Modals III: may, might

May and might are usually associated with probability and possibility (present and past), although they can also express many other notions such as permission, suggestions, etc. In most cases they can be interchangeable, although might tends to sound a bit more formal than may. Some people also say that the probability or possibility expressed with might is more remote than that with may.

Here you will find some exercises combining different modals. Gook luck!

By the way, are you familiar with the expression "pigs might fly"? Have a look at this video by The Teacher (BBC Learning English) and you'll see.

29th anniversary of John Lennon's death

On Dec 8th, it will be 29 years since John Lennnon was shot outside his apartment in the Dakota Building in New York where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono. This is how the BBC reported the shooting.

Nearly 30 years after his death, John Lennon is still a symbol for old and young generations. Pay a visit to his official website supported by his wife Yoko.

If you feel like reading a bit more about John Lennon's life and work go on to the wikipedia.

And now, time to listen to one of his masterpieces: Imagine.

Modals. Crossword

You can practise the use of modals with this crossword. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate modal verb. You can also use be able to and have to.

Remember we do not use blank spaces or apostrophes in the crosswords.

Good luck!

Modals II: must, have to, should, ought to

Must and have to are particularly important to express: obligation, necessity, prohibition (in negative), positive deduction, etc. The correct use of them is not very easy...

• Must and have to are used in affirmative to express obligation; must is often associated with an inner feeling of duty or personal or specific obligation on the part of the speaker (I must go now) whereas have to represents "the law", it usually refers to general rules, external obligations or impositions (You have to wear the helmet). Apart from this different connotation, must and have to are quite interchangeable in the present and future. In the past only have to is used.
• In the negative mustn't is used to express prohibition whereas have to refers to lack of obligation, something quite different.
• Should and ought to are mainly used give advice or refer to "moral" obligation or manners.

Our friend Ana Flores has sent us a pps showing the use of these modals. Have a look at it, it's very clear.

Also have a go at this video explaining the use and conjugation of have to and must.

Advent Calendar

Talking about calendars, have you ever heard of Advent Calendars? An Advent Calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious whereas others are secular in content.

Today most advent calendars are made for children. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with many "windows", one of which is opened every day during Advent. In less elaborate calendars, each window opens to reveal an image, a poem, or part of a story such as the Nativity story itself. More elaborate calendars have a small gift concealed in each window, such as a toy or a chocolate item. (Wikipedia)

Would you like to read about the history of the Advent Calendar?

Well, here is a little challenge for you. Visit this very interesting Advent Calendar from Woodlans Junior School and see if you can answer the questions they ask you about how Christmas is celebrated in different countries. Remember you can only answer one question each day. No cheating!!

Thirty days hath November...

"Thirty days hath September..." is a mnemonic rhyme to help remember the number of days in each month. Although there are many versions, this is probably the most common one:

"Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November,
all the rest have thirty-one
except for February alone,
which has twenty-eight or
twenty-nine in each leap year"

Have you ever used the knuckles of your hands to remember them. Do you know how it goes? Read here to find out.

How much do you know about "leap years"? Which was the last leap year? Some people believe that leap years are very special -they're certainly one day longer!! It might be a coincidence but Olympic Games always take place on leap years.

Whenever I speak about leap years I think back of my aunt Elia. I remember when I was a little boy she always looked really young to me, much younger than the rest of the family. One day I asked her what her secret was for looking so young. And she said: "There's no secret, I simply was born on a leap year, on February 29th, and therefore I only have a birthday every four years... that's why I look so young."

Here are some other curiosities about the calendar.

Have a look at this video.

Modals I: can, could, be able to

Modal verbs play a very important role in the English language. Thanks to modals we can express many different notions and perform many functions in our everyday communication.

The use of modals is not easy to master. It is true that they are not a large group, but they are very important and they have their own rules -that is why we need to become familiar with them as soon as possible.

Here is a short video with a basic introduction to modal verbs.

In the next few days we are going to study each one of them separately, beginning today with "can" and "could". Can and could are only used in the present and past; for the rest of the tenses, including the infinitive, we use "to be able to". For further exercises with modals try this excellent Modal Verb Tutorial.

Have a look at this video, I am sure it will help you understand.

Nov 26. Thanksgiving Day

The Wikipedia defines Thanksgiving Day as a harvest festival, a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general.

Thanksgiving is celebrated mainly in the USA and Canada, where it stands out as one of the most important celebrations in the calendar. Students come home from university and the family gather together around a table full of delicious food, where the real protagonist is the turkey, roast turkey, in fact.

Find out a bit more about the origin of this celebration, when and how it is celebrated nowadays.

I found this video telling the story of the First Thanksgiving. It has been recorded at a slow pace and using a very accessible language. You should have no problem understanding it. Have a go! Happy Thanksgiving Day!

And perhaps the most important question of all: "What do turkeys think about this celebration?" Well, find out in these two videos:

• I will survive...
• Thanks for...

Nov 25. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Long live butterflies!!

November 25th has been chosen as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In the following article you will find information about the origin of this celebration and why it is celebrated on this date.

I was really touched when I first read this beautiful poem by Carol Geneya Kaplan called "Another woman".

In 1988, Tracy Chapman wrote an impressive song about gender violence called "Behind the wall". Unfortunately you can see that 21 years later it still sounds terribly familiar. Watch the video clip, it has subtitles.

Have you ever heard of "The 16 Days Campaign"? Read a bit more and see if you would like to back up this initiative somehow. What 16 days do they talk about? What do we celebrate on Dec 10th?

Transport and travel. Crossword

Well, here we go with another crossword. This time we want to revise vocabulary and expressions in the world of transport and travel. Keep in mind that many of the words in the crossword are compounds and in some cases they should not be written together as just one word, ok?

Write down in your notebook three words that you will always remember from now on.

Comparatives and superlatives

Using comparatives and superlatives properly in English can be quite a challenge. However there are some rules which are not difficult to follow if you are careful. Here are some notes that might help you.

Have a look at this pps (remember: powerpoint slideshow) that my colleague Ana has sent us from Estepona (Thank you, Ana) and you will see it all very clearly.

If you want to do some further practice here are some good links offering you lots of exercises. Enjoy yourself!

• usingenglish.com
• englishexercises.org
• better-english.com

Still another pps to go a little further into the comparatives. Don't miss it!

Dido's White Flag: Song and quiz

Listen to Dido's famous song "White Flag", a classic from 2003. See if you can fill in the blanks in the lyrics of the song. There are a few expressions worth taking a look at. Do the quiz and see if you're familiar with them. Once finished you can check your answers. Good luck!

I can do it!

I've just come across these English lessons and I thought you might like to give them a try. They're very clear and have got subtitles in English. In this introductory lesson, Misterduncan in England says that the two most important words to remember when learning English are: practice and confidence. What do you think of it? If that is so... do you think you practise enough? And how confident do you feel to use the English you are learning? Do you take advantage of the situations to use your English as much as you can or are you too shy to do so?

Friday the 13th

Every year has at least one Friday the 13th, and a maximum of three, like 2009 for example (February, March and November). But why is Friday the 13th an unlucky day? It has always been an unlucky day in Britain, but when I was a little boy the "unlucky day" in Spain was Tuesday the 13th, not Friday. Probably after the great influence of the film Friday the 13th, in 1980, this date became more popular also in our country.

This Friday 13th November is also very special because it is our colleague Alex's birthday... Happy Birthday, Alex!!

Some more curiosities about Frinday the 13th on the Wikipedia.

By the way... can you count to 13? Time for revision... watch the video.

Why don't you post a comment sharing with us any "strange" experience that you might have had on a Friday 13th. Are you superstitious? Do you believe in this sort of things? We are looking forward to reading your comments and opinions. Come on!

Strong Adjectives. Crossword

Well, I'm back as I promised, and not as sleepy as I was last night.

I've just prepared a very attractive crossword about strong adjectives. Lots of new vocabulary. Have a go and see if you know them all. Have a happy weekend.