Canadians and Americans

Listen to Mike comparing Canadians and Americans and choose the right answer.
1. How many Canadians does Mike work with?
a. None                     b. One                       c. Two
2. What nationalities does he think are similar?
a. Americans-Canadians  b. Canadians-The British   c. The British-Americans
3. What does he say about Canadians?
a. They are more humble  b. They are less humble   c. They are not humble
4. Who likes to argue and debate?
a. Canadians              b. Americans            c. Both
5. What word does he use to describe Canadians?
a. Conservative          b. Liberal                  c. Businesslike

Answers (select this line to see them): 1a, 2a, 3a, 4b, 5b

Transportation in NY

Watch the video about transportation in NY and choose the right answer.


1. New Yorkers want transportation which is
    a. cheap and comfortable
    b. fast and sustainable
    c. reliable and effective
2. Traffic jams make people
    a. be less effective
    b. get angry
    c. lose time
3. Traffic congestions make the city spend money on
    a. improving the economic productivity
    b. repairing the roads
    c. taking care of the environmental pollution
4. PlaNYC tries to
    a. find environmentally friendly solutions
    b. improve the recycling system
    c. solve New Yorkers’ job problems
5. The bus service has improved thanks to
    a. more frequent buses
    b. new bus lanes
    c. reduced prices
6. In the Bronx
    a. buses are 13% faster
    b. more people use buses
    c. there are more buses than in the 1st and 2nd avenues
7. Millions of New Yorkers
    a. don’t use any network
    b. use the bus
    c. use the subway
8. Bicycle users
    a. are safer now
    b. have 200 miles of bike lanes
    c. have a bike sharing service in the centre
9. Taxis and buses
    a. use green energies
    b. will cost the city less
    c. will pollute less

Answers (select this line to see them): 1c, 2c, 3b, 4a, 5b, 6b, 7b, 8a, 9c

On the road

If you want to learn some vocabulary related to driving, visit this link.

Despite / in spite of / although

In spite of, despite and although are all used to show a contrast but there are differences in the structures used with them. Have a look at this link to know how to use them appropriately. An exercise is included so that you can practise.

Especially or specially?

Don't  you know when to use one or the other? Have a look at this entry of the Oxford Dictionary. It may fill in a few blanks.

The smallest car in the world

Do you know which is the smallest car in the world? Watch the video to find out. Below the video you'll find some questions about the clip.

1. How long in inches is the Peel P50? And how wide?

2. Where was it built?

3. How much does it cost?

4. What are some of the drawbacks (desventajas) of the Peel P50?

5. What does Jeremy say its top speed probably is?

6. What are its conveniences (comodidades)?

7. How many doors does it have?

8. What happens when John Humphries visits the Top Gear office?

9. Where does Jeremy drive next?

10. What does he ask Fiona (the lady in the lift) to do?

11. Which gear does the Peel P50 not have?

How to form the comparative and superlative

Have a look at this entry of the Oxford Dictionary to know how to form the comparative and superlative of adjectives.

You will also find the entry of this blog very helpful.

Farther or further?

What is the correct form of the comparative of far? Find out what the Cambridge Dictionary says about it.

Clip of the week: The Hunger Games 3

This week on Video Booster you can enjoy a clip of the movie The Hunger Games 3. Katnis Everdeen discovers that Peeta is alive.

Poverty and employment

Watch the video and choose the correct option.

1. Leila Janah is founder of
a. an NGO             b. a charity organization        c. a company
2. She spent
a. 10 years living in poor countries    b. 17 years in Ghana       c. some years visiting poor countries
3. Samasource
a. is based on the use of internet       b. was first established in India     c. started working for a firm
4. Samasource
a. is based in San Francisco     b. has branches in San Francisco    c. has no fixed headquarters
5. Samasource collaborates with 16
a. countries              b. companies                       c. centres
6. Samasource began in
a. 2005                     b. 2008                                c. 2009
7. Samasource helps
a. 1,500 people        b. 1,000,000 people             c. 50,000 women

Answers (select this line to see them): 1a, 2c, 3a, 4a, 5c, 6b, 7a

Student money

Are you a student living away from home? Do you find yourself living on a tight budget? Listen to these UK students and find out their top tips for saving money. Put the tips in the order you hear them.
a. London is great because of the diversity of people you can meet.
b. You can earn extra money by giving lessons.
c. Try not to buy things suddenly without thinking.
d. You can watch films at home instead of going to the cinema.
e. It is possible to spend most of your money getting to and from university.
f. Even though you go out a lot, you can save money by not buying alcohol or tobacco.
g. If you study away from home, you have to pay for accommodation, study materials and entertainment.
h. You can save money by buying clothes from your home country.

If you want to check the answers, click here.

History of Halloween

Watch the video and choose the right answer. 
1. Why did Pagans used to gather and light fires at Halloween?
a) To keep warm      b) To drive spirits back to the underworld    c) To see where they were going in the dark
2. What is the custom of playing pranks at Halloween called?
a) Trick or trash        b) Treat or trick     c) Trick or treat
3. Who were the first people to celebrate Halloween?
a) The Vikings          b) The Celts           c) The Romans
4. What was All Saints Day originally called?
a) All Hallows Eve    b) Alloween            c) Hallowmas
5. When is All Saints Day celebrated?
a) November 2         b) October 31         c) November 1
6. Which group of people introduced the holiday to the United States?
a) Mexicans              b) Italians                c) Irish people
7. When did Halloween begin to merge with Catholic festivals?
a) In the nineteenth century   b) in the seventh century     c) in the twelfth century

Answers (to see them select this line): 1b, 2c, 3b, 4c, 5c, 6c, 7b
Activity taken from this link http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/autumn-festivals/halloween/history-of-halloween-listening.html

Halloween vocabulary

Pronunciation of the sounds of "o" /ɒ/ɔː/

Pronunciation of the sounds of "a" /æ/ʌ/ɑ:/

Appearance

If you want to learn how to describe a person, you can have a look at this website. You will learn some useful adjectives, as well as the order in which you must use them.

Family size

Listen to six people talk about how big their family is and where they are now. Then, choose the right answer.
1. Where does Jeff's family live?
a) Mainly in North America            b) Mostly in Canada              c) On four continents
2. Where does Arienne's family live?
a) In Oslo                                         b) Near Oslo                          c) All over Norway
3. What is true about Rebecca?
a) She is a younger sister.                b) She is an older sister.        c) She has an older sister.
4. What does Sabriya say about her family?
a) She is the youngest.                     b) She sees them often.         c) She would like to see them.
5. What does Swinki say about her family?
a) It is quite small.                           b) They often argue.              c) They are very close.
6. What is true about Tini's family?
a) She has an older brother.            b) She does not have a dog.   c) Her family is very unusual.

To check the answers click here.

Pronunciation of vowels in English

10 words you don't pronounce correctly in English

Describing food

Describing food from Angela Ruiz Montero

Clip of the week: The Equalizer

This week in English Attack! the clip Make an Exception from the movie The Equalizer.

How to make guacamole

Do you like guacamole? Do you know how to make it? In the video, the head chef at a Mexican restaurant in London shows us how to make a proper guacamole.

a) Now, put the steps of the recipe in order.
Add lime juice to the avocados.
Chop and add the tomatoes and onions.
Mix and serve with grilled tortillas.
Mash the avocados.
Add the coriander and chopped garlic.
Remove the avocado skin and bone.
Deseed, chop and add the chillies.
Add some olive oil, a pinch of salt, Tabasco sauce and some sugar.

b) Are the sentences true or false?
1. Guacamole is a traditional UK dish.
2. You should use ripe avocados when making guacamole.
3. Lime juice is added to give colour to the dish.
4. You can only use Spanish onions in guacamole.
5. Some people's skin is sensitive to chillies.
6. You should cut off the stem before adding the coriander.
7. Elki recommends using big chunks of garlic for more flavour.
8. Elki thinks the guacamole is going to last a long time.

If you want to know the answers visit this link http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/video-zone/how-make-guacamole

Mexican food

Listen and choose the correct option or fill in the blanks.

1.Mexican food is as … as its people
a.diverse
b.antique
c.colourful

2.The Aztecs introduced
a.peppers
b.onions
c.squash

3.Mexican people spend
a.25% of their income on food
b.most of their earnings on food
c.25% more on food than other countries

4.They eat
a.tacos with every meal
b.tomatoes every day
c.vegetables with every meal

5.You can buy kilos of grain directly
a.from producers
b.at local markets
c.at supermarkets

6.Wahaca sauces
a.are made with chocolate
b.were introduced by the Aztecs
c.are served with any food

7.Mexican cooking style is based on a combination of
a.potatoes and corn
b.chicken meats
c.flavours

8.Taco meat is
a.used to fill burritos
b.savoured across the world
c.cooked in large pans

Select this line to see the answers: 1a, 2c, 3a, 4b, 5b, 6a, 7c, 8a

1. Mexican dishes are as ____________ and ____________ as the people.
2. The Aztecs shared many ________________________ with the world.
3. On average Mexicans spend ____________ of their ____________ on food.
4. ________________________ exhibit a wide selection of produce.
5. An amazing variety of ________________________ are available to buy by the kilo.
6. Wahaca is known for its ________________________
7. The juices combine and provide a ___________________
8. Mexican cuisine is savoured ________________________

Select the next two lines to see the answers.
1.varied/unique, 2.new vegetables, 3.25%/earnings, 4.outdoor markets, 5.seeds and grain, 6.mole sauces, 7.fusion of flavour, 8.across the globe.

Clip of the week: If I stay

You're Mia

Eating in the dark

Watch the video and say if these statements are true or false.

1. Onoir is a French restaurant 
2. You are served by blind people 
3. It takes 2 weeks to get a reservation 
4. Someone in the owner's family was blind 
5. His friends and family were the first ones to eat in the dark 
6. There are 3 restaurants in the US 
7. The waiter tells you where the cutlery is on the table 
8. This kind of business helps promote the sightless world 
9. Some people dislike the feeling of helplessness 
10. Even the bar is in the dark.

Answers (select the following lines to see them): 1 F, 2 T, 3 T, 4 F, 5 T, 6 F, 7 F, 8 T, 9 F, 10 F

Writing a formal letter

Do you need help to write a formal letter? In this link you'll find some useful sentences and some advice on how to do it properly.

Advantages and disadvantages of alternative medicine

You will find an interesting article about the advantages and disadvantages of alternative medicine in this link.

How to write a letter to the editor

Don't forget that if you are writing a real letter, you must include the addresses and the date. If you write an e-mail, include sender, receiver and subject.

Starfish medicine

Have you ever seen a starfish? Did you know that starfish contain a liquid that may hold a clue for treatments for some diseases? Read the article to find out more.

Tourette's syndrome

Have you ever heard about Tourette's syndrome? Do you know what the symptoms are? Have a look at this clip. It may fill in a few blanks.

Movies

Listen to Simon and Michael talk about movies they like. Do you also like those movies?

How much TV do you watch?

Do you like TV? How many hours do you watch TV? Listen to 6 people talking about it.

The brown Irish field mouse

Listen to Mark from Belfast talking about the brown Irish field mouse and do a vocabulary exercise.

Are zoos a necessity?

Driverless cars

Can you imagine travelling in a car without a driver? It may sound like science fiction but driverless cars will be with us sooner than you think! Watch this video and do the true / false exercise.

In the beginning/end versus at the beginning/end

Do you have problems to know when to say in the beginning or at the beginning? Have a look at this website. It may fill in a few blanks.

A good read

Listen to three speakers talking about their favourite fictional characters and complete the table.
If you want to check that you have done the exercise correctly, go to this link.

Phrases for conversation

This website provides sample phrases for use in conversation and adapted to the different levels.

Useful words and phrases to describe a picture

For the second part of the oral exam, you must choose one photograph and justify your choice, so it would be helpful to know some vocabulary to describe a picture. These links can give you a hand.
Describing a picture in English
How to describe a picture: useful words and phrases

Useful phrases for the monologue

This presentation gives you some hints to organise your monologue along with some useful phrases. I'm sure you will find it very helpful.

How to write a book review

Do you want to know how to write a book review? Watch the video. It'll give you a few hints.

For further information, have a look at this blog where it is explained how you should organise your book review as well as this website with some basic vocabulary.

Holiday lodging

You're going on holiday but you still don't know where you are going to stay. Have a look at this link to check your options.

Horror movies

Here you have some vocabulary related to horror movies.

Types of guns

Visit this link to learn the names of some types of guns.

House

Have a look at this link to learn some vocabulary related to the parts of the house.

Movie reviews

Watch this video to learn how to write a movie review.
Now, have a look at a great film review.

Check also these guidelines on how to write a book or film review.

Av 2 Book Exam

Talking about movies in English

If you want to talk about a movie but you don't remember some key words, have a look at these links. You will probably know most of the vocabulary, but you will also learn some useful expressions.
Watch this video about movies. It is well explained and introduces some interesting expressions. Besides, you can do a quiz to check your understanding.
Basic vocabulary to talk about films.
Describing films with exercises.
Very useful vocabulary + movie clip

How to organise your speaking

This website includes lots of monologues and will help you to improve your speaking skills.

Pronunciation exercises

If you want to improve your pronunciation, try doing the exercises of this website.

Housing

Types Of Houses from Danica Kubi

Alternative medicine

Listen to different people talking about alternative medicine. Then, match each statement with the speaker. There is one extra statement that doesn't match with any of the speakers.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
A. Restrictions on medication.
B. Attacking the origin of the problem.
C. Osteopathic medicine doesn't work.
D. A method that worked.
E. Distrusting not properly tested medicine.

Select this line to see the answers: 1B, 2D, 3E, 4A

Ancient art of knife massage helps Taiwanese stay sharp

In Taiwan, an unusual type of massage is given: knife massage.

If you have problems to understand what people say, you have the transcription below.

It looks horrifying but people who have tried Taiwan knife massages say it’s so relaxing that they can fall asleep to the experience. But don’t expect aromatherapy oils or relaxing music, here it’s just a customer, the therapist and two kitchen cleavers.

The knife massage is not some crazy idea thought up by Sadist. It actually dates back more than two thousand years to China, where they originated. Back then, people who suffered from so-called strange diseases, those that can’t be easily cured by traditional Chinese medicine, would seek the help from Douist and Buddhist monks or nuns, and they would massage them with knives.

Although it almost died out in 280, knife massage has had a revival in Taiwan in recent years. Knife therapists say it’s become more popular because of the increased stress in modern society. According to the World Doula Association, there are around 2009 therapists in Taiwan.

How does knife therapy help people? Why use knives?

Knife therapy is different from other types of massage which is shallow. Knife therapy is more penetrating. We use steel knives as a conduit of energy. This helps our muscles relax and helps stimulate the normal functioning of our blood circulation and metabolism. So it can help us sleep better and reduce our muscle soreness, and it’s very good at releasing toxins, so it’s also very helpful in our beauty care and weight loss.

What kind of qualifications do knife therapists have to have?

In the early days, more than 2,000 years ago, knife therapy was performed by monks and nuns in temples. Nowadays knife therapists must go through strict training. They have to eat vegetarian meals every day, meditate and practise knife therapy. The reason we eat vegetarian meals is because we want to get rid of the toxins in our body and use the best energy we have to help the customers do knife therapy to bring about the best results.

But don’t even think about trying this at home. These are not ordinary cleavers. Professional massage knives with dull edges that don’t cause cuts.

Knife therapist also must undergo half a year to three years of training. They focus on the body’s acupuncture points in …, the passages to which the energy travels throughout the body and they avoid hitting the bones. The knives are also blessed by Buddhist or Douist masters.

How do you get first-time customers to calm down?

People who come here for the first time are nervous, so in the beginning we massage them by hand to calm them down.

Has anyone ever been hurt by this?

No one’s ever been hurt. It’s very safe.

I’ve just had massage. It feels really good and very relaxing. The reason why I came here because I’m a housewife and taking care of my baby and all of the housework makes me feel really tired and also very stressful. I’ve tried many different massages and it doesn’t work, so I came here and now I feel really relaxing and it also boosts my immune system. Now I can sleep well.

I’m working in the high power high tech company, a lot of big pressures, I’ve got a high blood-pressure problem. The … will help me to lose my weight efficiently, it could thin my blood, go very smoothly all around the body.

Now the only way to know if it works is to give it a try. Now I never thought I would put myself on a chopping wood, but here we go. Now I’ve gone to a lot of massages before but never one with knives. I must admit after getting over the initial fear is rather relaxing. Unlike with any massages, I worry about how I’ll feel the next day. Still, I think I can get used to this.

Purpose clauses

If you don't know when to use to, in order to, so as to, so that or for to form a purpose clause, have a look at this web page. It will fill a few blanks.
For further information and practice, visit these links.

Linking words

Do you find it difficult to use the correct linking words when writing an essay? Don't worry! Here you have a complete list to express contrast, concession, consequence... and exercises to practise what you've just learnt.
This list is more complete than the one I've given you in class. I'm sure you'll find it very useful.

American diet

Watch Dean Ornish's monologue on American diet and the problems this is causing.

Parts of the house

Watch this video to revise vocabulary related to parts of the house and household objects.

Clip of the week: Despicable Me 2. Gru says goodnight to the girls

Hello students. Remember that today is Monday and, as every Monday, you can watch a new video for free at Video Boosters. The clip of the week is Despicable Me 2: Gru says goodnight to the girls. Come on! This is an easy-level one.

Disagreeing

We have already learnt in previous units how to disagree with someone. So, you can revise the expression we have worked with because they will be very useful when you have to interact with the examiner in the oral exam. Here you have some of them. But remember that we have learnt more indirect ways of saying that we disagree.

Making a point

Now, we are going to learn some expressions to make a point when having a discussion. These can be really helpful when working with the interaction card.

Monologue

Doing a monologue can be hard, especially when you have to speak in a language which is not your mother tongue. First of all, you must prepare an outline. Have a look at this presentation so that you know what I mean.

Tips for speaking from natekeegan

The Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug

Do you like science-fiction movies? Then, have a look at this clip from the first sequel to The Hobbit and try to do the exercises. Let's see if you can understand the dialogue between the elves Tauriel and Legolas.

Household objects

If you want to know what's the name of some  household objects used for cooking, have a look at this video.

Writing a complaint

The company where you work has just got a millionaire contract. The CEO has decided to reward the employees in the higher positions with an increase in their salary whereas those in the lower positions like you will continue earning peanuts. You think it is unfair since you also took part in the project that led the company to success.

You decide to write a complaint letter to your boss.

You must develop the following three points in the most appropriate order:

• State your reason for writing.
• Describe your complaint in detail.
• Suggest what should be done

Write between 150 and 180 words. You must include all three points.

Do not forget to include address, addressee, and opening and closing remarks

Deadline: Thursday 23rd 

Complaint letters

When writing a complaint letter, you must follow some guidelines. This video may be helpful.

The layout is very important, as well as the vocabulary. Have a look at these examples. You will find the most popular complaint letters on this web site. But if what you need is practice, you can visit this web site. 

ATTENTION: always use formal language in your complaint letters.