Saturday, 15 December 2018

HE HAS A NOSE FOR SCORING


to have a (good) nose for sth OR for doing something informal

If you say that someone has a nose for something, you mean that they have a natural ability to find it or recognize it.
   He had a nose for trouble and a brilliant tactical mind.
   Gergen had a great sense of news, a good nose for trends, and a wide range of contacts.

To be good at finding things of the stated type:
   She has a good nose for a bargain.
   As a reporter, he had a nose for a good story.

An instinctive talent for detecting something.
   He has a nose for a good script





Interview with AMY TAN 

Photocopies from 12th December_WASP VENOM
Photocopies from 12th December_The Joy Luck Club
Photocopies from 10th December_scraping
Photocopies from 28th November_CURE or HEAL?
Photocopies from 28th November_DAMAGED

Speaking cards_first lot
Speaking cards_first lot_answer key
Speaking cards_first lot_answer key_LIST

Friday, 7 December 2018

LINED WITH BUFFERS THAT ABSORB ALL SOUND


to line   to cover the inside surface of (a container or garment) with a layer of different material.
     The birds use small leaves to line their nests

lining   a layer of different material covering the inside surface of something.

Saturday, 17 November 2018

GIVE OR TAKE

give or take possibly a little more or less than the amount or time mentioned:

It'll be ready at 6:00, give or take a few minutes.
It cost £200, give or take .
Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/


Fill-in-the-gaps activities_CO-WORKING
Photocopies from 14th November 

Wednesday, 14 November 2018

MY FELLOW PATIENTS







































Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in China during the Qing dynasty and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century.” (source Wikipedia

spread vs extend 1
spread vs extend
Photocopies from 12th November_to + V-ing

Friday, 9 November 2018

DOES YOUR CAR NEED SERVICING?































need + v-ing
Sometimes it's useful to talk about fixing or improving things, but without saying who is going to do it. To do this, we can use need + verb-ing.
There are three parts to this structure. First, you name the thing – my hair, or the car, or my shoes. Then you say 'need' - or 'needs' - and finally, a verb with –ing.
My hair needs cutting
The curtains don't need washing
Do the plants need watering?

Activities with need + v-ing
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammarchallenge/pdfs/8_need_practice.pdf

fill-in-the-gap activities
2018_November 7th_An-Mei Hsu: Scar
2018_November 5th_stop to do vs stop doing
2018_November 5th_Mistakes from pieces of writing

Thursday, 1 November 2018

BURPING YOUR BABY

to burp /bɜː(r)p/
1 [INTRANSITIVE] to make a noise when air from your stomach passes out through your mouth; to noisily release air from the stomach through the mouth; to belch.

2 [TRANSITIVE] to help a baby to bring up air from its stomach by hitting it gently on the back; to make a baby belch after feeding, typically by patting its back.

C1 photocopies_Jamal Khashoggi

Friday, 26 October 2018

ON THE WAY OUT

on the/one's way out soon to be replaced by someone or something else; no longer successful, popular, or effective; becoming unfashionable, obsolete, unfashionable, obsolescent, etc.; dying;
When something is "trending down" or "losing popularity," it is said to be "on its way out." If it is a product, maybe it is still available in stores, but it isn't the most popular or talked about item and is losing momentum against some new trend.

The old type of passport is on its way out.
Sources:





Tuesday, 9 October 2018

MEMORABLE






















Quite a lot of students have difficulty pronouncing adjectives ending in -able.
As a rule DO NOT pronounce the ending as /eɪb(ə)l/  
(only the adjectives able /'eɪb(ə)l/ and unable /ʌnˈeɪb(ə)l/ are pronounced like that.) 
It is also very important to know where the stress goes in each word. 

Here you have a few examples with the stressed syllable in bold. Listen to the pronunciation and repeat! 

  suitable /ˈsuːtəbl/
  edible /ˈedəbl/
  comfortable /ˈkʌmftəbl/
  memorable /ˈmemərəbl/
  noticeable /ˈnəʊtɪsəbl/
  affordable /əˈfɔːdəbl/
  recyclable /ˌriːˈsaɪkləbl/
  advisable /ədˈvaɪzəbl/
  vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbl/
  believable /bɪˈliːvəbl/ unbelievable  /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl/

  bio/ˈbaɪəʊ/ gradable/ˈɡreɪdəblbiodegradable/ˌbaɪəʊdɪˈɡreɪdəbl/





 C1 level_photocopies from 8th October

Saturday, 6 October 2018

OUT OF PRACTICE

























out of practice phrase If you are out of practice at doing something, you have not had much experience of it recently, although you used to do it a lot or be quite good at it.
'How's your German?'—'Not bad, but I'm out of practice.'
I'd love to play tennis with you, but I'm really out of practice.
Synonyms: rusty, not up to scratch, unpractised

               https://www.ldoceonline.com

A1 LEVEL_photocopies from 2nd & 4th October
C1 LEVEL_photocopies from 4th October 

Monday, 1 October 2018

FROM DUSK TO DAWN



dusk the time just before night when the daylight has almost gone but when it is not completely dark.

dawn /dɔːn/ the time of day when light first appears in the sky, just before the sun rises.









Friday, 11 May 2018

PLASTIC FOOTPRINT

















                      
              Radio programme about plastic in our seas 

Photocopies from 7th May
Photocopies from  9th May 

Saturday, 31 March 2018

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW



you reap what you sow proverb you eventually have to face up to the consequences of your actions = if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you, and if you do good things, good things will happen to you











Photocopies from 28th March 
Bereavement_leaflet 

Writing: AN ARTICLE including a personal account

Friday, 23 March 2018

I'VE TOTALLED FIVE CARS IN FIVE YEARS



to total mainly US (UK to write off ) to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:
           His son totaled the pickup when it was ten months old.





















total loss car insurance companies label a vehicle a “total loss” or “write-off” when the cost to repair the vehicle to its pre-damaged state exceeds the cost of the vehicle’s worth, or actual cash value. About one in seven car accident claims results in a "total". Totaled cars are usually scrapped, or recycled for parts.














C1_Photocopies from 21st March
C1_Photocopies from 14th March