22/12/12

LEGADO INFINITO



Hello everybody, after four years blogging in Myplaceforenglish I have published my first novel in Spanish LEGADO INFINITO. I hope you have the opportunity to read it, I just leave the links where you can get it.

 Thank you for your support.

Muchas gracias a todos tras cuatro años de apoyo en Myplaceforenglish. He publicado mi primera novela : LEGADO INFINITO. Espero que podáis leerla . Os dejo unos links para adquirirla, en Amazon sólo por 0,98€. Espero que os guste, y mis antiguos alumnos : No me critiquéis.
Muchísimas gracias.

 
 
Click in the cover to get the book.
 
 
 




10/12/12

Forming Comparatives and Superlatives from Adjectives


CUADRO RESUMEN DE LA COMPARATIVA Y EL SUPERLATIVO DE LOS ADJETIVOS EN INGLÉS.

Forming Comparatives and Superlatives from Adjectives:


Type of Adjective Example of Type Comparative Superlative

One Syllable

strong
add "er"
stronger
add "est"
strongest

One Syllable Ending Vowel Consonant

big
thin
double consonant and
add "er"

bigger
thinner
double consonant and
add "est"

biggest
thinnest
More Than One Syllable
famous
add "less" or "more"
more famous
add "most" or "least"
least famous
More Than One Syllable Ending "y"
silly
remove "y" add "ier"
sillier
for less
less silly
remove "y" add "iest"
silliest
for least
least silly
Irregular
bad
good
many
no rules
worse
etter
more
no rules
worst
best
most
 

15/11/12

BRITISH VS AMERICAN ENGLISH LESSER-KNOWN WORDS





  On the whole, British and American speakers of English have very few problems understanding one another. Over the last half a century or so television and film have done much to familiarise Americans with British English (BrE) and Britons with American English (AmE).
There are actually thousands of vocabulary differences between British and American English. While many of these words can be instantly understood by speakers from the other country, other words might easily baffle someone who hasn’t spent a long period of time in both countries.
First let’s look at some of the well-known vocabulary differences between Britain and the United States. Native speakers from either country should know all of these:

10 well-known vocabulary differences

petrol (BrE), gas (AmE)
pavement (BrE), sidewalk (AmE)
lift (BrE), elevator (AmE)
boot (BrE), trunk (AmE)
lorry (BrE), truck (AmE)
sweets (BrE), candy (AmE)
car park (BrE), parking lot (AmE)
motorway (BrE), highway (AmE)
biscuit (BrE), cookie (AmE)
rubbish (BrE), garbage (AmE)
OK, they were the easy ones. Now try 10 more difficult ones, some of which may be completely unknown or are liable to cause some confusion between an American and British speaker.

10 lesser-known vocabulary differences

How many do you know? (The correct answers are at the bottom of the page.)
  1. _______ (BrE) / barf (AmE)
  2. pedestrain crossing (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
  3. _______ (BrE) / downspout (AmE)
  4. drawing pin (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
  5. flyover (BrE) / _______(AmE)
  6. _______ (BrE) / teeter-totter (AmE)
  7. _______ (BrE) / rutabaga (AmE)
  8. _______ (BrE) / eggplant (AmE)
  9. _______ (BrE) / antsy (AmE)
  10. braces (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
(Scroll down to see the answers.)




Here are the answers:
  1. vomit (BrE) / barf (AmE)
  2. pedestrain crossing (BrE) / crosswalk (AmE)
  3. drainpipe (BrE) / downspout (AmE)
  4. drawing pin (BrE) / thumbtack (AmE)
  5. flyover (BrE) / overpass (AmE)
  6. see-saw (BrE) / teeter-totter (AmE)
  7. swede (BrE) / rutabaga (AmE)
  8. aubergine (BrE) / eggplant (AmE)
  9. fidgety (BrE) / antsy (AmE)
  10. braces (BrE) / suspenders (AmE)

6/11/12

READING ABOUT... MICKEY MOUSE

Mickey Mouse


Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character who has become an icon for the Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse is short for Mitchell Mouse. It was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney.
The first appearance of Mickey Mouse was in Plane Crazy on May 15, 1928. But the Walt Disney Company celebrates Mickey Mouse birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie, because it is the first Mickey Mouse Cartoon with sound. The anthropomorphic mouse has developed along the years. He first appeared in color in 1935. The first Technicolor Disney film was Flowers and Trees from 1932. He also evolved from being simply a character in animated cartoons and comic strips to become one of the most recognizable symbols in the world.
Mickey's popularity has grown around the world. This was due to his angelic nature. Mickey never does anything immoral. However, in 2009 the Walt Disney Company announced that they will begin to re-brand the Mickey Mouse character by moving away from his pleasant, cheerful image and reintroducing the more devious side of his personality, starting with the upcoming Epic Mickey, a Mickey Mouse video game. The Walt Disney company thus intends to show the mischievous side of Mickey's personality.
Source: Wikipedia
Reading Comprehension:
  1. Mickey Mouse's birthday is celebrated on
    a. May 15, 1928
    b. November 18, 1928
  2. The first Mickey Mouse with sound first appeared in
    a. Steamboat Willie
    b. Plane Crazy
  3. Mickey Mouse first appeared in color in
    a. 1932
    b. 1935
  4. Mickey Mouse has always been popular thanks to
    a. his good nature,
    b. mischievous side of his character.

27/10/12

FEWER OR LESS ?


It is not only learners of English who confuse less and fewer – some native speakers also frequently use them incorrectly.

But less and fewer are not actually so difficult to use correctly: less means ’a lower amount’ (menor cantidad de algo), while fewer expresses ‘a lower number’ (menor número de algo).
 In other words:
  • fewer and less are both the opposite of more;
  • we use fewer with countable nouns; Fewer con nombres contables
  • we use less with uncountable nouns. Less se usa con incontables.
Let’s look at some examples:
  • I’ve got less time than I had last year. (time = uncountable noun)
  • He’s got less money than his wife. (money = uncountable noun)
  • Low-fat milk has fewer calories than full-fat. (calories = countable noun)
  • The government built fewer houses last year. (houses = countable noun)

Easy-to-remember tip

If thinking about countable and uncountable nouns is a bit too technical for you, here’s an easy way to remember how to get less and fewer right: Use fewer when the noun is plural (e.g.doors, dogs, people, mistakes, days, etc.) and you will always be correct.

22/10/12

READING ABOUT... STEVE JOBS (APPLE'S BRAIN)


Steve Jobs, the American businessman and technology visionary who is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc, was born on February 24, 1955. His parents were two University of Wisconsin graduate students, Joanne Carole Schieble and Syrian-born Abdulfattah Jandali. They were both unmarried at the time. Jandali, who was teaching in Wisconsin when Steve was born, said he had no choice but to put the baby up for adoption because his girlfriend's family objected to their relationship.
      Steve Jobs
The baby was adopted at birth by Paul Reinhold Jobs (1922–1993) and Clara Jobs (1924–1986). Later, when asked about his "adoptive parents," Jobs replied emphatically that Paul and Clara Jobs "were my parents." He stated in his authorized biography that they "were my parents 1,000%." Unknown to him, his biological parents would subsequently marry (December 1955), have a second child, novelist Mona Simpson, in 1957, and divorce in 1962. The Jobs family moved from San Francisco to Mountain View, California when Steve was five years old. The parents later adopted a daughter, Patti. Paul was a machinist for a company that made lasers, and taught his son rudimentary electronics and how to work with his hands. The father showed Steve how to work on electronics in the family garage, demonstrating to his son how to take apart and rebuild electronics such as radios and televisions. As a result, Steve became interested in and developed a hobby of technical tinkering. Clara was an accountant who taught him to read before he went to school. Jobs's youth was riddled with frustrations over formal schooling. At Monta Loma Elementary school in Mountain View, he was a prankster whose fourth-grade teacher needed to bribe him to study. Jobs tested so well, however, that administrators wanted to skip him ahead to high school—a proposal his parents declined. Jobs then attended Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. During the following years Jobs met Bill Fernandez and Steve Wozniak, a computer whiz kid. Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Reed was an expensive college which Paul and Clara could ill afford. They were spending much of their life savings on their son's higher education.

Jobs dropped out of college after six months and spent the next 18 months dropping in on creative classes, including a course on calligraphy. He continued auditing classes at Reed while sleeping on the floor in friends' dorm rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple In 1976, Wozniak invented the Apple I computer. Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, an electronics industry worker, founded Apple computer in the garage of Jobs's parents in order to sell it.

They received funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product-marketing manager and engineer Mike Markkula. Through Apple, Jobs was widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution and for his influential career in the computer and consumer electronics fields. Jobs also co-founded and served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, when Disney acquired Pixar. Jobs died at his California home around 3 p.m. on October 5, 2011, due to complications from a relapse of his previously treated pancreatic cancer. Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension:

  1. Steve Jobs never knew who his real parents were.
    a.
    True
    b.
    False
  2. His adoptive parents were rich.
    a.
    True.
    b.
    False.
  3. Jobs was a university graduate.
    a.
    True
    b.
    False

21/10/12

SO AND SUCH. TOO - ENOUGH

SUCH + Nouns

such + a + (adjective) + singular noun + that + result
(It is common to put an adjective before the noun)
  • He is such a tight person that he even reuses his servillettes.
  • Christopher is such a handsome man that all the ladies want him.
  • She had such a long speech that everyone stopped paying attention to her.
such + plural/uncountable noun + that + result
  • She has such big feet that she has to buy special shoes.
  • Woodward Restaurant has such good food that it's always full of people.

SO / SUCH in exclamations

In exclamations we drop the word 'that' and use:
i) such + noun (singular/plural)
ii) so + adjective
  • You are such an idiot! (noun)
  • Celebrities have such weird tastes! (noun)
  • You are so stupid! (adjective)
  • It's so sunny outside! (adjective)
CLICK HERE TO TRY YOUR UNDERSTANDING 


Too/Enough



Too and Enough are used with adjectives and indicate degree.

 Too means more than necessary, and it precedes the adjective.  

Enough means sufficient and usually follows the adjective and precedes nouns.
    He is too old to ride the Merry-Go-Round.
    She has too much money.
    Tony was tall enough to play on the basketball team.
    They were smart enough to pass the test.

    (NOT: enough tall)
    (NOT: enough smart)
Enough can also be used with nouns. In such cases, enough usually precedes the word it modifies.
    I have enough money for the CD player.
    I don't have enough (money) for the computer.
    There aren't enough people to make a team.
In some cases, enough can stand alone.
    I have had enough of this nonsense.
    Enough is enough!
Common problems include using very in place of too or enough.
She is very young to drink alcohol.
She is too young to drink alcohol.
He is not very tough to play football.
He is not tough enough to play football.

(Wrong)
(Correct)
(Wrong)
(Correct)

19/10/12

BODY VOCABULARY




18/10/12

ADJECTIVE ORDER


Adjective Order

In English, it is common to use more than one adjective before a noun — for example, “He's a silly young fool,” or “She's a smart, energetic woman.” When you use more than one adjective, you have to put them in the right order, according to type. This page will explain the different types of adjectives and the correct order for them.

1. The basic types of adjectives

OpinionAn opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other people may not agree with you).
For example: silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult.
 
SizeA size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is.
For example: large, tiny, enormous, little
 
AgeAn age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is.
For example: ancient, new, young, old
 
ShapeA shape adjective describes the shape of something.
For example: square, round, flat, rectangular
 
ColourA colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something.
For example: blue, pink, reddish, grey
 
OriginAn origin adjective describes where something comes from.
For example: French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek
 
MaterialA material adjective describes what something is made
from.For example: wooden, metal, cotton, paper
 
PurposeA purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These adjectives often end with “-ing”.
For example: sleeping (as in “sleeping bag”), roasting (as in “roasting tin”)

The order of adjectives in English is:

 

OPINION+SIZE+AGE+SHAPE+COLOUR+ORIGIN+MATERIAL+PURPOSE+ NOUN

12/10/12

PHRASAL VERBS RELATED TO FAMILY


TAKE AFTER:

He takes after his father.

GET ON ... WITH:

Do you get on well with your sister?

GET TOGETHER: REUNIRSE

How often does your family get together?

LOOK LIKE: PARECERSE A

Do you look like your parents?

BE NAMED AFTER: LLAMARSE POR ALGUIEN.

Are you named after your father?

1/10/12

USED TO, BE USED TO & GET USED TO ( WHAT A MESS!)

I Used To... (Solía...)


FORM: USED TO + BARE INFINITIVE.

USE:  It is used to express habits in the past.





"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.

Examples:
  • Jerry used to study English.
  • Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
  • I used to start work at 9 o'clock.

To BE/GET used to


Sometimes we get confused with these two similar expressions.
 
Both expressions refer to the Present, and they're followed by Gerund (-ing).

Ambos refieren al presente y van seguidos de un gerundio.

To be used to: Estar acostumbrado hacer algo . (When we always do something in the same way)

To get used to:Acostumbrarse a hacer algo.(When we do something too many times in a especial way, that becomes normal for us)

To be used to - estar acostumbrado a

We were used to the sunny weather of the coast.
Estábamos acostumbrados al clima soleado de la costa.

Mr. Jones wasn't used to all that luxury.
El señor Jones no estaba acostumbrado a todo ese lujo.

I am not used to travelling by plane.
No estoy acostumbrado a viajar en avión.
To get used to - acostumbrarse a (si sigue verbo, es un gerundio)

People get used to new technologies.
La gente se acostumbra a las nuevas tecnologías.
Paul never got used to living in the country.
Paul nunca se acostumbró a vivir en el campo.

I was getting used to working with Michael.
Me estaba acostumbrando a trabajar con Michael.

28/9/12

PHRASAL VERBS WITH VERB "COME"

A list of phrasal verbs that contain  come.

A word in brackets, such as somewhere or something, means that we can use the phrasal with or without that word.

come across something

To find or discover something.
She had never come across vinegar on chips before she visited Britain.

come across as

To seem or appear to be like something.
He comes across as a nice man but he can be very unpleasant sometimes.
I’ve met the new boss and he comes across as being very nice.

come back (somewhere)

To return.
I came back home because I had forgotten my mobile phone.
Steve, come back immediately!

come down with something

To become ill.
I think I’m coming down with a cold. I feel terrible.

come out with something

To introduce something.
Apple have come out with a new design for the iPad.

come out in something

To have a medical condition on the skin, such as a rash or spots.
I’ve come out in these horrible red spots.

come round

To visit someone.
What time will you come round tonight?

come through (something)

To survive something.
She came through the operation very well.

come up

Something unexpected happens.
Something has come up. Sorry, I have to go home straight away.

come up with

To have an idea or a suggestion.
During the meeting we came up with some good suggestions.
John came up with a good idea.

24/9/12

Reading about... LIONEL MESSI.


Lionel Andrés Messi

 
Lionel Andrés Messi , born on 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Barcelona and the Argentine national team. He is one of the best football players of his generation and is frequently considered as the world's best contemporary player. Lionel Messi, whose playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21 and won both by the age of 22. Diego Maradona once declared that Messi was his "successor."
Lionel Messi's talent was early detected by his father. When he began playing with the local team, his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona . At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, which is a medical condition in which the body does not produce enough growth hormone and whose treatment nessecitates a lot of money. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign.
Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.
Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension:

  1. Lionel Messi's talent was discovered
    a.
    in Spain
    b.
    in Argentina
  2. Messi's health condition was critical
    a.
    before he moved to Spain
    b.
    after he moved to Spain
  3. He was offered a treatment for his disease by
    a.
    Newell's Old Boys
    b.
    Barcelona
  4. Messi's best season with Barcelona was
    a.
    2004-2005
    b.
    2005-2006
    c.
    2008–2009
KEYS FOR THE TEST IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS ENTRY.

18/9/12

¿Cómo estudiar Inglés? Trucos para estudiar mejor.

HOW DO I STUDY ENGLISH?


Learning strategies or study skills determine the approach for achieving the learning objectives. The strategies are usually tied to your needs and interests to enhance learning and are based on many types of learning styles.
Here are some strategies that can help you be successful in your studies.

Set small, achievable goals (establece pequeñas metas)

Start with small steps to reach higher targets.
  1. For example, try to learn 5 new English vocabulary items every day. (Aprende 5 nuevas palabras cada día )
  2. Set a 30 minutes study session every day.
  3. Learn the lyrics of an English song every now and then. (aprende la letra de una canción de vez en cuando)
  4. Read a short English text every day. (Lee algo en Inglés cada día)
Setting small targets is much better than setting huge goals that you cannot achieve. Remember that "small drops of water make the mighty ocean"

Plan your studies

Planning your studies gives meaning to your work. If you know all the steps necessary to achieve a goal and these steps are written down on a piece of paper, it will be easy for you, then, to see the whole picture.

Be motivated (Motívate, lee algo que te guste, ve una película de tus actores favoritos...)

The secret to success is that you should be motivated to learn. Try to avoid boredom by having fun in what you do. Try to find a positive aspect to studying English.
  1. Read about what you are interested (hobbies, fields of interest...) in English.
  2. Watch your favourite films in English
  3. Listen to your favourite English songs and learn the lyrics.
  4. Write your diary in English.
  5. Read about your favorite stars in English websites...
Remember, we learn better and fast things we really want to learn.

Manage your time (Aministra el tiempo)

In order to manage your time successfully, having an awareness of what your goals are will assist you in prioritizing your activities. Time management provides you with the opportunity to create a schedule that works for you, not for others. This personal attention gives you the flexibility to include the things that are most important to you.

Set a reward for yourself ( Premiate al terminar de estudiar)

Set a reward for yourself that you can look forward. For example, when you reach a goal, give yourself a reward:
  1. Watch a movie.
  2. A delicious snack.
  3. Meet your friends.
  4. Go to the café.
 

17/9/12

BUSINESS ENGLISH: Qualifiers to sound more POLITE

(Si eres un hombre o mujer de negocios, necesitarás este vocabulario sencillo pero muy útil para suavizar tu tono mientras estés tratando con un cliente, y así conducir las negociaciones hasta tu terreno, siempre deberás evitar frases muy directas y cortantes: el precio es muy alto, es un problema, demasido tarde y sustituirlas por : es un poco difícil conseguirlo, tal vez sea un pequeño inconveniente... Abajo tienes más ejemplos y las frases usadas en Inglés. ¡Buen Negocio!)

If you often attend meetings and negotiations as part of your job, you will know how important it is to avoid direct disagreement.
A disagreement can occur if we make a very direct and simple statement to express what we’re thinking. Statements which are too direct can sound confrontational and as a result the person you’re negotiating with may be offended or get upset.
Look at these very direct statements:
  • The price is high.
  • It’s a problem.
  • I’ll be late.
  • There might be delays with the delivery.
  • We have to make changes.
  • It’s difficult to do.
All of the above statements are too direct for a polite negotiation. They may say what you are thinking, but they can sound impolite or aggressive and may lead to a direct disagreement.

Qualifiers will ‘soften’ a direct statement

In order to sound more diplomatic we should soften our direct statements. One way of doing this is by using qualifiers – words which we put before another word to make it sound less direct.

Here are some common ‘softening’ qualifiers in English:
  • a little
  • a bit
  • a little bit
  • slight
  • slightly
  • short
  • small
  • one or two.
Now let’s use these qualifiers in sentences:
  • The price is a little high.
  • It’s a slight problem.
  • I’ll be a little bit late.
  • There might be one or two short delays with the delivery.
  • We have to make one or two small changes.
  • It’s a bit difficult to do.

14/9/12

EXÁMENES DE INGLÉS PARA BACHILLERATO


Este volumen os permitirá realizar exámenes creadoss por diferentes profesores en institutos para comprobar el nivel, repasar y estudiar la asignatura en 1º Y 2º de  Bachillerato. El libro incluye las soluciones y propuestas-consejos para realizar las redacciónes de los exámenes.


THIS BOOK CONSTITUTES A FANTASTIC AND NECESSARY GUIDE FOR THOS STUDENTS IN 1ST AND 2ND YEAR OF BACHILLERATO. THROUGH THE DIFFERENT TESTS THEY WILL TEST THEIR ABILITIES IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE.

 

EXÁMENES DE INGLÉS PARA BACHILLERATO
 
Haz click en la portada del libro para adquirirlo en formato papel o Ebook.

13/9/12

What is a plural NOUN?

Plural nouns are nouns which are always plural and have no singular form. They are often things which have two parts joined together, e.g. trousers (trousers have two legs), or scissors.
Some plural nouns refer to a group (of people or things). An example of this is police.
Plural nouns always take a plural form of the verb, so we say:
  • My trousers are wet.
  • The goods were stolen.
  • The police are here.
Sometimes we use some with a plural noun. In other cases we can say a pair of. Here are 10 plural nouns and examples of how we use them.

10 plural nouns

  • scissors
  • some scissors,
  • a pair of scissors
  • trousers
  • some trousers,
  • a pair of trousers
  • clothes
  • some clothes
  • headphones
  • some headphones,
  • a pair of headphones
  • refreshments
  • some refreshments
  • sunglasses
  • some sunglasses,
  • a pair of sunglasses
  • goods
  • some goods
  • outskirts
  • on the outskirts
  • headquarters
  • at headquarters
  • at our headquarters
  • surroundings
  • in nice surroundings
ACTIVITY 1:

What is the correct plural of the word?

  1. How many (person) study English as a second language?
  2. Five (woman) opened a computer service company.
  3. Even (child) enjoy learning on the Internet.
  4. Most basketball players are 6 (foot) tall or more.
  5. Which breed of (sheep) produces the finest wool?
  6. My (tooth) are sensitive to the cold.
  7. At daylight savings time, we have to change our (watch) .
  8. The boys went fishing and caught 10 (fish) .
  9. There are 10 (man) in the Maintenance Department.
  10. The (wife) keep their (knife) on the (shelf) .
  11. (Goose) are water birds.
  12. (Piano) are difficult to move .
  13. There are some (policeman) in my house!
  14. I've lost my (luggage) .

 

ACTIVITY 2:

Write down the correct form of the plural:

  1. city - .
  2. house - .
  3. boy - .
  4. family - .
  5. life - .
  6. photo - .
  7. phone - .
  8. sandwich - .
  9. nurse - .
  10. elf - .
  11. phenomenon - .
  12. criterion - .
  13. village - .
  14. toy - .
LOOK FOR THE KEYS IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST.
Las soluciones en los comentarios de esta entrada.

12/9/12

COLOUR IDIOMS

Colour idioms are very common in English. We’ve chosen ten common ones for this list.
At the bottom of the page there is a little quiz to see how many you can remember.



black and white

Thinking of everything or judging everything in a simple way and seeing it as either good or bad.
The situation isn’t as black and white as it seems; it’s much more complicated.

to black out

To darken by putting out the electric lights or covering over the windows.
Londoners had to black out their windows during the German bombing raids at the beginning of the war.

to black out

To lose consciousness.
He blacked out after standing up for three hours in the parade. A doctor had to attend to him.

to be blue in the face

To be very angry or upset; to be excited and very emotional.
She argued with her husband until she was blue in the face but he wouldn’t see her point of view.

to be green

To be inexperienced and/or immature.
He’s a bit green – he still believes that someone is going to come and help him out of his situation. He doesn’t realise he has to do it himself.

the grass is always greener (on the other side)

When a place that is far away or different seems better than the place where we are now.
He must be crazy to leave the company; he’s got a great job and a great salary. He really should stay where he is but he can’t see it – the grass is always greener on the other side.

to be green with envy

To be very jealous and full of envy.
I was green with envy when I heard that she was going on holiday to Spain for a week while I had to stay and work.

to be in the red

To have debts.
The company has been in the red for two years now. We now owe over $500,000 to our suppliers and the bank.

red tape

Excessive bureaucracy.
Many businesses complain about the amount of red tape that they have to deal with in Russia.

to come out of the blue

When something happens without a warning and by surprise.
His decision to leave the company came completely out of the blue. No one expected it at all.

10/9/12

TEN BASIC PHRASAL VERBS FOR BEGINNERS IN ENGLISH

Here are 10 important phrasal verbs for elementary learners of English.
If you're learning English and you're in the beginner level you must learn this basic Phrasal verbs.

wake up

To stop sleeping. I wake up at 6 o’clock every morning.
[irregular verb] The verb wake is irregular: wake, woke, woken.
I woke up at 7 o’clock yesterday morning.


get up

To get out of bed. I always wake up at 6.30 and then I get up at 6.40.
[irregular verb] The verb get is irregular: get, got, got.
Yesterday I got up late.

speak up

To speak more loudly. Speak up, please! I can’t hear you.
[irregular verb] The verb speak is irregular: speak, spoke, spoken.

hurry up

To go more quickly. We are late. Hurry up!
You’re so slow. Please hurry up!

give up

To stop a habit. I want to give up smoking. It’s unhealthy and expensive.
[irregular verb] The verb give is irregular: give, gave, given.
I gave up smoking last year. I feel much healthier now.

wash up

To wash the plates, cups and cutlery. My wife cooked the dinner and afterwards I washed up.

slow down

To go more slowly. Don’t drive so quickly – slow down!
You’re speaking too quickly. Please slow down!

break down

When a car or machine stops working. Old cars often break down.
[irregular verb] The verb break is irregular:break, broke, broken.
My car broke down yesterday and I was late for work.

look out

To be careful, to pay attention. Look out! The floor is wet.

grow up

When a child is bigger and becomes an adult. My daughter is growing up fast.
[irregular verb] The verb grow is irregular: grow, grew, grown.
He grew up in London but now he lives in Paris.


via speakspeak.com

8/9/12

KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS


KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS. This is the first book of a series of Cheap Graded Readers for Students. Due to the difficult times we are living in we cannot spend too much money in school books, so this is our economic proposal.

This books has also activities carried out by INTERMEDIATE students ( A2, B1, Bachillerato 1, 2) or by those who want to update their "English" reading comprehension .This book can be use in the English classroom in an easy and effective way, since the students can dowload the book at home and print it for the cheapest price. They don't have to wait to get the book for two weeks , they will get it in five minutes!





KING ARTHUR LEGEND
If you want to read the book press the cover.
 
 
Nota para España:
Este libro pertenece a una nueva colección de lecturas graduadas para el estudiante de Inglés. La Leyenda del Rey Arturo, está destinado a estudiantes de nivel intermedio (A2, B1) y alumnado de Bachillerato 1º y 2º o Escuela Oficial de Idiomas.
 
Esta nueva colección pretende ofrecer versines muy económicas para que el alumnado pueda descargar desde casa una copia del libro y poder leeerlo sin tener que desemb


4/8/12

NEGATIVE ADJECTIVES starting with prefix UN-

Adjetivos Negativos que empiezan por el prefijo UN-

These adjectives begin with the prefix UN- meaning the opposite, they are difficult for Foreign students;  they usually misuse them and place In-, Im-, dis- instead of  Un-

UNABLE:
UNACCEPTABLE:
UNBELIEVABLE:
UNCLEAR:
UNCOMFORTABLE:
UNCOMMON:

9/7/12

MAROON 5 "PAYPHONE"

This great song will be of great help because you have the lyrics in English and the translation in Spanish at the same time.

 En caso de duda podéis leer la traducción en Español, así que no os dejo vocabulario, estudiad las palabras nuevas que ya aparecen traducidas. La dicción de la canción es perfecta y fácil de entender, incluso el rap.

ENJOY THIS MASTER PIECE






LYRICS

I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone
Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?

Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember
The people we used to be
It's even harder to picture
That you're not here next to me
You say it's too late to make it
But is it too late to try?
And in our time that you wasted
All of our bridges burned down

I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time when we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise

I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone
Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?

If happy ever after did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairytales are full of sh*t
One more stupid love song I'll be sick

You turned your back on tomorrow
Cause you forgot yesterday
I gave you my love to borrow
But just gave it away
You can't expect me to be fine
I don't expect you to care
I know I've said it before
But all of our bridges burned down

I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time when we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise

I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone
Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?

If happy ever after did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairytales are full of sh*t
One more stupid love song I'll be sick

Now I'm at a payphone...

[Wiz Khalifa]
Man work that sh*t
I'll be out spending all this money while you sitting round
Wondering why it wasn't you who came up from nothing
Made it from the bottom
Now when you see me I'm stunning
And all of my cars start with the push up a button
Telling me the chances I blew up or whatever you call it
Switched the number to my phone
So you never could call it
Don't need my name on my show
You can tell it I'm ballin'
Swish, what a shame could have got picked
Had a really good game but you missed your last shot
So you talk about who you see at the top
Or what you could've saw
But sad to say it's over for
Phantom pulled up valet open doors
Wiz like go away, got what you was looking for
Now ask me who they want
So you can go and take that little piece of sh*t with you

I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone
Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?

If happy ever after did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairytales are full of sh*t
One more stupid love song I'll be sick

Now I'm at a payphone...

6/7/12

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN (Reading Comprehension C1 level)

Today we're going to read about this Marvel's SuperHero, the level is a bit hard but you have to set some difficult goals in order to develop your Reading Skill.

On the other hand for those who want to become familiar with writing reviews, this is an example of a Movie Review.

The Amazing Spider-Man

When a studio reboots a franchise, starting from scratch while unavoidably having to repeat much of the same subject matter, comparisons are inevitable. Usually, though, the turnaround doesn't occur five quick years down the line (well, okay, this also happened with 2003's "Hulk" and 2008's "The Incredible Hulk"). In keeping this rather undesirable ritual going, Columbia Pictures has found a new creative team, a new cast, and added an adjective to the title ("What's better than 'Spider-Man'?" one studio exec probably said during pre-production. "How about 'The Amazing Spider-Man'?"). While 2002's "Spider-Man," 2004's "Spider-Man 2," and 2007's "Spider-Man 3" marked that rare trilogy that remained consistently successful over three films, its particular story and character arcs involving Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, and Harry Osborn had admittedly played themselves out by the end of the last one. For this so-called "re-imagining," director Sam Raimi is out and Marc Webb (2009's "(500) Days of Summer") is in, taking on a daunting summer tentpole about one hundred times bigger in size than his lovely indie debut. Meanwhile, screenwriting duties fall to sole returnee Alvin Sargent, and is extended to James Vanderbilt (2010's "The Losers") and Steve Kloves (2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"). As for the lead actor, 28-year-old Andrew Garfield (2010's "The Social Network") has been chosen to play 17-year-old Peter Parker because, apparently, there are no talented actual teenagers in Hollywood.


If not as tightly paced or even as emotionally gratifying as its forefather, "The Amazing Spider-Man" delivers spectacle and a hard choice near the end that suggests this rebooted series, like Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy, may fully come into its own with a superior second entry that has already gotten the familiar setup out of the way. This one must be judged alone, however, and there is no getting around its been-there-done-that tedium and underlying reason for being: Columbia Pictures was desperate to add another surefire franchise release to their schedule, even if it meant returning to a well dipped into a measly half-decade ago. "The Amazing Spider-Man" can be immersive - the climax is certainly pulled off on an ornate scale - but does it also capture a comparable pure heart and freshness to Raimi's vision? No. Its creation and conception simply smell of too much cynicism.
from: www.worstprevies.com

Vocabulary:

Indie: Independent movie.
Reboots: reuses
Cynicism: Irony.

5/7/12

How to be fluent in English?

A menudo nos preguntamos ¿Cómo podemos ganar fluidez en Inglés? Estas son unas buenas claves:



1. Most effective tip: "Think in English" (Piensa en Inglés)

One of the most common mistakes that English learners make is, they think in their mother tongue. When they want to say something in English, they think in their mother tongue, translate it to English and then say it in English. The result is a very flawed English sentence. Never do this!
If you want to speak in English fluently you will have to learn to "think" in English. When you are constructing sentences in your mind before saying them, think in English and form them in English in your mind.

2. Chat with fluent English speakers (Charla con nativos, fuera vergüenza! )

Chat with fluent English speakers real or online. Make friends with interesting English speakers. Become pen-pals with a fluent English speaker.
While talking to them look at their lip movement for tips on how to pronounce words correctly.

3. Rent or buy an English movie DVD (o descárgalo, legalmente, claro)

Rent or buy an English movie DVD. Put the English subtitles on. Follow the movie.
This has many advantages:
  • You will be able to compare the written words to the correct pronunciations.
  • You will get a feel of how real English sentences are formed when speaking.
  • You will be learning English but it will not be frustrating and boring because you will be watching a movie.

4. Read English fiction novels

Read English fiction of your choice. This is our India. Books are not costly here. You get cheap book in every nook and corner.

5. Listen to the radio and TV

A s much as possible, When you're in the car, or your kids are watching " Bob squarepants" TDT has the possibility to listen to the original sound of movies and cartoons , take advantage of this!!

Besides this, there are also many different radio stations available now-a-days in the big cities. Some of these radio stations are in English. Listen to them to get a feel of the language.

25/3/12

Lie / Lay / Lying / Laying (Students' doubts)


Lie is an intransitive verb (one that does not take an object), meaning "to recline." Its principal parts are lie (base form), lay (past tense), lain (past participal), and lying (present participle).

[Lie meaning "to tell an untruth" uses lied for both the past tense and past participle, with lying as the present participle.]

Lay is a transitive verb (one that takes an object), meaning "to put" or "to place." Its principal parts are lay (base form), laid (past tense), laid (past participle), and laying (present participle).

The two words have different meanings and are not interchangeable. Although lay also serves as the past tense of lie (to recline) – as in, "He lay down for a nap an hour ago" – lay (or laying) may not otherwise be used to denote reclining. It is not correct to say or write, "I will lay down for nap" or "He is laying down for a nap." The misuse of lay or laying in the sense of "to recline" (which requires lie or lying) is the most common error involving the confusion of these two words.

> Once you lay (put or place) a book on the desk, it is lying (reclining, resting) there, not laying there.

> When you go to Bermuda for your vacation, you spend your time lying (not laying) on the beach (unless, of course, you are engaged in sexual activity and are, in the vernacular, laying someone on the beach).

> You lie down on the sofa to watch TV and spend the entire evening lying there; you do not lay down on the sofa to watch TV and spend the entire evening laying there.

> If you see something lying on the ground, it is just resting there; if you see something laying on the ground, it must be doing something else, such as laying eggs.

23/3/12

REWRITING AND REPHRASING HANDBOOK (reescribe y parafrasea en Inglés)

This book is perfect to improve your Grammar at an intermediate or advanced level,  and revise all grammar points in English: indirect speech, modals, passives, conditionals, phrasal verbs... More than 150 activities to test your acuracy in English!

 Presentamos un libro realizado por nuestra  web www.myplaceforenglish.tk muy útil tanto para el profesorado de Educación Secundaria, como para el  profesorado de EOI.

A su vez este volumen nos permite repasar si somos alumnos toda la gramática a través de una técnica muy temida: el reescribir una frase en otro idioma o parafrasear la frase para que conserve el mismo significado.

Este volumen se compone de más de 150 ejemplos resueltos para poner a prueba nuestra gramática. Ideal para repasar ante exámenes de nivel intermedio: B1, B2 de EOI , o antes de Selectividad, o durante el Bachillerato.


REWRITING AND REPHRASING HANDBOOK IN ENGLISH. (Reescribir y Parafrasear en Inglés)
Para Descargar el libro , click aquí.
Download here!