Crying for help

 

 

 

Everywhere in the world you can see and hear people crying for help. Wars, droughts, poverty, floods... There are few solutions to all these problems, but those in charge must have the will. There is still hope, as the quote below states.

 

 

 

In Spain we have got plenty of problems everywhere (housing, corruption, immigration, jobs...), but "we still have a cup" and we have got the power in our hands to try to change things if we make the effort. We should not waste that possibility, especially our students.

 

 

 

Learning English from the News:   Mass shooting at Mexican pyramids  (BBC Learning English)  

 

Spain champions migration’s benefits with regularisation scheme – but queues are long (The Guardian)

Spain approves plan to give around 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status (BBC News) 

ICE detains wife of US Army soldier at immigration appointment (BBC News)

 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Cry for help by Rick Astley. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.  

 

 

 

Learning English Grammar  (Comparatives with 'a bit', 'a lot' and 'sort of':   Choosing a home  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• English in a Minute:  4 Phrases with 'FRIEND'  (BBC Learning English)

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  Office English... Learn how to check you've understood things: Ideas  (BBC Learning English) 

• The English We Speak:  Can't see the wood for the trees  (BBC Learning English)

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Love the foods you hate  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

     

 

Real Easy English >>>   Talking about WORK  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

English with Lucy... 5 things to practise everyday to improve your English communication skills 

 

 

 

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

Learning English with Disney's  ELEMENTAL  

 

 

 The History of Cheese: From Ancient Mistake to Global Obsession  

 

Federer was destroying Nadal, but Rafa doesn't like to lose - The Fedal match you've never seen!! (Hamburg 2008) 

 

 

 

 

It could have been... a frog??

 

Are you sure? No, but they say it could have been due to a frog. When we are not sure of something, we speculate and if it is of something in the past we have to use the Perfect Infinitive.

 

Learning English from the News:   Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK says  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and four European allies say (The Guardian)

The frog poison that killed Alexei Navalny likely lab-made (DW News)

Russia killed Alexei Navalny using dart frog toxin, UK says | BBC News

 

 

Time flies, but we are not pressed for time to make a decision about who will be our English teacher next year. We can leave it till the end and make up our minds right in the nick of time when the summer comes, but time will tell if we were right or wrong. We all know bachillerato is a real challenge for all of us and you have to ready and make a commitment. But always remember that you will need a B2 in English for yout university degree (news). Check the meaning of these expressions in the section English in a Minute below.

 

 

Beating Speaking Anxiety:   I'm scared of speaking in front of people  (BBC Learning English)   >>>>  How to build your speaking confidence     

 

The Reading Room:   Is your dog reading your mind?  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Hello Again by Neil Diamond. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

Activity:  Listen to the song and fill in the gaps (the number of letters of each word is provided to give you a clue)

HELLO AGAIN by Neil Diamond

Hello, again, hello

Just called to _ _ _ hello

I couldn't _ _ _ _ _ at all tonight

And I know it's _ _ _ _

I couldn't _ _ _ _

Hello, my friend, hello

Just called to let you _ _ _ _

I think about you _ _ _ _ _ night

When I'm here _ _ _ _ _

And you're there   _ _     _ _ _ _

Hello

_ _ _ _ _ it's been crazy

And _ _ _ _ _ I'm to blame

But I put my heart _ _ _ _ _ my head

We've been through it all and you _ _ _ _ love me just the same

And when _ _ _ _ _ not there

I just need to _ _ _ _ 

Hello, my friend, hello

It's _ _ _ _  to need you so

It's _ _ _ _  to love you like I do

And I feel this way when I _ _ _ _  you say

Hello

Hello, my friend, hello

Just called to let you _ _ _ _ 

I think about you _ _ _ _ _ night

And I know it's _ _ _ _  but I couldn't _ _ _ _ 

Hello

 

Learning English Grammar (adjective order, adjective phrases):   Favourite things  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   How important is play?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)  

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  Real Easy English: Talking about HAVING KIDS  (BBC Learning English)  

  
  

• The Listening Room: AI could fill the gaps in our knowledge of Ancient Rome  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with TIME  (BBC Learning English) 

     

English with Lucy: Talking about homophones  

 

 

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

Learning English with - Jim Carrey   The Truman Show

 

 

Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick  - US Open 2006 Final | 4K Highlights

Time to lock in

 

 

Yes, it is time to lock in and be ready for the second term. This post could be an icebreaker, so you should try not to put your duties on ice and break the ice by making a comment. If you don't, you will be skating on thin ice. (Check just below the meaning of these phrases with 'ice' and the expression to lock in). 

 

The English We Speak:   lock in  (BBC Learning English)  

 

 

By the way, the New Year has come with freezing temperatures, heavy rains, floods, snow falls... all over Spain. 

 

Storm Goretti ‘weather bomb’ set to hit Spain: Affected areas and what to expect (EuroWeekly News)

 

 

 

Learning English from the News:   US seizes Venezuelan president Maduro  (BBC Learning English)  

 

Some articles to read about the issue:

• Spies, drones and blowtorches: How the US captured Maduro (BBC News)

• Legal concerns surround US capture of Venezuela's Maduro (DW)

• Trump scored a win with his raid on Venezuela. But the US is now responsible for the country’s future  (CNN)

• Deposed Maduro pleads not guilty after capture in shock US attack on Venezuela (The Guardian)

 

The Reading Room:   What are the chances of an asteroid hitting you?  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

  Here's my musical hint for today:    Lose you to love me by Selena Gómez. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

  

 

Learning English Grammar (was broken into, had been broken into, was being broken into):   A stolen guitar  (BBC Learning English) 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   The country that measures happiness  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)  
  

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

  
  

• The Listening Room: Messi's napkin contract promise sells for £762,400  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with 'ice'  (BBC Learning English) 

    

 

Work in the future:   How do generations work together?  (BBC Learning English)

 

English with Lucy: 5 highly common mistakes in English    

   

 

 

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

Learn English with    Bill Gates   

 

 

Roger Federer vs André Agassi  in US Open Final 2005

 

 

Project on A Christmas Carol by Aday Rivera (4º ESO A)

Human speeches

 

Last week I came across with these HUMAN stories and I think they are worthwhile listening to them.

 

Francine's interview - FRANCE - #HUMAN

 

I was so captivated by these human speeches that I decided to use them in my blog with the intention of making my students conscious of what is really important in life and how people can be really influenced by real human stories apart from Tiktokers or Youtubers or whatever we have in social media.

 

Listening to these ordinary people you will discover how differently many people surrounding us behave. People who are supposedly our leaders and who have the power in their hands, with thousands of supporters or followers. It is up to us to decide who deserves our attention and interest.

 

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam)

 

Some revision exercises:

8. Fill in the blanks with SO, SUCH or SUCH A,and then put the verb in brackets in the correct tense :

1. The apples were ________ good ones that we (EAT) ________ them all.

2. I had ________ many things to do that I (SLEEP) ________ in my office.

3. It was ________ rainy day that I (NOT GO OUT) __________ .

4. George was ________ liar that we (PAY) ________ no attention to his words.

How would you rephrase these sentences?

 

9. RELATIVE CLAUSES . Insert the second clauses into the first ones :

1. The milkman comes at ten o'clock every day.He got married last week.

2. I went to that supermarket.Your sister works there.

3. Mr Smith works with that man.I saw that man at your house.

4. She works with John.His sister is my neighbour.

5. I've just bought a horse.It won theGrand National eight months ago.

 

10. Put the following sentences into Indirect Speech :

1. "I'm going out now, but I'll be here by nine", he said.

2. "Who has been using my typewriter", my mother asked me.

3. "Do you want me to study this lesson?", the student asked the teacher.

4. "Don't come next Tuesday, please!", we told her.

5. "I'm leaving tomorrow, because my parents and yours will arrive this evening", she told you.

 

11. Put the following sentences into the ACTIVE VOICE :

1. His name was called out. ______________________________

2. The message had not been delivered. ____________________

3. Some songs will be sung. _____________________________

 

 

As you know, I'm very keen on music, but honestly I don't like the Eurovision contest at all. Actually, I haven't seen it for years and, apart from the music style,  I believe it is a fake musical contest. Again this year the event is said to have been a complete masquerade. Here are some articles for you to read about the issue:

Eurovision 2025: Austria wins with last-minute vote, as the UK comes 19th (BBC News)

Eurovision winner did not take cocaine (DW)

Fraud at Eurovision? 'Irregular' jury points from six countries had to be recalculated (The Brussels Times)

Eurovision song contest: Fears over text voting system (The Guardian)

 

 

And remember the case of Spain some years ago with Chikilicuatre, who we had one of the best results in the latest years with:

Your thoughts on Chikilicuatre - Baila El Chiki Chiki (Spain 2008)

 

Here are some more activities to make my students stronger:

• Prepositions with Georgie:   Prepositions of MOVEMENT  (BBC Learning English)  
  

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  English in a MINUTE: Verbs to use with TRIP  (BBC Learning English)  

• Listening exercise for you to do: Which cooking oil is the best?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 
  

• Learn English from the News:   Weight-loss drugs reduce cancer risk, study finds  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

English with Lucy sets a grammar test for us!!!

 

 

Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer - Roland Garros 2011 - Full match , Men's Final.             

 

 

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

Learn English with Troy  - Epic movie with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom   

 

 

 

 

 Rome 2025 -  Semi-finals  and final between Álcaraz vs Sinner