Merry Christmas!!!

The Christmas Day brings memories

And kindest thoughts untold,

Of friends we may not often see

But hope to always hold;

So may this greetings be a link

In friendship's precious chain,

And may there be a Christmas Day

When we shall meet again!

Merry Christmas everyone!

If you don't know it yet, have a look at Christmas classic:

http://www.stormfax.com/dickens.htm

Maybe this year you'll try one of these recipes:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/occasion/Christmas

False friends

Take a break and check if you are familiar with all of these:
http://deser.pl/deser/51,111858,15027527.html?i=0

Mock exam- answers!

Was it difficult? I'm sure for you- just a piece of cake;)
Check:
http://www.edulandia.pl/edukacja/1,101865,15122619,Probny_egzamin_gimnazjalny_z_Operonem_2013_2014__.html
http://www.edulandia.pl/edukacja/1,101865,15117838,Probny_egzamin_gimnazjalny_z_Operonem_2013_2014__.html

Mock exam is coming!

Revise our last grammar part- modal verbs:
http://nauczyciel.wsipnet.pl/kluby/angielski/610/pk/1394/id/8625
and the rest:
http://nauczyciel.wsipnet.pl/kluby/angielski/610/pk/1394
Good luck!

Reported speech once more

Rules:
http://angielski.na6.pl/zastosowanie_i_reguly_mowy_zaleznej
http://edudu.pl/video-reported-speech-mowa-zalezna,5a097f61d3ec064d96d2
Exercises:
http://angielski.na6.pl/mowa_zalezna_cwiczenia

What do they have in common?

squash:

turkey:

pumpkin:

and.... football:

???

Tomorrow it's Thanksgiving Day. Learn about its history: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG4XyNqUQxg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsdzjdT_LkY

Laughter is the best medicine:)

Are you good at telling jokes?
If you need some inspiration, go there:
http://iteslj.org/c/jokes.html
I recommend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2F4ZWTjwTU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meF7NmfnXZ0
Ace!!!

Sweet tooth or green fingers?

What kind of person are you?
Revise body parts vocabulary:
http://esldivlabs.vcc.ca/ELSA/Instructor_Web_Exercises/Vocabulary/Parts_of_the_Body_Multiple_Choice.htm
http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/body/
and check these idioms:
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/idioms-body.htm

What are your mornings like?

Revise daily routine vocabulary (part of family and social life unit on your exam):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjgwgkI0D4o
then try to name all the activities you can see on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr46fFqKu1M

Do hens lay eggs?

Shall I raise or rise  my hand when I know the answer? Today about verbs easily confused:
http://znamangielski.com/czasowniki_czesto_mylone_verbs_easily_confused.html
http://www.gingersoftware.com/grammarbook/verbs/confusing-verbs/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/605/02/

Revision time!

Time to say goodbye is coming :(
28th November is our last lesson. This is what you should know after 3-month-course
(September-October-November):

VOCABULARY

• collocations (articles units 5,6) : score a goal, win an award, put on weight, join the meeting, shake hands, make small talks, make sure, take a photo, have a say in sth, take a day off, flexi-time
• expressions with get (up, back, away, over, on)
• formal-informal
• expressions with fear
• expressions for obligation, need, possibility, eg. mandatory, liable, exempt

GRAMMAR

• past tenses: past simple, past continuous, past perfect, past simple vs present perfect
• past habits and states (used to, would)
• modal verbs- present and past : can, have to, must, need to, should

On 26th November we have a test and on 28th Nov. - the results. Study hard!!! 

I'll show them to your new teacher:)

Do you have goosebumps while hearing this?

This is an extension to our today's lesson about fear.

Check these expressions:

http://quizlet.com/16518826/fear-idioms-flash-cards/#
http://www.engvid.com/english-vocabulary-fear/
and don't exaggerate- it may end like this:
http://www.michellehenry.fr/phobies.htm

'Whatever is good to know is difficult to learn'

Whenever you are tired of school, think about this Greek proverb:)
Revise school vocabulary:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/vocabulary-exercise-school.php#.UoNisPlWzTo
and expressions:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/vocabulary-exercise-school-expressions.php
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/vocabulary-lesson-school-expressions.php#.UoNiqvlWzTo
play a school game:
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/school-vocabulary-game-practice-school-supplies-subjects-school-tools-and-actions/
and then watch this overview of types of teachers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTXunsNFJmA
Which one do you like the best?

You dipped road dog, ya smell me?

Don't get it?
Check
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/
http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml
http://www.manythings.org/slang/
and keep your chin up;)

You think English is easy?

To consider:) (Found on Facebook)

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture..
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert..
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear..
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'?

Gimme the potatoes...

... or 'Would you please pass me the chips'? Today we'll have a look at formal-informal language.
http://www.slideshare.net/egonzalezlara/formal-and-informal-language2
http://www.blssrl.com/assets/Formal_Informal_English.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc6fqqq9mIM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oK_mMC85ow

Need some help? Go to www.urbandictionary.com
:)

What's your job?

Today a quick revision of job vocabulary:
professions
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bwTDqG62_Vk
expressions
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ddCuu9LKqZo
tips, how to write a good cv:
without any experience:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_-kySh6jspg

and an universal pattern:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VeRVXdK_V54

Sometimes it's not easy to find a job:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Or6CwOyx30I
:)))

Remember, remember, the fifth of November....

...gunpowder treason and plot
we see no reason
why Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...

learn more about British celebrations of Bonfire Night

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=74GKQoYPL6E
http://www.bonfirenight.net
 and exercise if you wish:
http://www.eslholidaylessons.com/11/guy_fawkes_night.html

One more spooky story

Maybe the most famous one....  "The legend of sleepy hollow":
http://www.apw.cnyric.org/webpages/scarter/files/Sleepy%20Hollow%20Classroom%20Edition.pdf
http://www.apw.cnyric.org/webpages/scarter/files/Sleepy%20Hollow%20Map%20Activity.pdf
if you want to compare with the original version:
http://www.apw.cnyric.org/webpages/scarter/files/Sleepy%20Hollow%20Original%20Text.pdf

Past habits

To talk about past habits you need 'used to' construction. Watch the video and practice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7a5OdSYNwI
http://angielski.na6.pl/used_to_cwiczenia
then find it in this popular song:

Trick or treat!

May like it or not, Halloween (31st October) is a popular holiday in English speaking countries (and not only). Watch the video how they celebrate it in the US
http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/autumn-festivals/halloween/halloween-in-the-usa-listening.html
and read some of these scary stories (if you dare!)
http://www.halloween-website.com/scary_stories.htm

Gossips...

Have you heard? He said they were dating!

To report someone's words, you need to know reported speech. This time in Polish as it's your first lesson about the subject. Please make notes about changing of tenses and time expressions.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_qmeiq2o_0o
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S91_KupfSCQ
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zydp4nmUzBA

Pumpkin time!

Revise food vocabulary
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXS83_Z0AjM
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=58eFNxlLr5s
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aw0zdXrBK4w


and try to make delicious pumpkin muffins (or else!)
www.pumpkinrecipes.org

How it's made...

I love chocolate. I really do. But... have you ever wondered how it's made?
To understand the answer you have to know passive voice.
Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BYAc43d9Hc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxbQ2U3Uuv0
Practice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye3-vJkO0A8
Learn how it's made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye78F3-CuXY

Have some:) Mmmmm....... delicious:)

Language intricacies....

If sometimes you feel you make no progress, can't remember a word or expression, keep calm and learn English! Do not give up! It's not as hard as you think. To prove that,
a Polish song:

and an English one:

Which one do you understand better?

If you want to be.....

a perfect friend (You SHOULD leave this bastard, honey.)
a perfect doctor (You MUST stay in bed for two weeks.)
a perfect detective (It CAN'T be Paul- he's too tall.)
or just a perfect English user, you NEED TO know modal verbs:)
http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/Modals.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/modals/modalintro.html
http://www.tlumaczenia-angielski.info/angielski/modals.htm

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yGO_bRR66SM
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ozfFW4f4H3g

Preparing for the big day

The big day is coming.... slowly and surely ( just to remind: 25th April 2014, 9.00 a.m. basic part, 11.00 a.m. advanced part).
Have a look at these past papers and practice at home while I'm absent:
http://oke.wroc.pl/images/library/File/pdfy/GA-1-102.pdf
http://oke.wroc.pl/images/library/File/pdfy/GA-1-102tr.pdf

key:
http://www.oke.wroc.pl/images/library/File/pdfy/GA-1-102klucz.pdf
http://www.oke.wroc.pl/images/library/File/pdfy/GA-8-102klucz.pdf

Grrrrrrrr .... ammar:/

Mixed tenses practice for those writing egzamin kuratoryjny in October and for every grammar lover:)
http://www.english-grammar.at/worksheets/tenses/tenses.htm
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=8409
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-tenses.php#.Ulf4PecayK0
http://theenglishcafe.blogspot.com/2009/11/exercise-mixed-tenses.html
more difficult:
http://www.ihbristol.com/free-english-exercises/test/esol-smc-more-mixed-tenses

Do you speak English?

Are you sure?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dABo_DCIdpM
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua7nyAaf3pE

Fun for everyone

Are you good at it?
http://whichisenglish.transparent.com

Hindsight is always 20/20

I could have done it better or how to use modals in the past. Listen to the lesson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2C8bMztpKI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGS2nlduH3g

then practice:
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/4g66-past-modals-exercise.php
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/410-modals-of-possibility-and-probability-for-past-situations1.htm
http://elt.oup.com/student/naturalenglish/int/a_grammar/unit11/neint_grammar11_exp?cc=pl&selLanguage=pl
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-53195.php

House vocabulary- revision lesson

Be prepared for a competition based on this lesson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqCEFIfXka8

Got nothing to watch?

Watch how obesity becomes a serious problem of our times, comparing American :
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b19Qq0mN_vc
and British English:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ahjYGQNGdG0

Small talks

If you are not sure what to say, try these tips and be a party animal!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JWVC22ligEo
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_qp_0_1yw7A

What did you do yesterday?

Watch a film about Past Simple tense:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF2jRfFe82Y
and practice:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-simple-past.php#.UkiIVCJdV2M

What's your favourite kind of music?

Do you know all of these? Check yourself and have fun:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P-WaYjxazoI

My house is my castle

Do you remember all the words from ' house' unit?
If not, revise:

and then have a look how your favourite stars live:

A cup of music for today's afternoon

Madonna's memories:

Childhood memories...

As a child, I would go to this cinema every Sunday with my dad to watch "Poranek":)

And what is your childhood memory? How to say it in English?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jeTC5YpE7E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2PZf2RfERQ

Don't judge a book by its cover- appearance vocabulary

Just to revise our 'What is he like', 'What does he like', 'What does he look like' questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzDvyDsxUSE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACRpnHBxays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8t3aolwS-o

Better than Bieber;)

Sleepy? Bored? Fed up with all the world? Listen to the radio for teens! It works!
www.helendoronradio.com

Present Perfect or Past Simple?

Advanced version:
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_advancedreview.htm
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_intermediatereview.htm

Quiz for everyone:
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/228.html

Easier version and general revision:
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/2g11-past-simple-present-perfect-gap-fill.php
http://www.ang.pl/cwiczenia/gramatyka/810
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simpas-preper

Twist your tongue!

Can you say that?
http://www.mamarocks.com/whether_the_weather.htm
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/en.htm
http://busyteacher.org/images/tongue-twisters-poster-full.jpg

Travelling

"To travel is to live" as once Andersen said. Dear Girls, just for you a cup of vocabulary about the airport and means of transport to remember:

and other people's opinion about travelling to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS0tLwBcfmg

We love phrasals!

We all love phrasals, recently those with 'get'. If you want to be an expert in it, do not hesitate to try one of these exercises:
http://www.blairenglish.com/exercises/verbs/exercises/using_verb_get1/using_verb_get1.html
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-phrasalverbs-toget1.html
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/phrasal-verbs/4pv17-get.php

And what do YOU know about egzamin gimnazjalny?

My dear teen students, before we totally plunge into exercises for egzamin gimnazjalny, please take a look at this useful site about it:
http://www.edulandia.pl/edukacja/0,121134.html
and do not fear! You'll manage:)

How do you feel about trying new things?

Dear Students,
welcome to our blog, which I hope will be a nice addition to our course:)
The first post is dedicated to my Mago group. As we've talked recently about successful personalities, the meaning of 'going on', etc., try watching this short podcast about success and think how do you feel about trying new things. See you on Tuesday:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m3YOeSMUPM