Ten tips to improve your writing

http://www.webpagecontent.com/arc_archive/138/5/

Short stories

http://www.short-stories.co.uk/

Christmas song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeNhjPaP53I&feature=related

More Reading practice

This is good stuff, scroll down and you'll find more difficult texts two.

http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topicsmenu/intermediate.html

Extra practice - Fill in the gaps of these texts

http://www.world-english.org/gapfill-exercises.htm

Listening Practice

For those who really need extra practicehttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/listening/index.html

Phrasal verbs - Interactive exercise

http://www.stuff.co.uk/phrasal.htm

The definite article THE

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/artikel.htm

Subject+Verb+Object

What's wrong with these sentences?

I think is very important the human contact with classmates.

and

I think it is completely necessary the work that teachers do.

http://www.montyenglish.co.uk/montyblog/?p=59

Do for emphasis

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv298.shtml

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/doemph.htm

Subject/Object questions

Apparently, some students still have problems with this topic. Here you have some more practice.

http://english-zone.com/grammar/questions4.html
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/question-forms-subjectobject-questions

Writing tips

http://www.writersblock.ca/tips/index.htm

Interactive activity - Adverbs of Frequency

Check how well you know where to place adverbs of frequency.
http://www.grammar.cl/Games/Adverbs_of_Frequency.htm

Interactive activity - Idioms

You may find this a fun way of learning idioms.

http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/literacy/wordclasses/idioms.asp

Pronunciation

Estamos aprendiendo en clase a pronunciar correctamente en inglés. Pero normalmente, los ejercicios de clase no son suficientes y se hace necesario practicar en casa. A continuación encontrarán varios enlaces a páginas para practicar por su cuenta.

BBC Learning English - Pronunciation Ésta es la sección dedicada a aprender inglés de la BBC. En esta página encontrarán videos explicando cada sonido/letra, y consejos para pronunciarlos.

englishmedialabEn esta página encontrarán infinidad de juegos para practicar de una manera un poco más divertida.

Forvo Como les he dicho en clase, de la misma manera que en español tenemos diferentes acentos dependiendo de la región del mundo, en inglés pasa lo mismo. En clase se aprende lo que técnicamente se conoce como RP (Received Pronunciation), que es la variante estandar del idioma. Pero eso no quiere decir que no haya otras posibles pronunciaciones de la misma palabra. Eso sí, si deciden hablar con un inglés americano porque les parece más atractivo, sepan que en el escrito su inglés también debería ser americano (si no sería como escuchar a un extranjero utilizando palabras canarias, con un acento andaluz y escribiendo con vos; sería simplemente raro). Así que en esta página, FORVO, pueden escribir la palabra que no sepan pronunciar, y les aparecerá una lista de audios de personas de diferentes partes del mundo pronunciando esa palabra. Debajo de dicha palabra, les indican de dónde es esa persona, y más abajo hay un mapa con los auidos ubicados en la región correspondiente.

howjsay Esta página es parecida a la anterior. Cuando tengan una duda de pronunciación, introducen la palabra en cuestión y les reproducen la palabra.


Un último consejo; para mejorar la pronunciación es muy útil grabarse leyendo en inglés. A veces no somos conscientes de lo que hacemos o decimos hasta que escuchamos o vemos una grabación. Así que los animo a probar de vez en cuando en casa.

FCE Use of English

Some of you found this type of exercises very useful. If you follow this link, in Vocabulary Choice section you'll find some of these exercises that you can try at home. Having said this, we'll also do some of them in class as well. (NI2)

Use of English

Vertigo, "profesor adjunto"

We were talking about feeling yesterday, and somebody asked about "vértigo". In English is the same word and you can say I suffer from vertigo (like any medical condition: to suffer from dementia/migraines...), or you could also say to have vertigo.
In the other group somebody asked about "profesor adjunto". It really depends on the country, but here you have a link that gives you some options (check the nationality of the person who posts each comment).
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=315524

Children talk about love - answers

What do kids think about marriage?

Before listening:

1.- Do you remember what you used to think about marriage?

2.- What’s wrong in these expressions? There’s one that is correct.

I got married to John                     I finally got divorced.                          

I can’t marry him.                                He’s getting divorced of Anne.

Enjoy life before you tie the knot.     At long last he said “I do”.

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1.- On a romantic date you should eat  pizza and macaroni.

2.- What’s love?

 Maybe a feeling I guess / When you hug people and kiss people

3.- Who are the people they love? Choose the options they mention.

My baby doll                          my family                               my dad

My dog                                   my mum                                 my cat

My friends                              my baby brother                   

4.- How do these kids show that they love somebody?

 We play together/ I draw them a picture (hearts with rainbows on it) / Giving hugs

5.- How does one boy know that he likes his girlfriend?

 She looks nice

6.- Why doesn’t one girl want to have a boyfriend? They'll kiss her

7.- How does one girl know her parents are in love? They dance at home and kiss on the lips

8.- What could/should people do when they have a broken heart?

 They should hang out with their family / They should find other people to play with

9.- What kind of person do these kids want to marry?

 Maybe one that plays an instrument / Somebody with hair on their arms / Their brothers (baby brother)

10.- What do they like about St. Valentine’s Day?

Making Valentine's cards for people / on that day you love somebody / when you get the heart chocolates.

Children talk about love - Listening exercise

Children are probably some of the most difficult people to understand, not because of the vocabulary they use, but because they're learning to speak themselves. So here you have a bit of a challenge, related to emotions and relationships.

What do kids think about marriage?

Before listening:

1.- Do you remember what you used to think about marriage?

2.- What’s wrong in these expressions? There’s one that is correct.

I got married with John                     I finally got divorce.                          

I can’t marry he.                                He’s getting divorce of Anne.

Enjoy life before you tie the knot.     At long last he gave her the “yes, I want”.

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1.- On a romantic date you should eat_______________________________

2.- What’s love?

3.- Who are the people they love? Choose the options they mention.

My baby doll                          my family                               my dad

My dog                                   my mum                                 my cat

My friends                              my baby brother                   

4.- How do these kids show that they love somebody?

5.- How does one boy know that he likes his girlfriend?

6.- Why doesn’t one girl want to have a boyfriend?

7.- How does one girl know her parents are in love?

8.- What could/should people do when they have a broken heart?

9.- What kind of person do these kids want to marry?

10.- What do they like about St. Valentine’s Day?

Reading Comprehension from a Catalan EOI

Reading

i.e. vs. e.g.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/abbreviations/f/ievseg.htm

Dates in Written English

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/vocabulary/date/written

Burn the candle at both ends

We worked with some idioms in yesterday class, and I'm not sure whether everybody understood well the meaning of this idiom. Here you have a link that explains the meaning and origin, and also a site you can use to learn and check the meaning of idioms you may come across while studying on your own.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/burning-the-candle-at-both-ends.html

Singular or plural.

I'd like to clarify that "news" is an uncountable noun, therefore, we'd need to say "a news item", "a piece of news" or "some news". Besides, it'd go with a verb in singular, that is, "That's all my news" is correct. Here are some words related to this plural-singular confusion, and a link to an exercise.

Singular or plural.

These words are plural, so they take a plural verb:

• My trousers are too long, (not 'is too long')

You can also use a pair of + these words:

• Those are nice jeans, or That's a nice pair of jeans, (not 'a nice jeans')

• I need some new glasses, or I need a new pair of glasses.

B/ Some nouns end in -ics but are not usually plural. For example: 

athletics/ gymnastics/ mathematics (or maths)/ physics/ electronics/ economics/ politics

• Gymnastics is my favourite sport.

News is not plural.

• What time is the news on television? (not 'are the news')

Some words ending in -s can be singular or plural. For example:means ==> a means of transport ==> many means of transportseries ==> a television series ==> two television series
species ==> a species of bird ==>  200 species of bird

C/ Some singular nouns are often used with a plural verb. For example:

government/ staff/ team/ family/ audience/ committee/ company/ firm

These nouns are all groups of people. We often think of them as a number of people (= 'they'), not as one thing (= 'it'). So we often use a plural verb:

• The government (= they) want to increase taxes.

• The staff at the school (= they) are not happy with their new working conditions.

In the same way, we often use a plural verb after the name of a sports team or a company:

• Scotland are playing France next week (in a football match).

• Shell have increased the price of petrol.

A singular verb (The government wants... / Shell has... etc.) is also possible.

We always use a plural verb with police:

• The police have arrested a friend of mine, (not 'The police has')

• Do you think the police are well-paid?

Note that a person in the police is 'a policeman / a policewoman / a police officer' (not 'a police').

D/ We do not often use the plural of person ('persons'). We normally use people (a plural word):

• He's a nice person,    but    They are nice people.

• Many people don't have enough to eat. (not 'doesn't have')

E/ We think of a sum of money, a period of time, a distance etc. as one thing. So we use a singular verb:

• Twenty thousand pounds (= it) was stolen in the robbery, (not 'were stolen')

• Three years (=it) is a long time to be without a job. (not 'Three years are...)

• Six miles is a long way to walk every day

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/sinplu.htm

The Tell-Tale Heart - Script

Here you have the script of the video and a link to the original short story. Don't miss this master piece!

THE TELL-TALE HEART

by Edgar Allan Poe
1843

I can’t recall how the idea entered my mind; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. I loved the old man. He never wronged me, never insulted me and desired nothing of him. It was his eye! Yes, his eye! He had the eye of a vulture. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees, I decided to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of him forever.

Oh, you should have seen me! How wisely, with such force and careful calculation I planned it! Every night, at midnight, I turned the knob of his door and opened it, so gently! Oh, you would have admired my cunning. I moved slowly, so slowly. When I was well inside the room, I let the light fall on the vulture eye, but it was closed. I was never kinder to the old man in that way before I killed him. Every morning, I boldly went into his room and inquired after him:

-'Good morning, did you sleep well?'

- 'I’m not bad, my friend, not bad.'

' He suspected nothing.'

On the eighth night I was more than usually cautious. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than I did. Upon never before life I had the triumph of my powers.

It’s open.    -'Who's there?'     Wide open.        -'Who's there?'

I kept quite still in the darkness. For an hour I didn’t move a muscle. He’s trying to comfort himself. The strait swells in his chest, and then I heard it, a dull quick sound like a watch enveloping gun.  It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum draws the soldier into courage.

His eye would trouble me no more.

If took wise precautions for the disposal of the body.

What have I to fear?

-'Sorry to disturb you Sir, but a neighbor’s reported a shriek.'

- 'Shriek?'      
-' A shriek.'

-'Oh, that was my own nightmare, you see?'

- 'I see.'            
-'Come in.'

I bade them search --search well. There was nothing to fear, no clues anywhere. I led them into his chamber. I bade them some tea.

-'Tea?'

-'It’d be very nice Sir, thank you.'

- 'Two sugars, thank you.'

-'Oh, butterflies. I’ll write that down.'

-'The Virgin Mary.'

-'Here are the posters, another pomping folk.'

- 'This candelabra is covered in dust but it’s been moved.'

-'Covered in dust.'     
- 'But moved.' 
- 'But moved.' 
–'Put that down.'
- 'Please sit.'    
- 'Thank you.'

In the enthusiasm of confidence, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, I placed the chair above the spot beneath which the corpse laid.

-'How long have you lived here?'   
- 'Ten years, least.'   
-'And the gentleman?'

-'Oh yeah! He’s a widower, you see? He prefers lodgers rather than keep the house.'

-'Mister Hodge prefers to lodge?'  
- 'Very nice place it is.'   
-'Aye, very nice.'

Suddenly a deep fatigue sweat over me.  My head began to ache, there was a ringing in my ears: it became more distinct. That tapping sound.

-'When did you say the gentleman left?'  
-'I didn’t say.'  
-'When did he leave then?'

-'Not sure.'   
-'You’re not sure?'   
-'I didn’t say.'

No doubt I grew pale; the sound increased -- what could I do? Was it possible they didn’t hear it?  'Sir?'. They mocked me. 'Nice tea'. Anything was more tolerable than this derision! It grew louder! And louder! And louder!

I admit it! I can’t stand this mock any moment longer. You are the villains for your deceit. I can’t stand it! It’s the beating of his hideous heart.

Thereby hangs my turn

Clik here to go to the text.

Exercise on The Tell-Tale Heart

THE TELL-TALE HEART

by Edgar Allan Poe
1843 

I can’t recall how the ______entered my mind; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. I loved the old man. He never wronged me, never insulted me and desired ___________of him. It was his eye! Yes, his eye! He had the eye of a vulture. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran _____; and so by degrees, I decided to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of him forever.

Oh, you should have seen me! How wisely, with such force and ________ calculation I planned it! Every night, ____  __________, I turned the knob of his _______and opened it, so gently! Oh, you would have admired my cunning. I moved slowly, so slowly. When I was well inside the room, I let the light fall on the_______ _______, but it was closed. I was never kinder to the old man in that way before I killed him. Every morning, I boldly went into _____ ________and inquired after him:

-'Good morning, did you sleep _______?'

- 'I’m not bad, _________ _______, not bad.'

 'He suspected nothing.'

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious. A watch's minute hand moves ________  __________than I did. Upon never before life I had the triumph of my powers.

It’s open.    -'Who's there?'     Wide open.        -'Who's there?'

I kept quite still in the___________. For an hour I didn’t move a muscle. He’s trying to comfort himself. The strait swells in his chest, and then I heard it, a dull quick ___________like a watch enveloping gun.  It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum draws the soldier into courage.

His eye would trouble me no more.

If took wise precautions for the disposal of the _________.

What have I to fear?

-'Sorry to disturb you Sir, but a___________’s reported a shriek.'

- 'Shriek?'      -' A shriek.'

-'Oh, that was my own nightmare, you see?'

- 'I see.'          -'Come in.'

I bade them search --search well. There was nothing to fear, no clues______________. I led them into his chamber. I bade them some tea.

-'Tea?'

-'It’d be very _________ Sir, thank you.'

- 'Two sugars, thank you.'

-'Oh, butterflies. I’ll write that down.'

-'The Virgin Mary.'

-'Here are the posters, another pomping folk.'

-' This candelabra is __________in dust but it’s been moved.'

-'Covered in dust.'   
- 'But moved.'
- 'But moved.' 
- 'Put that down.'

-'Please sit.'    
- 'Thank you.'

In the enthusiasm of confidence, in the wild audacity of my __________ triumph, I placed the chair above the spot beneath which the corpse laid.

-'How long have you lived here?'   -'______ _______, least.'-'And the gentleman?'

-'Oh yeah! He’s a widower, you see? He prefers lodgers rather than keep the house.'

-'Mister Hodge prefers to lodge?'  
-'Very nice place it is.'   
-'Aye, very nice.'

Suddenly a deep fatigue sweat over me.  My ________ began to ache, there was a ringing in my ears: it became more distinct. That tapping sound.

-'When did you say the gentleman left?'  
-'I didn’t say.'  
-'When did he leave then?'

-'Not sure.'   
-'You’re not sure?'   
-'I didn’t say.'

No doubt I grew pale; the sound increased -- what ________ I do? Was it possible they didn’t hear it?  'Sir?'. They mocked me. 'Nice tea'. Anything was more tolerable than this derision! It grew louder! And louder! And louder!

I admit it! I can’t stand this mock______ ______ _____. You are the villains for your deceit. I can’t stand it! It’s the beating of his hideous heart.

Thereby hangs my turn

For or During?

'During' denotes a general period of time....For example..I played the guitar during my lunch time which could be for 20 mins or 1 hour.

'For' denotes a specific period of time. For example I played the guitar for 30 mins.

Covering Letter

Correcting your covering letters I've found that most of you used the greeting and closing formula given in the book. It's good you use sentences that you know are correct because after all, in this type of letters, we tend to use set expressions. But I've found this sample letter with a few more example you can use, may you have to write a cover letter in real life.

http://www.ncirl.ie/dynamic/File/Cover%20Letter%20Handout%20Amended%20Links.pdf