English in Madrid

In previous posts we have seen the use of negative inversion . Here are some examples to jog your memory : Not only did he win gold,  he also broke the world record Not only will she be the first woman Prime Minister, but she will also be the youngest person to hold the office. Under no circumstances must you talk during the exam. On no account should he get all the blame for the mix-up. Never does my boss  admit that she is wrong. Rarely will an opportunity this good come our way again. Little did I know that we would end up working for the same firm. Only then did I realise that something was wrong. At no point did he show any signs of stress. No way am I going to do that again. No sooner had he arrived than a heated discussion began. We can also use inversion with conditionals . Consider these examples of zero and first conditional : If you need any more information, don't hesitate to call us.. If you want to go ahead, let me know asap. If the flight is dela...

Source: dylan nolte on Unsplash Lottery win: Euromillions couple are 'tickled pink'  A couple from Largs in Ayrshire have been named as the winners of the £161m Euromillions jackpot. Chris Weir said she and her husband Colin were "tickled pink" when they realised they had scooped Tuesday's jackpot. "I even had a glass of white wine which is something I normally only do at Christmas!" laughed Chris. The prize was Europe's biggest ever and was capped after a series of rollovers.  On the night of the draw Chris was checking their numbers on the BBC's Red Button digital text service about midnight on the television in their bedroom.  "I started circling the numbers I had matched but wasn't doing very well. Then on the fifth line, all the circles seemed to join up."  The telephone line run by Camelot for claims was closed. Chris and husband Colin sat up all night they were so excited.  "When we first realised we had won, it felt...

Here are six sentences that use either the first or second conditional. Write the sentences that you hear. Use the pause button and listen as many times as you like.

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...

Man sets out to buy 'perfect face' A 32-year-old man from Staffordshire has set up a website in order to find sponsors to fund his quest for a perfect male face. Tim Whitfield-Lyne, who is unemployed, estimates he will need at least £20,000 to realise his dream. But one plastic surgery expert has said seeking to attain model looks is " ill-advised ". Mr Whitfield-Lyne, who insists he is not mentally ill, said anyone who did sponsor him would be able to have a say in how his face was changed. He is also willing to have his surgery filmed for a TV documentary. Mr Whitfield-Lyne, a former public schoolboy, said: "I am happy with myself as an individual but I'm not happy with the exterior of my face when I look in the mirror. "I want to restructure my face rather than keep the one that nature gave me. "We all have choices in this world, and mine, as a unique individual, is to alter my appearance." He added: "I am no...

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...

Source:  Drew Beamer on Unsplash Most students only use "will" to talk about the future. This is a mistake. There are three basic future forms: I 'm having lunch with my mother tomorrow . (present continuous) I 'm going to have a party for my birthday. (be going to) Waiter: Are you ready to order? Customer: Yes, I 'll have the steak. (will) Present Continuous We usually use this form with a future time expression. Without one, it means that the action is in progress. Compare: She is leaving. (now) She is leaving at two o'clock this afternoon . What are you doing? (now) What are you doing next weekend ? We use this form to talk about future arrangements; the date and/or place have already been decided. Rangers are playing Celtic in the Cup on Sunday . He 's flying to Berlin on Monday morning . Are you seeing your parents later ? I 'm working until 8 next week . They are getting married on 3rd March . We can also use th...

The first conditional shows a  real possibility  (present/future) and its  consequence . if + present simple, + will / won't / other modal Look at the following examples : If it's sunny this weekend , we'll go to the beach. We won't stay at home if it's sunny this weekend. If it's sunny this weekend , we can go to the beach. We might go to the beach if it's sunny this weekend. Compare with the second conditional . if + past simple, + would / wouldn't We use the  past  to express an  impossible or improbable situation  and  would/n't  to express the  consequence . If Scotland was a sunny country , we would go to the beach at the weekend. If I were/was prime minister , I'd stop wars and I wouldn't have nuclear weapons. I'd buy a house if I had a better job and earned more than I do now. Compare the following two sentences: I'll give up work if I win the lottery. I'd give up work if I won th...

Great song to practise Second Conditional: Source: You Tube (TheJustKiddy) Key Words: Beyonce were boy Some more examples with words and expressions from the song: I woke up late. I had a quick shower, threw on some clothes and ran to work. The policeman chased after  the thief but he managed to escape. He doesn't let anyone criticise his girlfriend. He always sticks up for her . I don't know the answer, I swear . If I knew it, I'd tell you. Idioms : I used to take my parents for granted when I was younger. I appreciate them more now. I think you expect too much from me. Don't take me for granted . He took his position in the company for granted . Now that others are losing their jobs, he realises how luck he is. Ok the next clip isn't exactly Beyonce and neither is it in English but it's funny nevertheless . Source: You Tube (RTVE)   Key Words: Mota Single Lady

Source:  Javier Quiroga en Unsplash We studied the First Conditional structure the other day in class. Future Possibility , + Result If + Present , + will/won't A: What will you do if it rains ? B: We 'll stay in the hotel ( if it rains ). It has a health club. If my mother phones , will you tell her to phone back this evening? I ' ll be really annoyed if she doesn't come to my party. If you follow my advice, you won't regret it. A: Will you give me a lift if there is a train strike ? B: Of course I will . N.B. Sentence that start with if have a comma between the clauses. If isn't the only conjunction that we can use with the First Conditional. We can also use when  to describe certain futures : When I am 40, I 'll celebrate with a huge party. A: The oven doesn't work. B: I 'll fix it when I have the time. What will he do when he retires ? A: Will you see her when you are there? No, I won't . There ar...

Lottery officials continue search for owner of £110m ticket • Madrid shop sold ticket for biggest single lottery prize • EuroMillions winner may be tourist, says seller Lottery officials across Europe were searching today for one of the continent's richest people, who may still be unaware that they possess a lottery ticket worth £110m. The EuroMillions jackpot is the world's biggest ever single lottery prize, but the Madrid lottery shop that sold the ticket has * so far  been unable to trace the buyer. If found, he or she would shoot into the club of the richest people in Europe. If the winner were British , it would mean join ing the Sunday Times rich list at No 492 — tied with the Bee Gees brothers Barry and Robin Gibb. A sign pinned to the window of the Black Cat lottery shop, just off Madrid's central Plaza de Cibeles, boasted today that this was the place where the €126m ticket had been sold. The shop's owner, Paloma Cateleiro, said ...

Source:  Marten Bjork en Unsplash What if we all walked to work? It's Walk to Work Day, but what would Britain be like if we all passed up road and rail for the humble pavement? Steve Tomkins ponders the potential consequences of letting our legs do all the work. Planes, trains and automobiles. Most people's commute to work features at least one of these forms of transport - possibly all three for some. But it doesn't have to be this way, according to the pedestrian campaign group Living Streets - organisers of Walk to Work Day. Our belief in motorised transport is somewhat dented when you consider that, in central London, for example, there are 109 journeys between Tube stations that are quicker to walk (taking into account time spent waiting for trains). Campaigners say if you'd walked to work today it would have helped (1) improve congestion, parking, air quality, health, noise and the local economy - apparently pedestrians are "more likely to...