Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Word of the week - CAPTIVATING


captivating    ADJECTIVE   /ˈkæptɪˌveɪtɪŋ/
Related dictionary definitions
·         captivate VERB
Synonyms or related words for this meaning of captivating: lovely, delightful, appealing, stunning, eye-catching


Another definition

captivate verb 

/ˈkæp.tɪ.veɪt/ [T]
to hold the attention of someone by being extremely interesting, exciting, pleasant or attractive
With her beauty and charm, she captivated film audiences everywhere.

captivating adjective 

/ˈkæp.tɪ.veɪ.tɪŋ//-t ̬ɪŋ/
a captivating performance

Monday, 12 April 2010

Hearing comprehension 18

We propose you a hearing comprehension exercise. We're going to give you a paragraph every week (Mondays) to practice with it. Try to understand every single word. We advise you to write it, as if it were a dictation. You can send us your writtings here below clicking in 'comments'. We'll give you the right answer the following week. Try it!
 
Here is the transcription to the last week listening: 
The old woman received three telephone calls from a man who could hardly say an intelligible word but whose voice sounded strangely like that of her dead husband. The next morning she went to the cemetery and found that the stormy winds the night before had broken some telephone wires and one of them had fallen directly on her husband's grave.

Sunday, 11 April 2010

ESL - English as Second Language - Podcast 14 - Going to a Concert I (Fast)

I heard on the radio this morning that my favorite band was going to be in concert here next month. I was so excited. The first thing I did was to call my friend Ben who is also a big fan of the band. Not only was the band playing in town, they were going to play at a bar called the Whiskey. The Whiskey is known as a small, intimate venue so we‚Äôd be able to get close to the band. It's not a bigamphitheater where you can't even see the band from the nose-bleed section. This would be the ultimate concert experience if only we can get tickets.
To go to this week article click on the picture above.

Saturday, 10 April 2010

Weekly quotation form La Teacher


Practice your listening 9, BRITISH ACCENT

Classroom Ups and Downs
Tom and Jess both talk about what they like and dislike about teaching.




Monday, 5 April 2010

Hearing comprehension 17

We propose you a hearing comprehension exercise. We're going to give you a paragraph every week (Mondays) to practice with it. Try to understand every single word. We advise you to write it, as if it were a dictation. You can send us your writtings here below clicking in 'comments'. We'll give you the right answer the following week. Try it!


Here is the transcription to the last week listening:
If you'll just be a little patient, I'll show you how to use the new tool. It was designed by the people over in I.T., and if you learn to use it right, it'll channel all e-mail contacts into a central file so that everyone will know what everyone else has said or done with a given contact. That way, when you call a customer or prospect, you'll have an immediate background file on every contact made from here with that person or firm.

Sunday, 4 April 2010

ESL - English as Second Language - Podcast 13 - Dining at a Restaurant II (Fast)

I love coming to this Italian restaurant. The appetizers and desserts are to die for. When the waiter came to our table to take our order, my friend ordered a lobster ravioli dish, and I ordered my favorite, lasagna. The waiter then asked us, "Would you like a soup or salad with that?" My friend said yes; I passed on both.
To go to this week article click on the picture above.

Saturday, 3 April 2010

Practice your listening 8, BRITISH ACCENT

Essential Stuff
Tom and Jess both talk about things they could not live without.

Friday, 2 April 2010

Sun Tea Recipe - How To Make Sun Tea


Making Sun Tea is a really great activity for those who are enjoying those long summer days! When it's too hot to boil the kettle and heat up the kitchen, you can always have a little fun and make some great sun tea with the power of the sun, a sun tea jar, and your favorite tea.

Traditional Sun Tea

How to Make Sun Tea


Traditional Sun Tea is just that, tea that has been left to steep in a sun tea jar in the hot sun for several hours. 3-5 hours is about average, and you can ajust this based on the intensity of the sun.

How to Make Sun Tea


It is really easy to do! You will need a large sun tea jar or container. It is really important that your sun tea jar is glass if possible. The container needs to hold 8 cups of water. Plastic sun tea jars are not recommended.
4-6 of your favorite Tea Bags, green and black tea work best, but you can use any tea bag you like, including herbal teas.
Place the water and the tea bags in the sun tea jar, place on the lid and leave in the Sun to brew and steep for 3-6 hours. You will know your tea is ready when the colour has reached the colour of tea as if it was brewed in a tea pot with boiling water.
Sun Tea tends to be a bit milder tasting than normal brewed tea.
Serve the tea over ice, or drink warm. You can sweeten to taste and a few wedges of lemon make a yummy drink on a lazy summer day.- Homemade Iced Sun Tea!!

Other Types of Sun Tea Recipes


You can make all different types of Sun Tea. Herbs work great for making Sun Tea. A few combos you can try are:
  • Strawberry Mint Sun Tea
  • Lemon Mint Sun Tea
  • Bergamont Sun Tea
  • Oregano Sun Tea
  • Basil Sun Tea
  • Lavendar Sun Tea
  • Lemon Balm Sun Tea
  • Spearmint Sun Tea

You can see that you could almost walk about the garden and see what is available and make your tea! Dandelion Tea, raspberry leaf tea, and parsley tea are also really popular herbal teas that are easily made into Sun Tea.
So have some fun and try making some Sun Tea today!

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Monday, 29 March 2010

Hearing comprehension 16

We propose you a hearing comprehension exercise. We're going to give you a paragraph every week (Mondays) to practice with it. Try to understand every single word. We advise you to write it, as if it were a dictation. You can send us your writtings here below clicking in 'comments'. We'll give you the right answer the following week. Try it!


Here is the transcription to the last week listening:
Don't expect María to follow your advice. I've known her for ages and she's never once followed any advice of mine. She´s pathologically independent and likes to assert this fact. When she needs to make an important decision, she often consults a lot of people, but she usually ends up designing her own solution.

Sunday, 28 March 2010

How your live could change if you learn English...

The rain in Seville
Our friend Carmina, recommends us this short film made by a friend.

La Lluvia en Sevilla from oriolpp on Vimeo.

ESL - English as Second Language - Podcast 12 - Dining at a Restaurant I (Fast)

Well, I love going out to restaurants to eat. One of the best experiences I've had recently was at a place here in Los Angeles called Il Fornaio. It's an Italian restaurant in a very nice part of Beverly Hills. I don't go there very often--I can't really afford it, but every once in a while I'll treat myself.


To go to this week article click on the picture above.

Practice your listening 7, BRITISH ACCENT

Staying Connected
Tom and Jess talk about e-mail, social networking sites and time on the computer.


Saturday, 27 March 2010

Pronunciation tips - Long Vowels - 5

Perhaps the most difficult issue to learn in a foreign language is differences between vowels. Here we provide you some very useful pronuntiation tips. Don't miss them every Saturday.

Monday, 22 March 2010

Hearing comprehension 15

We propose you a hearing comprehension exercise. We're going to give you a paragraph every week (Mondays) to practice with it. Try to understand every single word. We advise you to write it, as if it were a dictation. You can send us your writtings here below clicking in 'comments'. We'll give you the right answer the following week. Try it!



Here is the transcription to the last week listening:
It wasn't supposed to rain today. Now how am I going to get to my car without getting soaked to the bone? What time is our next meeting? If we have time, I'd rather wait until the storm blows over before crossing the street to the parking lot. In fact, I'd rather arrive late for the meeting than walk in soaking wet.