How to Accept an Unwanted Gift

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"Basic Instructions" is a comic strip. Any advice contained herein is intended as humor, and should not be followed as actual instructions or advice.

12 Gifts from BBC Teacher

A Christmas message from The BBC Teacher

The most generous teacher in the world give students 12 presents. Click on the tree to see them and listen to his students singing!

Christmas' Song

Welcome to Santa's Secret Village

Enjoy the joy and magic of Christmas in Santa’s Secret Village! Try a traditional look at Christmas through the many free activities here at northpole.com. Write to Santa, read stories, enjoy Karaoke, send e-cards, find recipes, play games and puzzles, print stories to color—even put you or your child in a personalized story! Our stories and activities combine traditional feelings of Christmas goodwill with state-of-the-art computer technology—all richly illustrated with original artwork.

Why Should we learn a Foreign Language? III

What are Your Plans for Future?

My Favourite Day: Christmas

December 25th is Christmas Day. We celebrate Christmas in the United Kingdom. It's a holiday for most people, and there are lots of customs and traditions, and children get lots of presents! Listen to a boy talking about Christmas, and find out about some of these customs.
Click on the Start button and listen to him.
Have you listened to the story? Find more with an online game
Print an activity to do about this story

Rowan Atkinson Amazing Jesus

Bruce Springsteen's Radio Nowhere

History Lovers

Do you like history? Do you enjoy with the ancient Greece, the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings...? BBC offers a great deal of games and stories for kids, and for not so young learners too!

Christmas Verb Tenses

If you want to revise verb tenses using Christmas vocabulary try Mansión del Inglés page with The Adventures of Rick Mansworth Private Detective and continue with another chapter of this detective revising prepositions in "Rick and The New Year Prepositions"

Union Jack Colours

If you want to know about United Kingdom and the Union Jack history, have a look on the photo or enter here.

What time is it?

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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Teenagers' Grunts

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Happy Feet's Stomp

Word Wangling is Back!

Word wangling is back! Cambridge English on line and British Council provides some games to practice your vocabulary in 8 ways: Stem words, What's missing?, Someone stole the ..., Word mates, Anagrams, Turn around, Which / witch word and Get or have?

What else do you need to have fun?

Climate Change

Sometimes using the news is really useful when learning English or any other language. It is important because we know the topic thanks to our sources of information and so we can guess the meaning of new words form that well-known context.
Try this Science listening and test your knowledge about climate change.

GUNS N' ROSES' Since I don't have you

Death in Sakkara: An Egyptian Adventure

Egypt, 1929. Journalist Charles Fox enters into a darkly sinister world of intrigue, murder and mysticism in the hunt for a missing archaeologist.

If you take part in the investigation, you'll be lucky to get out of this BBC adventure alive.

If you have questions about the game or are having technical problems, check the FAQ page to see if we've already answered your query. Alternatively, join in discussions about the game on the message board.

George Michael's One More Try

I haven't found the karaoke version so try reading the song here:

I've had enough of danger
And people on the streets
I'm looking out for angels
Just trying to find some peace
Now I think it's time
That you let me know
So if you love me Say you love me
But if you don't just let me go...

'Cos teacher
There are things that I don't want to learn
And the last one I had
Made me cry
So I don't want to learn to
Hold you, touch you
Think that you're mine
Because it ain't no joy
For an uptown boy
Whose teacher has told him good-bye, good-bye, good-bye

When you were just a stranger
And I was at your feet
I didn't feel the danger
Now I feel the heat
That look in your eyes
Telling me no
So you think that you love me
Know that you need me
I wrote the song,
I know it's wrong
Just let me go...

And teacher
There are things
That I don't want to learn
Oh the last one I had
Made me cry
So I don't want to learn to
Hold you, touch you
Think that you're mine
Because it ain't no joy
For an uptown boy
Whose teacher has told him good-bye, good-bye, good-bye

So when you say that you need me
That you'll never leave me
I know you're wrong, you're not that strong
Let me go

And teacher
There are things
That I still have to learn
But the one thing I have is my pride
Oh so I don't want to Hold you, touch you
Think that you're mine
Because there ain't no joy
For an uptown boy
Who just isn't willing to try
I'm so cold
Inside
Maybe just one more try...

What's going on?

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Red Phone Box

At the botton of this page you can see a list of images of Great Britain I like so much. In one of them there is a phone box, a red phone box, one of those items that instantly marked the nation's identity to overseas visitors.
But what do you know about it? and since so many of us have mobile phones now, could we be forgiven for hardly noticing?
If you want to discover its history try on the left "Undertstanding them" section Icons at a glance.

How to Curse without Cursing

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"Basic Instructions" is a comic strip. Any advice contained herein is intended as humor, and should not be followed as actual instructions or advice.

What's on? Elisabeth: The Golden Age

Elisabeth: The Golden Age a historical thriller documenting Queen Elizabeth I's reign, is filmed and set in a number of locations around the country, if you want to enjoy these places click the link and walk around the same places this Queen lived or enter the film website straight away where you can enjoy trailers, images, audio and much more.

Why Should We Learn a Foreign Language? II

Thanksgiving Day and US President Pardon

The first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated by the pilgrims of the Plymouth colony and about 90 Wampanoag Indians in 1621. The pilgrims had survived a devastating winter in which nearly half had died. Without the help of the Indians, all would have perished.
After the first harvest, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer to God. The food, which was eaten outdoors, included corn, goose, turkey, duck, eel, clams, leeks, plums, cod, bass, barley, venison and corn bread. The feast lasted 3 days.
George Washington proclaimed the first national day of Thanksgiving and it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

Nowadays turkeys win Thanksgiving pardon from US presidents and you can see George W Bush's on that day:




And what do you know about it?
Try the Thanksgiving Quiz Trivial

Seen at a Teenagers' Club

If you have any doubt about what harass means or you can't imagine the Oxford Dictionary on your left says:

harass
/harrss, hrass/

• verb 1 torment (someone) by subjecting them to constant interference or intimidation. 2 make repeated small-scale attacks on (an enemy) in order to wear down resistance.

— DERIVATIVES harasser noun harassment noun.

— USAGE The word harass is pronounced either with the stress on the har- or with the stress on the -rass; the first pronunciation, which is the older one, is considered by some people to be the only correct one, especially in British English.

— ORIGIN French harasser, from harer ‘set a dog on’.

New Generation III

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Tractor Lady

Dutch actor, Manon Ossevoort decided she wanted a bit of an adventure. So she set out on a journey from Europe to the South Pole... on a tractor! She's been travelling for two years through many countries and had all sorts of interesting experiences along the way. We hear about her journey so far.

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Housework

These days our students are attending some useful classes about how to survive alone. Well done!



Click on the image to enlarge but...
for those who need something more than enlarging the image, the bubble words are:
"I’m going to ask you to take out the garbage … find something heavy for you to the lift…. leaving your shoes in the middle of the kitchen floor, tell you that the garage needs to be cleaned, remind you that you promised to help me wash windows this weekend and give your dad a hand with painting the guests bedroom etc, etc..."

Why Should We Learn a Foreign Language? I

Listen... PLEASE!

One of the most difficult activities for my students to do is listening. They don't have a good pronunciation and what is more, they don't make an effort to improve it by listening easy conversations. The reason is that they think they are too childish, but it is foolish to continue making the same mistakes once again. So YOU... don't be shy!
One of the selected links about listening is the British Council's page, have a look!
choose one topic, listen, read and learn new words!

American English and much more

On October 19, 1959, the Voice of America broadcast the first Special English program. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English. Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. They still are. Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. Over the years, its role has expanded. It helps people learn American English while they learn about American life and stay informed about world news and developments in science. It provides listeners with information they cannot find elsewhere.

Have a look on this examle or try it on the right column Media section:

Yet, Already or Still?

If you doubt about this topic try this new BBC Challenge lesson: quiz 1, quiz 2 and use the grammar

We use 'still' to talk about something, a situation or an action, that's continuing, often for a longer time than expected. It hasn't changed or stopped. 'Still' usually goes in the middle of the sentence, before the verb.

Are you still married to him?
Is she still unemployed?
I'm still living with my parents.

We use 'yet' mostly in questions and negative sentences. Using 'yet' shows that we're expecting something to happen or have happened. In spoken English 'yet' almost always comes at the end of the sentence or question and is commonly used with the present perfect.

Questions with 'yet'
Have you tidied your room yet?
Have they seen the film yet?

Negative statements with 'yet'
You haven't met her yet
She hasn't spoken to him yet

We use 'already' to talk about things that have happened, often earlier than expected. It usually goes in the middle or the end of sentence, just before or after the verb and is also commonly used with the present perfect.

Present perfect with 'already'
Have you two already met?
He's already done it
They've already sold their car

FOR or ON?

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Road Runner Grammar II

BBC World Service:How to ...

These programmes are about language you might use to give feedback at work, make a complaint and give praise. The programmes in this section include:

- Making a complaint
- Saying sorry
- Accepting an apology

After listening, don't forget to practise the new phrases you've learnt with the quizzes at the end of each programme!

Road Runner Grammar I

Keeping the Bathroom Clean

Interactive Map

Click here to see the original map.
If you move the mouse over the map the names of the places will appear.
Soon we'll learn about them in detail.

British Council for Fun

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The British Council web page contains several games in relation with grammar, vocabulary,spelling, etc... Try them and enjoy yourself!

Icons. A Portrait of England

Icons are everywhere.
Wherever you go in England you'll find museums, galleries and all sorts of other places linked to icons. Click on Icons at a Glance section to find the solutions for this crossword and learn more about symbols of England.

Doubts When Using Articles? III

The "Zero" Article
There are a lot of rules about when we don't use articles. Here are four of them:
We don't use an article:
1. to talk about plural and uncountable nouns or when talking about things in general:
I'm terrified of heights
I'm into drum and base.
I hate cheese.
2. before countries, towns, streets, languages and single mountains:
I'm from China.
I've climbed Mount Everest.
She speaks French.
3. Before some places and with some forms of transport:
I live at home with my parents.
I came here by car.
He goes to work by bus.
4. In exclamations with what + uncountable noun:
What beautiful weather!
What loud music!
What disgusting food!

Listen to Anastasiya programme to spot correct and incorrect uses of 'zero' articles.

How to Make a Decision

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"Basic Instructions" is a comic strip. Any advice contained herein is intended as humor, and should not be followed as actual instructions or advice.

Doubts When Using Articles? II

Indefinite Article

A / AN
Use 'a' with nouns starting with a consonant (letters that are not vowels),
'an' with nouns starting with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u)
Examples:
A boy An apple A car An orange A house An opera
NOTE:
An before an h mute - an hour, an honour.
A before u and eu when they sound like 'you': a european, a university, a unit

The indefinite article is used:

to refer to something for the first time:
An elephant and a mouse fell in love.
Would you like a drink?
I've finally got a good job.
to refer to a particular member of a group or class
Examples:
- with names of jobs:
John is a doctor.
Mary is training to be an engineer.
He wants to be a dancer.
- with nationalities and religions:
John is an Englishman.
Kate is a Catholic.
- with musical instruments:
Sherlock Holmes was playing a violin when the visitor arrived.
(BUT to describe the activity we say "He plays the violin.")
- with names of days:
I was born on a Thursday

to refer to a kind of, or example of something:
the mouse had a tiny nose
the elephant had a long trunk
it was a very strange car
with singular nouns, after the words 'what' and 'such':
What a shame!
She's such a beautiful girl.
meaning 'one', referring to a single object or person:
I'd like an orange and two lemons please.
The burglar took a diamond necklace and a valuable painting.

Notice also that we usually say a hundred, a thousand, a million.

NOTE: that we use 'one' to add emphasis or to contrast with other numbers:
I don't know one person who likes eating elephant meat.
We've got six computers but only one printer.

For exceptions see here

Doubts When Using the Articles? I

Articles in English are invariable. That is, they do not change according to the gender or number of the noun they refer to, e.g. the boy, the woman, the children.
'The' is used:
1. to refer to something which has already been mentioned.
Example: An elephant and a mouse fell in love.
The mouse loved the elephant's long trunk,and the elephant loved the mouse's tiny nose.

2. when both the speaker and listener know what is being talked about, even if it has not been mentioned before.
Example: 'Where's the bathroom?'
'It's on the first floor.'

3. in sentences or clauses where we define or identify a particular person or object:
Examples: The man who wrote this book is famous.
'Which car did you scratch?' 'The red one.
My house is the one with a blue door.'

Continue here or click on the right column at Grammar Online

To be continued....

Used to or Would?

BBC Learning English offers you a section called ·Ask About English· where students ask about their difficult points on learning it. Click on the image to enlarge and see if you have got the solution for this doubt, or enter the page.

Tests on Common Errors in English

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Here's a list of some words, which are often used incorrectly because they are homophones, homographs or homonyms. Includes short explanations, exercises and quizzes.

Hi, again!

After so long time without writing anything, I'm here again.
I've been travelling with a group of students around Frankfurt for a week and I hope they have realised how important is learning English or any other foreign language. No matter where you go, if you learn English, French... it will be easier to communicate each other.
We attended some lectures about the exchage market, visited the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank Geld Museum and some other museums, and in all them we faced with the real world, knowing another language apart from ours is essential to move around the world. In Germany all adverts, information... was in German or in English so....Take the bull by the horns!

Listen to World News Live

Click to listen to our correspondant or select your programme.

The First Well. A read-along story

A good practice for elementary or pre-intermediate learners.

Infinitive or Gerund?

If you have some doubt about this topic try the interactive quizzes nº1 or nº2

How to Give Directions

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"Basic Instructions" is a comic strip. Any advice contained herein is intended as humor, and should not be followed as actual instructions or advice.

Live Shakespeare sketch with Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson

George Michael's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

How to Pick a Password

Click on the image to enlarge.
"Basic Instructions" is a comic strip. Any advice contained herein is intended as humor, and should not be followed as actual instructions or advice.

Charles Dickens Animation

The BBC web page is full of interesting material, try this, and if you click on the image you'll play this game, or you can know about Charles Dickens' life here.

Review of Past tenses

If you want to revise and check your past tenses, enter English Grammar Secrets here

It's my world

A useful page for students of English as a foreign language is It's my world, this site is free although you can subscribe to enter other options.