Jules Verne, a lucky dreamer?

 

 

 

Jules Verne wrote science-fiction stories for most of the people that he lived at his time, but was it really science fiction now that the years have passed? (The history of Sci-Fi and Jules Verne)

 

 

Was he a dreamer with incredible wishes and could he really foresee the future?

 

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

 

Jules Verne: A Writer Who Predicted The Future     

 

Author JULES VERNE - biography for kids   (1) - One-minute biography   (with drawings)  in Spanish  

Now that we have learned some things about Jules Verne you will realize why we have chosen this writer for our cultural week.

 

 

 

Here are some activities for my students:

in 1º ESO about the Present Simple vs Present Continuous

in 3º ESO about the SO & SUCH 

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today: Dancing in my dreams by Tina Turner and here are the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam)

 

Rephrase/Rewrite these sentences by using another suitable structure:

 

81. “I have never seen anything so beautiful”, he said. - He said

82. Mary was sorry she ate so many cakes. - Mary wished

83. I have failed all my exams at the university because I didn’t study enough. - If

84. I forgot to phone Lisa on her birthday. - I didn’t remember

85. Sheila is 1.55 m tall. Her brother is 1.70 m tall. - Sheila

86. Although it was cold, we went to the countryside. - In spite of

87. The hairdresser cut my hair yesterday morning. - I

88. This is the man. His dog bit my brother in the park. - This is the man

89. I didn’t go to the gym yesterday because my foot hurt. - If

90. The teacher said: “You have to hand your papers in at the end of this class”. - The teacher

 

 

Solution to the exercises in the previous post

 

Rephrasing

 

71. She is going to have her car repaired next week (by the mechanic).

72. I wish I had had time to see you last week.

73. You will be shocked by this story.

74. Do you mind posting this letter for me, please?

75. Unless you review your notes tonight, you won’t do well tomorrow.

76. They asked me how much money I had put into the account.

77. I wish I could speak French perfectly.

78. What time does the next plane leave?

79. These letters should be posted.

80. Despite being ill, she visited other countries.

 

Here are some activities for you to do:

• English in a Minute:   Verbs to use with office  (BBC Learning English)
  

• 
  

  The English We Speak: Heavy lifting  (BBC Learning English)

• My song, my home. Podcast: Josh in London  & Video (BBC Learning English) 
  

• A listening exercise for you to do:   United against food waste  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   

   

 

 

Quizz:   Spot the error    (BBC Learning English)

 

Adventures with Jules Verne | Aurora Ruotolo | TEDx talk

 

 

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

Learn English with Penguins of Madagascar - Taking over the ship  

 

 

 

Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic Full Match | Roland Garros 2022  Men's Quarter-final

Unleash your imagination and play with Jules Verne...

Other games:  1  2  &   Quizz  1  2       

A matter of common sense, not of intelligence!!

 

How smart are you? If you are really smart and you are a student, you should not use any of these AI apps because they don't develop your skills.

 

 

Learning English from the News: DeepSeek: Chinese AI app shocks tech world (BBC Learning English)

 

Here are some articles for you to read about the issue:

• Who is behind DeepSeek and how did it achieve its AI ‘Sputnik moment’? (The Guardian)

• DeepSeek: Cheap AI model shakes up tech industry (DW)

• DeepSeek: The Chinese AI app that has the world talking (BBC News)
  

• We tried out DeepSeek. It worked well, until we asked it about Tiananmen Square and Taiwan (The Guardian)

Real Easy English: Where I live (BBC Learning English)

Either DeepSeek or ChatGPT (On the road to PERFECTION!!) make amazing projects, but they also make dummy students, so the use of these ICT tools is not sensible at all!!

 

Can 'ancient' be considered an extreme adjective? I don't see it myself, but it can be in contexts like these: "in the old times" (en los viejos tiempos) //  "in ancient times" ( en tiempos ancestrales). 

Here are some links for you to check and come to a conclusion: EXTREME ADJECTIVES  1  2  3  4 

      

Here are some activities for my students:

in 1º ESO about the Present Simple vs Present Continuous  1  2 

in 3º ESO about the EXTREME ADJECTIVES  1  

 

 

 Here's my musical hint and my piece of advice for today: Got to be real by Cheryl Lynn and here's a video with the lyrics for you to sing along. Don't be a fake, please!

 

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam)

 

Rephrase/Rewrite these sentences by using another suitable structure:

 

71. The mechanic is going to repair her car next week. (Have sth. Done)

72. What a pity I didn’t have time to see you last week. (Wish)

73. This story will shock you. (Passive)

74. Will you post this letter for me, please? (Gerund/Infinitive)

75. If you don’t review your notes tonight, you won’t do well tomorrow. (Conditionals)

76. “How much money have you put into the account?” they asked. (Reported Speech)

77. I’m sorry I can’t speak French perfectly. (Wish)

78. The next plane leaves at 9.45 p.m. . (Question)

79. You should post these letters. (Passive)

80. Although she was ill, she visited other countries. (Contrast Connector)

 

 

Solution to the exercises in the previous post

 

Rephrasing

 

61.  I would like to have been invited.

62.  My house is being painted now.

63.  I wish I had got a car.

64.  The teacher told me to wait for him outside.

65.  She sent off an application form , because she needed a job.

66.  How long does it take you to get there?

67.  She hasn’t written a poem for two years.

68.  Smoking is forbidden here.

69.  Unless the tickets arrive, we won’t be able to go.

70. I wonder where my keys are.

Here are some activities for you to do:

• English in a Minute:   Verbs to use with RESEARCH  (BBC Learning English) 
  

• 
  

  Learning English from the News: DeepSeek: Chinese AI app shocks tech world  (BBC Learning English)
  

• My song, my home. Video: Bailey in St Yves  (BBC Learning English)
  

• A listening exercise for you to do:   Becoming a musician  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   

   

 

 

Quizz:   Spot the error    (BBC Learning

English)

 

What is an AI anyway? | Mustafa Suleyman | TED Talk

Lucy talking about advanced ways to describe the weather.

 

 

 

 

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

Learn English with... 7 Best TV Series to Learn English in 2025

 

 

Nadal vs Djokovic 2013 Men's semi-final Full Match | Roland-Garros

 

1,1 K

 

 

We keep struggling and this blog has already reached the magical number of 1,100 posts trying always to provide our students and many other visitors from around the world with updated input and exercises to improve their English.     

      

It was almost 14 years ago, on 11^th March, 2011, when nobody could have believed that this digital trek, along with my students, could last so long. More than 30,000 comments and over 1,111,111 visits! This is only due to the consistency in our efforts, both the teacher and his students. 

 

Why do we say K for thousand? Watch the explanation... 

 

 

And, as I say regarding consistency, in one of my most popular posts ever... Victory belongs to the most tenacious

 

 Here's my musical hint for today: Never Gonna Stop by Rick Astley and here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam)

 

Rephrase/Rewrite these sentences by using another suitable structure:

 

61. I was not invited and I am sorry about that.    - I would like to

62. I am having my house painted now.   - My house

63. I’m sorry I haven’t got a car.   - I wish

64. The teacher said to me “Wait for me outside”.     - The teacher told me

65. She needed a job, so she sent off an application form.    - She sent off an application form

66. It takes me two hours to get there.    - ?

67. The last time she wrote a poem was two years ago.    - She

68. You must not smoke in here.   - Smoking

69. If the tickets don’t arrive, we won’t be able to go.    - Unless

70. Where are my keys?    I wonder

 

 

Solution to the exercises in the previous post

 

Rephrasing

 

51. She’s having the windows mended.

52. It’s not as good as I thought it would be.

53. She told us not to be late.

54. If she had studied hard for the exam, she wouldn’t have made a lot of mistakes.

55. His jokes are better than hers.

56. We may be together soon.

57. English is spoken all over the world.

58. I wish I had told him everything.

59. Fiona , who is my boss, is smiling in the picture.

60. Although it was very hot, she was wearing her winter clothes.

Here are some activities for my students:

in 1º ESO about the PRESENT CONTINUOUS 2

in 3º ESO about the DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES 3 ,  4  

 

Here are some activities for you to do:

• English in a Minute:   Verbs to use with 'car'  (BBC Learning English)
  

• 
  

  

  The English We Speak: You can't go wrong with  (BBC Learning English)
  

• Learn English from the News: 7,000 steps can reduce risk of depression  (BBC Learning English)
  

• A listening exercise for you to do:   How babies learn to talk  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   

   

 

 

English Grammar Quizz:   39 + English Grammar Questions     

 

English with Lucy: 25 Smart Sentences for Daily Use in English Conversation to improve your English conversation skills.

 

 

 

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

Learn English with  Will Smith

 

 

And talking about consistency....

Rafael Nadal  King Kong   , Never Give Up  1   2 

 

 

An underappreciated inspirational quality-consistency | Shubhra Chaturvedi | TEDxKatra