Word of the Day

Are you in a positive or negative mood today?

Delicious!!!

Test your Listening Skills (By Lucy)

These are dictation-style tests using real, natural English. This is the kind of English you’ll hear in day-to-day life (and yes, it’s a bit messier than textbook examples).

Your task is simple:
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Listen to the clip and   Write exactly what you hear

No need to stress about punctuation. The focus is on understanding the words, not writing an essay. Though you will need to use apostrophes, those are important!

Take both tests below:

General English Listening Test
TAKE THE TEST!

Business English Listening Test
TAKE THE TEST!

Another list of Idioms

News in English EL PAÍS

"Hi, I’m Ahmed, from Gaza’: Diary of hunger, displacement and fear

Devastating floods leave at least 25 dead and dozens missing in Texas

What is doxing? A glimpse into the battle for anonymity on social media

Scientists find microplastics in semen and ovaries

Canada first: From Montreal to Toronto by train

Murcia Today (news from here)

Why cities in Spain feel hotter than ever: The heat island effect explained

Seahorse has a stroke on Spanish beach ... and survives!

Mar Menor water temperature nears 30 degrees Celsius as heatwave threatens lagoon's delicate balance

Puerto de Mazarrón beach reopens after water declared safe for swimming

Melanoma rates in Spain soar by 50% as sun safety warnings go unheeded

C1 Australian women are doing 50% more housework than men. It’s creating ‘volcanic levels of resentment’

Activity (Key next week)

More Proverbs

Prepositions with Nouns Adjectives & Verbs

Change just one sound!

What Does the Word “Summer” Mean? (from Dictionary.com)

Summer is the season for basking in the warm sun and rejoicing in the freedom of vacation. Summer officially starts in late June ...

Latin terms (with explanations and examples)

Things to Ponder 1

Slang Words for Female

Think Tank (June)

A good read to start July:

Learning Essentials (for teachers)

What Generation are you?

Boomers

Gen X

Millenial

Gen Z

Gen alpha

Do you agree with what they say about your generation Why? Why not?

News in English EL PAÍS

"My friends, we have done it"

Dear readers,

Few people had been expecting the upset victory of Zohran Mamdani over Andrew M. Cuomo in the primary to become the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. An atypical candidate, his message of change has electrified many voters.

Our interviewees this week include Dire Straits musician Mark Knopfler, a Spanish mathematician who may be about to solve one of humanity's biggest conundrums, a public health expert who reveals the four products that cause a third of all global deaths, and the British Lady who danced with the Queen of England and meditated with Gandhi.

We hope you enjoy this selection of stories from EL PAÍS USA Edition.

You can also read:

• Your loneliness is our business: The multi-million-dollar industry of social isolation
• Two billionaires, two very different weddings: Soros and Abedin vs Bezos and Sanchez
• How to avoid age-related cognitive deterioration
• Drones, mines and rotting corpses: The difficult mission of bringing dead soldiers home in Ukraine
• Searching for an Alzheimer’s cure in a chicken’s eye
• Trump threatens Spain: ‘We’re going to make them pay twice as much’
• Scientists use bacteria to convert plastic into paracetamol
• The midlife crisis, written in feminine

Murcia Today (News from here)

Spain turns up the heat with 45 degree temps: Weekend weather June 26-29

• Mercadona switches to summer and Sunday opening hours across Spain
• Free fitness classes on San Javier beaches this summer
• FAST launch a new initiative to help first responders and emergency services which could save your life
• Why you should never sleep with the fan on all night

Daily Use Idioms

Bodily Noises

Not everything's gonna be formal and academic language ...!

More British Slang Phrases

C2 Difficult Vocabulary

Clothes: Verbs & Idioms

Leisure Collocations

More examples here.

Medical Idioms

This is for Eva!

How to Become a Proud non-native speaker of English (Cambridge Webinar)

Summer is here!

Dear students

As we left behind the exam period, I encourage you to indulge in topics that genuinely captivate your interest. It's an ideal opportunity to revive your interest for the English language by engaging with content that resonates with you.

You might consider allocating time to listen to thought-provoking TED Talks or BBC podcasts, which can provide a wealth of knowledge and stimulate engaging discussions. Alternatively, you could channel your creativity into writing reviews of books, TV series, restaurants, or concerts that have left a lasting impression on you.

Revisiting previous posts on pronunciation, grammar or practising shadowing exercises using texts from your textbooks can also be a valuable way to hone your linguistic skills. Moreover, organizing an English Hour with classmates or friends can be a delightful way to maintain momentum, whether you choose to debate current events, share personal anecdotes, or discuss future plans.

If you've been meaning to start reading a book that's been recommended to you, now is the perfect time to embark on that literary journey. Or you might read national, international or local news. The key takeaway is to ensure that your engagement with the language remains consistent, leveraging your interests and hobbies to fuel your reading, viewing, and listening habits.

In the event that you require some extra inspiration, I will resume to provide ideas and suggestions in the remaining days of June and throughout July.

Happy beginning of summer for you all!

News in English EL PAÍS

The voice of opposition to Trump

Dear readers,

In the wake of mass ICE raids in L.A. and the deployment of the military by the Trump administration, California governor Gavin Newsom is emerging as one of the strongest voices within the Democratic Party in his public opposition to the U.S. president.

On the global stage, Israel's decision to carry out direct attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure crosses a red line that threatens to exacerbate the upward spiral in prices, affecting Israel’s traditional partners in the West.

Amid all the turmoil, the public’s view of the elites is rapidly deteriorating due to their growing wealth and influence. And the rebellion against institutions linked to these elites isn’t unique to the United States.

This week we also interviewed cultural journalist Gilbert Cruz, head of The New York Times literary supplement; looked at scientific evidence for what is known as "terminal lucidity" and analyzed the (almost) spotless career of Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney.

We hope you enjoy this selection of stories from EL PAÍS USA Edition.

You can also read:

• Spain’s Pedro Sánchez scrambles to hold government coalition together after top aide is implicated in corruption scandal
• Priests defying Putin’s war face persecution in Russia: ‘You can’t kill, period’
• Fake bands and artificial songs are taking over YouTube and Spotify
• Another Starship in flames: Why are Elon Musk’s rockets exploding?
• Intermittent fasting has similar benefits to classic diets based on eating less
• ‘Obesity can kill’: Controversial campaign by Ozempic drugmaker sparks backlash
• ‘Banksying’: The toxic trend of deliberately letting a relationship slowly die

Murcia Today (news from here)

Summer  solstice 2025: This Saturday is the longest day of the year as summer starts in Spain

Two men arrested over electrocution death of toddler at Murcia fairground

Murcia tourism jobs hit record high ahead of sizzling summer season

Santiago de la Ribera and La Manga del Mar Menor tourist information points now open for summer

Explosion at Lo Pagán bar injures 16, two of them left in critical condition