Victorian Christmas cards

In Great Britain, as well as in Spain, there is a great tradition of sending cards to your loved ones during the Christmas season. Nowadays, we are used to sweet pictures of children throwing snowballs, carefully decorated Christmas trees, happy families opening presents, religious motifs and many other clichés.

Cards have been sent for a couple hundred years now, but the pictures and drawings that appear on them have changed significantly. Check out this newspaper article where you can find a very interesting gallery of Christmas greeting cards which were popular during Victorian times (19th century). 

Click here to see the images in the Daily Mail

These are only some of them. Weird!

  

Respect

Here you will see Cristiano Ronaldo taking part in a promotional event in Japan. 

Watch the video before you continue reading:

One Japanese child tried to speak Portuguese to Ronaldo, and as he nervously reads his words, some of the people begin to laugh.

Ronaldo, though, was clearly touched and impressed with the kid's effort and asked his translator, "Why they smile? Why? He speaks good Portuguese! Very good. They should be happy because he tries very hard!"

Ronaldo's action made the crowd applaud, and probably left them all a little embarrassed.

Never laugh at someone who is trying to speak another language, respect and admire them instead. 

Basic diagram: ARGUMENTATIONS

This is what we had on the board today. Remember that this is the BASIC structure to use when elaborating an argumentative text.

1. INTRODUCTION
          - Situation, context.
          - Mention your proposals/ideas

2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
          - Develop your ideas
               i. Mark progression (Firstly, In first place, To begin with, Secondly, In second place, etc.)
               ii. Topic sentence. This has to be clear, simple and direct. It lets the reader know what the paragraph is about.
               iii. Develop argument
(We will see iv.counterarguments and v.refutations in the future)

You need as many body paragraphs as ideas you presented in the introduction. 2 ideas = 2 body paragraphs

3. CONCLUSION
          - It is really a brief summary of what has been said. 
          - No new information
          - Use the conclusion to emphasize that your ideas/proposals are the best option. 
          - To sum up, To conclude, In conclusion

Vocabulary

Effective, adequate, useful, practical
To do this...
This idea is bound to make Public Transport better ...(because)...
Proposal, measure, idea, recommendation
Propose an idea/measure
Put forward an idea
The proposed measure

The importance of frequency adverbs

How tired are you?

GAD: Finishing today's exercise

Remember to finish what we did today if you didn't finish it earlier. 

The task was to write instructions on how to send an email and print a copy of it - we start with a switched off computer AND printer. 

This is the vocabulary that was written on the board to help you. Look in your books too, you have everything you need!

First...
After...
Then...
After that...
After doing that...
You should...
You must...
You have to...
You need to...
Make sure that...
When...
Send
To press
Select
Finally...

Leselle's blog

Make sure that you check Leselle's blog. She uploads the materials you have used with her and other things you might find interesting!

 http://fromnewyorktomadrid.blogspot.com.es/

GAD Homework 11th of December

Complete the conversation with a word or expression from a-j below. Copy the full conversation in your notebooks.

SWITCHBOARD: Portillo Electronics. (1)___________ you?

MARINA: Good morning. (2)___________ to Alan Blake, please.

SWITCHBOARD: Just a moment. (3)___________ to his department.

HANNAH: Customer Services.

MARINA: Hello. (4)___________ , please?

HANNAH: (5)___________ he's in a meeting.

MARINA: I see. (6)___________?

HANNAH: Yes, of course.

MARINA: Could you ask him (7)___________ as soon as possible? My name is Marina Prodi.

HANNAH: (8)___________ that for me?

MARINA: Sure, it's P-R-O-D-I. (9)___________ my number.

HANNAH: Ok, (10)___________ he gets message.


a. Would you mind spelling                        f. to call me back

b. I'm afraid                                                g. He's got

c. How can I help                                       h. Could I leave a message

d. Could I speak to Alan Blake                   i. I'll put you through

e. I'll make sure                                           j. I'd like to speak 


And just in case you were wondering...this is a switchboard (older and modern version): 

AYF Homework 11 December

Read about the WTO and the incident with banana trade. Answer the questions below. 

The WTO

The World Trade Organization, known as the WTO, was established in 1995. It is a Geneva-based organization that aims to ensure that global trade flows as smoothly and freely as possible. One of its functions is to settle trade disputes. Member countries agree to reduce the trade barriers between them in a series of trade negotiations, known as 'rounds'. These rounds (for example, the Uruguay Round) have made trade freer. 

Here you can see a map of the member countries: 

The Banana War

It is perhaps strange that a fruit should be at the centre of what was almost a trade war between the USA and the European Union. France and Britain wanted to protect the interests of banana producers in their ex-colonies, especially  in the West Indies, against US companies operating out of Central America. The USA claimed that this was against the rules of international competition and free trade. The WTO decided in favour of the USA, but the Europeans refused to recognize the decision. It was following a second WTO judgement against the EU, and the USA's imposition of huge tariffs on unrelated goods, that they finally agreed to obey the decision. It remains to be seen how well banana growers in the West Indies can survive as Central American countries have a comparative advantage in climate, land and labour costs. 

Answer using your own words:

1. What was the cause of the disagreement between the USA and the EU?

2. How did the USA punish the EU for refusing to accept the decision of the WTO?

3. What is the future likely to be for West Indian producers? Why?

Christmas Commercials in UK

As you might have noticed already, the TV commercials are starting to aim at our Christmas shopping: perfumes, watches, and many other objects considered to be 'typical' Christmas gifts. 

During my time in England, I observed that an unequivocal indicator which meant that Christmas was just around the bend was the appearance of Christmas TV commercials. Especially those for different shopping centres or supermarkets, such as Tesco or Sainsbury. I liked them a lot, and did some research of those aired previous years. 

I found them to be quite heartwarming, carefully done and original (British advertising is excellent in general), so here you have three of them that belong to this Christmas. Hope you like them!

Tesco commercial (there is a play on words with the adjective 'bright', see if you get it):

Aldi Telescope Christmas commercial. There is also a play on words, this time involving an IDIOM. Let's see if you can spot it!:

 Anchor Christmas commercial. This is a commercial for a dairy spreadable (sort of butter). In my opinion, one of the best ads:

GAD Homework December 5th

Please finish the writing exercise (requesting a quote). 

Have a good long weekend everyone!

60 years since Rosa Parks said NO

I'm sure some of you know who Rosa Park is and what she did, but for those of you who don't, here's a brief summary of why this woman is so important.

During the 50's and 60's in the United States there was something called the Civil Rights movement going on. It was all about political and social movements fighting for the African-American population's rights, as they were not treated equally. They faced an incredible amount of obstacles in  their everyday life.

In 1958, Montgomery (Alabama), buses were segregated. This means that white people would occupy the front part of buses, while Afro-Americans would have to stay at the back. Nevertheless, if a white person would want to take a seat and there were none available at the front, Afro-American passengers were asked to give up their seat. 

This is when Rosa Parks said NO. On December 1st, 1955, a bus driver asked Rosa Parks to stand up and leave her seat, but she answered, 'I don't think I should stand up'. She was then arrested by the police. 

As you can imagine, this became a symbol in Civil Rights movement. This act was so inspiring that it immediately led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott: On December 5th, Afro-Americans refused to take the bus and walked their way to work or wherever they needed to go. It was a huge success, as more than 40,000 Afro-Americans didn't get on a bus that day. 

This boycott lasted for months, and it really made an impact on the transport system. After 381 days of boycott, the segregation laws were lifted on December 20, 1956.

Protests on streets

Members of the Washington Freedom Riders Committee hang signs from bus windows to protest segregation on May, 30 1961

Rosa Parks seated at the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956

Answers to Vocabulary and Functional Language 4

1. 1. f  2. c  3. d  4. a  5. b  6. e

2. 1. a box of  2. a packet of  3. a pair of  4. a roll of

3. 1. toner cartridge  2. paper  3. stapler  4. highlighter  5. hole punch

4. 1. red  2. orange  3. blue  4. pink  5. white  6. yellow  7. purple  8. green  9. brown  10. grey  11. black

5. 1. green  2. orange  3. purple  4. grey  5. pink  6. brown

6. 1. running low on  2. price  3. delivery  4. quality  5. run out of  6. give a reduction  7. payments

7. 1. invoice  2. price per unit  3. quantity  4. subtotal  5. discount  6. delivery date  7. payment date

8. 1. June  2. Friday  3. February  4. April, May  5. Tuesday, Wednesday  6. November, December  7. September  8. Sunday, Monday

9. 1. Thursday  2. March  3. January  4. Sunday  5. Tuesday  6. October

Say it! 1. b  2. a  3. b  4. a

Cover Letter Exercise (25th November)

Write a letter of application in reply to the following job advertisement. 

ADECCO

FINANCIAL PLANNER OPPORTUNITY

An opportunity to get first-hand experience in the field of finance. Adecco has been asked by Burlington Associates to recruit a number of candidates for short-term contracts of up to six months. 

The contract includes a paid one-week intensive training programme. These post will probably suit recent graduates from Finance degrees/programmes who possess energy, enthusiasm, and good communication skills. 

Write to: Ciaran Biggs, ADECCO, 102-106 Brewer Street, London SW1 

Tips to help you: 

- Burlington Associates is among the TOP Financial Advising companies in the UK.

- The job includes: 

• financial research
• explaining to clients the details of financial assistance available
• selling financial products
• in-depth reviews of clients' financial circumstances
• assisting clients to make informed decisions
• completing risk analyses
• etc. 

''A financial planner provides specialist advice to clients on managing their money in the most profitable and secure way. Clients can be commercial enterprises, institutional groups/societies or private individuals.''

More exercises to practice Indirect Questions

Those of you who have some trouble or just need to get some extra practice, these are some exercises on Indirect Questions.  

Click on the category and have a try at these self-correcting exercises.

- Indirect Questions (Present Simple)

- Indirect Questions (Past Simple)

Homework AyF 21 November - Indirect Questions

Use the following information to create polite questions. Remember to pay attention to word order! 

A. Asking for directions. Change each question to polite question. Use can you tell me where...? / Do you know where...?

1. Where is the conference room?         Do you know where the conference room is?
2. Where are the toilets?
3. Where is the meeting? 

B. Asking for general information. Change each question to an polite question.

1. What time is it?                                 Could you tell me _____?
2. Where have you been?                     Can you tell me _____?
3. Will it rain tomorrow?                        Do you know _____?
4. Can he speak Russian?                    Do you know _____?
5. When does the bank close?             Would you mind telling me _____?

C. Change the following polite questions to direct questions.

1. Can you tell me if you paid for dinner?
2. Would you mind telling me why you did that?
3. Can you tell me if she is married?
4. Could you tell me who you were talking to?
5. Do you know how long he has had that computer?

Enjoy your weekend!

Homework GAD 21 November

How many items in the picture can you name?Have a nice weekend!

Homework GAD 14th November

Look at the picture below and complete the sentences using prepositions of place. 

0. Example: There is a lamp near the window.

1. There is a desk          the window, too.

2. There is a lamp         the desk.

3. There is a chair         the desk.

4. There is a lamp            the desk.

5. There is a paper bin          the desk.

6. There is an empty box         the paper bin.

7. There is a phone         the desk.

8. There is a filing cabinet        the desk.

9. There is a large wall map          the window.

10. The desk is         the window and the wall map.

above, behind, between, in, in front of, near, next to, on, opposite, under

Have a nice weekend!

And the word of the year is...

Binge-watch has been selected by Collins English Dictionary as the word of the year for 2015. 

Want to know what it means? CLICK HERE to read an article about it and find some other words that have grown in popularity during this last year.

Oh, there's also a wonderful video of Lord Michael Dobbs and his brilliant British pronunciation to go with it... so at least have a look at that.

Homework GAD 7th November.

A little reminder of what I already asked you to do during the weekend last lesson:

Your homework this weekend is to prepare the role-play that puts an end to Unit 2. On Tuesday, we will spend the lesson acting them out. Remember, we will only devote ONE lesson to the role-plays and the corresponding corrections, so make sure you prepare them. 

On page 11 in your book, look at the Your Turn section. In pairs, you will act as a receptionist and a visitor. There are 6 different situations. So, student A will be the receptionist during the first 3 (1-3) situations and then the visitor for the others (4-6).

Student A: Receptionist 1, 2, 3. Visitor 4, 5, 6. 

Student B: Visitor 1, 2, 3. Receptionist 4, 5, 6. 

So, the first part of the role-play will be student B (visitor) asking student A (receptionist).

Part 1 of the role-play:

Visitor/Student B= Wants to have lunch in the cafeteria, has got a meeting with a technician in the lab and has got a meeting with the accountant. 

Receptionist/Student A= Must give Visitor/Student B directions. 

Look at exercise 2 on page 10 to help you. 

Example: 

A: Good morning, how can I help you?
B: Hello, I would like to have lunch in the cafeteria, where is it?
A: The cafeteria is ......
B: Ok, thank you. Also, I have a meeting with the technician in the lab, where can I find it?
A: The lab is.....
B: Thanks! Finally, I have a meeting with the accountant, too. Where should I go?
A: You should go to....
B: Thank you so much, you have been really helpful.
A: You're welcome.

This has been an example of Part 1 of the role-play. Now, you should do your own version and also Part 2. 

All of the information you need is on page 11. Remember that the aim of this exercise is to check that you know how to use and give directions in a building!

Tip: go to page 110, you have some useful vocabulary there. 

Have a nice weekend!

Homework AYF 6th November

Look at these examples of how to ask for information politely. 

You don't know the caller's name. (give)

Could you give me your name, please?

You aren't sure of the name of the caller's company. (repeat)

Would you repeat the name of your company, please?

You want to know where the caller is ringing from. (tell)

Can you tell me where you're ringing from, please?

Could and would are more formal than can. 

Now make questions using could, would and can in a similar way.

1. You aren't sure who the caller wants to speak to. (tell)

2. You want to know the caller's telephone number. (give)

3. You don't know the spelling of the caller's name. (spell)

4. You didn't hear the caller's address clearly. (repeat)

5. You don't know when the caller will be in the office tomorrow. (tell)

6. You aren't sure about your order's delivery date. (confirm)

Enjoy your weekend!

First Speaking Session

CARD 1
1. Are you a good dancer?
2. Are you a vegetarian?
3. Are you the oldest among your brothers and sisters?
4. At what times do you usually eat your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)?
5. Can you play any musical instruments?
6. Can you ride a motorcycle?
7. Could you live in another country for the rest of your life?
8. Do you always eat dinner with your family?
9. Do you cook? If yes, what is food that you cook the most?
10. Do you do exercise?
11. Do you drive a car often?
12. Do you eat bread every day?
13. Do you eat breakfast every day?
14. Do you eat fruit every day?
15. Do you have a car?
16. Do you have any pets? If not, would you like to have a pet?
17. Do you have difficulty with school work?
18. Do you like British food?
19. Do you like food from other countries? If yes, which do you like the most?

Useful resources for GENERAL ENGLISH

Some of you might have already noticed, but there is a new section at your right. Between 'Archivo del Blog' and 'Top 3 entries' you can access the English Department blogs. 

Why is this important? Well, María and Miss Hernando have taken the time to create a selection of the best webs for you to practice different aspects of the English language. Need help with passives? Many or much? For and since? Vocabulary? You name it! They have got it all!

Dive into their blogs and find the á la carte help you need. 

María's Blog: General English tab.

Miss Hernando's Blog: Grammar label

Homework AyF 31st October.

Click on the image to make it larger

Politeness is treating people with respect. Respect makes people feel good. People who feel good will do things for you.

It is safe to say that politeness should be present in all of our basic daily interactions, isn't it?  AyF students, you should pay special attention to this skill. Politeness is something that can be trained, practiced and easily put into action. Those of you who will be making business in a not-so-distant future need to learn how to get people to do things for you. 

That's what business is about, isn't it?

Try and solve the following exercise:  In each case you need to ask someone to do something for you. What do you say? The first one has already been done for you. 

Keep in mind that we don't use the same degree of formality with everyone: you won't speak to a friend the same way you would do to your boss. 

1. You have lost your calculator. Ask a colleague to lend you his.

- Could you lend me your calculator, please? I've lost mine. 

2. You want your secretary to type a letter for you. Her name is Morgan. 

3. You want somebody in your department to finish writing a report for you by Friday. 

4. You can't meet John McClane tomorrow because you've suddenly got to go to Paris on business. Ask a colleague to meet John McClane instead. 

5. You want your friend to get you a coffee. His name is Kevin. 

6. You can't attend the meeting tomorrow because you have a doctor's appointment. Ask your boss to postpone the meeting.

Politeness strategies are something to be learnt, do the exercise the best you can and we will go over it and other politeness-related issues on Tuesday.  

Enjoy your weekend!

Homework GAD 31st October. ANSWERS

Here is what you need to do to practice what we have done in the last lessons. All of the exercises will be marked on Tuesday. 

Look at the map below and answer the following questions (click on the image to make it bigger).

                                                                                                ↑You are here
                                                                  
Exercise 1. Choose the correct name of the building.

1.Take the first street on the left. Take the next street on the right. Go straight on and cross the road. It's on the left.

2. Take the first street on the left. Go down the street. Turn on the right. Take the next street on the right. Go straight on and cross the road. Go straight on. It's in front of you on the other side of the road.

3. Take the first street on the left. Take the next street on the right. Take the next street on the right. Pass the Fire Department. It's on your left.

Exercise 2. Fill in the missing preposition.  

Use: opposite - on the corner - behind - between - next to

1. The Women's wear is            the Jewelry Store.

2. The Movie Theater is         the Book Store.

3. The Women's wear is         the Jewelry Store and the Sporting Goods.

4. The Toy store is             of Main Street and Forest Street.

5. The Jewelry Store is          the Italian Restaurant. 

Enjoy your long weekend!

Answers. Ex 1.1: Furniture; 2: Italian Restaurant; 3:Police Station
Ex 2.  1: next to; 2: opposite; 3: between; 4: on the corner; 5: behind.

Congrats AyF students!!

So, here's a post to say well done to everyone today. You all did a great job, your startups were creative, totally realistic and AWESOME.

Aaand something really important: everybody was able to talk with an audience and explain what their businesses were about. Once again, congratulations!!

Here's a picture to wish you a happy Halloween, too:

Recognize any of your own?

Click on the image to make it bigger

Did you know....?

Homework GAD 24 October. Past Continuous

Use the Past Continuous to complete these sentences.

1. When I phoned my friends, they ___________ Monopoly. (play)

2. Yesterday at six I _______________ dinner. (prepare)

3. The CEO _______________ about expanding the company in Asia. (think)

4. The ladies ______________ at the front door when it suddenly began to rain. (speak)

5. We ______________ our bosses yesterday. (not see)

6. Aaron ___________ (work) in his office when he received the call.

7. I tried to explain the business plan but they ___________. (not listen)

8. What __________ yesterday? (you/ do)

9. The music was on, but they _______________. (not dancing)

10. I called him, but Luke ___________ yesterday. (not working)

11. ________ Ashley_________ on the computer last week? (work)

Have a nice weekend!