B1

           Try this webs:

In this link, you can see VIDEOS in English. In most of them you can find Spanish subtitles. You can also see the transcript.

                                              www.ted.com

                                                    For English subtitled SERIES:                                                                                                                                                                          http://ororo.tv/en

*Some links to practice LISTENIG EXERCISES:

                 Clik here ------>   B1 English Exam

*READING AND WRITING:

B1 English Reading and Writing Exams

          WRITING TASKS FOR B1:

Hi students!
Writing is one of the 4 basic skills to be able to communicate in any language. Try to spend some time writing every week!
The following tips will be useful in order to prepare and fulfill your tasks. Read them carefully and try to follow them:

1. Read the instructions for you tasks carefully.

2. Plan your text in advance. Decide what you will mention and the order of your ideas. Don’t forget to give all the information you are required.

3. Open a new folder on your computer for your writing tasks. This will be helpful to find your writing tasks during the course.

4. Each time you start a new assignment open a new file and give it the name of your task (e.g. person’s description)

4. Write a first draft. Save it.

5. When you finish, check that you have written everything you wanted to say. Make changes if necessary. Save them.

6. Once you are happy about the content and organization, check your spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary before you decide it is already finished. Use a dictionary or a grammar book if necessary. You can also check an online grammar or dictionary, using the links on the right. Save your final version.

7. Copy and paste your text into the “comment” box in the blog. It is below the post for your task.

8. Fill in your name and the group you belong to and send your assignment before deadline.

9. Check for comments from your teacher.

Read also other classmates’ pieces of writing. They will give you more ideas.


There are different writing formats, or possible assignments that you may be asked to fullfil. For example, you must be ready to write:

               *Descriptions (people, places, your diet, your daily life, a photograph, house, ...)

               *Narrative (telling stories...)

               *An informal letter/ e-mail (letter to a friend, party invitation...)

               *A formal letter/ e-mail (letter to a bank, a company, ...)

               *Your CV (application letters)

               *A film review

               *An article (for and against article for a magazine, an opinion article, ...)

Do you want to practice with some writing tasks?
Start with these

1. INFORMAL E-MAIL:

More links to practice Writing Skills:

                    Clik........... --> Writing / British Council

Hi class, welcome to the B1 with the ILM

Welcome back to the party! Happy just started 2014... are you making yourselves promises to fullfil this year? I won't smoke, I'll lose weight, I'll go to the gym... I'll get my English B1 certificate...??????

It's time to recharge our batteries and start again... But remember... the future is not ours to see ... qué será será...

Happy Chrismas!!

Pronunciation /h/

In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire 

hurricanes hardly ever happen

Can you say that?

My Shoes...

Do you relay on appearances?

How did you feel while watching the video?

And after watching it?

?????

To comment on the video go to the bottom of the page

Here you have the first song

Hope you enjoy it!

We are family

YOUR MARKS!!!

Convocatoria: Mayo

Curso académico: 2012-13

Inglés B1 AZUAGA

Centro: Instituto de Lenguas Modernas de la UEX

NIF Calificación final

08879085G 6,50

08881451R 7,70

08886548S 6,60

08888097T 6,20

08890074E 8,60

08890113S 7,80

08890120E 5,30

08891656V 7,70

08891698J 6,30

08891730Z 5,40

08892889P NP

08894812E NP

18171187Z 5,40

30195871E 5,60

30208067M 6,20

30210326X 7,00

30975427Q 9,60

44776095V 9,10

45557970F 7,10

47306748A 9,60

52357670X 7,80

76118092Y 9,30

76244646Z 5,40

76249853T 6,10

76249971A 5,10

76252011L 7,50

76252030S 5,70

76252064A 7,40

76252226G 4,20

76252256B 8,60

76252261Q 6,50

76252271A 8,90

76252331V NP

76252483P NP

76252546W 6,20

76252577X 8,60

80058670V 6,60

80058711N 7,30

80061296K No apto

80097278P NP

80155087H 8,80

80157865J 7,90

80159037N 7,50

9203330H 8,60

Revisions:

I will be there tomorrow (wednesday, 5th june)

from 17.00 to 19.00 

and

Jevan on thursday.

Hello class!!! How are you?

I must congratulate you all, not just for having done really well in the exams, but also because the teacher examining you in the speaking (Silvia) has asked me to congratulate you!

I know the conditions of the exam were not perfect... but you did quite well!

Will have to wait until we have the marks, but as soon as I know your marks I'll try to inform you.

YOU ARE ALL GREAT!!

Thank you for everything!

Time to think of the exam...

first, some links to videos and tips for the oral exam:

*Speaking exam, examples

More videos: 

Speaking part 1: Speaking Part 1 (B1)

Speaking part 2: Speaking part 2 (B1)

Speaking part 3: Speaking Part 3 (B1)

(Remember they are JUST examples, 

they are not prefect, they are not exactly as our exam,

 but they are good to practice and take ideas)

Here you have some of the examples we have been using in class. Practice with them:

*Speaking about... Learning something new

*Speaking about... A gift from Paris

*Speaking about... Getting around Europe

Answers to the Can you do...? section - Unit 7

Collocations...

The Police 

Every Breath You Take

Happy Easter to Everyone!!!



Just to remind you... HOMEWORK;

        1- Prepare a short speaking about any of the topics at the end of each unit (the "can you say...?" part)
        2- Record yourself with your mobile phone or any other machine.
        3- Transcribe what you listen (NOT what you wanted to say, what you actually said).
        4- Check some of your mistakes but don't correct them!
        5- You'll have to hand it in to me after the holidays.



Regarding the magazine articles.... I am very sorry my scanner is not working. I'll try to do it another way... Sorry!!


March

Grammar                                                                             Unit 5 B1

A 1c   2c   3ª   4b   5c

B 1 without locking   2 a few   3 getting up   4 to rent    5big enough

Vocabulary

A 1 government     2  reaction    3 happiness    4 possibility   5 qualifications

B 1 for   2 about  3with   4 at   5 at   6 as

C 1 overtime    2 off     3sacked     4 promoted      5 salary    6contract   7apply     8self-employed  9resign

Pronunciation

A 1movement (it’s /u:/)    2afraid (It’s /eI/)   3 prefer (It’s /I/)  

    4 short (It’s /o:/)   5 resign (It’s /z/)

B employee   unemployed    responsible    temporary    experience

Can you understand this text?

A 1 F    2T   3T    4DS    5F   6T    7DS     8T    9F

B a very advanced age = be very old

   single-handedly = by himself, without any help

   centenarians = people who are a hundred years old or more

   in the shade = in the area that isn’t in direct sunlight and is darker and cooler

   use up = use completely, expend (energy)

   multiplying = increasing

PHRASAL VERBS!!!
                                       Phasal Verbs Rap

Listen to this Rap... and try to practice your 

phrasal verbs with it!

Enjoy!

gerund or infinitive?                             EXERCISES

Try to write at least 2 sentences with each use of the gerund and the infinitive (with and without to)

Practice, practice and practice....!!!

Gerund
a) after prepositions and phrasal verbs
       ex. I'm very bad at driving.
b) as the subject of a sentence
       ex. Smoking is bad for your health
c) after some verbs, eg. hate, like, don't mind...
       ex. I hate working on Sundays.





Infinitive (+ to)
a) after adjectives 
       ex. This exercise is difficult to complete.
b) to express a reason or purpose
       ex. I'm learning Portuguese to travel around Brazil.
c) after some verbs, eg. want, learn, need...
       ex. I decided to study hard after my last exams.

Common verbs which take the infinitive (with to):

(can't) afford             offer

 agree                     plan

decide                     pretend

expect                     promise

forget                     refuse

help                       remember

hope                       seem

learn                      try

need                       want

Infinitive without to
a) after most modal and auxiliary verbs
       ex. I can play the guitar. I must cook the dinner.
b) after make and let
       ex. I don't let you use my computer. Don't make me laugh!



a / an / the or no article

Exercises a, an, the or no article
Exercises a, an, the or no article
a, an, the or no article exercises PDF

February:

Can / Could and Be able to

Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

• talk about possibility and ability
• make requests
• ask for or give permission

Structure of Can

subject + can + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb
+	I	can	play	tennis.
-	He	cannot	play	tennis.
		can't
?	Can	you	play	tennis?

Notice that:

• Can is invariable. There is only one form of can.
• The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"). We cannot say:

Use of Can

can: Possibility and Ability

We use can to talk about what is possible, what we are able or free to do:

• She can drive a car.
• John can speak Spanish.
• I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.)
• Can you hear me?

Normally, we use can for the present. But it is possible to use can when we make present decisions about future ability.

1. Can you help me with my homework? (present)
2. Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future)

                                   Can for present ability GAMES

can: Requests and Orders

We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do something. This is not a real question - we do not really want to know if the person is able to do something, we want them to do it! The use of can in this way is informal (mainly between friends and family):

• Can you make a cup of coffee, please.
• Can you put the TV on.
• Can you come here a minute.
• Can you be quiet!

can: Permission

We sometimes use can to ask or give permission for something:

1. Can I smoke in this room?
2. You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the garden.

(Note that we also use could, may, might for permission. The use of can for permission is informal.)

Could

Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

• talk about past possibility or ability
• make requests

Structure of Could

subject + could + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb
+	My grandmother	could	swim.
-	She	could not	walk.
		couldn't
?	Could	your grandmother	swim?

Notice that:

• Could is invariable. There is only one form of could.
• The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive. We cannot say:

Use of Could

could: Past Possibility or Ability

We use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were able or free to do:

• I could swim when I was 5 years old.
• My grandmother could speak seven languages.
• When we arrived home, we could not open the door. (...couldn't open the door.)
• Could you understand what he was saying?

We use could (positive) and couldn't (negative) for general ability in the past. But when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be able to (positive) and couldn't (negative). Look at these examples:

	Past
	General	Specific Occasion
+	My grandmother could speak Spanish.	A man fell into the river yesterday. The police were able to save him.
-	My grandmother couldn't speak Spanish.	A man fell into the river yesterday. The police couldn't save him.

• could: Requests

  We often use could in a question to ask somebody to do something. The use of could in this way is fairly polite (formal):
  
  
• Could you tell me where the bank is, please?
• Could you send me a catalogue, please?

                            Could for past ability GAMES

Be able to

Although we look at be able to here, it is not a modal verb. It is simply the verb be plus an adjective (able) followed by the infinitive. We look at be able to here because we sometimes use it instead ofcan and could.

We use be able to:

• to talk about ability

Structure of Be able to

The structure of be able to is:

subject + be + able + infinitive

	subject	be main verb	able adjective	infinitive
+	I	am	able	to drive.
-	She	is not	able	to drive.
		isn't
?	Are	you	able	to drive?

Notice that be able to is possible in all tenses, for example:

• I was able to drive...
• I will be able to drive...
• I have been able to drive...

Notice too that be able to has an infinitive form:

• I would like to be able to speak Chinese.

Use of Be able to

Be able to is not a modal auxiliary verb. 

We include it here for convenience, because it is often used like "can" and "could", which are modal auxiliary verbs.

be able to: ability

We use be able to to express ability. "Able" is an adjective meaning: having the power, skill or means to do something. If we say "I am able to swim", it is like saying "I can swim". We sometimes use "be able to" instead of "can" or "could" for ability. "Be able to" is possible in all tenses - but "can" is possible only in the present and "could" is possible only in the past for ability. In addition, "can" and "could" have no infinitive form. So we use "be able to" when we want to use other tenses or the infinitive. Look at these examples:

• I have been able to swim since I was five. (present perfect)
• You will be able to speak perfect English very soon. (future simple)
• I would like to be able to fly an airplane. (infinitive)

Can, Could, Be able to Quiz




12 December:

Each other VS reflexive pronouns

Each other: when "A" does an action to "B" and "B" does the same action to "A".
                  
                  Example: We love each other     (I love you and you love me)
                                   * You can't say "We love"... Because we don't know what do you love:
                                                                What? cats? dogs? NO; we love EACH OTHER.
                                  

                                    They don't understand each other     
                                (One doesn't undestand the other and the second doesn't understand the first)
                                     * We have to specify the thing they don't understand: EACH OTHER

Reflexive pronouns: when the subject of the verb is the same as the object.

  Online exercise




Mini Saga

A mini-saga is a story which has exactly 50 words.
 Here is one way that you could write a mini-saga.

How to write a mini-saga: 

1. Start by thinking of a story that you have written or would like to write, or think of a well-known story, or something that you have read.
2. Get a written version of the story - write it down, or print it off the Internet.
3. Shorten your story. Take out any words that are not absolutely necessary. How many words are there?
4. Now shorten your story again. How many words are there? At this point you may need to change words or sentences to make exactly 50 words.

Two examples:
Saving Money 
"I have saved 70 pence today" David said to his wife, excited and breathing deeply as he arrived home. "I followed the bus back and earned 70 pence for us." "You stupid fool, you should have followed a taxi! Don't you realise that you could have earned two pounds instead?" Michael Chang (China) (50 words)

The Cobbler – Final Draft: the mini-saga

A man took his shoes to a cobbler. Next day he was arrested and sent to prison for robbery. Twenty years later he was released, found the cobbler’s ticket and, just in case, took it to the cobbler’s shop. Examining it closely, the old man said, “Come back next week”. (50 words) 




Thanksgiving and Buy Nothing Day

     Just watch the videos and think about the topic ...

Let's have a  DEBATE on the topic!

Halloween!

 Click here to watch the video

Let's get to know British and American traditions:

   Read Vincent, Tim Burton's spooky poem.

   Then watch the video and fill in the gaps.
                 

Vincent (Tim Burton)

Vincent Malloy is ________ years old
He’s always polite and does what he’s told
For a boy his age, he’s ________ and nice
But he wants to be just like Vincent Price

He doesn’t mind living with his sister, dog and cats
Though he’d rather share a home with spiders and _____
There he could reflect on the horrors he’s invented
And wander dark hallways, alone and tormented

Vincent is nice when his ______ comes to see him
But imagines dipping her in wax for his wax museum

He likes to experiment on his dog Abercrombie
In the hopes of creating a horrible _______

So he and his horrible zombie dog
Could go searching for victims in the London fog

His thoughts, though, aren’t only of ghoulish _______
He likes to paint and read to pass some of the times

While other kids read books like Go, Jane, Go!
Vincent’s favourite author is Edgar Allen Poe

One night, while reading a gruesome tale
He read a passage that made him turn pale

Such horrible news he could not survive
For his beautiful wife had been buried _______!
He dug out her grave to make sure she was dead
Unaware that her grave was his mother’s flower bed

His mother sent Vincent off to his room
He knew he’d been banished to the tower of doom
Where he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life
Alone with the portrait of his beautiful wife

While alone and insane encased in his _____
Vincent’s mother burst suddenly into the room
She said: “If you want to, you can go out and play
It’s sunny outside, and a beautiful day”

Vincent tried to talk, but he just couldn’t speak
The years of isolation had made him quite weak
So he took out some paper and scrawled with a pen:
“I am possessed by this house, and can never leave it again”

His mother said: “You’re not ________, and you’re not almost dead
These games that you play are all in your head
You’re not Vincent Price, you’re Vincent Malloy
You’re not tormented or insane, you’re just a young boy

You’re seven years old and you are my son
I want you to get outside and have some real fun.”

Her anger now spent, she walked out through the hall
And while Vincent backed slowly against the wall

The room started to swell, to shiver and creak
His horrid insanity had reached its peak

He saw Abercrombie, his zombie slave
And heard his ______ call from beyond the grave

She spoke from her coffin and made ghoulish demands
While, through cracking walls, reached skeleton hands

Every horror in his life that had crept through his dreams
Swept his mad laughter to ________ screams!

To escape the madness, he reached for the door
But fell limp and lifeless down on the floor

His voice was soft and very slow
As he quoted The Raven from Edgar Allen Poe:

“and my soul from out that shadow
that lies floating on the floor
shall be lifted?
__________…”

Adjectives:

1. We chose the adjectives that  better describe our group
2. We had a collective shower 

Antonyms 

temperature:


       boiling

       hot

       warm 

       cold

       freezing

(*very, quite, too, extremely )