New season: SPRING!!!

 

 

Spring is said to be the best of seasons, as it's got the perfect temperature, neither too warm nor too cold. Birds singing, flowers blooming!!!

 

However, spring also brings allergies (especially this year), the change of the time, perpetuous drowsiness... We would be sleeping the whole doing and we don't feel like doing anything. Time for procrastinate (procrastinating) and kick the can down the road. But don't worry, that's just the first two weeks, then we begin to feel better and better!

Spring has officially sprung – reawaken your palate with zingy, zesty seasonal ingredients (The Guardian)

When does spring start? (BBC News)

Learning English from the News:   Cuba protests: Millions without power  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Learning English Grammar ('itself' , 'in itself' & 'by itself'):   Fixing problems  (BBC Learning English) 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Beautiful things by Benson Boone. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

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

 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:  More phrases with LOOK  (BBC Learning English)

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  The English We Speak: Kick the can down the road  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Office English:  Disagreements  (BBC Learning English) 

• Listening exercise for you to do:   How do we adapt to the cold?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

     

 

Here are some activities for my students:

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

21. CONDITIONALS. Write the appropriate tense of the verbs in brackets:

 

1. If it (rain) ________ this afternoon, we (not have) __________  to water the flowers.

2. If it (rain) ___________ more often in Spain we (not have) __________ such serious problems with water.

3. If Rosa and Lourdes (be) __________ quiet for more than five minutes, it (be) __________ a miracle.

4. Johan Cruyff (live) ____________ much longer if he (not smoke) ___________ so much in his life.

   

   

28. Put the following sentences into REPORTED SPEECH:

 

1. Mother Teresa: "Our work brings people face to face with love".

2. Janet to Fred:"What does your father do?"

3. Jill: "Violence can influence young people"

4. The policeman told the boy: "Be careful near an open fire and do not turn any electrical equipment"

5. He asked me : "Is Jumping Jake Jones your real name?"         I answered him: : "No, it isn't"

    

29. Translate the following sentences into English :

 

    1. Sentí oir que tu madre estuviera en el hospital.

    2. Si mi primo estuviese aquí, sabría lo que hacer.

    3. No me dí cuenta de que usted estaba conduciendo hacia atrás.

    4. Estoy seguro de que Don Quijote fue escrito por Cervantes.

    5. Me sorprendió oir que el señor Solana fuera el nuevo Secretario General de la OTAN.

    6. Probablemente es verdad que Alberto juega al tenis mucho mejor que la mayoría de sus alumnos.

   

English with Lucy: Avoid VERY if you want to speak beautiful English  

 

 

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

Learning English with Disney Movies -  Cruella  

 

 

 

Vintage tennis:  Borg vs Nastase  1976

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 lyrics 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)  

• 
  

  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)  

• 
  

  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