Happy Holidays

As you know the academic year in Spain is almost over now. This month I'll be doing exams and after that I'll be on holiday! 

During this time I won't be publishing posts as often as during the year but for sure I'll be back in September. 

Anyway, this blog's resources and materials will still be available for all the interested learners.

Word of the week: Demanding

This week's adjective is

demanding

which when referring to a person means expecting a lot of work or attention from others, or not easily satisfied.

Examples: 

My boss is very demanding, he makes us work a lot. 

My grandma became very demanding when she got older. 

You can also use this adjective to refer to things such as a piece of work, meaning that this work needs a lot of skill or effort.

Examples:

This is the most demanding challenged I've ever faced. 

I'm exhausted because my job is very demanding. 

Podcast: Retirement

As you know, nowadays people live longer than ever, and at the age 65 some people are completely healthy. So, why having a compulsory retirement age? 

Retirement

As usual, check the transcript.

Do you agree with the podcast?

Reported Speech

One of the last grammar points we have seen this year is reported speech. We didn't dedicate it much time since the academic year is almost over. Nevertheless, I'll post here some more exercises for you to practice this point.

Reporting Activities

Reporting Exercises

If you have questions, just ask in a comment!

Anastacia

Another singer I like a lot is Anastacia. She's a great singer-songwriter from Chicago but highly successful all over the world. She has a very powerful voice and she's definitely an example of strength.

I can mention many amazing songs such as Left Outside Alone, One Day in Your Life, Sick and Tired... but I especially like Welcome to My Truth since in it Anastacia describes her fight against breast cancer. I believe the sentence "My life turned around but I'm still living my dream" is very moving and motivating.

However, today I want to show you her song I Belong To You which she sings with Eros Ramazzotti.



This is a very special song for me, since it's the one I danced with my husband on our wedding day. Next Monday it's our first anniversary and I want to dedicate this song to him.

I love you, honey!

Do you like Anastacia? Did you know this song?

Word of the week: I'm not buying it

This week's expression is

to buy something (not in the literal sense) 

which is used to say that you don't believe something, that is to say, you don't accept the truth or feasibility of something. 

Examples:

You can tell me the same excuse as many times as you want, but I'm not buying it.

The police officer didn't buy my lame excuse for speeding. 

                                            You could say that you were ill, but I don't think they'd buy it. 

Can you think of a Spanish translation for this expression? 

Write it in a comment!

Mylo Xyloto

Nobody doubts Coldplay is one of the best international bands nowadays and their tour Mylo Xyloto confirms it! I was lucky enough to see them play live in Madrid last Sunday. With a show that goes beyond music, they moved the audience in an incredible way! Not only the lights and the music, but also the fireworks, confetti, balloons, bracelets with colourful lights for the audience, everything was perfect. 

I love music and I've been to many concerts, but this one is definitely the best concert ever! I want to share with you some bits of the concert by showing you some videos.

The beginning of the concert with amazing fireworks: Hurts like heaven.

Charly Brown. You can see all the stadium with the colourful bracelets.

Podcast: A Peruvian Hero

Today's podcast discusses a news story with a gripping plot and an action hero similar to a Hollywod film. Aren't you intrigued? Listen to it!

A Peruvian Hero 

After listening to this podcast, check the transcript.

Linkin Park

An American rock music band which has been singing since 1996 is Linkin Park.

In 2003 MTV named this band the sixth greatest band of the music video era and the third of the new millennium behind Oasis and Coldplay.

Here you can listen to one of their most recent songs: Burn it down.

What's your favourite Linkin Park song?

Word of the week: To reckon

This week's verb is

to reckon

which means to think something or have an opinion about something. 

Examples:

I reckon I'm going to get that job.

This work is worth a lot of money, I reckon.

You can also use this verb to ask for an opinion. 

Example: 

He'll be famous one day. What do you reckon? (meaning What do you think?)

Podcast: Plastic Pollution

This podcast talks about pollution, a very recurrent topic in English exams. It discusses how plastic is affecting the environment and what we can do to make the situation better. 

Plastic Pollution

Remember to check the transcript for complete understanding.

Are you worried about the environment?

What do you do for the planet?

Jesse J

A new Londoner singer I've recently discovered is Jesse J. As a child she appeared in adverts and musical productions. However, she recognises that her talent lies in her songwriting and she's been writing songs for Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus and Christina Aguilera for some years. In 2011 she decided to released her own album Who you are. 

Here you can listen to her song Domino.