FCE :Use of English, Part 3

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_use_of_english_part3.htm

PET: Listening, Part 2

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part2.htm

A more visual history of English.

It's not very easy to understand and maybe the speaking is too fast, but I can't resist the temptation to share it with you because it's one of the best videos I've ever seen.
(You've got the option of using subtitles)

PET: Listening - Part 1

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part1.htm

FCE: Use of English - Part 2

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_use_of_english_part2.htm

A Short History of the English Language

The history of the origins and development of English

The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from "Englaland" [sic] and their language was called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English" are derived.

Germanic invaders entered Britain on the east and south coasts in the 5th century.

Old English (450-1100 AD)

Part of Beowulf, a poem written in Old English.

The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty understanding Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots. The words be,strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Old English was spoken until around 1100.

Middle English (1100-1500)

An example of Middle English by Chaucer.

In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy (part of modern France), invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors (called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. For a period there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th century English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added. This language is called Middle English. It was the language of the great poet Chaucer (c1340-1400), but it would still be difficult for native English speakers to understand today.

 

Modern English

Early Modern English (1500-1800)

Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with many peoples from around the world.

Hamlet's famous "To be, or not to be" lines, written in Early Modern English by Shakespeare.

Encounters in Cambridge

PET: Reading, Part 5 - text with gaps

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading_part5.htm

FCE: Listening Part 3

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_listening3.htm

PET: Reading, Part 4

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading4.html

How to be more polite in English

Especially for my PET students

FCE: Use of English - Part 1

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_use_of_english_part1.htm

PET: Reading Part 3

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading3.htm

Secrets to Using Prepositions in English

As I know they are usually a nightmare, I hope this article helps you to understand prepositions better

  I’m sure you all probably know that the book is ON the table, but do you know exactly why we say “on” instead of ABOVE, or OVER, or another of the hundreds of prepositions that exist in English?

Using prepositions in English can be a big problem and they are so often misused by English learners. The English language actually uses prepositions in so many ways, and if you can master how to use them correctly, your English can become really natural and start to flow much more.

 

·         Learning Prepositions with Situational Reference

When speaking English, every student is faced with trying to understand the 3 most common prepositions and how and when to use them. I’m sure if you’re a Brazilian and like funk music, you know that the book is always ON the table, but why is it on and how can I know when I should use it?

Let’s go through the 3 most common prepositions and look at exactly how you use them.

How the use ON

 

ON is used when something is making contact with a surface. The book is ON the table because the book is making contact with the surface of the table.

Other examples of how we use on in this way:

§                     I live ON First street (my house is making contact with the street)

§                     He has a green shirt ON (the shirt is making contact with my skin)

§                     I saw it ON tv (the images are viewed on the surface of the television)

ON is also used for days; on Monday, On Friday, On the 20^th of December, On my holiday etc.

 

 

How to use IN

 

IN is used to describe that something is physically INSIDE some kind of barrier or

border

 

When I say I live IN Brazil, it’s because I am inside the Brazilian border.

Other examples using IN:

§                     I used to live IN Australia (inside the Australian border)

§                     I’m stuck IN traffic (inside the barrier of traffic)

§                     I read it IN the newspaper (inside the closed paper)
*we use ON for pages

IN is also used with months and years; in December, in 2011

FCE: Reading Part 3

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading3.htm

Ways to Improve Your English Writing

Do you find writing in English difficult?  Don’t worry. Even native speakers sometimes find writing difficult.

In this article I’m going to give you some tips to help you improve your writing a lot. These suggestions will help you not only improve the correctness of your writing, but also your style and flow. Then let’s go!

·      Read

I bet that you think the first two points are kind of obvious. But some people really don’t realize how important reading is to good writing.

Think of how a child learns his first language. He listens to his parents talking all the time for many months before he even opens his mouth. Just like listening is important to become better at speaking, reading is vital to become better at writing.

When learning a new language you must OBSERVE and REPEAT. Observe and repeat. Observe and repeat. Again and again. This is at the heart of learning any language. So, master this – get really, really good at it and you will be an amazing language learner.

When you read you observe someone else’s successful style—how their language flows from sentence to sentence, how they use different vocabulary, how they can paint a picture with their words. The more you read,the better you’ll be able to emulate this.

You need to collect books. Find styles that you like. And then mold your own style from these. You’ll be impressed by how much your writing improves by reading more.

If you love books, you should join Good Reads. There you can make a list of books you’re reading, you’ve read, and that you want to read and get recommendations for other books you’ll like. In addition to this, you can have discussions about books and even join book clubs. So you can read with a group and experience the book with them.

·      Write

Well obviously, right?

Yes, if you want to become a better writer you should probably write. A good first step is reading, but if you just read, your writing obviously won’t improve by itself.

But what should you write?

Well, take a moment and reflect. What do you like to read?

FCE: Listening part 3

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_listening3.htm

Egg Idioms

I've found this video about English idioms with the word EGG. You shouldn't miss it.

FCE: Listening Part 2

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_listening_part2.htm

PET: Reading Part 2

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading2.htm

American and British English

My students are usually interested in differences between American and British English. This is just an introduction.

FCE: Reading part 2

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading2.htm

PET: Reading, Part 1

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading1.htm

Modern Family: The Many Mispronunciations of Sofia Vergara

Although difficult to understand, it's hilarious!

FCE: Listening part 1

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_listening_part1.htm

FCE: Reading Part 1

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading.htm

FCE : Open Cloze

http://www.ihbristol.com

The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On

Probably most of you have seen this logo in many different places with many different versions. This is its origin.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the British goverment created this logo to cheer people up, as the future seemed quite difficult. None of these posters were used and in 2000 one of them was discovered in a second-hand bookshop . Now watch the story

FCE : Keyword Transformation

http://www.ihbristol.com

20 ways to know you’ve become a local

I read this article last summer in The Olive Press, a newspaper I quite fancy. I found it really funny and also interesting to see the other (British) point of view. I hope you enjoy it.

20 ways to know you’ve become a local

The longer Brits live in Spain the more they become accustomed to the Spanish way of life, with things that once seemed strange now completely taken for granted.

The following list highlights some of the eccentricities of Spanish living that are now an everyday occurrence for expats.

1) You think adding lemonade or coke to red wine is perfectly acceptable.
2) You can’t get over how early bars and clubs shut back home.
3) You aren’t just surprised that the plumber/decorator has turned up on time; you’re surprised he turned up at all.
4) You’ve been part of a botellon.
5) Not giving every new acquaintance two kisses seems so rude.
6) On MSN you sometimes type ‘jajaja’ instead of ‘hahaha’
7) You think aceite is a vital part of every meal. And you don’t understand how anyone could think olive oil on toast is weird.
8) A bull’s head on the wall of a bar isn’t a talking point; it’s just a part of the decor.
9) You’re amazed when TV ad breaks last less than half an hour.
10) You forget to say please when asking for things – you implied it in your tone of voice, right?
11) You don’t see sunflower seeds as a healthy snack – they’re just what all the cool kids eat.
12) Every sentence you speak contains at least one of these words: ‘bueno,’ ‘coño,’ ‘vale,’ ‘venga,’ ‘pues nada’…
13) You know what resaca means. And you had one at least once a week when you lived in Spain.
14) You eat lunch after 2pm and would never even think of having your evening meal before 9pm.
15) You know that after 2pm there’s no point in going shopping, you might as well just have a siesta until 5pm.
16) You know how to change a gas bottle or bombona.
17) On a Sunday morning, you have breakfast before going to bed, not after you get up.
18) The fact that all the male (or female) members of a family have the same first name doesn’t surprise you.
19) You know that the mullet didn’t just happen in the 80s. It is alive and well in Spain.
20) You know the difference between ‘cojones’ and ‘cajones’, ‘tener calor’ and ‘estar caliente’, ‘bacalao’ and ‘bakalao’…and maybe you learned the differences the hard way!

FCE: Word Formation exercise

http://www.ihbristol.com/free-english-exercises/test-esol/esol-wf-cctv

My friend Marivy very kindly gave me these exercises from her blog. Let's practise!

So and such

These ‘intensifiers’ are used to give emphasis.

A. So is used before:

1. adjectives and adverbs without nouns.

Ex: I’m so tired. I’ll have to go to bed.

2. much, many, little, few

Ex: You shouldn’t eat so much, Jack.

B. Such is used with or without an adjective before:

1. singular countable nouns ( the indefinite article a/an is also needed).

Ex: She’s got such a wonderful voice.

2. uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns (the article is not needed).

Ex: Our neighbors are such friendly people.

C. So and such can both be used with a that clause to talk about the results or consequences.

Ex: It was such a boring place that we decided to leave.

Ex: It was raining so hard we had to stop the car.

EXERCISE 1
EXERCISE 2
EXERCISE 3
EXERCISE 4

PRACTICE MORE:

GRAMMAR AND EXERCISES

EXERCISE 5

EXERCISE 6

EXERCISE 7

¿Cuál es tu nivel de inglés?

  He encontrado este  artículo donde se recopilan varios tests de nivel de inglés que pienso son muy interesantes, no sólo para aclarar vuestras dudas sobre vuestro nivel, sino también resultan una buena manera de practicar.

·         Test de Altissia.  Tiempo aproximado: 15-20 minutos.

Si alguna vez os habéis puesto a hacer un test de inglés y tenéis un nivel intermedio o avanzado, seguro que os ha resultado cansado tener que comenzar por las típicas preguntas de nivel elemental o básico.

Por ello, el test de nivel de inglés de Altissia ha decidido comenzar por preguntar al usuario qué nivel cree que tiene y así poder evitar preguntas muy básicas para un usuario avanzado, y preguntas muy avanzadas para un usuario de nivel básico.

Además, se trata de un test de nivel de inglés bastante completo con preguntas tanto de gramática como de vocabulario. 

·         Test de Cambridge.  Tiempo aproximado: 10-15 minutos.

Si no tienes ni una ligera idea sobre tu nivel de partida, prueba con el test de nivel de inglés de Cambridge.

El test consta de un total de 25 preguntas y al finalizar podrás ver tus respuestas correctas y fallos. Además, en función de tu puntuación también podrás saber a qué exámen de Cambridge podrías presentarte (First Certificate, Advanced…)

·         Test de Ebpai.  Tiempo aproximado: 10 minutos.

Test de nivel muy rápido que te permitirá conocer tus habilidades de cara a los listening. La prueba consiste en un total de 5 audios (desde Beginner hasta Advanced) con sus correspondientes transcripciones para saber si es correcto o no lo que has entendido.

                                                                                                                                     ( Oh your English)

Phrasal Verbs...

I know Phrasal Verbs are a nightmare for most English students so I’ve decided to give you some of them to keep you entertained.
Let’s start with a list of phrasal verbs that contain PUT. (A word in brackets, such as something, means that we can use the phrasal with or without that word.)

put something down
To stop carrying something.
Put down those heavy bags you’re carrying and take a seat.
He stopped writing and put his pen down for a moment.

put money down
To pay a deposit on something.
I put a £1000 deposit down on the car.

put money in
To make a financial contribution.
The cost of driving to Paris and back is €400 so we all need to put in €100.

put something off
To postpone or delay something.
She put off telling him the bad news until he was feeling happier.
A procrastinator is someone who is always putting things off.


put off, be put off (something)
To get the feeling that something is bad and consequently to change your mind or plan.
I’d love to try oysters but the look of them always puts me off.
It puts me off my writing if lots of people are talking around me.
I was put off going to India when I read about how many tourists get ill when they go there.