Video: The Notting Hill Carnival

10 Idioms in 10 Minutes

• free and easy = relaxed, friendly. She knew that life wouldn't be so free and easy at work.
• in dribs and drabs = in small amounts or numbers. The public arrived in dribs and drabs.
• in leaps and bounds = very quickly. My English is improving in leaps and bounds.
• prim and proper = correct and very formal. She's a very prim and proper lady.
• ranting and raving = shouting in an angry way. Please stop ranting and raving and listen to me!
• skin and bone = extremely thin. She's really skin and bone, she doesn't need to go on a diet anymore.
• spick and span = completely clean and tidy. Her room is always spick and span.
• the length and breadth of some place = all over the place. Police searched the length and breadth of the town.
• thick and fast = happening very frequently, in large amounts. Letters for the contest arrived thick and fast.
• to be at somebody's beck and call = be ready to do what somebody wants. She got tired of being at his beck and call.
• to blow hot and cold = keep changing one's attitude towards something. Now he agrees but I'm sure that later he'll disagree; he always blows hot and cold.

Aficiones e intereses

Aficiones e intereses

Aquí tienes algunas frases que pueden ser útiles cuando 
hables sobre intereses y aficiones.

what do you like doing in your spare time?	¿qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?
I like ...	me gusta ...
watching TV	ver la television
listening to music	escuchar música
walking	pasear
jogging	hacer jogging
I quite like ...	me gusta bastante ...
cooking	cocinar
playing chess	jugar al ajedrez
yoga	el yoga
I really like ...	me gusta mucho ...
swimming	nadar
dancing	bailar
I love ...	me encanta ...
the theatre	el teatro
the cinema	el cine
going out	salir por ahí
clubbing	ir a la discoteca
I enjoy travelling	me gusta viajar

I don't like ...	no me gustan ...
pubs	los pubs
noisy bars	los bares ruidosos
nightclubs	las discotecas
I hate ...	odio ...
shopping	ir de compras
I can't stand ...	no soporto ...
football	el fútbol

I'm interested in ...	me interesa ...
photography	la fotografía
history	la historia
languages	los idiomas
I read a lot	leo mucho
have you read any good books lately?	¿has leído algún buen libro últimamente?
have you seen any good films recently?	¿has visto alguna buena película últimamente?

do you play any sports?	¿practicas algún deporte?
yes, I play ...	sí, juego ...
football	al fútbol
tennis	al tenis
golf	al golf
I'm a member of a gym	estoy apuntado a un gimnasio
no, I'm not particularly sporty	no, no soy muy deportista
I like watching football	me gusta ver el fútbol
which team do you support?	¿cúal es tu equipo favorito?
I support ...	soy seguidor del ...
Manchester United	Manchester United
Chelsea	Chelsea
I'm not interested in football	no me interesa el fútbol

do you play any instruments?	¿sabes tocar algun instrumento?
yes, I play ...	sí, sé tocar ...
the guitar	la guitarra
yes, I've played the piano for ... years	sí, he tocado el piano durante ... años
five	cinco
I'm in a band	estoy en una banda de música
I sing in a choir	canto en un coro
what sort of music do you like?	¿qué tipo de música te gusta?
what sort of music do you listen to?	¿qué tipo de música escuchas?
pop	pop
rock	rock
dance	música dance
classical	música clásica
anything, really	escucho de todo
lots of different stuff	escucho mucha música diferente
have you got any favourite bands?	¿tienes alguna banda favorita?

Phrasal Verbs

grow up

to develop from a child into an adult.

look after

to take care of someone or something

bring up

to take care of a child until it is fully grown and able to
care for itself; to train and prepare a child for adult life.

do up

to repair; to improve the condition and appearance of
something.
a house / a room / a flat / an old car etc.

look back

to remember and think about the past.

put through

to connect a telephone caller to the number he or she
wants.

speak up

to speak louder.
often used in the imperative

cut off

to disconnect, interrupt or discontinue something or
someone.

hold on

to wait (especially on the telephone).

get through

to contact someone (usually by telephone).

stand for

to represent or mean; to be a sign or short form of
something else.

break down

to stop working (of machinery)

break up

to end; to separate.
(of a marriage / a family / a relationship etc.)

English Language

English Language

English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly known as the Anglosphere). It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world, especially in Commonwealth countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa, and in many international organisations.

Modern English is sometimes described as the global lingua franca. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the initial spread of the language far beyond the British Isles. Following World War II, the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States has significantly accelerated the spread of the language. On an average school day approximately one billion people are learning English in one form or another.

A working knowledge of English is required in certain fields, professions, and occupations. As a result over a billion people speak English at least at a basic level. English is one of six official languages of the United Nations.

Questions about the text

1. English is spoken in Canada.
True.
False.
We don't know.

2. Modern English is sometimes described as the global lingua franca.
True.
False.
We don't know.

3. It has become the international language in many areas.
True.
False.
We don't know.

4. Over a billion people speak English at least at a basic level.
True.
False.
We don't know.

5. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations.
True.
False.
We don't know.

BEAUTIFUL, PRETTY OR HANDSOME?

         BEAUTIFUL, PRETTY OR HANDSOME?

Key

Beautiful is used to refer to a woman or a child, who are attractive in a noticeable way.

Pretty is used to refer to a woman or a girl, who have a nice, attractive face.

Handsome is used to refer to a man or a boy, who are good-looking, attractive.

Beautiful se usa para referirse a una mujer o un niño pequeño, que son atractivos de forma evidente.

Pretty se usa para referirse a una mujer o una niña, que tienen una cara bonita, atractiva.

Handsome se usa para referirse a un hombre o un niño, que son bonitos, atractivos.

• beautiful
  She was more beautiful than I had remembered.
  What a beautiful child!
  Julia Roberts is really beautiful.
  
  
• pretty
  She looks pretty with that new haircut.
  They have a pretty little girl.
  Julia Roberts is really pretty.
  
  
• handsome
  He is tall, blond and handsome.
  They have a handsome young boy.
  George Clooney is really handsome.

Conditionals Type 2

Conditionals Type 2 

Las oraciones condicionales del segundo tipo sirven para expresar situaciones que podrían ocurrir si se cumpliera una determinada condición hipotética.

Por ejemplo:

If I had a million dollars, I would buy a big house.Si tuviera un millón de dólares, compraría una casa grande.

A esta oración se la denomina oración condicional del segundo tipo. Expresa que pasaría si se cumpliera una condición imaginaria, hipotética (que es poco probable que se cumpla). En realidad, no tengo un millón de dólares, solamente estoy imaginando qué haría si los tuviera.

If + condición + consecuencia
If + Past + would

Estas oraciones se forman comenzando con IF y agregando la condición, expresada en tiempopasado. Luego, se agrega lo que ocurriría si se cumple esa condición, expresado con wouldseguido del verbo.  

If I had a calculator, I would do this homework quicker (but I don't have a calculator).Si tuviera una calculadora, haría esta tarea más rápido (pero no tengo una calculadora).

If you lost your keys, you would have a big problem.Si perdieras las llaves, tendrías un gran problema.

If I worked less, I would have more free time.Si trabajara menos, tendría más tiempo libre.

Siempre debe utilizarse el tiempo pasado en la parte de la oración que tiene el if y el verbo modal would en la parte de la oración que contiene la consecuencia. Es incorrecto decir:

If I would work less, I would have more free time.If I worked less, I would have more free time.

El verbo modal would puede usarse también en su forma contracta 'd.

If I worked less, I'd have more free time.

El verbo modal would puede usarse también en su forma contracta 'd.

If I worked less, I'd have more free time.

La condición tambén puede ser negativa.

If you didn't eat so much, you would be slim.Si no comieras tanto, estarías en forma.

La consecuencia tambén puede ser negativa.

If you didn't eat so much, you wouldn't be so fat.Si no comieras tanto, no estarías tan gordo.

También es posible realizar preguntas con las oraciones condicionales.

What would you do if you won the lottery?¿Qué harías si ganaras la lotería?

Veamos la diferencia con las oraciones condicionales del primer tipo:

Type 1: If we take a bus, it will be cheaper.Si tomamos un autobús, será más barato.

Type 2: If we took a bus, it would be cheaper.Si tomáramos un autobús, sería más barato.

En la primera oración se trata de una condición general, se expresa algo que sucederá en el futuro. En cambio, en la segunda oración se trata de una condición irreal, estamos hablando de la posibilidad de tomar un autobús. Es una situación hipotética, que puede suceder o no, pero que solamente estamos imaginando que pasaría.