English in Madrid

                                                                                   Source:  Jason Leung on Unsplash   Another difficult one that came up in class. Let's see if I can explain the difference... Someone can have smooth, soft hair. Soft: it's probably just been washed and dried, and nice to touch. Smooth: it isn't curly and it is probably long. There are no imperfections in it as you run your fingers through it.  Skin can also be smooth or soft. If you stay in the bath for ages, your skin is soft to touch. Smooth skin has no imperfections, so no spots or hair. Imagine a woman whose legs have been waxed. Maybe it's easier if we consider the opposites: soft / hard smooth / rough Fabric can be soft or smooth. Imagine you close your eyes and feel the...

Hacker pokes fun at  Spanish PM Visitors to Spain's EU presidency website have been greeted by an image of hapless fictional character Mr Bean instead of Spain's Socialist leader. An unidentified hacker briefly hijacked the site on Monday, replacing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero with that of a bumbling comedy buffoon . In Spain, the similarity between Mr Zapatero and the Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson, is a long-standing joke. The government said the site itself, www.eu2010.es, had not been attacked. In a statement , it said that a hacker had taken a screenshot of the homepage to make a photo montage. "The alleged attack exploited a vulnerability called cross-site scripting," it said. For most visitors, this meant that a smiling Mr Bean replaced Mr Zapatero, complete with a benign smile and the words "Hi there". In a recent edition of El Pais, Mr Zapatero was depicted as Mr Bean in a cartoon above an article that was h...

Complete the following sentences with a word in the correct form. All are taken from module 5. I can't c___ w___ all this stress. I need a break. Where do you find the s______ to do everything? I am always exhausted by the end of the day. The soldier was p______ by his commander for showing great courage. I have a lot of expenses - all the bills, the mortgage, the children's school f___ etc I sometimes go r_____ on the lake when I go to Retiro Park. I thought he gave an o__________ performance in that role. You really should go and see the film. You should s__ a better e_____ to the children. Otherwise they will think that kind of behaviour is acceptable. Millions have been r_____ to help people affected by the disaster. I don't know him well at all. We aren't even on f____ n___ t____. The company has a higher t______ compared to last year. I hate doing the h________ c_____, especially cleaning the bathroom. My husband is t_______ me to a weekend away. Ho...

Source: Diana Polekhina on Unsplash Driver fined 'for blowing his nose' An Ayrshire businessman says he has been fined by the police for blowing   his nose while driving. Michael Mancini, from Prestwick, said he was sitting in stationary traffic with the handbrake on when he used a tissue to clean his nose. He claimed he was waved over by four police officers and given a fixed penalty for not being in proper control of his car. He has refused to pay the £60 fine and the case may now proceed to court. The 39-year-old, who runs a furniture restoration business in Ayr, said: "The traffic was nose to tail in the high street and the traffic stopped and I thought that was quite a good time (to blow his nose). "I stopped the van and put the handbrake on. I saw four police officers nearby. The traffic moved on and I was waved across by an officer. "He said I was not in control of the vehicle." Mr Mancini said he was "absolutely s...

This is a difficult one. It's probably best to treat them separately. A target is something you intend to shoot: Source: NeONBRAND on Unsplash He hasn't missed the target once . (see image above) a person or group that you direct something at: She was the target of false rumours. a level or situation that you intend to achieve: Our target is a rise of 10% in sales.    An aim is a result that your plans or actions are intended to achieve: I don't really have a main aim in life . Just to do as well as I can. the act of pointing a "weapon" towards something: I'm not good at darts. My aim is really bad. His aim is bad too. (see image above) I live in a really noisy neighbourhood. Sometimes there are people shouting and screaming in the middle of the night. I have been known to throw eggs or tomatoes at them. I have never hit the target  (the idiots on the street)  because my aim (how I throw) is very bad. to target : to direct advertising, criti...

Source: Jasmin Sessler on Unsplash UK 'more liberal' on homosexuals Public attitudes to homosexuality are becoming more liberal, according to a government- backed survey . Some 36% thought homosexual acts were "always" or "mostly" wrong, down from 62% when the British Social Attitudes survey was first carried out , in 1983. But the public is taking a tougher line on cannabis, the survey of 4,468 adults, conducted in 2008, found. More people see themselves as Tory rather than Labour supporters for the first time since the 1980s, it adds. The survey also suggested the number of people who felt a pressing need  to vote in general elections was declining . Some 56% of those questioned thought it was "everyone's duty to vote" - down from 68% in 1991. 'Staying at home' This fell to 41% among the under-35s. Meanwhile , 32% of people said they had "not much" or "no interest" in politics. The rep...

Susana went on a shopping spree to New York. She asked the shop assistants if they had "a concrete bag". She was puzzled as to why  they didn't understand her. . She realised later the mistake that she had made . She had been asking for a bag made of concrete - hormigón. It's no wonder that  the shop assistants thought she was mad. It would have been pretty heavy to bring back to Spain anyway. Source: Wikipedia  ( en:User:Josh Parris )   What should she have said ? She should have asked for " a special kind of bag". Concrete can be used to mean definite or specific - a concrete answer, a concrete proposal, a concrete time, concrete evidence - but with intangible nouns.

  Tonight is Burns Night in Scotland. It is when we celebrate the life of Robert Burns, our national poet. He wrote the words to Auld Lang Syne . Listen to the discussion on this important day in Scotland . It is taken from 6 minute English from the BBC. where you can listen to discussion on many interesting topics. Source: User:Colin  /  Wikimedia Commons  /  CC BY-SA 4.0 Read here about the American ban on haggis . We should boycott Macdonalds until they lift it.

Source: Jamie Wheeler on Unsplash   Greyfriar's Bobby John Gray a gardener, together with his wife Jess and son John arrived in Edinburgh around 1850. Unable to find work as a gardener he avoided the workhouse by joining the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman . To keep him company through the long winter nights John took on a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called Bobby. Together John and Bobby became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh. Through thick and thin , winter and summer, they were faithful friends. The years on the streets appear to have taken their toll on   John, as he was treated by the Police Surgeon for tuberculosis. John eventually died of the disease on the 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby soon touched the hearts of the local residents when he refused to leave his master's grave, even in the worst weather conditions. The gardener and keeper of G...

Source: the blowup on Unsplash   Owners pay to be buried with their pets Growing numbers of pet owners are seeking burials with their favourite domestic animals. From Egyptian pharaohs to Anglo-Saxon warriors, humans have been buried alongside their most sacred or treasured animals. Now the practice is making a comeback with an increasing number of pet owners seeking burials with their favourite cats, dogs and horses. Planners in Lincolnshire last week approved the latest in a series of joint animal and human cemeteries where masters can be interred close to their beloved companions rather than be ing cremated. A handful of joint cemeteries even allow pets and owners to be buried in the same plot . The trend has been accelerated by the growth in non-denominational 'natural' sites for humans that use biodegradable coffins and often have woodland settings without rigid lines of plots or fixed headstones ; such layouts make it easier to add pets. Penny Lally...

Source:  Rebecca Orlov | Orlov Design Co on Unsplash    At the end of many articles you can find spotlight on vocabulary . It highlights an expression from the post and shows further examples of how it can be used. A spotlight is a circle of strong light which is sent from a lamp (like in a theatre or in a prison). If you are in the spotlight , you are receiving a lot of public attention. The mayor is in the spotlight just now because of his controversial speech. So the spotlight on vocabulary means I am focusing attention on a word. Here is a list of all the expressions that you can find in spotlight on vocabulary so far: as/so long as a rip-off/ a con keen reluctant the underdog so far a march/a rally/a demonstration to hire/ to take on/ to recruit to be made redundant/ to get the sack/ to be laid off/ to be fired awkward to hesitate then again to get on your nerves/ to hold your nerve/ to lose your nerve to bear/ bearable/ to bear something in mind/...

For those of you who want to practise American English, the CNN Student News page is a good place to start. You have a daily news programme and a transcript of the programme to read as you listen. Look at today's programme . Today is the anniversary of Obama becoming the US President. Look back at all the Obama related stories that have been posted onto the blog. Obama is sworn in for second time Listen to Obama's victory speech and read the transcript. USA's oldest voter 106-year-old voter chooses Obama Obama curriculum What do you think of his first year? Are you satisfied or disappointed? What has he done well? What should he do differently?

Source: Charles Deluvio on Unsplash Wednesday is the most miserable day of the week, claim researchers Wednesday – not Monday – is the worst day of the week, according to research by two American applied mathematicians. Professors Christopher Danforth and Peter Dodds, of Vermont University, analysed words used in 2.4 million internet blogs such as Twitter, giving a score out of nine depending on how positive they were. Words like free, fun, and rainbow all scored above eight, while words such as betray , cruel, hatred and suffocate all scored less than two. Saturday and Sunday rated predictably well but, perhaps surprisingly, Monday came out as the second happiest day of the week, partly because people were still reminiscing about the weekend. However by Wednesday, these feelings had subsided . Professor Danforth said: "People's daily experience is being reflected somewhat in what they're saying. And this is more of a story, we think, for Twitter messag...

Italian crackdown on 'big babies' A senior government minister has suggested that Italy needs a new law to force grown-up children to leave their parents' home. Renato Brunetta was speaking after a judge ordered a father to * carry on  pay ing a living allowance to his 32-year-old live-in daughter. The average age of home-leavers in Italy is one of the highest in Europe. Mr Brunetta has been tasked with reforming Italy's notoriously inefficient bureaucracy. He seems to be on a one-man crusade to shake up Italy. He has already declared war on the fanulloni - the skivers - who abuse their safe state jobs by sloping off for long lunch breaks and the like . Now he has turned his fire on young adults who refuse to leave the parental home. They should be forced out at 18, he says - if needs be by law. Bamboccioni His comments follow a court order forcing a father, Giancarlo Casagrande, 60, from Bergamo, to help pay his 32-year-old daughter's liv...

Are the following sentences right or wrong? Correct them if needed. A: What does he look like? B: He looks like tall with fair hair. They were married for 10 years. They'll celebrate their anniversary in July. A: How long do you live here in Madrid? B: since 2001 A: When did you last eat out? B: Last night. We had Italian. She has been interested in painting all her life. I have moved to Barcelona 2 years ago. She's bought a new car. I started work here since I finished university. They haven't seen each other since ages. A: Have you ever took her out for a meal? B: No, never. A: How long have you been waiting? B: I arrived just two minutes ago. I am driving since I was 18. He took up the piano when he was a teenager and he has been playing it ever since then. Have you two known each other for a long time? I've been working in the sales department for the last few months.

Complete the following sentences with a word in the correct form. I live in Madrid but I was b_____ up in Zaragoza. She t____ a____ her mother. They both have a lot of self-confidence. He got a d_____ in economics but now he works for a law firm. They s____ u_ after just 2 years of marriage. They got e______ last year but they don't have a date for the wedding yet. I don't think it's f___ that we have to work so late on a Friday evening but the boss can go home at 6 as usual. I b _____ i___ my colleague in the supermarket the other day. Apparently he lives near us. She is very p____ of her son because he passed all his exams with top marks. He only t___ u_ act ing in his thirties and now he is a successful actor. I have a d______ l______ but I don't have a car. She has excellent personal s_____ and so would have no problem working as part of a team. He joined the company after g_______ from university.

Do you remember the essay that I gave you just before Christmas? They were generally well done. Here is a list of some of the mistakes I found. There might be more than one correction to make in each sentence. I was living in London during three months two years ago in order to improve my English. We met on sunday evening for spending time in Spitalfields market. At night we had already bought a lot of things and decide to take some beers in a pub. I was very far from my home and I didn’t know come back home without getting the tube. Suddenly I saw a bus, I ran for asking to the bus driver. He said me that I could get this bus and explained me how I could arrive my home. It was a saturday night and my friends and me had been being in a disco. When we arrived to the train station, it was just opened. There was nobody more except we in all of the train station. One of the most frightened experience of my life was in my current job. That situation was too much embarrassed. I...

Do you remember the essay that I gave you just before Christmas? They were generally well done. Here is a list of some of the mistakes I found. There might be more than one correction to make in each sentence. I don’t think you have time to visit Picos de Europa but is really worth seeing. You mustn’t visit it in August because is too hot. I recommend to visit Reina Sofia and you must walk on the Retiro Park. You should go to Granada and Cordoba. I think that you really like this cities. We arrived to Paris and we were there only for two days because we had been in Paris before. In my opinion Paris is one of the most beautiful city in the world. Ruan has one of the most amazing gothic cathedral that I have seen in my life. We were there only a day and it was enough for visit all the town. The second day it’s for to visit three neighbourhood. The first day it’s a good moment for a first approach with New York. I’d recommend, if the weather is nice, to take a stroll for the...

Source: Ibrahim Boran on Unsplash   Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka' Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested. The research was based on industry sales data analysed by NHS Health Scotland. It said sales for the year to September 2009 averaged 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person over the age of 18. The Scottish government said the figure, which had remained static since 2005, was the equivalent of 537 pints or 130 bottles of wine per person. The new figures come as the Scottish government pushes for a minimum price for alcohol to tackle the country's drink-related problems . Minimum pricing In total, 50.5 million litres of pure alcohol were sold in Scotland last year, enough for every drinker over the age of 18 to exceed the weekly consumption guidelines . People in Scotland drank 25% more alcohol per head of population than individuals in England and Wales, the figures suggested. In...

Source: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash   You should explore the BBC Learning English page. It contains lots of useful things to do. In the 6 minute English  section you can listen to topical programmes. There is a question to answer and a list of vocabulary. You can read the script of the programme as you listen too.  Why not start with the programme on New Year's resolutions ? Have you broken your resolutions yet? Have you made any plans for 2010? Looking back at my 2009 resolutions , I think I didn't do too badly.

Not only should you write down new vocabulary in your notebooks, you should also write an example sentence. Choose some of the following expressions and write a sentence (or two) that clearly demonstrates its meaning. remarkable (adj) an achievement to raise (money) a role model stamina (n) to overcome to cope with worthwhile (adj) a turnover siblings (n) to juggle tough (adj) upbringing (n) (to get) praise ( n/ v)

Not only should you write down new vocabulary in your notebooks, you should also write an example sentence. Choose some of the following expressions and write a sentence (or two) that clearly demonstrates its meaning. to boost a supply tedious (adj) (to make) a purchase (n/v) to work out furthermore (adv) to hesitate on behalf of sb as a gesture of goodwill concerned (adj) a complaint (to get) a refund (n/v)

Source:  Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash   I always get nervous before flying because something often goes wrong . Either I miss my connection or I lose my luggage or something eventful happens. So because of past experience, I didn't expect an easy journey this time either . I had an early morning flight on the 26th and I made it to the airport in plenty of time . There was a slight delay but that didn't matter because I had a four hour stopover in London. So far so good . There were more security checks than normal in Gatwick airport but I had time to do some shopping. It was a smooth flight to Inverness with clear skies. There were spectacular views of the white landscape below. It 's been ages since I saw so much snow. As we approached Inverness airport, I could make out a bank of fog along the coast. The flight attendants made the usual preparations for landing. The plane started to descend through the thick fog that was surrounding the airport bu...