Okay. This was simply irresistible. We have discussed Ana Botella's presentation in Buenos Aires (who hasn't?). Whatever we may think over here I believe the opinion abroad is always worth reading. This is what TIME magazine has published about the notorious mayor of Madrid. Just take a look at the other mayors on that particular list... Scary, isn't it? Anyhow, the vocabulary is truly interesting.

I know, I know... I've been away on vacation. So to speak... Anyway, I think the word is busy. I've been reaaaaaaaaaally busy. So... I was thinking it might be interesting to just refresh our memory and go over that oral test I gave my intermediate groups the other day. It was designed to put them under some pressure and make them realize how much you've learnt. Here are some of the expressions you are expected to know:

1. borde del precipicio
2. bostezar
3. prenda
4. hacer "zapping"
5. deshacerse de algo
6. pinchazo
7. jugar por dinero
8. pasmado
9. "pillar" una indirecta
10. decídete

Did you have difficulty trying to remember that vocabulary? Are you a self-satisfied C1 student who couldn´t think of three of the above terms?  The following quiz might be a either humbling experience or a stimulating challenge that may help you learn a bit more.

1. what do you call someone that cheats?
2. what nationality is a person born in Antigua and Barbuda?
3. what verb describes the sound of crows?
4. what does PMS stand for?
5. what is a mite?
6. what does someone do when they are giddy?
7. can you think of a synonym for dismal?
8. what day of the calendar is boxing day?
9. how many days in a fortnight?
10. amongst adults, is the expression name calling appropriate to refer to the act of insulting?

My dear C1 students: we're going to tackle a kind of vocabulary that, quite frankly, steps over the borders of our level (and into C2 hostile territory). I'm talking about noise-related words… Anyhow, first things first. This time I just wanted to call your attention to some of those terms we used in the classroom. Do you remember these words: crusty, mullet, geek, tramp stamp, hikikomori, goofy?  Could you think of appropriate translations for forro polar o palabra de moda? And do you know what purple haze means? All that came up in our classes...

My dear neglected students. Like the Terminator, I'm back.

I guess I'd already warned some of you that this might happen. The workload this year is pretty overwhelming so I make do with the little time I have. Enough said!

Intermediate learners. We're still dealing with medical issues (addictions, colds and all the rest of it) and the authors of the textbook want us to take a look at some past tenses. I guess this is a perfect opportunity for checking out some "real" English you may conceivabably use at the doctor's office: click here if you're curious. It comes with audio files so you can practise your intonation. The accent is (do I need to say it?) American. Enjoy.

C1 crowd. How're you doing? You know what I thought I might give you a vocabulary quiz but then I had second thoughts... I figured it may actually be counterproductive. Okay. Just a taste of it: do you remember what a whizz kid is? And how about the connotations of disturbing? What does deranged mean? (I used it only once). Which one of these is does not mean crazy: nutcase, nut, nutter, nutshell, nuts?

One more thing. I asked you to write a one-page essay describing some sort of awe-inspiring memory (or something of that sort). Remember? So far I've only gotten one text.

Hey! You still there? Cool! Don't ask me why but it looks like I've decided to discuss strong adjectives in every class regardless of its actual level. Anyhow, I feel there are a number of reasons why this might not be irrelevant. Let's see... suppose you need to attend a funeral or express your feelings after a 50-mile hike... Can you really settle for weak words? Don't you feel you should use some serious "power words"? Here's the trick. Intermediate students should feel content if they can handle ONE strong (or extreme) adjective. C1 students ought to experience something close to insatisfaction. How do you feel after the aforementioned hike? Very tired is for wimps. Exhausted is okay for intermediate students. The C1 crowd should be ready to come up with a colorful alternative such as... knackered, shattered, dead tired, burned out, or worn out or something along those lines... Here's some simple practice:

small	tiny
big
pretty
ugly
dirty
surprising
good
bad
funny
cold
hot
clever
angry
sad
happy
strange
good-looking
disgusting
slim
tasty

Hi there! Ok, ok. How are things? I got news! The course for vocational students that are training for an internship somewhere in Europe has begun. So welcome y’all! First and foremost allow me to take care of some reminders.

For my intermediate crowd: please try and make sure you can handle verb+object collocations so that you don’t have to stop and think how to say something as simple as I’m going to have to call you back later.

For my FP pupils: the people from Djibouti are called Djiboutians. And I know you may think you will never need to talk about Djibouti. That said, you should be ready to discuss multiple nationalities and worldviews. At any rate, don’t forget we’re going to be dealing with personal descriptions pretty soon and the country of origin can be part of a descriptions.

This is for my C1 students: Yes. I know you already know your nationalities. You would never mix up the Swiss and the Swedes. However, I suspect you might have a hard time trying to come up with the nationality adjectives for certain countries. Are you sure you know what to call the people from Madagascar, New Zealand or Peru? And, by the way, what would you answer if someone asked you where do you hail from?

Ok, my up-and-coming wordsmiths, we're going to center on social types (again). That means you should be ready to a) learn relatively new vocab (fashionista, chav, etc.) and b) think of new social types. For some reason, the English language is great at noticing new trends and naming them. Sometimes neologisms never quite catch on (the word touron, a blend from tourist + moron is a notorious example). All in all, it's fun just to check out the suggestions. Take the Internet subculture, for instance, is a treasure trove for language learners that offers new words just about every day. In case you're interested here you have a list of neologisms which only true geeks may actually use on a daily basis. Still, it comes to prove that you can always find a new term for just about every new reality. Have fun!

Hi everyone! I'm still here. You know what? I'm not going to have all that much time to post elaborate stuff. That's actually one of the reasons why I decided to upload that excerpt from one my old video casts. I hope it helped you realize how one should pronounce those "-ous" adjectives... In the same vein I'm going to let my intermediate students take a gander at a little project I carried out some two years ago (yes, the "some" is intentional and correct). It's a simple magazine/newsletter I edited for my intermediate classes. It's not much but I thought I might use it again. If you're curious you can check it out by clicking right here.

As for our current classes, I suggest you take a shot at that simple exercise I discussed in the classroom, i.e. how to make a statement a little more natural. For those of you who may not remember what I'm talking about... let's just say that "That is funny" sounds dead boring and, depending on the circumstances, even robotic. However "Well, that's actually sort of funny, isn't it?". Just look at the unnecessary words in that sentence. Along those lines you may come up with stuff like: "To be honest, I happen to be a bit of a cook myself, you know?". See the difference?

How to pronounce the word "famous"

Hi there! We're still discussing personal names and their effect on people's lives. It now seems unavoidable to comment on celebrities and their outlandish tastes. Here is a list of questionable names that certain celebs chose for their own babies. The tone of the article (which is already two years old) is not exactly academic but leaving aside the fact that it's good for a few laughs, it may also help us learn some interesting vocab (to see fit, brood, offspring, etc.).

I know it's kind of early but, you know what? I figured you could start practising for this year's Halloween contest. It's going to be a newish literary competition. Entries will be posted on our Twitter account. It goes without saying the topic is horror and the length should not exceed that of a Twitter post. If you are curious the Twitter account of the school offers an example. You can check it out and then try and take a shot at it. What do you say?

Personal names

This is a truly bizarre coincidence... It just so happens that the two textbooks I'm going to be using (New English File B1 + and Speak Out C1) tackle the very same topic in their first units: personal names. Odd, isn't it? Anyhow, those of you that are interested in people's names might get a kick out of this peculiar list. We'll talk about it in the classroom. Actually, we already broached the subject in the Intermediate class, when I mentioned the name of that frustrated character that spends most of his free time trying to catch Roadrunner: Wile E. Coyote.

Anyway, if you feel like learning something about personal names in the United States, check out the clip below. You won't regret it.

A new course is about to start. Lots of new students will show up in the (physical) classroom. Within a month we'll see who's willing to go the distance.