A little bit of grammar with U2 & Bruce Springsteen

Complete the song.

1. (climb) => present perfect

2. (high) => superlative

3. (run) => present perfect

I ________________ (1) the (2)___________ mountain

I ______________ (3) through the fields

Only to be with you (x 2)

4. (run) => present perfect

5. (crawl) => present perfect

6. (scale) => present perfect

7. (this) => plural

I ________________(4), I _______________ (5)

I _________________(6) __________(7) city walls

____________(7) city walls

Only to be with you

8. (find) => pres. perfect - neg

9. (I/look for) => pres. cont.

But I still _______________(8) what ______________(9) for

10. (kiss) => pres. perfect

11. (speak) => pres. perfect

12. (hold) => pres. perfect

13. (hot) => the opposite

I ____________________(10) honey lips

Felt the healing in her fingertips

It burned like fire

This burning desire

I ____________________(11) with the tongue of angels

I ____________________(12) the hand of a devil

It was warm in the night

I was ___________ (13) as a stone

But I still ...

14. (believe) => present simple

15. (bleed) => future

16. (run) => pres. continuous

I _____________(14) in the kingdom come

Then all the colors ____________(15) into one

Bleed into one

Well, yes, I'___ still ____________(16) .

17. (break) => past simple

18. (loose) => past simple

19. (carry) => past simple

20. (know) => present simple

21. (believe) => present simple

You ____________ (17) the bonds and you

________________ (18) the chains

________________ (19) the cross

And all my shame

All my shame

You ______________ (20)I ________________ (21) it 

But I still ...

If you want to download the exercise click here

For Miguel's students

One student in Miguel's classroom asked for this song by the Scorpions

"Wind of Change" was written by Klaus Meine, vocalist of the Scorpions. It appeared on their 1990 album Crazy World, but did not become a worldwide hit single until 1991

The band recorded a Russian-language version of the song, and a Spanish version called Vientos de Cambio, also played by Medina Azahara.

The lyrics celebrate the political changes in Eastern Europe at that time – such as the Polish Round Table Agreement and fall of the Berlin Wall, the increasing freedom in the communist bloc (which would soon lead to the fall of the USSR), and the clearly imminent end of the Cold War.

The Scorpions were inspired to write this song on a visit to Moscow in 1989.
In the first opening lines of the song they mention The Moskva, a river that runs through Moscow, and Gorky Park, an amusement park in Moscow.

(Source: Wikipedia)

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change

The world closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close,like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

For Montse's students

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly
I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly







Do not miss this animation by William Garratt

There was (I know) an old lady (woman) who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess (perhaps) she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.
How absurd! she swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.
My! what a hog, to swallow a dog!
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat, to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a goat,
She opened her throat and swallowed a goat!
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don't know how she swallowed a cow.
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat.
She swallow the goat to catch the dog.
She swallowed the dog, to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse...

She's dead of course!!!

The first day of the week

Which is the first day of the week: Sunday or Monday?

In English the days of the week are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Most business and social calendars in America and Canada mark Sunday as the first day of the week, though in the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa, Monday is considered the first day of the week and Sunday the seventh day.

Source: Wikipedia








Oh no, no, I never go to work. (x4)


On Mondays, I never go to work.
On Tuesdays, I stay at home.
On Wednesdays, I never feel inclined.
Work is the last thing on my mind.

On Thursdays, it's a holiday!
And Fridays I detest.
Oh it's much too late on a Saturday,
And Sunday is the day of rest.

Oh yes, yes, practice trumpet everyday. (x4)

Practice Monday.
Practice Tuesday.
Practice Wednesday.

Practice Thursday,
And Friday.
And I practiced all night on Saturday,
So on Sundays I played best.

Oh no, no, I never go to work. (x4)

On Mondays, I never go ...

Seven Days Of The Week (I Never Go To Work)
by The Might Be Giants from their album "Here Come The 123s" (2008)

Conditional sentences

First Conditional
If + present simple + future simple

If you don't know me by now, you will never know me (Simply Red)


We can use a modal verb in the if sentence
I can't help you if you don't help yourself. (Amy Winehouse)


(Listen to the song and find a grammatical mistake)


In the main sentence, an imperative can be used instead of a present.
If you need me, call me (Marvin Gaye - Ain't no mountain high enough)


Second Conditional
If + past simple + conditional simple(would + bare infinitive)
What would you do if I sang out of tune? (Joe Cocker / The Beatles)




If I were a rich man

If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.


To be continued ....

One way or another ...

My dear Bachillerato students:

One way or another I'm gonna make you remember how to say "manera" in English. Yeah! I'll do it.




For those who prefer another kind of music:



And now, the end is near,
And so I face the final curtain.
My friends, I'll say it clear;
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full -
I've travelled each and every highway.
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets? I've had a few,
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course -
Each careful step along the byway,
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,
When I bit off more than I could chew,
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried,
I've had my fill - my share of losing.
But now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that,
And may I say, not in a shy way -
Oh no. Oh no, not me.
I did it my way.

For what is a man? What has he got?
If not himself - Then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way.

Yes, it was my way.

And for our younger students: This is the Way, a traditional song you can listen to at the British Council site

Grace Kelly, Freddy Mercury & Mika

It's time to write!!! Most of you have been asked to write a short biography of a famous person.

Go to pages 68-69 and 119 (English in Context 2) to learn some useful tips and expressions.

Then choose one of people in the title of this post and start writing. As one of Mika's songs says 'Relax, take it easy' (You will be given some notes about these people during our lesson today)

Do I attract you?
Do I repulse you with my queasy smile?
Am I too dirty?
Am I too flirty?
Do I like what you like?

I could be wholesome
I could be loathsome
I guess I'm a little bit shy
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me without making me try?

I try to be like Grace Kelly
But all her looks were too sad
So I try a little Freddie
I've gone identity mad!

I could be brown
I could be blue
I could be violet sky
I could be hurtful
I could be purple
I could be anything you like
Gotta be green
Gotta be mean
Gotta be everything more
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you walk out the door!

How can I help it
How can I help it
How can I help what you think?
Hello my baby
Hello my baby
Putting my life on the brink
Why don't you like me
Why don't you like me
Why don't you like yourself?
Should I bend over?
Should I look older just to be put on the shelf?

I try to be like Grace Kelly ...


I could be brown ...

Say what you want to satisfy yourself
But you only want what
everybody else says you should want

I could be brown ...

Nos vamos de vacaciones

Queridos alumnos:

Sharkito se va a tomar unos días de vacaciones.
La academia permanecerá cerrada durante el mes de julio.

Os recordamos que el plazo de matrícula está abierto. (En algunos cursos es conveniente formalizar la matrícula ya si no queréis quedaros sin plaza para el curso que viene.

Si alguno de vosotros ha osado suspender inglés, ya sabe lo que toca: clases gratis en agosto (y sufrir nuestras iras por hacernos trabajar en un mes caluroso)

Have a wonderful summer!!!



We're all going on a summer holiday
no more working for a week or two.
Fun and laughter on our summer holiday,
no more worries for me or you,
for a week or two.

We're going where the sun shines brightly
we're going where the sea is blue.
we've all seen it on the movies,
now let's see if it's true.

Everybody has a summer holiday
doin' things they always wanted to
So we're going on a summer holiday,
to make our dreams come true
for me and you.

Dear Ytahisa, Dunia and Palma

Oh, my God! I feel old. Last Tuesday, one of my students mentioned a famous horror film called Saw, then, yesterday, another student exclaimed: "Oh! This song is cool!" when she saw an exercise about a Kelly Clarkson's song in her book.
I must admit I didn't have the slightest idea about the existence of such a film or such a song or even such an artist. I guess I'm a little bit old-fashioned. I have to remedy this, don't I?

According to Richard Henry Dann He who dares to teach must never cease to learn and Baltasar Gracián y Morales once said No hay maestro que no pueda ser discípulo and
1. bearing in mind these two quotations
2. and as today is Fun Friday* and Dunia, Ytahisa and Palma do want to work
I want you, girls, to surf the net and then teach me all you have found out about Kelly Clarkson, (or about the film Saw, or about anything you consider I should know). Please do not let your teacher be so outdated.




* It was fun Friday, when I tried to post this, but our computers didn't work.

Isabel Pérez and the lemon tree song

As I pointed out some posts ago, there are lots of wonderful teachers who share their experience and their hard work on the web. Isabel Pérez Torres is one of those, and her site, Isabel's ESL is one of the most impressive web pages I've ever known. I strongly recommend it to both teachers and students.

This is an opportunity to thank her job and also to post one of her exercises: Lemon Tree Song

Don't miss the video. It's not hers (but I discovered it in her blog)
Lemon Tree Video

By the way, Lemon Tree is a song by Fool's Garden, a German pop group formed in 1991.

The king!

In the Ghetto by Elvis Presley.

Put the sentences in order:
_____ A poor little baby child is born
_____ As the snow flies
_____ In the ghetto
_____ On a cold and gray Chicago morning

Fill the blanks.
Use: - need - mouth - hungry - thing - cries
And his mama ____________
'cause if there's one __________ that she don't ___________
it's another _________ ___________ to feed
In the ghetto.

Put the sentences in order:
_____ the child needs a helping hand
_____ or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
_____ are we too blind to see,
_____ People, don't you understand
_____ Take a look at you and me,
_____ do we simply turn our heads
_____ and look the other way

Fill the blanks.
Use: -fight- streets - boy - steal - night
Well the world turns
and a hungry little _______ with a runny nose
plays in the _______ as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto
And his hunger burns
so he starts to roam the streets at ________
and he learns how to ___________
and he learns how to ___________
In the ghetto

Use: - desperation - mama - gun - car -far
Then one night in ____________
the young man breaks away
He buys a ________, steals a _________,
tries to run, but he don't get ________
And his ________ cries

Put the sentences in order:
_____ face down on the street with a gun in his hand
_____ As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
_____ In the ghetto

_____ another little baby child is born
_____ In the ghetto
_____ As her young man dies,
_____ on a cold and gray Chicago morning,
_____ and his mama cries.

************************

Now, do the following exercise from the OUP (Oxford University Press)
... and if you are not very tired, try this one by Real English

It's bath time!

If you like the Knock Knock English Team's songs, you can purchase their CDs on their web.

Uh-hum!

Just the first words anyone learns in any language.



Not only words but also gesture language - or rather sound language or interjections (???) To tell the truth, I don't know how to call it. Whatever ... very important to communicate.

This video belongs to a wonderful team of teachers who work in Japan. If you want to know them you can visit their web page: Super Simple Songs. It's worth visiting!!! Listen and watch their songs. Super!!!

The animals went in two by two

The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.

La canción es más larga. Si quieres escucharla completa, visita la página Detlef Cordes y haz click en "To MP3-Download" y a continuación en "Start MP3 Download now"

No tengo ...

A new section is born: Learning with songs.
We know that most of our students love songs. So we have decided to post a song from time to time.
To start with, why don't you listen Ain't got no/I got life by Nina Simone.


I ain't got no (1)____________, ain't got no (2)____________
Ain't got no (3)____________, ain't got no (4)____________
Ain't got no (5)____________, ain't got no (6)____________
Ain't got no (7)____________, ain't got no (8)____________
Ain't got no mind
1. Another word for “house”
2. You put them on your feet.
3. This is what you get when you work.
4. A group in a society with the same social and economic position. (Or a group of students)
5. Women are used to wear them instead of trousers. Men like them “mini”
6. Another word for pullover.
7. It is a liquid which smells very well.
8. The place where you sleep on at night.

Ain't got no (9)____________, ain't got no culture
Ain't got no (10)____________, ain't got no schooling
Ain't got no (11)____________, ain't got no (12)____________
Ain't got no (13)____________, ain't got no token
Ain't got no (14)____________
9. Your father’s wife is your _______ (OK, not always, but most of times)
10. The people you tell your secrets to.
11. It is something your boy/girlfriend feels for you.
12. My _________ is Miguel and I’m 37.
13. It is something you need to see a movie at the cinema.
14. It is said that He is in Heaven and everywhere. Muslims have one and Catholics a different one.

And what have I got?
Why am I alive anyway?
Yeah, what have I got
Nobody can take away?

Got my (15)____________, Got my (16)____________
Got my (17)____________, Got my (18)____________
Got my (19)____________, Got my (20)____________
Got my (21)____________, I got my (22)___________
I got my (23)___________, Got my chin
Got my (24)____________, Got my boobs
Got my (25)____________, Got my soul
Got my back, I got my (26)____________
15. (& 16) You have got 15 on your 16.
17. It is something you use to think or remember.
18. It is something you use to hear or listen.
19. It is something you use to see or look.
20. It is something you use to smell things.
21. You’ve got your teeth inside it.
22. A happy or friendly expression you do with your mouth.
23. Something you use to feel if something is sweet or bitter.
24. The part between your body and your head.
25. When your boy/girlfriend lets you down, your ________ breaks into pieces.
26. Some people call it “love” but most call it “to have ______”
I got my (27)____________, Got my (28)____________
Got my (29)____________, Got my (30)____________
Got my (31)____________, Got my (32)____________
Got my liver, Got my (33) _____________
28 & 29 in the upper part of your body are similar to 30, 31 & 32 in the lower part of it.
33. It’s a red fluid which runs through your veins.

I've got (34)____________, I've got my freedom
34. The time you live from when you are born until you die.
I've got the life
I've got the life
And I'm gonna keep it
I've got the life
And nobody's gonna take it away
I've got the life.

***********
Did you enjoy the song?
Now, if you want to know something about this artist you can visit her official web site
Read her biography and answer these questions:
What was Nina Simone's real name?
When was she born?
Where?
Did she have any brothers or sisters?
When did she die?

The Alphabet

Spelling is very important in English. You should know the alphabet.

Para aprender el alfabeto te proponemos que lo escuches y repitas varias veces.

También puedes agrupar las letras por sonidos similares:

- /ei/: A H J K

- /i/: B C D E P T V (Z)

- /e+consonante/: F L M N S X

- /ai/: I Y

- /iu/: Q U W

- van por libre: O R Z

Have you learnt the alphabet yet? Then go to the British Council young learners site and play this game

¿Ya te has aprendido el abecedario?. Entonces visita British Council LearnEnglishKids y juega. Ayuda al mono a subir el cocotero para escapar de la serpiente, haz "click" en la letra que escuches.

Shall we sing?

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by The Muppets
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

White Christmas by Bing Crosby (1942)

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white




All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey
I don't want a lot for Christmas.
There is just one thing I need.
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree.
I just want you for my own,
More than you could ever know.
Make my wish come true.
All I want for Christmas is you.

I don't want a lot for Christmas.
There is just one thing I need.
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree.
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace.
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day.
I just want you for my own,
More than you could ever know.
Make my wish come true.
All I want for Christmas is you.

You, baby.
I won't ask for much this Christmas.
I won't even wish for snow.
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe.
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick.
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeer click.
'Cause I just want you here tonight,
Holding on to me so tight.
What more can I do?
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you.

All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere.
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air.
And everyone is singing.
I hear those sleigh bells ringing.
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need?
Won't you please bring my baby home?
Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas.
This is all I'm asking for.
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door.
Oh, I just want him for my own,
More than you could ever know.
Make my wish come true
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you.
All I want for Christmas is you, baby.