Our Virtual Classroom: EOI CS Moodle in the news

Our virtual classroom and our new website have made news in the press. You can read part of the article in today's online edition of Mediterraneo:

La EOI imparte inglés a través del aula virtual ( El Periódico Mediterraneo - 03/12/2007 )


Thank you for making this project possible!

It's quiz time, folks!

It's time to put your English to the test with some fairly easy quizzes!

First, you can try this motivating Intermediate Level grammar test (38 questions).
You should pass this one with flying colours! Your level is supposed to be much higher, isn't it?

Now, a short BBC quiz on 'Telephoning', testing vocabulary which is specific to the telephone.

Another BBC vocabulary test to complement lesson 7A in your texbook: 'Getting on a plane'

Finally, a spelling test designed for native speakers: The Commonly Confused Words Test (just click on 'Next', you don't need to sign up).

Good luck!

George Clooney opens up to Charlie Rose

Dedicated to all the ladies out there we're posting a short extract from an interview with George Clooney, where he admits to having limitations "as an actor"!

Anyway, he's already won an Oscar for his performance in "Syriana" and is considered to be a talented director. Well, I guess you can't have everytihing, can you?

Listen and enjoy!

Warmest Welcome to All Online Students!

I would like to express my welcome greetings to all online students visiting us from the EOI CS Moodle website and again to all our regular visitors who make this project meaningful.

In this blog you will find supporting resources and activities for your English lessons (levels: upper intermediate and advanced).

I advise first time visitors to browse through the blog, check out at least some of the postings and click on the posting labels according to your taste and needs. If you just want to relax, why not click on Humour and enjoy some of the skits on offer? Or hum to Homer Simpson's Beer Song! In case you need to brush up your grammar, have a go at the quizzes (click on the labels Quiz or Use of English).

You'll also find some general interest or EOI CS news, trivia quizzes, fun articles and readings, and everytihng else you suggest as we move along the course. Don't forget to check the feeds (news, weather, box office...) and links on the right column. For informal communication you can use the Chatbox. All suggestions are welcome!

See you around! (if computers don't let us down...)

Homer Simpson's Beer Song

Beer is Homer Simpson's favourite drink. Enjoy Homer's hymn to beer sung to the music of Bizet's Toreador. Good listening practice while you learn some drinking vocabulary.

Caution: Use carefully and at your own risk!

Homer Simpson (Beer Song)
Uploaded by SamanthaSpade

What is the malted liquor.(beer) What gets you drunker quicker?
What comes in bottles or in cans?(beer) Can't get enough of it,(beer)
How we really love it,(beer) Makes me think I'm a man,(beer)
I can kiss and hug it,(beer) But I'd rather chug it,(beer)
Fill my belly up to here,(beer) I could not refuse a,(beer)
I could really use a,(beer) Beer, beer, beer.

I can't remember how much I have had,
I drank a twelve pack with my dad, BURP!
That's my son the drunken manly stud,
I'm proud to be his bud, Here have some pretzels,
No! I'll call it quits, Those things give me the Schlitz!

Drink with your family, Drink it with your friends,
Drink till you're fat, Stomach distends,
Beer is liquid bread it's good for you,
We like to drink till we spew, EW
Who cares if we get fat, I'll drink to that,
As we sing once more.

What is the malted liquor, What gets you drunker quicker,
What comes in bottles or in cans (beer) Can't get enough of it,(beer)
How we really love it,(beer) Makes me think I'm a man,(beer)
I can kiss and hug it,(beer) But I'd rather chug it,(beer)
Fill my belly up to here,(beer) Golly I adore it,(beer)
Come on dammit pour it, Do it for me,
Brew it for me, Feed it to me, Speed it to me.(beer)

The most wonderful drink in the world. Hooray!!!

Welcome to the new course!

September's here again! I hope you had a great holiday and feel ready to start the new course.

Classes will be starting in just a few weeks. In the meantime, do take some time to brush up your English. For the language learner, daily practice is the best key to rapid improvement!

The goal of our blog is precisely to help you improve your English through practice and fun, and to help build up a community of English learners. Please visit our blog and feel welcome to send us any comments or suggestions!

Let's retake work with a smile. Here's a funny Dutch commercial showing one of the reasons why learning English is so important!

Imminent Summer Dinner - 5th Course

When: Friday 10th August, 9 PM
Where: ? Awaiting proposals

Please send your proposals, comments and confirmations to the blog!

Range of Activities:

The Funniest Joke In The World

Just relax, get yourself a cold drink and enjoy Monty Python at their finest in one of their sketches: "The Funniest Joke in the World". Could a joke ever be so deadly?

Voice Over : (EI) This man is Ernest Scribbler... writer of jokes. In a few moments, he will have written the funniest joke in the world... and, as a consequence, he will die ... laughing. It was obvious that this joke was lethal... no one could read it and live ...
Commentator: (TJ) This morning, shortly after eleven o'clock, comedy struck this little house in Dibley Road. Sudden ... violent ... comedy. Police have sealed off the area, and Scotland Yard's crack inspector is with me now.
Inspector: (GC) I shall enter the house and attempt to remove the joke. I shall be aided by the sound of sombre music, played on gramophone records, and also by the chanting of laments by the men of Q Division ... The atmosphere thus created should protect me in the eventuality of me reading the joke.
Commentator: There goes a brave man. Whether he comes out alive or not, this will surely be remembered as one of the most courageous and gallant acts in police history.
Voice Over: It was not long before the Army became interested in the military potential of the Killer Joke. Under top security, the joke was hurried to a meeting of Allied Commanders at the Ministry of War. Top brass were impressed. Tests on Salisbury Plain confirmed the joke's devastating effectiveness at a range of up to fifty yards.
Generals: Fantastic.
Colonel: (GC) All through the winter of '43 we had translators working, in joke-proof conditions, to try and produce a German version of the joke. They worked on one word each for greater safety. One of them saw two words of the joke and spent several weeks in hospital. But apart from that things went pretty quickly, and we soon had the joke by January, in a form which our troops couldn't understand but which the Germans could.
Voice Over: So, on July 8th, 1944, the joke was first told to the enemy in the Ardennes...
Commanding NCO: Tell the ... joke.
Joke Brigade: (together) Wenn ist das Nunstrück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ...Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
Voice Over: It was a fantastic success. Over sixty thousand times as powerful as Britain's great pre-war joke ... and one which Hitler just couldn't match.
Voice Over: In action it was deadly.
Corporal: (TJ) Wenn ist das Nunstrück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! .. Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
Joke Brigade: (charging) Wenn ist das Nunstrück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ...Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
Voice Over: The German casualties were appalling.
Nazi: (JC) Vott is the big joke?
Officer: (MP) I can only give you name, rank, and why did the chicken cross the road?
Nazi: That's not funny! (slaps him) I vant to know the joke.
Officer: All right. How do you make a Nazi cross?
Nazi: (momentarily fooled) I don't know ... how do you make a Nazi cross?
Officer: Tread on his corns.
Nazi: Gott in Himmel! That's not funny! Now if you don't tell me the joke, I shall hit you properly.
Officer: I can stand physical pain, you know.
Nazi: Ah ... you're no fun. All right, Otto.
Officer: Oh no - anything but that, please no, all right I'll tell you.
Nazi: Quick Otto. The typewriter.
Officer: Wenn ist das Nunstrück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ... Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
Nazi: Ach! Zat iss not funny!
Officer: Wenn ist das Nunstrück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ..Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
Voice Over: But at Peenemunde in the Autumn of '44, the Germans were working on a joke of their own.
German Joker: (EI) Die ist ein Kinnerhunder und zwei Mackel über und der bitte schön ist den Wunderhaus sprechensie. 'Nein' sprecht der Herren 'Ist aufern borger mit zveitingen'.
Otto: We'll let you know.
Voice Over: But by December their joke was ready, and Hitler gave the order for the German V-Joke to be broadcast in English.
Radio: (crackly German voice) Der ver zwei peanuts, valking down der strasse, and von vas... assaulted! Peanut. Ho-ho-ho-ho.
Commentator (EI): In 1945 Peace broke out. It was the end of the Joke. Joke warfare was banned at a special session of the Geneva Convention, and in 1950 the last remaining copy of the joke was laid to rest here in the Berkshire countryside, never to be told again.

British or American English???

You know some of the differences between the two main types of English, let's see if you can identify and remember words and expressions from both sides of the Atlantic in these easy quizzes:

Divided by Language

You Say Tomato...

English Varieties: Britain and US

British English and American English

Transatlantic Mutations

American English v. British English

The Foggiest Notion

Britspeak

British Terms

Well, easy's not always the right word. Some of the quizzes are of average difficulty for natives, either British or American. Anyway, you'll see that some of the questions are repeated in several quizzes, which will increase your chances of getting better results. Have great summer fun!

Non-native Accents of English - Part III

As we know, English is 'the' global language of communication nowadays, spoken by 1.9 billion people worldwide of which some 350 million are native speakers. Therefore, most speakers of English are non-native, with varying degrees of linguistic competence. Accordingly, the influence of native accents on English will be an important factor in understanding and communication, as most people retain traces of their native accent when speaking a foreign language. For example, most of your classmates show a clear influence of Spanish or Catalan in their English accents.

Many of you will have had problems trying to understand people speaking English with heavy foreign accents (especially on the phone!). Being familiar with the main non-native accents of English will help you in this respect. Sometimes you will also be able to detect accents and therefore origins of people!

Enjoy the last chapter of the series "World Tour of British Accents" and Mr. Seanie's rendition of world accents.


NB: If you want to go more scientific or systematic, this is the link for you, with more than 700 samples from all over the world! Speech Accent Archive

Paella party was a huge success!!!

Susana's Paella Party was a huuuuge success! The whole world is going to be jealous when they see our pics. Here are a few examples of this unforgettable day:

So many gorgeous people together!

The perfect hostess, the perfect paella...

...the perfect company. Quin bon rotllo!

Happy, beautiful faces everywhere

Making moves on the girls while poor Ferran's playing. Not fair!

Susana can even sing (Satur, you're a lucky man).
Susana and Satur, thank you for your wonderful hospitality!


There's even more! Check all the pics here.
A million thanks to Anna and Marc!

End-of-Course Celebration!

The course is finally over. The die has been cast. The grades have been given. Hopefully you've learnt a lot of English this year. That's what this is all about.

Now it's time to relax, celebrate your achievements during the course and join in the End-of-course Celebrations! Your final hurdle!

5E: Paella at Susana's
Where: At Susana's!

When: Sunday, June 17th 2007 - before 2 PM til year 2055

Motto of the Day: Who's the Cook!?



Hey, check out that pool! How about a swim?





Anyone feel like singing?
Proposals accepted!




5F: Tasques, Soparet i...
Where: Tasques - Castelló de la Plana

When: Friday, June 22nd 2007 - 9 PM til dawn

Motto of the Day: Don't Go Softly into the Night

Formal clothes required! What was that restaurant again?





Places to be seen late at night???

Contributions welcome!

Be there or be square!

Italian Cork Soakers

Let's continue with our series dedicated to accents of English and start recognizing accents influenced by foreign languages. For this purpose we shall use a skit from the American television show Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live is one of the longest running television shows ever to be aired. This New York-based sketch comedy show has run since the fall of 1975. Many famous actors and actresses have starred in it: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Paul Shaffer, Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martin Short, Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Dennis Miller...

In its first season, Saturday Night Live began a running gag based on the treatment of Franco's terminal illness and imminent demise by the Spanish media, announcing periodically on its news segments “Generalissimo Franco is still dead!”

In the following sketch, an Italian family of cork soakers explain in detail the art of cork soaking. Enjoy!

NB: Maybe you would like to become cork soakers yourselves!

Regional Accents of English Speakers - Part II

Now that you're familiar with the huge variation of accents in the British Isles it's time to move a step further and deal with accents of English in other countries where it is spoken as an official language.

The better news is that most non-British accents are generally easier to understand than some accents in the British Isles. Learning about these accents will also help you improve your listening comprehension, and to respect and appreciate the cultural diversity in the English-speaking world.

Enjoy now this tour of accents of world English (USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand...).

NB: The tour starts with Irish English and finishes with Scottish English.

Don't forget to check the links in the previous posting.
Have fun with lifelong learning!!!

Regional Accents of English Speakers

Unfortunately this course is nearing its end. Many of you are close to getting your well-deserved EOI Certificate in English.

Now I'd like you to remember what we've said so many times: learning a language is a lifelong task. Just an example: sooner or later you'll come across regional accents of English that deviate a lot from the standard British English model you're most familiar with. Don't be disappointed if sometimes you can't understand a word of what someone's saying, especially in the UK: the British Isles show a huge variation in regional accents.

The good news is that most accents can be understood with some practice. The best is yet to come! Learning to distinguish accents is not only very useful, but also fun, and helps you to respect and appreciate the diversity within a culture.

Just to get used to what may lie ahead of you, listen to this tour of accents of the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). The background imagery will help you to identify and associate places with typical accents.

NB: Buckle up! The tour starts with a rendition of some Scottish accents...

If you're interested in learning more about accents, and in listening to real samples, you can check the following links:

Wikipedia: Regional accents of English speakers
The speech accent archive (contains also foreign accents of English, and recordings of other languages)
BBC: The Voices recordings
British Library: Sounds familiar? Accents and Dialects of the UK
Authentic American Pronunciation
ESL Pronunciation Work Page: American Accents

Have fun with lifelong learning!!!

Sing Along with Frankie Boy!

Relieve your exam stress by singing along with Frank Sinatra in one of his greatest hits: 'New York, New York'.

Frank Sinatra is one of the highest selling musicians of all-time and an absolute icon of the 20th Century. His influence in modern music has been monumental: "Frank Sinatra's voice is pop music history. [...] Like Presley and Dylan—the only other white male American singers since 1940 whose popularity, influence, and mythic force have been comparable—Sinatra will last indefinitely. He virtually invented modern pop song phrasing."

NB: If you wish to change the pitch of the recording to suit your vocal range, you can use music software programmes like SoundMania or Amazing Slowdowner. Don't try to sing too high or too long, or you might damage your vocal cords!

Most Underreported Story of 2006?

While we strive to improve our English, life - and death - goes on in this crazy world.

Everyday we are confronted with mounting evidence that war is seldom a solution to any international conflict. Indeed one of the most tragic consequences of the unfinished Iraq war is its enormous toll on the civil population. Critical voices claim that whereas the US media meticulously report American casualties, Iraqi losses are largely ignored and the Lancet study of the number of Iraqi deaths has been the most underreported story of the year 2006 in the United States. Moreover, estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths from 2003 to October 2006 vary between 30,000 (US government) and 655,000 (Lancet study). How and why is this possible?

Watch this controversial video and form your own opinion:

Basic Wardrobe Planning

Due to popular demand we start a new series of postings dedicated to basic wardrobe planning. Please excuse my almost total ignorance of the subject; with your leave, I shall try to do my best.

Did you know that "women wear only 10 percent of the items in their closets 90 percent of the time"? How is that possible: a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? Is there any woman out there who never said "I don't have a thing to wear!"?

What you gals need is BASIC WARDROBE PLANNING. Let's get some orientation from Mississippi State University in the following article.

NB: Sorry guys in the corner. Let's see it this way, this may help us understand better the feminine psyche.

Do Women Check Out Other Women?

Do women check out other women? Melissa Lafsky, a popular American blogger, thinks that women compete for men and therefore can't help checking out their peers all the time, and sees it as one of the 'universal rules of femaledom'. I found her article not very scientific but highly descriptive. See what you think.

Are women highly competitive by nature, is this behaviour ingrained in female genes, or is it a partly natural instinct that society has made worse?

NB: What does T&A stand for? (in 'their own [men's] ingrained T&A-gazing stupor')

Virginia Tech: The Aftermath of the Massacre

You've heard the news of the massacre in Virginia. Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old student of Korean descent killed 32 people and then took his own life in the bloodiest shooting spree in modern U.S. history.

Sometimes we learn of heroism in the face of such madness. A seventy-five year old Holocaust survivor, Professor Liviu Librescu, for instance, sacrificed his life by barring the door of his classroom while at the same time exhorting his students to jump through the windows to safety below.

After the shock and the grief, there are many questions that won't go away. The following articles deal with some of the most worrying aspects of this tragedy.

What motivates such shootings? [Video] Michael Welner, M.D., a Forensic Psychiatrist for New York University discusses the psychology of a mass shooter, and what may have prompted a person to go on a rampage.

The kid who never spoke Cho's high school classmates recall 'kid who never spoke'

Internet key in probe of Va. Tech gunman Computer forensics are playing a key role in the probe of the Virginia Tech gunman, with investigators revealing he bought ammunition clips on eBay designed for one of two handguns used to kill 32 people and himself.

The Silence of Politicians There are myriad questions from the evolving tragedy at Virginia Tech. One is how such a gravely disturbed student as this killer could raise heightened concern among the authorities over a year ago, yet manage to proceed unhindered to take 32 lives. But no less pertinent is the question of how, after detailed tracking of the guns purchased for the ghastly spree, the lethal empowerment of such a troubled individual can somehow be pronounced entirely legal under the laws of a civilized nation.