Gastronomy Contest: British Desserts

Remember, if you want to take part in the Gastronomy Contest that will take place at the school next Thursday, May 31st, let me know! Below you have some links where you can find typical and traditional British desserts. Enjoy your meal!

Typical British desserts:
Delicious apple crumble!
Lovely blueberry muffins
Tasty Carrot Cake
Traditional Plum cake

You can recycle more than you think! - Different articles on environmental issues

On this link you can check a list of recyclable household items. Very interesting article!

And here you have the Top Ten Steps to help you recycle properly.

And What does Reduce, Reuse and Recycle mean?

Direct and indrect questions

Form and meaning

1. If we do not begin a question directly, but begin it with something like Can you tell me...? / Do you know...? / I wonder if...? the word order is the same as in an affirmative statement.
   • Direct question: What is he doing?
     Indirect question: Do you know what he is doing?
   • Direct question: Where have they been?
     Indirect question: I wonder where they have been?
2. If the direct question contains the auxiliary do, we omit it in the indirect question.
   • Direct question: What do you want?
     Indirect question: Can you tell me what you want?
   • Direct question: When did she leave?
     Indirect question: Do you know when she left?
3. In yes / no questions, we use if or whether. The word order is the same as in reported questions.
• Direct question: Have you seen my dog?
  Indirect question: Could you tell me if you have seen my dog?

Extracted from here

1. Exercises here
2. Listen to this explanation. You als have the transcript, a grammar explanation and exercises
3. Watch the flatmates episode on indirect questions and have a look at the grammar explanation and quiz.

Passive voice

Links to grammar and exercises

Grammar and exercises

Plenty of exercises on the Passive Voice
Rephrasing
Different tests on the passive

Quiz: How green are you?

Do the following quiz and discover how green you are. You will learn some new vocabulary!

Going green

How has technology changed our lives?

How has technology changed our lives? Do you think that the video is right? 

Give your opinion and post your comments!

How to save energy. Video that we watched in class.

Reading comprehension. Different texts.

The Digital Divide. True or false.

http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/13.html

Biofuels and the Environment. Multiple choice.

http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/42.html

Shambo. True or false.

http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/43.html

The ZX Spectrum. True or false.

http://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/37.html

Conditionals: zero, first, second and third type conditionals

GRAMMAR EXPLANATION
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences
http://www.shertonenglish.com/resources/es/conditionals.php with exercises
http://www.slideshare.net/rosarioa.slide/conditional-sentences

Type 0.
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/type0/menu.php
http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~etenet/SConditionalSentences1.htm

Type 1.
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson19/05.html
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/if_clauses/type_1_statements.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/if_clauses/type_1_mix2.htm

Type 2. 
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/2cond.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/if_clauses/type_2_statements.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-2/exercises
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=5819

Type 3. 
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/3cond.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/if_type3.htm         
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/if_conditional6.php
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-3/exercises
http://www.learnenglish.de/tests/conditionals/testtype3.html
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=3123
http://abdessalami.bravehost.com/if-clause.html
         
Grammar with pronunciation
http://www.shertonenglish.com/resources/es/conditionals/type3.php

Exercises mixing all types of conditionals: http://www.nonstopenglish.com/lang/es/allexercises/grammar/grammar-conditional.asp

What did Jim do last weekend?

Jim does not remember exactly what he did last weekend. You can use his story to write a comment on what he did. You can also add your own guesses!

45-minute documentary: The Enemies of Reason

Here you have a very interesting video about superstitions. Professor Richard Dawkings thinks that superstitions lead us away from reality. As a scentist, he thinks that they are dangerous and can undermine the power of science. Do you agree with Professor Richard Dawkings? Why? Why not? What reasons does he provide?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzGEst8BFdg&feature=bf_prev&list=SP70A97AD35A4B848E&lf=list_related

Video - Audio about superstitions

'

Do you know all the superstitions he talks about?

Are you superstitious?

Do the quizes and find out how supertitious you are!

http://www.funquizcards.com/quiz/astrology/are-you-superstitious.php

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/2sXQI8C/Are-You-Superstitious-Find-out-now

Past Simple vs Past Continuous

We use Past Simple for:

a. a single completed action
b. a habit or routine (a repeated action) in the past
c. a state in the past

We use Past Continuous for:

a. a longer action in the past
b. actions that were in progress when a shorter action happened

For more info click here
For practise, click here and here

            

Call that a holiday?

Do you remember the text about a different holilday? Well , look at this and this article tabout Safary and Surgeon... They do exist!!

Time expressions: perfect tenses

For and since

- We use for with a period of time (from the moment it started until now): They have been together for 23 years
- We use since with a point in time (the exact moment when something happened): They have been together since 1978

Been and gone

- Go has 2 past participles: been and gone.
                     We use been to mean 'go and come back': I have just been to the city centre
                     We use gone to mean 'go, but not back yet': She has just gone to the ciy centre

Adverbs and time phrases

- We use just to say something happened a short time ago. We don't use just  in negative sentences:
              We've just come back from the airport has happened

- We use yet to indicate that something hasn't happened
              I haven't finished it yet!

- We use already to say something happened sooner than expected:
            Mary has already arrived home.

More information here and here
More practice here

Present perfect simple vs Present simple continuous

Remember that the Present Perfect Simple is a tense that refers to the PRESENT NOT TO THE PAST. It is used to describe an action that started in the past but that has an influence over the present

- We usually use the Present Perfect Simple to talk about a state that started in the past and continues in the present. We usually use the PPS to say how many things are finished.
                             They've been  married since 1972.
                             They've publised 390 books since the company began

- We usually use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about an activity that started in the past and continues in the present (we focus in the process). We usually use the PPC to say how long an activity has been happening.
                            They have been publishing guidebooks for 30 years.


Here you have some links if you need more information:
http://www.aulafacil.com/Ingejerc/Lecciones/Lecc21.htm
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/averroes/~14700596/departamentos/present_perf.htm

Now... It's time to practise!!

http://www.autoenglish.org/gr.percon.i.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs7.htm
http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz28bka.htm