Translating from our language into another one is very risky. We tend to think that the rules we use in our mother tongue are good in any other language, and that's why, when we want to say in English " Tengo una noticia importante que contarte", we tend to say things such as "I have an important news to tell you", which is incorrect. News is … [Read more...]
Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparatives and superlatives are not difficult in English. In fact, just by following the rules I explain in the attached document, you will perfectly understand how to use them correctly. COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES I COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES II … [Read more...]
Another way of singing the alphabet
Who has never sung the alphabet song? All of us have, but probably you don't know the version I offer you, which is marvellously interpreted by Patti Labelle and a group of very special friend.... I got to know it and sang it, of course, last year when I did a course on pronunciation and our teacher showed us this wonderful song. Since then, I've … [Read more...]
How to use SUGGEST correctly
Using suggest correctly is not easy because it is not used as other verbs. It means " offering an idea or proposing an idea for consideration"We have to remember that it is never followed by an indirect object pronoun, a personal object (me, us, you, ...), and it is never followed by an infinitive. So, we cannot say something like: I suggested … [Read more...]
Inversion
Difficult, isn't it? I hope the attached document may shed light on this issue. I have included the most common cases we have to know as regards inversion. I hope you'll find it helpful. INVERSION … [Read more...]
Deceptive or deceitful?
Using one or the other depends on what we mean. Both of them come from the verb deceive, which means make someone believe something that is not true. We can lie to someone, and that's a way of deceiving them, or we may not say something when they think something else is true, and in fact it isn't. From "deceive" we get two adjectives: deceptive … [Read more...]
Materpieces
What can I say about these amazing people I'm surrounded by everyday? I spend with them so many years that I would lie if I said I don't miss them when they finish school. After all this time, I have reached the conclusion that I don't teach them, I learn with them. I created this section not only because they are really important to me, but … [Read more...]
What a Wonderful World…
I would like to share with you a new version of this marvellous song, "What a Wonderful World". In fact, it is not a song any more but a poem told by David Attenborough for the programme he has on the BBC. I thought it was so beautiful that I shared it with my pupils. I think they loved it... … [Read more...]
The last drop?
When we use proverbs in a language which is not our mother tongue, we have to be careful and make sure we are using them correctly. There is a proverb in Spanish : " Fue la gota que colmó el vaso", which means that a minor action which apparently is not important, may cause a terrible reaction , basically because it has not been the only one. That … [Read more...]
What’s the difference between ADVISE and ADVICE?
We may think these words are exactly the same, but they are not. In fact, the first one is the verb, ADVISE (aconsejar), whereas the second one, written with "C" is the noun (consejo). Moreover, we have to be careful when using the word ADVICE because unlike the Spanish word, in English ADVICE is UNCOUNTABLE, so we cannot "give smo AN ADVICE". We … [Read more...]