Oh, my God!!! July is nearly over!!!

Yes, when we are on holiday and we are having a good time, time really flies away!!!

Listening exercise to do: Are we there yet? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

What have you done so far this summer? I hope you are having a good time, but that you are getting ready for the next school year. Here are some hints for your holidays:

The Châteaux of the Loire Valley   (what's interesting about the château Le Clos de Lucé?)

 Oviedo, the capital city of the Principality of Asturias

     Two incredible natural landscapes in León: Las Médulas y Los Ancares ( palloza )

Why are Las Medulas known for? Who was responsible for this?

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 160720 / 20 July 2016   >>>  Expressions presented: candidate, damning & trend.  

Don't leave it for tomorrow!!! Start now and you'll be ready for next school year.

Here I present a record of all the comments and projects made by our students during the summer time.

SUMMER SCOREBOARD

Andrea Gutiérrez (4º ESO B)- 5 & Project on A Foreigner in Britain by Andrea Gutiérrez

Alex España (4º ESO B) -   10

Ariadna López (4º ESO A) -3
Joaquín García (4º ESO B) - Project on A Foreigner in Britain
Inés cobos (4º ESO A) - 1
María Béjar (4º ESO A) - 3

Have a look at the PROJECT done by Joaquín García on the reader A Foreigner in Britain.

Why do people (especially students) tend to procrastinate everything they have to do? What does this word mean? Here's a good listening exercise to do: Get on with it!  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

Important piece of news for my students in 1º Bachillerato next year   >>>   Have a look in my site at Notes on grammatical issues (1º Bach) and you'll find the exercises will be doing next year, apart from most useful notes on the uses of TENSES & MODAL VERBS:        

 

Remember that in NOTES ON GRAMMATICAL ISSUES (2º Bach) you can have a look at the following issues (I give you the links to some useful exercises to do all along the school year):

a. Comparatives and superlatives    (EXERCISES TO DO)  

b. Passive voice    (EXERCISES TO DO)  

c. Conditional sentences    (EXERCISES TO DO)  

d. Relative Clauses    (EXERCISES TO DO)  

e. Reported Speech    (EXERCISES TO DO)  

Have a look at the picture on the right and give me a synonym for 'supposed to'. Remember to revise the modal verbs. Can you rewrite the sentence using the modal verb.

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 160629 / 29 June 2016   >>>  Expressions presented: propaganda, urged & distinguished.  

New PM for the UK (Acronyms)

What do 'PM', 'UK', 'mp'... stand for? What other acronyms do you know in English? Here is, among many others, a most common acronyms list.

Activity to do: A new Prime Minister for Britain (BBC Learning English)

Articles to read in the press:

• Brexit morning briefing: a new prime minister arrives at No 10 (The Guardian)

• We have a new Prime Minister: so what happens now? (Independent)

• Theresa May vows to be 'one nation' prime minister. (BBC)

And who will be the new Foreign Secretary dealing all the Brexit affairs? Read this and find out.

Now try to compile the most interesting words you have seen related with the semantic field of POLITICS.

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 160713 / 13 July 2016   >>>  Expressions presented: pressing, scene, malnutrition & so-called.

VINCENT VAN GOGH

Some time ago (January, 2014) I made this post about this great Dutch painter. Here it is again with some updated information you may be interested in.

 

Who was Vincent Van Gogh? Tell me all the information you know about him. 

If you don't know him, you can read something about him. CLICK HERE!!! 

 

And if you like to have a look at a page with brand new information about Vincent Van Gogh and many other artists, I will provide you with this like: Artsy's Vincent Van Gogh page . It will take you to Artsy's page, whose main aim is to make all of the world's art accessible to anyone online.

Crossword on ART 


VIDEO PROPOSED by Margarita Llanes (2º ESO A)

Diabetes, a rising disease

Listening exercise to do: Why is the disease diabetes on the rise? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

Related articles to read about the issue and some other eating disorders:

• Is Diabetes Becoming the Biggest Epidemic of the Twenty-first Century?  (IJHS)

• Diabetes epidemic affecting 350m – and western fast food is to blame  (The Guardian)

• Eating disorders: My son died – if he'd been a girl, he may have got help sooner (BBC News beat)

• Men need help as well as women with eating disorders, say medical experts (BBC News beat)

Do you really know what the word 'time' means? Here are nine of its many uses (BBC Learning English). Can you tell me any more you know?

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 160706 / 06 July 2016   >>>  Expressions presented: on such a scale, judgement, on record, loggers & orbiting.

Read about Juno spacecraft orbiting around Jupiter.

Our students in Galicia (Viaje de Estudios)

 

We wish you a safe trip home and that you are having the best of times!!!!

Our students in Galicia

The only thing Casillas wanted to say is....

The only thing Casillas wanted to say with this video was.... :

a.- how much he loved his country.

b.- his days in the national team were over.

c.- his favourite actor is Sylvester Stallone.

What do you think? Watch the video and answer

 

As you have seen we have emphasized what the Spanish goalkeeper said by using a most interesting structure, that is to say, a CLEFT SENTENCE. But what is it? Here are a few links for you to see how cleft sentences work ( 1   2   3 ) and you can also do some exercises about this grammatical issue: 1  2   3

 
 
Some examples:

• It was 27th June when Italy defeated Spain in the Eurocup in France.
• What I want you to do this summer is to watch New That's English episodes.

Article to read about Casillas:

Real Madrid try to repair Iker Casillas damage – but only make things worse (The Guardian)  

We will never forget you!!!

Listening exercise to do:

Who would you imitate? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 

Is perhaps Casillas your idol???

Del Bosque: I'm not nostalgic about the past (Marca)

 

Iker Casillas - The Journey After Madrid - 2017/18

 

Football:  Football’s Greatest Players - Iker Casillas   

 

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 160622 / 22 June 2016   >>>  Expressions presented: cracks down, merciless, infrastructure & think tank.  

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NON-BILINGUAL STUDENTS!!!!

MORE BREAKING NEWS >>>>> CONGRATULATIONS TO Mª José García and Andrea Gutiérrez (4º ESO) for obtaining their B1 in English in the Official Language School!!!! In September I'm sure we'll have again better news when the rest of the students who entered the exam and didn' t pass all the parts have a second chance. Et félicitations à tous ceux qui ont réussi aussi dans leurs examens de français à l'École Officielle des Langues. COME ON , YOU CAN !!! Allez, vous pouvez!!!

BREAKING NEWS  >>>  Again congratulations to our non-bilingual students in 4º ESO for their projects on Braveheart as they have just been published once again in the ESL Times Magazine. Have a look at it!!!

It is true that our non-bilingual students could have done much better, but the results are incredible, especially in the level of 4º ESO.

Here are my recommendations for the summer:

• SUMMER RECOMMENDATIONS for 2º ESO students   

• SUMMER RECOMMENDATIONS for 4º ESO students     

 

We have just finished our final exams, the Selectivity exams, the Official Language School exams in French and in English, our Music School exams.... and it is time to come to some conclusions. Express them by using IMPOSSIBLE OR UNREAL CONDITIONALS. Let's revise how we make them and the two exceptions will be analysing next year in 1º Bachillerato. For further information on the comparatives you can visit my site.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

3. IMPOSSIBLE or UNREAL CONDITIONALS

They are based on impossible situations which we cannot change at all.

SITUATION: Not all the students in the level of 4º ESO studied enough and did all the things they should have done.

If + PAST PERFECT......            >>> CONDITIONAL PERFECT

If Raúl had handed in his folder, some compositions and the projects of the readers he had to read, he would have clearly passed English in June.   BUT he didn't.

Exception number 2

Combination of a past fact that cannot be changed and a quality that you don't have, but that you could have (it is still not impossible)

Example: Rita said she would have passed English in June if Albert weren't so strict.

Exception number 3

Combination of a past fact whose effects are still permanent.

Example: Albert replied that she would not a have such a low level in English now if she had worked as hard as her friend María, but unfortunately she didn't.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Listening exercise to do: How to prepare for an exam (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

This world is going bananas!!!

Breaking news:

Jo Cox: grief and shock over death of 'Labour MP with huge compassion' (The Guardian)

 

This world is really going crazy!!!! Just a shame!!

 

Have a look at these articles and tell me your opinion:

• Remembering Orlando victims (News report, BBC Learning English)

• Orlando’s Latino community hit hard by massacre at nightclub (The Washington Post)

• Orlando shooting: 49 killed, shooter pledged ISIS allegiance (CNN)

• Euro 2016: Who is to blame for the Marseille violence? (BBC)

• The Guardian: Euro 2016: England and Russia fans clash before and after match 

 

What does a 'hooligan' mean? Is it a synonym for a 'supporter'?

LINGOHACK  >>>

Episode 160615 / 15 June 2016   >>>  Expressions presented: on high alert, paddling & range.

Expressing probability:

It's on the cards (The English we speak, BBC Learning English)

 

Listening exercise to do: Young and in business (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

Eco-cooler, the cheap solution for the summer!!!

The gadget you won't be able to live without this summer  >>>  the ECO-COOLER and here's the way  how to make one yourself

 

 

Pay attention to the structure hightlighted in green and used in the first part and write sentences with the clues given and any other words you may need, bearing in mind that you will have to decide which tense to use:

 Example: Eco-cooler / gadget / live / without / this summer   >>>   Eco-cooler is the gadget you won't be able to live without this summer.

1. Peter / person / talk / to
2. Hotel Salobreña / hotel / stay / at
3. Albert's site / site / take / good examples / from
4. St Antonio's / patron saint celebration/ have a good time / at / next weekend
5. Alex / classmate / sit / next to / in class
6. Angelina Jolie / lady / dance / with
7. That sofa / place / have a nap / in
8. Harmony / song / listen / to / when you are doing your homework
9. Penny (The Big Bang Theory): "Leonard / nice / guy / go out / with"

Some articles to read:

• How Bangladeshi inventors are making eco-friendly air conditioners from plastic bottles (The observers)

• Bangladesh’s ‘Eco-Cooler’ that runs without electricity could be the answer to the rising heat (Your story)

• This zero electricity air conditioner could save the planet (Global citizen)

TASK TO DO  >>>>  Now could you explain to me the process to make your own eco-cooler using the PASSIVE VOICE? 

Brexit: NO MAN IS AN ISLAND!!

The latest  >>>  Brexit: PM meets Euro leaders (News Report, BBC Learning English)

Breaking news:

Jo Cox: grief and shock over death of 'Labour MP with huge compassion' (The Guardian)

 

On 23rd June a referendum will be held in the United Kingdom in order to decide if they stay in the European Union or if they leave. For a start, let's just read this poem about John Donne. Analyse it bearing in mind the globalised world we live in.

 

'No Man is an Island' (by John Donne)

                No man is an island entire of itself; every man

                is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

                if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

                well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

                is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

                own were; any man's death diminishes me,

                the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

                because I am involved in mankind.

                And therefore never send to know for whom

Do these words remind you of any other prominent writer?

Yes, you're right, the American writer Ernest Hemingway, who wrote the famous novel For whom the bell tolls, which deals about our Spanish Civil War.

The issue in the press:

• As 'Brexit' referendum nears, voter registration surges (CNN)

• Brexit – what would happen if Britain left the EU? (The Guardian)

• It's time to talk about Brexit (The Daily Telegraph)

• Brexit or Bremain? Readers share the one argument that made up their mind (The Guardian) 

• What if...? The consequences, challenges and opportunities facing Britain outside the EU (Open Europe) 

• What would Brexit mean for everyday life in the UK? (The Guardian)

  What is your opinion about the whole issue? Do you think that it is good for Spain to stain in the EU? Write about the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to the EU.