Modal verbs exercises

Dear students,
Here you have some exercises related to modal verbs:
https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/preint3/grammar/file07/grammar07_c01?cc=us&selLanguage=en
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/330-modals-not1.htm 

Inversion exercises

Dear students,
As I know you are finding inversion in English troublesome, here you have some exercises for you to practise this grammatical construction. 
https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-88760.php
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com.es/2011/05/negative-inversion-practice-exercises.html
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/inversion-exercise-1.html

Book worms

Dear students, 

Let's try and do an activity all together. You have to access my online canvass and contribute by writing a short comment on your favourite book. The objective of this activity is to suggest books that students may read in English outside the classroom. 

Follow the instructions :
1. Click on the link to access the canvas
2. Click on the button + at the bottom of the page
3. Write a title and a description of your favourite book including author, genre and some info on the characters and plot. Use the vocab seen in class.
4. Write your name at the end of the post
5. Upload a photo of the book (if you want)
https://padlet.com/miguelillopistacho/4cf3apvu3hbh

Film review: Alice in Wonderland by Samy

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Film review on Zombieland: run, run, run... By Carmen Samaniego, a.k.a. Samy

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Questions related to books

1. How often do you read? When? Do you read while you're in bed?

2. What kind of books are you into? Why? 

3. What ingredients must a book have to leave gobsmacked?

4. Is there a book that you've reread over and over again?

5. Do you flee from spoilers or you don't mind hearing something about a book's plot?

6. What's your favourite novel? Does it have a riveting/gripping plot?

Language learning

Interview with Alex Rawlings

Tribute to Dolores O'Riordan... Zombie (lyrics training)

Dear students,

as promised by clicking on the picture you'll be redirected to Lyrics Training webpage where you'll be able to practise your listening skill with the song of the recently-deceased lead singer in the Cranberries, Dolores O'Riordan. Enjoy the song.

Mr. Bean goes to judo class and Carrot Crazy

Blue Monday

Hello folks,

Has your return to work after the Christmas holidays been smooth for all of you? I hope so, because now there's a dark day ahead of us, no other than Blue Monday. 

Why the name and what does it mean? Well, as you know form my two entries on colour idioms I, and II, blue is a colour link to sadness and depression. In fact, one of the definitions of blue in the dictionary (other than the obvious definition of colour), is "sad or depressed in spirits". It's very common to hear the sentence "I feel blue today." This connotation has even appeared in songs :

Blue colour is also associated to a certain sense of surprise, hence expressions such as 'once in a blue moon' (very rarely) or 'out of the blue' (all of a sudden).

Now that the meaning of blue is clear, let's analyze its homonym well-known day. Tomorrow is Blue Monday. According to some Dr. Arnall, Blue Monday, which usually takes place on the third Monday of January, is, officially, the most miserable day of the year.  He developed a formula to calculate the bluest day of the year (why on earth would a person do that?) and he included some variables such as weather, the end of the Christmas season, motivational levels and, of course, debt and money, among others. Even New Year's resolutions are considered in his  formula. Here you have his piece of research :

So, what about you? Do you agree with his formula? Do you feel miserable this January? Although it makes much sense to place the bluest day of the year in January, after the indulgences and expenses of the Christmas season and the advent of winter and its dull frosty weather, there are always reasons why one must be happy and  optimistic and January is also time to embark on brand-new projects.

To conclude this post, I'm going to share with you the song "Blue Monday" by New Order. I think is catchy and its rhythm invariably reminds me of this depressing day. Don't be too miserable tomorrow! I'm sure January will soon go by!

Onomatopoeic words

You all know what an onomatopoeia is: it is a word whose sound looks like the meaning it represents. A clear example of it might be: 'boom', which clearly represents the sound that a bomb makes. Animal sounds are also onomatopoeias per se, since they also represent in acoustic phonetics the sounds that animals make. Snakes hiss, bugs and insects buzz, cats meow, birds tweet, cows moo, ducks quack ... 

Onomotopoeias are also stylistic devices used by poems and writers to make their works more vivid and beautiful. Some onomatopoeias do not exist in themselves, they are simple interjections, such as "argh" to express disgust, or 'achoo' (the sound one makes on sneezing).  There are countless onomatopoeic words, words whose meaning can be easily identified if they are correctly pronounced. Let's examine some groups:

1) Violent sounds:

Bang: It represents an explosive noise, similar to the noise of a gun.e.g. 'He made the door bang on his way out.' 

Crash: It describes a colliding sound. One of its meaning refers to a vehicle colliding against something or someone, for example, 'the two cars crashed.'

Crack: It makes reference to a breaking sound, for instance, the earth cracks when a volcano erodes. 'The wall in that room cracks at night' or 'I like to crack my knuckles.'

Blast /boom: They refer to a loud noise (such as an explosion), e.g. 'He was killed by the blast of the explosion.'

Thump: It is the sound produced by a heavy object, e.g. 'in the zoo at night all you can hear is the elephants thumping'. 

Knock: This usually refers to a hit on a surface that makes a noise, as in 'he knocked the door but there was no answer.'

Pop: Short, quick, unexpected sound,e.g. the cork pops when you open a bottle of wine. 

2) Sounds produced by machines or artificial objects:
Beep: A short sound with high pitch. Computers usually beep. 

Clang/clink: A loud ringing sound produced by a bell or similar object.The bell clangs in villages.

Click: A sharp, mechanic sound. The keys click in the lock

Jingle/jangle/tinkle: To produce a loud, harsh sound.You all know the Christmas carol: 'jingle bells' or the famous fairy character in the Peter Pan story, Tinkerbell. 

Ring: It's the sound produced by a telephone or the bell of a bicycle, as seen in 'the phone rang all the afternoon'. 

Screech: To produce a harsh, annoying sound. The engines of cars or tree branches can screech.

Tick: a clicking sound. Clocks tick (in fact, they make tick-tock).

3) Animal sounds (I will be writing a post about this in the future).

Moo (cows), mew/meow (cats), quack (ducks), tweet (birds), hiss (snakes), buzz (insects), ...

4) Other sounds:

Burp: It is a synonym for 'belch'. What you do after a meal (with your mouth) you know, to release gases.

Chatter: It means 'talking loudly and fast'. When people gossip, you can hear them chatter.

Whisper: To speak in a quiet voice, as in 'he whispered the words in my ear.'

Splash: It refers to the sound made by the water. In summer, children like splashing in the water.

Boo: A disapproving sound. You usually boo at a lousy sportsperson, for instance. 

Well, there are far more onomatopoeias in the English language. What makes them interesting is that in English  some onomatopoeias have a true identity. They become nouns and verbs with full meaning beyond the sound they represent.they are not usually just sounds, they become verbs and nouns that we can use in conversation. In Spanish, we can use the word 'splash' to refer to the sound of the water, but in English, other than this, we can use it to refer not only to the sound but also to the action. English, as you have seen has a lot of quirks, remember the auto-antonyms entry I wrote some days ago ?

What can you do now after reading this post ? Go back to the words in bold and pronounce them, enjoy their sounds and reflect on their meanings. You'll find out that, at the end of the day, English is quite a logical and interesting language after all !

Misophonia

Watch the video related to misophonia and answer the questions :
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/06/health/misophonia-sounds-brain-study/index.html

1. What problems did misophonia cause to Manny?
2. How did his wife find out that he had a strange condition?
3) What hadn't Manny had in many years?
4) What is misophonia caused by?
5) Why is it difficult to detect?
6) Is there a cure? What is it?
7) What's the first thing Manny noticed after surgery?

Are Londoners friendly?

Sounds in English: can you guess them?

1. Listen to the following sounds and try to identify the sound you're listening to in English 

 a)   b) c)  d)  e)  f)  

g)    h)   i)    j) 

DIFFICULT? Match them with the appropriate word

crunch         drip        buzz       hiss      bang       slam      splash      chirp     screech   creak

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL : an amazing, fun, yet dramatic fable (by Jorge Moreno)

‘Life is beautiful’ is  fabulously directed and interpreted by Roberto Benigni who plays the role of Guido Orefice. This film received countless awards like three Academy Awards (the best film, best actor and the best foreign film), other than  several international awards.

This film is set in Italy in 1939,when Guido arrives at his uncle’s house in Arezzo  in order to work in a hotel. There he meets  Dora, a beautiful Italian teacher, brilliantly played by Nicolleta Braschi (Roberto Benigni’s real-life wife) and he immediately falls in love with her.

The film is clearly divided in two parts, in the first one, there are plenty of different funny situations between Guido and Dora, and then they get married and have a little son, Giosue. In this second part, Guido and Giosue, are sent to a  concentration camp given that they are Jews. Dora decides to go with them to be with her family, but they end up separated soon as they arrive there.        

         

Despite this horrible situation, Guido makes up an ingenious story for his son not to realize the horrible place they are in and the atrocities they are surrounded by. He tells his son that they are participating in a contest to win a tank, so that he doesn’t suffer and to smooth his stay in the concentration camp. Through the eyes of the innocent Guido, we can witness the horrible situation that Jews experienced during Nazi holocaust. Unbeknownst to him, however, his parents are undergoing a gruelling experience.

‘Life is Beautiful’ is a film well worth seeing. It is a highly entertaining film and it is bound to keep the viewers absorbed from the beginning to the end, especially thanks to its unforgettable soundtrack, arranged by Noah, which you will never forget .If I were in your shoes, I would not hesitate and I would definitely watch this charming, yet heart-rendering film. In my case, I can recall every scene of this masterpiece by heart.

Thanks, Jorge, for your contribution. Here you have the trailer of this masterpiece :

Men vs. Women

Back 2 school : revise your grammar for the January exam

Dear students,
How did your Christmas hols go? Did you receive tons of presents by Santa or the Three Wise Men (or both)? 
Well, now it's time to go back to school. Please, remember that on the second week of January you'll sit progress exams, so, maybe it'd be a very good idea for you to start revisiting your English. Anyway, here you have some online exercises related to the grammar we saw in class the last days of December (the use of a / an / the or no article in Intermedio I and the use of linkers in Avanzado II)

Intermedio I
https://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/mixed-english-articles1.html
https://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/mixed-english-articles1.html
https://www.englishpage.com/articles/articles_11.htm

Avanzado II
https://sites.google.com/site/maycaingles2011/writing/linkers-and-connectors (theory)
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/linking-words-contrast-exercise-1.html (despite, however, although)
http://www.english-in-chester.co.uk/e-learning/lesson/linking-words/ (mix)
https://www.englishgrammar.org/linking-words-exercise/

Reading practice : New Year's resolutions

DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

DOWNLOAD ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISE

Christmas carols listening comprehension compilation

Hello there. Did you have a look at my ranking about the best Christmas carols ?. Now, let's do some exercises. You can listen to the songs and practise your listening skill at the same time. Listen to these  Christmas carols, watch the Christmas videos and do the self-correctable questionnaires. Then, you can share your results if you like. I hope you like them !
This first one is the carol White Christmas sung by Michael Bublé. 
Here you can listen to another Christmas carol about the most famous reindeer. Remember to do the questionnaire. Enjoy !




Here you do a questionnaire about one of my favourite (and widely known) Christmas carol. 
!
Here you have a Christmas carol that perfectly summarizes the Christmas season and the mobile phone addiction. It includes a questionnaire to test your English level. I hope you like it !

Are you tired of Santa Claus? Get to know other gift-bringers from all over the world

Well, tonight is the night. Tonight, you'll get to receive your Christmas presents! January, 5th is an important night for Spanish children (and adults), the night preceding the Epiphany, the night where the Three Wise Men will come to bring presents to everybody. You all know that in the UK or the US, the Three Wise Men won't bring any presents, but they do have an expression to refer to our beloved tradition : The Twelfth Night (that is, the Twelfth Night after Christmas). In this entry, I will analyze who the gift-bringers are across the world. Let's begin:

In Spain, on the night of January, 5th, the Three Wise Men will bring the Christmas presents. In Spanish we just call them "the three magical kings". They are Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, the Three Wise Men from Orient, who brought baby Jesus gold, incense and myrrh. In the Bible, they are also known as the Magi. Well, the idea is this: they travel from Orient on their camels bringing all the presents and they are accompanied by their royal pages. Before their arrival, important preparations need to be made : you have to leave a shoe of yours under the Christmas tree (or some other place of your choosing) and, if possible, leave them something to eat. We normally leave them milk and cookies, "turrón" (nougat) or other Christmas sweets, and also a glass of brandy. In addition, some people leave something for the camels as well, namely a bucket of water or some carrots for them to nibble on. They must be starving after such a tiring journey, don't you think ? If you've been good and kind, you'll get tons of presents. However, if you've been a naughty boy, beware because you may find a lump of coal. Prior to this gift-giving ritual, on the fifth of January, there are parades all over Spain, where the Three Wise Men and their pages will throw sweets and toys for children. These parades include fun, music, and lights and usually finish in the Main Square of the town, where they salute all the children and promise to bring them presents on the condition that they have behaved well. They usually give a final speech. Then, the mayor of the town will give them the town keys, a treasured object that will give them access to all the houses in town! There is one problem of our tradition. children don't have much free time to fully enjoy their presents, since they normally go back to school after this festivity. The Three Wise Men are not exclusive from Spain, of course. They visit countless countries including Argentina, Venezuela, Philippines, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras and Andorra, among others. 

The Three Wise Men is not the only tradition we have. Importing festive traditions is Spain's national sport hehe, and that is why on Christmas Eve, most houses in Spain (if not all of them) receive presents from Santa Claus as well !

However, there is a special tradition in a Spanish region. In Basque Country, presents will be given out by the Olentzero, an overweight old man who brings presents on Christmas Eve (much like Santa Claus or Father Christmas). HIs origins are not very clear and there are countless versions on how the Olentzero came to be Basque Country's gift-bringer. Some people think he is a giant; some legends state that when leaving presents, he would cut the throat of widely-awake children. However, the etymology of his name is quite clear : "time of the good ones." The version that has best caught on is the one where the Olentzero is an abandoned child, who becomes a charcoal burner and uses his hands to carve presents for children. He died when he was saving some children and a fairy bestowed him the power of eternal life, which he used to bring children presents every year. In any case, the Olentzero is adored by the citizens of Basque Country. There are famous songs and chants invoking this lovely character and in some parts of the country, there are parades in his honour.

In Catalonia, there's a weird tradition. There's an object, called Tió de Nadal (Christmas Log). Apparently, you must cut down a log, cover it with a blanket, and feed it. On Christmas Day, children will have to hit it with a cane and sing so that the log "defecates" presents. 

In Italy, as in many other countries, Babbo Natale leaves presents. Who is this Babbo Natale? No other than Santa Claus. However, in Italy, there's yet another gift-bringer who is female and scary... Yap, that's right. She is called Befana and she is the witch in charge of leaving presents on the Twelfth Night, that is, on the night of January, 5th. Apparently, the Three Wise Men themselves bumped into Befana on their way to Bethlehem. Befana hosted them and cared for them, asking them what they were up to. The Three Wise Men answered that they were going to bring presents to a newly born child and they asked Befana if she wanted to join them. She declined because she was busy sweeping the floor and cleaning. When she realized the newly born child was the Messiah, she tried to go to Bethlehem herself but was unable to do so on her own. From that day she flies around Italy on her broomstick, leaving good children some presents. Naughty children will receive a lump of coal. You can leave her some bread soaked in milk or wine. 

In Russia, there is another version of Santa Claus, no other than Ded Moroz. This present-bringer delivers gifts on New Year's Eve accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka. He is also known as Father Frost. 






In Germany, Santa Claus can pay a visit to you, but there is another cute personage that can leave your presents on Christmas Eve: the Christkind. The Christkind (Christmas child) is very popular in Germany and other countries, such as Austria and Switzerland. This angel will deposit the presents only if not spotted by children. If children spot them, it'll disappear. A bell will ring to show children that their presents have been successfully delivered. It is believed that the Christkind is Baby Jesus himself delivering the Christmas gifts.





In Sweden, an elf-like figure, called Tomte, delivers the Christmas gifts. It is much like a gnome, wearing a cone-like hat and it is less than one metre tall. His job is to protect farmers and help them. On Christmas Eve he will hand presents door-to-door aided by the Yule Goat.




In Iceland, the task of delivering presents is divided into thirteen goblin-like figures, the Yule lads. One of this lads will visit children on the thirteen nights prior to Christmas and each night, a different lad will deliver a present next to a shoe placed near the window. Naughty children will receive rotten potatoes. 




 

As you know, Santa (Claus) is the plump old man who brings presents in the US, whereas Father Christmas does so in the UK. 


Other versions of Santa Claus :
- Father Christmas (the UK)
- Saint Nicholas (the Netherlands)
- Père Nöel (France)
- Babbo Natale (Italy)
- Aggios Vasilis (Greece)
- Viejito Pascuero (Chile)
- Julemanden (Denmark)
- Sinterklass (Indonesia)
- Baba Noel (Iraq)
- Siôn Corn (Wales)

Well, I hope you have learnt a lot about Christmasy figures and characters. Should you like to learn more about Christmas, do not hesitate to visit my previous entries : New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories; Christmas origins; Christmas gift-bringers all across the world.

Christmas season is about to finish, so remember to be good and I hope you receive tons of presents. 

Christmas video compilation

Hello fellow bloggers,
Lately my blog seems more like the Quirks of Christmas rather than the Quirks of English, so I promise this will be but my last post about Christmas. Last week I wrote several blog entries (one about Christmas carols that included some exercises and videos; and another about Christmas vocabulary (I think it is pretty clear that I love the Christmas season). This time I would like to compile the funniest videos about Christmas. 

1. Do you like my decorations ?
As I mentioned in my post about the different Christmas traditions, one typically American tradition is to go to a farm to cut down your own real Christmas tree (or have it cut down). This video perfectly reflects that tradition in a funny, engaging and surprisingly humorous way. It also includes a pun with the word 'saw'. Simply hilarious. 

2. I gave my children a horrible Christmas present 

Jimmy Kimmel has a very famous late-show program in America. He likes pulling pranks and asking others to pull pranks too. One of his most famous and well-known pranks is to ask parents to tell their children that they ate all their Halloween candy. However, at Christmas, he also asks parents to give their children terrible presents. Watch the children's reaction. It's priceless ! :

3. The singing Christmas hedgehogs

This is an interactive video about some cute hedgehogs eager to sing a Christmas carol, but... you know... accidents always happen. Enjoy : 

4. Christmas clumsiness compilation 
This video shows a lot of clumsy people doing their best at Christmas...

5. The scary snowman
A spooky snowman terrifying pedestrian as they go past the street...

6. Christmas lights : Gangham Style 
Some people at Christmas go crazy and decorate their houses with tons and tons of lights. By contrast, other people go even crazier and use the lights to reproduce the song : Gangham Style...

7. Christmas pranks
A compilation of some very funny Christmas pranks. 

8. Santa's adventure to catch some Christmas cookies 
This Santa is a decoration on a Christmas tree trying by all means to eat some delicious Christmas cookies. But how will he go down the tree in the first place ? It somehow reminds me of Toy Story.

9. John Lewis's advertisement

In this lovely ad, a young child eagerly awaits Christmas to get a special present...Really touching !

Did you like my selection of videos ? Would you like to share some more videos with me ? Well, Christmas is over. The Three Wise Men are about to pop up. Have you been good or naughty ? Will you receive a piece of coal ? hehe. Remember, On January, 5th, it will be  the Twelfth Night. It is believed that you must remove all your Christmas decorations and ornaments to avoid bad luck and start the year on the right foot. I hope this Christmas is being fun and welcoming for you all. 

Text me merry Christmas

Here you have a Christmas carol that perfectly summarizes the Christmas season and the mobile phone addiction. It includes a questionnaire to test your English level. I hope you like it !

New Year resolutions

Well, I start off with a new fresh entry of the blog in 2018. In this case, I intend to speak about New Year resolutions. I assume that you are familiar with them : New Year resolutions are the promises that you make at the beginning of the year, promises that you're willing to stick to, but, eventually, you usually break them, or do you not ? They are the principles that are going to lead your whole year, the commitments that you are willing to make this New Year but you failed to make last year. 

Here you have some possible structures in English that you can use to enunciate your New Year resolutions : 

This year, I will .../I'll

I intend to... this year

I hope I will ...  this year

I hope to... this year

I'd like to ... this year

I wish I could... this year

I promise I'll ... this year

This year I'll definitely ....

This year I'm going to...

What guidelines are you going to pursue during 2017 ? In my case, I intend to enjoy life a bit more; I wish I could control my temper a bit more this year and I'd like to be even happier. If possible, I hope to read more. Not so interesting resolutions, right ?

Now I'm going to share two videos with one. The first video is an example of some New Year resolutions set out by some people, you know, quit smoking, go to the gym and do exercise...

The second video attempts to answer the question : "do New Year resolutions work ?" from a scientific point of view. 

What are your New Year resolutions ? Please, share them with us : post them in a comment and try to stick to them. Remember, your intention is important. You have 365 opportunities to succeed in this newly born year ! 

It's Christmas time in the city... Silver bells (by Elvist Presley)

All I want for Christmas is you...

Hello, Here you have a questionnaire about one of your favourite Christmas carol. You can do it and correct it yourselves. I hope you like it !