Friday, 17 April 2009

Exam: graded readers.

Remember that on Wednesday we have the test for the graded readers:

- John Doe.

_ Help.

There are copies of both books at the library.

Friday, 3 April 2009

Pronunciation of irregular past tense forms

Click here and practise the pronunciation of irregular past tense and past participle forms.

Pronunciation of regular past tense forms -ed

Click here and practise the pronunciation of regular past tense forms

Test your knowledge of past simple irregular verbs

Click here to start this online activity about irregular verbs

EASTER



At Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Holy Week, as the week before Easter Sunday is called, starts on Palm Sunday. That day marks the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem where he was welcomed by a large crowd who spread branches of palm trees on his path and greeted him:

"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:7-9)

Holy Thursday remembers the Last Supper at which Jesus blessed bread and wine and gave it to his disciples telling them that it was his body and his blood. Jesus also told his disciples that one of them would betray him, and later that night Jesus was betrayed by Judas.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion. First Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate to be sentenced to death. Pilate did not want Jesus to be crucified, but he had no other chance. In order to demonstrate, however, that he was not to blame for Jesus' death, Pilate washed his hands in front of the people, which was the origin of the famous saying »I wash my hands of it«:

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" (Matthew 27:24)

Easter Monday honours the resurrection. It is said that three days after being crucified, Jesus rose from the dead.

Whilst Easter is a major holiday of the Christian church, nonbelievers have something to celebrate as well: the return of spring. The name Easter actually derives from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre in whose honour a spring festival was held in ancient times. Back then, hares and eggs were seen as symbols of new life–this is why today eggs and bunnies are popular Easter decorations. By the way, the European custom of egg rolling has made its way across the ocean and is now quite common in the USA, too. It has even become an Easter Monday tradition to do "egg rolling" on the lawn of the White House.

(Text taken from www.ego4u.com)

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

Mount Rushmore



Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a monumental granite sculpture created by Gutzon Borglum. It is located near Keystone, South Dakota. This monument represents the first 150 years of the history of the United States. Before the carving of this sculpture, the area was known by the Sioux as "Six Grandfathers". It is estimated that about 2 million people visit the memorial annually. The sculpture shows the faces of four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Linlcon. These presidents were elected by the sculptor because all of them wanted to preserve the Republic and at the same time expand its territory. This monument was started in 1927 and ended in 1941.

Thursday, 12 March 2009

Were you good at school?

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Was and Were

In the following link you'll find some activities to practise was/were in the affirmative and negative forms, question formation and short answers. Click here to do the activities.

Thursday, 26 February 2009

Listening: "What's the time?" or "What time is it?"

Listen to different people asking for the time. Click here to start the activity.

Listening: Understanding numbers

Listen to these people talking about numbers. Choose the number you hear. Click here to start the activity.

Listening prices and numbers

Listen to these people speaking about objects and write the prices you hear. Click here to start the activity.

Listening activity

Listen to a woman answering questions for a survey. Click here to start the activity

Exams!

Next week you have the exams for the second term and I know you feel very nervous and stressed. Don't worry, just relax and do it as in class!!! You'll be fine!

Cheer up!

Your teacher,

Mónica.

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

What does it take to find a lost love?

A. MONEY C. LUCK

B. SMARTS D. DESTINY

Wonderful film and great soundtrack, don't miss it!!

PENELOPE'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS


"This is not going to be 45 seconds, I can say that right now. Has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one. Thank you so much to the Academy. I want to share this with my fellow nominees and with the amazing ensemble of actors that I had the privilege to work with in this movie. Thank you, Woody, for trusting me with this beautiful character. Thank for you having written over all these years some of the greatest characters for women. And I cannot talk about great female characters without thanking my friend Pedro Almodóvar for having made me part of so many of his adventures. Thank you, Bigas Luna, Fernando Trueba, for giving me my first movies. Thank you, Harvey Weinstein. I wanted to dedicate this to my parents and to my brother and sister, to my friend Robert Garlock, who is not with us anymore, and to everyone who has helped me from the beginning and you know who you are and I thank you from my heart.

I grew up in a place called Alcobendas, where this was not a very realistic dream. And I, always on the night of the Academy Awards, I stay up to watch the show and I always felt that this was, this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world because art, in any form, is and has been and will always be our universal language and we should do everything we can, everything we can, to protect its survival. So I thank you so much and I have to say something in Spanish, because everyone: Todos los que desde España ahora estén compartiendo este momento conmigo y sientan que esto también es de ellos, se los dedico. Y a todos los actores de mi país. Muchisimas gracias."

Saturday, 21 February 2009

Unchained Melody from the soundtrack of "Ghost"





The Righteous Brothers Lyrics
Unchained Melody Lyrics

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

PRONUNCIATION

Practise the pronunciation of clothes items in this link. Click here to start.

VOCABULARY

CLOTHES

Carnival


These days, Andalusian people, specially those from Cadiz, celebrate Carnival. This event takes place a week before Lent. Each city in Spain has a slightly different way to celebrate this festival. The most glamorous of the carnaval celebrations is the one taking place in the Canary Islands. The carnival here resembles the one in Rio. The Carnival in Cadiz has a healthy dose of music and humour. It ends with the burial of the sardine. But did you know that a very famous carnival is celebrated in Britain each year? Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place on the streets of Notting Hill, London, UK each August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday), since 1965. It is led by members of the Caribbean population, many of whom have lived in the area since the 1950s. The carnival has attracted up to 2 million people in the past, making it the second largest street festival in the world after Rio.

Saturday, 14 February 2009

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

"LOVE IS THE ONLY FORCE CAPABLE OF TRANSFORMING AN ENEMY INTO A FRIEND" by Martin Luther King Jr.

First part: The girl of my dreams

Second Part: The girl of my dreams

Friday, 13 February 2009

Friday the 13th


The fear of Friday 13th is called "Paraskevidekatriaphobia". But why is this date unlucky? Nobody knows. The really strange thing is that most of the people who believe the day is unlucky offer no explanation at all, logical or illogical. According to experts this superstition is the most widespread in the United States. On this day some people won't go to work or get married. Number thirteen has always been asociated to bad luck. For many this is the day to avoid! It is said that a child born on this day is doomed to misfortune. You shouldn't move to a new home or new job on this day and be careful to eat eggs laid on Friday the 13th. And of course don't take a journey!!! Fishermen say that "a Friday's sail, always fails".

A similar superstition in Spain is Tuesday the 13th. Are you superstitious?

Sunday, 8 February 2009

Saint Valentine: the martyr of love

Next Saturday people in love will celebrate Saint Valentine's Day. The 14th of February is a time for the celebration of "Romantic love". As the day approaches, people try to find the right card, buy flowers or chocolate or maybe make a reservation for a candlelight dinner. The sending of Valentines (love cards) is very popular in the United Kingdom. The Greeting Card Association estimates that about one billion cards are sent each year on Valentine's Day.
But who was Saint Valentine? The legends dates back to the time of the Roman Empire when marriages were forbidden by Emperor Claudius. Watch this video about his true story.

Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Nominees for the 81st Academy Awards


This is a link to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Learn about this year's nominees and check vocabulary about cinema and the different roles. Click here.

Dictations in Elementary English

I know from your comments in class that you like doing dictations. Now, this is your opportunity to practise at home. In this website you have many dictations in elementary English, and if you don't suceed the first time, just try, try and try!!!

Click here to start.

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

Vocabulary and activities about the family

This is a link to "Ego4u" a German website for the study of English as a second language. Here you can find two activities to practice vocabulary about the family and the use of saxon genitive. Clik here to start.

Listening: Andie's job

This is a listening from "La Mansión del inglés". Listen to Andie talking about her job and do the activities. Click here to start

A trip to London



I took this picture in my last trip to London. This is my favourite city in the world. I love its character and though the weather can be unpredictable, I always find it fascinating. You can find people all around the world and of course it is always nice to practise English. We all know that British food is not the best, but nowadays you can taste the best of British cuisine in the socalled gastropubs. They are traditional pubs serving homemade and highquality dishes. I love going shopping in central London. You can spend a whole day shopping in Oxford Street, but my favourite places are Candem Lock and Convent Garden. You can also find interesting things in Portobello market, Notting Hill. The public trasport is excellent. You can move all around the city by underground. If you are staying for one week, buy the 7-day oyster card for areas 1 and 2. If you don't have much money stay in one of the many B&Bs, they offer accomodation and traditional full English breakfast. If you want to go sightseeing, don't miss the change of guard in Buckigham palace, Trafalgar square, the Tower of London or Tower Bridge. if you are not afraid of heights, go on a ride on the London Eye. People say that on a cloudless day you can see Windsor castle. If you travel to London in summer, don't miss one of the performances at the new Globe, a reconstruction of Shakespeare's original theatre.

Monday, 2 February 2009

Didactic Unit: Object pronouns

This is a complete didactic unit about object pronouns. You can find a dialogue, a grammar point and some activities. We are studying object pronouns in unit 4c. This is extension material for your home practice. Click here to go to the site.

Listening: Making a reservation

Listen to a man making a reservation for dinner at a restaurant. Clik here to start the activity

Listening Jobs

This is a conversation in American English. These two people are talking about their jobs. Be patient and don't try to understand every single word. It's more important to get the general meaning. Good luck. Click here to start the activity.

Sunday, 1 February 2009

Daily rountines

Practise present simple and vocabulary about daily rountines with this online exercise. It's very easy!!!!

Click here to do the activity.

Love, like and hate

Watch this five minute video about love, like and hate...

Susan's baby - a telephone call

listen to the song

Every breath you take
by Police

Every breath you ________
Every move you _________
Every bond you _________
Every step you _________
I’ll be watching you

Every single _________
Every word you ________
Every game you _________
Every night you _________
I’ll be watching you

you/ can't / Oh / see
me/ you/ to / belong
my / heart/ poor/ aches/ how
step/ with/ take/ you/every


Every move you________
Every vow you _________
Every smile you _________
Every claim you __________
I’ll be watching you

Since you’ve gone I been lost without a __________
I dream at night I can only see your ________
I look around but it’s you I can’t ___________
I feel so cold and I long for your __________
I keep crying baby, baby, please...
(Repetition)



make (x2) trace day stay take (x2) replace fake say embrace

break (x2) face play stake