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.
You have probably read or watched the Disney film The Little Mermaid, or the film Splash starred by Tom Hanks and Daryl Hanna, but what does it really mean 'mermaiding'? Some would rather say our English teacher is a beached sperm whale than a little mermaid. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
By the way, do you know where the little mermaid is?
Here's a listening exercise to do: Swimming like a mermaid (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)
Here are some articles you can read about the issue:
Solutions to VOCABULARY exercises in the previous post.
25.1. deal (got very little)2. deal (a great .... of)3. warnings (issued)4. way (of life)5. relationship (with)6. park (drove; half an hour)7. idea (have ... a rough)8. prescription (sleeping pills; doctor)
25. Identify the correct word combination in each sentence. Circle both clues and the correct responses.
1. I paid a lot of money, but got very little for it. So, from my point of view, it wasn't a very good................... (A
exchange B rate
C value D
deal)
2. They had a great .................. of trouble getting through customs. (A lot
B level C
quantity D deal)
3. The police have issued
........................ to local shopkeepers to be on the lookout for thieves.
(A complaints B
warnings C advice
D information)
4. When you stay in a country for some time you get used to the people's ..................... of life. (A
habit B custom
C way D
system)
5. Suzanne had had a special
........................ with her aunt ever since her mother died. (A affection B
sense C relationship
D feeling)
6. I drove around the town for half an hour, but couldn't find a car ..................... (A
park B garage
C plan D parking)
7. Have you a rough ............ of how many people are coming to the party?(A
hope B imagination
C thought D idea)
8. You can't get sleeping pills unless you go to the doctor and get a ................ (A receipt B bill C prescription D recipe)
Solutions to VOCABULARY exercises in the previous post.
Episode 180221 / 21 February 2018
>>> A new scheme to encourage old play - Language related
to 'Social improvement'. Need-to-know language: pilot scheme, gain
traction, draw inspiration from, government guidelines & to
champion.
Activities for my 2º ESO students:
Do you know any old games your parents or your grandparents used to play when they were young? Ask them and write about the games they used to play and the games you play now.
What is the verb that comes from the adjective 'deterrent'? How would you say in English: "La alarma disuadirá a los ladrones de entrar en la casa".
Activities for my 2º ESO students:
What would you like your teacher to be like?
HIGHWAY TO B2.....
VOCABULARY
24. Fill in the gaps with these words: bargain , deal , exchange , change , rate
1. There was a fascinating ________________ of views in the debate.
2. It was quite cheap. It was a tremendous _______________ in fact.
3. Let's make a _______________ . You have my sweater, and I'll have your jeans.
4. This isn't the right _______________ . I gave you twenty pounds, not ten!
5. What's the _____________ for dollars today?
And now with: advice , intention , meaning , mind , opinion
6. In my ___________, I think that marriage is definitely a good thing.
7. I took my mother's ______________ . I didn't get married until I was twenty-five.
8. I can't make up my _____________ whether to get married or not.
9. I have no ____________ of ever getting married.
10. Marriage? My husband doesn't understand the real _____________ of the word!
Solutions to VOCABULARY exercises in the previous post.
A. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of 'lend' or 'borrow'.
1. Could I ............... some money from you?
2. Could you ................. me some money? If you can't, I will have to ask for a loan.
3. Could you .................. me a hand with my English homework?
4. I ................... my brother-in-law a lot of money last month and he still hasn't paid it back.
5. If you're short of money, why don't you ............. some from the bank?
6. I don't believe in .............. money from my friends.
7. I don't believe in ............... money to other people, not even my friends.
Pay attention to the expressions marked in red and tell me what they mean.
B. Complete the following sentences with 'fault', 'error' or 'mistake'.
1. Federer missed the second serve, so he committed a double ...............
2. I took someone else's coat by .................
3. The accident wasn't my ................
4. The letter was sent to you in .................
5. It was a big .................... to pay so much for your car.
6. Look! Here's another spelling .............. in this stupid book!
Activities for my 2º ESO students:
What were you and your family doing yesterday at 9 p.m.? Use different verbs even if it i not true.
They are not Pirates of the Caribbean, they are ordinary pirates of the web. They download, copy and raid the web stealing anything they find on their ways. Well, actually, everybody is a bit of pirate of the web.
What is music piracy? Have a look at the bottom of this post.
How to build & expand your vocabulary - 4 useful steps for improvement (English with Lucy)
Activities for my 2º ESO students:
How do you get your music? Do you buy any CDs? Do you download music from the web? Do you think music piracy is a crime?
Solutions to the exercises in the previous post:
page 53 Vocabulary. Rewrite these sentences with suitable prefixes.
1 repaint it 2 misspelled my name 3 overcook the meat 4 miscalculated 5 overreacted
page 56 Writing a formal letter.
ANSWERS to the first exercise 1 C 2 D 3 A 4 E 5 B
SUGGESTED ANSWER for the second exercise Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in response to the advertisement for a waiter which was
published in the evening newspaper on 21 October. I enclose a copy of my
CV and I would be grateful if you would consider me for the position. I
think I would be suitable for the job because I am polite and
hard-working. As you can see from my CV, I worked in a shop last summer,
so I have experience of serving customers and dealing with money. I
would enjoy the opportunity to work in your restaurant and I am
available to start immediately.
I would be happy to attend an interview and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Episode 180214 / 14 February 2018
>>> Bus for unemployed young Italians - Language related
to 'Job interviews'. Need-to-know language: jobseeker, contract,
short-term, candidates & the competition.
Here's a listening exercise to do: Transport of the future (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)
Lucy tells us about 7 Ways to Improve English Writing Skills >>>>
Activities for my 2º ESO students: What means of transport do you use? Which would you like to use in the future? Pay attention to the prepositions used. Example: Albert >>> I used to cycle to school when I was a student. Now I go to school by car. How would you say in English: "Mis abuelos solían ir al campo a caballo"?
Some extra exercises for my students in 2º Bachillerato >>>
UNIT 4 Work
page 53 Vocabulary. Rewrite these sentences substituting the underlined words by words with suitable prefixes.
1 The paint is coming off the door. I’ll have to paint it again.
2 I was annoyed because he spelled my name wrongly.
3 Don’t cook the meat too much, or it won’t be nice.
4 We calculated wrongly how long the job would take.
5 Juan reacted too strongly when I told him the news.
page 56 Writing a formal letter. I advise you to have a look at this previous post to remind you certain things to do when writing a formal letter: Formal letter writing
Look at the letter again and find expressions 1–5, then match them with their meanings A–E.
1 in response to A I would be good at
2 I enclose B (I) can
3 I would be suitable for C because of
4 I would enjoy the opportunity to D I am sending you
5 (I) am available to E I would like to
Read
this letter and elicit all the things that are too informal. Then,
rewrite it using more formal language, using the letter in exercise 1 as
a model.
Hi there,
I’m writing because I saw the advert for a waiter which was in the evening newspaper on 21 October. I’m sending you a copy of my CV and I’d like you to think about giving me the job. I think I would be good at the job because I am polite and hard-working. Look at my CV and you will see that I worked in a shop last summer, so I’ve already tried serving customers and dealing with money. I’d love to work in your restaurant and I can start immediately.
I don’t mind attending an interview and I hope to hear from you soon.
See you soon,
Katie Wilson
Our students in 2º ESO have been presented with several attractive holiday destinations in the world. Well, here's an interesting country to visit. Pay attention to the superlatives and comparatives. Let's start with some videos (you can watch them with English subtitles):
By the way, do you know Hakeen Olajuwon? He's a Nigerian sportsman. Which sport did he practise? Which team did he play for? Why is that team called like that? Here's a video for you to see >>>>
Learn 13 idioms for ILLNESS, SICKNESS & HEALTH with English with Lucy
By the way, what is the slight difference between 'feeling sick' or 'feeling ill'?
Activities for my 2º ESO students:
Answer the question above and tell me what language you know about health, doctors and patients.
SHOW SURPRISE FIRST. THEN AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE STATEMENTS (Have a look at the examples first)
"I bought some mineral water" YOU: "Did you? So did my mother." OR "Did you? My mother didn't" "I didn't buy any beer" YOU: "Didn't you? Neither / Nor did my mother." OR "Didn't you? My mother did."
1. "My brother is very tired." YOU: "................? __________________ I".
2. "I always study before dinner." YOU: ".................? ____________________ my sister."
3. "I've missed my bus to Motril" YOU: "............? __________________ my parents."
4. "I'm not very good at English." Víctor: "...................? I ___________________"
5. "I can't speak German" YOU: ".....................? ________________ we."
6. "I can't find any photos for my tourist brochure." YOU: "..........................? My English teacher ____________"
7. "We are going to Edinburgh at the end of March." YOU: "..................? _________________ Albert's students."
8. "She has got a new boyfriend." YOU: "................? I _______________"
9. "I don't smoke Havana cigars." YOU: ".............? ________________ smurfs."
10. "I was born in Salobreña." YOU: "..........? Albert ____________. I think he was born in Colone, Germany."
- We use HAD BETTER instead of 'should' or 'ought to' to give advice or as a kind of threat.
Examples:
You'd better hand in all the compositions Albert asks you to do.
You'd better not be late for class if you don't want the teacher to tell you off.
- We often use WOULD RATHER
to express preferences either for yourself or a preference someone has that another person does something. We use past tenses.
Examples:
I would like to play tennis rather than football
I'd rather play tennis than football
I would like you to drive her to the airport. >>> I would rather / I'd rather you drove her to the airport
Exercises to do connected with HAD BETTER /WOULD RATHER:
No, no, this is no fake post. This post has a lot to do with sexism in language and in life. Ironically, the Anglo-Saxon World has got a big problem with this as women usually graduate with a surname, they get married and lose it, they get divorced and change it again, they get married a second time and they change it again. This is a neverending story and labour market can't stand all this, so many women choose to keep their original surname or even... Have a look at this listening exercise and discover it: What's in a name? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English).
Here are some related articles you can read about the issue:
You can also do this old Selectivity exam: Sexism in language (I will give you the key to this exam in my next post)
So what is your opinion? Do you agree or do you disagree with any of these trends? Actually, we don't have to care about this in Spain as women keep their family names even if they get married. Anyway, there are certain words in Spanish used in the masculin to refer to both sexes as these are the non-marked terms. There are also new non-sexist terms coming to replace some of the old sexist terms, such as...
Vocabulary. Fill in the gaps with suitable words. >>> 1 abroad 2 experience 3 hours 4 Staff
A high-flyer is an ambitiously competitive person with high aspirations/expectations.
page 49 Vocabulary. Fill in the gaps with suitable verbs. >>>> 1 take 2 earn 3 have 4 took
Activities for my 2º ESO students:
Give me your opinion about the issue dealt in the post. Do you know the meaning of the word 'shortcut'? Have a look at the LINGOHACK section and tell me which means of transport do you prefer. You can do this exercise online.
POSSESSIVES ADJECTIVES AND POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS :
1. Whose book is this? It's your book. It's yours. 2. Whose pencils are these? They are his pencils. They are his. 3. Whose omelette is this?
It is our omelette. It's ours. 4. Whose spoons are these?
They are my spoons. They are mine. 5) Whose cars are these?
They are their cars. They are theirs.
Fill in the gaps with the right
prepositions :
1. about 2. with 3. to, on 4. into, in 5. from 6. in, in
Episode 180131 / 31 January 2018
>>> Hyperloop: the train of the future? - Language related
to 'Speed'. Need-to-know language: glimpse, hurtling, miles an hour,
test track & cut the journey (remember the word 'shortcut'
>> How would you translate it into Spanish).
