We've been through it all and you _ _ _ _ love me just the same

And when _ _ _ _ _ not there

I just need to _ _ _ _ 

Hello, my friend, hello

It's _ _ _ _  to need you so

It's _ _ _ _  to love you like I do

And I feel this way when I _ _ _ _  you say

Hello

Hello, my friend, hello

Just called to let you _ _ _ _ 

I think about you _ _ _ _ _ night

And I know it's _ _ _ _  but I couldn't _ _ _ _ 

Hello

 

Learning English Grammar (adjective order, adjective phrases):   Favourite things  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   How important is play?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)  

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  Real Easy English: Talking about HAVING KIDS  (BBC Learning English)  

  
  

• The Listening Room: AI could fill the gaps in our knowledge of Ancient Rome  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with TIME  (BBC Learning English) 

     

English with Lucy: Talking about homophones  

 

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learning English with - Jim Carrey   The Truman Show

 

 

Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick  - US Open 2006 Final | 4K Highlights