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.
Let's make a revision of the past tenses (for further information about tenses, click here):
Past Simple
completed actions or events that happened in the past at a specific time. (We wrote 4 compositions in the first term).
things which happened with a certain frequency in the past (They often played in the park).
past states (He was very happy with his exam results).
USED TO
habits in past which are no longer true in the present situation (We used to play football in the streets because there weren't many cars. Chilren can no longer do it because of the heavy traffic).
Past Continuous
actions in progress at a specific time in the past. (I was working yesterday evening at 9 o'clock).
past actions interrupted by other actions, most of the times using WHEN (They were playing when the accident happened).
two parallel actions in progress using WHILE (I was having a shower while my sister was doing the washing up).
Past Perfect Simple/Continuous
actions or states that happened before other past actions. (I had already had dinner when you arrived home).
the continuous form is used when there is an emphasis on the action, as it happened with the Present Perfect Continuous (I had been working for more than five hours by the time you arrived home = Llevaba trabajando más de 5 horas para cuando llegaste a casa).
Long, long time ago when I was younger and I used to dance at discos (when discos were a place for dancing) to the rhythm of Baby Jane by Rod Stewart. I no longer go to discos, but I still listen to some good old rockers' songs such as: Way Back Home (have a look at the lyrics), Love is & Please .
However, there are still wonderful songs to listen to. Let me introduce you to Mr. Brian Culbertson and his song Our Love.
Now it is time for you to send me your favourite songs.
Remember the difference between 'oldest' and 'eldest' (remember: an elderly lady). Although both of them are possible to use for relatives, it is better to say 'My eldest brother works as a civil engineer in New Zealand'.
Remember the difference between the RELATIVE SUPERLATIVE , that is, a superlative used regarding a specific group (for instance: "He is the tallest boy in the class"), and the ABSOLUTE SUPERLATIVE meaning 'very' and which does not make reference to any specific group (for example: "The book you lent me was most interesting.")
Finally, after superlatives we use in with places (the longest river in the world) and of for a period of time (the happiest day of my life)
We have almost finished our first term at school and it has been probably the hardest part of the school year as we had to start the engine and get used to many new things: new subjects, new contents, new teachers... and, what's really important, more and more demanding and challenging. So, is it student life all good? (listening exercise) especially when you go to university and you have to move from home. What big changes have you gone through so far this school year?
In my humble opinion, it is just like in the film Star Wars (listening exercise), a life full of experiences, dangers, risks, full of moments of success, failure, disappointment, love, sadness... By the way, what is your opinion about the film and all the big hustle organised around the film premiere?
35 years have passed since the murder of John Lennon. This and all the gender-based violence cases we hear everyday on the news have reminded me of this beautiful song by John Lennon.
Which are the songs by Lennon you like most?
Can you tell me anything about his murder?
Pay attention to the exclamatory sentence used for the heading of the post. Here's another example: How Bizarre!
In our real world, do we still have this kind of characters? Tell me about someone who may be similar either to Robin Hood or James Bond.
What do you know about Robin Hood? Here is a good listening exercise to discover this character, but if you want to have further details about him and the city of Nottingham at the end of this That's English programme: Module 9 / 8b. (Remember you've got a page on my site with all the links to the different chapters).
Here's another interesting listening exercise about James Bond: Licence to kiss .
