LISTEN,LISTEN AND LISTEN

Hi everyone!
A post to remind you that the end of the academic year is here and you have to pass your listening tests.To do so,apart from attending your English lessons,you should listen and read English as much as you can. A good way of doing so is visiting the following websites:
www.elllo.org
www.breakingnewsenglish.com
So keep listening and good luck in your exams!!

How to write a book review

 

Writing the Review:

• Include title, author, place, publisher, publication date, edition, pages, special features (maps, etc.), price, ISBN.
• Hook the reader with your opening sentence. Set the tone of the review. Be familiar with the guidelines -- some editors want plot summaries; others don't. Some want you to say outright if you recommend a book, but not others.
• Review the book you read -- not the book you wish the author had written.
• If this is the best book you have ever read, say so -- and why. If it's merely another nice book, say so.
• Include information about the author-- reputation, qualifications, etc. -- anything relevant to the book and the author's authority.
• Think about the person reading your review. Is this a librarian buying books for a collection? A parent who wants a good read-aloud? Is the review for readers looking for information about a particular topic, or for readers searching for a good read?
• Your conclusion should summarize, perhaps include a final assessment. Do not introduce new material at this point.
• To gain perspective, allow time before revising.
• Points to Ponder:
  
  • What was the story about?
  • Who were the main characters?
  • Were the characters credible?
  • What did the main characters do in the story?
  • Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
  • Who was your favorite character? Why?
  Your personal experiences
  • Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
  • Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
    
  Your opinion
  • Did you like the book?
  • What was your favorite part of the book?
  • Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
  • If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!)
  Your recommendation
  • Would you recommend this book to another person?
  • What type of person would like this book?
  • Info from:www.writing-world.com/freelance/asenjo.shtml

Abierto plazo pruebas certificación EOI CLM

For more info click here: http://edu.jccm.es/eoi/cuenca/index.php?var2=noticia&var3=60

World Book day!

Hi everyone!
Yesterday´s post was about Earth´s day and today´s one is about  book´s day.
23 April is a symbolic date for world literature, since 23 April 1616 was the date of death of Cervantes and Shakespeare.This is why this date was chosen to pay a worldwide tribute to books and their authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and to gain a renewed respect for the extraordinary contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia (Spain) where it has become a tradition to give a rose as a gift for each book purchased. They celebrate Saint Jordi every year.The tradition is that women are given a rose and men are given a book.

There is a book fair in "Las Ramblas" and writers go there to sign books and have a chat with their readers while they promote their last novel.

•  And you? are you fond of reading? when was the last time you bought a book? what are you reading at the moment?

Do you prefer traditional books or e-books?

 Next post will be how to write/talk about a book, so.... don´t miss it!!!

EARTH´S DAY: RECYCLE!!!

Hi dear readers!
Today´s Earth´s day!Earth Day is a day early each year on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth´s and natural environment.
What can you do to help the Earth?
Earth Day isn’t the only day when the world can and should celebrate the planet we all share. Earth Day Everyday

Here are a few ways you can help Earth every day.

• Walk or ride a bicycle to school, the park, or the store. Encourage your parents to walk or ride to work, too. This is a great way to help reduce the pollution created by cars, trucks, buses, trains, and airplanes.
• Plant trees. Trees help keep the air clean.
• Do not litter. Pick up litter on the sidewalk, street, beach, or riverbank. This will help keep the environment free of contaminants.
• Create a compost pile for food scraps and plant waste from the garden. This is a good way to cut down on the amount of trash that goes into a landfill. As a bonus, compost helps create rich soil for gardening.
• Recycle! Recycling is an important part of keeping Earth clean. It is very easy to do. By giving old things a new life we put less pressure on important resources all of us will need in the future to survive.

Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Understanding how long something takes to decompose in a garbage dump or landfill can help motivate all of us to reuse and recycle everything we can. The best thing any of us can do for the environment is to rethink the way we use things and to use less. The fewer resources and products we use, the less stuff there is to throw away and recycle. Can you guess how long it takes the things we use everyday to turn into soil in a landfill?

Maroon 5 - Payphone (Lyric Video) ft. Wiz Khalifa

How to write a formal e-mail

Formal e-mails in English

Dear readers,
After writing a post on "how to describe photos in English", I am going to write about something that it can come very handy in case you want to apply for a job in an English speaking country.
From my own experience I can say that this "writing task" is the one that I have used most in real life. It´s fair enough that you have to learn how to write a story in English, an argumentative essay or a newspaper article but I have not written any of them in real life yet.At the end of the day you just end up writing e-mails, filling in application packs, filling in complaint forms and many other types of forms to apply for everything: from Tesco´s card to the national insurance number.Consequently, I think you will find this post extremely useful.
So if you need to write a formal e-mail to apply for a position abroad,follow the tips below:

• Start your e-mail using: Dear Sir/Madam if you don´t know the name/ gender of the addressee.
• Start using Mr or Mrs + surname if you do know the name of the addressee.
• After the greeting,continue "I am writing + reason ", for example: I am writing to apply for the helpdesk assistant position you offer.
• Continue: "As you can see in my CV" and go on talking about your experience and personal skills related to the job you are applying for.
• Use full forms, never contractions.
• Use "I would be grateful if you could send me an application pack", for example.
• If you want to attach your CV you can use this expression:"please find my CV attached".
• To finish, don´t forget to say "I look forward to hearing from you" or "If you need further information about my CV, work experience,do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or on my cell:xxxxxxxxxx"
• Type in your contact information: full name, current job title and/or company, telephone number, email address and website, if relevant.
• According to http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/coveringletters.htm, the structure should look like this:

First Paragraph State the job you’re applying for. Where you found out about it (advert in The Guardian newspaper etc. - organisations like to know which of their advertising sources are being successful) When you're available to start work (and end if it's a placement)

Second Paragraph Why you're interested in that type of work Why the company attracts you (if it's a small company say you prefer to work for a small friendly organisation!)

Third Paragraph Summarise your strengths and how they might be an advantage to the organisation. Relate your skills to the competencies required in the job.

Last Paragraph Mention any dates that you won't be available for interview Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.

If you start with a name (e.g. "Dear Mr Bloggs") you should end with "Yours sincerely". If you start with "Dear Sir or Madam" you should end with "Yours faithfully".

FIXOODLE, a social networking site to learn languages

Dear readers,

Today I am going to write about FIXOODLE, a new social networking site to learn languages.
How does it work? you register and you are given the opportunity of learning English by keeping in touch with native speakers of the language you want to learn.
The webiste offers you the possibility of searching different profiles and finding language partners, you can also write texts in the target language and native users of that language will correct them for you.You can also take part in social translations,make friends,share contents, create groups,etc.
Although it´s a new community, all the tools are free and ready for you to use.
Join now, click here: http://www.fixoodle.com/

How to describe pictures in English

Hi everyone!
One of the most typical tasks that you may face when doing an oral exam in English is describing a picture.
How can you do that?there are some "basics" when describing pictures,I´ll show you the most relevant steps below.

1. You shoud introduce the picture/topic using expressions such as:

• The photo/ picture shows...
• It was taken by /in....
• It´s a black-and-white/coloured photo

    2. Locate the different items in the photo using:

• In the foreground/ background you can see..../there is...
• In the middle/centre there are / I can see....
• At the top/At the bottom there is....
• On the left/ right there is....
• Behind/ In front of... you can see...
• Between...there is....

   3. What are they doing? now you describe the people in the picture  or you say what is happening now using the present continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing).
You can also use physical descriptions and describe the clothes they are wearing.

4. Personal opinion
You should finish by expressing your personal opinion.You can use the expressions below:

• It seems as if....
• The lady seems to...
• Maybe...
• I think...
• I wonder....
• I like / don´t like the picture because....
• The atmosphere is relaxing/ depressing

Now that you know how to do it, describe the picture below:

  

Job Interviews

Hello everyone!
As you know, unit 7 (1º de intermedio) is about work related issues and we´ll see how to write a CV/ resume in English, a covering letter and how to face a job interview. As the current economic situation in Spain is quite bleak at the moment, this is a very important and useful unit as some of you may have to go to look for a job abroad.
I´ve found a series of videos in the British Council Website where two people are interviewed for a job, which one do you think will get it?
You can see the videos clicking here:http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/youre-hired/episode-1

Question Tags | Learn English | Grammar

QUESTION TAGS

Hi guys,                    
Sorry I haven´t posted anything for a while but I have been away visiting Bilbao and San Sebastián, two amazing cities that I deeply recommend you to visit!
As you know, we are studying "Question tags" in unit 7, it´s a very useful grammar point because you´ll find it in everyday conversation.
We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.
As found in www.englishclub.com, the basic structure is:
To read more about question tags and do exercises click here: http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-questions-tag-positive.htm

statement	question tag
+ Positive statement,	- negative tag?
Snow is white,	isn't it?
- Negative statement,	+ positive tag?
You don't like me,	do you?