Wham!: "Last Christmas"

"Last Christmas" is a song by the British pop duo Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley) released in 1984. It was written by George Michael and it has been interpreted by many artists throughout the years. I definitely love this song!

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Glitter Pictures

- The history of Christmas
- Christmas Vocabulary
- The Elves Save the Day (listening/reading)
- Santa's Personalized Stories
- Santa's Computer Travels
- Christmas Games
- Christmas Carols
- ESL Christmas Activities

"Halo", Beyonce

Song lyrics | Halo lyrics

Test your level of English

Do you want to test your level of English? Click on these links, you've got different tests to know how skilled you are in the English language.



British council
Englishjet
World-English
English-online
Englishtag
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"Happy Ending", Mika

I love this song! Do you like it too?
What is it about?

Song lyrics | Happy Ending lyrics

Listening and speaking practice

A colleague at school has told me about this site today: http://www.acapela.tv/. Here you'll find different characters which change the text you type into speech. It can be used as a greeting card or as a way of practising your language skills.

I have left a message for you here:
http://www.acapela.tv/Easter-1-bcd63538c5899
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My office

We all spend a lot of time at work and want our work environment to be nice. Where do I work and what is it like?

Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise 1: Match the words with the definitions.

Exercise 2: Click on the expressions you hear.
Exercise 3: Mix and match the expressions. Listen and check.
Exercise 4: Complete the script, then listen and check your answers.

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The Three Wise Men

In Spain, the tradition of gift giving at Christmas is particularly special for children. They are the ones who await most eagerly the arrival of the Three Wise Men (Melchoir, Caspar and Balthazar), who come in through the windows house by house, sharing out presents in just one night. They are not the only ones to have a good time, however. Grown-ups cannot help becoming infected by their happiness during the preparations for the big day: 6 January. Sharing the exciting wait with them is a gift of love and emotion. This Christmas tradition fills the little ones' days with unforgettable magic.

First of all, children have to write their letter to the Three Wise Men, saying which presents they would like them to bring. After this comes one of the favourite moments: giving the letter in. They can either give the letter to the Wise Men personally when they arrive "officially" on 5 January, or to the emissaries and royal postmen to be found in the centre of all Spanish towns a few days before. They will be asked if they have been good at school and at home, because naughty children get left coal instead of presents. Although, in truth, it is a "sweet" punishment because the coal is made of sugar.

When the long-awaited day finally arrives, the whole family come out onto the street to receive the Wise Men. They arrive with a traditional parade, riding through the streets on their camels, loaded with presents and accompanied by royal pages who throw sweets and goodies to the children. One by one, the delightful floats pass by, decorated with bright colours and inspired in popular children's characters. The little ones will love them. All the while, a band brings joy to the celebration with Christmas songs and carols. The spectacle of joy, light and colour, combined with the smiles of the children, make for a feeling of complete happiness. There are parades celebrated all over Spain on this day. Each has its own particular style, depending on where you are. In Barcelona, for example, the Three Wise Men arrive by sea, while in the village of Alarilla, in Guadalajara, they are daring enough to arrive by hang-glider and paraglider. Or why not see the parade in Alcoi, Alicante, the oldest in Spain?

After the parade, children go to bed early but excited, to wait for Melchoir, Caspar and Balthazar to come in through the window and leave presents in their shoes. First they should put water and bread on the windowsill for the camels to eat and drink while the Wise Men do their work. Come and experience Christmas in Spain and discover this magical tradition that will fill your children with joy. Let them get carried away by all the moments of joy, surprise and tender happiness to be found in our country at this festive time. Now is your chance. Make the most of it.

You can listen to this text on the link provided. Source and listening practice: Learn through travel.

Last Christmas, Wham!

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night, 5th November

Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night, Cracker Night, Fireworks Night) is an annual celebration on the evening of the 5th of November. It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of the 5th of November 1605 in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, England.

It is primarily marked in the United Kingdom where it was compulsory, by Royal Decree, to celebrate the deliverance of the King until 1859, but also in former British colonies including New Zealand, parts of Canada, and parts of the British Caribbean. Festivities are centred on the use of fireworks and the lighting of bonfires.

(From Wikipedia)

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Reading comprehension.

Listening comprehension.

Test your knowledge on Guy Fawkes.

Guy Fawkes Day (treasure hunt).

Guy Fawkes Quizz.

Gunpowder Plot Game.

Family

Family is very important. Let me tell you about my family. What are my children like?

Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise one: Pre-listening: Vocabulary.

Exercise two: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise three: Complete the text.

Exercise four: Listen and match up the expressions.

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Source: Caroline Brown Listening Lessons.

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Every breath you take, The Police

If you like this song, you can practise your listening skills by clicking on this link. You will find the song lyrics and you'll have to fill in the blanks with the words you hear. Subingles.com is a very useful site for learning English with songs.

Pronunciation quiz

Everybody knows that there are many easily confused words in English as regards pronunciation. But don't panic, we are here to help you! Click on this link to do a pronunciation quiz. There are ten questions to test you and help you learn about English pronunciation.

Source: BBC Learning English.

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Lunch in the pub in Britain

We all have an image of other nationalities, and for the British, it is very traditional with London and pubs. Are British people as traditional as we all think? What do they do for lunch on Sunday?Find out by doing these four listening exercises:

Exercise one: Pre-listening: Vocabulary.

Exercise two: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise three: Is this exactly what you hear?

Exercise four: Complete the text.

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A job interview

Have you been for an interview for a job? Did you enjoy it or were you very nervous? What does this person find difficult?

Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise one: Pre-listening: Vocabulary.

Exercise two: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise three: What are the problems?

Exercise four: Listen and match up the expressions.

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A day out in England

England is certainly a beautiful country with lots of things and places for the tourist to visit. I went for a day out. Where did I go and what was it like?

Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise one: Pre-listening: vocabulary.

Exercise two: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise three: Is this exactly what you've heard?

Exercise four: Complete and check.

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Travelling pets

Pets coming into Britain have to go into quarantine. What's it like and what happens when it's finished? Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise one: Pre-listening task: Vocabulary.

Exercise two: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise three: Complete and listen.

Exercise four: Reorder the sentences.

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It's shopping time!

Do you like shopping? It's sales time now. Be careful not to spend too much money on unnecessary things.





I've been shopping and spent a lot of money recently! Where did I go and what did I spend it on?
Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise 1: Pre- listening vocabulary task
Exercise 2: Click on the words you hear
Exercise 3: Listen and complete the text
Exercise 4: Is this exactly what you hear?
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Oxford

This is Oxford, a famous city in England. If you do the following exercises, you will find more information about this wonderful city.

Exercise 1: Pre-listening: Vocabulary: Match the term with its definition.

Exercise 2: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise 3: Listen again and complete the text.

Exercise 4: Is this exactly what you hear?

More listening activities.

Travelling by plane

Do you like travelling? Have you ever travelled by plane? Did you enjoy it or was it a bad experience? Recently, the cost of flying has dropped and consequently, the number of people using air travel has increased. Airports are becoming more crowded, check-in queues are getting longer and there are more flight delays. However, flying is the fastest means of transport and it is statistically the safest way to travel. So, get relaxed and enjoy your flight!!!

The Travel Doctor: a very useful site that provides information for travelling safely.

Now, try and do these listening activities on "travelling by plane".

Exercise 1: Pre-listening vocabulary: Match up the expressions.
Exercise 2: Click on the words you hear.
Exercise 3: Complete the text and listen to check your answers.
Exercise 4: Is it exactly what you hear?