LETTER OF COMPLAINT

This is the ad:

CD World

English conversation in a week
set of 6 CDs
English conversation for business and pleasure

You need to make a plan. The letter should be divided into 3 paragraphs, as follows:

 - State problem, say why you bought the CDs and that you are dissatisfied

- Detailed explanation of problems (no business conversations, not enough time to repeat, the price)

- Conclusion, what you want CD World to do


Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my disappointment with the course of English language CDs which I purchased from your company a few days ago. I have a good theoretical knowledge of English grammar and I was hoping that your course would help me to improve my conversational fluency and my knowledge of business English, but I feel your product is unsatisfactory and your advertisement is misleading in several respects.

To begin with, your advertisement states that the course provides English conversation for pleasure and business. This naturally leads one to expect that there are commercial English conversations on the CDs, and yet no such conversations are included. In addition, the student is expected to listen and repeat the conversations, but there is not enough time to do this without constantly pressing the "pause" button. Finally, your advertisement gives the impression that the price for the whole course is 20 euros, whereas in fact the CDs cost 20 euros each. The total price is thus 120 euros. I feel this is, to say the least, somewhat misleading.

For these reasons I am most dissatisfied with your product. I am returning the CDs and expect a full refund. I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully

(your name)

HOBBIES AND ALZHEIMER

The following video will help you practise your listening. It's about hobbies and alzheimer.

Hope you like it.

EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN

Here's a video which explains education in GB.

How does it compare to education in Spain?

RED NOSE DAY

Hi,

I wonder whether you've heard about RED NOSE DAY. Well, it's all about raising money for charities. It's in fact a telethon that takes place every 2 years.

Anyway, after today's class I found this sketch; you will laugh your head off.

I don't know whether you follow the British X-Factor, but David Walliams keeps on teasing Simon and pretending he is in love with him.

Cheerio

MIND THE GAP

Here's a video on one of the voices that could be heard when travelling on the London underground.

Listen and answer the following questions:

1. What did Oswald Lawrence do for a living?
2. In which line could his voice be heard?
3. In which station could his widow hear his voice?
4. What happened in November last year?
5. How did she feel?
6. How long was Tim Bentinck's voice played in the Piccadilly line?
7. Why didn't he tell anyone about it?

COMPLAINT LETTER

If you want to find out more about complaint letters, click here.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE vs CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

Today we spoke about conventional and alternative medicine.
If you want to find out more, click here.

I'm sure you know lots of different remedies to avoid taking medication. Can you list them? For example, if my stomach hurts, I normally have chamomile tea.

HOW TO WRITE AN OUTSTANDING PERSONAL STATEMENT

PERSONAL STATEMENT



Your potential employer will ask you to write a personal statement to get additional information about you, i.e. information which was not mentioned in your CV. He or she wants to make a decision about your suitability for the position you are applying for.

We normally include the following sections:

1. Reasons for applying
2. Education and qualifications
3. Experience
4. Personal qualities
5. Extra skills relevant to the course
6. Future plans

And don't forget to convey your enthusiasm and motiviation for the job you are applying for, stressing your strengths.

Apart from the skills studied in class, here are some other personal skills you could mention:

When you had to use your initiative.

Determination/resilience. Have you had to overcome any obstacles or hardships in your life?

Creativity and imagination 

Time management and organising skills

Listening skills

Teamworking

Energy and enthusiasm

Flexibility and versatility

Responsibility and dependability

Ability to work with little supervision

Desire to continue learning

Other useful expressions:

- The course has given me broad knowledge about ...
- I have acquired skills and knowledge that ...
- The courses I have followed ...
- I hav always had a particular interest in ...
- Over the past two years, I have worked as ...
- To gain further insight into the specifics of (field), I plan to ...
- My working experience in varied environments has enabled me to develop a range of practical skills.
- I believe that the knowledge I acquired whilst working towards my degree ...

Here's a video that might be useful as it teaches you how to write a successful personal statement step-by-step.

BACK TO THE TOPIC OF NATURE

Isn't it inspiring?

Watch the video and fill in the gaps: (click on it)

I SEE TREES OF GREEN,
RED ROSES TOO
I SEE THEM _______
FOR ME AND YOU

AND I THINK TO MYSELF
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD.

I SEE SKIES OF BLUE
AND CLOUDS OF WHITE
THE BRIGHT _______ DAY,
THE DARK ________ NIGHT

AND I THINK TO MYSELF
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD.
THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW
SO PRETTY IN THE SKY
ARE ALSO ON THE _________
OF PEOPLE GOING BY
I SEE FRIENDS SHAKING HANDS
SAYING "HOW DO YOU DO"
THEY´RE REALLY _______
"I LOVE YOU"

I HEAR BABIES CRYING,
I WATCH THEM _________
THEY´LL LEARN MUCH MORE
THAN I´LL EVER KNOW

AND I THINK TO MYSELF
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
QUITE SIMPLY,  WONDERFUL.

1. bloom

2. blessed

3. sacred

4. faces

5. saying

6. grow

HABEMUS PAPAM... THE FIRST FRANCIS

Newspaper front pages from around the world have rolled out news about the new Pope, Francis.

Here's a video which summarises what happened yesterday evening at Saint Peter's Square.

EXPRESSIONS

Join these words to form common expressions that include weather-related terms:

1. a sunny                           a. discussion
2. a breezy                          b. stare
3. a heated                          c. smile
4. a stormy                          d. manner
5. an icy                              e. relationship


KEY:

1C
2D
3A
4E
5B

LOL

MICROSOFT & APPLE

NATURAL DISASTER



Have you ever experienced any of the natural disasters shown in the video? How do you feel when you see these images?

To get the ball rolling, I'd say .... appalled, horrified, shocked, frightened and petrified. Now it's your turn. Think of as many words as you can.

Now, can you think of other categories?

MISERABLE

Today we spoke about the meaning of the word miserable:

For a person it means wretchedly unhappy or uncomfortable, or when speaking about the weather, it means awful weather. There are many other uses though. Check this up!

Anyway, here's a video on Misery Bear, which reminds me of a Spanish brand for a fabric softener.

Enjoy

OBAMA'S INAUGURATION SPEECH

As we have dealt with the topic of SOCIAL ISSUES, I thought Obama's inauguration speech would be a good opportunity to brush up on this, and also to work on your listening skills.
Click here to watch the speech.

It's not that difficult. Give a try and jot down any word or structure you like.

A PLACE IN THE SUN

Here's the video we started watching in class.

Watch it and take notes of any expression and vocabulary that can be useful for you.

Also, try to do this gap-fill activity (first four minutes):

1. I'm on Murcia's __________.
2. With large ______________ planned for the area and house prices at the lowest they've been in a decade, this part of Spain is ____________ to be one of the best places to pick up a property _________.
3. I've spent the last 10 years ____________ the globe looking for the best houses in the market.
4. Over the past few years ____________ holidays in Spain has been the perfect time to relax.
5. The number of Brits has ___________.
6. This area has been protected from _________________ by strict planning laws ___________ its character and natural beauty.
7. Murcia __________ Europe's biggest salt water lake, the Mar Menor. It's separated from the Mediterranean by a __________ of land.
8. European money has been ___________ into the Region.
9. Prices  have __________ 35 % here since the boom.
10. You are gonna __________ with that budget.












KEY:
1. coastline
2. investment ... tipped ... bargain
3. trekking
4. laidback
5. doubled
6. overdevelopment ... preserving
7. boasts ... strip
8. poured
9. dropped
10. struggle

A VERY SPECIAL WEDDING SPEECH

Hiya!

I just wanted to share this video with you. I think it's sooooo cute, don't you?

Enjoy!

CONNECTORS

Contrast:

But - pero

Yet – sin embargo

However, - sin embargo

Nevertheless,/Nonetheless, - sin embargo

While / whereas – mientras…

Although/Though - aunque

Despite / in spite of + sustantivo – a pesar de

On the one hand,- por un lado

On the other hand, - por otro lado



Reason:

So that – así que

Because - porque

Since – ya que

As - como

So as to + verbo infinitivo - Para

In order to + verbo infinitivo - para

Because of + sustantivo – a causa de

Due to + sustantivo – debido a



Sequence:

At first /first/ fisrt of all - primero

To begin with – para empezar

At the beginning of – al principio de

in the beginning – al principio

Second / secondly - segundo

Then - luego

Next – después

Later, - más tarde

After that,/Afterwards, - después,

Before that, - antes,

Eventually / finally - finalmente

In the end, - al final



Adding information:

Besides, - Además

Furthermore, - es más,

In addition, - además,

Moreover, - es más,

What is more, - es más,



Giving examples:

For example, - por ejemplo

For instance, - por ejemplo

Such as – como…

Like – como…



Time clauses:

As soon as… - tan pronto como

When - cuando

By the time - cuando

Suddenly, / All of a sudden, - de repente



Opinion:

In my opinion, - en mi opinión

I agree…- estoy de acuerdo

I disagree…- estoy en desacuerdo

I think - creo

From my point of view, desde mi punto de vista

As far as I’m concern, en mi opinión



Conclusion:

To sum up, - en conclusión,

In conclusion, - en conclusión

In summary, - en resumen,

All in all, / on the whole, - en conjunto

DESCRIBING A HOUSE

When describing a house, we need to take into account the following criteria:

1. Type of house: terraced house, detached house, villa, 2-storey building, penthouse ...

2. Location: in the city centre, in the middle of nowhere, in a run-down area, up-and-coming area, residential area, close to the shops, in the suburbs, on the outskirts, isolated, in the countryside ...

3. General description: cosy, comfortable, luxurious, fully furnished, well-maintained, ...

4. Size: tiny, spacious, big, family sized, ...

5. Price: economical, overpriced, ...

PARTS OF THE HOUSE



If you need to brush up on this vocabulary, here are some links that might help you:

- Link 1
- Link 2

HOUSING AND DWELLINGS


Today we have covered the topic of dwellings. Here's a list of dwellings in case you are interested:

A-frame house
Barracks
Bungalow
cabin
caravan
castle
chalet
chateau
condo condominium
co-op
cottage
detached house
duplex
efficiency apartment / studio apartment
farm house
flat
high-rise home
hut
igloo
log cabin
mansion

manor
palace

penthouse
ranch house
real estate
residence
shack

shelter
skyscraper
tent

terraced house
townhouse
treehouse
triplex
villa

There are still a few more lodgings you can add to the list

ACCOMMODATION

ACCOMMODATION

There are many options for accommodation when you are on holidays. Most people stay in hotels; these can be cheap or expensive, they usually have several floors, and they may have a restaurant or swimming pool. A motel is like a cheap hotel, usually with only one or two floors, and you can park your car in front of your room. Or you can stay in a bed and breakfast. These are small, quaint and cozy places that offer a place to sleep and breakfast in the morning. Often these are run by families or individuals, and they may only have a few rooms.

Budget travelers may choose to stay in hostels; these are cheaper than other types of accommodation because they offer few amenities. In European cities especially, budget hostels are a dime a dozen; you will often see several hostels on the same street. Hostels are ideal for young backpackers, who can stay in dorm beds in a room with several other travelers, for a fraction of the cost of a hotel room. Tickets can be booked online, via telephone, or you can show up in person and try your luck. However, it’s always a good idea to call ahead and check to see if there are any vacancies. That way, you waste less time and can spend more time sightseeing!

 

 

1. Read the text and check the meaning of the words you don't know.

2. Fill in the blanks with one of the following words:

 

 

1. We bought a small, old-fashioned house in a _____________ little village.

2. Hmmm. . . . I don’t want a single bed, but a double bed might be too big. Are there any other _______________?

3. You can buy a used car for a _______________ of the cost of a new one.

4. My brother is a college student. He lives in a _____________.

5. If you want to go to the Olympics, you should book your _______________ early.

 

6. I don’t want to buy six cans of soda. Can I just buy an _______________ can?

7. _______________ airlines are often cheaper, but they don’t have as many amenities as other airlines.

8. The waiter ______________ me a free glass of coffee.

9. My parents like to go _______________ when we go on vacation, but I would rather just look at the pictures.

10. You can travel to the island __________ boat or plane.

11. That sofa looks really soft and _______________.

12. Look! The sign says “____________!” We can stay in that hotel!

KEY TO EXERCISES (part 1)

Here's the key for the first worksheet I handed in. It's the one with the explanation of PRESENT SIMPLE / CONTINUOUS / PERFECT SIMPLE / PERFECT CONTINUOUS.

4.

A

1 is being
2 tell
3 says
4 has
5 is

B

6 look
7 are
8 live
9 move
10 resemble

C

11 'm looking
12 isn't
13 Do ... know
14 're repairing
15 's using

5.

1 has won ... has said ... hat-trick
2 also-ran ...has taken ... has not finished
3 has heard ... has-been ... has trained
4 no-show ... has bought ... hasn't come

6.

1 have .. known (c) have been
2 (be) have ... been swimming
3 Have ... completed (d) have done
4 Have ... shown (a) has been reading

7

 She's lived / She's been living ... she's gone back ... she has an accent ... people who come from France ... I have never asked her ... if she speaks French ...she really likes to go ... she's invited me / she invited me ....  I have known her ... we've become good friends