Helpful tools to use in the English Laboratory

To ALL:  ADM, Vocational and Night Shift Students


These are the three pages we used this week in the English Laboratory

Remember their uses and difference...

The first page we visited Wordreference: http://wordreference.com/

Click here to access WORDREFERENCE

This useful dictionary allows you to look for new words but also gives different definitions: 

The "principal translation" where you may find the exact meaning

The "additional translation" you can look for other uses for the word you are learning.

And the "compound form" which bring more specific meanings, idioms and other uses for theses words.

Remember: Sometimes this page brings the pronunciation for the words your are looking for.

The second page we visited Dictionary: http://dictionary.reference.com/

Click here to access DICTIONARY

This useful dictionary is in English, and allows you to look for new words but also gives more: 

"Division of words" here you may find the exact division of the words (very useful for adjectives).

"Translation" you can look for the fast meaning of the word you are searching.

"Text translation" nevertheless we discourage the use of "on line" translations, at least this page provides a very accurate translator for words and sentences.

Remember: This page ALWAYS brings the pronunciation for the words your are looking for.

The third page we visited is a great site to learn different pronunciations for a single word FORVO: http://www.forvo.com/

Click here to access to Forvo

This useful page in English as well as many other languages allows you to look for new words and learn their pronunciations spoken by real native speaker... Give it a try!! 

Open this page and go to "INICIO" here, write the word you want to listen in the top box here I wrote: HERE and click "ir"... ENJOY IT!!!

We hope you enjoy this pages and USE them...   Have fun!!!

ADM Students:

Here is the transcript for the "words and their stories"  

 Food Expressions, Part 3

 Here to listen to the Audio

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. We present more expressions about food. They are from Elenir Scardueli, a listener in Brazil.

My mother always told us there is no use crying over spilled milk. That means you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed. People said my mother was a good egg. She would always help anyone in need. We never had to walk on eggshells around her. We did not have to be careful about what we said or did because she never got angry at us. She also told us you have to break some eggs to make an omelet. This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.

My mother believed you are what you eat. A good diet is important for good health. She would always give us nutritious food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. Meat and potatoes can also mean the most important part of something. It describes someone who likes simple things. Here is another expression about meat: one man’s meat is another man’s poison. In other words, one person might like something very much while another person might hate the same thing.

My father was also a good and honest person. People said he was the salt of the earth. He would never pour salt on a wound, or make someone feel worse about something that was already a painful experience. However, sometimes he told us a story that seemed bigger than life. So we had to take it with a grain of salt. That is, we could not believe everything he told us.

My husband has a good job. He makes enough money to support our family. So we say he brings home the bacon. He can cut the mustard, or do what is expected of him at work. It is easy to find my husband in a crowd.  He stands almost two meters tall. He is a tall drink of water.

I take the train to work. It is not a pleasant ride because the train can be full of people. It is so crowded that we are packed like sardines – just like small fish in a can.

My supervisor at work is sometimes out to lunch. She is out of touch and does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something may appear to be free of charge, but there may be a hidden cost.

When we fail to see problems at work, my supervisor tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem.

I once made a big mistake at the office and felt foolish. I had egg on my face.

Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea.

We hope this program has given you food for thought, that is, something to think about.

Dear Mr. President (Song & lyrics)

To all: Techincal Carrers, ADM and Night Shifts:


Here is for all of you the song by Pink: Dear Mr. President.

You can click in this link and watch another version:

Watch the video here!!

Or you can open the video:

Here, the lyrics:

Dear Mr. President 

Come take a walk with me 

Let´s pretend we´re just two people and 

You´re not better than me 

I´d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly 

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street 

Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep 

What do you feel when you look in the mirror 

Are you proud 

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry 

How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye 

How do you walk with your head held high 

Can you even look me in the eye 

And tell me why 

Dear Mr. President 

Were you a lonely boy 

Are you a lonely boy 

Are you a lonely boy 

How can you say 

No child is left behind 

We´re not dumb and we´re not blind 

They´re all sitting in your cells 

While you pay the road to hell 

What kind of father would take his own daughter´s rights away 

And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay 

I can only imagine what the first lady has to say 

You´ve come a long way from whiskey and cocaine 

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry 

How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye 

How do you walk with your head held high 

Can you even look me in the eye 

Let me tell you bout hard work 

Minimum wage with a baby on the way 

Let me tell you bout hard work 

Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away 

Let me tell you bout hard work 

Building a bed out of a cardboard box 

Let me tell you bout hard work 

Hard work 

Hard work 

You don´t know nothing bout hard work 

Hard work 

Hard work 

Oh! 

How do you sleep at night 

How do you walk with your head held high 

Dear Mr. President 

You´d never take a walk with me...

Would you?

Meet Olivia: Audio / Reading and Practice

To All, Technical carrers, ADM and Night Shifts:

Here is the link to the next Practice:  Meet Olivia.

Remember:  

Here the link...  Click here

Or copy this address and paste it in you browser: 

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/meet-olivia

Here is the transcript:

Hi everybody - welcome to London. My name's Olivia, pleased to meet you.

My surname is Barbieri, which is an Italian name because my grandparents were from Italy, but I'm English. I've always lived in London because I really like it here. It's an expensive city, but it has lots to offer. I don't think I'd like to live anywhere else.

I'm 28, which means I'm a little bit older than most of my friends and sometimes I think they see me as their mum or aunt or older sister, especially because a lot of my friends are a long way from their families. They're always asking me to help them out with their problems but I don't mind it at all. In fact, I quite like it.

I work in a small shop. It doesn't sound like a very exciting job, but I love it. I own the shop and we sell shoes, but they're not ordinary shoes. They're all special shoes, hand-made by craftsmen. We have lots of different kinds of shoes, some very posh ones for parties and some everyday shoes. But they're all unusual; funky I call them. It's not easy to get shoes like this so some of them are quite expensive.

Business is good at the moment but sometimes I get bored of my job and dream about doing something else, but I'm not sure what else I'd like to do. I really want to start up a website so I can sell our shoes online all over the world and so I can spend less time in my shop.

What else can I tell you? Oh well, in my free time I like reading and going to the cinema, going for walks in the park, oh, and I hate sports of any kind.

I really like my life here. I guess because I've got so many good friends. We all hang out together in Tony's cafe, which is right next door to my shop, fortunately, and ugh, by the way, I have a small nephew called Joe. He's five and he's a bit of a terror. I often look after him when my sister is busy - so watch out for him.

Meet Magda

To Technical carrers, ADM and Night Shifts: 

Dear students:

This is the link to the Audio / Reading and Practice: "Meet Magda" we studied in the classroom

Click here 

Or copy this address: 
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/meet-magda

Here is the transcript!!!

Check the missspelling and study vocabulary

Hello everybody -my name’s Magda. Magda Gozinski - that’s quite difficult to pronounce - so everyone just calls me Magda.

I’m from Poland but I’ve been living in London for two years now. I’m trying to improve my English so I apologise if I make mistakes sometimes.
or if I don’t understand you -

I’m here studying architecture - I’m doing a post graduate degree. I want to become an architect and design buildings but it’s quite difficult. I hope I’ll get a job when I finish my studies so then I can stay in the UK or perhaps go somewhere else. I’d like to travel a lot but I haven’t really been anywhere yet, apart from Poland and Britain. Johnny tells me that I should go to China - perhaps I will.

London is great - so many people from all over the world. But it’s very expensive and money’s a problem for me - I’m a poor student - a lot of people here in London only seem to be interested in money. I don’t like that attitude.I think there are more important things in life than money. Friendship for example.

Sometimes I miss my family in Poland - but I’m happy here I’ve got a great bunch of friends here. Sarah is my best friend. She has lots of the same interests as me and we often visit museums or go to shows together. Olivia is a good friend as well. She’ll always help when you’ve got a problem. Ha - the boys are funny too -

We always meet up in Tony’s cafe. It’s not far from where I live so it’s a good place to hang out. The weather in England isn’t great - it rains a lot, so it’s good to have a place inside where we can all be together. Tony makes good coffee too.

Scarborough Fair, version by Simon & Garfunkel

Scarborough Fair.

This is a very old song, it seems the original version comes from the XII Century...

Watch the video here!!!

The lyrics:

Are you going to Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow crested ground)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strands
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Are you going to Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

"You're Hired" a series of the episodes from British Council... Enjoy them!!

"You're Hired" videos...

WebWare, a successful IT company, is suddenly in need of a new sales director. Follow Philip Hart and Marcia Boardman as they take us through the process of recruiting a new team member.

Here all the 10 videos... Do not watch them all at once, otherwise you will be overwhelmed...

Better take ONE at the time... as we use them in the classroom.

"You're Hired" Episode One...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Two...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Three...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Four...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Five...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Six...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Seven...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Eight...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Nine...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

"You're Hired" Episode Ten...

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Tasks, which contains some business notes.

This series of episodes was taken from: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/youre-hired