CHRISTMAS DOUBTS

Just some true stories of Christmas traditions. Do you still doubt that Santa exists? Read all the emails Santa receives every day of the year. Apart from that, you could solve out all your Christmas-themed doubts. Click on MERRY CHRISTMAS.COM
and you will be taken to the website

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

It is always interesting to know how people celebrate Christmas in their countries.I found this information browsing the web as I was trying to find something which could help you understand other traditions and customs. Click on this link on Christmas to know.

COURSE TO LEARN ENGLISH

Here is the best way to learn English easily and at home. A couple of lessons like this one will enable you to keep a conversation with a native speaker. If you have followed the whole course and you think you have improved your level, please leave me a message. It would be very comforting to know these lessons have been of great help to you.

WRITING FOR ALL LEVELS

As I would like you to improve your writing and your language skills in a funny way, five pictures have been posted so that you can make up your own story. Actually, what you are meant to do is to write a quick meaningful story with the pictures provided below and it doesn't matter the order you use them. It would be funny somehow to know what you come up with. I encourage you to write your story in the comments. Come on, go ahead and leave your short story.

WRITING FOR ALL THE LEVELS

Amazing website to improve your writing skill. It can sometimes be important to write carefully and draft and redraft your letters. At other times it is good to write quickly.
Get into this website called ONE WORD, click on GO and at the top of the following page you will see a word. You have to write about that word for 60 seconds. After writing about that word, insert your name and submit. You will be able to compare what you have written to what other people have written about that word.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween is the scariest night of the year. All around the world, people celebrate spookiness. Learn its origin and complete the quiz.

MORE ABOUT RECORDING YOUR VOICE - ADVANCED LEVELS

As I promised to some of you, here is another website where you can record your voice and send it to me so that I can correct your pronunciation. You will have to download the software and read the instructions, which are in Spanish. Click on the link AUDACITY

GETTING BETTER AT SPEAKING - ADVANCED

I have been searching the web looking for ways to get extra English speaking practice opportunities and feedback on your English speaking skills. I have come across a very useful site called 'Podomatic'. It is a service available on the web that will host your podcast. This will help you make your own recordings and send them to me by e-mail. Read through the information provided on this link and sign up on Podomatic.

YOUR PLACE - ADVANCED LEVEL 2

Very useful website which you might turn to if you wanted to know about TV licences in the UK, insurance, guides to cleaning or basic maintenance and many other aspects to consider when renting or buying a house. It is worth a visit: The Site.org the site to the real world.

VIDEOS - ADVANCED LEVEL

The first video is on a Turkish tree-village. You will understand why it is a tree-village after watching the video.

This second video is on Lisbon in Portugal.

Those videos are examples of other more you can watch on this link
The guardian

MORE ON TRAVELLING - ADVANCED LEVEL

You should read this piece of information if you have thought of going to Manchester in a near future. Manchester airport trials naked-image security scans. It means passengers are requested to go through a full-body x-ray scanner that leaves little to the imagination of the security staff.
guardian.co.uk World news Web

TRAVEL AND TOURISM - ADVANCED LEVEL

I offer you a unit which was intended for people who wanted to learn and practise vocabulary on travel and tourism. It provides a different set of activities from listening through reading. I encourage you all to try this site as a reinforcement. Hope you like it. Click on the link below.
Advanced Vocational English

WHY MEN DON'T TALK - ADVANCED 1

This is the last topic we were discussing about but not everybody dared say their own view. I would like you to read this article called 'Why Men Don't Talk', by David Zinczenko on yahoo and then leave your views on SOLVR

As the editor of the biggest men's magazine in the world, I am privy to something many women rarely hear - straightforward, uninhibited guy talk.

Don't be so shocked - guys do actually talk, and not just about Tom Brady's quarterback rating. Most women think their man is the strong, silent type (or maybe the oblivious, silent type), and they wonder why he doesn't share his feelings.

But here's the truth: Men do want to open up, about their hopes, their fears, and their passions. Yet put him alone in a room with you, and he often turns into a Sphinx. Why can't he take his eyes off the TV and talk about the state of the relationship, or the finances, or, heck, the backyard landscaping? Why in the world can't he just summarize his day for 10 minutes?

In fact, one in five women say that they typically fight about a man's lack of verbal interaction, and 30 percent of men say their failure to communicate is the source of major conflict in the relationship. Why is it this way?

Here's one answer: Because even men who have feelings to share don't always feel comfortable sharing them with their partner. These are some of the reasons why some men often prefer to zip it, rather than delivering the goods:

Guys Are A Little Intimidated
No question, women are expert communicators. They throw questions like Oprah after her third cup of coffee; they're connecting on all cylinders. And like the divine Ms. W, women bring a lot of skill to their game: A special awareness of the people-scape around them, a keen set of emotions keyed to that awareness, and a rich vocabulary they use to talk about anything at anytime.

And they're always practicing their Q&A skills on their many friends, so they're in top talk mode all the time. Men know this. And they also know that more than one-third of women say that men simply can't relate and don't understand women. The result: Men are afraid of saying too much, because saying the wrong thing may get them into more trouble than Lindsay Lohan as a designated driver.

Guys Need To Decompress
Woman's view: When a man walks in the door, he ought to cough up some of the details about his day. After all, it's been 10 hours since they've communicated, not counting the two IMs, three voice mails, and one actual mid-day conversation.

Man's view: Can I please make a beeline to the bathroom? When men reach home, it's like those ultra-marathoners staggering across the finish line in Death Valley. The last thing they want to do is discuss how bright the sunlight was, and how scarce the water stops were.

Further up on his want-to-do list after arriving home: 14 percent of men want to check email, 12 percent are looking for a little private time in the bathroom, and 10 percent simply want to eat dinner. The common theme here: After they've spent a day serving the needs of others, they want to take care of themselves a little.

So when a man is hit with a demand for conversation so closely after returning from the stressful environment of work, he has only one gear left to shift into, and sometimes it's reverse. He's retreat, retreat, retreat.

Guys Are More Comfortable With Actions Than Feelings
Rather than talking about how he "feels," often a man would rather express his love by changing her oil, or bringing home a flower, or relinquishing control of the remote.

And when men do talk, they'd prefer to talk about actions rather than emotions. For instance, a lot of guys would choose to express their long-range faith in a relationship by talking about next summer's vacation plans, not by launching into a soliloquy about undying love.

Both conversations can mean the same thing (that he plans on sticking around); he just prefers to say it with plane tickets, rather than poetry. It's one of the reasons men are more comfortable talking at work (the practical universe) than they are at home (the castle that emotion built). But you can bring out his great communicator by making him feel more like he's operating in work mode, even when the topic at hand is your love life. Here's an incredible article, "The Home Office," that shows how he can use his best office skills for great success at home.

Guys Don't Want To Be Put On The Spot
When men talk less and women want more, the scenario can escalate. Like when the bad cop is pummeling the reluctant witness, more silence equals more questions. A full 65 percent of men we surveyed recently told us they don't want their partners to ask them more questions about themselves.

It's clear that some men are just plain tired of feeling like they're on the witness stand. They're not necessarily hiding anything; many guys simply prefer not to have to relate confusing feelings that they may not even understand themselves.

An age-old tactic can make things better: Back off a little, give him room to operate in a conversation, and he's more likely to open up. To find out if his lack of communication really does mean that your relationship needs a tune up, take this quick quiz.

PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE - ADVANCED LEVELS

Do you need some pronunciation practice out of the school? Have you thought of improving that pronunciation of yours? YAPPR provides you with a programme where you record your voice and might get as many points as 100 if your pronunciation is perfect. Why don't you give it a try? You might have some fun while improving your English.

ADVANCED LEVEL 1

What are the major problems with friends? Add your opinion on this link and share your views with other students. You can add as many views as you wish. Come on! Help us out with your comments.

UNLUCKY SOLAR ECLIPSE

Nepal is one of many Asian countries affected by Wednesday's total solar eclipse. Traditionally most Nepalis think eclipses are unluckly but not everyone thinks this eclipse is bad news.
Read and hear the report on BBC Learning English

MICHAEL JACKSON

Like him or not, Michael must be considered the king of Pop. He died on Thursday 25th June after suffering a sudden heart attack. He had the best-selling album of all times. Besides his third album 'BAD' set a record for most No. 1 singles by a solo artist on one album.
In 1993 he stated he was addicted to painkillers after scalp reconstruction surgery as his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984.
Those are highlights of Michael's life. If you want to know more about his life, click on Michael's life in the spotlight.

Moreover, there have been a lot of pieces of news on Michael these days. Today the world has been able to watch his funeral on live. If you want to watch those videos, click on MSNBC.COM. Select from a playlist any of the videos on Michael. You will know everything about his funeral.
REST IN PEACE.

WHAT A SONG! MY FAVOURITE

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world
(Ohhh)

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
(Ohhhhh Ohhh Ohhh)

Hear Jerusalem bells are ringings
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Oooooh Oooooh Oooooh"

LISTENING WEBSITES FOR THIS SUMMER

After the students' demands of websites which could offer good listening activities/practise, I have added these links below. Click on the link provided and enjoy yourselves.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

http://www.mansioningles.com/listening00.htm Listening activities with exercises online, scripts and different accents ( British or American ).

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/listening/index.html Listening comprehension exercises in American English in three levels (easy, medium and difficult).

http://www.rong-chang.com/qa2/
100 short stories for intermediate students to listen to and answer questions. There are two options, one at low speed and the other at a normal speed. There are also activities to practise your comprehension. Besides, you can listen and read the script at the same time.

http://www.esl-lab.com
Choose your level,listen to the text and answer multiple choice comprehension questions. You can also listen and read the script at the same time.

http://www.elllo.org
Most activities include images, an interactive quiz, transcript of the audio and downloadable MP3. Click on a listening and you will see a menu on the right side which will provide you with other options.

http://a4esl.org/podcasts
Podcasts you can listen to online or download.

PICTURES OF STUDENTS OF INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 4

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 4

PICTURES OF STUDENTS OF INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 3

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 3

PICTURES OF STUDENTS OF INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 2

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 2

PICTURES OF STUDENTS OF BASIC LEVEL 1 - GROUP 5

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 - GROUP 5

PRONUNCIATION

PHONETICS: The sound of American English
This is a VERY INTERESTING SITE FOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH that contains libraries of the phonetic sounds of English. Each consonant and vowel has an articulatory diagram, a step by step description and video-audio of the sound spoken in context. Choose a language and there will be a new window with the sounds.

MINIMAL PAIRS
To build your pronunciation skills, listen and practice speaking while you read - mp3 audio clips, one clip for each set (block) of lines, read across line by line, then down column by column.

TIPS FOR THE SUMMER

Be safe and healthy this summer season by remembering some things to do.
Although you should make every effort to be safe all year round, it is especially important in the summer. Hot temperatures and more time spent outdoors could put your health and safety at risk.

WRITING THIS SUMMER

This summer you can keep on writing and practising your English. I will leave a question, a comment, an idea or a problem from time to time on SOLVR and I would like you to enter an idea, a solution or just an answer. The more you enter the better the activity will be.
Come on, people! help me out with this new idea. Click on the link above and write your comment.

VOCABULARY REVISION FOR THE SUMMER

Google Image Labeler is a feature of Google Search that allows you to label images and compete with other people who are online to know who the best is by adding words to a picture.
Once you get to the site, you can change your nickname and read the instructions of how things work.

When you are ready, you will only have to click on start labelling. A new window will be opened and all you have to do is write words connected to the picture and see if you have written the same words as your anonymous partner. You will know your result at the end of the two minutes given.

With this feature you could have fun and keep all your vocabulary active in your mind.

GAMES FOR VOCABULARY - BASIC LEVEL

Welcome to Learning Chocolate! This web site tries to help students to memorize English vocabularies in an easy and efficient way, by using pictures, sounds and games.
After you click on the picture, you go to the first activity. Look at the laps (pestañas): match up 1, match up 2, match up 3, fill in, dictation. Each lap has a different activity. It is very entertaining and you can learn new vocabulary.

CHATTING ROOMS - ALL LEVELS

Free Conversational English Practice. World English now provide their regular visitors with the chance to practice their English speaking and listening skills online for FREE!

Using free chat software and a microphone and speakers (or headset) they can join in a group English lesson in their English chat room. Every free class is led by a native-speaker of English, who is also a qualified English teacher. Each free English lesson lasts for 30 minutes, and will involve the discussion of a number of different subjects during each lesson. A maximum of ten students will be admitted to their room. So be there on time to be sure of taking part in the lesson!

Sometimes the lessons are weekly, and at other times there might be two or three weeks until the next lesson.

This option is PALTALK. You have to download a software and that is all.

SPEAKING - BASIC LEVEL

SABER INGLÉS is a site that offers you the possibility of participating in role plays and, at the same time, you can improve your pronunciation. The first thing you must do is to download a free programme to listen to the dialogues. Remember that you need to have a microphone and headphones.
When you start the dialogue, you will see Merlin that will speak his part. Then you have to read your part. If your pronunciation is bad, Merlin will not answer you. So you will have to repeat again. When your pronunciation is good, Merlin will continue with his dialogue.
Enjoy the activity.

LISTENING FOR THE CERTIFICATION EXAM - INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED

I know that you might have problems to get enough practise with the listening skill once the classes are over. So that is the main reason to add you some links where you can listen to and keep in touch with the language.

One of those website is VOA News. There are many stories to listen to. What you only need to do is make up your mind and click on one of them. This website provides you with podcasts to download to your MP3 and listen to them every time you want to.

The second option is The Bob and Rob Show. Fantastic website with many topics which offer you their audio and a study guide. Some of the stories have a quiz to assess your comprehension.

Finally, there is Elllo. Another great website with videos, interviews, mixer, games and much more. You can do the activity you will see after clicking on the link, that is game 51. There you will listen to extracts and then will be asked to click on the picture described. It is quite entertaining. After that, you can look into the site and try other activities.

I hope you enjoy these three websites and get all the practice you would need.

RED BULL'S NEW COLA: A KICK FROM COCAINE?

By Jean Friedman-Rudovsky / La Paz

About a year ago, the makers of Red Bull, the famous caffeine-loaded energy drink, decided to come out with a soda, unsurprisingly named Red Bull Cola. The shared name implied the same big kick. But could the cola's boost — supposedly "100% natural" — come from something else? Officials in Germany worry that they've found the answer — cocaine. And now they have prohibited the soda's sale in six states across the country and may recommend a nation-wide ban.

"The Health Institute in the state of North Rhine Westphalia examined Red Bull Cola in an elaborate chemical process and found traces of cocaine," Bernhard Kuehnle, head of the food safety department at Germany's federal ministry for consumer protection, told the German press on Sunday. According to this analysis, the 0.13 micrograms of cocaine per can of the drink does not pose a serious health threat — you'd have to drink 12,000 L of Red Bull Cola for negative effects to be felt — but it was enough to cause concern. Kuehnle's agency is due to give its final verdict on Wednesday when experts publish their report.

Red Bull has always been upfront about the recipe for its new cola. Its website boasts colorful pictures of coca, cardamom and Kola nuts, along with other key "natural" ingredients. The company insists, however, that coca leaves are used as a flavoring agent only after removing the illegal cocaine alkaloid. "De-cocainized extract of coca leaf is used worldwide in foods as a natural flavoring," said a Red Bull spokesman in response to the German government's announcement. Though the cocaine alkaloid is one of 10 alkaloids in coca leaves and represents only 0.8% of the chemical makeup of the plant, it's removal is mandated by international antinarcotics agencies when used outside the Andean region.

Meanwhile, in Bolivia, halfway around the world and smack in the middle of the Andes, the controversy is causing chuckles. Coca is a fundamental part of Andean culture and for years, Bolivians have tried to get the world to understand that the leaf is not a drug if it's not put through the extensive chemical process that yields cocaine. Left-wing President Evo Morales, a coca-grower himself, has made coca validation a personal quest, chewing leaves in front of world leaders and press cameras during his travels. "Let's say [Red Bull Cola] doesn't take out the cocaine alkaloid. Have any of those millions of people across the world who have drunk that soda ever gotten sick or felt drugged?" asks Dionicio Nunez, a coca-growers' leader from the Yungas region. "We've always known that coca isn't harmful. Now maybe others will realize it too."

In Germany, the Red Bull spokesman insisted that his company's product, along with others containing the coca-leaf extract are considered safe in Europe and the U.S. And already, some experts have come to Red Bull's defense. "There is no scientific basis for this ban on Red Bull Cola because the levels of cocaine found are so small," Fritz Soergel, the head of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in the city of Nuremberg, tells TIME. "And it's not even cocaine itself. According to the tests we carried out, it's a nonactive degradation product with no effect on the body. If you start examining lots of other drinks and food so carefully, you'd find a lot of surprising things," he says.

Coca leaves, of course, have a long record in modern soda-pop history. Most prominently, there was Coca-Cola whose original 19th century formula used unaltered coca leaves. In the early 1900s the company said it would only use "spent," or decocainized leaves, though the company refuses to confirm whether leaves in any form are still used.

But the problem is when it comes to coca and cocaine, it's not just a health concern, but a legal one. Since 1961, trade of coca outside the Andean region — where people have chewed or brewed coca in tea to stave off hunger and exhaustion for centuries — has been prohibited unless the cocaine alkaloid is removed. Few companies in the world have authorization to trade in the leaf and most are pharmaceutical companies that perform this decocainizing process. The most prominent is New Jersey-based Stepan Chemical Company which has been reported to supply Coca-Cola with its narcotic-free derivative.

But no one knows where Red Bull Cola's coca leaves come from or where they are processed. Red Bull did not respond to immediate requests for comment and Rauch Trading AG, the Austria-based food company that actually manufactures Red Bull Cola was quick to tell TIME that they are not allowed to speak about the product. Meanwhile, Bolivia, which has lots of coca leaves to sell, is getting a kick out of the fact Red Bull Cola admits to using coca in any form (since Coca-Cola evades the question). Ironically, the drink is not actually available yet in Bolivia. But, the locals say, this is a great opportunity to show that coca isn't harmful — with or without the cocaine alkaloid.

With Reporting by Tristana Moore/Berlin

2o Jokes For Students

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

2o Jokes For Students

View more OpenOffice presentations from Oh Teik bin.

Watch this slideshow presentation with jokes which will make you laugh or, at least, smile a little. Try to understand that British sense of humour is different from ours.

LISTENING - INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED

Online listening exercises for students of English. English for business will take you to online exercises and recordings that will help you to improve your listening skill.

BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT

Britain seems to have found another talented contestant. A skinny girl, called Hollie Steel, stunned with her performance. She sang 'If I could dance all night' of My Fair Lady. I have added the link where to watch her and learn English with the translation made.This video can be watched on Yappr.comwith its transcription or if you think that your level of English is good enough to understand everything, I have added the video below.

FUNNY VIDEOS

I know you have been studying hard all over the year. That is why I think you need to relax and have some laugh. I have posted two videos from www.funnyplace.org,which is a site focused on commercials,especially funny ones.I am sure you will be grateful to have such videos.



I also show you the transcription but I advise you to watch the video first without reading the text.

Drink your milk, kids. I don’t want milk. Milk is for babies. Yea, babies. Oh, yea? Well, I happen to know that milk helps to build strong bones. So, drink up. Well, Mr. Miller told me he never drinks milk. Look at him! Hey, kids. Oh, that’s not good Got Milk

SIMPLE PAST - BASIC LEVEL 1

English Grammar 4U Online offers you a great variety of activities on past simple. With all this practice you can be an expert on this verbal tense. It can be of great help for the final exams.
This website opens the page with grammar explanation, which also includes examples and past time expressions. After the explanation, all the activities come.

ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS - BASIC LEVEL 1

Play a game and learn to follow directions. The game is called Destination Impossible. First you must read the instructions to help your character in the game. Click on Play the Game. There is a new window and you can click on how to play to know how to play or you can click on start. After clicking on start, you can see different characters. Choose your favourite character and you can see a question with two options. To begin playing, click on one of the two answers. Now you are ready to play.

On this website, called English Grammar 4U, you can do exercises to ask and give directions. First you have a word list in case you don't remember the basic vocabulary. Then you can continue with the exercise on giving directions to the postoffice. Finally, there is another exercise on giving directions to go to the cinema.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS - BASIC LEVEL

Continue practising your grammar. Now it is Present Progressive or Continuous. There is a very interesting blog created by Carmen Luisa from EOI Puerto de la Cruz that has many activities to reinforce this verbal tense. Click on the link and do the activities on Present Continuous.

THERE IS OR THERE ARE - BASIC LEVEL 1

Was it difficult to guess which form to use? Do these activities to remember if you have to write the singular form (there is) or the plural one (there are)
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Besides I include an excellent exercise where you have to choose which word to write:they're, their or there

SUMMER STUDIES

Do you feel that you need to have extra material to continue your studies this summer? Don't worry because Internet provides you with enough resources in your learning process. This website offers three levels as the ones shown in the pictures. What you have to do is click on the suitable one. That easy! Just add that it is American English. This site is called USA learns

PASSIVE VOICE AUDIO AND EXERCISES

BBC Learning English offers grammar challenge topics. One of them is present perfect passives. The topic includes an audio with exercises.
Take the challenge and do the exercises:
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3

Another topic deals with continuous passive. As it happened before, there is an audio with exercises.
Now take the challenge and do the exercises:
quiz 1
quiz 2
quiz 3

Finally, let's do the simple passives, which are the easiest. They follow the same pattern. There is the audio and the exercises.
quiz 1
quiz 2
quiz 3

REVISION IN VIDEO LESSONS - BASIC LEVEL 1

Real English Lessons! You can really learn English by watching the videos and doing the exercises. And they're fun! There are very short videos on each exercise page, with listening, speaking, and typing activities. This is a good opportunity to study the structures and the functions from the very beginning.

PASSIVE VOICE - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

The school year is close to end but there is still one last grammatical aspect to study: passive voice. I have added below a first slideshow with the information that the students have been handed out whereas the second slideshow has been taken from the web. It includes extra information on the passive voice use. However, at this level, you will only be asked to understand the basic aspects. In order to practise, there will be activities added soon in another post.

Passive Voice Grammar

View more documents from angelomagno.

Passive voice

View more presentations from Buthaina Al othman.

ARE WE THE ONLY LIVING CREATURES IN OUR GALAXY?

I must thank Margui (a student of intermediate level)for sharing her views with us all. Do you think we are the only creatures in the galaxy? or are you one of those who think there are more Earth-like planets? Margui invites us to make a reflection on this topic. Read this article on BBC News. You can share your views with us posting a comment.

REPORTED SPEECH - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 2

By using reported speech, we report what another person has said. It means we do not use his/her exact words. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.
These exercises will help you with reported speech:
Englisch-hilfen
English Grammar 4U
Agenda Web. Hundreds of exercises.
English exercises online

SAY or TELL

POLICE NEED RELAX

Watch this video where Thai traffic cops learn to relax and laugh. Why don't you put it into practice when you need some relax as well?

Weird Thai traffic cops

REVISION ACTIVITIES FOR BASIC LEVEL 1

This coming month, May, will be the last and most important month of the year. You will have the exams and you will need more practice to pass them. The coursebook website offers you revision activities for grammar or vocabulary. It could be a good opportunity to remember the things you have forgotten.

Vocabulary exercises: Numbers, countries and nationalities, common objects, verb phrases, jobs, the family, the adjectives, daily routines, times and dates, verb phrases 2, go,have and get.

Grammar exercises: unit 1, unit 2, unit 3, unit 4, unit 5.

PAST SIMPLE - REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS

Now it is time to do some exercises to know if you can use the past of the verbs correctly. Here there are exercises online for you.
New English File 1
New English File 2
New English File 3
New English File 4

Past Simple Negative
Past Simple Questions
Mixed exercises in simple past
English pool of exercises

After all these exercises you can play a little. You have to type the past of the verb and you will get points. Read the instructions carefully. New English File Game

GERUNDS OR INFINITIVES

To use gerunds or to use infinitives, that is the question! Learning how to use gerunds and infinitives is one of the most challenging aspects of learning English. For that reason, different websites are provided to you to practise their use. Click on the links below and test what you already know.
English Grammar 4U It contains both tutorial and exercises. You can also learn the prepositions that adjectives take.
Non-stop English Exercises from the easiest to the most difficult.
English Page Exercises graded by levels. There are lots of activities.
UVic English Language You can try them in context.
Englisch Hilfen If you didn't have enough activities, there are more here.

I hope that after all these exercises you can use gerunds and infinitives in their right place.

THE LAYOUT OF A FORMAL LETTER

Formal Letter2

View more documents from angelomagno.

YOUR MEMORIES RECORDED

Do you remember your childhood or your youth? In the USA, a new method is being used to save memories from their elders. Listen to what is being done. Elders' memories

RELATIVE CLAUSES - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Relative clauses are used to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words. Click on the link below to know how to form relative clauses and then do the exercises provided at the bottom of the site.

English Grammar 4U

WRITING - BASIC LEVEL

Here you have an example of a writing made by one student of Basic Level 1. His name is Gustavo Gil Pérez.

MORE GAMES TO LEARN THE IRREGULAR VERBS - BASIC LEVEL 1

If you still have problems with irregular verbs because you don't remember their past tenses, play these games of knowledge and memory and you will learn them more easily. Remember that English can be fun.

Past tense of irregular verbs 1
Past tense of irregular verbs 2
Past tense of irregular verbs 3
Past tense of irregular verb 4
Past tense of irregular verb 5

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 2

In unit 6, we will study the use of gerunds or infinitives ( with and without TO )after some verbs. This slideshow presentation made by Ahmet YORDAM could help you.
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Gerund or infinitive

View more presentations from Ahmet Yordam.

PLAY BASKET AND PRACTISE THE PAST SIMPLE

Do you like sports? Do you want to play basketball and practise the past of the English verbs? Click here and start playing basket while you complete sentences in the past.
Description of the game: Click on PLAY THE GAME. There are three balls: 1 point, 2 points and 3 points. For easy sentences use 1-point ball and for difficult sentences use 3-point ball. After choosing the ball, you complete the sentence and click on the ball. The ball has a word that says SHOOT. If the sentence is correct you score a basket but if it isn't, you will miss the basket.

WATCHING AND DISCUSSING IDEAS

Big Thing - get to know is a global forum connecting people and ideas. This would be a step ahead in your learning. You can watch what somebody thinks about a topic as well as read what is being said, but that is not all, because you can leave your personal view and start a discussion by registering. I have chosen one of the topics you will be dealing with in the next few days: Truth and Justice. So I invite you to register and leave your opinion on one of those forums available.

AUTHENTIC MATERIAL IN VIDEO CLIPS

Students enjoy watching video clips in a variety of accents and in the speed with which native speakers communicate. There is now a website, Yappr, which can offer them a collection of video clips with the transcription appearing in a window alongside. The videos are separated by level; easy - medium - hard and are also categorised by theme, such as sport, cartoons, nature etc. You can watch all the movie clips without registering, but you can also register and have access to many other applications.
http://en.yappr.com/welcome/Welcome.action

THIS VIDEO IS WORTH WATCHING IT

What you are going to watch is really stunning, unexpected and worth watching it. This forty-seven-year-old lady performed a touching song from a musical in the Britain's Got Talent show. After this awesome performance we should think twice before looking down on someone because of his/her physical appearance. Take five minutes of your time and enjoy yourself.
After watching the performance, read what Tanya Gold wrote for the Guardian: 'It wasn't singer Susan Boyle who was ugly on Britain's Got Talent so much as our reaction to her'



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KARAOKE

Karaoke party

Have you ever dreamed of becoming an artist, for example, a singer? From now on there is no excuse.Practice your singing and challenge your friends in becoming the next karaoke champion. All you need is a microphone connected to your computer. To start singing you will need to register, and it is free. By registering you can see your scores, make requests or make new friends.

CHATTING TO STRANGERS?

Omegle is a service for meeting new friends. They will pick another user at random and let you have a one-on-one chat with each other. Chats are completely anonymous, although there is nothing to stop you from revealing personal details if you would like. Try to be careful because they are strangers.

INTERMEDIATE LISTENING TESTS

I have found this great link which will help you to sit your official tests in June. You can try the exercises and check how well you are doing it.

EOI CATALUYNA

PSYCHIC TEST

Are you psychic? Do you have psychic powers? Take this test to find out. See how well your intuition predicts the outcome.
Psychic test

PRONUNCIATION FOR ALL LEVELS

First listen to the pronunciation of all the English phonetic symbols and repeat them aloud.
The sounds of English

Now click on the two words to listen to the contrast in the two vowel sounds /iː/ / ɪ/. You can learn to identify the difference between these two sounds.
Unit one

Next unit is about the difference between /u:/ /u/
Unit two

In unit three you can learn to pronounce the letter o. Depending on the word, you pronounce it differently.
Unit three

Unit four teaches you how to pronounce /æ/ /e/ /ʌ/
Unit four

Finally the last unit helps you with /ɒ/ /əʊ/
Unit five

Apart from those units and exercises, there are quizzes to practise. Who said that pronunciation was boring? Quizzes

To watch the videos and do the activities and quizzes online you will need the free Flash Player software for your computer.
If you are not able to use Flash you can download all the videos and activities to your computer. Some of these files are very large so may take some time to download depending on the speed of your connection.

PAST SIMPLE FOR BASIC LEVEL

A female workmate at the official language school at Puerto de la Cruz has a great website which has a lot of activities for the students of English. If you want to check all you know of English, you are just a click away from a very interesting website.

VOCABULARY. You don't remember the vocabulary of past units? Now you can see the vocabulary again.
GRAMMAR. You can do the activites on past simple.

HOROSCOPES

Do you want to know about your future? Do you enjoy reading your star signs? Watch these sites where it is possible to get your daily or weekly horoscope and, at the same time, you will learn a bit more English. My advice is NOT to take it seriously, just do it for fun.

Horoscopes and love match
Your daily horoscope

CHATROOMS

Chats allow students from all around the world to use English, to meet up other students or just to enjoy themselves by getting to know new people. I have found this website with different options to chat. If you feel bored this holiday, try to meet new friends here.
Chatting on the web

NEW TOPIC FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 2: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

So that the students of intermediate level get familiar with the vocabulary on crime and court, I have added this link where to check how much they know about it. In addition, I offer you the chance of listening to all sorts of news on MSNBC TV.
Here you have the vocabulary exercises

http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/vocabulary/3v25-crime-vocabulary-1.php
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/vocabulary/3v26-crime-vocabulary-2.php

Here you have the link to a TV station

MSBNC TV

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

PAST SIMPLE - BASIC LEVEL 1

Do you want to learn the past of the English verbs? I have added some activities for you to do. If you practise now, when you come back school after Easter holiday you can show me all that you have learnt by yourself.

Activity one
Activity two
Activity three
Activity four

HOW AMAZING AMERICANS ARE!

If these people can speak English, anyone could do it. Don't you think so? Watch this illustrative video

VIDEOCLIPS AND TRAILERS

The English department at the language school of Ingenio owns a wide range of movies in original version. Some of those movies have been bought from Speak up, the magazine for learners of English. There are many titles which you can borrow from the department but if you only want to know what the movies are about, click on the link below to go to Speak up website. The magazine allows you to watch the trailers of the latest movies: Duplicity, Frost Nixon, Seven Pounds, ... Speak Up trailers

ANIMAL IDIOMS

Don't you remember how to say those Spanish sayings into English? Now you can learn some idioms on animals. Here you are provided a list of idioms.

YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE IT DRINK IT
You can offer something to someone, like good advice, but you cannot make them take it.

WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
Something dangerous that looks quite safe and innocent.

WORK LIKE A DOG
You work very hard.

WHICH CAME FIRST, THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?
This idiomatic expression is used when it is not clear who or what caused something.

WHEN PIGS FLY
Meaning you will not get something when you want it or someone doesn't want something for you.

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
When two people work together more things get accomplished.

THROW SOMEONE TO THE WOLVES
You are abandoned and have to face trouble without any support.

TAKE THE BULL BY ITS HORNS
The person we are talking about tackles their problems directly and is not worried about any risks involved.

SWEAT LIKE A PIG
You are perspiring (sweating) a lot.

STUBBORN AS A MULE
Someone who will not listen to other people's advice and won't change their way of doing things is as stubborn as a mule.

SLY AS A FOX
Someone who is as sly as a fox is cunning and experienced and can get what they want, often in an underhand way.

SICK AS A DOG
If somebody's as sick as a dog, they throw up (=vomit) violently.

SACRED COW
Something that is a sacred cow is held in such respect that it cannot be criticised or attacked.

QUIET AS A CAT
If somebody is as quiet as a cat they make as little noise as possible and try to be unnoticeable.

QUIET AS A MOUSE
If someone's as quiet as a mouse, they make absolutely no noise.

PIGS MIGHT FLY
If you think something will never happen or succeed, you can say that 'pigs might fly'

LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER
If someone feels like a fish out of water, they are very uncomfortable in the situation they are in.

KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE
You resolve two difficulties or matters with a single action.

EAT LIKE A PIG
If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table manners.

DON'T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH
You should not waste it by being too critical or examining it too closely.

CROCODILE TEARS
If someone cries crocodile tears, they pretend to be upset or affected by something.

COULD EAT A HORSE
If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse.

BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH
The nervous feeling before something important or stressful is known as butterflies in your stomach.

A BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH
It is better to have something that is certain than take a risk to get more, where you might lose everything.

PAST SIMPLE FOR BASIC LEVEL 1

A female workmate at the official language school at Puerto de la Cruz has a great website which has a lot of activities for the students of English. If you want to check all you know of English, you are just a click away from a very interesting website.

VOCABULARY.
GRAMMAR. You can do the activites on past simple.

INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS - UNIT ON ANIMALS

For those of you who want to listen to news on animals, I have found some videos on BBC which could be a good practice for listening. This website offers you news and videos and the language used is standard English. I recommend you to have a look at this site.
Hope you enjoy the link.

ONLINE DICTIONARIES

If you want to look up the meanings of words, click on these dictionaries:
Cambridge online dictionary (monolingual English-English)
Wordreference is a bilingual dictionary (Spanish-English)

LISTENING LINKS FOR BASIC LEVEL STUDENTS.

On the links below, Basic Level Students have listenings and activities to improve their English level.

http://www.mansioningles.com/listening00.htm Listening activities with exercises online, scripts and different accents ( British or American ).

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/listening/index.html Listening comprehension exercises in American English in three levels (easy, medium and difficult).

http://www.esl-lab.com
Choose your level,listen to the text and answer multiple choice comprehension questions. You can also listen and read the script at the same time.

LISTENING WEBSITES FOR INTERMEDIATE OR ADVANCED STUDENTS

After the students' demands of websites which could offer good listening activities/practise, I have added these links below. Click on the link provided and enjoy yourselves.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

http://www.mansioningles.com/listening00.htm Listening activities with exercises online, scripts and different accents ( British or American ).

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/listening/index.html Listening comprehension exercises in American English in three levels (easy, medium and difficult).

http://www.rong-chang.com/qa2/
100 short stories for intermediate students to listen to and answer questions. There are two options, one at low speed and the other at a normal speed. There are also activities to practise your comprehension. Besides, you can listen and read the script at the same time.

http://www.esl-lab.com
Choose your level,listen to the text and answer multiple choice comprehension questions. You can also listen and read the script at the same time.

http://www.elllo.org
Most activities include images, an interactive quiz, transcript of the audio and downloadable MP3. Click on a listening and you will see a menu on the right side which will provide you with other options.

http://a4esl.org/podcasts
Podcasts you can listen to online or download.

ENJOY THIS NEW HIT BY BEYONCE - 'IF I WERE A BOY'

http://www.anglesonline.org Anglesonline is an awesome website where students can test their level of English. Here you have one of the latest hits by Beyoncé - If I were a boy. Try to do the activities depending on your English level. I hope you enjoy the activity and the website. In order to get the activity, you must click on music on the menu bar at the top of the page. Then use the menu on your right where the old entries are.

Greetings

Hello. This is a new blog made by Angel Hernández, a teacher at the official language school of Ingenio, Gran Canaria. From now on, teachers and students will have a new site to share things.