Black Friday

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many British Commonwealth countries. Black Friday is not actually a holiday, but many non-retail employers give their employees the day off, increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.

The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black".

For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00, but in the late 2000s, many had crept to 5:00 or even 4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers opened at midnight for the first time.

Comparison

Remember that when we compare two things we can also vary the strength of the comparison by using "qualifying" expressions such as 'almost', 'nearly', 'by far', etc.


Now, why don't you try these exercises?

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thrusday in November, so today 26 November is Thanksgiving Day for 2015. It's a tradition in the United States. Families gather together for a large meal or dinner and the main dish is turkey. But what are its origins? Watch the video by The Channel History to know! 

Writing a letter of application

This is a kind reminder, you have homework, you have to write a letter of application (Unit 2). 

If you need some help, go to 'Writing' where you will find PDF documents with general especification and some models to give you ideas.  A letter of application is sometimes sent, rather than an application form or CV, in which case the letter should include the information you would put in a CV but presented in sentences and paragraphs. It is used to apply for a job. It’s your opportunity to say why you want the job and to present yourself as a candidate for the position in a way that impresses a prospective employer and makes you seem the perfect person for the job.

The key to how to write a letter/email whether it is informal, formal, personal or cover format is to communicate in the clearest way possible. To do it so, include all the points in the task, use appropriate openings and closings, organize your ideas in paragraphs, check punctuation and spelling, and use all that vocabulary and structures we have been learning. 

I'm sure you will do great!

The best jobs in the world

Are you looking for a new job? Would you like to make a change in your life by working in something different? In 2009, Tourism Queensland promoted the Great Barrier Reef as a global tourism destination with a website encouraging people worldwide to apply for The Best Job In The World, to be a "Caretaker of the Islands" to "house-sit" the islands of the Great Barrier Reef for half a year, based on Hamilton Island.

Job benefits included a large salary, free lodging in a multimillion-dollar villa, and transportation there and around the islands. The application process required a web video to be submitted, available publicly for consideration for the position. The job duties listed were primarily publicity-related with web videos, blogging, and photo diaries. The submission web site crashed two days following the launch of the campaign, from excessive visits and application video uploading

The winner was Ben Southall, from the United Kingdom. In the last week of his paradise job, he was stung by an Irukandji jellyfish. Although lethal cases are known, he made a full recovery. And here he is on this video. Have a look at the jobs he talks about, which one do you find more appealing? Which one would you apply for?

Note: The video has the option to activate subtitles in case you need them.

History of the Internet

In class, when you were asked which technology you usually use most of you thought of the Internet, but what's the Internet? By definition the Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol. But, how did it come to be this technology that is so popular and so widely used around the world? Was it always so large and extensive, filled with information about just anything you could possibly think of accessible from almost anywhere, anytime? Well, the answer is no.

"History of the Internet" is an animated documentary explaining the inventions from time-sharing to filesharing, from Arpanet to Internet.

Cheaters vs inspiring people

Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat ... unless you are one of these athletes. Who are some of the biggest cheaters in sport history? Have a look at this video and you will discover! You will probably find a surprise at the end of the video!

 

Fortunately, there are some inspiring people, like Rick Hyot and his father, Dick. What makes them especial is the fact that Rick suffers from cerebral palsy since birth. They have competed together in several events, including marathons and triathlons. During competition Dick pulls Rick in a special boat as they swim, carries him in a special seat in the front of a bicycle, and pushes him in a special wheelchair as they ran. The Hoyts did not finish the 2013 Boston Marathon, the last marathon they have run together. They had about a mile to go when two bombs exploded near the finish line, and were stopped by officials along with thousands of other runners still running the race. They were not injured.

This is their official page 

 Watch the video to know more about them, even though it's in original it has subtitles, remember that this is good listening practice!

Zorbing

Zorbing is the recreation of rolling downhill in an orb, generally made of transparent plastic. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope, but can also be done on a level surface, permitting more rider control. The first zorbing site was established in Rotorua, New Zealand.
The zorb is double-sectioned, with one ball inside the other with an air layer between. This acts as a shock absorber for the rider, damping bumps while traveling. Orbs are lightweight and made of flexible plastic, as opposed to the rigid plastic. Many orbs have straps to hold the rider in place, while others leave the rider free to walk the orb around or be tossed about freely by the rolling motion - water can be added inside, and this is commonly called a "water or aqua ride The inner and outer orb are connected by numerous (often hundreds) small ropes. Orbs have one or two tunnel-like entrances.
Sphereing is also referred to as Orbing or Zorbing, and Zorbing entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in 2001 where it was defined as: "a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball which is then rolled along the ground or down hills".

Wacky sports

Have you ever heard of `toe westling', 'octopushing', 'chess boxing', 'elephant polo', 'cheese rolling' or 'ice racing'? These are some of those sports considered 'wacky'. Watch the videos below to enlight you. Would you practice any of them?

Toe westling 



Octophushing


Elephant polo


Wife carrying 

Infinitive vs Gerund

Would you like to practise using the gerund and the infinitive? Why don't you try this exercise? There are 100 questions but they are shuffled and only 15 are shown at a time. Each time the page reloads you will get new questions so come more than once!!!

Gerund or infinitive?

If you need some practice about when to use an infinitive or when to use a gerund, why don't you try these exercises?


- Many interactive tests - different levels

- Choose the right form

- Exercise on gerunds and infinitives

- Write the correct form

And if you still need some more practice, go to 'Our filing cabinet' to get some exercises with their key.


 

Eleccions al Consell Escolar de l'EOI

Fins el dimecres 18 de novembre està obert el termini de presentació de candidatures al Consell Escolar de l'EOI. L'alumnat interessat a presentar-s'hi com a candidat/a ha de presentar la seua candidatura a la secretaria del centre de 15.00 a 20.00 h.

És molt important que vosaltres estigeu representats en aquest òrgan de govern, és la via principal per fer arribar al centre les vostres propostes, queixes i suggeriments, i ajudar i reflexionar sobre el que s'està fent en l'Escola.

Més informació en : EOI Eivissa.

Anima't i participa-hi!

Exam practice

An old adage proclaims 'Theory without practice is meaningless, but practice without theory is blind'. So now that you have the knowledge, why don't you go ahead and practise? Go to the 'Exam practice' section above to do the exercises you will find there. You will find multiple choice tests, word formation tests, cloze tests, listening, tips, reading...

Remember that you need a password. If you don't have it yet, ask your teacher for it.

Good luck!

Polite indirect questions

Remember that direct questions are often considered rude when speaking to strangers. To sound more polite we often use indirect questions. Indirect questions serve the same purpose as direct ones, but are considered more formal.
In this presentation you will learn how to make an indirect question and different ways for asking sounding more polite.




On this page you can review the theory.
And you can put them in practice in these exercises:
exercise 1
exercise 2
exercise 3
exercise 4

Lost for questions? Have a look at The Guardian site Q&A . Each week they interview a famous person that is on the news. 

British English vs American English III

British English vs American English II

Learn some of the differences between American and British English in this video, which goes over 4 vowel/diphthongs. See the different mouth positions and hear examples words pronounced by native speakers.

British English vs American English I

Last lesson we had our language assistant, Kiran, in class with us and we worked with British and American English. Here you have a video about differences in pronunciation.

Guy Fawkes

In England, each 5 November people burn images of Guy Fawkes and make bonfires to remember the failed attempt to destroy the Parliament.

Early in the morning of 5 November 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered in a cellar under the House of Lords with 36 barrels of gunpowder and a 'slowmatch' to ignite the explosive. He hoped to cause an explosion that would kill James I when he attended Parliament later that day.

The plan never came to fruition, and Fawkes, like the annual population of straw-stuffed effigies, faced a painful execution. But if he had succeeded, explosion experts believe that King James' death might have been the thin end of the wedge, in terms of collateral damage.

Would you like to know about the story?

In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor.

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.

A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics.

To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.

But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th.

The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators.

Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

To know more about the conspirators click here.

And now you can play a game by the BBC to save the Houses of Parliament. Click on the image below to go to the game.

Musical shows

Next lesson we're going to talk about music. Read about the shows, watch the videos and think about how much you would enjoy these shows. Think of the reasons, of course, because we'll talk about it in class.

Tap Dogs
They are currently taking the world by storm with their tap show that combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing.



Pagagnini

An innovative musical show that brings to life some of the world's best-loved pieces of classical music. But Pagagnini is more than just a concert: the musicians dance, laugh, cry and generally clown around in one of the most original comedy acts of the moment. 



Rhythm of the Dance

This two-hour dance and music extravaganza contains a wealth of irish talent. The show relives the journey of the Irish Celts throughtout history, combining traditional dance and music with the most up-to-date stage technology.



 Cirque Éloize - iD

Sixteen artists on stage, thirteen circus disciplines, and a world of urban dances such as breakdance and hip-hop. The rock, electronic and poetic music, together with the presence of video, highlight the show's playful, energetic, and youthful aspects. 

Everyday idioms made easy

Idioms! Big ideas in a nutshell... Of course not in the literal sense! Idioms are the most refined expressions in any language. It requires a good deal of practice and exposure to incorporate them into your everyday conversations... Here are some examples under the title Everyday Idioms Made Easy, from Appu Series. All of these phrases are worked into some fun contexts! Watch, learn and use them!