Tag Archives: onlinetools

PhraseUp: A Useful Online Tool

freeware, Writing skill, ,

Sometimes we know what we want to write, the sentence is phrased in our mind, but we can’t figure out some of the words we need. This is where phraseup* comes in. It assists you with writing, by suggesting possible combinations to fill-in the words you can’t remember. Each suggestion is accompanied by definitions, synonyms and translations to other languages.
Imagine you want to use the verb+preposition combination “cope with” but you are just not sure which words it collocates with, just type it in PhraseUp and options will be provided.

Or maybe you know there is an expression containing the words ” take” and “granted” but you have forgotten what goes in the middle, PhraseUp can help you here, too. Just type the words that you remember and put an asterisk * where you want the application to insert something. Very useful, isn’t it?


Give it a go, it is free and you don’t even need to register.

Preparing for the Certificación Oral Test: Role Plays.

Lesson Plan: Elementary, Role-plays, Slides, Speaking, , , , ,

You won’t probably need to be reminded that in the Certificación Oral Test there are two parts. No matter what level you are taking there is always an Interaction with the examiner and then another part where you’ll be on your own talking about whatever is shown in the pictures the examiner will offer you.

Today I want to help you practice the Interaction at Elementary level. I hope these slides help you. More will be coming , so keep posted!!!.

Creating a Poster : Keep Calm and Carry On

Create your own stuff, Funny Stuff,

“Keep Calm and have a relaxing cup of cafe con leche in Plaza Mayor”said A. B , Mayor of Madrid in an amazing English

The Keep Calm-o-Matic is a nice site where you can create your own poster . This is mine for my classroom 😉

The poster with  the words KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON are all the rage nowadays. But what does it mean? A bit of history is due…

The poster was produced at the beginning of the Second World War by the Ministry of Information to strengthen morale in the event of a wartime disaster, such as mass bombing of major cities using high explosives and poison gas, which was widely expected within hours of an outbreak of war. Over 2,500,000 copies were printed, although the poster was distributed only in limited numbers, and never saw public display.
The poster KEEP CALM AND …was third in a series of three. The previous two posters from the series, “Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might” and “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory” were issued and used across Britain for motivational purposes. An icon of a “Tudor” crown (a widely used symbol of government authority) was chosen to head the poster, rather than a photograph. The slogans were created by civil servants.

In 2000, Stuart Manley, co-owner with his wife Mary of Barter Books Ltd., was sorting through a box of used books bought at auction when he uncovered one of the original “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters. The couple framed it and hung it up by the cash register; and it attracted so much interest that Manley began to produce and sell copies. Other companies followed suit, and the design rapidly began to be used as the theme for a wide range of products.” Source Wikipedia

Student’s Corner: My hometown

Students' Corner, , , ,

It’s always a pleasure to share with you the work of my hard-working students.

The task was either talking or writing about their hometown and I have to say that I was gladly surprised when most of my students, who had never ever given a speech in English, decided to give a beautiful speech about their hometown. I had some beautiful contributions in written form (like Rodrigo’s and Carmen’s )  but  most of them were given orally and sometimes even accompanied by slides like the one just below, given by Manuel.
These were the guidelines they had to follow and necessarily include in their presentation.

  • Name of their hometown
  • Population
  • Why it is famous
  • Good places to visit
  • Places to eat and relax
  • The best/worst about their hometwon.

To publish Rodrigo and Carmen’s work I have used Issuu

And Manuel’s beautiful presentation of Avilés shared in Slideshare.

Thank you guys! Well done!

Some Useful Websites for Elementary Students to Practise Listening

Listening, ,

Have I ever told you that I’m not a morning person? Fortunately, at the EOI, I work the afternoon shift otherwise I don’t think I would be able to get a coherent thought out of my mind in Spanish, let alone in English, and I’m sure this is something my demanding students would not be too happy about.
Have I ever told you that I’m not a Monday person either? I very much prefer Fridays… ha,ha,ha … just joking!

Let’s start Monday with a smile on my face and three cups of coffee in my body and this selection of websites to help my Elementary students improve their Listening Skill. Hope it is helpful,guys!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!