English in Madrid

The following words all have the same vowel sound as u p / ʌ p/ : B u s /bʌs/ rhymes with pl u s /pl ʌ s/ but the -u in b u siness /ˈb ɪ znɪs/ has a different sound.  L o ve /l ʌ v/ rhymes with gl o ve /ɡl ʌ v/ and d o ve /d ʌ v/ (as in a pigeon), though the past of dive /daɪv/ can be dived /daɪvd/ or d o ve /d əʊ v/. S u n /s ʌ n/ and s o n /s ʌ n/ are homophones (different words but same pronunciation) and rhyme with r u n /r ʌ n/ and o ne / w ʌ n/. J ust  /dʒ ʌst / rhymes with m ust /mʌst/. J us tin /ʤ ʌs tɪn/ (the boy's name) is different to j uice  /dʒ uːs /. L u cky /ˈl ʌ ki/ does not rhyme with c oo kie /ˈk ʊ ki/. The - um in  u m brella / ʌm ˈbrɛlə/ rhymes with c ome /k ʌm / and th umb  /θ ʌm /. S ome   /s ʌm / and s um /s ʌm / are homophones. They rhyme with d umb /d ʌm / but not d ome /d əʊm /. Y oung  /j ʌŋ / rhymes with t ongue /t ʌŋ /, s ung  /s ʌŋ / (past participle of sing) and am ong /əˈm ʌŋ /. Done /dʌn/ rhymes with won /wʌn/ and gun /ɡʌn/ but not with gone

Here are week three's Word of the Day. Click on the tweets to respond to them and write some of your own example sentences. KEEN #WOTD keen (adj) - Rob is a keen student. (aplicado) - I'm a keen gardener. (aficionado) - He's really keen on fishing. (le gusta mucho) - I'm not keen on the idea. (no me entusiasma) - I'm not all that keen on peppers. - I'm keen to get started. (tengo ganas de) — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) March 11, 2019 I love Roscón but not so KEEN ON hot chocolate. Just REASSURED MYSELF that candied fruit doesn't contain gelatin. — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 5, 2014   FEAT #WOTD feat (a great achievement) - The Eiffel Tower is a remarkable feat of engineering. (una hazaña) - Bird migration is an amazing feat. - Walking across the Antartic is an incredible feat of endurance. #idioms Getting an A+ on that exam was NO MEAN FEAT. — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) March 12, 2019 BOTHER #WOTD Don't bother to wrap it.

Here are week one's Word Of The Day #WOTD. Click on tweets to respond to them and write some of your own example sentences. FINE #WOTD Read the #blog post - Have you ever got a fine?, write a comment and do the #Quizlet to practice #collocations with FINE. https://t.co/YGQlUKumww — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 5, 2024 #WTM ? Answer the question 👇🏼 Have a look at and respond to these other fine-related tweets: https://t.co/hXyCQFM87c … https://t.co/jlB7RcU9UM … https://t.co/te3LMWFZmU … https://t.co/dfykK5HpO7 … https://t.co/FNacs5KEiL https://t.co/THtauIKdD9 — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) September 16, 2023 SORE #WOTD Do the SORE #Quizlet and write some of your own examples here. https://t.co/iBQ2e70iro — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 5, 2024 HINDSIGHT #WOTD Hindsight is a wonderful thing. What would you do differently WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT? I had to wait in an 8-hour queue to tell Iberia that my case hadn't arrived (happene

Doctor warns Dry January will 'never work' to help really 'detox' the body - and instead reveals the ways to reduce booze intake across the year Doctor Alasdair Scott has likened the effects of dry January to a ' crash diet ' It is a challenge that requires a person to stop drink ing alcohol for a month New year, new me - or so the saying goes, and there's no better time to commit to a month devoid of booze. Or is there?  Doctor Alasdair Scott, director of London health care service Selph, has branded Dry January a 'myth', while adding that you can't simply 'detox' your body of alcohol within one month .  Dry January is a popular personal challenge that requires a person to refrain from drinking alcohol for a month - often in the hopes of cancelling out the effects of a very boozy Christmas.  The medical expert and surgeon likened the trend to a 'crash diet', while revealing that it had very few health benefits, a

Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham scores screamer and injury-time winner in El Clasico Jude Bellingham scored an incredible equaliser and a 92nd-minute winner to help Real Madrid come from behind to beat rivals Barcelona on his first El Clasico appearance. Ilkay Gundogan's first Barca goal had put the hosts ahead after six minutes. But Bellingham smashed a sensational leveller in the 68th minute, finding the top corner from 30 yards out. The England midfielder then netted an injury-time volley to continue his fairytale start to his Real career. Bellingham, 20, now has 14 goals in 16 matches for club and country this season. Los Blancos' win meant they moved above Girona on goal difference at the top of La Liga, and four points clear of third -placed Barcelona. Bellingham proving his worth yet again Once again , Bellingham was Real Madrid's talisman and goal hero. The former Birmingham City midfielder arrived from Borussia Dortmund for 103m euros (£8

Source:   Jonny Gios  en  Unsplash Sycamore Gap: Man in his 60s held after Hadrian's Wall tree cut down A man in his 60s has been arrested by police investigating the cutting-down of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland. The landmark , beside Hadrian's Wall, was cut down overnight on Wednesday. Northumbria Police said the man was arrested on Friday evening and remains in custody assisting with inquiries . A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Thursday and has since been released on bail , police said. Det Ch Insp Rebecca Fenney-Menzies said: "The senseless destruction of what is undoubtedly a world- renowned landmark - and a local treasure - has quite rightly resulted in an outpouring of shock, horror and anger throughout the North East and further afield . "I hope this second arrest demonstrates just how seriously we're taking this situation, and our ongoing commitment to find those responsible and bring th

00:00 Back in New York, I am the head of development for a non-profit called Robin Hood. When I'm not fighting poverty, I'm fighting fires as the assistant captain of a volunteer fire company. Now in our town, where the volunteers supplement a highly skilled career staff, you have to get to the fire scene pretty early to get in on any action. 00:19 I remember my first fire. I was the second volunteer on the scene, so there was a pretty good chance I was going to get in. But still it was a real footrace against the other volunteers to get to the captain in charge to find out what our assignments would be. When I found the captain, he was having a very engaging conversation with the homeowner, who was surely having one of the worst days of her life. Here it was, the middle of the night, she was standing outside in the pouring rain, under an umbrella, in her pajamas, barefoot, while her house was in flames. 00:53 The other volunteer who had arrived just before me -- let's call

Double comparatives are phrases commonly used in English to say that when something increases or decreases, it causes something else to change as a result (cause and effect). It can be used with nouns, adjectives and adverbs. The word order is different than a normal sentence. The comparative + subject (+ verb) – the comparative + subject (+ verb) THE + MORE / LESS / -ER ….. THE + MORE / LESS / -ER The more I think about the idea , the less I like it. The less you spend on eat ing out , the more  (money) you'll have for your summer holiday. The older I get , the less patience I have. The longer you leave it , the harder it will be. In other words - don't procrastinate! The more he drinks , the more he talks. The louder  he shouts, the less attention I pay. The closer to the city centre a flat is , the more expensive it will be. The lower  the price , the worse  the quality. The better your grades, the greater  your choices. The more carefully  we plan , the less

Source: Pexels ( Foto de Element5 Digital) Spain’s PM calls snap election after opposition triumphs in local polls Pedro Sánchez says Spaniards need to clarify what they want after gains by conservative and far-right parties Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to the triumph of the rightwing opposition in Sunday’s regional and municipal elections by calling a risky snap general election that will determine his political future and that of his minority coalition government. The conservative People’s party (PP) – which used the votes as a de facto referendum on Sánchez’s coalition with the far-left, anti-austerity Unidas Podemos alliance – scored an emphatic win, far exceeding expectations and building on its momentum in the polls . As well as securing absolute majorities in the Madrid region and the city council, it took regions including Aragón, Valencia and the Balearic islands from the prime minister’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE). The PP

Source: Wikipedia ( Editor 28139125) Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From? For thousands of years, various cultures have had figures to represent death. One of the most common and enduring of these is the Grim Reaper —usually a skeletal figure, who is often shrouded in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a scythe to “ reap ” human souls . But how and when did this imagery come to be associated with death? The Grim Reaper seems to have appeared in Europe during the 14th century. It was during this time that Europe was dealing with what was then the world’s worst pandemic, the Black Death , believed to be the result of the plague. It is estimated that about one-third of Europe’s entire population perished as a result of the pandemic, with some areas of the continent suffering far greater losses than others. The original outbreak of the plague occurred during 1347–51, and outbreaks then recurred several other times after that. So, clearly, death was something that t