Pronuntiation of the U in English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GPGqpOc4Bo

participle clause.

Participle clauses

Participle clauses are a bit like relative clauses – they give us more information.

• People wearing carnival costumes filled the streets of Rio de Janeiro.
• The paintings stolen from the National Gallery last week have been found.

The participle clauses (‘wearing …’ and ‘stolen ….’) act like relative clauses. We could say:

• People who were wearing carnival costumes filled the streets of Rio de Janeiro.
• The paintings which were stolen from the National Gallery last week have been found.

With the Past Participle

• A pair of shoes worn by Marilyn Monroe have been sold for fifty thousand dollars.
• Trees blown down in last night’s storms are being removed this morning.

We use the past participle – ‘blown’ in the last example but the ending ‘-ed’ is used in regular verbs – when the meaning is passive.

With the Present Participle

• A woman carrying a bright green parrot walked into the room.
• A man holding a gun shouted at us to lie down.

We use the present participle - the ‘-ing’ form – to form the participle clause when the meaning is active.

Notice that the participle clauses with the present participle have a continuous meaning. If we replaced them with a relative clause it would be in a continuous tense.

• A man holding a gun has the same meaning as A man who was holding a gun.

We can’t make a participle clause with a present participle when the meaning is not continuous.

• The woman living next door is on holiday.
• The woman who lives next door is on holiday. Source:https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es/grammar-reference/participle-clauses

We start this week with some news...

Brazil's presidential race will go to a 

second round after incumbent Dilma 

Rousseff fell short of an outright victory 

in Sunday's election.

She received 42% of the vote and will face centre-right rival Aecio Neves, who won 34%, on 26 October.

In a surprise result, prominent environmentalist Marina Silva got only 21% despite being a favourite at one stage, and is now out of the race.

Analysts now predict a tight contest as both candidates seek to pick up votes.

Reacting to the result Ms Rousseff - who has served one four-year term as president - said people had expressed their rejection of "the ghosts of the past, recession and unemployment", and vowed to continue to work for change.

"I clearly understood the message from the streets and from the ballot boxes. The majority of Brazilians want us to speed up the Brazil we are building," said Ms Rousseff, who heads the left-wing Workers' Party (PT).

Mr Neves, 54, a senator and former governor of Minas Gerais state, called on Ms Silva's supporters to back him, saying he represented "hope for change".

Hong Kong protests: Civil servants work as numbers drop

Hundreds of pro-democracy campaigners remain camped out on the streets of Hong Kong as a government deadline for them to leave passed without incident.

But their numbers have dwindled and civil servants have returned to work in the government's headquarters.

The protesters are angry at China's plans to vet candidates when Hong Kong holds elections in 2017.

They are demanding that the central government in Beijing allow a fully free vote for the territory's leader.

On Monday evening, more than 1,000 protesters remained in three key locations - a far smaller crowd than over the weekend.

The BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong says protesters appear to have decided to beat a strategic, possibly temporary, retreat - partly out of sheer exhaustion, as the demonstrations entered their second week.

She says activists have been encouraged by news that student leaders have begun meeting government officials to lay the groundwork for talks on political reform.

The first round of talks ended on Sunday night without agreement but the two sides agreed to meet again on Monday evening.

Tens of thousands of people have been on the streets in the past week, but only about 100 protesters remained outside government offices at the Admiralty protest site on Monday morning, and just 10 people were sitting outside the chief executive's office, according to the South China Morning Post earlier on Monday.

Several hundred remain in Mong Kok, north of the harbour, despite earlier calls by organisers for protesters to withdraw from that site, following clashes at the weekend with people opposed to the demonstrations. A smaller number of protesters are still camped out at Causeway Bay.

Police said on Monday that at least 37 people had been arrested so far in Mong Kok. They said five others had been arrested for allegedly hacking government websites.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world/asia/

If we want a happy monday, we have Bruno Mars!

Modal Forms

Modal Simple
I could swim at the beach.

Modal Continuous 
I could be swimming at the beach right now.

Modal Perfect 
I could have swum at the beach yesterday.

Modal Perfect Continuous 
I could have been swimming at the beach instead of working in the office.

Passive Modal Simple 
The room should be cleaned once a day.

Passive Modal Continuous 
The room should be being cleaned now.

Passive Modal Perfect 
The room should have been cleaned yesterday.

Passive Modal Perfect Continuous 
The room should have been being cleaned but nobody was there. (Rare form)

resource:http://www.englishpage.com/modals/modalforms.html

Possessives Nouns

POSSESSIVES NOUNS

We use a noun with ’s with a singular noun to show possession:

We are having a party at John’s house.
Michael drove his friend’s car.

We use s’ with a plural noun ending in -s:

This is my parents’ house.
Those are ladies’ shoes.

But we use ’s with other plural nouns:

These are men’s shoes.
Children’s clothes are very expensive.

We can use a possessive instead of a noun phrase to avoid repeating words:

Is that John’s car?		No, it’s Mary’s [car].	>	No, it’s Mary’s.
Whose coat is this?		It’s my wife’s [coat].	>	It’s my wife’s.

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/possessives/possessives-nouns#sthash.SwNnGJi7.dpuf

Reflexive Pronouns

Uses of Reflexive Pronouns:

1- With verbs like 
blame (culpar, echar la culpa a), cut (cortar), enjoy (disfrutar), help (ayudar), hurt (hacerse daño), introduce (presentarse),  prepare (preparar), teach (enseñar)...

2- To make a emphasis in the subject

3- By+ Reflexive pronoun = Alone

4- Some Expressions: 

• Behave yourselves! (¡Compórtate bien!)
• Help yourself. (Sírvete tú mismo.)
• Make yourself at home. (Siéntete como en tu propia casa.)
• Source:http://www.curso-ingles.com/gramatica-inglesa/pronombres-reflexivos.php

Myself	yo mismo, a mí	I saw it  myself.
Yourself	tú mismo (a ti), usted mismo (a usted)	Don't burn yourself!
Himself	él mismo, a sí mismo	He hurt himself.
Herself	ella misma, a sí misma	She did it herself.
Itself	él mismo, a sí mismo	The cat scratched itself.
Ourselves	nosotros mismos	We made it ourselves.
Yourselves	vosotros mismos, ustedes mismos	Did you paint the house yourselves?
Themselves	ellos mismos	They were speaking to themselves.

Having you near me - Air Suppy

IF YOU BELIEVE - BLUES SARACENO

20 years of Friends

Who and Whom

Who and whom

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Who and whom in formal English

English learners are sometimes confused when using who and whom. Who and whom are pronouns used in questions or in relative clause
In formal English who is used to replace a subject, while whom is used to replace an object.

Who

Who is a subjective pronoun.
Examples:
Leila is the teacher. -- (Leila is the subject of the sentence.)
→ Who is the teacher?
→ Leila, who is the English teacher, will give a talk about human rights.
The senators supported the president. --(The senators is the subject of the sentence.)
→ Who supported the president?
→ The senators who supported the president are happy with the new bill.

Whom

Whom is used to replace an object.
Examples:
You have met Alan. -- (Alan is the object of the sentence.)
→ Whom have you met?
→ This is Alan, whom I believe you have already met.
Nancy can ask her husband for help . -- (her husband is the object of the sentence.)
→ Whom can she ask for help?
→ Her husband whom she can ask for help is on a trip.

Who and whom in informal English

While in traditional grammar who is used as a subjective pronoun and whom as an objective pronoun, as it is explained above, in informal English, the normal practice is to use who in both cases (as subjective and objective pronouns), thus replacing whom in the contexts where the latter was traditionally used.
Examples:

• Whom did you offer the book to? (Formal English)
• Who did you offer the book to? (Informal English)

Source:http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-who-whom.php#.VB8QUit5P8k

Advanced Articles

A(AN) can be used like the word "per".

Examples:

• Apples currently cost $1.30 a pound.
• Cheetahs can run 60 miles an hour.
• You want $150 a person for the tour?

Use THE with nouns modified by ranking or ordering expressions such as "the first", "the second", "the third", "the next", "the last", "the previous", "the following", "the penultimate", etc.

Examples:

• This is the fifth day of our conference.
• I'll pay the next time we have dinner.
• Don't forget the following rule.

nglish speakers often use THE plus a singular noun when they talk about or make generalizations about certain topics, including:

• musical instruments (the piano, the guitar, the flute)
• plants (the coconut palm, the saguaro, the baobab)
• animals (the leopard, the elephant, the lowland gorilla)
• inventions (the steam engine, the plane, the light bulb)
• currencies (the dollar, the euro, the yen)
• body parts (the head, the eye, the ear)

Generally, articles are not used with the names of illnesses or diseases.

Examples:

• Dr. Smith visits schools and universities to educate students on AIDS.
• Oncologists are doctors who specialize in treating cancer.
• There are several medications that can be used to treat malaria.

HOWEVER: There are some illnesses which require THE.

• the measles
• the flu
• the mumps
• the bubonic plague

MOREOVER: There are a few health conditions or illnesses which can be used with both A(AN) as well as THE and follow general article use. This category includes most aches, pains, growths, and attacks.

• a cold
• a heart attack
• a stroke
• a wart / tumor / growth / etc.
• a sore throat / sore back/ sore foot / etc.
• a headache / toothache / backache / etc.

THE can be combined with certain adjectives to refer to a group of people such as "the blind", "the elderly", "the rich", "the French", "the Sioux", etc.

Examples:

• He is elderly. Adjective
• The organization helps the elderly. Elderly people

REMEMBER: This is especially important in situations where nationalities or ethnic groups and their languages might be confused. In such situations, THE is used to specify that we are talking about the nationality or ethnic group rather than the language.

Examples:

• I like French. Language
• I like the French. The French people

HOWEVER: When generalizing about nationalities or ethnic groups that end in "-ans", such as "Americans", "Mexicans", and "Hawaiians", THEis not usually used.

Examples:

• Americans watch a lot of TV.
• Germans drink a lot of beer.

Use THE with the names of:

• oceans
• seas
• coasts
• rivers
• swamps
• archipelagos
• collections of lakes (such as the Great Lakes)
• mountain chains
• deserts
• references on the globe (such as the Equator, the North Pole)
• geographic regions (such as the Northwest, the Middle East)
• bridges (except Tower Bridge)
• pagodas
• hotels
• theaters
• museums
• institutes
• skyscrapers
• the Sun, the Moon
• extraordinary works of art or architecture (such as the Mona Lisa, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal)

More examples and exercise are on: http://www.englishpage.com/articles/advanced-articles.htm

It's or Its?

These two words are very often confused. A typical mistake is when somebody uses “its” instead of “it’s”, although the opposite often happens, too. Actually, it’s not very difficult to remember which is correct in a given situation:

you can only use it’s if it is the short form of it is or it has (been). Here are some examples:

When you go abroad, it’s a good idea to take a guidebook with you.

(… it is a good idea…)

Don’t worry, it’s been like this for a long time.

(… it has been like this…)

Are you telling me that it’s my fault?

(… it is my fault?)

The box was hidden in an attic during the war and it’s been there until today.

(… it has been there…)

Its is a possessive word, just like my or your; it means that something owns something or something belongs to it. Examples:

The car was badly damaged but its driver escaped unhurt.

The dog went back to its house.

The house and its garden are a popular tourist attraction.

Source:http://englishtips.com/2009/03/01/its-or-its/

It's Time

You and They

YOU AND THEY

We use you to talk about people in general including the speaker and the hearer:

You can buy this book anywhere > This book is on sale everywhere.
You can’t park here > Parking is not allowed here.
They don’t let you smoke in here > No smoking here

We use they or them to talk about people in general:

They serve good food here.
Ask them for a cheaper ticket.

… especially about the government and the authorities:

They don’t let you smoke in here.
They are going to increase taxes.
They are building a new motorway.
They say it’s going to rain tomorrow.

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/pronouns/you-and-they#sthash.TGF15GOv.dpuf

Indefinite Pronouns

The Indefinite Pronouns

somebody	someone	something
anybody	anyone	anything
nobody	no one	nothing
everybody	everyone	everything

We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying exactly who or what they are. We use pronouns ending in -body or -one for people, and pronouns ending in -thing for things:

Everybody enjoyed the concert.

I opened the door but there was no one at home.

It was a very clear day. We could see everything.

We use a singular verb after an indefinite pronoun:

Everybody loves Sally.

Everything was ready for the party.

When we refer back to an indefinite pronoun we normally use a plural pronoun:

Everybody enjoyed the concert. They stood up and clapped.

I will tell somebody that dinner is ready. They have been waiting a long time.

We can add -'s to an indefinite pronoun to make a possessive.

They were staying in somebody’s house.

Is this anybody’s coat?

We use indefinite pronouns with no- as the subject in negative clauses (not pronouns with any.)

Anybody didn’t come >> Nobody came.

We do not use another negative in a clause with nobody, no one or nothing:

Nobody came.

Nothing happened.

We use else after indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things in addition to the ones we already mentioned.

All the family came, but no one else.

If Michael can’t come we’ll ask somebody else.

So that's eggs, peas and chips. Do you want anything else?

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/pronouns/indefinite-pronouns#sthash.IKKEv7q4.dpuf

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns

English doesn’t really have reflexive verbs the way that many other languages do. However, when the same person is the subject and object of the verb we usually use a reflexive pronoun.

• I cut myself shaving this morning.

The subject – I – is also the object of the sentence – so we use the reflexive pronoun, myself.

• Why don’t you buy yourself a new car? This one’s really unreliable.
• He looked at himself in the mirror.
• She taught herself Italian using a book.
• The washing machine switches itself off when it’s finished.
• We kept ourselves warm around the fire.
• Tell me all about yourselves.
• Hedgehogs protect themselves from predators by rolling into a ball.

‘Enjoy’ is often used with a reflexive pronoun.

• Did you enjoy yourself at the party?
• From their postcard it sounds as if they’re really enjoying themselves.

‘By yourself’ means ‘alone’

• He lives by himself in a cottage by the sea.
• I’m rather anti-social. I love being by myself.

Reflexive pronouns can also be used with nouns to mean ‘Me (or you/him/her etc) and nobody else’

• Did you do this homework yourself or did you get help?
• Did you talk to the manageress herself or just to one of her assistants?

There is an important difference between reflexive pronouns and reciprocal pronouns

• They looked at themselves in the mirror. This is reflexive.
• They looked at each other lovingly. This is reciprocal. He looked at her and she looked at him.

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/reflexive-pronouns#sthash.A8d18Skt.dpuf

British vs American

British English and American English

British people and American people can always understand each other – but there are a few notable differences between British English and American English

Grammar

Americans use the present perfect tense less than speakers of British English and a British teacher might mark wrong some things that an American teacher would say are correct.

• US Did you do your homework yet?
• Brit. Have you done your homework yet?

• US I already ate.
• Brit. I’ve already eaten.

In British English, ‘have got’ is often used for the possessive sense of ‘have’ and ‘have got to’ is informally used for ‘have to’. This is much less common in American English.

• Brit. I’ve got two sisters.
• US I have two sisters.

• Brit. I’ve got to go now.
• US I have to go now.

There are a number of other minor grammatical differences.

Vocabulary

There are a lot of examples of different words being used in British and American English. Here are a few of the commonest.

• angry (Brit.) = mad (US)
• autumn = fall
• boot (of a car) = trunk
• chemist’s = drug store
• cupboard = closet
• flat = apartment
• lift = elevator
• nappy = diaper
• pavement = sidewalk
• petrol = gas/gasoline
• rubbish = trash
• tap = faucet
• trousers = pants

There are British words which many Americans will not understand and vice versa. There are also words which exist in both British and American English but have very different meanings.

Spelling

There are also a number of different spelling rules between British English and American English.

1 Some words that end in ‘-tre’ in British English end in ‘-ter’ in American English. 

• US theater, center
• Brit. theatre, centre

2 Some words that end in ‘-our’ in British English end in ‘-or’ in American English.

• US color, labor
• Brit. colour, labour

3 Some words are shorter in American English than in British English.

• US catalog, program
• Brit. catalogue, programme

There are other minor spelling differences between British and American English.

Counting Stars- One republic song

1 Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep
2 Dreaming about the things that we could be
3 But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,
4 Said, no more counting dollars
5 We'll be counting stars, yeah we'll be counting stars

6 I see this life like a swinging vine
7 Swing my heart across the line
8 And my face is flashing signs
9 Seek it out and you shall find
10 Old, but I'm not that old
11 Young, but I'm not that bold
12 I don't think the world is sold
13 I'm just doing what we're told
14 I feel something so right
15 Doing the wrong thing
16 I feel something so wrong
17 Doing the right thing
18 I could lie, couldn't I, could lie
19 Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Losing	1	Verb
Dreaming	2	Noun
praying	3	Verb
counting	4	Verb
swinging	6	Adjective
Flashing	8	Verb
Doing	13	Verb
something	14	Noun
everything	19	noun