Exam practice - Official Language School in Vigo

Hi everyone!

Here I leave you with a link to the Official Language School in Vigo. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced (B2).

Certification exams EOI Vigo

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Exam Practice - Official Language School in Murcia

Hi there!

Today I post a link to the Official Language School in Murcia. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced Level 2 (B2).

Way to go!! :)

Certification exams EOI Murcia

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Exam Practice - Official Language Schools in Aragón

Hi again!

Today I post a link to the Official Language Schools in Aragón. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2) and Intermediate (B1).

I hope you do well!

Certification exams EOI Aragón

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Exam Practice - Official Language Schools in the Basque Country

Hello again!!

Here I leave you with the link to the Official Language Schools in the Basque Country. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced Level 2 (B2).

Good luck!

Certification exams EOI Basque Country

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Exam practice - Official Language Schools in Madrid

Hi again!

Today I post a link to the Official Language Schools in Madrid. There you can download the exams corresponding to levels Basic (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced Level 2 (B2).

I wish you the best of luck!

Certification exams EOI Madrid

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Videos with useful phrases according to your level!

Hi there!

Today I wanted to share with you a very useful section within the Inside Out website. It contains videos with useful phrases categorised into different levels: pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate.

Here you  have the first video of the series. Scroll down and continue watching more videos which correspond to your level. I'm sure you can all understand a lot!

I also take advantage of this entry to recommend you another incredibly useful website to do listening at home (audio this time, not video, I'm afraid). It is listed in the resources I recommend for listening (make sure you check that section! --> resources online > skills > listening).

The website is www.esl-lab.com, and all the listenings are divided into different levels. You can choose the type of activity you want (open questions; multiple-choice questions or filling the gaps), and you have the transcription as well. Very useful!! :)

I hope you start using these websites!

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Exam Practice B1 level (I)

Hi!

The exams are coming closer and I wanted to give you some exam practice to get ready!

These exams are all taken from the Preliminary English Test from Cambridge, which roughly corresponds to a level B1:

READING

• Reading Part 1: signs and short texts
• Reading Part 2: match 5 people to 8 texts
• Reading Part 3: text with True/False questions
• Reading Part 4: long text with multiple choice questions
• Reading Part 5: text with multiple choice gaps

LISTENING

• Listening Part 1: pictures with multiple choice questions
• Listening Part 2: longer recording and multiple choice questions
• Listening Part 3: complete notes
• Listening Part 4: true/false

Good luck! :)

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Improve your conversations in English!

Hi everyone!

Today we're going to focus on speaking and, more specifically, on interaction!

As you know, a language is, above all, a vehicle to communicate with other people. That means that we need to know phrases to express our opinion and ask for theirs, agree or disagree with what they say, ask them to repeat, show interest, etc.

Knowing how to interact is an essential part of our speaking skills in a foreign language. Responding to what other people say and being able to engage them in conversation is of paramount importance. However, explicit training on this issue is sometimes overlooked (pasado por alto) in our language classrooms...

For this reason I have done a compilation of useful phrases that you can use at different levels. Start using them in your conversations in class and you'll see how little by little your communication becomes a lot more natural and fluent!

If you find this useful, please feel to share on your social networks!

Basic Levels 1 and 2

Interactive Language - Basic Level

Intermediate Level

Interactive Language - Intermediate Level

Advanced Levels 1 and 2

Interactive Language - Advanced Level by AnaBueno_LearnEnglish

C1

Interactive Language - C1 by AnaBueno_LearnEnglish

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"Bed and breakfast", "fish and chips" and other binomial expressions

A binomial is a combination of two words, normally linked by a conjunction (and or or). Their order is almost always fixed, that is, they are irreversible.

English is extremely fond of binomials, and when I say "extremely", I do mean "extremely"!  If you want to check for yourselves, have a look at this list of binomials, with their corresponding meanings. You'll be surprised!

Do these ones ring a bell??

Some other common ones include:

If you want to know a few more, check the video below: "10 common binomial expressions in English". She speaks rather slowly, but her explanations and examples are very accurate!

Finally, for more advanced learners, here I post a handout with some more complex ones. See if you can complete the exercises! (The answers are at the end, as usual!)

Binomials.pdf by AnaBueno_LearnEnglish

Now, the best way to remember binomials, as every other item of vocabulary, is to place them in context. Choose your favourite ones and post a few examples in the comments below!

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"Near" or "nearby"...?

Hi there!

Today I'm going to talk about the difference between the words near and nearby. Their meaning is very similar; the difference is how they are used in the sentence.

NEAR can be a preposition or an adverb. As a preposition, it is followed by a complement:

I live near the museum; There is a supermarket near here.

As an adverb, near appears at the end of the sentence:

The next bus stop is quite near.

She's getting nervous because her wedding is very near!

NEARBY, on the contrary, is an adjective, and it can appear before and after a noun.

There is a nearby church.

The nearby town is famous for its wine.

There is a park nearby.

Nearby can also appear "alone", but it is still an adjective: the shop is nearby/very expensive. Or an adverb! I live nearby (= I live near here)

Finally, here I post a video of a teacher explaining all this (remember that you can activate the subtitles!):

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Health; going to the doctor's; good stress; present perfect simple vs. continuous

Hi there!

These days we've been talking about health and eating habits. In one of the first sessions we discussed whether milk was good for the body or not . Here I post the video in case you may want to watch it again. If you open it directly on YouTube remember that you can activate subtitles. However, remember that they are computer-generated, so you may find many mistakes. Still, they are still helpful to follow the main ideas.

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Negative prefixes; why men & women can't be friends

Hi everyone,

On Wednesday we worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). These prefixes can be a bit difficult because there is no rule that tells us which prefix we have to use. For example, is it inexpensive or inexpensive?

That means that we have to learn them by heart...!

Here you have the most common negative prefixes, with some examples:

Dis- 

Un-

In-

Il- (always used with words that begin with <l>)

Im- (always used with words that begin with <p>)

Ir- (always used with words that begin with <r>)

You can revise this a little bit more on this link from BBC World Service. If what you want is practise, here you have a matching exercise and a multiple choice exercise. (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Now, changing topic...! The day we saw negative prefixes in class we also discussed some issues about family and friends, and someone asked if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

Well, I've found a video recorded at Utah State University about this topic ("Why men and women cannot be friends"). It's in English with subtitles in Spanish, so check it out! I'm sure you'll find it very funny :)

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Obama's Speech

Good morning everyone,

First of all, sorry for not updating the blog during the weekend, but I was busy with some other things. Anyway, better late than never!

On Monday/Tuesday we finished off the unit about crime correcting some final exercises on indirect questions, and we continued commenting on The Canterbury Tales. After that, we devoted most part of the lesson to discussing Bin Laden's death and the effect it will have on the international sphere. We watched Obama's official announcement and we also listened to a news report. You have the video below:

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Indirect questions & question tags; "From Hell" (film)

Hi there!

Last week was rather short because we only had one day of class. But I think we made the most of it, didn't we? :)

First of all, we revised some grammar and corrected some exercises related to indirect questions and question tags. Remember that indirect questions are a way of making questions more polite, introducing a formula of politeness such as do you know...? can/could you tell me...? etc. They can bit tricky because they don't have the usual structure of a question (QUASI), but the structure of a normal sentence: Sj + Verb + Complements.

(Taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk)

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Question tags; line dancing

Hello guys!

I hope you're having a great weekend, although it's apparently going to rain a lot... (fingers crossed!!).

Last week we talked about Easter holidays and we also had a special activity with Chanelle and Lauren, who prepared a quiz about the differences between Canada and the United States. I hope you learnt a lot!!

We also learnt a bit of line dancing. Here you have the video; I'm sure you're dying to show your family and friends! :) It's a bit old, but it's the easiest dance we could find!

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The Canterbury Tales

Hello everyone,

During these days I'd like you to read The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer. I know it's a book you have to read for the Escuela, but, please, don't read it with a feeling of obligation: I want you to enjoy the book, and to appreciate the real treasure you have in your hands. It's one of the best works ever written in English, a veritable masterpiece, and don't forget that Chaucer is known as the Father of English Literature.

Some of you might not like reading, but, trust me, The Canterbury Tales has something for everybody's taste: some stories are deep, some others are hilarious, some are a bit bold/dirty, others are a lesson of morale... And they portray a perfect picture of 15th century England.

As I said in class, the context of the tales is that of a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury Cathedral to visit Thomas Beckett's tomb; they are people from all the levels of society, from a miller to a knight, from a squire to a priest. The original idea was for every character to tell four tales, two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back. But, instead of 120 tales, the text ends after twenty-four tales.

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Jack the Ripper

Hello everyone!

Last week you presented your advertisements in class and, oh boy, how original they were!!! We had a potion to pass English exams, removable heels, products against baldness, hotels, holidays, language courses, books... Great job!!

I said it in class, but I tell you here again: thanks a lot for your effort, and congratulations on your hard work and dedication :) It's a real pleasure to do things with you guys.

On Wednesday/Thursday we talked about murders and Jack the Ripper. After the Easter holidays, we'll continue investigating the case a little bit more, and we'll watch several scenes from the film "From Hell" (2001, starring Johnny Depp). If you want to watch it during the holidays, click here for the link.

As for grammar, we finished reported speech and we corrected some final revision exercises. Please, have a look at them during the holidays and make sure you've got the grasp of it.

I hope you make the most of these days in the way that suits you best: spiritual, relaxed or simply normal holidays. I'll see you all again on the 25th / 26th, and we'll start our final push towards the end of the academic year!

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Reported speech; listening practice

Hi! Good morning everyone!

I hope you're all enjoying this warm, sunny weekend! :)

Here you have the usual summary at the end of each week. We continued with the topic of shopping and we did a listening about a girl who wanted to buy a present for her father. Click here if you want to listen to it again.

We also did an activity about "some real English sounds". I hope you all enjoyed it!! Remember to use "ummm", "uh-huh"and "huh?" in class (no more "eeees" in the oral!!), and of course, feel free to use any others! (yummy!, duh!, ouch!, oops!...).

As far as grammar is concerned, we worked with Reported Speech. The process is actually very mechanic, but I understand it needs practice. If you need to revise the "theory", click here for a very detailed explanation. If what you want is practice, then try the following links:

• Click here to report statements ("normal" sentences).

• Click here and/or here to report questions.

We also learnt the different between say and tell. You can revise the difference here, or... go straight to some exercises!

Finally, we talked about complaining and we listened to three people complaining in three different situations: a taxi, a hotel and a restaurant. Intermediate F practised with Chanelle on Thursday; Intermediate E will do a communicative activity on Monday.

See you all next week! :)

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The world of advertising

Hello there guys!

How's the weekend going? I hope you're all feeling more relaxed after the exams and, especially, after your marks! I'm relatively happy with the results, but I'm sure we can all do better in June :)

The most problematic area continues being the "listening", so we'll continue doing as much practice as we can in class, but it's of the utmost importance that you also listen to English at home. Please, have a look at the labels "videos", "listening" and "words of advice"; you'll find very useful practice there. And remember that it's better to listen to 5-10 minutes of English a day, rather than spending a whole evening doing listening practice. Languages, like sport, are a matter of perseverance (constancia).

Last week we started the topic of shopping and supermarkets. On Monday / Tuesday we talked about advertising and we discussed the following commercial from Sussex Safer Roads:

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"The Birthmark", by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hello guys,

Just as we did with "Young Goodman Brown", we're going to work a little bit further with the second short story: "The Birthmark". I'm going to post several links below and, after reading/watching them, I'd like you to prepare the questions at the end of this entry:

Original story: here you have the link to the original story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Remember that it was written in the 19th century, so the English language has changed a lot since then.

Plot: here you have a summary of the story. You can either read this document, or watch the trailer below (or both!):

Character analysis: click here for analysis of the two characters in the story: Aylmer and his wife Georgiana.

Symbolism: finally, here you have some information related to the main topics and symbols in the story. This might probably be the document you find most useful.

After you read these documents (they're really short), I'd like you to think about the following questions:

• How does the character of Georgiana evolve during the story?

• What made her want to remove her birthmark?

• Where should the limit between science and nature be?

• How much would you be willing to pay for perfection?

• Can we find representations of this story in our everyday lives today?

We'll discuss all this next Wednesday / Thursday in class.

Thanks beforehand for your time and effort.

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