BÁSICO 2 (Eugenia Ortega)

PODCASTS

Eugenia Ortega — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:46:41 +0000

If you are new to podcasts, or don’t know what a podcast is, you might find these instructions useful: PODCASTS, UNA RADIO A TU MEDIDA

The following is a selection of podcasts I’d recommend to learners trying to reach A2 Level (Common European Framework).

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Listen to English

Two short podcasts every week, in clearly spoken English (although some are at a higher level than you’re still able to understand). Many of them are linked to grammar and vocabulary notes, or to exercises or quizzes. The full text of each podcast is on the site so you can look up the meanings of words that you do not understand in a online dictionary.

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British Council Elementary Podcasts

Each episode has got many activities that you can do on your computer while you listen, or print out and do when you want.

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BBC Grammar Challenge (Learn English)

Improve your English grammar with the BBC. Each week they challenge an English language student on an area of the English language such as verb forms, tenses, prepositions and pronunciation. First, listen to a short presentation on the topic, and then try to answer the questions yourself. Each episode lasts for six minutes and is made available every Friday. You can download the audio file and the grammar explanation. You can get more practice on the topic by doing the online quizzes provided.

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ESL Podcards

PodCards are audio postcards containing information about a particular town or city from different countries around the world or biographies of famous people or events that make these places famous. You can download the activities to check your comprehension – but don’t read the tapescript first! The PodCards are divided into two levels (low and high). Low level PodCards are aimed at students up to and including Pre-Intermediate level – these cards are read at a slower speed and mostly contain structure appropriate to that level, i.e. Present and Past Simple, Present and Past Continuous, comparatives and superlatives, some simple passive forms and a lot of vocabulary.

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Podcasts in English

More than 100 podcasts on all kinds of interesting topics. They update their site every week. All podcasts are free, but only members receive the learning English worksheets, vocabulary tasks, webquests and transcripts.

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Posted in LISTENING, Podcasts

EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, NOBODY

Eugenia Ortega — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:18:57 +0000

That’s Not My Job!

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

ONLINE RESOURCES

How to use these compounds
Common mistakes

ONLINE EXERCISES

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Posted in Everybody Somebody Anybody Nobody, USE OF ENGLISH

THE PASSIVE VOICE

Eugenia Ortega — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:10:26 +0000

ONLINE RESOURCES

Why use the passive and how to form it.

Table of tenses in English with active and passive and how to change a sentence from active to passive.

ONLINE EXERCISES

Grammar Challenge Podcast from BBC Learning English with Practice Quizzes.
Gianni Versace, a reading comprehension exercise to practice the past simple passive.
Multiple Choice exercise.
Changing active sentences into passive.

Posted in USE OF ENGLISH

USED TO

Eugenia Ortega — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:05:05 +0000

PODCASTS

Used to / didn’t use to (From BBC “Grammar Challenge”) with accompanying practice quizzes.
Things I used to do (by Peter Carter). Read while you listen.

VIDEOS

Watch this Real English video. Then, read the transcript here to check your understanding.

Used to / Still / Anymore (by Smart Teaching Online).

If you’ve liked this video, you can subscribe to more like this one here.

NEED ANY FURTHER PRACTICE?

Try to complete these sentences.

Posted in USE OF ENGLISH, Used to

SONGS

Eugenia Ortega — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:56:42 +0000

Listening to songs is a great way to improve your listening skills and pronunciation. These are two great sites that you may find useful. I’ll use this post to collect any new sites I come across, so stay tuned and check back regularly! If you happen to know any other site that you like and don’t mind sharing it with us, don’t hesitate in leaving a message with your link.

Hope you enjoy them!

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Subingles has more than 1,500 subtitled songs to choose from. Click on “exercises” and you’ll find lots of gap-filling exercises to do while you listen to your favourite song.

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Karaoke Party has lots of songs with the lyrics. Choose a song you like, click on “Preview” to listen to it first, and then on “Sing it”. If you want to see how well you’ve done, you need to register, log in and connect your microphone.

Posted in SONGS

GIVING ADVICE

Eugenia Ortega — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:16:08 +0000

ONLINE RESOURCES

Should or Shouldn’t – Use and Practice

Should or Shouldn’t – Positives, Negatives, and Questions

Correcting mistakes and gap-filling exercise: Agony Aunt + Key to exercise

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE ADVICE

Have a look at this slide. What advice would you give the people? Feel free to leave a reply.

Posted in Giving advice, PRACTICAL ENGLISH

SECOND CONDITIONAL

Eugenia Ortega — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:08:50 +0000

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream. . .

Does this line ring a bell? Well, this post is certainly not about The Everly Brothers’ song, but mainly about songs that can help you learn (and,hopefully, never forget) how to express your future dreams in English. But, before you start dreaming, here is Jennifer again with one of her wonderful videos dealing with second or “unreal” conditional sentences.

Guess how many results you would get from Google if you searched for songs about dreams? No less than 52.600.000!!!! It’s not worth the time of looking up all these websites, is it? So here you are two songs that I can think off the top of my head.

This first song is one I can’t avoid recalling when dealing with conditionals. I’m sure that you’ll tap your feet to this 60’s oldie from the classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof”.

And here are the Barenaked Ladies (who are not ladies, but men) with a funny song that goes If I had $1,000,000… What would they do with all that money? Download worksheet on If I had a million dollars and fill in the gaps while you listen to it.

To check your answers click here or watch this video.

FURTHER PRACTICE: First or second conditional?

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4

Posted in Second Conditional, USE OF ENGLISH

FINAL EXAM – SAMPLE (BÁSICO 2)

Eugenia Ortega — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:52:26 +0000

If you are interested in getting an idea of what this kind of exam looks like, you can download last year’s sample from this website. At the school library, you can also borrow the key to the exercises and play the audio files of the listening section on any of the computers available there.

Posted in FINAL EXAM SAMPLE

FIRST CONDITIONAL

Eugenia Ortega — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:06:39 +0000

Are you superstitious, or do you like to think you’re not? Do you ever touch wood for luck, or is 13 your lucky number? Well, even if you think it’s all mumbo jumbo, superstitions come in very handy for the grammar point of this post, first conditional sentences. Here is a video on the topic by Jennifer, an American teacher you already know from an earlier post. If you are not subscribed to English with Jennifer, you really should.

Can you recognize any good luck charms in this Elvis song? Read the lyrics (below) to find out.

Don’t want a four leaf clover
Don’t want an old horseshoe
Want your kiss ’cause I just can’t miss
With a good luck charm like you

Come on and be my little good luck charm
Uh-huh huh, you sweet delight
I want a good luck charm
A-hanging on my arm
To have, to have, to hold, to hold tonight

Don’t want a silver dollar
Rabbit’s foot on a string
The happiness in your warm caress
No rabbit’s foot can bring

Come on and be my little good luck charm
Uh-huh huh, you sweet delight
I want a good luck charm
a-hanging on my arm
To have, to have, to hold, to hold tonight

If I found a lucky penny
I’d toss it across the bay
Your love is worth all the gold on earth
No wonder that I say

Come on and be my little good luck charm
Uh-huh huh, you sweet delight
I want a good luck charm
A-hanging on my arm
To have, to have, to hold, to hold tonight

How much do you know about British superstitions?

Try this quiz.