Practising with have / has got

 

The king has got a crown.

The bee has got wings.

The bus has got wheels.

The cat has got a tail.

The rabbit has got ears.

The frog is green.

The goat has got a small tail.

The hen has got a beak.

The ant is very small.

The owl  has got a branch.

The lamp  has got a bulb.

The Yak has got horns.

The van is blue and has got a door.

The boat has got rows.

The book has got pages.

The chest has got money.

The sky has got clouds.

The snowman has got a hat

The fox has got a big tail.

The kite has got colors.

The tree has got leaves.

The dog has got a bone.

The dog has got a collar.

The girl has long hair.

Comparing pictures example 

 

A)  WATER BOTTLING PLANT 

B) PAYMENT BY PHONE

The pictures are similar because they are both about technology. 

Both pictures are related to technology used in commerce and economy. In picture A we can see how technology, in this case an assembly line, can make the process of bottling water easier, whereas in picture B we can see someone paying something already bought by simply using the phone.

The pictures are different because picture A shows an industry with an assembly line whereas picture B shows only some simple devices such a dataphone and a mobile phone.

Another difference could be that in picture A you need to invest a lot of money in that kind of technology whereas in picture B the technology is much cheaper .

BODY IDIOMS

KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE

Meaning: A serious expression on your face that you use when you do not want someone to know that you think something is funny

Ex. It was difficult to keep a straight face when I played that prank on my coworkers.

 

KEEP A EYE ON STH

Meaning: to watch carefully for something

Ex: Please keep an eye on my bag.

 

CATCH’S SOMEONE’S EYE

Meaning: to cause someone to notice something or someone.

Ex: I was looking around the store for a present for my mom, and this book caught my eye.

PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN ABOUT STH

Meaning: to use your authority to stop something happening.

Ex: When she started borrowing my clothes without asking, I had to put my foot down.

PUT YOUR FOOT IN IT

Meaning: to say something by accident that embarrasses or upsets someone

Ex: I really put my foot in my mouth – I asked her if Jane was her mother, but she said Jane is her sister.

 

COME FACE TO FACE

Meaning: Directly meeting someone in the same place.

Ex: We've spoken on the phone but never face-to-face.

She came face-to-face with her attacker in the courtroom

 

SEE EYE TO EYE

Meaning: to agree fully with someone

• be in full agreement
• to have the same views about something

Ex: Though they work as a team, they often don't see eye to eye on most issues.

GET COLD FEET

Meaning: to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do, especially something important such as getting married

 

GET YOUR HEAD AROUND SOMETHING

Meaning: to succeed in understanding or accepting something such as a new idea

 Ex: We began to get our heads around what we were facing and how we would fight it.

email example

 

Hi .........,

Thanks for your email. I am very happy to know that I will be able to come to your house for my exchange.

First of all I am going to tell you a bit about myself. My name is ..................... , I am .......................years old and I enjoy .............................and ............................ I my free time I like hanging out with friends and spending time with the people I love.

The reason why I have chosen to be an exchange student is because I really believe that if you want to learn a new language, the best way to do it is by living abroad because once there you are always in contact with the foreign language. You can read books, watch television and talk to the family all the time. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult at the beginning but, later on you get used to it.

Anyway, that’s all for now. If you want to know anything else about myself, write me back.

Regards,

..............................

CHOMSKY: UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR

Universal grammar.

Find attached a video from Chomsky about Universal grammar.

Genetic property that distinguishes people from animals .

How we are capable of learning?

We have a sort of computer in our brain than leads us to learn. 

Have a look at it. It is worth it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbKO-9n5qmc

REWRITING SENTENCES USING THE WORDS IN BRACKETS AND KEEPING THE SAME MEANING

Rewriting sentences using the words in brackets.

          (Keep the same meaning) 

• During our conversation. Dave sent me a text message. (Talking)
• Dave sent me a text message while we were talking .

• There is not much chance of rain tomorrow. (Probably) 
• It won't probably rain tomorrow.

• Tom called Sue two hours ago, and they are still talking on the phone. (for)

• Tom called Sue and they have been talking on the phone for two hours.

•  Are you meeting your friends tonight? (going)
•  Are you going to meet your friends tonight?

• We bought this house in 2005. ( owned)
• We have owned this house since 2005.

• I commented on Etan's photos after seeing them on Facebook (seen)
• I commented on Etan's photos after I had seen them on Facebook.

• This isn't my phone. (belong)
• This phone doesn't belong to me.

• How long have you known Angela? (Meet)
• When did you meet Angela?

Present perfect vs Present perfect continuous 

We use both of these tenses for finished and unfinished actions.

The present perfect simple can be used (with 'since' and 'for') to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and are still happening in the present. It's often used with stative verbs: I've known Martha for three years.

The present perfect continuous can also be used (with 'since' and 'for') to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and are still happening in the present. (We don't use the present perfect continuous with stative verbs): She's been living here for three years.

Sometimes there's really no difference in meaning between the two tenses. Especially  with verbs as 'live', 'work' and 'study':

• They've lived in London since 2004.
• They've been living in London since 2004.

Sometimes, there is a difference in meaning:

The present perfect continuous can be used to emphasise the length of time that has passed. The present perfect simple is generally neutral:

• They've been waiting for hours! (This emphasises the length of time).
• They've waited for hours. (This doesn't emphasise the length of time).

The present perfect simple is often used when we're talking about how much or how many. This is NOT possible with the present perfect continuous:

• She's drunk three cups of coffee this morning
• (NOT: she's been drinking three cups of coffee this morning).

We use 'yet' and 'already' with the present perfect simple:

• Have you read the book yet?
• She's finished her work already.

This difference is often used to talk about different kinds of results in the present. The present perfect simple is used when the action is finished, and the result comes from the action being finished:

• I've eaten dinner, so let's go out.
• She's done all her homework, so she can relax this evening.
• I've made a cake. Would you like some?

The present perfect continuous is used when the result comes from the action itself. It doesn't matter if the whole action is finished or not. The result is often something we can see, hear, smell, or feel:

• I've been eating dinner, so there are plates all over the table.
• She's been doing her homework, so she's tired.
• I've been making a cake, that's why the kitchen is such a mess.

EXEMPLE

What does Diana think of your idea?

I don't know. She hasn't answered my message yet.

Are Saul and Lily a couple?

No, they are just friends . They have known each other for years.

Hey, how did he get so good at football?

He has been playing with his brothers all his life!

Do you and Juliet feel like going to that new action film?

No, thanks. We have already seen it.

Why don't you answer the phone?

Sorry. It has been on silent since last night.

Why are you going to bed so early?

Because I am tired . I have been working on this project for hours.

"SPOT" MEANING AND COLLOCATIONS

 Today some sentences to see the different meanings of the word "spot".

-as a noun, a spot is a mark that is a different color.

• A leopard has spots.

- as a noun, a spot is a place, location, or area.

• This is a great spot for camping.

-as a verb, spot is an informal way to talk about seeing or detecting.

• He spotted an eagle in the sky.

There are also a great number of collocations with spot.

Sometimes we want to say that a certain spot, a certain place, is great for a particular purpose. We can say it’s a good/great/ideal/perfect spot:

• The camping site is an ideal spot for kids to play.

In case we would like to emphasize the accuracy of a specific spot, we can talk about the exact/precise spot:

• This is the exact spot where the battle took place.

When people or yourself enjoy a place, you can refer to it as a popular spot:

• My favorite spot to stay is at the beach under a palm tree.

We can talk about a sunny/shady spot depending on the sun:

• Let’s find a shady spot for our picnic.

When talking about an isolated place, we can say it’s a deserted/lonely spot. These words have a somewhat negative connotation, isolation is considered to be a bad thing. If we want to describe the isolation as a good thing, we can call it a secluded spot.

There’s also the expression a remote spot to describe a place that is far from other places.

• We bought a house in a secluded spot near the mountain lake !

You can also find an expression called "soft spot" which is used to describe an area of emotion, usually special affection:

• I have a soft spot for old people.

ENGLISH ADJECTIVES -ED/ING

 Hi all!

Today a bit of an explanation about when to use adjectives with -ed and adjectives when -ing in English.

Adjectives

-ed/ -ing

I am interested in modern art /  Modern art is interesting

I am excited about tomorrow/ This is an exciting book

He is bored/ The film was boring.

So- ed describes the person who suffers the feeling  and -ing the feeling provoked by something.

See the table below

Annoy: I don’t get annoyed easily	Annoying: Noisy people can be annoying.
Amazed: I am amazed by your talent	Amazing: The concert was amazing
Confused: I asked my teacher but I was still confused.	Confusing: This book is really confusing
Disappointed: I was disappointed by the weather yesterday	Disappointing: Yesterday, the weather was disappointing.
Surprised: I was surprised to see you	I heard some surprising news
Amused: The clown amused the children for hours.	Amusing : The game is very amusing I was amused by the amusing game.
Thrilled . I was thrilled by the film	Thrilling . The film was really thrilling

Some more examples

1. My cousin was (amusing / amused) by the clown.

2. It’s so (frustrating / frustrated)! No matter how much I study I can’t remember the lesson.

3. This film is so (boring / bored)!

4. I’m feeling (tired / tiring), so I’m going home.

5. I thought her new idea was really (thrilled / thrilling)