Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Past tense questions
Stonehenge is probably the most important prehistoric monument in the whole of Britain and has attracted visitors from earliest times. It stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it.
The Stonehenge that we see today is the final stage that was completed about 3500 years ago, but it was started long before.
Watch this video about how Stonehenge was built and answer the questions.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
What are portmanteau words?
Portmanteau is a French word meaning "suitcase" and was first used in English by the writer Lewis Carroll in the novel "Through the Looking Glass", where one of the characters, explaining the meaning of a word says: "...a portmanteau: there are two meanings packed up in one word".
This is a very productive way of creating new words. You probably have heard about "Brangelina" and you surely know that it means both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the mythical Hollywood couple who, unfortunately, are said to be divorcing these days.
What about "Bollywood"? Yes, that's a blend between Bombay and Hollywood, and you use it to talk about the blooming film industry in India.
Some more examples are:
This is a very productive way of creating new words. You probably have heard about "Brangelina" and you surely know that it means both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the mythical Hollywood couple who, unfortunately, are said to be divorcing these days.
Some more examples are:
- Channel + tunnel = Chunnel
- Smoke + fog = smog
- Breakfast + lunch = brunch
- Camera + recorder = camcorder
- Web + log = blog
Do you know any other portmanteau words? Post your answers!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
How to be British
I recently came across a web in which you can see many cards with drawings showing the typical British sense of humour that pokes fun at cultural institutions such as pubs, afternoon tea, etc. They have been created by two English teachers called Martyn Ford and Peter Legon, who have sold thousands of copies of their book "How to be British". You can see the cards in this link. And here is an example of the cards. By the way, can you spot the mistake the student of English makes? Post your comments!
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| How to be British By Martin Ford and peter Legon |
Vocabulary. Jobs
Let's learn some words related to jobs. Click on the link to see some pictures of people doing their jobs. Then check what you have learnt here.
In this page you can learn more jobs and then check .
And finally, let's have a bit of fun:
(Cartoon by Crazy-jokes.com)
In this page you can learn more jobs and then check .
And finally, let's have a bit of fun:
(Cartoon by Crazy-jokes.com)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
How do you know you are living in 2010?
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2010 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Comparatives and superlatives. Exercises
Friday, January 8, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
Well, it's that time of year again when you make resolutions to improve your life. You know, the kind of thing like: "I will do more exercise", "I will eat less sweet things", "I'll learn English"...
We are really determined to get our goals by the first of January, but unfortunatelly, it doesn't last long. Be sensible and try to set goals that you can achieve. What are your resolutions for 2010? If you're short of ideas, have a look at this site. Blog your comments!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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