Saturday, 26 May 2012

Vaug Class 19 - Make up







Vaughan Lesson


Make up = Inventarse (historias)
Vamos a ver uno de esos terribles verbos compuestos o "phrasal verbs" que tanto abundan en la lengua anglosajona y que tantos problemas provocan entre los españoles.


Patrick se inventa unas historias muy entretenidas.
Patrick makes up really entertaining stories.
Me estoy inventando esta historia sobre la marcha.
I'm making up this story as I go along.
¿Te inventaste esa historia?
Did you make that story up?
¿Eres bueno inventándote historias?
Are you good at making up stories?
Me inventé esa historia.
I made that story up.


Como ves, en todos los ejemplos de arriba figura un objeto sustantivo. Este objeto puede colocarse tanto después del verbo como después de la preposición que le acompaña. Sin embargo, cuando se trata de un pronombre, hay que colocarlo siempre entre el verbo y la preposición:


Me lo inventé.
I made it up.
Te lo estás inventando.
You're making it up.
¿Te lo estás inventando?
Are you making it up?
Si se te olvida el discurso, ¿te lo inventarás?
If you forget your speech, will you make it up?
Fueron historias interesantes, pero estaba claro que se las inventó.
They were interesting stories but it was clear he made them up.






Las 4 joyas del Vaughan Review
Repasa estos cuatro puntos del Vaughan Review para aumentar tu vocabulario.

Truco:
para aprender una palabra nueva, repítela hasta la saciedad.


Key Learning:
Cuando le sigue al verbo "try" un sustantivo, su significado es el de "probar algo", sea una actividad o algo comestible.



I've never tried wild mushrooms. - Nunca he probado setas.
One expression:
Hold your horses!
¡Un momentito!
One phrasal verb:
To let down - defraudar



I trusted you and you let me down.
One adjective:
Encouraging - alentador
The public's attitude towards this is encouraging. - La actitud del público hacia esto es alentadora.


Listening & Reading: Cloverdales Corner


¿Cuándo tomarás una decisión?
When will you make a decision?


Cuando deje de llover.
When it stops raining.


El dejó la escuela a los 15 años.
He quit school at the age of 15.


Tengo que dejar de fumar.
I have to quit smoking.


Déjame en paz.
Leave me alone.


¿Tienes algo que decir?
Do you have anything to say?


Poca gente es tan impaciente como tú.
Few people are as impatient as you are.






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Thursday, 24 May 2012

UNIT5B: Quick Tip: How to Sleep Better


Matt Bean from "Men's Health" has five ways to get a perfect night's sleep:
Listen and complete the missing information.

These are five tips to get a perfect night's sleep:
First, do not have a __________ , __________ or __________ inside the bedroom
Secondly, you need to lower your ___________
Thirdly, spend money on a good ___________ , __________ and ________________
Fourthly, ______________________________after the alarm goes off.
Finally, sleep a minimum of _____________


Better Sleep: 'Good Morning America' Quick Tip From Matt Bean - ABC News

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

UNIT 5B: COUNTING SHEEP

Ever wondered why we need sleep, how much sleep is normal or whether dogs dream? Well you've come to the right place! Find out the answers to these sleepy musings and more, with our weird and wonderful sleep facts.
Man on the moon
As well as being the name of a famous band, REM stands for "rapid eye movement", so called because our eyes can be seen to move under our eyelids.
During REM sleep we are almost totally paralysed. Only the heart, diaphragm and muscles of the intestines, blood and eyes are not affected by this paralysis.
REM sleep is so called because our eyes can be seen to move under our eyelids.
REM is a very deep kind of sleep and we are usually difficult to wake in this phase. However, some light sleepers can be woken with the slightest of sounds even during this kind of sleep.
REM sleep starts about 90 minutes after we fall asleep and occurs in bursts throughout the night, adding up to around 2 hours per night in total.
Dream a Little Dream...
We dream in any stage of sleep; probably continuously.
REM dreams are usually fantastic or bizarre, whereas non REM dreams are more mundane and will often relate to everyday worries or thoughts (such as where you left your keys).
Some scientists believe that our eye movement during REM sleep relates to what we are "seeing" in our dreams.
It might be that we dream to remember important memories or to clear our minds of unimportant information. Or it might be that dreams serve no purpose at all and are simply an effect of sleep and consciousness.
Creatures of the Night
Elephants sleep lying down during REM sleep but stand up during non-REM sleep!
It's not known for sure which animals besides humans dream, if any.
Monkeys, chimps and other primates all sleep for about 10 hours a night and on average we humans sleep three hours less than this. Apart from teenagers that is, who also tend to sleep for 10 hours.
Both dolphins and ducks can keep one half of the brain awake while the other half sleeps; so that they are always prepared for predators.

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

GRAMMAR BANK UNIT 7

Grammar Bank 7                                                                                            

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Vaug Class 18 - "When" in the future







Vaughan Lesson


"When" en el futuro
Cuando hablamos del futuro empleando la palabra "when" es imprescindible emplear el presente simple inmediatamente después y no el futuro. "Will" siempre va en la otra cláusula.


Cuando me jubile, iré a pescar todos los días.
When I retire, I will go fishing every day.
Cuando ella llegue, estará cansada.
When she arrives, she'll be tired.
Cuando tenga 40 años, estaré más gordo que ahora.
When I'm forty, I'll be fatter than I am now.
Cuando empiecen, ¿me avisarás?
When they start, will you let me know?
Cuando deje de llover, ¿vendrás a dar un paseo?
When it stops raining, will you come out for a walk?


Por supuesto, como en español, se puede invertir este tipo de frase. Lo importante es que después de "when" hay que usar el presente simple.


Te lo diré cuando te necesite.
I'll tell you when I need you.
Ella te echará una mano cuando pueda.
She'll give you a hand when she can.
Será demasiado tarde cuando tengas 50 años.
It will be too late when you are fifty.
Bajaré cuando termine.
I'll come down when I finish.
Maullará cuando tenga hambre.
He'll miaow when he's hungry.


Las 4 joyas del Vaughan Review
Repasa estos cuatro puntos del Vaughan Review para aumentar tu vocabulario.

Truco:
para aprender una palabra nueva, repítela hasta la saciedad.


Key Learning:
Cuando subimos a un coche o entramos en un ascensor decimos "to get into / in", mientras que para medios de transporte más grandes (autobuses, aviones, trenes) decimos "to get on".



Don't get into the car. - No entres en el coche.
One expression:
To make ends meet.
Llegar a fin de mes.
One phrasal verb:
To settle down - calmarse / tranquilizarse



Wait for the audience to settle down before you start your speech. - Espera a que la audiencia se calme antes de empezar tu discurso.
One adjective:
Face-up - boca arriba
Place the card face-up. - Coloca la tarjeta boca arriba.


Listening & Reading: Repaso General
There are several matters to take care of.
They bought their plants at a garden centre.
Había mucha gente aquí cuando llegué.
There were a lot of people here when I arrived.
Probable
Likely
Fuerza laboral
Manpower
Cómo términar una llamada

Thank you for calling. Is there anything else I can help you with?




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Tuesday, 15 May 2012

UNIT 5A: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC


Read about a music psychology research experiment.
What do you think of the conclusions?

Good music has direct access to the emotions. As such it's a fantastic tool for tweaking our moods. Saarikallio and Erkkila (2007) investigated the ways people use music to control and improve their mood by interviewing eight adolescents from Finland. The participants may be a small, very specific group, but they actually present a really useful list:

Entertainment - At the most fundamental level music provides stimulation. It lifts the mood before going out, it passes the time while doing the washing up, it accompanies travelling, reading and surfing the web.

Revival - Music revitalises in the morning and calms in the evening.

Strong sensation - Music can provide deep, thrilling emotional experiences, particularly while performing.

Diversion - Music distracts the mind from unpleasant thoughts which can easily fill the silence.

Discharge - Music matching deep moods can release emotions: purging and cleansing.

Mental work - Music encourages daydreaming, sliding into old memories, exploring the past.

Solace - Shared emotion, shared experience, a connection to someone lost.
These seven strategies all aim for two goals: controlling and improving mood. One of the beauties of music is it can accomplish more than one goal at a time. Uplifting music can both divert, entertain and revive. Sad, soulful music can provide solace, encourage mental work and discharge emotions. The examples are endless.

Many of Saarikallio and Erkkila's findings chime with previous research. For example, distraction is considered one of the most effective strategies for regulating mood. Music has also been strongly connected with reflective states. These tend to allow us greater understanding of our emotions.

One of the few negative connections Saarikallio and Erkkila consider is that sad music might promote rumination. Rumination is the constant examination of emotional state which, ironically, can lead to less clarity. On the contrary, however, Saarikallio and Erkkila found that music increased the understanding of feelings, an effect not associated with rumination.

Over to you...
Perhaps the way we use music varies with factors like age and culture. Do these adolescent's experiences ring true for you? If not, what would you add to the list?

Saturday, 12 May 2012

Vaug Class 17 - Noun as adjective







Vaughan Lesson


El sustantivo como adjetivo
Cuando ves dos sustantivos juntos, el primero describe al segundo. Por ejemplo "a train station". El primer sustantivo indica de qué tipo de estación estamos hablando. Cuando se pluraliza, la "s" sólo se añade al segundo sustantivo.


Compraron sus plantas en un vivero.
They bought their plants at a garden centre.
Siempre ha sido un bibliófilo.
He has always been a book lover.
Ella se encargó de los costes de desarrollo.
She was in charge of the development costs.
La mayoría de los hombres de la isla eran pescadores de perlas.
Most of the men on the island were pearl divers.
Ella se cortó con el pelador.
She cut herself with the potato peeler.


Cuando nos referimos a la duración o número del primer sustantivo usamos un guión separando dicho número del primer sustantivo. Aunque se trate de un plural no añadimos la "s" después del primer sustantivo.


He estado en una reunión de tres horas.
I've been in a three-hour meeting.
Fueron a un viaje de tres meses.
They went on a three-month trip.
Le escribí una carta de nueve páginas.
I wrote him a nine-page letter.
Fue un vuelo de ocho horas.
It was an eight-hour flight.
Ella se compró un yate de 12 metros.
She bought a twelve-metre yacht.


Las 4 joyas del Vaughan Review
Repasa estos cuatro puntos del Vaughan Review para aumentar tu vocabulario.

Truco:
para aprender una palabra nueva, repítela hasta la saciedad.


Key Learning:
No caigas en la tentación de decir "I'm counting with you" que implicaría que los dos ibais a contar de uno a diez.



I'm counting on you. You can't back out. - Cuento contigo. No puedes volver atrás.
One expression:
The lesser of two evils.
El menor de los males.
One phrasal verb:
To sort out - solucionar / arreglar



Have you sorted out the problem with your boss? - ¿Has solucionado el problema con tu jefe?
One adjective:
Chatterbox - parlanchín /charlatán
Our neighbour is a real chatterbox. - Nuestra vecina es una auténtica charlatana.


Listening & Reading: Cloverdale’s Corner


Cloverdale: Ask Pablo if he's nervous.
Fernanda: Pablo, are you nervous?
Pablo: No I'm not.
Cloverdale: Tell him to ask me if I'm nervous.
Fernanda: Ask him if he's nervous.
Pablo: Are you nervous?
Cloverdale: I'm trembling. I'm so nervous.
Cloverdale: Fernanda, are you still nervous?
Fernanda: Yes, I am.
Cloverdale: She's very nervous. Ask her why she's nervous?
Pablo: Why are you nervous?




Puedes descargarte esta lección en un archivo comprimido que contiene pdf + mp3 aquí 


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Wednesday, 9 May 2012

UNIT 7A: MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH

Seniors: 'Modern life is rubbish'

Everything was better in the 1950s - except washing machines, central heating and inside toilets, according to a survey of people aged above 50.
The 3,000 seniors found modern society crime-ridden, sleazy, promiscuous, foul-mouthed, noisy and second-rate.
And they strongly disliked its greed, selfishness, unfriendliness, ill discipline, bad manners, easy credit, drug culture, TV sex and violence.
In the 50s people seemed kinder and had more time for each other, they said.
People were neighbourly, public transport was good, music was better and housing more affordable.
And they missed the slower pace of life, job security, and the way families had lived closer together and society valued housewives.

“ Everything seemed so much more affable, honest and direct ”
Actress Barbara Windsor
With an average age of 69, 89% of those asked said they were glad they had been young in the 50s and not now, as children had been more innocent and allowed to remain child-like for longer.
Children had been safer then said 88%, with more freedom to play outside, 85% felt.
But most said it was better to be a pensioner now, with 70% saying they lived healthier, longer and more active lives and people no longer considered 60 to be old.
Four out of every five said mobile phones had made life worse, only 14% felt the internet had improved it, and 92% said they had been "happy in the 50s without any of these modern things".
They missed respect for authority, said 93%, bobbies on the beat - 91%, and the pride people used to feel in being British - 81% .

“ It was a gentler, somehow less competitive world ”
Singer Val Doonican

People had been more innocent according to 86%, and seemed kinder - 72% , with less crime - 85%.
Barbara Windsor, who was born in 1937 and first appeared on the acting scene in the 50s, said they "were happy days because everything seemed so much more affable, honest and direct".
Singer Val Doonican, 78, added. "It was a gentler, somehow less competitive world."
The editor of Yours Magazine, which commissioned the research, Valery McConnell, told BBC News it "shows most people are happier when they have a simple life rather than a complicated one".
"Everything about modern-day society is complex and stressful - automated answering machines, mind-boggling car parks and road systems, endless traffic, 50 different varieties of everything, bank managers you cannot talk to, high crime levels and aggression on the streets."
"More has been lost than gained."

“ Many older people miss the simplicity of the 50s and wish their grandchildren could experience the same ”
Yours Magazine editor, Valery McConnell

"Material possessions designed to make our lives easier also have a downside."
"Modern communication means people speak on mobiles, not on the street corner or at the bus stop."
"Increased mobility means we no longer know our neighbours or live near our families."
"Cars have driven children off the streets."
"Large out of town supermarkets mean many High Streets are deserted."

Gentler era
"People no longer feel at home in their communities."
"No wonder many older people miss the simplicity of the 50s and wish their grandchildren could experience the same."
"The 50's was a gentler era when manners and people mattered."
"People were more important than possessions and had time for each other... knew their neighbours and had a sense of belonging."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/3706800.stm
Published: 2004/10/01 12:49:28 GMT
© BBC 2011

UNIT 6B:THE AMISH


Find out what happened to the young people who appeared in Amish in the City.
Miriam has not gone back to the Amish, and has instead started to attend a non-Amish Christian church in Ohio led by a female pastor. She feels this church more accurately reflects her spiritual point of view.
Ruth is in the process of joining the Amish church with Marvin, who she plans to marry this fall. While cut off from most of the outside world, she still keeps in touch with her Amish housemates from the show.
Mose now runs his own very successful construction crew in Jefferson City, Missouri and recently proposed to his non-Amish girlfriend, Shana. They will be married in September. He is taking guitar lessons in hopes of advancing his musical career.
Randy continues to work in construction in Florida, but will be moving to Kansas in the fall to attend college on a baseball scholarship.
Jonas moved to Florida for the winter and worked on Randy's construction crew, but has returned to Missouri where he works at his old job. Having passed the GED exam while on the show, he is now studying to take the SAT test this summer, after which he plans on enrolling in college.
Whitney continues to live in Southern California. She works at Bloomingdales, hoping to save enough money to attend nursing school.
Reese is writing a book, and developing a reality show.
Nick moved briefly to Los Angeles before returning to Chicago where he continues to pursue his music career.
Ariel has assumed management and chef duties at Juliano's Raw Restaurant in Santa Monica, California. She hopes to save enough money to visit Bali.
Meagan is still living with Harley, the golden retriever she adopted in Amish country on the show, who is now 75 pounds. She now works as a buyer for a pet supply company which allows her to bring Harley to work with her.
Kevan continues to work in the finance industry at Bank of America. One of the most memorable events from the show for him was teaching Ruth how to swim, and he has recently launched an effort to start is own swimming school.

For more information visit the following site
http://www.newline.com/amishinthecity/where.html

Sunday, 6 May 2012

MOTHER'S DAY

WHEN IS 2012 MOTHER'S DAY? Mother's Day is celebrated on different days and dates around the world. Most commonly, Mother's Day takes place on the second Sunday in May. Today is Mother's Day in Spain, so ... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!! But, do you know when Mother's Day is celebrated in U.K.? If so, let us know.

Saturday, 5 May 2012

Vaug Class 16 - No longer (Ya no)







Vaughan Lesson


No longer
La otra forma de decir "ya no." es "no longer". Esta forma es un poco más complicada ya que su posición depende del tipo de verbo en juego. Si se trata de un verbo "normal" (todos menos los auxiliares) va justo antes del verbo y después del sujeto.


Ya no lo considero un candidato viable.
I no longer consider him a viable candidate.
Ya no me tengo que levantar temprano.
I no longer have to get up early.
Ya no creo en las hadas.
I no longer believe in fairies.
Ya no me duele cuando hago ejercicio.
It no longer hurts when I do exercise.
Ya no como carne.
I no longer eat meat.


Cuando el verbo es un auxiliar (incluyendo el verbo "to be") hay que colocar "no longer" detrás del mismo. Practiquemos con unos cuantos ejemplos más.


Ya no tiene importancia.
It's no longer important.
Ya no puede jugar a nivel profesional.
He can no longer play professionally.
Ya no es capitán de la selección.
He is no longer captain of the national side.
Ya no estoy aburrido en mi trabajo.
I'm no longer bored at work.
Ya no puedo quedarme por ahí hasta las tantas.
I can no longer stay out late.


Las 4 joyas del Vaughan Review
Repasa estos cuatro puntos del Vaughan Review para aumentar tu vocabulario.

Truco:
para aprender una palabra nueva, repítela hasta la saciedad.


Key Learning:
Nunca decimos "near to" ni "near of".



It's near Madrid - Esta cerca de Madrid.
One expression:
To pass the buck.
Pasar la pelota.
One phrasal verb:
To get over with - acabar/terminar



Let's get it over with. - Acabemos con esto de una vez.
One adjective:
Rickety - desvencijado /destartalado
That chair is a bit rickety. - Esa silla está un poco desvencijada.


Listening & Reading: Packs de Estudio


Still, Yet, Already, Anymore
No hemos empezado todavía.
We haven't started yet.
Todavía estamos esperando.
We're still waiting.
¿Has comido ya?
Have you eaten yet?
Ya he comido.
I've already eaten.
No he comido todavía.
I haven't eaten yet.
¿Has terminado el informe ya?
Have you finished the report yet?




Puedes descargarte esta lección en un archivo comprimido que contiene pdf + mp3 aquí 


No te pierdas la lección de la próxima semana