dilluns, 20 de desembre del 2021

ACTUALLY versus NOWADAYS

 ACTUALLY is not used to refer to time. It means IN FACT:

‘Hi, Mary. What a pleasant surprise!’ ‘Actually my name is Alice.’
I hear that you're a doctor. ~ Well, actually, I'm a dentist.
You are a doctor, right?’ ‘Well, actually, I’m a teacher.’
‘I don’t think you have sent the money, have you?’ ‘I have, actually.’
I have got a promotion. Actually, they have made me the manager.
‘Did you enjoy the movie?’ ‘Very much, actually.’



NOWADAYS, THESE DAYS or TODAY refer to the PRESENT TIME.

I don’t watch TV very much nowadays. There’s so much rubbish on. It’s not like it used to be.
These days you never see a young person give up their seat for an older person on the bus.
Today’s family structures are quite different from those of 100 years ago.
People don't wear hats much nowadays.



HOW TO CONCLUDE AN ESSAY

 









How to write a captivating essay conclusion (Oxbridge essays)

How to write a conclusion to an essay (BBC Bitesize, with video and quiz)



dilluns, 29 de novembre del 2021

Spanish electricity prices skyrocket

 




Catalan News: Experts say high electricity prices will last 'until end of year'

Metropolitan Barcelona: Why Did Spain's Electricity Prices Suddenly Increase?

divendres, 19 de novembre del 2021

diumenge, 14 de novembre del 2021

ADJECTIVES + INFINITIVE


  • You are clever to stop working there, they don’t pay you enough.
  • It is very difficult for me to breathe because it smells horrible.
  • It isn’t easy to ride a horse that behaves badly.
  • It was really hard to find our way here.
  • She found it impossible to learn to play the piano
  • It was nice to see you looking so happy!
  • How is it possible to be this tired?
  • You were right to say that to him, he shouldn’t talk to you like that.
  • It would be strange to see you with short hair.
  • He was wrong to think that she ever cared. 


BASIC LEVEL

ADVANCED LEVEL

dimarts, 2 de novembre del 2021

The definite article "THE" - when no to use it (zero article)



ENGLISH EXPLANATION + PRONUNCIATION+ EXERCISES (with a table)


1. Cuando hablamos de algo en general.

Ejemplos:

 I like ice cream.(Me gusta el helado.)
 Math is difficult.(Las matemáticas son difíciles.)

2. Nunca utilizaremos “the” cuando nos referimos a la televisión, las horas de las comidas, los días de la semana, la hora, los meses del año, las estaciones o los años.

Ejemplos:

 I do not like to watch television [TV].(No me gusta ver la televisión [tele].)
 I have an appointment on Monday.(Tengo una cita el lunes.)
 We eat breakfast at 9:00.(Comemos el desayuno [Desayunamos] a las 9:00.)

3. Con instituciones y modos de transporte, cuando estamos hablando en general.

Ejemplos:

 We like school.(Nos gusta la escuela.)
 I go to work by train.(Voy al trabajo en tren.)
 They go to church on Sundays.(Van a la iglesia los domingos.)

4. No se utiliza el artículo con nombres de ciudades ni nombres de lugares en general, aunque hay algunas excepciones como hemos visto en el apartado anterior. Además, no se utiliza el artículo con lagos o calles.

Ejemplos:

 I went to Lake Titicaca.(Fui al lago Titicaca.)
 She lives on Flores Street.(Vive en la calle Flores.)


Halloween activities

 




ORIGINS (ELEMENTARY level): text + comprehension questions

VIDEO: upper intermediate listening B1+ (2:53 minutes)

VIDEO on the origins of Halloween (with subtitles) 7.16 minutes
VIDEO on the history of Halloween and the orginin of the word Halloween and how it's celebrated in ohter countries (American English with subtitles). 6:54 

FLASHCARDS: make students create flashcards. (1 ESO)

Halloween - ESL Teaching Resources, and Self-Study Lessons (by levels)
MEMORY GAME (2) BEGINNER AND ELEMENTARY 
INTERACTIVE GAMES FOR KIDS (BEGINNER AND ELEMENTARY)
BRITISH COUNCIL'S GAMES ON HALLOWEEN FOR KIDS

RESOURCE 1: Busy teacher: 10 Fun Halloween Games for English Practice

Top Halloween Songs Playlist 🎃 1 Hour Halloween Playlist


TABOO GAME   (speaking guessing  game, INTERMEDIATE and HIGH level)    TABOO RULES 

PICTURE TABOO RULES


SERIES ON NETFLIX
BLACK MIRROR
TEEN WOLF
LUCIFER

dilluns, 18 d’octubre del 2021

Negative infinitive

 



EXPLANATION 1 (with written and video explanation)


The causative passive: have / get something done





EXPLANATION (ENGLISH)

EXERCISE 1 : choose
EXERCISE 2: write

ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY


Exercise 1: rewrite the sentences with the adverb.

Exercise 2: write the words in the correct order.

Exercise 3: write the sentences with the adverb of frequency in the correct order.

Word Order: subject+verb+manner+place+time

 









EXERCISE:  Click on words to put the sentence in the correct order.(1)

EXERCISE: Click on words to put the sentence in the correct order.(2)

EXERCISE: Click on words to put the sentence in the correct order.(3)

EXERCISE: Click on words to put the sentence in the correct order.(4)

EXERCISE: Click on words to put the sentence in the correct order.(5)

EXERCISE: write the words in the correct order.



COMMA ABUSE . COMMA SPLICE

What's a comma splice?  Incorrect use of a comma to connect two independent sentences.

 

When you want to join two independent clauses, you need a conjunction or a semicolon. A comma alone isn’t strong enough to join them. This kind of mistake is called a comma splice.

INCORRECT: We were out of milk, I went to the store.

INCORRECT: The experiment was unsuccessful, the temperature was not controlled sufficiently.

INCORRECT: The opening paragraph was incredibly moving, it touches on the common fear of losing a loved one.

INCORRECT: Money is not the only motivating factor for people to work, self-worth and the need for more social interaction can also be reasons for working.


>> There are three ways to correct comma splices:

1. Replace the comma with a conjunction:

 CORRECT: We were out of milk, so I went to the store. 

CORRECT: The experiment was unsuccessful because the temperature was not controlled sufficiently.

2. Replace the comma with a semi-colon:

CORRECT: The opening paragraph was incredibly moving; it touches on the common fear of losing a loved one.

CORRECT: We were out of milk; I went to the store.

3. Replace the comma with a full stop:

CORRECT: We were out of milk. I went to the store.

CORRECT: Money is not the only motivating factor for people to work. Self-worth and the need for more social interaction can also be reasons for working.

The method you choose will depend on your particular sentence and how closely you want the two clauses to be associated.

(grammarly 1) (University of Hull)



dimarts, 5 d’octubre del 2021

The Definite Article THE

 

Explanation 1: Spanish

Explanation 2: with a table

Explanation 3: with exercises


Exercise 1: easy. Choose THE or nothing.

Exercise 2 choose THE or nothing.

Exercise 3: Choose THE or nothing.

Exercise 4: Choose THE or nothing.

Exercise 5: choose THE, AN, AN or nothing

Exercise 6: choose THE or nothing. (intermediate)

Exercise 7: matching exercise.

Exercise 8: choose A /AN /THE

diumenge, 3 d’octubre del 2021

Present Perfect Continuous

 VIDEO PRESENTATION OF THE TENSE IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

EXPLANATION 1 (Spanish)

EXPLANATION 2 British Council, Spanish

EXPLANATION 3 (Spanish, with pictures and charts)



dimecres, 29 de setembre del 2021

SUBJECT - VERB SEPARATION

 



EXPLANATION 1

EXPLANATION 2


SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT

EXPLANATION 1 (CLEAR, EASY TO READ)

TEN SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT RULES

Errors in subject-verb agreement may occur when

  • a sentence contains a compound subject;
  • the subject of the sentence is separate from the verb;
  • the subject of the sentence is an indefinite pronoun, such as anyone or everyone;
  • the subject of the sentence is a collective noun, such as team or organization;
  • the subject appears after the verb.

Recognizing the sources of common errors in subject-verb agreement will help you avoid these errors in your writing. This section covers the subject-verb agreement errors in more detail.

divendres, 24 de setembre del 2021

REMEMBER versus REMIND




EXPLANATION 2 + EXERCISE



 

ACTUAL versus CURRENT / PRESENT

 



MEANING OF ACTUAL

EXISTING IN FACT / REAL

We had estimated about 300 visitors, but the actual number was much higher.

He's had a lot of interviews, but never had an actual job.

The exams are in July, but the actual results (= the results themselves) don't appear until September.

Synonym: real (NOT IMAGINARY)

Actual is an adjective meaning ‘true’, ‘real’ and ‘the thing in itself’. It does not refer to time. Actual always comes immediately before the noun it is describing: …

TRUE OR EXACT
actual amount/cost/figure 
Residents are paying electricity prices that are double the actual cost of generating electricity.

SPANISH "ACTUAL" IS ENGLISH "CURRENT" OR "PRESENT"

dimarts, 21 de setembre del 2021

AS versus LIKE versus HOW

 









EXPLANATION + EXERCISE

EXPLANATION 2

EXPLANATION 3

AS / LIKE / HOW

EXERCISE AS / LIKE / HOW



INFORMATICS versus COMPUTER TECHNICIAN

 


COMPUTER TECHNICIAN
(INFO.) TECH / TECHIE /GEEK
COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
COMPUTER EXPERT
COMPUTER SCIENTIST
COMPUTER SCIENTIST
COMPUTER SPECIALIST