Past Simple and Past Continuous (post 3)

Hi, Guys!,

I've just found this great worksheet, I think it's really helpful and amusing, do you think so?

Past Continuous+Past Simple When While

Present Simple vs. Present Cont. (post 3)

Hi, Guys!,

Do you need more practise? I've just found this interesting worksheet. Ready, Steady, Goooo!!!!

Present simple + continuous Test N°1

Buckingham Palace, LONDON

Hi, Guys!,

In 1702, the Duke of Buckingham built this Palace as his residence in London. Later, the Duke's son sold the palace to George III in 1761. When the Queen Charlotte lived there, the Palace was renamed as "Queen's House". Then, Queen Victoria established her residence in the Buckingham Palace in 1837.

Nowadays, the Buckingham is not only used as the home of the Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, but also for the monarchy administration.

If you are interested in visiting the Buckingham Palace, you can do so from late July until September. Besides, when you travel to London, you can check if the Queen is right there if the British flag is flying, so "the Queen's at home". From Buckingham Palace you can easily walk to: Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, St James' Palace, 10 Downing Street, The Thames, Trafalgar Square and even Hard Rock Cafe. And don't forget to see the ceremony of changing the guard (next post).

Present Simple Vs. Present Cont. (post 2)

Hi, Guys!,

As I told you this morning, you should revise these two verbal tenses, so the more you practise them, the better you learn them!

A. Complete the sentences. Use the correct present simple or present continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
1 Sarah __________________ (usually play) football every Sunday.
2 She ___________________ (not play) today because she’s ill.
3 How often _____________________ (you / go) to the cinema?
4 I ___________________________ (watch) a film on TV at the moment.
5 Mike ________________________ (not often walk) to school.
6 ________________________ (he / travel) by bus today?
7 What _______________________ (you / do) tonight?
8 What _________________ (she / usually / do) at the weekends?

B. Complete the dialogue. Use the correct present simple or present continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
Anne (1) _______________ (you / always stay in) on Saturdays?
Kath No, I don’t. I usually go out at the weekend. I (2) _______________ (go) to the cinema tonight.
Anne Who (3) _______________ (you / go with)?
Kath With my boyfriend Greg. He (4) _______________ (hardly ever / watch) adventure films, but I really (5) _______________ (enjoy) them. What about you? (6) _______________ (your boyfriend / meet) you this evening?
Anne Yes, he is. He (7) _______________ (come) after work. He (8) _______________ (usually / finish) at five o’clock.

C. Complete these sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the Present Simple or Present Continuous:

Hi, Debbie,

I ______________ (write) this email from Lloret de Mar. I_________ (be) on holiday here with my family. We ____________ (come) here every year and I always ___________________ (have) a good time. At the moment my mum and dad __________________ (have) lunch, I __________ (be) in town alone. I ________________________ (buy) some presents and I _________________ (write) one or two emails. My boyfriend _____________ (write) to me everyday, but there’s a boy here who I like. He _______________ (sit) near me now. I hope he ____________________ (not understand) this email if he sees it.

Write soon!
Kathy ****

D. Complete the text. Use the present simple and the present continuous.
Kevin Roberts also (play) plays football for Inverness, the same team as Juan. Kevin (1 come)………from Glasgow. At the moment Kevin and Juan (2 play) ………..snooker together. They always (3 speak)…………English because Kevin (4 not speak)……….a word of Spanish. Kevin (5 have got)………a strong Scottish accent which Juan sometimes (6 not understand)……….

E. Complete the text. Use the present simple or present continuous.
Alice always (1) ____________ (meet) her friend, Laura on Saturdays. They usually (2) ____________ (go) shopping and then they (3) ____________ (have) a coffee in their favourite café and they (5) ____________ (chat). Today, Alice (5) ____________ (be) late. Laura (6) ____________ (wait) for her in their usual meeting place. She phones Alice on her mobile.

Laura Hi Alice. Where (7) ____________ (be) you?
Alice I (8) ____________ (sit) on the bus. There (9) ____________ (be) a lot of traffic. What (10)____________ you ____________ (do)?
Laura I (11) ____________ (chat) to Gary, the new student in our class. He (12) ____________ (be) really friendly!
Alice OK! See you in minute.

Present Simple Vs. Present Continuous (post 1)

Hi, Guys!,

Do you need to practise the difference between these two verbal tenses:

Present Simple and Present Continuous? Let's see!

Present Simple vs Present Continuous

WalKinG BaReFooT, a New TreND!!!

Hi, there!,

How do you feel if you have to walk barefoot everyday? But if you can choose... and if it's a new trend... would you like to walk without your shoes?

In these days, many celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman, and famous singers such as Shakira, Kelly Clarkson usually appear on stage without shoes. We can understand that many times, you can feel better barefoot rather than wearing high heels, but why do they like barefoot at the premieres, parties, etc? Just because it is more fashionable or comfortable?

I'd like to believe that these celebrities do so because they are imitating Jonas Brothers, who months ago, promoted "One Day Without Shoes" to make people aware of the difficulty of performing everyday tasks without proper footwear.



Thanks a lot, Cristine!**

Tracy Chapman

Hi, there!,

Have you ever heard about TRACY CHAPMAN? She's one of my favourite singers, thanks to my cousin, I could listen to her beautiful songs and special voice many years ago.

Tracy was born in 1964, she is an American singer song-writer, she won Grammy Awards several times; she became wellknwon due to her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin'about Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories".

When she was 8, she started writing songs and could play the guitar. Thanks to her talent, she was accepted into the program A Better Chance. This let her attend Wooster School and then, Tufts University. Tracy got graduated with B.A. degree in Anthropology and African studies.

at last, but not least, let's listen to these songs! I hope you'll like them!

Mc Fly

Hi, Guys!,

McFly is a pop rock band from United Kingdom. The group consists of Tom Fletcher (vocalist and guitarrist), Danny Jones (vocalist and guitarrist too), Dougie Poynter (backing vocalist and plays the bass guitar) and Harry Judd who plays drums.

In 2004, McFly released their first album called Room on the 3rd Floor and it debuted at number 1 in UK album chart. The second album Wonderland was released in 2005, and also, it soon became the number 1. The third album Motion in the Ocean was released in 2006. The fourth album was Radio: Active in 2008.

Now, let's listen to one of the most wellknown songs, I hope you'll enjoy it!






PS. To my dearest students, I hope you'll be happier now! Listening to music is a perfect way to improve your English!!! Let's listen again: "Falling in Love"

FISH and CHIPS

Hi, there!,

Have you ever eaten FISH'n'CHIPS in Ireland or United Kingdom?

Fish and Chips is a popular relatively inexpensive British dish. It was originated in UK at the middle of 19th century, when British started cooking French fries, influenced by French, as well as fried fish or "pescaito frito" introduced by Portuguese a long time ago. This simple dish became very trendy among working classes.

"Fish and chips" consists of plaice or cod fried in batter and served hot with fried, chipped potatoes. The dish is sold in special shops (Fish and Chip shops, commonly called Chippy or Chipper) either to be taken away, wrapped in paper, or you can eat them in the shop. Some young people buy the chips alone to be eaten as a cheap filling snack.

If you travel to London, don't forget to eat typical Fish and Chips! Nevertheless, you can't compare this dish with the Spanish fish fried with olive oil, they are traditional dishes, but quite different.

I hope you'll enjoy this post, you can tell it to your students :-)

Idioms that mean EASY

Hi, Guys!,

Do you really want to improve your English? Well, I encourage you to watch the following video and learn some idioms related to EASINESS, Jennifer is a good English teacher. Let's take a look!

"I can do it with my eyes closed"
"It's not rocket science"

"It's a child's play"

HEROE sung Enrique Iglesias, a good way to teach 2nd Conditional

Hi, there!,

I hope you'll like this romantic song HEROE sung by Enrique Iglesias. Besides, you can listen to this in class in order to practise the 2nd Conditional [If + subject + Past Simple, Subject + Would + Infinitive]
For example: "Would you tremble if I touched your lips?".

CALENDAR, Decorating Your ENGLISH Classroom

Hi, there!,

As far as I am concerned, creating an English Calendar is another amusing tool to teach English, specially with primary students, they feel more involved in English classroom, they are usually more cooperative, aren't they? Nevertheless, this year, I'm going to carry out this teaching recipe with my upper-secondarypupils, I hope they'll learn more...

Well, if you're a teacher, you can design your own calendar or look at this webpage: http://www.projectbritain.com/calendar/ Then, you must hang this on the wall. Below the calendar, you must add a new word everyday, with a picture, phonetic pronunciation, with a sentence showing the meaning of this new word. So, everyday, as an ice breaker, you can ask your pupils the date, read and learn a new word. Even more, you can design your own calendar focusing on a particular semantic field every month.

Do you like my teaching recipe? I hope so!!! From my experience, children and young secondary sutdents are more enthusiastic with this idea.


If you're more interested, click on Decorating Your Classroom

NETSPEAK, Internet slang (2)

Hi, Guys!,

How technology is affecting our language? Sometimes, it's quite difficult to understand a message, you may get confused with NETSPEAK. This is a mode of communication based on abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms, this always includes intentional mispellings and symbols.

So, if you're interested in NETSPEAK, I encourage you to watch the following video and learn more about the Internet Slang. For example:

• BRB = be right back
• AFK = away from keyboard (I'm gone for a few minutes).
• KK = OK
• TTYL = talk to you later
• CYA = see you
  
• THX = thanks
  

Are You Decorating Your ENGLISH Classroom?

Hi, Teachers!,

I think that a teacher's classroom says much about the teacher and his /her style and class expectations. If your students are young, you can ask them to make some posters for the classroom with some useful sentences, such as: "Can you repeat, please?, How do you say it in English?, Can you write this word on the board?".

Then, obviously, these senteces must be used in class. By this way, we can improve their speaking and they feel more involved. It is also important to decorate all the corridors and rooms with English labels. It's not very difficult, you can make these labels with your students in the first lesson, I'm sure they will improve their English vocabulary.

Besides, you can ask your secondary students to decorate the classroom with motivational inspiring posters, such as "No Mountains Too High For You To Climb".

I encourage you to do so with your students, it's easy and rewarding, bear in mind they will learn more, when they are active and creating ;-)

If you are more interested, click on Decorating Your Classroom

ICE BREAKERS, Coming Back to School

Hi, Teachers!,

Are you ready? New year, new goals, new hopes! Don't you think so?
Well, I'm going to show you some amusing Ice Breakers for the first lesson. I hope you'll find them interesting!

For Secondary and Upper-secondary students: IDENTITY CARDS

This activity is very recommendable, specially when you, as a teacher, don'tknow your new students, or you would like to know them more. You need as many pieces of cardboard as students you have. Your students have to fill in the following gaps: NAME, SURNAMES, GROUP, AGE, EMAIL, HOBBIES, FAVOURITE FILM and SINGER, PLANS FOR THE FUTURE and SUGGESTION or REQUEST.
When they complete all the information, they start talking to their classmates and ask them some personal questions. So, they practise English from the very beginning and know their classmates.


For Primary students: "WHO IS ...?"
The teacher delivers every student a piece of paper. Here, children write their names. The teacher collects these papers and gives them away again. The teacher asks one student to stand up and say:"Hi, my name is Alex" and then, picking up the piece of paper, he / she will ask:"Who is Martha?". Now, Martha will stand up and repeat this again. It's a very easy entertaining way to know each other. If you want to complicate this activity, you can add more information.

I hope you'll like it!

L O L

Hi, Guys!,

Are you familiar with LOL? What does it mean?

Well, LOL is an abbrevation of LAUGHING OUT LOUD, laugh out loud or LOTS OF LAUGHS. It is actually a common element of internet slang, mostly used by teenagers nowadays.

There is another variation: ROFL which means "ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING".

In this new internet slang, there are other popular acronyms such as BFN whic means "BYE FOR NOW" and IMHO "IN MY HUMBLE OPINION".

According to some critics, these initialisms are convenient and necessary, but you may get confused when you read them in an email.

Obviously, these remind me of when I post MOBILE LANGUAGE, too much information, no time, no space.

HappY 1st AnniVeRsArY!!!

HI, GUYS!,

One year ago, I could never imagine that my dream would come true! My own virtual English Corner to connect with other people, to share my projects, worksheets, games, recipes, TV series, songs, etc. and see their great experiences with their students.

Thanks a lot, my loyal followers for your enthusiasm and support!,
Thanks for reading and commenting my posts,
Thanks for appreciating my job,
You make me keep on working, I'm full of amusing ideas, so, I hope you'll enjoy this blog for many years, this is my dream!

Thanks a lot for coming into Valme's English Corner!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Hi, Guys!,

I hope you'll enjoy the following videos taken from THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE. An exciting film about an old socerer, Balthazar Blake, who has been searching for the next Merlin. He finds this archetypal young New Yorker Dave Stutler. Like the King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone, Dave chose a special ring with a dragon. Previously, Balthazar had told Dave "if the dragon likes you, he will come alive". When this happens the old Blake knows that he is the new sorcerer. Then, a dangerous enemy appears, he is going to complicate the situation. I hope you'll enjoy these scenes! Pay attention to the Chrysler building of New York.

Why are Irish Doors so colourful?

Hi, Guys!,

When I was living in Ireland, I wondered why the IRISH DOORS were so colourful; since nearly all their doors were painted in purple, bright yellow, green, blue, ... do you know the reason?

When Queen Victoria’s husband died, a royal decree was sent throughout the United Kingdom (which Ireland was still apart of at the time). The decree stipulated that all the doors in the cities be painted black to mourn the late royal. The Irish, spiteful and rebellious, ignored the royal decree and painted their doors every color except black.

Even today, the doors remain colorful as a reminder of their disobedience. Nevertheless, you can also find a black one which means there is a British living there.

I hope you'll enjoy this amusing story that you can tell your students this year!!!

DEAD POETS SOCIETY

Hi, Guys!,

"O Captain, My Captain" has been taken from a poem written by Walt Whitman about Abraham Lincoln, but this line is so famous due to a film.

Dead Poets Society is one my favourite movies. I love Mr Keating, the new English professor who taught a group of boys to take advantage of time "Carpe Diem", to go againtst the status quo, to appreciate poetry, and he talked to them about the DEAD POETS SOCIETY.

Let's read one of Keating's quotes:

"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

Now, I encourage you to watch this significant scene, I hope you'll like it!

The STATUE of LIBERTY

Hi, Guys!,

This Blog is celebrating its 1^st Anniversary on September 8^th. Therefore, I’d like to write about the STATUE OF LIBERTY, the best symbol of Freedom and Democracy as well as international friendship. That’s why I chose HER as the head of this English Corner. Not only She represents these ideals, but also, she inspires hopes.

During the American Revolution, French gave the Statue of Liberty to the American people as recognition of their friendship. Through the time, the Statue also became a symbol of democracy.

In 1876, the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence, the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was asked to design the Statue. Because of that, She is carrying a book where you can read the 4^th of July, commemorating the American Independence.

The Americans had to build the pedestal whereas French the sculpture. In both countries, there were funds to collect money for the colossal statue, little by little, people donated all the money required.

In 1884, the Statue was finished; in 1885, the pedestal was completed too. In June of 1885, the colossal was carried from France to the United States by the frigate “Isere”. Before transporting this, the Statue was divided into 350 individual pieces.

On 28^th October 1886, the Statue of Liberty was placed in her island inside the courtyard of the star shaped wall of Fort Wood in New York harbour.

From that moment onwards, this colossal sculpture became a recognizable symbol of the American values; She was admired by many immigrants who came to USA looking for opportunities, her torch seemed to illuminate their way. As a matter of fact, the Statue was originally called LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD.

At last, I encourage you to watch the following videos, and of course, if you travel to NY, you have to go to Liberty Island. It’s amazing! There is a museum in the pedestal where you can see the history of the Statue of Liberty.