This blog is aimed at English students that want to review and improve all the important topics dealt with in the classroom.
Every week you could see the pages of the coursebook or workbook that have been explained in the classroom and the activities proposed as homework.
You could also see some useful links of websites that will help you to improve your English language.
Feel free to ask anything you need.
Enjoy your English!
When we use a negative adverb or adverb phrase at the beginning of the sentence.
Usually, we put the expression at the beginning of the sentence to emphasise what we're saying. It makes our sentence sound surprising or striking or unusual. It also sounds quite formal. If you don't want to give this impression, you can put the negative expression later in the sentence in the normal way:
Seldom have I seen such beautiful work. ('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence emphasizes what beautiful work it is.)
I have seldom seen such beautiful work. ('Seldom' is in the normal place, so we don't use inversion. This is a normal sentence with no special emphasis.)
Here are some negative adverbs and adverb phrases that we often use with inversion:
Hardly
Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang.
Never
Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before.
Seldom
Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance.
Rarely
Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.
Only then
Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened.
Not only ... but
Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.
No sooner
No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
Scarcely
Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back of a car.
Only later
Only later did she really think about the situation.
Nowhere
Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.
Little
Little did he know!
Only in this way
Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.
In no way
In no way do I agree with what you're saying.
On no account
On no account should you do anything without asking me first.
In the following expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence:
Not until
Not until I saw John with my own eyes did I really believe he was safe.
Not since
Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time.
Only after
Only after I'd seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live there.
Only when
Only when we'd all arrived home did I feel calm.
Only by
Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat.
We only use inversion when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and not when it modifies the noun: Hardly anyone passed the exam. (No inversion.)
Lately, your best friend is finding it difficult to make ends meet and has asked you for some advice. You´ve read an article with very good tips for managing money and getting financial stability. Summarise the key information for them.
Those who have ever dreamed of emigrating to the USA will know there is no getting around a US Green Card. Principally, the Green Card is an identification card indicating the holder’s status to live and work in the USA permanently.
STUDENT A CRIME AND DELINQUENCY Breaking the law and antisocial behaviour are two of the most important problems of modern cities. Do you think life in a small town or village is less violent than in a big city?
Read these suggestions and talk about them: The most common crimes in our society. Where are these crimes more frequent? STUDENT B CRIME AND DELINQUENCY Breaking the law and antisocial behaviour are two of the most important problems of modern cities. Do you think life in a small town or village is less violent than in a big city? Read these suggestions and talk about them: Why do you think people break the law? Suggest some ideas to help reduce crime.
👉WRITTEN MEDIATION
Watch the following videos and take notes on key information to do the task below. You can use subtitles to understand all the important information.
The British authorities have done some videos with testimonies from different prison officers in which they explain what is involved in their job. You have a friend who’s trying to decide which career path he/she should follow.
Write an email explaining to your friend why this could be the perfect job for him/her and encouraging him/her to apply for it (about 200 words).
Choose a folktale or fairy story you know well and tell the story. What would be the modern version of that folktale or fairy story? What makes a good story? What makes a good storyteller? Do you know anyone who's a particularly good storyteller? What kind of stories does he or she tell? When did you last hear a good story? What was it about? Do you prefer reading stories or listening to them? How important are folktales and fairy stories in forming someone's cultural background? Are folktales and fairy stories taught in schools? Certain groups of people criticise myths and fairy tales for communicating an undesirable set of values. How do you feel about this?
IREMOS COMO GRUPO LOS ALUMNOS DE B1 DE LAS 17.00 Y LOS DE C1 DE LAS 19.00 QUE PUEDAN LLEGAR ANTES. EL RESTO DE ALUMNOS QUE NO TIENEN CLASE ESE DÍA TAMBIÉN PUEDEN ASISTIR.
Participle clauses are a form of adverbial clause which enables us to say information in a more economical way. We can use participle clauses when the participle and the verb in the main clause have the same subject. For example:
Waiting for John, I made some tea.
Waiting for John, the kettle boiled. [This would suggest that the kettle was waiting for John!]
Forming participle clauses
Participle clauses can be formed with the present participle (-ing form of the verb) or past participle(third form of the verb). Participle clauses with past participles have a passive meaning:
Shouting loudly, Peter walked home. [Peter was shouting]
Shouted at loudly, Peter walked home. [Someone was shouting at Peter]
If we wish to emphasise that one action was before another then we can use a perfect participle(having + past participle):
Having won the match, Susan jumped for joy.
Having been told the bad news, Susan sat down and cried.
👉Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Social Media Regulation: Should there be stricter laws to govern social media platforms?
Climate Change: Should governments implement stricter regulations to combat climate change, even if it means sacrificing economic growth?
Gun Control: Should there be stricter regulations on gun ownership to reduce gun-related violence?
Universal Basic Income: Is universal basic income a feasible solution to combat poverty and inequality?
Animal Testing: Is it ethical to use animals for scientific and medical research?
Death Penalty: Is capital punishment an effective deterrent for crime, or is it morally wrong?
Immigration Policies: Should countries have stricter or more lenient immigration policies?
Censorship in Media: Should governments censor certain types of content in the media to protect public morality?
Euthanasia: Should individuals have the right to choose euthanasia if they are suffering from terminal illnesses?
The Ethics of Genetic Engineering: Is altering human DNA morally acceptable?
Bullying Among Adults: Is enough attention given to bullying in the workplace? How should companies address workplace bullying, and what legal protections should be in place for employees?
Opinion essay: in an opinion essay the writer states his opinion and supports it with facts, evidence and examples but he doesn’t try to convince the reader.
Persuasive essay: in a persuasive essay the writer tries to convince the reader to agree with his opinion. The author uses logic and facts, definitions and examples in order to persuade the reader to share his point of view.
TASK : Write about ONE of the topics you discussed before.
DEADLINE:
You should spend about 50 minutes on this task.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge. Make sure that you use advanced vocabulary and grammar. Also, use connectors to give cohesion and coherence to your writing.
You should write 175-200 words. Remember that extension is part of the task
In Britain, a COLLEGE is a place where people can receive vocational training after school. e.g. a secretarial college, or a teacher training college.
In the US, a COLLEGE is a synonym of a university.
GRADES AND MARKS IN THE UK.
marks= numbers
grades= letters. He got a grade A in chemistry.
In Britain, your first (undergraduate) degree is a BA(arts or humanities) or a BSc (science). If you do post-graduate study, you may get an MA or an MSc. After several years of original research and publishing a thesis, you can get a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). Undergraduates usually write essays; a long essay is called a dissertation. A thesis is longer still and contains original research.
Useful vocabulary • To have one’s head or nose in the
books- to be studying all the time. • To hit the books – means to study
hard. • To skip class – to not go to class • To pass with flying colours – to
pass something easily and with a
high score. • To learn something off by heart –
To learn something in such a way
that you can say it from memory. • education system • boarding school • subjects • university fees • to have /get a grant • a gap year - when students take a
year off between school and
university and visit another country • state schools/ private schools • to sit an exam • to pass an exam/ to fail an exam • your marks • primary school/secondary school • to have a degree in...law 👉2021-22 ordinaria Andalucía
1. Are you interested in art? Why or why not? 2. Do you have a favourite piece of art or a favourite artist? Are there any famous artists from your country? 3. Do you have any art in your house? 4. What is the art scene like where you live? Where are the best places to see art in your city/country? 5. Which country do you think is the most creative for art? 6. How often do you go to museums? What's the best museum you've visited? What are some famous museums you'd like to visit? Why? 7. Is it expensive to visit museums? Should museums be free? 8. Should governments spend people's taxes on the arts or on maintaining museums? Why or why not? 9. Did you like drawing when you were a kid? 1. Are you interested in art? Why or why not?
___________________________________________
. Art Conversation Questions
1. What is the purpose of art in your opinion? Does art change the way you think or feel? How?
2. Do you think art is pretentious in any way? Can it be intimidating to people?
3. Do you think that art is important to society? Why or why not?
4. Do you like modern art? Why or why not? What is the difference between modern art and earlier art forms?
5. Is modern art really art? Is it important? Do you understand it? Do you appreciate modern art
more when you understand the meaning behind it?
6. Why is art so expensive? Why do some people pay millions of dollars for a piece of art?
7. Is graffiti art? When does graffiti stop being art and becomes vandalism?
8. How do you think artistic styles will change in the future? What forms of art will be popular?