Romantic restaurants in Almeria

Hello Laura and Alba,

As promised, here is the restaurant: Les 2 Freres

I can't find an official website for them but they get fabulous reviews from TripAdvisor Definitely check it out!

Happy Halloween! (Picture description Pre-Int & PET)

Hello all,

To practice your vocabulary (Clothes, adjectives and prepositions), let's describe this picture

Did you remember to describe:
 their hair?
what they are holding?
the people in the background?
the buildings?
the time of day?

Shopping Online

Hello Pre Int class,

AS promised, here is the video of a YouTuber who bought some clothes online but some fit a lot better than others.
As you watch, try to note down any clothes and shopping vocabulary she mentions. Enjoy!

Song Fun for Everyone

Hello everyone,

Do you listen to music, especially English music and wish that you knew the words? Or do you think you know all the words to your favourite songs? Well, then why not try http://lyricstraining.com/ to practice your listening skills and have some fun! You could play against your friends whether they are learning English or not. 

Any level, too! Give yourself a challenge. 

Enjoy!

Welcome Pre-Intermediate Class!

Hello everyone!

I hope this blog will be useful for you to practice your English.

To start off, here is the original song "Blue as your Eyes" by Scouting for Girls

Can you remember the story?

B1 PET Speaking Exam Tips

Hello my lovely July Intensive Class!

As promised, here are some speaking tips for tomorrow's exam.

Part 1: Remember to give full answers! It is up to the examiner to stop you talking so try and talk for as long as you can eg.

Q: Tell us about a film you have seen recently
A: The film I have seen most recently is Star Wars. It's an action film set in Space. I saw with my friends at the cinema and we really liked it because of the special effects.

Part 2:
+Listen carefully to the question! For example, do you need to decide on a good present and is this present for a girl/ boy/children or even a whole school?
+ Try to discuss each picture using MODALS eg:
A:The flowers COULD be a good idea because they look pretty.
B: I'm not sure, she MIGHT be allergic to them.

+ Always give a GOOD reason for your choice, remember you can invent a story eg.
Okay: The chocolates are a good idea because they are good.
Better: The chocolates are a good idea because she told me that she loves chocolates.
The better option shows that you are thinking about the goal.

+Use comparatives and linkers: eg:
"I think the flowers are better than the chocolates because the chocolates will make her fat while the flowers will make her feel relaxed.

+ Listen to your partner! Always respond to what they say and don't be afraid to disagree. If your partner isn't talking, ask them questions eg.:
A: What do you think about the flowers?
B: Umm... Is good
A: Why are they good? Do you think she will like them more than the chocolates?
B: Umm... yes
A: I agree, I don't think she wants to eat chocolates because it is bikini season and she wants to keep fit.

Part 3:
Where was the picture taken? Eg. This picture was taken on a sunny day. It shows a family having a picnic in the park.
People: How are they feeling and why? The family are happy because of the good weather
             Choose one person to describe their clothes: The mother is wearing a PLAIN PINK T-shirt and BLUE shorts. She seems to be very comfortable
Food: What can you see? Are they tasty?
Furniture: What can you see and where are they situated?
Don't forget your prepositions and adjectives

You only have 60 seconds, breathe and make them count.

Part 4
As in Part 2, please listen carefully to the question and to your partner. Ask many questions and make suggestions:

A: At the weekends I like to have dinner with my family. We normally go to a restaurant in the city centre where we can eat what we like. Do you go to restaurants with your family?
B: Yes, though we normally go to bars to have tapas. I like fish the most, especially in the summer. Are you keen on fish?
A: I am not mad about fish though I do like octopus. Unfortunately I can't cook octopus. Can you cook anything?
B: I am mad about cooking! I try to cook something every week. My favourite dish is Spanish omelette. Do you like Spanish omelette?

Chat chat chat 

Final tips:
Try and include a conditional somewhere. Every part is possible
Part 1: If I could, I would go to the cinema every weekend
Part 2: If we buy her the chocolates, she might not like them
Part 3: When I go on picnics, I always eat a lot of food

Part 4: When I go out for tapas, I always choose the fish

Phrasal verbs! Can you still remember them?:

take after

take-up

keen on

mad about

hang out

Here is an example you can practice at home today:

Part1:

Tell us about your family (Use take after)

Tell us about the last film you saw

What did you do last weekend?

What do you like to do in your free time?

Part 2:

Part 3:

(Go to GOOGLE and choose any photo to describe for 60 seconds)

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! You can do it! Remember to get good sleep tonight. See you on Monday

FCE Speaking

Hello everyone,

Let's focus on the topic of sport

Part 1: "Tell us about the kind of sports you enjoy playing"

Part 2: Compare the photos and say why these people have chosen to play sport in this way (1min)

Part 3

Part 4 

FCE: Writing

Hello everyone,

As promised, here are four sample essay questions, some with example answers.

Four Article  questions with model answers

Two report questions with useful language to guide you

Three basic review examples

Some great examples and advice on letter/email writing along with sample questions.

Happy Writing!

Bonus! Ganges River Dolphin for those who were interested. Maybe you can use this in one of your essays?

KIwi video

Hello everyone, and especially my PET class,

This is the video I was talking about. When you have watched that you can watch the reactions some people had to it here

Reading Practice for EVERYONE!

Hello everyone,

As we inch closer towards the exams, how about checking out this website ? It has got a variety of texts on a variety of topics as well as some comprehension questions. Let me know if there are any you found interesting?

FCE Vocabulary and Use of English Help

Hello everyone,

I came across this website that has loads of quizzes and word lists to help you to revise for the exam.

B1 Speaking Part 3

Hello everyone!

Can you still remember the verb to crouch from Tuesday? Definition in case you forgot.
Inspired by that I found a photo for you to describe from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Remember!

• You have 1 minute
• A variety of adjectives
• Prepositions
• Modal verbs (Where are they? What are they doing? What season is it?)

Prince- Song time

Hello everyone,

In light of the sad news this week, I have decided to give you a little lyrics listening practice from Prince. I would do one on Bowie, but I am still heartbroken over him :-(
Anyways, here is my favourite Prince song with some gaps. Fill them in, listen then check your answers here.

Could you be
The most beautiful girl in the world
It's plain to see
You're the reason that God made a girl

When the day turns into the last day of all time
I can say, I hope you are in these arms of mine
And when the night falls before that day I will cry
I will cry tears of joy
'Cause after you all one can do is die

Could you be
The most beautiful girl in the world, could you be
It's plain to see
You're the reason that God made a girl
You're the reason that God made a girl
Oh yes, you are

How can I get through days when I can't get through hours
I can try but when I do I see you and I'm devoured, oh yes
Who'd allow, who'd allow a face to be soft as a flower
I could bow and feel proud in the light of this power, oh yes
(Bow down)

Could you be
(Could you be)
The most beautiful girl in the world
Could you be
It's plain to see
You're the reason that God made a girl
Oh yes, you are

And if the stars ever fell one by one from the sky
I know Mars could not be too far behind
'Cuz baby, this kind of beauty has got no reason to ever be shy
'Cuz honey, this kind of beauty the kind that comes from einsid

Bonus Question:

What do you think the verb "devour" means? Check What could you devour?

Writing a Film Review

Hello everyone,

This week I have asked you to write a film review. To start, let's look at a website I go to when I want to see what the critics say about films and TV shows. Rottentomatoes.com is the best for me because:

1. It gives a rating from both the critics and the audience. Sometimes a film may not be critically good but the audience liked it. For example Batman VS Superman. What is your opinion?
2. The "Critics Consensus" is a good summary review. How can you use this in your review?
3. The "Movie Info" is clear and gives a brief description of what the film is about. How can you use this in your review?

Tips

• Include a title
• No spoilers!
• Don't forget your audience: will your review give enough information to encourage/discourage your reader from watching the film?
• A film is colourful, so don't forget to use colourful language- remember, it can be informal. 

Have fun!

Cambridge exam practice PET and FCE

Hello my students!

I know deadlines are coming up for exam fees. So, if your'e still not sure which is better for you, please follow the links to the Cambridge website where you can try a paper-based and computer-based exam. 

PET
FCE

Let me know if you have any questions :-)

Cruise with with your favourite band?

Hello B1/PET class!

Do you remember a couple of units ago we spoke about cruises. Well, here is an interesting article about how cruises are changing.

The title is "Whatever Floats Your Boat", this is an idiom but what does it mean? Give your answers below.

Read the article and answer the following questions, using A for True and B for False


1) The Kiss cruise is held once a year
2)  On the cruise you can only watch the KISS concerts
3) Gene Simmons does not look forward to the cruise.
4) Themed cruises are aimed at pensioners.
5) Themed cruises are the only way for cruises to make money.

(The answers are in the text before the picture of Gene Simmons)

FCE Jordan Romero: The Young Mountaineer

Hello everyone,

Just thought you may be interested in this video which was released shortly after Jordan's climb.

Let me know if you have any questions. 

And bonus! Mixed Conditionals quiz. Enjoy!

Are you ready?

Hello everyone!

It is the last day of the holidays and even my dog, Barry, is sad.

No English studies today because I hope your'e relaxing in the sun. See you all this week! (FCE tomorrow morning!)  Don't be shy to send me any questions on here or by email.

Duolingo- for when you need some inspiration

Hello everyone!
I hope you are having a good Semana Santa/ Easter weekend so far. Mine has been pretty relaxing.  I went for a walk to Costa Cabana yesterday and got pretty burnt, even though I had put suncream on.

One thing I wanted to do this week, is study Spanish (and a few other languages) but I have been pretty lazy. If your'e like me and not been keeping up your English studies, don't fear, it isn't too late. I recommend spending 10 minutes on Duolingo. Even if it is just a bit of vocabulary practice, it will still keep your "English" mind active. If you want to add me as a "friend" we can motivate each other Let's be friends .

On a side note, did you notice my use of "pretty". How is it used in the above examples? Reply in the comments section and read here for more information.

Happy Easter!

Happy!

Hello everyone!

I tried to avoid the internet yesterday because the Brussels bombings was just so awful :-( I hope that you and all your loved ones are safe.
On that note, let's focus on happiness.

What makes you happy?
Maybe you have similar reasons to these people?

Write in the comment box below, three things that make you happy.

What makes me happy is MUSIC. I understand that not everyone enjoys music, but it is a great way to practice your English. In future posts I will be putting up songs for you to listen to, so if you have any preference (not Reggaton) then I can personalise the songs for you. It may be better to choose songs that you like but don't know every word of. So, to begin, here is a song we all know, but do you know the words?

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say

Sunshine she's here, you can take away

I'm a hot air balloon, I could go to space

With the air, like I don't care baby by the way

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Here come bad news talking this and that

Yeah, give me all you got, don't hold back

Yeah, well I should probably warn you I'll be just fine

Yeah, no offense to you don't waste your time

Here's why

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Happy, bring me down

Can't nothing, bring me down

Love is too happy to bring me down

Can't nothing, bring me down

I said bring me down

Can't nothing, bring me down

Love is too happy to bring me down

Can't nothing, bring me down

I said

Because I'm happy

Published by

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group

Click here for the answers. 

What do you think Pharrell Williams mean about feeling like a room without a roof?

Please let me know if there is any other music you would like to listen to!

Here is the Almeria version of the Happy song

Funny Pronunciation of "-ough"

Hello everyone!

I thought you might appreciate this video about the difficulty of pronouncing words ending in "-ough"

Eddie Izzard Completes 27 Marathons in 27 days

First, read the text and answer the questions:

(image credit news.yahoo.com)

"Comedian Eddie Izzard has completed his challenge in South Africa to run 27 marathons in 27 days for Sport Relief.

The 54-year-old needed to run a double marathon on Sunday to complete his challenge beneath a statue of Nelson Mandela, in Pretoria.

Izzard attempted a similar feat in South Africa in 2012 but had to pull out for health reasons.

The comedian's endurance feat raised more than £1.35m. The 2016 Sport Relief total stands at £56,984,007.

"That was very, very tough," Izzard told reporters as he swigged from a celebratory bottle of sparkling white wine.

The 27 marathons were intended to reflect the 27 years Mr Mandela had spent in prison before becoming South Africa's first black president.

Over the 707-mile route, Izzard battled through dehydration, heat exhaustion and sunstroke.

He was forced to take an unscheduled rest day on the fifth day of the challenge, which meant he had to complete two marathons on the final day.

"It's been the hardest thing I've ever done," said a "very tired" Izzard. "Thank you to everyone who has donated [and] don't do this at home."

Questions:

1.  What is Eddie Izzard's job?
2. Why did Eddie Izzard run 27 marathons in 27 days?
3. How much money did Eddie raise for Sports Relief?
4. What do you think he means by "don't do this at home?"

Now, watch the video and complete the vocabulary challenge! 

1. Eddie is running up/over the steps
2. The crowd are shouting/chanting his name.
3. Eddie stops ________ rest __________ the statue's feet.
4. Eddie __________ to speak because he has run _______ of breath

(text and video from BBC.com/news 20 March 2016)

Speaking Tips PET and FCE

Hello everyone,

Some tips from Cambridge

:-)

B1 Tips for Mock Exam Term 2 Reading & Writing

Hello everyone,

This is to help you think a bit about the exam but focusing on Part 5 (reading) Part 1 (writing)

• What means the same as "as early as possible"--> as ______ as
  eg. Please reply to this email as ______as you can
• Direct speech--> reported speech

Here is some extra practice:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/index.php

http://www.flo-joe.com/preliminaryenglish/writing/pet_writing_practice_test_part_1.htm

For writing part 2 remember the checklist!

Good luck!

B2 FCE Mock Exam Hints and Tips: Use of English

Hello everyone,

I am obviously not going to give you the answers, but this could help you with the mock exam. To help you, I am going to give you some exercises to get you thinking. Please post any questions or answers below.

1) what collocates with trouble?

2) What are the differences between look, search and seek?

3) Far _______
    close ______

4) What are the different forms (adj, verb, adverb etc) of the following words:

• consider
• limit
• minimum
• character
  

5) Transformation practice http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/first-certificate-key-word-transformations.php

Good luck!!

B1 Rachel and James

Hello my B1 class!

Last week we used some phrasal verbs to tell a story about Rachel and James. Can you still remember it?

Type your answers into the comment section. Don't forget those phrasal verbs!

Well, Rachel and James have gone back to cold, rainy, England. They have been missing Almeria, and sent me some memories of their trip.
You may have thought the Alcazaba would be too boring to visit, but they visited it twice! They loved it! Here is a video of James enjoying the acoustics.

From the Alcazaba they could see the Jesus statue. Rachel hiked up there and took a "selfie". What a pity the statue was too tall to join in. 

After all the walking they enjoyed some tasty beer and tapas (the beer was not Almeriense but they had enjoyed many 'cañas' at other times) 

One thing that was difficult to get used to was mealtimes. In England people generally eat supper at around 6pm, whereas reatuarants only start serving tapas at 8pm. This was the perfect excuse to enjoy something sweet:

and a cup of coffee

Looking forward to Rachel and James return visit! 

Do you have any questions for them?