Multilingual Poetry Recital at EOI San Javier

Difficult Words

News in English EL PAÍS

The Black Sea ceasefire deal

Dear readers,

​This week, the United States brokered a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine focusing on the Black Sea, aiming to ensure safe navigation and halt attacks on energy infrastructure. The news comes as Ukraine creates a new battalion made up of recruits who have voluntarily swapped prison cells for the battlefield.

In other news, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to El Salvador and visited the mega-prison where 200 Venezuelans are being held (...).

We also spoke to the Peruvian fisherman who survived 95 days lost at sea, and traveled to Antarctica to explore why pink snow has become a problem.

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

You can also read:

• The ‘Mexican Auschwitz’ is just the beginning: Violence and silence are the norm in Jalisco
• ‘Hypnocracy’: The regime to numb critical thinking
• Large-scale study identifies eight dietary patterns that contribute to healthy aging
• My therapist is a bot: The rise of AI in mental health treatment
• Why everything looks the same everywhere

Guía del Candidato 25 EEOOII CARM

The Guía del candidato is already updated. Check it to see all the info about the final exam!

You can also find it on the right column of the blog: 4th item from above.

Tax Terms (from Dictionary.com)

Check your tax vocabulary

Glossary

Read Murcia Today (News from here)

• Spanish fuel prices drop for the fifth week running.
• EU wants all households to prepare a 72hr survival kit.
• Yecla greenway receives the 2025 Blue Trail award.
• Risky business: buying a squatted Spanish property to save 60%

Syllable Division Rules

Pronunciation Level Test

Do Lucy's Pronunciation Level Test. (It takes about 20 minutes) 

Excellent test!!!

Instead of SAID

Gradable vs Non Gradable Adjectives

Read it in pdf. format HERE. Level 2 HERE.

Use the right column adjectives to improve your narratives and reviews, making them more vivid.

Improve your Pronunciation!

Read British Council's tips too.

C1 Writing Samples Marked (from Cambridge)

Read the different samples and check the bands (assessment) they were given by reading the explanations. Notice the different types of writings and formats. 

From: C1 Advanced Assessing writing for Cambridge English Qualifications: A guide for teachers © 2024 Cambridge University Press & Assessment. 

Remember that even though Cambridge and EOI's assessment is not exactly the same, the main principles are similar.

C2 Understanding Non-Standard Grammar Forms

We was hungry

I would of done it

(By Liz Walter)

11 Very Useful Advanced Words that Use the "A" Prefix

Tips to Improve your Grammar

Idioms Explained

Choose 5 idioms you didn't know 

and try to put them into practice asap!!!

Let's Communicate (2)

News in English EL PAÍS

Mexico's extermination center

Dear readers,

This week, we went inside the Izaguirre ranch in Mexico, which was used as a recruitment and extermination center by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. A group of searchers has found hundreds of skeletal remains, crematoriums, graves, and 1,308 objects. Hundreds of families are now searching among them for clues about their missing loved ones.

We also looked at Trump's decision to deport alleged members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization to El Salvador, despite a judge ordering a halt to the flights. "He’s a good, hard-working boy," said one mother, who recognized her son in photos of the deportees.

And in science news, we took a tour of Spain's first publicly accessible quantum computer, and asked experts whether giving a polypill to everyone over 50 is a good way to prevent cardiac disease.

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

You can also read:

• A trip to Hangzhou, the birthplace of DeepSeek
• A new technique sends sound to a specific person without the surrounding people hearing it
• Different ideal, same pressure: Gen Z’s fixation on ‘perfect’ skin echoes millennials’ obsession on being thin
• The world’s glaciers are losing three Olympic-sized swimming pools every second: WMO warns of ‘avalanche of cascading impacts’
• Budgies' brain reveals the secrets of human speech
• Only 10% of non-interventional treatments for back pain relief are effective
• Grim weather calls for a grim face: How rain affects your mood

Ed Edited it (Studio C)

Read Murcia Today (News from here)

• Builders Warn of Growing Housing Deficit in Murcia amid Construction Setbacks (For C2 Students)

• Widespread Weather Alerts for Storms and Gales. Spain Weekend Forecast: March 20-23 (For C1 Students)

New Grading Criteria for Written and Oral MEDIATION

You can have a look at the new criteria to assess your Written and Oral Mediaton Grades HERE. 

Flowers for Spring

Causative Verbs Examples

Examples here.

12 Character Archetypes (Revision)

Check them HERE.

Review vocabulary and phrases related to Personality

Easily Confused Words

There are many words in the English language that are easily confused because they have a similar spelling or a related, but different, meaning.

Click on a topic to learn more about these easily confused words. (From Cambridge Dictionary)

C2 Insult Kit (by Shakespeare)

Translations into modern English HERE.

Learn English Rhythm

 

Suspensión de la actividad lectiva

Desde la Consejería de Educación y Formación Profesional nos envían una Resolución informando que:

"Debido a la previsión de incidencias meteorológicas por predicción de fuertes lluvias, sobre determinadas comarcas de la Región de Murcia, que pueden afectar al normal desarrollo de las actividades escolares y con el fin de proteger al alumnado y profesorado que pueda verse afectado por estos fenómenos meteorológicos adversos,

RESUELVO

Suspender totalmente la actividad escolar, tanto lectiva como no lectiva, durante la jornada del martes 18 de marzo de 2025 para los turnos vespertino y nocturno que inicien su actividad lectiva a partir de las 15:00 y hasta las 23:59 horas. Esta suspensión será de aplicación para el alumnado, el personal docente y el personal no docente de los centros educativos de enseñanzas no universitarias del municipio de Cartagena, entre otros."

WhatsApp Abbreviations

Underline / Learn / Practise the new Words in this list

Afternoon Activities Today at the School

 Activities to attend this afternoon on St. Patrick's Day:

"Enjoy the luck of the Irish with Aisling Brew". 18.00, Assembly Hall. 

• 
  Leprechauns and rainbows.
• Legends and lucky charms.
• The man who banished the snakes.
  
• Giant's Causeway.
• Paddy's games.

20-minute "Bagpipe Concert" by Aida Fernández (EOI student). 19.00 p.m., Outdoor Classroom

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Why do we call it St. Patrick’s Day? Get to know the story of Saint Patrick and how shamrocks became associated with this lucky day. (From Dictionary.com)

Test your knowledge about St. Patrick's

If you want to know more about this celebration, click HERE.

Meetings & Discussions (KEY to Activities)

Check your answers here.

News in English EL PAÍS

Wall Street loses patience with Trump

Dear readers,

‌“What if Trump’s term in office isn’t what we expected?” the money world seems to be starting to ask itself after 50 days of an erratic tariff war that has rattled the markets.

And it's not just investors: in Canada, the Liberal Party overwhelmingly elected a leader with a strong financial background, Mark Carney, to face up to the U.S. president and his threats of annexation.

Meanwhile, in Greenland, Demokraatit — a liberal party that advocates a gradual independence from the Kingdom of Denmark — won Tuesday’s elections with around 30% of the vote. The election was also deeply influenced by Trump's threat to acquire the island "one way or the other."

This week we also looked at the security of Europe's underwater cable network, the weakest link in the continent's strategic infrastructure, reported on the wave of South Korean celebrities who have taken their own life; and profiled eight women who are taking on sexism in the Americas.

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

You can also read:

• New York is slowly getting rid of its immigrants
• Scientists develop early detection video game for Alzheimer’s and dementia symptoms
• The era of undetectable injectables: The new treatments behind ageless faces
• Why some people remember their dreams more than others
• Chimpanzees and bonobos demonstrate why sex is not just for reproduction
• Obsessing over loneliness is a key factor in the development of depression
• No carbs, no smoking and hardly any alcohol: The party’s over for Gen Z
• The paradox of women’s well-being: Why they report higher happiness despite worse mental health
• This wave is for her: How women have conquered their space in surfing

Similes

Remember: /ˈsɪm.ɪ.liz/

Select 5 you didn't know and think of people or situations that fit them.

St. Patrick's Talk

 Next Monday at 6 pm, don't miss it!

Vocab for Different Topics

Choose the words / phrases you didn't know, look them up, write them down and use them asap.

Proverbs

You can find more than 2,600 proverbs here (from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English). 

Many thanks to Luis (ex EOI teacher), who was the compilator.

Keep this post as a reference page or see more PROVERBS here

TO vs FOR

Meet

Check uses of Meet here.

C2 The Road not Taken by Robert Frost

Read the poem: The Road Not Taken (You can listen to it and learn about it and the author by clicking on the title).

If you still want to know more, click here to read / listen about Robert Frost

Written Mediation Activity: Inflexión Acuática

Document about the "Inflexión Acuática" mural. 

You can see more pictures HERE.

Shopping Words

Phonetic Alphabet and Morse Code

I swear that BZ (comment: meaning "well done" with regard to actions, operations or performance; in use in the Royal Navy, U.S. Navy, NATO, and other allied naval forces, Wikipedia) and today's post is an amazing coincidence.

Modals (By Lucy)

 See the theory and activities in pdf format HERE.

Business Meetings & Discussions KEY

Check your answers HERE.

News in English EL PAÍS

America’s U-turn on Ukraine

Dear readers,

U.S. President Donald Trump this week ordered a pause in the delivery of military aid to Ukraine, and also halted intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Faced with America's U-turn on Ukraine, the EU is exploring becoming involved militarily and with civil missions to deter a future attack from Russia.

EL PAÍS spoke with Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky and former world champion chess player Garry Kasparov about the implications of Trump's move.

In other news, we looked at where clothes go after they are put into a recycling bin, talked with historian Julián Casanova about the legacy of the Franco dictatorship, and investigated the science behind why pandas don't eat meat. ‌

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

You can also read:

• Trump’s decision to declare English the official language makes it harder for millions to access public services
• A world without butterflies: The alarming decline of a vital species
• New anti-obesity drugs already outperform Ozempic
• Daylight Saving Time 2025: When to change the clocks and everything you need to know
• Guilt, shame and fear of gaining weight: The emotional toll that comes from compulsive eating
• Listen now LOS40 USA

International Women's Day

IWD 25 (BBC)

This year's theme Accelerate Action

Resources

Former Celebrations

In case you are not members of the AaEoiCt, I'll rewrite what they sent their members to celebrate this day:

"The idea for this year, along with our message to remember, is that women have always been and are there, despite the invisibility that is given to them. With the presentation we intend to point out some of the women who have been and are inspiring, significant in our lives and in our environment Our memory for those who preceded us in the fight for civil and social rights and our encouragement for those who continue with determination and courage".

English Slang

92. Croak (die)

1,000,000 Visits!!!

A Heartfelt Thank You to My Students and Blog Followers

Dear all,

I am overjoyed to share that we have reached an incredible milestone: 1 million visits to the blog! This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without your unwavering support and dedication. Since the blog’s launch in November 2007, the more than 5,000 entries have been visited by more than 1,000 of my students and countless others from all around the world. Your engagement, comments, and collaborations have been invaluable in shaping this community into what it is today. [You can send suggestions for improvement on the comments section].

I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you. Your contributions—whether through thoughtful comments, sharing your learning experiences, or spreading the word about the blog—have truly enriched the journey for all of us. It has been an honour to be part of your English learning process, and I am thrilled that the blog has been able to support and help you along the way.

As we celebrate this landmark, I want to assure you that my commitment to posting valuable content will continue. My goal is to help you improve your English skills and make your learning process as enjoyable and effective as possible.

Thank you all once again for your incredible support. Let's toast to more years of growth and success together!

Warmest regards,

Miguel Ángel

Business Meetings & Discussions

Collocations Activity (KEY next Monday)