Reading: Carnival around the World

Carnival of Nice

In the warm sunlight of the noon of Nice, south France, the groups of Mardigras are parading through the main street. The top of the parade is noble ladies who holds yellow mimosa flowers. The next is the musical bands who are wearing big masks and are playing the theme music of this year's carnival. Following them, there is a big float on which the big figure of the winter king wearing a gold crown, is installed. Spectators throw ticker tapes with the yells. At the night, the winter king is burned at the beach. Then the citizens of Nice celebrate the visiting of spring.

Vocabulary: Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of Manner tell us the manner or way in which something happens. They answer the question "how?". Adverbs of Manner mainly modify verbs.

TIP: We normally use Adverbs of Manner with dynamic (action) verbs, not with stative or state verbs. 

Normally arverbs of manner are build adding -ly to the adjective. Here you find the list of 130 members:

Grammar: Question Tags

Question tags are questions situated at the end of the sentence used in conversation to get a reaction from the person you are talking to.

It is always used in the opposite way of the main sentence.

SONG: What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Grammar: Some and Any

The words some and any are used for countable and uncountable nouns. Generally speaking, we could say that:

• Some means a few / a little
• Any means none in negative clauses or a few / a little in questions.

SOME is used in positive sentences and ANY in negative or questions

Vocabulary: Separable Phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb; the combination creates a meaning different from the original verb alone. i.e. Look + After = take care of
There are different types of Phrasal verbs: Separable, Unseparable, three words phrasal verbs... Follow the tag Phrasal Verbs on the right side menu.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

The object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate the two parts:

You have to do this paint job over.

You have to do over this paint job.
When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of the phrasal verb must be separated:

You have to do it over.

Vocabulary: Unseparable Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb; the combination creates a meaning different from the original verb alone. i.e. Look + After = take care of
There are two types of Phrasal verbs: Separable and Unseparable

Unseparable Phrasal Verbs

With the following phrasal verbs, the lexical part of the verb (the part of the phrasal verb that carries the "verb-meaning") cannot be separated from the prepositions (or other parts) that accompany it: "Who will look after my estate when I'm gone?"

Grammar: Passive

Passive is used if we are interested in the object or we don't know who caused the action.

Example: Homework is required in class

We can only form a passive sentence from an active sentence when there is an object in the active.

How to do it from an active sentence?

• Use verb to be + past participle of the verb
• Object of the "active" sentence becomes subject in the "passive" sentence
• Subject of the "active" sentence becomes "object" in the "passive" sentence" (or is left out)

SONG: I Wish That I Could See You Soon (By Herman Düne)

 Please, hear the song once and sing it a second time later. Finally translate it to your own  language.

I Wish That I Could See You Soon (By Herman Düne)

I had to leave you and go away
but I think about you everyday
and in the morning and the afternoon
I wish that I could see you soon

Reading: The Euro

The euro (€ or EUR) is the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union and is the official currency of the eurozone, which consists of eigtheen of the twenty eight member states of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

The currency is also used in a further five European countries and consequently used daily by some 334 million Europeans as of 2013. Additionally, 210 million people worldwide as of 2013—including 182 million people in Africa—use currencies pegged to the euro.

Zero Conditional, 1st Conditional, 2nd Conditional and 3rd Conditional

Zero conditional

Structure: If/When/Unless+ Present Tense        ////       present tense / imperative

• If the sum of the digits of a number is divisible by three, the number is divisible by three (Pres. tense)

• If you see Mr Fox tonight, tell him I am ill. (imperative).

When to use it:  
Nature: When we talk about things that are generally or always true
Time: Present time and imperative

Easy Song in English: I Just Called To Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder)

"I Just Called To Say I Love You"

No New Year's Day to celebrate

No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away

No first of spring

No song to sing