Yolanda's blog

The puffer fish is a very expensive dish to eat...but watch out, it can kill you. Fugu is a poisonous fish very popular in restaurants in Japan. Complete the sentences with information from the video. You don’t need to use more than 3 words in each gap. 0. Japan is crazy for FISH. 1. Tom tries fugu at Matsumoto, a restaurant known for __________________. 2. Chef Hayashi has ___________________ in his hands. 3. After World War ll, general MacArthur was in charge of the ________and imposed a _______________. 4. The number of fatalities has been reduced due to ___________ and ___________ . 5. A tiger fugu has _______________ to kill 30 people. 6. The poison kills by _______________. 7. ______________________ is the only way to save the victim. 8. Apart from being Japan’s national flower, the chrysanthemum is a popular choice for ____________ . 9. The typical fugu meal consists of 8 courses, including sake and ________ fugu. From www.nationalgeographic.com KEY: 1.  ITS CAREFU...

If you can Raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid too. Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of thehmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the only iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this fawrord it. Have a nice weekend!!!

On November, 30th Scotland celebrates its patron saint. How much do you know about this beautiful country? Try this quiz

Want to practise your written English? Write & Improve gives you feedback in seconds.  Simply choose a task, write or upload your text and submit your writing for feedback. Then try again and use the feedback to improve. www.writeandimprove.com 

DEFINITION: The condensed, elliptical, or sensationalist style of language characteristic of (especially newspaper) headlines. Newspaper headlines make use of a great variety of less usual words, which can also make them harder to read by non-native speakers. Headlines also try to be ‘punny’ (making use of close synonyms or related words as a joke) and alliterative (using a string of words with the same initial letter or sound). They tend to use shorter words than normal, and often leave out unnecessary grammatical ‘extras’. All this makes headlines short and eye-catching (and less than easy to read). British newspapers also pander to the educational norms of their readers, and use vocabulary and references aimed at social classes. There is a world of difference between the style and content of UK newspapers The Times and The Sun, the former aimed at very well educated manager and diplomatic classes, the latter aimed at manual workers. Because space is limited, headlines are writt...

Jack Ma beat Jeff Bezos into grocery stores. Now China’s richest man is again showing his rival the way by targeting 6 million mom-and-pop shops, the biggest test yet of a vision to reinvent physical retail. Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is prepping for Singles’ Day -- an annual Nov. 11 online shopping fiesta dwarfing Black Friday and Cyber Monday that Citigroup Inc. estimates could generate a record 158 billion yuan ($24 billion) of sales. This year comes with a twist: the e-commerce titan has enlisted 10 percent of China’s convenience stores, about 600,000 outlets, to hawk goods and get billions of parcels shipped to customers nationwide. READ MORE...

Halloween costumes 2017: These are the top dress trends this year Expect to see these five costumes everywhere this year... CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Halloween isn't just costumes and candy; it's a cultural holiday rich in tradition. Watch the video and do the activity. To check your answers CLICK HERE Halloween is described as a patchwork holiday stitched together with   ________     ________ and ________ traditions.   It all began with the ________, a people whose culture had spread across Europe more than ________ _______ ________.     The end of the ________ _________ was celebrated in a festival called Samhain On Samhain   the villagers gathered and ________   ________   ________ to drive the dead back and keep them   away   from    the   _______.     All Saints’ Day honours ________ and   the _________ _______. ________ ________ was known as “All Hallows’ Eve”. The holiday came to America with the wave of Irish immigrants during the ________ ________ in the _______. The children _______ _______ so they _______ ________ ______...

Every morning, Sam is so  enthusiastic  to begin his day that he jumps out of bed and begins to sing. His mother became  worried  when she didn't hear from him for two days. David is quite  shy  so he doesn't like talking to people he doesn't know. A year after being fired from his job, Alan is still very  bitter . He has a lot of resentment towards his former boss. Even though I am accustomed to traveling for business, I still get  homesick  if I am away from my home for more than a week. Katie feels  threatened  every time her boyfriend talks to another girl. She thinks that every girl wants to steal him. In the U.S., Thanksgiving is a holiday in which people give thanks for the blessings they have. Before the Thanksgiving meal, family members will say what they are  thankful  for. I am absolutely  furious !! I cannot believe that my dog chewed my favorite shoes. Now they're ruined! READ MORE...

When you are in the middle of an English conversation, it’s normal to feel awkward or nervous. It’s normal to get stuck because you don’t understand what someone said, or because you can’t remember a word or you don’t know the right word in English. Don’t fight it. Don’t waste your time and energy thinking and worrying about how awkward or nervous you feel. It will just make things worse. Instead, memorize these useful sentences so that you know what to say the next time you get stuck in a conversation. 1.   "Sorry?" Make sure that your voice goes up at the end of  sorry  so that it sounds like a question. This is not an apology. This is a polite way of asking someone to repeat themselves, or say something again.  2. "Sorry?   I didn't catch that. Can you say that again, please?" In this context, the verb  catch  means  hear or understand something that someone said.  When you say,  “I did...

This is an excellent site to develop the reading, listening and vocabulary skills for students of all levels. (CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ACCESS THE SITE). Every working day a short video news item is published. The content is adapted for level 1 (beginners) and level 2 (intermediate) and level 3 (advanced). There is always an accompanying transcript with the key words highlighted. These key words are also defined for the students in level 3. If you read and listen to two articles every day, your reading and listening skills can improve fast. You can learn quickly and after some time you will not have to translate into your own language. You will simply understand. Why should you do this? When you listen to people in your native language, you do not translate. You simply understand. The same has to be in English. When you learn English, you have to learn the whole sentences in context. Students, who translate English texts, do exercises and do tests are very good at translating, do...

As part of the BBC World Service,  BBC Learning English  has been teaching English to global audiences since 1943, offering free audio, video and text materials to learners around the world.  Perhaps the best thing about BBC Learning English is that many of the materials are delivered as full length courses, a service which would you usually have to pay for. However, each component of the course is standalone and can be studied on its own. This means the learner can choose the best way to study for them; by following a full course or by following the individual materials most appropriate to them. A new feature is site maps, which allow you to find a particular grammar point or language area to work on. You can see the site map for the Lower-Intermediate Course  here , and find out more about the current and future courses  here . Here are direct links to the courses. The courses consist of 30 units (click on OPEN UNIT SELECTOR to access each unit): Lo...

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn face questions from Jeremy Paxman on the big issues of the 2017 General Election, hosted by Sky News and Channel 4.

Presented by comedian Jay Foreman, this short film follows the progress of an election campaing right up to the polling day and the formation of the coalition government.  Jay Foreman visits a constituency in the middle of an election campaign and finds out from the candidates and local young people why it's important to vote and make your voice heard. http://www.parliament.uk/education/ campaig

Here's a good video from the Financial Times that explains the UK General Election, scheduled to take place on June 8th.

In what ways was this attack an international issue? Why were computers in Russia especially vulnerable? Why were the reporters discussing the age of the person who created the kill switch? What was learned from this cyberattack? TRANSCRIPT

I have received an email from a student at the Universidad Europea de Valencia. He is carrying out a study to analyze both student's and teacher's preferences and beliefs regarding error correction in oral interaction. The study will also analyze the connections between error correction and  foreign language speaking anxiety.   Click on the link and do the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/8NR0Iw7wz mre2IJz1

COUCHSURFING: LISTENING and SCRIPT   CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travellers and the local communities they visit. Watch the video and decide if the following statements are TRUE or FALSE.                                                 COUCHSURFING 1.- Couch Surfing has been invented recently.     2.- The collapse of the airlines hasn’t affected the cost of the holidays.   3.- Couch Surfing is similar to Facebook.     4.- The first thing you have to do is make a request to stay at some else’s house.     5.- This year, the number of people couchsurfing has gone down.   6.- ...

1. You help out at a music festival which is held in your town every year. This takes place outdoors over one weekend. The organisers want to improve the festival and so have asked you to write a short report.. You should comment on the site, the programme, the food and other facilities, the cost and anything else you consider relevant. (180 words) 2. Some American students are on an exchange programme with your college for a month. The college has asked you to write a report on entertainment in your area for the teacher who is in charge of the group. You should give advice on such things as types of entertainment, venues and prices. (180 words) 3. Your headteacher (or University Chancellor) has sent you a letter explaining that the government is awarding 50, 000 euro grants to organizations which are making big efforts to become greener. He asks you to tour the school (or university) to see what can be done to make the building more environmentally friendly. Then he wants you to...

Watch this video about smart houses. For statements 1 to 10 complete the gaps with the missing information. Number 0 has been completed as an example. You do not need to use more than five words. 0. The technology displayed in the house will be available in ____ 5 years ___. 1. The kitchen is often considered to be _________________. 2. It is designed to have all the __________ and ____________ in a modern kitchen. 3. Apart from a built-in LED TV and a music player, you can have _____ you need for cooking. 4. If you fancy a romantic evening, you just have to ______________ on the smart board. 5. If you run out of wine, you can add it to your ______________ list on the smart board. 6. The smart board helps you with your everyday ______________. 7. In order to pay your bills, the smart board will _______________ your fingerprints. 8. You can warm your towel in a modern _________________. 9. The electrical appliances are controlled by ________________ 10.  The ...

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used to save energy and make better use of daylight. It was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada. DST normally adds 1 hour to standard time with the purpose of making better use of daylight and conserving energy. This means that the sunrise and sunset are one hour later, on the clock, than the day before. DST Changes — Dates and Local Times First Used in Canada in 1908 In July, 1908, Port Arthur which today is known as Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada became the first location to use DST. Other locations in Canada were also early to introduce Daylight Saving bylaws. On April 23, 1914 , Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada implemented DST. The cities of Winnipeg and Brandon in Manitoba followed on April 24, 1916 . According to the April 3, 1916, edition of the Manitoba Free Press, Daylight Saving Time in Regina “proved so popular that bylaw now brings it into effect automatically”. DST Statistics — Past and Present Use Germany First Country to Us...

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: Are you able to divide your time effectively between work and leisure? What negative effects, if any, does your work have on you? What can you do about it? If you could choose, would you change your job? Would you just change some of the conditions but keep the same type of job? Rate the following in order of importance for you (not important; important; very important): decent salary higher salary shorter working day flexible working hours friendly workmates pleasant atmosphere at work Are people willing to move further away from home nowadays in order to find work? Would you? Have any of your friends done this? Would you be prepared to leave the country in order to look for work? If you HAD to leave the country where would you go to work?     More listening actiivites from the  California Distance Learning Project , an adult education site. Choose a story and then click  listen  at the bottom of the page.  

Phrasal verbs are very common and are a really good way to make yourself sound more natural when speaking informal  English.   CLICK HERE  and you'll find some exercises from the BBC.

Kelly from FundingFactory introduces you to the Top 5 ways to raise money for your school or non-profit in the very first "Funding Five" countdown . How do loyalty programmes work? What example of fundraising event/gala does Kelly mention? Why are competitions a good idea? How does the Annual Art Auction Kelly mentions work? Collecting for Cash: What kind of items can be gathered?

Idiomic? Never heard that word before…. Don’t look ‘idiomic’ up in the dictionary. It won’t be   there. Iddy just made it up. It’s part idiom, part comic, and besides, idiomatic.com was already spoken for. Idiomic hopes to explore the world of idioms with a bit of humour, a bi http://idiomic.com/idiomic/ t of colour, and a bit of useless information. In each post, our host, Iddy, will try his best to understand each idiom, illustrated in lavish technicolor. Below his attempts we will explore the phrase with a  definition , an  example , and finally, an attempt to find its  origin . Iddy’s not a linguist, so he’s approaching this on a purely amateur level. He invites you to correct any errors he’s made or theories you may have heard. He’s also happy to take suggestions of idioms to explore, so please, drop him a line. After all, it’s lonely being a big green ball. How to use our site There are four possible routes for you to explore…. O...

Find ideas to fundraise for CAFOD with our amazing A-Z of fundraising ideas! Fight poverty by taking on a challenge, auctioning your unwanted stuff or using your unique talents. This list of easy fundraising ideas includes some of our favourite ways to raise money for charity and can be adapted to use with schools, teenagers, parishes, individuals or at work. Every penny you raise helps people around the world . CAFOD works with the world's poorest people, so you can be sure that your fundraising efforts are making the biggest possible difference to people in need. This month's fun fundraising idea Give it up for Lent! Cut out chocolate or say no to espresso - whatever you do, you'll make a difference. Save the money you're not spending or get sponsored by friends:  order a CAFOD money box  and  set up your JustGiving page  today. A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N ...

By the end of World War II, the city of Berlin, like Germany as a whole, was divided. The eastern part of the city was dominated by a USSR-led communist regime, and the western part had a democratic government influenced by America and Great Britain. In 1961, the Berlin Wall was raised, not only physically dividing the city into East and West Berlin, but also psychologically and emotionally splitting the people. Travel between the two sides was prohibited. Since the reunification of Germany and the demolition of the wall in 1989, city planners have been trying to rebuild the city, tearing down the old buildings of communist East Berlin and replacing them with new structures. But the new buildings have sparked controversy over what should be preserved and what should be torn down. Listen to this story to hear different perspectives and ideas about how the city should handle the buildings of the past and move toward a unified future. What is the main idea of this story? Why do many B...