Xmas Is Coming...

Dear All,
since Xmas time is approaching, here's a link to a webpage with Xmas stories Enjoy!

Against Sexist Violence

I hardly ever publish posts that do not have to do with English, but this time I'm making an exception. This video was shown on TV on Thursday and I think everybody should see it.

I wonder, have we come a long way?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is celebrated today in the US. (In Canada, they celebrate it on the second Monday in October). Watch this video and google "Thanksgiving" to learn more about this festivity.

Problems with English

I came across a good English Blog and saw this hilarious video on people learning English and having different problems.
Which problem do you identify with: grammar, proverbs, spelling, stress...?

Enjoy!

Speaking of Stereotypes...

Heaven
is where the police are all British,
the cooks are all French,
the mechanics are all German,
the lovers are all Spanish,
and everything is organized by the Swiss.

Hell
is where the police are all German,
the cooks are all British,
the mechanics are all French,
the lovers are all Swiss,
and everything is organized by the Spanish.

Please empathize with teachers...

Sideburns

Now that we're learning vocabulary to describe people, I found this curious...
(The name of the guy, in case you don't understand it, is Ambrose Burnside, American Civil War General)

On EEOOII

Here's the link to the article I told you about

Recommendations

Dear All,

here are some of the recommended books (for the Intermediate level) you asked me about:

GRAMMARS

Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use, Intermediate. Third Edition. Cambridge University Press.

Malcolm Mann and Steve Taylore-Knowles, Destination B1. Grammar and Vocabulary. Macmillan

John Eastwood, Oxford Practice Grammar. Intermediate. Oxford University Press.

VOCABULARY

English Vocabulary in Use, Cambridge University Press. (There are three different levels)

DICTIONARIES

Collins Master Dictionary. (Bilingual)
Diccionario Oxford (Bilingual)

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Monolingual)
Oxford Learner's Theasurus (Synonyms and antonyms)
Phrasal Verbs Plus. Macmillan (Phrasal verbs)

Blowin' in the Wind

Some songs will never be outdated. Here's a cover of Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" sung by a beautiful voice

The importance of long and short vowels...

All - Preparing for oral exams

Hi everybody!
This is an old post I keep re-posting at the end of every academic year:

Here is a link to interesting pages that can help you prepare for the oral exam. You will find audio exercises and vocabulary.
And one more page to check conversation strategies here.

Please remember the following important aspects:
- Do not forget to include any of the points you're given, even if you organize them in the order you wish.
- Try to build your monologue around some kind of structure (temporal development, advantages and disadvantages, comparison and/or contrast, etc.)
- Link the different sections of your monologue with connectors (cause, consequence, contrast, finality, concession, etc.)
- In the dialogue, remember that you should be able to make suggestions, agree and disagree with people, and to reach some kind of conclusion, even if you cannot reach agreement.
- Forget about the presence of the examiners, we will be just virtual shapes and ears in the room ;-) If you feel comfortable by looking at your partner, do so and "ignore" the examiners.
- Try the best of your pronunciation, pleeeeeease. I've insisted too much on those "l"s in could, should, etc.; those "z"s in zoo, those "c"s in center, certainly, etc., the pronunciation of the past and participle in regular verbs, etc., etc... ;-)

Hope that helps!

Attend University in English ... without leaving your home

Hi there!

I just checked the blog of a colleague from Asturias and saw a great link posted there. If you want to listen to English while learning about some academic subject, you can visit www.academicearth.org

Thanks, Javier!

Brit vs. US movies

Hi there!

esp. dedicated to those of the NA1 who want to create a group to go to the movies... (thx Philipp!)

All - Sing along (good for pronunciation)

Hi there!
My colleague Yolanda has given me a very good recommendation: a web page where you can listen to the songs, see the videos and read the lyrics of different bands and singers.

Thanks a lot, Yolanda! I'm sure the students will appreciate it ;-)

Ken Lee

Hope you don't do "Ken Lees" in the oral exams!

All - Eco-friendly cleaning products

Clean Green: How To Clean Your House Without Harming The Environment

Check this video out!

Relative Clauses

Complete each sentence using a relative clause with a preposition. Choose from the list below:

we went to a party last night
I work with some people
you can rely on Gary
I applied for a job
I saw you with a man
we were invited to a wedding
you told me about a hotel

Example: Are these the books you were looking for?

2. Unfortunately, we couldn't go to the wedding ........
3. I enjoy my job. I like the people ........
4. What's the name of that hotel ......?
5. The party ........... wasn't very enjoyable.
6. I didn't get the job .........
7. Gary is a good person to know. He's somebody ..........
8. Who was that man .......... in the restaurant?

(Source: English Grammar in Use. Intermediate. OUP)

I Need to Relax...

Amazing story

Here's a recommendation from Marta Jiménez. It's really amazing!!!! Thx, Marta!

All - Revise Phrasal Verbs

Dear All,

it's a good idea to revise phrasal verbs from time to time.
Follow this link.

If the American People ever allow the banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers occupied. The issuing power of money should be taken from the bankers and restored to Congress and the people to whom it belongs. I sincerely believe the banking institutions having the issuing power of money are more dangerous to liberty than standing armies. We are completely saddled and bridled, and the bank is so firmly mounted on us that we must go where they ill guide.

---Thomas Jefferson
(Thanks Marta!)

All - Speaking

Hi there!

Here's a link to an interesting project developed by the EOI at Málaga. You can listen to various students telling a story in the different levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. As you know, our assessment criteria at the EOI are based on this "Framework." Remember that the correspondences are:

CEFR EOI
A1 - NB1
A2 - NB2
B1 - NI2
B2 - NA2

Orangutan Does Housework

Hi there!

Since we've been studying household chores vocabulary, you may want to write a story about the orangutan in this video. A first student starts the story in the comment section and, instead of writing new ones, a second student completes it by adding adjectives, adverbs, or anything the first student might have forgotten. You just have to copy and paste the first student's story in another comment, and so on with the third, fourth, fifth, etc. student.
You should construct a story that suits the orangutan but of course you can set your imagination free by making up any details that make the story a more entertaining one.

[PS. I put this under "Fun stuff," but after reading one of the comments on YouTube, that when orangutans cover their face, that means they're depressed, I'm not so sure I find it fun... I apologize to orangutans in advance in case such comment is right ;-)]

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

This has been sent to me by one of your classmates. Thx, José Domingo!
-----

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate.

----

DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.

Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3..0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

IT Crowd

Hi there!

Here's a link to the first episode of a British comedy series called IT Crowd. You'll probably get addicted to it ;-)