Learn English with Ricky Gervais

Do you know who Ricky Gervais is? He is a comedian, a bit rude, if I may, starring in The Office.

Anyway, here's a funny English lesson.

Think about this:

- different ways of being ripped off
- what does kipper mean?
- how do you say 'hacer un hueco'?
- forget about the 'waxing' bit (I told you, he IS rude) (so sorry about this bit)
- NO MORE QUESTIONS!!!!!

Do you speak English?

This video is somewhere in the blog, but I enjoy it so much that I decided to upload it again.

THE TUBE

Dear all,

I've just found this video on youtube. I love it!

Can you answer these questions? (up to minute 2)

1. How many workers take care of the tube everyday?
2. What is the tube going through right now?
3. How does the speaker describe Liverpool Street Station?
4. What happens to Liverpool Street Station at weekends?
5. How do customers have to use the scalators according to the PA system announcement?

I find it very funny, don't you? If you are interested in the tube, there is a National Geographic video on the tube. Click here to learn more.

KEY TO EXERCISES and REVISIO OF FUTURE TENSES

Page 121
Exercise A: OTHERWISE / OTHER THAN THAT / APART FROM THAT
1. otherwise
2. apart
3. other than
4. otherwise
5. apart from / other (both are correct)
6. otherwise
7. other than that

Page 139: FUTURE
Exercise 1
1. Shall we get .... I'll go
2. I'm meeting ... I'm going to do
3. I've got to go ... It starts... I'll give
4. We'll have to chat ... )'ll walk ... I've got to
5. We're going ... will you do ... it might rain ... we are probably still going to go ... you're bound to enjoy

And here's a quiz for you to practise BOUND TO, DUE TO, ABOUT TO

Click here to revise the future tense.

Don't forget that perhaps using WILL for offers, promises, threats ... is what you find most difficult. Please brush up on this.

Ta-ra

ORDERING A COFFEE AT STARBUCKS

Ordering a coffee at Starbucks is not that easy as it is a mix of Italian and English.

Click here to learn more.

CLOTHES FASTENERS

I reckon you are very very very interested in clothes fasteners.

Do you remember the word PRESS STUD? This picture will show you other ways of referring to that kind of fastening. The one I said in class was POPPER.

WORD FORMATION EXERCISES

Check the following links out if you want to brush up on word families:

- Link 1
- Link 2
- Link 3

KEY page 22

Page 22

READING

Read the text carefully and underline any word or structure that is unkown to you. Then, look it up in the dictionary. Should you have any problems, we will work on this in class.

A.
1. All kinds of things. vacuum clearners, old doors, windows, records, newspapers, children's toys.
2. There's a bit of Mr.Trebus in all of us. The writer also collects things that are no longer useful
3. Mr. Trebus: that they were useful. The writer: the instructions and guarantees in case things break down, coins because they might be useful.
4. Your own opinion.

B.
1. His house became a health hazard.
2. He was a veteran of the Second World War.
3. He was a tank commander.
4. The trauma of what he lost when he left Poland caused his obsession.
5. He settled in Britain after the war.
6. He sorted the junk into piles of similar things.
7 He acquired every record Elvis Presley had ever made.
8. The neighbours complained about infestations of rats.
9. He resisted eviction.

VOCABULARY: WORD FAMILIES

A.
- al; -ise; -less; -y; -ious are adjectival suffixes. Can you think of adjectives ending in these suffixes? I'm sure you can.

B.
1. Obsession
2. Eviction
3. Caution
4. Fear
5. Intentions
6. Optimism
7. Meanness
8. Pessimism

TOOLS

ARE YOU A BOB THE BUILDER FAN?

 

 

Do you really want to know the name of the most useful tools in English? Well, here are some useful pages where you can expand your vocab:



- Link 1: picture dictionary
- Link 2: move the mouse and listen to the word
- Link 3: if you really want to become an expert in these things, this is your link.
- Link 4: heavy machinery