THE “AMAZON” EFFECT (1B2)
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS ADVERT? AMAZON HAS RELEASED THEIR BIG TV COMMERCIAL FOR THE 2018 CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY SEASON WITH THE RETURN OF SMILING SINGING BOXES…
“This festive ad shows the packages breaking into song here, there and everywhere, from the beginning of their journey at Amazon fulfillment centers, along the delivery routes and on to the Amazon Lockers and homes of those excited customers…“READ MORE…
“It’s no secret that people are spending more and more time online. It’s also no secret that much of that time is spent, well, spending.
However, a lot of the money going to online retailers is money that used to go to brick-and-mortar businesses. Amazon may be the main culprit, but it’s far from alone. As more and more shoppers head to screens instead of stores, brick-and-mortar retailers need to offer better customer experiences if they’re to have a future….” READ MORE…
- HAVE YOU EVER USED AMAZON? WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
- WHAT´S THE EFFECT OF AMAZON ON SMALL BUSINESSES? IS IT GOOD OR BAD?
- HAS AMAZON CHANGED THE WAY WE SHOP? IN WHICH WAY?
HAVE / GET SOMETHING DONE (1B2)
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE? LET´S HAVE A LOOK AT A JOKE…
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TODAY’S JOKE _______________________________________________________
Eye Testing
A man went to the optician’s to have his eyes tested.
The optician showed him a card.
“Can you read that?” he asked.
“No,” said the man.
The optician moved a little closer.
“Can you read it now?” he asked.
“No,” said the man.
So the optician came right next to him and said,
“Surely, you can read it now!”
“No”, said the man.” I can’t read.”
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YOU CAN HAVE A LOOK AT THE GRAMMAR ON PAGE 146 (file 8A)
ENGLISH CONSONANTS (ALL LEVELS)
THIS IS THE CHART IN YOUR BOOK
CLICK ON THE WEBPAGE BELOW TO LISTEN AND PRACTISE:
REMEMBER:
UNVOICED = “SORDO”
VOICED = SONORO
YOU CAN ALSO TRY ADRIAN UNDERHILL´S INTERACTIVE PHONEMIC CHART:
CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE AND YOU´LL BE ABLE TO HEAR THE SOUNDS.
NOWADAYS THERE ARE MANY APPS YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ON YOUR MOBILE / TABLET TO PRACTISE PRONUNCIATION:
SOUND FOUNDATIONS: SOUND MACMILLAN (FREE VERSION, NOT PREMIUM)
ENGLISH FILE PRONUNCIATION
THIS IS A GOOD SITE TO WORK ON PRONUNCIATION (BBC Learning English)
OR THE BRITISH COUNCIL
AND THE BRITISH COUNCIL APP
NOW YOU COULD PRACTICE WITH THIS LIST OF THE 100 MOST COMMONLY MISPRONOUNCED WORDS IN ENGLISH: 100 mispronounced words
THE “XMAS SEASON HAS BEGUN” (ALL LEVELS)
According to THE INDEPENDENT: ”
“Following years of heartfelt short films set to covers of classic songs that have been known to bring tears to viewers’ eyes, this year the retail giant has departed from its fictionalised stories and ingénue singers, with a two-minute Christmas campaign film that tells the story of John’s career, set to his first major hit, “Your Song”.
Titled The Boy and the Piano, the advert opens in the present day with a shot of the musician sat at his piano playing the opening notes of “Your Song,” before going back in time to chart his meteoric rise to stardom. Eventually we are shown the origin of his talents: a piano gifted to him for Christmas by his mother and grandmother.
Different actors play the singer throughout, with Freddie Henderson depicting the young Elton, Brandon Stein covering his teenage years, Oliver Marshall doing the Seventies, Simon Burbage covering the Eighties/Nineties years and John himself appearing for the present day scenes.
Each scene sees an array of opulent costumes, designed by Joanna Johnston to be identical replicas of John’s original outfits.
While the entire song is played throughout the advert, it is pieced together using different recordings that John sung throughout his career, adding a subtle but noticeable change of mood with each scene transition.
Additionally, this is the first time that John Lewis has used a repeat song, with Ellie Goulding’s cover of “Your Song” having appeared in the brand’s 2010 Christmas campaign.
By using a celebrity as the focus of the advert, John Lewis has moved away from preceding campaigns, which have seen up and coming artists cover classic songs, with Gabrielle Aplin singing “The Power of Love” and Tom Odell singing “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”.
The advert comes just months before Elton John biopic, Rocket Man, comes to cinemas, and ahead of his 2019 farewell tour. Both dates seem more than a happy coincidence, but representatives from John Lewis and Partners insist that the timing of this was not planned in relation to their campaign. ….. READ MORE….
YOUR SONG: YOUR SONG -by-Elton-John-to-practise-feelings–55274
PENNY LANE (1B2)
Image: Pixabay
WHERE´S “PENNY LANE”? DOESN´T IT REMIND YOU OF “THE BEATLES? HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM? WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO A LISTENING ACTIVITY ON THE BEATLES STORY?
THE BEATLES STORY (LISTENING)
PENNY LANE (SONG ACTIVITIES)
WHAT WEBSITES DO YOU USE TO ENJOY MUSIC AND IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH? HAVE YOU TRIED “MULTIMEDIA ENGLISH?
WHAT ABOUT “LYRICS TRAINING”?
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES OR MOBILE APPS TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WHILE LISTENING TO MUSIC?
BY THE WAY.. “Penny Lane there is a BARBER showing photographs….”
WHAT´S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “BARBER” & “BARBER´S”
WE´LL DISCUSS THIS ON MONDAY BUT REMEMBER TO DO YOUR VOCABULARY WORK ON SHOPS on page 154
MONOLOGUES FOR THE WEEKEND (2B1)
IF YOU HAVE EXTRA TIME DURING THE WEEKEND, YOU COULD BE WORKING ON THESE TWO MONOLOGUES:
MONOLOGUE 1: SUPERSTITIONS
Photos: pixabay
- ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?
- DO YOU KNOW ANY SUPERSTITIONS?
- WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET LUCKY?
- A TIME WHEN YOU WERE LUCKY / UNLUCKY
- PREDICTING THE FUTURE: EVER VISITED A PSYCHIC? WOULD LIKE TO?
- SUPERSTITIONS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
MONOLOGUE 2: MONEY & SHOPPING
- SAVER OR SPENDER?
- YOUR SHOPPING HABITS
- SHOPPING ONLINE
- A TIME WHEN YOU WON / FOUND / LOST/ WASTED SOME MONEY
- EVER BORROWED OR LENT MONEY?
COME ON!! LET´S GO TO THE MARKET! (1B2)
Armistice Day last Sunday marked 100 years since the end of World War One on 11 November 1918.
Events have taken place in France with a gathering of around 70 world leaders in Paris on Sunday (11th November) with the exception of Theresa May, who was in the UK celebrating Poppy Day or Remembrance Day. Memorials were held around the world to commemorate a conflict that claimed the lives of millions.
- WHAT´S THE LINK BETWEEN POPPY DAY AND THE BEATLES?
- WHAT´S THE LINK BETWEEN PENNY LANE AND THE BEATLES? READ ABOUT IT…
- THERE WAS A BARBER´S SHOP IN PENNY LANE ….. WHAT OTHER VOCABULARY FOR SHOPS AND SERVICES CAN YOU REMEMBER?
THESE TWO PHOTOS APPEARED TWO YEARS AGO IN SPANISH NEWSPAPERS.
- DO YOU KNOW WHY? WHAT´S THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS?
- ARE THERE ANY MARKETS NEAR YOU? DO YOU EVER GO TO THEM? DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE STALL)
VOCABULARY BANK FOR SHOPS AND SERVICES (PAGE 154)
TUESDAY 13th & COMMON SUPERSTITIONS: UNLUCKY DAY?(ALL LEVELS)
Did you know that Tuesday 13th in Spain is considered unlucky? Read on for the lowdown on all the strangest Spanish superstitions.
If you’re the kind of superstitious soul who never walks under a ladder and is always confused about whether black cats are meant to bring bad luck or good, then you will want to know what twists of fate await you according to Spanish beliefs.
It is Tuesday the 13th that is considered unlucky in Spain, and not Friday the 13th as in Anglo-Saxon countries.
That’s because Tuesday is said to be dominated by Ares, the Greek god of war — known as Mars in Ancient Rome — who gives his name to Martes, or Tuesday, in Spanish.
There is an even old proverb that explains the superstition: “On Tuesday, don’t get married, embark on a journey, or move away (‘En martes, ni te cases, ni te embarques, ni de tu casa te apartes’)
But there are plenty of other Spanish superstitions you need to know about to make sure your time in Spain is as lucky as possible! Read on to find out more.
http://www.thelocal.es/20170113/top-ten-must-know-spanish-superstitions
AS WE´VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT MONEY, THIS IS A VERY COMMON SUPERSTITION IN SPAIN. DO YOU KNOW ANY OTHERS?
GET READY TO TALK ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS (MONOLOGUE)
- ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?
- DO YOU KNOW ANY OTHER SUPERSTITIONS?
- WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET LUCKY?
- A TIME WHEN YOU WERE LUCKY / UNLUCKY
- PREDICTING THE FUTURE: EVER VISITED A PSYCHIC? WOULD LIKE TO?
- SUPERSTITIONS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
“LANG 8”: AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR WRITING TASKS (1B2)
I´VE ALREADY TOLD YOU ABOUT “LANG8”, A LEARNING PLATFORM WHERE NATIVE SPEAKERS CORRECT WHAT YOU WRITE. DO YOU REMEMBER?
- CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
- POST IN THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU ARE LEARNING
- NATIVE SPEAKERS CORRECT YOUR WRITING
- RETURN THE FAVOUR BY HELPING OTHERS LEARN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE
ALTHOUGH IT´S NOT 100 % RELIABLE (NATIVE SPEAKERS CAN ALSO MAKE SOME MISTAKES WHEN WRITING), IT´S WORTH A TRY.
HAVE A LOOK AT THIS LEARNER TRYING TO DESCRIBE A ROOM.
http://lang-8.com/382671/journals/281664988155294839493227654315872872011
RYANAIR BLAGGERS (1B2)
WATCH THIS VIDEO JUST FOR A LAUGH….
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW RYANAIR POLICY?
