Saturday, November 30, 2013

Present Simple Tense

In theses boxes you can review the Present Simple Tense:

  • First of all, the positive and negative forms, and the questions:

  • Secondly, the questions form:
This video could help you too:

Finally, here you've got lots of exercises to practise on-line the Present Simple Tense:

Friday, November 29, 2013

Must & Mustn't


Must is a modal auxiliary verb. In one of its meanings, it is used to give strong advice or orders (to oneself or to other people).

Affirmative
I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They
must
go
come
work
live
speak

Mustn't means that it is neccesary that you do not do something.In other words, it is used to tell people not to do things.

Negative
I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They
must not
mustn't
go
come
work
live
speak

We use the questions with must to ask about the intentions of wishes of the person one is speaking to.

Interrogative
Must
I
you
he
she
it
we
you
they
go?
come?
work?
live?
speak?

Affirmative answers
Negative answers

Yes,
I
you
he
she
it
we
you
they
must.
No,
I
you
he
she
it
we
you
they
mustn't.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Thanksgiving Special


In the United States, Thanksgiving is observed on the fourth Thursday of November. The holiday is celebrated in remembrance of the pilgrims who reached Plymouth Rock in 1620, and in order to give God thanks for it. 


This year, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 28th, 2013.


To learn more about Thanksgiving day and have fun, simply visit the following  mini-site.



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Whatever (Reasons to Believe in a Better World)


For the Feast of the Presentation of the Child Mary 2012, Tuesday the 20th, we all worked a famous song by Oasis, an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. This song talks about freedom: people are free to decide what to say and what to do.


These are the results of a study conducted by Coca-Cola in 2010 about the real situation of the world and isnspired by this song. 
There are reasons to believe in a better world...


I'm free to be whatever I
Whatever I choose
And I'll sing the blues if I want

I'm free to say whatever I
Whatever I like
If it's wrong or right it's alright

It always seems to me
You only see what people want you to see

How long's it gonna be
Before we get on the bus
And cause no fuss
Get a grip on yourself
It don't cost much

Free to be whatever you
Whatever you say
If it comes my way it's alright (x2)

You're free to be wherever you
Wherever you please
You can shoot the breeze if you want

Whatever you say
If it comes my way it's alright



Here you can see Oasis performing the original song:

  

Don't Worry, Be Happy

For the Feast of the Presentation of the Child Mary 2011, Monday the 21rst, we all listened and sang a famous song by Bobby McFerrin: Don't Worry, Be Happy.



Here you have the video-clip of this song and its lyrics. At the end of the post you can also find a link to an on-line exercise about this song.




Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be happy

In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy

Don't worry, be happy now
Oo, oo

Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don't worry, be happy

The land-lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy

Look at me, I'm happy

Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style
Ain't got no gal to make you smile
Don't worry, be happy

'Cause when you worry your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
Don't worry, be happy

Don't worry, be happy now

Click here to check out the on-line exercise about this song.

Monday, November 18, 2013

The Fonix 2.014


The Fonix 2.014: Be Prepared!


The Seventh English Competition for Catalan Schools (THE FONIX 2014), designed to promote the use of English among school students through a fun and educational competition in an informal educational setting, is hereby announced.
The objective of the competition is to select a finalist from each of the first two stages: local, territorial and the winners at the final stage.
The exercises in all the stages of the competition will consist of writing tasks, each based on a different theme (for example: geography, history or music). The written tasks contain a variety of activities on vocabulary, reading and writing. In the final stage of the competition, there will also be an oral section in the test.

STAGES OF THE COMPETITION: 
  • LOCAL STAGEThe tests will be held at each school between 16th of January and 21st February 2014 inclusive.
  • REGIONAL STAGE: The tests during the regional stage will be held on Saturday 1st March at 12:00 midday, and will last for a maximum of 60 minutes. The location of the examination will be made public well before the test date.
  • FINAL STAGE: The final stage of the competition will be held Saturday 3rd May. The test at the Final stage of the competition will consist of an oral as well as a written section. The test will take between 40-50 minutes at the most.
  • At the end of MayThe FONIX award ceremony of prizes and diplomas will take place.

 THE PRIZES:
The following prizes will be awarded to the candidates who classify for the final stage of the competition:
  • 4 two-week stays in “English Summer Camps” in Catalonia for the four winners in the 5º pri. to 2nd ESO  categories.
  • 4 two-week stays in an English-speaking country for the four winners in the 3rd ESO to 2nd de Batxillerat/Grau Superior de Cicles Formatius categories.
  • 8 standard on line English courses and 8 sets of study materials for the runners-up in each of the 8 categories.
  • 32 standard on line English courses for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth placed candidates in each of the 8 categories.
  • Sets of study materials for the remaining finalists.

If you want to have an eye, watch this video:

Further information about the competition can be found on the official website.

Who Are "The Fonix"


Did you know that THE FONIX comes from the English language Phoneme table? Have a look at the table below and see if you can spot the similarities:


We would like to introduce you to:
Which is pronounced like "V" as in
"VERY"

Which is pronounced like "R" as in
"READ"
Which is pronounced like "A" as in
"AMERICA"

Which is pronounced like "P" as in
 "PIG"
Which is pronounced like "TH" as in
"THORA"

Which is pronounced like "OO" as in 
"HOOK"
Which is pronounced like "G" as in
"GORDON"

Which is pronounced like "S" as in
"ASIA"
Which is pronounced like "TH" as in
"HEATHER"

Which is pronounced like "OR" as in
"GEORGE"

They are fictional characters which look a little bit like Martians. They are noisy, excitable, adventurous and full of energy. They get on really well with young people. In fact – this is why they are called THE FONIX, because in English SMS messages – this is how we write PHONICS.

The Fonix 2.013: Contestants and Exam Pictures


Our contestants for the Fonix 2.013 were:

  • 1rst ESO: Shahseb Ali
  • 2nd ESO: Ayesha Bibi
  • 3rd ESO: Muhammad Daud
  • 4th ESO: Mehmoona Arbab

Here you can see some pics taken before and after the exam:

The Fonix 2.012: Contestants and Exam Pictures


Our contestants for the Fonix 2.012 were:

1rst ESO: Hassan Zafar
2nd ESO: Khair-un-Nisa Iftikhar
3rd ESO: Usman Syed
4th ESO: Zahoor Ahmed

Here you can see some pics taken before and after the exam:


The Fonix 2.011: Contestants and Exam Pictures


Our contestants for the Fonix 2.011 were:

1rst ESO: Mariyam Ejaz
2nd ESO: Mehmoona Arbab
3rd ESO: Zahoor Ahmed
4th ESO: Fatima Nasir Chaudry

Here you can see some pics taken before and after the exam:

The Fonix 2.010: Contestants and Exam Pictures


Our contestants for the Fonix 2.011 were:

3rd ESO: Fatima Nasir Chaudry
4th ESO: Shamsher Shabbir

Here you can see some pics taken before and after the exam:

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Family

 

Marge is Clancy's and Jackie's daughter.
Homer is Abraham's and Mona's son.
Abraham is Herb's and Homer's father.
Jackie is Marge's, Patty's and Selma's mother.
Herb and Homer are Abraham's and Mona's children.
Clancy and Jackie are Marge's, Patty's and Selma's  parents.
Marge is Homer's wife.
Homer is Marge's husband.
Patty and Selma are Marge's sisters.
Herb is Homer's brother.
Bart is Ling's cousin.
Bart is Herb's nephew.
Lisa is Patty's niece.
Lisa and Maggie are Abraham's and Mona's granddaughters.
Bart is Clancy's and Jackie's grandson.
Abraham is Bart's grandfather.
Clancy and Jackie are Ling's grandparents.
Bart, Lisa and Maggie are Abraham's and Mona's grandchildren.
Mona is Lisa's grandmother.
Marge is Herb's sister-in-law.
Herb is Marge's brother-in-law.
Clancy is is Homer's father-in-law.
Mona is Marge's mother in law.
Marge is Mr Mona's daughter-in-law.
Homer is Mr Clancy's son-in-law.



Try now this quiz from English Exercises about the Simpson's Family.

And now take a look at this video if you want to listen to this vocabulary:


Activities: