Have a nice Summer Holiday

Summer time is coming, but the blog is going to keep up with new post and news. Keep in touch!

Leave here your Comments on the English Summer Course

The English Summer Course is in its last week. During the past three weeks, four groups of students (Level A, Level B, Kids and Teenagers) have practised the most widely spoken language in a relaxed way. We invite you to leave here your comments!

Can you guess this one?

If you drop a white hat into the Red Sea, what does it become?

Common Errors – Always

WRONG I have always the feeling that she enjoys teaching us
RIGHT I always have the feeling that she enjoys teaching us.


When there is no auxiliary verb, always is placed immediately before the main verb: She always arrives late.
However, when the main verb is be, always is placed immediately after it: He is always in a bad mood.
Otherwise always goes immediately after the (first) auxiliary verb: You should always take care when crossing the road.

Longman Dictionary of Common Errors (1987) adapted

Can you guess this one?

What starts with E, ends with E and only has one letter?

Ben Harper

"Combining shuddering, groove-laden funky soul and folky handcrafted acoustics, singer/songwriter Ben Harper had cult status during the course of the '90s but gained wider attention toward the end of the decade. Harper combined elements of classic singer/songwriters, blues revivalists, Jimi Hendrix, and '90s jam bands like Blues Traveler, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Phish, which meant that he was embraced by critics and college kids alike. A native of California, Harper grew up listening to blues, folk, soul, R&B, and reggae. As a child, he started playing guitar, and began to perform regularly as a preteen. During his adolescence, he turned toward acoustic slide guitar, which would eventually become his signature instrument. Aside from working on his own material, Harper has built a strong rapport with other artists, playing guest spots on records by Beth Orton, John Lee Hooker, and Gov't Mule. He played the 1997 and 1999 Tibetan Freedom Concerts, and opened for R.E.M., Radiohead, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and the Fugees.”

http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Harper,_Ben/Biography/

His latest album “Both Sides of the gun” was released last year and his next album “Lifetime” is going to be released this summer (August 27).

Learn more in:

www.benharper.net/

www.myspace.com/benharper

Listen here his latest hit with Vanessa da Mata, a young Brazilian singer who wrote the lyrics and sent them to him. After hearing her performance, Ben Harper recorded an English version. This is the result:

Vanessa da Mata e Ben Harper - Boa Sorte / Good Luck

For environmental reasons we decided to change the blog background. Did you know that dark backgrounds save energy?

Common Errors - Actual / Actually

Actual

WRONG We'd like to know more about the actual crisis, not the economic problems of the past.

RIGHT We’d like to know more about the present/current crisis, not the economic problems of the past.

Present/Current means “happening or existing now”.
Actual means real (as opposed to “guessed” or “supposed”) : People think he is over fifty but his actual age is forty-eight.


Actually

WRONG We need to produce and export more than we do actually.

RIGHT We need to produce and export more than we do at present. (=now)

Actually means “strange as it may seem” and “in fact”: People think we’ve got lots of money, but actually we’re very poor.

Longman Dictionary of Common Errors (1987) adapted

Have a nice weekend.

"Smile when the situation doesn’t call for it. Smile when you’re feeling angry, when you’re feeling miserable, when you’re feeling most crushed by the world – and see if it makes any difference. Smile more often as possible at people you don’t know. (...) Smile at the bank teller who gives you your money, at the waitress who gives you your food, at the person sitting across from you on the IRT.
See if someone smiles back at you.
Keep track of the number of smiles you are given each day.
Don’t be disappointed when people don’t smile back at you.
Consider each smile you receive a precious gift. "


Paul Auster 2005:285 (adapted)

English Summer Course - Class B

Next week, we are going to talk about literature.
Bring your favourite book(s) and willingness to talk :)
See you on Monday or Tuesday!

Harry Potter

It is already this month that the seventh and last book of Harry Potter’s adventures comes out. The magical world of Hogwarts School has delighted children, teenagers and adults around the planet since the first volume. In fact, Harry Potter’s books are translated into 61 languages and can be bought in more than 200 countries or on-line, of course.
Have you ever read any of these books? Have you enjoyed them or do you think they are too childish?

If you want to learn more about Harry Potter or J.K.Rowling, check out these sites:
http://www.jkrowling.com
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/specials/harry_potter/default.stm
http://www.kidsreads.com/HP07/content/index.asp

If you are a big fan of this little wizard, visit

http://www.kidsreads.com/HP07/content/trivia.asp and test your knowledge.

Confused and Misused Words - Adherence and Adhesion

"Both these words mean "sticking to" something, but they differ slightly in use.



Adhesion is used most often when what is being described is one thing literally sticking to another: Its strong adhesion to most surfaces means it is extremely durable and flexible



Adherence, on the other hand, is generally used to refer to a person's "sticking to" something in a more figurative sense, eg remaining faithful to an ideal, principle, agreement, policy, etc. or, less commonly, belonging to a group or organization"



in Chambers Guide to Grammar and Usage (1997:123)