Tuesday 7 February 2017

Prepositions after particular verbs and expressions.

Hoy os dejo una lista de verbos y expresiones y las preposiciones que les corresponde:

- Good / Bad AT - ser bueno / malo en algo: Peter is good at Maths (es bueno en matemáticas, se le da bien).

- Afraid OF - tener miedo a algo. Tened en cuenta que esta construcción se utiliza con el verbo TO BE: I am afraid of spiders (Le tengo miedo a las arañas).

- Agree WITH - estar de acuerdo con una persona, una opinión, una idea...

- Agree ABOUT - estar de acuerdo en un tema de una discusión.

- Agree TO - estar de acuerdo con una sugerencia o propuesta.

- Angry WITH - estar enfadado con una persona.

- Angry ABOUT - estar enfadado por algo.

- Anxious ABOUT - preocupado por algo.

- Anxious FOR (+ sustantivo) - nervioso / inquieto por algo.

- Apologize FOR - disculparse por algo.

- Apply FOR - solicitar: apply for a job - solicitar un trabajo.

- Arrive IN - llegar a (se utiliza con ciudades, pueblos, países y continentes).

- Arrive AT - llegar a (cualquier sitio excepto los anteriormente citados).

- Ask FOR - pedir dinero, objetos, información...

- Believe IN - creer en.

- Blame FOR - culpar a alguien por algo.

- Bump INTO - chocar con algo o alguien o encontrarse con alguien por casualidad.

- Care ABOUT - considerar importante.

- Care FOR - querer, cuidar a alguien.

- Consist OF - consistir en.

- Depend ON - depender de algo: It depends on the day - depende del día.

- Die OF - morir de.

- Different FROM or TO - diferente de.

- Difficulty WITH - tener dificultad con algo.

- Difficulty IN - tener dificultad al hacer algo.

- Dream OF - pensar en, imaginar. She dreams of being rich - Sueña con ser rica.

- Dream ABOUT - soñar despierto.

- Fed UP WITH - estar harto de algo o de alguien.

- Ill WITH - estar enfermo de algo. He is ill with flu - Tiene gripe.

- Impressed WITH / BY - impresionado con algo o por algo.

- Influence ON / OVER - influencoa en algo o sobre algo o alguien.

- Insist ON - insistir en.

- Kind / Polite / Nice TO - ser amable / educado / agradable con alguien.

- Lack OF - falta de.

- Listen TO - escuchar (música, a alguien...).

- Get married TO - casarse con.

- Shout TO - gritar a alguien para llamarle o decirle algo a gritos.

- Shout AT - gritar con agresividad.

- Smile AT - sonreir a alguien.

- Succeed IN / AT - tener éxito en algo.

- Take part IN - formar parte de algo.

- Typical OF - típico de alguien o algo.

- Wave TO / AT - saludar a alguien.

Monday 23 January 2017

Exercises on verb tenses

Hi everybody!

Today I'm posting two exercises I created for some students about verb tenses. In these two exercises you have to fill in the gaps using the following verb tenses: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Present Perfect, Be Going To, Will, First and Second Conditional.

Hope it's easy for you to do it. You can post the answers in the comments part if you want me to correct it for you. 

Enjoy!

- Exercise 1:

1 - A: "If it __________ (be) sunny tomorrow, I __________ (go) to the beach"
     B: "OK, but, what ______ you _______ (do) if it ___________ (rain)?"
     A: "I could go to eat to a restaurant"
     B: "OK, but I ______________ (not go) if I __________ (be) you, because it     is very expensive".
     A: "Don't worry. If I finally ____________ (decide) to go to a restaurant, I ___________ (go) to the cheapest one".
2 - Oh no! I ______________ (lose) my keys and now I can't go into my house!
3 - Look out! You _____________________ (fall)!
4 - Luis _________________ (help) his mother when he ___________ (trip) and _____________ (fall).
5 - If she ____________ (be) rich, she ______________ (buy) a new house, but she isn't.
6 - I think I ______________ (work) as a teacher in the future, but I'm not sure.
7 - She always ______________ (do) her homework at home but today she ________________ (do) them in the library.
8 - _________ you ever __________ (be) to Italy? No, I __________.
9 - "Why are you turning on the TV?"
     " I ______________________ (watch) the news"
10 - "This bag is too heavy for me"
       "Don't worry. I _____________ (carry) it for you"
11 - Yesterday at six I ______________ (watch) TV when I suddenly __________ (hear) a loud noise. I _________ (go) to the kitchen to see what _____________ (happen) and I __________ (see) my dog eating my sweets.
12 - If I ____________ (travel) to another country I ______________ (go) to Scotland because it __________ (be) a very nice place.
13 - David _____________ (be) 45 next month.
14 - Maria _____________ (travel) to a lot of countries and she has decided that she ______________ (visit) Australia next summer.
15 - They hardly ever ____________ (attend) concerts but tonight they _______________ (see) their daughter's one.
16 - She ___________ (feed) the baby now, because he ____________ (be) very hungry.
17 - ______ she ___________ (train) every day after school? Yes, she _____.
18 - We ______ never _________ (have) an argument.


 - Exercise 2:

 1 - I'm sure she _____________ (pass) Maths because she has studied hard.
2 - Where _____ you __________ (be) all day? I _______________ (study) for my exams.
3 - If I _________ (be) you, I ____________ (not spend) so much money on clothes.
4 - They ____________ (open) a new restaurant if they ____________ (save) enough money (2nd cond).
5 - Look at that tree! It ___________________ (fall)!
6 - They usually _____________ (have) dinner together but tonight they _____________ (have) dinner on their own.
7 - She _______________ (meet) a lot of people since she moved to her new neighbourhood.
8 - Anna ___________________ (like / play) computer games every day but today she _____________ (not play) because she has to study.
9 - She _______________ (cross) the street when she _______________ (see) her boyfriend with another girl.
10 - Peter thinks he ____________ (earn) a lot of money in the future.
11 - I ______________ (go) to the new shopping centre yet.
12 - The girl _______________ (visit) her relatives last week.
13 - She ________________ (not speak) to her friends since last Monday.
14 - If the baby _________ (be) hungry, he _____________ (cry), but he isn't.
15 - While Sarah ____________ (cook), her mother ______________ (knit) a beautiful sweater.
16 - How much ________ this magazine __________ (cost)? It _________ (cost) $1.
17 - Robots _____________ (replace) humans in the year 2400.

Saturday 7 January 2017

Cinco series británicas para aprender inglés.

   Una de las mejores formas de aprender inglés es escuchar a ingleses hablando. Os recomiendo unas series con las que podréis escuchar distintos acentos británicos. Poned un capítulo, subtítulos en inglés... y a aprender!

1 - DOCTOR WHO.

   El "Doctor" es un "time Lord" que viaja a través del espacio y el tiempo en su TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions In Space), que viene siendo una cabina de teléfono que se usaba en UK para llamar a la policía en los años 60, y tiene una peculiaridad; "It's bigger in the inside!".


   Esta serie se empezó a emitir en los años 60 y se emitió hasta casi los 90. Luego volvió a emitirse a partir del año 2005 hasta hoy. Los doctores han ido cambiando (se regeneran), y cada actor es de un sitio distinto de Inglaterra y Escocia, con lo que podréis escuchar distintos tipos de acentos. Los personajes hablan con bastante claridad y hasta se puede entender bien a los seres del espacio más raros, como los Daleks ("Exterminate!").
   Os dejo unos vídeos para que os hagáis una idea:



2 - DOWNTON ABBEY.

   Serie sobre la vida de  una familia adinerada inglesa y sus sirvientes, allá por el año 1912, llegando hasta los años 20. En ella podréis oir un inglés muy correcto, muy de la reina de Inglaterra, lo que hace que sea bastante fácil de entender. Incluso los sirvientes hablan un inglés bastante correcto y "polite", con lo que os será fácil seguirles.

   Destaco sobre todo a la actriz Maggie Smith, que borda su papel de señora inglesa aristocrática, y qué bien habla! Os dejo un vídeo con algunos de sus momentos en la serie.


3 - SHERLOCK.

   Si os gustan las series de detectives, aquí tenéis al mítico Sherlock Holmes y a su acompañante Dr Watson. ambos interpretados por actores británicos (Benedict Cumberbatch y Martin Freeman) a los que se les entiende bastante bien, aunque a veces es un poco complicado seguir a Sherlock, cuando se pone a hablar muy rápido, pero para eso recomiendo ver la serie con subtítulos en inglés.

Os dejo el trailer de la primera temporada:



4 - VICTORIA.

   Otra serie basada en la aristocracia, en este caso la reina Victoria. Es una miniserie de 8 capítulos en la que seguimos la vida de la reina Victoria desde que llega al trono con 18 años, hasta su matrimonio con el príncipe Alberto.

   También es muy sencilla de entender, hablan bastante claro y en un inglés correcto. Os dejo un trailer:



5 - THE FAMOUS FIVE (1978 SERIES).

   Para los fans de los libros  de  "Los Cinco" (The Famous Five), de Enid Blyton, recomiendo esta serie del año 78 en la que podemos ver sus aventuras. No es la mejor serie del mundo, pero es divertido verla si te gustan las aventuras de Julian, Dick, George, Anne y el perro Timmy. Un inglés también bastante formal y acentazos. Apta para nostálgicos.

   Os dejo un trozo de un capítulo:














.

Monday 31 October 2016

More mistakes (Spanish version included)

Some typical mistakes happen when people use the personal or object pronouns or even when they use the possessive adjectives.

Let's have a look at them:

The personal pronouns (I, you, he, she , it, we, you, they) are always the subject of the sentence (they start the sentence) and they are followed by a verb: "I eat apples", or "He and I are good friends".

Let's see the mistake made in the picture below:


In the picture it is used an object pronoun ("me") instead of a subject one ("I"), which is incorrect.

Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them) are used as an indirect object, and they always follow a verb or a preposition. They can't be used as subjects of the sentence, as they don't perform the action, they receive the action: "He gave me a present" or "I'm worried about you".

And finally, we'll see the misuse of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their):


In this case, the possessive adjective "your" can't be used, as this kind of adjectives indicate possession and they are always followed by a noun (in this case there is an adjective "stupid"). The correct way in this picture would be "you're or you are", this is, a subject pronoun followed by a verb.

- SPANISH VERSION:

Ocurren algunos errores típicos cuando la gente quiere hacer uso de los pronombres personales u objeto, e incluso también cuando usan los adjetivos posesivos.

Vamos a verlos:

Los pronombres sujeto (I, you, he, she , it, we, you, they) son siempre el sujeto de la frase (comienzan la frase) y van seguidos de un verbo:  "I eat apples" ("Yo como manzanas"), or "He and I are good friends" ("Él y yo somos buenos amigos").

Veamos el error en la foto de abajo:


A: "Hey, me y Felicia estábamos -" 
B: "Felicia y YO"
A: "Qué eres, una especie de nazi de la gramática?"
B: "Sip"

En la foto se usa un pronombre objeto ("me") en vez de un pronombre sujeto ("I"), lo cual es incorrecto.

Los pronombres objeto (me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them) , se usan como complemento indirecto y siempre van detrás de un verbo o de una preposición. No pueden ser usados como sujeto de la frase ya que no son los que realizan la acción, si no quien la recibe: "He gave me a present"  ("Él me dio un regalo") o "I'm worried about you" ("Estoy preocupado por").

Y finalmente veremos el mal uso de los adjetivos posesivos (my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their):


"¡La vida es dura! Es incluso más dura si tu estúpido"

En este caso no se puede usar el adjetivo posesivo "your", ya que esta clase de adjetivos indica posesión y van siempre seguidos de un nombre (en este caso lo que hay es un adjetivo "stupid"). La forma correcta en esta frase sería usar "you're" o "you are" (" eres"), es decir, un pronombre sujeto seguido de un verbo.


Thursday 27 October 2016

Information Cards Game

A good way for elementary students to start speaking English language is by asking and answering common questions. I made this worksheet for elementary students, and kids really loved playing this game.

Instructions: Cut the cards and give one to each student. They can go around the classroom asking and answering the following things:

1 - What's your name? My name is...
2 - How old are you? I am ....
3 - Where are you from? I'm from....
4 - What do you do? I'm a / an...
5 - What's your favourite colour? My favourite colour is...



NAME: Luigi

AGE: 40 years old

COUNTRY: Italy

JOB: Hairdresser

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Pink
NAME: Peter

AGE: 54 years old

COUNTRY: Japan

JOB: Lawyer

FAVOURITE COLOUR: White


NAME: Luis

AGE: 20 years old

COUNTRY: Spain

JOB: Baker

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Red

NAME: Michael

AGE: 44 years old

COUNTRY: Germany

JOB: Shop assistant

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Black




NAME: Pierre

AGE: 18 years old

COUNTRY: France

JOB: Student

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Purple











NAME: Anthony

AGE: 36 years old

COUNTRY: Holland

JOB: Carpenter

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Green


NAME: Mario

AGE: 25 years old

COUNTRY: Portugal

JOB: Singer

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Grey












NAME: Paul

AGE: 32 years old

COUNTRY: England

JOB: Teacher

FAVOURITE COLOUR: Blue










It's a very easy and simple game, so you can add lots more.

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Listening practice: The Kinks - Dedicated follower of fashion

In this new section of the blog I will add some resources I have created for my own lessons.

The first one is a listening comprehension. The song is Dedicated follower of fashion, by The Kinks, a very famous 60s band.

There are two exercises: one of them is a fill in the gaps and the second one is vocabulary related, you have to match some words with their definitions.

Hope you enjoy it and it's useful for you!!



1 - Listen to the song and fill in the gaps the missing words:

The Kinks – Dedicated Follower Of Fashion

They seek him here, they _____ him there,
His __________ are loud, but never square.
It will make or break him so he's got to _____ the best,
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion.

And when he does his ______ rounds,
'Round the _________ of London Town,
Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and _________,
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion.

Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is).
He thinks he is a _________ to be looked at,
And when he pulls his frilly nylon _________ right up tight,
He feels a dedicated follower of fashion.

Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is).
There's one thing that he loves and that is ________
One week he's in ___________, the next week he is in __________
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion.

They seek him ______, they seek him  ______,
In Regent Street and Leicester Square.
Everywhere the Carnabetian army __________  on,
Each _____ an dedicated follower of fashion.

Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is).
His world is built 'round ___________ and ___________.
This pleasure-seeking ___________ always looks his best
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion.

Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is).
He flits from shop to _____ just like a ____________.
In matters of the ______he is as fickle as can be,
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion.
He's a dedicated follower of fashion.
He's a dedicated follower of fashion.


2 - Match the words with their definitions:

1 - seek                               
a.a dot repeated to form a pattern on  
   a fabric
2 - loud
b. capricious
3 - eagerly
c. to go in search of
4 - nylon
d. to fly, move, or pass swiftly and lightly from one place or condition to another
5 - polka-dots
e. a narrow band differing in color, material, or texture from the background part
6 - stripes
f. too brightly colored, ostentatious
7 - fickle
g. a substance like thin plastic, made into fibers and sheets, usually tough, strong, and easily stretched, used esp. for fabrics
8 - to flit
h.having strong desire or interest


Sunday 23 October 2016

Idioms and sayings

We are already in autumn, so the rain is beginning to appear again. Amongst the idioms we have in English to express that it's raining a lot or heavily we have the next one:

"It's raining cats and dogs" - don't take it literally, we won't see cats and dogs falling from the sky, but we'll see and feel heavy rain, so remember to take an umbrella with you!!