LISTENING PRACTICE FOR KIDS

Maybe you are a teacher in search for materials for your class. Maybe you are a parent in search for listening practice for your kid. In m opinion, children should be exposed to the English language on a regular basis: daily if possible. 

Here you will find a list of websites where you will find lots of useful podcasts for children and beginners:

Rong-chang.com Easy short stories for children and ESL/EFL beginners. 

Hello-World.com Simple dialogues for non-native speaking children.

eslfast.com. A free site with lots of short stories and conversations.

Real English. Original videos and interactive lessons with some sample listenings.

Adele's corner. Easy online listening activities with blank filling exercises.

About.com English listening comprehension exercises for basic listening skills.

EnglishLingQ.com  Graded podcasts. 

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab. See the section "Basic Listening Quizzes" with short listening activities for beginning and intermediate students.

Select-Language.com is an interesting site with graded audio-postcards from different English speaking communities.

Finally, these sites are also quite interesting:

ESLPod 

British Council. 

La Mansión del Inglès. 

WRITING A LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Letter/email of complaint

STRUCTURE:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

(INTRODUCTION)
 On (date), I (bought, leased, rented, or had repaired) a (name of the product, with serial or model number, or service performed) at (location and other important details of the transaction).

 (MAIN BODY)
Unfortunately, your (product or service) has not performed well (or the service was inadequate) because (state the problem). I am disappointed because (explain the problem: for example, the product does not work properly; the service was not performed correctly; I was billed the wrong amount; something was not disclosed clearly or was misrepresented; etc.).
 (CONCLUSION)
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your (state the specific action you want: money refunded, charge card credit, repair, exchange, etc.). Enclosed are copies of my (receipts, guarantees, warranties, canceled checks, contracts, model and serial numbers, or any other documents).

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem and will wait until (set a time limit) before seeking help from a consumer protection agency. Please contact me by phone at (home and/or office numbers with area code).

Yours faithfully,

Your name.


HERE YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF EXAMPLES

SOME COLLOCATIONS YOU SHOULD LEARN!

VERB + DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS

USE IDIOMS AND "CLICHÉS"!

An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own.

A cliché is a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought: “time heals all wounds” or “all is well that ends well” are quite recurrent in English.

Using clichés and idioms will help you expand your vocabulary and sound more native like.

You can find a list of clichés here, and a list of idioms here.

KEY TO THE ENGLISH PAU EXAM 2017 (ILLES BALEARS)

OPCIÓ A

1 a) This statement is FALSE, as the text says: " ...is replacing some of its assembly line robots with more capable humans".

   b) This statement is FALSE, as the text says: "...make technological change our ally, not our enemy".

2 (Possible answer): Malinda Kathleen Reese has become popular on the Internet because she has translated some song lyrics into different languages using Google Translate and then has translated them back into English, -using the same service-, before recording them with the resulting lyrics. Some of the songs are dramatically different after this process, and sound quite funny!

3 1- GLOOMY
   2- GLIMPSE
   3- TO WORK OUT
   4- FATE

4.1: A) HAVE you HAD A LOOK....?/ DID you HAVE A LOOK...? (AmE)

       B) .... robots ARE currently STEALING....

4.2: A) ...the HARDER....the EASIER...

4.3: People CAN'T (It is not allowed)/ MUST NOT or MUSTN'T (It is not allowed; it is prohibited)/ MAY NOT (It is formally / strictly not allowed) work....

4.4: Pamela told me not to believe (that) robots would do all the office work.

5.1 OTHER

5.2 WOMAN

5.3 ON

5.4 FOLLOWED

• 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.



OPCIÓ B

1a) This statement is TRUE, as the text says: "To a certain extent, the answer to these questions may depend on your gender."

  b) This statement is TRUE, as the text says: "...people who have a rigid view of themselves and believe that personality cannot be changed are more likely to take rejection more personally,..."

2 (Possible answer): According to the text, people who suffer from anxiety or depression frequently experience problems in their relationships. Therefore, people who are emotionally unstable have a greater chance of breaking up than those who are positive and can work problems out by reaching an agreement.

3.1 SPLITS

3.2 TO GO THROUGH

3.3 LIKELY

3.4 DISTRESSING

4.1 A) What SHOULD I DO?

      B) If I were you, I WOULD TAKE a brief holiday....

4.2 A) There is no point in TRYING to convince him.

      B) ...in case Mark PHONES home.

4.3 A) ....he hasn't GOT (or GOTTEN in US and Canadian English) OVER his divorce yet.

      B) He really LET her DOWN.

4.4 The divorce papers are being signed.

5.1 LAUNDRY

5.2 NO

5.3 YOUNG

5.4 ASKED

• 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.