Christmas Film: "Love Actually" by Richard Curtis

All of London is in love -- or longing to be -- in Four Weddings and a Funeral writer Richard Curtis' first directorial effort. Billed as "the ultimate romantic comedy," Love Actually involves more than a dozen main characters, each weaving his or her way into another's heart over the course of one particularly eventful Christmas. The seemingly perfect wedding of Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) brings many of the principals together, including heartsick best man Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who harbors a very unrequited crush on Juliet. There's also recent widower Daniel (Liam Neeson), trying to help his lonely stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster) express his true feelings to a classmate. Across town, devoted working mother Karen (Emma Thompson) tries to rekindle the passion of her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman), who secretly pines for a young colleague of his. In the same office, the lonely Sarah (Laura Linney) not-so-secretly pines for a man just a few desks away (Rodrigo Santoro), who returns her affections but may not be able to dissuade her neuroses. Providing the unofficial soundtrack for all of the couples is an aging rocker (Bill Nighy) who just wants to cash in and get laid -- but even he might find a meaningful relationship in the most unlikely of places. 

Source: Rotten Tomatoes <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_actually/>.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH "LOVE ACTUALLY" IN ENGLISH (AND FULL HD)

Listening: Christmas Traditions

 Dear students,
here you are the podcast I played today in class, together with some activities (+ answers and transcripts). I hope you find it useful.

Christmas activities

Homework!

Dear students,

it's Christmas time but we need to keep on studying and learning English!! So, whenever you can, and before we meet again, please:

- do the Reading exercise on page 40.
- read a short story and write a summary
- watch (at least) one film in English and write a review.

Besides, we will be having a grammar test the week after Christmas holidays (Tuesday 13!). Study everything: every unit, every note, photocopies, handouts, presentations. I recommend to complete all the Workbook exercises, from Unit 1 to 4.

Finally, remember that, from January onwards, you will be delivering your own 4 minute presentations in class, so I suggest that you start thinking about your topic.

Thank you and...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

RESOURCES: TED TALKS /// LISTENING!!

Dear students,

as you all know, this year you need to train your ears!  The time devoted to do listening activities in class is not enough to improve your skills and become advanced English listeners and speakers. Therefore, I recommend to watch films and audiobooks (there are lots of them available on this blog), and also to explore webpages such as the one you can find here. Please, get a glimpse of the TED Talks Education videos. This project is the result of an exhilarating night of talks hosted by John Legend. I hope you enjoy some of the videos!

A Book Every Week: "The Night Flier", by Stephen King + FILM

Dear all,
do you fancy a thrilling short story? If you are nodding your head right now, you have to read (and listen to!) Stephen King's "The Night Flier". I am sure you are going to enjoy King's reflections on tabloids and the appetite for sensationalism through the misadventures of the main character, Richard Dees...
Providing you enjoy the story, you might also want to watch the adaptation to the screen, also available here.

Weekend Movies: "Rope" by Alfred Hitchcock

This week I would like to recommend a film by the so-called "Master of Suspense", Alfred Hitchcock. As you know, he pioneered many techniques in film, such as new uses of the camera. Rope is a good example in this sense. This is Hitchcock's first technicolor film, and is well-known for taking place in real time and being edited so as to appear as a single continuous shot. To me, this is one of Hitchcock's most interesting thrillers and, now that our computer has disappeared so misteriously, the perfect genre to dip into enigmatic situations. If you like Manhattan and James Stewart, if you are a huge fan of suspense and action, this is the ideal movie to watch this weekend.

Have fun!

Homework

Dear students,

please, finish the Grammar Bank (activity B), do the reading exercise on page 36, and also the Vocabulary Bank on page 156 (Weather). We will have corrected everything by the end of our Tuesday lecture, and we will be having a little Christmas party on Thursday.

Do have a good weekend,
r

Travelling: To Hire, to Rent, to Let, to Lease

Dear students,

just in case you have any problem using these words, here you are some definitions:

TO HIRE = to procure temporary use of a thing or object, or to employ person for wages. 
My father hired a boat and we took a stroll on the lake.

TO RENT = to occupy or use land or buildings in return for regular payment for the use or to allow land or buildings to be used in return for such payments.
She doesn't have enough money to rent this appartment.
Our neighbour rents this land to us at a very small rent a year.

TO LET = to give the use of a flat, a room, a house, in return for regular money payments.
While in town, I saw an announcement for an appartment to be let.

TO LEASE = to give or take possession of land, buildings, things by legal agreement by which somebody is allowed to use land, buildings, etc. for a fixed money payment.
They leased the farm from an old woman.

Homework

Dear students,

please do the reading exercise on page 34 (How Eco-Guilt are you?)

See you soon!

r

A Book Every Week: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by Scott Fitzgerald

Hey guys, have you watched the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? It was directed by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt. This is the story of a man who ages in reverse and it was originally written by the celebrated American author Scott Fitzgerald. This week, I would like to encourage you to read such story and listen to the audio available here. If you choose the "slower listening speed" option, it will take you only one hour to listen to the two parts of the story. Come on, there is no excuse this time!
I hope you enjoy!

Weekend Movies: "Titus" by Julie Taymor

The film I would like to recommend this week is especially long. However, I hope it doesn't discourage you from giving it a try. Titus is based on William Shakespeare's drama Titus Andronicus. It was directed by Julie Taymor, starring Anthony Hopkins. To me, this adaptation is a work of art, since it is full of action and magic, colour and passion. Providing you have some time to relax in front of your computer or telly (I am sure you can connect them!), watching Titus will be a great experience. The lines recited by the actors might be a bit difficult to grasp at certain moments, but the powerful images explain what is going on quite clearly.
I hope you enjoy this film.
Do have a good weekend!

Adverbs of Manner

Dear students,

as you noticed, the grammar rules provided by the book regarding the adverbs of manner were not clear enough. So here you are a clearer explanation of how to use them.

Best,
reme

Homework

Please,
do the two writing activities suggested on page 29: a short short story (50 words) and the activities on page 114. We will be correcting these activities on Tuesday, so you can hand your compositions in on Thursday.
 Cheers,
reme

Homework

Dear students,
please do the Vocabulary Bank (adverbs and adverbial phrases) on page 155.
See you!

Weekend Movies: "The Beatles Explosion" (A documentary)

This  I would like to recommend a documentary which explores the early days of The Beatles with rare interviews, newsreels, press conferences and TV appearances. This is a celebration of Beatlemania and dips into their thoughts of fame, the screaming fans and the media's fascination with their hair. I am sure you will enjoy watching the Beatles' first trip to America, behind-the-scenes of A Hard Day's Night and their strange appearance on a British TV show performing Shakepeare. There are subtitles available, so you won't miss any detail this time. Enjoy!

Narrative Tenses: Past Perfect Continuous

Dear students,

I know sometimes the use of the continuous tenses in English might be a bit confusing for a Spanish student. But this is just a matter of practice. Once you get familiar with the grammar, you can put it into practice without much effort. So, if you feel there was something tricky about the tenses we studied today in class, just try with the explanations and activities provided below. I hope you find them useful.

1. Present Perfect Continuous and related activities
2. Past Perfect Continuous and related activities

Homework

Please, do exercises on pages 28-29 (a, b, c and d -- Grammar Bank on page 137).
Cheers!

A Book Every Week: "Auggie Wren's Christmas Story" by Paul Auster

Do you fancy a short story?
Read and listen to a Christmas Story by Paul Auster:

Listen to Paul Auster reading his short story here.

Download the text from here.

Listening - British Airways Safety Video

Dear all,

this is the video we watched with Belén today in class. Now you can watch it again, whenever you have time,  in order to note down some new vocabulary or remember the pronunciation of words.
Enjoy and bon voyage!!

Travel, Trip or Journey?

Dear students,
if you need an extra explanation concerning thebasic differences between travel, trip and journey, read this entry. There are some exercises available too.Please, let me know if you have any problem with the use of these words.

See you soon,
reme

Homework

Dear students,
please do the Reading exercise on page 26 and the Grammar Bank on page 136 (Past tenses).
See you soon!
r

Nueva oferta (y nueva fecha) del VIAJE DE ESTUDIOS

Queridos míos, pego la información que me ha llegado, tal cual. Espero sea de vuestro interés.
Un gran abrazo,
reme

VIAJE DE ESTUDIOS A EDIMBURGO: 5-8 Marzo 2015

410 €

INCLUYE:

ü  VUELOS:

SALIDA  05.03.2015 ALICANTE – EDIMBURGO 15.00 – 17.15

REGRESO 08.03.2015 EDIMBURGO - ALICANTE 11.30 – 15.45

ü  TRASLADOS AEROPUERTO- HOTEL en EDIMBURGO - AEROPUERTO.

ü  HOTEL 3* ALOJAMIENTO Y DESAYUNO

ü  SEGURO DE ASISTENCIA EN VIAJE Y RESPONSABILIDAD CIVIL.

PRECIO POR PERSONA………410,00 EUROS EN HAB. DOBLE, (SIN FACTURAR MALETA, Equipaje de mano: máximo 10 kilos)

NOTA 1: LOS PRECIOS ESTÁN CALCULADOS EN BASE A 25 ALUMNOS, A FECHA 11 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2014. PUEDEN SUFRIR VARIACIÓN EN CASO DE SUBIDA DE CARBURANTE, DEPRECIACIÓN DE MONEDA…  SI EL GRUPO FUERA MÁS NUMEROSO HABRÍA UNA REDUCCIÓN EN EL PRECIO.

NOTA 2: PARA RESERVAR PLAZA SE DEBERÁ ABONAR UNA CANTIDAD INICIAL PARA EMITIR LOS BILLETES DE AVIÓN (+- 200 €)

AQUELLAS PERSONAS INTERESADAS DEBEN COMUNICARLO A MARI CARMEN CASCALES (eoimaricarmen@hotmail.com) o TERESA (tbastida.eoi@gmail.com) ANTES DEL 24 DE NOVIEMBRE

Weekend Movies: "The Experiment" (starring Adrien Brody!)

Have you ever heard of the Standford prison experiment? It was a study of the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or a prison guard, conducted by Stanford university in 1971.  And do you know how the experiment was developed? Well, twenty-four men (all of them were university students) out of seventy-five candidates were selected to assume randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards in a mock prison located in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. The participants adapted to two different roles: prisoners and guards. Eveything was all right the first day but problems started on the second day of this experimental "game", and the situation got worse than expected. The guards became more and more violent, enforced authoritarian measures, and even subjected some of the prisoners to psychological torture.

The film I would like to recommend this week is based on the novel Black Box, written by Mario Giordano, which was inspired by the experiment mentioned above. Thus, this film is based on true events, but presents a little bit of literary fiction. You will notice it especially towards the end. The film, a remake of a German film (Das Experiment, 2001) was directed by Paul Scheuring in 2010, and the main character is interpreted by Adrien Brody. As you can imagine, the film is thrilling as well as quite disturbing! (I would rather watch with someone than to watch it alone!)

Click, watch the film,
and enjoy!

A Book Every Week: "The Elephant Vanishes" by Haruki Murakami

The book I would like to recommend this week is entitled The Elephant Vanishes, a short story by the contemporary Japanese author Haruki Murakami. His books can be described as surrealistic, but such experimental touch has not prevented people from enjoying them. On the contrary, Murakami is a best-selling author, and his books have been translated to fifty languages. 

As for the plot of The Elephant Vanishes, it narrates the mysterious disappearance of an elephant and the consequences of this event in the life of the main character. Would you like to know more about this story? Give it a try and read! As you will see when clicking on the link, there is an audio available for you. This way you can listen to someone reading the text in perfect English.

I hope you like it.
Have a good weekend!

r

Homework

Dear students,
please read the text on pages 24-25 and do the related activities (a, b, c and d).

Cheers!
reme

Would you like to contribute to the Library of the Language School?

Dear students,

Have you visited our library yet? As you probably know, there are interesting books of all levels there, but not many. This post is to let you know that our coordinator has suggested something that might be great for our library. As she is in contact with editors from different publishing houses, she can buy books at the best possible price. The problem is that there's no much money to buy books this year. The solution? Well, students who want to contribute to the library can request a book (5 euros). Then, our coordinator can place an order. A couple of weeks later, the students will get a book to read at home. Finally, the students will be expected to donate their books to the library.

If you are interested, bring 5 euros on Thursday and I will include you on the list.

Best regards!

Homework

Dear students,
please do the activities of the photocopy I delivered in class (Grammar Adjectives). Remember that we are also going to correct the Revise and Check section on pages 22-23 on Thursday.
Cheers!

VIAJE DE ESTUDIOS A EDIMBURGO - INFO!!!!!!!!!!

 VIAJE DE ESTUDIOS A EDIMBURGO 4 DÍAS / 3 NOCHES

450 €

INCLUYE:

ü  VUELOS:

SALIDA  26.03.2015 ALICANTE – EDIMBURGO 14.30 - 16.45

REGRESO 29.03,2015 EDIMBURGO - ALICANTE 15.30 – 19.45

ü  TRASLADOS AEROPUERTO- HOTEL- AEROPUERTO.

ü  HOTEL 3* ALOJAMIENTO Y DESAYUNO

ü  SEGURO DE ASISTENCIA EN VIAJE Y RESPONSABILIDAD CIVIL.

PRECIO POR PERSONA………450,00 EUROS EN HAB. DOBLE, (SIN FACTURAR MALETA, SOLO 10 Kg de equipaje de mano).

NOTA: LOS PRECIOS ESTÁN CALCULADOS EN BASE A 20 ALUMNOS, A FECHA 23 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015. PUEDEN SUFRIR VARIACIÓN EN CASO DE SUBIDA DE CARBURANTE, DEPRECIACIÓN DE MONEDA…  SI EL GRUPO FUERA MÁS NUMEROSO HABRÍA UNA REDUCCIÓN EN EL PRECIO.

AQUELLAS PERSONAS INTERESADAS DEBEN COMUNICARLO A MARI CARMEN CASCALES (eoimaricarmen@hotmail.org) o TERESA (tbastida.eoi@gmail.com)

Weekend Movies: "American Psycho"

 

Dear students,
I must admit I am too sensitive to watch films like the one I would like to recommend this week. What I usually do is to cover my eyes as soon as a little bit of blood appears on screen. Gory bloody images are just too disgusting. My stomach can't digest them. However, I can enjoy and analyse "ideas" and this is why I think watching this film can be interesting. This is a psychological black comedy based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel of the same name about a successful banker from Manhattan. He seems to be very smart and kind but he hides a secret life: actually, he is a serial killer! Throughout the film, we the spectators tend to wonder how many psychopaths might be living near us. Where are they? Are they governing the world? Should we revise our scale of values and stop admiring succesful unempathetic people? Well, watch the film and tell me what you think.You only need to click here.

Do have a great weekend!

A Book Every Week: John Fante's "Ask The Dust"

           

It might be a bit long to read. You might need to wait. But, if you have a free weekend, or whenever you have enough time to breathe and relax (at Christmas? In summer?), I recommend that you read this amusing book. To me, this is one of the best novels ever written. And you can find it here! But I will remain silent this time and let somebody else talk about the novel. Did you know that Charles Bukowski was a huge fan of John Fante? He wrote an introduction to Ask The Dust that is worth reading before you swallow the book:

I was a young man, starving and drinking and trying to be a writer. I did most of my reading at the downtown L.A. Public Library, and nothing that I read related to me or to the streets or to the people about me. It seemed as if everybody was playing word-tricks, that those who said almost nothing at all were considered excellent writers. [...] I pulled book after book from the shelves. Why didn't anybody say something? Why didn't anybody scream out? [...]

Then one day I pulled a book down and opened it, and there it was. I stood for a moment, reading. Then like a man who had found gold in the city dump, I carried the book to a table. The lines rolled easily across the page, there was a flow. Each line had its own energy and was followed by another like it. The very substance of each line gave the page a form, a feeling of something carved into it. And here, at last, was a man who was not afraid of emotion. The humour and the pain were intermixed with a superb simplicity. The beginning of that book was a wild and enormous miracle to me.
I had a library card. I checked the book out, took it to my room, climbed into my bed and read it, and I knew long before I had finished that here was a man who had evolved a distinct way of writing. The book was Ask the Dust and the author was John Fante. He was to be a lifetime influence on my writing. [...] 

There is much more to the story of John Fante. It is a story of terrible luck and a terrible fate and of a rare and natural courage. Some day it will be told but I feel that he doesn't want me to tell it here. But let me say that the way of his words and the way of his way are the same: strong and good and warm.
That's enough. Now this book is yours.

There is a film adaptation too, but I don't think this is as good as the book:

I hope you enjoy...

Click and read!!!!!!!

Listening and Speaking Activity: Lizzie Velasquez

Deceptive appearances: seeing looks in a new light

When Lizzie Velasquez was in high school, she found a video of herself on the internet: “The World’s Ugliest Woman,” the eight-second clip called her. It attracted thousands of comments - some of them suggesting she “do the world a favour” by killing herself. Instead, the now 25-year-old became a motivational speaker. Last year, she presented a TED talk about her experiences. Viewed by millions of people around the world, its core question was: what defines you? As a result of an extremely rare syndrome preventing her from gaining weight and building muscle, Lizzie’s appearance deviates significantly from the norm. After being ridiculed online, her public refusal to allow the way she looks to define her went viral. Today, she is a minor celebrity and the author of two books.
(Source: You can read the complete article here)

Watch Lizzie’s famous Ted Talk and answer the following questions:

1.      How would you describe Lizzie? Choose adjectives to describe her personality.

2.      Sum up Lizzie’s first day of school. How did she feel?

3.      In which ways was Lizzie bullied in school? What did she decide to do?

4.      Lizzie has a great sense of humour, can you remember any of the jokes she makes during her speech?

5.      Is Lizzie a successful woman nowadays?

6.      What’s her piece of advice?