Interactive English Use Doc X

RODOLFO ACOSTA PADRÓN´S CURRICULUM RESUMÉ
Rodolfo Acosta Padrón is PhD in Pedagogical Sciences and Master of Sciences in

Spanish Language and Literature Teaching. He is a full professor at the University
of Pinar del Río. He has written six books on pedagogical matters that have been
published in different countries. Among them: Communicative Language Teaching
(Australia, 1997), Didáctica Interactiva de Lenguas (Cuba, 2009), Professional
Tasks for Training of Foreign Language Teachers (Brazil, 2016), and Nueva
Cultura para un Aprendiz Interactivo de Inglés (EAE, 2017). He has delivered
lectures and courses about Pedagogy in different countries in Europe and America.
He has tutored six doctorate degree researches and more than 40 master´s degree
studies. He has taken part in different international congresses. He teaches
Educational Psychology, Methodology of Research, Foreign Language Teaching,
Educational Communication and Foreign Languages: English, French, Portuguese,
and Spanish.
*Contact: e-mail: rodolfo.acosta@upr.edu.cu Phone: 48786328
PEDRO VIGIL GARCÍA´S CURRICULUM RESUMÉ

Pedro Alejandro Vigil García is BA in Education Major, Foreign Languages
(English). He is a professor at the University of Pinar del Río. He teaches Foreign
Language Teaching, and Foreign Languages. He speaks English, French and
Spanish. He has participated in several national scientific conferences. He has
taken several postgraduate courses. He has started to take PhD studies in
Pedagogy.
Contact: e-mail: pedrovigil30@gmail.com Phone: 5353264710

1
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................2
PART I: ENGLISH LANGUAGE USE..........................................................................................4
FOR CONVERSATION..................................................................................................................4
FOR DESCRIPTION.....................................................................................................................17
FOR NARRATION........................................................................................................................20
FOR ARGUMENT.........................................................................................................................23
E-MAILS AND LETTERS............................................................................................................24
LITERATURE................................................................................................................................31
CULTURAL KOWNLEDGE.........................................................................................................43
FAMOUS SPEECHES..................................................................................................................50
TV AND FILM................................................................................................................................56
SPORT............................................................................................................................................63
MUSIC.............................................................................................................................................68
PART II: ENGLISH LANGUAGE SYSTEM...............................................................................73
PRONUNCIATION........................................................................................................................73
GRAMMAR....................................................................................................................................75
VOCABULARY.............................................................................................................................81
BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................................................94
2
INTRODUCTION
This book is intended for English learning students who have reached A1 or
A2 Elementary level and want to deepen in real English use as a way to improve
their communicative, interactive and intercultural competence. Hence, they will
develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, at the same time as
they go over the main issues of the language system such as pronunciation,
grammatical structures, vocabulary and culture. The book may be used as a
source of knowledge inside or outside the classroom for self-learning.
The book contains 14 headlines, distributed in two main parts: English
Language Use, with 11 headlines and English Language System with three
headlines. The first part focuses on language use in conversation, description,
narration, e-mails and letters, famous speeches, amongst others, while the second
part focuses on the structural system, with headlines on pronunciation, grammar
and vocabulary. Each headline presents some texts or English patterns, around a
topic of life or English itself, accompanied by a set of questions, comments,
vocabulary, or tasks to do. Each headline offers opportunities for the learner´s
reflection and social interaction as resources for language learning. All tasks draw
the learners´ attention to how language is structured and it is used. When needed,
there is a reference to URL links to lead the students to find information on the
internet.
The book has been written in a style that favors the interpersonal
communication between the authors and learners, with direct and indirect
questions on the grounds of respect, affection and help. Likewise, the authors have
tried to offer brief instructions that, at times, take the form of an invitation or
suggestion, but it should be interpreted as a stimulus, trusting the learner´s abilities
to carry the task forward. The authors defend several essential ideas throughout
the text, to name just a few:
 Language learning takes place through social reflective interaction.
 Language has meaning and it should be taught considering the text-context
relationship.
 Language learning is rooted on the students´ feelings and emotions.
 The student’s attitude towards English learning is as important as the method
is.
 English learning needs to be contextualized in a given culture.
 Our hope of improving English learning rests on the students´ need to acquire a
new English language learning culture rather than on a given method. A whole
learning culture implies:
 Reflection and interacting socially when learning English.

 Learning outside the classroom, in multiple scenarios.
 Using technology as a resource for learning.
 Being connected with the world and with the self through English
3
 Learning English as a way to widening culture, and the other way
around. Assuming the psychology of success based on positive
emotions in learning.
 Learning real English use rather than dead bookish English.
 Using new learning strategies and procedures.
English learners should be given opportunities to learn real English use outside the
classroom. This idea needs resources and materials. On the other hand, learning a
language does not only mean learning the system, but also its real use. This book
contains models and text of real English use taken from different sources such as:
films, entertainment shows, interviews, literary writings, and daily conversations,
amongst others. In addition, using learning strategies not used long ago is a must
to make language study easier, faster and better in this era of new context and
technology. The learner will find through the book constant references on how to
learn, for example: learn phrases rather than words, listen to as much English as
possible to speak it well, repeat in low inner voice all English you hear, listen
songs, famous speeches, speak alone, find others to speak with, common already
made phrases, proverbs, rhymes, poems, short stories and storytelling as well.
The authors
4
PART I: ENGLISH LANGUAGE USE
Hymes (1972) defines competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what
to talk about with whom, when, where, in what manner. In short, a child becomes
able to accomplish a repertoire of speech acts, to take part in speech events, and
to evaluate their accomplishment by others...” Learning real English use means to
learn the English real people use to talk about real things in real situations.
Language use has to do with when and where to use language expressions and to
whom. This part of the book is useful because you can meet real English use.
FOR CONVERSATION
Conversation is a talk between two or more people, in which thoughts, feelings and
ideas are expressed, questions are asked and answered, or news and information
are unchanged. You need to know when speakers decide when to speak during a
conversation, how sentences of two or more speakers are related and the different
functions a conversation is used for. This headline contains different real
conversations or preparation for them, which may help you to talk naturally, using
real English. You can also find informal and formal English in conversation.
1- PERSONAL INFORMATION
Read and practice asking and saying personal information with your partner the
following functions and phrases:
 To greet someone:
Hi. Hello. Good Morning/afternoon/evening. How are you? How do you feel
today? How are things going? What´s up? What´s going on? What’s
happening? What´s going down? What´s the problem? Possible answers:
Fine, thank you. Very well. Good. OK. Right. All right. Bad. Not good. Not
bad at all. Everything´s right. Pretty well. No problem. Thanks God it´s
Friday today.
 To ask and say the name:
What´s your name? My name is Keyla. Could you tell me your name,
please? Can you tell me your name, please? Keyla’s my name. Your name,
please? Keyla, Keyla’s my name. Who are you? I´m Keyla. I am Keyla.
Keyla is my name. My name? Keyla is my name.
 Ask and say what someone does for a living:
What´s your profession/occupation/job? I am a doctor. What do you do for
a living? (What dýou do?) I´m a doctor. I work in the hospital. What you
do? I´m a nurse.
 Ask and say someone´s age:
How old are you? Can you tell me your age? Your age, please. Could you
tell me your age? Your age is…? I´m 24 years old. 24 I am. When were you
born? I was born on June 21st, 1996.
 Ask and say where someone lives:
5
Where do you live? I live in Stockholm city. Could you tell me where you
live? You live where? Tell me where you live, please. I live in Sweden. I am
from Sweden. Where are you from? I´m from Saint Spirits. I´m from
Denmark. I live in Aalborg, the second city of Denmark.
 Ask and say someone´s address:
What´s your address? Your address, please. Could ∕ can you tell me your
address, please? Avenue Paseo, on street 23, 178 Vedado, Havana City.
 Ask and talk about someone´s family:
What about your family? How´s your family going? Tell me something about
your family. Example:
I have a small family. The members of my family are my mother, my
grandmother and my sister. I don’t have brothers. My mother´s name is
Jane. She´s a housewife. She is deaf and mute. My father died when I
was four. He was a taxi driver. My sister is Ann. She is 19 years old. She
is a singer. My sister studied at the Art Music School in Havana when she
was young. She is a mess!
 Ask and talk about someone´s marital status:
Are you married? Yes, I am. What about you? How´s your marriage getting
on? Who´s your husband? His name´s John. John Smith. He´s a doctor. He
´s in Qatar these days. He´s been working there for four years.
 Ask and talk about children:
Do you have children? Yes, I do. How many? How many children do you
have? I have two children. I have a boy who is 5 years old and a girl who is
only two years old. She is just a baby.
 Ask and say what someone does:
Do you play the piano? No, I do not. However, I play the guitar. Do you like
your profession? Yes, I love it! Do you like reading? Yes, I do. I always read
a book or a magazine at night, before going to bed. What kind of books do
you read? Fiction, I like fiction. Do you hear much music? Not much. A
little. I don’t have much time for music. Do you have many friends? Yes, I
have a lot. How many? About 10. Where did you study English? I studied it
at the Medical School. Who was your English teacher? I do not remember
well.
2- DO YOU KNOW WHO MISS MORROW IS?

a) Let´s make Ann a free Interview, that is to say, some questions so as to meet
her. You may use the following question patterns:
Are you...? Will you…?
Is X …? Are you going to…?
Can you … Is your friend going to…?
Do you…? May I ask you a question about…?
Did you…? Does your friend Ann ….?
Could you… please…? Can you, please,
Please, would you like to…? Is it true that…?
Have you ever…? Has your wife gone there too?
6
b) Play the role of one famous personality or one fiction character. Look for
information about him or her, and be ready to answer lots of questions in an
interview the class will make to you. Some personalities, whose role you may play,
could be these: Messi, CR7, Laura Pausini, Elpidio Valdés, Polo Montañez, Mickey
Mouse, Meryl Streep, Lion King, Michael Obama, Trump, Putin, and Omar Linares.
3- LEARNING TO REACT LINGUISTICALLY

React saying at least five ideas when you hear each of the phrases below. Example:
May I see you tomorrow? Reactions: tomorrow or next Sunday? What for? It may
be. It`ll be a pleasure. I have to work tomorrow. I guess I can`t. I won’t be here
tomorrow.
Phrases
I´ll be here tomorrow. What does he say? What did the teacher tell you? What the
hell did you say? How long are you going to stay here? She wants a word with you.
Can you drive? Where is Sam? Is there any good news? Is there a bird in the tree?
Is there any bottle of milk empty? Are you sure she is coming today. Stop pushing,
wait your turn. Are you learning to swim? She dropped her keys. I can’t say long
words. She said goodbye to all her friends and left. I have something to say to you.
Can you tell me the way to the station? Turn the television on. Do you eat bread and
butter?
4- INTENSIVE INTERACTIVE ORAL LEARNING

Let’s ask and answer questions. Say the ideas several times as to improve speed,
which is part of fluency.
 Is there anyone at the door? No, there is no one there. Yes, there is a man
at the door. I don’t know if there is someone at the door. I guess there is no
one/ …there is someone. You may also use: Who knows if there is… or
nobody knows if there is somebody at the door.
 Does anyone know how much a bike/ a pig/ a rabbit/ a pie/ a pound of
sugar/ salt/ beans cost? Nobody knows. I know. Yes, I do. Who knows? I
guess it cost two dollars. It is about five dollars
 Is there nobody here who can answer my question? Yes, there is
someone/somebody. No, there is nobody. No, there is no one.
 Can you speak French/type with ten fingers/read fast/write it/hear me? Of
course, I can… No I can´t. Not fast/ very slowly /a little/sometimes. Not with
ten but I write fast with two fingers.
 Do you know what I do/what I like most/ what people say/where I live/when I
leave to Havana? Yes, I know… No, I don’t know… I have no idea… What
do you do/where do you live?
 Excuse me, may I use your pencil/have a glass of water/talk to you/eat fish,
please? Yes, you may. Of course, you may. Do it. Go ahead.
5- ASKING SOMEONE
a) Ask questions with the given instructions below, using different level of
formality. Example:
b) Ask your partner if he/she plays the piano, and if someone else does.
7
Questions:
Do you play the piano? Tell me, please, do you play the piano? Can you tell
me if you play the piano, please? Could you tell me, please, if you play the
piano? Please, you play the piano? Does your sister play the piano? Tell
me, please, does your sister play the piano? Could you tell me, please, if
your sister plays the piano.
c) Do the same, with the following instructions:
 Ask your partner if he or she lives in Asia or in America.
 Ask your partner if he/she likes reading, and at what time he/ she reads.
 Ask your partner what kind of books she/he likes to read most.
 Ask your partner if he/she can hear well. (Use different levels of
formality)
 Ask your partner what kind of music he/she listens to.
 Ask her/him if she/he eats meat, and what kind. (Levels of formality)
 Ask your partner how many friends she/he has, and if she/he has a
lover.
 Ask your partner where she/he studied English, and for how long.
 Ask your partner if she/he has ever gone to Havana, and how many
times.
 Ask your partner if she/he would like to go abroad, and why.
 Ask you partner if she/he can type, speak French, and make good
coffee.
 Ask your partner if she/he is applying for a post as an office assistant.
 Ask your partner what “Black lives matter" means.
 Ask your partner if she/he knows that the moon is not a cheese.
 Ask your partner if someone can hear you. Ask him or her for
clarification.
6- ASKING AND ANSWERING

Let´s ask and answer questions using the following phrases to begin the questions:
 Are you…? Is he/she…? Am I…? Are you from Kingston or from Havana?
Are they eggs? Is he Mickey Mouse? Am I your friend?
 Were you…? Was he/she…? Was I…? Were you here? Was he a hero?
Was I your lover? Was he a killer?
 Is there…? Are there…? Was there…? Were there…? Is there anyone
outside? Are there any? Is there X?
 Do you …? Does Ann/Peter…? Do I…? Do they…? Do we…? Did you (I,
he, she, they, and we) …? Do you often do it? Does Peter have one? Did
you do it last night? Did you say "Yes" or "No"?
 Can…? Could…? Will…? Would…? May I…? Can you type with ten
fingers? Could you, please, say it again? Would you like a beer? Will you
help me, please? May I have your attention, please?
 Have you (ever)…? Has she/he (ever)…? Have they (ever)…? Have we
(ever)…? Have you ever gone abroad? Have you seen her since then?
7- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
8
Let´s ask and answer questions using the following phrases to begin the questions:
 Who...? Who are you? Who´s she? Who the hell she thinks she is. Who´s
there? Who am I?
 What…? What´s that? What do you say? What does she do? What dýou
do? What´s going on?
 Where…? Where did you see me? Where did you kiss him? Where do you
do it? Where´s X?
 When…? When do we meet? When did you buy your glasses? When is
your birthday?
 How…? How did you do it? How do you like them? How much do you love
her? How many do you have? How is she like? How old are the children?
How long is it? How wide is the room?
 Why…? Why do you say so? Why did she leave? Why do you cry?
8- REACTING LINGUISTICALLY
React linguistically at least five times to the ideas below. Example: What´s on your
face? Reactions: I don’t have anything on it. I have nothing in my face. In my face?
There is nothing on it! Nothing. Do you see anything on it?
 What´s on your face?
 What the hell do you say?
 Take this medicine three times a day.
 Is there any good news?
 Don’t think (that) the moon is a cheese.
 Days that shook the world.
 And who is the father of the child?
 A bricklayer is a man who lays bricks.
 We don’t live alone in this earth.
 Shut up your mouth.
In case, the learners could not do it, then, the teacher gives them a help like this:
Student A: What´s on your face? (Following a card)
Student B: (Can’t say anything)
Teacher: Nothing. Say you have nothing in your face.
Student B: I have nothing on my face.
9- PRACTICE CONVERSATION
Practice with your partner in conversation these functions:
 Greet each other, using different levels of formality.
 Ask and tell the name of each other, using different levels of formality.
 Ask and tell your partner your profession/occupation/job, and someone’s.
 Ask and tell how old each other is, and someone else´s age.
 Ask and tell your partner where he/she lives, and where someone else lives.
 Ask and tell your partner his or her address, and someone else´s address.
 Ask your partner to draw a picture of his or her family, so you do the same.
 Ask your partner to tell you if she is single or married. Tell him about you.
 Ask you partner if he/she would like to have children, and how many.
 Ask your partner if he/she really likes English, and his/her profession.
9
 Ask your partner if he/she plays the piano, and if someone else does.
 Ask you partner if he/she likes reading, and at what time he/ she reads.
 Ask your partner what kind of books she/he likes to read most.
10- ASKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS

Ask questions about the items below, using the following words: who, what, where,
when, how, why, how much/many. Example: item: "Oh my God, the sky is dark".
Questions: What´s the sky like tonight? Where is God? Why do you say, "Oh my
God"? What´s wrong with the sky? So, the sky is beautiful.
 Blue sky shining on me (name of a song)
 Get out of here.
 You want to see me, Sir?
 A hungry dog does not bark.
 Did you see my boys?
 It´s long I love you. (poetic)
 What are we? Good friends.
 I love you without knowing why, where and why.
 I would like to talk to somebody.
 You have one responsibility: to eat shit.
 Florida Gun Shop. The Naked Gun (name of a film)
 Cold out! But not in my night club.
 This gets better and better. I guess no, you son of a bitch!
 Could everybody shut up, please?
 Love is priceless (childless, hopeless, useless, sinless)
 Are we going? Yes, let´s go.
 I need her, and I don’t want to lose her.
11: IDEAS IN CONTEXT

Say in what situation you would hear following ideas:
 We´ll see her on the Father´s Day.
 I’ll call back after six.
 What a beautiful little girl!
 Take your time, please.
 A little milk and cookies.
 May I talk to you, please?
 What´s going on here?
 Don’t believe everything you read.
 My life is a shit.
 I hated men so much. Then, I met you.
 We are dead.
12- THE UNITED STATES SPY IN IRAQ

Questions
 Say the agents (doers), in the following conversation.
 Report the following conversation in indirect speech.
Dialogue
CIA agent: Do you want to be our spy in Iraq?
10
Young woman: What is the pay?
CIA agent: You bring your bother with you here.
Young woman: I agree.
CIA agent: If someone asks you about your life, you have to lie.
Young woman: It is hard to lie to someone´s face.
CIA agent: You have to know why you lie. And don’t forget the truth.
Young woman: I´ll be faithful.
13- THE NEVER END TECHNIQUE

Note: Nobody knows which way the speech will take. It doesn’t matter either. What
is important the plane disaster, its effects and the learning of real English use.
Besides, an advanced student may play the teacher´s role.
The Aircraft Disaster in Havana
Hi, students. It is good to meet you. Have you heard the news about the plane
crash? An aircraft disaster happened yesterday in Havana (May 18 th, 2018).
Student: Is that true? Teacher: Yes, of course. A plane crashed into the
ground, near the airport, five minutes after it took off. Student: What´s the
meaning of "crash"? Teacher: To have an accident. Student: Did anyone die?
Teacher: Unfortunately. There are a lot dead people and three injured who
were taken to a nearby hospital. Student: Did the plane crash against houses?
Teacher: not on houses, but into a cassava crop, near a little wood. Student:
And what´s a wood? Teacher: An area of land covered with trees. The plural is
woods. Student: So, you can say, "The little boy ran into the woods to make
number two"? Teacher: Absolutely. One can say that! Student: But who is one?
Teacher: One means any person. Student: I haven’t heard that much in
English. Teacher: Perhaps because it is British use. Student: And so? Teacher:
You don’t learn British English. Student: So, we would never learn it? Teacher:
Never, never, never in your courses. Well, what should I do if I turn the
Television on, and there is a British film? Teacher: It´s easy, turn it off. Student:
Why? Teacher: Because some people say that it interferes with your American
English learning. Student: Do you believe that? Teacher: No, I don’t. I guess it
enriches your English. It is the richness and diversity of English. Student: And
what am I going to do? Teacher: do what you please. It´s up to you. It´s a
personal matter. I mean it´s your own business. Students: Great! Thanks a lot.
Teacher: Don’t mention it!
14- USEFUL ACTION PHRASES

Questions
a) Read and practice with your partner the useful action phrases below.
b) Substitute an element in each phrase. Examples: Give me your hand: take my
hand, give me your love, give your help, give me your hat, and give me your hanky.
11
15- USEFUL PHRASES
a) Share with someone the meaning and the use of the following useful
phrases.
b) Say each phrase several times, going from slow to fast.
Home sweet home, A tale of two cities, go to hospital (BE), across the street,
walking down the street, only two avenues are open to us, my favorite movie is
"Casablanca", what´s on the movies this week? The Avellaneda theater, what´s
for lunch (breakfast, dinner), all changes, snack is a very small meal, take it
away, a fast plane, a four-star hotel, last night, a fine day, double room,
bedroom, a bowl of soup, soap and water, a box of candy (sweets), groceries, a
beautiful countryside.
16- TAG QUESTIONS

a) Let´s practice tag questions in pairs or teams.
b) Say each tag question several times, going from slow to fast.
 You are learning English, aren’t you? You killed her, didn’t you? (Rise-
Fall)
 You´ll come with me to the school fête, won´t you? We won’t have to
stay long, will we? You´ll come and have some tea afterwards, won’t
you? You didn’t eat it, did you? (Fall-rise)
 You have got the tickets, haven’t you? The hotel is in this street, isn´t it?
You weren’t in that plane crash, were you? That´s my money, isn’t it?
You said you wanted to go to Havana, didn’t you? (Doubt: rise-fall, fall-
rise) I did turn off the bath water, didn’t I?
 I like pop music. Don’t you? We are going to the pub on Saturday, Aren’t
you? Mine is a good cell, isn’t yours? (Special stress: rise-fall, fall-rise,
within the stressed word)
12
Two things to note:
a) If the main sentence is in the affirmative, the tag question is always in the
negative, if the main sentence is in the negative, the tag question is in the
affirmative
b) Although there´s a coma before the tag question you link if the question itself
begins with a vowel: That´s the answer, isn’t it? I´m not going to fall, am I?
17- INTERESTING PHRASES

a) Comment with someone the meaning and the use of the following phrases.
Here they are: Like father like son. Don’t take food out of the kitchen. Wait me a
second/a minute. I do not feel smart. Don’t worry, everything is under control, take
your time. Nobody know what´s going to happen. Get your ass out of the street.
Let me know where you go another time. All (everything) is mixed up. Letters form
words and words form sentences. Tell me how we met. I´ll call back after 6. My
goodness. He may recover his speech. I may be wrong. I was born by the river in a
little tent. Agree!, at hand, at last, at least, at once, at first sight, as well as, as
soon as, as a matter of fact, a lot, around the corner (BE) round the corner (AE), all
the way.
18- TEXT ANALYSIS: MR. MONEY

Questions
 Read the dialogue bellow, following these three stages: First fast reading for
general understanding, a second reading for details, and a third reading for
interpretation.
 Answer the questions bellow the poem.
 Dramatize the dialogue, in pairs.
 Create a similar dialogue, in pairs.
“Mr. Money is lying to me”
Mike: Money, I know you are in there.
Money: What? Mr. Money is not in.
Mike: Money, open the door!
Money: I said Mr. Money has not come back. He is at, at work. Yes, that’s it. He is
at work, working.
Mike: Money, I know you are in there. Oh, please, stop lying to me.
Money: Oh, all right. I´ll open the door.
Mike: That’s better.
Money: Hey, I’m locked in.
Mike: Oh, forgiveness sake, Money. You are lying again.
Money: I am not lying. I am locked in.
Mike. How, you are lying, lying, lying.
Money: How, don’t leave. Help! How am I going to get out of here? Help!
13
Full Text Analysis
 What do Mr., Miss and Mrs. mean? When to use them?
 What is “Money” in this case?
 Say the meaning of “lying”, the opposite, the other forms, the noun.
 What´s the meaning of me in this case (Someone). What part of speech is me?
 Why does Mike say “Money” to open the conversation, first line? Who is I?
What is the main verb in the first sentence? What kind of sentence is it? How
many verbs are there? Which is the main idea or clause? What does the word
there mean? What is it, grammatically speaking? Why doesn’t Mike use that
before “You are in there”?
 What does "in‟ mean? What is it from the grammar viewpoint?
 In the second line, why does Money say: What? What is "what" from a functional
grammar point of view? Which other word means the same as what? Pardon.
 Why does Money say that Mr. Money is not there?
 In the third line, what type of sentence is it? How do you know? Can you say the
opposite of open? A synonym of close? Shut.
19- DAILY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The items below contain several questions for the students and teachers to
practice English. "Practice makes perfect".
 Ask and answer the questions below.
 Say questions and answers faster and faster each time so as to develop
fluency.
 Can anyone say what date and day today is? What day is today? What
date is it?
 Can anyone say the many ways you (one) can greet other people in
English?
 Could you tell me your name, please? Your name, please? Her full
name, please?
 Who are you? Can you tell me who you are? Who was she? Who is
he/she?
 Could you tell us where you come from/where you are from/Where,
she/he lives?
 Please, could you tell how old you are/your mother/your father is? How
old is his Dad?
 Could you tell us what your job/profession/occupation is? What do you
do for a living?
 Are you single or married? Do you have children? How many children do
you have?
 Could you say your children´s names and age, please? How old is
Peter? How about Olaf?
 Tell us where your workplace is, please? What school do your kids study
at? Do you study?
 Whom do you live with, please? Does your friend Peter live alone or with
someone?
14
 Is your workplace far or near home? How long does it take you to get to
work on foot?
 Do you take your children to school, or does your wife take them there?
 Is there any hospital near (close) or is it far from here? What is the
nearest bank/shop?
 Would you like to come to the party with me? Join us at the party,
please.
 Would you like to have a cup of coffee, please? Come on, let´s have
some coffee.
 Could you tell me, please, if there are people in the street? Is there any
flower in there?
 Can you tell me if there is a telephone around here? Is there any
telephone over here?
 Can you type with ten fingers without looking at the keyboard? Can you
ride bikes?
 Please, could you tell me what time it is? What´s the time? What time is
it?
 At what time do you begin to work? Do you know at what time the school
begins?
 Could you, please, ask someone at what time the film begins and how
long it takes?
 Could you ask me, please, how much the bananas cost? How much are
they, please?
 Could you ask your wife what there is for lunch/if there is something to
eat there?
 Ask me if I saw you yesterday, please. Ask her: Did you eat my pie? Did
you take it?
 Say, please, how much money Alice has. Say you have a black cat. Tell
me you love it.
 Say, please, you will do it again. Say Peter will go back soon. Say you
always say ‟Yes
 Say, please, you have never been in Havana but you will be there soon.
 Say, please, you have never gone to Stockholm, but you will travel
there soon.
 Tell you would like to go abroad to meet people, to run adventures, to
see the world.
20- REACTING LINGUISTICALLY

Listen to the following phrases, and react linguistically at least five times, saying
something related to the phrase. Example: "someone called." Reactions: don’t you
know who? To me? Woman or man? Know or unknown? When? What for?
Phrases
It´s priceless to have you as students! Come home and stay with me!
It´s raining outside. What´s that on your face?
What´s going on here? It´s Sunday afternoon around here.
15
Today is a windless day. My wife taught English to me.
Hand me that knife, please. Reading makes a country great!
I am getting fatter and fatter each day. A plane hit the World Trade Center.
There are many homeless people. What´s on the movies tonight?
21- SELL YOURSELF

Do the following:
 Hear or read the conversation bellow several times.
 Read the text and repeat each idea several times in a low voice.
 Say the expressions the characters use for the following communicative
functions:
The boss greets the young woman. He invites her to sit down. He asks her about
her application. He says something to relax the woman. He asks for excuses. He
asks her if she can type with ten fingers. He asks her if she can speak French.
 Say why the title of the conversation is "Sell Yourself"
Sell yourself
Good Morning, Miss Bell. Please sit down.
Thank you.
Now, you are applying for a post as an office assistant.
Yes, that´s right.
I hope you can make a good cup of coffee.
I beg your pardon.
Don’t worry. It´s a joke.
Oh, I see.
Now, you have computer skills, I see.
Yes, I can use all the usual office programs.
Good. But, can you type?
Type? Do you mean touch type?
Yes, you know, using your fingers without looking.
No, I can´t touchily. But I can type all right with two fingers. I am pretty fast.
So, you can´t type. Can you speak French?
No, I can’t.
23- THE NAVY

Old man: I was in the Navy, you know.
Old woman: Were you?
Old man: Yes, I joined the Navy in 1920.
Old woman: Really?
Old man: When I was 15; when I left school.
Old woman: Why did you do that?
Old man: Oh, to see the world, to travel to other countries, to find adventures.
Old woman: I see.
Old man: Yes, to find adventures.
Old woman: How exciting!
Old man: To travel to other countries.
Old woman: How marvelous!
16
Old man: To see the world.
Old woman: How romantic!
Old man: Yes.
Old woman: How long were you in the Navy?
Old man: What?
Old woman: How long were you in the Navy?
Old man: Three weeks.
Old woman: Three weeks?
Old man: Yes.
Old woman: Why didn’t you stay longer?
Old man: What?
Old woman: Why did you leave the Navy?
Old man: To get back to London.
Old woman: To get back to London? Why did you want to get back to London?
Old man: I had to.
Old woman: Why? To be with your family?
Old man: No.
Old woman: To go to college?
Old man: No.
Old woman: To get married?
Old man: No.
Old woman: Then, why?
Old man: I couldn’t stay in the Navy. I used to get seasick.
Old woman: That´s very funny!
Old manː What?
Old womanː really, that´s very funny. You left the Navy so that you could see
that world, so that you could travel to other countries, so that you could find
adventures, then you left because you got seasick.
Old manː Well, I think that´s very funny!
Old manː really? Well, what did you do when you left school?
(Taken from the course Salvat (1975) Lesson 81)
Questions and Answers

a) What strategy does the old woman use to keep the conversation alive? The
followingː
 Tag questionː were you?
 Questionsː Why did you do that? How long were you in the Navy?
 Changing what the old man says into a questionː Old man: Three weeks.
Old woman: Three weeks?
 Helping him with additional items: Why? To be with your family? To go to
college? To get married?
 Giving emphasis and repeatingː Then, why?
b) How does the old woman encourage the old man to keep talking? Yes
sayingː How exciting! How marvelous! How romantic! I see.
c) What does the old woman do when the old man does not hear or
understand well what she asks him? Yes, she smartly repeat the question,
sometimes using other language forms. Examplesː
17
 Old womanː How long were you in the Navy?
 Old man: What?
 Old woman: How long were you in the Navy?
 Old man: Three weeks.
 Why didn’t you stay longer?
 Old man: What?
 Old woman: Why did you leave the Navy?
 Old man: To get back to London.
d) How does the old woman sum up what the old man had done? Using the
structureː "You left the Navy so that you could see the world, so that you
could travel to other countries, so that you could find adventures, then you
left because you got seasick".
e) Could you guess what the old woman did when she left school? She joined
the Police Force and she left it a week later.
24- THE FROG

This is your frog, isn’t it?
You know where I found it, don´t you?
And you put it in my bed, didn´t you?
So you know what is going to happen to you, don’t you?
And you won’t do it again, will you?

a) Who are the agents in the conversation? It could be two brothers, one
bigger, or a young girl and her little sister. The frog is also an agent.
b) Whose bed is it? The speaker´s bed.
c) What is going to happen to her/him? Who knows? To be punished with a
revenge.
d) Will he or she do it again? Who knows? Perhaps. I think he or she won’t.
e) Could you figure out two rules from the text, one on tag questions, and
another related to sentence form? Rule oneː A statement will have a rise-
falling intonation, and so will the tag question. Example, You are learning
English, aren’t you? Both, sentence and tag questions have got rising-falling
intonation. Rule twoː if the main sentence is in the affirmative, the tag
question is always in the negative. If the main sentence is in the negative,
the tag question is in the affirmative. Note that although there is a comma
before the tag question you link if the question itself begins with a vowelː
That´s the answer, isn’t it? I´m not going to fall, am I?
25- DAN RATHER, THE FAMOUS AMERICAN JOURNALIST

Young journalist: Dan, why did you get into journalism?
Dan: Curiosity.
Young Journalist: Is that all?
Dan: That´s everything. And you?
Young Journalist: For you!
18
Dan: Do you believe I did my job?
Young journalist: You did it!

a) Find out who Dan Rather was in CNN in the United States.
b) Give a different answer to each of the questions in the dialogue above.
FOR DESCRIPTION
Description is a function of language that tells you what something or someone is
like. A description is an answer to the questions: what is it like? or what does it
look like? A description needs words that express the qualities of a person or thing.
These words are called adjectives: nice, black, dark, shy, smart, etc. One can
make a detailed or a full description, depending on one´s intention and. in this
headline, you can find useful descriptions you can use to learn to describe.
1- PREPARATION FOR DESCRIPTION

a) Describe the world around you (pair work): example:
There is a big mango tree in the yard. There are some birds on the tree.
I can see a park through the window. There are some kids over there. They are
playing with a ball. We have also some rabbits eating carrots around the kids.
It is a football game. There are some children playing with a broken ball.
There is a picture of a wood. I can also see some monkeys making fun and eating
bananas. Some horses are going to the river to drink water.
Note:
Description is something that tell you what something or someone is like. It is an
answer to the questions: What is it like? Or what does it look like? Patterns of
description: There is/are/was/were…It is…They are…It was…They were… You
can see… You may…. One can see… One can hear…. We have…
b) Describe one of the following things: (pair work)
2- WHO AM I?
Questions
 Read in the text below who Ann is.
 Make a semantic map to illustrate the main aspects of Ann´s life.
 Report who Ann is, following the map you made.
 Say who you are in no less than 200 words, using Ann´s model of
introducing herself.
19
My name is Ann. I am Brazilian. I live in Rio de Janeiro. I have two kids, a girl and
a boy. I am not married any more. We three live in a comfortable, big, yellow
house, with a garden and a little farm where we have some domestic animals:
goats, cats, dogs, birds and rabbits. We love seeing the cats climb up the walls, the
dogs biting whatever they find, goals jumping from one place to another, rabbits
eating carrots and birds singing. I don’t know yet if birds sing because they are
happy or if they are happy because they sing.
I have been an English teacher for more than 30 years. I speak Portuguese,
English and some Spanish. At present, I teach English at The English Culture
Colleges in Brazil. This is the most important English language school here. I have
groups of learners from 15 to 30 years. I feel happy teaching at my school.
My private life is quiet. I am not a young woman any more. I spend my time
teaching, learning, doing the housework and travelling. I love to travel, meet people
and speak other languages. I was in Cuba some 20 years ago. I made my master
degree there. My tutor was Doctor Rodolfo. He became my closest friend then. We
still love each other. I hope to share and drink some beer with him one day, there
or here!
3- THE JOY OF BEING ME

Questions
a) Read in the text below who Petunia is.
b) Make a semantic map to illustrate the main hints in petunia´s life.
c) Report who Petunia is, following the map you made.
d) Introduce your favorite animal in no less than 200 words, using Petunia´s
model of introducing herself.
Petunia
I am Petunia. I am one more animal in the woods. I am beautiful, with a long tail,
black and white feathers and a long neck with a colorful beak. I spend the whole
day singing, eating and shitting in the pond. I love to eat little frogs and pieces of
leaves that fall from the trees. When I get out of the pond, I always take with me a
book under my wings. The other animals in the wood think that I can read. The
monkeys always ask me to read a poem to them, an old fox asks me to read the
news and a strong and fast horse asks me to read the sport news. They think
everything is in the book. What a pity! I can´t read! I have a friend who can read.
His name is Mickey Mouse. He is a very smart mouse. There is always a cat
running after him, but no one can catch him. Mickey is a very fast runner,
especially if there is a piece of cheese ahead! He sometimes thinks that the moon
is a cheese and runs after it! He loves cheese more than me! (About 200 words)
4- WHO´S WHO?
Dear Ro,
It´s a Sunday afternoon around here. It´s priceless to have you as my friend!!!
Susie´s really cute and seems to be a very happy kid. She´s just 5 months old now
and she´s learning how to smile. What a blessing! As fall has just begun, it is not
rare that we have some heavy rain, but not for too long. The rain helps to lower the
20
temperature a little bit, but our autumn is not wet. The temperature is around 16 to
24 Degrees Celsius, with cold mornings and pretty warm afternoons.
Write to you soon again, Ann.
Questions
a) Who is the sender and who is the receiver?
b) What day is it? Can you say the date?
c) Who is you in the first line?
d) Who is Susie? What is she like?
e) What is she learning to do?
f) What is the blessing?
g) What´s the season? What is the weather like?
h) What´s the weather like in your country in autumn (fall)?
5- MANNERS IN AMERICA
In America, it is very important to be polite and use manners. For instance, when
you want to ask for something you use the word, “Please”, and “May I”, so here is an
example. "Please, may I have a glass of water?" When I receive it, I say “thank you”.
"Thank you". As you could hear, she said, “You are welcome”. So, "Please, may
I…?”. "Thank you", and “You are welcome”.
We also use manners when we are out in public. For instance, if a gentleman is
walking through a door before a lady, he opens the door for the lady, or if somebody
younger is walking through the door before somebody older, they open the door for
the older person. Or if somebody just wants to be polite and gentle, they hold the
door open for anybody who comes behind them. And some people like to be polite
all the time and hold open the door for anybody. Another example would be when
someone is sitting down. When a lady is sitting down the gentleman can pull out the
chair for her. When you go to a restaurant, it is polite for the gentleman to pull out
the chair for the lady or the waiting staff can do so. Also the gentleman can lay the
napkin on the lady`s lap, or the waiting staff can do so. And if the gentleman likes
and the lady likes, he can order for the lady after asking her what she would like to
order.
Remember, offer your chair to someone who looks older, has difficulties walking,
or has a baby in their hands. When you are in a crowded room, and there are no
chairs left, if another person comes in, you may get up and offer your chair to the
other person. Or do so for someone who has difficulties walking or is carrying a
baby. So remember, offer you chair to somebody who is older has difficulties
walking, or has a baby in their arms.
When you are with people and somebody drops something by accident, it is polite
for you to pick it up and hand it to them. Then you say, “Here you go”, and they say
“Thank you”. When you go to a movie theater or see a night show in a theater, it is
polite to turn yourself on soft (gentle) and refrain from talking, which means, “Don`t
talk during the performance”. If you are walking past somebody, or moving
somewhere and somebody is in your way, you have to politely say, “Excuse me”,
before you try to pass by them. So remember, be polite and use manners. Always
be considering others around you. Thank you very much. (Taken from USA
Professors. Inglés Maestros)
21
a) Is the text oral or written? What is the writer´s intention? What is the
teaching of the writing? How much do we need manners? Examples of bad
and good manners? Phrases to be polite?
b) Out: away from inside, outside. Somebody comes/ is. Why "them" p-2, line
4, and p-4, line 2, and "they" in p-4, line 2. "Somebody drops" line 1, p-4.
Why "them" p-4, line 6. Why "their arms" p-3, line 5. What does "Refrain
from talking," mean? What is the BE for movies and movie? Cinema and
film. Naughty: behave badly. You mustn’t throw food on the floor. That´s
naughty.
c) What expression would you use forː For instance (for example). In America
(In the United States). So here is an example (Let´s do an example). As you
could hear (see) she said (as you see she says) “You are welcome.” He
opens the door for the lady (the gentleman holds the door opened for the
lady) Not holding a door for a lady? You are not a gentleman. Naughty
scenes/ bits (UK)
d) What other words to use instead of "Or" and "And" in lines 7 and 8? 7-
Alternatively, on the other hand, 8- In addition, moreover. And instead of
gentleman and lady? Meaning of "waiting staff"? How to say "Delante de
mi". What examples does the speaker give to show how to use manners?
FOR NARRATION
Narration is the act of telling a story. It means telling a story or saying a narrative
poem. It is the description of events given in a period of time. Narration is an
answer to the question: what happened? The answer needs actions, which are
called verbs, such as come, see, arrive, say, tell, do, make, give, take, etc. The
narration may be in Past Tense or in Present Tense. You will find interesting
narrations in this headline.
1- USEFUL ACTIONS PHRASES
a) Read for understanding the meaning of the following actions phrases.
b) Say each phrase, going from slow to fast in order to get fluency.
Say it, don’t tell me, ask your Dad, answer my question, catch it, push harder, pull
it again, see him, look at her, ran away, walk around, get what you say, go home,
come in here, want a cup of coffee, make me happy, take one, have lunch,
become a teacher, stay home, laugh at me, be here, shout at me, cry anymore,
break the ice, lie to me, lay an egg, put it in, write to me, read her face, hear me,
talk to them, open and close your mouth, climb up the tree, go after the cat.
c) Say ideas using the phrases. Example: "say it again". I will never say it
again. "Make me happy". Seeing you makes me happy. "Reading". Reading
makes a country great!
NARRATION
What is a story? A connected series of events.
Will you tell me a story, Daddy? I´ll tell you the story of the rock and the horse.
"One early Sunday morning, a boy was climbing up a mountain. He saw a man
near a big rock. In the afternoon, when the boy was coming back home, he looked
22
around to see the rock. It was not there anymore, instead there was a horse. Then,
the boy asked the man, "How did you know there was a horse inside the rock?"
What is an anecdote? A short often-funny story, especially about something

someone has done. She told one or two anecdotes about her years as an English
teacher. One of them is this:
Points to write a story: there must be a conflict, series of actions, connectors,

order. There may be answers to possible questions with WHO, WHAT, WHERE,
WHEN, WHY, HOW, HOW MUCH, HOW MANY.
 Could you tell a very short story from your own life?
 Could you tell an anecdote you have learned?
3- TEXT ANALYSIS. A PRIVATE CONVERSATION

a) Read the story bellow.
b) Answer the questions about the story.
c) Narrate the story.
d) Make a similar story.
A Private Conversation
Last week I went to the theater. I had a very good seat. The play was very
interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind
me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned
round. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In
the end, I could not bear it. I turned round again. “I can’t hear a word!” I said angrily.
“It’s none of your business,” the young man said rudely, “This is a private
conversation!” (Taken from Eckersley and Eckersley: Practice and Progress, 1978.
Lesson 1. Page 6)
Text Analysis
 What type of text is it?
 What does “A private conversation‟ mean? Grammatically speaking, what is
the part of speech of each of the three words? Why are the three words
written with capital letter in the title?
 How many sentences are there in the text?
 What is the function of “Last week” in the first sentence? What part of
speech is it?
 How are last week and went related? What is the present form of “went”?
And the past participle? And the opposite of “went”?
 What is a theater for?
 Who is “I” in the second sentence? What does the verb “had” express?
What is its tense? What is the present form of “had”? And the past
participle?
 What is the meaning of the word “seat”? What does one use it for?
 What is the opposite of "very good"?
4- THE AGENT AND ONE OF HIS WIVES
23
The little man says: “It´s nice here”, and later he asks: “Is there any coffee to
drink?” Then, the old lady answers: “I haven’t gone to the city yet, so I haven´t got
money”. The man puts his hands on his head and says: “You haven´t sold the
chickens”, and then asks: “When are you going to sell them?” The lady tells him:
“Tomorrow, tomorrow I´ll do it!”
Questions and Answers. Guide for text analysis

a) Why is the title written with capital letters? That´s the way it is in English.
b) What is the writer´s intention?
c) What is the function of the text?
d) What type of text is it?
e) What is the main idea of the text?
f) What are the oppositions there in the text?
g) What is a synonym of the word “agent”?
h) What does, “one of his wives” mean?
i) Why is the word “wives” in plural? What is it singular form?
5- WHAT MAKE US US!

Recently, an alert student was asked to describe the work of the historian. He
remained silent for several moments, and then he answered: "What is the job of
the historian? Why, it is the historian´s job to help us see what makes us us." What
makes us us! That is precisely the point that the authors of your book are making.
(Adapted from Rosell, D. and Young, P. (1981) Our Western Heritage. A Cultural-
Analytic History of Europe since 1500. Gim and Company)
Questions to answer:
a. Say the topic of the text as well as the main idea.
b. Say how many characters take part in the text.
c. Define what "an alert" student is.
d. Say what the job of the historian is.
e. Do you think you could say: what makes me me! Answer: Yes, why not!
FOR ARGUMENT
Argument is a text function that tells a reason or reasons why you support or
oppose an idea or suggestion, or the process of explaining them. It is an answer to
the questions with why, or questions such as, Shall we vote on it? There may be
arguments for or against the proposal. A language learner should be a person who
can reason and give arguments to make a decision in life. There are many
questions whose answer claim for full thinking. In this headline you can find some
interest questions such as, will you marry before or after 25 years old?
1- ARGUMENT (GIVING REASONS)
Argument means a reason or reasons why you support or oppose an idea or a
suggestion; or the process of explaining them. Example: Now that we´ve heard all
the arguments for and against the proposal, Shall we vote on it? Collocations for
argument (reason): economic, legal, political, moral, scientific, religious argument;
opening, closing, final argument; basic, central, important argument; a credible,
good, logical, persuasive, plausible, powerful, rational, strong, weak, valid argument.
24
Example: her arguments against marriage were very weak. Verbs: make, present,
put forward an argument. Example, she made a strong argument for more funding.
Hear, listen to, refute or reject an argument. An argument against or in favor of
something. A line of arguments. Have you been away, because we haven’t seen you
recently? I was late because of heavy traffic. The reason why grass is green was a
mystery to the little boy. The reason I am ringing is to ask a favor. To add more
arguments you can use: besides, in addition to, also, too, so, furthermore.
Example: A friend of mine of about 20 years told me she wanted to get married.
So, I asked her why and she gave me the following reasons:
 My parents do not let me be free and go around, so I rarely see my lover.
 I am not allowed to spend a night at a hotel or in any other place with my
lover.
 To tell someone how I feel inside of me, to tell him what I want and what I
need.
 I have got to do so many things at home that I never have time for love
outside.
 My parents do not let my boyfriend spend even a night at home. So What?
 To choose the right man, to have babies later as soon as I finish my studies.
 To have someone to help me, in my studies, in my job, in my life.
 I need someone to love near me all day long and night.
 To have someone to protect me all lifelong.
 To make love every time I want and need it.
a)Can you add any other reason, please?
b)Can you say why you want to get married?
2- MORE ON ARGUMENT
Another friend of mine, of the same age told me she didn’t want to get married. So, I
asked her why and she gave me the following reasons:
 I am not yet ready for that. I mean I am not responsible enough.
 I don’t want to share with anyone my sufferings and my living conditions.
 I don’t want to bring home anyone, for my parents are very impolite and
rude.
 I can´t do yet what a married woman has to do at home: cooking, washing,
etc.
 I don’t need to be married for my situation is as if I were. I am free to move
with my lover.
 I want to enjoy freedom and youth first. Later I´ll get married. First things
first.
 I am so young and weak, poor and unhappy that no man will ever come to
me.
 There is no space enough for me and my boyfriend anywhere, at our
homes.
 I we have money and home we will get married, but we don’t have anything.
a) Can you add any other reason, please?
b) Can you say why you want to get married?
25
3- FOR OR AGAINST (GIVING REASONS)
Make some reasons for (in favor of) or against the following ideas:
 Why am I learning English?
 Why is rain so useful, and sometimes it is harmful?
 Why should we all care and protect the environment?
 Why is a cell phone (mobile phone) so useful?
 Why is a cow a domestic, useful and productive animal?
 Why do some people love pets and others do not like them?
 What is the importance of a language?
 Why should we preserve the history of humanity?
 Why is unity and love so important inside a family?
 Why do I need a fine lover to share my life with?
 Why is oil so important for a country?
 Why can’t a country keep going forward without energy?
 Why is the difference between poor and rich so big in the world?
 Why have wars happened?
 How important is electricity for the world to go ahead?
 How important is water for life?
 Health care is a must for all governments and states.
 Education is a need of the people and a function of governments.
 Shelter is a need of the people and a responsibility of governments.
E-MAILS AND LETTERS

E-mails and letters are very useful to learn English because they show the way
people really use the language in life. The technology has brought to us the world
through fast service message. One needs to learn the new code to write messages
as a way to save time and money. On the other hands, letters are still in use in
situations where e-mails are not possible for different reasons. In this headline, you
will find real e-mails from friends, and real formal letters sent to outstanding people.
1- A RAINY DAY AT THE HOSPITAL

Hi sweetie. Well, Things are almost the same over here. Susie at home, grandchild
at the hospital getting better slowly, but going on. I’m at the hospital right now. It's a
very cold and rainy day, not usual for this early autumn. Bob is giving me and his
sister all the support he can. He's a very sensitive person and never lets me or his
sister down. Thank God he's around! Kisses. Ann
Questions
a) Who is "sweetie"? Is this word formal or informal language?
b) What is the meaning of "over here"?
c) Why is grandchild at the hospital? How´s she?
d) Where is Ann now?
e) What´s the season? What´s the weather like?
f) Who is Susie? Who is Bob? What is he doing?
26
2- CHRISTMAS
a) Make a check mark to the things or persons below that are described in the
e-mail messages below:
Travelling ___ LGBT ___
Christmas ___ Conference ___
Dancing ___ Football ___
Internet ___
My dear Rodolfo,
I hope Christmas was a day of joy and happiness over there. For us it was a
special occasion, having the family celebrating it together. Very nice!
I've finally decided about my trip. I'll be travelling from January 8th to 28th. I'm
going to San Francisco to attend a General English 2 weeks course. I think it'll be
great.
I'm not sure I'll have free access to internet there. I know Wi-Fi is available but as I
´m not taking my lap top with me I don't know how often I'll be able to use the
internet. Anyway, I'll find a way to get in touch while I'm there.
We need to subscribe for the conference that will be held in July. The deadline is
February 5th. We've already decided we'll be presenting the book, right? So we
need to fill out the form below.
Send me the information asked and I'll do it for us.
Love you.
Ann.
b) Say in English:
What General English 2 week’s course is.
What Christmas means for Ann and her family.
What Wi-Fi is, and which other ways may be used for fast connection.
What deadline means.
What to fill a form means.
The meaning of "it" in the last line.
3- AIRCRAFT DISASTER
See how people far from Cuba reacted to the aircraft disaster in Havana, on May
17, 2018.
My dear friend,
It´s been few days since I heard the news about that terrible aircraft disaster.
Please, tell me how everybody is doing over there. That was a shock for me, and I
´m still trying to get to know something here and there about the tragedy.
Please, send my condolences to the ones you know that have lost any of their
beloved ones.
Love you all. Ann
Vocabulary: aircraft disaster, beloved ones, condolences /kǝn 'dou.lǝnts/:
sympathy and sadness for the family or close friends of a person who have
recently died.
27
4- E-MAIL MESSAGES
Dear Mr. President,
(…) YOU, sir, are the PRESIDENT of the United States. YOU, sir, are the one
person that IS supposed to HELP the LITTLE PEOPLE like my family and others like
us. We are the ones that make this country what it is. You say that jobs are up and
spending is up. YOU, sir, need to come to my neck of the woods and see how wrong
that is. Because here in Spotsylvania County, it´s not. I live in Partlow, a rural
community of Spotsylvania, and I tell you what…jobs are few and far between. My
husband and I just want to be able to live and be able to buy a cake or a present for
our kids when it´s their birthday or for Christmas. That´s another thing-my boys
didn’t even have a Christmas because we didn’t have money to buy them presents.
Have YOU ever had to tell your girls that Santa isn’t coming to your house? (…)
Sincerely,
Bethany Kern
Partlow, Va.
(The New York Times Magazine. "From the thousands of messages the Obama
White House received daily, of which 10 reached the president". January 22, 2017,
p. 36)
Questions and answers

a) Why are the words YOU, PRESIDENT, IS, HELP AND LITTLE PEOPLE,
written with capital letters? To put emphasis on them. To focus them.
b) Who was the President of United States at that time? Alternatively, when
was Barack Obama president of The United State? From 2008 to 2017 (En
dependencia de la solución que demos en el texto, Juan.
c) Who is Santa: A Goddess in the States, that is, in United States. Ok this is
a long story. Santa Claus is a shortening of “Saint Nicholas” the patron saint
of children. In most European countries (and countries such as USA) have a
tradition that Santa Claus visits children at Christmas time bringing gifts of
toys and sweets. He is pictured as an old man with a big white beard and a
red coat. It’s common at Christmas parties for someone to dress up as
Santa Claus.
Vocabulary
We are the ones that make this country what it is nosotros somos los que hacemos
que este país sea lo que es.
 Jobs are up: los trabajos han aumentado
 Spending is up: el poder adquisitivo ha aumentado
 Come to my neck of the woods:
 I tell you what: y sabe lo que le digo.
 Jobs are few and far between: los trabajos están escasos y son irregulares.
5-MR. PRESIDENT
Mr. President,
My wife and I very recently lost our 22-year-old boy, David Jr. He took his life with
a handgun he purchased. Our son was precious to us. He could have done anything
he chose to do.
28
I am writing because our son was suffering from mental illness yet still was able to
purchase a gun. He had been involuntarily hospitalized when he was 17, yet
Pennsylvania allows people with this on their record to purchase a gun.
The sadness we are feeling is overwhelming us. We are trying to be strong for our
other three sons, but we are breaking down every day, (…)
Thank you
David Costello
Philadelphia
(The New York Times Magazine. "From the thousands of messages the Obama
White House received daily, of which 10 reached the president". January 22, 2017,
p. 37)
Questions:
a) What is the main idea of the message?
b) What is Costello’s intention in writing the message?
Vocabulary
 A handgun he purchased: un revolver que el compró.
 Allows people with this (…): Autoriza a personas así (con esta enfermedad)
 The sadness we are feeling is overwhelming us: la tristeza que estamos
viviendo es insoportable.
 We are breaking down: nos estamos destruyendo.
6- A LETTER FROM SWEDEN

Hello, Professor Acosta,
My name is Petunia and my father is a friend of Mickey Mouse, the General
Secretary of International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE). The reason
for my writing you is that my cousin and me are going to Cuba on the 12 th of
January, arriving in Havana on the 13 th of January. I was wondering if you know
anyone from whom we could rent a room. We have planned to stay in Havana for
two nights when we arrive and then leave for Varadero. We would really appreciate
some help, so feel free to write me back, preferably to my e-mail since it is quicker.
My e-mail is petunia@hotmail.com, or you can write me to my home address:
Petunia. Garden 10D. 456 Glass town. England. Sincerely PW
Questions and answers:

a) What is IAIE? It is a global forum for the analysis of issues dealing with
education in plural societies. It provides educational professionals with
knowledge and information that can assist them in the implementation of
intercultural education.
b) If you were the person who wrote the letter, would you say, "my cousin and
me, or "my cousin and me” in line 3? Grammatically speaking, I would say,
"my cousin and I", but communicatively speaking, as it is an informal letter,
"my cousin and I" is alright.
c) Would you say, "if you know anyone", or "if you know someone", in line 4?
The same answer as in question 2.
d) Petunia writes: "Since it is quicker". What does it" refer to? To the e-mail.
And quicker that what? Than regular mail.
29
7- E-MAILS FROM ANN (MESSAGE 1)
Hi there,
I'm sending you a list of acronyms and abbreviations I think you're gonna like.
Some Acronyms for short message service (SMS) ː 2F4U Too Fast For You.
4YEOː For Your Eyes Only. C&Pː Copy & Paste. EOTː End of
Thread/Test/Transmission. CUː See You. N/Aː not Available/Applicable. PEBKACː
Problem exist between Keyboard and Chair. RSVPː Répondez síl vous plaît
(French) Please, reply. TYTː Take Your Time. TGIF: Thanks God, its Friday. Some
Abbreviations for short message service: B3: blah, blah, blah. AEAP: As Early As
Possible. 2moro: tomorrow. 2ante: tonight. CYT: see you tomorrow. MoF: Male of
Female. P911: Parent Alert. TMI: Too Much Information. W8: Wait. XOXOXO: Hugs,
Kisses.
Have fun
Lv
Questions and Answers:
a) What expressions show you the informality of this message? "Hi there", "you
´re gone like", "Have fun and lv.
b) What makes the difference between acronyms and abbreviations? Acronym:
an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of
something, pronounced as a word. Example, AIDS is an acronym for
"Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome". Abbreviation: A short form of a
word or phrase. Example, ITV is the abbreviation for "Independent
Television".

Dear Rodolfo,
Long time no hear from you! Are you still on vacation? Have you seen the latest
cover of the book? Next week it will be ready! Do you believe it? Oh, I'm really
anxious to get it! I'm trying to find a cheaper way to send you some as through
ordinary mail is too expensive. But I'm pretty sure I'll figure out a way of doing that.
Is everything alright over there? I hope so.
Keep walking!
Ann

a) What does "Long time no hear from you!"? It means that it is a long time
since she has received an oral or written message from Rodolfo
b) What is ordinary mail?
c) What does "keep walking" mean? It means keep going, working, studying,
fighting, doing things, giving energy.
d) What is the antecedent of “it” in the expression, "Next week it will be
ready!"? The book.
e) What does "there" mean in the expression, "Is everything alright over
there?" It means the country, the community or the family where the receiver
is.
30
My dear Rodolfo,
I hope everything is alright with you after such a busy period in the island: Obama,
the Rolling Stones... (rs) Well, I'm sending you the book today. It's completely
reviewed now. Things concerning the content of the book are the ones in red. These
are the ones you need to check. Is that clear? Please, use this last version when
sending it back to me and just send it when you have it all ready, ok? This way we
won't have different files coming and going so we don't get lost. As soon as you
send it back, I'll begin the publishing process.
Say hello when you can.
Lv you
Ann
a) What island does Ann refer to? Cuba
b) What is the meaning of "you" in the first line? All Cubans.
c) When were Barack Obama and the Beatles in Cuba? In February 2015.
d) What is the meaning of the word "file"? Information stored on a computer as
one unit with one name. What´s the file name? I´m going to copy/save this
file.

Dear Rodolfo,
My vacation is kind of short this time of year. Our long vacation is in January when
we have 30 days free. For now, I´m no longer than 10 days off but it´s alright. It´s
enough time for a rest. I´m sending you a piece of news from today´s newspaper. I´ll
be a pleasure to send you some things in Portuguese as I can write whatever I want,
just for fun, and not for work, nothing scientific or technical. I just love it! To begin
with, and just to entertain myself, I´ll begin with this one. I hope you like it.
Vocabulary
 Vacation (US) synonym of holiday (UK), holidays (informal UK), hols
(informal UK)ː a time, often one or two weeks, when someone does not go
to work or school but is free to do what they want, such as travel or relax.
 Offː not at work, at home, or on holiday. I´m off these days to do some work
at home.
 Freeː not busy. I do a lot of reading in my free time.
 Today´s newspaperː the newspaper of the day, printed on the day that
belongs to the present day. As it is an expression of time it admits the
possessive form. Daily/Newsweek/ The New York Times, Granma
newspaper.
 Just for funː pleasure, enjoyment, entertainment
Questions:
a) What is the Ann´s intention in writing the e-mail?
b) What is the central idea of the message?
c) Can Ann talk Portuguese? How do you know? Can you?

My dear Ro, Thank you very much for the picture. What a handsome guy! He looks
so young and already father of two! Just see that. And yes, I'll send you some stuff
31
besides the book, of course! What else? Oh, yes, I'm sending a picture of
caipirinha de pinga, farofa and of espeto so you can see them. By the way, Farofa
is manioc powder, fried on butter, a bit of salt and mixed with many other
ingredients that can be onions, meat, raisins, olives, eggs, all chopped. It's a very
popular and traditional dish all over the country and we eat as a side dish of meat.
Lv u
Ann
Questions and Answersː
a) What picture does Ann talk about? One Rodolfo sent her of his son.
b) What phrase shows Ann´s economy and precision in the language? He
looks so young and already father of two! Just see that.
c) What phrases and words show casual English? And yes, stuff, so.
d) What does "as soon as" express? Time
e) What does the word "them" stand for in line 5? caipirinha, farofa, espeto.
f) What is “manioc powder" in Spanish? Harina, polvo de yuca.
g) What is the meaning of "fried on butter" in Spanish? Frito en mantequilla.
h) What is the meaning of "all chopped" in Spanish? Todo mezclado.
i) Why does Ann send Rodolfo those words in Portuguese? He asked them to
her because he speaks some Portuguese.
j) What functions do you identify in the message? Greeting, explanation,
definition, plan.
k) Write a reply to Ann, supposing you are Ro.
LITERATURE
Literature means written artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting
artistic values. The literary genres are novel, poem, drama, tragedy, short stories,
biography, amongst others. Literature is a record of what people have written,
trying to show how life has been or the way people have seen it. Literature is an
artistic way of expression to real life, therefore, it is a way to learn about the culture
and history of humankind.
1- "10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU"

a) Analyze and learn by heart the poem below. Be ready to recite it
somewhere (it is one of the best quoted said in films in 2017, according to
azlyrics.com, internet.)
Kat, in spite of being betrayed by Patrick, expresses her feelings through a poem
entitled '10 things I hate about you'.
I hate the way you talk to me, I hate you so much it makes me sick
And the way you cut your hair It even makes me rhyme.
I hate the way you drive my car I hate the way you're always right
I hate it when you stare I hate it when you lie
I hate your big dumb combat boots, I hate it when you make me laugh
And the way you read my mind Even worse when you make me cry.
32
I hate the way you're not around you.
And the fact that you didn't call Not even close, not even a little bit,
But, mostly I hate the way I don't hate not at all!
b) Say things you hate or you don’t hate, using these patterns: I hate the way/ I
hate…/I don’t hate….
c) Make a try and write a poem using one of these phrases (or any other you
choose): I love…, You are…, Do not think…..
2- MAPS FOR STORYTELLING

a) Make a map with the words in each line.
 A Young Lady: who was walking: drop, pick up, hand in to her?
 A Mother: was walking, found, went, gave, chamber pot.
 The Little Boy: climbing: saw, coming back, looked around, was not,
a horse inside.
 Mum Selling a Duck: buy my duck, came, bought it, paid, and said
keep it with you and sell it again.
 The Man and her Friend: hotel: locked the bathroom, took a bath,
locked in, shouted, heard, put a flag, employees came and saved
them.
 The Circus: came, a pig, every night, no people, left, the pig died the
day before.
b) Make a story using the maps. Example:
A miserable circus came that night to my poor neighborhood. A mother-pig
was the only animal it had. People did not have a cent to attend the circus.
Every night the circus got ready for a performance, but no one walked in.
They remained there three months without collecting a cent. They couldn’t
go for they had no money to leave. Then, a popular young man went to
every house asking for some cents to help the circus go away. At night they
left in an old little truck, which some people had to push and push till finally
they reach the main road.
3- HARRY BURNS, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.

See how beautiful the below text is. This has been taken from the film: Harry
Burns, When Harry Met Sally.
a) Read the text and say how much you love it, in a scale from 1 to 5, being 5
the top.
b) Say 10 things you hate and 10 things you love, using the structure: "I love
that…"
“I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour
and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose
when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I
can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I
want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s
not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize
33
you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life
to start as soon as possible.”
4- MY PEOPLE
a) Read the poem below.
b) Answer the questions bellow the poem.
c) Recite the poem.
MY PEOPLE
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Semantic-Pragmatic Text Analysis
 What type of text is it?
 What is the setting (time and place) of the poem?
 What does “My people” mean? Why “My”?
 What is the only verb used in the poem? Why? Which are its forms?
 In what cases is the verb omitted?
 What are the environmental parts or nature parts mentioned? Why?
 What are the comparisons stated? Why are they compared?
 What map can show the content of the poem?
 What learning strategies have you used during this text analyzes?
 What is the moral or teaching of the poem? It is a plea against racial
discrimination, a claim for justice in defense of black people.
 The intention of the poem is: Black people are beautiful.
 Making a semantic map
34
5- ANDRE
a) Read the poem bellow, following these three stages: First fast reading for
general understanding, a second reading for details, and a third reading for
interpretation.
b) Answer the questions bellow the poem.
c) Recite the poem.
ANDRE
I had a dream last night. I dreamed Short and tall and thin and stout.
I had to pick a mother out. But just before I sprang awake,
I had to choose a father too. I knew what parents I would take.
At first, I wondered what to do. And this surprised and made me glad:
There were so many there, it seemed, They were the ones I already had!
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)

Text Analysis
 Andre. Why Andre? Who's Andre?
 Who’s I? What did he have? What does “dream” mean? When was his
dream? What does “have” express?
 What did he dream? What's the meaning of pick up? Say its past form, its
simple past form, its past participle form and its present participle form Why
is “Mother” with capital letter? Why “a” before “mother”?
 What did he have to do? To choose a Father too. What’s the infinitive for?
What is its past form, its past participle form and its present participle form?
What’s the meaning of “too”? What does “there were” mean? Why two
“there”? What is the meaning of “so”? (What does “It seemed” express?)
35
 What’s the function of line 6? What are the oppositions? What other
oppositions can you find in the text?
 Who is Gwendolyn Brooks?
 The poem touches on four themes:
Feeling the joy of being home.
Feelings about my roots.
Feeling the pain and pride of struggle.
Feelings about who I am and what I want to be.
 The poem centers on:
Self-awareness
Self-acceptance
Knowing who you are and feeling good about it.
Your family and your community.
 What are the oppositions in the text? Which is the main one?
 Could we make a semantic map of the text?
 What would you have done if you had been Andre?
 What is the moral or the teaching the writer wants to convey?
6- STORYTELLING
a) Hear or read the stories below, and say:
 Who narrates it.
 Who the characters are.
 What happens.
 Where it happens.
 When it happens.
You may also:
 Ask some questions about the story.
 Retell the story.
 Create your own story.
Story a: The Little Chinese Boy

Once upon a time, there was a little Chinese boy. One day, on Sunday morning, the
boy went for a walk in the wood and he got lost. As I was also lost, we both met.
It was a dark night and the Chinese boy was afraid, he was very scared of going
alone. So, he went around for a while and sat down. And at his side I sat down. With
I saying "Yes", and he saying "No". With I saying "Yes", and he saying "No". And at
the end, we had just one opinion.
Under the sky of China, the little Chinese boy sat down, and the jealous and
unfortunate moon kissed him.
Unfortunate and jealous moon. The fucking moon was jealous of my fortune.
Vocabulary
 Afraid: adv. Afraid (of); frightened (of): There is nothing to be afraid of. Are
you afraid of snakes?
 Scare: (vt) frighten; become frightened: He was scared by the thunder. They
were scared by the strange noise.
 A little Chinese boy (or girl)
36
 Wood: Area of land covered with growing trees. Not so extensive as a
forest.
 Go for a walk; go for a swim: go out in order to walk, to swim. Go walking,
swimming.
 Get lost: become with no direction. Lose sense of direction. He went out
and got lost. I got lost in the wood.
 We both met: we came face to face with somebody. Both: of two things,
persons, etc.
 For a while: indicating a short time. For a few minutes, hours, days. They
were there for a while.
 Sat: simple past form of the verb sit: sit on a chair, on the floor, in an
armchair, at a table or a desk, on a horse. Sit down: Take a seat: please sit
down, all of you.
 Misfortune: bad luck. Unfortunate: adjectival form.
 Jealous: feeling actual loss of rights. A jealous husband, woman. Jealous of
somebody (sb) else’s success. Adv. Jealousy
b) Could you, please, make a semantic map of the story you heard or read?
c) Could you, please, narrate the Little Chinese boy‘s story briefly, (or anyone you
have chosen), like this:
Story b: A Little Boy in the Street
Yesterday morning, there was a boy playing with a ball in the park. The boy threw
the ball through the window, and broke it. An old woman started to cry. She cried,
and cried, and cried, for ten years. For ten years? No, excuse me. For ten weeks.
For ten weeks? Sorry, for ten days. For ten days? No, just for a while.
Story c: The Fox and the Crane

The fox invited the crane to dinner and served the meal on a plate. The crane
could pick up nothing with his long beak, and the fox ate everything herself. Next
day, the crane invited the fox and served dinner in a jug with a narrow neck. The fox
could not get her muzzle into the jug, but the crane stuck his long neck in and drank
everything himself.
Story d: The Chamber Pot

An old and poor woman was walking along the street. She found a diamond. Then,
she went to the Police Station. The Police gave her twenty dollars. She went to the
shop and bought a chamber pot.
7- AMERICAN WRITERS
Read the following bios and be ready to answer the questions coming next.
 Alice Walker, born in 1944, American author and poet, most of whose
writing portrays the lives of poor, oppressed African American women in the
early 1900s. Born Alice Malsenior Walker in Eatonton, Georgia, she was
educated at Spelman and Sarah Lawrence colleges. She wrote most of her
first volume of poetry during a single week in 1964; it was published in 1968
as Once. Walker's experiences during her senior year at Sarah Lawrence,
37
including undergoing an abortion and making a trip to Africa, provided many
of the book's themes, such as love, suicide, civil rights, and Africa.
 Eduardo Galeano, a native of Uruguay, journalist and writer. . Born on
September 3rd, 1940. Galeano spent several years as a political exile in
Argentina and Spain in the mid-1970s, during which time he accessed
European archives containing extensive historical information about the
Americas. In a May 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Galeano
discussed his unconventional history of North and South America, a trilogy
entitled Memory of Fire (Genesis, 1987; Faces and Masks, 1988; Century of
the Wind, 1988). He died on April 13th, 2015.
 Langston Hughes (1902-1967), American writer, known for using the
rhythms of jazz and of everyday black speech in his poetry. Hughes was
one of the first writers to portray the urban black experience realistically. His
poems typically express the tribulations and sometimes the joys of ghetto
life in plain, spirited language resembling the colloquial speech of American
blacks. James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in
Joplin, Missouri, and educated at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He
studied at Columbia University from 1921 to 1922. He then lived for a time in
Paris.
 Gabriel García Márquez, born in 1928, Colombian novelist and short-story
writer, known as one of the masters of magic realism, a style that weaves
together realism and fantasy. He won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982.
Gabriel García Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia. He attended the
National University of Colombia but did not graduate. Instead, he became a
newspaper editor. He worked for the Cuban news agency La Prensa in
Colombia; Havana, Cuba; and New York City. To escape persecution,
García Márquez spent the 1960s and 1970s in voluntary exile in Mexico and
Spain. In the early 1980s, he was formally invited back to Colombia, where
he mediated disputes between the Colombian government and leftist rebels.
He died on April 17th, 2014.
 Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), American writer, known as a poet and critic
but most famous as the first master of the short-story form, especially tales
of the mysterious and macabre. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Poe was
orphaned in his early childhood and was raised by John Allan, a successful
businessman of Richmond, Virginia. Taken by the Allan family to England at
the age of six, Poe was placed in a private school. Upon returning to the
United States in 1820, he continued to study in private schools. He attended
the University of Virginia for a year, but in 1827 his foster father, displeased
by the young man's drinking and gambling, refused to pay his debts and
forced him to work as a clerk.
 Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910),
American writer and humorist. Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri. There
he received a public school education and spent his childhood in contact
with the people who made their living from the river. His father died in 1847.
In 1857, Clemens set out for New Orleans by riverboat, with the intention of
going on to South America in search of adventure. After talks with the boat’s
pilot, he was taken on as an apprentice. He received his license as a pilot in
38
1859 and worked as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River until the
American Civil War (1861-1865) brought an end to travel on the river.
 Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), American novelist and short-story writer.
Ernest Miller Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. After graduating
from high school in 1917 he became a reporter for the Kansas City Star, but
he left his job within a few months to serve as a volunteer ambulance driver
in Italy during World War I (1914-1918). After 1927 Hemingway spent long
periods of time in Key West, Florida, and in Spain and Africa. During the
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), he returned to Spain as a newspaper
correspondent.

a) Who of the aforementioned writers met Malcolm X (murdered in 1965):
Martin Luther King (murdered in 1968) and Jack Robinson (1919-1972)?
Langston Hughes who died in 1967 and was fan of the three.
b) Who died in 1915 and wrote Cien Años de Soledad? Gabriel García
Márquez (GGM)
c) Who is still alive (in 2018)? Alice Walker.
d) Who was black and lived long in the United States? Langston Hughes and
Alice Walker
e) Who had a farm in Cuba, called "La Vigia"? Ernest Hemingway
f) Who of them visited Cuba several times? Hemingway, Galeano, A. Walker
and GGM.
g) Who spoke almost perfect English? Alice Walker, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark
Twain, Ernest Hemingway. These were all great North American writers who
lived during the XX century.
h) Could you look for short bios about the following British English Authors and
be ready to report briefly about them: William Shakespeare, Charles
Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, J K Rowling.
8- ANNABEL LEE (BY EDGAR ALLAN POE)

Now you are ready to feel the softness, tenderness and beauty of Poe´s poem:
Annabel Lee.
Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) is not only well-known and famous for his short
stories, but also for his poems. His poetry is full of intense melancholy, fantastic
imagery and persistent melody and rhythm; its form is almost perfect. He uses
alliteration, onomatopoeia and internal rhyme for musicality and cadence. His
choice of words, not only for their meaning, but also for their accent and
superficiality, helped him create the atmosphere required by his poems.
Annabel Lee is an example of Poe’s extraordinary talent. This poem, probably his
last, is the author’s lament for the death of his beloved. It was published two days
after the poet’s death. Nearly all critics agree that it refers to his wife, Virginia, who
had died three years before. It is highly musical, simple in form, and sweet, tender
and melancholic in its content.
Annabel Lee
It was many and many a year ago,
39
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived, whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee; --
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love, and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love,
I and my Annabel Lee; --
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me;
Yes! That was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud chilling,
And killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those we were older than we,
Of many far wiser than me;
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling –my darling– my life and my bride,
In her sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Questions
a) What is the topic of the poem?
b) How is beauty expressed in the poem?
c) Why did Annabel Lee passed away?
40
9- DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
Questions:
a) Say what type of text is the one below.
b) Say the main idea of the story.
c) Say who the characters are in the story.
d) Say the setting (place and time) of the story.
e) Pick out all actions Dick did.
f) Say the moral (teaching).
Dick Whittington was an English country lad who, having lost his father and his
mother, went to London to make his fortune. His only friend in the world was a cat
which he had picked up and fed when it was starving; and a very good friend it was
to him, as we shall see.
Dick used to think that the streets of London were paved with gold, but he found
that they were covered with hard stones, and on these stones he had to sleep with
his cat for many nights. At last he got a place in the house of a rich merchant. Dick
had to do all the rough work in the kitchen. Besides, the cook was a bad woman
and she beat him every day and made him sleep in a garret overrun with rats and
mice. These, however, were soon killed by Dick´s cat for the cat was an excellent
mouser.
The rich merchant in whose kitchen Dick worked used to fill his ships with all kinds
of goods and send them to far countries, where the goods could be sold at a great
profit. And being a kind man, he allowed all his servants to put in his ships anything
that they wished to sell. One day, when he was about to send a ship to trade with
the inhabitants of a far-distance country, his pretty daughter Alice came and said to
Dick:
"Now, what are you going to put in for sale?"
"Nothing," said Dick sadly. "I’ve nothing in the world but my cat."
"Well, put in your cat,” said Alice.
And to please her he parted with the only friend he had in the world. But Dick soon
began to miss his cat. The mice and the rats crept back to his garret and kept him
awake at night, and the cook beat him more than she had done before. So hard did
Dick’s life become that one morning he tied all his things up into a bundle and set
out to walk back to his village, saying London good bye forever.
After a while he grew tired and sat down by the side of the road to rest. Just then
the bolls in Bow Church began to chime the hour. Dick listen to the sounds and it
seemed that the bells were speaking to him. He listened very attentively, and he
heard his name, and soon he made out the message of the bells: "Turn a-gain,
Whitt-ing-ton, Trice Lord Mayor of London." Said the Bow bells. Still he walked on
and still, though more faintly, he heard the same phrases. "After all," said Dick, "it’s
only the cook who treats me harshly. How kindly Alice spoke to me! I will turn
again, as the bells say, and see what happens."
As soon as Dick reached his master´s house, he learned that his cat had been sold
in a foreign land at a great price. On arriving in the far-off land, the captain of the
ship went to the king of the country and was invited to dine at the palace. There
41
was a beautiful meal, consisting of all kinds of meat, tropical fruits, and elaborated
sweetmeats. As soon as the dishes were placed on the tables, a vast crowd of rats
and mice rushed out and devoured all the food.
"Oh dear!" cried the king, "I shall not get anything to eat again to-day."
"Good gracious!" said the captain. "You ought to keep a cat in your palace to kill all
these rats and mice."
"A cat?” said the king. "What´ s that? Is it a new kind of lion? I’ve bought hundreds
of lions and tigers of all sorts, but none of them would ever call a mouth for me. I
am becoming thinner and thinner day by day."
The captain send a sailor to the ship to get Dick Whittington´s cat. When the king
saw how quickly it killed rat after rat and mouse after mouse, he shouted with joy.
Will you take six sacks of gold for this wonderful little animal?" he asked.
The captain agreed, and the ship returned to London with the six sacks of gold for
Dick Whittington. The merchant gave Dick all the money, and had him brought up
as if he were his own son, and years afterwards Dick married Alice. He was made
Lord Mayor of London three times, as Bow bells had foretold.
(Taken from The Book of Knowledge, Volume 9, pages 3083 & 3084)
10- MY PA
My Pa
Was Never Slave
Slave?
My pa was never slave.
And those
Who thought they made him slave, didn’t
Understand
The word.
He saw beyond the cotton fields and
Cornfields
That blinded
Their eyes;
Beyond the valleys, dark with their sins, the
Sunrise,
They
Could not conceive. This,
Pa knew.
This, I know.
Harriet Wheatley (1821-1913)
a) Make a semantic map to the following poem
b) Recite the poem using the map.
11- THE UGLY DUCKLING

Once there was a Mother Duck who was very proud of her family. "Quack, quack,
quack," she would say, "see how pretty my children are."
But one day she hatched a little one who was not pretty at all. He was fuzzy and
brown and awkward. He was so ugly that everybody called him the Ugly Duckling.
42
When a friend came to visit her, Mother Duck would say, "My, I never thought that I
should have such an ugly child."
It was not long before the ducklings grew old enough to have their first swimming
lessons. "Quack, quack!" cried Mother Duck, and they all came waddling after her.
Far behind them waddled the poor Ugly Duckling, along and sad. None of his
brothers and sisters would waddle with him.
But when they came to the water The Ugly Duckling swam about better than
anyone else and he beat all the others at their games and races. This made them
very jealous. How could anyone so ugly do anything better than they, who were so
pretty? They were so angry they could hardly quack.
One day Mother Duck took all her children to visit some friends in a near-by
farmyard. The poor Ugly Duckling found everybody staring at him. The chickens
stared at him. The cows stared at him. The horses stared at him. All strange ducks
stared at him. One old duck even flew at the poor Ugly Duckling and bit him on the
neck. "You are not like the rest of us." The old duck said. "What did you come here
for?" "Let him alone," said the Mother Duck. "He may not be pretty like my other
children, but he is good-natured and he swims better than any of them."
"They all hate me because I am so ugly," sighed the poor Ugly Duckling, "and it is
not my fault. No one wants me. I shall go away."
(Adapted from version by Helen Merrick, taken from The Book of Knowledge.1958.
Page 3411)
Questions
a) Look for the whole story inwww.worldstory.net/en/stories/the_ugly_
duckling.html and tell how the story ends.
b) Say where ducks live, the sound they make, what they eat and what they
produce.
c) Compare a duck with a cow and say differences and similarities.
12- LITTLE WOMEN

"Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the
rug.
"It´s so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg.
"I don’t think it´s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls
nothing at all," added little Amy.
"We´ve got father, mother and each other," said Beth contentedly.
Their faces brighten, but darkened again as each girl thought of father, far away,
where the fighting was. Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered
voice, "Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas because it is
going to be a hard winter for every one; and she thinks we ought not to spend
money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. Though we can’t
do much, we ought to do it gladly. But I´m afraid I don’t," and Meg thought
regretfully of the pretty things she wanted.
(Adapted from Famous Books, taken from The Book of Knowledge.1958. Page
3744)
43
Questions
a) Look for the whole story in www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/ 292282/
little-women-by-louisa-may-alcott.htm and tell how the story goes and ends.
b) Say who wrote the novel, when and where it was written and published for
the first time.
c) Say if there is any bound between the family in the novel and the writer´s
family. You can find the requested information in The Book of
Knowledge.1958. Page 3744, or in (URL Peter)
d) What fighting or war does the writer refer to?
CULTURAL KOWNLEDGE
Cultural knowledge means understanding or information about life, how people
live, think and feel. It is a knowledge a person gets by experience or study, and
which is in a person´s mind or known by people generally. Cultural knowledge is
what one knows about what is or has happened around the world related with
different issues of life such as economy, politics, health, sports, art, wars, science
and technology, amongst other areas of life.
1-ARE YOU AN EXCELLENT ENGLISH LEARNER?
Measure how excellent you are at English learning. Evaluate the following items,
from 1 to 5, being 5 the top grade. Sum the grades of every item. So, from 90 to 100
you are an excellent English learner, from 80 to 89 you are Very Good, from 70 to
79 you are Good, from 60 to 69 you are Regular, and less than 60 you are a weak
English learner.
Do you…?
 Plan “smart” outcomes 1 2 3 4 5
 Break the ice and provoke free talk 1 2 3 4 5
 Express ideas clearly 1 2 3 4 5
 Interact using English with your friends 1 2 3 4 5
 Supply enough information to the other speaker 1 2 3 4 5
 Use gestures to support what you say 1 2 3 4 5
 Show examples of what you say 1 2 3 4 5
 Ask many questions 1 2 3 4 5
 Reflect on the English language. 1 2 3 4 5
 Watch films and entertainment shows on TV 1 2 3 4 5
 Listen to much English 1 2 3 4 5
 Learn through English courses in your computer 1 2 3 4 5
 Use English to connect with other people 1 2 3 4 5
 Learn outside the classroom 1 2 3 4 5
 Learn real English use 1 2 3 4 5
 Enjoy learning English 1 2 3 4 5
 Buy English books 1 2 3 4 5
 Spend hours learning English every week 1 2 3 4 5
 Hear music in English 1 2 3 4 5
 Speak English with friends and family 1 2 3 4 5
44
2- THE CONCEPT OF OBSCENITY
The learning of obscenities will make you understand better, films, entertainment
shows and the alike. Do you know what the word obscenity means?
Al least, university students should learn what an obscenity is and which they are
in the United States, and other English-speaking countries, to avoid embarrassed
situations and to be able to understand the man in the street, entertainment
programs, films and informal conversations. Besides it gives a touch of language
sensibility and culture.
Obscenity means indecency, immorality, vulgarism, badness, four-letter word (shit)
five letter word (merde), curse word, dirty word, offensive word, porn word, swear
word, wrong word, x-rating word, a sad word, dirty name, heartbreak, cuss word,
damming word, porno film, stag film.
Questions:
a) Is there any occasion in which the use of obscenities may be justified?
b) How useful you think it would be for grown-up people to know the
obscenities in the foreign language they study? Choose the reasons from
the list, if any:
 To develop language sensibility._____
 To practice pronunciation, meaning, grammar. ____
 To develop the oral and written comprehension skills. ____
 To widen one´s culture about the world. _____
 To learn more about the language. _____
 To use the obscenities, if needed. _____
c) Separate the word shithouse and say in Spanish the meaning of each
element. Answer: Shit (Mierda) house (casa)
d) Are chamber pots used nowadays?
3- UNDERSTANDING OBSCENITIES
 Read carefully the ideas below to understand the meaning and sense.
 Pronounce them carefully from slow to fast.
 Underline the obscenities mentioned in the following ideas.
 Were there drugs at the party, Jane? Did you sell fucking drugs? What
about the family and house reputation now? It is about to come down to
the toilet.
 There is a light on in the fucking house. Have you ever seen that damn
girl? Bullshit! You´re full of shit. Looking to find out who goes to bed with
whom.
 Fuck them all (FEA). How r you? Damn, I´ve split coffee down my
blouse! You are a fucking hired (Eres un puto contratado) You are a shit
of a liar. CYA: cover your ass. What the hell is going on? What the hell r
we going to do?
 Turn off your light. We´ll use mine. But you are not going to wear it! You
are always slow. I am who I am, as Popeye said. You always get me!
Fast! Fast!
45
4- BLEEDING FROM THERE
Gordon announces, "You know women are different from men. “Later on, at home,
my father told me "Once a month women have a flow of blood through their private
parts. This flow has to do with ova, the eggs women produce, internally. They
produce a new one every month. The bleeding is called the menstrual period." "Is
that right? I didn’t know that. I never heard about that". "Well, it is true even so." my
father says. This is called the menstrual period, although in certain vulgar quarters it
is referred to as the monthlies. Nobody we know or would care to know could
possibly refer to it in that way." "Once a month, they bleed? From there?" then my
father says, concluding the only discussion of sex that is ever to pass between us,
"Get out in left and I’ll hit some flies."
a) Why are women different from men? Because they bleed.
b) Who are the speakers in the text? Gordon, the father and the son
c) How formal is the language used? Very formal. The use of the mild words: a
flow of blood, private parts, menstrual period, they bleed? From there?"
d) How does father close up the conversation? "Get out in left and I’ll hit some
flies."
e) How does the writer move the story from one place to another”? Saying:
"Later on, at home…"
5- OBSCENITIES
a) The many synonyms for “toilet”
Andy Gump: portable toilet; can (crude yet very popular); cat box (mild); crapper:
this comes from the verb “to crap”, meaning “to defecate.” (Vulgar); Facilities: a
euphemistic term for toilet (mild); head (crude); john (somewhat crude yet
extremely popular); the little boys´ room; the little girls` room; pot (somewhat
crude); shithouse, a small building containing a toilet. This comes from the verb
“to shit” which is vulgar for “to defecate.” (Vulgar yet extremely popular). Variation:
shitter (vulgar); throne (humorous). The restrooms, the bathrooms are rather
formal use. Only British English: the gents/the ladies, the bog (mild) and the khazi
(crude).
b) Menstruate (to)
When a woman menstruates, blood flows from her womb for a few days every
month. Other words for menstruation are the following: Aunt Flo´s here, Big Red
dropped in (both somewhat crude but yet humorous), have a visitor, have one´s
period, that time of the month, the red flag´s up, the Red Sea´s in.
c) The many uses of fuck
Dumb fuck (to be a): to be an idiot. Fuck a duck! That´s ridiculous! Fuck something
up: to ruin something. Fuck that noise! That´s ridiculous! Fucked (to be) to be
intolerable. Fuck someone over: to cheat someone. Fuck with something (to): to
toy with something. Fucking: 1-Completely 2- Used to add emphasis to the verb
that follows. 3- Infuriating. Fuckin A: Absolute. Mother fucking: extremely
infuriating. What the fuck: (exclamation, as a question) how is it possible? (As a
statement) It is not a big issue.
46
Questions
a) Mark which of these obscenities had you heard before and which are new
for you.
b) Say how useful could it be for your English to learn mild or humorous
obscenities.
8- UTOPIA?
“The utopia is in the horizon. I come closer two steps, so it gets two steps away. I
walk ten steps and the horizon moves ten steps far. For much I walked, I would
never reach it. Then, what does the utopia serve for?
It serves us to WALK” Eduardo Galeano (1940-2015)

a) What was Galeano´s nationality? Uruguayan.
b) Who was Galeano friend of? Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos
Fuentes, Roberta Menchú, Fito Páez, Mujica, Tabaré Vásquez, among
others.
c) Could you say the title of some Galeano´s books or essays? Booksː Open
Veins of Latin America and Memory of Fire. Essayː "Happy New Year!"
d) Could you say the exact date of Galeano´s death? April 13rd, 2015, one
year four days next to GGM (April 17th, 2014)
6-LGBT
a) What is LGBT?
b) What is your opinion on it?
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
LGBT, or GLBT, is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB,
which was used to replace the term gay in reference to the LGBT community
beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. Activists believed that the term gay community
did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred.
The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation; it has been adopted
by the majority of sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media
in the United States, as well as some other English-speaking countries. The term is
used also in some other countries, such as Argentina, France, and Turkey.
The initialism, LGBT, is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender
identity-based cultures. It may be used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual
or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for
those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual identity; LGBTQ has
been recorded since 1996. Those who add intersex people to LGBT groups or
organizing use an extended initialism LGBTI. Some people combine the two
acronyms and use the term LGBTIQ. Others use LGBT+ to encompass a spectrum
of gender and sexuality.
Questions:
a) What is the writer´s intention in this piece of article?
47
b) What is the central idea of the text?
c) Where can you find more information about the topic?
If you want to read more about the topic, consult URL http://www.felgtb.org
7- PROBLEMS TO SOLVE
a) Think and say in English possible answers to the social problems below.
b) Could you add any other similar social problems?
 I hated men so much. Then I met you. Who could be I? And who could
be you? (Two men talking, two women or a woman and a man)
 "A hungry man is an angry man". (Mahatma Gandhi), or "An angry man
is a hungry man". Which makes sense better? (The first)
 "We have to make injustice invisible". (Mahatma Gandhi), or "We have to
make injustice visible". Which makes better sense? (The first)
 Does a bird sing because it is happy, or is it happy because it sings?
Which makes better sense? (Both could be)
8- PROVERBS
a) What is the equivalent proverb in your country for the ones below?
b) Do you know any other proverb in English o in your mother tongue?
 "Two wrongs don't make a right." When someone has done something
bad to you, trying to get revenge will only make things worse.
 "The pen is mightier than the sword." Trying to convince people with ideas
and words is more effective than trying to force people to do what you want.
 "When in Rome, do as the Romans." Act the way that the people around
you are acting. This phrase might come in handy when you're traveling
abroad and notice that people do things differently than you're used to.
 "No man is an island." You can't live completely independently. Everyone
needs help from other people.
 "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones." Don't criticize
other people if you're not perfect yourself.
 "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." Bad things might happen, so
be prepared.
 "Better late than never." It's best to do something on time. But if you can't do
it on time, do it late.
 "Birds of a feather flock together." People like to spend time with others who
are similar to them.
 "A picture is worth a thousand words." Pictures convey emotions and
messages better than written or spoken explanations.
 "There's no place like home." Your own home is the most comfortable place
to be.
 "The early bird catches the worm." You should wake up and start work early
if you want to succeed.
 "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." If someone offers you a gift, don't
question it.
48
 "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." When you try
to do something great, you'll probably make a few people annoyed or
angry. Don't worry about those people; just focus on the good results.
This proverb was invented by Robespierre, one of the leading figures in
the French Revolution.
 "God helps those who help themselves." Don't just wait for good things to
happen to you. Work hard to achieve your goals.
 "Actions speak louder than words." Just saying that you'll do something
doesn't mean much. Actually doing it is harder and more meaningful.
 "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Don't try to improve something that already
works fairly well. You'll probably end up causing new problems.
 "Practice makes perfect." You have to practice a skill a lot to become good
at it.
 "Easy come, easy go." When you get money quickly, like by winning it, it's
easy to spend it or lose it quickly as well.
 "Don't bite the hand that feeds you." If someone's paying you or helping you
out, you have to be careful not to make them angry or say bad things about
them.
 "You can't judge a book by its cover." Things sometimes look different
than they really are. A restaurant that looks old and small might have
amazing food, for example.
 "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Have a backup plan. Don't risk all of
your money or time in one plan.
 "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." If you try
to help someone, but they don't take your advice or offers, give up. You
can't force someone to accept your help.
 "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." Your plans might not
work out, so don't start thinking about what you'll do after you succeed.
Wait until you've already succeeded, and then you can think about what
to do next.
9- RIDDLES
a) Make a try to guess before you read the answer in each riddle.
b) Say the riddle and the answer several time, each time faster, so as to
develop fluency.
 What did the tree say to the light bulb? Hey! Just had a bright idea!”
 Why was Dracula put in jail? He tried to rob a blood bank.
 What kind of place should you never take a dog? To the Flea Market.
 What do you call a cow in an earthquake? A milkshake!
 What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
 Where do cows stay when they go on vacation? MOO-tels!
 What has four legs, a tail, whiskers and cuts grass? A lawn MEOW-er!
 Which country is the slipperiest? Greece!
 Why did the pencil cross the road first? He was the LEADer!
 There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white
house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red
house there were lots of babies. What is it? A watermelon!
49
 What did the toilet say when he was playing cards? “Flush!”
 If you say it you break it. What is it? Silence.
 Tall in the morning, short at noon, gone at night but I’ll be back soon.
What am I? A shadow!
 What should you do when you see a green alien? Wait until it’s ripe!
 Why did the duck cross the road? Because it thought it was a chicken.
 Why did the turkey cross the road? Because Thanksgiving was right
around the corner.
 Why did the baker go to jail? Because he got caught beating the eggs.
 Why did the crab cross the road? To get to the other the tide.
 I have 7 children half of them are boys, what is the other half? They were
all boys.
 How far can a fox run into a grove? Only halfway—then he’s running out
of it!
 I travel all over the world, but always stay in my corner. What am I? A
stamp.
 How many seconds are there in one year? 12 of them: January 2nd,
February 2nd, March 2nd, April 2nd, May 2nd, June 2nd, July 2nd,
August 2nd, September 2nd, October 2nd, November 2nd, December
2nd.
10- JOKES
a) Mark from 1 to 5, being 5 the top, to indicate how much the jokes makes
you laugh.
b) Read every joke several times from slow to fast, so as to get fluency.
c) Could you say any other joke in English?
 Little Johnny asked his father, “Dad, can you write in the dark?” His
father said, “I think so. What do you want me to write?” Little Johnny
replied, “Oh, just sign this report card for me.
 Kate: Would you punish me for something I didn’t do? Teacher: No, of
course not. Kate: Good, because I didn’t do my homework.
 Patient: Doctor, will I be able to play the piano after the operation?
Doctor: Yes, of course. Patient: Great! I never could before!
 Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn’t nearly foolish
enough to attack him.
 Liam: I was born in Mexico. Mary: Really? Which part? Liam: All of me!
 TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America. MARIA: Here it
is. TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America? CLASS:
Maria.
 TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before
eating? SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
 TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the
floor? JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
 TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as
your brother's. Did you copy his? CLYDE: No, sir. It's the same dog.
11- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, A STATESMAN OF GOOD ENGLISH
50
Questions:
a) What is the difference between the colonial days and the era of the United
States?
b) What was the link between Philadelphia and London at that time?
c) Say the meaning of the following words and phrases: candle-maker, printer,
bought a newspaper, ran away, a prominent citizen.
d) What are the following institutions for: police and fire departments, a library
and an academy?
e) Which were the colonies and why are they called like that?
f) What did the Declaration of Independence of the United States mean then?
g) What was the significance of the Constitution of the United States then?
h) Do you think that his autobiography is often read in schools in the United
States these days, and his Poor Richard´s Almanac is still read?
i) How old is this piece of autobiography about Benjamin Franklin?
Benjamin Franklin belongs to partly to colonial days and partly to the era of the
United States. He was famous as author, scientist, inventor, business man and
statesman. He was born in Boston in 1706the fifteenth child and the tenth son of
his father. His father was a poor candle-maker, but the boy became a printer
under his brother. They could not agree, and when seventeen years old he ran
away and found work in Philadelphia. He spent some time in London but returned
to Philadelphia, opened a shop of his own, bought a newspaper and became a
prominent citizen. Through him a police and fire departments, a library and an
academy were organized.
Franklin was postmaster in Philadelphia for a time, and later Postmaster-General
for all the colonies. He formed a plan of union for the colonies, which was not
adopted, however; He went to England to represent Pennsylvania, and remained
there as the representative of all colonies. He help to draw up the Declaration of
Independence, was sent to France to persuade the French to help the colonies to
gain their liberty and succeeded in getting money, arms and men. He also helped
to make the Constitution of the United States. He died in 1790, after a busy and
useful life. His autobiography is often read in schools as a specimen of good
English, and his Poor Richard´s Almanac, full of wise sayings, was very popular
when published, and is still read.
(Taken from The Book of Knowledge. Volume 10, pages 3487-3488)
FAMOUS SPEECHES
Famous speeches of outstanding persons are always interested for the people who
are learning English. They are models and patterns of real English use as well as
ideas and topics which enrich the learner´s culture and knowledge of the world. In
this headline, you can find famous speeches from Martin Luther King, Nelson
Mandela, Muhammad, Michelle Obama, amongst others as well as the sources
where you can find them in internet.
1- MANDELA’S RELATION WITH CUBA (EXCERPTS)
51
Shortly after his release from 27 years as a political prisoner in 1990, Mandela
visited Cuba to express his gratitude, calling Castro’s Revolution “a source of
inspiration to all freedom-loving people.”
Mandela said, “We have come here today recognizing our great debt to the Cuban
people. What other country has such a history of selfless behavior as Cuba has
shown for the people of Africa?
“How many countries benefit from Cuban health care professionals and educators?
How many of these volunteers are now in Africa?
What country has ever needed help from Cuba and has not received it? How many
countries threatened by imperialism or fighting for their freedom have been able to
count on the support of Cuba?”
Castro responded, "I have not visited my homeland South Africa, but I love it as if it
were my homeland."
“We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence
and sovereignty in the face of a vicious, imperialist-orchestrated campaign,”
During a public event in Havana, Mandela asked Castro to visit South Africa.
“Who trained our people, who gave us resources, who helped so many of our
soldiers, our doctors?” Mandela said. “You have not come to our country — when
are you coming?”

a) What does Mandela mean when he said, “our great debt to the Cuban
people”?
b) What does freedom-loving people mean?
c) Why did Mandela call Castro’s Revolution as “a source of inspiration to all
freedom-loving people.”?
d) What does Mandela mean when he said, “You have not come to our
country”?
Answer: b- People who love freedom, independence. d- Africa is Fidel´s homeland

as well.
2- “I HAVE A DREAM”, MARTIN LUTHER KING (EXCERPTS)

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest
demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
It (Emancipation Proclamation) came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of
captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred
years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of
segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro
lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material
prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of
American society and finds himself in exile in his own land.
We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise
from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid
52
rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's
children.
We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable
horrors of police brutality.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and
tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves
and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of
brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle
together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
When we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every
hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when
all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and
Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

a) What does the first “you” stand for?
b) What does Luther King mean when he said, “justice for all of God's
children”?
c) Why does Luther King say “I still have a dream”?
d) What is the antecedent of it in the expression, “when we let it ring from
every village”?
Answer: a-The black people community of US. b- White and black people are
the same for God´s eyes. c- It´s not too late for social and racial justice. d-
Freedom.
5- CHE'S FAREWELL LETTER TO FIDEL CASTRO (EXCERPTS)

The letter you are going to read is famous worldwide. Read the questions first, then
read the letter and finally answer the questions:
Questions:
a) Who was "Che", and who was Fidel?
b) What was "Che"´s purpose of writing the letter?
c) What is the main idea of the letter?
d) Could you find out what happened to "Che" later in the course of time?
HAVANA
Year of Agriculture (1965)
Fidel:
I remember many things in this hour—how I met you in the house of María Antonia,
and how you proposed that I come with you, and all the strain of the preparations.
53
One day they passed by to ask who would be advised in case of the death, and the
real possibility of it struck all of us. Later we knew that it was true, that in a
revolution one triumphs or dies (if it be a true one). Many comrades were left along
the road to victory.
Today everything has a less dramatic tone, for we are more mature, but the event
is repeating itself. I feel that I have fulfilled the part of my duty that bound me to the
Cuban Revolution on its territory, and I take my farewell of you, my comrades and
your people who are now my people.
I formally renounce my posts in the leadership of the Party, my post as Minister,
my rank as Major, my status as a Cuban citizen. Nothing legal binds me to Cuba,
only ties of another kind that cannot be broken, as can official appointments.
Looking back over my past life, I believe that I have worked with sufficient
faithfulness and dedication in order to consolidate the revolutionary triumph. My
only deficiency of any importance is not to have trusted you more from those first
moments in the Sierra Maestra and in not having understood soon enough your
qualities of leader and revolutionary.
I have lived through magnificent days and at your side I felt the pride of belonging
to our people in the luminous and sad days of the Caribbean Crisis. Rarely has any
statesman shone more brilliantly than you did in those days. I feel pride, too, in
having followed you without hesitation, identifying myself with your way of thinking
and seeing and of judging dangers and motives.
Other regions of the world claim the support of my modest efforts. I can do what is
forbidden to you because of your responsibility to Cuba, and the time has come for
us to separate.
Let it be known that I do it with a mixture of joy and sorrow: I am leaving here the
purest of my hopes as a builder and the most loved among my beloved creatures,
and I leave a people who accepted me as a son; this rends a part of my spirit. On
new battlefields I will carry with me the faith that you inculcated in me, the
revolutionary spirit of my people, the feeling of having fulfilled the most sacred of
duties: to fight against imperialism wherever it may be; this comforts and heals any
wound to a great extent.
I say once more that I free Cuba of any responsibility save that which stems from
its example: that if the final hour comes upon me under other skies, my last thought
will be for this people and especially for you, that I am thankful to you for your
teachings and your example, and that I will try to be faithful up to the final
consequences of my acts; that I have at all times been identified with the foreign
policy of our Revolution, and I continue to be so; that wherever I may end up I will
feel the responsibility of being a Cuban revolutionary, and I will act as one; that I
leave nothing material to my children and my wife, and this does not grieve me: I
am glad that it be so; that I ask nothing for them, since the State will give them
sufficient to live and will educate them.
I would have many things to say to you and to our people, but I feel that they are
unnecessary; words cannot express what I would want them to, and it isn’t
worthwhile wasting more sheets of paper with my scribbling.
To victory forever. Patria o Muerte!
I embrace you with all my revolutionary fervor!
54
Vocabulary:
 Comrades: A fellow person or soldier
 Hesitation: The action of pausing before saying or doing something
 Major: A military rank
 Up to: Ready for
6- GOODBYE CHE´S LETTER TO HIS CHILDREN (EXCERPTS)

Dear Hildita, Aleidita, Camilo, Celia and Ernesto,
If you read this letter one day, it will mean that I am no longer alive. You will hardly
remember me, and the smallest among you will have entirely forgotten me.
Your father was a man who acted as he thought best and who has been absolutely
faithful to his convictions. Grow up into good revolutionaries. Study hard to master
technique, which gives you mastery over nature.
Remember that it is the Revolution which is important and that each of us, taken in
isolation, is worth nothing. Above all be sensitive, in the deepest areas of
yourselves, to any injustice committed against whoever it may be anywhere in the
world.
Yours always, my children. I hope to see you again.
A big strong kiss from Daddy.
Questions:
a) What makes "Che" write the letter?
b) What is the main idea of the letter?
c) When was the letter given to the children to read?
7- BLACK ENGLISH: MR. MUHAMMAD´S SPEECH

"I don’t have a degree like many of you out there before me have. But history
don’t care anything about your degrees. The white man, he has filled you with a
fear of him ever since you were little black babies. So over you is the greatest
enemy a man can have, and that is fear. I know some of you are afraid to listen to
the truth. You have been raised on fear and lies. But I am going to preach to you
the truth until you are free of that fear….
Your slave master, he brought you over here, and of your past everything was
destroyed. Today, you don’t know your true language. What tribe are you from?
You would not recognize your tribe’s name if you heard it. You don’t know
nothing about your true culture. You don’t even know your family´s real name.
You are wearing a white man´s name! The white slave master, who hates you!
You are a people who think you know all about the Bible, and all about Christianity.
You even are foolish enough to believe that nothing is right but Christianity!
You are the planet Earth´s only group of people ignorant of yourself, ignorant of
your own kind, of your true history, ignorant of your enemy! You know nothing at
all but what your white slave master has chosen to tell you. And he has told you
only that which will benefit himself, and his own kind. He has taught you, for his
benefit, that you are a neutral, shiftless, helpless so-called 'Negro.' I say so-
55
called because you are not a 'negro.' There is no such a thing as a race of
‘Negroes.' You are members of the Asiatic nation, from the tribe of Shabazz!
'Negro' is a false label force on you by your slavemaster! He has been pushing
things onto you and me and our kind ever since he brought the first shipload
of us black people here."
When Mr. Muhammad paused, the Muslims before him cried out, "Little
Lamb!"… "All pray is due to Allah!"… "Teach, Messenger!" He would
continue.
"The ignorance we of the black race here in America have and the self-hatred we
have, they are fine examples of what the white slavemaster has seen fit to teach to
us. Do we show the plain common sense, like every other people on this planet
Earth, to unite among ourselves? No, we are humbling ourselves, sitting-in, and
begging-in, trying to unite with the slavemaster! I don’t seem able to imagine
any more ridiculous sight. A thousand ways every day, the white man is telling
you 'You can’t live here, you can’t enter here, you can’t eat here, drink here,
walk here, work here, you can’t ride here, you can’t play here, you can’t
study here. 'Haven’t we yet seen enough to see that he has no plan to unite with
you?
You have tilled his fields! Cooked his food! Washed his clothes! You have cared
for his wife and children when he was away. In many cases, you have even
suckled him at your breast! You have been far and away better Christians than
this slavemaster who taught you his Christianity!
You have sweated blood to help him build a country so rich that he can today
afford to give away millions, even to his enemies! And when those enemies have
gotten enough from him to, then be able to attack him, you have been his brave
soldiers, dying for him. And you have been always his most faithful servant
during the so-called 'peaceful' times.
And still this Christian American white man has not got it in him to find the human
decency, and enough sense of justice, to recognize us, and accept us, the black
people who have done so much for him, as fellow human beings!"
"YAH, Man!"…Tell 'em!"…"You are right!"…"Take your time up there, little
messenger!"…"Oh, Yes!"
"So let us, the black people separate ourselves from this white man slave master,
who despises us so much! You are out here begging him for some so-called
'integration!' But what is he going about saying? He is saying he won’t integrate
because black blood mongrelize his race!"
(Taken from, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley author of
"Roots", 1973)
Questions
Say:
a) Who Mr. Muhammad was.
b) His intention in making the above speech.
56
c) To whom he makes the speech.
d) The main idea of the text.
e) The criticism you think the text deserves.
8- BABE RUTH QUOTES, HALL OF FAME SPEECH

The following speech was made by Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all
time in the world on June 12, 1939, at the famous Ebbets Field Stadium in
Brooklyn, New York, United States. The stadium became the now well-known
Yankee Stadium.
“Thank you ladies and gentlemen. I hope someday that some of the young fellows
coming into the game will know how it feels to be picked in the Hall of Fame. I
know the old boys back in there were just talking it over; some have been here
long before my time. I worked hard, and I got on it. And I hope that the coming
generation, the young boys today that they’ll work hard and also be on it.
And as my old friend CY Young says, “I hope it goes another hundred years and
the next hundred years will be the greatest. You know to me this is just like an
anniversary myself, because twenty-five years ago yesterday I pitched my first
baseball game in Boston, for the Boston Red Sox. (Applause)
So it seems like an anniversary for me too, and I’m surely glad and it’s a pleasure
for me to come up here and be picked also in the Hall of Fame. Thank you.”
Questions:
Say:
a) Who Babe Ruth was.
b) His intention in making the above speech.
c) To whom he makes the speech.
d) The main idea of the text.
e) The critics you think the text deserves.
TV AND FILM
TV films and show and entertainment programs are a wonderful way of learning
real English use, where you get in touch with both formal and informal language.
Listening and seeing together make meaning clearer and help you to develop the
skills of understanding real people using real English. At the same time, you enjoy
English and make fun of the situations where the language is used. Your
interaction with English is what lead you to success, repeating and saying in your
inner speech what you hear is an essential technic develop speaking and improve
vocabulary. In this headline you can find phrases and expressions taken from films
and TV programs whose analysis will help you to a better understanding of casual
and academic English.
1- REAL INFORMATION FROM TV OR NEWSPAPERS
 We need information to understand the world we live in.
 We are slaves to deceitful information.
 We are hungry for truthful information.
 Where the news is, you will be there.
57
 This information is key to understand the world we live in.
 The States has invaded Iraq, Grenada and Panama and the only thing I’ve
got is this t-shirt.
 “We have opened the door to travel and commerce” (Obama, 2016, on his
last closing speech, in reference to Cuba-USA diplomatic relations)
 Ebbets Field had a perfect look. What a green grass!
 Where Jack defeated racial discrimination.
 Babe Ruth did not construct Yankee Stadium (1923). It was built for Babe
Ruth, the greatest: “it is gone”!
 Baby Ruth: “you know why my voice sounds like this. The end is close.”
 Owner of Yankee Stadium: “Silent, please, may I have your attention? Babe
has gone away! One minute of silence, please: amen.”
Questions and Answer
Following the ideas above, answer the following questions:
a) Who are “We” in the first three ideas? The people
b) What is there? Where the News is.
c) What world does it mean? The world we live in.
d) What is a t-shirt? A simple piece of clothing which covers the top part of the
body and which has no collar and usually short sleeves.
e) Who are we in the idea, “We have opened the door to travel and
commerce”? The United States Government (Slang: Uncle Sam).
f) What was Ebbets Field? The famous baseball Stadium in New York before
the Yankee Stadium was constructed in the same place.
g) Who was Jack Robinson? The first black people who played baseball in the
Major Baseball Leagues (MBL) in United States in 1947.
h) Why Babe was called “it is gone”? Because he made many home runs
(touching all bases in baseball)
i) Who said, “…The end is close.”? Babe Ruth. He died of cancer in his throat.
j) Who had died? Babe Ruth.
2- PHRASES AND CONTEXT

a) Explain the meaning and use of the phrases below.
b) Can you add any other common phrase?
 ʺBe simple, don’t be complicating people".
 “To be or not to be, that`s the question”.
 "Be here and not there".
 "How can I love alone?"
 "There is someone behind the door waiting to love you."
 "The night is crying, and it is for you."
 "Don't forget. I'm also just a girl. Standing in front of a boy. Asking him to
love her."
 Florida Gun Shop. The Naked Gun (name of a film)
 Cold out! But not in my night club.
 This gets better and better. I guess no, you son of a bitch!
 Could everybody shut up, please?
 What´s on your face? Joe and I had a fight.
 You stay away from me, please.
58
 I´m right with it. Stand still and be quiet!
 It was kind of strange to see him again. (See kinda)
 Don’t forget to flush the toilet!
 Excuse me, professor, I need/want (to go to) the toilet.
 Clean yourself with toilet paper when you have been to the toilet.
 Please, teach your child how to use a potty. (toilet-training)
 See you around. Around 11 (Yes, I´m not off till 11)
3- FUNCTIONS AND LANGUAGE FORMS

a) Say the function that each expression below express.
c) Take from TV or any other source some other expressions and their
functions.
Give me that book. (Order) Pass the jam (Request) Turn right at the corner
(Instruction) Try the smoked salmon (Suggestion) Come round on Sunday
(Invitation) She´s nice (Description) …And the dinosaur died (Narration).
She poisoned herself because she was in love with her (Reasons) Take one
pill every 8 hours (Instruction). Be here and not there (Warning). Let’s keep
going forward (encouragement), Come on, go ahead (item). Will that be all,
sir? (Politeness, social relations between people, role relationship)
4- MEDIA
 CNN, ABC, CBS are all media outlets.
 Other media actors: The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Voice
of America.
 In Telesur, one can hear things like these, "we need to understand the world
we live in. How poor you are, the only thing you have is money. Shady is
nine. Excuse me. Shady was nine. He died this morning. Guns do not kill
people, people kill people".
 In CNN, one often hears, "And here are the news", and some other times
one hears, "And here is the news". Both are right, news has no distinction
between singular and plural.
a) Do you know any other media not mentioned here? For example the BBC,
the CNN and the CBN.
b) Why are they all one? They all say the same thing.
c) Would you say media are they, or media are them? The first is
grammatically correct.
5- CULTURE AND ECONOMY OF THE LANGUAGE

M: See you tomorrow in the morning at 7.39. In what train are you getting back?
W: The 6. 15?
M: There is a train at 6.02
W: We close at 6.15
59
M: Wonderful land!
W: The greatest!
M: Kisses.

a) What cultural elements can you see in the dialogue above? Match to time
and precision in train schedules.
b) Where does the dialogue happen? In England, Denmark, or any other
European country where life goes or runs like clockwork.
c) What language principle can be easily seen in the dialogue? Yes language
economyː the greatest! Kisses.
6- THE WORLD TODAY

Original ideas from TV
a) Could you explain the meaning and the use of these ideas taken from TV?
b) Could you say each phrase several times, going from slow to fast?
c) Could you add some other ideas you have heard on TV?
 Victor Hugo has been fired.
 What is our oil doing under their soil?
 Where is CNN?
 The States has invaded Iraq, Granada, Panamá and the only thing I’ve got
is this T-shirt.
8- MATCHING PHRASES AND SITUATIONS

a) In what situation would you use each of the phrases below?
c) Try to report the phrases in indirect speech.
 There was no time for sorrow.

 I did my job, but I am fired.
 Let´s start at the beginning.
 We should start thinking about a pizza.
 Someone is going to get burned.
 Well, make sure you lost it.
 They will be coming for us George.
 Let´s make a deal.
 That´s the saddest thing I have ever seen.
 Don’t forget to eat.
 It´ll mean a lot for her.
 May I please have some water?
 Courage, and to each of you courage. That is what we need.
 So that´s why you lied to us? Why didn’t you tell us the truth?
 The mirror has two faces.
 And don’t mind that it will be the last time
 Take me out to the ball game, take me to buy crackers, take me to the
crowd, (don’t take me out to the theater, to the movie)
60
9- USEFUL IDEAS
a) Read the ideas below in order to understand them.
b) Repeat lowly the ideas, going from slow to fast.
c) Rephrase the ideas. Pay attention to your intonation and fluency.
 I think it's important to find the little things in everyday life that make you
happy. Paula Cole
 Everyday life is like programming, I guess. If you love something you can
put beauty into it. Donald Knuth
 In my everyday life, I'm pretty normal. Miranda Lambert
 Little white lies are part of everyday life. There are different reasons
and justifications to lie; it's human nature. Monica Raymund
 Music is about expressing things you can't in everyday life. Brian Molko
 Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr.
 I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the
content of their character. Martin Luther King
 Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. Abraham
Lincoln
 The future depends on what we do in the present. Mahatma Gandhi
 Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. JFK
 I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The
world will have a generation of idiots. Albert Einstein
 Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert
Einstein
 A lie told often enough becomes the truth. Vladimir Lenin
 I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend. Abraham Lincoln
 You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you
cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel. Johnny
Depp
 The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time
we fall. Nelson Mandela.
 You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
 I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300
games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and
missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is
why I succeed. –Michael Jordan
 Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
 Life isn't about getting and having, it's about giving and being. –Kevin
Kruse
 Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John
Lennon
 The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they
don’t have any. –Alice Walker
 The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is
now. – Chinese Proverb
61
 The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the
day you find out why. –Mark Twain
10- PHRASES FROM CARTOON FILMS

Questions
a) Read the ideas below taken from cartoon films and say which you like most.
b) Read the ideas below several times, saying them in low inner speech.
c) Rephrase the ideas, using your own words.
“You and I are a team. There is nothing more important than our friendship.”
Mike Wazowski, Monsters INC.
“Our fate lies within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it." Princess
Merida, Brave
“Adventure is out there.” Ellie, UP
“I don´t want to survive… I want to live.”
Captain, Wall-E
“I never look back; it distracts me from the now.”
Edna “E” Mode, The Incredibles
“When life gets you down, do you wanna know what you´ve gotta do? Just keep
swimming.”
Dory, Finding Nemo
“Your only limit is your soul.”
Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
“The only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability.”
“If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies
ahead”
Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
“The things that make me different are the things that make me”
Piglet
“Today is a good day to try”
Quasimodo
11- IDEAS TAKEN FROM ENGLISH FILMS

The ideas and phrases below have been taken from some American movies. Do
the following:
a) Read each idea in silence to understand it.
b) Say each idea several times in a low voice, going from slow to fast.
c) Think of a possible topic the ideas may be related to, examples, the attack
on the World Trade Center, a political movie, a love film, a rescue brigade, a
love film, the environment, love, sex, peace, war, sport, music, etc.
62
We refuse to support our government of the United States in any war. Anywhere
but fight for peace. Were you an informant of the CIA?
One beer? I don’t drink. One single beer? Just one. Well, thanks for having me
cross the street. Ok. Let´s have a drink, Ok? Ok. Drinking is not so fast. See you,
Evans. See you, Jane.
I felt asleep. I have been falling asleep in all places. I´m sorry. We are safe. Do you
have my watch? Do you know where it is? Does it hurt? I want to live a little longer.
The people you watch from a distance.
Everything came too easily to her. Are you talking seriously? You must not be so
serious. "No risk, no reward".
You are a liar! Are your hens laying yet? How many eggs does this hen lay each
week? New laid eggs, five pence each!
The moon goes round the earth and the earth goes round the sun (planet, world)…
the greatest man on earth? Not the sky. The balloon fell to earth. The balloon goes
up.
Why/how/who, etc. (Ever) on earth. To cover the roots of a plant with earth. Earth
worm, earth closet (latrine). Earthly joys/possessions. No earthly use (quite
useless).
I´ll be all ears for you. The moon is not a cheese. My heart is beating. I want you to
get it straight. Can you hear me? May I have your attention? Anybody is somebody
and nobody is nobody.
Agree, agree, perfect. Great opportunity to show it! “The cocks have come home to
roost”, “I´m running the tower.” The Naked Gun.
Be here, there, anywhere using real English! Do you have the answers to these
questions?
How many dicks do we have here in the auditorium?
12- THE FALLING DOWN OF THE TWIN TOWERS

The following phrases have been taken from a film about the falling down of the
Twin Towers. Do the following:
b) Say each idea several times in a low voice, going from slow to fast.
c) Explain the meaning of every idea.
Phrases
 Keep trying, keep going. Don’t give up.
 We have fresh guys up there. Take a rest. It is so great.
 And where are the buildings now? He got out walking. They are still alone.
 For old times’ sake. Pain is good. If you feel pain, you are alive.
 Officer: pain keeps me alive. You’ve got a good ass. Get away from me.
Don’t touch me.
 This country is in war. America has changed today. Would you like to try
again?
 How could I tell her her father is dead? The number of causalities is big.
 We had her late. You never told me your wife’s name. She wants a new
kitchen.
 It’s my turn to choose. We left the house with no phone.
63
13- CASUAL ENGLISH
The following are phrases of casual English
b) Say each idea several times so as keep them in your mind and get fluency.
c) Think of situations in which you may use each of these phrases.
 That´s number one: competitive, chief, leader, boss. Urinate. Number
two: defecate: He ran off in the woods, having to do number two. Just a
little. Our very best wishes.
 That´s first class. You have won a prize. I hope you find happiness. Sit
down if you like. From time to time. May I have a word? I´m on duty.
They were clever and dangerous.
 When did she ask to leave? She was so sure of herself. I complained
about her. I was in a bad mood.
 Lonely adj: a lonely traveler, without companion, sympathy, friendship.
Noun: loneliness, synonym: alone: She likes living alone.
 She changed her name to Jane Wood. She told me a little about herself.
My kindness made her cry. Trust me. Believe me. Any man would have
done it. To think that she is dead. When I came back, she had moved to a
new room.
 I don’t know what you mean. And who is the father of the child? Shut your
mouth. You stole us! Everything she told was true. You are offering the
money at the wrong time. You don’t live alone on this earth.
SPORT
Sport is a game, competition or activity needing physical effort or skill that is played
or done according to rules, for enjoyment, or as a job. Football, cricket, baseball,
surfing and hockey are all sports as well as basketball, gymnastics, wrestle, tennis,
golf, hurdles, run and rugby, amongst many others. The Olympic Games is the top
sports competitions. It is a set international sports competitions that happen once
every four years. It is said that football is the international sport. The national sport
in United States, Cuba and Japan is baseball. In this headline, you will learn about
ball games, mainly about Major Leagues big baseball players.
1- THE EBBETS FIELD AND THE YANKEE STADIUM
Original ideas about Ebbets Field Major League Baseball Stadium
 Ebbets Field had a perfect look. What a green grass!
 Where Jack defeated racial discrimination.
 Babe Ruth did not construct Yankee Stadium (1923). It was built for Babe
Ruth, the greatest: “it is gone”!
 Baby Ruth: “You know why my voice sounds like this. The end is close.”
 Owner of Yankee Stadium: “Silent, please, may I have your attention? Babe
has gone away! One minute of silence, please: Amen.”
 In 1999, 100 000 fans came to Yankee Stadium to say good-bye to Joe
DiMaggio: “Oh Captain, my Captain”. Some years later, to Minkle Mantel,
and so and so.
 A no hitter baseball game is not a perfect game (nine come and nine have
gone!
64
 Jim Abbott pitched the second no hitter in YSt.
 “And my dream got true. To play in the YSt." (De Maggie had said)
 “I was so far out in the outer field.” Babe Ruth
 “There have always been so many great players here that I want to thanks
God for having made me the Yankee Stadium.” “God bless me!” (Yankee
Stadium)
 Breakable? Unbelievable! 61 hits in 56 games!

a) What was Ebbets Field? Is Ebbets Field still standing? The famous Baseball
Stadium of the old Brooklyn Dodgers National League baseball team. It was
opened in Brooklyn New York on April 9, 1913, closed on September 24,
1957, and demolished on February 23, 1960
b) Where do the Dodgers play now? The Los Angeles Dodgers are an
American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The
Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the
National League West division.
c) Who was Jack? Jack Robinson, the first black baseball player in the Major
Leagues. He joined the Big Leagues on April 15th 1947.
d) Where do the Yankees play now? In the Yankee Stadium.
e) What was one of the nicknames given to Babe Ruth? His nickname was, "It
´s gone". How do you say in English: "Se fue de homerun"? "It´s gone".
f) How and when did Jack die? In 1972 of a heart attack. And Babe Ruth? In
1961, of a throat cancer.
g) What great baseball player played in the Yankee Stadium during the XX
century? Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Minkle Mantel, Mariano Rivera, Ted
William, Pedro Ramos, Alex Rodriguez, "Papi" Ortiz, Sad Britton, among
others. Pedro Ramos was born in San Luis, Pinar del Río, Cuba. He
pitched in the Big Leagues with different clubs including the Yankees from
New York (1954-1960)
h) Could you translate into Spanish the idea, “I was so far out in the outer
field.” (Babe Ruth)? Yo estaba tan profundo allá en los files.
 Who´s record was that of batting 61 hits in 56 games? _____________.
Is it still unbreakable? Yes.
 How is the word unbreakable formed? un+break+able And how is the
word unbelievable formed? un+believe+ble. Note that the “e” of believe
disappears in this case.
2-THE BOYS OF SUMMER

Then with the end of WW2, postwar prosperity came and brought new highways
and the all-conquering automobile. For $300 down one could buy a Ford, a
Studebaker or a Kaiser, after which one could drive anywhere. California. Canada.
Anywhere. The dominant truth of the Jackie Robinson Dodgers was integration.
They were the first integrated major league baseball team. All of them, black and
white in 1947, became targets for the intolerance in which baseball has been rich.
The whites who played at Robinson´s side where whores, opposing pitchers threw
fast balls at Dodgers heads. Opposing jockeys forever shouted "Black bastard",
65
"nigger-lover" and "monkey-fucker". Hate was always threatening the team. But the
dozen athletes who were at the core of the team, stood together in purpose. They
respected one another as competitors, and they knew they were set apart. No one
made speeches on the Rights of Man. No one sang "Let My People Go." But they
marched unevenly against the sin of racial blindness. (Taken from the novel written
by Roger Cahan, 1968)
Observeː
 The use of "WW2" to refer to World War Two.
 The formal use of "highways" meaning public road, especially important
roads that join cities or towns together. A coastal/interstate highway. A
superhighway.
 "For $300 down" meaning less than $300.
 Ford, Studebaker, Kaiser were car makers.
 The use of "target" meaning something shot at.
 The old fashioned use of the word "whores" meaning a female prostitute.
 The use of the word "jockeys" meaning fans. Nowadays it also means
someone who plays records and talks at a radio or an even where people
dance to recorded popular music, such as a nightclub.
 The use of "core" meaning the basic or most important part of something.
The dozen players who played regularly with the Dodgers.
 The use of "set apart" meaning being separated from others by a quality or
a characteristic. If a quality sets someone or something apart, it shows them
to be different from, and often better than, others of the same type.
3-JACK ROBINSON (JACKIE) (1919-1972)

Robinson can run, and he can bunt, he can steal and he can hit. Bellow, Robinson
lines a double into the left-field corner. He steals third; He scores on a short passed
ball, sliding clear around the catcher, Del Dice. The stands erupt. The Dodgers win.
We beat the Cardinals. That colored guy has got balls, I tell you that!
Everywhere, in New England rooms and porches in the South, in California, which
had no major league baseball team and in New York, which had three, men and
woman talked about The Jackie Robinson Dodgers, and as they talked they
confronted themselves and American racism.
(Taken from the Boys of Summer a classic sports book, written by Roger Kahan,
1968)
Observeː
 The use of Baseball termsː run (correr), bunt (tocar la bola), steal (robar
bases), hit (batear), make a homerun (dar un homerun), he scores (el anota
carrera), the stand erupt (Las gradas explotan), has got balls (tiene agallas,
cojones).
 The use of can to express physical abilityː he can run, he can bunt, he can
steal, and he can hit. The expression, “sliding clear around the catcher"
meaning in Spanish, "deslizándose limpiamente alrededor del receptor".
4-THE BROOKLYN DODGERS TEAM FADE
66
Although the Korean War killed 120 Americans a week, times were comfortable at
home. A four-door Packard with Thunderbolt-8 engine sold for $2, 613, and,
according to the advertisements, more than 53% of all Packards manufactured since
1899 still ran. Only a few people distinguished the tidal discontent beginning to
sweep into black America. On the book page of the Herald Tribune, Langston
Hughes wroteː
I used to wonder
About living and dying.
I think the difference lies
Between tears and crying.
I used to wonder
About here and there.
I think the distance
Is nowhere.
As a young newspaperman covering the Brooklyn Dodgers team in 1952 and
1953, I enjoyed the assignment, without realizing what I had. Particularly during one
´s youth, it is difficult to distinguish trivia from what is worthy. The days are crowded
with headlines, fantasies, train rides and friendly beers. As Frost put itː
Is too much for the senses,
Too crowded, to confusing,
To present to imagine.
The team grew older. The Dodgers deserted Brooklyn. Wreckers swarmed into
Ebbets Field and leveled the stands. Soils that had felt the spikes of Robinson and
Reese was washed from the faces of mewling children. The New York Herald
Tribune writhed, changed its face and collapsed. I covered a team that no longer
exists in a ball park for a newspaper that is dead.
a) When did the Korean War happen? What was the result? Yes, it happened
from June 1950 to July 26th 1953. The result was the division of the Korean
Peninsula into North Korea (communist) and South Korea (Capitalist). Is this
situation still on fire? Yes, tensions are high these days, after Trump got the
United States presidency.
b) Who was Langston Hughes? He was an Afro-American writer who defended
the rights of black people in the United States. He was born in 1902 and
died in 1967.
c) Who was Frost? Robert Lee Frost (San Francisco, May 26th 1874 - Boston,
January 1963) He was one of the greatest North American poets.
d) Why did the Dodgers move and desert Brooklyn? There are several
reasonsː times changed. The team grew older. Wreckers swarmed into
Ebbets Field and leveled the stands. More money came up in California.
The New York Herald Tribune declined.
5-THE CUBAN BASEBALL PLAYER ORESTES MIÑOSO

Fresco Thomson, vice president and director of minor league personnel, went to
Havana looking for gifted ball players. Once he scouted Miñoso, called Minnie. The
bases were loaded, with nobody out. Miñoso, playing third, fielded a bouncing ball
and looked toward home. It might be too late to make that play. Miñoso glanced at
67
second. The runner was leaping into his slide. Another runner flashed before him
and by now the batter had crossed first base. Considering four outs, Miñoso had
gotten none. He walked slowly to the pitcher’s mound, holding the baseball in one
hand and scratching his uniform cap with the other. "Right then", Thomson said, "I
concluded that this was the dumbest bastard in all Cuba. I caught the next plane
home, and when I looked up, Cleveland had signed Miñoso and he was batting .525
for their farm team in Dayton. Intellect isn’t everything in this game. They said
Einstein wasn’t much of a hitter.

a) Were there professional baseball teams? Yes, there were. What were the
names of the teams? Almendares, Cienfuego, Habana and Marianao. Who
did Miñoso play with? Marianao.
b) What was Miñoso´s mental mistake when being scouted by Thomson? He
did not decide soon enough where to take out.
c) Do you get a positive or a negative impression when reading what Thomson
said, "I concluded that this was the dumbest bastard in all Cuba? Well, I
myself got an unpleasant impression coming from Thomson towards
Cubans.
6-BABE RUTH (CALLED "IT´S GONE")

When Babe Ruth, drinking through his last days as a ball player, came to Ebbets
Field with the Boston Braves, Gordon, a writer, a history university professor and
once a good fast-ball hitter said at dinner "Ruth is more exciting striking out than
somebody else hitting a home run. And as a historian I can assure you that he is
part of the American history. He should be seen." "Ruth swing upwards," he said.
"They call that upper cutting and it´s not good for most batters, but Ruth is a special
batter. When he rides in an auto, he distinguishes other cars´ license plates five
seconds sooner than anybody else. That´s the sort of eyes he has. In one World
Series, he pointed to the bleachers and then hit a home run exactly where he
pointed. He could have been a great pitcher if he hadn’t decided to become a home
run hitter. He´s never been known to make a mental mistake. He never throws to the
wrong base."
(Taken from the Boys of Summer a classic sports book, written by Roger Kahan,
1968)
Vocabulary
 Hitterː in baseball, the player whose turn it is to hit the ball.
 Strikeː to hit or attack someone or something forcefully or violently. I just
didn’t strike the ball well. Three strikes and you are out!
 Home runː a point score in baseball by hitting the ball so far that you have
time to run all the way around the four corners of the playing field before it
is returned.
 Hitː to swing your hand or an object onto the surface of something so that it
touches it usually with force.
 Bleachersː a sloping area of seats at a sports ground that are not covered
and are not therefore expensive to sit in.
68
7-STICKBALL
Stickball is famous. Willie Mays played stickball. You could hit the damn thing with
the damn skinny broomstick. You need a stick and a red rubber ball manufactured
by Spalding, sold for ten cents in old times and called, no one knew why, the
Spaldeen. The police ran sporadic campaigns against stickball. They said, "Calling
all cars. Attention. No stickball. Stickball is forbidden. Be prepared to seize sticks.
Use necessary force. A kid could hurt a lady hittin´ one hard with a stick". The police
often announced, "Break up game. Confiscate Spaldeen. Be careful of hedge.
Watch crocuses, Cars Eleven, Eight and Four. That is all".
Vocabulary
 Stickballː playing ball in the street and parks using a broomstick as a bat,
and a ball manufactured with paper, rubber or old cloth.
 Seizeː to take something quickly and keep or hold it.
 Hedgeː a line of bushes or small trees planted very close together,
especially along the edge of a garden, field or road.
 Crocus (crocuses, pl.) small yellow, white or purple spring flowers.
 Damnː informal. An expression of anger. "Damn, I´ve spilt coffee down by
blouse." See also goddamnː used to add emphasis to what has been said.
8- FAMOUS QUOTES ABOUT BABE RUTH

a) Read the ideas below about Babe Ruth, and say which you like most.
b) Where can you find more information about Babe Ruth?
(If you want to read more about the topic, consult URLhttp://www.baberuth.com)
 “Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason
that I realized that those who had never seen him didn't believe me.”
Tommy Holmes (sportswriter)
 “Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a
week, he might have lasted a long time and become a great star.” Tris
Speaker (on Babe Ruth's future, 1921)
 “He has created an expectation of hero worship on the part of the youth of
this country, and it was a most fortunate thing that Ruth kept faith with the
boyhood of America because they loved him.” Branch Rickey (ex-Manager
of the Brooklyn Dodgers)
 “No one hit home runs the way Babe did. They were something special.
They were like homing pigeons. The ball would leave the bat, pause briefly,
suddenly gain its bearings then take off for the stands.” Lefty Gomez
(teammate)
 “In today's marketplace, Ruth could command a $10 million annual contract
without even blinking an eye.” Ron Shapiro (baseball agent)
 “Every big leaguer and his wife should teach their children to pray, God
bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, and God bless Babe Ruth.” Waite Hoyt
(teammate)
 “He wasn't a baseball player. He was a worldwide celebrity, an international
star, the likes of which baseball has never seen since.” Ernie Harwell
(broadcaster)
69
 “To understand him you had to understand this: he wasn't human.” Joe
Dugan (teammate)
 “I've seen them; kids, men, women, worshippers all, hoping to get his name
on a torn, dirty piece of paper, or hoping for a grunt of recognition when they
said, 'Hiya, Babe.' He never let them down; not once. He was the greatest
crowd pleaser of them all.” Waite Hoyt (teammate)
 “He hits the ball harder and further than any man I ever saw.” Bill Dickey
(teammate)
 “To say 'Babe Ruth' is to say 'Baseball'.” Will Harridge (ex-President of the A.
L.)
MUSIC
Music is something you love to hear. It is a pattern of sounds made by musical
instruments, singing or computers intended to give pleasure to people listening to
it. There are different kinds of music, from blue to jazz, rock, and pop music, from
classic music to modern and contemporary music. But they all have something in
common: they touch the souls of the people, they create feeling and pleasure.
Music makes you laugh or cry, be sad or happy, but it never leave you indifferent.
In this headline, you will read classic songs from the Beatles, Celine Dion, Whitney
Houston, Lionel Richie, amongst others.
1- A CHANGE IS GONNA COME (SAM CROOKE)

Sam Cooke, American singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. Cooke was
a major figure in the history of popular music and, along with Ray Charles, one of
the most influential black vocalists of the post-World War II period. He is commonly
known as the King of Soul.
I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ev'r since
It's been a long time, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there, beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
I go to the movie and I go downtown

Somebody keep tellin' me don't hang around
Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees, oh
There have been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
70
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
Questions
a) What is the author´s intention in writing this song?
b) What is the main idea of the song?
c) What river does the song refer to? In what country is it?
d) What kind of music is it?
If you want to listen to the song, consult URL http://full-remix.net y mimp3s.one
2- LET IT BE (THE BEATLES)

a) Listen to the song in URL http://full-remix.net y mimp3s.one.
a) What is the main idea of the song? Answer: there is always a solution to the
problems. There will be an answer. Let it be.
b) Could you translate the first stanza of the lyrics to the Swedish or Spanish
Language? Example:
Cuando me encuentro en momentos difíciles,
la Virgen María se me aparece,
diciendo palabras sabias:
déjalo estar (déjalo ser, déjalo así, no trates de cambiarlo)
c) Could you say what is common in the following ideas? Mother Mary comes
to me. She is standing right in front of me. There is still a chance. There is
still a light that shines on me. I wake up to the sound of music. Answer: all
express present time. Some have the verb "to be" in its form “is”, while
others have the action with “s” because the subject is third person singular
(she, he or it).
d) Listen to the song several times, first without the written script and later
reading the script at the same time.
3- A PRIVATE DANCER (TINA TURNER)

Tina Turner is an American-born Swiss singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress.
One of the world's best-selling artists of all time, she has been referred to as The
Queen of Rock 'n' Roll
There are many men coming these places

You don’t look after their faces.
You don’t think about them as humans.
And any music can do.
All the men coming seem strengthen.
You keep your hand
And any of uses can do
I want to make one million.
I dance for money.
I am your private dancer
You do what you want me to do.
Dancing for money.
71
a) Listen to the whole song in URL http://full-remix.net y mimp3s.one.
b) Could you say the topic of the song? Answer: prostitution, private dancer.
c) Do you know any obscenities for the word prostitute? Here you go: ass
peddler, a buttocks seller (vulgar); call girl, one calls on the phone to
arrange a meeting (mild); flesh peddler, one who sells one´s body (mild);
hustler (extremely popular and mild); lady of the evening (mild); slut, a very
derogatory and common term for a prostitute or girl of easy morals;
streetwalker, this term refers to male of female term; whore, derogatory term
for prostitute, sometimes pronounced ‟ho”. This term refers to a male or
female prostitute.
4- HELLO (LIONEL RICHIE)

Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record
producer. Richie has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making him one of the
world's best-selling artists of all time. He is also a five-time Grammy Award winner.

b) Can you say how distance and uncertainty are expressed in this song?
Answer: Both distance and uncertainty can be felt in these expressions: And
in my dreams. And I wonder where you are, how lonely you are, or who is
loving you. And I wonder what you do, or you somewhere feeling lonely or
does someone love you?
c) Listen to the song several times, first without the written script and later
5- MY HEART WILL GO ON (THEME FROM THE FILM TITANIC)

Celine Dion was born on March 30th, 1968, in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada.
Singer Celine Dion had recorded nine French albums and won numerous awards
by the time she was 18. Dion's real breakthrough into pop music stardom came in
1992, when she recorded the theme to Disney's hit animated feature Beauty and
the Beast.
b) Could you tell how the song relates to the film The Titanic? Answer: the
song narrates the story reflected in the film. There is death and love, truth
and soul, dream and feeling, time and space. There is a sense of history:
events, continuity and lifetime. There is the role of the heart to have the
other come and be inside.
c) Could you find, hear and say blending phrases in the song? Examples: night
in, go on, far across, once more, touch us one time, we’re gone, loved you,
hold you, you`re here, heart and.
72
6- I´LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (WHITNEY HOUSTON)

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer and actress. She was cited as
the most awarded female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and remains
one of the best-selling music artists of all time with 200 million records sold
worldwide.
a) Search the song in URL http://full-remix.net y mimp3s.one.
b) Hear the song, ‟I´ll Always Love You”, by Whitney Houston, one of the top
singers of all times, and you will see that the title repeats itself several times. Could
you, please, express some similar ideas to ‟I´ll always love you”? Possible
answers: I´ll always see you in my mind. She´ll always remember me. He´ll never
die in my head. He will always be in my heart. I´ll never see you again. She´ll never
come back. You´ll never see me.
a) Hear the song again. You will hear the phrase, ‟I am not what you need”.
Could you make some similar phrases? Possible answers: I am not what
you think. I am not what you like. I am not the one you want. You are not the
one I love. You are not who makes me happy. She is not what you need.
He is really who loves you. They are not the ones we are looking for.
b) Read the song once more and find the phrase, this is all I take with me.
Then, make some similar ideas. Examples, this is all I need. It is all I can
say. That´s all I know about it. This is the way I always do it.
c) Listen to the song several times, first without the written script and later
73
PART II: ENGLISH LANGUAGE SYSTEM
The language system of structure arrangement of (or their written representation)
into larger units, e.g. morphemes, words, sentences, utterances. It is a system of
communication consisting of sounds, words and grammar, or the system of
communication used by the people of a particular country or profession. Grammar
has to do with the function of a linguistic element in a linguistic system. Widdowson
calls it usage. For example, the Present Perfect Tense may be studied as an item
of grammar or usage, but also in terms of its use. This second part concerns
mainly with usage, that is, with the elements which compose the language system:
pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
PRONUNCIATION
Pronunciation deals with how words are pronounced. There may be two broad
different pronunciation of a word: British pronunciation go /gәu/ and American
pronunciation go /gou/. You should not confuse the way a word is written and the
way it is pronounced. The pronunciation of a word is marked with slash (/) at the
beginning and at the end. In the same way there are differences between the
British phonetic system of symbols and the American one. This objective of this
headline is just to initiate you in the study pronunciation, which is the object of
study of phonetics and phonology, two branches of linguistics.
1- THE SOUND IN ENGLISH
This is a short vowel sound. It is pronounced /ə/, and to make this sound you
just relax your mouth. You try: listen and repeat /ə/, and again/ə/. In fact, this is a
very common sound in English. And in many words it is the only vowel sound such
as: a /ə/, the /ẟə/, of /əν/, that /ẟət/. Let´s practice this. Listen and repeat: /ə/. Now
you may find this sound in many words with more than one syllables. Listen:
about /ǝ'baᴜt/, common/'kɒmǝn/, standard /stændǝd/, butter /'bʌt.ɚ/.
Extra information: the most important sound in English. You could say that the
vowel /ə/ is the most important sound in English. In fact, so important it has its own
name. It´s called John. No, not really. It´s actually called schwa. Schwa which is
pretty strange when you think about it because the word schwa doesn’t have the
sound /ə/ in it. So, why is this sound so important? Well it´s a very natural sound in
English speakers. It is actually the most frequent sound in English. It appears in
just about every word with more than two syllables and it´s very important in
unstressed and English rhythms. Schwa is usually in unstressed syllable. Let´s
have a look at examples: accuse/ǝ'kju:ᴢ/, banana/bǝ'nɑ:nǝ/, father /'fɑ: ẟɚ/, camera
/´kæmrǝ/. Ok, now you try. Listen and repeat. Well, as well as being a part of many
words, schwa can also be the pronunciation for whole words itself. I´ll show it to
you: a cup of tea. Listen to the phrase when it is said naturally: a cup of tea. /ə
ˈkʌpə ti:/ The words a and of become schwa /ə/. Now this is such a natural and
common way to pronounce cuppa /'kʌpə/ that in British English the word cuppa
actually means a cup of tea. And after all that, I am really looking for to my coffee.
Actually what I am really fancy is a piece of cake.
74
a) Find a rule for the use of .

b) Find some words not mentioned above that contain the sound mentioned.
2- ELISION
Elision means that consonant sounds are sometimes dropped altogether.
For instance:
 Don´t talk, I want to, good dog, Arab boy, cough first, stop pushing, well left,
jam making, the fourth Thursday, ask Kate, those zoos, Italian Navy, with
this, this sausage, big game, low water, I love Venice.
 Good thing, take time; roast pork; couldn’t stay; detest picnics (Glottal Stop:
blocking of the first sound)
Questionsː
a) Could you give other examples of elision? Yes, of course. You can.
b) Could say how blending is different from elision? There is not dropping of a
sound in blending as in elision is. Example, the answer. One says this
phrase like a word /di'ɒːnt.sǝr/
3- INFORMAL ORAL ENGLISH

Informal oral English Language and Abbreviations:
 Givme (give+me) Givme all your love. Normally written “gimme”
 Outta (out+of) I´m outta love.
 Kinda (kind+of) I feel kinda dizzy.
 I´mma (I´m+going+to) I´mma open that for you.
 Haveta (have+to) I haveta go to work.
Questions
a) Do you know any other informal phrase in English like these ones?
b) Hear some songs pick up any informal phrase you find.
If you want to listen the song, consult URL http://full-remix.net y mimp3s.one
4- PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION
Questions
a) Read the words below and look for their meanings.
b) Repeat the words several times.
c) Transcribe phonetically the words below.
d) Say what sound is common in each line.
Words
How, brown, house, round, south, cow, sound.
Go, coat, so, know, boat, old, hope, told, rose.
Say, way, name, James, chain, baby, change.
By, die, fly, lie, blind, kind, rise, time, bicycle, bible, while.
Boy, noise, oil, boil, voice, enjoy, join, toil, avoid.
75
Ear, hear, zero, peer, sphere, beard, beer, fierce museum.
Air, fairy, care, Mary, bear, dairy, stare, vary, major, player.
Fire, tired, empire, liar, acquired, virus, diary.
5- SOUNDS AND WORDS
Questions
a) Find the meaning of the words below.
b) Pronounce the words below several times.
c) Look for some other words which have the same sounds that same sound.
Sound and words
/ɔ:/ as in bought, fought. It is called broken /o/.
/ӕ/ as in bad, bat. It is called the smiling /a/.
/ә/ as in about, among. It is called schwa.
ɝ/ as in bird, birth.
/ai/ as in write, ride.
/ɔi/ as in boys, voice.
/ei/ as in late, lazy.
/ / as in think, thank, thin.
/ /as in the, those, them
6- SAY WELL USEFUL IDEAS

Questions
a) Read the ideas below and look for their meanings.
b) Repeat the ideas several times, going from slow to fast.
c) Transcribe phonetically the ideas.
d) Say some sounds you recognize in each proverb.
Ideas
 Here today, gone tomorrow.
 Hair of the dog that bit you.
 There´s no smoke without fire.
 The lion may lie down with the lamb.
 Enough to make the milk turn sour.
 A cat has nine lives.
 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
 Out of sight, out of mind.
GRAMMAR
Grammar is a description of the structure of language and the way in which
linguistic units such as words and phrase are combined to produce sentences in
76
the language. It usually talks into account the meanings and functions these
sentences have in the overall system of the language. It may or not include the
description of the sounds of a language. In the first case grammar includes
phonetics, phonology, semantics, lexicon, morphology and syntax, while in the
second case it includes the last two branches of linguistics. In this headline you
will find some of the grammar items such as forms of the verb and tenses.
1- THE FOUR PRINCIPAL PARTS OF THE VERB
 The infinitive: speak. “You speak English well. Behave properly”.
 The present participle: speaking (used with a helping verb ‟To be”): You are
speaking to me. what is he doing?
 The past: spoke. “I spoke to her last night. I served dinner for my family last
night”.
 The past participle: spoken (used with the helping verb ‟To have”). “I have
spoken to her twice. Have you seen her around?”
Questions
a) Give examples from your own of the four parts of some irregular verbs in
English. Example: do, did, done, doing.
b) Say some ideas using the different parts you mentioned above. Examples:
My wife does her bed and I do mine.
My daughter had her car and I had mine.
My son has had a lot of jobs this year.
My parents are having dinner right now.
2-THE ENGLISH VERB TENSES
a) The Present Tense: The honor is all mine. She learns fast. Do you live with
her? Does she speak...? Do you have an invitation? You don’t need any.
What if he is here? Who the hell are you? Now go. Wait for me there.
b) The Past Tense: I learned French when I was in France. Why didn’t you
say so before? You were in Berlin three month ago. How did you find me?
A drink? Would you like a drink? What did she say? Not here.
c) The Future Tense: I will see her the Father’s Day. I’ll learn verbs soon.
d) The Present Perfect Tense: I have learned several languages, you know.
e) The Past Perfect Tense: I had seen her when she saw me. This had never
happened before.
f) The Future Perfect Tense (used least often): I will have learned Russian by
then. The world will have changed so much that no one will understand it.
g) The Present Continuous Tense: I am eating lunch, don’t ask me. What´s
happening? What are you doing? What the hell are you saying, Mr.
President?
h) The Past Continuous Tense: I was voting when the light went. Were you
looking for me? Were you writing a book all last year?
Questions
a) Express some ideas in each tense.
b) Tell your friend that: you hate lies, your hen laid two eggs yesterday, you
will see him soon, you have learned much English, you are learning
Greek, and you were watching TV when someone came.
77
3-PUNCTUATION
The main punctuations in English are these: Period (BE: full stop), comma,
semicolon, colon, quote, dash, hyphen. Transfer your knowledge on
punctuation you have in your mother tongue, and do the following:
a) Find a short English text and show the use of punctuation in it.
b) Say why the given punctuations has been used and no others.
4-PRINCIPAL PARTS OF THE VERB

Do the following:
a) Read the forms of the verbs below and complete the chart.
b) Look up in the dictionary the meaning of the verbs you don’t know.
c) Say an idea using each part of the verb in the chart, whenever possible.
Example:
 My Mum makes coffee every morning. (Simple Present Tense)
 I made the bed badly this morning. (Simple Past Tense)
 You are not making any effort (Present Progressive or Continuous)
 Someone has made a mistake. (Present Perfect Tense)
 I was born by the river in a little tent.
78
a) Say a statement using each verb in its four forms. Examples: Don’t break
the rules. The boy broke the window. You have broken my heart. Look, the
dog is breaking the doll.
b) Ask and negate using some of the ideas you said above. Example: Do you
break rules? I don’t break rules. Did the boy break the window? The boy
didn’t break the window. Have you broken my heart? No, I haven’t broken
your heart. Is the dog breaking the ball? No, not the ball. He is breaking the
doll.
5- NOTES ON VERBS
Every verb has got four forms as you can see below. Verbs can be regular or
irregular. They are regular when they do not change the root. Examples: learn,
work, study, and listen to. These form the past and past participle adding d or ed.
The pronunciation of these forms has got three ways depending on the preceding
sound. It may be /t/ like in the case of walked, liked, worked, and looked or /d/like
in lived, learned, listened, arrived, or /id/ like in visited, rested.
Task to do:
a) Find in the dictionary a sentence with each verb in any of its forms.
b) Change the sentence into negative form.
c) Change the initial sentence into interrogative form.
d) Form a sentence with the rest of the forms of the verb in question.
Examples:
The verb "lie" (mentir)
a) From the dictionary: He lies about his age.
b) He doesn’t lie about his life.
c) Why do you lie to me?
d) She is lying. I lied to you! You have lied to me!
The verb "bring" (Traer)
a) They always bring their dog with them.
b) You never bring me a gift.
c) Shall I bring anything to the party?
d) My husband brought me a pie. Did you bring anyone with you? Have you
brought flowers to us? Are you bring me my book?
6-THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

More samples of Present Perfect Tense (have/has + Past Participle) and Simple
Past Tense
a) Read the sentences for understanding.
b) Say which ideas are expressed in Present Perfect Tense and which in Past
Tense.
 I have finished my work. I finished my homework two hours ago.
 Jim has eaten lunch. Jim ate lunch this morning at 10 AM.
 It´s been cold for the three last days. It was cold yesterday.
 Ann has not seen the doctor. Ann saw that movie last Sunday.
 How long have you lived there? How long did you live there?
79
 Erick has lived here since 1989. Eric lived here for three years.
 I´ve been in class since ten oćlock this morning. There I was yesterday.
 I have met Ann´s husband. I met him at the party last week.
 Miss Parker travelled to Jamaica last week. She has flown there many
times.
 The weather was bad last night. It´s been cold and cloudy for a week.
 Your English gets better. You have learned many English.
 My wife and I came here two months ago. I have been in this city for two
months.
7-TENSES
a) Write ideas in Simple Present, Simple Past and Present Perfect using the
following verbs: break, speak, steal, draw, get, grow, throw, fly, drink, go,
leave, feel, say, tell, ask. Examples: do:
Do me a favor, please.
She did a favor.
She has done me several favors this year.
b) Ask questions beginning with “Do you…? Did you…? Have you ever…?
Would you like to…? Using the following phrases: Break your arm, fly in a
fast plane, draw a picture, go to a costume party, speak to Messi on the
phone, sing a song, drink orange juice, buy a horse, and sell a dock.
Examples: did you sell the dock? Would you like to buy a horse? Can you
type with ten fingers without looking at the keyboard? May I have a glass of
water, please?
8-DO YOU WANT TO LEARN SOME CONNECTORS?

a) Try and use them in oral speech.
b) Find other connectors not mentioned below.
Connectors: and, but or, although, while, before, after, because. Other useful
words: before, later, after, afterward(s) (US also), firstly, secondly, thirdly, first,
second, third(ly) /θɝ:d.li/, fourth (4th) /fɔ:rθ/, fifth /fifθ/,, sixth, seventh, at the
beginning, in the middle, at the end, also, therefore (for that reason).
9-CAN YOU SAY WHAT REPORTED SPEECH IS?

Well, it is the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the
same words. Use “HE SAID TO ME o HE TOLD ME”
80
Time and place changes:
Here There This That
These Those Now Then
Yesterday The day before, the previous day
Today That day
Tomorrow The following day, the day after
Last week, month… The week before, the month before….
Next week, month… The following week, the week after…
Direct speech: She said, “If it rains, I won’t go out."
Indirect speech: She said that if it rained, she would not go out.
Direct and indirect speech (Quoted and reported speech). Examples:
Do the same:
a) Jim said, "I am silly."
b) Sally said, "I don’t like chocolate."
c) Ann said, "I am planning to take a trip."
d) Kate said, "I called my doctor."
e) Eric said, "I will come to the meeting."
f) Jean said, "I can’t afford to buy a new car."
g) Jessica said, "I have to finish my work."
h) Alice said, "I may go to the library."
i) The student said, "I need to make number one."
81
j) The professor told her, “I can’t read your handwriting."
10- REPORTED SPEECH, USING "TOLD"

a) Read and understand the meaning of the ideas below.
b) Say the ideas several times, going from slow to fast.
c) Change them into indirect or reported speech. Follow the examples.
 I will call tomorrow. Examples: he said he would call tomorrow.
 I know your cousin: he said he knew my cousin.
 I have met your roommate. She said she had met my roommates.
 I´m getting hungry. She said she was getting hungry.
 I´m not married.
 I like your shirt/blouse.
 I won’t be in class tomorrow.
 I don’t like chicken.
 I walked to school this morning.
 I have to take another English course.
 I think you speak English very well.
 You should see, "Gone with the Wind".
 I´ll meet you after class for a cup of coffee.
 I´m going to take a vacation in Varadero Beach.
 Your pronunciation is very good, but your grammar is better.
 I´ve already seen, Purple Color.
11- BEGINNING PHRASES

a) Begin saying ideas with the phrases below:
It´s true (That) it´s a very cold and rainy day (Example)
I didn’t know (that) you needed to make a phone call.

I don’t know (that)…
I guess (that)…
I believe (that)….
I think (that)…
Do you know who/what/where/when/why/how…?
b) Choose one idea to use next to each phrase above. Follow the examples. My
cell is a little off.
 I´m running out of money.
 The child is getting better slowly.
 The woman said that she wears three hats.
 The hurricane hit us and the state of Florida.
 The earth goes around the sun, and the moon goes around the earth.
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary means all words which exist in a particular language or subject, or all
words known and used by a particular person. Vocabulary is one of the
components of the language together with pronunciation and structural patterns,
and the biggest of them for it is an open system. Vocabulary means a list or
collection of words or of words and phrases. Words have meanings, which are the
82
reason for language to exist. If language did not express meaning, then it would
not exist. A word gets its real meaning in context. The common core of all
definitions given to concept of vocabulary is that the term refers to a list or set of
words for a particular language or a list or set of words that individual speakers of a
language might use. Two key words are the cell of all definitions: words and
phrases. This headline is a just an orientation for you to get deeper into the English
vocabulary.
1- THE TEN TRICKIEST UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
The ten uncountable nouns that advanced students most often use wrongly as
if they were countable are these: information, advice, transport, equipment,
behavior, research, training, software, accommodation. Examples of correct
use: a lot of/some/pieces of information; some/ a piece of/some advice;
methods of transport; types of behavior; a lot of/some training; pieces of
software.
Questions
a) Could you say other words for you difficult to use?
b) Could you say the most difficult words for you to write in English?
2-THE USE OF –LESS

-less: used to form adjectives meaning without (the thing mentioned). Examples:
Meaningless, friendless, childless, hopeless, graceless (without beauty), hairless,
seedless, helpless, senseless, sinless, motherless, moonless, boneless, useless,
baseless, headless, landless, toothless, breathless, deathless, sexless, loveless,
classless, wireless, careless, rootless, homeless, sinless, soundless, graceless,
painless, penniless, shiftless.
Questions
a) What does –less mean?
b) Do you think it is a useful technique to form words?
c) Find other words with -less, not mentioned above.
d) Express ideas using each word above.
3-THE USE OF –NESS

-Ness is added to adjectives to form nouns which refer to a quality or to a
condition. Examples:
Questions
a) What does –ness mean?
c) What are the two parts of the word: "Awareness"?
83
d) Find other words with -ness, not mentioned above.
e) Express ideas using each word above.
4- THE USE OF –LY

-ly is a suffix to form adverbs. It is used in the sense of the stated way, when
considered in the stated way. Examples:
Questions
a) What does –ly mean?
c) Find other words with -ly, not mentioned above.
d) Express ideas using each word above.
5-WORD FORMATION
Could you build up any rule?
 Laundryman, policeman, postman, milkman, Newsman, horseman,
businessman, mankind, fisherman, horseman, newspaper-man, bowman.
 Playboy, newsboy, boyhood, boyfriend, sun-shine, sunbathe, sunflowers,
sun-glasses, sunlight, sun-hat, sun-flowers, sunrise, sunfish.
Ruleː compound words may be formed with two nouns (noun + noun) there are
words which are very useful to form compound nouns, like sun, man, boy, ground.
6-VOCABULARY FOR DESCRIPTION

Description /dı'skrıp. ʆǝn/. Something that tells you what someone or something
is like. "She has given the police a very detailed/full description of the robber."
Examples: They live in a huge house, with a large garden full of beautiful flowers,
and a small farm with green grass and chickens of different colors. They have a
brown cow that gives 20 liters of milk every morning and two black horses that run
as fast as the sound.
Learn to define and to answer these questions: What is this? What`s it like? What
does it look like?
Some Meat (No plural):
a) Beef: the flesh of cows which is eaten. Example: spaghetti sauce is made
with UK minced/US ground beef.
b) Pork: meat from a pig, eaten as food. Examples: a pork chop, pork
sausage.
c) Mutton: the meat from an adult sheep, eaten as food. Lamb: a young
sheep or the flesh of a young sheep eaten as food. Roast lamb or mutton.
d) Fish: an animal which lives in water, is covered with scales. The flesh of
these animals eaten as food. It has no plural.
84
e) Chicken: a type of bird kept on a farm for its eggs and meat. The meat of
this bird which is cooked and eaten. A male chicken is called a cock, and a
female chicken is called a hen.
f) Cow: a large female farm animal kept to produce meat and milk.
Questions
a) Say what your favorite meat is, and where it comes from.
b) Say the vegetables you like most.
7-WORDS TO EXPRESS QUALITIES

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun. It is commonly used in
descriptions. Examples: little, small, short, tall, great, thin, fat, big, boring, purple,
quick, obvious are all adjectives. Fine, cute (pleasant and attractive), good,
pleasant, unpleasant, careful, careless, curious and dirty are also adjectives. Dark,
clear, cloudy, beautiful, ugly, long, large, wide, narrow and loving are all adjectives.
Other adjectives are the following:
Sad: not happy, unpleasant, boring. Happy: pleased, lucky, suitable, greeting.
Happy Birthday/anniversary/New Year. Be happy, don’t worry. Merry: happy,
drunk. Merry Christmas!
Pretty: quite, but not extremely. Ex. The house has four bedrooms, so it´s pretty
big. I am pretty sure it was her. Thick: having a long distance between two sides. A
thick rope. A thick layer of dust. A thick forest. Thick dark hair. Fine: satisfactory,
excellent, thin, exact and sunny. Tough /tʌf/: Strong, difficult, food, unlucky (INF),
violent. Soft: not hard, gentle, easy, drugs, drink, fruit. Awesome /'ɔ:.sǝm/ causing
feelings of great admiration. US Informal extremely good.
Awkward /'ɔ:.kǝwd/ difficult to use, do or to deal with. My car is quite awkward to
drive. The questions were rather awkward. Painful: causing emotional or physical
pain. Regular (usual, often), common, frequent, daily. Flat: level and smooth, with
no curved, high or hollow parts. Not active. Fresh: new, recent, natural, air, clean,
not tired, not salty. Humorous, funny, Comic: someone who entertain people by
telling jokes.
Crying: Very serious and needing urgent situation. Smart: clever, tidy, clean and
stylish. Foggy (A cold foggy day). Fast: quick: fast cars/runners/computers. The
clock is fast. Late: It was late at night. We talked late into the night. Beautiful: A
beautiful piece of music. A beautiful/weather/landscape/view/picture/day/woman/
city/shop/mountain/sea/film/house/.
a) Read the above quality words and phrases again.
b) Find synonyms and antonyms of the above qualities, if possible.
c) The above words are useful for description. Could you describe briefly a
person or a thing?
8- PHRASES WITH QUALITIES

Pretty pink flowers, pale, yellow and almost white hair. Blond hair. Your nose is a
bit pink! With great pleasure. A full head of hair. A good piece of mutton. A tough
guy. She´s a very loving girl! These apples have tough skins. This steak is very
tough (diff. to cut or to eat). A kind of very tough stuff! An ace mechanic/professor
(with extraordinary skills). New York is the Big Apple. A heartless woman. Black
85
money (obtained illegally). Daily News. Your daily bread. The name "John" is very
common in the States, while "Smith" is a very common surname in Britain. A joint
effort/adventure. A well-shaped body. She is a lively, talkative person.
Lively /'laıv.li/ showing a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Lively city. It is hard work
teaching a class of lively children. A breath of fresh air. Fresh water. There is a
crying need for a better education system in the United States. Mix together the
butter and sugar until smooth. This cream will help to keep your skin smooth. She
has clever ideas. Why don’t you fix it if you are so smart?
Questions
a) Pronounce the phrases above several times, with fluency and intonation.
b) Explain the meaning of the phrases, or retell.
c) Express ideas with some phrases above.
9- MAKE YOUR VOCABULARY BIGGER

Do the following:
a) Add some more words to the topics given below.
b) Read the words below and find the meaning whose word you don’t know.
c) Make phrases using the words below. Example: a snake bite, small cat, big
cat, fat cat, dead cat.
Useful names of animals: a snake, cat, dog, monkey, horse, rabbit, birds, fly,
fish, insect, worm, fox, lion and tiger.
Food: meat, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, hot dog, rice, beans, potatoes, sausage
(chorizo), sauce (salsa), food and water, jam, ham, bread and butter, cheese, ice-
cream, milk, apple, lemon, pine apple, guava, pear, mango, banana, avocado,
water melon, grapefruit, orange, tomato.
Parts of the body: head, hand, arm, shoulder, face, eyes, nose, ears, lips, teeth,
throat, neck, fingers, stomach, legs, foot. Aches: stomach ache, backache,
earache, headache, heartache, toothache.
10- TOPICAL VOCABULARY

a) Observe that all words around the topic are related to it.
b) Express ideas with the word or phrase inside the circle.
c) Find the opposite of the words and phrases, if possible.
d) Find other useful phrases or words in Cambridge Advanced Learner´s
Dictionary.
supermarkets
Fast planes
universities
stadiums money
markets buses
boarding
employers schools e-mail
factories libraries
employees Near the airport
drugstores
(pharmacies)
86
museums
parking lots sports
art
theater
bus station
buying
train the movies
and beauty parlor
station
selling
restaurants Poor people
ice-cream Fast cars

photography
shops industries parlor
streets
light
bars
nightclubs
(nightspots)
houses skyscrapers
buildings
11- SAFETY SIGNS
a) What area of knowledge do the following words belong to?
b) Do you think they are all safety signs?
c) Can you mention other safety signs?
Bike route: This means there is a special path where people may ride their bikes.
(Sign Traffic)
Danger Keep Out: This means it is a dangerous area, and you should not go in,
so you don’t get hurt. (Warning)
Exit: This shows where you may leave the building (Sign Movement)
Flammable: This means that there is a material that can light on fire very easily, so
be very careful. (Warning Sign)
No bikes: This means you may not ride a bike in that area. (Sign Traffic)
No pedestrians: This means people are not allowed to walk in that area. (Sign
Traffic)
Pedestrian crossing: This means that people will be crossing the street in that
area (Traffic)
Phone: This let us know where we can find a telephone. (Sign Communication)
Railroad crossing: This shows that there will be train tracks where a train will go
cross the street. So, be very careful when going over the train tracks. (Sign Traffic)
Stop: This is a sign on the street that tells you to stop your car or your bike.
(Traffic)
School crossing: This means be careful because children will be crossing the
street when coming from school. (Sign Traffic)
Walk: it means you may walk across the street. Don’t walk. (Sign Traffic)
12-FAMILY WORDS
87
 Animals: There are two categories of animals: There are domestic animals
and wild animals. DA include animals that you have as a pet as well as farm
animals. WA include animals that roam freely in nature. What´s your favorite
animal? A seal
 Jobs: there are many jobs that you can have in the States. All of these
require that you speak English. Of these jobs most of them require a college
education. In order to obtain these jobs you must speak fluent English.
Business executive. So keep studying.
 A Map of our World. There are seven different continents in our world. They
are North America, South America, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia and
Antarctica. Within those continents there are many countries, and they all
have different languages.
Questions
a) Could you mention some words related to love, school, home and sky?
b) Could you express an idea using each of those words you mentioned?
13- PHRASES OF THE WEEK

These are phrases we hear in a day in London:
I was born and bred in Gardens Park. There is no coming back. Walk together.
Trump is on the wrong side (Ban Ki Moon).Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow
we die. Here today, gone tomorrow. If the cap fits, wear it. Mary, Mary, quite
contrary. Full of care. We have no time. The blind leading the blind. A stitch in time
saves nine. When in doubt, leave it out. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
One good turn deserves another. First come, first served. Beauty is truth, truth
beauty. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Fortune favors fools. An eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The calm before the storm. New Lords, new laws.
You can take a horse to the water, but you can´t make it drink. He who laughs last
laughs longest. Cold hands, warm hearts. Honesty is the best policy. A watched
pot never boils. When sorrow is asleep, wake it not. Well begun is half done. A
hungry man is an angry man. There´s a remedy to everything except death. Every
day and in every way I get better and better. As you can see. I´m still waiting to be
free.
Questions
a) Share with a friend the meaning of the phrase.
c) Explain the meaning of the phrase to your partner.
d) Could you listen to other people talking in English and write down some
interesting phrase they use?
14-USEFUL WORDS
Questions
a) Try to understand the meaning of the words below.
b) Say the word, its definition and examples several times so as to develop
speaking skills.
c) Look the meaning of the following useful words and phrases in the
dictionary: enough, free, my goodness, of course, behave, sister, grasp,
smell, sound.
88
Off: not working properly. The cell is a little off (spoiled). The milk is a bit off (not
fresh). The deal´s off (canceled). The cook is off today (not on duty, not working).
We´ll off any pig who attacks us (to kill or destroy). When I off an Asian bitch, I
close my eyes and concentrate real hard (to do the sex act with or to).
Fuck: to have sex with someone. Fuck off: To leave or go away: Just fuck off and
leave me alone! To annoy or upset someone very much. You really fuck me off.
Guy: informal a man. He´s a really nice guy. Do you mean the man with the blonde
hair and glasses? Guys: Mainly US used to address a group of people of either
sex: come on, you guys, let´s go.
Safe: Not in danger or likely to be harm: You should not stay here. It´s not safe for
you. In some cities you don’t feel safe going alone at night.
Heavy: weighing a lot; needing effort to move or lift. It´s too heavy for me.
Matter: a situation or subject which is being dealt with or considered: Could I talk
to you about a personal matter? What matters is what you would do now.
15- SLANGS
There are below some useful American slangs and British English expressions.
Questions
a) Read the slangs and expressions below and repeat them in low voice.
b) Look for more American slangs in The New Dictionary of American Slang
(Chapman, 1987), or any other source. URL: www.smartling.com
Big fish: big frog, big shot: an important person.
VIP: very important person.
Dirty leg: prostitute.
Fast food: food like hamburgers, fried chicken, etc, cooked and served very
rapidly.
Great: it´s really great for kids.
Give me a break: (no me friegues)
Don’t screw it up: (no metas la pata)
Grass: salad material: lettuce and carrots, etc. (rabbit food). I don’t eat grass.
In hot water: in trouble
Killer: That song is a killer (very attractive) Ain´t she a killer?
Mess: dirt, garbage, trash: Clean up your damn mess. Also an incompetent,
disorganized and confused person: you are always making a mess of yourself.
Nasty: something unpleasant, repulsive. There is a nasty smell here.
No way: Negation, no, absolutely no, no go, never, under no circumstances.
Nut: A crazy or eccentric person: screwball, mental (UK). Is he nuts?
Number One or number one: the chief, the leader, boss. Also: urinate.
Number two: to defecate: the boy went into the jungle to do number two.
Prick: do you say I´m a prick? All right, I´m a prick, and so are you!
Shit: excrement, crap, poo. My life is a shit. It also means bullshit, bee´s ass,
monkey´s ass, nonsense. Shit also means to lie: don’t shit me. Crap: what kind of
shit are they selling here? To respond powerfully: He´ll shit when we tell him about
this?
So, what´s your favor? I said it is nothing
The tube: television.
To show off: to behave in order to impress others. He is always showing off.
89
Trap: mouth. When she opens her trap she has a British English accent.
Uncle Sam: the US Government, the US as a nation.
Uncle Tom: A black man who adopts the behavior of a white majority.
Uncle Tomahawk: idem but for Native American.
Update: give, add, or record the latest information.
Wear two hats: to have two separate jobs or functions. Busy women may
complain they wear three hats: wife, mother, and worker.
You said it: Affirmation. You are absolutely right. That is correct.
16- IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS

Questions
a) How would you say in your mother tongue the following idioms?
b) Would you add any other idiom in English, or in your mother tongue?
A hot potato. Speak of an issue (mostly current) which many people are talking
about and which is usually disputed.
A penny for your thoughts. A way of asking what someone is thinking.
Actions speak louder than words. People's intentions can be judged better by
what they do than what they say.
Back to the drawing board. When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.
Barking up the wrong tree. Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong
person.
Be glad to see the back of. Be happy when a person leaves.
Best of both worlds. Meaning: All the advantages.
Costs an arm and a leg. This idiom is used when something is very expensive.
Cry over spilt milk. When you complain about a loss from the past.
Curiosity killed the cat. Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant
situation.
Drastic times call for drastic measures. When you are extremely desperate you
need to take drastic actions.
Elvis has left the building. The show has come to an end. It's all over.
Far cry from. Very different from.
It takes two to tango. Actions or communications need more than one person.
Jump on the bandwagon. Join a popular trend or activity.
Kill two birds with one stone. This idiom means, to accomplish two different
things at the same time.
Let the cat out of the bag. To share information that was previously concealed.
Make a long story short. Come to the point - leave out details.
Miss the boat. This idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance.
Not a spark of decency. Meaning: No manners.
Once in a blue moon. Meaning: Happens very rarely.
Piece of cake. A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple.
See eye to eye. This idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on
something.
Speak of the devil! This expression is used when the person you have just been
talking about arrives.
90
Take with a grain of salt. This means not to take what someone says too
seriously.
17- COMMON SLANGS

All the time: always available; without a break. He´s at home all the time.
Ace /eis/: to do something very well. He is an ace mechanic. Used also in verb
form. He aced the examination.
Airhead: someone who isn´t very smart, a stupid person. She's such an airhead.
All ears: listening carefully. I´m all ears when she´s speaking.
All-nighter: studying without sleep. I pulled an all-nighter last night.
Ants in your pant: to be nervous or anxious. You are all ants in your pants today.
Average Joe: a normal person. He´s an average Joe, nothing more.
Big house: a maximum security federal prison. No prisoners have ever escaped
from the big house.
B. O.: Body odor, an unpleasant smell coming from the human body. He needs a
shower or his B.O. will kill us.
Butt: ends of cigarettes? I hate the way smokers drop their butts outside the
building. Also a person’s backside? She told him to get off his butt and do
something useful.
Buy the farm: to die. She bought the farm last night.
Chicken: a coward. Jump, you chicken!
Down and dirty: Nasty, low, vicious and deceptive. This is down and dirty times.
Down and out: penniless and hopeless. When you´re down and out, remember
what did it (Arthur Miller)
Dinosaur: very old. This typewriter's a bit of a dinosaur, isn't it?
Doormat: a weak individual who is regular abused by others. He may be selfish
and insensitive, but she is a bit of a doormat.
Drag queen: travesty. He is a drag queen wearing a wig. Extravagant cross-
dessert (travesty)
Egghead: someone who thinks too much. In spite of her love of reading she
denied being an egghead.
Fam: family. What´s up fam?
Fat cat: a person who has great power and wealth. Trumph is a fat cat.
Feeling blue; have the blues: A feeling of depression or sadness. I´m just the
least bit blue.
Freak: a social outcast, a strange person. At my school you were regarded as a
freak if you weren't interested in sport.
Hottie: an attractive woman. She is a total hottie.
Idiot box: a television. Shut down the idiot box.
In someone´s hair: constantly annoying.
Jerk: unlikeable person, idiot. You´re such a jerk.
Kick your ass: to beat someone. She knows how kick your ass.
No-brainer: easy to do. It´s a no-brainer task, just pull it together.
One foot in the grave: close to death. He is writing his will, has one foot in the
grave.
Piece of cake: A metaphor to describe something that is easy or effortless. Sure,
no problem. It´ll be a piece of cake.
91
Raise the roof: to have fan and make a lot of noise. He will raise the roof when he
hear this. The audience raised the roof at the end of the concert.
Screw up: To make a mistake, i.e. mess up. Sorry, I screw up everything I touch.
Sweet tooth: a great love for candy and sugar. He eats a healthy diet most of the
time, but has a sweet tooth when it comes to candy.
Yellow: a cowardly individual. He´s just a yellow person.
18- LEARN TO DEFINE

Questions
a) Observe how to define in English.
b) Repeat in your inner speech each definition.
c) Define the words left undefined.
 A bricklayer is a man who lays bricks.
 Heaven: in some religions the place where God lives and where good
people are believed to go after they die.
 Sinner: A person who breaks a moral or religious law.
 Speaker: a person who gives a speech at a public event.
 Bathtub: a long plastic or metal container which is filled with water so that a
person can sit or lie in it to wash their whole body.
 Duck: a bird that lives by water, has skin between the toes, a short neck and
a long beak.
d) Do the same with other words you choose, like: stove, dresser, rug, faucet,
end table, toes and peak. (Use Cambridge Advanced Learner´s Dictionary)
19-COLLOCATIONS
Collocations are essentials for English learning. It is a word or phrase that is often
used with another word or phrase. For example:
 A hard, tough, large, difficult, intensive, complex task, but not a "strong
task“, because it would not sound natural for "strong".
 Use a knife, a fork, a spoon, a plate, a napkin, tablespoon, a tablet.
 Eat your food, a meal, meat, eat it, like a horse, your words.
 Car: red car, Blue car, yellow car, white car, black car, new car, old car, fast
car, nice car, beautiful car.
 Experience: positive experience, negative experience, wonderful
experience, exciting experience, love experience, long experience.
 I don’t want a radio, I don’t want a car. I don’t want a book, I want my guitar,
I want my dog, I want my cell. I want you as well.
 I don’t want to listen to the radio; I don’t want to drive a big black car. I want
to play my guitar.
Questions
a) Write some other collocations (words that go together) that come to your
mind.
b) Listen to a song and look for collocations, write and repeat them several
times.
20-NOUNS FROM VERBS
92
In English, there is a technique to make nouns from verbs. Examples: work:
worker; read: reader; speak: speaker; learn: learner; do: doer; make: maker.
Questions
 Find and write in a list some other examples of this kind.
 Express ideas using the list of words, both the verb and the noun.
 How important is this word formation procedure for a learner?
21-LANGUAGE ECONOMY
a) Learn how to be economic in language use. Examples:
Take ten (A teacher telling the students to take a break of ten minutes).
Be kinder (A woman telling her lover to be more polite with other people).
Enough! Enough is enough: don’t talk more. When you want something to stop.
Be here and not there. Don’t worry, be happy. Do as you please. Whatever. Never.
What a handsome guy! What a beautiful girl! That´s great! How nice!
b) Find similar phrases in other sources like the Cambridge Advanced Learner´s
Dictionary. Third Edition (Digital).
22-USEFUL ENGLISH DIFFERENCES
Make and Do
Make an improvement, a change, an effort, an offer, a promise, an excuse, a
phone call, a visit, a mistake, an error, a decision, progress, a request, an offer, a
speech, a suggestion, make a cup of coffee, clothes, the bed, a room into a
bedroom, me angry, things worse, lot of money, it.
Make means: produce, cause, cause to be, perform, force, be or become,
calculate, earn/get, arrive, perfect.
Examples:
 Let´s make some coffee.
 I need to make a phone call.
 Do not make me angry, please. Leave me alone.
Do something, nothing, anything, everything/a number of things to do. What can I
do for you? Do as you please. Do as you are told. To do the washing up, your
ironing, the shopping, your homework, a test, an exam, an English course (GB)
(US take) Do business, job, housework, your hair, your best, good, to do someone
a favor. Will $10 do? She’s doing well at school. How’s business doing? He did
badly on the test. She has to do with it (or with somebody or something).
Do means: perform, act, connect, deal with, study, solve, make, finish, clean,
arrange, travel, cook, manage, be acceptable, play, visit, and steal. I do stomach
exercises most days.
Examples:
 How are you doing? I am doing well.
 Nelson did Anthropology at the University.
93
 Do me a favor.
Differences between Tell and Say
Dick can’t say long words. Laura said goodbye and left. He never forgets to say
"please" and "thank you". I have got something to say to you. The doctors say it
will take long to recover. Did she say why she wasn’t coming? I couldn’t say "no". I
am sorry to say… It’s fair to say… I’ve got something to say to you. People say… It
is said that….My watch says 3 o’clock. It says in the paper (that)…It says in the
bottle to take three tablets a day. Before you can say Jack Robinson. Does what it
says on the tin (UK informal)/I must say. I’ll say…. I wouldn’t say no (informal).
Don’t say anything/it/that.
Examples:
 Don’t say!
 Just as she says.
 "You say hello, I say good bye".
Tell me about…. Can you tell me…Did you tell anyone…? "I’m leaving," She told
me. I told her to go home. Tell it like it is (informal). Tell the truth. Tell you the truth.
She is always telling lies. He is Cuban. How can you tell? To tell the difference.
Tell fortunes. Tell somebody´s fortune. Tell tales, stories. Tell the time. There is
no telling. You never can tell. I told you so (informal) Tell me what’s going on.
Examples:
 Don’t tell me!
 Are you telling or asking?
 Don’t tell anyone!
23-COMMUNICATION AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

To close up, a series of strategies is ahead. Do the following:
a) Say which communicative strategies are and which learning strategies are.
b) Say which you often use when learning or using English.
 Focus real English use rather than artificial (bookish) English.
 Learn outside the classroom as well as inside of it.
 Be well connected with the world and with oneself in English.
 Use technological resources for English learning.
 Use the psychology of success as a way to enjoy English learning.
 Tell the audience what you feel, when speaking.
 Listen carefully what is said to you, then say your reply.
 Say each new idea with a fresh tone, with a new spirit.
 Make sure that the story you say reaches the audience clearly.
 Learn phrases rather than words.
 Listen as much as possible to improve speaking.
 Listen storytelling, songs, films rather than isolated sentences.
 Question, in English, everything you hear or read.
 Learn collocations: a bad day, a happy day, but not a smart day.
94
 Study and learn individually, in pairs and in small groups.
 React linguistically to what is heard or read.
 Repeat in your inner speech all English you hear.
 Use semantic maps to show comprehension and to recall events.
 Listen and monitor self-talk, speak to yourself, hear voices.
 Go from slow to fast saying things in English.
 Look up the meaning of words and phrases in dictionaries.
 Find the function of the word, phrase or sentence in the text.
 Look for information about the use of words and phrases.
 Ask questions with Who, what, where, when, how, why.
 Ask "Yes" or "No" questions. Use tag questions as well.
 Listen songs in English, analyzing and singing them.
 Analyze word formation, example, landless, houseless, and
heartless.
 Use gestures, facial expression and bodily movement.
 Practice changing ideas from direct to indirect speech and vice versa.
 Be cooperative with others: peers and proficient users of the
language.
 Ask for clarification whenever you don’t understand well.
 Develop cultural understanding of other cultures and people.
 Get the habit of receiving and sending messages in English.
 Review old items daily.
 Learn differences: the uses of "do" and "make", "tell" and "say".
 Construct a sentence, and then, say it faster and faster each time.
 Create structure for input and output, taking notes, summarizing,
highlighting language and cultural elements.
 Analyzing the form of every word, where it comes from, what other
words can be formed from it.
 Say ideas with the right intonation and pronunciation. Follow a given
intonation pattern.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acosta y Gómez (2017). Nueva cultura para un excelente aprendiz interactivo de
lenguas. Editorial Académica Española (EAE) IBSN 978-620-223974-5.
Acosta, R., Pérez, J. y Vasconcellos, A. (2016). Professional Tasks for
Pedagogical Training of Foreign Language Teaching. Above: Editora e
Publicações. Brasil.
Acosta, R. & García, M.A. (2016). “Múltiples escenarios para el aprendizaje de
lenguas extranjeras: experiencias en la Universidad de Ciencias Pedagógicas
de Pinar del Río”. Revista científico pedagógica Mendive, Vol.13, No. 3. ISSN
1815-7696. En formato digital, disponible en los repositorios Latindex, REDIB
Acosta, R., Rivera, S., Pérez, Juan, E., Mancini, A. (1997). Communicative
Language Teaching. Facultades Integradas Newton Paiva, Belo Horizonte,
Brasil.
Cambridge Advance Learner´s Dictionary. Third Edition.
Curso Salvat (1975) Lesson 81
95
The Book of Knowledge. The Grolier Society, Canada, McLoughlin, 1958, Volume
9. Page 3411.
Kahan Roger. 1968. The Boys of Summer: a classic sports book
The Book of Knowledge. The Grolier Society, Canada, McLoughlin Volume 10,
pages 3487-3488
The New Dictionary of American Slang (Chapman, 1987)
Voices. New writers for new readers. Issue 8. Volume 3, Number 2. Winter 1991
USA Professors Inglés Maestros. Practice Manners. VTS.01.1.VOB.Chihen/IĈZA.
Production.
http://40 American Slang Words and Phrases You Need to Know _ Smartling.htm
www. Best-famous-quotes-2.com
http://150 Best Funny Jokes and Riddles.htm
http://650 English Proverbs, with their meanings and origins.htm
http://100 Best Poems.htm
http://MetroLyrics.htm
http://Castro Speech Data Base - Latin American Network Information Center,
LANIC 2.htm
http://Dan Brown author interview.htm
http://www.theguardian.com
http://teleSUR English.htm
www. PhraseMix.com
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/292282/little-women-by-louisa-may-alcott
www.smartling.com
http://The Huffington Post.htm
www.worldstory.net/en/stories/the_ugly_duckling.html
96

Interactive English Use Doc X

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Interactive English Use Doc X

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Interactive English Use Doc X

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

RODOLFO ACOSTA PADRÓN´S CURRICULUM RESUMÉ

Rodolfo Acosta Padrón is PhD in Pedagogical Sciences and Master of Sciences in

*Contact: e-mail: rodolfo.acosta@upr.edu.cu Phone: 48786328

PEDRO VIGIL GARCÍA´S CURRICULUM RESUMÉ

Contact: e-mail: pedrovigil30@gmail.com Phone: 5353264710

 Reflection and interacting socially when learning English.

2- DO YOU KNOW WHO MISS MORROW IS?

3- LEARNING TO REACT LINGUISTICALLY

4- INTENSIVE INTERACTIVE ORAL LEARNING

6- ASKING AND ANSWERING

7- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

10- ASKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS

11: IDEAS IN CONTEXT

12- THE UNITED STATES SPY IN IRAQ

13- THE NEVER END TECHNIQUE

14- USEFUL ACTION PHRASES

16- TAG QUESTIONS

17- INTERESTING PHRASES

18- TEXT ANALYSIS: MR. MONEY

19- DAILY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

20- REACTING LINGUISTICALLY

21- SELL YOURSELF

23- THE NAVY

Questions and Answers

24- THE FROG

Questions and Answers

25- DAN RATHER, THE FAMOUS AMERICAN JOURNALIST

Questions and Answers

1- PREPARATION FOR DESCRIPTION

b) Describe one of the following things: (pair work)

3- THE JOY OF BEING ME

What is an anecdote? A short often-funny story, especially about something

Points to write a story: there must be a conflict, series of actions, connectors,

3- TEXT ANALYSIS. A PRIVATE CONVERSATION

4- THE AGENT AND ONE OF HIS WIVES

Questions and Answers. Guide for text analysis

5- WHAT MAKE US US!

E-MAILS AND LETTERS

1- A RAINY DAY AT THE HOSPITAL

Questions and answers

6- A LETTER FROM SWEDEN

Questions and answers:

8- E-MAILS FROM ANN (MESSAGE 2)

Questions and Answers:

9- E-MAILS FROM ANN (MESSAGE 3)

10- E-MAILS FROM ANN (MESSAGE 4)

11- E-MAILS FROM ANN (MESSAGE 5)

1- "10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU"

2- MAPS FOR STORYTELLING

3- HARRY BURNS, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)

Story a: The Little Chinese Boy

Story c: The Fox and the Crane

Story d: The Chamber Pot

Questions and Answers

8- ANNABEL LEE (BY EDGAR ALLAN POE)

11- THE UGLY DUCKLING

12- LITTLE WOMEN