LINKING WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

Connecting ideas when writing. Cohesion devices.

     Interesting complete table, sorted by categories.

     Some further explanation and exercises.(see page bottom)

     And some extra material of the like. 

                       From allbloggingtips.com

     And more.

                                                                                                                                     

REPORTED SPEECH: VERBS OF REPORT

Further practice here, as promised:

   1.   Reported Speech worksheet.

   2.   OUP_exercises_reporting.

   3.  Perfect English Grammar_Reporting verbs.

   4.   Advanced reporting verbs: 

                   Exercise 1 and exercise 2. 

                   Exercise 3 and exercise 4

   5.   ELTBase: reporting verbs_quiz.

"He advised us to..."

CELEBRATING SHAKESPEARE

April, 23 2016. Shakespeare, Cervantes,... 400 years!

British Council:"Find out about the British Council's Shakespeare Lives programme of events and activities celebrating Shakespeare’s work on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his death in 2016.".

Shakespeare's England.

Shakespeare and the Globe.

Some British irony on the topic

Shakespeare Fast Facts: National Geographic. Video.

CLOZE TEST PRACTICE

Cloze tests: further practice. Interesting websites:

a. Multiple Choice Cloze T.

b. Cloze with options.

c. Englishlearner.com: an example here.

Just a couple of examples. I hope you find them useful.

FOR AND AGAINST ESSAYS

A for and against example on Reality Shows, together with top tips for writing it.

This other example is also interesting; about the Internet.

SIX MINUTE ENGLISH

BBC 6 minute English.

Topics such as Giving away your fortune, What's in a fairy tale?, How would you like to pay?, Asking the right question,... 

As an example: is social media a distraction?

CRIME & PUNISHMENT

Vocabulary.

    Learn 25 words for talking about courts and crime

    The police-crime quiz here could also be useful.


Listening Practice.

“Security Systems” (CRIME) Click this link to listen and do the activities about safety and security.

Passive Voice.

    Grammar activity to practice the passive voice: here 


The News: hijacking.

    Ridiculous hijacker. Watch and read.

MOVIES, SERIES

Ororo TV.  Movies with English subtitles. An innovative way to learn English.

LISTENING PRACTICE

Towards B1. Red linked words leading to different listening tasks.

Towards B2. Red linked words leading to different listening tasks.

READING PRACTICE

Towards B1. Reading tasks linked to the red words.

Towards B2. Reading tasks linked to the red words.

WISHES

Listening Comprehension: I wish I...

You can always read the tapescript after doing the proposed activity.

When you see a shooting star make a wish

WISH & IF ONLY

Both used to express how we would like things to be different if we could change them. 
Both, same meaning, but if only is more emphatic.
They can be followed by another clause; tenses are relevant then.

1.  Would + infinitive.  Used:
                a. to complain about things you find irritating. (Subjects of subordinate clause and main                             clause must be different).   I wish my neighbours would spot arguing all day.
                                          
                b. for wishes for the future when we believe the action will probably not happen                                         (could can be used instead of would) I wish I could work for the new local company, (but                     I know I haven't got any chance due to lack of qualification, for instance). 

     2.  Past simple.
         to talk about things you would like to be different in the present, but which you view as being                  unlikely, impossible.

I wish I were stronger

         As in conditional sentences, we use were for all the grammatical persons. However was is also            possible (less formal)
  
     3. Past perfect.
         to show regret or criticism about things that happened or not in the past.

I wish I had studied Maths any harder. Too late now.

Pink Floyd and Wish you where here

     

ST VALENTINE'S DAY

Saint Valentine's Day. Love, Dating and Romance. A bit of reading at BBC English.site. See also the worksheet at the bottom of that page.

And a webquest on the topic.

Love and music, Paul MacCartney's My Valentine .  And the Lyrics. 

corny? tender? necessary?

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Practice Conditional Types: grammar site

LIFE-and-DEATH SITUATIONS

Ben Sherwood and The Survivors' Club. 
After the video, answer question 8 of the activity provided in class.

Luck, religion, knowledge... and other factors in the surviving equation. 
Watch this video here. Does luck really exist?


Well, no matter how serious a particular situation my seem to be, how hazardous a challange, how hard a problem... We can of course overcome it. What is the philosophy behind the song here?

From the film Stepmom