Is investing in renewable energies the road to better?

 Is investing in renewable energies the road to better?

Ford have recently released their top six reasons to invest in renewable energy:-

Do you agree with them?

Can you think of any other good reasons for that type of company to invest in renewable energy?

Listening time!

English Listening Exercises for B1 - Our environment - English Practice Online (english-practice.net)

Let's do some listening activities about environmental vocabulary an comprehension regarding this topic.

Now it's time for action!

 Work with your classmates or individually and write the top six reasons as of why your company needs to invest in renewable energy (or maybe already does).

If you can think of six, you can also tell me about the ways you and your colleagues are environmentally friendly at work.

Feel free to add any comments about it below.

What makes a good workplace?

 

What makes a good workplace?

Have you ever thought about why you like or dislike your job?

Here are some factors that might influence your decision. Match the factor to its definition:-

 

1) Positive Work Environment	A) Opportunities for flexible working hours and support for personal time.
2)  Work-Life Balance	B) Access to training, career development, and promotion prospects
3) Growth Opportunities	C) Culture where employees treat each other with respect and consideration.
4) Supportive Leadership	D) Programs and policies that promote physical and mental health.
5) Health and Well-being	E) Competitive salaries, benefits, and recognition for hard work.
6) Respect and Civility	F) Clear communication, constructive feedback, and support
7) Fair Compensation	G) A workplace characterized by trust, cooperation, and open communication.

 

Discussion

• How does a positive work environment affect your daily work experience?
• Why is work-life balance important for your health or happiness?
• How do growth opportunities influence your motivation and job satisfaction?

 

Reflection

Write a short paragraph about which factor is most important to you and why. Consider how this factor impacts your job satisfaction and overall happiness at work.

Example answer:-

Reflection Paragraph Example

For me, work-life balance is the most important factor in a good workplace. Having the flexibility to manage my work schedule allows me to take care of personal responsibilities and spend quality time with my family. This balance helps reduce stress and prevents burnout, making me more productive and motivated at work. When my employer supports my need for personal time, I feel valued and respected, which significantly boosts my overall job satisfaction and happiness.

Feel free to write your paragraph in the comments!

Is it on the cards? (Future simple predictions)

 Is it on the cards? (Future simple predictions)

The expression "Is it on the cards?" or "It's on the cards" means something is probable.

When we are speculating about the future we can use the "future simple" (Will) and speculation structures, e.g.:-

I think robots will be commonplace in companies in 30 years' time.

Maybe we won't drive cars in the future.

I'm not sure if we will be able to travel to space in the next century.

Try to make some similar predictions about these pictures:-

1. 

2. 

3.

Do you think these situations are on the cards? Let us know in the comments!

Comparisons. Are we really better and bigger?

 We live in the age of technology and we have all the statistics we could possibly need at the click of a key but do we really know what we are in comparison to what people in other countries are?

Imagine there are 100 people in the world...what do you think would happen?

Try using the second conditional to predict.

IF + past simple, SB + would / could / should + INF

E.g. If the world were 100 people, 20 people would be very rich.

Let's see if your predictions were right:-

If The World Were 100 People | TED-Ed

Now we have watched the video, let's try to make some other sentences about the most surprising facts you've seen. These sentences could be with the second conditional or with the comparatives:-

• If the world were 100 people, only 86 would be able to read.

• One person is richer than the other 99 people.

• There would be more Asian people than Europeans.

EXTRA WORK

To practise the second conditional you can do:-

Beyoncé - If I Were A Boy  (lyricstraining.com)| Vídeo Musical, Letra de la Canción y Karaoke

To practise your comparatives you can do:-

Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger | Vídeo Musical, Letra de la Canción y Karaoke (lyricstraining.com)

For some more information about my services and myself see my webpage

 

I'm very proud to announce that I have recently built a webpage to share information about myself and my services, please take a look:-

www.britishbusinessenglish.es

Thanks!!

Some information about my training sessions and myself

Here's a video about myself and my training sessions.

If you don't know me personally, here's the chance to see a little bit more about what I am like and what I do:-

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6757479957707952128/

COVID-19 More restrictions than ever? (Modal Verbs for Obligation, Necessity and Permission)

 

Nowadays there are times that you're not sure if you're breaking the law with all these restrictions due to the pandemic. They seem to change on a daily basis and it's almost impossible to keep up with them.

Thinking about them in English we need modal verbs to express them, like:-

Obligation:-

MUST

MUSTN'T

SHOULD / SHOULDN'T

HAVE TO

DON'T HAVE TO

Permission:-

CAN

COULD

MAY

BE ALLOWED TO

Now try using some of these modal verbs to write sentences regarding restrictions about the following pictures:-

Now please watch this short video and use the advice prompts given to make sentences with modal verbs about how not to spread COVID 19:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH5zpa8xbic&feature=emb_logo

Feel free to write your examples in the comments below!

Thanks!

The three kings OR the three wise men??? (Los reyes magos)

 

Tonight's the night!!!

Vienen los reyes magos 😊😊😊

In English (especially British English) we normally refer to them as the three wise men and we don't get presents on the 5th or 6th of January. 

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about them in English:-

The biblical Magi^[a] (/ˈmeɪdʒaɪ/ or /ˈmædʒaɪ/;^[1] singular: magus), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, were distinguished foreigners in the Gospel of Matthew and Christian tradition. They are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity celebrations of Christmas and are an important part of Christian tradition.

And what about their names???

Later tellings of the story identified the magi by name and identified their lands of origin: Melchior hailed from Persia, Gaspar (also called "Caspar" or "Jaspar") from India, and Balthazar from Arabia

Hello, Julie speaking! Let's pick up the phone

 Today we're going to focus on some typical mistakes everyone makes on the phone.

When you pick up the phone in Spanish, we use the verb to be in first person.... e.g. Diga, si soy Julie.

In English that would be wrong, in English we would say it's Julie.

Let's try and correct some typical mistakes we make on the phone:-

1. I'm calling on part of my manager.
2. I'm sorry but it's communicating.
3. Keep on a minute, please.
4. Can you tell me who is the responsible for the H.R. department?
5. Can you please pass me through to Mr Jones?

You will find the answers in the comments below.

Here is an example telephone conversation:-

You may have seen some of the answers for the mistakes on the lefthand side on the page.

Here's the rest of the conversation:-

 Can you answer the questions about the conversation?

Feel free to leave your answers in the comments below!!!

COVID - 19 - Is it fake news or genuine news? Why are people compelled to believe it and share it???? (PASSIVE VOICE)

 At a higher level of English we can start putting certain grammar into a certain context.

For example, we can use the passive voice in the news.... Even in fake news.

To practise this we are going to use a current affair as is the COVID-19 pandemic.

I'm going to give you an example of an active sentence related to this topic and we're going to put it into the passive voice:-

A: In Brazil, people were opening coffins full of stones to prove people weren't killed by COVID-19

P: In Brazil, coffins full of stones were being opened by people to prove people weren't killed (OR weren't being killed) by COVID-19

How did we transform this sentence?

Step 1. Change the Sb and the Obj

Step 2. Put the verb to be in the same tense as the Main Verb.

Step 3. Put the M.V. in past participle (with ed or from the 3rd column of the irregular verb list)

Step 4. Add by and the previous SB (*** this can be omitted when we don't know who the SB is or when it is obvious that those people do that action, e.g. the police arrest people... Three people were arrested (by the police).

There is a very interesting video on the BBC language website that gives examples of fake news related to COVID - 19:-

VIDEO 1: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/fakenews/unit-1/session-4

In this video we saw some very interesting vocabulary like:-

Key vocabulary 

raise a red flag
make you think that something may not be true

fact-check
research if something is true or not

debunk
show that something is false, not true

verify
check that something is true

buy (into) something
believe something is true

groundless
without evidence

Now we're going to take the next step, using the passive voice to give news facts or fake news and speculate about their veracity. I'm going to give you three "news" statements about COVID-19 and I would like you to try to guess if they are true or false:-

1. A couple in Salisbury, USA, aged 65 & 67 were killed by COVID - 19, in hospital, within four minutes of difference.

2. On 17/09/20 almost 300 million cases in 188 countries have been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

3. On 17/09/20 a death toll fast approaching one million victims has been observed across the world.

You can look into these statements using the links below in the comments.

So.... Why were you compelled to believe any of them? Or compelled not to believe them?

Here's a video that explains why some people are compelled to believe fake news:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/fakenews/unit-1/session-5

Here's a quick summary of the key vocabulary that appears in this second video with a twist, I would like you to match the words with their definitions:-

Key vocabulary 

identity signalling     /    agenda   /   motive   /   algorithm  /  actor  

1. a plan of things to be done that may be secret or hidden
2. a person, state or organisation that uses power and influence to  promote an agenda
3. a reason for doing something 
4. showing that you belong to a group by sharing content whether you think it is true or not
5. a set of software instructions that, for example, shows you personalised content on social media

Whether we like it or not fake news is part of our lives and it doesn't help to overcome this pandemic at all. 

Is it good value for money? (Intermediate level)

Do you know the expression 'good value for money'? It means that something has a good price compared to it's quality (buena relación precio / calidad).

To start getting back into the swing of things (de vuelta a la rutina), we're going to have a look at contrasting connectors and a debate topic.

Here's a connector's map (like an underground map but with connectors) and I would like you to look at the orange line, the contrasting connectors:-

I'm going to give you some sentences with a gap and I would like you to fill them in with one of the connectors ( Whereas, otherwise, alternatively, nevertheless, conversely, although, instead of, however, on the other hand)

1. I was looking for a white wedding dress ___________ my friends all thought that was too traditional.
2. You could look for a job at a hospital or ______________ you could also work at a chemist.
3. I would prefer a face to face class ___________ an online class.
4. I think this car is very fast but _____________ it's not very good value for money.
5. I will have to pay the tax office _____________ they are going to fine me.
6. I think that globalization could be very positive for people to find new jobs _____________ others see it as an invasion.

Let's move onto the debate topic:-

Here's a debate question related to this expression and I would like you to try to answer this question using some vocabulary and the connectors we saw before:-

Some people say thayt the quality of a product is more important. Others say that the price of a product is more important. Which statement do you agree with and why?

On the following worksheet in section B you can find the vocabulary I would like you to use in your answer:-

Feel free to write your answers in the comments below!

What's in a name?

What's in a name?

LEVEL 1

Today we are going to use some familiar names to practise how to ask questions in English.

Here are the names of two people who are very important in my life:-

1.  VICENTE


2. GILLIAN


I would like you to look at these names and ask me some questions to discover why these people are important for me...... I mean, are they family members? Friends? Neighbours? Colleagues? 

So let's learn how to make a question.

The correct structure for a question in English has a simple formula:-

QU               A                S                    I                (QUASI)
question word         auxiliary            subject                        infinitive      ?

e.g.

What                 does           he/she                     do?
How old             is              he/she?
Where               does           he/she                     live?


Now you know why these people are important for me, let's do the same using some names of people who are important in your lives.

Listening can be fun too..... Carpool Karaoke

I know I have been a bit absent on my blog in the last few months but I'm back :)

Today I wanted to celebrate my return but sharing something really entertaining with you.
I know that traditional listening at school was really boring, play, stop, I can't hear it properly, etc!

But nowadays we don't have to stick with old-fashioned ways..... Have you ever done any video listening comprehension?

If you have or it's the first time and you want to try it out, try something entertaining, from my point of view, the funnier the better. I really like music and comedy so what better than a combination of the two? 

If that's what you're looking for try Carpool Karaoke videos. They are presented by James Corden and are both funny and make learning more entertaining:-

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckdsJ-LaCvM&list=RDckdsJ-LaCvM&start_radio=1&t=0

This is the Carpool Karaoke video with one of my favorite singers, Ed Sheeran.

Watch the video and try to do all the activities on the worksheet below.

I really hope you enjoy this activity, at a time like now it's handy.

Take care everybody!