Revision of tenses; personality adjectives; relationships

Hi everyone!

Here you have the first entry of the year! I'll regularly post a summary of what we've done in class but, most importantly, I'll also post extra material to consolidate and to expand what we do in the lessons.

We've already advanced quite a lot and are almost finishing Unit 1! These days we've been revising tenses, question formation and auxiliaries. As for vocabulary, we've talked about relationships and also personality.

If you want to continue revising English tenses, try the following exercises online:

• Revision of tenses 1: here you have exercises with pairs of tenses (present simple vs. present continuous; past simple vs. past continuous; past simple vs. past perfect, etc).

• Revision of tenses 2: here you have a gapped text which combines all tenses.

• Revision of tenses 3: here you have gapped sentences which combine all tenses.

Below you have some other useful personality adjectives!

Taken from www.englishpage.com

Finally, here I post two listenings about relationships, and also a video about "how to prepare your relationship for a baby":

• Listening 1: First date

• Listening 2: Meeting singles

• Video: Click here for some activities before you watch the video. You mainly have vocabulary and expressions. Then watch the video below and take this quiz!

For next Wednesday remember you have to write a composition:

How has my life changed in the last 10 years? Include aspects related to:

• Appearance
• Personality
• Work or Studies
• Hobbies
• Family & friends

250 words; Times New Roman, 12; 1.5 interlining; deadline 16th Oct 23.59h

Have a nice weekend and see you on Monday!
Ana.

February: Week 1

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 6, and started Unit 7 a little bit.

On Tuesday we corrected the photocopy about family and friends, and you discussed some questions in pairs. Apart from those questions, I asked you if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

After that, I told you about 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 :)


On Wednesday and Friday we had your oral presentations. Thank you very much for your effort, and for sharing some important episodes of your life with the rest of your classmates, and with me. It's a real pleasure listening to you :)

On Wednesday we also worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). Click here for an online exercise to praticse a little bit more! And here you have a very good list of adjectives with their corresponding prefix. Very useful! (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated (actualizado) all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot (captura de pantalla) of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right, in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos en línea de inglés" (the URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles).

See you this afternoon!

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

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 6, and started Unit 7 a little bit.

On Tuesday we corrected the photocopy about family and friends, and you discussed some questions in pairs. Apart from those questions, I asked you if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

After that, I told you about 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 :)






On Wednesday and Friday we had your oral presentations. Thank you very much for your effort, and for sharing some important episodes of your life with the rest of your classmates, and with me. It's a real pleasure listening to you :)

On Wednesday we also worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). Click here for an online exercise to praticse a little bit more! And here you have a very good list of adjectives with their corresponding prefix. Very useful! (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated (actualizado) all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot (captura de pantalla) of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right, in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos en línea de inglés" (the URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles).

See you this afternoon!

February: Week 1

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 6, and started Unit 7 a little bit.

On Tuesday we corrected the photocopy about family and friends, and you discussed some questions in pairs. Apart from those questions, I asked you if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

After that, I told you about 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 :)


On Wednesday and Friday we had your oral presentations. Thank you very much for your effort, and for sharing some important episodes of your life with the rest of your classmates, and with me. It's a real pleasure listening to you :)

On Wednesday we also worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). Click here for an online exercise to praticse a little bit more! And here you have a very good list of adjectives with their corresponding prefix. Very useful! (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated (actualizado) all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot (captura de pantalla) of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right, in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos en línea de inglés" (the URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles).

See you this afternoon!

Phrasal verbs; FCE practice

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 5 and started Unit 6 (only 5ºA). On Tuesday we worked with phrasal verbs (or multi-word verbs). Below I post a mind-map that can help you remember them. The phrasal verbs thereby included are somewhat easy, but what I want you to see is a possible organisation for the new phrasal verbs you learn. Remember that the way you organise your vocabulary is as important as the time you spend studying it.

In this blog entry I also leave you with three exam practice activities.

• Reading Part 2: place the sentences in the correct gap.
• Use of English Part 3: word-formation
• Listening Part 2: open answer

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work best for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so that you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right-hand bar (columna lateral derecha), "Departamento de Inglés", "recursos en línea de inglés" (The URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles/).

For CAL students, your links have also been updated. Find them in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos CAL" (The URL address is http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-c-a-l/)

See you tomorrow in class!

Idioms; FCE exam practice

Hi everyone!

Happy New Year!! I hope you've all started 2013 in high spirits, full of energy and eager to launch new projects! Since it's a fresh new year, here you have some idioms about new beginnings!

I take it for granted that you've taken advantage of these days to read Starting Over. It's true that the vocabulary is pretty colloquial and idiomatic at the beginning, but don't despair. Remember that you are reading the book for general meaning (that's called 'extensive reading'), so you don't have to look up every single word in the dictionary (but you can if you want to, by all means!). Besides, once you get used to Parsons's writing style, the reading is a lot smoother, and the vocabulary becomes increasingly easier.

I'm confident you've also been busy completing the vocabulary unit about transport and travelling, and writing the composition (remember this one has to be between 125 and 150 words!). Please, have everything ready for the 8th January (the deadline of the composition is extended till 23.59h).

Apart from that, with the advent of the New Year I also wanted to provide you with some exam practice material for you to do at home. If you can't get round to doing it these days, that's fine, but make sure you do it as soon as you find a window (hueco).

• Reading Part 1 (Multiple choice): "Social networks"

• Use of English Part 2 (gap-filling): "The Goulburn Valley"

• Listening Part 1 (8 conversations, multiple choice)

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we have completely updated the School's website. If you haven't checked it in these days, please do. We believe we've made it much more intuitive and user-friendly than it was before. There is still some information that needs to be uploaded, but we're already working on it :)

www.eoiroquetasdemar.org

And that's all for the moment! See you again on the 8th!

Be happy, be good.

Unit 1: Sept - Oct 2012

Hi again!

In this entry I'm going to post some information to revise Unit 1, and then I'll do the same with Unit 2.

At the beginning of the course we did several activities to know each other (some of you met for the first time!), and in the third week you did your first oral presentations. In groups of 3, you talked about someone important from an English speaking country. Thank you once again for your truly great effort :)

Below (abajo) you have a brief summary of the main grammar and vocabulary we have seen in the unit, so that you can revise at home and do some activities on-line:

SUBJECT QUESTIONS

In Unit 1 we revised how to form normal questions. Remember the word QUASI (QUestion word + Auxiliary + Subject + Infinitive).

Imagine I have the following sentences:

• Josh met  my sister   last night.
• Rich bought  a new laptop   in the supermarket.

I can ask a question for the underlined elements using the QUASI structure:

QU	A	S	I	...?	Answer
Who	did	Josh	meet	last night?	My sister.
When	did	Josh	meet	her?	Last night
What	did	Rich	buy	in the supermarket?	A new laptop
Where	did	Rich	buy	the laptop?	In the supermarket

But we saw that we can also ask about the subject of each sentence (Josh or Richard). In this case, the structure of the sentence changes:

QU	A	S	I	...?	Answer
Who	ø	ø	met	my sister last night?	Josh
Who	ø	ø	bought	a new laptop?	Rich

These are called "subject questions". Below I post a powerpoint presentation I found on the Internet. Maybe it helps you! And click here for an online exercise when you can practise.

Subject and object questions from f2teacher

FINDING THINGS IN COMMON

We have also learnt how to express that we have things in common:

So + aux + I (when we have something positive in common)

     A: I am Spanish.

     B: So am I!

Neither + aux + I (when we have something negative in common)

     A: I don't like baked beans.

     B: Neither do I!

If you want to practise a bit more, click here for an exercise online.

PARAPHRASING

We also learnt what we can do when in the middle of a conversation we don't know a word that we need. Make sure you revise those expressions!

It's someone who...
It's a place where...
It's a type of...
It's the opposite of...
It's similar to...
It's how you feel when...
Etc.

WORK

We also learnt how to talk about jobs and the world of work. Be careful with the following expressions because they are different in Spanish.

A: How long does it take you to get to work?

B: It takes me around/about 20 minutes.

If you want to practise the vocabulary a bit more, below you have a listening activity with some jobs (the answers are at the end). Click here for the audio.

Jobs

FREE TIME

We also talked about what the Spanish and the English do in their free time, and we revised vocabulary related to sports and also adverbs of frequency. If you want to revise the position of frequency adverbs in the sentence, click here.

Here you have a listening about students going to the USA to travel and/or work. Try to complete the gaps in the conversation.

WRITING

In Unit 1 you wrote two compositions: your profile (page 7) and an informal letter (Porfolio 1). Please, learn the structure of an informal letter and the useful expressions you can use.


So there you have the basics of Unit 1! I hope the links help you to revise a little bit and to practise your listening!

Subject questions; jobs; free time

Hi again!

In this entry I'm going to post some information to revise Unit 1, and then I'll do the same with Unit 2.

At the beginning of the course we did several activities to know each other (some of you met for the first time!), and in the third week you did your first oral presentations. In groups of 3, you talked about someone important from an English speaking country. Thank you once again for your truly great effort :)

Below (abajo) you have a brief summary of the main grammar and vocabulary we have seen in the unit, so that you can revise at home and do some activities on-line:


SUBJECT QUESTIONS

In Unit 1 we revised how to form normal questions. Remember the word QUASI (QUestion word + Auxiliary + Subject + Infinitive).

Imagine I have the following sentences:

• Josh met  my sister   last night.
• Rich bought  a new laptop   in the supermarket.

I can ask a question for the underlined elements using the QUASI structure:

QU	A	S	I	...?	Answer
Who	did	Josh	meet	last night?	My sister.
When	did	Josh	meet	her?	Last night
What	did	Rich	buy	in the supermarket?	A new laptop
Where	did	Rich	buy	the laptop?	In the supermarket

But we saw that we can also ask about the subject of each sentence (Josh or Richard). In this case, the structure of the sentence changes:

QU	A	S	I	...?	Answer
Who	ø	ø	met	my sister last night?	Josh
Who	ø	ø	bought	a new laptop?	Rich

These are called "subject questions". Below I post a powerpoint presentation I found on the Internet. Maybe it helps you! And click here for an online exercise when you can practise.

Subject and object questions from f2teacher

FINDING THINGS IN COMMON

We have also learnt how to express that we have things in common:

So + aux + I (when we have something positive in common)

     A: I am Spanish.

     B: So am I!

Neither + aux + I (when we have something negative in common)

     A: I don't like baked beans.

     B: Neither do I!

If you want to practise a bit more, click here for an exercise online.

PARAPHRASING

We also learnt what we can do when in the middle of a conversation we don't know a word that we need. Make sure you revise those expressions!

It's someone who...
It's a place where...
It's a type of...
It's the opposite of...
It's similar to...
It's how you feel when...
Etc.

WORK

We also learnt how to talk about jobs and the world of work. Be careful with the following expressions because they are different in Spanish.

A: How long does it take you to get to work?

B: It takes me around/about 20 minutes.

If you want to practise the vocabulary a bit more, below you have a listening activity with some jobs (the answers are at the end). Click here for the audio.

Jobs

FREE TIME

We also talked about what the Spanish and the English do in their free time, and we revised vocabulary related to sports and also adverbs of frequency. If you want to revise the position of frequency adverbs in the sentence, click here.

Here you have a listening about students going to the USA to travel and/or work. Try to complete the gaps in the conversation.

WRITING

In Unit 1 you wrote two compositions: your profile (page 7) and an informal letter (Porfolio 1). Please, learn the structure of an informal letter and the useful expressions you can use.


So there you have the basics of Unit 1! I hope the links help you to revise a little bit and to practise your listening!