Batxiblog

Happy holidays!

2011-12-28T17:09:00.002+01:00

Dumped!

2011-12-16T11:19:00.002+01:00

In class we read about an interesting programme on British television to raise awareness on ecological issues. Learn more about it in Channel 4's website or with the following video:

Calculate your carbon footprint.

11/11/11

2011-11-11T11:55:00.003+01:00

Today is 11/11/11. This is the last of the unusual dates we've had this year. The other ones were 1/1/11, 11/1/11, 1/11/11.

But there's still more to it: take the last two numbers in your year of birth and add your age this year. What's the result???

And even more: in October there were 5 Mondays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, which only happens every 823 years.

And some more curiosities about the number eleven here.

If all this doesn't give you the creeps, watch this:

Do you recognize the place???

Roald Dahl Day

2011-09-14T10:27:00.000+02:00

September 13th is Roald Dahl Day.

Watch, read and listen to his version of Little Red Riding Hood, included in Revolting Rhymes.

More Selectivitat listenings

2011-05-31T21:54:00.001+02:00

Gourmet garbage

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Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Butter, bread and green cheese...

A better world

Answer key for Unit 6

2011-05-04T23:11:00.000+02:00

Here's the answer key for the grammar and vocabulary exercises from unit 6 in your workbook.
Good luck with your exam!

Answer key for Unit 5

2011-04-04T15:22:00.002+02:00

Here you have the answer key for the workbook exercises from Unit 5.

And also the dictation on p. 55:

1. Some people seem to split with each other all the time and then get back together. I'd hate that. People should be more patient with each other.
2. I sometimes get a bit nervous or embarrassed when i have to express myself., but I like texting people and chatting on the internet. It's a good way to get to know a person before going on a date.

Selectivitat listenings

2011-04-04T14:58:00.002+02:00

"Michael Palin, the travelling comedian".

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Track details

eSnips Social DNA

"The best seller connection".

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Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Answer key Unit 4

2011-02-22T12:37:00.002+01:00

Here's the answer key for the workbook exercises from Unit 4.

To get some extra practice on relative pronouns and relative sentences, click here.

To review the prepositions of movement, click here (3 exercises) or here.

Monk-e-Mail

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

Groundhog day

2011-02-02T23:21:00.005+01:00

On February 2, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob (Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

After Phil emerges from his burrow, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese" (a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.

Today, Punxsutawney Phil, once again appeared at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob in the Pennsylvania Wilds to make his annual prediction. Watch the video and answer these questions:

did Phil see his shadow?
what does it mean if Phil sees his shadow (or if he doesn't!)?
what is his prediction, then?

Watch Phil's prediction below:

What do we celebrate on Feb 2nd in Catalonia?
What is the connection with Groundhog Day?
What will the weather be like here for the rest of the winter?

Answer all these questions as a comment to this post.

Learn more about Groundhog Day

Australia Day

2011-01-26T17:00:00.002+01:00

January 26th is Australia Day. That was the day in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of the First Fleet of eleven convict ships from Great Britain and the first governor of New South Wales, arrived at Sydney Cove. Before that, in 1770, Captain James Cook raised the Union Jack (the British flag) on what is now called Possession Island to claim the eastern half of the continent as New South Wales for Great Britain.

Read a bit more about it here.

Read more about the smallest continent and the Aussies here.

Answer key unit 3

2011-01-20T21:15:00.002+01:00

We're about to finish unit 3, so here's the answer key for the workbook exercises.

Christmas is coming!

2010-12-21T09:40:00.006+01:00

It's almost Christmas time, and what better way to celebrate it than by listening to a carol?
Here's the last song by Coldplay, a beautiful Christmas song. I hope you like it!

Lyrics | Christmas Lights lyrics

A hunter shoots a bear

2010-12-15T22:01:00.000+01:00

Watch the video and follow the instructions.

One of the cleverest and funniest ads I've ever seen!

Saint Andrew's Day

2010-12-01T12:43:00.005+01:00

November 30th is Saint Andrew's day, the patron saint of Scotland.

Read a bit about its history and celebrations, then try this multiple choice quiz and this crossword.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

2010-11-25T23:55:00.000+01:00

The Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock in December of 1620 found the New World much different than they had expected. Amid the hard New England winter, 46 of the 121 persons who made the voyage perished. But the fall of 1621 brought a bountiful harvest, giving those who remained a change to survive the coming winter. The surviving Pilgrims, along with 91 Native American guests, celebrated the first Thanksgiving with wild game and vegetables. Throughout Colonial history, similar celebrations occurred whenever settlers felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward God. In fact, George Washington even declared a national day of Thanksgiving in 1789. But Thanksgiving did not become a regular holiday until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln signed into law a bill proclaiming the last Thursday of each November to be Thanksgiving Day. In 1941, Congress amended the law to make the fourth Thursday of each November Thanksgiving.

Try this interactive word puzzle on Thanksgiving.

Irregular verb practice

2010-11-22T22:32:00.001+01:00

Created by Crazyprofile.com

The exam is approaching, and as usual, there will be a question on irregular verbs. You may start practicing them at Verbbusters. It's an online game which can be played at six different levels of difficulty. Good luck!

Answer key for Unit 2

2010-11-15T15:15:00.001+01:00

Have you tried to do the exercises in your workbook? Here's the answer key for the exercises on modal verbs and for the vocabulary exercises.

All Saints' Day

2010-11-01T11:26:00.001+01:00

Can you complete this poem? Use the vocabulary here to help you.

Little Monsters

Choose your ____________ and carve it right,
For tonight is the night of fright.
A most dangerous eve is ____________,
Disguise yourself from dangers unseen.
Beware!
The witches and ____________ prepare their brews,
Deadly mixtures and magic stews.
Those without ____________ should run and hide,
Or, better yet, stay inside,
For the darkest night is the night of fools,
Souls unprepared for bone-eating ____________,
Ghosts and ____________ who seek to annoy,
Or, perhaps, even destroy.
Listen!
Hear the sounds of laughter and little feet,
As they threaten you with “____________."
Give them candy, they will go away.
Lock your doors and pray
That the ____________ candle stays lit,
And the devilish children quit.

Anthony Eitnier

2010-10-31T18:16:00.000+01:00

Answer key for unit 1

2010-10-15T23:32:00.002+02:00

If you've done the exercises on reported speech, here's the answer key.
Here's also the key for the vocabulary exercises.

In case you need a bit more practice before the exam, you may try these:

Starter unit

2010-10-08T11:25:00.001+02:00

Here's the answer key for the execises in the starter unit.

Autumn begins today!

2010-09-22T11:45:00.005+02:00

Get into the autumn mood by listening to some music:

and reading a poem:

?????????

by Elsie N. Brady

How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.

By the way, what do you think is the title of the poem? If you know, leave a comment with your answer!

International Day of Peace

2010-09-21T12:51:00.006+02:00

The International Day of Peace, observed each year on 21 September, is a global call for ceasefire and non-violence. It is observed by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. The first year this holiday was celebrated was 1981.

To celebrate the day, there are millions of people in countries around the world participating in parades, concerts, dance celebrations, exhibitions and educational events. You can see what they're doing in the Peace Day Global Broadcast, a multimedia event which started on September 17 with the ringing of the Peace Bell from UN Headquarters by the Secretary General, and continues through September 21, the official International Day of Peace.

Segments in this year’s broadcast will feature Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, Bono, Annie Lennox, Alanis Morissette, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Dr. Jane Goodall, James Cameron, “The Elders” - Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, and Kofi Annan and many other prominent people.

You can watch the Peace Day Global Broadcast live below:

To learn more about this day, visit the International Day of Peace's official UN page.

World Animal Day

2009-10-04T20:40:00.003+02:00

Do you like animals? If your answer is yes, October 4th is a day for you to celebrate.

World Animal Day was started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and is widely celebrated in countries throughout the world. October 4 was chosen as World Animal Day as it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

It is intended as a day of celebration for anyone in the world who cares about animals. It is not restricted to any one nationality, creed, religion, political belief or ideology.

MISSION STATEMENT for WORLD ANIMAL DAY:
- To celebrate animal life in all its forms
- To celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom
- To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives
- To acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives

(Information taken from the World Animal Day official website)

Selectivitat

2009-05-17T22:20:00.002+02:00

To practise your reading and improve your listening skills at the same time, try these two sites:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
A news article with an audio file. You can do a number of comprehension exercises as well.

Learning resources
Another news article with audio or video and some interactive comprehension exercises.

Posa't a prova
English readings at 4 different levels of difficulty (but no listening!) and all the other Selectivitat subjects.

The Poet's corner

2009-04-14T10:50:00.002+02:00

St George's day is coming. To celebrate the festivity, you're going to write some poems. To make things easier for you, try this:
Instant poetry forms.

It's Easter!

2009-04-08T21:48:00.001+02:00

April Fool's Day

2009-04-01T12:06:00.002+02:00

April the 1st

The first of April, some do say, April The 1st
Is set apart for All Fools' Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent
On purpose for pure merriment.
-- Poor Robin's Almanac (1790)

Today is April Fool¡s Day, the day in which people play hoaxes and practical jokes on friends, family members and other people in general. Newspapers and the media also have their share in the celebration. Most of them publish fake articles or give fake news on television.
Here you have some articles taken from different British newspapers. Can you tell which is the REAL one?

Happy St Patrick's day

2009-03-17T08:35:00.007+01:00

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

As you listen, answer the following questions:

1. What basic elements will you need?
2. Step 1. What should you wear?
3. Step 2. Where should you go? At what time?
4. Step 3. What special words must you say (the English translation!)?
5. Steps 4 & 5. What 3 dishes must you cook?
6. Step 6. What will you drink?
7. Step 7. How will you spend your day? Mention the 2 most important things.
8. Step 8. What the last thing you must do on St Patrick's Day? What's the superstition with a four-leaf clover?
9. Americans who claim to be of Irish descent now number more that 34 million. That's how many times the population of Ireland?

Red Nose Day

2009-03-13T12:11:00.006+01:00

Red Nose Day is the main way in which Comic Relief, a British charity, raises money. It is held in the spring every second year and is often treated as a semi-holiday, with, for example, schools having non-uniform days. The day culminates in a live telethon event on BBC One starting in the evening and going through into the early hours of the morning, but other money-raising events take place all over the country.

To raise money on Red Nose Day, you just have to do something funny, like wearing plastic/foam red noses which are available, in exchange for a donation, from many shops. People are encouraged to wear the noses to help raise awareness of the charity. The design of the nose has been changed each year, beginning with a fairly plain one, which later grew arms, turned into a tomato and even changed colour. Over 50 million Red Noses have been bought over the years. Other funny things may be wearing something funny, or waxing a part of your body, selling articles or organizing competitions. There are plenty of ideas if you run short of them.

Red Nose Day has become very popular in Britain, with thousands of people involved. It has even spread to other countries like New Zealand. Since the Charity started in the 1980s, Comic Relief has raised over £600 million.

Futures!

2009-03-05T11:02:00.002+01:00

We've been revising the future tenses in class. Here's a little bit more practice:

Future simple: WILL + Verb (4 exercises, 3 tests)

BE GOING TO + Verb (5 exercises, 3 tests)

Future continuous: WILL BE + Verb -ing (1 exercise)

Future perfect: WILL HAVE + Verb -ed/3rd column (1 exercise)

Future mix: WILL, BE GOING TO, present simple, present continuous (1 exercise)

The Oscars

2009-02-23T21:31:00.003+01:00

The Oscars were awarded last night in the Kodak Theater of Los Angeles. Watch this video to learn about the winners.

or see the full list of nominees.
Have you seen any of the films in this list? Choose a film and prepare a two-minute talk about it: the plot, the actors, your opinion about it and if it got an Oscar, did it deserve it or not?

BRITs 2009

2009-02-19T10:19:00.003+01:00

The Brit awards (the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards) were presented yesterday. Duffy picked up three awards. Her biggest hit to date, Mercy, was at number one in the singles chart for five weeks last year, and her first album, Rockferry, sold 1.7m copies in the UK last year.
Other winners were Girls Aloud, Kings of Leon or Katy Perry. Learn more about the awards and their winners, or watch some images and videos below:

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T21:38:00.001+01:00

Valentine's Day Comments by Crazyprofile.com

Enjoy this online exercise and video about the origins of Saint Valentine's Day.

Relative clauses

2009-02-03T12:30:00.000+01:00

Practise the relative clauses here:

some theory
some practise

Conditional sentences

2009-01-29T21:33:00.002+01:00

Watch this video on 1st conditionals:

Now try these six exercises on conditional sentences.

Martin Luther King's Day

2009-01-19T10:55:00.004+01:00

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15.

King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law (at his time, for example, coloured people had to sit at the back of the buses, or had to give their seat to the whites, and there were segregated toilets for coloured and white people). He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.

His most famous words were a speech he delivered in 1963, which goes "I have a dream..."

Try to complete his words as you listen to the speech.

... and happy new year!

2008-12-31T21:10:00.000+01:00

Graphics & Myspace layouts

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-24T20:09:00.002+01:00

Modal verbs

2008-12-03T21:14:00.003+01:00

Revise the different uses of the modal verbs:

and also some computer and texting vocabulary.

Perfect tenses

2008-12-03T20:55:00.002+01:00

Practise the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous.

Can you tell the difference between

With these exercises you will!

Fashion

2008-12-02T19:58:00.005+01:00

What to wear? That's the question every morning, because your look says a lot about you. Read this interesting text about different looks.

When you buy clothes, you should take into account the shape of your body - not all clothes will look good on you!This personalised style rule generator will tell you what suits you best.

If that's not enough, this style guide will give you some basic rules to look even better.

Finally, decide whether you are a fashion fan or a fashion slave.

End with this quiz and check your vocabulary: You are what you wear.

It's Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T15:32:00.005+01:00

Thanksgiving Day is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is primarily a North American holiday which is celebrated with all the family gathered around a traditional dinner of turkey.
Watch this video to learn the origins of this celebration. Then you can try and do this quiz!

Guy Fawkes & the gunpowder plot

2008-11-06T12:41:00.005+01:00

November the 5th is Bonfire Night, when the British commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament (the gunpowder plot).

On Bonfire night people light large bonfires, set off fireworks and burn "guys", effigies of Guy Fawkes made with old clothes and stuffed with straw or paper. Before the fifth, children traditionally use the "guys" to request a "penny for the guy" in order to raise funds with which to buy fireworks.

Watch this video which explains in short where this celebration comes from.

Or you can help Guy Fawkes push the barrels in this game:

American elections

2008-11-02T19:53:00.009+01:00

Tomorrow all the world's eyes will be set on the US, as they're electing their president for the next four years.

The presidential election process is quite complicated. Read All about Electing a President of the United States or watch this animated video (click on cc for the transcript) to get the hang of it.

If you get stuck with some of the vocabulary, try this Electionary.

Make sure you understood it all by doing this test.

Who will win the election? We'll know in a few hours. In the meantime, watch this video and decide who's best:

or find a winner by playing this game:

McCain Vs Obama

Risk it all and use superior tactics to win the Presidential Election

Play this free game now!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T19:43:00.009+01:00

Awesome MySpace Comments & Myspace Layouts

Tonight is Halloween, so celebrate it by reading some Halloween jokes:

Q. Why are black cats such good singers?
A. They're very meeewsical.

Q. Why didn't the skeleton dance at the Halloween party?
A. It had no body to dance with.

Q. What would you do if a witch, an alien, Count Dracula and Frankenstein were at your door?
A. Hope it was Halloween.

One ghost asked another, "Do you believe in people?"

Sam: Why do witches fly on brooms?
Pam: Because vacuum cleaner cords are not long enough!

and playing a couple of games:

Halloween Toys & MySpace Layouts at pYzam.com

Creepy Pong

See how many Halloween ghouls you can beat at table tennis!

Play this free game now!!

Revision of past tenses

2008-10-28T10:24:00.003+01:00

Visit these websites and do the exercises to start revising for the upcoming exam...

Halloween is coming...

2008-10-28T10:19:00.002+01:00

Created by Crazyprofile.com

Reported speech help

2008-10-15T21:49:00.006+02:00

If you have trouble with reported speech, these sites may help:

changes in verb tenses

reported statements and exercises

reported questions and exercises

April Fool's jokes

2008-10-09T20:21:00.009+02:00

Today we read about some jokes (also known as pranks or hoaxes) played on the media on April Fool's Day.

Visit the following page:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hoax10.html (and its link)

to learn about some successful jokes that fooled a lot of people and became very popular.

Activity: send a comment to this article with the following two tasks:

- was any joke you read specially funny/witty/wise? Explain it and say why.

- could any of those jokes be harmful/not funny at all and why?

(don't forget to sign your writing!)

Vanuatu

2008-09-30T17:48:00.002+02:00

Today we read about Vanuatu and the Pentecost leap. Quite interesting, isn't it? Visit the country's website here and enjoy the white sandy beaches with tourquoise waters, the lush vegetation and great volcanoes.

Read some of the information and answer some questions:

- how many islands are there in the archipelago?

- how many people live there?

- how many languages do they speak there?

- what's the capital city?

- what's the weather like?

Be prepared to comment anything you find curious/interesting/funny in class.

More verbs

2008-09-26T09:21:00.005+02:00

If you feel you need to practice the present simple and the present continuous a little bit more, try these:

present simple - explanation + 8 exercises
present continuous - explanation + 5 exercises
difference between them both - explanation + 12 exercises + 3 tests

Verb tenses

2008-09-25T15:57:00.004+02:00

Glittery texts by bigoo.ws

These days we're having an overview of verb tenses. Apart from the explanations in the textbook or your class notes, at English tenses with cartoons you will find more information about them all in a nice and entertaining way. If you need to practice, there's also lots of exercices.

As for the irregular verbs (your favourite!), at Verbbusters you can practice the three forms with its translation at five different levels. Are you fast enough to appear on the best scores chart???

International Day of Peace

2008-09-22T00:46:00.004+02:00

The International Day of Peace is on September 21st of each year and calls for a full day of peace and ceasefire throughout the world.

In this event, the "Peace Bell" is rung at UN Headquarters. The bell is cast from coins donated by children on all continents, and considered a symbol of global solidarity. It was given as a gift by Japan, and is referred to as "a reminder of the human cost of war." The inscription on its side reads: "Long live absolute world peace."

Observance of the annual International Day of Peace is widespread across the globe. Celebrations now take place in every country.

(Wikipedia, 21-09-2008)

Learn more about this celebration at http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/

And enjoy what is probably the most famous song about peace: Imagine, by John Lenon.

2008-09-15T20:36:00.004+02:00

Yippee! Today is the

free myspace layouts

Welcome back!

Pen spinning

2008-07-14T21:45:00.004+02:00

Some of my former students (you know who I'm talking about) had the strange habit of doing tricks with their pens while listening - to help their concentration, they said. By chance, I just found out that this is called pen spinning, and there are thousands of experts at it out there. In fact, there are so many that BIC, the pen company, is organizing a competition!

If you are good enough at it, why don't you try and enter the competition? The prize is a trip to Japan! More details at pen pinning academy. You'll need to hurry up: the deadline is July 31st!

If you're not good enough yet, here's a tutorial:

For extra practice and tricks, type pen spinning in YouTube and you'll find over 6000 more examples and tutorials!

Independence Day

2008-07-04T21:52:00.004+02:00

July 4th is Independence Day in the USA. It commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence (on July 4th, 1776), in which 13 American colonies declared they were no longer a part of Great Britain, thus marking the birth of the United States of America.

It's a national holiday marked with a patriotic overtone. It usually takes place outdoors, with parades, barbecues, picnics in the park and fireworks being held all over the country. Decorations take the colour of the American flag (also known as Stars and Stripes): red, white and blue. Read a more detailed description of the festivity by the US State Department.

It's typical of this day to sing patriotic songs such as the national anthem (The star-spangled banner) or Stars and Stripes Forever. If you don't know them, here's a very funny version made by The Muppets:

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T19:26:00.005+02:00

Father's day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in the UK and the US. It's quite a recent tradition which dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Learn more about it at The Holiday Spot.

Do you get on well with your father? Read these quotes about fathers and decide whether you agree with them:

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.~ Charles Wadsworth

Becoming a father is easy enough, but being one can be very rough.~ Wilhelm Busch

One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. ~ George Herbert

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection. ~ Sigmund Freud

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.~ Anonymous

The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.~ Confucius

A father is a banker provided by nature.~ French Proverb

And listen to the song Father and son by Cat Stevens, probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written:

Selectivitat

2008-06-10T21:14:00.003+02:00

Glubs! Selectivitat is finally here! Ahead you have three days of nerves, but also the opportunity to show your worth, so go for it and THE BEST OF LUCK!

Good Luck Comments by Crazyprofile.com

Train your ears!

2008-05-29T21:22:00.006+02:00

The Selectivitat exams are approaching, and maybe the listening comprehension part offers the most difficulties. Listen and read the texts in these websites to help you train your ears.

Breaking news English. Read an article from the press and listen to it (click on Downloads - Listening). If you want further practice, you may do an incredible number of comprehension exercises (with answer keys at the bottom of the page). A great site!

Podomatic. Listen to news articles read at a very slow pace.

ESL Podcast. Excellent. Short fragments from everyday conversations. You can download the audio file and listen to it anywhere on your iPod or mp3 player.

Conditionals

2008-05-27T12:44:00.006+02:00

Now that the exams are round the corner, and since we didn't have much time to practice the conditional sentences, I recommend that you do a few more exercises online:

Conditional Sentences / If-Clauses Type I, II and III Some exercises and tests

Conditional sentences - if A long list of exercises.

And a little joke:

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
THEN YOU ARE PROBABLY THE FAMILY DOG!

Animal idol

2008-05-21T21:05:00.003+02:00

Operación triunfo, Popstars, Factor X, Tienes talento, Tú sí que vales... or their English equivalents, Pop Idol, The X Factor, Fame Academy... all of them are talent shows, that is, a mixture of reality show and school where the contestants are looking for fame and stardom. You probably have seen some (or all) of them. Here's another one: Animal Idol.

What do you think of it? Would you watch it if it was on TV???

Mother's day

2008-05-13T13:46:00.004+02:00

Last Sunday 10th was Mother's Day in the English-speaking countries. The following text is a homage to all mothers:

WHY I LOVE MUM

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed."

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches, rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.

She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.

She looked in on each of the kids and turned off their bedside lamps, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed." And he did...without another thought.

More practice for the exam

2008-05-06T13:55:00.004+02:00

Apart from the exercises on passive you'll find in the April posts, here come a few more:

10 exercises at English Corner
30 more exercises at EGO4U

And practise the irregular verbs here or here.

Infinitives and gerunds

2008-05-05T21:48:00.003+02:00

A collection of exercises to practice the grammar in Unit 6 before the exam:

Gerund or infinitive after the verb at the Grammar Aquarium (4 exercises)
Gerunds and Infinitives at Using English (the first three exercises)
Gerund / infinitive at englisch-hilfen (grammar explanation and 5 exercises)
Gerunds and infinitives at English page (a tutorial, 29 exercises and a final test!)

Good luck with the practice and the exam!

Nasubi

2008-05-05T21:24:00.003+02:00

In Unit 6 we read about Nasubi, a Japanese comedian who spent 15 months in an appartment, trying to win 1 million yen in order to get out. During all this time, TV cameras broadcast everything he did. Here are some more facts about him and the TV show:

he didn't know what kind of show he was in, or that he was watched by thousands of people every day.

he was completely naked all the time. The TV show put an eggplant on screen to cover his parts (Nasubi means eggplant in Japanese).

it took him two weeks to win some food. The first thing he ate was some jelly.

it took him eight months to win some toilet paper.

he won some rice, but he had no cooking utensils.

he sent out between 3000 and 8000 postcards a month.

he was allowed a holiday at the beach in September.

every time he won something, he danced and sang an invented song in front of the cameras.

after he won the contest, he had to complete a second part of it in Korea.

Read more about him here: http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/nasubi.html. You will see the things he won, and also the things he never won!

Here you can see photos of Nasubi in action (the site is in Japanese. Follow the links on the left).

The urban Tarzan

2008-04-24T09:58:00.003+02:00

Today we read about a man living in Villa Borghese, a park in Rome. Here you have a more detailed article about him which appeared in the Telegraph a few years ago:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2000/11/19/wtarz19.xml

If you want to see what the park looks like:

St George's day

2008-04-23T23:21:00.004+02:00

What do England and Catalonia have in common? No, it's not the Barça-Manchester United match, but the fact that Saint George is the patron saint of both. You know all about the Catalan tradition for Saint George, but how much do you know about England? Try this quiz:

http://www.its-english.com/festive/national/ex3a.asp

Learn more about the festivity in England here:

Happy Saint George's day!

A description

2008-04-22T12:44:00.005+02:00

If you are at a loss for words for your next composition, use these websites to help you:

I am looking forward to reading them next Thursday!

Modal verbs

2008-04-07T21:02:00.006+02:00

Created by Crazyprofile.com

Now that we're practising modal verbs, here's a list of some extra exercises that you can (or rather you should) do:

Modal verbs at the Grammar Aquarium
A grammar explanation with 4 exercises.
Another short explanation with 3 exercises.

Passives!

2008-04-07T20:43:00.005+02:00

Created by Crazyprofile.com

Now that we're dealing with passives (again!), here's a little refresher:

Table of tenses in English with active and passive.
A grammar explanation with 6 exercises.
Another grammar explanation with 7 more exercises.
A description of the Passive Voice with associated interactive grammar, listening, reading and writing exercises.
If that was not enough, here's one more exercise with have something done.

April fools!

2008-04-01T14:30:00.003+02:00

If you read the articles attentively, you should know by now which articles were April Fools jokes. Most of you guessed correctly that the first article was fake, and so was the second. But could you imagine that the smoking tortoise really exists? Life's stranger than fiction!

The fake articles specify they are a joke somewhere on the page, so you can check for yourselves. You can also read the following articles:

April Fool's Day story round-up (The Telegraph)

Ben Schott's April Fool Almanac (Times online)

Read what La Vanguardia says today.

April Fool's Day

2008-04-01T13:00:00.003+02:00

Today is April Fool's Day. On this day people like to play tricks on each other (similar to our Dia dels innocents). Newspapers also sometimes include fake news stories.

Read the following stories and decide which one is real and which one is a joke.

Dog racing on ice gets green light: Wembley to host first meeting (Daily Mirror)
Calling Carla: Brown enlists first lady to give Britain style (The Guardian)
Life's a drag for tortoise (The Sun)
The Facebook tool which turns your mobile into a snoop (Times online)

What do you think? Have your say and vote!

It can read your mind!

2008-03-30T22:45:00.006+02:00

Incredible! This program knows what you're thinking!

Think of something - animal, mineral, vegetal or other - and this artificial intelligence program will guess it in 20 questions or less. Don't you believe it? Give it a try:

20Questions

You'll be amazed!

Easter

2008-03-24T20:21:00.007+01:00

According to Christian tradition, Easter is a major celebration marking the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was crucified on what is known to Christians as Good Friday and was resurrected three days later on Easter Sunday.

Of all the symbols associated with Easter, the egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the most identifiable. In the UK children still paint colored eggs, but most British people simply exchange chocolate eggs on the Sunday. In North America, the Easter Egg Hunt involves lots of eggs being hidden around the house or garden by the Easter Bunny before the children of the house get up for the day. They are then invited to try and find all the eggs often with a chocolate egg as the reward. (adapted from Wikipedia, and Happy-Easter.com)

But do you know there's another kind of Easter eggs? Do this worksheet to find out.

It's springtime!

2008-03-20T10:44:00.006+01:00

Spring is in the air! The days are longer, the sun is warmer, the trees are in bloom, poets are reciting their poems...

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850), British poet, Daffodils

Spring's an expansive time: yet I don't trust
March with its peck of dust,
Nor April with its rainbow-crowned brief showers,
Nor even May, whose flowers
One frost may wither thro' the sunless hours.
Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894), British poet. Winter: My Secret (l. 23-27). . .

Create your flowers in this virtual flower garden.

Saint Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T22:26:00.007+01:00

Today is Saint Patrick's Day, patron saint of Ireland.

To celebrate this day people wear green and attend the many parades that take place worldwide. Probably the most spectacular ones run along the streets of Dublin, New York and Chicago (you may have seen it at the beginning of The Fugitive)

See what they are like:

Misheard lyrics

2008-03-14T19:00:00.002+01:00

Did you know that sometimes the songs in English (or in any other foreign language) hide secret messages in Spanish?

In the radio program No somos nadie, and later in the TV programs Channel nº4 and El Hormiguero, they used to collect this kind of songs, under the name "momentos teniente".

Here you have a sample. Can you hear the Spanish words?

(If you want to hear more of these, type "momentos teniente" in YouTube). Enjoy yourselves!

Cast your vote!

2008-03-10T22:29:00.002+01:00

Have a look at what the foreign press says about the Spanish elections:

The Times online
The Guardian
Financial Times
The New York Times

It's quite interesting to compare them!

Eurovision Song Contest

2008-03-09T19:59:00.005+01:00

Last night Spain voted that our representative in this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be Rodolfo Chikilicuatre, with the song Baila el Chiki Chiki. The song was selected by internet voters in MySpace, and then won in the TV final.

Spain won't be the only country to send an unusual singer to the contest. Ireland may be breaking all the records by sending Dustin the turkey, with the song Ireland douze points!

Dictation

2008-03-07T17:26:00.003+01:00

Here is the correction to today's dictation:

Riding for the Disabled is an organization which takes volunteers to help run holidays for disabled children and adults. You need to be over eighteen ans experience is useful but not essential. You'll get free accommodation and they pay basic living expenses.

Here are the other NGOs mentioned in the text:

WWOOF
CBA
Earthwatch

Base jumping

2008-03-06T11:54:00.007+01:00

Today we heard about BASE jumping. Did you know that the first jump dates back as far as 1783?
Learn more about this extreme sport here.

If you want to know what it feels to jump from a height, watch this:

Are you considering taking up Base jumping? Try this game and start training:

Base Jumping

Base jump over 5 rounds to challenge the King.

Play this free game now!!

Barça v Celtic

2008-03-03T20:11:00.006+01:00

Tonight there's an important match, as Barça is being visited by Celtic in the return leg of the Champions League. In the first leg, Barça won 2-3. What will happen tonight? Who will get a pass to the quarter-finals? Will Barça make it to the final in Moscow?

Read the information provided in this worksheet and do the accompanying exercises.

A special day

2008-02-29T18:50:00.002+01:00

Have you noticed today's date? That's right, February 29th, which means today it's Leap Day!

But what is a Leap Year and why do Leap Years happen? You may find the answers here.

Have you ever wondered what happens if a baby is born on this day? When do they celebrate their birthday? This website has all the answers.

By the way, do you know which two important events happen on Leap Year? If you know, leave your answer in a comment to this post!

Homework

2008-02-27T21:31:00.007+01:00

On Thursday 28th and Friday 29th I'll be doing some teacher training. In my absence, please do the following:

- Unit 4 - vocabulary
- this worksheet
We'll correct both things on the next class. Enjoy yourselves!

Exams!

2008-02-25T22:02:00.005+01:00

The exams are over. Did anything similar ever happen to you?

And the Oscar goes to...

2008-02-24T13:44:00.005+01:00

Tonight is the night of the Oscars. Who's your favourite? Below you have the full list of nominees to help you decide. If you're in the mood, you can also answer some film questions in the Trivia, or click on Oscars.com to watch some film trailers. Come back tomorrow to know the winners.

By the way, could you win an Oscar?
http://www.its-english.com/movies/test/ex2.asp

Brit Awards

2008-02-22T09:53:00.005+01:00

The BRIT Awards, often simply called The BRITs, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. They were given out last Wednesday night.

The Arctic Monkeys and Take That won two Brits each.

Here is the full list of winners:
http://www.brits.co.uk/winners/

Futures

2008-02-19T13:15:00.006+01:00

Some exercises on the use of the future:

http://www.english-4u.de/future_tense.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-mix
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-progressive
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-2-simple

funny English lesson

2008-02-19T12:20:00.003+01:00

Please, don't follow the example!

Relative sentences

2008-02-18T22:13:00.005+01:00

Practice the relative sentences:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-clauses#exercises (grammar explanation with exercises and tests)
http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/#int (4 exercises)
http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/grammar/grammar.html#interact (11 exercises)

Conditionals

2008-02-16T11:11:00.009+01:00

Do you need to practice some more conditional sentences? Here are a few exercises:

http://www.english-4u.de/conditional_clauses.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/if.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/grammar/grammar.html (scroll down the page to find them; also exercises with I WISH)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T11:09:00.010+01:00

Play a Saint Valentine's game:

http://www.storyit.com/wgames/valworddrop.htm

Find all kinds of Valentine's stuff:

http://www.holidays.net/amore/index.htm

Are you compatible with your loved one? Try this test:

Created by Crazyprofile.com

Prepare the term exam

2008-02-13T09:02:00.007+01:00

The exams are coming. Do you want some extra practice? For a start, try this:

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/stepstosuccess/?cc=es

for grammar and vocabulary in relation with the textbook Steps to Success

http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregularverbs.html
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/verbs.htm

to practice the irregular verbs (and learn them once and for all!)

English lesson

2008-02-12T22:43:00.003+01:00

A not very useful English lesson...

CURSO DE INGLES RAPIDO PARA VIAJEROS
*Si quiere una COCACOLA diga GUIMI A COUC
*Si quiere un café y un donut diga COFI EN DONAT
*Si quiere unos huevos con jamón diga JAM EN EGS
*Si se agarra un dedo con la puerta del taxi diga FAC
*Si algo le parece muy costoso diga FAC
*Si se cae en el metro diga FAC
*SI no le aceptan la Visa diga DON TIU FAC MI
*Si su amigo no sale de copas con usted diga DON TIU FAC MI
*Si no le encuentran en la lista de reservas del hotel diga DON TIU FAC MI
*Si se encuentra con una mujer de esas de película diga UAT A FAC
*Si alguien le grita algo que contenga FAC responda FAQUIU TU
*Si pierde el pasaporte, detenga un policía y diga FAQUINPEIPERS
*Si se pierde en la ciudad grite AIAM FAQUIN LOST
*Cuando se refiera a un tercero diga DAT FAQUIN GAI OVERDER
*Si quiere comer una rosca con una morenota dígale AI UANA FAC UICIU
*Si se quiere comer una rosca con una rubia dígale FAQUIU?
*Si no sabe donde tomar un taxi diga JAU TU GUET A FAQUIN CAB?
*Si esta muy enojado no diga REFAC, sólo diga FAC varias veces.
*Si le quieren tomar el pelo pregunte AR IU FAQUIN MI?

English practice

2008-02-12T15:15:00.000+01:00

Welcome! In this blog you'll find all kinds of things connected with English learning and practice.

Visit every time we start a unit for some more grammar and vocabulary practice
find interesting readings and listenings
find related websites
have a laugh with some jokes
ask questions to the teacher!

Come often and enjoy!