jueves, 17 de diciembre de 2015

la importancia del ingles


Os pongo también aquí el video que he subido a mi YouTube en el que os explico la importancia de aprender idiomas con dos de mis compañeras (Cristina y Mª José). Lo podéis ver en la pestaña "Videos" con otros más. Espero que os guste y que lo disfrutéis.

¡No os olvidéis de poner vuestras opiniones!









sábado, 5 de diciembre de 2015

Where to go in England?

Buscando, buscando he encontrado información sobre ¿Qué visitar en Inglaterra? y como me ha gustado lo que he leído, lo quiero compartir con vosotros. Espero que os guste y a ver si os animáis a visitar "UK" que es muy interesante y bonito. Os doy un "tip". Llevaros ropa de abrigo que allí llueve mucho.
 
El texto dice así: "¿Qué hacer en Inglaterra? Qué visitar en Inglaterra El tiempo que vamos a permanecer y el tipo de estadía que pretendemos influyen en nuestra planificación. Para una estadía de 3-4 días estamos obligados, necesariamente, a optar por un itinerario en desmedro de otro. Como para todos los destinos, el mejor consejo es abordar la ciudad más importante según nuestras inclinaciones. Lo más recomendable es, por supuesto, Londres. En tres días pueden visitarse sus museos, sus edificios más simbólicos, visitar sus parques y jardines y conocer la noche londinense, una de las más animadas de Europa, con sus restaurantes, pubs y discotecas a la moda.

Si en cambio pensamos en Inglaterra para una escapada romántica, nada como pasar unos días en la isla Jersey o Guernesey.

Si disponemos de al menos una semana, podemos ver mucho más que los museos de Londres o los encantos de las islas, igualmente, planifiquemos un tour sin pretender abarcar todo y con el espíritu de que lo que no podamos ver ahora lo haremos en nuestro siguiente viaje.
  • Tomemos tres días para recorrer Londres, luego visitemos Oxford y conozcamos sus universidades tan prestigiosas que reciben estudiantes del mundo entero. Hacia el norte, a 8 Km. de Oxford se encuentra el magnífico Bleinheim Palace que merece ser visitado y luego pasemos dos días en Cardiff sede de un castillo que también es imperdible. Pasemos a Manchester y visitemos sus magníficos museos. Podemos cambiar Oxford por Liverpool si lo nuestro es la nostalgia y queremos conocer la cuna de los famosos Beatles.
  • Para vacaciones de dos semanas podemos organizarnos pasando cuatro días en Londres y no tendremos un minuto para aburrirnos, luego si nos dirigimos hacia el sur de Londres podemos conectarnos con el cosmos meditando en Stonehenge. Recorriendo la hermosa campiña inglesa y pasar el final de nuestro viaje en Liverpool.

Si pensamos en castillos y fortalezas, Gales y Escocia tienen edificios más espectaculares que Inglaterra pero, los palacios de Londres son espléndidos, podemos ver deambular por sus alrededores siglos de historia, no siempre parecida a un cuento de hadas... ¡a veces un cuento de terror!

Pero ¡qué emoción ver el río Támesis y la Tower Bridge! o el majestuoso palacio Westminster y su no menos majestuoso Big Ben. Sin embargo, muchos visitantes prefieren a la bulliciosa Londres, con sus galerías de arte, sus museos, teatros y edificios históricos otros destinos y pasan directamente a las ruinas romanas de Bath, al teatro shakesperiano de Straford-upon-Avon, a la ciudad medieval de York...

En Londres como en muchas ciudades europeas conviven, palmo a palmo, lo más antiguo de la historia del hombre con la más extravagante modernidad (no olvidemos que este rincón del mundo nos dio la falda "mini" y el más puro rock and roll) y los jardines más verdes y suntuosos. Pero como Inglaterra es mucho más que Londres, podemos visitar sus lugares más emblemáticos ya sea por su patrimonio histórico o por sus bellezas naturales:
  • Oxford y sus innumerables monumentos
  • Canterbury y su famosa catedral
  • Bath y sus fuentes termales tan apreciadas por los romanos.
  • Iron Bridge y la garganta del Puente de Hierro, símbolo de la Revolución Industrial enclavado en un hermoso paisaje.
  • Blenheim y su palacio
  • Durham, su catedral, ejemplo de la arquitectura normanda y su castillo.
  • El Muro de Adriano, vestigio de la ocupación romana, construido en el año 122, fue la frontera de Roma y los bárbaros.
  • Canterbury con su renombrada catedral, la abadía y la iglesia Saint Martin, la más antigua de Inglaterra.
  • Saltaire, modelo impecable de un pueblo victoriano de viviendas para obreros textiles.
  • Dorset y sus yacimientos arqueológicos
  • Devon, espectaculares paisajes naturales y la abadía de Buckfast
  • El Parque Real Studley con las ruinas de la abadía de Fountains, ubicados en la región de Yorkshire.
  • Palacio de Blenheim, no lejos de Oxford, fue ofrecido a John Churchill para premiar su victoria sobre las tropas francesas en 1704.

Algunos destinos más atractivos que otros, según nuestros intereses turísticos pero, no podemos decir que conocemos Inglaterra y no caminamos por las calles de su capital.

Comencemos entonces por Londres y por su famoso barrio Notting Hill (plató de la película que interpretaran Julia Roberts y Hugh Grant) sus calles están llenas de un encanto especial, cerca se encuentran los jardines y el palacio de Kensington. Atravesando el Hyde Park, no podremos evitar el maravilloso palacio Buckingham, quizás el palacio más famoso del mundo. Siguiendo, podemos tomar un respiro en los maravillosos jardines del parque Saint James, preferentemente frente a su lago. Si tomamos por la Dowinng Street, puede ser que veamos, en el número 10, al Primer Ministro inglés dando una conferencia de prensa en la acera (si la policía londinense nos permite acercarnos). Podemos seguir nuestro recorrido haciendo compras, tomando una cerveza o escuchando música en el Covent Garden y cruzando el barrio financiero de Londres podemos acercarnos hasta la prestigiosa catedral Saint Paul y admirar su cúpula. Andando un poco más hacia el sur de la ciudad podemos asombrarnos en el barrio Westminster, con la célebre abadía, el palacio y la catedral, edificios tantas veces vistos en fotos, dibujos, cartas postales...tantas veces vistos como la Torre de Londres, o la rueda gigante que permite una vista panorámica de Londres, llamada el "ojo de Londres" (London Eye).

Alejarnos de Londres y su vida agitada no nos hará mal y una visita a Greenwich no sólo será un hermoso paréntesis a tanto bullicio sino que nos permitirá conocer una arquitectura diferente, su museo marítimo, su palacio y su parque.

Y, por supuesto, si estamos en Londres no olvidemos de presenciar el famoso cambio de la guardia real.

Viajar por Inglaterra también es conocer sus pequeñas islas, dueñas de una historia que se remonta a la Edad de bronce, pasando por las invasiones romanas y la ocupación alemana durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La más interesante es la isla Guernesey, entre Inglaterra y Francia, allí encontramos el castillo Cornet, en el puerto Saint Peter edificado en el año 1206 y que aloja un importante museo.

Inglaterra posee una importante cantidad de sitios protegidos o declarados Patrimonios de la Humanidad por la UNESCO, cada uno de ellos posee un valor único y características propias ya sean naturales o culturales.

Creo que, contrapuesto, uno de otro, hay dos lugares absolutamente imperdibles en un viaje a Inglaterra y son: el British Museum, con sus piezas únicas en el mundo y de un valor incalculable y Stonehenge, por su mística tan especial.

British Museum: Este museo encierra, en una colección de más de seis millones de objetos, toda la riqueza de la humanidad.

Stonehenge: Situado en la región de Wiltshire, al sudoeste de Inglaterra. Este conjunto megalítico intriga tanto a los científicos como a los turistas, muchas de las enormes piedras que formaban parte originalmente de la construcción han desaparecido pero, la piedra en el centro y tras la cual se eleva el sol todos los años en perfecta consonancia con el solsticio de verano, sigue en pie. Todos los años se reúnen cientos de personas, en absoluta paz, para observar el acontecimiento y es una experiencia realmente sobrecogedora, si estamos en Inglaterra en ese momento no dejemos de ir."
 
HAVE A GOOD TRIP AND BRING ME A SOUVENIR!!
 
Logitravel. (2004). Qué visitar en Inglaterra. recuperado de http://www.logitravel.com/guias-de-viajes/que-visitar-inglaterra-91_1.html

¿Qué se come en England?

Para que podáis ir conociendo otras costumbres culinarias. Os copio este texto que lo he sacado de una página gastronómica de Inglaterra. Espero que os guste y os deis cuenta que en España se come muy bien.

Cita: Logitravel. (2004). Gastronomía en Inglaterra. recuperado de http://www.logitravel.com/guias-de-viajes/gastronomia-inglaterra-91_2.html
 
                                                                                               Bon Apetit!!
 
Gastronomía en Inglaterra
English breakfast!! Delicious...
Y dice asi: "Comer en Inglaterra...costumbres alejadas del continente Si está en un pequeño pueblo del interior acuérdese de cenar antes de las 19h y si está en una gran ciudad trate de hacerlo antes de las 22h porque las cocinas cierran temprano...

El desayuno inglés completo se compone de: Porridge (avena con leche), jugo de frutas, huevos con panceta, salchichas, baked beans (judías en salsa), tostadas, mermelada de naranjas, café o té y leche.

Fish and chips (pescado y patatas fritas) comida popular, hoy ya no lo es tanto. La mayoría de los pubs sirven comida al mediodía, generalmente menú fijo: sopa, jacket potatoes (patatas rellenas) y sandwichs (emparedados).

Si pretendemos comer y no dejar nuestro presupuesto en un restaurante lo más conveniente son las comidas para llevar que venden muchos supermercados y panaderías. Son productos frescos, muy bien preparados e infinitamente más económicos, siempre hay un sitio en los alrededores donde sentarse a comer en toda tranquilidad. También hay cadenas que venden sandwiches.

Los restaurantes que ofrecen cocina internacional -fundamentalmente india, paquistaní, china, japonesa, italiana, mexicana, etc.- están presentes en las grandes ciudades, los precios de los restaurantes chinos son abordables y sus horarios son un poco más extensos.

La bebida nacional, por supuesto, es el : white (con leche) black (sin leche), el vino es muy caro, el ginger ale o la cidra pueden ordenarse en los pubs si no nos place la cerveza o el wisky.

GIVING DIRECTIONS IN ENGLISH!! DONT GET LOST AND LEARN HOW TO GET THERE!






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmK30rYNMU
CC BY 3.0

Gonzalez, L. (2014). 12.1 Asking for and giving directions. Recuperado de https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmK30rYNMU

Como en todos los idiomas, entender como dar y recibir "directions" es igual de difícil en todos los idiomas y en inglés no iba a ser menos. Aquí os dejo algunos consejos y "tips" para que vayáis viendo como va el tema. Espero que aprendáis mucho y que si en un futuro os vais fuera de España podáis decir que aprendisteis a decir "turn left or right" porque lo visteis aquí primero.



Según la web https://www.speaklanguages.com/ nos facilita varios formas de preguntar que os pueden ayudar a preguntar por direcciones.

speak languages. (2006-2014). Giving and receiving directions. Recuperado de https://www.speaklanguages.com/

Os las dejo a continuación:

Asking directions

excuse me, could you tell me how to get to …?
the bus station
excuse me, do you know where the … is?
post office
I'm sorry, I don't know
sorry, I'm not from around here
I'm looking for …
this address
are we on the right road for …?
Brighton
is this the right way for …?
Ipswich
do you have a map?
can you show me on the map?

Giving directions

it's this way
it's that way
you're going the wrong way
you're going in the wrong direction
take this road
go down there
take the first on the left
take the second on the right
turn right at the crossroads
continue straight ahead for about a mile (one mile is approximately 1.6 kilometres)
continue past the fire station
you'll pass a supermarket on your left
keep going for another …
hundred yards (about 91 metres)
two hundred metres
half mile (about 800 metres)
kilometre
it'll be …
on your left
on your right
straight ahead of you








                                               TWITTER FOR OUR BUSINESS -



Would you like to use Twitter for your business. Read this article and learn how to do it. I found it very interesting and very helpful. The article claims that...
 
Twitter.(2014). What is twitter? recuperado de https://business.twitter.com/basics/learn-twitter?lang=en&location=emea


"People come to Twitter to discover what’s happening in the world right now, to share information instantly, and to connect with people and businesses around the globe. With hundreds of millions of users and over 500 million Tweets being sent each day, there is a great opportunity for businesses to reach a global audience of new and existing customers. No matter what type of business you are — from a large retailer to a freelance designer; from a B2B software provider to a mobile app company — you can use Twitter to build meaningful connections with a relevant and engaged audience. These connections can lead to actions across a network of loyal customers for your business."

Read more in https://business.twitter.com/basics?lang=en&location=emea

Adverbs, adverbs and more adverbs

CC BY 2.0

The most typical adverbs are: already, still and yet but we are going to study more of them to get used to.


Today!!! Adverbs... Seguro que os gustaran muy mucho. Ya sabéis, tenéis que leerlos hasta que estéis seguros de que os los sabéis todos.

Let´s party guys!!

English intermediate I. (2010). Adverbs and Adjectives. Recuperado de http://englishintermediatejl.blogspot.com.es/p/adverbes.HTML
 
 
 
I have looked for information and I found a great website where you can check and Re-check the adverbs in English. Do not forget that this information is located in a gorgeous website where you can find more info. The website is http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/adverbien.htm Have a look at it!!


 
 
English-hilfen.de. (1995-2015). The adverbs in English Grammar – Summary. Recuperado de http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/adverbien.htm

1. The adverbs and the adjectives in English

Adjectives tell us something about a person or a thing. Adjectives can modify nouns (here: girl) or pronouns (here: she).
Adverbs tell us in what way someone does something. Adverbs can modify verbs (here: drive), adjectives or other adverbs.
adjectiveadverb
Mandy is a careful girl.Mandy drives carefully.
She is very careful.She drives carefully.
Mandy is a careful driver. This sentence is about Mandy, the driver, so use the adjective.
Mandy drives carefully. This sentence is about her way of driving, so use the adverb.

2. Form

Adjective + -ly
adjectiveadverb
dangerousdangerously
carefulcarefully
nicenicely
horriblehorribly
easyeasily
electronicelectronically
Irregular forms:
adjectiveadverb
goodwell
fastfast
hardhard
If the adjective ends in -y, change -y to -i. Then add -ly:
  • happy – happily
but:
  • shy – shyly
If the adjective ends in -le, the adverb ends in -ly:
  • terrible – terribly
If the adjective ends in -e, then add -ly:
  • safe – safely
► Not all words ending in -ly are adverbs:
  • adjectives ending in -ly: friendly, silly, lonely, ugly
  • nouns, ending in -ly: ally, bully, Italy, melancholy
  • verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, supply
There is no adverb for an adjective ending in -ly.

3. Use of adverbs

3.1. to modify verbs

The handball team played badly last Saturday.

3.2. to modify adjectives

It was an extremely bad match.

3.3. to modify adverbs

The handball team played extremely badly last Wednesday.

3.4. to modify quantities

There are quite a lot of people here.

3.5. to modify sentences

Unfortunately, the flight to Dallas had been cancelled.

4. Types of adverbs

4.1. Adverbs of manner

  • quickly
  • kindly

4.2. Adverbs of degree

  • very
  • rather

4.3. Adverbs of frequency

  • often
  • sometimes

4.4. Adverbs of time

  • now
  • today

4.5. Adverbs of place

  • here
  • nowhere

5. How do know whether to use an adjective or an adverb?

John is a careful driver. – In this sentences we say how John is – careful. If we want to say that the careful John did not drive the usual way yesterday – we have to use the adverb:
  • John did not drive carefully yesterday.
Here is another example:
  • I am a slow walker. (How am I? → slowadjective)
  • I walk slowly. (Ho do I walk? → slowlyadverb)

6. Adjective or Adverb after special verbs

Both adjectives and adverbs may be used after look, smell and taste. Mind the change in meaning.
Here are two examples:
adjectiveadverb
The pizza tastes good.
(How is the pizza?)
Jamie Oliver can taste well.
(How can Jamie Oliver taste?)
Peter's feet smell bad.
(How are his feet?)
Peter can smell badly.
(How can Peter smell?)
Do not get confused with good/well.
  • Linda looks good. (What type of person is she?)
  • Linda looks well. (How is Linda? – She may have been ill, but now she is fit again.)
  • How are you? – I'm well, thank you.
One can assume that in the second/third sentence the adverb well is used, but this is wrong – well can be an adjective (meaning fit/healthy), or an adverb of the adjective good.

Conclusion:

  • Use the adjective when you say something about the person itself.
  • Use the adverb, when you want to say about the action.

PHRASAL VERBS


CC BY - NC 2.0
 
Os pongo  Phrasal verbs para que vayáis leyendo. No os preocupéis que al final uno se acostumbra a ellos.

        

            Enjoy them!!


El blog de idiomas.es. (2014). 150 Phrasal Verbs con traducción y ejemplos. Recuperado de http://elblogdeidiomas.es/150-phrasalverbs-traduccion-ejemplo/



1. Get on
Subir/montarse
The bus was full.We couldn’t get on.
El autobús estaba completo, no pudimos subirnos.

2. Drive off
Marcharse (en un vehículo) de algún lugar
A woman got into the car and drove off.
Una mujer se subió al coche y se marchó.

3. Come back
Volver a algún lugar.
Sally is leaving tomorrow and coming back on Saturday.
Sally se va mañana y vuelve el sábado.

3. Turn round
Cambiar de dirección, girarse
When I touched him on the shoulder,he turned round.
Cuando le toqué en el hombro, él se giró.

4. Break down
Dejar de funcionar , dejar de operar. (romperse)
Sorry I’m late.The car broke down.
Siento llegar tarde. El coche dejó de funcionar (se rompió)

5. Look out
Ser cuidadoso, estar atento, permanecer atento.
Look out!There’s a car coming
Presta atención!, Viene un coche.

6.Take off
Despegar
It was my first flight.I was nervous as the plane took off.
Fué mi primer vuelo. Estaba nervioso hasta que el avión despegó.

7. Get on
Ponerse, Llevarse (bien/mal) con alguien, llevar algo (¿cómo lo llevas? how do you get it on?)
How was the exam?how did you get on?
¿Qué tal el examen? ¿Cómo te fué?

8. Get by
Apañárselas
My french isn’t very good, but it’s enough to get by.
My francés no es muy bueno, pero es suficiente para apañármelas.

9. Run away (from)
Escaparse, huir, alejarse.
Why did you run away from me?
¿Por qué huiste de mí?

10. Keep up (with)
Llevar el ritmo
You’re walking too fast. I can’t keep up with you.
Estás andando muy rápido. No puedo llevar tu ritmo

Modal verbs


CC BY - SA 4.0
 
Today, we are gonna practice the modal verbs in English. Here you can find a link were you can fill up the blank spaces and check the correct ones in just a second.

Hope you will enjoy the exercise!!! Good luck and continue practising.





English page.com. (2015). Modal verbs Exercise 1. Recuperado de http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal1.htm



                click here!!!!   ____>   MODAL VERBS ARE FUNNY!!!





Mónica. (2006). El blog para aprender inglés "mensaje en un blog". Recuperado de http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com.es/2006/05/lesson-17-can-could-and-be-able-to.html

Estás en una clase de nivel "intermediate".

Si quieres empezar como beginner, ve a lesson 1. 


Estudia las diferencias entre estas oraciones:

  • I can't go [aikean'tgou]. No puedo ir (Present Tense)
  • I couldn't go [aikudn'tgou]. No pude ir (Past Tense)
  • I could go if I wanted [aikudgouifaiguanted]. Yo podría ir si quisiera. (Conditional)
  • I haven't been able to go [aihaven'tbiinebeltugou]. No he podido ir. (Present Perfect)
  • I wasn't able to go [aiguasenteibol tugou]. No pude ir.(Past Tense)
  •  ¿Cuáles son las reglas que rigen la utilización de "Can", "Could" y "Be able to"? 
     

    Reglas para utilizar "Can", "Could" y "Be able to":
     

  • "Can" es un verbo modal (auxiliar) que sólo se puede utilizar en Presente, es decir, "Yo puedo, Tú puedes, etc. " Ejemplo: "You can work [iukeanguork]". Tu puedes trabajar.
  • "Could" es un verbo modal que sólo se puede utilizar: 1. En Pasado:,"Yo pude, Tú pudiste, etc. " Ejemplo: "Could you work yesterday? [kudiuguork iesterdei]." ¿Pudiste trabajar ayer? 2. En Condicional: "Yo podría, Tú podrías, etc. " Ejemplo: "I could do it [ai kuduIt]." "Yo podría hacerlo." 3. Subjuntivo: Puede que... Ejemplo: "She could come [shikudkam]." Puede que (ella) venga. Observación: La traducción del inglés al español, "puede que" o "podría", dependerá del contexto de la oración.
  •  
  • MUY IMPORTANTE:-"Can" y "Could" a veces (*), NO se pueden utilizar con otros verbos auxiliares. En cambio, "be able to" sí puede utilizarse con otros verbos auxiliares porque no es un verbo auxiliar. (*) Hay algunas excepciones. Por ejemplo, se puede decir: "I could have done it [ai kudhavdonIt]." "Yo podría haberlo hecho." "Have" es en este caso un verbo auxiliar. Cuando no se puede utilizar "Can" o "Could", empleamos la expresión "to be able to" [tubieiboltu].Por ejemplo decimos: "I haven't been able to play [ai haven´tbiineiboltuplei]" "No he podido jugar." No decimos: "I haven't can play" o "I haven't could play. (ambos incorrectos). - "Be able to" [bieiboltu] es el verbo "to be" más un adjetivo "able" que significa "ser capaz de", tener una habilidad específica. - "Be able to" se puede utilizar en todos los tiempos. Veamos algunos ejemplos: - Present: "I am able to do it [ai ameibol tuduIt]." Yo soy capaz de hacerlo. - Past: "You were able to swim [iugüer eibol tusswim]" Tú sabías (podías) nadar - Present Perfect: "She hasn't been able to come [shii hasent biin eibol tukam]." Ella no ha podido venir. - Future: "They will be able to fly [dei güilbi eibol tuflai]" Ellos podrán volar. - Conditional: "I would be able to do it, if you let me [ai wudbii eiboltudoIt if iuletmi]" Yo sería capaz (podría) de hacerlo, si tú me dejaras.



  • Phonetics are a very important part of the learning!

    Ya sé que es un poco "rollo" el tener que aprenderse o por lo menos, echar un vistazo a las "phonetics". Una vez os hayáis aprendido unas cuantas, ya veréis como no es tan difícil. Os dejo un link en el que podréis jugar y ya veréis como no es tan difícil.

                                                   ¡Venga que vosotros podéis!
     
     
     
     
    click it. You will find interesting phonetics information in it:

     
     
     
     
    I leave you some interesting info about phonetics and pronuntiation in English. Have a look and if you have any question, please do not hesitate and contact me or the rest of the class.


     
     
    Study englis today. (2002-2015). English phonetics. Recuperado dehttp://www.studyenglishtoday.net/english-phonetics.html
     

    Phonetics and Phonology

    Phonetics (from the Greek word phone = sound/voice) is a fundamental branch of Linguistics and itself has three different aspects:
    • Articulatory Phonetics - describes how vowels and consonants are produced or “articulated” in various parts of the mouth and throat;
    •  
    • Acoustic Phonetics - a study of how speech sounds are transmitted: when sound travels through the air from the speaker's mouth to the hearer's ear it does so in the form of vibrations in the air;
    •  
    • Auditory Phonetics - a study of how speech sounds are perceived: looks at the way in which the hearer’s brain decodes the sound waves back into the vowels and consonants originally intended by the speaker.
    The actual sound produced, such as a simple vowel or consonant sound is called phone.
    Closely associated with Phonetics is another branch of Linguistics known as Phonology. Phonology deals with the way speech sounds behave in particular languages or in languages generally. This focuses on the way languages use differences between sounds in order to convey differences of meaning between words. All theories of phonology hold that spoken language can be broken down into a string of sound units (phonemes). A phoneme is the smallest ‘distinctive unit sound’ of a language. It distinguishes one word from another in a given language. This means changing a phoneme in a word, produces another word, that has a different meaning. In the pair of words (minimal pairs) 'cat' and 'bat', the distinguishing sounds /c/ and /b/ are both phonemes. The phoneme is an abstract term (a speech sound as it exists in the mind of the speaker) and it is specific to a particular language.
    A phoneme may have several allophones, related sounds that are distinct but do not change the meaning of a word when they are interchanged. The sounds corresponding to the letter "t" in the English words 'tea' and 'trip' are not in fact quite the same. The position of the tongue is slightly different, which causes a difference in sound detectable by an instrument such as a speech spectrograph. Thus the [t] in 'tea' and the [t] in 'trip' are allophones of the phoneme /t/.
    Phonology is the link between Phonetics and the rest of Linguistics. Only by studying both the phonetics and the phonology of English is it possible to acquire a full understanding of the use of sounds in English speech.

    What time is it?

    Estás por una calle de Londres y te has olvidado el reloj o el móvil y tienes una cita a las 14:35 pero no sabes que hora es... Aquí podrás aprender como puedes preguntar a un extraño ¿Qué hora es?

                                        ¡¡Haz click en la foto y te llevará a un video interesantísimo!!

    English language games. (2011). What Time Is It Teacher? ESL game - English Language Games    Recuperado de https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMZ-MXsI0U
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMZ-MXsI0U
    CC BY 2.0
     
    What time is it?

    Find this game and many more in my book "ESL Games for Kids - Proven Ideas for Teaching English Through Listening Exercises, Fun Activities and Games" http://amzn.to/1b2HblS
    DAY 11 - Same rules as "What time is it Mr.Wolf?" but with an ESL twist! Have the kids ask "What time is it teacher?" and practice all the different ways to tell the time. Just make sure you have enough room to run and "catch" them when you say "It's lunch time!"
    Play the game in full for each way of telling time:
    1) It's # o'clock
    9:00
    2) It's "hour-minute" 2:26am
    3) It's quarter to/past 4:45pm or 7:15am
    4) It's half past 6:30am
    5) It's # to/past 5:10pm

    What´s the weather like today?

    A los que no sepáis como se pregunta por el tiempo. Aquí tenéis un link en el que podréis acceder y escuchar como se pregunta ¿Qué tiempo hace? en inglés.

    Prácticarlo y lo vamos viendo si tenéis alguna duda.

    ¡Suerte!





    Haz clic sobre la imagen y te llevará a un video muy interesante:

    Wattsenglish. (2012). Whats the weather like? | English for Children | English for Kids. Recuperado de https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xMMWHVbjGk

    How to learn: What´s the weather like?
     
     
    

     

    kids crossing. (2011). What is climate?. Recuperado de https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/what1.htm

    What's the difference between weather and climate?

    Weather is what the forecasters on the TV news predict each day. They tell people about the
    CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
    temperature, cloudiness, humidity, and whether a storm is likely in the next few days. That’s weather! It is the mix of events that happens each day in our atmosphere. Weather is not the same everywhere. It may be hot and sunny in one part of the world, but freezing and snowy in another.
    Climate is the average weather in a place over many years. While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to change.

    viernes, 20 de noviembre de 2015

    Verb To Be



    CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

    Verb to be

    Es un tema fácil pero me gustaría que lo repasásemos todos juntos otra vez. Os voy a dejar un cuadro en el que podréis leer y revisar este verbo que tanto usamos en inglés pero que también fallamos mucho. ¡Así que ánimo y a por él!

     
     
    Mcnamara, J.M. (2011). The forms of "to be". Recuperado de http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/to_be.htm

                                      The Forms of “To Be”

    The Greek sea god, Proteus, was (like the sea) capable of changing form in an instant. In order to get any decent information out of him, you had to grab him and hold on tight while he went through his various forms — lion, wild boar, snake, tree, running stream — it wasn't easy. The verb “To be” is said to be the most protean of the English language, constantly changing form, sometimes without much of a discernible pattern. Considering that we use it so often, it is really too bad that the verb “To be” has to be the most irregular, slippery verb in the language.
     
     
    Present Tense
    I amWe are
    You areYou are
    He/She/It isThey are



    Past Tense
    I wasWe were
    You wereYou were
    He/She/It wasThey were



    Perfect Form (past participle)
    I have been, etc.
    Progressive Form (present participle)
    I am being, etc.



    We must choose carefully among these various forms when selecting the proper verb to go with our subject. Singular subjects require singular verbs; plural subjects require plural verbs. That's usually an easy matter. We wouldn't write “The troops was moving to the border.” But some sentences require closer attention. Do we write “The majority of students is (or are) voting against the referendum"? Review carefully the material in our section on Subject-Verb Agreement, and notice how often the choices we make require a familiarity with these forms of the “To be” verb.

                                     Simple Questions

    We create simple yes/no questions by inverting the order of subject and the “To be” verb.
    • Is your brother taller than you?
    • Am I bothering you?
    • Were they embarrassed by the comedian?
    The same inversion takes place when “To be” is combined with verbs in the progressive:
    • Am I working with you today?
    • Is it snowing in the mountains?
    • Were your children driving home this weekend?

                           The Linking and Existential 'To Be'

    The verb “To be” most frequently works in conjunction with another verb: “He is playing the piano,” “She will be arriving this afternoon.” Occasionally, though, the verb will stand by itself, alone, in a sentence. This is especially true in simple, brief answers to questions.
    “Who's going to the movies with me?”
    “I am

    “Who's responsible for this mess in the bathroom?”
    “She is.”
    In sentences such as these, the subject usually receives the intonation stress and the voice falls off on the verb.
    An auxiliary can be combined with the base form of “To be” to provide simple answers to questions that use forms of “to be.”
    “Is Heitor in class this morning?”
    “Well, he might be.”

    “Is anyone helping Heitor with his homework?”
    “I'm not sure. Suzanne could be.”

    The verb “To be” also acts as a linking verb, joining the sentence subject with a subject complement or adjective complement. A linking verb provides no action to a sentence: the subject complement re-identifies the subject; the adjective complement modifies it. (For further information and additional vocabulary in dealing with linking verbs, visit the hyperlinks in this paragraph.)
    • Professor Moriber is the Director of Online Learning.
    • Our trip to Yellowstone was fantastic!

                              In Passive Constructions

    A form of the verb “To be” is combined with a past participle to form the passive. Passive verb constructions are useful when the subject of an action is not as important as what the subject did (the action of the sentence) or when the subject is unknown. For instance, the police might report that “The professor was assaulted in the hallways” because they do not know the perpetrator of this heinous crime. In technical writing, where the process is more important than who is doing the activity, we might report that “Three liters of fluid is filtered through porous glass beads.” Regardless of the verb's purpose, only the auxiliary form of “To be” changes; the participle stays the same. The “To be” will change form to indicate whether the subject is singular or plural:
    • The foundation is supported by enormous floating caissons that keep it from sinking into the swamp.
    • They were constructed by workers half submerged in the murky waters.
    Notice how the information about who did the action is frequently found in a prepositional phrase beginning with “by.” Passive constructions do not always include this information:
    • Wooden caissons were used until fiberglass structures were developed in the 1950s.
    • Caissons were also designed to function under water in the construction of bridges.
    The “To be” will also change to indicate the time of the action and the aspect of the verb (simple, progressive, perfect).
    • Water is pumped out of the caisson to create an underwater work chamber. (simple present)
    • Some caissons were moved to other construction sites. (simple past)
    • While the water was being pumped out, workers would enter the top of the waterproof chamber. (past progressive)
    • Many other uses of caisson construction have been explored. (present perfect)
    • Caissons had been used by the ancient Romans. (past perfect)
    • Other uses will be found. (future)
    The “To be” verb can be combined with other modal forms (along with the past participle of the main verb) to convey other kinds of information. See the section on modals for the various kinds of information conveyed by modals (advisability, predictability, guessing, necessity, possibility, etc.).
    • The wall joints may be weakened if the caissons can't be rebuilt.
    • Perhaps the caissons should be replaced; I think they ought to be.
    • These ancient, sturdy structures might have been rotted by constant exposure to water.
    Visit our section on the passive for advice on when to use the passive and when to substitute more active verb forms.
    When “To be” verbs are combined with modal forms in this manner, the construction is called a phrasal modal. Here are some more examples:
    • Rosario was able to finish her degree by taking online courses.
    • She wasn't supposed to graduate until next year.
    • She will be allowed to participate in commencement, though.
    • She is about to apply to several graduate programs.
    • She is going to attend the state university next fall.
    Sometimes it is difficult to say whether a “To be” verb is linking a subject to a participle or if the verb and participle are part of a passive construction. In “Certain behaviors are allowed,” is "are” linking “behaviors” to "allowed" (a participle acting as a predicate adjective) or is “are allowed” a passive verb? In the final analysis, it probably doesn't matter, but the distinction leads to some interesting variations. Consider the difference between
    •  
      The jurists were welcomed.
      and
    • The jurists were welcome.
    In the first sentence, the participle “welcomed” (in this passive construction) emphasizes the action of welcoming: the smiles, the hearty greetings, the slaps on the back. In the second sentence, the predicate adjective “welcome” describes the feeling that the jurists must have had upon being so welcomed.

















     

    jueves, 19 de noviembre de 2015

    Walking in London!

     
                        CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
     
     
     
     
    Visit London.com (2015). Walking in London. Recuperado de http://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/walking
      
    Travelling within Central London on foot can save time, as many landmark locations are closer to each other than you might think. Ever changed lines to get the Tube between Covent Garden and Leicester Square? Actually they're only five minutes' walk apart!
    London is one of the most foot-friendly cities in the world and much has been done to improve London's pedestrian environment. Works include increasing the accessibility of London's streets and more facilities for people with special needs and restricted mobility. 
    The TfL website features useful resources for walkers. You can discover leisure routes across the capital, accessibility information, and find out about special walking events.
    TfL's online journey planner is a handy tool for London walkers as well as those planning a journey on public transport. Click on the Cycling and Walking tab for those options.
    As well as getting around, walking can be a great way to see the sights, either independently or as part of an organised tour. See our page on London Walking Tours to find out more.
    Finding your way in London is easier with a pocket atlas, available from any good bookshop or Tourist Information Centre. One of these will make London's complex street network much more navigable. Buy a Collins Pocket Atlas now
    Remember that cars drive on the left in the UK, so be careful to look in the correct direction for oncoming traffic when crossing the road. It's always a good idea to know where you're heading and to take the same precautions as you would in any major city.
    Mobile applications such as Google Maps are useful tools for finding your way around London, but remember to keep an eye on where you're going and watch out for traffic and other footpath users! See our Top 10 Free London Apps page for suggestions of other great mobile apps to help guide you around London on foot.