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Because sometimes Grammar can't be avoided...

Tenses? Adjectives? Modals?

 If you want to practice those things and many more on line, click here or here or here

Los ejercicios más elementales, y mucho más lo puedes encontrar aquí

If it is Oxford English what you like, with any kins of exercises and games, it is  here

 Y si quieres un curso entero con diferentes niveles y ejercicios de comprensión oral, pincha aquí

 But, surely, one of the best places to practise all these things and many more is the British Council website: just click here  

This is another place where you can find not only exercises, but also explanation on the forms, uses, exceptions, etc.here

Do you want to improve? You can also have some advanced grammar exercise, here

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There are many good things out there and I am going to try to bring you some of the best of them. If you want to contact me to make a comment, ask for anything or simply say hello, you can find me in my blog. Learning English doesn't have to be boring...

*** SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED ***To start from the beginning: duolingo

This is the best of the internet (y por esta vez, te lo explico en español, para que no te quejes): 

 Symbaloo: Para tenerlo todo ordenadito. Además, si buscas en Gallery, encuentras colecciones de marcadores de páginas agrupadas por intereses

 TED: Pequeñas conferencias sobre cualquier tema por la gente más interesante

 BBC   Los ingleses conducen por la izquierda, no saben lo que es un bocata de jamón y creen que una tapa es lo que se pone encima de una cacerola, pero son la envidia del mundo porque tienen la BBC... 

 Khan Academy     Para aprender de todo de la manera más interesante   

MOOC   Las mejores universidades, los mejores centros del saber, te ofrecen cursos gratis

dado

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THESE ARE THE TOPIS TO TALK ABOUT

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Lesson 1          Education

Comparing American and Chinese Parents

http://www.manythings.org/voa/v/

I'm Mario Ritter with the VOA Special English Education Report

Some American parents might think their children need better educations to compete with China and other countries. But how much do the parents themselves need to change? A new book called "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting.

 Ms. Chua is a professor at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, and the mother of two daughters. She was raised in the American Midwest by immigrant Chinese parents. In the Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power. In her book, Ms. Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example, she threatened to burn her daughter's stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly. She would insult her daughters if they failed to meet her expectations.

Ms. Chua says she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do. They could not attend a sleepover, have a play date, watch TV or play computer games, be in a school play or get any grade less than an A. 

Many people have criticized Amy Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters. Ms. Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting. She says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted "I hate my life! I hate you!" Ms. Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughter.

But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children's abilities. She says: "One of the biggest differences I see between Western and Chinese parents is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility."

Stacy DeBroff has written four books on parenting. She says the debate over Ms. Chua's book has to do with two questions. What does it mean to be a successful parent, and what does it mean to be a successful child? Ms. DeBroff says Amy Chua's parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children. But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacey DeBroff advises parents to develop their own style of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised. And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. What are your thoughts about parenting styles and cultural differences? Tell us at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook at VOA Learning English. For VOA Special English, I'm Mario Ritter.

Answer these questions using your own words:

1.      Why was Ms. Chua so strict with her daughters?

2.      Why did she change?

3.      What is the difference between Chinese and Western parents?

4.      What are the two questions of the debate, according to DeBroff?

Find synonyms to the words below:

strength          sucessful          play   style               grade    abilities         expectations

show____________

force ____________

mark ____________

hopes ____________

 

Roleplay:

Parent and child: act out with your partner a situation between a parent and child (discussing the time to be back home on Friday nights, for example)