Writing: Revision of basic mistakes

Hi everyone!

Here you have a presentation with mistakes from the last written exercises  in class.

Would you like to play a game? Then try to guess the correct sentence before you click to see the next slide! Good luck.

Frequent Mistakes

View more presentations from Laura Martin

Christmas Games

Hello out there!

Are you bored at Christmas time? Then come here and practice your English for a few minutes!

- Play a game with Santa.

- Do a matching activity and sing a song.

- Write a letter to Santa.

- Read a story.

You can find all these activities (and more!) on the      British Council website.

Have a merry Christmas and a great New Year!
(Click on red links)  

Christmas Symbols

These are things that are commonly associated with Christmas in various parts of the world.

The Wreath

The Wreath which is traditionally displayed on the front door of a home during the weeks of Advent and the Christmas season once was a multiple role.

The wreath is intertwined with red ribbons which are done to express the festive spirit, while its evergreen leaves were symbolic of the everlasting life promised to the faithful by the birth of Jesus Christ. The circular shape was a reminder of the crown of thorns placed on His head by the Roman soldiers when they ridiculed Him as the 'king of the Jews'. Another reason for the wreath being used as part of celebrations related to the god Bacchus, whose worshippers were thought to have worn circular ivy crowns.
Another practical purpose for the wreath was that the evergreen boughs were believed to protect a home from evil spirits, which were thought to be plentiful during this dark time of the year. During the Middle Ages the red berries of holly were believed to keep witches out of the home; this is why holly became the traditional and lucky evergreen for the wreath-making.

Bells
Bells are rung on Christmas morning to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
A legend that has been told is that the bells were rung for an hour before midnight on the first Christmas Eve, this was said to have been done to warm the forces of darkness of the imminent birth of Jesus Christ. At the stroke of midnight, the peal of the bells changed pitch into a joyous peal.

The bells are also rung for another purpose as well. Just as bells are tolled to announce the death of someone they were also rung to tell the 'death' of the Devil which was brought upon by the coming of Jesus Christ. The church bell was also known as 'the Old Lad's Passing bell', 'Old Lad' which was said to be a euphemism for Satan. The bells have also been assumed to chase away evil spirits, which are said to be repelled by noise of any kind.
There are many types of Christmas bells for the season. They can be heard on Christmas morning, they are used as decoration on Christmas cards as well as on the Christmas tree. Wassailers would use them to announce their presence by ringing them, so did Father Christmas, with jingling bells accompanying his sleigh progress.

The Nativity Scene

The crib, representing the crib in which the baby Jesus Christ was laid after his birth in a stable in Bethlehem, has become a favorite Christmas decoration. It has been used for centuries to bring to life the story of Christmas.

Francis of Assisi, who was renowned for his love of animals, instituted the custom of the nativity scene. After receiving permission from the Pope, he erected the first one during the Christmas of 1224 in a cave outside the town of Greccio in Italy. It was not a hand crafted or modern type of crib but a live scene. Francis stood in front of the crib and would recite the Gospel relating to the scene; then he would deliver a sermon.
Nowadays, nativity scenes with all the figures such as Joseph, Mary and the three wise men along with an ox and a donkey, have become popular throughout the Christian world.

Holly
The evergreen holly symbolizes eternal life. This shrub's most conspicuous features have long been associated with Jesus Christ. The bright red       berries represent the drops of blood He shed on the cross; their color also represented the burning love for God present in the hearts of the faithful. The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns the Roman soldiers placed on Jesus Christ's head.

Poinsettia
The poinsettia is named after Joel R. Poinsett, who served as the USA's first ambassador to Mexico, from 1825-1829. He saw this indigenous plant with large scarlet leaves encircling small, greenish-yellow blossoms, which was the Mexican Christmas flower. He sent specimens back to the USA, where they flourished.  
A Mexican legend tells how the poinsettia became a Christmas flower. A poor peasant girl was anxious to bring a gift in honor of the Virgin Mary to the Christmas Eve service. She had nothing to give so she went with nothing. On the way she met an angel, who told her to pick some weeds. She did this. As by a miracle they were transformed into the bright scarlet 'flowers'. Poinsettias have been popular decorations for churches and homes during the Christmas festival.

The Star

The star placed at the very top of the Christmas tree recalls the one seen by the three wise men 'in the East' at the time of Jesus Christ's birth, the star that 'went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was'    
Matthew 2,1-12.
In many parts of the world today celebration of the Christian holiday has begun with the appearance of the first star on Christmas Eve.
In Poland this signals the beginning of the Festival of the Star. After the Christmas Eve meal, the priest of the village, as the "Star Man", goes around and tests the children's religious knowledge. In parts of Alaska boys and girls carry a star figure from house to house, singing carols and hoping for treats or to be invited in to dinner. In Hungary a star-shaped pattern in an apple cut in half means good luck. A break in the pattern is supposed to mean illness.
To Christians the Christmas star is supposed to express the ideals held out by Jesus, called in the Bible "the bright and morning star."
Stars in general have a special meaning, as they are sharing the heavens, no matter what barriers keep them apart on earth.

Candles
The lighting of candles at Christmas originated far back in time when it was part of early sun worship: like bonfires, candles were lit in the depths of winter in an attempt to magically strengthen the weakened sun. 

The Church tried to stamp this ancient custom out, but, instead it invested the lighting of the candles with a new meaning. Candles were lit so it is said to symbolize the divine light that was believed to illuminate the world. Another tradition is that candles were meant to recall the lights people lit in their windows at the time of Jesus Christ's birth, so as to let Mary and Joseph know that they would be welcome in their homes.
Another association of the lighting of candles was the period in Irish history when the Catholic religion was banned. A Catholic family would signal when it was safe for a priest to come in their home to celebrate Mass by placing a lighted candle in the window. It is in this way Christmas candles are a silent tribute to those people of all faiths, who, have faced persecution and who have remained loyal to their beliefs.

Tinsel

Glittering tinsel is used to decorate the Christmas tree to symbolize light. Light in all forms was thought to be magic enough to ensure that the forces of darkness would not have any power. 

A Christian legend given for the origins of tinsel is that a poor widow was determined to have a memorable Christmas for her family that all she possessed was a tree. She spent many hours decorating it and finally fell asleep. Later in the night spiders wove webs all over the tree's branches. As a reward for the widow's unselfishness, the Christ-child changed the spider webs into shining silver threads.
Another legend was that as a child Jesus Christ once decorated a tree. He was assisted by angels whose hair was caught on the branches as they departed, it turned into tinsel.

Baubles and Apples
Apples in some parts of the world are used to decorate trees, stems from the apple's associations with the Tree of Life in Paradise. According to popular belief, though the Bible never actually says so, this was an apple tree. 
Baubles are said to be replicas of the fruit. But are mostly just colorful ornaments which contribute to the festive spirit in a home. They also reflect light, which gives a multiplying effect of the candles and lights.

Christmas Gifts

The exchanging of Christmas presents can be traced back to an ancient Roman custom of gift-giving which was practiced at Saturnalia. 

When the custom was Christianized, it was told that it related to the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that the Magi had carried with them from the East when they travelled to pay homage to the newborn Jesus Christ.

                                                                                                Special thanks to www.santas.net

Waiting for Christmas

Christmas Best Wishes

Christmas 
    Best 
  Wishes! 

Christmas is a time for love. It is a time for showing our affection to our loved ones. La Navidad es época para el amor. Es una época para demostrar nuestro afecto a nuestros seres queridos.

In this Christmas I hope all your dreams come true. En esta Navidad espero que todos tus sueños se vuelvan realidad.

If you don't know what could be the best present in this Christmas, give your love!. Si no sabes cuál sería el mejor regalo en esta Navidad, da tu amor!.

Hope, peace and love for you this Christmas. Esperanza, paz y amor para tí esta Navidad.

May you have the best of Christmas this year and all your dreams come true. Ojalá tengas lo mejor de la Navidad este año y todos sus sueños se conviertan en realidad.

Christmas is a special time of year to remember those who are close to our hearts. La Navidad es una época especial para recordar a los que están cerca de nuestros corazones.
May the peace and joy of Christmas live in your heart in new year. Ojalá la paz y la alegría de la Navidad viva en tu corazón en el año nuevo.
I wish you a Christmas full of love!. Te deseo una Navidad llena de amor!.
Merry Christmas!. With many good wishes for Christmas and the coming year. ¡Feliz Navidad!. Con muchos buenos deseos para la Navidad y el año que viene.
The family is the most beautiful present for Christmas. La familia es el regalo más bonito para Navidad.
I hope your wishes make true this Christmas. Espero que tus deseos se hagan realidad en esta Navidad.

Types of houses

English Houses

What kind of home are you staying at in England? Do you know how to describe it?

A single detached dwelling contains only one dwelling unit and is completely separated by open space on all sides from any other structure, except its own garage or shed.

 A semidetached house. When new, the design of each side would have been identical. The embellishments on the right side of the building are more recent. The photograph offers a clear illustration of the separate title enjoyed by each property.

 Working-class terraced houses in Pakenham Street, Shaftesbury Square, South Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1981. The windows and doors of the unoccupied houses are bricked-up to deter vandals. The houses have since been fully restored. 

 A boarding house, is a house (often a family home) in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed and board", that is, at least some meals as well as accommodation. A "lodging house", also known in the United States as a "rooming house", may or may not offer meals. Lodgers legally only obtain a license to use their rooms, and not exclusive possession, so the landlord retains the right of access.

 A bedsit, also known as a bed-sitting room, is a form of rented accommodation common in Great Britain and Ireland consisting of a single room and shared bathroom; they are part of a legal category of dwellings referred to as Houses in multiple occupation. Bedsits are often occupied by young single people, students, those unable to purchase their own properties, or those whose occupancy, for one reason or another, is of a transitory nature; the cost is typically lower than that of private property. Someone living and working in different areas may rent a bedsit at low cost to reduce daily travel.

 

Apartments can be classified into several types. In North America the typical terms are a studio, efficiency or bachelor apartment (bedsit in the UK). These all tend to be the smallest apartments with the cheapest rents in a given area. This kind of apartment usually consists mainly of a large room which is the living, dining, and bedroom combined. There are usually kitchen facilities as part of this central room, but the bathroom is a separate, smaller room. Moving up from the bachelors/efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments, in which one bedroom is separate from the rest of the apartment. Then there are two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc.  apartments (Apartments with more than three bedrooms are rare). Small apartments often have only one entrance. Large apartments often have two entrances, perhaps a door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the building design, the entrance doors may be directly to the outside or to a common area inside, such as a hallway. Depending on location, apartments may be available for rent furnished with furniture or unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in with their own furniture.

 

In popular modern culture the term cottage is used in a more general and romantic context and can date from any era but the term is usually applied to pre-modern dwellings. Older, pre-Victorian cottages tend to have restricted height, and often have construction timber exposed, sometimes intruding into the living space. Modern renovations of such dwellings often seek to re-expose timber purlins, rafters, posts etc. which have been covered, in an attempt to establish perceived historical authenticity. Older cottages are typically modest, often semi-detached or terraced, with only four basic rooms ("two up, two down"), although subsequent modifications can create more spacious accommodation. A labourer's or fisherman's one-roomed house, often attached to a larger property, is a particular type of cottage and is called a penty. The term cottage has also been used for a largish house that is practical rather than pretentious.

  Bungalows became popular in the United Kingdom between the Wars, and very large numbers were built, particularly in coastal resorts, giving rise to the pejorative adjective, "bungaloid", first found in the Daily Express from 1927: "Hideous allotments and bungaloid growth make the approaches to any city repulsive". Many villages and seaside resorts have large estates of 1960s bungalows, usually occupied by retired people. The typical 1930s bungalow is square in plan, with 1960s ones more likely to be oblong. It is rare for just "bungalow" to be used in British English to denote a house having other than a single story, in which case "chalet bungalow" (see below) is used.

 

Villa, a term originating from Roman times, when it was used to refer to a large house which one might retreat to in the country. In the late 19th and early 20th century villa suggested a freestanding comfortable sized house, on a large block, generally found in the suburbs. 

 Mansion, a very large house, usually of more than one story, on a very large block of land or estate.

Blowin´ in the wind. A peace song.

Tell me why?

You can always close your eyes but you can´t close your ears… open your mind… 

open your heart…

My grandfather by Nuria Herrera, 1º E.S.O. A

My grandfather is a very important person to me. He is 72 years old. He is very funny like his attitude. He dresses in a common casual way. He has got blue eyes and he has got a clear face. He hasn´t got many wrinkles over his nose. His nose is pink and his lips are slightly fleshy. He is very active. He toured Spain and Portugal on foot. He has been a very good climber. If you know him, you like him. He is a really good person and very friendly. I love him.

Bruno Mars by Paola Karolina V.P., 1º E.S.O. A

My favourite person is Bruno Mars. He is a singer. He was born in Hawaii but he lives in the USA.

I like his songs because he sings very well and he is handsome. He likes wearing hats and sunglasses, and he looks great. His real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, but he is called “Bruno Mars” because when he was a child, he liked a boxer named Bruno, and Mars because his friends often said to him that he was from another planet. He likes pop, rock, reggae, R&B, soul and hip hop music. He has played for several music bands since he was young and he has become a famous singer with his own style. I love him. 

Paradise, by ColdPlay

In his memory by Mª Ángeles Escudero, 1º E.S.O. A

My favourite person is my cousin. He didn´t have a lot of hair. He had brown eyes. He liked being in his bedroom very much. He listened to music and he used his laptop. He was very funny. He loved rap and hip hop music. He didn´t like being in the living room. He died when he was 27 years old. He was too young to die. He died three months ago, just a day after his birthday.

                I love you, cousin, wherever you are!!!  

My favourite singer by Ana Belén Rodríguez, 1º E.S.O. B

Porta is a Spanish rapper who lives in Sarria – Barcelona. He is a person that you can identify easily when you are listening to his songs. He thinks that rap is “free speech”. He´s tall and friendly. He´s also handsome and happy… He has got very nice eyes - they are green and blue! His hair is brown and he has got a tanned skin. All his songs carry a message. The ones I like are “transtorno bipolar”, “ En boca de todos”, “Tetris rap”, “No es cuestion de edades”. I also like another song which is sung by Porta and Bazzel: “Mi rosa negra”. Porta has got many friends in Barcelona and some of them are: Bazzel, Chus, Datz, Soma, Naiara, (who is his girlfriend), Claud, Seuiya… It also has got a sister. Her name is Monica. He has got a dog. Its name is Boo. 

Likes and dislikes by Laura Sanabria, 2º E.S.O. D

I like TV programmes because they are interesting and amusing. I hate sports programmes  because they are   tiring and boring. I don´t like school subjects because I don´t like studying. I like English because my teacher is funny and the lessons are interesting. I love taking photos but I don´t like videos. I like cooking because it is interesting and exciting. I enjoy listening to music because  I like the songs. I like comedy programmes but I don´t like sport programmes  because they are boring. I like cartoons. They are funny. I don´t like the news because it is boring. There is always bad news. I love documentaries because they are interesting. I enjoy watching reality shows because they are amusing.

School Subjects by Lucía Rojas, 2º E.S.O. D

My favourite subjects are English, Science, Methods and Art. I love English because it is an interesting, cute an easy language. My teacher is cool, friendly and nice. I like Science because it is important to know about nature and science. My teacher is serious but she helps us very much. I love Methods because I enjoy doing the tasks and it is very interesting.  My teacher always punishes my task partner. I love Art because I like drawing the pictures. My teacher is very serious. She hardly ever smiles. I hate P.E. because I don´t like running for eight minutes or the tests. My teacher is very frightening!!!                     

My life by Javier Rodríguez, 2º E. S. O. B

I always have breakfast before coming to school. I usually come by car. Today, in my English class I´m learning English and listening to a Robbie Williams´ song. I´m singing it!!! In my P.E. class, I am playing football and basketball. It is funny. In my Music class, I´m learning to play the flute and to read music. In the Spanish language class, I am learning verbs and orthography. When I finish my lessons, I´ll go back to my house. At home, I always have lunch. Later, I sometimes listen to pop music and I do my homework. Then I play football with my brothers but I hate playing tennis. 

 

Imaginary city by Jorge Jiménez, 1º E.S.O. D

In my ideal imaginary city there are beautiful and old buildings. There are not cars. There is a skateboard park. There aren´t fast food restaurants. There aren´t many shops. There are Internet Cafés. There are lots of parks. There are some offices. It is a beautiful city.

An imaginary building in Granada by Sofía Moraleda, 1º E.S.O. D

In Granada, in the south of Spain, there are some very old buildings but we have got a new modern and spectacular one: Mediterranean Sea Building. The MSB tower is visible from forty two kms. The tower has got two hotels, offices, four restaurants, three swimming pools, a library and a gymnasium. There are four hundreds flats on floors 17 to 100 and, if you are interested, the price of a luxury flat here is between one million and two millions €.

Around this huge building you can find beautiful parks and an enormous lake, and next to the tower it is the Granada Shopping Center. Come to visit it.  

An email by Alejandro Arenas, 1º E.S.O. D

Hallelujah Song by Leonard Cohen

 

Hallelujah Song

Angels by Robbie Williams

 

You´re beautiful by James Blunt

Daily life by Luis Ángel Cabrera, 2º E.S.O. B

Hello! My name is Luis. I live with my mother in Granada, Spain. I get up at seven o´clock every day.  Later, I have breakfast and I go to school. My high school´s name is Juan XXIII. School starts at eight o´clock and finishes at half past two. When I get back home, I have lunch and I do my homework. Later, I watch TV and I play or chat on the computer. I have dinner at nine o´clock and I go to sleep at ten o´clock. At the weekend I do different things. I like going out with my friends or going for a walk through the centre of Granada. The best thing about weekend is I go to bed later. I also go to extracurricular activities such as tennis and I go to an academy for particular lessons. That´s all folks!!!  

Family life by Iván Moreno, 2º E.S.O. B

My name is Ivan. I am thirteen years old and I live in Churriana, a village in Granada. I live with my mum, dad and brother. I go to school every day from Monday to Friday. School starts at eight o´clock and finishes at half past two. I go back home and I have lunch. I do my homework in the afternoon. My brother and I play computer games at seven o´clock. My dad arrives home from work at six o´clock. My mum makes dinner and my dad helps her to lay the table. We sometimes eat pizza, hamburgers or chicken at McDonald.  

Calamardo by Fernando Soto, 1º E.S.O. B

Calamardo is a squid that lives next door to Spongebob and Patricio star. He is bitter and he has got a pessimistic character. Although it is always a little angry, he sometimes tends to behave childishly. It is sarcastic in his comments at times. These types of comments hurt Spongebob and Patricio. But they, both, treat him like a friend. Calamardo hates them because they are careless and they always finish badly. He is obsessed with being successful as a musician or painter.  

Spongebob by F. Javier Rodríguez, 1º E.S.O. B

Spongebob has got big and blue eyes. It is yellow. It has got a long nose. It is short and square. Its face is square, with many holes. It is happy. It has got short tabs, white teeth, a cheerful smile, short legs and small feet. Its character is cheerful. He likes bubbles and playing with its friend Patrick. It  works as a burger cook. He lives in a pineapple under the sea and it has got a pet,Gary.