Friday 28 June 2013

HAPPY SUMMER HOLIDAYS!

Enjoy them and relax, and don't forget English is all around you. Take some time to listen to songs in English, watch some videos (subtitles can help you), visit interesting websites, play games (you'll find lots of suggestions here) and, most important of all, READ IN ENGLISH. There are many amazing books on the net, too, discover them!

  
                
Hot, ain't it?









Sunday 23 June 2013

SUMMER HOLIDAYS (intermediate)

For the last days of school, while getting ready for a well-deserved vacation. Learn some really useful words to make the best of your holidays!

Click here to download this worksheet.
See an image of it.


Enjoy yourself and keep in touch!!


Thursday 20 June 2013

SMOSH & MARIO (intermediate)

Are you a videogame lover? No matter how old you are, surely you remember Super Mario Bros. Come on, admit it, you even played it! Who hasn't?

But, this is a new way of looking at it. These two guys kinda make you laugh and laugh. Take a look!

(I know, sometimes their language is not quite... anyway, don't miss them!).

                        (You can activate the English subtitles by clicking  on Choose Language (bottom left) and then English 100%).


To Carlos, a true videogame lover, and to a wonderful group, 2ยบ C
(Antonio, Mohamed. Soufiane, Christian, Jihad and Javier).

Monday 17 June 2013

The U.K. (advanced)

Take a deeeeeep breath (and activate the subtitles). Just don't miss a word!
Ready?
Go!





Sunday 16 June 2013

NATIONALITIES & FOOD

Look at the delicious flags that were created by the WHYBIN advertising agency for the Sydney Food Festival celebrated in 2009. They were made with products commonly associated with each country.

How many of the flags can you identify? 
Can you guess the ingredients?


Here are some more:

What about these other ones?

Don't they all look yummy yummy?!


LOL 3




Tuesday 11 June 2013

COMPARISON (intermediate)

Watch these three videos of the same song:
  • The original song by its creators, The Beatles, performing at the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
  • Los Manolos, a Spanish version of 1991.
  • And an excellent remake by Amy Winehouse in 2004.






Can you believe it? It is the very same song!

Can you compare them?
  • Which is better?
  • Which is the best?
  • Whose voice is more pleasant?
  • Which one is deeper?
  • What about the clothes?
  • What else comes to your mind?




Monday 10 June 2013

Cinderella. ROALD DAHL (advanced)

A classic story from a new perspective. Don't miss a second!

(You can activate the English subtitles by clicking  on Choose Language (bottom left) and then English 100%).


  1. Now, where does the difference lie?
  2. Is this new Cinderella as adorable as the old one? 
  3. I want... I wanna... says Cinderella to the fairy. What exactly does she want? Make a list.
  4. What happened at midnight? (what a horrible scene!)
  5. Can you tell the difference between a cute shoe and the one an ugly sister would wear?
  6. How much can a shoe tell about its wearer?
  7. How many heads fall in the story?
  8. Why is Cindy not pleased with the prince of her dreams?
  9. In the end, she is happy, or... is she?
THE END




Saturday 8 June 2013

1984. George Orwell (advanced)

The 8th of June marks the date of publication of 1984, by George Orwell, the pen name of an English novelist and journalist whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair. He was opposed to all forms of totalitarianism and injustice and wrote articles and fiction around them.

Some terms that he coined have entered the English language and originated concepts that hadn't been considered before, but became realities in later years: cold war and  Big Brother are just two of them. His novel depicts a crude world in which privacy is absolutely forbidden. People's emotions, work, time, passions, thoughts even, are owed to Big Brother, a political idol who no one knows and may not even exist. However, he is omnipresent, watching everyone anywhere all the time. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU can be read on walls and posters in all public places in Oceania, and so it is, as every second of each person's life is under surveillance by thousands of telescreens, even in their own private homes.

There's a Party, the elite, who make sure every citizen obeys the rules and lives exclusively for Big Brother, the leader who 'protects' each one of them and makes sure all enemies are destroyed, so that 'no threat affects the people of Oceania'. As long as there is an enemy, the Party is safe. But they, too,  have a terrible foe, the one they fight against with all their power: Intelligence. Individual thinking is the beast.

The language is adapted to these principles, and Oceania has their own language with selected terms that shape everyone's mind. History is altered, too, to fit the needs of the Party. The Party is always right and no one has a right to object to it or even question it.

Is this world possible? Or was it only in Orwell's imagination?

Orwell invites his readers to think (no more and no less) of the worst possible scenario.


Do you know what is in Room 101? Take a look...

(Click on Choose Language (bottom left) and then English 100% to read the subtitles).



It is the most dreadful place imaginable, where only terror is possible, where your worst fears become a reality.

A few questions for you:
  1. Think carefully before answering: What is your worst fear?
  2. Do you keep a personal diary? Have you ever done it?
  3. When would you consider your personal space invaded?
  4. Can one rebel privately? Or must one make it explicit and public?
  5. Where does one's integrity lie? 
  6. Could the world depicted in 1984 become a reality?
  7. And finally, could you solve this problem?: two plus two equals...



ONE QUEEN, TWELVE U.S. PRESIDENTS (intermediate)

Queen Elizabeth's coronation ceremony took place 60 years ago in Westminster Abbey in London. It was the 2nd of June, 1953. In all these years she has met twelve U.S. presidents

Take a look at this link and find out more. How many of those presidents do you know?




Wednesday 5 June 2013

VOICE RECOGNITION LIFT. (advanced video)

Repeat after me: E-LE-VEN. Is it clear enough?

(Click on Choose Language (bottom left) and then English 100% to read the subtitles).


Up, please!


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION (elementary)

Visit this fantastic site and learn lots of new words to describe faces.

englishflashgames.blogspot.com
Now, listen to the instructions:

 Drag and drop each item to make new faces according to each description.


This is what you can do:


Enjoy and learn!



Monday 3 June 2013

HEALTH & AILMENTS (intermediate)

Mr Bean is not feeling well, or ...  is he?



Here is part 2. Poor Mr Bean...


Ouch!!!!!

What is going to happen now?
What are Mr. Bean's aches and pains after this "accident"?
What treatment will he need?
Which tests will he require?
Will he find the nurse of his dreams?

Find some help in this worksheet (click to download it):
(See an image of it)

[Clipart by Phillip Martin]

Here is a common saying related to health and well-being:

" An apple a day keeps the doctor away"

Can you find any other proverbs on the topic?

My advice?

Let some sunshine fill your senses each day!


What would a doctor say?








Saturday 1 June 2013

MARILYN MONROE'S BIRTHDAY (intermediate)

I'm sure you know this artist, even though so many years have passed since her death. 


Have you seen any of her films? Could you mention one? Perhaps not, but surely you have seen her image hundreds of times or have, at least, heard her name.

Marilyn was a very popular American actress in the fifties. Her real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, and was born on the 1st of June, 1926. Her beauty and charm made some call her "an angel", for most she was a sex symbol. The camera was "in love" with her and never failed to capture a perfect image, which made her one of the most admired and even adored actresses of all times. She started a career as a model, but her seductiveness soon drew the attention of the film industry. She starred in numerous successful pictures.

She used to smile for the cameras, but her eyes showed her frailty. She had it all, beauty, talent, fame and money, love, and an intense life. Still, this was not enough and she took her own life at the age of thirty-six. Extraordinary as she was in many ways, not even Marilyn could escape suffering and disappointment. She sought relief in drugs and alcohol, until one day, in the summer of 1962, she died.

Marilyn is considered an icon of pop culture, as reflected by Andy Warhol's portrait of her, made in 1964, two years after her death. Do you know it?



Here are some scenes from one of her movies:



And some more images of the actress and her home:



It's your turn now to find out more information about Marilyn Monroe.
  • Find out some biographical facts (city of birth, early life, family, etc).
  • Name at least three of her films.
  • Who was Andy Warhol? Tell us about him.
  • Can you find the true Marilyn among these celebrities impersonating her? 
  • Can you name them?















And finally...


Who is Marilyn? I bet you guessed it!




WINNIE THE WITCH (beginners)

A story by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas, read by Sandi Toksvig.

Watch these videos ( I bet you'll love them!) and answer the following questions.

(Click on Choose language, and then English 100% (bottom left) to read the subtitles for each video)


Episode 1


  1. What is the colour of Winnie's house?
  2. Which other colours do you know?
  3. Do you have a favourite colour?
  4. What colours are the walls in your room?
  5. Can you name other rooms of a house?
  6. Is there a carpet in your room?
  7. Do you know more words for furniture?
  8. Do you have a pet, too?
  9. What colour is it?
  10. What's its name?
Episode 2


  1. What colour are your eyes?
  2. What happens when you close your eyes? What colour can you see?
  3. Can you walk then?
  4. What can you do with your eyes closed?
  5. What can't you do?
Episode 3


  1. Why is Winnie angry?
  2. What makes you angry?
  3. Can you mention any other feelings?
  4. What makes you feel like each of them?
  5. How are you feeling now?


There are two more episodes that you can watch here and here
Don't miss them!


Now, let's see if you can complete this quiz!
Click on the following link: