20 English Phrasal Verbs to Use in the Workplace

C2 Adjectives and Adverbs

Gradable and non-gradable Adjectives; Adjective word order; Adjectives to describe places + Intensifying Adverbs

EL PAÍS in English

Dear readers,

In the wake of America and Germany's decision to send state-of-the-art battle tanks to Ukraine, analysts are now wondering whether the West will be willing to cross any more "red lines" in the future and deliver fighter jets to Kyiv.

This week EL PAÍS interviewed US Congressman Jamie Raskin, who experienced the Capitol riots just days after his son committed suicide and is now battling cancer, yet remains determined to continue with his ‘struggle to defend democracy.’

In science news, epidemiologists are concerned about a bird flu outbreak at a Spanish mink farm last October, while Chinese and American researchers have created a tiny "liquid robot" that can escape from a cage by melting and going through the bars.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition. Thanks for reading.

You might like to read too:

• The New Economic Policy
• Roommates of Spanish church assailant: ‘He said he saw the devil’
• Pope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in note

Verbs followed by -ing or to-infinitive

Revise verb patterns with this V + -ing or to inf. presentation.

Revise verb patterns in general too.

Revise To- infinitive clauses

From Cambridge Dictionary

To Whom It May Concern (Use and Examples)

To Whom It May Concern: The Quick and Simple Guide to Using This Phrase (With Examples) Written by Meg Prater @Meg_Prater

Cursos de japonés y valenciano en nuestra EOI

Read all the info here:

Curso de iniciación al japonés

Curso de Valenciano

C1 Phrasal Verbs Review

Do this interactive activity and check your answers. 

Another one here. (Key)

What's your opinion?

Collocations with OPINION from About Words. 

You can check even more collocations here (from Cambridge Dictionary) as well.

Ablaut Reduplication

... and in a document for you to remember here!

C1 Formal Letters: Complaint Letters & Cover Letters (Letters of application)

Formal Letters & E-mails. Tips for Writing

Complaint Letters

How to write a Cover Letter

Popular Cover Letter examples.

Learn some anatomy...

  ... with this this Instagram video. It's fun! Brielle Milla is only four years old and she knows more about anatomy than most adults as seen on Little Big Shots.

Thanks Concha!

Key to Last Friday's Picture on Difficult Collocations

1d  2g  3e  4a  5h  6b  7f  8c

1. My parents were bitterly disappointed when I left college.

2. This website is strictly limited to subscribers.

3. The textbook was attractive as it was lavishly illustrated.

4. Olympic Winter Games are eagerly anticipated by ski fans.

5. He was generously rewarded for his service after 35 years.

6. The info has always been widely available on the net.

7. Teenagers are heavily influenced by their peers.

8. The fire extensively damaged the home.

Highlight / underline / write down the collocations in the picture you find more difficult to remember, and make sentences about you using them.

EL PAÍS in English

Dear readers,

This week we bring you a conversation between the award-winning novelist Javier Cercas and French President Emmanuel Macron, who chatted about Russia's place in the world, the pitfalls of globalization and why the EU needs to become a power on a par with the US or China.

Meanwhile, numerous world leaders were gathered in Davos to discuss some of these same issues and figure out what's next in a fragmented world where protectionism seems to be picking up pace. We also followed developments in Peru, where anti-government protests are growing amid increased violence.

In more hopeful news, we looked at a genetic ‘pen’ that corrects common heart conditions and talked to two mountaineers who are taking on the challenge of a winter ascent of an eight-thousander in pure alpine style.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition. Thanks for reading.

You can also read:

• (i∂+m)Φ=0 Is this really the formula for love?
• Google axing 12,000 jobs, as tech industry layoffs widen
• Prince Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ sells 3.2 million copies in first week

Difficult collocations (Adv + Adj) for Spanish Speakers

Let's see a number of collocations (with translations):

• greatly mistaken profundamente equivocado, equivocado del todo
• highly spiced / seasoned (comida) excesivamente condimentada / sazonada
• highly amused entretenidísimo
• mildly uncomfortable ligeramente incómodo
• a mildly ironic tone un tono levemente irónico
• perfectly smooth suavísimo
• your arrival was perfectly timed llegaste en el momento justo
• perfectly ridiculous absolutamente / totalmente ridículo
• the house is pleasantly situated la casa está muy bien situada / en un lugar muy agradable
• he’s profoundly deaf es totalmente sordo, tiene sordera total
• seriously ill / injured / wounded gravemente enfermo / herido
• these figures are seriously misleading estas cifras son muy engañosas
• I'm not altogether (completely) sure
• a comprehensively (completely) illustrated book
• The plan was comprehensively (completely) rejected.
• The survey was exhaustively documented.
• I'm flat broke (= I have no money).
• utterly devastated completamente arrasado
• utterly bereft totalmente desconsolado
• utter confusion / misery / chaos
• utter nonsense / rubbish / drivel

Check many more collocations here. 

Next Monday the key to the ones in the picture above (List 1 - List 2)

... And if you still need more practice, (C1) click here (Check your answers clicking on ¡Terminado!, at the end of the activity) or (C2) do this test. 

If you didn't know...

 

Conditional Sentences (Inversion)

Inversion in conditional sentences

Smart Up Your English!

Learn new words, expressions, phrases on this excellent website for vocabulary: Smart Up Your English. It's fun!

9 Powerful Words From Rev. Dr. 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. King wrote five books during his lifetime, and at one point was estimated to deliver up to 450 speeches a year. Tragically, he was assassinated in 1968.

• Find 9 Powerful words here.
• 55 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Most Inspiring Motivational Quotes

REMEMBER this afternoon's talk at 5 pm!

El País in English

Dear readers,

The North American Leaders' Summit ended on Tuesday, with the leaders of Mexico, Canada and the US - popularly referred to as the Three Amigos - renewing their pledge to turn the region into a competitive trade hub.

In Ukraine, Moscow is rebuilding the occupied city of Mariupol in a hurry, in what analysts see as a bid to lend legitimacy to Russia's claim that the area has been "liberated." And in Brazil, legal experts are analyzing ways of holding Jair Bolsonaro accountable for the rioting of January 8 in Brasilia.

In science news, new discoveries have been made about the fascinating world of virivores, tiny beings that thrive on a steady diet of viruses. And in the world of culture, everyone is busy dissecting Shakira's new breakup song that takes aim at her ex, soccer star Gerard Piqué.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition. Thanks for reading.

You might also read:

• Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley: The 20-month marriage of the strangest couple in pop
• Loneliness is a public health problem that increases the risk of illness and death
• Realistic advice for those who want to start working out again after a long break

"Make the World a Better Place by 2030", TED TALK BY Michael Green

Can we end hunger and poverty, halt climate change and achieve gender equality in the next 15 years? The governments of the world think we can. Meeting at the UN in September 2015, they agreed to a new set of Global Goals for the development of the world to 2030. Social progress expert Michael Green invites us to imagine how these goals and their vision for a better world can be achieved. (1.348.535 visualizaciones 3 nov 2015)

TED Talk SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Thanks Isabel!

Key Vocabulary

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...

INTERACTION Useful Phrases & Expressing Disagreement and Interruption

Have a look at these two pages and underline the phrases you will use during your interaction test. Put them into practice next time you discuss some topic in class! Thanks Asun!

SAMPLE TEXT for INTERACTION Activity

Useful PHRASES for INTERACTION

Talk at the EOI

 

Don't miss it!!!

C2 Advanced Personality Adjectives

Have a look at these and highlight the ones you like and hate. Do the test at the end!

You may do this activity as well!

C2 Metaphors and similes in English

Have a look at this great post about metaphors and similes on salondeidiomas.es 

This is the sheet with the ones seen in class. This has more similes.

Many many more examples from yourdictionary.com 

Remember: /ˈsɪm.ɪ.li/ and /ˈmet.ə.fɔː/

Many, many, many more here.

Fake or False?

Is it FAKE or FALSE? Guess it!!!

EL PAÍS in English

Dear readers,

All eyes have been on the United States, were Kevin McCarthy has been battling to be elected as speaker of the House.

Meanwhile in Mexico, violence swept across the city of Culiacán after authorities arrested Ovidio Guzmán, who is one of El Chapo's sons and one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.

In other news, scientists are reviving proteins from billions of years ago to fight diseases in human cells. This could open the door to a new era of science and medicine.

And finally, EL PAÍS interviewed actor John Lynch about giving up alcohol, becoming an author and growing up in Northern Ireland.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition. Thanks for reading.

You can read too:

• Amazon to lay off 18,000 workers
• ‘Mom, I’m a lesbian’: How to talk to teenagers about their sexual orientation
• Intense exercise could act as a ‘protective shield’ against metastatic cancer

Key to yesterday's proverbs

Check your answers: Keys: 1-O, 2-J, 3-M, 4-H, 5-C, 6-L, 7-E, 8-F, 9-K, 10-I, 11-D, 12-B, 13-N, 14-A, 15-G

and more proverbs... [Look the new ones for you up in the dictionary!]

15 proverbs from around the world to teach values and refresh vocabulary

 

Have a look at these 15 international proverbs. 

You might enjoy doing this proverb activity: Say it with a Proverb! (KEY tomorrow)

Lucy's Basic Phrases with Advanced Alternatives

 

EL PAÍS in English

Dear readers,

The world is watching with growing alarm as China deals with a new surge in Covid infections. We spoke with a leading virologist who explained how China's combination of low vaccination rates and a sudden end to strict restrictions could "have a cascade effect on the rest of the world."

EL PAÍS obtained exclusive access to the police testimony of Margarita María Ochoa, whose husband and two nephews were killed in horrific circumstances in an upscale neighborhood of Mexico City, sending shockwaves through the capital.

Our most-read story this week involves Iran's Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, one of the most promising chess players in the world, who will not be returning to Iran after participating in a world championship but instead move to Spain after playing without a hijab, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition. Thanks for reading.

Read too:

• Pop music in the era of Taylor Swift: Behind the success of today’s biggest star
• Elephant translators: Can technology allow humans to talk to animals?
• One-minute spurts of exercise throughout the day can help you live longer and better

Origins Of 12 New Year’s Traditions Around The World

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Happy New Year!