The Simpsons

The Simpsons are 25 years old. It is the most watched cartoon series worldwide and it is said that you are not really famous until you appear in one of the episodes. Matt Groening, its creator, made them yellow in order to attract people's attention and he included his initials M and G in Homer's hair and ear.
 Are you a fan? Which one is your favourite character? Why? In your opinion, which is the best episode so far? Why do you think both children and adults like them? Leave your answers in a comment as usual.                                                                                     Happy 25th Anniversary !

Christmas Films

It will be Christmas time again in ten days. Apart from decorations, presents and family dinners, there are many other traditions shown on famous films every year. There are classical films like " A Christmas Carol" based on a story by Charles Dickens ; comedy films like " Home alone" ; cartoon films like " Nightmare before Christmas" or romantic films like " New Year's Eve". Have you seen any of them? What do you like about them? Do you hate them? Explain why? Do you prefer other Christmas films? What are they about?Leave your answers in your comments as usual. Merry Christmas to you all!

Picture Description

Describing a picture is a common exercise when learning any language. In order to get some practice,  I'm going to ask you to choose your favourite picture and try to describe it for at least five minutes. Here are some questions that may help you.

1. Who appears in the picture? Friends or family? Names, Age, Jobs?
2. Where were you? Is it a special place? Why? Were you on holidays? Was it a party?
3. When was it taken? Who took the picture? What was the weather like?
4. Can you describe your/ their clothes and hair? Any other interesting details?
5. Why have you chosen it? Why is this picture special for you?

False Friends

When learning English, false friends can be very tricky. It is very easy to make mistakes if you don't know them, therefore it is a good idea to check or revise the most common ones. Click on the links below to find a very complete list and some exercises. Leave your results in a comment as usual! Beware of False Friends!
False Friends : List
False Friends: Exercise 

Speaking: Telephoning

In my opinion, talking on the phone in English is not as easy as it may seem, you need to know the most common ways to start, maintain and finish a phone conversation. Of course, it will be different if you are talking to your boss, a client or to a friend. Luckily enough, there are some expressions that you can learn if you practice them. If you click on the link below you will find a lot of phrases according to different situations, have a look at them and then write two dialogues in your comment: One of them, making plans for the weekend with a friend and, the other one, phoning to book a room in a hotel. Bye for now!

Telephone English

TV shows

Do you like watching TV series? Are British or American TV shows popular in  your country at the moment? Have you ever tried watching them in their original version? Was it easy or difficult? Obviously, it will depend on the TV show of your choice, but a good start will be choosing what is called a sit-com,  that is a situation comedy. My favourite is the one in the picture: a group of six friends sharing flats in New York City. And yours? Which one would you choose? Leave me your opinion and the plot of your favourite TV show in a comment.

Guy Fawkes and other festivals

Tomorrow is an important day in Great Britain. People celebrate Guy Fawkes' Night on the 5th of November. If you want to learn more about this and other important festivals, click on the video below. And in your country, which one is your favourite festival? Are there any British festivals that you also celebrate? Are there many differences? Leave your answers to these questions in a comment.

Batman

Do you like reading comics? Is Batman your favourite comic hero? If so, follow the link below to read one of the Batman's comics online. You may want to download it or any of the other comics you will find under it. Anyway, you will improve your English and have fun at the same time. Enjoy your reading!

Batman Comic

Writing: Expressing your opinion

From time to time, students are asked by teachers to write a composition. A very common type is an opinion essay. It may seem a bit difficult but if you get some practice you'll be able to write about any topic. Remember to include the following items:

1. Introduction.
2. Advantages.
3. Disadvantages.
4. Your own opinion.
5. Conclusion.

To start with, I suggest you to write about one of these topics. Leave a short composition in your comments.
Topic 1 : Should students wear uniforms at school? Are you for or against uniforms at school?
Topic 2 : Is it fair that footballers earn more money than firefighters? What's your opinion?
Topic 3 : Should children under 12 have a mobile phone? Advantages and disadvantages.

English For You 4

A new academic year is about to start tomorrow. I hope you can improve your English as much as you did last year. I reccomend you to download the website activities or to try any of the online activities that you will find in the student's zone section of the burlington books oficial site. Have fun and keep tuned for more activities!

English For You 4 Activities

"- Ed " Pronunciation

This post is dedicated to the pronunciation of past simple regular verbs. Most people are good at grammar but they are not as good when they have to pronounce the "-ed" ending. If you click on the video below, you'll find a simple explanation and some common mistakes people make.

The best way to practise is listening and trying to repeat after the video, but if you want to check how much you have learnt, click on the link below and do the exercises. Leave the results in your comment as usual.

"- ed " Exercises

Liverpool and the Beatles

Liverpool is proud to be the birthplace of one of the most famous bands in the world. A lot of fans visit it every year but there are also other interesting places you can visit. Click on the link below and you'll find a video about visiting the city of Liverpool and some exercises related to it. In your comment, remember to include your mark and your favourite song from this British band.

Liverpool and the Beatles

Sur in English

Sur in English is a free newspaper where you can find news about what is going on in southern Spain. It is aimed at tourists who are visiting the area or at English-speaking residents. I recommend you to pick up the printed edition you can find in bars and shops, but you can also read the virtual edition on the internet. If you click on the link below, you will find the current edition. Try reading the lifestyle and health and beauty sections as a start, but there are also international news, local news, sports, what to do and much more. In your comment I ask you to summarize the three articles that you liked the most!

Sur in English- August 2014

Sing a song

If you are thinking about a method to improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar in a funny and easy way, I recommend you to try an experiment: learn and sing a song a day during at least two weeks. Look for them on You Tube and make sure that they contain different content and no mistakes. The following selection is a good point to start with. Any other suggestions? Leave the three songs of your choice in a comment!

British Money and Shopping

If you are thinking about going to Great Britain, you'd better get used to the coins and notes they use there before the trip.Some shopping vocabulary may also be useful. Follow the links below and by the time you arrive, you'll be an expert. After you do these exercises, leave your results in a comment!

Money coins and notes
How much is it?
Shopping vocabulary
In a shop - containers
At the clothes shop - dialogues

Africa

Africa is the second largest continent of the Earth, however we know very little about it. Follow the link below and then do the true or false exercise. Leave the results as usual in a comment.

Reading: Africa

True or False Exercise. Remember to justify your answers with a sentence from the text !

1.  The Sahara Desert is the oldest desert in Africa.
2.  The African elephant is the biggest animal in the world.
3.  You can get married in a small wedding in Africa.
4.  People in Ghana don't like drinking beer.
5.  Gorillas are brave and friendly animals.
6.  Humans have got as many vertabrae in their necks as giraffes.
7.  Lake Victoria is the world's largest lake.
8.  The most populated country is South Africa and the most populated city is Egypt.

Edinburgh Summer Festivals

A lot of summer festivals are celebrated around the world these days. One of the most famous ones is The Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Click on the link below to learn more about this and other festivals and then do the comprehension exercises. Leave the answers to these exercises in a comment!

Edinburgh Summer Festivals
Comprehension exercises

Prepositions

Today we are dealing with one of the most difficult grammar aspects of the English language. Prepositions may seem easy but you need to practise a lot if you don't want to make mistakes. Click on the links below and leave your results in a comment.

Prepositions of time 
Prepositions with transports
Prepositions of movement
Prepositions of place
Prepositional phrases

Peppa Pig

Watching cartoons is an excellent way to improve your knowledge of any language. Cartoons are usually easy to understand and they include common vocabulary and grammar. Click on the video below and enjoy it!

After watching it, answer the following questions and leave them in a comment as usual.
1. Who is the most hard-working person?
2. What are her jobs?
3. Why isn't the Queen wearing a crown?
4. What other questions do the children make?
5.  What does the Queen need to play in the garden?

Sports in Britain

British people like and practice a variety of sports. Click on the video to discover more about this topic and leave the answer to these questions in a comment.

1. Apart from Wembley and Wimbledom, what other places are famous for sports in Britain?
2. How many  public swimming pools are there in Britain?
3. What is the most popular sport in Britain?
4. Apart from cricket, what other unusual sports people do in Britain?

If you need to practice sport vocabulary, follow the links below.
Sports 1
Sports 2

Idioms in English

Idioms are common set phrases used in any language. They are sometimes difficult to translate and you may not find a translation in your language, so it's better to learn them in context. Watch the video below to learn some very common idioms

In your comment, write the equivalent to these common Spanish idioms:
1. llover a cántaros
2. costar un riñón
3. ser el ojito derecho de alguien
4. pillar a alguien con las manos en la masa
5. el mundo es un pañuelo

And then look for the translation of these idioms:
1. to kick the bucket
2. to be on cloud nine
3. to be a piece of cake
4. money talks
5. to pull somebody's leg
6. to tie the knot
7. to cry wolf
8. to get the sack

Health problems

This topic is very useful, however it is difficult to find it in textbooks. I suggest that you learn it and get some practice thanks to the links below. You never know when you may need it! Leave your results in a comment as usual.

How do you feel? 
Health problems 
Health Advice 

Homes in Britain

After watching the video, answer the following questions and leave them in a comment:

1. What does the familiy do in the living room?
2. Why is a kettle important?
3. Who is Oscar?
4. Apart from houses and flats, where do people live?
5. Which is the most famous British home? Why?

Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are usually short stories that include magical or fantastic creatures. Each culture has got their own legends and heroes, but some stories have become known all around the world. Which one is your favourite fairy tale? Do you like the moral behind most of the stories? Write the summary of your favourite story in your comment this time.
Click on the video below to watch one of these famous stories.

Fiesta

Fiesta is the name of a famous novel written by Ernest Hemingway in 1926. He visited Pamplona during the Sanfermines on several occasions and he enjoyed it very much. Today is San Fermin's Day and it's the perfect day to learn more about the history of this celebration and Ernest Hemingway's visits to Spain.

History of the Fiesta 
Hemingway and the Sanfermines

After reading the articles, answer these questions and leave them in a comment.
1.  Which three celebrations are behind the origin of the Fiesta of San Fermín?
2. At the beginning, when was the fiesta celebrated? Why did it change?
3. Which events are common during the Fiesta of San Fermín?
4. Which is the English name for the novel Fiesta?
5. What did Hemingway do during his visits to Pamplona? Give three examples at least.

Game of Thrones in Spain

The popular HBO TV series Game of Thrones will be partly filmed in Andalusia in the next few months. These images will be shown on its fifth season and Spanish fans are excited about the news. If you want to know more, follow the link below.

Game of Thrones in Spain

Here are some questions about the article. Leave a comment with the answers.

1.  Who was the first person that talked about the news?
2.  Which places will be probably used for filming in Spain?
3.  What is Seville Mayor's opinion about the news?
4.  What did the HBO people study during their visits to Spain?
5.   In which other countries is Game of Thrones shot?

Grammar Holidays

If you need to revise your grammar during the summer holidays, I recommend you to follow the link below, print the worksheets and then check your answers with the key pages. Don't cheat and you will improve your grammar knowledge easily!

Grammar holidays with key

British and American English

This is a list of the most important vocabulary differences between British and American English. Or maybe you prefer to watch a video instead. Click below to help you with the exercises. Remember to leave your results in a comment.

Video exercises
Vocabulary list
More exercises

Mr. Selfridge

This summer the British TV drama Mr. Selfridge will be broadcasted in Spain for the first time. But , who was the real person behind the character? How was his childhood and young years? Did he become rich? Follow the link below and leave the answers to the questions in a comment.

Mr. Selfridge: the true story

1. On which book is the TV drama based?
2. Did he have a happy childhood? Explain why / why not
3. Which were Mr. Selfridge's jobs in America?
4. Why was Selfridge's Store a " marvel" ?
5. Explain two important innovations in the world of shopping made by Mr. Selfridge.