Christmas Spirit

Hello folks!

Just a few days until Christmas. Since there are not many days left to the "big day" I have decided to dedicate an entry to have a look at some vocabulary and idioms that you can find useful to spend these festivities in a more international way. Let's start from some lexical terms first:

- Merry (adj): happy, cheerful, full of joy 

- Mistletoe (n): a plant with yellowish flowers and white berries used in Christmas decorations

- Holly(n): a tree or plant with shiny leaves and red berries 

- Tinsel(n): a thin sheet or thread of glittering metal that produce a sparkling effect in decorations

- Crib(n): a child's bed with enclosed sides/a box or bin for holding food for animals 

- Christmas carol (n): Christmas songs

- Bauble(n): cheap, showy ornament, decoration

- Father Christmas(n): a popular name for Saint Claus 

- Christmas hamper(n): Large basket containing usually food given in Christmas as present 

- Reindeer(n): a large deer of northern and arctic regions of the world 

- Sleigh(n): a light vehicle usually open and generally drawn by horses used for transporting people over snow 

- Wreath(n): a circular band made of flowers or plants and used for decoration. 

- Christmas stocking(n): a red and white close-fitting covering for the foot and part of the leg made of wool or cotton and used for decoration 

So,now that you have been provided with plenty of vocabulary about this special time of the year, let's have a look at some idioms or sayings popularly used in Christmas: 

-Stocking stuffer: a small gift given at Christmas time. Mary always wait until the last minute to buy all her stocking stuffers

-Eat, drink and be merry: enjoy with good food and drink. Welcome to the company's Christmas party. Eat, drink and be merry! 

-Trim the tree: to put ornaments on a Christmas tree. There is so much to pr pare before Christmas but Jamie always comes to help me cook and trim the tree

-White Christmas: a Christmas Day with snow on the ground. It's so hot that I don't think we will have a white Christmas this year. 

-In the holiday spirit: feeling excited about Christmas. My little son is always in the holiday spirit at this time of the year 

-Don't be a Scrooge: don't be negative around the Christmas holidays spoiling others' fun (from Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol). Come on! Come to the party. We will have so much fun. Don't be a Scrooge!

-Secret Santa: when members of a group are assigned a person to give a present to, often by having randomly selected names beforehand. There are so many of us that we always do secret Santa for Christmas. 

-Christmas comes but once a year: it is a special day and we should be especially generous and indulgent. You could be a bit more permissive with your daughter, Christmas comes but once a year! 

-Christmas came early!: when you receive some unexpected good news or good fortune. My sister got promoted in her job unexpectedly and my son passed all his final exams, Christmas came early this year! 

-Like Turkeys voting for Christmas: choosing to accept a situation which will have very bad results for them. All the employees were like turkeys voting for Christmas, they did not really know what they were getting into! 

Well, I hope you have enjoyed them.  All for me to say is... 

Merry Christmas and don´t forget to... Eat, drink and be merry! 

Donald Trump´s latest idea!

Hello there!

I am sure you have probably heard of Donald Trump and the outrage he is causing with some of his words in the race to elect candidates for the 2016 U.S. Government elections. He is certainly a man who says what he thinks and he does seem to have a major problem refraining his thoughts. Trump´s last controversial words have taken place in a speech where he announced the necessity of imposing a ban on Muslims to enter the U.S. In his statement, he was not talking about terrorist or even suspicious individuals but rather about any Muslim, regardless of their intentions. No need to say I strongly disagree with Mr Trump´s words since not everyone can be judged by some other´s actions.  Here you have Donald Trump´s most controversial words so far:

Now, let´s have a look at some of the vocabulary or expressions he used in his infamous speech:

• Shutdown (n): a closing, a stopping of working or operating. Example: The chain of shops suffered a major shutdown when the crisis started.
• Figure out (ph v):  understand, solve. Example: The students worked hard until they figured out the solution to the problem.
• Hatred (n): the feeling of one who hates, animosity. Example: I can understand why there is so much hatred towards animal abusers. 

Did you know these expressions? What do you think of Trump´s latest brilliant idea (irony mode on)? 

Very, So and Such

Hi Folks!

Friday already! It´s such a nice feeling! It´s so nice... but can I say: "It´s so nice feeling"?  If you answered "no" to the previous question you are on the right track.So, when do we use "such" and when do we use "so"? Go on reading if you want to find a proper answer to this question.

• We use So + Adjective. Example: It´s so exciting!
• We use Such + Adjective + Noun. Examples: It´s such an exciting city! / They are such  exciting people! 
• We can also use Very + Adjective. Example: It´s very exciting! 

Have a look at the following video which deals with the difference between "So" and "Such":

But, what´s the difference between using "So" and using "Very"?

• When we use 'So', there's normally another clause after it. The 'so' part of the sentence explains why the 'that' part of the sentence takes place.  Example: "Madrid is so polluted that some driving restrictions have had to implemented ". The first part of the sentence doesn't really make any sense without the second part  unless you're replying to something another person has just said. For example: -"I went to Madrid the other day and there was so much contamination..." - "Yes. You´re right. Madrid is so polluted!"

• However "Very" can be used without another clause after it or without being a reply to someone else. We can say: "Madrid is very polluted" 
• On the whole, we use 'Very' when we don't mean that something is good or bad, just extreme. Example: The weather is very cold these days!  However, we use 'So' when we want to add some extra information afterwards or replying to someone else. Examples: The weather is so cold that I need to wear a scarf! / - Are you cold? - Yes, It is so freezing! 

Is it clearer now? I hope so. Now, I´m off.  I´m so sleepy that I need a cup of coffee to wake me up. Then, I will go for a walk since it is such nice weather! Have a very lovely weekend!

The ten most common mistakes

Hello folks!

I read a very interesting article about the ten most common mistakes made by Spanish speakers a few days ago and I found it so revealing that I thought it would be quite interesting to write about some of these mistakes in my blog and share them with you.

• One common mistake made by Spanish students takes place when the students avoid using modal verbs. Modal verbs are far more popular in English than in Spanish and ESL students tend to use other forms that sound a bit less natural to native speakers. Example: I will possibly (might)  go to the party. The use of "would" for narrating past habitual actions is also very common in English and generally avoided by students. Example: I used to study a lot and I used to go swimming every day. I used to (would) dedicate a few hours a day to practise some sport and have a break from so much studying. 
• Another typical mistake is the overuse of the form "will" for future expressions avoiding using other structures that also express future like present continuous, future of going to or even present simple. The choice of which structure to use usually depends on the speaker´s act of speaking: making a prediction, talking about a plans or a decision, reading a timetable, etc. The use of "will" for any future expressions sounds unnatural and it shows a clear lack of fluency. Ex: I will (am getting) get married next summer and I will have a great day. 
• The verbs know and meet are quite distinctive in English and spansih speakers tend to misuse the verb "know" and use this verb as a translation of "conocer" regardless of its meaning. Example: Tracy is very friendly. I knew (met) her in a party a few weeks ago.
• Prepositions are also tricky for ESL students since there are three prepositions that mean "en" in English: at, in, on. It is very important to learn the prepositions with the words they go. Sometimes, using the wrong preposition can also change the meaning of the sentence. Example: My mother shouted to me at lunch time. (to get my attention) - My mother shouted at me at lunch time (because she was angry) 
• Phrasal Verbs are very common verbs in English and ESL students tend to avoid using them when speaking or writing. Their use is key to show fluency and command of the language. Students tend to use forms from Latin instead of using phrasal verbs which are far more common in natural English. Examples: I am going to investigate (look into) the matter. I won't tolerate (put up with) your behaviour any longer! 
• The repetition of the main verb instead of using the auxiliary is another typical mistake often heard in spanish speakers English and which sounds unnatural. Example: - Did you enjoy the film? - Yes, I enjoyed it. (Yes, I did)
• Regarding pronunciation and spelling,  one of the most common mistakes by spanish speakers is the insertion of an extra "e" before words beginning with an s + consonant. Example: (e)strange, (e)special, (e)stressing... The "h" is another sound that often causes problems to spanish speakers. It is often pronounced as a "j" when the correct English pronunciation is much softer than in Spanish. 
• False friends are words which are often confused with Spanish terms  because they look or sound similar but they have a different meaning. Spanish students of English may be tempted to use these false friends instead of using the proper word. Have a look at the following example with the real meaning in brackets.   I actually (currently) have two children. Other popular false friends are: embarrased (ashamed), argument (oral disagreement), conductor (public transport employee in charge of collecting fares or tickets), large (big), carpet (fabric for covering floors), bomber (airplane equipped to carry and drop bombs) or sensible (with good sense). 

So, what do you think? Do you think you make any of these when speaking or writing in English? I´d love to know your opinions if you do! Have a lovely week!

Been or not been, that´s the question.

Good morning!

The present perfect tense is a tense that learners of English should use more. Its use is not so habitual in Spanish and this is maybe the reason why students do not use it as much as they should. As you all probably know, we use the present perfect when: 1) we talk or write about past experiences that have a result in the present situation. Example: I have learnt a lot of vocabulary (that means that now I know a lot of vocabulary). 2) We also use the present perfect for recent past actions when the specific time of the action is not mentioned or understood. For example: I have done the exercise. 3) Finally, we also use the present perfect with certain words like: "just", "since", "for",  "already" and "yet". Example: I have just called your friend and she won´t be coming today

However, we also have a variation of the present perfect in English that is called Present Perfect Continuous. So, when do we use this progressive form of the present perfect? We use the continuous form when:

• The action that started in the past still continues. Example: I have been learning French for two years (and I will continue doing it)
• We want to put an emphasis on the repetitive or temporary nature of an action. The focus is on the duration of the action. Examples: He has been knocking on the door for 5 minutes! (repetition). Sara has been living in a friend´s flat (temporarily) 

As a kind of conclusion about both verb forms we could state that: 

• Present Perfect simple is about the completion of an action, the result whereas the Present Perfect Continuous is about the duration of an action that may have finished or not. Compare: 
 A: I have run the marathon!  vs B: I have been running for 5 hours! 

• Present Perfect Continuous is normally used with action verbs and the Present Perfect Simple is normally used with both action and non action verbs. Some verbs can be both action and non action verbs depending on their meaning. Compare: I have been thinking about going to Italy next summer vs *I have been thinking that I don´t like war. (In the first example, "think" is used as an action verb whereas in the second example it is used as a non action verb)

Now, what have you been doing these days? Have you been busy? Have a nice weekend!

Collocations

What is a collocation?

Collocations are simply common word combinations. A collocation could also be defined as a word or phrase that is often used with another word or phrase, in a way that ​sounds correct to native people but might not be expected from the meaning. 
There are many types of collocations in English and they could be related to grammar or vocabulary, depending on their nature. According to the Online Oxford Dictionary, there are more than 150,000 collocations registered in English and these combinations could be made with different head words as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions.
An example of a collocation made up by adjective + noun could be: "a bright idea".There are also many collocations made up by an adjective and a preposition. Have a look at the following collocations chart where you can find many of the most useful adjective+preposition collocations: 

• If something is crowded with... ,it is full or almost full. Example: The concert was a success. the pub was crowded with crazy fans. 

• Fed up with means to be bored of something/somebody or annoyed with somebody. Example: I am very fed up with my sister. She keeps stealing my things!

• If someone is keen on something, that person is very enthusiastic about or interested in that activity. Example: All my students are very keen on taking part in the class Christmas´play.

Christmas is coming!

Good morning!

Yes. It´s a fact. Christmas is around the corner. We may have been seeing some "turrones" on the supermarket shelves but there has not been strong evidence of Christmas mood just yet. However, two significant things have happened in the last few days. Two events that have made me realize that one more Christmas is coming very soon. First, it was the arrival of the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York. As the Christmas lights lighting in London, the arrival of the huge Christmas tree at the famous Manhattan plaza is a milestone in the yearly race to Christmas.

Secondly, it was the release of the new John Lewis Christmas commercial. John Lewis is one of the most famous department stores (1) in London, the equivalent to our "El Corte Inglés". As everybody know Christmas commercials are very important parts of the Christmas atmosphere and they often cause great expectation. Everybody remembers our commercial from "Famosa" (Las muñecas de Famosa) or even the more recent commercial from our National Lottery from last year which caused a great stir (2) among viewers. This year, the John Lewis commercial has not let us down (3) sending a tender and slushy (4) two minute message to everyone who has someone to show his love to this Christmas. It is called: "man on the moon" and hashtagged #ManOnTheMoon. I personally think it is a beautiful moving commercial and it is thanks to works like these that I really find some excitement in the festive season coming. Let´s see what you think. Feel welcome to leave your comments letting me know what you think of the John Lewis commercial!

1. Department Store (n): a large retail store offering a variety of merchandise and services and organised in separate departments. 
2. To cause a stir (idm): to cause a lot of interest or excitement.
3. To let someone down (phr.v): to disappoint or betray someone
4. Slushy (adj): sentimental, weakly emotional