Friday, December 12, 2008

A, AN, THE


When do we use "a/an"? Do I have to omit the article? Why are you using a plural with no article?... If these are some of the questions you have, I suggest you check this grammar link
and find the answers. Once you have done that, continue with some of the links that will lead you to a variety of graded exercises where you can practise your newly acquired knowledge. Good luck!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Reported Speech



Last schoolyear I never took the time to include reported speech in a separate entry, so it gets difficult to remember which of the pervious entries included a a grammar link in which you could practise a little bit of everything -reported speech too-. As Christmas is nearer and nearer, I´d like to give you an early present... all these links on reported speech!
http://odl.vwv.at/english/odlres/res8/Grammar/grammar_exercises/reported_speech/repspeech.htm
http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/reported.htm (grammar)


http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omgrammar/vozdirectaeindirecta.htm (grammar)


http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/reported.htm (exercises)

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech ( different types of exercises)


http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/reportedex.htm (for filling certain types of gaps)


http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/reported2.htm
(to report questions)

http://english.baladre.org/sedaviwebfront/suggestspecial.htm
(rep. verbs others than say, tell, ask)

http://www.esoeonline.org/main-index/index-exercises/grammarexs/int/intreportingverbs2.htm (same as before)

http://www.esoeonline.org/main-index/index-exercises/grammarexs/int/intreportingverbs1.htm (same as before)

http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/4g11-reporting-verbs-exercise.php
(same as before)

http://www.redcamelot.com/camelot/exercises/SEPT26/Grammar/Reported%20Speech/Level%202.b.htm (what to use after certain reporting verbs)

Monday, December 1, 2008

First Term


Getting ready for Christmas? Or perhaps you didn´t succeed in your first term exams and you secretly fear tha Santa may walk past your chimney this year? Well, better luck next time! Meanwhile enjoy the first Christmas carroll

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=ip-Ql5FQlhc

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Word building


I suggest you read the information in the link below so that you will find out a few more things about word building. I know you were all ears when we saw this in the classroom, but in case you still have some questions...
http://www.southampton.liunet.edu/academic/pau/course/webesl.htm (things you should know about word building)
Now you can do as many exercises as you want, there´s plenty of them!
Don´t tell me you are tired! I still have a box full of links to help you improve your vocabulary in English :)

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000469.shtml
(link incuding different sites with interactive games with prefixes and suffixes)

http://www.grainvalley.k12.mo.us/gvsd/dreamweaver2/prefix.htm

Perfect Modals



There isn´t much left but a few lessons together. I´ll try to give you all the links you may need to help you prepare your third term exam and your final one as well. A first link to read and understand Perfect modals (modal+have+past participle)




And now a few more links where you can practise with them



: ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : )

Thursday, April 10, 2008

I wish you were here



 Grammar topic? "wish". Get ready to practise...
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wish1.htm

http://www.wordpower.ws/grammar/gramex09.html

http://www.smccd.net/accounts/sevastopoulos/esl/gramcheck/az20_17-33.html





Determiners



I often notice that, both in writing and speaking, you tend to use few determiners. I have also noticed that most of the times you tend to use them in exactly the same way you use them in your mother tongue. Perhaps it´s time we paid a little attention to them in English. The first link will lead you to a very good grammar page. Read everything carefully, you´ll certainly be surprised at the amount of things you already know. But I´m sure others will be completely new for you. Once you have understood the grammar, have a go at the exercises... Make sure you learn well those cases in which you omit the determiner or how many different types of determiners there are!

http://www.wordpower.ws/grammar/gramex20.html

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/exlist/list.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/pronouns/possessive_determiners.htm

http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/english/grammar/05_determiners_articles/index.htm

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/200/grammar/somany.htm

http://www.eslprintables.com/printable.asp?id=33460

http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/english/grammar/06_determiners_both_all_none/index.htm

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Subject-verb inversion

2nd. Batx. beware!

Last year those pupils taking Selectividad in June had a reading comprehension text called "British pupils among the rudest" in which they had a couple of sentences with subject - verb inversion. As our textbook does not include this grammar point, I have decided to include it here so that you can become familiar with it. I´ll cater for a link with all possible inversion types and some more with exercises.


http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/inversion.htm


In case I can´t find any other links, you may start practising with these sentences:

Now you complete the following sentences with inversions.

1. Not only ……………………..but …………………………………………..as well
2. Nowhere ……………………………………………………………………………
3. Not even once ………………………………………………………………………
4. In no circumstances …………………………………………………………………
5. Seldom ………………………………………………………………………………
6. On no occasion ……………………………………………………………………..
7. So badly ……………………………………………………………………………..
8. Only by (+ gerund) ………………………………………………………………….
9. On no account ……………………………………………………………………….

Easter holiday

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Reading




Web page full of stories -some with comprehension exercises, some others not- to enjoy the pleasure of reading. If you are one of those students who think reading is not an enjoyable activity, up to you, but remember the Reading Comprehension in the Selectividad exam if you can´t find a better reason.
And, in case you are a good reader...

http://www.english-area.com/paginas/selectividad.htm#examenes (don´t pay much attention to the marks part or parts of the exam because each community has different criteria and models)
I´ll surely find some more for you, but it will be some other day









Writing


Surely the part most of you love best. This is a good and complete link about the writing process...
Getting through the different chapters is a long process, but don´t give up. The more often you visit this link the better writer you will become.
This is another link with several power point presentations on different writing aspects. Have a look at it and see if you can get any ideas!

Gerund? Infinitive? That is the question...


Are you among those who still don´t know whether to use a gerund or an infinitive after a certain verb? These two links will give you any detail you can think of about the topic
If you already master all the lists of verbs followed by a gerund or an infinitive, you may be interested in some practice. Surf following links, there´s plenty of exercises to do.
Perhaps you´ve done every previous thing, but still have a doubt with a particular verb. This link will work it out....
And if you are still in the mood of working a little bit more... a tutorial on gerund and infinitive

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Listening activities



Learning a foreign language needs listening to that language as much as you can. Our school headmaster has provided us with this link in which you will be able to practise this skill a few times. Enjoy yourself!

http://www.elllo.org/

A very interesting link with lots of listenings for advanced students

http://www.englishpage.com/listening/

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Past Simple and Continuous

Students´ faces

I know teaching can sometimes have a soporific effect on students, don´t you agree? Believe me if I tell you it has that effect on me, too; but, what can we do? Syllabuses are syllabuses. And then, there are those days, aren´t there? Days on which you would like to be somewhere else with somebody else doing something different - good weather doesn´t help school-. Unfortunately, you´ll have to wait till June to carry out plans other than studying. Meanwhile, I´m sure that sometimes you would like to have a teacher like the one on this video
And, in case you found it funny, once you´ve stopped laughing you can continue clicking on new grammar links which will pull you through the past simple and continuous

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Modals

I know you can, but I´m not sure you will although you certainly must



Hurray! We understand modal verbs!

I am aware that modals are one of those parts you dislike most. I realize that they are completely different from the usage they have in your mother tongue, but I´m also conscious of the benefits of steady work to achieve aims. Here you are provided with plenty of opportunities to click on links to surf on modals steadily so that you your goal -mastering modals- will easily reached.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Passive Voice

Grammar is killing me!





Don´t worry! Whether you are in 1st or 2nd Batx. you´ll surely find a useful link where you can practise that structure you can´t master or that one you are not very confident of. Breathe deeply and start clicking on the links, they´ll take you to web pages where you´ll be able to do exercises of almost all kinds. If you can´t find what you need, let me know!





Passive :) I was told the curtain had been broken and I can´t stop wondering who it was broken by



http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/reading/exercises/dogqz.htm
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/active-passive.html
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/passive/menu.php

http://www.eflnet.com/tutorials/passivevoice.php

http://www.agendaweb.org/verbs/passive-exercises.html



Wednesday, February 20, 2008

welcome


Welcome and feel free to use this blog as a tool to show all that English I know you know. I do hope you will find the links helpful and I also hope that you will use them again and again until those grammar structures you are not familiar with will no longer keep secrets for you...
Oh, by the way, let me introduce you to the lady in the fur coat
"Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Cruella de Ville". She will come along with us on this blog every now and then. I love this character and, if something goes wrong and you can´t blame on mambo, you can always put the blame on her, don´t you think?
See if you enjoy the video with her song