YOU MUST SEE THESE SITES

Hi Again,
I want you to have a look at these two websites.

1st: A website with links for learners of English...

http://www.ncistudent.net/CourseResources/GeneralEducation/English_lang.htm

2nd: A more general website, called THE LEARNING CENTRE, where you can find a menu on the left with links to information and explanation of the different skills that you should develop as learners:

- Learning Skills
- Writing Skills
- Presentation Skills
- Examination Skills

http://www.ncistudent.net/

Readings in Easy English

Hello Students,
Let me post a new website where you can find lots of readings in simple English. There are many stories so that you have fun while you improve your reading skills...I hope you enjoy it:

http://towerofenglish.com/reading.html

Present Perfect

Hello Students,
This is a post to give you a link to a very good explanation of present perfect...We use "pretérito perfecto" in a slightly different way, so I hope that this explanation and the exercises that you will find at the bottom of the page will help you a bit...all right?

NOTE:

Some of the activities cannot be done by first year students because we have not seen in class some tenses that I have seen with second year students...
And please have a look at the left side of the page:-)It is a help with tenses
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

By the way, I was having a look at the handouts I have given you and there is one mistake in one photocopy I gave to SECOND YEAR STUDENTS:

In the PHOTOCOPY "Compound nouns made with SOME, ANY AND NO" you can find these sentences:
e. He doesn 't have to stay anything to stay tonight
f. I wouldn't eat anything except at Maxim's

Well, there is a mistake: please change the word ANYTHING for ANYWHERE. OK?

Lots of New Tests

Hello Students: Have a look at this website http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/.You can find there different tests for the aspects of grammar and/or vocabulary that you want to reinforce...
Please have a look at it, It is very interesting and complete!!!You can find extra practice for lots of things that we have seen in class!
Remember also that we will use these two days to revise, so I would like you to have a look at the books and make a note of your doubts and those things that you need to ask, all right?
Ok, Enjoy the new website!
Patricia

More Listenings

Hello Students,
I have just found another great website where you can practise your listening...

Go to: http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html

It's the CNN story archive.

Just click on the story that interests you,and clicking on STORY you can listen to it while you read the text if you pressor watch the CNN video if you press...
Besides you have vocabulary and comprehension questions on the LEFT which you can do to check that you have understood the text, ok?

I hope you enjoy it, it is a wonderful way to practise your listening, and it is American Accent!I will also include it in the links section as

CNN Listenings.

Phrasal Verbs

Second Year!!!!
This is a short(and clear)explanation of what PHRASAL VERBS are... Go to the link below:

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasaldictionary.html

You will find phrasal verbs explained and also links to lots of different PHRASAL VERBS organised alphabetically and examples.

Practice Makes Perfect

Hello Students, today someone from first year asked me how one can improve listening...My answer is getting to know

NATIVE SPEAKERS!!!

In my opinion, it's the funniest and fastest way...so let me pass on this message to you...

Hello, this is a quick message to remind you about our weekly International
Evening every Wednesday night.

The idea is to give our virtual community a chance to meet in person, practise
languages, socialise, and generally get together for a few beers on a Wednesday
night (...the drinks are really cheap too, which is a nice change in Madrid!)

It's on at "Rocket" Bar (calle Larra 21, metro Bilbao) from 9pm to 1am.

Come with friends, or just yourself: we have our lingobongo host Miguel to make
sure everyone meets each other.

For a map (you actually need this as it's in a side street...) and more details
go to our website… http://www.lingobongo.com/madrid/

TESTS

Hello Students,
Someone asked me yesterday to bring a test to revise for the exam...well I have thought that maybe you would like to have a look at this website:

ELEMENTARY LEVEL: http://www.english-test.net/esl/english-grammar-test.html (IN FACT, I WILL PUT IT IN THE LINKS SECTION)

And here there is one for Second Year Students:http://www.mitsuba.co.uk/english/pre-internediate.asp
Please start studying, don't be lazy!!!:-)

EXTRA GRAMMAR

Hello students, I thought that some of you might need and want to do some more extra practice...

Here you'll find links to a number of exercises to review the grammar points we have seen in class...

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS: http://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/elementary-006.asp

SECOND YEAR STUDENTShttp://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/pre_intermediate.asp

Further Listening Practice

Hi students, below you can find a link to different recordings to listen and practise for the listening part of the exam:
LISTENINGS

First Year Students can do the listenings marked with one star.
>

Second Year Students can do those marked with two.
The link to those listenings can be found in a wonderful website from the EOI Zaragoza 2 where you will find more practice for all the skills.
For example, I found this in one of the clozes for practicing reading comprehension:

TIPS ON HOW TO COMPLETE CLOZE TESTS•

First, slowly read all the text without filling any of the gaps. Read it two or three times until you have a clear understanding of what the text is about.
• Then only complete the gaps you are absolutely sure of.
• Next try and find out what the missing words in the remaining gaps are. See which
part of speech may fit in each gap (article?, pronoun?, noun?, adverb?, adjective?,
preposition?, conjunction?, verb?) and pay special attention to the grammar around
the words in each gap.
Many of the gaps may include the following:
- preposition following a noun, adjective or verb. (Example: good at languages)
- prepositional phrase. (Example: in spite of)
- adverb. (Example: He moved to Zaragoza two years ago)
- connector. (Example: First, he arrives; then he sits down; finally, he leaves.)
- conjunction. (Example: Although he is five, he can speak five languages.
- auxiliary verb. (Example: He has won 2 matches)
- an article or some other kind of determiner. (Example: I have no time)
- a relative. (Example: Juan, who I met two years ago, is my best friend)
- a pronoun, either subject or object. (Example: it is difficult to know)
- is there a comparative or superlative involved? (Example: she's taller than me)
• Some sentences may seem to be complete and contain gaps that appear to be
unnecessary. If you find gaps like this, you will probably need the following:
- an adverb. (Example: He is always late)
- a modal verb. (Example: They can swim very well)
- a word to change the emphasis of the sentence: She's good enough to be queen;The problems are too difficult
• A few gaps may demand a vocabulary item consistent with the topic of the text; or a
word which is part of an idiomatic expression (example: Good heavens!); or a word
which collocates with another one (example: do a job); or a word which is part of a
phrasal verb (example: I was held up by traffic).
• If after putting into practice the techniques above you still have some gaps left, make a wild guess (adivínalo a ojo). Some teachers may award you a full mark or half a mark if they understand that your suggested word shows a good command of English grammar and vocabulary although the word you wrote in the gap is not the correct one or doesn't fully fit in the overall meaning of the text.
• Never leave a gap blank and never fill in a gap with a word you know for sure is wrong.

First Year Listening

Hello First Year Students,
I have included two new links in the CHECK THIS OUT section for practicing listening skills. Please have a look at them, it is good practice for you before the exam!

1. RONG CHANG
2. LEARN ENGLISH WEBSITE

Second Year

Hello Second Year students
I hope you have relaxed during these days...Now we have to continue working until the day of the exam. Here is a link from Longman , where you can find grammar practice and cloze texts for your level. I hope it is useful.

TOTAL ENGLISH PRE-INTERMEDIATE ONLINE RESOURCES