English in Madrid

Today is Saint Andrew's Day  in Scotland. So it's an opportunity to see how much you know about the country. 1. Which of the following is the Scottish flag? Do you recognise the other flags? A: B: C: D:   2. When will the vote for independence be held next year? A: 25th January B: 31st March C: 18th September D: 30th November 3. What is the capital of Scotland? A: Edimburg B: Edinburgh C: Edinburger D: Edimbhurg 4. Which of these castles is the Queen's summer residence? Do you know where they can be found? A:  Source: Wikipedia (Wknight94) B: Source: Wikipedia (Eusebius) C: Source:Wikipedia (Stuart Yeates) D:                  Source:Wikipedia (jack_spellingbacon) 5. Which famous person was born in Scotland? A: J.K Rowling B: Tony Blair C: Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother D: Rod Stewart 6. Which bird can't be found in the wild in Scotland? A: Source: Wikipedia B: Source: Wikipedia (Rocky) C: Source: Wikipedia D: Source: Wikipedia 7. W

Source: Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash Fights break out at Asda as shoppers descend on Black Friday deals US tradition of post-Thanksgiving discounts brings scrambles to stores in UK with customers eager for cut-price electrical goods Shoppers desperate for bargains caused chaos in Asda stores on Friday as the Walmart-owned supermarket brought the US tradition of Black Friday to Britain. Customers scrambled and pushed to snatch cut-price electrical goods after queueing for several hours outside Asda stores around the country. Shoppers took to the social media site Twitter to describe early morning queues and fights. A woman in Merseyside was reportedly taken to hospital in the morning after being assaulted in a queue outside an Asda store. A man was arrested in Bristol after another fracas.  There were similarly frenzied scenes at Asda in Benton, North Tyneside, where some shelves were cleared in minutes as shoppers overran the store. Margaret Green, 55, from North Tyneside, told

Source:  Robin M.  on  Unsplash Why not start reading news about Spain in English? If you know the story already, it will be much easier to understand the article. Here are some links with news from Spain that you might find interesting: El País in English BBC   Murcia Today   Marca in English Some British newspapers have pages for news from Spain: Guardian Sun   Daily Mail  

Each sentence has a missing word. Identify it and rewrite the sentences. Teachers have to wear a uniform. Many of them wear jeans in my school. You mustn't Whatsapp during the lesson. It's rude. Shhhh. What's that noise? Can you it too? Can you me to phone Laura this evening? I meant to phone her yesterday. It was absolutely. I don't think the temperature dropped below 40ºC. I use to like cucumber but I love it now. I am writing to you the advertisement for a position in the computing department. Think it and let me know what you decide by Friday. Pedro is by the best student in the class. The average mark in the exam was 60%. He got 88%. As as studying English, he is finishing his degree. He isn't in his office at the moment. Would you calling back later? A: What would you do if you your job?      B: I'd probably go abroad to look for work.

typo: 2. *** it was a long fi l m, I really enjoyed it. You can click on the key symbol to get the answers. If you do the crossword, write me a short comment. Did you get them all?

Remembering a President (listening with transcript) Source: Learning English VOA news Ich bin ein Berliner speech Source: history.com This Day in History (text) Source: history.com US remembers Kennedy (text and videos) Source: BBC News Here is a selection of JFK's quotes. Choose the correct word(s) to complete them.  If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few / the little  who are rich. Too / too much   often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss / lose  the future. My fellow Americans , ask not what your country can make / do  for you, ask what you can make / do for your country. A nation that is afraid to let its people to judge / judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. When written / wrote  in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is com

Each sentence has a missing word. Identify it and rewrite the sentences. e.g. A: Where you from?    B: Scotland. answer: Where are you from?      B: Scotland. A: How do you your first name?      B: K-A-R-E-N I have any brothers or sisters. Where you born? A: Can you speak any other?     B: No, just Spanish and English. What kind of music do you listen? Where your wife work? A: How do you go to the theatre?     B: Maybe once a year. How many cups of coffee do you drink day? A: Where he go last summer?    B: I think he went to Paris. She's very but her husband is quiet. A: What does she like?      B: She's quite tall with long, fair hair. Some people say Spanish people very lazy. My girlfriend doesn't feel going out this weekend. He is jeans and a white shirt. He always in black - black shirt, black trousers, black everything! There is a vase next the telephone. A: Can I speak to Mr. Smith?      B: Certainly. I'll put you. She doesn't really g

'Selfie' named by Oxford Dictionaries as word of 2013 The word has evolved from a niche social media tag into a mainstream term for a self-portrait photograph, the editors said. Research suggested its frequency in the English language had increased by 17,000% in the last year, they added. Other shortlisted words included "twerk" - a raunchy dance move performed by Miley Cyrus - and "binge-watch" - meaning watching lots of TV. Source: BBC News Vocabulary : a niche - a tag - mainstream (adj) - shortlisted (adj) - raunchy - binge - tissue - a chav - the credit crunch - a shambles - to coin - to upload - to track - to trace back - an injury - to trip over - throughout (prep) a hashtag - widespread (adj) - a source - Read this previous post about new entries to Oxford dictionary .  

Last weekend I stayed in the Parador in Fuente De - Picos de Europa. I thought it was a pleasant place and very reasonably priced . Here are some of the reviews (I didn't read any of them before booking): “A bit disappointing” Reviewed 1 week ago The location is amazing and can't be faulted . The hotel itself was satisfactory, but the receptionist was a bit dry and unfriendly. This may also sound petty but after ask ing where we could buy tickets for the cable car ( thus making it obvious that we were going up the mountain), I later saw a sign in the lift saying that if we bought the tickets at the parador , they 'd be at a discounted price. I'm unsure as to why we weren't told about this (we had gone up the stairs before so we hadn't seen the poster in the lift). Anyway, the room was fine and fairly clean and the car park is free. Not all rooms have a lovely view (we had a view of a tree and part of the inside car park). Bear in mind that

Please make use of the links that you find in the left hand column. The BBC is a wonderful source of useful material. Not got much time? Then 6 minute English is perfect for you. Listen to a conversation about something in the news as well as learning some useful expressions. I like the series The Flatmates .  You can listen to short conversations which are followed by an interactive vocabulary / grammar quiz. English at Work   , as the name suggests, is a series related more to English for the workplace. You can listen to Phrasal Verbs in conversations divided into different topics at Funky Phrasals . IF YOU EXPLORE ANY LINKS, PLEASE WRITE A SHORT COMMENT TO TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Which sentence(s) is / are correct? 1. A:  Is he coming?    B: I think no . 62%      I don't think so. 2. A: Are you ready?   B: I hope yes .   0%   I hope so. 3. A: Have you finished?   B: I suppose so.  100% 4. A: Did they win?    B:  I'm afraid not.   37% So only 3 and 4 were correct. I think so.                   I don't think so. I suppose so.              I suppose not. I guess so.                  I guess not. I hope so.                   I hope not. I'm afraid so.              I'm afraid not. Which phrasal verb uses a different preposition? 1. There are rumours in the press that the princess and her husband have split up .      12% 2. The factory is closing down with the loss of  50 jobs.   50% 3. He has a degree in law but he ended up working at his father in law's store.    25% 4.  I wish he'd speak up . I can hardly hear him.    12% split up = break up = separate close down = stop operating end up = finall

Source: Amir Doreh on Unsplash   Pianist faces jail term over “psychological damage” caused to neighbor A professional pianist is facing a seven-and-a-half-year jail sentence for playing her instrument eight hours a day, five days a week, according to her former neighbor in Puigcerdà, Girona. Prosecutors are seeking the sentence for crimes against the environment — acoustic contamination — and the psychological damage caused to Sonia B. between 2003 and 2007. Defense lawyers for the musician, Laia M., have asked that the case be thrown out, describing the complaint as “completely disproportionate.” Both the defendant and her parents, who face the same sentence as accessories to the fact, deny the claims of Sonia B., who in turn stated that not only did Laia M.’s mother enter her apartment and concur that the sound of the piano was louder there than in her own home , but also that Laia M. had to be restrained by her father while attempting to hit the defendant.  Medical reports st

What A does a plan go when it goes badly ? What B describes memories that are both good and bad? What C is a phrasal verb which we use for someone who is approaching retirement? What D is the opposite of "look forward to stg" or you feel sick at the thought of doing something? What E means that you have become involved in a difficult situation? What F do you use to say that you like somebody or something in a special way ? What G describes a book or a film that is thrilling ? What H is a verb that you use with " a situation " similar to " cope with " or " manage "? What I describes someone who feels extremely uncomfortable  with a particular situation? What J is a phrasal verb which means that you make notes ? Contains a K . What do you say when you try to discourage someone from giving up?  -  .... with it . Contains L . What adjective is used to say it is uncomfortably hot ? What M is a phrasal verb which

Which sentence(s) is / are wrong? A: Can you explain me that again? I'm not sure if I understand. (36%) B: Promise me that you will phone when you get there. (9%) C: He suggested us to visit Toledo but we didn't have enough time. (54%) D: She accused her husband of lying. She didn't believe his excuses. (45%) A is wrong. In Spanish you can explain sb stH but in English you can't - it's explain stH (to sb) or explain how to . Can you explain that to me again? I've already explained how to do it. B is right. There are two possible constructions - promise sb (that...) or promise sb to do stH (for sb) "I 'll do my best" he said. He promised that he would do his best. He promised to do his best. C is wrong. In Spanish you can suggest sb but in English you can't. It's - suggest + verb+ing suggest that + subject + verb suggest that + subject + should + verb "Why don't you visit Toledo?&