British Informal Expressions II

British Informal Expressions (2)

Discover These 9 Powerful Words From Martin Luther King Jr.

Every year since 1986, the United States has observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday in January. The national holiday honors a man who not only was an inspirational civil rights activist during the 1960s, but also one of the greatest orators of our time. (From Dictionary.com)

This evening at 7 we'll be able to listen to Wesley talking about him. But before, we can discover some facts and ideas from him knowing some of his words and quotes.

Spanish News in English

Dear readers,

Spain is continuing to report record-high numbers of new coronavirus cases, while the country's health system is struggling to cope with the strain. Intensive care units in 26 provinces are now at high-risk levels, and in five regions, hospital admissions are now the highest they have been since the vaccination drive began a year ago. That said, up to 40% of the Covid-19 patients included in the figures are being treated for other illnesses.

As infections keep rising, identifying and reporting each case is becoming increasingly difficult. To address this problem, Spain is finalizing a new surveillance strategy that would monitor the virus like any other respiratory illness. The government has also approved booster shots for the over-18 population and set a €2.94 price cap on antigen tests.

Meanwhile in political news, Spain's Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzón found himself in the midst of controversy for comments he made about so-called "macro pig farms" in The Guardian. Opposition parties have accused the minister of damaging the reputation of the Spanish meat industry, while his supporters say the debate has been whipped up to win votes ahead of the regional election in Castilla y León.

And finally, we looked at the incredible story of a retired Spanish couple who found themselves unwittingly living with a "former KGB spy."

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from the EL PAÍS English Edition.

Thanks for reading and please stay safe.
MELISSA KITSON

C1 Suggest & Recommend

How to use SUGGEST & RECOMMEND

Idioms and phrases for the New Year

Turning over a new leaf and other idioms and phrases connected with changes:

make a fresh start  

have a crack at  

back on the straight and  narrow  

get the ball rolling  

get their act together...

Covid Vocabulary

If you read last Monday's EL PAÍS English Edition on the blog entry, you will be able to find the articles from which this Covid vocabulary sheet was taken. (With translations into Spanish).

...and you can see more related words here.

20 Informal British Expressions

20 Informal British Expressions Look up the ones from the picture that don't appear in the document! Another 25 coming soon!

Phrases with New

It's as good as new + more.

Spanish News in English

Dear readers,

Coronavirus cases continued to rise this week in Spain, where some regional officials warned about healthcare staffing shortages due to infections that are keeping many workers at home. Hospitals said they are treating more patients than during the fourth and fifth waves, although the growth in admissions has slowed down.

The economy provided better news as Spain returned to pre-pandemic employment levels through the creation of 776,000 jobs last year. And thanks to a legal change, some young migrants without legal papers are now able to apply for work permits, get jobs and carve out a future for themselves.

Another inspirational story involves an effort to restore ancient irrigation channels built during the days of Al-Andalus to help rural communities and support sustainable agriculture.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from the EL PAÍS English Edition.

Thanks for reading and please stay safe.
SUSANA URRA

Punctuation

 

Check Punctuation rules. 

Read at the end: Symbols and typographic conventions

Remember These Classic Toys? Discover Where Their Names Come From!

See Toy history origins of Yo-yo, Barbie, Dice, Kaleidoscope, Lego, Jenga and many more...

Reset Those Study Skills With 10 New Year’s Resolutions For Students

As you get ready to turn the page in your planners and welcome a new year, you’re probably thinking about some of the ways you’d like to better yourself and the things you’d like to accomplish in 2022. New Year’s resolutions are popular because the new year represents a time of renewal... By Ashley Austrew on Dictionary.com

We'll be talking about this the first week of the year.

22 Motivational Words Read the artcle... determined: Determined means “to give direction or tendency to; impel.” As a theme for the year, it can indicate your intention to approach everything you do with excitement, drive, and a sense of purpose.

focus. ...    clarity. ...    presence. ...    accomplish. ...    courage. ...    belief. ...    gratitude.    

Spanish News in English

Dear readers,

Coronavirus cases continued to grow exponentially in Spain this week, with indicators such as new infections and the 14-day cumulative incidence breaking new records. However, at the time of writing hospital admissions were rising but were still far from the highs seen during previous waves of the pandemic, before the vaccines had been rolled out.

Scientists continue to seek evidence as to the severity or otherwise of the omicron variant, while the Spanish authorities are starting to tweak protocols regarding testing and contact tracing given the flood of new infections these past weeks.

Elsewhere there was good news for residents of La Palma, as the volcanic eruption on the Canary Island was officially declared over. Concerns remain, however, among residents, who now face the massive challenge of rebuilding their island and their lives.

And finally, we took a look at the plot line of the Netflix smash hit "Don't Look Up," asking just what would happen in the real world if a planet-killing comet was detected on its way to Earth.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from the EL PAÍS English Edition.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!
SIMON HUNTER

Isn't it AMAZING?

 

Yes, I understand you know most of them, but not all! Select the new ones for you and make true sentences for you with them:

This blog is an engrossing read and it's got wondrous effects on its readers as well!!!

But there are even more yet ... (from wordhippo.com)

premium   splendid   stellar   super   terrific   wicked   A-1   bang-up   mean   out of this world   rockin   smashing   top-notch   top-shelf   world-class   chur   fab   groovy   striking   arresting   tremendous   primo   amazeballs   gilt-edged   grand   divine   fantabulous   sterling   cracking   heavenly   neat   topping   nifty   corking   crackerjack   slick   dope   phat   wizard   ...

Click on any of them and you may find: synonyms, antonyms, definitions, rhymes, sentences, translations and pronunciations.

Happy New Year!

Terms For Snack Time

“Elevenses” And 6 Other Terms...  from Dictionary.com

Is It True “W” Can Be Used As A Vowel?

Review what vowels are on this Dictionary.com article.

Glottal & Flapped "-t-"

 

Spanish News in English

Dear readers,

Alarm bells are ringing in Spain over the sixth coronavirus wave, which has seen a record-breaking number of new cases. In a bid to curb the surge, the Spanish government announced that face masks would once again be mandatory in outdoor spaces. It has also promised to strengthen the contact tracking system and ramp up vaccination. But health experts say these measures do not go far enough, and are calling for stricter tools to reduce transmission.

Catalonia has announced tougher restrictions: a return to a nighttime curfew, the closure of nighttime venues and limits on capacity in restaurants and cultural spaces. While in the southeastern region of Murcia, all non-essential activity must shut down between 1am and 6am starting on December 24 and extending until January 14.

In the meantime, the spike in cases is putting Spain’s healthcare system under greater pressure. Primary healthcare centers are overwhelmed, and contact tracers say they do not have the time and resources to manage the growing workload.

In other, better news, an experimental treatment developed by a public hospital in Barcelona has seen 18 cancer patients go into complete remission.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from the EL PAÍS English Edition.

Thanks for reading and happy holidays!
MELISSA KITSON

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Jokes

Santa might have left a present on the Aula Virtual 😊

Why Xmas?

Learn why Xmas may be spelled like that here.

New Courses at our EOI

 

AaEoiCt Navidad 2021

The Year in Pictures 2021

Visions of a Volatile World (By Meaghan Looram, The New York Times Director of Photography)

The year 2021 opened with the promise of vaccines, and the belief that we would all return to “normal” after the tumultuous year of the pandemic. But the year instead took off with an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, and saw a summer of carefree gatherings derailed by a fast-spreading virus...

[Bye 2💩21]

Sing along!!!

 

Another Xmas Talk

We will be enjoying another Zoom talk Merry Christmas by Navjot (our American language assistant) this evening at 7. Find the link on Aula Virtual.

C1 Inversions

Check this for inversions with conditional sentences. (With SHOULD, WERE and HAD) The ones we saw in class last week.

Read about Inversion here... and if you need extra info check this presentation.

More Christmas Activities

We will be enjoying a talk about Christmas by Max (our British language assistant) on Wednesday afternoon at 5. Find the link in your email.

C2 Talking about Conversations

Passing the time of day and talking shop... Check words and phrases that describe various types of conversation in this Cambridge Blog Article.

You can also have a look at Collocations Connected with Communication (by the same author).

... And some more conversation phrases here.

Christmas Activities

As we cannot do any Christmas activity together at the school due to present regulations, you can attend an interesting talk about "La Huertecica" this afternoon at 5. Check your emails to find the link.