Friday 24 June 2016

BREXIT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON TEACHING ENGLISH



As far as I see it, “Brexit” will cause a seismic shift in how we communicate with Europe. French and German are almost as widely spoken in Europe. The question is, for how long will British English remain number one in the EU institutions? And how is Brexit going to affect English language teaching and learning?

It's obvious people will continue to study English for many different reasons: Almost 2 billion people around the world speak English; British pop music spread English worldwide and faster than any other source. Even multinational companies like Samsung have adopted English as a language to improve communication for their business endeavours. 

American culture has played a significant role in spreading the English language too, and many students want to be able to watch films and TV shows in American English.

My first guess is that American English will eventually be the leading variety of English, and that the English spoken in Europe as "lingua-franca" will continue evolving on its own, creating sort of a "Euro-English".

On the other hand, Ireland will become the only English native-speaking member state, which could make Ireland a more attractive location for foreign students, – something which will affect positively the Irish economy. Without the support of a grant from the Erasmus programmes, EU school and university students will no longer be able to afford a cultural exchange year in Great Britain, so I assume they will try to go to Ireland instead. 


Should we all start studying French or German now?    

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Thursday 16 June 2016

POPULAR SAYINGS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH


Hoy en la cuenta de Instagram (@englisharound) he subido un "saying" muy conocido, y que de alguna manera está presente en diferentes idiomas: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" ("Una manzana al día del médico te libraría").





Pero lo habitual es encontrar refranes y dichos difíciles de traducir literalmente, así que conviene aprenderlos de memoria. Aquí hay unos cuántos:



1. Cuando hay hambre no hay pan duro- Beggars can’t be choosers.
2. Más vale prevenir que curar- A stich in time saves nine / Better safe than sorry
3. Borrón y cuenta nueva- Let bygones be bygones
4. Es la gota que colma el vaso- The straw that broke the camel’s back
5. No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo– Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched
6. Querer es poder– Where there’s a will, there’s a way
7. Nadie da duros a pesetas- There’s no such thing as a free lunch
8. No hay mal que por bien no venga– Every cloud has a silver lining
9. A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda– Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise / It’s the early bird that catches the worm
10. Quien no llora no mama– If you don’t ask you don’t get
11. La letra con sangre entra– No pain, no gain
12. No es oro todo lo que reluce– All that glitters is not gold
13. Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente– Out of sight, out of mind
14.  Vale más una imagen que mil palabras- A picture is worth a thousand words
15. Allá donde fueres haz lo que vieres- When in Rome, do as Romans
16. En la variedad está el gusto– Variety is the spice of life
17. Los ojos son el espejo del alma– Eyes are windows to the soul
18. Más vale tarde que nunca– Better late than never
19. Dios los cría y ellos se juntan – Birds of a feather flock together
20. Nunca digas de esta agua no beberé– Never say never

Sunday 12 June 2016

SEPARATING WORDS AT THE END OF A LINE


This is not easy, so I always recommend my students never to divide a word at the end of a line. But in case you are wondering what the rules are, here you are:


1. Divide the word between syllables. This means, of course, that one-syllable words are never divided.
Incorrect:  Incorrect:  Correct:
sp-
orts
su-
pport
sup-
port

2. The hyphen goes at the end of the first line.
Incorrect:  Correct:  
sup
-port
sup-
port

3. Prefixes and suffixes make natural divisions.
Incorrect:  Correct:
in-
ternational  
inter-
national
                                                                                     (The prefix is inter.)


4. There should be at least two letters plus the hyphen on the first line and three letters on the second.
Incorrect:  Incorrect:  Correct:
e-
lect
supposed-
ly
sup-
posedly

5. Do not divide proper nouns or proper adjectives.
Incorrect:  Correct:
Wash-
ington
Washington

6. Divide hyphenated word using the hyphen already in the word.
Incorrect:  Correct:
moth-
er-in-law   
mother-
in-law





7. Do not divide a word at the end of a line if the parts of the word will be on two separate pages. This is hard for the reader to follow.

Tuesday 7 June 2016

EJERCICIO RESUELTO PRUEBA 2A INGLÉS PAU: JUNIO 2016 (ILLES BALEARS)






1a) TRUE. The text says: "I do not see why games should be trying to teach us anything." OR "I have been puzzled for a long time by the modern tendency to try to justify life experiences by pointing to research about how they make us better in some way."

1b) FALSE. The text says: "In games, however, the identification is instinctive and immediate."

2) Sample answer: According to the author, the main point of playing video games is that one can experience first hand different emotions just for fun. When you are playing, you identify with the character on the screen and, somehow, you live the same adventures as he or she does.

3) 1) WORTHLESS    2) A STROLL    3) IMPORTANT  4) TO MISS OUT







4)
4.1:     - CAN I SEE IT?
           - ISN'T/WASN'T IT TOO EXPENSIVE?

4.2     A) MINE B) AT

4.3     A) TO TRY OUT  B) SPEND

4.4  I would like to visit the shop WHERE John bought his new video game. OR I would like to visit the shop IN WHICH John bought his new video game.

5)
5.1 COKE
5.2 LIKES
5.3 BRIDGE
5.4 CALLED






  • Organiza las ideas teniendo en cuenta que la redacción debe expresar tu opinión personal.
  • Comienza presentando el tema del que vas a escribir y tu opinión sobre él. 
  • Divide las ideas en párrafos (responde a las preguntas).
  • Utiliza expresiones para organizar, relacionar o añadir ideas: In addition, First, Therefore, Furthermore, I strongly believe, I think...
  • Conclusión: incluye una predicción acerca del futuro, por ejemplo.

En este ENLACE tenéis un ejemplo de OPINION ESSAY.



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EJERCICIO RESUELTO PRUEBA 2B INGLÉS PAU: JUNIO (ILLES BALEARS)








1)
A) TRUE. The text says: "we need to stop procrastinating".

B) FALSE. The text says: "Earlier this month, DiCaprio received the Crystal Award". OR using your words: "Jenny Beavan won an Oscar for best costume design, not the Crystal Award".

2) Sample answer: According to the text, Leonardo DiCaprio's speech is thought to be harsh on politicians because he pointed out that many politicians are moved by money and personal interests rather than by doing what is best for the planet.


3)   1- GREED  2-TO TAKE SOMETHING FOR GRANTED  3- ACHIEVEMENTS   4-COSTUME
 




4)
4.1) A) WENT B) WOULD you LIKE

4.2) A) MAKE   B) ISN'T

4.3) A)  BRILLIANTLY    B) TO STAY

4.4) It MUST be a really good film.

5)
5.1 SOME
5.2 PEA
5.3 SURE
5.4 JUMPED




  • Organiza las ideas teniendo en cuenta que la redacción debe expresar tu opinión personal.
  • Comienza presentando el tema del que vas a escribir y tu opinión sobre él. 
  • Divide las ideas en párrafos (responde a las preguntas).
  • Utiliza expresiones para organizar, relacionar o añadir ideas: In addition, First, Therefore, Furthermore, I strongly believe, I think...
  • Conclusión: unas frases finales ratificando tu opinión, por ejemplo.





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