Selección de mis posts favoritos- 6

Para terminar el año, vuelvo a ofreceros este post, uno de mis favoritos, con dos juegos para pasar un buen rato en casa, cuando el tiempo demasiado frío no invita a salir a la calle. El motivo de repetirlo es que me parece que no salió bien en mi anterior intento.

In view of the success of The Alphabet Game:Animalshttp://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/the-alphabet-game-names-of-animals.html of a few days ago, some teachers have asked me if they could have another one. Well, here it is, this time about professions:

QUESTIONS FOR PLAYER ONE

beginning with a - said by Agatha Christie to make an ideal husband, because “the older you get, the more charming he will find you.”

beginning with b - you’ll feel safer if you can afford to hire one

beginning with c - consult one of them if you have any doubts concerning a medicine

beginning with d - some people hire one if they suspect they’re being cheated by their husband or their wife

beginning with e - anyone of them can explain to us the origin of the present economic crisis, but few of them will be able to find a solution to it

beginning with f - a man or a woman whose task it is to extinguish fires

beginning with g - assists the cameraman in a film studio

beginning with h- a wife of whom it wouldn't be fair to say that she hasn’t got a job, especially if she is a mother too

beginning with i - someone hired to advise famous people, especially politicians, on improved public presentation or impression

beginning with j - someone who decides how criminals should be punished

ending with k - works in an office or a bank

beginning with l - can save people's lives when they're about to drown

beginning with m - someone who plays a musical instrument

beginning with n - looks after sick people in a hospital

beginning with o - someone who is in a position of authority in the army

beginning with p - with so many people taking selfies nowadays, the workload of these professionals is not as heavy as it was in the past

QUESTIONS FOR PLAYER TWO

beginning with a - someone whose job is to keep and check financial accounts

beginning with b - not a full-time profession, but very useful when you need someone to leave your children with for a short time

beginning with c - the main cook in a hotel or restaurant

beginning with d - if you’re ill, you’ll be treated by one of these

beginning with e - someone who is paid to work for an employer

beginning with f - someone who grows crops and keeps animals

beginning with g - in Britain, someone who sells fruit and vegetables

beginning with h - cuts, washes, and arranges people’s hair in particular styles

beginning with i - to do their job well, they must speak a foreign language perfectly

beginning with j - always on the alert for the latest news

ending with k - if he or she is good, you'll lick your fingers when eating their delicious dishes

beginning with l - in the U.S, they usually call them attorneys

beginning with m - will repair your car if it breaks down

beginning with n - looks after children in the home, but not many families can afford one nowadays

beginning with o -  someone who tests your eyes before you buy your glasses

beginning with p - you have to call in one to fix a tap

KEY

Player One: a.- archaelogist; b.- bodyguard; c.-chemist; d.- detective; e.- economist; f.- firefighter; g.- grip; h.- housewife; i,- image consultant; j.- judge; k.- clerk; l.- lifeguard; m.- musician; n.- nurse; o.- officer; p.- photographer

Player Two: a.- accountant; b.- babysitter; c.- chef; d.- doctor; e.- employee; f.- farmer; g.- greengrocer; h.- hairdresser; i.- interpreter; j.- journalist; k.- cook; l.- lawyer; m.- mechanic; n.- nanny; o.- optician; p.- plumber

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Selección de mis post favoritos- 6

In view of the success of The Alphabet Game:Animalshttp://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/the-alphabet-game-names-of-animals.html of a few days ago, some teachers have asked me if they could have another one. Well, here it is, this time about professions:

QUESTIONS FOR PLAYER ONE

beginning with a - said by Agatha Christie to make an ideal husband, because “the older you get, the more charming he will find you.”

beginning with b - you’ll feel safer if you can afford to hire one

beginning with c - consult one of them if you have any doubts concerning a medicine

beginning with d - some people hire one if they suspect they’re being cheated by their husband or their wife

beginning with e - anyone of them can explain to us the origin of the present economic crisis, but few of them will be able to find a solution to it

beginning with f - a man or a woman whose task it is to extinguish fires

beginning with g - assists the cameraman in a film studio

beginning with h- a wife of whom it wouldn't be fair to say that she hasn’t got a job, especially if she is a mother too

beginning with i - someone hired to advise famous people, especially politicians, on improved public presentation or impression

beginning with j - someone who decides how criminals should be punished

ending with k - works in an office or a bank

beginning with l - can save people's lives when they're about to drown

beginning with m - someone who plays a musical instrument

beginning with n - looks after sick people in a hospital

beginning with o - someone who is in a position of authority in the army

beginning with p - with so many people taking selfies nowadays, the workload of these professionals is not as heavy as it was in the past

QUESTIONS FOR PLAYER TWO

beginning with a - someone whose job is to keep and check financial accounts

beginning with b - not a full-time profession, but very useful when you need someone to leave your children with for a short time

beginning with c - the main cook in a hotel or restaurant

beginning with d - if you’re ill, you’ll be treated by one of these

beginning with e - someone who is paid to work for an employer

beginning with f - someone who grows crops and keeps animals

beginning with g - in Britain, someone who sells fruit and vegetables

beginning with h - cuts, washes, and arranges people’s hair in particular styles

beginning with i - to do their job well, they must speak a foreign language perfectly

beginning with j - always on the alert for the latest news

ending with k - if he or she is good, you'll lick your fingers when eating their delicious dishes

beginning with l - in the U.S, they usually call them attorneys

beginning with m - will repair your car if it breaks down

beginning with n - looks after children in the home, but not many families can afford one nowadays

beginning with o -  someone who tests your eyes before you buy your glasses

beginning with p - you have to call in one to fix a tap

KEY

Player One: a.- archaelogist; b.- bodyguard; c.-chemist; d.- detective; e.- economist; f.- firefighter; g.- grip; h.- housewife; i,- image consultant; j.- judge; k.- clerk; l.- lifeguard; m.- musician; n.- nurse; o.- officer; p.- photographer

Player Two: a.- accountant; b.- babysitter; c.- chef; d.- doctor; e.- employee; f.- farmer; g.- greengrocer; h.- hairdresser; i.- interpreter; j.- journalist; k.- cook; l.- lawyer; m.- mechanic; n.- nanny; o.- optician; p.- plumber

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Selección de mis posts favoritos - 5

Twelve beloved historic English pubshttp://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/08/12-beloved-historic-english-pubs.html

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Selección de mis posts favoritos - 4

'The Whip Scene', una hilarante escena de la película 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'http://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/10/the-whip-scene-from-film-dirty-rotten.html

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Selección de mis posts favoritos- 3

'The rain in Spain' from My Fair lady musicalhttp://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/10/my-fair-lady-rain-in-spain.html

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Selección de mis posts favoritos-2

Ben & Hollyhttp://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Ben%20and%20Holly, an amusing story for children.

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Selección de mis posts favoritos - 1

Ejercicios de transformación gramatical con respuestas comentadashttp://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/ejercicios-de-transformacion-gramatical_29.html 

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Christmas Carol: Silent Night

SILENT NIGHT

 The origin of this Christmas carol was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber so that the melody and music for it would be finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time and its beautiful lyrics convey the essence of peace and love.

Well, here's this famous Christmas carol, with my wish that all Christmas nights all over the world be full of peace and love like in the song:

This is my last post this year. In case you want to keep in touch during Christmas, you can play again my 2014 posts you liked best, and comment on them. On my part, I'll contribute with a selection of my favourite posts I uploaded from July through December, and I hope to be back with some new posts after the Christmas holidays.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2015 to you all!

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Invitation to Murder: Suggestions for exploiting the story in the classroom

Here are some suggestions to exploit the story 'Invitation to Murder'http://sanchezbenedito.blogspot.com.es/2014/12/historias-y-humor-invitation-to-murder.html in the classroom for the students' benefit:

Role-play

Inspector Caulder and Sergeant Turner discuss the case.

Motives

State the motives each of the following characters in the story may have had to murder Lord Thumbleton:

Barton -

Borderlow -

Helen - 

Miss Prescott -

Salford - 


Synonyms 

Find synonyms or near-synonyms for the following words and expressions:

a.- to do sb in -

b.- astonished - 

c.- bewildered

d.- cunning

e.- to impersonate

f.- to take one’s own life

Antonyms

Find antonyms for the following words:

a.-comfortable

b.- to fail

c.- guilty

d.- harmless

e.- irrelevant

f.- needy

Partitives 

Fill in the blanks with an adequate partitive, then translate into Spanish:

1.- a .... of chocolate                            

2.- a .... of soap                                

3.- a .... of furniture                      

4.- a .....of sugar                          

5.- a .... of wind                                

6.- a .... of fog/mist                           

7.- a .... of laughter                           

8.- a .... of toast                                

9.- a .... of salt                      

10.- a ....of good/bad weather            

Unless

Re-write the following sentences using unless without changing the meaning:

  a.- Don’t format the hard disk without backing it up first

  b.- You will be taken to court if you don’t pay up

  c.-  The lid will leak if you don’t do it up tightly

  d.- If I can borrow my brother’s motorbike, I’ll be able to get there by 9 o’clock

  e.- Without a change in their attitude, they’ll never be champions

  f.- There will be no Christmas bonus this year if you don’t make greater efforts to sell more

Ways of killing

  Fill in the blanks with the appropriate verb from the lexical field of killing:

     a.- Martin Luther King was ............ in Memphis in 1968

     b.- The jury found him guilty of ........... not murder

     c.- More than 300 people were killed in the battle; it was a real ...........

     d.- The prisoner will be .......... next Monday

     e.- The horse was suffering badly from its wounds, so its owner had to ...... it ......

     f.- The gunman opened fire with a machine gun and ......... at least ten people

     g.- The two gangsters were ........ at the pizza parlor

     h.- The lambs will be taken to the village abattoir to be ...........

Idioms

Complete the following sentences:

1.- If you want to adopt a child, you have to fill in a lot of forms. There’s a lot of .......tape

          a.- black; b.- red; c.- brown

     2.- I wouldn’t do that for all the tea in ...........

          a.- China; b.- India; c.- Russia

3.- “How do you know that George’s going to be promoted?” “I got it straight from the........mouth”

          a.- bull’s; b.- dog’s; c.- horse’s

     4.- The boss ....... him on the carpet for being late to work

          a.- had; b.- set; c.- laid

5.- You could have knocked me down with a .......... when I heard they were divorcing

     a.- hammer; b.- feather; c.- pin

6.- It’s a high salary for an easy job. It’s money for .........

     a.- biscuit; b.- butter; c.- jam

7.- Now they want me to work overtime without any money compensation. That’s the last ..........

     a.- drop; b.- grain; c.- straw

8.- I’m not saying that thieves should be ill-treated, but I don’t think they should be handled with ......gloves either

     a.- leather; b.- kid; c.- silk

9.- They hadn’t been on speaking terms for years, but then one day they decided to bury the ........... and be friends

     a.- hatchet; b.- gun; c.- knife

10.- The pension she gets from the government is scarcely enough to keep the ....... from the door

     a.- wolf; b.- dogs; c.- rats

Phonetics: Silent 'b'

The 'b' is not pronounced in the words debt and debtor, appearing in the story. What other words do you know with a silent 'b'? 

KEY

Role-play : students' own answers, taking the story as a basis

Motives: students' own answers, taking the story as a basis

Synonyms:

a.- to kill, to murder
b.- surprised, amazed, astounded
c.- baffled, puzzled, perplexed
d.- clever, astute, crafty
e.- to pass oneself off as
f.- to commit suicide, to kill oneself

Antonyms

a.- uncomfortable
b.- to succeed
c.- not guilty, innocent
d.- harmful
e.- relevant
f.- rich, wealthy, well-off


Partitives

1.- a bar/square/piece of chocolate – una barrita/tableta/onza/pedazo de chocolate

2.- a bar/cake of soap – una pastilla de jabón

3.-a pìece/an item of furniture – un mueble

4.- a cube/lump of sugar - un terrón de azúcar

5.- a gust/puff of wind – una ráfaga/una racha de viento

6.- a patch of fog/mist – un banco de niebla/neblina

7.- a peal/roar of laughter – una carcajada

8.- a piece of toast – una tostada

9.- a grain/pinch of salt – un grano/una pizca de sal

10.- a spell of good/bad weather – una racha de buen/mal tiempo

Unless

Suggested answers: 

a.- Don’t format the hard disk unless you have backed it up first

b.- Unless you pay up, you’ll be taken to court

c.- Unless you do up the lid tightly, it will leak

d.- Unless I can borrow my brother’s motorbike, I won’t be able to get there by 9 o’clock

e.- Unless they change their attitude, they’ll never be champions

f.- Unless you make greater efforts to sell more, there will be no Christmas bonus this year.

Ways of killing a.- assassinated; b.- manslaughter; c.- massacre; d.- executed; e.- finish off; f.- mowed down; g.- bumped off/knocked off/ done in; h.- slaughtered/butchered

Idioms

1-b; 2-a; 3-c; 4-a; 5-b; 6-c; 7-c; 8-b; 9-a; 10-a

Phonetics: Silent 'b'

- The 'b' is silent in words ending in mb and derived: bomb (bomba), bomber (bombardero), to climb (escalar), climber (escalador), comb (peine), crumb (migaja), dumb (mudo), lamb (cordero), limb (miembro, extremidad), plumb (plomada), plumber (fontanero), thumb pulgar), tomb (tumba), etc.

- the 'b' is also silent before 't' in words like: debt (deuda), debtor (deudor), doubt (duda), doubtful (dudoso), doubtless (indudable), undoubtedly (indudablemente), subtle (sutil), subtlety (sutileza), etc. 

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Historias y humor: Invitation to Murder

Os ofrezco hoy una historia de mi libro Short Stories to Help You Increase Your Vocabulary, ya agotado.
'Invitation to Murder', que hoy comparto con vosotros, es una historia policíaca, que leía en alguna ocasión a mis alumnos en la Universidad, y que ellos disfrutaban escuchándola, animándose incluso a veces a representarla en clase. Recuerdo un grupo que elaboró un corto muy original basado en la misma, que me pareció verdaderamente genial.
Otra actividad consistía en leerles sólo hasta el momento en que el inspector revela quién es el asesino y las razones que le llevaron a esa conclusión (los dos últimos párrafos). Entonces yo les invitaba a proponer su propio culpable y el por qué de su suposición. De esta manera, pasaban un buen rato a la vez que practicaban la expresión oral. Al final, yo les leía el resto de la historia que, la mayoría de las veces, les pillaba totalmente por sorpresa. 
En realidad, mi historia es de intención puramente pedagógica, sin pretensiones literarias de ningún tipo, aunque podía entenderse también, en cierto modo, como parodia de Hercule Poirot, el famoso detective belga en muchas novelas de Agatha Christie y del capitán Arthur Hastings, su inseparable amigo. Poirot era presentado por la autora como una figura un tanto ridícula, con su cabeza en forma de huevo y su gran bigote tieso tipo militar, pero estaba dotado de un increíble talento para resolver cualquier misterio y descubrir al asesino o a la asesina por ingeniosos que estos fueran. El Capitán A. Hastings, por su parte, era descrito como un personaje algo torpe, que intentaba ayudar a Poirot a resolver el caso, pero cuyas conclusiones resultaban siempre erróneas. En mi historia, estos dos papeles recaen respectivamente sobre el inspector Caulder y el sargento Turner.
Bueno, aquí os dejo, sin más preámbulos, la historia y algunas preguntas de comprensión sobre la misma:

INVITATION TO MURDER

Murder is always a mistake – one should never do anything one cannot talk about after dinner. (Oscar Wilde)

The police car went round a sharp bend and Thumbleton Manor appeared in the distance. Inspector Caulder of Scotland Yard smiled to himself. The complicated case he had been called upon to solve had all the ingredients of a Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie classic. The setting, the characters, nothing was missing, but he was no Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, nor did he have a Watson or a Hastings at hand to help him out.

Invitation to Murder would no doubt be an appropriate title for the corresponding thriller. In fact, Lord Thumbleton, the prestigious judge, must have been mad to invite that group of people to spend the weekend in his country house, for unless one is tired of living and wants to commit suicide – and this wasn’t Lord Thumbleton’s case, as he certainly knew how to enjoy life – it isn’t wise to invite someone who hates one’s guts, and he had asked over Barton, whose father he had sent to the gallows, and Borderlow, the infamous swindler, who was indebted to him for spending a quarter of his life in prison. It had not been a bright idea, either, to invite Helen, his own wife, from whom he had been separated for over two years, especially when she was aware that Miss Prescott, her husband’s secretary and mistress, would be of the party. And to complete the picture, among the guests would be Salford, his lawyer, whom Lord Thumbleton had sufficient reasons to distrust since he had discovered by chance that he had been carrying on for six months with Miss Prescott, of all women. With these antecedents in mind, it was logical to expect that Lord Thumbleton would be murdered, and it only remained to know who was to beat the others in this race to crime.

The car had reached the house and the inspector could see his man, Sergeant Turner, waiting for him outside, and judging from the satisfied grin on his face, he must have already caught the murderer, or at least have a pretty good idea about who the criminal might be. “Good evening, Sir, everything’s in order, and I think that...” “Just a moment, Turner”, the inspector interrupted him, “before you report about your inquiries, I’d like to have a look at the suspects’ statements. I know you’re an orderly man, and I’m sure you’ve kept your notes.” “Yes, of course, everything’s here, Sir”, said the sergeant producing his pad, “but I have good reasons to believe that...” “All right, Sergeant, but give me some time to guess for myself. As is customary in these cases, take me to the library and have somebody bring me a good cup of tea.” “Very well, Sir”. Though somewhat disappointed by the inspector’s reluctance to hear his clever conclusions, the Sergeant led his superior to the library, asked the maid for two cups of tea and waited impatiently to be given the opportunity to explain himself.

The inspector sat down quietly in one of the comfortable armchairs, and as he sipped his tea, he began to get acquainted with the facts. Lord Thumbleton had dropped dead at about two after drinking a cup of coffee. According to the witnesses’ testimony, all the suspects had been present when tea and coffee had been served in the living room: his wife, his mistress, his lawyer, the hanged man’s son and the ex-convict, but there was a small detail, apparently irrelevant, that struck him as curious nonetheless. Lord Thumbleton, who always had tea after lunch, today had had coffee instead. Had he sensed the danger and substituted coffee for tea to throw off his would-be murderer? If so, it had all been to no avail. He went on reading, but the statements did not tell him much, except that it was Miss Prescott who would benefit the most from the late Lord Thumbleton’s will. Apart from a small pension for his widow, he left his secretary and mistress everything (which did not amount to much anyway, after all his gambling debts had been paid off). Well, well, he thought, now we have the motive, and motive is essential in a murder case, but hatred or jealousy can be equally important...

The inspector finished his reading and turning to the sergeant snapped: “Well, Turner, out with it, who’s our murderer?” “Don’t worry, Sir, everything’s under control, I have one of my men watching him. Kinderley can’t escape.” “Kinderley?”, the inspector was puzzled, “who on earth is this Kinderley?” “The butler, Sir. I found the jewels and the silver cutlery in his suitcase. The bird was about to fly – “Kinderley, a murderer?”, the inspector couldn’t help bursting out laughing, but seeing that the sergeant was not amused, he hastened to add: “you did well, Turner, to arrest the petty thief, but it’s evident that we can’t charge him with murder. If you question him again, you’ll find that our man knew Thumbleton Manor was going to be closed down and his services would no longer be necessary, so he thought he was entitled to a little extra silver handshake; the chap’s guilty of stealing, but murdering Lord Thumbleton is another story; no, I’m afraid we’ll have to go on looking.” His momentary disappointment over, the sergeant ventured to say: “Well, if you allow me, Sir, I think it’s obvious that Miss Prescott did it, I’ll arrest her...” “Wait a minute, Turner, you can’t charge Miss Prescott with anything, except perhaps attempted murder. If you go over the statements again, you’ll find that someone said, I think it was Borderlow, that Miss Prescott offered her employer a cup of tea, saying: “Here’s your tea, Lord Thumbleton, as you like it, with two lumps of sugar and a slice of lemon.” She was clearly upset when he had preferred coffee, and quickly took the cup back to the kitchen. If we’re lucky and nobody has washed up yet, we’ll find a trace of poison in the cup that will allow us to charge Miss Prescott and her new lover, the lawyer, with attempted murder, but we’re still left with the actual murder of Lord Thumbleton on our hands, unsolved...” “Then, it must be the wife”, said a more and more baffled sergeant. “No”, the inspector said calmly, “if we are to believe Hobson, the stable lad, Lady Thumbleton had chosen a different method to do her husband in, which obviously failed too when, on some pretext or other, he begged off his customary morning ride on his favourite horse which, curiously enough, for no apparent reason, reared up and bolted that very morning...Nor can we accuse young Barton, or Borderlow, unless murderous wishes can be counted as the real thing.

No, Turner, if there’s a culprit in this case it’s Lord Thumbleton himself.” “You mean he took his own life?” “No, I mean he was too clever by half when he planned his cunning invitation to murder.” “I don’t understand, Sir, Lord Thumbleton’s dead...” “On the contrary, he’s alive and kicking, and if you hurry you’ll be able to arrest him at Heathrow as he gets off the plane from Paris in about two hours’ time, and charge him with the murder of Richard Thumbleton, his twin brother.” The sergeant was astonished. “But, but...”, he stammered, “he could hardly kill his brother if he was in Paris...” “With a bit of luck, we’ll find Lord Thumbleton’s fingerprints on the box of tablets his brother had every day after lunch, tablets that were cunningly replaced by others with a deadly dose of cyanide.”

And his clever deductions made, Inspector Caulder, as in any good novel of the genre, lit his pipe and began to explain everything to his bewildered subordinate: “The idea had occurred to Lord Thumbleton when visiting his twin brother in Paris. Harassed by his debtors, he thought a good way to outwit his enemies and collect the substantial life insurance he had taken out naming his brother as beneficiary was to stage this macabre invitation to murder in his Manor House. For a small sum of money, he must have persuaded his needy bohemian brother to impersonate him, assuring him it was all part of a harmless practical joke on his friends and lover. And the joke had proved fatal to poor Richard.

Reading comprehension questions

a.-Why is Invitation to Murder an appropriate title for this story according to the narrator?

b.-Why was Sgt Turner grinning as he waited for the inspector?

c.- What had Kinderley done and why?

d.- What were the terms of Lord Thumbleton’s will?

e.- Why do you think Lord Thumbleton’s horse had reared up and bolted?

f.- Make up a conversation between Inspector Caulder and Sgt Turner

g.- Before you read the last two paragraphs of the story, make a list of the suspects and say who the murderer is in your opinion and why?

h.- What had really happened?

i.- How do you think the story ends?

j.- Do you like reading detective novels? What kind of books do you prefer? Who is your favourite writer and why?

KEY (suggested answers)

a.- Because it seemed as if Lord Thumbleton wanted to be murdered, having invited people who all had sufficient reasons to wish him dead.

b.- Because he thought he had caught the murderer.

c.- He had stolen some jewels and the silver cutlery, which he saw as a compensation for his imminent dismissal when Thumbleton Manor was closed down.

d.- He was leaving everything he had, except a small pension for his widow, to Miss Prescott, his secretary and mistress.

e.- Because his wife, Lady Thumbleton, had probably given the horse something to make it rear up and bolt.

f.- Students’ own answers.

g.- Miss Prescott and her new lover, because she knew she was the main beneficiary of her employer’s will.

     Barton, to avenge his father.

     Borderlow, to take vengeance on Lord Thumbleton, who had sent him to prison.

     Helen, because her husband had cheated on her.

h.- Lord Thumbleton had persuaded his twin brother to impersonate him, and then killed him by putting poison in the tablets he knew his brother always had after lunch, with the intention of collecting afterwards the substantial life insurance which he had taken out naming his brother as beneficiary.

i.- Students’ own answers. Suggestions: 1.- Lord Thumbleton is arrested at the airport. 2.- He manages to escape. 3.- His plane crashes on landing.

j.- Students’ own answers

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Simply Red: If you don't know me by now.

Practise your English listening comprehension with this Simply Red version of the beautiful song "If You Don't Know Me by Now", written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and recorded by the Philly soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. I advise you to go about it like this: first you just listen to the song without looking at the words, and then you play it again looking at the lyrics to check if you understood correctly:

(This video has been downloaded from YouTube for educational purposes only).

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Gramática: Nombres frasales

Nombres frasales

De los verbos frasales se derivan a veces nombres, llamados comúnmente nombres frasales (phrasal nouns), de uso muy extendido actualmente, sobre todo en lenguaje periodístico o profesional (fotografía, cine, informática, etc.):

back-up          copia de seguridad (inform.)

blow-up           ampliación (fotografía)

check-up         chequeo (médico)

flyover            paso elevado

go-between     intermediario

lay-by             aparcamiento en carretera

lockout          cierre patronal

mix-up confusión

setback           revés, inconveniente

write-off          siniestro total (seguros); (fig) caso perdido

EXERCISE

Complete the sense with the following phrasal nouns: breakdown; mix-up; walkout; breakthrough; lockout; write-off; setback; pile-up:

1.- Recently a significant ..........was announced in the search for a cure for ebola.

2.- My husband is recovering from a ......caused by too much stress.

3.- The plan has suffered a ............ Our sponsor has withdrawn  his support.

4.- As a result of the .........on the motorway his car was a .........

5.- When the car workers staged a .........in protest at the cutting of their tea-break, the employers retaliated with a ............

6.- There was a .........over the time of the interview which resulted in his losing the job. 

TIP: Appendix 9 in my Gramática Inglesa, 9ª ed. can help you to do the exercise (pp. 726-730).

KEY

1.- breakthrough; 2.- breakdown; 3.- setback; 4.- pile-up; write-off; 5.- walk-out/walkout, lockout; 6.- mix-up 

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verbos + preposición -2

Verbs + preposition 

Exercice

Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1.- Our neighbour is always borrowing things .........us Nuestro vecino siempre nos está pidiendo

  cosas prestadas

2.- I bumped .... him at the races Me lo tropecé en las carreras

      

3.- This ship doesn’t call .... Genoa Este barco no hace escala en Génova

4.- Money is all she cares .... El dinero es todo lo que le importa

5.- Who will care .... him when he gets old? ¿Quién cuidará de él cuando sea viejo?

6.- Their flat is lovely, but I don’t care .... the furniture Su piso es encantador, pero no me gustan  los muebles

7.- Would you care .... a cigar? ¿Te apetece un puro?

8,. We cater .... all your needs Satisfacemos todas sus necesidades                

9.- I chanced .... this bargain on the internet Me topé con esta ganga en internet

10.- After drinking the potion, Dr Jekyll changed .... Mr Hyde Tras beber la pócima, el Dr Jekyll se transformó en Mr Hyde

11.- They charged me ten euros .... the whisky  Me cobraron diez euros por el whisky

  

12.- They charged her .... murder La acusaron de asesinato

13.- The van collided .... a lorry La furgoneta chocó con un camión

14.- They're commenting .... the football match Están comentando el partido de fútbol

KEY

1.- from; 2.- into; 3.- at; 4.- about; 5.- for; 6.- for; 7.- for; 8.- for; 9.- upon/on; 10.- into; 11.- for; 12.- with; 13.- with; 14.- on/about

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Food idioms -2

A few weeks ago, you had the opportunity to learn some food idioms, but in case you haven't had your fill yet, here you have some more:

Exercise

Complete the following idioms with one of the following words: 
bacon, butter, butterfingers, cake, cheese, peach, onions, pie, potato, soup:

1.- You should get out more and watch less TV, you're turning into a real couch ........

2.- Except for a bit of ........ fuzz, the baby was born bald.
3.- When it comes to computers, he really knows his ........
4.- No one ever thought she was so naughty; she always looked as if .......... wouldn't melt in her mouth.
5.- My wife has had to bring home the ...... ever since I broke my leg.
6.- He's in the .......... It's the third time this month he's been caught exceeding the speed limit.
7.- The goalkeeper had the ball, but he dropped it. What a ........he is!
8.- Simon wants to have his .......... and eat it too. He won't marry me, but he doesn't want me to date anyone else.
9.- He was a very influential man; he seemed to have a finger in every ........
10. I thought I was just going to interview the secretary, but they let me talk to the big ........ himself.

KEY

1.- potato; 2.- peach; 3.- onions; 4.- butter; 5.- wife; 6.- soup; 7.- butterfingers; 8.- cake; 9.- pie; 10.- cheese.

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World Englishes by Prof. David Crystal.

I have the pleasure to share with you today the interview to the prestigious linguist Prof. David Crystal, conducted by Tony O'Brien, Western Balkans British Council Director in Belgrade on 9 November 2013, Prof. Crystal maintains that there isn't only a 'World English', but lots of 'World Englishes', as many as countries where English is spoken. I find this talk very enlightening and enjoyed it thoroughly, and I'm sure you will enjoy it too:

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Children's songs to learn English: the animals went in two by two

Here's another children's song to learn English, while having a bit of fun too. If you, teachers, find it too long, you can always shorten it to your taste:

Lyrics

The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in three by three, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in three by three, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in three by three, the wasp, the ant and the bumblebee.

And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in four by four, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in four by four, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in four by four, the great hippopotamus stuck on the door.

And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in five by five, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in five by five, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in five by five, they warmed each other to keep alive
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in six by six, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in six by six, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in six by six, they turned out the monkey because of his tricks
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in seven by seven, hurrah! hurrah!

The animals went in seven by seven, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in seven by seven, the little pig thought he was going to heaven
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain. 

The animals went in eight by eight, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in eight by eight, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in eight by eight, the turtle thought that he was coming late,
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in nine by nine, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in nine by nine, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in nine by nine, marching up in a long straight line,
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

The animals went in ten by ten, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in ten by ten, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in ten by ten, the last one was a little red hen,
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain

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Gramática- Plurales extranjeros

Plurales Extranjeros

Ciertos nombres de origen extranjero, en su mayoría cultismos de origen griego o latino, tienen plurales especiales:

- singular terminado en –is       →        plural en -es /i:z/:

basis                           base                            bases

crisis                           crisis                            crises

diagnosis                    diagnóstico                  diagnoses

hypothesis                  hipótesis                      hypotheses

oasis                           oasis                            oases

- singular terminado en -us       →        plural en -i /aI/:

bacillus                       bacilo                          bacilli

stimulus                      estímulo                       stimuli

- singular terminado en -on      →        plural en -a /@/:

criterion                     criterio                         criteria

phenomenon              fenómeno                     phenomena

- singular terminado en -a        →        plural en -ae /i:/:

alga                            alga                             algae

larva                           larva                            larvae

Algunos nombres de este mismo origen en proceso de asimilación por el idioma tienen plural regular inglés además del latino o griego:

cactus                         cacto                           cactuses/cacti

corpus                        corpus                         corpuses/corpora

formula                       fórmula            formulas/formulae (formulae se usa esp. en química y en matemáticas.)

fungus                        hongo                          funguses/fungi

nucleus                       núcleo                          nucleuses/nuclei

Otros, ya totalmente asimilados, sólo tienen el plural regular en -s o -es:

bonus                          bonificación                 bonuses

campus                       campus                        campuses

encyclopaedia            enciclopedia                 encyclopaedias

virus                           virus                            viruses

A veces, los dos plurales tienen significados distintos:

antenna                      antena                          antennas (antenas de TV = aerials)

                                                                       antennae (antenas de artrópodos)

medium                      medio                          mediums (medios espiritistas)

                                                                       media (medios de información)

Hay, por último, algunos plurales acabados en -i, procedentes del italiano. Algunos de ellos, como graffiti y paparazzi, suelen usarse solamente en plural, aunque tengan también una forma singular acabada en -o:

The walls were covered with graffiti Los muros estaban cubiertos de pintadas

The paparazzi follow her everywhere she goes Los paparazzi la siguen a dondequiera que va

One of the paparazzi managed to photograph her with her new love Uno de los paparazzi consiguió fotografiarla con su nuevo amor

otros del mismo origen, como cannelloni, macaroni, ravioli y spaghetti, son «no contables» en inglés, por lo que llevan el verbo en singular:

Ravioli was in preparation for dinner Se estaban haciendo los ravioli para la cena

Para saber más sobre el tema, ver mi Gramática Inglesa, 9ª ed., pp. 52-54.

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