Is Television helpful or harmful for our society?

Here are some articles to read about the issue:

• Television – not in front of the children? (The Guardian)

• Watching too much TV in your 20s may impact how your brain works in mid-life, study suggests (The Washington Post)

• How soap operas changed the world (BBC)

• Television isn't a bad influence on society after all (The Guardian)

 

Crossword on TELEVISION (BBC Learning English)

Vocabulary and Listening exercise to do: Language to use in research (English at work, BBC Learning English)

 

REPORTED SPEECH. Further practice:

Transform these sentences into Reported Speech using these verbs:    

                               apologize , deny , explain , invite , offer

1. 'I'm sorry I was rude', said Mike.
2. 'I didn't steal John's bike', said Melissa.
3. 'Can I buy you a drink?', Albert to the Austrian teacher.
4. 'Would you like to come to the cinema with me?', replied she after the drink.
5. 'I'm late because I missed the bus', said Joe.

Transform these sentences into Direct Speech:    

1. He invited her to go for lunch.
2. The judge declared that they were guilty.
3. Ari offered to help Michael with his work.
4. He apologized for handing in the composition two days later, but said that he had been ill in bed.
5. The shopkeeper ordered the three boys to leave his shop.

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 170419 / 19 April 2017   >>>  Expressions presented: tunnelling, put a spin on & camaraderie.

Pas le prince, le roi de Montecarlo est Nadal!!!

Latest news: Nadal beats Thiem for 5th Madrid Title 2017

 

Back to clay court, Rafa Nadal is once again here  >>>>>

• Rafael Nadal beats Albert Ramos-Viñolas to win 10th Monte Carlo Masters (The Guardian)

• Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal beats Albert Ramos-Vinolas for record 10th title (BBC)

And this was when he was just 16!!!!! (This is how all began: interesting documentary)

and 17 against Federer!!!

Listening exercise to do: Why do we sigh? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 

 

REVISION EXERCISE  CLICK HERE for further practice in my site.

Rewrite these sentences using a different structure by saying the same (sometimes the beginnings of your sentences are given):

1. My brother had the habit of playing handball when he was at school.
2. Melissa has planned to go to Malaysia next summer.
3. She has already booked her flights for the 2^nd June.
4. Astronomers do not write horoscopes. Horoscopes....
5. People say Cervantes was buried in a monastery in Madrid. Cervantes...
6. I tried very hard in the exam, but I didn’t pass. I did...
7. Who normally buys the food in your family? Who does...?
8. I don’t know what you have chosen. I don’t know your...
9. Takeshi got up late, so he was very late for work. If...
10. Ricky said: “I want to buy new plants for my garden”. Ricky said that...
11. The hotel receptionist: “Shall I get you a taxi?”. The hotel receptionist...
12. The customer: “I’m sorry. I have left all my luggage up in my room”. The customer....
13. She invited me to come with her. She: “....”
14. It’s important to go to the film premiere. We...
15. It’s advisable to hire bodyguards. You...
16. It’s necessary to watch people carefully. You...
17. My parents want to hire someone to repair the roof this summer. My parents are...
18. It’s not safe to go out on your own at night. You...
19. It is not necessary to leave yet. The limousine hasn’t arrived yet. You...
20. Perhaps I’ll go to Los Angeles this summer. I.....

 

Staying alive...forty years later!!!

Forty years ago when our teacher used to go bananas at the disco!!!

Bee Gees, 'Saturday Night Fever' to get 40th anniversary Grammy salute (Los Angeles Times)

'Stayin' Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees' Photos (Rolling Stone Magazine)

And here's the link to the full album:

Saturday Night Fever soundtrack full album

And now going back to our days, some interesting videos to watch:

• Question Tags | Easily Speak Like a Native! (English with Lucy)

• Was your English teacher wrong?!  & How to sound INTELLIGENT and SEXY! (Learn English with Papa)

REVISION EXERCISES included in Mock exams (1º Bach) in my site.

65. Put this dialogue into DIRECT SPEECH :

       The policeman wanted to know what time the first man had come, what he looked like and whether Arthur had noticed the number  of his  van.  The detective said that the man had done this trick before. He was well known in Middleford at that time. He said he often came to houses where there were lodgers after the landlady had gone shopping on a Saturday morning. Mrs Harrison told him that she'd only been out for about half an hour when he came. She'd just gone to the local shops to get her coat cleaned and have  her  shoes  repaired  and to do a little  bit  of  household shopping.

66. Fill the spaces with  WHAT  /  WHAT A(N)

1. ...... fantastic bargain!     2. ...... idiot you are!   3. ...... strong tea this is!   4. ...... generosity!       5. ...... speech he made!         

6. ...... attractive face he has!  7. ...... bad news!    8. ...... untidy room this is!      9. ...... scruffy clothes he wears!    10. ...... film!

67. Rewrite these sentences so that they begin with HOW. Omit the word "very" :

    1. You were very lucky to win the prize.

    2. It is very unusual to see a horse in the middle of Middleford.

    3. He was very irresponsible to drive without a driving licence.

    4. It is very disappointing to fail your driving test for the fifth time.

    5. She was very honest to say that she had made a mistake.

68. TRANSLATE these sentences into English:

    1. Compré el coche en la tienda que está en frente de la iglesia.

    2. El solía decir a la gente lo que ellos debieran hacer.

    3. Si tu madre te hubiera pedido que cantaras, ¿lo habrías hecho?

    4. Así que él les preguntó a ambas si querían que él las llevara en coche a casa.

    5. Se le preguntó cual era su empleo.

    6. Mis padres llegaron hace cuatro días.

    7. Yo que tú telefonearía a mi novia y le diría que viniera inmediatamente.

    8. Lo que tú quieres es jugar todo el tiempo.

    9. Nos gustaría hacerle unas cuantas preguntas sobre el robo del banco.

    10. Fuí a la peluquería a cortarme el pelo.

    11. El le sugirió a ella que debiera irse a casa.

    12. Por otro lado, ella apenas dijo una palabra el resto de la mañana.

    13. ¿Por qué estaba tu profesor sorprendido de verte jugar conmigo?

    14. Siento ser tan aburrida.

    15. Se les llevo a habitaciones separadas y se les hicieron muchas preguntas.

The moment of truth is right here!!!

Yes, the moment of truth is right here!! This third term will be really short and it is time for students to do their best, especially those in Bachillerato or those preparing for certain exams.

 

Now you have to be flexible and ready to work in a broader range of jobs, so you'll need a university degree, a good level of foreign languages and so many more things. Here are some articles to read about the issue before you do the listening exercise I propose you:

• Guardian Jobs advice on how to write a CV (The Guardian)

• Pros and Cons of Being a Job-Hopper (The Washington Post)

• Is one career enough? (BBC radio programme)

 

Listening exercise to do: Multiple careers (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 

 

Learn 'How I learned Spanish! My journey to fluency' with Lucy

Let's revise some Linking words of PURPOSE with this video >>>

 

REVISION EXERCISES included in Mock exams (1º Bach) in my site.

62. COMPARISONS. Translate the following sentences:

1. El no es tan estúpido como yo pensaba.

2. Este libro es menos pesado que el tuyo.

3. Tú no puedes ser más inteligente que yo,porque yo soy el mejor.

4. Ella es más delgada que su madre.

5. Richard Burton es más feo que Liz Taylor; ella es la mujer más guapa que yo jamás haya visto.

63. Fill the spaces with  SO  /  SUCH  /  SUCH A :

1. The evidence was ..... strong that the judge found him guilty.

2. I've been unemployed for ...... long time that I've forgotten what work is like.

3. He attends lessons ..... seldom that he hasn't learnt anything.

4. She speaks ...... quietly that it's difficult to hear what she says.

5. It was ...... bad film that I've left before the end.

6. You've made ...... many mistakes that you'll have to do the exercise again.

7. Dr Newton grows ...... large vegetables that he wins all the prizes.

8. He is ...... bore that no one listens to him.

9. It's ...... hard work.

10. You look ...... nice today!

64. Fill the spaces with  FOR  or  SINCE :

1. The police have been searching for Bruce ...... three weeks.

2. Bruce has been hiding from the police ...... the bank robbery.

3. Michael has been renting that flat ...... the beginning of the year.

4. They have been living in Applefield ...... 20 years.

5. It has been snowing ...... two days.

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 170412 / 12 April 2017   >>>  Expressions presented: side-effects, green businesses & backstory.

Albert didn't pull a fast one on us this time, either!

For those of you who participated in our VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles, did you like our trip? Edinburgh? Stirling? I hope you did and I hope you weren't deceived.

Find out what the expression: 'to pull a fast one on or with somebody' means (The English We Speak, BBC Learning English)

 

 

Listening exercise to do: How does your food affect your mood? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

Related articles to read:

• Can changing your diet make you happier? (BBC)

• Can food make you angry? (The Guardian)

• Can food affect your mood? (CNN)

REVISION EXERCISES included in Mock exams (1º Bach) in my site.

 

58. RELATIVE CLAUSES. Insert the second sentence into the first one by means of a relative clause.

1. The article is about the robbery at the bank. I wrote it yesterday.

2. I've just forgotten the title of the book. This book is based on a true story. This story happened some years ago.

3. Have you ever been to Hawaii? It belongs to the United States.

4. I was in the cinema. Your father sometimes works there.

5. The detective was watching the men. He had been speaking with them the day before.

59. Put the sentences into the PASSIVE VOICE :

1. Didn't anybody ever teach you how to behave?

2. One cannot eat an orange if nobody has peeled it.

3. They did nothing until he came.

4. Somebody will meet the visitors at the station.

5. Her beauty struck me deeply.

6. The white people took this land from the Apaches.

60. Put these sentences into REPORTED SPEECH: (Link them)

1. John told Mary: "Have you had anything to eat? What would you like? We can go to the cinema afterwards."

2. She answered him: "No, I haven't. Have you had any soup? But I don't want to go to the cinema, we can stay at home."

3. John said: "Don't be boring. There's a funny film in the cinema near your parents' house. We could go there afterwards."

4. Mary said: "Please, let's stay here. I want to talk to you about our future."

5. John said : "If that's what you want, I'll phone my parents and tell them we are not going tonight. We can go tomorrow."

61. CONDITIONALS.  Complete the following sentences:

1. If I wanted to pass this exam, ....

2. Sing me your song, if ....

3. Would you have gone to the Moon if .... ?

4. The doctor will tell you the name of your illness, ....

5. If I were Robert Redford, .....

Learn the top 5 happy expressions and idioms with Lucy  >>

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 170405 / 05 April 2017   >>>  Expressions presented: scarce, crammed & plight.

Final day for our VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles students

Everything went fantastic on our final day in Edinburgh. The students had a good breakfast, then they were taken with all their luggage to Mackenzie School, where they left their suitcases. Then we had some time to go again into the city centre. We came back and some students bought something to eat at Tesco supermarket, picked up our luggage. A coach took us to the airport in time. Then we checked in and waited for our flight without any serious problems. And finally we flew home, at Malaga airport the coach which took us to Salobreña was already waiting for us and we arrived in Salobreña before 11 o'clock p.m.

Well done to all the group and I hope one day all the investment made in terms of money and time will reward all our students.

Day 7 >>> Sunday, 9^th April

Here we are on our final day of our experience with another super-sunny day. Despite all the difficulties,  problems, mistakes, improvable aspects... the overall outcome is positive as no serious things happened,  at least so far. We hope to spend a couple of more hours in the city centre,  not to forget anything and make a safe flight home.

Thanks to the city of Edinburgh,  its citizens (host families and staff at Mackenzie's and Scotland,  in general!  

Remember that you can have a look at all the photos taken during our stay in Edinburgh clicking on this link:

VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles (Edinburgh 2017)

And further information on our trip  >>>  English version   &    Spanish version     

A piece of history: Stirling, William Wallace, Robert the Bruce...

Day 6 >>> Saturday, 8^th April

Hi!  Another stunning sunny Day! 

 

Today is our historical day as we are visiting one of the emblems of the great history of Scotland, that is to say, Stirling castle, where characters such as Robert the Bruce and William Wallace played such an important role in their history. 

Collage hecho por Alberto jr a partir de una de las fotos tomadas.

We will be taking the train at Edinburgh and will be heading towards the Highlands, so it will surely be a great experience for our students as they will have the possibility of having a glimpse at the Scottish landscape.

Heading for Stirling!! Already in the train. Everybody was on time today so we could take the earliest train we had in mind. Historical moment!!!!!

Incredible experience in Stirling Castle! Really sunny and Warm!  And the group is  really happy. Here are some of our students dressing up for the occassion.

Remember that you can have a look at all the photos taken during our stay in Edinburgh clicking on this link:

VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles (Edinburgh 2017)

And further information on our trip  >>>  English version   &    Spanish version     

Classes are over today, but what a day!

Day 5 >>> Friday, 7^th April

Again another sunny day with no rain at all! Yesterday the temperatures were a bit higher, but every time the wind blows, they go down again.

Today our students have a really hard ahead as they have classes both in the morning and the afternoon in a state secondary school, which is ten minutes' walk from Mackenzie School. They can see an example of how schools are organized and kept in Britain.

We have just had our packed lunch with our students after their morning classes. They are quite happy, but two of the girls have to move to another house because a relative of the host family is ill in hospital. Later they have confirmed us that they will share house with some of our students.  At least they are in the neighbourhood. The classes in the afternoon have been again at Mackenzie School.

Some good news about tomorrow >>> we'll just have to pay £3.56 each for the train tickets to Stirling.

After dinner we have met again to pop into the city centre so that they can see what it is like in the evenings with all the lights on. We were supposed to come back by 8, but in the end we have come back much later waiting for some girls that were shopping at Primark.

Remember that you can have a look at all the photos taken during our stay in Edinburgh clicking on this link:

VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles (Edinburgh 2017)

And further information on our trip  >>>  English version   &    Spanish version     

Day 4. Edinburgh in depth

Day 4 >>> Thursday, 6^th April

Again a wonderful sunny day ahead with warmer temperatures. How lucky we are! We even had our packed lunch in the park nearby.

As usual, there were some girls that arrived late, but fewer than the previous days. We took the bus to the city centre,  where we met the two girls that live in the city centre.

Then we went to Grassmarket,  to the Greyfriars Cemetery, to the Elephanthouse café (the café J.K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter) and finally to the National Museum of Scotland,  which they really enjoyed.  Actually,  none of our students left and they spent the two hours fascinated by all they saw.

 

This is a city full of history, mistery and literature. Many famous writers have a connection with Edinburgh.

 

Day 3 for our students in Edinburgh with excellent weather

Day 3 >>> Wednesday, 5^th April

Another wonderful sunny day!

Today we are visiting Edinburgh on our own. First we will be going to Calton Hill and then we will be concentrating our visit on the Royal Mile, from the castle to Palace of Holyroodhouse.

We began again with some delays visiting Calton Hill and then the group headed for the Royal Mile. We wanted to go to the castle and then down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but the group soon scattered around to do their first shopping, and I'm afraid few people did what they were supposed to do. What a pity!!! They will always regret not having made the most of it.

Fortunately, they were early at school for their packed lunches and classes.  

Remember that you can have a look at all the photos taken during our stay in Edinburgh clicking on this link:

VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles (Edinburgh 2017)

And further information on our trip  >>>  English version   &    Spanish version     

Our second day and the experience begins....

Day 2 >>> Tuesday, 4^th April

What a wonderful sunny day we have got up with!

We are meeting at 9 o'clock at the school and we'll see how everything went on. 

All the students are really happy with the host families both regarding the room they have been given and the food provided.

We had to meet at 9 o'clock at school, but two girls got lost and began the 'Get to Know Edinburgh' game a bit later. The students had to find places, take photos and even films, ask for information... using tablets. They had good fun and it was a way to discover Leith and Edinburgh city centre. They are really looking forward to having more free time to spend there in the next days.

At around 12.30 we came back to the school taking the bus. They had the induction test, then a talk and finally went to different classes according to their level. 

In half an hour we are meeting the group again to see what we do tomorrow. Then they will go home, have dinner and rest after a long tiring day.
 
After some night adventure that ended well, we went to bed early really exhausted to get ready for our third day.

Remember that you can have a look at all the photos taken during our stay in Edinburgh clicking on this link:

VI Study trip to the British-Irish Isles (Edinburgh 2017)

And for further information on our trip  >>>  English version   &    Spanish version