Do you really want to improve your Listening Skill?

Hi, Guys!,

I'd like to introduce you the following web-page:
http://www.dailystep.com/default.asp

Thanks to this English teacher called Jane Lawson, we can listen to real conversations and improve our listening and speaking skills. In this web-page, you can choose your own level and then, you can check your answers. It's very funny and entertaining! Come on, don't waste any more time and learn English!!!
(Thanks to Jane L.)

PICK ME UP by Emilia de Poret

Hi, Guys!,

I hope you'll have a good time listening as well as singing this well-known song. I think you can improve your listening skill thanks to music!

Sherlock Holmes (film)

HI, Guys!, 

I'm sure you know about Sherlock Holmes, he is actually regarded as one of the greatest character of literature, he becomes one of the most vivid enduring characters in English fiction. Because of that, I encourage you to see and enjoy this exciting film.

Past Perfect, Present Perfect and Future Perfect

Hi, Guys!,


You can practise these verbal forms doing the following exercises. If you have any question, you can ask me them tomorrow morning. Have a nice weekend!!!


PRESENT PERFECT, PAST PERFECT AND FUTURE PERFECT

A. Read these sentences and say what tenses are used (Pres. Perf., Past S., Past Perf., Fut. Perf.)

1. …since 1990 American financial institutions have lost $ 5,000 million a year…
2. The spokesman revealed that a German student had read…
3. By 2010, computer fraud will have become the world’s…

Which tense is used to:
a. Say that something will happen before a certain time in the future?
b. Talk about a situation that started in the past and continues in the present?
c. That something happened before another action in the past?

B. Complete the sentences with the right perfect tense. Use the verbs in brackets.
1. When Windows 95 appeared, no one ___________ ever ___________ anything like it before. (see)
2. __________ you _____________ about that new operating system WinScape 3000 in this month’s It magazine? (read)
3. All today’s computers _______________ obsolete within just a few years. (become)
4. My printer ____________ down. Can you help me? (break)
5. Mum’s very tired. She _____________ working hard all morning. (be)
6. My mum and dad ________________ a new computer. It’s fantastic! (buy)
7. Before 1990, very few people in Europe ____________________ a computer at home. (use)
8. By 2025, they __________________ totally different kinds of computers. (invent)

C. Use the clues to form sentences with perfect tense verbs (present, past or future).
1. Until he went to India,______________________________________________
2. By the time I finish university, ______________________________________
3. Until the 20th century, nobody ______________________________________
4. For nearly two years, my dad________________________________________
5. Since last summer, I ________________________________________________

Milow - Ayo Technology

Hi, Guys!,

If you are tired of using technology as the singer... let's stop and take a break listening to this song! I hope you'll like it.

Relatives (II)

Hi, Guys!,

If you need to keep on practising Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses, you can do the following exercises.


1. Complete this paragraph with whose or which.
People……………..eyes cannot tell the difference between colours are said to be colour blind, but the name ……………..doctors use for this problem is “daltonism”. The name daltonism comes from a British scientist ……………..name was John Dalton (1776-1844), and ……………….main interests were meteorology and the study of atoms. Dalton, ……………..work on the weight of atoms made him famous, was himself colour blind. In 1794 he presented the first serious study of this medical condition, ………………became known as daltonism. A person that is colour blind must be extra careful when driving as the colours…………..they find most difficult are red and green, the colours of traffic lights.

2. Read these sentences and note how where and when are used as relatives.
The sixteen year-old genius wants to go to university first, where she plans to study computer science.
There were times when I didn’t get anywhere for weeks.

3. Join these sentences using when or where, and make any other changes that are necessary.
1.The scientist Isaac Newton was born in a little town called Grantham, Margaret Thatcher was also born there. _________________________________________________________________________

2. Newton went to Cambridge University. He graduated there in 1665.
-________________________________________________________________________
3. He invented a new system of mathematics called “calculus”.

He was studying modern mathematical methods then.
-________________________________________________________________________
4. He discovered the laws of gravitation. He was sitting under a tree at the time.
-________________________________________________________________________

4. Join the sentences with relative pronouns. If the relative pronoun is not necessary put it in brackets.
1. Patricia has a new boyfriend. He is a millionaire.

2. He has a private plane. His parents gave him the plane on his birthday.

3. Patrician’s boyfriend has invited her to Paris this summer. He is French.

4. Patricia can’t go with him. Patrician’s parents are very strict.


5. Join the sentences with relative pronouns. If the relative pronoun is not necessary put it in brackets.

Example: The musical instrument (we hear it most in rock music) is the electric guitar (it was invented in the 1950s).
The musical instrument (that) we hear most in rock music is the electric guitar, which was invented in the 1950s.

1. The term hip-hop was invented in 1985 to describe a kind of music (it has a heavy disco beat and spoken words).
-_________________________________________________________________________
2. The word reggae appeared in about 1968 and described a type of music (people like Bob Marley produced it).
-_________________________________________________________________________
3. Marley (this innovative reggae style was heard all over the world) died in 1981.
-_________________________________________________________________________
4. The kind of music (I like to listen to) is reggae.

(it first appeared in the 1960s in Jamaica).
-_________________________________________________________________________
5. The pop music world was revolutionised in 1969

(a Us sound engineer called Moog invented the synthesiser then).
-_________________________________________________________________________
6. This synthesiser (Moog devised it) could produce all the musical sound

(real instruments could make them).
-_________________________________________________________________________
7. Rap music was first heard in the 1980s in New York (it became very popular there).
-_________________________________________________________________________
9. At the club (my elder brother goes there) they play House music

(it’s a kind of music that originated in the Chicago Warehouse Club in 1987).
-_________________________________________________________________________

Reported Speech (post 2)

Hi, Guys!,

More exercises related to Reported Speech. Good luck and have a nice weekend!

Here you have some statements in direct speech. Repeat them using reported or indirect speech.
1. He said: “I am always hungry.”

2. “I have already finished my dinner,” Tom said.

3. “The bus will be here in a minute,” she told me.

4. Mrs. Black exclaimed: “I’m always trying to help you.”

5. They said: “We are going away tomorrow.”

6. “I will lock the door when I leave,” he told me.

7. “It’s colder today than it was yesterday,” Peter remarked.

8. “You will break the lamp If you play football in the sitting-room,” their mother said.

9. He assured me: “I can do it by myself.”

10. Peter looked out of the window and said: “It may rain in a while.”


Here you have some statements in indirect or reported speech. Try to turn them into direct speech. Don’t forget the use of inverted commas and the use of colon or comma if you place the introductory verb before the direct speech statement.
1. They said that they would take the dog for a walk.

2. He said that the students had finished their exams.

3. My friends told me that everybody was waiting for Jim.

4. Mary said that she couldn’t do all the work by herself.

5. The postman said that Mrs. David might receive the letter by the morning post.

6. The old man said that he didn’t like wine.

7. They told us at the station (that) the train had left an hour before.

8. David said (that) he had bought the book the day before.

9. The witness told the judge that he was telling the truth. The whole truth and only the truth.

10. Bob remarked (that) it would be difficult to climb that mountain.



Here you have some direct commands. Turn them into indirect commands. Look at the example:
“Let me down!” said Gulliver to the big man. Gulliver asked the big man to let him down.
1. “Don’t drop me to the ground!” Gulliver begged the farmer.

2. “Speak louder!” the farmer told Gulliver.

3. “Take me to your house,” Gulliver asked the man.

4. “Come and see what I’ve found,” the farmer said to his wife.

5. “Put it away!” cried the farmer’s wife.

6. “Come and have dinner with us!” the farmer told Gulliver.

7. “Lie down and rest for a while.” Mrs. Perkins said to her husband.

8. “Don’t be silly!” said Charlie’s mother to her son.

9. “Don’t forget your glasses!” said Mr. Brown.

10. “Don’t forget congratulate her when she passes it!”, Joseph said.

Here you have some indirect commands. Turn them into direct commands. Look at the example:
Example:
The Happy Prince told the Swallow to fly over the city and watch his people.
The Happy Prince said to the Swallow: “Fly over the city and watch my people.”
1. I told Betty to come near the window.

2. She asked the shop-attendant to show her another dress.

3. The farmer told his dig to lie down.

4. Gulliver begged the farmer not to leave him alone.

5. I invited my friends to come and have lunch with us.

6. The doctor advised me not to smoke so many cigarettes.

7. The doctor advised me to walk for 2 hours every day.

8. Mr. Clarke ordered the waiter to bring him a clean fork.

9. I told the children to get up an hour earlier in the morning.

10. Peter’s father told him to have his hair cut.

I'M YOURS by Jason Marz

Hi, Guys!,
I know that you really love this beautiful song, and me too! I hope you'll have a good time singing aloud this. Here you are its lyrics!

Reported Speech (post 1) exercises

Hi, Guys!,
As I told you this morning, you can practise Reported Speech thanks to the following exercises. As a matter of fact, we are going to correct some of them in class. Good luck and have fun!!!

Reported Statements
Put these statements into reported speech.

Example: “Mick is in his office,” Brendan told me.
Brendan told me (that) Mick was in his office1. “We are very hungry,” they said. ______________________________________________________________
2. “I don’t really want to play tennis,” Danny told Chris. _____________________________________________________________
3. “Michelle is working in her room,” Mrs Blackmore said.
-____________________________________________________________
4. “Brendan has gone to the cinema,” Mick told Bill.
-____________________________________________________________
5. “I can’t drive,” Peter said.
-____________________________________________________________
6. “I’ll see you later,” Larry told May.
-____________________________________________________________
Now complete this table.
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECHA this …………………….…....
B these ……………………………
C today …………………………….
D tonight …………………………….
E yesterday …………………………….
F a year ago …………………………….
G last week …………………………….
H now …………………………….
I next week / month / year …………………………….


Reported Questions

Put these questions into reported speech. Examples:“How old are you?” Mrs Thorne asked Brenda. Mrs Thorne asked Brendan how old he was.
“Do you like spaghetti?” Maria asked me. Maria asked me if I liked spaghetti.
1. “Where do you come from?” the woman asked me.

2. “Did you see the film on TV?” May asked Larry.

3. “Have you ever been to the United States?” the man asked Sue.

4. “What are you doing?” the policeman asked the two men.

5. “When are you going back to Ireland?” I asked Brendan.

6. “Can you help me?” the woman asked Mick.

COMMANDS

Look at the examples. Copy and complete the rule.

“Please sit down” --- He asked everybody to sit down.
“Don’t talk in the exam!” --- The teacher told us not to talk in the exam.

We use told / asked + object + (not) to + _____________
Rewrite the sentences in Reported Speech.

1. “Meet me at the library at four o’clock”.
Jason told me to __________________________________________________
2. “Open your books at page 59”.
Our teacher ______________________________________________________
3. “Don’t forget your books!”.
The lecturer ______________________________________________________
4. “Please close the door quietly”.
She _____________________________________________________________
5. “Don’t worry about the exam”.
My friend _________________________________________________________
6. “Wait outside for five minutes!”.
The teacher _______________________________________________________
7. “Don’t stay out late!”.
My dad ___________________________________________________________

Relatives Clauses (I)

Hi, Guys!,

If you need to practise Defining Relatives Clauses and Non-defining Relative Clauses, here you can find some exercises. I hope you'll take advantage of these. Before doing these exercises, take a look to your notes wirtten down in class, ok?


Defining/ non-defining relative clauses:

Defining: The people who live next door are very kind.
Non-defining: Mr and Mrs Brown, who live next door, are very kind. (Xtra info)

Defining Non-defining

Subject

People: The man WHO/THAT called is my boss.

Things: The house WHICH/THAT is round the corner is expensive.
People: Mr. Brown, WHO called, is my boss.
Things: The large house round the corner, WHICH is on sale,is expensive.

Object
People: The man (WHO(M)/THAT) we met is my boss.

Things: The house (WHICH/THAT) they bought was expensive.
People: Mr Brown, WHO(M) we met, is my boss.
Things: The house round the corner,WHICH they bought, was expensive.

With
Prepositions
People: The man(WHO(M)/THAT) we talked to is my boss.

Things: The house (WHICH/THAT) you looked at is expensive.
People: Mr Brown, to WHOM we talked, is my boss.
Things: The house round the corner, At WHICH you looked, is expensive.


Possession
People: The man WHOSE car is red is my boss.
People: Mr Brown, WHOSE car is red, is my boss.

Place
The house WHERE I lived is round the corner.
The house round the corner, WHERE I lived, was expensive.

Time
The year WHEN we bought the house was a cold one.
1992, WHEN we bought the house, was a cold year.


NOTE:
In non-defining relative clauses:
- The pronoun THAT is not used at all.
- The pronoun can never be omitted.

Combine the sentences. Use WHO, WHICH, THAT, WHOSE or WHERE.
That’s the basketball player. His legs are incredibly long.
1. __________________________________________________
That’s the man. He weighs over 120 kg.
2. _________________________________________________
That’s the university. Professor Rylance works there.
3. _________________________________________________
That’s the club. I first saw Polly there.
4. _________________________________________________
Nail-biting is the habit. I would like to stop it.
5. _________________________________________________
This is the CD. I bought it for Jamie.
6. _________________________________________________
That’s the girl. I told you about her yesterday.
7. _________________________________________________
Those are the students. Their exam results were excellent.
8. _________________________________________________


Combine the sentences WITHOUT using a relative pronoun.
1. I noticed a man in the park. He was very thin.
The man ……………………………………………………………………………………...
2. James told me a story. It wasn’t true.
The story …………………………………………………………………………………….
3. I spoke to a woman. She was a psychologist.
The woman …………………………………………………………………………………..
4. We stayed in a hotel. It was very near the beach.
The hotel ………………………………………………………………………………..……
5. Ella was talking to a boy. He was very good-looking.
The boy ………………………………………………………………………………………
6. I wanted to see the teacher. She had gone home.
The teacher …………………………………………………………………………………..

DES REE SUPERNATURAL "Oh Life"

Asking and Giving Directions in English

Hi, Guys!,

It's time to review or learn how to ASK and GIVE DIRECTIONS in English!
It's very easy, isn't it? Let's see the following sentences!
1. Excuse me, Sir / Madam, can you tell me where the train station is?
2. Where is the train staiton, please?
3. How can I get to the train station, please?
4. What's the best way to go to...?
5. Go ahead! / Go straight on (until you see...)
6. Go up this road / Go down this road.
7. Go over the bridge / Go along the river
8. On that corner, you'll see ...
9. Cross this street!
10. It's betwwen... / opposite / near / next to...
11. Turn left / turn right
12. Take the first turning on the left /right
13. Take the first road / second road on the left / right
14. It's over there! can you see the ...?

Take a look the following link:http://www.souz-ub.cz/dokum/projektA/9_ASKING_ABOUT_THE_WAY.pdf
Thanks again to Real English lessons, we can learn and review "directions" in English.

I always tell you, my pupils, you can face this real situation when you walk around your city and you see a foreign man lost. You, ESL students, must help him using your English. Now, let's pay attention to these different situations.

If you want to practise ASKING and GIVING DIRECTIONS with your students, click on the following webs: http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities__vocabulary/directions__giving_and_asking/ http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1434

Jennifer López at Times Square

Jennifer López was born in New York city in 1970. She is actually one of the best dancer and singer, don't you think so? Now, let's listen to her at Times Square. Welcome!

Friends and New Year's Eve

Famous Dance at Midnight ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! 2010

New Year from NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Year from LONDON!!!!!!!!!

My best wishes to all of YOU, I hope all your dreams will come true!!!, Valme