Stars that died in 2015

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151222-arts-and-culture-stars-who-died-in-2015

Christmas decorations

Question from last week - Yes, that's tinsel!








And now time for the next question: What do we call these?
 

                                              Write in comments. See you tomorrow :) 

Presentation - Xmas words

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZFIW0KbeurL-woTQKcZ3VDTo9PrLmmQOARe2POYwpvs/edit?usp=sharing

Christmas decorations

And the question for today - what do we call this decoration?

Christmas plants and decorations.

And now time for the most essential Christmas plant. 
What do we call one - right before decoration?

Another plant - symbol of Christmas

The question for today - what do we call this plant?

The previous one was poinsettia.
See You tomorrow! :)

Christmas plants! The first of them...

Christmas traditions include favourite plants. 
Here's one of them. 
What do we call it? 
And, perhaps somebody will know, - where does the name come from? 
Please, write in comments. 
Thanks :) See You tomorrow!

Christmas worksheets

http://www.englishwsheets.com/christmas.html

Another edition of Christmas essentials ...

I'll continue to challenge my users' knowledge (though not many seemed to know what we call those round objects hanging from the Christmas tree).

This time it's these "gift essentials". What do we call them? Write in comments, please.

:)

Grammar, grammar, grammar ...

Hundreds online, easy-to-use exercises:

http://www.e-grammar.org

Texts for reading practice (with audio)!!!

Enjoy plenty of reading (and listening) materials. 
Excellent stuff for you or your students. 
Authentic sounding American accent.

http://www.rong-chang.com/qa2/

Extra: online reading comprehension:  http://englishteststore.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3018:English-Pre-Intermediate-Reading-Comprehension-Test-001&catid=133:english-reading-tests&Itemid=382

Global Scale of English

looks interesting...

http://www.english.com/gse

Money, money, money ...

Cleaning things

Saying "thank you"

http://www.englishpassio.com/2015/06/top-10-most-common-phrases-to-say-thank.html

English for graphs and charts

http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/graphs-charts.html

Word of the Day (27)

Today's word - I know it's been a while- is the DANDELION. It's a plant, flower and funny thing to play with when you're a kid. 
Did you play with dandelions when you were a child?

English for tourists

English for tourists - fantastic free resources:

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/travelenglish/

English for discussion - Should tourists visit Antarctica?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-150212

The top 12 things to have in every hotel room

http://thepointsguy.com/2013/10/top-12-things-that-should-be-in-every-hotel-room/

English for business communication

https://www.ego4u.com/en/business-english/communication

Find out your English level!

Find out your English level! Do the simple test and get free English lessons!

http://www.abaenglish.com/en/english-level-test/?partnerid=6032

A link with loads of interesting materials

http://www.myenglishpages.com/

Word of the Day (26)

Sometimes we know the thing well, we know what to use it for - a small detail is missing yet: What am I call it? 

So, in case your sink blocks, do not hesitate and grab a SINK PLUNGER PIPE UNBLOCKER. Good luck!

Word of the Day (25)

Today's word is JUNGLE GYM - the favourite kids' place!

Free worksheets

Super free worksheets bot for teaching and learning.
http://www.englishwsheets.com/clothes-3.html

Word of the Day (24)

Today's word is the KNOB meaning a rounded door handle or a control (e.g. of a radio). 
We turn the KNOB to open the door or turn the volume up or down.

Word of the Day (23)

"C'mon, sync up!" yells a PE teacher. She wants the students to be synchronized. "SYNC UP" means to peform exactly at the same time. 
Some things can be OUT OF SYNC: the drums with the guitars or the sound with the movie.

Animal that survives in outer space

If it had appeared in a sci-fi drama, the script writer could have been accused of going a bit too far. Surprisingly, the creature does exist and thanks to science we can discover its amazing features.

www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150313-the-toughest-animals-on-earth

Word of the Day (22)

The word for today is COASTER. The COASTER is a small thin object (usually round, sometimes square) on which you put a glass or cup. We use a COASTER to protect a table from liquids and to advertise a brand of beer or coffee. Some people collect coasters as a hobby.

coasters

Free English worksheets

Hundreds of useful materials:

www.englishworksheets.com

Word of the Day (21)

The word for today is HELM.

The HELM is the wheel to control or guide a ship/boat. 

When you are AT THE HELM it means you are in charge of something.

Super polyglot brothers

http://www.babbel.com/magazine/polyglot-bros-language-rival?slc=engmag-a32-vid-bv7-polybros1-ob&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=cd_engall_gen_ceu_bv7_polybros1

And how many languages can you speak?

Matura exam preparation

http://www.t4tw.info/angielski/matura.htm

Word of the Day (20)

The word for today is PUSSY WILLOW

It's a popular Easter and spring decoration.

A boy called Bruce...

A small boy named Bruce lived in a suburb of Sydney, Australia . 
 

 

None of his classmates liked him because of his stupidity, especially his teacher, who was always yelling at him, "You’re driving me mad, Bruce."

 

 

One day, Bruce 's mum came to school to check on how he was doing. The teacher told his mum honestly, that her son was simply a disaster, getting very low marks, and never had she seen such a dumb boy in her entire teaching career. 
 

 

The mum was shocked at the feedback and withdrew her son from school and moved out of Sydney, relocating to Newcastle. 
 

 

25 years later, the teacher was diagnosed with an incurable cardio disease. All the doctors strongly advised her to have heart surgery, which only one surgeon could perform. 
 

 

Left with no other options, the teacher decided to have the operation, which was successful. When she opened her eyes after the surgery she saw a handsome doctor smiling down at her. 
 

 

She wanted to thank him, but could not talk. Her face started to turn blue, she raised her hand, trying to tell him something, but eventually died.

 

 

The doctor was shocked and was trying to determine what went wrong.

 

When he turned around, he saw our friend Bruce, working as a cleaner in the clinic, who had unplugged the oxygen equipment in order to connect his vacuum cleaner. 
 

 

 

Don't tell me you thought Bruce became a heart surgeon.    

 

 

Preparation for English test (describing picture)

presentation-matura last minute (1)

Things to take on holiday

http://www.travel-images.com/packing-list.html

Sample students' essays

http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr/teachers/sample%20student%20essays/sample%20student%20essays.htm

Word of the Day (19)

The word for today is a BRIM. BRIM is an interesting word - it means a line or space forming a boundary or edge, like in case of the hat:

brim of the hat-------->...or the glass:

<-------- glass full to the brim

Word of the Day (18)

Do you find phrasal verbs a bit confusing? I do. Especially those involving frequently used verbs like "come" or "get". It's Ok when you learn two or three, but when you reach around eight (with the same verb) it sometimes hard to tell one from another. 

Today's word it to "COME UP" - quite useful when you talk about a problem or difficulty that arises: "Sorry. I have to cancel the appointment - something has COME UP."

 Is it possible to use COME UP in another situation?

Word of the Day (17)

Today's word is the mortarboard - a special hat worn on a special occasion. 
What is the occassion called? Have you ever worn one?

a mortarboard with a yellow tassle

Tests can teach! All levels just a click away!

http://www.englishjet.com/english_courses_files/test_beginners.asp

What is your perfect job?

http://en.what-character-are-you.com/d/en/1509/index/9039.html#langnotice

English for Travel

English for Travel - free PDF book

Travel packing list (presentation)

Word of the Day (16)

The word for today is BAFFLE. To BAFFLE means to make difficult to understand, to confuse, to perplex, to frustrate. 

A difficult question may BAFFLE you. And a BAFFLING mystery is a right task for Sherlock Holmes. 

Talking business

"Talking business" -  a selection of useful materials for teaching (and learning) business English. All from the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/teachingenglish/talkingbusiness/

Word of the Day (15)

Today's word is BECKON. "To BECKON means "to show or make a signal to someone to come closer". You can beckon for example a waiter. 

Sometimes some things BECKON you = they seem to be particularly attractive, e.g. a career in pop-culture may beckon a young person.

a beckoning gesture

Learn English 32 - Planning a Trip

English Vocabulary : Pets

Hundreds of FREE vocab exercises WITH AUDIO!

http://www.languageguide.org/english/

Word of the Day (14)

Today's phrase is SORT OUT. Very useful when you are talking about finding a solution to some kind of problem. You can say then "I'll SORT it OUT as soon as possible". 
Do you know any other examples of using SORT OUT?

Tiny texts - big learning!!!

https://tinytexts.wordpress.com/

Word of the Day (13)

The word for today is BEAM. It has a couple of meanings ranging from BEAM of light (line of light), BEAM of a house or bridge (long element of structure) to BEAMING with smile (as a verb). Children BEAM after getting their presents, don't they?

 When did You last BEAM? 
I have an impression that BEAM is also often used in science fiction movies or books. 
Can you give some examples?

Word of the Day (12)

Today's word is THINGY. What is THINGY? There's no easy answer as THINGY is something (or somebody) we do not know how to call. We call it (or them) THINGY, then. 
Have you ever used it? In what context?

Free course of American English with audio!

Free conversational course of American English:  AUDIO

Kids' picture dictionary

http://www.slideshare.net/elena_moreno/childrens-picture-dictionary

Word of the Day (11)

Today's (this Sunday's) word is LACEWING. I know - "what a useless word!" - some of you may say. Yes, I admit, you can easily do without LACEWING in your individual English dictionary. But it's sooo nice - both the word and the creature. Ladies and Gentlemen: Miss Golden-eye Lacewing!

Do golden-eye lacewings live in Your country? What do they do in the winter?

Reading...

We all hope that this ancient art will not be forgotten, don't we?

Word of the Day (10)

Today's word is HAZEL. It may refer to nuts, I mean HAZELNUTS or the brown colour, e.g. HAZEL EYES. 

And what are your favourite nuts? 

Do you prefer hazelnuts to walnuts?

Hundreds of FREE exercises

Hundreds of FREE exercises (mostly for beginners)! Enjoy! :)

LINK: http://www.englishaula.com/en/support-exercises-practice-cambridge-english-esol-exams-fce-cae-ket-pet-cpe-yle.php

Word of the Day (9)

Today's word is AMBER (also as a colour). 
You can sometimes find AMBER on the beach. 
They make nice jewellery from AMBER. 

But it can also be a colour, e.g. AMBER traffic light.

What do you do when you see the AMBER light? 
You start to brake (slow down or stop) or accelerate (drive faster)? ;)

Word of the Day (8)

Today's word is PILE. On some days we have a PILE of work to do, i.e. work has PILED UP. 
Sometimes we search through a PILE of papers for some documents. 
Look at your desk. Can you see any PILE of papers? (stack, heap)

Free mini English lessons! Authentic materials!

Listen to authentic English. In this lesson people talk about dreams, etc. 
And what do you dream about?

Dozens of different topics are waiting for you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/expressenglish/2011/03/110324_ee_dreams_page.shtml

Word of the Day (7)

Today's word is TRICYCLE.

Note that unlike a bicycle, whichhas got two wheels, a TRICYCLE (or TRIKE) has got three wheels.

Did you use to have one when you were a kid?

Free English courses!!!

Never enough of good and well-organized materials.
Here's a collection of useful staff both for kids and adults.

http://www.esolcourses.com/

Word of the Day (6)

Today, the word of the day is BREW. as a noun.

To begin with, BREW can be a drink that is brewed e.g. tea.

Also, for Americans it can also be beer (e.g. a cold BREW in the summer)

Finally, BREW can be a mixture or combination (e.g. of different kinds of music).

So, fancy some BREW?

Prepositions

They are rather short words often causing some trouble to learners.

Here's some useful range of exercises.

LINK: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions

Word of the Day (5)

The weekend is over (came to an end). 
On Monday morning children are BUSSED to school again, i.e. taken to school in a bus. 
Isn't that surprising? BUSSED? Now I know why I like English.

Please note two things: 
1. BUS can be a verb!
2. The spelling is often BUSSED with double S (also BUSSES - especially in American English).

Do you any other suprising examples when a NOUN can be a VERB?

English learning through soap!

The Flatmates is a BBC soap story created for students of English. Interesting and well-made can be a motivating alternative for boring books.

LINK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode01/index.shtml

Word of the Day (4)

The word for today is STIR.

You can be STIRRED by the number of meanings of STIR.

Firstly, you STIR your tea or coffee after putting in some sugar or milk (mix).

Secondly, some people STIR in bed while asleep. Do you?

Apart from that, recent findings of the media may STIR some controversy or even trouble to the ruling party.

By the way... would you care for some Chinese STIR-FRY for lunch?

Storytellers online! Fantastic!

We continue to share with You some links to storytelling websites. 
It's the way how language was taught ages ago and how listeners were entertained at the same time. Enough reasons to make storytelling the core of English curriculum.

Here's is a fabulous collection of kids' stories, including Guji Guji.

http://www.storylineonline.net/

Word of the Day (3)

What's the BUZZ about BUZZ?

When you press a BUZZER you want to contact someone on intercom/mobile (give a signal) or want someone to let you in (or BUZZ you IN) or BUZZ the door open, BUZZ you through the gate, etc.

You may also GET A BUZZ e.g. from speed or extreme sports. If these fail some people walk to the nearest liquor store to get some BUZZ (you better think twice, though).

For more meanings of BUZZ you may turn to BUZZ LIGHTYEAR. 
Hope he won't tell you to BUZZ OFF! ;)

buzzzzz....................

Word of the Day (2)

Have you ever made a  ROOKIE MISTAKE? 
(i.e. a mistake typical for somebody new and inexperienced?)

Note that we MAKE a mistake, and not DO.

Audio stories

Internet is a priceless source of learning materials. 
This time we have a unique collection of audio books. Enjoy it!
LINK: http://esl-bits.net/

Word of the Day (1)

Hello! Today's word (or I should rather say words) is CUSTARD CREAMS ...


...which are sandwich-like biscuits with creamy flavoured filling inside. They are so popular in Britain that some supermarkets have their own brands. 




Have you ever eaten CUSTARD CREAMS? Did you enjoy them? 

What is YOUR favourite kind of biscuits? 
Do you ever have CHEESE AND BISCUITS after meal?

Wild animals - worksheet for kids

https://en.islcollective.com/wuploads/preview_new/full_1642_wild_animals__reading__writing_worksheet_1.jpg

Stories stories stories....

http://www.highlightskids.com/stories

more non-fiction

http://www.defenders.org/publications/the_wolf__the_dog_first_friend_to_best_friend.pdf

Fantastic non-fiction resources for kids!

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Free language courses - online!

busuu.com

Good business English read - from BBC

Aiming at English for Business it is hard to do without current business news as it is often the topic of conversations at work and contain up-to-date, living vocabulary - ready to "borrow" and reuse. As BBC is a world renowed source of information we recommend it as a page to visit regularly and do some reading on selected topics.

LINKS: 
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30706571

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150106-whos-the-boss-nobody