English in Madrid

Spain's 'high-society scammer' breaks silence A 20-year-old student who infiltrated the inner circles of Spanish business and politics before being accused of a string of deception charges has claimed that he was arrested because he "knew too much". Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias, popularly known in Spain as "Little Nicolás", was arrested in October on suspicion of swindling, forging documents and impersonating public officials. Despite not holding any official public position, he had managed to meet and be photographed with members of the royal family, including King Felipe VI, and politicians in Spain's ruling Popular Party such as former Prime Minister José María Aznar. Source: The Local Vocabulary : a scam / a scammer - a string of stg - deception / to deceive - a charge (criminal) - to claim stg / a claim  - to arrest sb  - to swindle - to forge stg - to manage to do stg - such as - former (adj) ...

Did the Queen of England really have to bow before the Duchess of Alba? Yes, she was the woman with the most titles in the world. But no, the Queen of England did not have to curtsey to her. Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, who has died at the age of 88, was a duchess several times over, nearly 20 times a marchioness, another so many times a countess, and, what’s more, she was a viscountess, grand duchess and even a condestablesa . In total, she counted on more than 40 titles and held multiple decorations and honorary titles such as honorary citizen of Andalusia and of Seville. She was also awarded the gold medal of Madrid, and was the honorary mayoress of Liria. All of this made her the person with most honorary titles in Spain, even more than the king and queen. But in contrast to the oft-repeated myth, she still had to curtsey in the presence of the Queen of England or any other monarch for that matter. “There is no higher status than the queen (or king),” says Carlos Fuente, the dir...

Which "ch" word has a /k/ sound? headache (55%)     / ˈhedeɪ k / purchase (0%)        / ˈpɜːt ʃ əs / chemist's (88%)    / ˈ k emɪsts / character (100%)   / ˈ k ærəktə r / chalk       (0%)     / t ʃ ɔːk / stomach  (77%)   / ˈstʌmə k / loch *         (44%)      / lɒ k / (English pronunciation - Scottish pronunciation is different - not /k/) chorus    (44%)    / ˈ k ɔːrəs / * In Scotland lakes are called lochs. So the correct pronunciation is not with /k/. Which sentence(s) is / are grammatically wrong? That was by far the best film we have seen this year. ✓  (83%) by far + superlative + Present Perfect   (big difference with others) It isn't nearly as warm as it was yesterday.   ✓   (33%) nearly as + adj...

Complete the sentences with words that have come up in class : I've been making _ n q _ _ r _ _ s into the cost of train travel in the UK. Have another glass of wine. One more won't do you any h _ _ m . The idea of camping doesn't _ p p _ _ l to me at all. I'd rather pay for a nice hotel. Thirty business leaders will accompany the Prime Minister on his f _ _ _ h c _ _ _ _ g trip to the Far East. Some parents go to great l _ _ g _ _ s to get their children into the best schools. He says he had a pretty conventional _ p _ r _ _ g _ _ g despite having famous parents. Be careful what you say. Your words may come back to _ a u _ _ you . I've never heard such u _ _ _ r rubbish in all my life. She was quite hurt. I think you owe her an apology for that _ _ s _ _ s _ t _ _ e remark . I can't miss an episode. I'll cancel any appointments so that I can watch it. I think you could say that I'm h _ _ _ _ d . I think I need a refresher course. My ...

Source:  Brett Jordan on Unsplash Below are ten tweets that contain words and expressions that have come up in class. Strange, I am getting a lot of puzzled looks today! pic.twitter.com/eaV1Y2vaC5 — R. Bowen Loftin (@bowtieger) October 4, 2014 Spain's PM says he took "sensible" decision to abandon hard-line abortion law proposals @ReutersSonyaD http://t.co/afgyzlGMeo — sarah morris (@sarahmorriseuro) September 23, 2014 I hate it when I can't get on with my work because of all the doughnuts that are on my desk. — mynameisJimmy (@jimmy_sharpe) October 29, 2014 Look who's here😎💚 he must have finished his bone & worn himself out pic.twitter.com/zwJfjjiCcE — Kitlyne (@C3glz) October 26, 2014 Some lads just don't have a clue, got steak but they'd rather have fish fingers — Georgia Charles (@geocharles_) October 27, 2014 Take a break: It's Happy No Housework Day! What's your least favorite house chore? pic.tw...

How not to behave badly abroad Travelling to all corners of the world gets easier and easier . We live in a global village, but how well do we know and understand each other? Here is a simple test. Imagine you have arranged a meeting at four o'clock. What time should you expect your foreign business colleagues to arrive? If they're German. They'll be bang on time . If they're American, they'll probably be 15 minutes early. If they're British, they'll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians. When the European community began to increase in size, several guidebooks appeared giving advice on international etiquette. At first many people thought this was a joke, especially the British, who seemed to assume that the widespread understanding of their language meant a corresponding understanding of English customs. Very soon they had to change their ideas, as they realised that they had a lot to learn about how to behave wit...

Exposed: student conman who fooled king A 20-year-old student from an elite business school who was arrested last week on suspicion of swindling, forging documents and impersonating public officials cosied up to the cream of Spanish society, even managing to attend King Felipe VI’s proclamation. Who is Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias? Now millions of people in Spain have heard of the fresh-faced man just out of his teens who in just a few years and without any official position in public life managed to hobnob with leading politicians and business figures, even attempting to negotiate in legal matters on behalf of Spain’s former King Juan Carlos. Many of those he met on the way were initially sceptical about this wunderkind with excellent contacts in the governing Popular Party (PP) but his charm and impressive lists of contacts, backed by the evidence of selfies taken with the great and the good which he kept on his mobile phone, usually smoothed away any doubts.   The...

Source:   Anete Lusina  en  Pexels I'm often asked how you say hacer reformas or estar de obras in English. In the sense of home improvement , we don't say make reforms . There are several ways of saying it, depending on the changes that you are going to make . I'm going to do up  my bedroom .  (paper it, paint the ceiling, perhaps buy some new furniture - so it looks fresher)  They buy  run down homes and  renovate  them  and then sell them at a huge profit . (major works - to make as good as new again) I want to redecorate the living room. (the walls need papered, the ceiling needs painted) They are going to restore the church. (to repair it so it looks as it used to)  I'm going to do some DIY this weekend. (Do It Yourself - repair things and make general improvements around the house) They are having building work done next door - it'll be quite a while until the've finished....

  Ebola is highly contagious … plus seven other myths about the virus The Ebola outbreak is serious, but the nature of the epidemic is often misunderstood – and inappropriate measures suggested The Ebola outbreak has been claiming lives in Africa for many months now, but following the first Ebola death from a case diagnosed outside the continent, coverage – and concern – in the west has stepped up yet another notch. The outbreak is certainly a grave issue for west Africa, a public health priority, and has been exacerbated by a slow response from international bodies and rich nations. It has already claimed more than 3,800 lives, and could claim far more without an appropriate international response. But it is also not the species-ending disaster some fear it could be. Below are eight Ebola myths, and an attempt to set out the real position. Source: Guardian Vocabulary : an outbreak / to break out - to claim lives - coverage (n) - concern (n) - to s...

Half of Britons can't spell common words Forty per cent of Britons rely on autocorrect, survey reveals as occasionally, rhythm and conscience make it into the top words which stump writers Embarrassment, occasionally and necessary have been listed among the words Britons have most difficulty spelling. Researchers who studied 2,000 adults found that more than half had problems spelling commonly used words. The list included accommodate, questionnaire and rhythm. Conscience also proved tricky, along with occurrence, restaurant and guarantee. Source: Telegraph     Vocabulary : to rely on stg/sb  - a survey - to stump - a researcher - research (UNC) - to tend to do stg - to struggle - to rate stg -       Read this other post about spelling and the tricks to remember how to spell certain words.

My name is Graham - a name that some Spanish students have difficulty pronouncing. I'm from Inverness which, unless you've been to Scotland, is a city that you have probably never heard of. It is in the far north of the country and the most famous lake in the world lies next to it. 1. How is Inverness? It's a pleasant city to visit. It has a castle on a hill with some nice views of the surrounding countryside . There is a river that runs through the centre. 2. How long time are you teacher? Over twenty years now. I never thought that I'd still be teaching in my forties. 3. What would you do if you don't be a teacher? I'm not sure but when I was younger I liked the idea of being a journalist. 4. How long are you living in Madrid? Thirteen years. 5. Do you enjoy to live here? Not as much as I used to but I still think Madrid is a great city. 6. Have you lived in other country besides Spain? I lived in Rome for nearly ei...

Source: congerdesign from Pixabay It's been ages since I posted Part 1 about another. Here in Part 2 we will focus on other and others. While another is used with singular countable nouns, other goes before plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns . Some people  drive while other people (/others) prefer to cycle. I didn't help her because I had other more important things to do. Have you got any other trainers (/any others) or are these your only ones ? He's not just a chemistry teacher. He teaches other sciences too. Don't you like any other music apart from rock? When followed by a noun, other does not form a plural . We have others other colours if you'd like to see them. He has others other cousins who live in Australia. We can use other before singular nouns (when we specify something) but we need to use another determiner before it. I like this restaurant but I prefer the other one . María lives in Madrid bu...

Source: Youtube (woltersworld     Try to predict the five things that he loves and hates about Spain, from the point of view of an American tourist, before listening to the video. What are the five things that he loves and hates? Were your predictions correct? Do you agree with him? Listen as many times as necessary. Check the word list below - can you hear them in the video? Vocabulary :   * Hi guys! -   whether -   * awesome (adj) - tons to love - to dislike -   to end on a high note -     funny = (adj) -   downright hot - Southern (adj) -   * you 'd better ... -   oppressively hot - heat (n) - a mild irritation -   the lack of ... -    to take a nap -   actually -   tourist stuff -   might not -   supplies (n) -   to purchase -      annoying (adj) -   a fool - ...

Catalan parliament approves independence vote Catalonia's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of giving its regional president the power to call an independence "consultation". Spain's government opposes the Catalan "consultation" vote and is taking the dispute to the Constitutional Court. The move comes a day after Scotland voted against independence from the United Kingdom. Catalan President Artur Mas said Scotland's referendum had "shown the way" for Catalonian independence. He is preparing Catalonia for a similar vote on 9 November, with large-scale support for independence from Spain. Catalonian lawmakers voted by a margin of 106 to 28 in favour of authorising the consultation. Spain's Constitutional Court is expected to consider the Catalan case on Tuesday and could suspend the region's vote on independence. 'Strong message'  Mr Mas earlier said Scotland's rejection of independence was "not...