Video: Causatives

I know... I know Causatives are difficult. For a Spanish speaker, they even sound weird because we can't find similar examples in our language.

That's why today we've got two videos in which two very talented teachers talk about Causatives in a very interesting way. Have a look, I promise you won't regret it.


1. LUISTHREE (in Spanish)

2. DANIEL BYRNES (in English - Causatives are Pattern #3)

Elizabethan Drama: Background and Themes

Just to introduce Shakespearian drama, these videos will teach us a couple of things about the socio-historical background, the main themes in drama and how theatres used to look like back in the time.


1. INSIDE THE GLOBE THEATRE

2. SOCIO-HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

3. THEMES IN ELIZABETHAN DRAMA

Literary Genres

Happy New Year everyone! 

I hope you've had a lovely holiday and are ready to continue learning interesting things. 

What's today's topic? Literary Genres. Have a look at the video and try to answer the questions below. It will be quite useful to deal with the reading task this term, so do your best! 

LITERARY GENRES WORKSHEET:

1. Name the four main literary genres.

2. Name at least four common forms of literature.

3. Explain three differences between poetry and prose.

4. What's the difference between fiction and non-fiction? Give examples of literary forms for each genre.

5. What's the main goal in drama?

 

Natural Disasters

Here's the worksheets about Natural Disasters I gave you in class, in case you need to have a look or download them.

Making and Responding to Suggestions

Hi everyone! 

Click on the icon below to access to the PowerPoint presentation on "Making and Responding to Suggestions". You might find it useful to get some ideas for real conversations with the upcoming exchange students. Just have a look!

Writing: For and Against essays

Para preparar una composición dando razones a favor y en contra de un tema concreto, aquí os dejo una explicación que tomé "prestada" de Slideshare. ¡Muchas gracias, sarafant!

A for and against essay from sarafant

Oral Presentation: 'Movies'

As you all know, the oral project for the second term is about movies. Here you will find the structure in case you need to have a look:

+ Guessing Game (optional)
0. Introduction: title of the movie and reason why you chose it
1. Background Information
- Year of release
- Genre
- Crew members
- Cast: main characters / supporting characters
2. Plot: no spoilers!!
3. Awards
4. Anecdotes
5. Quotation: text, meaning and reason why you chose it
+ Trivia (optional)

Also, you will also be able to learn some new vocabulary and expressions to use in your presentation if you click on the presentations below:

Reporting Verbs: notes and useful links

To practice reported speech using verbs different from say/tell, look at the notes HERE or in the document below and click on the links provided. Go for it!

Although the list is quite complete, there are some verbs which cannot be included in any of the groups. Here are some of them:

• ACCUSE: She accused Michael of lying. [accuse + object + of + gerund]
• APOLOGISE: I apologised to them for burning the dinner. [apologise ( + to + object) + for + gerund]
• BLAME: He blamed me for breaking the computer. [blame + object + for + gerund]
• CONFESS: He confessed to stealing the car. [confess + to + gerund]
• INSIST: They insisted on going with Bob. [insist + on + gerund]

Exercise 1

Exercise 2 

Exercise 3 

Exercise 4 

Exercise 5

Modals and Modal Perfects: notes and exercises **WITH KEY!!**

Today I'm sharing with you some notes about modal perfects as well as exercises on modal verbs and modal perfects combined. Given that this topic is quite complex and confusing, you can practice with the LINKS provided in this blog.

As always, try and have fun. But don't die trying, please.

The answers are included.

Stative and Dynamic Verbs

Just for tomorrow's exam, here's the list of the most common stative verbs. Be careful, because some of them can be both stative and dynamic. It's all beautifully explained in the document below with examples.

List of STATIVE verbs

However, if you prefer videos, here's a very interesting one. It is very clearly explained and the examples are spot-on. 

Writing: How to Make an Introductory paragraph

     Thanks to janalmiller and Mandy Davis for their ideas and spot-on examples.

Bachillerato: Opinion Essay

Here's some good tips to write a brilliant opinion essay. Take a look and work on your strategic thinking before you write!

PS. For PAU exams, remember you need to synthesize your ideas in 100-150 words, so adapt these tips to play by the rules!

Opinion essay FCE from Ibag65

2ºBachillerato: Vocabulary on Human Rights

Here's the information I used in class in case you need it to revise vocabulary and grammar structures. Don't let the class finish without having solved your doubts!

1,000 Most Frequent Words in English

A couple of years ago, a fellow teacher sent me this document containing the 1,000 most frequent words in English texts. Here you are in case you find it useful to prepare your PAU exams or to improve your reading skills in general.

How many of these words do you already know? Have a look and find out!

Bachillerato: I wish - If only

Hoy os traigo unos apuntes sobre 'I wish / If only', un apéndice a las oraciones condicionales.

Por si queréis practicar, podéis utilizar estos links:

• Complete with the correct tense / Rephrasing
• Complete with the correct tense

Relative Pronouns con luisthree

En uno de mis ciberpaseos por Youtube me encontré con un canal interesantísimo en el que el autor explica de una forma muy sencilla y con ejemplos diversos puntos gramaticales. Dicho autor se hace llamar luisthree y es profesor de inglés. Agradeciéndole de antemano su labor, os traigo sus explicaciones sobre los pronombres relativos más comunes: