The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce (A2 - 2º de nivel básico)

"BEAUTY, n. The power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband."

The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce, is a satirical book published in 1911. It offers satirical reinterpretations of terms in the English language.
Click on the name of the author if you want to know more about his life and works.

Or check these websites. The Devil's dictionary online:
http://www.thedevilsdictionary.com/

Or if you are more traditional, as a book:
http://books.google.es/books?id=5izZJ-MDCy8C&printsec=frontcover

Maybe this reminds you somehow to a very interesting, wise and enigmatic man called Murphy. Would you like to choose your favourite Murphy's law? Click on the name!

Have fun!!

November 27 - Thanksgiving Day

Did you know that...

• Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November?
• in Canada, Thanksgiving is in October?
• the turkey, the cornucopia, the corn or the pumpkin are the symbols of this holiday?
• people give thanks for everything good in their lives?
• every year, the President of the United States pardons the life of a turkey, which ends up in Disneyland?
• every year, there's a spectacular parade in many American cities like New York or Chicago?

If you want to learn more, check this weblink:

http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thanksgiving-day-tradition.html

About the Presidential Turkey Pardoning Ceremony:

Some photos:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/photoessay/
http://www.elpais.com/fotografia/gente/corazon/Bush/ablanda/par/pavos/elpfot/20081126elpepuage_7/Ies/ (in Spanish)
And the story:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tgturkey2.html


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2º de nivel básico (A2) Present Continuous - Contrast between the Present Simple and the Present Continuous

Road Runner grammar (present continuous):

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPOnvRwSZw&feature=related


Watch this video for a comparison between the Present Simple and the Present Continuous:

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=u6yAmgd-5Sg&feature=related

1º and 2º de nivel básico (A1 & A2) Present simple

Watch this video on the Present Simple tense:


Check these links for vocabulary on daily activities:
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=yWccPqg1DbI&feature=related

The Phonetic Files: Practising English phonetics (A1 and A2)

Here you will find some really interesting weblinks you should definitely check regarding English pronunciation and English sounds - Stop being afraid! Phonetics can be fun!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/ (Excellent and thorough website where you can find videos, exercises... DON'T MISS IT!!)

http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/ (Play games and practise pronunciation! Fun!!)

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/# (American English pronunciation - really useful to see how sounds are pronounced)

Ok, this is enough for now, but...

TO BE CONTINUED

A1- Introducing yourself

Check this video:

A1 - Airport Vocabulary

Check the following links if you want to expand your vocabulary on airports and flying. Think that you might have to use this soon!!!

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/lists/airport.html

Some useful phrases:

http://teacherjoe.us/TravelAirport.html

Pronunciation:

http://www.inglesmundial.com/A11/vocabularypronun.htm (AmE)

Practice - Find here funny games and activities to practise. Click on "things you can you with this list" and select the game you want to play - hangman, guess the word...

http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/lists/a/words.php?f=airport_departure_and_arrival

A1 (1º nivel básico) - Let's practise the numbers in English!

Hey! Have a look at this website by English teachers from Madrid, where you can listen and repeat numbers from 1 to 30:

http://www.madridteacher.com/Activities/numbers-list.htm

Here you will also find games and listening activities to practise numbers! Matching, listening, practising phone numbers...

And now, practise the numbers from 40 to... a 1,000,000,000,000!!!

http://www.madridteacher.com/Activities/Files/numbers/high-numbers-list.htm

Enjoy it!!!

Let's go to the cinema!!!

Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla

Friday, 14 November 2008 - 20:15 h

Nervión Plaza - Sala 15

Miss Pettigrew lives for a day, directed by Bharat Nalluri, with Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. (Romantic comedy)

SYNOPSIS: In 1939 London, Miss Guinevere Pettigrew (played by Ms. McDormand) is a middle-aged governess who finds herself once again unfairly dismissed from her job. Without so much as severance pay, Miss Pettigrew realizes that she must - for the first time in two decades - seize the day. This she does, by intercepting an employment assignment outside of her comfort level - as "social secretary." Arriving at a penthouse apartment for the interview, Miss Pettigrew is catapulted into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse (Ms. Adams)...

Watch the trailer:

US Election: The Day After

The US race for presidency finally finished. You already know the results. Would you like to hear the candidate's victory and concession speeches?

To watch and read Barack Obama's full victory speech after the election, click on these links:

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6185658
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Text-Obamas-victory-speech/story.aspx?guid=%7B904D7489-E1EF-4345-96C0-4D2381EC5125%7D

To watch and read John McCain's full Concession Speech, check these links:

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6185658
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hmJfimrZW3jBur_BmaFtqj7mfFgQD948JFJG5

If you cannot understand everything, DON'T WORRY!!! Just get the main ideas!

A2 (2º Nivel básico) Des'ree - You gotta be

Listen to the song 'You gotta be' by Des'ree here:

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=JhpZfltbnAQ

And the lyrics:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/You-Gotta-Be-lyrics-Des

Excellent song to practise comparatives and personality adjectives!