Saturday, 14 November 2026

Comma Names

News in English: EL PAÍS

A crash course in navigating Congress

Dear readers,

A new cohort of lawmakers will bring fresh air to the corridors of the Capitol this week. Through November 18, they will be attending classes to graduate as members of Congress. “It really is like high school — but it’s fun high school,” says one recently elected representative.

The midterms also served as vindication of sorts for Bernie Sanders, the 85-year-old senator from Vermont whose decades-old focus on "kitchen table populism" has finally found millions of sympathetic ears across the country.

In Mexico, authorities have been pursuing and capturing high-priority targets tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, backed by intelligence cooperation with the United States.Meanwhile, the country is seeing more episodes of verbal abuse by tourists and foreign residents, reigniting the debate over hate and gentrification. 

This week we interviewed Alberto Núñez Feijoó, national leader of Spain's mainstream conservative People's Party, as the country gets closer to the snap election of November 29. And we spoke with Mary Austin, Freddie Mercury’s former fiancée and the main heir to the rock icon’s estate. She told us that she wants the rest of her life to revolve around his memory and ‘the extraordinary person he was.’

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

You can also read:

Thursday, 12 November 2026

Wednesday, 11 November 2026

I'm on Strike Today

Reasons: for housing, wages, and public services, (and special solidarity with Madrid colleagues in Education).

Monday, 9 November 2026

When to Use a Comma before "AND"

When to use a comma before "and", and the Oxford Comma.

The Single-Word Swap Sheet (By Lucy)

Below are five swaps from Lucy's new Single-Word Swap Sheet. The first verb in each pair is a bit flatter and slightly more academic, and it's probably the one you gravitate towards when you speak English. Next to it, you'll see the phrasal verb a fluent speaker would use instead.

defend → stick up for

"Thanks for sticking up for me in that meeting. I owe you one."

​

yield → give in

"The kids kept begging for a dog, and in the end we gave in."

​

disappoint → let down

"He promised to help me move, then let me down at the last minute."

​

excuse → let off

"The parking attendant let me off 'cos I was only two minutes late."

​

exhaust → wear out

"Three hours in IKEA has completely worn me out."

Technology through Generations and their Weaknesses



Sunday, 8 November 2026

Christmas Musical Pantomime Aladdin

Production: ALADDIN – A Traditional Pantomime in Two Languages
Date: Friday, November 27, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: Teatro Geli Albaladejo, San Pedro del Pinatar
Price: €5 per person
Charity-focused admission: the €5 ticket price goes to charitable causes. Let’s enjoy the theatre while supporting a good cause!

Will you join us?

Smart Homes & Dental Treatment

General Questions
  1. What happens during his visit to the dentist?
  2. How does one small problem create bigger problems throughout the ad?
  3. What are some possible disadvantages of relying too much on technology?
  4. Would you like to live in a fully automated house? Why or why not?
  5. Have you ever experienced technology failing at an inconvenient moment?
  6. Which smart devices do you use regularly?
  7. Do you think the slogan "simpler is better" is effective? Why?
  8. What emotions does the ad try to create in the audience?
  9. Do you think people are becoming too dependent on technology? Explain.
  10. In what situations is simplicity preferable to innovation?
  11. Can you think of other examples where a small mistake led to unexpected consequences?
Vocabulary
  1. What does the expression "a downward spiral" mean in the context of the advertisement?
  2. How would you define "voice activation" in your own words?
  3. What does "go horribly wrong" suggest about the situation?
  4. How does the commercial satirize modern society's obsession with technology?

Debate Questions
  1. "Technology makes life easier." Do you agree or disagree?
  2. "Less choice often leads to better decisions." What is your opinion?
  3. Should smart homes become the norm in the future?
  4. Can simplicity be considered a luxury in today's world?

Saturday, 7 November 2026

Phrases to Sound more Natural

Check phrases here.
 

EL PAÍS (news in English)

Democrats sweep the board in US midterms

Dear readers,

The Democrats scored a historic victory in the United States midterm elections Tuesday, taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as flipping traditionally stalwart red states including Texas, where James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, and Bobby Pulido led the blue wave. After the scale of the Republican defeat became clear, Donald Trump's party scrambled to assign blame, although few dared suggest the president himself was the source of voters' ire. Instead, the war in Iran and domestic prices were widely credited for causing the rout.

Also this week, we ran a report on the investigation being undertaken by a coalition of 10 European countries and Australia into alleged abuses against members of the Gaza Sumud Flotilla, many of whom were arrested after it was intercepted by Israel in international waters.

We also traveled to Ascension Island, a tiny volcanic speck in the Atlantic where a friend of Charles Darwin, Joseph Hooker, initiated an outlandish Victorian-era experiment that could hold the key to combating desertification worldwide today.

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

You can also read:

Thursday, 5 November 2026

Shout

·He was screaming in/with pain (shout angrily) and begging for anaesthetic.
·They screamed with laughter at her jokes.
·There's no need to shout, I can hear you.
·Our neighbours were yelling (obscenities) at each other this morning.
·"Just get out of here!" she yelled.
·We shrieked with laughter when we realized how stupid we'd been.
·"Don't you dare do that ever again!" she shrieked.
·Is there someone outside, or is it just the wind howling in the trees?
·An injured dog lay in the middle of the road, howling with pain.
·We were howling with laughter.
·She howled in rage.
·The lion opened its jaws and roared.
·The plane roared overhead and went into a nosedive.
·She roared with laughter.
·She bawled at me to sit down.
·He was bawling (crying loudly) his eyes out.
·We could hear the piglets squealing as we entered the farmyard.
·The brakes squealed as the van rounded the corner.
·The two children squealed with joy.
·"Keep quiet!" the teacher bellowed across the room.
·We could hear the sergeant bellowing orders to his troops.
·The bull bellowed in pain.
[Examples from Cambridge Dictionary]

Punctuation Rules

Find more info HERE

Sleep Vocabulary

Wednesday, 4 November 2026

Join our EOI Cartagena C1 & C2 BLOG (Visit it Regularly)

If you couldn't make it to yesterday's talk about our blog, here's a quick recap of the main points we covered.



The Amazing Versatility of SHIT

Shaping AI Policy and Practice in English Language Teaching: Pioneering stories from classrooms around the world

"Generative AI (GenAI) is not simply a trendy phenomenon: it is here to stay. It is both a tool and a paradigm shift in education, which for centuries has been an essentially human endeavour" From Cambridge Papers in English Language Education

Read this Cambridge booklet (for English Teachers)

Tuesday, 3 November 2026

Monday, 2 November 2026

Sunday, 1 November 2026

Attend the Talk!

The talk teaches how to use the EOI Cartagena C1 & C2 blog to improve your English, explore resources and strategies, and become a more independent user. Participants are encouraged to attend, share information, and support other students, with a focus on the importance of turning visits into learning and maximizing the available tools to progress at advanced levels.