ACCESO EXAMS CAM

Activity for my ACCESO STUDENTS.(By the way, Here are all the exams we have done during the course in case you want to keep on practicing. Come on. Don't give up. You can do it! Good luck!

http://sauce.pntic.mec.es/mbenit4/fprofesional.htm

FALSE FRIENDS

Activity for my ACCESO STUDENTS
In linguistics we call false friends to words that are similar in English and Spanish but don't mean the same. Be careful with them. There is a long list of false friends in your text book and there are also lists on web pages like these ones:
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curious/falsefriends.html
http://menuaingles.blogspot.com.es/2010/11/lista-de-false-friendsamigos-falsos.html

LINK WORDS

Activity for my ACCESO STUDENTS
These are some links where you can find activities with link words:
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/cgi2/myexam/liaison.php?liaison=_connecteur_
http://www.michellehenry.fr/link.htm
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1954
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2163
http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/linking-words

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES

Activity for my ACCESO students.
We dealt with Conditional Clauses at last! As you could see, they are not so difficult: Using the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Conditional depends on the POSSIBITITY of the fulfilment of the condition. You just have to use the VERBS correctly:
- 1st Conditional: If  Clause + Present Simple, Main Clause + Future.
- 2nd Conditional:  If  Clause + Past Simple, Main Clause + Conditional.
- 3rd Conditional:  If  Clause + Past Perfect, Main Clause + Perfect Conditional.
Be careful since the sentences can also start with the Main Clause and remember that there are other LINKS: whether, unless, in case...
You can do more exercises if you click this link:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences

RELATIVE CLAUSES

Activity for my ACCESO students.
We are working hard with compound sencences lately.
Remember that Relative Clauses have the same function in the Compound Sentence as an adjective in a Simple Sentence, that's why they get just beside the NOUN they describe. Rememeber that
- DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES give essential information to describe the noun, they don't have comas and the main links are: WHO (for people), WHICH (for things) & THAT (for both).
- NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES give extra information, go between comas and the main links are: WHO (for people) & WHICH (for things).
I have found some links with interactive activities you can do. Good luck:
http://www.agendaweb.org/grammar/relative_pronouns_clauses-exercises.html

Remember that we did inverse crosswords in class. I have found a wonderful blog with crosswords which definitions are Relative Clauses. You can see how useful Relative Clauses are to DESCRIBE THINGS AND PEOPLE:
http://bogglesworldesl.com/RelativeClauseCrosswords.htm

THE PASSIVE VOICE

Activity for my ACCESO students

We have been dealing with the Passive Voice in English this week. Remember that the difference between active and passive sentences is THE CHANGE OF THE POINT OF VIEW. We emphasize the DEED rather than the AGENT. We need a transitive sentence to change it to the passive voice. The OBJECT becomes the PASSIVE SUBJECT and the SUBJECT becomes the BY AGENT, which can be ommited if it is unnecessary or unknown.

There is a good explanation and lots of exercises in these links:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/english_lessons/interactive-passive-voice

REVISION OF VERB TENSES

Activity for my ACCESO students. I have found a link with lots of interactive activities related to verb tenses. Do them!!!:
http://theenglishcafe.blogspot.com.es/2009/11/exercise-mixed-tenses.html

A GREAT WEBSITE TO LEARN VOCABULARY

Activity for my ACCESO STUDENTS.
You know I always tell you to read a lot in order to learn vocabulary. You know that I love surfing on the Internet to find links that can be useful for you and I came across with this web page where you can work vocabulary of different topics in context, through reading, listening and doing useful activities. I recommend you to explore it widely:
http://www.dailyesl.com/index.htm

SNOW BY JULIA ALVAREZ

It snowed a little last Friday. Whenever I see the snow I can't help thinking about the snowy winter I spent in New England at Williams College in Williamstown. Apart from living among the snow for months I had the opportunity to read lots of books in my studies of ethnic literature of the minorities in the US.
Thanks to Judith, I came across the first book by Julia Alvarez: How the García Girls Lost their Accents, which was a pleasure to read. Especially that chapter entitled Snow, when Yolanda, the youngest sister discovers the snow in class while the Cold War and the fear of a third World War is in the air.
This is the link from the Internet:

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/romance/spanish/219/13eeuu/alvarez.html

I hope you like it as much as I do.

CANDLE IN THE WIND

 Activity for my ACCESO students
We have worked the exam with a text about Marilyn Monroe which title was  Candle in the Wind. As I told you this is a song that Elton John wrote to her and some years later he adapted the lyrics to sing it at Lady Di's funeral. I'm sure you know the song. It's lovely and sad. Here is the link from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80rHyABCb20

INTERACTIVE ENGLISH COURSE

Another student of mine, Emilio, told me about this course. You have everything to practice Grammar:

http://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar.html

This is the home page. I really recommend it to you:

http://www.learnenglish-online.com/

GRAMMAR CONTENTS FOR THE ACCESO CFGS EXAM

Activity for my ACCESO students.
You have a summary of the Grammar contents we have worked this year in this link:

https://www.box.com/s/efy2hlj1oiuhfysym37g

Thanks to my ex-students Kike and Víctor who started this task faithfully.  : )
I hope you all will be as lucky as them in the exam next June!

GOTHIC FICTION 5

Activity for my ACCESO students.
Do you know what the "Pea-souper" was. It took place in London in 1952. Smog filled the city. You can see lovely photos of that and a clear information of the event on this fantactic web page about London:

http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2008/11/a-proper-pea-souper-the-terrible-london-smog-of-1952/comment-page-1/#comment-427179

GOTHIC FICTION 4

"FOG EVERYWHERE"
This is the beginning of the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Activity for my ACCESO students. We will read the text in class and work the vocabulary and contents as a presentation of Descriptive Texts. Is it a gothic description?
https://www.box.com/s/3zhkw6mz44zfq34tmdop

GOTHIC FICTION 3

VIDEO ABOUT DICKENS'S LIFE: A CARTOON

ACTIVITY FOR MY ACCESO STUDENTS
Key words and expressions:
- Siblings
- On his means
- The family finances worsened
- Factory
- Debtors prison
- A solicitor clerk
- A journalistic career
- To taste success
- His first piece of fiction was published...
- Kept a pet raven
- His fame (became) more widespread
- His writing doubt in the extremes of the sentimental andd the grotesque
- Visiting the unusual which inspired his writing
- Public readings
- The train crashed
- The incident left Charles very shaken
- Charles suffered and stroke and died

Watch this video and answer to the questions bellow:

1. What year was Dickens born?
2. When did his family move to London?
3. Which day of the week did Dickens use to visit his father in prison?
4. Did he marry?
5. Write the name of two places he traveled to?
6. What did he buy when he was famous and had a lot of money?
7. What happened to his marriage?
8. How old was he when he died?

This is a wonderful listening activity and you will also learn about one of the most important English writers.
Good luck.
ANA

VOCABULARY RELATED TO WEDDINGS

In The British Isles WEDDINGS are a bit different from weddings in Spain. Before that especial day, a couple get ENGAGED so they become FIANCE  (the boy) & FIANCEE (the girl). Before the wedding, boys go out one night called STAG NIGHT  and girls do the same on a HEN NIGHT. On the  WEDDING DAY the protagonists of the celebration are called the BRIDE (The girl) & the GROOM (the boy). The BEST MAN is the equivalent of our "padrino" but he is usually a young man who is the groom's best friend or brother. There is no "madrina" but BRIDE'S MAIDS who dress exactly the same and they are friends or relatives of the Bride. The most important moment after the CEREMONY & at the end of the RECEPTION is THE SPEECHES: The GROOM, THE BEST MAN & other special guests speak funnily or seriously about the BRIDE & the GROOM and their relation. After the wedding, the MARRIED COUPLE make a trip called the HONEY MOON.  I've been to two weddings in Ireland. They were very special. We danced "Macarena" during the BALL "in my honour" (for being Spanish). Well, I would have preferred "La chica de ayer" or "Escuela de calor"... Anyway, I had a fantastic time in both. Irish people & Spanish people love "fiestas" or celebrations in the same way.

There are several links with vocabulary related to weddings. Here are some examples:
http://www.english-at-home.com/vocabulary/marriage-and-wedding-vocabulary/
http://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/images/Vocabulary%20Images/Wedding/Wedding_Vocabulary.html
There are also films which reflect how weddinds are like: Four weddings and a funeral, My best friend's wedding: This scene is unforgetable:  Rupert Everett sings I'll say a little prayer for you:

VIDEO WITH ACTIVITIES

VIDEO WITH ACTIVITIES
SONG " I still haven't found what i'm looking for"

This activity is for the CONVERSATION group and the group "ACCESO" (You must practice verb tenses)
See the video with the lyrics and answer to these questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnD6ojjA0OA

• Which two verb tenses are there in the title of the song?
• Which is the verb tense that appears more times and explain why?
• Find a metaphore in the lyrics.
• There is an incorrect past participle. Find it.
• What's the infinitive of the verb loosed. Look it up in a dictionary. Be careful since there is a very similar verb that you know. Compare both verbs (Infinitive, simple past and past participle forms)
• Find an  adjective in  superlative and aanother in  comparative form.
• What is the Kingdom come?
• Above all, enjoy the song. It's absolutely beautiful.
• ANA