Please leave a comment below about you have learned about the passive voice and give a sample sentence.
Punctuation..? A review
10 years ago
Things I Can't Live Without
Elena
I couldn’t live without… Medical Research: It’s really important this kind of investigation for improve our heath now and in the future and obtain a better quality of life making new medicines.
Transports: Subway, cars, planes…They are absolutely necessary for people to travel around the world and get on time to their meetings or jobs.
Elevator: For me it’s very useful when you fell so tired during the day and don’t want to waste your time going upstairs. Also it’s so good when you want to go up a heavy purchase.
Washing machine: In a word: amazing. Think about cleaning your towels, sheets or pants yourself, I don’t want to imagine that. Only in 35 minutes you get your clothes ready.
Dishwasher: I love it! I hate washing plates with my hands and this electrical appliance it’s so quickly and leave it all so clean and brilliant.
Radio: Differents programmes, interviews and good music...What can I say? Probably you´ll never get bored if you have a radio at home.
Mobile phone: Nowadays it’s essential to have one if you have a problem like an accident or whatever and of course just to get in touch with people you like. Also you can enjoy the newest applications.
Cinema: One of the best places to have fun watching a good movie and with 3D technology it’s like if you were inside!
Internet: Email, youtube, free music and movies... It’s the right place to find everything you really want and chat with all your friends.
Maria Jose
First of all, I have to say that all devices with which we live are really important and without only one of them our lifestyle would be completely different. I cannot imagine my house without refrigerator or heating.
It is very difficult to choose which Technology is the more important, so I will speak only about two examples of technology which have completely revolutionized our way of life in the last years. I mean Internet and cellular phones.
Internet is essential not only in our work life but also in our private life. Even though Internet joined working life not very long time, nowadays no company can survive without a website and an e-mail. I wonder how it was possible working without internet only 20 years ago… Also internet is an essential part of our private life. Today everybody has a computer at home because we cannot conceive studying without internet or going walking to our bank to make a wire transfer. Even in the development of our social relationships Internet has modified our behaviour because today everybody uses messengers to communicate with friends or chats to meet new people all around the world. Buying in Internet is more and more used and any kind of information we need is accessible searching on Google. Life is easier now thanks to internet.
Telecommunications world has changed our lives too. We cannot conceive our life without our cell phones. Those wonderful cellular phones which are more than a phone. Today with our cell phone we can do more than do or receive a call. We usually listen to music, take pictures, take notes and store information, music and videos, sometimes we watch TV or listen to radio, and every day we search in Google, send messages with different applications and send and receive mails with attachements.
I wonder how upcoming mobile phones will be.
David
I can´t live without Sports
The first time I played football was when I was nine years old. This was at school. Before that I was always running and riding my bicycle with my friends. Then I played football all over my school years. Later, when I begun my studies at the university I met a friend of mine and we begun to practice running every weekend. At the same time, my group of friends of the university used to spend a couple of weekends per course to go outside to disconnect from the university stress. We took the opportunity to do rafting, to ride horses, to ski, etc. A few years ago, my friend and I begun to participate in popular races in Madrid, First, we made 10 km, then half marathon, and, who knows what will be our next challenge… Our experiences were incredible with all the people around us: no competitive spirit, comradeship, good feelings… I think a life practicing sports is much more than a life!--List of ten things I can´t live without—
- Refrigerator
- Cell phone
- Computer
- Internet
- Car
- Radio
- Stove
- Washing machine
- Microwave oven
And don´t forget the POWER SUPPLY for all of them!
Jose D.
TEN THINGS THAT I NEED
Refrigerator: I think this is the most important appliance because It save the food and maintain in a good state.
Oven: It is very necessary to make the food
Washer: I need it to keep clean my clothes
Computer: It is very useful for me because I use it to find a job, to work, to play videogames and I download movies or series.
Mobile phone: I use it to comunicate with my family and my friends, I also use it to find a job.
Media Player: It is a hard disk portable, When I download movies or series I copy them in the Media Player and I can see them in my TV
TV: I don´t see the public o private programmes except the soccer or basketball matches because I prefer see my movies or series
Stereo: Although I listen music in my computer or in my mobile phone, I relax in my room listenig to music and reading a book or a comic
Iron: I don´t iron very often, but I think it´s important that the clothes seem arranged
Dishwasher: It is vey comfortable, but I think that is not very necessary because You can wash the dishes manually.
Mario
1. Fridge 2. Wash machine 3. Computer 4. Television 5. Microwave 6. Dish washer 7. Dryer 8.Oven 9. Vacuum cleaner 10. Iron
Writing Paragraphs in English- Student Stories
by Elena
My mother’s once told me a really funny story about a partner who she was working with. They have been very closed friends since there because they worked together for the same company during more than fifteen years. One day Isabel told my mother, a curious experience that she had had while she was younger. She was working for another company as a personal assistant but she really wanted to get a better job. After a couple of months there, she finally had the opportunity to make it possible. There were a few vacancies in the office to be part of the director’s team and of course she decided to apply for this job, but first she needed to pass an exam.
During the next weeks she started studying all the topics and subjects: economics, law... Apparently everything was fine, but when the big day was coming she was more and more nervous. That was very normal because it was the first time that she was making a proof like that.
Finally, the day had come. She was preparing everything for the text when her house mate, who she was living with, told her that it would be better if she took a tranquillizer just to be a little more relaxed during the exam. She accepted without a doubt because she wanted to be calm down.
After that, she took the subway, like everyday. There she started to fell a little bit tired and sleepy but continued going to the place where the exam was. She didn’t know how, but finally she arrived to the right place. Then she entered into a big class and sat down where an old man told her. The exam was given to her but before she could begin, she needed to clean her glasses first. She took them out from her bag and with a lot of calm and very, very relaxed, she started to clean them.
Isabel began to read the two or three first questions when the same old man said: “Ok. Time is over. Give me your exams in order, please”. She couldn’t believe these words. Time was finished and she hadn’t started to read just the first page yet. She was so relaxed that didn´t realize that she had spent at least 45 minutes just cleaning her glasses!! Of course, she didn’t pass the exam, but at the end she learned two very important things: Not to take any pill she doesn’t know from her friends and how to pass a good time just remembering this memorable story!!
by María José de Alarcón
Two months ago I bought a ticket to Tenerife South, at the beginning the price was 160 € but, at last, it raised up till 300 €. At first, I could have never guessed that Ryanair was so expensive due to the fact that on entering their website in order to look for cheap flights, you can find low cost tickets, but the reality was another one.
First of all, the price was completely disappointing but, next, I had to pay an extra cost for a priority boarding in order not to queue for over an hour to get a good site in the plane. Then, I also had to pay for having a larger space in my seat since my husband has long legs. Finally, I thought there would not be more setbacks but when the time of arriving to the airport came, I discovered I had forgotten to print my boarding cards and, astonished, I had to pay another extra cost. In the end, I was penalised too for exceeding the exact dimensions, regarding size and weight, of my cabin baggage.
Looking back on it, I think next time I go to Tenerife I will fly with Iberia since I am convinced that it gives their customers better services and, over all, no surprises concerning additional prices.
My mother’s once told me a really funny story about a partner who she was working with. They have been very closed friends since there because they worked together for the same company during more than fifteen years. One day Isabel told my mother, a curious experience that she had had while she was younger. She was working for another company as a personal assistant but she really wanted to get a better job. After a couple of months there, she finally had the opportunity to make it possible. There were a few vacancies in the office to be part of the director’s team and of course she decided to apply for this job, but first she needed to pass an exam.
During the next weeks she started studying all the topics and subjects: economics, law... Apparently everything was fine, but when the big day was coming she was more and more nervous. That was very normal because it was the first time that she was making a proof like that.
Finally, the day had come. She was preparing everything for the text when her house mate, who she was living with, told her that it would be better if she took a tranquillizer just to be a little more relaxed during the exam. She accepted without a doubt because she wanted to be calm down.
After that, she took the subway, like everyday. There she started to fell a little bit tired and sleepy but continued going to the place where the exam was. She didn’t know how, but finally she arrived to the right place. Then she entered into a big class and sat down where an old man told her. The exam was given to her but before she could begin, she needed to clean her glasses first. She took them out from her bag and with a lot of calm and very, very relaxed, she started to clean them.
Isabel began to read the two or three first questions when the same old man said: “Ok. Time is over. Give me your exams in order, please”. She couldn’t believe these words. Time was finished and she hadn’t started to read just the first page yet. She was so relaxed that didn´t realize that she had spent at least 45 minutes just cleaning her glasses!! Of course, she didn’t pass the exam, but at the end she learned two very important things: Not to take any pill she doesn’t know from her friends and how to pass a good time just remembering this memorable story!!
by María José de Alarcón
Two months ago I bought a ticket to Tenerife South, at the beginning the price was 160 € but, at last, it raised up till 300 €. At first, I could have never guessed that Ryanair was so expensive due to the fact that on entering their website in order to look for cheap flights, you can find low cost tickets, but the reality was another one.
First of all, the price was completely disappointing but, next, I had to pay an extra cost for a priority boarding in order not to queue for over an hour to get a good site in the plane. Then, I also had to pay for having a larger space in my seat since my husband has long legs. Finally, I thought there would not be more setbacks but when the time of arriving to the airport came, I discovered I had forgotten to print my boarding cards and, astonished, I had to pay another extra cost. In the end, I was penalised too for exceeding the exact dimensions, regarding size and weight, of my cabin baggage.
Looking back on it, I think next time I go to Tenerife I will fly with Iberia since I am convinced that it gives their customers better services and, over all, no surprises concerning additional prices.
The lost city of Machu Picchu.
by Iñigo A.
Once in a raffle during the tourism fair in Madrid won a plane ticket to Peru.
There are seven wonders in the world, Machu Pichu in my opinion is the most amazing for several reasons. The first thing you'll see is the sacred valley, your eyes will open an uncontrollably. Second you can do Inca route for three days and understand the harsh conditions the inhabitants who lived 800 years ago.
Finally, one morning at sunrise climb to Machu Pichu and discover what nature is able to keep hidden for so long, your heart beats too fast for hours and and would be eternal that vision in your brain eternal . For this reason I believe that the journey to the lost city is something no one should miss.
Student Profiles
María José
Married, one only child
Civil servant for the European Commission since 1989
English courses attended
· Upper intermediatye 4A at Bristish Council, 2011
· Upper Intermediate 4B at Bristish Ccouncil, 2012
Goals to be reached in 2012-2013
Improve my knowledge of English . I need to speak English in my work life. Our two working language are French and English now, but I need develop my skills in spoken English because French is being replaced by English.
Interests
I like reading books, go to the movies and listen to music. My preferences are classic rock and pop rock.
I do yoga two days a week.
Laura Natali
Where you have studied English: at school, at academy, while traveling, at home with a teacher
What your Hobbies are: I like running and any extreme sport like climbing
What inspires you: Hope and the way of thinking of each person
Something that is unique about you: "You need to fight and strongly believe in what you do, if you want to reach your goals"
Begoña
My name is Begoña. English people usually call me Begonia, like the flower. But the name Begoña is nothing to see with the flower. It’s a name from the Basque Country and means something like “place in a dominant hill”. When I was younger I didn’t like my name a lot, but now I found it has some character.
From Monday to Friday I work as a civil servant for an International Institution. I like the work I do, even if I have been doing it for long. It is in financial field. Mainly in accounting and award procedures for public contracts.
8 years ago I could reached one of my life dreams : my first son was born, and two years later my second son. Today they are the best in my life, even if they give me a lot of work to do. I have so fun with them. I really love to see how they grow up and learn.
As I am very busy with work and family, I don’t have much time for hobbies. Anyway I like reading, listening to music and playing sports. Now, I am going to start some paddle-tennis classes. I also ride bike as frequent as I can. Besides I love culture world : cinema, theatre, photography and art in general.
But in my opinion the best in life is travelling around de world. I dream to visit Italia, Paris , NY , Argentina , China , and Tanzania
What you do…
I´m studying History of Art at Universidad Complutense. I love especially ancient civilizations and contemporary art.
Where you have studied English?
I began to study English when I was at school with nine years old and after that I continued in highschool. There I have good and bad English´s teachers. Some of them didn´t know very well how to teach and made a usuful class (there usually were too boring!), so when I went to university I decided to go to CSIM, a kind of academy who is associate with Universidad Complutense. I made only two courses. The first one was really great, everything was perfect: teacher, classmates, books… and I learned a lot, but the second one was just horrible. I didn´t get his way of teaching class and everyday was a huge mess. So this summer I was looking for a better place to start and finally I get here hoping to learn as much as I can and trying to do my best!!
What your Hobbies are?
One of my favourites hobbies is going to modern art exhibitions like the ones that usually are in Mapfre Foundation or in Thyssen´s Museum. They are just amazing like the last one about Hopper´s American paintings. When I´m there, I enjoy listening people´s comments, especially old people who most of them don´t understand very well what they are watching and it could be really funny. But if I have to choose my great passion, without any doubt, it would be cinema. Yes, it´s my weakness. I love all kind of movies: drama, comedy and of course thriller, like the ones who makes David Fincher.
What inspires you?
Like it is said in American Beauty: “It’s hard to stay mad when there is so much beauty in the world”: beautiful landscapes, the sea, art, family, everything can inspire me, but sometimes what it is really hard is trying to focus on the good things that we have around us and forget the bad ones.
Something that is unique about you…
Well, maybe my skills for cooking. When I have time I like to create differents courses and I shouldn’t say that but I’m really good at desserts. My chocolate cake and my lemon sponge cake are famous at home. They are just delicious!
Iñigo R.
I have studied English in many academies during a long time when i was a child, but my favorite experience with the English was when i went to USA to live some months.
I stayed just for 6 months, but I learned too fast (more than I could imagine). when I arrived to Atlanta´s airport I had no idea of English and less about the pronunciation of this place. In the next two weeks, I could speak more or less normal with the native people without too much problems. the worst thing was the vocabulary because I needed to explain the word than I didn´t know and too many times I lost the thread of conversation.
My hobbies are more or less like the regular people. It´s mean, i like listen music, read a good book, go parties and disco and play soccer with my friends in the amateur league of my neighborhood. I think the thing that makes me diferent of the regular people is than I play a lot of diferents sports like hockey or skate.
Another of my hobbies is the speed. I use to drive a kart or a motorcycle regularly, one time at month more or less, because I need to burn some adrenaline in a safety place and no in the road.
The thing that inspire me are the melodic music like chill out or other kinds of relaxing techno music. I use this music for studying and doing the homeworks because it makes me feel motivated. For relax me I love lose me in the montain for a couple of days with good company. I think than is the best way to get away of the city and from the routine and so to get a new prespective of the things.
David
Civil engineer looking for some new projects.
I started studying English at school when I was a child, since I was six years old to eighteen years old. Then at the university we had two courses of English, but, basically, it consisted only in technical vocabulary. Later, in my first job I used to attend European meetings and worked with Europeans standards, so I improved a lot my English. Unfortunately, in my last job, last six years, I only had to speak in Spanish so my English level failed. I am looking for recover my old level and, if I can, to get a better one.
Hobbies? I used to play football with my friends (I played on the school team and with my friends in the university competition) and I also used to go to the movies, but since I had my children hobbies took a second or third place in my life. Now the children has grown up and I´m recovering some of that habits. I have changed thrillers and adventures movies for animation and cartoon movies. And football matches for popular races. But this year my oldest son plays on a football team and also he likes to run, so I´m sharing with him football trainings and matches and some popular races. It´s fantastic!
What motivates me most is to have a goal to reach. It can be professional or personal goals. It´s a challenge to accomplish all the tasks and to do it better than the time before. I like to learn something new every day and I also like to improve every day.
I like to face life and try to get the positive aspects that it has. If I find negative aspects I try to turn it into a positive one. Everything has something good inside it, you have just to discover it. I don´t know if this makes me unique, but it makes me happy.
Jose D.
What you do: Now I am looking for a job.
Where you have studied English: I studied English in my school, in a academy.
What your Hobbies are: My hobbies are going cinema, reading books and comics, playing video games.
What inspires you: A good song inspires me, my family also inspire me
Something that is unique about you: Despite being a men I can do a lot of thing at the same time
IÑIGO A.
Life: I’ve studied Telecomunication Engeneere in University of Alcalá de Henares(Madrid).
Actually I´m working in Atificial Intelligence and electronics payments proyects, once a month teach Leadership and managing skins in a master at Economics School in Alcalá University. Also served as consultant to the NGO World in Harmony. (worldinharmony.org) directed by the Queen Sofia.
Everyday I¨m waking up with three wonderfull daughters(eight years older, two years and three months the baby) ;sometime i wonder why i didn´t start to have children before.
English: The first contact with the english World was in high school,alter i¨ve been improving in a Business meeting Only, and the last january i had decided to change all by the way,and i started to learn in International House Academy then i began intrnsive conversation course in september here in Institute International (With Juan Irigoyen- teacher¨s class next door-).
Hobbies: My free time always is getting a mix:Social lunch and playing guitar with my old university collages.
Twice a year i ¨ve been travelling around the World for Business or tourism .i already know the five continents and I¨ve visiting 53 countries, i would like to get knowing every culture in the planet.
Perhaps at the end i will be working at U.N. (O.N.U.). (if the train stop in front of me I'll be ready to take over.)
What's inspire you?: My favourite quotations:
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”
“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.” (Theodore Roosevelt.)
Álvaro Yáñez
I’m 23 years old and I’m studying Physical Education and Sports in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
I began to study English when I had 8 in my school. Probably the method didn’t have the best but I got a base to learn this language. I kept studying English until I started high school. I decided then that I didn’t have high level of English and I started to go to an academy with a personal teacher.
I realized later two intensive courses in The British Council and when I started my degree in the University I started to learn English in the International Institute, this will be my fourth year.
In my free time I do a lot of sport. I practice handball, football, skiing, climbing, bodyboard… I had a lot of injuries in my body but I can’t stop practice this sports, I love it.
Also I like listening to music and go to a concert. Go to the cinema and have dinner out. Of course, I love traveling. I only travel a across Europe and I want to travel to America an Japan.
This is a little of me and my life, if you want we take a coffee and talk. See you.
Setting up a Blog for your Class
I set up the blog for my High Intermediate class. It took me a few sessions of blogging to get it all together, but it wasn't too hard since I have done some of the learning curve with this blog. I created the blog, then looked for a template that had a pretty clean design because I wanted my students to be able to navigate it easily and not be distracted with too many bells and whistles. The template I chose is a blogger template called Simples Azul. I did not spend a lot of time on the design, just the basics. Like having a blog and website list that my students could go to for exercises and information. The rest I used pretty much the same way as the template had it. When I created this blog I spent a lot of time on the design and functionality and it took away from the writing. I might, when I have time, tweak my class blog more, but for now it works. So far I have had 50 page views from a class of 10 students, so I think we are doing OK. I have written 9 posts so far.
I also posted about our Language lesson which gave a brief explanation and listed several sources that Students could go to online as well as videos they could watch for further clarification. Students have different ways of learning for some it's easier to visualize it.
I also posted about "ed" endings because I saw that some of my students were having problems pronouncing these and it is something they should already have mastered in their Intermediate class. I might end up having to give a short lesson in class, but since it is not part of my syllabus I am going to try to see if it works just to reference back to the blog those students that are struggling with it.
I posted our syllabus so that it is handy for them from where ever they are. I also post about events that they might be interested in.
I chose to write a post with just the title of the assignment and have them write their assignment as a comment to that post. This way I get them into the blog to try the other resources and I have all their writing in one place where we can then go over them in class. I would then write a comment in the post myself about general things I saw in every one's writing and address individual problems with individuals.
Another way I am going to try is to have my students subscribe to the blog so that they can be notified by email when I put up a new post.
I am going to try this and will let you know how it goes. If you have other ways you have tried to get students into your blog. Let me know would love to get ideas.
Keeping the Blog Private
I chose to keep it private because I am experimenting right now and I don't want any surprises. It also helped my students feel more confident when they have to enter information into the blog. To keep your blog private so that only your students can see it you need to go to your settings in your Blogger Dashboard. There you need to define who can see your blog. In Permissions select Add readers. You will have the choice for Anybody Only blog authors or Only these readers. Select Only these readers and in the window at the bottom you can enter the emails of your students. I tried this but it wasn't working for me, so I pressed the button Choose from Contacts and this worked. This means you need to have your students in your contact list before you can add them as readers.Writing the Posts
I write my posts soon after class or that same day. If I have an idea for a post and I know I wont have time in the near future then I write a draft post so that I don't forget my idea. In the draft I put any links I might have generated the idea. My posts are mostly about whatever we are discussing in class. For example we are in Unit 1 so I have made a post of the vocabulary we are covering in the book. I looked up the words in the The Free Dictionary.com. I like this dictionary because it has an extensive list of the different uses of a word. If there was a sound available for the word I put in the blog so that students were able to hear the pronunciation. Of course I sourced The Free Dictionary.com.I also posted about our Language lesson which gave a brief explanation and listed several sources that Students could go to online as well as videos they could watch for further clarification. Students have different ways of learning for some it's easier to visualize it.
I also posted about "ed" endings because I saw that some of my students were having problems pronouncing these and it is something they should already have mastered in their Intermediate class. I might end up having to give a short lesson in class, but since it is not part of my syllabus I am going to try to see if it works just to reference back to the blog those students that are struggling with it.
I posted our syllabus so that it is handy for them from where ever they are. I also post about events that they might be interested in.
Getting Students to Use Blog
I sent all my students a link to the blog and asked them to check it out. Of course they had not tried it until the night before our next class since they knew I would ask again. I decided to assign their writing assignments to be written into the class blog. I wan't sure how to go about this. I could make them all authors and have them write their assignments as posts. The problem is I don't know them very well yet, so I wouldn't want a surprise written all over the internet.I chose to write a post with just the title of the assignment and have them write their assignment as a comment to that post. This way I get them into the blog to try the other resources and I have all their writing in one place where we can then go over them in class. I would then write a comment in the post myself about general things I saw in every one's writing and address individual problems with individuals.
Another way I am going to try is to have my students subscribe to the blog so that they can be notified by email when I put up a new post.
I am going to try this and will let you know how it goes. If you have other ways you have tried to get students into your blog. Let me know would love to get ideas.
