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New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-12T11:18:00.000+01:00

Listen and read the following article about New Year's resolutions and fill in the chart in the worksheet.

Click here and listen

Listening and reading comprehension worksheet (page 2) with answer sheet (page 1)

Transcript and activities

Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-22T22:34:00.000+01:00

In this moving Chrismas carol , the true spirit of Christmas is revealed when an orphan witnesses the birth of baby Jesus, and gives the only gift he can – a song. With its simple message that the best gift is one given from the heart, this story exemplifies the true spirit of Christmas.

Little Drummer Boy has always been one of my favourite Christmas carols, that's why I've chosen these two versions for you to hear. They can't be more different but I like them both very much.

Why don't you send me a comment and tell me what you think of them?

The words and music to the Christmas song Little Drummer Boy were composed by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958. The lyrics of Little Drummer Boy consist of no less than 21 rum pum pum pum' - a major part of the song and therefore presenting an apparently easy task for the lyricist! However, Little Drummer Boy has been a huge hit for several artists. The most notable rendition was created by the most unlikely combination of Bing Crosby and David Bowie. This version of Little Drummer Boy was a massive hit for the artists and was in fact Bing Crosby's most successful recording after the legendary White Christmas.

David: Hello...... you're the new butler?
Bing: Hahaha! Well, it's been a long time since I've been the new anything!
David: What's happened to Hudson?
Bing: I guess he's changing.
David: Yeah, he does that a lot, doesn't he? Uhm... Oh, I'm David Bowie, I live
down the road.
Bing: Oh!
David: Sir Percival let's me use his piano if he not around. He's not around, is
he?
Bing: I can honestly say I haven't seen him, but come on in! Come in!
David: But uh...
Bing: Come on in!
David: Are you related to sir Percival?
Bing: Well, distantly...
David: Oh, you're not the poor relation from America, right?
Bing: Ha! Gee... news sure travels fast, doesn't it? I'm Bing.
David: Oh, I'm pleased to meet you. You're the one that sings, right?
Bing: Well, right or wrong, I sing either way.
David: Oh well, I sing too.
Bing: Oh good! What kind of singing?
David: Mostly the contemporary stuff. Do you eh... do you like modern music?
Bing: Oh, I think it's marvellous! Some of it's really fine. But tell me, have you ever listened to any of the older fellows?
David: Oh yeah, sure. I like ah... John Lennon and the other one with eh...Harry
Nilsson.
Bing: Mmm... you go back that far, uh?
David: Yeah, I'm not as young as I look.
Bing: Haha, none of us is these days!
David: In fact I've got a six year old son. And he really gets excited around the Christmas holiday-thing.
Bing: Do you go in for anything of the traditional things in the... boy, household, Christmas time?
David: Oh yeah, most of them really. Presents, tree, decorations, agents sliding down the chimney...
Bing: What??
David: Oh, I was just seeing if you were paying attention.
Bing: Haha!
David: Actually, our family do most of the things that other families do. We
sing the same songs.
Bing: Do you?
David: Oh, I even have a go at 'White Christmas'.
Bing: You do, eh!
David: And this one. This is my son's favourite. Do you know this one?
Bing: Oh, I do indeed, it's a lovely theme.

And they told me pa-ram-pam-pam-pam
A new-born king to see pa-ram-pam-pam-pam
Our finest gifts we bring pa-ram-pam-pam-pam
Ra-pam-pam-pam, ra-pam-pam-pam

Peace on Earth, can it be
Years from now, perhaps we'll see
See the day of glory
See the day, when men of good will
Live in peace, live in peace again

Peace on Earth, can it be
Every child must be made aware
Every child must be made to care
Care enough for his fellow man
To give all the love that he can

I pray my wish will come true
For my child and your child too
He'll see the day of glory
See the day when men of good will
Live in peace, live in peace again

Peace on Earth, can it be
Can it be

Bing: It's a pretty theme, isn't it?

The Almost is a alternative band from Clearwater, Florida, most notable for being the side project of Underoath drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie. They have a surprising version of Little Drummer Boy and I have to say that I like it a lot.

Telling Stories

2011-12-21T22:56:00.000+01:00

We thought it'd never come but it's winter again.

Days are shorter, darker and colder; however we can't deny each season has its charm and we have to try and make the most of these long dark nights.

A winter pleasure I absolutely love is reading a good story on a cold stormy night, specially those with a touch of mystery; what's more, if they are somewhat gothic and scary, much better.

I know that many of you like Stephanie Meyer's saga, so why don't you have a go at the real thing, with vampires who are not so squeamish and know the appeal of red blood?

You may like Edward and all those gentle 'Twilight' vampires, but there is something about Count Dracula, with his sinister elegance, that you should not miss; something worth experiencing form the safety of your sofa, so far away from Transilvania. After all, he has first attracted and then scared the hell out of hundreds of people throughout the years; there really must be something worth discovering about him.

To start with, you can click here and read an extract from Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', but you'll have to do some work choosing the right tenses for the narration.
After doing the exercise, you may feel more curious about the count's story.

A completely different option for a stormy night reading could be 'Tales of the Unexpected', a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl.
This is a terrific book, with some of the author's best stories, all of which are suprising, clever, twisted and, of course, completely unexpected. Dahl has an incredible ablility to make the macabre laughable and the stories never fail to shock and amuse the reader.

If you click here, you'll find an extract from 'Lamb to the Slaughter', one of the stories from the collection, and you can practise the use of narrative tenses with it.

Well, last but not least, I have another suggestion for you: 'Misery' , by Stephen king, a master at scaring readers. I must admit I haven't read this book myself. I've seen the film ,though, so I think it's high time I read something by S.K. just to know first hand if he is as good as they say.

Click here to do some practice with your narrative skills. This time the excerpt is from 'Misery'.

Well, now it's your turn, I'd be deligted to know about your favourite mystery stories or tales. I'd be great if we could share our experiences as adventurous readers, curled up under a blanket with a good book in our hands on a spooky night, fighting demons, vampires or any other monsters which dare try to scare us. They may succeed at first but eventually we'll win and enjoy the ride, that's for sure.

You can send your recommendations if you click here :

You can also add them to the reading section in the forum

By the way, why don't you do a crossword on monsters in literature and culture? It'll be fun!

Numbers

2011-12-20T22:43:00.003+01:00

Click here to learn cardinal and ordinal numbers in English.

Now let's practise with numbers:

Learn the numbers.
Listen to the numbers.
Write the numbers that you hear.
Number quizz.

You can find more exercises with numbers in the section called Kids.

Exercises for 1st year basic level students

2011-11-21T17:42:00.007+01:00

Do the following exercises and practise how to use :

To be
Exercises 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Have got

Prepositions of place
Exercises 1, 2

Wh questions

Exercises 1, 2, 3, 4

Verb Tenses

2011-11-21T11:12:00.000+01:00

Picture Description

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000+01:00

Speaking

How would you describe the picture below? Click on the photo for some useful tips.

What about this one? Look at the picture carefully and then do the activities below.

Describe the photo

To express your impressions you can use :

look + adjective
Look like + (a) noun
Look as if + sentence

Talk about your impressions.

Expressing degrees of certainty.
Study the examples and then do the exercise below:

I'm sure it's a dog- It must be a dog
I'm sure it isn't a dog- It can't be a dog
Perhaps it is a dog- It could/might be a dog

Degrees of certainty

Listening

You have to draw a picture. Listen to the recording and draw the picture described.

Identify the fathers and mothers with their sons and daughters.

How to Pronounce -ed in English

2011-11-10T10:13:00.000+01:00

There are three ways to pronounce the final -ed of regular verbs in the simple past tense. This pronunciation is determined by the final sound* of the verb in the infinitive: Is it a voiced consonant, an unvoiced consonant, or a vowel sound?

For verbs ending in d and t the final -ed is pronounced /Id/ as in the final two letters of the word did. Note that here the -e is not silent and this final -ed sound adds another syllable to the end of the verb.

After unvoiced sounds such as/ p, k, f, s, , ,θ/ the final -ed is pronounced like /t/ as in the word cat. Note that the -e remains silent.

After voiced consonants such as /b, , g, v, z, , , m, n, ŋ, l, r/ the final -ed sound is pronounced like /d/ as in good. Note that the -e remains silent. The final -ed is also pronounced like the d in good after all vowel sounds (the -e remains silent too).

This chart may help you remember the rules above.

Click here to see some examples and listen to the past tense verbs.
Now you are ready to do these listening activities (1, 2, 3).

*If you need to revise the phonemic symbols in English, click here.

You can do some more practice with this game. Have a go! It's fun!
If you like this game, you can find more at Chiew's site. You just have to click on the logo below.
Thanks, Chiew for your nice games!

Narrative Teses

2011-11-09T09:26:00.001+01:00

Practise the use of narrative tenses with the exercises below:

Past simple/Past continuous 1,2,3,4,
Past Perfect Simple 1,2,3,4

Tenses Revision exercise

Description

2011-10-26T19:14:00.000+02:00

I have found several interesting activities at Joan Serra's web page, where you can practise both physical and psychological description. There are also listenig comprehension exercises.

Sports Vocabulary

2011-10-26T10:06:00.000+02:00

Click on the image above and play the game
(activity taken from acliltoclimb.blogspot.com.)

Learn the name of some sports and sports equipment with these picture vocabulary activities.

Now do the following listening comprehension exercise

Test your vocabulary 1,2,3

Listening Comprehensio: Text completion quiz

Now watch this video clip on the topic of health and exercise, and then answer the questions based on what you see and hear.

Asking Questions

2011-10-11T21:28:00.000+02:00

Click on the title below to study the charts and revise questions in English. Then do the exercises that follow the lesson.

Basic Questions

Question Words Quizz

More Question Words

Make questions

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Phonetic Symbols.

2011-10-10T18:41:00.000+02:00

If you have always thought that understanding phonetic symbols is just too difficult for you, don't despair. It just takes some practice to get used to them but they can be very useful to help you improve your pronunciation.

Vowels :

Study the chart of .

Move the mouse over the symbols and examples to hear them.

Consonants :

If you want to do some activities to practise phonetic symbols
and sounds in English

Videos from ESL Tower.com

Compulsory Books 2011-2012

2011-10-06T14:34:00.000+02:00

1º Básico

New English File Elementary Online

Libro de texto: Clive Oxenden $ Christina Latham- Khoenig, New English File Elementary Student’s book, O.U.P.

Libro de ejercicios: Liz & John Soars, New English File Elementary Workbook with Key, O.U.P

2º Básico

New English File Pre-Intermediate Online

Libro de texto: Clive Oxenden $ Christina Latham- Khoenig, New English File Pre-Intermediate Student’s book, O.U.P.

Libro de ejercicios: Oxenden, Clive & Latham-Koenig,Christina; New English File Pre-Intermediate Workbook with Key, O.U.P

1º Intermedio

New English File Intermediate Online

Libro de texto: Oxenden, Clive & Latham-Koenig, Paul Selison; New English File Intermediate Student´s book O.U.P

Libro de ejercicios: Oxenden, Clive & Latham-Koenig,Christina; New English File Intermediate with Multi-Rom, O.U.P

2º Intermedio

New English File Upper-intermediate Online

Libro de texto: Oxenden, Clive & Latham-Koenig, Paul Selison, New English File Upper-intermediate Student´s book O.U.P

Libro de ejercicios: Oxenden, Clive & Latham-Koenig,Christina; New English File Upper-intermediate with Multi-Rom, O.U.P

Prueba Oral 1º Intermedio

2011-09-01T15:09:00.006+02:00

Los alumnos de 1º de Intermedio que tengan pendiente la prueba oral la realizarán el viernes día 2 de septiembre en el aula 27 a las 10 de la mañana.

Basic formal letters

2011-06-27T19:15:00.005+02:00

Click on the link below to learn how to write formal letters in English

Basic Formal letters in English

Click here to see an example of different types of letters with useful expressions (Hacer clic en los enlaces abajo para ver ejemplos de distintas cartas formales con vocubulario y frases útiles)

Carta formal en inglés para solicitar información:
Letter of enquiry - Explain clearly what information you require and why.

Carta formal en inglés para formular una queja formal:
Letter of complaint - Explain the reason for your complaint in the first paragraph and then give details in further paragraphs.
Carta formal en inglés para solictar un puesto de trabajo:
Letter of application - Explain which post you want to apply for, where you saw it advertised and include any relevant information about yourself.
Carta formal en inglés para disculparse:
Letter of apology - Express regret and explain why you are apologising.

Basic informal letters

2011-06-27T18:34:00.000+02:00

How to Write Informal Letters

Preinscripción EOI Avilés

2011-06-06T19:47:00.003+02:00

Aunque estemos ya fuera de plazo, todavía se pueden entregar solicitudes de preinscripción en la secretaría del centro

INFORMACIÓN IMPORTANTE

Todos los alumnos de nivel básico e intermedio de inglés francés o alemán que deseen matricularse en el siguiente nivel tienen, necesariamente, que formalizar la preinscripción entre los días 6 y 17 de junio, tanto los nuevos alumnos como los que han estado matrculados durante el presente curso en la EOI de Avilés.

Se puede consultar en el siguiente enlace toda la información relativa al procedimiento de admisión. También es posible descargar el modelo de inscripción y las instrucciones para rellenarlo.
http://www.educastur.es/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3417&Itemid=199

¡No se os olvide!

Listening Activities for Basic Level Students

2011-05-22T10:11:00.000+02:00

ELLLO Listening Games are designed to help students listen for gist. Students listen and choose the picture that matches the audio. There is very little reading. The listening games are designed for beginning students. Click on the picture below and start. Ready, steady... go!

At BBC Leaning English, you can find the following listening exercises which are extremely useful to get some practice for your Certification Test.

Letter Writing Exercises

2011-04-16T11:18:00.000+02:00

Letter writing is one of the tasks you may be asked to do for your Certification Terminal Test in June. So, the more you practise, the better.
To start with,you can have a look at several model letters and then do these exercises.

All About Huw

2011-04-12T23:23:00.000+02:00

Huw is one of the main characters in "Two Lives", by Helen Naylor.
I don't know for sure what he looked like but I guess he probably looked like the young man in the picture on the right.
Click here and see what other readers have written about Huw's personality and background, his past and his future.
He was born in a Welsh mining village and lived there all his childhood but when he was in his teens he had to leave Britain and travel to Toronto, Canada, in search of a better life. When he was in Toronto he wrote some letters to his beloved Megan, the girl he had to leave in Wales, so far away. In the book, we can read the beginning of one of them:

My lovely Megan
I still haven’t received a letter from you. I can’t believe it takes four months for letters to cross the Atlantic. What’s happened? Is something wrong? …

Some 2nd year Basic Level students have used their imagination to find the missing words. I'm sure Huw's letters can't have been very different from these :

I've found a very nice house near the sea. It's very nice to live in Toronto and to know that you're fine at the same time! The only bad thing I have to tell you is that I haven't found a job yet. But don't worry, I've met a very important businessman who has promissed me to help me with that task.
The only thing I want to know is if you are all right. I only need that to live. I promiss I'll go to Britain as soon as I have some money to spend on the journey, but now you have to be patient. Please, Megan, wait for me!
Looking forward to your answer,
yours truly,
Huw

(By Adrián Rodríguez Ares)

My lovely Megan
I still haven’t received a letter from you. I can’t believe it takes four months for letters to cross the Atlantic. What’s happened? Is something wrong?…
I really need to see you again but I've started to think you have forgotten me. I hope you haven't because I´d be very sad.
What happened with the things that you and I talked about? I don´t know what to think…I´m confused.
I´m in this big city working to be able to return to you and then you and I will be able to get married. My father has given up drinking and I´m happy for him. He has met a woman and he´s very happy.
I don't know what else I can say except that I hope you write back.
I´ll always love you.
My best wishes,
Huw

(By Vanessa Peña)

This is very different from Tredoland but I think that you’d like it. Sometimes I go walking along the street and I imagine that you are here and I’ll find you after turning the corner or when I get into a shop. However, I soon realize that it won’t happen and that makes me feel sad. How I wish you were here! I remember every single day we spent together in Tredoland. They were the happiest days of my life. I wonder if I made the right decision.
Please, write to me,
Huw

(By Franciso González)

My lovely Megan
I still haven’t received a letter from you. I can’t believe it takes four months for letters to cross the Atlantic. What’s happened? Is something wrong?…Maybe your family?
I miss you every day. I always dream you are here with me.
This city is wonderful, you'll love it. I sold some pictures and my father is better. He met a woman whom he likes. This can be good for him. As I've earned some money here and I've saved some, you will be able to come with me, if you haven’t changed your mind about our plans for the future. Please, answer me soon because this is diving me crazy. I’m not sure if you keep loving me or you have forgotten me.

With all my best wishes,

Huw

(By María García Saceda)

I don't understand ... why don't you write to me? Every day I look at your face on the wall of my studio and I feel alone, I'm waiting fot your letter.
I love you so much !

(By Arantxa García Barrenechea)

Sometimes I wonder if you still love me like you did before.
I don't understand why you haven't replied yet.
Do you have any problems with you father?
Please, I need to know if you want to marry me.
Now I'm working hard and I think in three months I'll have the money for your ticket, but I must know if you want to leave Tredonald.
I'm anxiously awaiting news from you.
Love,
Huw

(By Aurelio Braz Viana)

All About Megan

2011-04-12T14:50:00.000+02:00

Megan is the main female character in the book "Two Lives", by Helen Naylor.

She was a sixteen-year-old girl, a pretty teenager who fell in love for the first time with her childhood friend , Huw. However, perhaps their love wasn't meant to be, because all sorts of difficulties seemed to stand in their way.

Are you the sort of person who thinks love can conquer all ? Do you think their young love could be strong enough to survive time and distance?

I encourage you to read "Two Lives" and find the answers to these questions and much more.

If you feel like reading what other students have written about this strong woman called Megan, her life in Tredonald, a little mining village, and her yearning for her long lost love Huw, click here and read, but you'd better finish the book first, as you may find spoilers.

Megan sent a letter to a man she loved very much, although not enough to make her forget the love of her youth.

The book just shows us the beginning of her letters, but some 2nd year Basic Level studets have guessed what's missing and written these imaginative and moving words:

Dear Paul,

You’ll know I left Tredonald to live my second chance with Huw.

Don’t feel bad because you made me really happy and thanks to you I could feel love again.

Yes, I love you but when I saw Huw again I felt all the past emotions coming back. I tried to struggle against them but finally I had to give in.

I hope you understand me.

When I found that box with the letters I had a hunch: Someone in the sky wanted to give us a new opportunity.

He had been loving me all these years, while I couldn’t forget him, either.

Here, in Canada, everything is different. Paul, be happy! I’m sure you’ll find someone special to share your life with.

Megan

(By María García Salceda)

Dear Paul,

I have to tell you something very important for us. It will be better for both of us to split up. You know that our relationship was always very formal, and we didn't actually want to marry each other. I think I was only trying to satisfy my desire to be happy all these years I lived alone.
But now that my lost love, Huw, has arrived, I think we have to say goodbye. I've found my past, and that's all I want now. I'm sorry, very sorry for this.
Yours forever, goodbye,
Megan

(By Adrián Rodríguez Ares)

Dear Paul,

I’m going to be honest: I finally have decided to marry Huw. You are one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever meet and I’m sure that you would be a great husband for me. In fact, we'd probably marry if all the things that have happened in the last moths hadn’t happened. But now that Huw is again in my life, I must listen to my heart. Life has given us a second chance and I can’t let him go away.

I only can say one thing: I’m sorry.

All the best,

Megan

(By Laura Alonso)

My dear Paul,

I'm writing this letter because I can't marry you
I have realised that I still love Huw. We have met again after fifty years and my feelings towards him are the same as when I was sixteen.
You are a good man and I am sure you will find another good woman.

I wish you good luck in your life.

My best wishes,

Megan

(By Emi Nielfa)

Dear Paul,

I'm sorry but I can't marry you because I love Huw and he loves me.
You have always been very good to me and I'm very sorry about this but you know that my heart always belonged to the father of my dear daughter, Beth.

I hope you'll be very happy and you will be able to forgive me.
Love,
Megan

(By Bego)

Dear Paul,

You already felt it at dinner, didn’t you?

You knew everything about my past with Huw because I had told you but you didn’t know, and I have understood today, that I still love him.

Happiness consists of allowing all the events to happen. Do you remember? You said it to me when we met and I’ve been very happy with you. I found in you a partner, an ideal friend to share the rest of my life with, but now this life offers me a second opportunity with my first and maybe my only love, with Huw.

I’m sorry, I’m hurting you but if we marry our life together would be a lie and you wouldn’t like it.

You deserve all my respect and I suppose that you prefer the truth though it is very painful. Time has come to say goodbye. I know you’ll be happy.

With love,

Megan

(By Marisol G.)

Dear Paul,

Sorry for leaving you but when I saw Huw I remembered many things and I fell in love with him again. I hope that you can forgive me.

All these years we have enjoyed ourselves a lot together and I have been in love with you but now I have become crazy about Huw.

I’ll never forget you.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Megan.

(By Andrés)

My dear Paul,

I am going to marry Huw because I love him, maybe not in the same way as I did when I was sixteen but now I know that he is the only one for me.

Although the years we have lost will never get back we still have time, we have a second chance.

You’ve made me feel good again but I don’t feel complete with you.

You’ll always be my best friend.

I’m sorry.

My best wishes.

Megan.

(By Florentina A.)

Homework for 2nd Year Intermediate Level students

2011-04-08T13:51:00.001+02:00

I’m afraid I’ll be on sick leave for some days (Click on this link to know when I’ll be back: EOI Avilés). You can do the following exercises in the meantime:

Future perfect simple / continuous

Grammar
Exercises ( 1,2,3)

Conditional Clauses

Grammar
Exercises (1,2,3,4,5)

Time Clauses

Grammar
Exercises (1,2,3,4,5)

Reported Speech

Grammar (1,2,3)
Exercises (1,2,3,4,5)

Modal Verbs

Past Modals

Exercises (1,2,3,4,5,6)

Verb Forms

Listening Comprehension

Listening Activities
More Listening Comprehension exercises
General Listening Quizzes
The Weather ( activities taken from Cristina's blog: Weather Forecast and song)
The Trial
As British as Fish 'n chips
Vegetarian Diets

Reading Comprehension

Writing

Giving your opinion: For and Against
Formal Letters
Business Letters and Emails
Letter examples (1,2,3)

José María reviews 'The children of the New Forest'

2011-03-27T13:53:00.013+02:00

Title: 'THE CHILDREN OF THE NEW FOREST`'

Author: Captain Frederick Marryat

Simplified ... by Michael West

Edited: London : Longman, 1976

Genre: Adventure

Level: Pre-intermediate

The Setting:

The CHILDREN OF THE NEW FOREST is a historical novel originally written for young people, by Captain Frederick Marryat and published for the first time in 1847. This book is a brief and simplified version of the original work.

The story takes place during the English Civil War (1642–1651) when the disputes between the Parliament and King Charles II ended with the rise of the puritans that were led by Cronwel. The Puritans were known as Round Heads due to the form of their hats.

King Charles was defeated and then executed by the rebels. Cronwel was made Lord Protector and Englan turned into a republican Commonwealth. Under his dictatorship, from then on, he initiated an implacable and cruel persecution of all his enemies: the suspects of loyalty to the King, the Catholics, the Scottish and the Irish people.

The New Forest, situated in the south of England, was and still remains , a Royal Forest, it has been used by the kings to go hunting. Nowadays it is a National Park.

The Plot:

Colonel Beverley, who died in the battle of Naseby, was loyal to the King. When the Rounds Heads burned their mansion in the New Forest, his orphaned children escaped a certain death, thanks to a loyal servant, an elderly forest guard. Pretending they were his own grandsons, the forest guard was able to protect the children's lives. In addition, the children, two boys and two girls, discover a new life in the forest and how to do things by themselves

The story continues with diverse vicissitudes and adventures throughout the history of England in those days, until the moment the Restoration by King Charkes III takes place 9 years later. The children, already adults, will recover then their family estate.

Conclusion:

In my opinion the novel is quite easy to read. I think the reading is pleasant and interesting since it hooks the reader until the end, at least to anyone who likes the historical novel. Although it is a brief version, the author's message remains clear enough He tries to instill the children in the Victorian era, values such as honor, loyalty and the spirit of self-sacrifice.

In short, it is an enjoyable novel, I recommend it.

Review by José María Yáñez

(2nd year basic level)

Once Upon a Time in America

2011-03-24T16:18:00.000+01:00

The following set of activities was designed for my intermediate level students at E.O.I. Aviles. While some of the tasks are quite easy, others are more challenging. As all of you have guessed by now, they are dedicated to the U.S.A. You can improve your English as well as your knowledge of the States at the same time.
Come on! Have a go! You don´t have to do all the exercises or follow a fixed order, you can pick up the ones you feel like doing from the index. I encourage you to try and do all of them, though.

and start a journey to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!

Patricia reviews 'David Copperfield'

2011-03-24T14:41:00.006+01:00

Title: David Copperfield

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Novel

Publisher: Macmillan

Level: Intermediate

Brief summary of the plot:

David Coperfield was born in 1820 in England. His father died before he was born, so he lives only with his mother, Mrs. Coperfield. Later, his mother marries Mr. Murdstone, who David thought that was a merciless man.

David began do worse in his studies, and Mr. Murdstone argued with him all the time. One day, David bit him, and Mr. Murdstone decided to send David to Salem-house.

When David’s mother died, he had to return to his house, and Mr. Murdstone sent him to a factory, in London. David managed to escape and go to Dover and look for his only known relative, his aunt: Besty Trotwood.

Personal opinion:

People who like novels like “Oliver Twist”will like this book. It is a highly entertaining read: the prominent figures appear and disappear constantly, this way you will not get bored while reading it. It is a great and heart warming book. I definitely recommend that you add this to your collection!

Arancha reviews 'My cousin Rachel'

2011-03-23T17:58:00.005+01:00

Review by Arancha Rodriguez Bernardo

'MY COUSIN RACHEL'
Author : Daphne du Maurier

This story was written by Daphne du Maurier and first published in 1951.
This edition was published in 1992 by Heineman elt publishing house at Intermediate level.
It is a thriller where feelings like love and economical interests are dangerously related.

Philip Ashley was only a child when his parents died. His cousin Ambrose, a rich and unmarried man twenty years older than him becomes his guardian and Philip his only heir.

When Philip is twenty two, Ambrose leaves to Italy and meets Rachel, a charming woman. He falls in love with her and they marry.
Everything is perfect until one day when Philip receives a letter from his cousin where he says he is very ill. When Philip arrives in Ambrose's house he has already died.
Signor Rainaldi, the man who arranges things for Ambrose and his wife (money, business…) explains to him that the reason of his death was a tumour he had in his brain.
But Philiph doesn’t believe it, he thinks there is something else, so he decides to meet Rachel and find out the truth.

What happened to Ambrose?
Have Rachel and Sr.Rainaldi something to do with it?

It is an entertaining story whose end is really unpredictable and surprising.
I definitely recommend it

Anai reviews 'The Call of the Wild'

2011-03-23T12:55:00.005+01:00

THE CALL OF THE WILD
JACK LONDON

Jack London was an American writer born in San Francisco in 1876. Towards 1897 he traveled to Alaska driven by the gold rush, this trip inspired many of his works, such as “White Fang”, which became a movie , and “The call of the wild” whose plot is about the return of a civilized being to their original state and fighting for survival.

“The Call of the Wild” is a story of a dog called Buck, who´s kidnapped and sold as a sled dog in Alaska. Buck has to learn to survive in the lands of Alaska, which are new and unknown lands to him. During his trip Buck has several masters, but of them all, the one who wins Buck´s love and loyalty is John Thornton. Another character in the book is about a wolf that represents the call of the wild. Buck has to decide whether to continue with Thornton or answer the call of the wild.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it´s a really entertaining read. I really liked the story, although it has scenes of violence and cruel struggle but I think this makes it more realistic, since it´s set in a harsh environment for both dog and man.

Olaya reviews The Sugar Glider'

2011-03-21T01:18:00.007+01:00

Book review by Olaya Cachero Villaverde

1º D Intermediate Level

'The Sugar Glider' (by Rod Nielsen) is an exciting adventure book set in Australia.

In this story, a pilot called Don comes back to that country in order to spend more time with his daughter and see his ex-wife.

However, when he arrives, Paul, a friend, offers him a suspicious job: to fly a mysterious cargo from Brisbane to Melbourne. But the plane has a defect and crashes, killing Paul. After that, they will have to fight to survive in the hottest part of Australia. Don discovers that it wasn’t an accident and what they really were carrying was Uranium. So he starts to think that this was not a job for the Government and tries to return to Brisbane, where he finally meets his ex-wife and her new lover, who is a selfish and wealthy businessman.

The main characters are:

Don Radcliffe: a pilot who returns to Brisbane hoping to rescue a failed marriage and to spend more time with his daughter Sylvia.
Don’s ex-wife, now in love with P. Forsha. She still seems to feel something for Don.
Judy Radcliffe is don’s daughter, aged 14. She is very intelligent and brave, always willing to take risks.
Paul Copeman is one of Don’s oldest mates. He needs to fly “The Sugar Glider”to the Melbourne air museum.
Patrick Forsha is a rich and selfish businessman. He started a relationship with Sylvia 6 months ago. Don hates him.

This book develops themes like: greed, environmental awareness, the Murri people (native Australians that traditionally occupied most of modern-day Queensland) and family values.

I believe that this book is worth reading because it is impossible to put it down. I enjoyed it very much, although it is sometimes a bit predictable.

My favorite chapter in this book is Accident because it describes in a very moving way Paul‘s tragic death. It is curious the way the writer expresses the character’s feelings and makes his readers get so involved with their situations.

This story reminds me of a civil war (due to all those problems related to the Murri people who demonstrated against the government ), family love (because ,despite the disadvantages, Don and his daughter keep together loving each other) and the power of truth (when Forsha’s partner realizes he’s not the honest man he pretends to be in front of her).

Sandra reviews 'Emergency Murder'

2011-03-21T00:22:00.004+01:00

Sandra Álvarez Artime 1º E

(1st year intermediate level)

Title: Emergency Murder
Autor: Janet McGiffin
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Cambrigde University Press
Level: Upper- intermediate

Summary of the plot:

The story happened at midnight at Mercy Hospital’s Emergency Room. A sick woman arrived; she was called Nanette Myer and died few minutes later because of a heart attack. Her doctor, Maxine Cassidy couldn’t do anything for her.

Nanette was Dr. Hank’s wife and he couldn’t believe the death of his wife because she was healthy. Maxine ordered an autopsy of the body and a blood test, where a poison called tetrodotoxin, which comes from puffer fishes, was found.

Maxine was the main suspect because she had used this poison for her research six months before at Marquette University where she shared her lab with other collages called Virginia and Aaron.

Virginia was a famous researcher who was trying to find out the cure for leprosy.

The detective who run the the case was called Grabowsky and with the help of Maxine they found a lot of interesting clues together. Because of this reason Maxine was attacked three times. Her life was in danger.

Nanette was wearing strange clothes and she had been seen talking with some people in a rough neighbourhood the day she died. The reason of her behaviour was that she was getting information for her university degree watching “street life”.

Finally, Maxine discovered that Nanette was killed by Virginia because she found out that Virginia was doing illegal experiments with homeless people.

Personal opinion

In my opinion, it is an entertaining book because it starts with a death and you don’t know who the murderer is until the end. This made me want to read more and more until I finished it.

I read it quickly because ,apart of being unpredictable, it had few pages and the vocabulary wasn’t very difficult. Moreover, between Maxine and Grabowsky there is an affectionate romance that I liked.

In conclusion I like it so much and my mark is a four. I recommend it to all the people who like thrillers with a little bit of love.

Yolanda reviews 'Two Lives'

2011-03-20T23:27:00.000+01:00

'TWO LIVES'

“Two lives” is a romantic story written by Helen Naylor and was first published in 2001 by Cambridge.

Set in a little coal miner village called Tredonald in Wales in 1946, the novel tells the story of two sixteen year old lovers, Megan and Huw, from different social backgrounds.

Megan Jenkins is a good girl who lives with her parents. She studies and works in the family´s shop in the town.

Huw Thomas lives with his father, David, and his brother, Gareth. He studies and works in the mine too, which is the principal source of jobs to people of the town. Their life is hard because they have to survive with little money.

This book shows how love and time can overcome the difficulties of life. The story is really wonderful, romantic and realistic. The reader should think that the story maybe a pain but nothing about this because he´ll find a fresh, sweet, interesting romance.

I think this book could be read by all kind of readers that want to keep a good story in their hearts.

Ángela reviews “The Thirty-Nine Steps”

2011-03-20T22:41:00.000+01:00

Review by Ángela Fernández Fernández-Avello

“The Thirty-Nine Steps”

By John Buchan. 1875-1940

Oxford Bookworms Library

Stage 4.

The author was a Scottish writer and politician who served as General Governor of Canada, and also worked as a correspondent in France for “The Times” when World War I began.

The main character of the book, Richard Hannay, is inspired by his close friend Edmund Ironside, an adventurer he had met in South Africa.

This is a thriller and adventure book, it tells the story of an adventurer and traveler who has just arrived in London from Africa and discovers an enormous secret about events that will lead to the First World War, having to escape from his enemies as they want to kill him.

He goes all over Great Britain trying to hide from them, he stays for a while on the Scottish moors as the police is chasing him too (for a murder he did not commit).

The book is very entertaining; it describes very well the main features of the characters and the place where the story is developed. The story has lots of action and is very surprising.

I recommend it because reading it is very enjoyable. It is so exciting that you will not want to stop reading until you get to the end.

Elena reviews 'In the Shadow of the Mountain'

2011-03-20T22:03:00.002+01:00

Elena Álvarez Martínez

Group: L (1st year intermediate level)

BOOK REVIEW

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

“In the Shadow of the Mountain”, written by Helen Naylor is mainly an adventure novel, although it contains features of romance and drama genre with intrigue and mystery.

The story is set in United Kingdom and Switzerland. Clare Newton is a British journalist who one day gets a call notifying her that her grandfather´s body had appeared in a glacier in Zermatt, Switzerland. After this, she discovers that there was a big mystery around her grandfather`s death and she decides to travel to Zermatt to bring home the body of her grandfather and to investigate his death.

During her stay in Zermatt, while she tries to collect some information, she meets Bruno and Ulrich Grunwalder, who will help her to know more of her grandfather’s life and death in Zermatt.

The story of mystery, love and adventure that Clare lives in Switzerland, changes her way of seeing life and her linkage with her grandfather.

In my opinion, “In the Shadow of the Mountain” is well worth reading because, in general, it´s an interesting an unpredictable novel. The personalities of the characters change with the plot and you discover the mystery and get to know the characters bit by bit. The plot keeps your attention just to the end.

I think that the best part of this book is the mysterious atmosphere and the way that the book grips you, but, I especially like Clare´s personality and the love story she lives.

From my point of view, the worst part of the novel is the end. I was expecting an overwhelming and breathtaking story at the end, something more surprising than the real end of the book.

In conclusion, it is a highly entertaining book for fans of intrigue and love stories and I definitely recommend that they add this book to their collection.

Studying in the US or in Britain?

2011-03-19T20:37:00.000+01:00

Listen to the speaker talking about the differences between the U.S. and British systems of education and do the following listening activities:

A Quick Biography of Barak Obama

2011-03-18T13:23:00.000+01:00

New York City comic book artist and songwriter/performer Jeffrey Lewis performs his "low budget video" about Barak Obama:

With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas,

Barack was born in the storms of our Honolulu Island/

From Jakarta to Hawaii to Columbia U. in New York,

where he studied International Relations and Political Science/

In the '80s, in his 20s, in Chicago, he did plenty,

working as director of Developing Communities/

He started job training programs and tenants' rights organizations,

where folks needed hope he helped at all opportunities/

After doing so much good for Chicago's poor neighborhoods,

Barack saw Europe and Kenya and learned the world is one home/

At Harvard Law School he was elected head of the Law Review,

and as its first black president he first became nationally known/

He kept fightin' for ya as a civil rights lawyer,

and at Chicago U. he taught Constitutional Law/

In the state legislature he worked on welfare and healthcare,

and he was elected to the US Senate in 2004/

As Senator, Barack opposed the wasteful war in Iraq,

he knows people need help more than big corporations/

What happens next is a guess, but I'm hoping that yes,

Barack Obama will become a great president of our nation.

Now you can do the following activity based on Obama's brief biography. You have to write questions about the US president. Click on the cartoon below.

Giving Directions

2011-03-10T10:01:00.000+01:00

Prepositions

Prepositions of place

Exercise

Prepositions of movement

Exercise

Click here and learn how to give directions in English

Interactive activities (1,2,3)

Practise with videos

Listening Comprehension

Find the house
Where are these places?

Asking the way (1,2,3,4)

City map reading activities

Activity 1 - Answers
Activity 2 - Answers

Pruebas Terminales de Certificación 2011

2011-02-27T14:35:00.001+01:00

Click on the following links to find information about the Certification Terminal Tests for Basic, Intermediate and Andvanced levels.

For further information about the tests, click here

If you click on the book cover below, you'll find several sample tests taken from the EOI Certificate exams that took place in Asturias in 2009.

Past Simple

2011-02-22T08:58:00.000+01:00

Use of English

Past Simple
Exercises
To Be (affirmative)
To Be (negative)
Regular verbs
More exercises (1,2,3,4,5,6)
Lists or irregular verbs with audio ( 1, 2)
Game
Past Tense listening practice

Click on the Full Screen option below to see the chart properly.

English Irregular verbs

Eating Out

2011-02-03T21:10:00.005+01:00

Click here and do a reading comprehension exercise.

Stonehenge

2011-01-08T23:27:00.000+01:00

Stonehenge is one of the most famous monuments in the world. It really is fascinating, sorrounded by mystery and a sort of magic. Click on the photo to get to know more about Stonehenge and practise your listening skills at the same time.

Silent Night

2010-12-24T12:39:00.000+01:00

190 years ago, the carol "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht" was heard for the first time in a village church in Oberndorf, Austria. The congregation at that Midnight Mass in St. Nicholas Church listened as the voices of the assistant pastor, Fr. Joseph Mohr, and the choir director, Franz Xaver Gruber, rang through the church to the accompaniment of Fr. Mohr's guitar. On each of the six verses, the choir repeated the last two lines in four-part harmony.
On that Christmas Eve, a song was born that would reach the hearts of thousands of people throughout the world.
It’s been translated into at least 44 languages and sung by untold millions every December from small chapels to great cathedrals.
During World War I, the carol was sung simultaneously in English and German by troops during the Christmas truce of 1914, as it was one of the few carols that soldiers on both sides of the front line knew.
The song has been recorded by over 300 artists, particularly successful in hit versions by Enya (sung in Irish), Andrea Bocelli or Bing Crosby.

Susan Boyle, the Scottish former church volunteer who first appeared on Britain's Got Talent and stunned the judges silly, offers us a beautiful version of Silent Night in her her record-breaking debut album I Dreamed a Dream.

Listen and enjoy.

If you feel like doing a fill in the gaps activity based on this widely-known song, click on its name.
Come on now, it's very easy!

Christmas Wishes

2010-12-16T17:06:00.001+01:00

I wish a merry Christmas for all of us and lots of nice surprises for next year.

After all, 2011 must be better than 2010, I can't see how it can be worse. And no , we don't want to see if things can go worse, we want a nice holiday to share with our family and friends , lots of presents , happiness and prosperity for next year, as usual.
Oh, I forgot, we'd like to win a good lottery prize just for once!

Love,

MJ

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It'd be nice if you wrote your own Chistmas greetings and sent them as comments. You just have to click on the comment icon below. Come on, Xmas is coming again; it's time to celebrate!

If you need some ideas, you can find them here.

Book Review

2010-12-14T22:34:00.004+01:00

When you finish your compulsory reading, you should write a review and send it to me for correction.

You will find more interesting reading material at English Story Reading Room. All the books there are available for free.

When you are ready to start writing your review ( 150-200 words), remember that it should be organized somewhat like this:

Introduction, which gives facts and background information concerning the book and its author.

Main body, usually made up of three parts. The first giving a concise outline of the plot, the second mentioning the main characters and their role in the story and thirdly any relevant themes the book touches upon while it unravels.

Conclusion, which should include any general comments and opinion as well as a positive or negative recommendation supported by reasons.

The style of your review or oral presentation very much depends on your audience, therefore it can either be formal or semi-formal. Present tenses are normally used as well as a variety of adjectives to make the speech more interesting.

Useful language: Recommendations

· It’s well worth reading

· It will change the way you think of….

· I wouldn’t recommend it because….

· It’s bound to be on the best sellers list

· I highly/strongly recommend it

· It’s a highly entertaining read

· It’s a bore to read

· It’s certainly at the top of my list of favourites

· Fans of this author will no doubt be thrilled with this latest edition

· It’s a must!

· Don’t bother with this one

· I definitely recommend that you add this to your collection!

Choose the vocabulary according to your level using adjectives and expressions like the ones below:

ELEMENTARY: amusing, boring, brilliant, enjoyable, exciting, funny, great, romantic, simple.

INTERMEDIATE: dull, entertaining, hilarious, moving, predictable, remarkable, shocking, surprising, tragic, unpredictable, violent, a cliffhanger, blackly funny, breathtaking, deeply moving, dull, heart warming...

Your can read the whole post giving advice about book reviews at our Library Blog, About Reading. Thanks to Mª José and Alison for their excellent tips.

If you feel like giving voice to your writings or to the texts you are reading, you can use this tool. It does not sound very natural, but it is not bad either. You can give it a try and see if you like it.

Imagine

2010-12-13T21:46:00.000+01:00

John Lennon was born in Liverpool in the autumn of 1940.

His early years were certainly not easy. His father worked away for long periods on a ship, and essentially he was raised by his aunt. As he did not have the guidance of his parents in his formative years, it is perhaps understandable that John Lennon became disruptive at school.
The turning point in his life though came when he developed a strong interest in skiffle, a type of rock and roll music, during his teenage years.
It was while playing for a skiffle band he had formed at school that he met Paul McCartney. The two struck up an immediate friendship, and developed a fine partnership, writing and composing songs. After performing under several band names the pair, along with George Harrison and Pete Best, settled on calling themselves The Beatles. The drummer, Pete Best, was replaced later by Ringo Starr, and soon afterwards The Beatles were signed by George Martin for EMI records.
Lennon and McCartney were the creative force behind the group, and the amount of quality material they produced was amazing. They began touring the world and were hugely popular, especially in the US.
Around 1966, Lennon met Yoko Ono. Although the couple were immediately attracted to each other, John was married to Cynthia Powell and they had a child.
John and Yoko eventualy married in 1969. In those early years together, they devoured a fair quantity of psychedelics such as LSD, and stories of violence towards one another were in the press.
In 1970, Paul McCartney left the Beatles, causing tension between himself and John. A year later Lennon released the hugely popular ‘Imagine’ album. Together he and Yoko campaigned for world peace. Calling for an end to the Vietnam War offended the American government deeply, and he nearly lost his green card as a result.
From 1975 to 1979, John Lennon produced no music of any real quality, preferring to stay at home with his young son Sean, whom Yoko had borne. If he had known what was to follow it is highly likely that he would have stuck with that peaceful lifestyle.
Unable to repress the musical genius inside himself, he wrote the excellent album ‘Double Fantasy’. On December 8, 1980, he was accosted by a young man outside his apartment in New York and asked to sign a copy of the album. When John returned to the apartment later that day, that young man, called Mark Chapman, shot and killed him.
Chapman received a life sentence for his madness, but the rest of the world lost a unique musical genius. Lets all be glad at least, that John gave us a taste of his magic.

"Imagine" ,which is one of his best-known songs, first appeared on his 1971 album, Imagine.

Lennon commented that the song was "an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted."

Yoko Ono commented "It's not like he thought, 'Oh, this can be an anthem,'"Imagine" was "just what John believed -- that we are all one country, one world, one people. He wanted to get that idea out."

Since its release, "Imagine" has appeared on many lists of favourite songs and influential songs; e.g. it is listed as the 3rd greatest song on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

If you want to enjoy this mythical song you can watch the video below.
You can also practise your listening and vocabulary skills with the following activities that I have found at Mª Jose´s Blog.

Present Continuos

2010-11-09T09:13:00.003+01:00

You can do the following exercises to practise the use of the present continuous tense.

Present Continuous (1,2)
Exercises (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

Scaring away.

2010-10-27T14:43:00.001+02:00

This video has nothing to do with learning English but it's so funny I just couldn't resist showing it to you.
Have a good laugh!
It can give you some ideas for Halloween.

Do you feel like playing some Halloween games? Click on the words and pumpkins below if you aren't too scared.

History of Halloween
History of Jack-O-Lantern

Consulta de notas on-line

2010-10-09T10:51:00.005+02:00

Puedes consultar las calificaciones de tus hijos introduciendo solamente tu NIF, NIE y la fecha de caducidad del mismo. Tienes que señalar a continuación el centro de tus hijos/as (en nuestro caso, Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Avilés), así como la fecha de nacimiento de los menores.
Este servicio tambien puede utilizarse para consultar las propias notas en el caso de los alumnos adultos.

Accede al servicio en www.asturias.es.

Consulta de notas académicas on-line

Requisitos:

Ser tutor legal de un alumno/a matriculado en esta EOI.
Ser alumno/a mayor de edad matriculado en esta EOI.

Datos necesarios para la consulta:

Identificación del solicitante.
Centro educativo.
Fecha de nacimiento del hijo/a.

Plazo de solicitud

Todo el año

Beginners ; Starting out.

2010-10-07T22:05:00.000+02:00

Hi! How're you doing?
My name is Mª Jesús and I’m you new English teacher.
What's your name?

Here you are, ready to start learning a new language and here I am , ready to do my best to help you reach your goal.
I'm not going to tell you it'll be easy, it will require patience and effort but , step by step, your English will improve and you will find out that you can have fun as well as you learn.

Come on! Let's start from scratch.

We are going to practise how to greet people and introduce ourselves with the following activities:

Dialogue
Watch the videos and then fill in the gaps.
Match the texts and the videos.
Uses of the verb to be, the personal pronouns and possessive adjectives.

Now let's practise with numbers:

Learn the numbers.
Listen to the numbers.
Write the numbers that you hear.
Number quizz.

You can find more exercises with numbers in the section called Kids.

Sean Conery is Bond, James Bond.

2010-10-07T13:50:00.000+02:00

I can't think of anyone better than James Bond to teach you how to introduce yourselves. He's the best, so ... pay attention, specially you, guys. You could lean one or two things from him. He can show you how to be classy, attractive and cool, real cool.
And you shouldn't miss that nice British accent of his. I love it!

Watch this video and see how James Bond introduces himself.

'What's his name? Who is he?'
'His name's Bond, James Bond.' ( Who else could he be? )

By the way ... do you like James Bond films? Who's the best James Bond ever? Do you prefer Sean Conery or Pierce Brosnan , or any of the others?
Why don't you send me a comment with your answers to these questions? I'd like to know your opinions.

Ver calendario escolar

2010-09-08T16:28:00.000+02:00

Summertime

2010-07-01T13:10:00.000+02:00

Yes, it's summer and we are on holiday. I think I need to unwind for a while, like all of you, so I won't be posting as often as usual. Anyway, you can find a good number of activities here to keep your English up to date. Dont't take your computer to the beach, though; it would be a bit freakish, don't you think?
Have a great holiday, will you? See you in September.

Summertime and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich and your ma is good lookin'
So hush little baby, don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're goin' to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky

But till that morning
There's a nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by

You ' re Beautiful

2010-06-19T21:37:00.004+02:00

"You're Beautiful" is a pop rock song co-written by British singer James Blunt, Sasha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam (2004).
Newspapers have claimed that "You're Beautiful" is about a former girlfriend of Blunt's, Dixie Chassay, casting director for the Harry Potter films, although Blunt refuses to confirm or deny this.
Blunt said of the song, "It's kind of miserable. It was about seeing my ex-girlfriend on the Underground in London with her new man, who I didn't know existed. She and I caught eyes and lived a lifetime in that moment, but didn't do anything about it and haven't seen each other since."
This song leaves hardly anyone indifferent : some people love it, other people find it annoying. What about you?
As it's not difficult to understand, you don't need to have a high level of English to do the listening and reading comprehension activities that follow.
You just have to click and do the exercises.

Drastic Difference in Accounts of Flotilla Raid

2010-06-06T09:56:00.010+02:00

Israel and Pro-Palestinian activists are taking turns giving their account of the flotilla raid, but the differences are drastic.

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Harry’s Final Battle.

2010-05-15T06:18:00.001+02:00

In a previous post I told you how much I like Harry Potter book series. It really has been a discovery for me. Who would have thought there was a parallel universe just round the corner?

Well, there is one; JK Rowling has made it up for us.
Whenever we open one of her books we enter a magic world ihabited by Harry himself, his hideous nemesis Lord Voldemort, his friends and foes, elves, goblins, giant squids and all sorts of mythical creatures.

Maybe the weird looking lady who lives next door is a witch (after all, you have always thought she looked like one) or that cute little child similing at you in the playground may be the next chosen one, the next boy who will live to become a hero and save the world from some sort o of megalomaniac creep.

Since there is always a Lord Voldemort trying to rule the earth and spoil the fun for the rest of us, who just want to make the most of our time in this crazy world, we could do with an army like Dumbledore’s.

Perhaps it is not too late and mankind has not become too cynical to believe in heroes any more.

In this series you have the good guys, you have the evil ones and then Severus Snape. There always seems to be more to him than meets the eye.

This mysterious outcast, always surly and sarcastic, with his silky cultured voice and his unkempt sinister looks, can't leave anyone indifferent, which probably explains why lots of readers love him with as much passion as others hate him. It is up to you to decide who is right. I have already made up my mind: he is the best and I could not care less whether he is good or bad.

Today I’m not going to write a review on any of the books, I’m going to encourage you to read the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and thus enter the parallel universe round the corner.
Come on, click on the title and read while you listen to Stephen Fry's compelling voice giving life to the characters.

I warn you that it’s a dark creepy chapter but, what could you expect when it is called : The Dark Lord Ascending ?

How I became a Harry Potter fan

2010-05-11T22:54:00.000+02:00

I'm crazy about Harry Potter. I've read all the books in the series and now that it's over I really miss the young wizard and his friends as well as his teachers and classmates. What's more, I even miss his nemesis Lord Voldermort and the creepy deatheaters.
If you want to know how and why I got hooked on these books, click on the wand below.

How to write an essay

2010-05-03T21:53:00.000+02:00

Writing Tips

View more presentations from anarosaleda.

Happy Mother's Day !

2010-05-03T12:17:00.000+02:00

Thank you for loving me,
Having me in.
All you have given
Now I hold within.
Kid in a vacuum
You made your own,
Or else I had been
Unborn and unknown.*

*Or, "Unloved and alone."

Poem by Nicholas Gordon

2010-04-28T10:13:00.000+02:00

Visit Helendipity Weblog to find interactive activities and work with the corresponding units of English File Upper Intermediate, our textbook. It's very useful and highly recommended.

Thank you very much, Helen, for sharing all those interesting materials with all the blogging comminity. Yours is an excellent blog.

Hi, E.S.L. Bloggers!

2010-04-22T09:08:00.000+02:00

My name is María Jesús Balán and I teach English at Avilés EOI.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to ESL Bloggers, my place on the blogosphere and , from now on, your place too. Make yourselves at home!
There are so many people , like you and I , who use English as their second language ! Many people who like listening to music, watching their favourite films or series, reading books, surfing the net , talking to others and making new friends ...
When we start learning a new language, we all think that we´ll never be able to understand fims which aren´t dubbed , or read books, or chat in the language we are learning. Sometimes it may seem hard to reach your goal but never doubt that you´ll succeed , as long as you keep trying , because the only key to success is practice, practice and more pratice.
This blog wants to offer you the chance to practise your English and ... why not ? have some fun sharing and talking about some of the things you enjoy.

10 blogs worth browsing

2010-04-21T11:40:00.015+02:00

Our blog has been chosen as one of their ten selected Blogs worth visiting by our fellow bloggers Saro Rosales and Chiew N Pang. This mention means a lot to me, specially when it comes from two people who are doing such great work and whose blogs, Saro Rosales and A click to Climb are excellent.
This is part of an interesting inititiative called "Vale la pena ficar de olho nesse blog!", whose aim is to introduce a selection of blogs that you consider really interesting and valuable.
These are the ones I have chosen, among all the great ones I have come across throughout the blogosphere.
Visit them, they are really worth it!

Finding the Famous ‘Afghan Girl’

2010-04-15T19:17:00.007+02:00

Check out this great MSN Video: Finding the Famous ‘Afghan Girl’

She was one of the world's most famous faces, yet no one knew who she was. Her image appeared on the front of magazines and books, posters, lapel pins, and even rugs, but she didn't know it. After searching for 17 years, National Geographic has once again found the Afghan girl with the haunting green eyes.

The mysterious Afghan girl whose direct gaze has intrigued the West for so long is Sharbat Gula. She lives in a remote region of Afghanistan with her husband and three daughters.

Sharbat was located nearly two decades after her picture appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985. She had no idea her face had become an icon, said Steve McCurry, the photographer who made the famous portrait for National Geographic in 1984, and who tried to find her again during many subsequent trips he made to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In January 2002, a National Geographic team returned to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan, where Sharbat Gula was originally photographed, to search for her. She was identified through a series of contacts that led to her brother and husband, who agreed to ask her if she was willing to be interviewed.

Sharbat has been photographed on only two occasions: in 1984 and at the reunion with Steve McCurry. She had never seen her famous portrait before it was shown to her by the photographer.

2010-04-13T14:23:00.007+02:00

Special English offers you a very interesting course to learn American English while you watch videos or listen to real news taken from radio programmes. Click here and visit this great site.

Molly Malone

2010-04-12T19:57:00.000+02:00

Molly Malone is a song I've always loved, since the very first time I heard it without undesrtanding a word. It makes you think of longing and people and things you have lost.
This popular song tells the story of a pretty fishmonger who tried to make her living in the streets of Dublin. There is no evidence the real Molly ever existed but the legend says she lived in the 17th century.
Anyway, this song has become the unoficial anthem of Dublin City and it is simply beautiful.

Click here and practise you vocabulary and listening skills with this delightful song.

Writing Emails in English

2010-04-08T10:39:00.010+02:00

Electronic mail, most commonly abbreviated email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages.
An electronic mail message consists of two components, the message header, and the message body, which is the email's content. The message header contains control information, including, minimally, an originator's email adrress and one or more recipient addresses. Usually additional information is added, such as a subject header field.
Emails are a fast way to communicate for business and pleasure. In this post you'll find useful hints and tips to write better emails in English.

Parts of Email
Here are the fields of the Email defined with example texts

Example Subjects

The Subject is more important than the email itself, it should be focused, clear and informative.

Strong Subjects:

Invitation to the ABC Conference, Nov 2009
Application for Account Manager Position #413 – Jane Smith CV
Agenda for the meeting on Monday, 10am
Party Invitation for John, Sally and Martin
Updates on the building plans
Meeting scheduled for Oct 15, Thursday @ 10am
Great craft ideas using recyclable materials

Weak Subjects:

[blank]
Hi, Hello, How are you?
First line of the email message
Words to avoid: Help, Percent Off, Reminder, Free

Example Greetings:

Dear [name],
Hi [name],
Hi,
Hello [name],
Hello,
To whom it may concern,

Example Opening Sentences

Following our phone conversation, I am sending you…
Attached please find the documents you requested regarding…
In regards to the upcoming pilot program, I have listed below the tasks and deadlines that need to be completed.
Further to our last discussion, I would like to bring to your attention the following issues:
As we agreed, there will not be …
Please reconsider our proposal for …
In response to your job post for Marketing Director, please find below a brief overview of my skills. I have also attached my CV for your review.

Example Email Information in Detail: details, information and actions required.

Here is the detailed list:
In addition to the attached agenda, please click on this link http://www...
To register for the online event, please go to...

Example Closing Sentences

I look forward to your reply.
Thank you for the time you have taken to review my candidacy for the position.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you, in advance, for your time.
I await receipt of the information we discussed.
Please forward me the exact information.

Example Sign-offs before the Signature: identify yourself, company and contact information.

Sincerely,
Thank you,
Best Regards,
Thanks,

Signature

Name
Title, company name
Email
Phone/Fax
Web Address

Click here for more example emails.

Job Interview Thank you
Job Cover Letter
Request For Update on a Pilot

Email Features

There are many features that are included in emails; here I will highlight just a few important ones.

Spelling: Always proofread before sending: spelling, punctuation and grammar. [F7]

Insert: Since emails are filtered here are a few tips regarding attachments and links:

Keep file sizes small.
ZIP or PDF attachments (exe, jpg, xls, doc are sometimes considered spam).
When replying, do not resend attachments again.
Use links whenever possible to files that are stored online or in shared folders.

Options: If the email is very important, under options request a read receipt, this way you can ensure the email has arrived at its destination.

Reply to All: Stop and think before hitting reply to all sometimes you may just need to hit reply.

The information in this post has been taken from Wikipedia and Learn English on line

Tips for Everyday life

2010-04-07T11:37:00.008+02:00

BBC raw is a very interesting site where you will find loads of useful information, advice and tips for everyday life issues like money, shopping, computers, reading, etc.
The articles are really interesting and they are dealt with in an informal way, which is fun to read, listen and watch. You'll also find a lot of videos and audio files which will help you improve your listening as well as you reading skills. There is even a section dedicated to writing.
If you need subtitles to understand the videos, they are also available just by choosing the subtitle option when you play them. So, what are you waiting for? Click on the picture above and enter BBC raw!

Get that Job

2010-04-06T12:36:00.012+02:00

BBC Learning English is full of activities and quizzes which can help you improve your knowledge of career-related vocabulary and offer some tips on things like how to write a good CV , a letter of application or do well in an interview.

You can work your way through the site step by step, from 'Job Search' to 'Interviews' - just click on 'What's next?' on the right of the page each time you have completed an activity. Or you can go straight to whichever units are of most interest to you by using the links you will find at the top of the page.

English Listening Lounge

2010-04-06T12:17:00.002+02:00

English Listening Lounge is an excellent site where you can find activities to practise your listening skills. They are organised according to their level of difficulty. You just have to click on the logo above and start listening.

Redemption Song

2010-03-20T11:52:00.000+01:00

Redemption Song

When Bob Marley wrote this song in 1979, he was already in a lot of pain from the cancer he suffered. It's spiritual theme was problably the result of his struggle with illness. This song is a chant to freedom , freedom from all kinds of slavery , specially the most important one : that of the spirit.

Watch the video and then do the following exercises:

2010-03-18T15:59:00.013+01:00

"Hello, Goodbye" is a song written by Paul MacCartney, although the songwriting credit is Lennon/McCartney. It was first recorded by the English rock band The Beatles. The song was released as a single in November 1967, and topped the charts in both the United States and Britain,where it spent seven weeks at number one.

With the release of the song, McCartney gave an explanation of its meaning in an interview: "The answer to everything is simple. It's a song about everything and nothing. If you have black you have to have white. That's the amazing thing about life."

If you want to do some listening practice with "Hello, Goodbye", watch the video and then do the exercises. (This activity belongs to Ana Carmen, form Oviedo EOI)

Cinema and Literature

2010-03-16T19:30:00.012+01:00

In the history of cinema, many novels have been turned into films with really different outcomes. How much do you know about novels and movies?
If you are interested in either of them or both, you can visit our EOI Library and see the exhibition dedicated to cinema and literature. Also, you can take part in our on-line contest about this topic and show us how much of a movie buff you are.

Do not forget to sent the form with your answers, you name and e-mail address before the 16th of April if you want to win one of the prizes.
Click here for more details on this contest.

The Black Pearls

2010-03-16T14:34:00.005+01:00

After doing all the past tense exercises in the previous post, and the ones in your workbook (File 5), you can start reading 'The Black Pearls', our compulsory book.
Read chapters 1-4 and do the exercises here.

Book Review

2010-03-16T10:05:00.014+01:00

When you finish reading 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' , our compulsory reading, you should write a review and send it to me for correction.
You can read the book on-line if you like, you just have to click here.
You will find more interesting reading material at English Story Reading Room. All the books there are available for free.

When you are ready to start writing your review ( 150-200 words), remember that it should be organized somewhat like this:

Introduction, which gives facts and background information concerning the book and its author.

Conclusion, which should include any general comments and opinion as well as a positive or negative recommendation supported by reasons.

The style of the presentation very much depends on your audience, therefore it can either be formal or semi-formal. Present tenses are normally used as well as a variety of adjectives to make the speech more interesting.

Useful language: Recommendations

· It’s well worth reading

· It will change the way you think of….

· I wouldn’t recommend it because….

· It’s bound to be on the best sellers list

· I highly/strongly recommend it

· It’s a highly entertaining read

· It’s a bore to read

· It’s certainly at the top of my list of favourites

· Fans of this author will no doubt be thrilled with this latest edition

· It’s a must!

· Don’t bother with this one

· I definitely recommend that you add this to your collection!

Choose the vocabulary according to your level using adjectives and expressions like the ones below:

Your can read the whole post giving advice about book reviews at our Library Blog, About Reading. Thanks to Mª José and Alison for their excellent tips.

Homework for 1st Year Basic Level students

2010-02-28T16:27:00.047+01:00

I’m afraid I’ll be on sick leave for some days (Click on this link to know when I’ll be back: EOI Avilés). You can do the following exercises in the meantime:

Use of English

Past Simple
Exercises
To Be (affirmative)
To Be (negative)
Regular verbs
More exercises (1,2,3,4,5,6)
Questions
Lists or irregular verbs with audio ( 1, 2)
Game
Past Tense listening practice

Click on the Full Screen option below to see the chart properly.
English Irregular Verbs

Present Continuous (1,2)
Exercises (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

Listening Comprehension

Listening Comprehension for Beginners
Activities ( 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
OM Listening Comprehension exercises
Real English

Reading Comprehension

Exercises for beginners
Shopping
Buying a sweater
Exercises (1,2)

Vocabulary

2nd Term Tests

2010-02-24T12:35:00.002+01:00

1st Year Basic Level:

17th February : Listening Comprehension
23rd February: Reading Comprehension + Writing

2nd Year Intermediate Level:

17th February : Reading Comprehension + Writing
23rd February: Listening Comprehension

Past Simple

2010-02-21T17:40:00.000+01:00

Click on the title below and you'll find exercises to practise the use of past simple tense in English.

Passive Voice

2010-02-09T20:07:00.001+01:00

Study the following presentation and then do some exercises to practise the passive voice in English.
Passive Voice

View more presentations from Carmen Torres.

Now click here and do the exercises.

Pep Guardiola's song

2010-02-07T11:09:00.014+01:00

Pep Guardiola is F.C. Barcelona's coach.
Pep Guardiola's favourite song is: "Viva la vida" by Coldplay. He loves it because he likes Coldplay, he always listens to it before leaving the bus for before each match and he lets his players listen to this song to motivate them.
That's the reason why they got the triple!

2010-02-04T12:45:00.000+01:00

Written communication in a foreign language is no simple task and it requires a lot of practise. However, there is nothing we cannot achieve if we try real hard.
Good news! You can even enjoy yourself while you learn, cause sharing stories has been and always will be a source of pleasure and fun.
This is what my 2nd year intermediate level students at Avilés EOI have written for their short story writing assignment. I had a very good time reading them and I can say it takes a great deal of creativity and imagination to produce such nice pieces of writing.
I encourage you to read them and send some commets to the writers. People who try to do their best to put words together and express what their imagination has produced always appreciate comments from the readers.

Never Twice ( by Juan José González Muñiz)

2010-02-03T17:17:00.009+01:00

The sun was nearly set. Judging by the piles of ruins which could be seen, in former times, there surely existed huge buildings in that place, buildings which were the pride of the people who lived there. Nowadays, only the ruins remained; the bushes and the trees grew among them and were slowly hiding their old splendour.
Park, a boy about fifteen years old, walked with difficulty along the old streets full of stones, bricks, wood, plastic, rubble…
He was coming back home after spending a day searching for food. He lived with a small group of people. They were survivors of the disaster that had destroyed humanity. The governments of big and small countries alike had paid attention to the development of atomic weapons.
Powerful countries did so to defend themselves against other powerful ones. The small countries did the same to defend themselves against the small ones. All the countries, big or small, followed the same policy, which they called “Secure Mutual Destruction”. They thought that it was the best policy to ensure security and peace in the world.
Everything started with a minor problem of borders between two small countries, which didn’t hesitate to use small tactic missiles with a small nuclear head. The situation got worse with the intervention of their protectors. The flaws in their self defence and communication systems lead to a massive use of nuclear weapons in order to ensure each country’s security. So, thousands of missiles flew in all directions destroying major towns and storage silos.
Human and animal life was destroyed. Only a few groups survived isolated, without contact.
Park came into the shelter, he left the roots that he had picked up and went to meet Anuk. Anuk was in his eighties and lived apart in a small hut. Park had always liked him. He usually spent a long time sitting in a corner listening to old stories about life before the disaster and Anuk would explain how things worked. The rest of the group thought he was to blame for the disaster because he had been working in a nuclear investigation centre.
That day, Park couldn’t find him. He went back to the shelter and asked where he was. He froze at the answer. Anuk had been executed because they found out he had built a wheel to carry wood to his hut.
The group had decided on his execution because they thought that could be the start of a new scientific development, and they couldn’t allow it because it might lead to another disaster. So, they didn’t hesitate and killed him.

Three o'clock

2010-02-01T12:10:00.003+01:00

It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rang.

She got out of bed and run to the kitchen, where the phone was. The feeling of her bare feet on the cold floor kept her awake as she made her way to the kitchen.

She picked it up and answered, but nobody said a thing. She hung up the phone very annoyed, went back to bed and tried to catch the dream she was having. No chance. It was the best dream she’d ever had and some stupid phone call suddenly ended it. She couldn’t even remember what the dream was about!

As soon as she closed her eyes, the phone started ringing again. Two past three in the morning now. She hadn’t got to the kitchen when the phone stopped ringing.

She went back to bed, locked her bedroom door and closed her eyes. The phone rang again, but this time she decided to let it ring until it eventually stopped.

All of a sudden, when she was happily sleeping, she woke up.

It was one minute to three in the morning. Would the phone start ringing?

The Nightmare

2010-01-31T22:56:00.001+01:00

Everyting started with a big explosion, the shock wave travelled along the shuttle and all the alarms went off; it was the signal that something was wrong...really wrong and, possibly, that was only the beginning.

John, the co-pilot of “Universe” aircraft jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed and ran to the cockpit.

When he arrived there he found that the noise was not a false alarm, that it was a real disaster. A lot of buttons on the instrument panel were flashing, the master alarm was beeping every single second, one screen showed data from the central pc informing of malfunction in both engines and Muller, the pilot, was on the ground unconscious.

John was terrified; the shuttle was out of control and had started to fall down. Quickly, he took the controls and struggled to lift the shuttle, but it was impossible, the aircraft was hopeless and the probability to survive the impact was null.

He connected the loudspeaker and informed all the crew they had to abandon the shuttle on the escape capsules.

Unfortunately, it was too late and only a couple of seconds later the shuttle exploded and that was the end...

- “John, wake up please, we have a problem”- When John opened his eyes he understood that the accident had been a nightmare – “what's happened?”
- “John, we need you, we have a little problem. We've detected a malfunction in the engines, the cockpit's door is closed and Muller doesn’t answer us”
- In that moment, John´s face suddenly changed, and he only gave and a simple order:
- “Run to the escape capsules!!!”

It was three o'clok in the morning when....

2010-01-31T22:13:00.008+01:00

It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rang. I was sleeping and it was freezing outside.
«Who is calling me at this hour?», I wondered.
I got out of bed and ran quickly to pick up the phone. In that moment, the phone stopped ringing. As soon as I checked it, I realised that it was a private call.
I went back to bed and I fell asleep but, suddenly, the phone rang again.
«This cannot be happening to me», I shouted loudly while the phone bell stopped ringing.
Five calls later, I decided to disconnect the phone so that I could finally rest.
The next morning I came across my friend Peter, who was laughing at me, so I asked him why he was so amused. He said that he’d just read a fantastic joke but I didn’t believe him. Then he told me that the night before he’d been calling to a random phone number just to play a prank.
«You are silly», I said, «You were calling me, cabbagehead».

IT WAS THREE O´CLOCK IN THE MORNING WHEN THE PHONE RANG...

2010-01-31T15:43:00.004+01:00

It was three o´clock in the morning when the phone rang,

“Jeff?, This is Mrs Sweet, your neighbour. Sorry for calling so late, but I have heard a noise and it seemed that someone was trying to get into your garage…”.

I started to think that it could be a burglar. That night I had been watching the news, and they talked about a dangerous mugger who had just escaped from the city prison.

I felt terrified, and immediately, I went downstairs to the study where I kept my baseball bat.

After that, I headed for the garage straight away to face the burglar. When I arrived at the garage I could see an enormous shadow opposite me and it scared me.

Finally, I decided to move closer and I could see my terrifying murderer…It was Mrs. Sweet´s cat, Puppy, which had come into my garage for the umpteenth time.

Tomorrow night I’ll probably cut my phone line.

Kids

2010-01-31T13:37:00.000+01:00

This section is dedicated to all your beloved little devils : your children , your younger brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews , etc.
I have two young children myself and I'd like them to improve their English having as much fun as possible while they learn. There are so many games and interactive activities on the Internet which can make this task much easier, and of course, fun !
Everybody knows how much kids love computers, so why don't you invite them to give the following activities a try?

Activities for children:

The Alphabet

Learn the Alphabet
Watch this video
Listen to the Alphabet Song
Game: Alphabet Antics
Game: ABC Gulp

The body

Name the following parts of the body
Game: Click and drag
Came: Match these parts of the body 1
Game: Match these parts of the body 2
Game: Match these parts of the head

The Numbers

Count with Number Train
Numbers 1-100
Learn the Numbers 1-10
Numbers 10-100

Time

Let's learn how to tell the time!

What's the time, please?

8.00 _______It's eight o'clock _________________________________________It's eight
7.45 _______It's a quarter to eight ___________________________It's seven forty-five
6.05 _______It's five past six _____________________________________It's six oh five
3.25 _______It's twenty-five past three _____________________It's three twenty-five
4.30 _______It's half past four ____________________________________It's four thirty
5.55 _______It's five to six. ___________________________________ It's five fifty-five
4.40 _______It's twenty to five ____________________________________It's four forty

Telling the time

Days of the week

Months

Crossword

Animals

Game

It was three o'clock in the morning when the phone rang

2010-01-30T15:13:00.000+01:00

It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rang. It was my brother-in-law telling me that my first nephew had just been born. What marvellous news! He also told me that my sister and the baby were all right. I still remember that night, I was so nervous… I could hardly hold back my tears.
At about nine o’clock in the morning I went to the hospital, I wanted to meet Andrés, which was going to be his name. He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen.

Now he is twenty and, of course, he is still my favourite nephew. We get on really well.
From my point of view, having your first nephew, especially if you haven’t had children yet, is a wonderful experience. You can play with him, buy him a lot of presents and let him do nearly everything. Fortunately, you don’t have to bring him up yourself.

The difficult part starts when you have your own children, then you are their mother, not their aunty, and you mustn’t allow them to do whatever they want. It’s time to help them grow up into sensible men or women.

Maybe, when I become a grandmother, I’ll be able to spoil children again. It will be fun.

Planet 51

2010-01-30T00:20:00.001+01:00

One of your classmates, Vanessa has sent me this nice video. It's the trailer for a new film called Planet 51. It's easy to understand and really funny. Why don't you watch it and then try to answer the questions below? Come on, you can do it!

Where is Planet 51?
Life in Planet 51 is ___________
the children are ___________
Everything is __________
What is coming to Planet 51?
Where does the visitor come from?
What will happen to the little alien boy if he doesn't open his mouth wide?
Does the alien dog remind you of something?

Mini Sagas

2010-01-29T12:48:00.050+01:00

A mini saga is a story which must be told in exactly 50 words. The original idea came from science fiction writer Brian Aldiss and the British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' has run several mini-saga competitions so far.
My 2nd year intermediate level studens at Aviles EOI have written their own mini sagas and would like to share them with you. Read and enjoy.

A Holiday Romance

“Each 28^th of August I’ll be on this beach waiting for you. This isn’t a holiday romance. It’s everlasting love ”.

August 28^th 2009.

A man was scattering his wife’s ashes into the sea while another one was walking along the seashore and waiting for someone, like every summer since 1980.

By Susana Fonseca

The Lie

-"I'm Frank Tierney. What's your name, lovely?".
Three hours later they were having their last drink in a club, after a delicious dinner in the most romantic restaurant ever. Suddenly, when they were just about to jump into a cab, his phone rang:
-" Marc, darling, are you gonna be long?".

By María Fernández

Never Again

“Things don’t usually happen twice”.

Robert’s so worried about this fact that he always carries a camera. His wife says he’s obsessed.

Last September they suddenly came across Brad Pitt in Avilés. Robert took a photograph of his wife with the actor. Now, she always says: “Remember to bring the camera”.

By Nacho Pulido

"I'm gonna give up smoking"
Can anyone fulfil this resolution? I think it’s nearly impossible, at least for me.

Although I gave up smoking twenty years ago, I’m not sure if I will pick it up again. Most of us make the same mistakes once and again, even though we know how dangerous they are.

By Susana Fonseca

She got the long-awaited e-mail, it said that they had found a man who fit the description of her ideal man she had given them.

She´d spent too many years lonely, so she´d decided to go to that dating agency.

There was just a problem, the man was her ex-husband.

By Patricia Pérez Ordóñez

Revision Exercises for Elementary Students

2010-01-29T11:59:00.000+01:00

Click on the link below to do some listening, grammar and vocabulary activities realated to aspects we have learnt in our classes, such as the Present Simple, 3rd person singular, Saxon genitive, the familiy,the days of the week, etc..)

Who are they?

2010-01-28T12:24:00.000+01:00

You are going to describe famous people and you classmates have to guess who they are. You only have to write a short paragraph about a celebrity and other people may send comments saying who they think each person is.

Guess who!

2010-01-28T11:54:00.000+01:00

Look at the descriptions of the celebrities when they were children.

Who is he ?

He's very thin and has short dark straight hair with a fringe. He has fair skin and in the picture he looks happy. He's wearing a white t-shirt under a spotted white shirt and a dark vest. I've decided to describe him because he looks like my husband when he was nine.

Guess who!- Adrian's turn

2010-01-28T11:53:00.000+01:00

He's Marilyn Manson!
Now it's my turn:
She looks very young in her photo, she's blonde, and she's wearing a very beautiful dress.
Who do you think she is?

Emi ' s turn

2010-01-28T11:52:00.000+01:00

She is slim. She has hazel eyes. She has short curly hair. She is wearing a dark sweater and I think that she is wearing white earrings. She's wearing silver or golden jewellery round her neck. Nowadays she is a famous actress. She loves Manolo's shoes and Mr. Big too. I saw her in "Sex and the City" . Who is she?

Any's Description

2010-01-28T11:51:00.000+01:00

He's a famous footballer.He plays in a Spanish team. He's tall. He has short, dark hair. He's good-looking. He lives in Madrid with his wife, and his four boys. It's very easy....
Who is he?

Chema's Description

2010-01-28T11:43:00.000+01:00

Very easy!
She's a pretty actress. She's not very tall. She has dark hair. She lives in America, but she's Spanish.

Who is she?

Reyes's Description

2010-01-28T11:41:00.000+01:00

He isn't tall and his hair is dark. He's Spanish and speaks other languages. He drives very well and he is very fast.

Who is he?

Yolanda's Description

2010-01-28T11:33:00.000+01:00

He´s a famous politician. He´s tall and thin. He has short, brown hair. He´s Spanish. He´s married and he has two daugthers. His wife sings in a chorus.
Who is he?

Carmen's Description

2010-01-28T11:32:00.002+01:00

He´s a famous man, he´s tall and good-looking. He´s English, but he works in many countries in the world.
This man has many partners, and kisses very well, this man drives a fantastic Bently and many other luxurious cars
He´s a womanizer. He's a really hot man.

Stereotypes

2009-11-26T13:48:00.015+01:00

I've foud the following post at Tripadvisor.com and I think it's quite interesting.

Why don't you read it and then write your opinion about it?
What is your idea of the typical Spanish citizen, if such citizen exists, and what are Spanish people really like?

Click on the picture below and read the post:

The Truth About Spanish Stereotypes

The French

And what about our neighbours? What do you think of the French? Click here and you'll find several listening comprehension and vocabulary activities based on this topic.

Glacier Collapse Video

2009-11-25T19:29:00.000+01:00

Watch this amazing video that Chema, one of your classmates, has sent me and see a huge glacier move and collapse right before the onlookers' eyes!

Now answer the following questions:

What did they hear before they arrived at the lake?

What caused the sounds they heard?

Did they imagine what was going to happen?

Were the people frightened at the beginning?

When did the crowd realise that it was really dangerous?

Did the people have time to react?

How long did it take for the whole mountain of ice to fall down?

Was anybody injured when they were swept by the huge wave?

What caused the wave?

Did anybody die when they were pounded against the rocks ?

Countries and Nationalities

2009-11-17T11:39:00.000+01:00

Click here and do the exercises