Sitges Blog

English dialogues and letters

2011-04-29T06:00:00.000+02:00

Have a look at these dialogues and write similar ones. You can choose whatever you are interested in. Minimum 150 words.
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/speaking/index.html

Have a look at these letters and write a new one, formal or informal.
http://www.parapal-online.co.uk/resources/letters.html
You can apply for a job, write to a friend or complain to a hotel. Follow the models, you should also use the following expressions: http://www.englishspanishlink.com/deluxewriter/expressionsineng.htm

Reported Speech

2011-04-12T08:53:00.001+02:00

Exercise 1
Finish the sentences using Reported speech.

Example: Peter: "I clean the black shoes."
Peter told me that ____________________________
Answer: Peter told me that he cleaned the black shoes.

1) John: "Mandy is at home."
John said that___________________________________________________ .

2) Max: "Frank often reads a book."
Max told me that _______________________________________________.

3) Susan: "I'm watching TV.
Susan said to me that __________________________________________.

4) Simon: "David was ill."
Simon said that _______________________________________________ .

5) Peggy: "The girls helped in the house."
Peggy told me that __________________________________________.

6) Richard: "I am going to ride a skateboard."
Richard said to me that _________________________________________.

7) Stephen and Claire: "We have cleaned the windows."
Stephen and Claire told me that __________________________________.

8) Charles: "I didn't have time to do my homework."
Charles remarked that _______________________________________.

9) Mrs Jones: "My mother will be 50 years old."
Mrs Jones told me that _________________________________________.

10) Jean: "The boss wants to sign the letter."
Jean said that ______________________________________________.

Exercise 2
Finish the sentences using Reported speech.

Example: Peter: "Clean the black shoes!"
Peter told me _________________________
Answer: Peter told me to clean the black shoes.

1) Andrew: "Clean the blue bike!"
Andrew told me ___________________________________________.

2) Jessica: "Write a text message!"
Jessica told me ___________________________________________.

3) Nelly: "Help Peter's sister!"
Nelly told me _______________________________________________.

4) Fred: "Wash your hands!"
Fred told me ________________________________________________.

5) Anna: "Open the window!"
Anna told me ________________________________________________.

Exercise 3

Finish the sentences using Reported speech.

Example: Peter: "Don't clean the black shoes!"
Peter told me _________________________
Answer: Peter told me not to clean the black shoes.

1) Karen: "Don't play football in the garden!"
Karen told me _________________________________________.

2) Teacher: "Don't forget your homework!"
The teacher reminded me ____________________________________.

3) Mike: "Don't shout at Peter!"
Mike told me _____________________________________________ .

4) Yvonne: "Don't talk to your neighbour!"
Yvonne told me __________________________________________.

5) Denise: "Don't open the door!"
Denise told me ________________________________________.

Reported questions - Exercise 4
Example: Peter: "Did John clean the black shoes?"
Peter asked me _________________________________
Answer: Peter asked me if John had cleaned the black shoes.

1) Christopher: "Do you want to dance?"
Christopher asked me _______________________________________.

2) Betty: "When did you come?"
Betty wanted to know __________________________________________.

3) Mark: "Has John arrived?"
Mark asked me ___________________________________________.

4) Ronald: "Where does Maria park her car?"
Ronald asked me __________________________________________.

5) Elisabeth: "Did you watch the latest film?"
Elisabeth asked me ___________________________________________.

6) Mandy: "Can I help you?"
Mandy wanted to know ____________________________________________-- .

7) Andrew: "Will Mandy have lunch with Sue?"
Andrew asked me ________________________________ .

8) Justin: "What are you doing?"
Justin asked me ____________________________________________.

9) Frank: "How much pocket money does Lisa get?"
Frank wanted to know _________________________.

10) Anne: "Do you want to do the shopping?"
Anne asked ___________________________________________.

Gerard Piqué

2011-04-11T10:05:00.002+02:00

Gerard Piqué i Bernabéu; born 2 February 1987 in Barcelona, Catalonia) is a Catalan footballer, currently playing as a central defender for FC Barcelona. A product of Barça's pedrera, he initially left the club for Manchester United in 2004, where he remained for four years, before returning to Barça under Josep Guardiola's leadership, helping the club become the first Iberic club ever to complete the treble. Piqué is one of four players to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams, the others being Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa and Samuel Eto'o.

Early career

Piqué started his career in FC Barcelona's youth teams as a defensive midfielder, but before he signed his first professional contract with the club, he decided to join Manchester United. The Premier League side did not pay a fee for Piqué as he was too young to have a professional contract.

Return to Barcelona

On 27 May 2008, Piqué signed a four-year contract with Barcelona, with a €50 million buy-out clause. Barcelona paid a €5 million fee for the player. He expressed his joy at re-signing with his boyhood club, although he admitted he had enjoyed his spell at Manchester United: "I am very happy to be back, I didn't think I would be here again but this is very good for me. Manchester United is a great club and I enjoyed winning things. To play with world class players has helped me and now I want to continue this at Barça."
Piqué's first goal for Barcelona came in the club's 5–2 UEFA Champions League group stage win at Sporting CP on 26 November 2008. His first domestic goal for the club followed two months later, on 29 January 2009, in a Copa del Rey match against local rivals RCD Espanyol. The goal, which came from a corner kick in the 57th minute, turned out to be the game winner in a 3–2 victory for Barcelona.
Piqué scored his first league goal for Barcelona on 2 May 2009, in a 6–2 away thrashing of Real Madrid, in El Clásico. On 13 May 2009, he picked up the first trophy of his Barcelona career as he helped his club to a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey final. Three days later, Barcelona clinched the league title after Real Madrid lost 3–2 to Vila-real CF, with two games left in the season.
He played against his former club Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League Final on 27 May, which Barcelona won 2–0, hence completing a historic treble. On 26 February 2010, Pique signed a contract extension that will keep him at FC Barcelona until at least the summer of 2015. On 28 April 2010, Pique scored in Barcelona's semi-final second leg against Internazionale, scoring the only Barcelona goal of the game. Barcelona lost 3–2 on aggregate. On April 2, 2011, Pique scored the winning goal in an away La Liga match against Vila-real CF, which saw Barcelona win with 0-1, and hence continue on top of the table for the 17th consecutive week, with an 8-point difference than second-place, longtime rivals, Real Madrid FC.

Gerund and infinitive exercises

2011-03-25T12:48:00.000+01:00

http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_1.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_10.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_20.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_15.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_21.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_22.htm

Will/going to exercises

2011-03-24T22:15:00.000+01:00

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/going_to_future_statements.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_future_statements.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_going_to_future.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_future_mix.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/going_to_future_negation.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_future_negation.htm

You tube, The catalan language

2011-03-22T11:17:00.001+01:00

http://co118w.col118.mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0

Exercises on simple past

2011-03-18T10:03:00.000+01:00

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_statements.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_statements2.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_negation_sentences.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_negation_sentences2.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_mix.htm

Exercises on present continuous

2011-03-07T14:27:00.000+01:00

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/present_progressive_statements_long.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/present_progressive_statements_long2.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/present_progressive_statements_contracted.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/present_progressive_statements_contracted2.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/questions/present_progressive.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/questions/present_progressive2.htm

Exercises on simple present

2011-02-16T05:49:00.000+01:00

On line Passive exercises

2011-02-14T13:31:00.002+01:00

http://www.english-4u.de/passive.html

Lexicon Hiberno-English

2011-01-23T22:12:00.002+01:00

Lexicon

§ Something banjaxed is broken, ruined, or rendered incapable of use. As in "My mobile's been banjaxed since I dropped it."

§ Bjore Attractive female.

§ Boot used to describe an unattractive girl,

§ Cat – bad, terrible. (from catastrophic). "The weather is cat isn't it?"

§ Cod, a joke, ridiculous, can also be used on a person. "This fella is a cod."

§ College is used in a way similar to American English. In Ireland college can be used to refer to any third-level institution, university or not.

§ Craic or crack is fun, a good time, good company, good atmosphere and conversation. If you are enjoying yourself, it is good craic.

§ Cub – means a young child

§ Da slang for father, as in "Me da doesn't do too well at the horses!"

§ Draw - To infuse tea, 'Let the tea draw'.

§ Fair play –"Fair play to him" meaning "Well done to him", or "Good for him."

§ Footpath pavement and sidewalk in American English.

§ Geebag –bastard. "She's a total geebag."

§ Give out (to someone) – to tell someone off, to scold a person,

§ Gombeen corrupt activity.

§ Gomey –a worthless individual, a fool e.g. "You're nothing but a gomey, like!".

§ Howeya – A contraction of "How are you", most often used as a greeting

§ Jacks – toilet. Cf. American English "john". "Here lads, I'm off to the jacks.

§ Lack –slang for girlfriend,

§ Langer - a penis, or someone who is a fool/idiot/dislikeable person.

§ Meet –kiss, oral sex, or full coitus.

§ Runners or tackies, or in the north gutties, refers to "trainers"

§ Shift – to kiss, generally with tongues or to have sex or both.

§ Sláinte is an Irish word meaning "health".

§ Strand – commonly used instead of "beach".

§ Wan – A woman.

§ Wojus –hateful, horrible

§ Your (often pronounce "yer") - "yer wan" or "yer man" refers to the person in question. "look at yer man". There is also "yer/your only man" (for doing some job), which is a compliment.

Hiberno-English

2011-01-23T22:11:00.002+01:00

Grammar derived from Irish

1. Hiberno-English uses "yes" and "no" less frequently than other English dialects.

§ "Are you coming home soon?" – "I am."

§ "Is your mobile charged?" – "It's not."

2. Some Irish speakers of English, especially in rural areas, use the verb "to be" using a "does be/do be" (or "bees", although less frequently) construction to indicate this latter continuous present:

§ "He does be working every day."

§ "They do be talking on their mobiles a lot."

§ "He does be doing a lot of work at school."

§ "It's him I do be thinking of."

3. Irish has separate forms for the second person singular (tú) and the second person plural (sibh). The plural you is also distinguished from the singular in Hiberno-English, normally by use of the otherwise archaic English word ye [ji]; the word yous (sometimes written as youse) .. In addition, in some areas the hybrid word ye-s, pronounced "yis", may be used.

§ "Did ye all go to see it?"

§ "None of youse have a clue!"

§ "Are ye not finished yet?"

§ "Yis are after destroying it!"

4. Conditionals have a greater presence in Hiberno-English due to the tendency to replace the simple present tense with the conditional (would) and the simple past tense with the conditional perfect (would have).

§ "John asked me would I buy a loaf of bread." (John asked me to buy a loaf of bread.)

§ "How do you know him? We would have been in school together." (We went to school together.)

5. The verb mitch is very common in Ireland, indicating being truant from school.

6. Amn't is used as an abbreviation of "am not", by analogy with isn't and aren't. This can be used as a tag question ("I'm making a mistake, amn't I?"), or as an alternative to I'm not ("I amn't joking"),

7. Arra is used also and may be translated as "alright, yes/no". The word yerra is also used.

8. It is common to add the word Hey onto the end of sentences for emphasis-for example a person could say "Are you going into town, hey?"

9. So is often used for emphasis ("I can speak Irish, so I can"), or it may be tacked on to the end of a sentence to indicate agreement, where "then" would often be used in Standard English ("Bye so", "Let's go so", "That's fine so", "We'll do that so"). The word is also used to contradict a negative statement ("You're not pushing hard enough" – "I am so!"). (This contradiction of a negative is also seen in American English, though not as often as "I am too", or "Yes, I am".)

10. Yer man (your man) and Yer wan/one (your one,female) are used in referring to an individual other than the speaker and the person spoken to.

Unique Australian traits

2010-12-07T12:54:00.000+01:00

1. Australian English incorporates several uniquely Australian terms, such as outback to refer to remote regional areas, walkabout to refer to a long journey of uncertain length and bush to refer to native forested areas.
2. Fair dinkum can mean are you telling me the truth?, or this is the truth!, or even this is ridiculous! depending on context. G'day is well known as a stereotypical Australian greeting. (It is worth noting that "G'day" is not quite synonymous with "good day", and is never used as an expression for "farewell".)
3. Some elements of Aboriginal languages have been incorporated into Australian English, mainly as names for places, flora and fauna (e.g. Dingo, kangaroo). Beyond that, very few terms have been adopted into the wider language. A notable exception is Cooee (a musical call which travels long distances in the bush and is used to say 'is there anyone there?'). Though often thought of as an Aboriginal word, Didgeridoo/Didjeridu (a well known wooden musical instrument) is actually an onomatopoeic term coined by an English settler.
4. Australian English has a unique set of diminutives formed by adding -o or -ie to the ends of (often abbreviated words). There does not appear to be any particular pattern to which of these suffixes is used. Examples with the -o ending include abo (aborigine - now considered very offensive), arvo (afternoon), servo (service station) and ambo (ambulance officer). Examples of the -ie ending include barbie (barbeque), bikkie (biscuit) and blowie (blowfly). Occasionally, a -za diminutive is used, usually for personal names. Barry becomes Bazza, Karen becomes Kazza and Sharon becomes Shazza.
5. A substantial collection of unusual words are in common spoken usage - e.g. "dacks" (trousers), "dag" (unfashionable person), "ute" (a utility truck). An even larger vocabulary is derived from recognisable words with entirely new meanings - "to bag" (to criticise), "blue" (either a fight or heated argument, or an embarrassing mistake), "crook" (unwell, also unfair), "to wag" (to play truant), "cactus" (non-functional), "cut" (angry) and especially "root" (a euphemism for sexual intercourse, which has caused social embarrassment for American women who innocently declare that they "root" for a particular sports team). Iin Australia fanny is a slang term for a vagina.

Australian English vocabulary

2010-12-07T12:45:00.002+01:00

A

• ace - excellent, very good

• aggro – (adj) aggressive; (n) aggravation

• apples, she's - everything is all right;

• arvo – short for afternoon; in use since the 1950s

B

• bag - (v) to denigrate; (n) an ugly woman;

• bang sexual intercourse

• beaut – (adj) great, fantastic, terrific; in use since the 1910s (n);

• beauty – exclamation showing approval, often spelt as bewdy

• bickie – biscuit.

• big bickies – lots of money

• bizzo - business ("Mind your own bizzo.")

• bloody oath - that's certainly true;

• blue an embarrassing mistake (for example, "I've made a blue.")

• bodgy - of inferior quality

• bog in - to attack a meal with enthusiasm

• bottler - something excellent

• buggered - tired. "I'm feeling buggered."

• buttsucker - someone who smokes cigarettes

C

• cackleberry - egg

• chook - a chicken

• Chrissie - Christmas

• chunder - vomit. "I had a chunder.".

• come a gutser - make a bad mistake, have an accident

• cossie, cozzie - swimming costume, bathers

• cranky - in a bad mood, angry

• crunk - to get drunk

• cut – angry or upset

D

• dag an unfashionable or uncool person, equivalent to "geek" or "dork".

• deso - the designated driver on a night out.. I can't, I'm the deso'

• dinger - condom

• dinkum – honest, genuine, real Fair dinkum means "fair and square", i.e. honest; true; real; genuine; can be shortened to dinks

• docket - a bill, receipt

• doco - documentary

• drongo - foolish person

• dunny – toilet derro - a term for idiot ,. 'What a derro'

E • earbashing - nagging, non-stop chatter

F • footpath – any well-used walkway, sidewalk or pavement.

• franger - condom

G • g'day – good day, hello;

• good onya - good for you, well done

H • hooroo - goodbye

J • jaded- feeling hungover or suffering the after effects of drugs

L • lingo – language or dialect

• lippy - lipstick

N • no worries or nurries – you're welcome; no problem; that's all right;

• norgs - tits

O • okey-dokey – OK

• onya - a congratulatory term

P

• paro/parro/ pissed - drunk

• pig's arse – I don't agree with you

• porker - a lie, "he's tellin porkers"

• pov or povo – cheap looking; from poverty

• preggers, preggo - pregnant

• pissing down – raining heavy

• Poof, poofter - homosexual, gay or a fag

Q • quack - a doctor. "I have to visit the quack."

• quid, make a - earn a living

R

• rage - party

• rage on - to continue partying - "we raged on until 3am"

• rapt - pleased, delighted

• ratshit – broken, not working properly; extremely drunk

• reckon - Giving your opinion. ("It's hot, don't you reckon?"

• rego - vehicle registration

• ridgy-didge - original, genuine

• righto - okay or that's right. Can also be said as rightio.

• root - slang term for sex

• ropeable - very angry

• rubbish - (verb) to criticise

S

• scrag an unattractive woman

• servo - service station (i.e. petrol station / gas station)

• sheila - woman.

• sherbet - beer. As in "going to to the pub for a couple of sherbets"

• stella - good, pleasing, thanks

• stoked - very pleased

• stuffed – exhausted, tired

• sweet – fine, good

T

• tinny - a can of beer

• tinny, tin-arsed - lucky

• toey - nervous, distracted;

• togs - swimming costume, bathers

U • unco - clumsy, uncoordinated

• uni - university

• unit - flat, apartment

• up the duff - pregnant (i.e., my sheila's up the duff)

W

• wag –to play truant

• whinge - complain; similar to crying

• wog - flu or trivial illness.

Y • yabber - talk (a lot)

• yarn - (verb) to talk

Exercisis de simple present

2010-12-03T10:52:00.000+01:00

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/pres1.htm
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson06/05.html
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson06/06.html
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson06/07.html

Exercisis per a alumnes de 2n d'ESO

2010-12-03T10:44:00.000+01:00

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?03
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?04
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?02
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?05
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?06

BREAKFAST MENU

2010-11-01T11:06:00.002+01:00

BREAKFAST MENU

Orange juice and breakfast cereals are

Readily available in the dining room

Please tick which of the following you would like

Included in your full English breakfast or tick

One of the lighter options available

Thank you

Full English

Grilled sausage

2 rashers of grilled bacon

Fried egg

Fried bread

Mushrooms

Grilled fresh tomatoes

Tinned tomatoes

Baked beans

Lighter options

Scrambled eggs on toast

Poached eggs on toast

Baked beans on toast

Tinned tomatoes on toast

Catalan menu in English

2010-11-01T10:55:00.000+01:00

Catalan Appetizers, Snacks and Tapas

• Amanida = Catalan salad
• Cigales a l’all = Garlic scampi
• Croquetes amb xamfaina = Vegetable pastries
• Gambes amb salsa romesco = Prawns in a spicy sauce dip
• Pa amb tomaquet = Bread and tomato appetizers
• Patates braves = Potatoes in spicy sauce
• Xató = Tarragona-style salad

Catalan Rice, Pasta Dishes and Soups

• Arròs a la catalana = Catalan-style rice
• Arròs amb crosta = Oven-browned rice
• Arròs amb faves = Rice with broad beans
• Arròs negre amb allioli = Black rice with garlic and oil sauce
• Canelons a la catalana = Catalan-style cannelloni
• Fideus a la catalana = Spicy spaghetti with cured meats
• Fideus amb mariscs = Thin spaghetti with seafood
• Fideuà = Paella with pasta and fish
• Escudella a la catalana = Chickpea soup
• Sopa de musclos = Mussel soup

Catalan Meat and Fowl Recipes

• Rostit de porc a la catalana = Oven-roasted fillet of pork
• Conill a la tarraconenca = Rabbit and chocolate casserole
• Conill amb cargols = Rabbit with snails
• Costelles al forn = Oven-roasted pork spare-ribs
• Escudella i carn d'olla = Mixed boiled meats with rice and broth soup
• Estofat de bou = Beef stew with chocolate
• Fricandó = Stewed meat and vegetables
• Mar i terra = Surf-and-turf: chicken with lobster and chocolate
• Paella mixta= Catalan-style paella
• Gall d’indi a la catalana = Stuffed turkey
• Perdiu amb cols = Partridges in cabbage parcels
• Pollastre amb pebrots = Chicken with small green peppers
• Pollastre amb xamfaina = Chicken with aubergines and sweet peppers
• Porc amb musclos = Pork with mussels

Catalan Fish, Shellfish and Seafood

• Anguila a l’all i pebre = Stewed eels
• Bacallà amb xamfaina = Cod with eggplant and vegetables
• Cap roig amb salsa d’all = Garlic scorpion fish
• Cargols a la llauna = Snails au gratin
• Cargols a la potarrallada = Grilled snails
• Orada a la sal = Gilthead in salt
• Esqueixada de bacallà = Dried codfish salad
• Sípia amb rovellons = Cuttlefish with mushrooms
• Llagosta a la Costa Brava = Lobster in chocolate-flavored picada
• Musclos farcits = Stuffed mussels
• Orada a la sal = Sea bream in a salt crust
• Pataco = Fresh tuna with clams and vegetables
• Rap en salsa d’ametlles = Anglerfish in almond sauce
• Suquet de peix amb allioli = Mixed fish casserole with alioli sauce
• Zarzuela = Mixed seafood stew

Catalan Egg and Vegetables Recipes

• Albergínia a la catalana =Aubergines with walnuts
• Cols a la catalana = Cabbage in spicy sauce
• Escalivada = Oven-baked vegetable mix
• Espinacs a la catalana / Espinacs amb passes i pinyons = Spinach with raisins and pine nuts
• Faves al tombet = Broad beans with lettuce
• Faves a la catalana = Broad beans with mixed cured meats
• Panadons amb espinacs = Spinach parcels
• Rovellons a la brasa = Grilled mushrooms
• Truita de patates = Open omelette with potatoes
• Truita de tomàquets i pebrots = Tomato and sweet pepper open omelette

Catalan Cakes, Sweets and Desserts

• Crema catalana / Crema de Sant Josep = Oven-baked vanilla custard topped with caramelized sugar
• Ensaimades = Sweet twists
• Granissat = Lemon water-ice
• Mel i mató = Honey and soft cheese
• Menjar blanc = Almond blancmange

Exercises with comparatives

2010-10-25T13:36:00.000+02:00

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/adjectives_adverbs/adjectives_comparison_sentences.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/adjectives_adverbs/adjectives_comparison_sentences2.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/adjectives_adverbs/adjectives_comparison_as_as.htm

Exercises on American English

2010-10-24T20:26:00.000+02:00

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/british_american/index.php
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/languages/be_ae.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/languages/be_ae2.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/languages/be_ae3.htm

Exercise on prepositions: time, place and direction

2010-10-24T20:13:00.000+02:00

Exercise on prepositions: time, place and direction
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/structures/prepositions_place_time.htm

Exercises on verbal tenses

2010-10-24T20:05:00.000+02:00

Grammar Exercises - Articles

2010-10-24T19:40:00.000+02:00

You can try to do exercises 1,2 and 3
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/artikel.htm

Yorkshire Pudding

2010-02-23T13:22:00.003+01:00

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients

3 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk

Method

Sift flour and salt together. Beat eggs until light and add sifted ingredients.Add milk gradually and beat two minutes with rotary egg beater. Prepare pudding to pour into pan 30 minutes before beef has finished roasting. Place beef to one side of roasting pan and pour off small about of fat. Grease an oblong pan with drippings. Pour Yorkshire Pudding mixture into pan. Return to oven and cook about 30 minutes.Cut into squares and serve with roast beef.

Steak and Kidney Pie

2010-02-23T13:22:00.000+01:00

Steak and Kidney Pie

Ingredients

1 Kidney, beef
4 tablespoons Shortening
2 Onion; chopped
2 pounds Round steak; cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 tablespoons Butter; softened
2 tablespoons Flour
2 tablespoons Parsley; minced
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1 teaspoon Oregano
Pastry:
1 cup Flour; + 2 teaspoons
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Shortening
2 tablespoons water, cold

Method

Wash the kidney, remove membranes and fat, and cut kidney in 1" cubes. Cube the steak into 1" cubes. Melt the shortening in a heavy pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until well browned. Add the steak and kidneys. When the meat is browned on all sides, pour on 2 cups of boiling water, Worcester, salt, and pepper. Cove and cook over a very low heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the steak is tender. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Blend the butter with the flour to make a beurre manie. Drop small pellets of this paste into the sauce and stir to thicken it. Put meat and sauce into a deep pie plate and sprinkle with parsley. If you wish to use a pastry topping, roll out the dough and cover the pie plate. Slash the top, crimp the edges, and bake about 30 minutes, or until well browned. Pastry: Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender. Combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tine peas; its texture will not be uniform but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces. Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed gently into a ball.

Mixed Grill

2010-02-23T13:20:00.004+01:00

Mixed Grill

Ingredients

Serves 4
4 lambs kidneys (skinned and halved)
4 lamb chops
1 lb (45og) of rump steak cut into 4 pieces
4 bacon rashers
4 sausages
half lb (225g) black pudding cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tomatoes halved
4 large mushrooms (peeled and sliced)
salt
pepper

Method

IPreheat oven to (150 C), (300 F), Gas Mark 2
1) Brush the kidney,lamb chops, and steak with olive oil, season with
salt and pepper
2) Heat grill, land place sausages and kidneys on a freshly cleaned grill pan
3) Grill for 10 minutes, turn regularly, put in oven
4) Grill Lamb chops and rashers for 5 minutes on each side,

put in oven
5) Grill the steak and black pudding for 5 minutes on each side, put in oven
6) Brush tomatoes and mushroom with some of the juices from the meat
7) Grill for 3 minutes on each side, season and add to oven for 1 minute
8) Remove dish from oven and cover with hot meat juices from the grill pan
9) Serve immediately

Cornish Pasty

2010-01-19T21:29:00.000+01:00

Ingredients

2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/3 - 1/2 cup water

Mix flour and lard, then add salt and water. Work into smooth dough and rest under a cover for 30 min. Meanwhile, prepare the filling:

1/4 lb. beef or chicken liver
1 rib celery 1/2 lb.
beef
1 small carrot salt & pepper
1 small turnip
2 raw potatoes
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion

Method

Chop liver and mix with beef. Add salt and pepper and let rest for 10-20 minutes. Peel onion and potatoes, carrot and turnip; slice thinly, and blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes with thinly sliced celery. Drain and season with salt & pepper. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness; cut into 3 large squares. Put a layer of vegetables on half of each square and top it with meat mixture. Brush edges of dough with egg and fold plain half over the meat. Pinch edges together tightly. Bake for 1 hour: first for 2-3 min. at 400 degrees, then at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Three of my poems in English

2009-11-08T08:20:00.000+01:00

Please myself

Shall praise good news and sing melodies./Bye wars and blood./ The sea is calm tonight,/ welcome new hymns,/ true anthems of gaiety./ Not flying on the air,/ not building the moon on earth,/ walking in beauty like a cloudless night,/ kissing new ways of living/ in starry climates./ Hopes that my heart does need,/ all dark shadows it denies./ A mind at peace/ whose eyes shine,/ bright of heaven and earth,/ waves of water, purified./ Believe in new ways of acting,/ behaviours that change oneself./ Neighbours learn/ the ways of becoming friends./ Know what to do in the future,/ fed up with a bad today,/ rid of whatever dirtiness,/ clean as the water of well./ Hope I can please myself.

NIGHT UPON TOWN

When the night falls upon town,/ Light flies unstoppable,/ and stands above, in hill’s eyes./ Peace reigns in the park/ And birds sing in dreams/ With tender words and kissed./

Quiet is a cloudless night./ The stars do move and shine,/ While everyone sleeps tenderly,/ Apart from me, the strangest one.

I’m awake and see/ The yellowy moon watching life go by./ There’s no way of avoiding/ A rare feeling at night.

PATH OF FLOWERS

Where you see that path of flowers,/ In a moment of deep shyness,/ The world vanishes fast./ There 's no more to fulfil,/ The quiet of the moment reigns./
Later, we go nowhere./ Borders you find wherever/ You want to cross./ And a well, waterless-/ emptiness everywhere./
Shadows in a world of lights,/ Cruelty mixed with tenderness./ Flying above our heads. /I don’t know what happens/When beauty becomes ugliness.

Somerset Pork with Cream and Apples

2009-11-07T12:38:00.000+01:00

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter 4 boneless pork loin chops 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 Cox apple, cored and cut into thick rings 1 red apple, cored and cut into rings 1 teaspoon white sugar salt and pepper to taste 1 1/8 cups dry hard cider 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large heavy skillet, over medium-high heat, melt half of the butter. Fry the pork chops on both sides until a nice golden color. Transfer the chops to a 2 quart casserole dish with a lid, and sprinkle with thyme.

Melt the remaining butter in the pan, and fry the onion and garlic until tender. Transfer them to the casserole dish. Fry the apple rings in the pan for a few seconds on each side to give them color, then remove to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with sugar.

Spoon any excess fat from the frying pan and pour in the apple cider. Stir to remove any flavorful bits from the bottom. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then pour over the pork chops and apples in the dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake the casserole, covered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked through. Remove the pork chops and apples to a serving platter and stir the cream into the juices. Serve sauce over pork chops.

Custard Sauce:

2009-11-04T19:16:00.000+01:00

2 fresh eggs yolks
½ pt fresh milk, hot
1oz caster sugar
Double cream (optional)
3 drops of vanilla essence

Mix the yolks, sugar and essence in a large, clean bowl. CHEFS TIP: - add 1 tsp cornflour to the yolks, sugar, and essence to stop the eggs from scrambling) Whisk in the boiled milk. Return the custard to the saucepan and re-heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon on a very low heat. Do not allow to boil, or the eggs will become scrambled. At the very end add a little double cream, for extra creaminess. For a Christmas Brandy Sauce omit the vanilla essence and add 3 tbsp of brandy. For Whisky or Rum Custard simply add 2 tbsp of the appropriate spirits at the end of cooking and whisk gently before serving.

Exercises on present perfect

2009-11-01T12:05:00.000+01:00

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

You have to do exercises 5 and 6.

Fish and chips

2009-10-16T20:46:00.001+02:00

Fish and Chips

The MOST famous national dish!

Ingredients
3 pounds white-flesh fish, boneless (cod, , haddock, )
1 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable seasoning
Malt vinegar

Fish Method Cut fish into fingers about 2 ounces each and place in a glass or stainless steel pan. Mix lemon juice with Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and vegetable seasoning. Pour over fish and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning every so often to coat fish.

Remove fish from marinade, drain, dip in batter and deep fry in hot oil for about 5 minutes, turning to brown both sides, if necessary. Remove from oil and drain on papertowels. Serve with chips and malt vinegar.

3/4 cup cornstarch
2 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 3/4 cups water
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup flat beer
2 teaspoons baking powder

Batter Method

Mix flour, salt, sugar, and pepper. In a separate bowl, beat water, egg yolks, and beer together with a whisk and slowly add dry ingredients. Continue to mix with whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in baking powder. Makes enough batter to coat 3 pounds of fish.

Chips

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes
Cooking Fat or Oil
Salt

Chip Method Wash and peel potatoes slice potatoes lengthwise 4 or 5 times, then slice again into strips 4 or 5 times. Deep fry in fat or oil until brown, chips should rise near the top when they are done.

Salt to taste.

Exercises on the verb to be

2009-10-12T10:48:00.004+02:00

http://www.eclecticenglish.com/grammar/PresentSimpleToBe1A.html

Relative clauses

2009-10-11T15:11:00.011+02:00

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/pronouns/relative_pronouns.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-clauses#exercises
http://www.miguelmllop.com/practice/intermediate/grammar/relatives.htm

Lionel Messi

2009-10-10T23:19:00.003+02:00

Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Barcelona. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation, having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona. Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble winning campaign. Messi was the top scorer with six goals, including two in the final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to parents Jorge Messi, a factory worker, and Celia (née Cuccitini), a part-time cleaner. He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matías as well as a sister named Maria Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Primera División club River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment, as it cost $900 a month. Carles Rexach, the sporting director of Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial. Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Catalonia

Club career

Barcelona

Messi made his unofficial debut for the first team in a friendly match against Porto on 16 November 2003 (at 16 years and 145 days). Less than a year later, he made his league debut against Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga (a record broken by team mate Bojan Krkić in September 2007). When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelonauntil 2007 when Bojan Krkić broke this record, scoring from a Messi assist.

2005–06 season

On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract – this time improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014.. Messi netted six goals in seventeen league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.

2006–07 season

In the 2006–07 season, Messi established himself as a regular first team player, scoring 14 times in 26 matches. On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months. Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February, where he came on as a second-half substitute. On 11 March, El Clásico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3–3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time.

2007–08 season

During the 2007–08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. On 19 September he scored once as Barcelona defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3–0 at home in a Champions League match. He scored two goals against Sevilla on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4–1 victory over Real Zaragoza. On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barça against Valencia. Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that Messi suffered this type of injury.

2008–09 season

Upon Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey. On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn the score from 1–0 to a 1–2 victory for Barcelona. The next league game was versus Atlético Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and his good friend Sergio Agüero. Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Barça went on to win the match 6–1. Messi netted another impressive brace against Sevilla scoring a volley from 23 metres (25 yd) and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other. On 13 December 2008, during the first Clásico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2–0 win over Real Madrid. He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.

Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético Madrid which Barcelona won 3–1. Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 1–2 after being 1–0 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal. In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6–0 victory over Málaga CF in the process. On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions' League, setting a personal record of nine goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1–0 win at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.

As Barcelona's season was drawing to a close, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930. After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read Síndrome X Fràgil, Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction. Messi was involved in the build-up to Andrés Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one goal and assisting another two, in a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead; he also became the top scorer in the Champions League with nine goals. Messi also won the UEFA Club Forward of the Year: and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year rounding off a spectacular year in Europe. This victory meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and UEFA Champions League in the one season, and was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.

2009–10 season

After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola asserted that Messi was probably the best player he had ever seen. On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, running until 2016 and with a buy-out clause of €250 million included, making Messi the highest paid player in La Liga, with earnings of around €9.5 million yearly. Four days later, on 22 September, Messi scored two goals and assisted another in Barça's 4–1 win over Racing Santander in La Liga Messi scored his first European goal of the season on 29 September in a 2–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv<

Simple past

2009-09-26T19:18:00.001+02:00

English Learning Website : Do the past simple and past continuous exercises.
The Happy Verby Gang : Try with the Past Simple Boy and Lady Past Continuous. It has explanations in Spanish!
English 4U : Do the past tense exercises (7) and the past progressive ones (6) (past progressive is the same as past continuous).
Past simple order : Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.
Correct the mistakes :The sentences are wrong, you have to correct them!
English Grammar Online: Simple Past : Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.
English Grammar Online: Past Continuous : Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.

Sitges Blog

English dialogues and letters

Reported Speech

Gerard Piqué

Early career

Return to Barcelona

Gerund and infinitive exercises

Will/going to exercises

You tube, The catalan language

Exercises on simple past

Exercises on present continuous

Exercises on simple present

On line Passive exercises

Lexicon Hiberno-English

Hiberno-English

Unique Australian traits

Australian English vocabulary

Exercisis de simple present

Exercisis per a alumnes de 2n d'ESO

BREAKFAST MENU

Catalan menu in English

Exercises with comparatives

Exercises on American English

Exercise on prepositions: time, place and direction

Exercises on verbal tenses

Grammar Exercises - Articles

Yorkshire Pudding

Steak and Kidney Pie

Mixed Grill

Cornish Pasty

Three of my poems in English

Somerset Pork with Cream and Apples

Custard Sauce:

Exercises on present perfect

Fish and chips

Exercises on the verb to be

Relative clauses

Lionel Messi

//<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> Early life

Club career

Barcelona

2005–06 season

2006–07 season

2007–08 season

2008–09 season

2009–10 season

Simple past

Early life