Halloween History

You all know I'm not a great fan of this celebration but I consider it interesting to explain where it comes from

"The Tell-Tale Heart"

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It is told by an unnamed narrator who tries to convince the reader of his sanity, while describing a murder he committed. Here you can read it and listen at the same time. As Poe is one of my favourite writers, I hope you enjoy it.


The tell-tale heart: El espíritu de Poe regresa en Halloween - eBBi Books Blog

Diez expresiones del castellano, pero en inglés

Very funny and entertaining. Have a look!

Diez expresiones del castellano, pero en inglés

Animal Idioms

• Smell a Rat (feel that something is wrong)

- Didn’t you close  the front doo before we went shopping? 

-I’m sure I did. I can’t understand it. Frankly, I smell a rat.

-Me, too. I’m convinced that something is definitely wrong here. We’d better call the police. 

• Go to the Dogs (become run down)

-Have you seen their house lately? It’s really gone to the dogs. 

-It’s true that it has become run-down and in serious need of repair, but I’m sure that it can be fixed up to look like new. 

• Fishy (strange and suspicious)

When the security guard saw a light in the shop after closing hours, it seemed to him that there were something fishy going on. He called the central office and explained that he thought something strange and suspicious was happening. 

• Take the Bull by the Horns (take decisive action in a difficult situation) 

Karen had always wanted to learn to dance properly. She had been putting off taking lessons, but she finally took the bull by the horns and went to a professional dance studio for help. She was tired of feeling left out and acted decisively to correct the situation. 

Let the Cat Out of the Bag (reveal the secret)

Bob was going to retire in July, and his colleagues were planning on presenting him some presents at his retirement dinner. He wasn’t supposed to know about it, but someone let the cat out of the bag. At dinner Bob acted surprised, even though someone had revealed the secret.

• For the Birds (uninteresting an meaningless)

They went to a poetry reading, but they got bored. As far as they were
concerned, it was for the birds! They left during a break because they found the reading totally uninteresting and meaningless. 

• Straight From the Horse’s Mouth (first-hand, from a reliable source)

-How did you find out that Jill was engaged? I got the information from a very reliable source. 

-Do you mean Jill told you so herself? 

-That’s right. I got it straight from the horse’s mouth! 

• Horse Around (behave in a silly way)

-Did you hear about Dave’s back injury? 

-No. How did he get hurt?

-Well, after the coach left the gym he decided to stay and horse around on the parallel bars. He somehow lost his grip and fell on his back. 

• Cat Got Your Tongue?(can’t talk)

-Come on, Connie! Tell us what you think about our little ride down the rapids yesterday. Wasn’t it exciting?

-Well, uh... 

 -What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? 

-If you must know, I’m keeping quiet because I terrified! 

• Horse of a Different Colour (quite a different matter)

Tom likes playing jokes on his friends, but he makes sure that nobody is hurt by any of his pranks. A prank that hurts someone is a horse of different colour! Being playful is one thing, but hurting someone by one’s prank is quite a different matter. 

Updated FCE Writing Paper (2015)

In this video we're looking at Paper 2 - the Writing Paper for First exam. I consider it really interesting and worth watching

Changes in British social attitudes since 1983

You're going to watch a video about recent changes in British social attitudes on marriage, relationships, religion and welfare.

Health vocabulary

                                                       From English with a Twist

Pronunciation - native speakers struggle, too!

Links for Students: Pronunciation - native speakers struggle, too!: If you feel that your pronunciation is poor and that you make "so many mistakes", have a look at the videos I've collected for...

                                   

                                              From English is Fun

Some Vocabulary for New School and Office Year

September has arrived.

For many people this signals the end of the summer holidays and the return to the daily grind ( the everyday work/school routine).

This means different things to different people. Let’s have a look at what it means for children and adults using vocabulary that could be useful for most of you.

Children
September brings in a new academic year where children will be moving class, meeting new classmates and teachers.

§  In the UK, schoolchildren wear school uniforms with their school’s badge sewn on their blazer or jumper. Every year parents have to buy new uniforms Most of these uniforms consist of a blazer (jacket), a pair of trousers or shorts (boys), skirts (girls),shirts, jumpers, cardigans, socks and shoes. Every school has a different uniform with specific colours.

§  Then there is the school stationery to buy, for example, exercise books, pencils, sharpeners, pens, rulers, erasers, scissors, highlighter pens, pencil sharpeners and pencil cases. Anything else I’ve forgotten?

§  The start of school sees an increase in traffic on the roads especially with parents doing the school run in their cars. Some children walk to school accompanied by their parents, normally mothers, when they are in junior school. As soon as they reach secondary school (13 years old), they do NOT want to be seen any where near a parent!

Adults
As for us adults, September can be extremely welcome. If you ask my friends who are parents, the start of the new school year is a moment of great celebration. They can finally have a break from their children! No more having to find different ways of entertaining their bored offspring (children).

However, before the celebration really starts let’s take a look at what September really means for the grown-ups:

§  For those who work in an office, there’s the daily commute. If you are a commuter, you have a daily journey from your home to the office. This could be in a car, on a train, underground or bus. There could be traffic jams on the roads, train or tube delays, crowded train carriages with no place to sit. We have an idiomatic expression for this called the Rat Race.

§  It’s good to be back at work – there could be new targets and projects to look forward to. There might be deadlines to meet, long hours to work,  client meetings to arrange, business trips to go on and business plans to prepare. Let’s not forget all those client lunches or working lunches that you could have and after-work drinks with your colleagues.

Then there are those adults who don’t have children or whose children are grown-up for whom September means going on holiday outside the peak season and enjoying cooler temperatures.

Whatever September means for you, I hope the return to work and school goes smoothly and that you have fun.  Happy September!

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                 Adapted from English with a Twist

8 cosas increíbles para hacer en Londres

Just in case someone is going to this amazing city soon.

8 cosas increíbles que hacer en Londres