English in Madrid

1. You should never be afraid to ___ your mind. A: tell B: talk C: say D: speak 2. Look! She ___ a jacket just like yours. A: is worn B: wears C: has wore D: is wearing 3. I couldn't ___ what he was saying because of the loud music. A: hear B: listen to C: understanding D: to understand 4. John: Hey! ___ ?     Ben: Alright thanks. A: How goes it? B: How do you do? C: How's it going? D: What are you up to? 5. Have you checked ___ the Italian restaurant that he recommended? A: down B: out C: up D: through 6. I ___ the film before so I ___ some revision for the exam that I have next week. A: saw / did B: had seen / done C: saw / had done D: had seen / did 7. He ___ have a house near the sea where he spent his summer holidays. A: used to B: would C: use to D: would to 8. Rachel: I think women are better drivers than men.       Pe...

Choose A, B, C or D to complete the sentences. 1. ..... the music down? I'm trying to concentrate.      A. Would you mind to turn      B. Could you mind turning      C. Would you mind turning      D. Could you mind to turn  2. Spanish people ..... eat spicy food.           A. tend to not      B. tend don't to      C. don't tend      D. tend not to 3.  She ..... get the job. She doesn't have the right qualifications.      A. likely not to      B. definitely won't      C. won't probably      D. certainly might not 4. I ..... when I ..... from holiday.      A. will call / get back      B. call / will get back      C. ca...

The following exercise is really for my Mon/Wed Int+ class, but of course, anyone is welcome to have a go. Correct the mistakes in the following sentences.  I hope you will come to Madrid, not other city. Please let me know where are you going and we organise all. I'm happy to know that your parents let you come here one year in France. I'm sure that you enjoy your experience.  Even if you don't know yet the place you'll be, we could see each other. That's all for now but we keep in touch to give you more advices. Look at the following letters/e-mails. Can you guess the missing words? A. Hi Zoe, How are things (1) ? Sorry for not (2) in touch sooner but I have (3) really busy looking for a new job. Unfortunately, I (4) haven't found one but I have a couple of interviews next week, so fingers crossed! B. Dear Caroline, Thanks for your postcard. I wish I (5) have a holiday too because I'm really stressed out at work. ... How about (6) for ...

Complete the following sentences with a suitable word.  I think bullfighting should be b_____ . It’s cruel and barbaric. I am really stressed out. I need a holiday to u_____ . The Rubik’s Cube was a c____ in the early 80s. I can give you a l___ to work until you get your car back from the mechanic’s. You don’t need to leave a t__ if you are unhappy with the service. A lot of men worry about going b___ as they get older. You should always s____ hands with the interviewer at the end of the interview. Can you p___ up my suit from the dry cleaner’s when you are there? I won’t k___ you. This will just take a couple of minutes. That’s me finished -I ’m o__ home. See you tomorrow. You don’t need to pay. I’d prefer to s____ the bill. You look very smart but there’s no need to d____ up for me. I’m tired. I don’t f___ l___ going out tonight.  I haven’t heard from her for a___ . I wonder what she is up to. News quickly s_____ about his resignation. By the e...

Are the following sentences right or wrong? Correct them if needed. Could you borrow me the car for the weekend? I'll drive carefully. Would you mind to close the window? It's a bit cold in here. I'm going to relax at home this weekend. I've had a tiring week. A: Do you mind if I sit here? B: No, not at all. Do you feel like going to the theatre on Saturday evening? A: Damn! I've broken my watch. B: Let me have a look. I'm going to try to fix it. What are you doing for Christmas? It's normal for colleagues going for a drink after work. Young people tend don't to dress up when they go to the opera. Graham: I want to speak to your superior. Telefonica operator: Ok, he will call you back later today.

She gave me a DVD for my birthday but I had already seen it. I  hadn't heard of the actress until I read about her death in the newspaper. By the time he arrived , I had finished all the work. They had never eaten paella until they came to Spain. The teacher corrected all the homework that his pupils had given him. My grandmother went to hospital because she had hurt her arm in a fall. I bumped into a friend in the town centre who I hadn't seen for ages. A: Had you ever been to Paris before then ? B: Yes; I had been there once before. I had just finished cleaning the floor when the kids came in. You can see from the above examples that we use the Past Perfect to express an action which happened before a certain time in the past (emphasis is put only on the fact and * not the duration). So the first verb uses Past Perfect and the second Past Simple (they are distinct actions). * Only with state verbs can we express th...

Source:  Matt Hardy en Unsplash We read in class about a survival story after a climbing accident. Here is a miraculous survival story from the end of last year. Three teenagers arrive in Fiji after Pacific ordeal Three teenage boys found alive after at least 50 days in a boat in the Pacific Ocean have arrived safely in Fiji. The boys, from the Tokelau Islands, a New Zealand-administered territory in the South Pacific, had been giv en up for dead after an unsuccessful search. The boys survived on coconuts, water they trapped on a tarpaulin and a seabird they managed to catch. Tanu Filo, the father of one of the boys, described the rescue as a "miracle". "The whole village, they were so excited and cried and they sang songs and were hugging   each other in the road. Everybody was yelling and shouting the good news," he told New Zealand radio. Meanwhile the head teacher of their school, John Kalolo, told BBC World TV there had been "many tears ...

We use the 3rd conditional to imagine a different past to the one which really happened, and a result different to the one that happened. Reality: I didn't study so I failed the exam. If + Past Perfect (had + participle), + would have/has + participle Imaginary past, + (past) consequence * If I had studied , I would have passed the exam. I'd have passed the exam if I'd studied. Sometimes the consequence is in the present. Reality: I  feel  ill (now) because I ate too much. Imaginary Past, + (present) consequence * If I hadn't eaten so much , I wouldn't feel ill. I'd feel OK now if I'd  eaten less. N.B. After the "if clause" we don't use "would". It's the same in the 2nd Conditional and likewise, "will" doesn't follow the "if clause" in the 1st Conditional. We use the auxiliaries in the "consequence clause". N.B.   * The two clauses are separated by a comma when the...

Your essays were generally good. The main thing is that you used the connectors that we studied in class well. Here are some examples of mistakes that I found. Correct them (sometimes more than one mistake per sentence ). Nowaday go to work by public transport is an advantage. Besides to avoid traffic jams, you arrive to work on time. Another disadvantage to go by car is you spend much money in gas. The car is the principal transport for most people. We hadn't to park the car and it took us only 15 minutes. To travel by a huge city like Madrid is better the public transport. The people have to go away to street for the smoke. They can't smoke near to a hospital. The main advantage is the health and other advantage is smell. The people who smoke lose a lot of time go outside their workplace. We didn't have to go away the meeting. I think it was good that they had a place reserved for smoking in the work. Children must learn to live together with all kind of pe...

Source:  Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash What is the difference between the following sentences? A. I usually get up early. B. I used to get up early. C. I am used to getting up early. D. I will never get used to getting up early. usually = normally:  we use this adverb to describe how often we do something. It acts in the same way as any other frequency adverb (always, sometimes, never..) I usually get up early (but I sometimes get up later on a Sunday). used to : we use this to describe a past habit; something we did in the past but don't do now. I used to get up early (but not anymore - I get up later now). be used to ___ ing : we use this to describe something you do now that you are familiar with and isn't a problem to do. I am used to getting up early (it was difficult at first, but I have been getting up early for some time and it isn't a problem now). get used to ___ ing : we use this to describe the process until something is n...

Mothers ' in charge of baby names' Researchers found four out of ten fathers are forced to back down and let their partners select the name. It also emerged the average couple consider 12 names before selecting their favourite, but a quarter do not make their final decision until after the baby is born. The report, commissioned among 3,000 parents by Bounty Parenting Club, also disclosed that a third of couples fall out over their newborn's name. Faye Mingo, spokeswoman for Bounty, said: ''The name game is a debate which often lasts the whole nine months of the pregnancy and causes the most upsets as couples fail to agree on the best name for their new born. ''It's understandably one of the hardest decisions mum and dad will ever have to make – largely because we do judge a person by their name before we've even got to know them. ''As well as finding a name both partners like there are still loads of other factors parents h...

Here are some sentences from your essays that contain one or more mistakes. Can you find them and correct them? I have nightmares from one month ago. I walked on the streets looking for help. It is the only one thing I can do. She decided to call to the few friends that she had. She arrived to the park and she sat down in a bank for to smell the spring. ... and only she had met three persons in six months. He was by far the worst person into the prison. ... and when the others policemen notice my escape, I'll be in other country. He screamed and screamed but nobody listened him. Some months ago an old friend rang me up. I didn't know about he for ages. ... and I met her a day after in my house. One day he told to his father that he was in love with her. Most of people who have seen it, like it. I don't like so much scary movies. In the film there are some terrified scenes. He lives every day frightened.

Here is some vocab from last week: What a heat! to gain / to put on weight a great grandmother a necklace hide and seek to heat stg up in the microwave to sew / a sewing machine a fountain to feel like do ing stg to break down (car) to charge for stg a ceiling / a roof (to pay) in installements to suit sb (clothes) to fit (clothes) to take your mind of stg a department store to get a bargain to be worth (a lot of money) Do you prefer the heat or the cold? What do you use the microwave for? What kind of food makes you put on weight? What do you avoid eating when you go on a diet ? What do you know about your great-grandparents? Did you used to play hide and seek as a child? What was your favourite hiding place? Do you know how to sew on a button? Which is your favourite fountain? Has your car ever broken down? What did you do? What do you feel like doing tonight? What do you feel like having for dinner? Where do you feel like going for your next holi...

Here is a list of some of the mistakes I found in the essays about advice for foreign visitors to Spain. There might be more than one correction to make in each sentence. Many of them are minor mistakes but which you make all the time. When you meet somebody at first time, it is usual to kiss both cheeks. If someone invite you to his home, it is important to carry something like a bottle of wine as well as it is not acceptable to take your shoes off I think the social customs in Spain are very similar from Western countries, If you are going to visit Spain, you couldn't forget this rules: When you first meet a person, it's common for men shake hands. In the first time, it's polite to use the more formal "usted" but today it isn't usual for young people. In a party or a social reunion, it's not acceptable to speak about religion or politicians. These are annoying topics and the people can be a bit upset. It's very rude to eat at differents hour...

Complete the following with a word in the correct form. I used to watch Dynasty but my favourite s___ o____ was Dallas. She cried when she was told the u________ news. He was f____ for driving at 80kph in a 30kph zone. I only leave a t__ if I am happy with the service. I love the song but I don't understand all the l_____. Cruz will s___ in the latest Woody Allen film. What were the h________ in the news this morning? Millions of dollars were r_____ to help the country after the earthquake. She t________ to tell everyone his secret if he didn't give her the money . I was absolutely d________ when she told me the good news. They h_______ the plane and made the pilot fly to a different airport. The p___ was a bit too complicated and I didn't really understand the ending. We've been having really d_______ weather recently - cold, rain, snow... I need some sunshine. The film is s__ in 18th century Paris. She has a really a_______ voice. I change channels wh...

Complete the following with a word in the correct form. You won't earn much if you become a teacher. It's really b____-p___. He's had a really s_________ career. He's the top manager in the firm now. It's only a t________ job. It ends in March and then I'll have to look for a new one. Has he got w___ it t____ to be a soldier? I think he is too indecisive. I don't think he made a w___ decision. He should think again. I'm going to finish work early tonight u_____ my boss asks me to stay behind. The train on platform 2 is d__ to leave in 10 minutes. I think the prime minister should r_____. He lied to parliament. He is just j______ that I got a promotion and he didn't. I wouldn't mind having a c__________ job; it would make life more interesting. She is t_______ to be a nurse. She'll finish the course this summer. Which university he goes to depends on his g_____ from school. I need to find a more exciting job - I'm really f_...

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 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...

Complete the following sentences with a word in the correct form. She is only a b__ older than me. I was born in October and she was born in May of the same year. I think the standard of l_____ is better but the cost of l_____ is about the same. Niagra is probably the most famous w________ in the world. I' m not keen on the beaches in the Canary islands because the s___ is black. Las Vegas is the g_______ capital of the US. I'd like to live in the countryside because the pace of life in the city is too f______. I prefer going to the beach in September because it is too c______ in August. More people are on holiday in August. Madrid has a lot of p________ because of the amount of traffic. It's an amazing film - it's really w____ see ing . Badajoz is near the b_____ with Portugal. Houses in the outskirts are a lot l___ expensive than in the centre. Scotland is famous for its wonderful s______. There is a spectacular v___ of the coastline from the top ...