Bet you didn't know: Halloween!

How do families celebrate Halloween?

Halloween friends episode

Halloween Day, Halloween Night

I told my children that I ate all their Halloween candy

Hi everyone,

Now that Halloween is right here , I think it is a good idea for you to read something about Halloween and get to you its most representative symbols (symbols that we have already seen in class). You can get to know about these symbols in this link. Do it. It's a good opportunity to practise your  reading skill and learn some culture at the same time. In addition, as the title of the post suggests, here you have a funny video from an American late-night show. In this video parents lie to their children and tell them that they have eaten all their Halloween candy. What is the children's reaction ? Watch the videos. I'm sure you're gonna love them. 

Did you enjoy the videos ? Then, post a comment.

Jack-o-lantern self correctable video

Dear students,
To improve your listening comprehension, here you have a video about Jack-o-lanterns, the spooky Halloween pumpkins. Watch it and do the exercises provided. Enjoy it : 
http://www.eslvideo.com/eslvideo_quiz_lowint.php?id=24461

Halloween captions! This is Halloween

Dear students,
today we'll learn vocabulary related to Halloween ! We'll have a good time. Have a look at the presentation and then listen to the song : This is Halloween and try to write down all the Halloween elements appearing on the video. 
Enjoy it.



Here you have the video to revise the vocabulary :

This is the video with English subtitles in case you would like to sing the song.If you want to see the Spanish translation, click on this link.

Halloween food! Yummy yummy!

Hello there,
It will soon be the night of the dead today and not only spirits come back from the dead to have fun and scare us, but also to taste delicious food.So, are you ready to eat with your eyes ? Let's begin:

  

               Pumpkin pie                                 Roasted pumpkin seeds

    

                  Candy corn                                       Eyeball tacos

   

        Oreo Spider cookies                       Candy ghost lollipops

    

  Candy apples (pumpkin mode)                   Skull cake

       

Chocolate pudding mixed                       Halloween cookies         

with crushed Oreo and 

gummy worms.

Which one is your favourite Halloween treat ? Post a comment.

Halloween comic joke

The history of Halloween

http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_intermediate.php?id=6053

Halloween history

http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_high_intermediate.php?id=9377

Halloween presentations

Dear students,
Here you have a Halloween presentation prepared by a former coworker presentation of mine, Alexis. It's a perfect presentation for you to learn a lot of things about Halloween.
Enjoy it :




And here you have another one:

Top 10 Halloween symbols

The Halloween night is close upon us, so I decided to write this post about the American festivity that has spread all over the world. It has become more and more popular in Spain, although some people criticize for being a mere copy of an American festivity. Anyway, it's a festival, right ? Why not learn something about it and enjoy it as much as possible ? Let's start with some of the Halloween symbols: 

10. Black cats : You are alone at night in a lonely alley and you see some bright eyes looking at you and you hear screeching howl. Scared ? Our perception of cats have changed over the centuries. They were considered sacred animal in the Egyptian culture and they were even considered a token indicating that a marriage was flourishing. However, in the Middle Ages they were closely associated to witchcraft, wickedness and death. Do not cross a black cat in Halloween, Friday, 13th or Tuesday 13th hehe. Last trivia fact about cats: in Spanish they are said to have seven lives, but in the English culture, have got nine lives. Cats seem difficult to kill, don't you think ?

9. Skeletons and skulls: These bony depict dead people that on the night of Halloween come back to life. They belong to the spirits realm. The Celts believed that the soul could be found in the skull, which is the head of skeletons. In fact, Hamlet holds a skull while he reflects upon the human existance. For me, skeletons are funny characters and one of the best Halloween costumes. 

8. Witches flying on a broomstick and casting spells using a cauldron: Witches are the most characteristic female characters in the night of Halloween. As you know, alleged witches were often burned because people were afraid of their powers. What is characteristic about them ? Well, they wear pointed hats, they have hideous warts in their faces, the can fly using a broomstick and they cast their spells in cauldrons using odd ingredients such as frogs, spiders or more 'loathsome' animals. The most famous film about witches is probably Hocus Pocus (El Retorno de las Brujas). Why not watch it during the Halloween night ?

7. Spiders and cobwebs : Spiders usually produce disgust and loath among people (with the exception of Spiderman he he ). Spiders weave cobwebs, which are associated with the passage of time and fate. Spiders and cobwebs are necessary elements in haunted houses, so watch your eyes if you happen to be in a haunted house ! 

6. Bats and vampires : Who hasn't seen a bat at night ? Bats are nocturnal animals  They suck the blood of their preys and they are said to be able to communicate with the devil. Vampires can transform themselves into bats to escape and so can witches. There are a lot of famous vampires, Count Dracula being the most famous one. If you want to kill them, stab them with a stake in their heart while they sleep in their coffins, use silver or wear garlic wherever you go. 

5.Ghosts in haunted houses : Dead spirits with unfinished business in our world, spirits that can walk next to us and we cannot even touch them. The spirits that are released in Halloween frequently take the shape of ghosts, spooky creatures that dwell in haunted houses and scare us to hell ! 

4. Graveyard or cemeteries, tombs and gravestones: Apart from a haunted house, what is the spookiest place of all ? A cemetery, of course. This is the palce where all the dead rest. However, in Halloween, they all come to life (either as ghosts or as zombies). You wouldn't like to be there on October, 31st ! 

3. Pumpkins : This orange plant is the Halloween symbol per excellence. It is said that witches can turn you into pumpkins, much like they did in Cincerella where a fairy transformed a pumpkin into a carriage.Anyway, other than using pumpkins for decoration, American use it for food, pumpkin pies and roaster pumpkin seed being two typical Halloween dishes. 

2. Trick-or-treating : As you know, in this tradition, children go door to door asking for candy, pronouncing the words "trick or treat". They are just saying that if they don't receive candy, they will play a prank, for example, thwy will throw eggs to your house or they will cover your house in toilet paper. This tradition goes back to a Gaelic festival, the Samhain, where people offered some food to the spirits to calm them down. 

1. Jack-o-lantern : This is probably the most representative element of house decoration. This is how it works. You take a real pumpkin, you empty it, you carve it to look scary and you put a candle in it. Perfect, right ? The origins of this object is a man named Jack, an unrepentant sinner, who managed to trick the devil and trapped him into a tree surrounded by crosses. He let the devil go on ly when he promised he will never reclaim his soul. When Jack died, he couldn't go to Heaven because he had been a sinner and he couldn't go to hell either. He had to wander eternally and the devil sent him a flame from hell. He put it into a turnit and used it to light his way. 

Did you enjoy the Halloween icons ? I hope you did. To finish this post, here you have a funny video about Halloween, a video in which parents tell their little children that they have eaten all the Halloween candy. You must watch it. Their reaction is priceless. 

In my educational blog, I have also written an entry about Halloween food. Click on the link to watch it. 
I'll be in touch.

Donald Trump's history

Listen to the video and answer the questions:

1. Frederik Trump:

a) had a five-star hotel during Gold Rush

b) would help gold miners get gold

c) would set up an inn that would be worth a bit less than $500,000

2. Fred Trump:

a) worked with his father

b) used the money his father left him to become successful

c) used her mother’s inheritance as seed money

3. Fred made money:

a) by having buildings built for less money

b) by constructing federal buildings from bank loans

c) by overpaying the government to let him build houses in different boroughs

4. Donald’s first move was:

a) to buy a successful luxury hotel in a good area

b) to purchase a hotel in a bad area and invested in it

c) to sell a hotel for a low price

5. Taj Mahal Trump casino went into bankruptcy:

a) because he was funded with junk bonds

b) because it was built next to a rubbish dump

c) because Trump laundered $900,000 using the money from that business

6. To recover from bankruptcy:
a) Trump asked for a loan

b) Trump got rid of some of his properties

c) received 3.5 million dollars in cash from his father

7. Donald Trump’s fortune:

a) has been underestimated

b) has been exaggerated by the media

c) seems to be different from what he actually claims

Exercises on gerunds and infinitives

Dear students,
here you have some exercises regarding gerunds and infinitives. I hope you find them useful:

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives-exercise-2.html

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives-exercise-1.html

https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/structures/gerund_infinitive.htm

https://www.test-english.com/grammar-points/b2/verb-object-infinitive-gerund/

Exercises on present simple and frequency adverbs

Dear students,
here you have some links to some exercises on the present simple and frequency adverbs:

https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/beginner/a_grammar/file04/grammar04_01a?cc=us&selLanguage=en

https://elt.oup.com/student/solutions/elementary/grammar/grammar_02_012e?cc=global&selLanguage=en

https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/adjectives_adverbs/adverbs_of_frequency.htm

https://www.englishspanishlink.com/en/english-grammar-exercises/present-simple-frequency-adverbs.htm

The best reviews of the month: Patricia Garrido's and Laura Canelada's

Well, well,...
here I am writing again after having invest long time in correcting all your wonderful reviews. This month I selected two of them so that they can be useful models for you (in case you have this in the exam...). Here you have them:

Secret Garden café: cosy atmosphere, outstanding food (by Patricia Garrido, B2.2 Coslada)

If you ask me, the one coffee shop you really have to go to is “Secret Garden”. It’s located in the city center of Madrid, and very well connected by public transport, so it’s well worth a visit.

It has magical furnishing and décor, which is perfect if you want to feel like in a fairy tale. The room is surrounded by flowers and plants, and what’s more, the lights are dim enough to feel comfortable and relaxed, it’s a very cozy place. 

Regarding the food and drinks, you can order a wide variety of dishes ranging from superb salads, to mouth-watering meats and fish but I really recommend desserts (in case you’re vegan you don’t have to worry about it because they have vegan options too). They have the best brownies and milkshakes in the city; and if you are keen on tea or coffee, this is definitely your place, because they have varieties from all over the world, which is a great opportunity to taste different flavors.  

On top of that, what I like the most about this café is its atmosphere, because you can take a sit there with some friends, order a coffee and just relax. I can’t recommend it enough.

Belgium: a unique holiday destination (by Laura Canelada, B2.2 Coslada)

Without doubt, Belgium is by far one of the best holiday destinations. I'd always wanted to visit Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent and last summer one of my dreams came true.

I spent seven days at Belgium and I stayed in Leopold Hotel Brussels, a fancy hotel near the European Parliament. I was a bit far from the train station, which wasn’t ideal, but it only took twenty minutes on foot, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Brussels is a city which you could see in two days. I went on a tour which showed me the most important parts of the city, I visited the Atomium -which is impressively big- and I took the underground. I did almost everything that Brussels can offer, I only regret not going to the comics museum, which was closed on Monday and it was my only free day.

Bruges and Ghent were my favourite cities of all my trip. I rented another tour which shows both cities and you don’t need to be aware how you are going to get there. Spending at least one day in each city is a must. I spent the morning in Bruges and the afternoon in Ghent and I wish I had had more time.

Antwerp and Mechelen were two of the cities I visited on the same day too. I went by train, which is economical for young people because you have a discount. The trains in Belgium are very comfortable and fast, which is the best option to move around. This country is widely known by its chocolates and its beer and I highly recommend Antwerp's local beer due to its flavour. 

In conclusion, Belgium is a place everyone should visit at least one on their lives. People are very nice, they always try to help you and, if you speak English and a little bit of French and German, you will find Dutch very easy to understand.Don't miss it!

Thanks for you effort ladies. I hope your effort can be rewarded by your classmates' comments...

Stupid laws

Dear students,
To practise for the exam, let's have a video about stupid laws in some American states. 
Do the listening practise by writing 1, 2, 3, 4 next to each law. There are three extra headings :

A.No lollipops in beaches
B. No kissing for a long time.
C.If you are dancing, light must pass between you and your couple. 
D.You mustn't have dinner in a restaurant when there's a fire.
E. No dancing in the morning.
F. If you are in a bathing suit, you can't get presents.
G. No kissing under a clock.

The Real Hustle and three of its scams

Dear students,
Now that we are seeing crimes in class, I thought it would be a good idea to watch these videos about The Real Hustle. It's a programme where thieves show how they trick people to get their money while they are filmed by some hidden cameras. Here you have three short videos about the programme : the laptop scam, the speeding fine scam and the credit card switch. 

Watch the videos and answer the questions : 

1) Where does the scam take place ?

2) How many people are involved in the scam ?

3) What crime is committed ?

4) Can you explain the scam with your own words ?

5) What do the thieves get ? 

Did you enjoy the video ? Why don't you watch the rest of the videos and post a comment ?

How to become an entrepreneur

Watch the video and try to answer the questions:

1. Listen and identify all the words related to the business world

2. Now answer the questions:

a) What are the practicalities of setting up a new business?

b) According to the narrator, what is the key to entrepreneurship?

c) How can we get a really successful business?

d) What question must one ask oneself to add something new in the business world?

e) What provides endless material out of which one can set up a business? Can you name some examples?

f) Why do profits decline in businesses?

g) Why do some entrepreneurs get healthy profits?

h) What two ingredients practically guarantee success in business, however difficult the journey is?

3. To what extent do you agree with the author of the video? Are there any other factors that make a good entrepreneur?

Interesting links to keep learning English at home

How is your English going lately?

Do you devote time to studying and revising it? Do you actually use it? Today I'm bringing you some useful webpages for you to keep learning English on your own. Three years ago I wrote another post with fun resources for you to keep learning English and now it's time for an update!!

From: http://autoenglishlearning.blogspot.com/2015/04/8-great-websites-to-learn-english.html

1. Webpages to improve your listening skill

Other than the webpages I mentioned in my previous post, namely Listen a Minute; Esl-lab; and ESL Video, today I'm bringing you other webpages that will help you become a solid listener!

- 6 minutes English / BBC Learning English: This webpage is ideal if you're in the intermediate level. You have short extracts of videos and programmes talking about a specific issue and showing you some vocabulary on the way. You can download the transcript and the audio and listen to it as many times as you want. On top of that, there are countless topics! You'll learn a lot!

- Vaughan radio: Have you heard of Vaughan method? This method actively prompts you to speak English by means of different questions. In Madrid, you can listen to Vaughan radio while you are driving your car or cooking. You can even watch it on TV! If you're not in Madrid you can listen to in on the link provided. There are various types of programmes that cover the different levels, so don't miss them!

- Podcasts in English: In this webpage, you'll have access to hundreds and hundreds of interesting podcasts that you can download for free! However, if you want to practise with listening or vocabulary exercises you 'll have to pay membership. Anyway, a good opportunity to access unlimited listening material. 

TED talks: I presume you know what TED talks are since they are so popular nowadays. A person delivers a speech on an interesting topic in front of an audience. As simple as that! There are TED talks on a wide range of topics, so I'm sure you'll get to learn new things on your way to learning English!

- Https://learningenglish.voanews.com/: In this recommended webpage, you'll have access to tons of news items with their tapescripts. You can even practise your listening skills with some quizzes that will put your listening to a test!

2. English reading
Other than The Big Project, where you'll be able to read thousands of newspapers across the globe, and La Mansión del Inglés with hundreds of readings and audio-books, you have some other sources of reading across the Internet: 

- CNN News: In this webpage, you'll get instant access to breaking news in the US, so you'll stay tuned with one of the most influential countries in the world! There are videos, so you'll get to practise your listening as well. 

- El País en inglés: If you are fed up with reading newspapers in the UK and in the US, well,...suffer not, for you can also read Spanish newspapers in English. In this case, one of Spain's most renown paper, no other than El País. Enjoy its pages and news...in your favourite foreign language.

- Reuters: If you're into financial and politics, then  Reuters is definitely your site! Browse through its endless news and watch some of its videos to practise your listening skill!

3. English vocabulary
Vocab is very important when you're learning a new language. However, learning simple words is not enough. Once your English level is up, you'll have to learn idioms and expressions. Here you have two webpages that will help you master these expressions:

- https://www.theidioms.com/: This site offers a selection of the most used idioms sorted out by topic: idioms of food, idioms of violence, idioms of the body, animal idioms, colour idioms, idioms related to numbers,...

- http://www.phrasemix.com/collections:  This webpage is similar to the previous one, but it doesn't deal with idioms, but, rather, with phrases that you can use in different situations, e.g. in a job interview. Can't miss it!

4. Speaking 

- English with Jo: This website is arranged in different topics. The lesson starts with a video, then you receive some suitable vocabulary to speak about the topic and finally some questions related to the topic so that you can have a conversation. Ideal to practise your speaking before an exam!

5. Writing

- Dictations online: In this site, you'll hear some dictations according to your level of English and you'll have to write just what you listen to. At the end, you'll see the tapescript of the text. Ideal to practise your orthography! 

6. General webpages:

There are sites like isabelperez.com that offer wide amterial so that you can practise your English in the different skills.

- One of my favourites is the British Council webpage, which has everything for you, from grammar and vocabulary to podcasts sorted in different levels. Totally a must!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my selection of  webpages. Let me remind you that I have created some very interesting sites myself so that you can practise your English, for example, Learning English EOI, the blog that I've been using with my students of language school for the last three years; English Calisto y Melibea, the blog I used with my students of high-school in the year 2015-2016; Listen 2 English, for you to practise your listening according to your level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; and Grammaring with English, my webpage so that you can practise your grammar autonomously. 

I hope that from now on, you use these sites to keep advancing with your English!

The best compositions of the month: Omar Mesa's and Sergio Tolosa's

 
Dear students of B2.2,
I have finally corrected all your writings and now it's time to reflect on them. As usual, I like to share with you two impressive pieces of writing written by two of you, in this case, Omar Mesa and Sergio Tolosa. Enjoy them and try to have a look at their ideas for you to incorporate them to your own writings. 

 How to manage the European development fund (by Sergio Tolosa; B2.2 19.00)

Nowadays, the European Union is frequently creating and sharing development funds ensuring that money is spent transparently and responsibly. But, are these funds worthwhile for a town’s development?

First and foremost, I will give you a brief description of Coslada: my hometown is a  friendly city close to Madrid of approximately 100.000 inhabitants. It has a large amount of social areas, such as parks, cinemas, theaters, schools, etc. which improve and enrich the quality of life of their people. 

However, contrary to what some people may believe, Coslada should be easily adaptable to incorporate new habits. For example, it’s necessary to create electrical public transport stations in order to move around the city renting a bike or a car. Besides, schools should adapt technology in their classrooms as a new concept of education, as well as impart lessons in Spanish and English equally.

To sum up, I would like to give my personal opinion and some tips in order to leverage these funds. Despite Coslada being a modernized city, it has been left behind in comparison to other cities. Furthermore, I think a European fund is not necessary to improve some it, as some measures can already be taken, such us introducing original version in cinemas, television and theaters. Last but not least, I’m in favor of these European funds, as they give an extra power to the cities to achieve these goals,  unattainable on their own means.

 My town (by Omar Mesa; B2.2 19.00)

My town does not have a wide variety of services and places as big cities could have, but we can rejoice in several areas that we have, which provide us with endless enjoyment.  

This scarce diversity is not necessarily petty, for instance, our town has a great park known as "the Pine Wood" because of the amount of pines you can find there. Other than its numerous paths, the Pine Wood is not just a place to take a stroll at. A few years ago, there was a falconry exhibition, which was incredibly successful. 

Moreover, we have buildings allocated to artistic disciplines, such as music, dance, paint, photography and drama, among others, where every person interested in them can significantly improve their skills. 

Finally, I would like to mention a few other places before I change my subject. My town has a theatre, a quaint library, a host of varied restaurants, a cinema, several shopping centres and even a marvellous hotel, among other things. 

However, there are some downsides too. It is widely known that some parts in my hometown are neglected, especially some very narrow streets with little room for cars. They become impassable because of the heavy traffic in Coslada. Furthermore,  our street "artists" tend to express their art on the walls, but it's not always must-see art. Lastly, I would like to point out at yet another worrying fact: the filth that is invading our streets: cans, bottles, wrappers, plastic bags... Our town needs cleaning. 

I think the investment from the European development fund should be wisely invested in making our town more comfortable and clean, and also in supporting art. This is why I would allocate part of the money to our schools of art, because I do think we need to foster the knowledge of art among the youngsters, and, last but not least, part of the fund should definitely be invested in education, focusing on high schools and primary schools.

Well, if you likes your classmates' essays, leave a comment!