The weather

We are studying the weather. Remember we can use two questions; they are very similar but not the same:

• What's the weather like? ---- You use this to describe the weather: It's dry, with little rain and very sunny.
• How's the weather? ---- You say a short comment: It's cold today

However, you can see both sentences when talking about the weather. 

If you want to revise the vocabulary or learn more words about the weather you can go to this link

If you want to have a good time, go to this link where you can find a lot of videos

London

In lesson 5C we speak about London. Here you have some web pages to know something about this amazing city:

• Activities about London; click here
• The top ten museums in London
• London for kids
• A video about London like postcards but this one is short and with vocabulary
• Another video about London

See you in class!

We are a family - Revision of Saxon Genitive ('S)

Here you have some exrcises to work with this topic. Let's start with a video to revise the vocabulary and the Saxon genitive ('S). Click here.

If you want to do some exercises you can use these links:

• Saxon genitive: explanation and exercises. Click here
• Family: click here and do this exercise here
• The Simpsons: vocabulary here

Here you have a video with idoms or expressions connected to the family; it's a bit difficult for beginners but it's quite interesting and you can practise some listening if you are not a beginner of English. Click here to see the video.

Reading in English

Here you have some pages for reading. I hope you'll find something according to your level. If not, don't worry. Wait until you feel confident enough to read stories. See you in class!

• Very easy stories: http://www.eslfast.com/supereasy/index.htm
• Stories for beginners, but you need up to future, past tenses, etc.: http://www.eslfast.com/easyread/index.html
• Stories for little children with drawings: http://www.cookie.com/kids/stories/viewallstories.html
• Short stories with exercises oriented to children or learners: http://www.elcivics.com/worksheets/reading.html

Present continuous versus habitual present

In lesson 5B we are studying present continuous. The form is very easy:

•  TO BE (AM / IS / ARE) + ________ING

Here you have some examples:  I am playing with my children     She's writing an email

This tense is used for specific time, especially now or at the moment, but it's also possible with short periods of time like I'm a teacher but now I'm working as a shop-assistant.
Here you have a video to practise present continuous. Click here. 

There is a problem with the spelling of the -ING form: you must double the last consonant if the infinitive ends in CONSONANT + VOWEL + CONSONANT and the vowel is stressed. Let's see some examples:

• get --- getting        swim ---swimming      BUT    open --- opening     listen --- listening 

If you have problems with the spelling go to this page

Once this is clear we have the problem to choose between present simple or present continuous. Remember present simple is connected to habits or routines and you usually have it with frequency adverbs or answering the question how often?, while present continuous is referred to a precise action. Look at the example:

• I usually go to the gym but today I'm going to the swimming pool

If you need more information about these tenses go to this link. The differencse between these two tenses are in lesson 5C in our student's book.

If you want to practise here you have some exercises:

• exercise 1      exercise 2     exercise 3 

Here you have a song Eternal Falme to practise with both tenses.

the verb CAN

The verb CAN is used to speak about "poder" or "saber" in Spanish. The main characteristics of CAN are:

• it's a modal: it is used to say "poder" or "saber" . It means ability / possibility / permission / impossibility / prohibition; depending on the form and the context.
• it's defective: with NO -s in the 3rd person, NO infiniteve (to be able to) and NO past participle ( been able to)
• it's auxiliary: you use it in interrogative and negative forms Can you open this?  No, I can't

To practise with listening, here you have this song with CAN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lpcWqecyak

Saxon Genitive

There are plenty of teachers who use blogs to teach Englsh, like me. Here you are a link to one of those with a lot of exercises to practise: http://elenacarriles.wikispaces.com/THE+SAXON+GENITIVE but you also have these links: click here or this one (but this includes past tenses)
To finish with, try to do oral exercises using this structure:

• Sara has a dog. It's black --- Sarah's dog is black
• Joe has a cat. It's white --- Joe's cat is white

Howerver, be careful with nouns ending in -S or sibilant sounds like in the following examples. The pronunciation changes a lot:

• Alice has a daughter --- Alice's daughter (you have to pronounce an extra syllable /ælɪsiːz/)

However, you don't write or pronounce the extra 'S with plural forms

• My cousins have a house --- my cousins' house ( /ˈkʌzənsiz/ )

Notice that if it's ending in -S you don't write an extra -s like in the Simpsons' dog.

See you in class.