It’s summertime and we want to share some fun activities with you and your friends and family.
Join us on Saturday July 18th for a walking tour of Poble Nou a trendy neighborhood in Barcelona full of history, creativity and hard working citizens. You will not be disappointed…The tour is open to anyone who is curious about their city and wants to share a sweet vermouth with other curious walkers. Contact Us for more information or RSVP by July 10th
We are also offering a wonderful selection of dynamic General English classes to help you prepare for your summer and any social event that requires you to use natural expressions and vocabulary. Check out the options we have to offer, such as Food and Eating out, News and Storytelling, Shopping, Travel and Weather. READ MORE HERE…
We want to share these last few weeks before going on vacation with you and help you find English fun! We are waiting for you…
Photo Source: Historias de las Playas
Okay, so, I have to be honest and confess that I am not a big fan of series. I don’t really watch any at all and Game of Thrones is not something that screams out to me: “Watch Me!”. But, after speaking with a few of my students, I realized how many of my students are hooked (addicted).
I am serious, so many of you cannot stop telling me about it. You also love it so much you are watching it in English!! As you know, anything you do in English makes me happy, so I thought I would share some interesting topics in your honor and since the last episode of Season 5 was aired last week and had everyone talking. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers (when someone shares something you prefer to find out on your own) in this post…
So, for all those Game of Throne Lovers, here you go:
One of my favorite Instagramers posted this today which has inspired this post
Then, a student sent me a video on Game of Thrones and requested I share this with everyone…think Musical + Coldplay (subtitles included)
An entire library archive on The Guardian
Game of Thrones Trivia
Activities all about Game of Thrones in English!
A homemade spoof (funny or mocking imitation) on the opening song
The most beloved character of all being impersonated (Advanced Video)
Speaking of beloved, Jon Snow gets invited to a dinner party in New York (advanced video)
Why NPR thinks Game of Thrones is so popular in Spain. Do you agree??
The days are getting longer, summer is right around the corner and more than one of you has holiday destination on your mind. But before you pack your bags, let’s take a close look at conditionals and talk about the sun.
Here’s a sneak peak at how/when to use conditionals:
|
Zero Conditional |
First Conditional | Second Conditional | Third Conditional |
|
Possible at any time, but mostly in the present or a fact (x=y or cause and effect) |
Possible in the future (thewarning/offer/possibility) |
Impossible in the present…possible but improbable in the future (hypothetical) | Impossible in the past (too late) |
| If + present & present | If + present & will (future —be going to, may, can, should)+ infinitive | If + past & would (could, might)+infinitive | if+ past perfect (past perfect continuous, might have, could have) & would have + past participle |
| If you press this key, the game starts | I’ll call the hotel, if you don’t have time.
If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police! |
If I knew the answer I would tell you
If I were you, I would do it (advice)
|
I wouldn’t have got wet if I had taken an umbrella. If you had been driving more slowly, you could have stopped in time.
|
Think of the Zero conditional as a FACT (Present Simple), The 1st Conditional refers to A HYPOTHETICAL FUTURE, the 2nd conditional is referring to the present or HYPOTHETICAL PRESENT and the 3rd conditional is the PAST or too late.
Now watch this video on how the sun sees you and see if you can create some sentences using conditionals. And most importantly, start wearing sunscreen. Madeleine recommended it to me and I cannot stop sharing it with all our students.
Key words to keep in mind:
Freckles (a small patch of light brown colour on the skin, often becoming more pronounced through exposure to the sun)
Sunspots (a spot or patch that appears from time to time on the sun’s surface, appearing dark by contrast with its surroundings)
Sunbathing (sit or lie in the sun, especially to tan the skin)
Sunscreen (a cream or lotion rubbed on to the skin to protect it from the sun)
Still confused with conditionals? Try this link: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/conditional-exercises.html
Happy sunbathing!
Recently, I was talking to some students about Transitional Words and Linkers and the question on punctuation came up. When do I use a comma? Should I use a comma? Period (Full-Stop)? Help!
So I thought I would dedicate this post to the question on punctuation, especially in today’s instant messaging world:
6 Punctuation Mistakes that drive us crazy!!!!! Helpful video included…
Your Punctuation says it all In this article, the author describes how your punctuation defines you as a person.
Punctuation that doesn’t make you look very good 16 examples of mistakes that do not make you look very professional
Finally, what can happen when you get punctuation wrong…Grammar and punctuation ARE important
Our next objective on your list is watching or listening to English more frequently. I know we cannot tell you enough times how important it is to listen to English as much as possible, but we really do want to emphasize this. So, this post will be on doing just that…watching something, anything, in English at least 30 minutes a week. C’mon, I know you can do that!
Here is what we suggest:
Claire Suggests:
If you fancy watching a film to challenge and improve your listening skills go to the cinema and watch Selma in original version. It’s a phenomenal film full of history, amazing acting and great for your English skills! Enjoy!
(Heidi adds: Just go to the cinema and watch anything in original version…it really is not that bad!) Here are some cinemas that show original version movies in Barcelona:
In Barcelona, many cinemas offer half price ticket deals on a Monday night. This is subject to change and depends on the individual cinema. If you are looking for the half price deals it is best to check the website of the cinema that you are heading to and see if they offer the Monday deal.
Madeleine Recommends:
For learning useful phrases and slang: BBC Podcasts-The English We Speak
If you fancy a change from TED talks, I would recommend watching some of these “Do Lectures.” They focus on similar subjects, but the whole set up is much less formal, (normally the speakers spend the weekend on a campsite together!). The series travels from Wales in the UK, to Australia and the U.S., so it’s good for testing your comprehension of different accents.
The School of Life is a fantastic project and the Sunday Sermons are a series of talks from invited writers, psychologists, philosophers. My personal favourite is this talk from the great Ken Robinson: http://youtu.be/-
This short film on TedEd from the film festival Tropfest
Heidi Recommends:
StoryCorps Animations–-Real stories about real people. Sometimes a little emotional, but really so lovely and you get to hear real people speaking.
Aeon Video–Amazing stories and documentaries on and about people.
Soul Pancake are feel good videos that make you smile
BBC’s One Minute English News (Yes, ONE minute…I am sure you have that free in your schedule)
TedEd You can learn about anything and everything in under 10 minutes.
Ted.com is always a winner in class
And as many of you know, I am a F-A-N of podcasts. It is another way of listening and really having to listen. Here are a few of my favorite, but I have more if you want:
You really have NO excuses now…So, who wants to go to the movies with us?
Some of you might have had to do get online and search for a way to express your condolences and/or sympathy for someone’s loss, illness or injury recently. Unfortunately, sometimes loss or injury happens and if it is already difficult for a native English speaker to express themselves politely, we can only imagine how much more challenging it could be for a person whose mother tongue is not English.
We would like to give you some tips on how to express your condolences ( an expression of sympathy, especially after someone’s death). Did you know that condolence is Latin for “to suffer together”?
If you receive news that someone’s family member or friend has passed away (to die, decease, pass on) and you want to send them a message, you should remember to make it polite and not too intrusive. The safest is to simply share your sympathy (support, encouragement) by saying the following:
- I’m sorry to hear about your loss
- My most sincere condolences
- My/Our thoughts are with you
- Thinking of you in your time of loss
- You have my/our deepest sympathy
- You have my/our sincere sympathy
- Please accept our most sincere sympathy
If you have heard that someone has been injured (hurt, harmed, wounded) or is ill you can say:
- We hope you recover soon
- We are sorry to hear about your ______________(accident/illness). We wish you a quick recovery
- Get well soon
- Best Wishes, I hope you are back in the swing of things soon! –slightly more informal
- Sending you my/our wishes for a quick recovery and good health
- Wishing you a speedy recovery!
When sending a message or email, just keep it short and simple and do not forget to offer to help if you think you have a close enough relationship. Take a look at a short example:
Condolences:
Dear ____________,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My most sincere condolences to you and your loved ones. If there is anything I can do to make these moments easier, do not hesitate to ask. All my best,
Recovery:
Dear ______________,
I am so sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I hope you recover quickly and if there is anything you need, do not think twice about asking.
Get well soon,
**Now how about you try?
We hope this helps you and one more thing, some students tend to confuse this false friend and expression:
Sympathy= a common feeling, feelings of sorrow
Friendly= “simpatico” or kind, helpful, amicable
When you want to ask someone how they are doing, health-wise, we say: I hope you are doing well/better
Do not make the error of saying: I hope you are going well
Things are going well (i.e. work, life, love, etc): How are you doing? Oh great, thank you. Work is going well!
Your health is doing better (both physical and mental): I am doing better, thank you.
It’s that strange time of the year when it is no longer cold cold, but it is not warm enough to tear off our jackets just yet. The Cold season seems to be in the air with lots of runny noses everywhere and we just want Spring to be here, NOW!
Or at least I do.
So, to keep us entertained for a few more weeks, I thought I would dedicate this week’s post to the unusual (odd, one of a kind, unique, atypical, surprising) in the world of English.
Let’s start with the difference between rare and unique. Did you know they mean different things? Yep
Rare is something that is hard to find, almost impossible, for example, when you are addressing an instrument or painting: A Stradivarius’ Violin is quite rare (but there are more than one out there)
Unique, on the other hand, is one of a kind, there is nothing out there like it…hhmmm, like you!
So, here are some more unique words I thought you would appreciate. I love words and these are perhaps words I never use, but would love to, someday.
Here are 39 words used incorrectly, even by native speakers!
And a lovely video on taking a deep breath: http://aeon.co/video/health/breath-a-short-video-about-the-essential-life-force/
Can you describe the difference between breath and breathe?
Finally, a fantastic idea to read in English every day. Have you seen this APP? Absolutely amazing: Flipboard
Hang in there folks, Spring is almost here…
It’s a new year and it is time for a new challenge. Once a month, we want to give you an objective to help you enjoy the art of English. We thought we would propose some ideas and give you as many resources as possible to help you achieve it! What do you think?
It is chilly (cold) outside and there is nothing better than curling up (to sit or lie in a position with your arms and legs close to your body) on the sofa with a good book, magazine, blog and reading the hours away.
So, for January, we want you to read more! Here are our suggestions on how to start motivating yourselves to pick something up in English and read!
Claire Suggests:
if you want a real magazine to read then The Economist or Newsweek are both good as they give a summary of world events for the week. They can also be accessed online of course, but for a fee.
Madeleine Suggests:
Brain Pickings http://www.brainpickings.org — A fantastic blog which never fails to deliver something great and life inspiring!
Guardian’s Architecture and Design Critic Blog – Oliver Wainright http://www.theguardian.com/
It’s Not Luck, Eliyahu M. Goldratt (Book) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/
Written more like a novel, this is a business book with a difference. The story takes you on a journey of a man as he tries to juggle (balance) life and work, (with some key business methods and theories within the text.)
* Great for extending business (Economics/ Marketing/ Production/ Manufacturing) and general vocabulary
Tim Suggests:
I prefer real books and magazines! But stumbleupon.com is a favorite of mine for finding amazing stuff…Kind of like a search engine that brings you not just anything at all, but wacky different sites relating to what you are looking for. Downside you can waste entire lifetimes stumbling from site to site!!!
Heidi Suggests:
If the above ideas have not got the best of your curiosity, try reading short stories. My favorite writer to use in class is John Cheever
For newspapers from all over the world, try Kisoko.net
My all time favorite magazine: The New Yorker
Visit your local bookstore for some suggestions as well! In Barcelona, you can try Come In or Bcn Books
Here are some Famous Authors sharing their opinion on reading to help inspire you.
And if that isn’t enough, how about giving yourself a reading challenge checklist? Check it out HERE
HAVE FUN READING AND EXPLORING!!
Photo Source: http://browndresswithwhitedots.tumblr.com/post/100170763514
May you all have a wonderful 2015 and we can’t wait to start working on new objectives with you and making you speak out Loud & Clear!
Here is look back at the Best of 2014:
The Best in Photos: Time Magazine
The Best in Movies, Books, Music and TV: NPR 2014
The Best of Everything: The Guardian 2014
A Few Classy Tunes for fun: A Few Classy Tunes
A quiz on the news in 2014: News Quiz 2014
Photo Source: A Man Feeding Swans in the Snow in Krakow, Poland By Marcin Ryczek
‘Tis the season to be jolly!
Before we go off to unwrap gifts, eat wonderful meals and share laughter around the table, we thought we would help put you in the spirit and share some fun links with you. Happy Holidays everyone and thank you for making this job the best!
‘Tis the season! How Christmas is celebrated around the world
A short video on the History of Christmas
BBC’s Christmas Special What is YOUR Christmas wish?
Some questions to consider while you prepare for Christmas…
And if you have some free time, check out 23 Great Films according to Ebert and Siskel
A fabulous documentary on Union Glacier, Antarctica…brrrrr
