Tag Archives: writing

My Ideal Job

Students' Corner,

Kindly sent by Miguel Raposeiras

I don’t know if you have heard it but, last Monday, the International Labour Organization reported that about 20 million jobs have been destroyed since September 2008. And the day before yesterday, Mr. Obama announced a new plan in order to decrease the unemployment rate.

Why am I telling you this? Because, and this is not a secret, it’s really hard to find a job nowadays. So, it’s a good time to imagine what kind of job we would like to have.

In my case, the first thing I have to say is: ‘I don’t like working’. Working is mundane and usually stressful. But I realize it’s a need. I mean, not only for having a fixed income, but for having your mind occupied and feeling you’re useful. Unemployed people get depressed easier than workers. Despite this, I have it clear that I work for living and not live for working. As you can imagine, I’m an expert waiting until the eleventh hour to do my tasks.

Second, I have to get job satisfaction. A really good job for me would be the one which makes me claim: ‘Oh, man! I would work for free… but don’t tell my boss!’. It doesn’t mind if I’m not good at doing it, I need to be happy doing whatever I have to do. For example, I’ve been said to be good with figures… but I hate numbers!

Third, getting on well with my colleagues is very important for me. If there is a great job atmosphere, you’ll be more comfortable working.

And, finally, it would be important, but not necessary, that my boss were able to get the best out of me. I always need to be motivated. Furthermore, I work better if the tasks are challenging for me. I think it’s a satisfying way to avoid boredom at work.

To sum up, my ideal job must be stimulating and I need to be able to develop my personality and skills in it.

Birth order

General, Students' Corner,

According to what we have discussed in class, the order in which you are born in the family seems to shape your personality. I have done some research on the internet and many experts do not agree on this statement. Scientists say that at least two other variables should be considered; these are: family size and the socioeconomic status of the family. For example, large families are generally lower in socioeconomic status than small families. Hence third born children are not only third in birth order, but they are also more likely to come from larger, poorer families than firstborn children. If third borns have a particular trait, it may be due to birth order, or it may be due to family size, or to any number of other variables. Consequently, there are a large number of published studies on birth order that vary widely in quality and are inconsistent in their conclusions. Therefore, we cannot say that birth order will have such a tremendous effect on shaping our personality.

Regardless of this, there are some characteristic traits that could be applied to each birth order:

* Characteristic traits of the oldest sibling: The oldest sibling is the most independent and also the most responsible of the group. They are natural born leaders and like to be in control. They strive for perfection, and thrive on approval of authority figures, like for example, their parents. They tend to do well in school, their careers, and life in general. The oldest child is also the most likely to be the most successful of the bunch, and might make more money as an adult than other siblings. The first born might end up in an occupational area such as engineering, architecture, or accounting.

Famous first borns include: Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, J. K. Rowling, and Sylvester Stallone.

* On the other hand, the middle child, who feels deprived of attention and worries about being over-looked, tends to be more rebellious as a youngster. But as an adult, they become the compromisers of the world and enjoy pleasing others. They enjoy working in groups and love feeling like they belong. They are good at making friends and getting along with others. They are also laid back, patient and loud. These children tend to flock to occupations that are more people oriented than their older siblings.

Famous middle borns include: Bill Gates, Richard Nixon, Cindy Crawford, Donald Trump and Julia Roberts.

* Finally, the youngest child generally is the most artistic of the group. They are also most likely to be the class clown, since they will do just about anything for attention, and usually are characterized as the show-off of the family. But, at the same time, they are very affectionate and caring.

Famous last borns include: Jim Carrey, Billy Crystal, Cameron Diaz and Danny deVito.

Kindly sent by Maria Angeles Tamargo, a student in the Advanced Level

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Can you help me?

General, Lesson Plan: Pre-Intermediate, , ,

Dear students
I want to create a very simple exercise but for this, I need your help. I know you’re all willing to do so and that you need no further encouragement, so I’m going straight to the point. We have been working with relative sentences and I think it could be a good idea if we could all together build a Multiple Choice exercise (you know, the one where you choose a, b, c, and sometimes d). Well, the idea is that you send me something like this:

A lawyer:
a. is someone who loves his family
b. is someone who practises law
c. is someone who cuts the lawn

A teapot
a. is something you use to drink tea
b. is something you use to make tea
c. is something you use to plant tea.

A butcher’s
a. is a shop where you can buy brushes
b. is a shop where you can buy buns
c. is a shop where you can buy meat

As you can see , nothing too complicated .The thing is for you to use relative sentences giving three options . Only one should be the right definition.
To send a comment, you have to click on “Can you help me? “And then fill in” Leave a Reply”  Come on!! What are you waiting for???

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Great!!! Thanks!!! You’re amazing.

Relative sentences Quiz I

Relative sentences Quiz 2

Relative Sentences Quiz 3

Grammar related link : relative sentences

Word of the Day: to smell a rat .. and the tool to use when I smell..

freeware, Resources, ,

I don’t like this idiom, the only reason being the rodent in it… yes, I am that girlie!!

Now and then, and as part of the continuous asssessment, I ask my students to write something at home to be marked later and very often and mainly when it is writing about a celebrity, a book or a film they nick from the Internet. Setting this task when I know pretty well they won’t be able to resist the temptation of copy-pasting from the Internet is a bit of a wicked of me ,to put it midly, but life is hard, isn’t it?
To smell a rat= you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you.
So when I start reading essays and some words trigger all my sirens, then this is the tool I use to catch you red-handed.
It’s called Plagium

ELLA: English Language Lab Asturias

Audio, In the Computer Room, Listening, Resources, Speaking, Vocabulary, Writing, , , , ,

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to recommend you this wonderful site , but …better late than never!
This site has been created and is maintained by three colleagues from three different EEOOIII . On their own they have been awarded different prizes and together they have created this wonderful site. My admiration and thanks to you three: María (from EOI Oviedo), Carmen (from EOI Mieres) and Javier (from EOI Luarca).

Now , for you my dearest students and because I can guess that right now you must be frantic (exam is on Monday) looking for new listening comprehensions to do, I am going to link you straightaway to the listening section of ELLA. The link will lead you to a page with all the listenings , find the ones for you level…. ADVANCED.
http://web.educastur.princast.es/proyectos/ella/?cat=17
If you like the site , don’t forget to send them a post. It is always nice to hear that all you effort has been worthwhile !

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