Category: B1

B1 · Listening

Funny gags about posh English

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Why should learning a language mean getting stressed and not having fun? Come on! Who ever said that stuff about  ‘one has to suffer to reach an aim’? Not meaning by this that a certain amount of effort shouldn’t be invested in whatever we want to do if we want to make progress, but if you enjoy what you’re doing, you are always going to do much better and consequently, learn much more.

Here are some funny gags on posh English people for you to practise your listening skill. Enjoy!

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A2 · B1 · culture · Listening

Songs about Holidays

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It’s almost time for holidays. Yes, school breaks up and students can relax their neurons a bit. While for others, summer means a lot of work hours and, er… tons and tons of  stress. Because if you live by the Mediterranean Sea, you must already know how crowded with tourist we can get and of course, that means that while some people can enjoy a lovely fortnight lolling on the sandy beaches getting a really nice tan and sipping up cool drinks, others fret about how they are going to cope with long shifts, look after their kids and survive until the tourist season ends. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. It’s just one of those things…

Here are some songs about holidays. They were hits when they were released even though you will probably not know them and they may seem a little bit peculiar to you now in the 21st century (or at least to me, when I saw that huge red double-decker driving around France eh!!!???).

Anyway, I think the songs have pretty catchy tunes and words to them, and that you’ll enjoy at least one of them. Good practice and good holidays!

First one coming up for beginners. Scorpions 1979 hit ‘Holiday’.

scorpions

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Second coming up for A2 and low B1. Wow! A real golden oldie from 1963. Cliff Richard and the Shadows called this one, Summer holidays and it was one of the soundtracks for a film with the same name. Children frequently sing this song at schools when they are going to break up for the summer holidays and it is also ‘one of those songs you pest your parents or friends with when driving long distances and you want to kill boredom (yeah, sort of like the Spanish song ‘En el auto de papá ‘). If after the video you find out why the driver is served sandwiches twice, you might want to share that bit of information, because I just can’t work it out.

By the way, according to laws concerning cyclist’s safety, Cliff Richard  would have got a hefty fine had he been driving like that nowadays.

Cliff_Richard

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Number 3… Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ released in 1983. You can get up and dance if you feel like it ( or not if you don’t, its up to you) 😉

Madonna

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B1 · Listening

Strange Tudor Laws

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It’s time for a laugh and a little history. This listening activity deals with the times of Elizabeth I who was Henry VIII’s second daughter and who reigned after her elder sister, Mary I, and her very young brother Edward VI (who ascended to the throne at the age of nine). Am I boring you? Yes I think so…

Anyway, during the 16th century, Elizabeth was queen and nobody’s fool. Her sister, Mary had had her locked up for many years in a tower so, by the time she reached the throne she knew very well how dangerous the Tudor times were. There were lots of laws and rules to follow concerning, religion, trade and security because European countries in those times were always at war and plotting against kings and queens, for some reason or another. This  video from Horrible Histories deals with some of these laws in a hilarious way.I hope you enjoy it!

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Listening · B1

Owner’s dog looks at him while he falls asleep

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adopt_me

Do you like animals? Do you consider yourself an animal lover?

I found this video really heartbreaking, but I also give high value to the positive note knowing that there are many people that sympathise with animal’s feelings  viewing them a real members of a family and not only as a form of amusement, that can easily be discarded in times of illness or impossibility to look after. In Spain we have a real problem concerned with animal abandonment and you’d be completely horrified to see how full animal shelters are of pets that were once loved and cared for. So when I saw this fantastic video, I thought it would be a nice listening activity for my Intermediate students but I also thought that it would be my tiny contribution towards making people realise that because our ‘hairy friends’ love and respect us, the least we can do, is to provide them with care and love, even in moments of distress because, after all, they had no voice in their choice of pet owners.

 

B1 · B2 · culture · Listening

The Mistletoe Bride

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bride_ghost_pastel_small

I’ve always thought that knowing the culture of the country of a language we are learning, will help us improve our linguistic skills, as well as adding interest to something that is sort of becoming compulsory, such as learning a language or two (or three if you like).

Well, here’s the first part of this project I’m into now, which is basically, telling very old stories related to the culture of the British Isles. This is the first one, and hopefully, won’t be the last although, it has quite a few things that need to be improved like background sounds of lorries driving past my window, a cat miaowing  and a creaky chair. I really apologise for this, but hope you enjoy the story anyway.

 

B1 · B2 · Grammar · phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs with ‘Look’

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LOOK