Halloween, a big business in America and overseas...

  

Kahoot games:
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/edddd38d-14d9-4025-b0b5-8504d6eab174
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/16e16d2a-4f04-49a7-a9dd-a0f97bf2e26b
Some creepy, scary videos to get into the Halloween mood. Visit the at your own risk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIFkut11Xpc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2s59Kug2u4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-vyBhEK36o

Halloween worksheet 

Visit www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween and read the first section
entitled Ancient origins of Halloween. Look for the answers to these 13 (unlucky for some)
questions.

1. Where is the celebration of Halloween thought to have come from?
2. The Celts occupied an area of land covering three modern-day countries or regions. Which
are they?
3. Why did the Celts celebrate ‘Samhain’ on the night of 31 October?
4. What did the Celts believe the ghosts of the dead would cause damage and trouble to?
5. To commemorate the event, what did the Druids build?
6. What costumes did they wear?
7. What did they re-light to help protect them from the coming winter?
8. By 43 AD, who had mostly conquered the Celts?
9. What two other festivals were combined with ‘Samhain’?
10. After many changes due to the spread of Christianity, what new celebration was created
in 1000 AD?
11. What were the similarities between this day and ‘Samhain’?
12. What was another name given to this celebration?
13. What was the night before called and what did this finally become?

Jack-o’-lantern
Read the introductory paragraph at https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins and look for the answers to the following questions.

1. The jack-o’-lantern tradition originated from which Irish myth?
2. What did Jack do with the coin instead? Why?
3. Under what condition did Jack free the devil?
4. What trick did Jack play the following year and how did he prevent the devil coming
down from the tree?
5. What happened soon after?
6. What problem did Jack then face?
7. What did the Irish call Jack’s ghost?
8. What did the Irish then begin to make and place in their windows and doorways and why?
9. What did the vegetable become in America?

Trick-or-treating
Read the first two paragraphs of this website link about the tradition of ‘trick-or-treating’:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating and answer the following questions,

1. What do children ask for when they travel from house to house?
2. What do children say when they arrive at a house?
3. What is usually the ‘trick’?
4. Since when has this tradition been practised in North America?
5. What do homeowners who wish to participate sometimes do to their houses?
6. Since when have people in Britain and Ireland practised the tradition of asking for food
at Halloween?
7. What else have they done since then?
8. Trick-or-treating has become prevalent in countries outside of America – what do the

children ask for in Mexico?

Brexit. The Deadline is approaching...

Do you remember the 13 terms / expressions used in the video?

1.         Brexit 

2.         the EU                                                

3.         article 50                                          

4.         Brexit means Brexit                         

 5.        a Brexiteer                                         

6.         the transition period                          

7.         the single market

8.         the customs union  

9.         the hard Brexit 

10.       the soft Brexit 

11.       no deal

12.       Backstop

13.       second referendum

Match terms and their definitions

1. a political and economic union between 28 countries =
2. an insurance policy demanded by the EU, that there is a soft border remaining between Ireland, and Northern Ireland =
3. depending on the negotiations and the agreement, Britain could remain in some institutions =
4. it allows free movement within the EU of people, goods, services, and money =
5. it allows members of the EU to trade together, without any tariffs or taxes =
6. it will see Britain cut its ties completely with the European Union =
7. someone that is in favour of leaving the European Union =
8. the clause in the 2007 Lisbon Treaty that says that any member state can withdraw from the EU =
9. the option that nobody wants, where we can't reach an agreement =
10. the period of time between the day Britain officially leaves the EU and … =
11. the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU =
12. Theresa May's famous phrase =
13. we should go back to the people and decide whether we still want to leave the European Union, or not =

Expressing opinions.

PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING OPINIONS 

I think…. I believe…. I feel…. I suppose…. I guess…. According to me…. In my view…. In my opinion…. In my eyes…. It seems to me that…. From my perspective…. From my point of view…. From my view point…. As far as I’m concerned…. Personally, I think…. I’d like to point out that…. What I mean is…. Generally it is thought that…. Some people say that…. Well, it is considered that…. It is generally accepted that…. My impression is that…. It goes without saying that…. I hold the view that…. I’m of the opinion that…. 

 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING AGREEMENT 

I agree…. I totally agree…. Definitely…. I couldn’t agree more…. Absolutely…. Precisely…. I see your point…. I see what you are getting at…. I’d go along with that view to a point… Sure, that’s one way of looking at it…. I have to side with you on this one…. I suppose so…. I think so too…. I’d go along with that…. That’s a good point…. I see exactly what you mean…. You’re right, that’s a good point…. Actually, I think you’re right…. That’s true…. Well, I agree with you here…. You have my full agreement…. I second that…. Ok, that’s convincing…. I take your word on it…. You took the words right out of my mouth…

 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING DISAGREEMENT 

I see your point, but…. I see what you are getting at, but…. That’s one way of looking at it, however…. I completely disagree…. Well, I see things rather differently…. Umm, I’m not sure about that…. I’m not sure I go along with that view…. I don’t really agree with that idea…. I agree up to a point, but…. You could say that, however…. I wouldn’t quite put it that way myself…. I still have my doubts…. I can’t/ couldn’t go along with that…. That’s out of question…. You’ve got to be kidding…. Well, I don’t quite agree with you…. I find that very difficult to accept…. We don’t seem to agree here…. Not necessarily…. That’s not always true…. There is no way I could agree with that…. I don’t think so…. No, I’m not sure about that because…. I’m afraid, I disagree…. We don’t seem to be in complete agreement….

Politics. About independence issues again....

 

Catalan protests: Why is Barcelona burning?

A general strike has been called in Catalonia on Friday, marking the end of a week of protests following the ruling of Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday.

The court sentenced nine Catalan pro-independence leaders to jail for sedition.

At the heart of the mobilisation are the Catalan youth.

Protesters have been clashing with the police and setting fires in the streets of Barcelona.

Protests erupt across Catalonia against Supreme Court verdict on separatists

Demonstrators have descended on El Prat airport in Barcelona, where there have already been police charges and disruption for passengers.

https://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

https://youtu.be/KslSfyTEpD4

Debating Europe has been taking a look at the question of independence for Catalonia recently, and we’ve collected our various posts on the subject here on this page. You can find links and videos below, as well as a fact-sheet that sets out some of the principle arguments from either side.

Expressing preferences

 would rather/would sooner

 would rather/sooner + infinitive … (than)

We use would rather/sooner + infinitive (without to) to talk about preference. We can use it with than (+noun/infinitive) in affirmative sentences or with or in questions.

• I‘d  rather/sooner have tea, please. 
• I‘d  rather/sooner have tea than drink that coffee. 
• Would you rather/sooner have tea or coffee?

 would rather/sooner + subject + past simple

 We can use would rather/sooner + subject + past simple to refer to the present or future.

• We‘d rather/sooner she was/were with us now.*
• She‘d rather/sooner I picked her up after lunch. 
• Would you rather/sooner we went by bus or by train?

Note that we can use were instead of was with I/he/she after would rather + subject.
 

prefer

 (would) prefer + to + infinitive … (rather than/instead of)

 We use prefer/would prefer + noun or to + infinitive to talk about specific preference, i.e. what we prefer on a specific occasion.

• I would prefer to stay in a hotel near the airport. (or I would rather stay…)
• Most clients prefer to have breakfast in their bedroom. 

We can use prefer/would prefer with rather than or instead of to show the choices we have.

• I would prefer to be too early rather than be too late. 
• I prefer to go with dad instead of staying here with mum. 

Note that we use rather than + infinitive without to
 

prefer + -ing verb

We use prefer + noun or -ing verb to talk about general preference, i.e. what we prefer in general, on every occasion.

• I love running, but he prefers cycling. 

We can use prefer with to to show the choices we have. The word to is a preposition here, so if we use a verb after to, it should take the -ing form.

• He prefers walking to cycling. 

Exercises: 

https://www.test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/would-rather-would-prefer/

Opinion Essays. Writing

INTRO

It is generally believed that_________________________________________ . Many people consider________________________. I really feel it is better _______________________________ although some others may think ________________________________________. I personally prefer to _________________________.

BODY

There are several reasons ___________________________________________. First of all, you ____________________________________. Most of people think ______________________________.

Secondly, ____________________________ gives you the opportunity to ________________________.

I´m absolutely convinced that __________________________________. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ____________________ makes you learn__________________________ which is another positive/negative aspect.

CONCLUSION

It seems to me that ________________________ is far better. There are lots of resources available to

__________________. To sum up, from my point of view, _______________________________. Maybe in the future,____________________________

Some people prefer watching films at the cinema rather than at home or there are people who just prefer the opposite. I believe both places have advantages and disadvantages.

There are two main reasons to go to the cinema. Firstly, the quality of the film will be probably better than at home due to the sound track and the special effects if you choose a three dimension movie. Secondly, you can watch the last movies which have recently been released at the theatres while at home you have to wait probably some months.

On the other hand, although there are discounts to encourage people go to the cinema, it is cheaper to download the films. Moreover, you can watch them whenever you want. And last, but not least you don’t have to hear the crunch of people eating crisps.

In my opinion, what matters is not the place, is the people who are watching the movie with you.

How to write an opinion essay 

Topic: Watching a movie at a cinema and at home, which do you prefer?

---***---

WRITING:
Watching movies is an amazing activity to relax for many people nowadays. After a hard-working day, what can be more satisfying than watching films a I like seeing films, too. Although I have many film DVDs at home, I still prefer watching films at cinemas.

One of the biggest factors that make me feel like watching films at cinemas is the bigger screen and realer sound I can enjoy there. The images and sound in cinemas are usually perfect, and I do not think that anyone can easily get such quality at home. Besides, this activity can be taken as an opportunity to go out. This is also a chance for me to get out of my house and enjoy a new wider space, interact with people and be more positive. Additionally, I can watch the film with many people. Moreover, when watching film in a cinema, one can laugh, cry and even be scared about the films with people all around him, we can talk freely with others about the film and the characters, which makes the films even more interesting and more attracting than at home.

In my opinion, watching films in cinemas is preferred than watching them at home because of the above reasons. Today, cinemas are trying to improve the standard of their films, many technologies are developed to make the viewers feel as real as possible, and this makes watching films at cinemas an iexperience we can´t miss.

Speaking practice and activities

TABOO... KAHOOT

• https://es.slideshare.net/DarrenPMcQuaid/taboo-game-sports
• https://es.slideshare.net/phricee/powerpoint-taboo
• https://play.kahoot.it/v2/?quizId=4e41b827-2be5-4f50-bf1d-18d0131453d3
• https://play.kahoot.it/v2/?quizId=766c39ef-6221-4876-b6d0-542228e80eff
• https://play.kahoot.it/v2/?quizId=5dfc0027-a991-4c17-b791-a4141e0bf568
• https://play.kahoot.it/v2/?quizId=fa3b6ba7-6ca5-4fed-8595-1fd43777f144 

Tenses: Present simple and continuous

Form

Simple Present	Present Progressive
infinitive (3rd person singular: infinitive + 's') I speak you speak he / she / it speaks we speak they speak	form of 'be' and verb + ing   I am speaking you are speaking he / she / it is speaking we are speaking they are speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 's' : For can, may, might, must, do not add s. Example: he can, she may, it must After o, ch, sh or s, add es. Example: do - he does, wash - she washes After a consonant, the final consonant y becomes ie. (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - he worries but: play - he plays	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : Silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming but: agree - agreeing After a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled. Example: sit - sitting After a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British English (but not in American English). Example: travel - travelling (British English) but: traveling (American English) Final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

See also explanations on Simple Present and Present Progressive

Exercies on Simple Present and Present Progressive

• Exercise 1, Exercise 2, Exercise 3, Exercise 4, Exercise 5, Exercise 6
• Exercise 7, Exercise 8
• Exercise 9, Exercise 10, Exercise 11, Exercise 12

Figurative Language. Learning with language resources

Source: Day 11. 2012/04/20, J. Savio, Flickr

Life would be pretty boring if everything we ever said or heard was literal, like “The day is hot,” or “There is a lot of rain.” Often we need to use literal statements for clarity, but our language is extremely rich with figurative terms as well. For example, the statements “It feels like an oven,” and “It’s raining cats and dogs!” convey the same information as the statements in the first sentence.

Source: Five Senses, Nicki Dugan Pogue, FlickrWe use figurative language in everyday speech. Writers also use figurative language to make their messages lively, descriptive, interesting, and meaningful. In this lesson, we will focus on three ways to use figurative language:

• To create imagery
• To appeal to the senses (using sensory detail)
• To suggest mood

Understanding figurative language opens our minds to a new way of thinking. Using figurative language is like creating a whole new world of richness and meaning

Appealing to senses:

In addition to the types of figurative language you learned about in the previous section, poets often use figurative language to appeal to the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Language that appeals to the senses also creates a greater emotional impact on the reader. Can you match the lines of poetry below to the corresponding senses?

Often, a poet makes use of special figurative language known as sound devices. These devices appeal to the sense of sound and intensify the impact of the poem. Two of these useful sound devices are alliteration and onomatopoeia. Click below to reveal examples of each from poetry.

https://www.texasgateway.org/resource/imagery-and-figurative-language-english-7-reading