English in Madrid

Reading and Use of English Part 1 - Read the text quickly to understand the topic, style and tone of the piece.  Read the whole text and don’t look at the possible answers on the next page: they are designed to confuse you! - Sometimes it is possible to guess the missing word without looking at the options.  - Pay close attention to the words before and after the gaps, they will help you decide what words can and can’t be used. - Now   look at the answer choices.  Select any answers that you guessed and then read the sentences carefully, before and after the gaps, to help you confirm you decision. - Don't spend too much time on this part. You can't find the answer using logic. If you don't know the answer, move on. Put an asterix next to the ones you are not sure about. Autoenglish (commonly confused words, phrasal verbs, preposition combinations, linking words and a timed example question) esl-lounge (18 quizzes) Flo-Joe (synonyms, collocations, ph...

Source: Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash Here are some of Muhammad Ali's quotes. Complete them. Think what kind of word is missing - none of them are difficult words.  If you are struggling , at the end of the post I have put the answers (though in the wrong order). And you have to choose between two options. "When will they ever have another fighter who writes poems, predicts rounds, beats everybody, makes people laugh, makes people cry, and is (1) tall and extra pretty (1) me? In the history of the world and from the beginning of time, there’s never been another fighter like me. Eat your words! Eat your words! I am the greatest." "I am the greatest, I (2) that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I (2) it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest."  "I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed (3) the room was dark."  "If you even dream of beating me, you'...

Deaths outnumber births in Spain Recession and high unemployment have encouraged many citizens to (1) seek/search/look better prospects abroad Spain , long concerned (2) for/of/about its ageing population and emptying countryside, has passed a milestone in population decline, recording more deaths than births in the first half of this year. Deaths exceeded births by more than 19,000 in the first half of 2015, a turnaround from a year earlier when there were nearly 4,000 more births than deaths, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said. Spain has not consistently experienced more deaths than births since its 1936-39 civil war or the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, according to news reports . Deaths (3) shortly/briefly/quickly exceeded births in early 1999, but demographers considered that a blip , while now they see it as the start of a longer trend . The INE predicted last year that a trend of more deaths than births would begin in 2015 and the gap would continue t...

Complete the following text with a suitable word. Inequality between rich and poor has hit record highs, OECD warns In Spain, 18% of the population lives below poverty line, twice as many as before the crisis Inequality between the rich and the poor has reached  (1) highest level in certain countries since the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) began keeping records 30 years ago. The crisis has widened this gap in economies  (2) as Spain’s,  (3) to, among other factors, higher taxation and social spending cuts. A new report entitled In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All shows that “wealth is even more concentrated at the top  (4) income, exacerbating the overall disadvantage of low-income households.” The study is based (5)  data from the 34 countries that  (6) up the OECD, which is an international economic organization aimed  (7) stimulating economic progress and world trade. Among the 34 members...

Which of the following sentences (possibly more than one) are right? If they are wrong, correct them. 1. A: I promised that I would write to her. B: She promised me to phone. C: Did you promise to help him? D: My boss promised giving me a pay rise. 2. A: I recommend you to see his latest film. B: What book would you recommend that I read? C: My colleague recommended on taking a refresher course. D: Doctors recommend drinking a glass of red wine every day. 3. A: Weather forecasters are warning drivers to take extra care. B: Parents should warn their children don't to trust strangers. C: My boss warned to arrive on time. D: Tourists were warned for travelling to the area. 4. A: If I were you, I'd apologise her. B: He apologised for not remembering their anniversary. C: You don't have to apologise to tell the truth. D: My teacher apologised that he arrived late. 5. A: I have explained you this twice already. B: Would you mind explaining how this ...

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...

Here is an example of the picture comparison. Complete the missing words. FCE Test 3 (2008) Pictures 4C and 4D Q: In this part of the test I'm going to give each of you two photographs. I'd like you to talk about your photographs on your own for about 1 minute and also to answer a short question about your partner's photographs. Q: (Candidate A), here are your photographs. I'd like you to compare the two photographs and say why the people have chosen to go to these places. Q: All right? Well ,  (a) pictures  show outdoor activitites. In the first picture, we can see a  (b) of hikers taking a rest and admiring the view (c)  in the second there is a group of people who are travelling fast down a river. They look  (d)  if they are having fun  (e) in my opinion it (f)  be a little dangerous. In the two  pictures they are wearing clothes that are appropriate for what they a...

Gay Teacher Fights to Get Catholic School Job Back A (1) P.E. teacher at an Ohio Catholic school is fighting to get her job back after being fired . Carla Hale worked at Bishop Watterson High School for 19 years —  the termination came after she published her partner’s name in her mother’s obituary back in February. A parent wrote an anonymous letter to The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus saying they were surprised a parochial school would employ someone who contradicted the (2) of the church. Hale told NBC she had no problem putting her partner Julie’s name in her mother’s obituary. CARLA HALE: “I told Julie what I (3) done. She instantly questioned me and she said, ‘ Are you sure you want to do this?’” The Columbus Diocese has not publicly commented to any news outlets , but has given a (4) that said, “The Catholic Church respects the fundamental dignity of all persons but also must insist those in its employ respect the tenet...

Source:  Tim Mossholder en Unsplash Also Also is used to add an extra idea or emphasis. We don't usually start a sentence with "also". It goes before the main verb but after the verb "to be". I enjoy gardening. I also like to do crosswords in my spare time. Glasgow has two important football clubs. It  is also the most populated city in Scotland. Engineers blame $3m structural 'flaw' for Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge collapsing - and tens of thousands of bridges across US could also have fault https://t.co/daXbwjhDWP pic.twitter.com/4rs9y2ckNv — Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 26, 2024 Portrait of late Queen Elizabeth II with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and taken by Kate Middleton was also manipulated, picture agency reveals https://t.co/xEH7OZLXOH pic.twitter.com/UG4cocBV3q — Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 19, 2024 Too / As well Too / As well mean the same as "also" but go at the end o...

In Part 1 the examiner will ask you questions about yourself such as where you come from, your  studies, your job, your interests, your family and future plans. This part only lasts around 3 minutes. (90 seconds per student!) There are no complicated questions. Example questions: Where are you from? / Are you from Madrid? What do you like about living in Madrid? Can you tell me something about where you live? What do you do? / Do you have a job or do you study? What would you like to do when you finish university? Tell me about what you do in your spare time. What do you usually do at weekends? What did you do last weekend? Do you have any plans for the summer? Where are you going for your next holiday? Tell me something about your family. Do you have a big family? How long have you been learning English? Why are you doing the FCE exam? Tips: Never give one word / sentence answers like: yes, no, maybe, sometimes, I think so... Exam...

Source: Felipe Bustillo on Unsplash   Here's a typical conversation between two friends deciding which film to see. Complete the conversation with suitable words. Take a note of the different ways of making suggestions. Allan: What are you  (1) to tonight? Karen: Nothing much. Why? Allan: Do you (2) like  go ing to the cinema? Karen: Yeah, I ’d love (3) . What’s (4)? Allan: Have you seen the (5) Tarantino film? It’s had some good (6) . Karen: His films are too violent for my liking . I ’d (7) see a comedy. Allan: (8) have a look in the paper. Allan: How (9) this one? It  (10) Hugh Grant. Karen: Oh, I can’t stand him. Is there nothing else? Allan: Do you (11) see ing an action movie? This one  (12) quite good. Karen: I ’m not very keen  (13) them. Sorry for be ing so (14) . Allan:  (15) we see this one then? It’s a documentary; they give it 4 stars. Karen: We could just rent a DVD – a ...

Source: Erica Magugliani on Unsplash Pet poll reveals owners' devotion Many UK pet owners prefer to hug their animals (1) than a close relative when feeling low, a poll for a social networking website suggests. Half of the 1,124 people quizzed for My Social Petwork said they acted in (2) a way and a third said they spend (3) to 30 days a year caring for their pets. One in five has cancelled social plans to be with their pet, March's survey conducted by OpinionMatters found. The website described (4) survey as the "UK's first pet census". The survey suggested that one in five pet owners regularly uses social networking sites Facebook or Twitter to share pet images, and 10% of people have taken their pet to occasions such as christenings or weddings. 'Healthy and happy' About 7% of owners have cancelled a date and 4% have called in sick to work (5) of their pets, the survey said. A quarter of UK pet owners said their pet was...

Source: Wikipedia (Antonio Zugaldia ) The Spanish Monarchy is making headlines yet (1). The King’s son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin announced his plans to move to Qatar — while he is still facing corruption charges in Spain. Last week, Urdangarin’s wife, princess Cristina, prompted international headlines after she was named a suspect in the Noos Institute corruption case — in (2) her husband is involved. (Via The New York Times ) “The former olympic handball player who holds the title of Duke of Palma, is accused (3) diverting millions of euros of public money meant for the non-profit organisation he controlled to private offshore accounts.” (Via Euronews ) Bloomberg reports, Urdangarin was offered a job working alongside Spanish handball coach Valero Rivera training Qatar’s national handball team. Rivera trained Urdangarin (4) 14 years when he was still a player on Barcelona’s handball team and also in the Spanish selection before he became Duke of Palm...

Everyone complained that this was a particularly difficult test. The results were mixed - some were good while others were disappointing. As with every Use of English, collect the answers to each part while demonstrating evidence for them. Part 1 1. some of these changes are caused by human activity ... 2. Snow and ice have a considerable impact on the environment ... 3. areas that experience harsh winters ... (harsh ≠ mild)   to bear ≈ to tolerate eg I can't bear the pain. 4. when the pipes freeze, they crack and split because of the expansion  of the ice inside. ( split = break)     to  rip ≈ tear   eg. ripped jeans, tear a piece of paper ... to  peel - to take the "skin" of fruit or veg eg. peel an orange / a potato ... 5. ... water runs into exposed cracks...    to slide ≈ to slip    eg The children slid along the icy path.     I slipped on a bana...