Tag Archives: vocabulary

Word of the Day: Leap Year

Word of the Day,

If you were wondering if I was going to let this special day go by without giving it my full attention, the answer is No! How could I not jump at the chance of explaining what a leap year is? How could I possibly let the 29th of February (leap day) go by without dedicating it a whole post?

2012, 2016, 2020…etc  are  leap years. This means that we get an extra day on February 29th, so instead of having 365 days there will be 366. A leap day is added  very four years.

Why do we need a leap year? Every four years we have a leap year to correct discrepancy between the calendar year of 365 days and the time taken for the Earth to complete one orbit of the sun -365 days and 6 hours.

I just  love the way Epipheo explains what a leap year is. Watch the video and then answer this question: What is a leapling?

Well done! A leapling is a person who is born on February 29th and they are all invited to join The Honor society of Leap Year Day Babies

Are there any traditions associated to this day? Yeah! And I love it!

According to the legend it started in Ireland around the 5th century. It is said that St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose and he decided that women could propose to the man they wished to marry, only on this day. In 1288 in Scotland a law was passed stating that if the marriage proposal was refused then the man had to pay a fine: a pair of leather gloves, a single rose, £1 and a kiss.

See I could not let this chance slip!

Hope you have liked this post! Happy Leap Year!

Forcing the Past Continuous

Funny Stuff, Students' Corner, , ,

For the past few days I have been thinking about possible situations where my students could use the Past Continuous. But, by far, the funniest one has been this one I’m about to tell you.
Bear in mind before going on reading that I work with teenagers. They can sometimes get quite emotional so I have to be careful not to push them too far so that they also enjoy the activity. Drama, on my side, is essential or they won’t buy my story. The more drama, the more fun you’ll get! This is my story and I have realised I love being naughty!!

(Going into the classroom with a gloomy face is a must for this story. Say nothing for a while and stare at them. Soon students will begin to feel uneasy and someone will eventually ask: “What’s wrong, teacher?”).

Well, you see! Yesterday afternoon I came to Grado (name the town where you teach) to do some shopping and a very unpleasant thing happened to me. (sad face and some more staring) . While I was leaving a shop (name the shop for realism) I heard a boy and a girl calling my name and running away. I couldn’t see their faces but I think I recognised their voices. When I went over to my car I realized someone had scratched my car with a key. That’s why I’m so sad. “Sara, the girl’s voice sounded just like yours!” ” Oh, no, no teacher” “What were you doing yesterday at 5 o’clock?” “I was doing my homework at home” and you David “Were you in Grado yesterday afternoon? Yes , but I was playing a football match!

As I said : I love being NAUGHTY!

Word of the Day: On the Internet

Word of the Day, ,

I know, I know! You don’t have to tell me! Internet is not a difficult word to learn. Why should I, then, dedicate a post to the word Internet?   Come to think of it  this  post might be only meaningful to Spanish students as they are the ones who make the most mistakes when using this word in context. Why? For these two reasons.

♥ We don’t use the article “the”

♥We have a problem with the prepositions in and on and we tend to use almost invariably in.

By the way, did you know that the word Internet is feminine in Spanish?

A word on Grammar: made from/of/by/with

A word on Grammar, ,

Today the focus is on the verb “make” and  what it means when it collocates with four
different prepositions, namely” from”, “of” “by” and “with”. Choosing the right preposition can be a bit tricky sometimes. I hope the explanation below helps you understand a bit better the differences.

🙁 She claimed that the jumper was made from wool

🙂 She claimed that the jumper was made of wool

🙁 Many components are made by plastic

🙂 Many components are made of plastic

🙁 Margarine, which is made by natural ingredients, is more acceptable

🙂 Margarine, which is made from natural ingredients, is more acceptable

♥Use made from when the original materials have been completely changed and cannot be recognised. “Bread is made from flour and water”.

♥ Use made of when the original materials have not been completely changed and you can still see them. “Their dining table is made of solid oak”.

♥ Use made by when you mention the name of the company or person that has made something (NOT the names of materials). “This new razon is made by Wilkinson Sword”.

♥Use made with to talk about one of several  ingredients or materials (for example in cooking). “Paella is made with rice “

Source: Longman Dictionary of Common Errors and Practical English Usage

Now, let’s try a quiz!

Houses are made __ brick

of

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Wine is made __ grapes.

from

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His jacket is made ___leather

of

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Penicillin was discovered ___ A. Fleming

by

[collapse]
Spanish omelette is made __ potatoes

with

[collapse]
All our furniture is made __ wood

of

[collapse]
Paper is made ___ wood

from

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This sweater was knit ___ my granny

by

[collapse]

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Word of the Day: To text

Word of the Day, ,

Who said we cannot learn a new word and have a good laugh at the same time? The word to learn today is “to text” which means “to send a  written  message to someone using a mobile phone”.  For ex. She texted me when she arrived.

Before you proceed to read the message in the picture, let me be honest with you. The word to be taught here should have been  “crotch“ , but I know my mum would disapprove if I started the post saying I was going to teach you a word  meaning “the area between your legs where they join your body“.  And now, straight for the laugh! 😉