Happy 2016!

     "Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one. " (Brad Pai)

Happy 2016 to all those who visit my blog and thank you for your support. I hope the new year finds you in a warm and happy place. 

This is your fight song - Piano Guys

Miss you, Scotland, where I left friends and part of my best memories.

That's Life

"That´s life" is a sitcom for English learners. This story is about five young people from different countries who meet  to become flatmates and friends, and about all sorts of different situations that happen over a period of time, including comedy, drama and romance. 

This sitcom comes in 5 parts, one for each level. These are the parts published so far. Click on these links and find out.

1- Beginners (That's Life)
2- Elementary (That's Life)
3- Pre-Intermediate (That's Life)
4- Intermediate (That's Life) 
5- Upper-Intermediate (That's Life)

(From English Today Course, by Multimedia English) 

Shawn Mendes - Stitches

Mediterranean Diet (3rd Secondary)

As we´re going to talk about food and diet next week, read this post  about the Mediterranean Diet. You´ll find some tips to have a good and healthy life.

The Mediterranean Diet is a living style. Years ago, it was the natural way of life of many people especially in Spain, Italy and Greece: high activity, Mediterranean nutrition and anti stress attitudes. Nowadays, many responsible people all over the world keep what is considered to be the healthiest diet in the world.

Do not forget that the original Mediterranean Diet characteristics are:

1. High consumption of virgin olive oil.
2. High intake of vegetables and fruits and legumes.
3. Use of non refined carbohydrates (portions to be adjusted to physical activity).
4. Consumption of fish, specially oily (or “bluish” one) three o for times a week
5. Consumption of milk and derivates, cheese and yogurt. Keep an eye on the saturated fats of the dairy products. Not too much!
6. Three or four eggs per week.
7. Moderate consumption of meat and saturated fats.
8. One or two small glasses of wine a day, preferably red and at the main meals. White wine and beer are alternatives.
9. Nuts as snacks

Justin Bieber - Sorry

Learning languages using lyryc videos is great fun. There are excellent sites you can visit to improve your English through songs. Let me recommend you one...click here: 

lyricstraining

And now try this original one I found with my students last Friday...

Deorro x Chris Brown - Five More Hours

Recharging batteries... 
Fasten seatbelts. Curves ahead.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Present Perfect (3rd Secondary)

I know that Present Perfect is not an easy verb tense to learn. Here you have a short summary in Spanish about its use.

En inglés utilizamos el tiempo presente perfecto cuando existe una conexión o relación entre el pasado y el presente. Tiene dos usos principales:

a) Lo utilizamos cuando nos encontramos interesados en el resultado presente de algo que ocurrió en un momento no definido del pasado:

- The secretary has decided to look for a new job.
  La secretaria ha decidido buscar un nuevo trabajo.

- I'm afraid I have forgotten your name.
Me temo que he olvidado tu nombre.


b) Lo utilizamos para hablar acerca de una acción o situación que comenzó en el pasado y aún continúa:

- How long have you worked here?
¿Cuánto tiempo has trabajado aquí?

- She has been away on business since last week.
Ella se ha ausentado por negocios desde la semana pasada.

- I haven't seen Sylvia for several years.
No he visto a Silvia durante varios.

Con el presente perfecto utilizamos How long...? (¿Cuánto tiempo...?) en preguntas relacionadas con la duración y for (durante) o since (desde) para las respuestas.

- How long have you worked here?
¿Cuánto tiempo llevas trabajando aqui?


Observa que usamos for para expresar la duración de una acción, y since para indicar cuándo comenzó la acción.

- I've worked here for twelve months (for twenty years, etc).
He trabajado aquí durante doce meses (durante veinte años, etc)


- I've worked here since January (since 1990, since Christmas, etc).
He trabajado aquí desde Enero (desde 1990, desde Navidad, etc)

A menudo el presente perfecto se utiliza con los adverbios just (justo/acabar de), yet (aún/todavia), still (todavía), already (ya), ever (alguna vez), never (nunca), recently (recientemente), lately (últimamente), so far (hasta aquí), up to now (hasta ahora). 
Observa algunos ejemplos:

- They 've just signed an important contract.
Ellos acaban de firmar un importante contrato.
(RECUERDA: Present Perfect + JUST + participio - Acabar de hacer algo)

- Sheila has already arrived home.
Sheila ya ha llegado a casa.

- Sheila hasn't received an answer yet.
Sheila no ha recibido respuesta aún.

- Have you ever used this type of machine?
¿Has utilizado alguna vez este tipo de máquina?

- We've had good results so far.
Hasta aquí hemos obtenido buenos resultados.

Present Perfect Exercises (3rd Secondary)

LEVEL 1.

Write sentences in present perfect simple. Then change into the negative form.

1. we / reach / our goal - ______________________________________

2. our team / lose / the match - ________________________________

3. she / underline / the word - _________________________________

4. they / discover / the treasure - ____________________________

5. Ron / talk / about the problem - _____________________________


Write questions in present perfect simple

1. you / knock / at the door - ______________________________

2. he teacher / mark / the tests - ____________________________

3. she / buy / a new computer - ____________________________

4. they / rescue / the girl - ____________________________

5. Brad / wear / a blue shirt - ____________________________


Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence. 

1. They have seen him at the library. - ____________________________

2. Robby Robber has robbed another bank. - ____________________________

3. Bill has ordered three desserts. - ______________________________

4. Clara has repeated the sentence five times. - ____________________________

5. Jane has asked a question. - _________________________________

LEVEL 2.

Do we use FOR or SINCE with the following time references?

• I haven't phoned home for/since Christmas.
• We've been here for/since nine o'clock.
• I have worked for International House for/since more than eight years.
• I haven't visited my home town for/since I left school.
• I haven't been to the cinema for/since ages.
• I have studied non-stop for/since 9.15.
• I have had a driving licence for/since I was eighteen.
• She hasn't had a day off for/since 1999.
• Johan has been in England for/since more than two weeks now.
• Peter has been my best friend for/since we were nine.

Complete with the words in brackets. Choose just, already, yet, ever, never, for or since.

- Don´t forget to phone Alice. 'I have__________ phoned her. (yet, already, ever)

- Have you seen him anywhere? 'Yes, I have _________ seen him in the kitchen'
(just,already,ever)

- I have___________been to Japan. What about you? (yet, never, ever)

- Has Ann just phoned? 'Yes, she has__________phoned' (ever, yet, just)

- Why don't you read that paper? 'I have ________ read it' (yet, already, just)

- Has it stopped snowing? 'No, it hasn't stopped snowing _________ '
(just, yet, already)

- Sandra has studied French _______ May. She speaks very fluently. (for, since, yet)

- Have you _______travelled to space? 'Of course not' (never, since, ever)

- Poor man... he has ________had a girlfriend in his life! (ever, never, yet)

- It hasn´t rained _______ three months (since, for, ever)

- I haven't told my parents about my failure ________ (ever, just, yet)

- Would you like a sandwich? 'No, thanks. I have ________had lunch.' (just, yet, ever)

- Shall I pay the waiter? 'No, I have _______ paid him.' (already, yet, ever)

- Have you _______ been to Scotland? (ever, yet, just)



EXERCISES: Past Simple vs Present Perfect 

1. They ________ and are now on their honeymoon (To get married) 

2. I ________ studying 10 years ago (To finish)

3. ________ you my daughter? I can't find her (To see)

4. I ________ a very interesting book about the Spanish Empire (To finish)

5. I ________ the watch that my wife gave me on our honeymoon (To lose)

6. This morning I ________ to the Spanish Embassy in Paris (To be)

7. They ________ five years ago in Naples (To get married)

8. Today I ________ a programme on television about Africa (To watch)

9. This is the first time I ________ to the Theatre (To be)

10. Today I ________ tennis with my nephew (To play)

11. Where´s Jane? I _______________her this week (To see)

12. When I ________ to London I visited the National Gallery (To go)

14. A while ago I ________ a very interesting book about England (To read)

15. I ________ four men yesterday morning near my office (To see)

16. This year I ________ my studies (To finish)

17. When I was a child I ________ tennis with my dad (To play)

18. Your boss ________ you yesterday evening (To phone)

19. Americans ________ to the Moon in 1969 (To go)

20. I went to the Russian Circus when I ________ Moscow (To visit)

10. Today I ________ tennis with my nephew (To play)

11. Where´s Jane? I _______________her this week (To see)

12. When I ________ to London I visited the National Gallery (To go)

14. A while ago I ________ a very interesting book about England (To read)

15. I ________ four men yesterday morning near my office (To see)

16. This year I ________ my studies (To finish)

17. When I was a child I ________ tennis with my dad (To play)

18. Your boss ________ you yesterday evening (To phone)

19. Americans ________ to the Moon in 1969 (To go)

20. I went to the Russian Circus when I ________ Moscow (To visit)

Depeche Mode - Lie to Me

Sincerity never hurts, reality does. True words only hurt those who live in a world made of fantasy.
So, never make a promise you cant´t keep and don´t say something unless you mean it.
Tips for a free life and a good sleep.

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Gary Lightbody, frontman of Snow Patrol, explains that he was once in love with a girl. His father thought it was only a whim and told him he was like a dog chasing a car. It would never catch it and it wouldn't know what to do with it if it would.

Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day

A good question...

"What would you do if today was your last day?"

I have no doubts.

Thanks, Auxi S. (4th B Secondary), for your contribution. A perfect song to review Second Conditional.

Lost Frequencies - Are you with me?

An easy to sing song. 

By the way...are you with me?

                                               

I want to dance by the water 

beneath the Mexican sky,

drink some Margaritas by a string of blue lights,

listen to the Mariachi play at midnight.

Are you with me, are you with me?

Today´s quote

11th of November - Remembrance Day

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918,  marks the signing of the Armistice and the of World War One after more than four years.

Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day, on the 11th of November, is a special day to remember those who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. On this day, it is traditional to wear an artificial poppy. 

Last year, 888,246 ceramic poppies decorated the Tower of London, each poppy representing a British fatality during the first world war. I was lucky to be there and capture it with my camera. This is one of the pictures I took...

Finally, I´d like to thank Olga N. (4th B Secondary) for sending me a video about this exhibition! 

Verb Tense Revision (4th Secondary)

Os dejo aquí varios links a la página Englishpage.com,  para que podáis realizar ejercicios de autocorrección y repasar los tiempos verbales trabajados en las unidades 1 y 2. 
Ánimo y a esforzarse si queréis buenos resultados!!
"Every effort has its rewards"


Present Simple vs Present Continuous 1
Present Simple vs Present Continuous 2
Simple Past vs Past Continuous 1
Simple Past vs Past Continuous 2
Simple Past vs Present Perfect 1
Simple Past vs Present Perfect 2
Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous 1
Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous 2

Bonfire Night

November 5th marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to blow up the English Parliament and King James I in 1605. In England. on the  night of November 5th, people commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes, the Catholic conspirator, with bonfires and fireworks, and by burning  his effigy.

Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".

RHYME

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent

To blow up the King and Parli'ment.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence he was catch'd (or by God's mercy*)

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holla boys, Holla boys, let the bells ring.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

And what should we do with him? Burn him!

 

 

Yazoo - Nobody' s diary

One of the most beautiful songs I' ve ever heard.  Wonderful music, wonderful message.

#lohacesypunto

Lo adivinas?

(Qué bueno verte aquí, José Carlos, mi compi, mi amigo, mi compañero de viajes en Proyecto Comenius y también, todo sea dicho, de mil sofocones para que todo saliera bien en ellos. Missing you so much)

Hay que cambiar el chip, absolutamente.

Tuesday trip

A different Tuesday this time. Sightseeing trip to  the house of Juan Ramón Jiménez in Moguer and the Caravels dock in La Rábida.

Colour Idioms

What about adding some colour to the English language? 

Here you have some idioms that you can use in your everyday conversations.

Cartoon Physics

Christina Perri - Arms

Here you have a nice lyric video which will help you with English. A good way to say goodbye to a looooooooooooooong Tuesday.

Depeche Mode - Precious

                               
Sweet dreams...


                                  

Precious and fragile things

Need special handling

My God, what have we done to you?

We always tried to share

The tenderest of care

Now look what we have put you through

Souvenir - OMD

 Life sometimes gives you unforgettable moments.

                     

Unconditional friends

I couldn´t help posting this picture especially for you, R. After "talking" with you about dogs, and after ten years since we first "met", I must say you are....

Adele ~ Someone Like You

You were right. This song hadn´t been published on my blog yet. Thanks for your contribution and your visits, Juan C. (3rd A Secondary). 

True love is always generous.

Los 50 mejores sitios para aprender inglés

Aquí os dejo un enlace a una lista con los mejores recursos de Internet para aprender inglés de manera entretenida y variada. 

50 mejores sitios para aprender inglés


Sweet dreams...

Let Her Go - Passenger

Thanks so much, Laura A.B (4th A Secondary) for your contribution. A beautiful song, indeed.

Basic Phrasal Verbs (from Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate level)

Phrasal verbs are one of the most difficult aspects for learners of the English language. The phrasal verbs listed here are among the most useful for English learners to learn first (pre-íntermediate to intermediate level)

Go ahead!!

calm down	"Calm down, Mike. There's no need to yell."	Tranquilizarse
hold on	The secretary asked me to hold on while she checked her computer.	Esperar, aguardar (mientras alguien hace algo)
get along	I don't really get along with my boss.	Llevarse bien
give up	After an hour, Mike gave up. He couldn't fix the computer.	Desistir, abandonar
grow up	I want to be a fireman when I grow up.	Hacerse mayor
fill out	"Please fill out this form."	Rellenar
break down	The stupid printer has broken down again.	Averiarse
pass out	People were passing out flyers in front of the station.	Repartir, dar en mano
get together	Everyone from class is getting together tonight at 7pm.	Reunirse
work out	Bryan likes to work out at least five times a week.	Hacer ejercicio
make up	I didn't have an excuse, so I made one up.	Inventarse
pass away	My grandfather passed away at the age of 98.	Morir
break up	Mark and Kate are always fighting. They should break up.	Romper una relación
eat out	I'm trying to save money. I don't eat out anymore.	Comer fuera
hang up	Kate hung up on me. She didn't want to speak anymore.	Colgar el teléfono
check out	"Hey, check out that man over there. He's huge!."	Mirar
figure out	No one could figure out where the ninja went.	Imaginarse
cheer up	Brenda looked sad, so I told her a joke to cheer her up.	Alegrar
look after	I agreed to look after Renee's dog while she is away.	Cuidar
shut up	"Shut up, Lisa! I can't hear the TV!" (note: impolite expression)	Callar (tono brusco)
look out	"Look out — there's a deer on the road!"	Cuidado!
run out	The boys ran out of beer so they walked to the store to get some more.	Quedarse sin, agotar
check in	We checked in to our hotel at 2 pm.	Registrarse (aeropuerto/hotel)
deal with	We have a big problem today that we need to deal with before we go home.	Solucionar
pick up	I have to pick up my girlfriend at the airport at 8pm.	Recoger
drop off	I need to drop off a book at the library.	Llevar a un lugar (persona/cosa)
end up	After college, and then two years in the military, Mark ended up in Taiwan.	Acabar (casualmente)
go on	The mountain climber could no longer go on. It was too cold.	Continuar
set on doing sth	Jason is set on becoming an Olympic wrestler. That’s all he talks about.	Estar decidido a
tie up	I was tied up so I couldn't answer the phone.	Estar ocupado
beat up	A tourist was beaten up last night in Central Park.	Agredir físicamente
catch up	After her vacation, it took Janice all morning to catch up on her e-mails.	Ponerse al día, alcanzar
cut back on sth	The doctor told Alan to cut back on fatty foods.	Reducir
cut sth out	"Bobby, can you cut it out?? The sound your making is annoying."	Dejar de hacer algo molesto/absurdo
find out sth	Yesterday, Mark found out that his wife has been cheating on him.	Descubrir
do over	I had to do my report over because my computer crashed.	Repetir, volver a hacer algo
go ahead	"A: Can we start eating, mom?” B: “Sure, go ahead."	Empezar (antes que los demás)
go on	Mark heard shouting, so he went to the hallway to see what was going on.	Pasar, suceder
count on	I trust Mike. He’s responsible. We can count on him to do a good job.	Contar con alguien
hit it off	Margaret likes her new boss. They have really hit it off.	Congeniar (rápidamente)
set up	The journalist managed to set up a meeting with the company CEO.	Concertar, preparar,
keep sth up	Jenny hasn't smoked in 24 hrs but she's not sure how long she can keep it up.	Mantener (una situación)
mess up	I don’t like giving big speeches. Every time I do it, I mess up.	Equivocarse
call off	The football game was called off because of rain.	Cancelar
take after	Darryl takes after his father. They are both really funny.	Parecerse
think sth over	"Give me a few days to think it over, OK?"	Pensar algo con tranquilidad
point out	Janice pointed out a small error on the report's cover page.	Señalar
put sth off	The meeting was put off until tomorrow because the boss was sick.	Posponer
rip sb off	The cab driver tried to rip me off by charging 40 dollars for a ride to the airport.	Timar, estafar
show off	Greg enjoyed showing off his muscles at the beach.	Mostrar con presunción
bring up	No one at the meeting brought up the issue of overtime.	Mencionar
show up	Gladys didn't show up to the party until 10 p.m.	Llegar
sleep in	Mark usually sleeps in until noon on Saturdays.	Dormir (más de lo normal)
speak up	Alex had to speak up so his grandfather could hear him.	Hablar alto
base on	This movie is based on a true story.	Basarse
work on	I need to work on my pronunciation.	Ejercitar, trabajar más algo
stand out	At 195 cm with red hair, Alan really stood out in Japan.	Ser reconocido, destacar

 

Words as weapons - Birdy

Sweet dreams...

MAKE and DO

Parts of the body (3rd Secondary)

Here you have an excellent link to review the parts of the body with different games and original exercises. Choose the INTERMEDIATE LEVEL!.

Parts of the body - Exercises

Coldplay - Gravity

Sweet dreams...

Present Continuous vs. Present Simple - Maps ( 3rd/4th Secondary)

World Teachers´ Day - 5th October

I absolutely love my job. Teaching encourages my own growth,  because to do it well requires my own continuous education. We, teachers, are psychologists, doctors, negociators, artisans, counselors, therapists, actors, friends,  parents and some times even children. That´s the magic inside it.

Physical appearence (3rd Secondary)

"Mirror, mirror on the wall...who´s the fairest of them all?" Snow White´s stepmother said.

Here you have some good sites to review your vocabulary related to physical appearence  Sure you know most of these words, but you usually forget some of them.

Use the links below to study and create your own vocabulary list. You can create a mind map with it. Choose the most useful and frequent words and add some more looking up in the dictionary.

http://www.lingolex.com/appearancesp.htm
http://vocabulariodeingles.blogspot.com.es/2011/04/vocabulario-de-ingles-aspecto-fisico.html
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/lists/describing.html

Run - Snow Patrol

Burning bridges

Comparative and Superlative - Exercises (3rd Secondary)

To make the comparative and the superlative form of adjectives, first we need to know how many syllables are in the adjective.

There are some spelling changes:

- If there is one vowel followed by one consonant at the end of the adjective, we often double the consonant.

• wet → wetter / wettest

- If the adjective ends in 'y', this often changes to 'i'.

• dry → drier / driest

 - If the adjective ends in 'e', we don't add another 'e', just 'r'.

• nice → nicer / nicest

EXERCISES

a) Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative).

1.My house is (big)______than yours.

2.This flower is (beautiful)_________than that one.

3.This is the (interesting)__________book I have ever read.

4.Non-smokers usually live (long)_______than smokers.

5.Which is the (dangerous)_________animal in the world?

6.A holiday by the sea is (good)___________than a holiday in the mountains.

7.It is strange but often a coke is (expensive)___________than a beer.

8.Who is the (rich)________woman on earth?

9.The weather this summer is even (bad)_________than last summer.

10.He was the (clever)___________thief of all.


b) Complete the sentences with a superlative:

a. This building is very old. It’s ______________ in the town.

b. It was a very happy day. It was ______________ of my life.

c. It’s a very good film. It’s________________ I’ve seen.

d. It was a very bad mistake. It was_____________ in my life.

e. It was a very cold day. It was_______________ of the year.

f. She’s a popular singer. She’s ______________ in the country.

g. He’s a very boring person. He’s______________ I know.

h. This house is very big. It is ______________ I’ve lived in.

i. My cousin is very tall. He is ______________ I have.

j. Laura is a very pretty girl. She is____________ I know.