Indirect Questions

Problems with them? English Grammar Secrets helps you with two exercises.
The first exercise is just to warm you up and shouldn't cause you much difficulty, you only have to mix and match.
The second exercise is a bit more complicated.
If you are brave enough try this Hot Potato exercise from The Grammar Acuarium.
Have a nice practice!

A Crow Named Purple Rain

Lyrics | Purple Rain lyrics

Watching North and South episodes

Watching TV series is a good practice, if you have enough time to spend in front of it!. If so, watch one of 19th century literature's most original dramas.

Travelling by Plane

We all think that flying is exciting but in fact, the reality today is very different. I travelled recently. Was it a pleasure?

Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise one Pre-listening vocabulary
Exercise two Click on the words you hear
Exercise three Complete and listen
Exercise four Listen and check

Babies and Children

It's a good deal, but... oh, the college costs!
Roanoke, Virginia The Babies & Children store's motto is, "Dressing babies and children from head to toe from newborn to preteen."

Women's Rights

Our students have just seen an exhibition about 'Women through History'

and The Smithsonian Magazine offers the same topic but

in a shorter version than ours at school. Do you recognize them?
Click on the image to read the slides and

try to learn more about these women,

which ones would you add to the list and why?

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

Teenagers' Mood

Time, Time, Time

EF podEnglish improves your English with bite-sized 5 minute videos. Perfect for beginners, intermediate and advanced students, these video lessons are as good as having an English teacher in your pocket! Created by EF & Englishtown, the world's largest language school with over 400 schools in over 50 countries worldwide. Subscribe to weekly podEnglish episodes.... or enter youtube to have a look.

No More Plastic Bags

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We only love what we understand. We only understand what we are taught." -Babia Dioum Senegalese Ecologist

The other day I went shopping and the cashier offered me a cotton bag instead of the previous plastic one. "At last!" I said to myself "Something is changing in the commercial world!".
Looking for information about this idea I've found some campaigns about how to stop using this material in everyday life. There are many countries which have established a date to change this habit. But why?
Only in the UK, people use 10 billion bags a year, of which 200 million end up polluting the environment.
• As well as the energy and emissions they take to make, they take between 450 and 1000 years to decay.
• When they do, even so called ‘degradable’ bags just break down into smaller and smaller particles that pollute land and poison marine life.
• Plastic bags aren’t free - their cost is built into the price of the goods you buy.
• A single cotton carrier can replace 1000 plastic bags over its life - so you can make a huge difference.
• Going shopping with a cotton bag is one of the easiest as well as most effective ways to help the environment.
Want to know more? Enter 'Altered Oceans' page to watch videos and photos or 'Message is in the Waves' from BBC Hawaii.

Travelling Pets

Pets coming into Britain have to go into quarantine. What's it like and what happens when it's finished?
Find out by doing these four exercises:
Exercise one Pre-listening Vocabulary
Exercise two CLick on the words you hear.
Exercise three Complete and listen
Exercise four Reorder the sentences.

Which Simpsons' Character are You?

How much do you know about this family and their story? Try this quiz and guess or enter their page.

View this quiz on Quibblo More quizzes on Quibblo

How to Figure out if you Said that Terrible Thing...

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.

St Patrick's Day

Next 17th March is St. Patrick's Day.
What do you know about Ireland saint patron?
Try this crossword and guess,
and if you want to know how Irish people celebrate, enter their website or History.com page.
And if you are brave enough test yourself about Irish history.

Parking Rules

Listening to Jokes: The Biggest Lie

Two boys were arguing when the teacher entered the room.
The teacher says, "Why are you arguing?"

One boy answers, "We found a ten dollar bill and decided to give it to whoever tells the biggest lie."

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," said the teacher, "When I was your age I didn't even know what a lie was."

The boys gave the ten dollars to the teacher.

After listening to it, woud you like to try this word crossword?

2nd Conditional

To talk about an impossible or improbable situation, we can use if and the past simple together with would and the infinitive:

Positive and Negative:
If Past simple, Would / wouldn't Infinitive (without to)
If you lost your passport, it would take ages to get another one.
If it cost me a fortune, I wouldn't be able to take you on holiday again.

Question:
If Past simple, Would / wouldn't Infinitive (without to)
If it cost me a fortune, would I be able to take you on holiday again?
If I couldn't take you on holiday, wouldn't we save a lot of money?

If you have doubts about it:

Try quiz one, Try quiz two, Use the grammar

Listen to this radio programe while you read the tapescript:

Better Speaking with BBC. Episode 1

Better Speaking is all about how you can become a fluent, confident speaker of English. In the programmes we hear from learners of English from around the world and also from someone who specialises in teaching speaking, trainer Richard Hallows. Better Speaking is presented by Callum Robertson.
You can listen to it here, download or subscribe to this programme's podcast.

Episode 1
We listen to several learners describe what they find difficult about speaking English, and Callum and Richard discuss the link between confidence and fluency.
You can listen to this episode while you read the tapescript (open it into another window by clicking on the right button)or you cant test your comprehension with this test.

boomp3.com

New Usage for Text Messages II

Click on the image to enlarge

Cardiff Castle

There are a number of impressive buildings in the centre of Cardiff. Cardiff Castle is one of them. It has all the outward signs of a traditional castle, but inside it has some unusual features.
Read or listen to the text to find out more about the history of Cardiff castle then try the vocabulary exercise that follows.
And if you have enjoyed with it you can continue with another task about Cardiff Bay but this time with video

Does your Dog Bite?

Charles Dickens' Bleak House

Bleak House is regarded as one of Charles Dickens' best achievements - the greatest ever depiction of Victorian London.
Enjoy yourself with this drama, watch and listen to the main characters at interviews or read and watch the episodes.

Idioms with "And"

There are some common expressions that we should learn called idioms that only appear with a special meaning when they are together.
BBC offers some multiple choice practice such as the one which follows:

Listening to Jokes

Two factory workers are talking.
The woman says, "I can make the boss give me the day off."
The man replies, "And how would you do that?"
The woman says, "Just wait and see." She then hangs upside-down from the ceiling.
The boss comes in and says, "What are you doing?"
The woman replies, "I'm a light bulb."
The boss then says, "You've been working so much that you've gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off."
The man starts to follow her and the boss says, "Where are you going?"
The man says, "I'm going home, too. I can't work in the dark."

Now try this Speedword Game on Opposites.

Guns 'n Roses' Sweet Child o Mine

Mother's Day

(Click on the image to enlarge)

Today is Mothering Day in England but... why is it different from other countries?
Do you want to know? Try Woodlands Junior School here or on your left column and discover the traditional customs.

St David's Day

Wales is one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. It is located in the south-west of Great Britain and is bordered by England to the south and east and the Irish Sea to the west and north. Learn about Wales with British Council.

UK culture: Wales is a land of rugby, singing and beautiful scenery situated on the western side of the UK. Learn more.

Magazine article: Wales and St. David. "Gwnewch y pethau bychain = Do the little things (that you have seen me do and heard about)" Read article.

Word games: Famous Welsh people. Match the names of famous Welsh people to information about them. Play game (1) and game (2) and game (3).

Poem: Welsh Landscape This grim poem by R. S. Thomas, the pre-eminent Welsh poet writing in the English language is typical of his work, which is uncompromising: images like slate - hard and sharp; his style spare, unflinching, honest." Read poem.

Trivia: Date: 1588: the Bible was first published in Welsh. This is considered by some as one of the most important events in helping to continue the Welsh language. See more Wales trivia.

Poll: "What does 'Wales' make you think of?"See results.