And yet another way to improve your vocab

Dictionaries, Listening, Resources, The English language, Vocabulary

Now that you have a certain skill at mastering new structures it’s time to improve your vocabulary. There is no point in learning a new word unless you know how to use it and it is also important to understand how words are used.
So here is a cool site you can enjoy. It is called WORDIA. What is this and what are they? I quote “We’re a team of language enthusiasts and general word nuts who have joined forces to create a new kind of dictionary – a democratic ‘visual dictionary’. A place where anyone with a video, webcam or mobile phone can define the words that matter to them in their life.”
As anyone can record words , it goes without saying that I accept no responsibility for anything incorrect, improper, wrong … you name it.
Click on the image and try it.

You can also get a new video sent to you everyday, just by adding your email address to the subscription field and each day you will be sent a link to the newest word.

Related links:

Recipe: Spanish Omelette

Cooking

I was racking my brains about what to do to make you use and study the new vocabulary related to food we have been learning in class when divine inspiration knocked on my door and it suddenly dawned on me, always on the search for new recipes, to ask you to write one… but not just any recipe but a recipe that would make anybody ‘s mouth drool . Now, I know some of you are going to say ….”but teacher I don’t know how to cook” so what? Better late than never!! Ask at home, parents , grandparents ..I’m sure they have a wonderful recipe to share , maybe in the end you’ll thank me for rescuing that wonderful recipe your grandmother used to cook for you.

My favourite dish is Spanish Omelette and this is the recipe I’m going to share with you as I’ve been the proud winner of the I Spanish Omelette Cooking Contest of my hometown

You’ll need. (serves 4) · 6-7 medium potatoes, peeled
· 1 spring onion
· 6 large eggs
· 2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying
· Salt to taste
· Baking Powder

Cut the peeled potatoes into thin slices. Peel and chop the onion into small cubes. Salt onions and potatoes to taste.
In a large non-stick frying pan heat the oil (the oil should almost cover the potatoes). When it is hot enough ,place and spread the potatoes and the onion into the frying pan.The key if for this mixture to cook very gently so you might need to turn down the heat slightly. Stir from time to time with a slotted spoon. You will know that it is cooked when you poke a piece of potato with the spoon and it easily breaks in two. Place the mixture into a bowl removing as much oil as you can.
Now, crack the eggs into a bowl ,add a small spoon of baking powder and beat them with a fork. Pour into the potato onion mixture and mix together with a large spoon.
Now, pour two tablespoons of olive oil into the frying pan. Heat it. Pour the mixture and spread it evenly. Allow the egg to cook around the edges. When the mixture has browned on the bottom, you are ready to turn it over to cook the other side. Place a plate (about the size of the pan) upside down over the frying pan to cover top and quickly turn the frying pan over and the omelette will fall onto the plate. Then. Slide the omelette into the frying pan and let it cook for as long as needed. And you’re done!! Enjoy your nice meal!!

Food and cooking. Working with Flickr

Create your own stuff, freeware, Lesson Plan: Advanced, Lesson Plan: Pre-Intermediate, Resources, The English language, Vocabulary

Food! Food!! Food for thought! Always nice to learn something so useful. Nive way to teach too when it is as funny as doing it using this amazing tool which borrows pictures from Flickr and allows users to input sentences, phrases or even entire paragraphs and then turn them into illustrated slide shows .

Why don’t you try your own images and share them? Have a look at what I’ve done.
Ways of cooking
http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/?id=17840

Kitchen equipment
http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/?id=17841

Taste:
http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/?id=17844

What’s the difference between Sour and Bitter?
1.Take a drink of Vinegar : This would be sour or so considered to be.
2.Take a bite of Real pure dark chocolate: This would considered bitter
1.A Grannysmith green cooking apple would be sour
2.Coffee without sugar or cream would be bitter
Sour lemons and limes, or unripe fruit before it becomes sweet.

Vegetables
http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/?id=17846

Enjoy your meal!!

How To Pass the Test When You Haven’t Read the Book

Funny Stuff, Listening, Writing, ,

Hey! Hold on a sec… this is not what you think it is but just the opposite .
As the writing test is nearing some of you are probably beginning to wonder whether you’ll have time to finish your novel or whether it might be necessary to find help somewhere else. In case you are considering the infinite possibilities the Internet offers, watch this video… I’ve watched it too. 😉

Related entries:

A Book Review

Lesson Plan: Advanced, Reading, Resources, Writing, ,

You have been reading your books for a while now and I sincerely hope you are enjoying it. But… hurry up if you haven’t finished because your writing test is coming… sorry to give you bad news. I have already made up my mind to do it on Thursday April 22 in class.
Here are some considerations and tips about writing book reviews. I hope you find them useful.What is the difference between a book report and a book review? A book report is completely factual. It includes information on the author, title, place and year of publication as well as a summary of the content of the book. A book review, on the other hand, is much more personal. It is really an expression of the reader’s opinion of the work, or of specific aspects of the work. The review will probably include much of the same factual content as the report, but it is the reader’s personal opinions that are most important.

You have read your book. Your next step will be to organize what you are going to say about it in your report. Writing the basic elements down in an outline format will help you to organize your thoughts.What will you include in the outline?
The description should include such elements as:

•The setting-where does the story take place?
•The time period-is the story set in the present day or in an earlier time period? Perhaps it is even set in the future!
•The main character(s)-who is the story mostly about? Give a brief description. Often, one character can be singled out as the main character, but some books will have more than one
•The plot-what happens to the main character? WARNING! Be careful here. Do not fall into the boring trap of reporting every single thing that happens in the story. Pick only the most important events. Here are some hints on how to do that. First, explain the situation of the main character as the story opens. Next, identify the basic plot element of the story-is the main character trying to achieve something or overcome a particular problem? Thirdly, describe a few of the more important things that happen to the main character as he/she works toward that goal or solution. Finally, you might hint at the story’s conclusion without completely giving away the ending.

WRITING TIPS

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