EL TIEMPO - THE WEATHER

The first thing you notice when talking about the weather in Spanish is the use of "hace" and
"hay" whereas in English we use "to be"
EG: It is sunny = Hace sol (literally "It makes sun.")
It is hot = Hace calor
It is very windy - Hace / Hay mucho viento

Asking about the weather: What’s the weather like? = "¿Qué tiempo hace?" or "¿Cómo está el
tiempo?"

English Spanish

I don’t like the look of the weather no me gusta cómo se está poniendo el tiempo

it looks like it's going to rain parece que va a llover

let’s hope the weather holds out esperemos que no nos falle el tiempo

the bad weather is still with us seguimos con mal tiempo

the garden could do with a spot of rain al jardín le vendría bien que lloviera un poco

the weather spoiled our plans el tiempo nos estropeó los planes

there’s been a change in the weather ha cambiado el tiempo

tomorrow will be dry mañana hará tiempo seco

we’re hoping for good weather while we’re on esperamos tener buen tiempo durante las
holiday vacaciones

weather permitting si hace buen tiempo

you get better weather on the south coast en la costa sur hace mejor tiempo;

a breeze / a sea breeze una brisa / una brisa marina

a clap of thunder, a thunderclap un trueno

a clear sky/day un cielo/día despejado

a cloudburst un chaparrón

a cold front un frente frío

a downpour un chaparrón

a downpour un turbión

a flash of lightning un relámpago

a flood una inundación

a force nine gale vientos de fuerza nueve

a frosty  night una noche de helada

a gale un viento fuerte, una vendaval

a gust of wind una racha

a hailstorm una granizada

a heat wave una ola de calor

a light covering of snow una fina capa de nieve

a shower un chaparrón, un chubasco

a snowball una bola de nieve

a storm una tormenta, un temporal

a stormy day un día tormentoso

a streak of lightning un rayo

a sunny day un día soleado

a sunny spell un claro

a thaw un deshielo

a thundercloud un nubarrón

a weather vane una veleta

blustery borrascoso

climate el clima

cloud  una nube

cloudburst un chaparrón, un aguacero

damp húmedo

degree grado

depression una depresión atmosférica, una borrasca

dew el rocío

drizzle / to drizzle llovizna / lloviznar

flashes of lightning un relampagueo

fog la niebla

forked lightning una culebrina

frost (white frozen dew) escarcha

gale-force winds los vientos (con intensidad) de tormenta

hailstones los granizos, las piedras de granizo

haziness la nebulosidad, lo neblinoso

he was struck by lightning le cayó un rayo

hot cálido

humid húmedo

humidity la humedad

hurricane un huracán

instability/changeability inestabilidad

it’s cloudy hace nubes or está nublado

it’s drizzling está lloviznando

it’s foggy hay niebla

it’s frosty está helado

it’s hot hace calor

it’s misty hay neblina

it’s muggy / clammy / close está abochornado

it’s raining está lloviendo

it’s sleeting cae aguanieve

it’s snowing está nevado

it’s sunny hace sol

it’s windy hace viento, está ventoso

It's chilly today hace fresquito hoy

low/high-pressure de bajas/altas presiones

mist la neblina

night dew el sereno

rain la lluvia

scattered showers chubascos aislados

sea mist la bruma

sleet aguanieve f.
 sleet showers chubascos de aguanieve

snow la nieve

snow showers chubascos de nieve

sun el sol

sunstroke insolación

the coastal area (used in weather forecasts) el litoral

the outlook for tomorrow la previsión del tiempo para mañana

the temperature la temperatura

the weather el tiempo

thunder los truenos

to become muggy abochornarse

to clear up despejar

to flood inundar

to frost helar

to hail granizar

to rain llover

to rain cats and dogs llover a cántaros

to ride out the storm capear el temporal

to snow nevar

to thaw deshelar

turbulence la turbulencia

unsettled weather un tiempo revuelto

wind el viento

Hard work
by : 

EllaBlogger
I have been teaching in a middle school in China now for about 2 months. I teach 15- to 18-year-
olds, so I try to make my lessons as fun as possible with videos and games for me and my classes
to play together. I love my job because most of my students try really hard in lessons and they are
incredibly responsive and enthusiastic about learning English. However, one thing that bothers me is
that I occasionally have to nudge students who have fallen asleep in the middle of a lesson!

One or two students fall asleep in my class every day. Some students even bring pillows to school
so that they can rest comfortably on their desks. I solve this problem by explaining to my students
that if I catch them sleeping then they have to answer a question about the day's learning in front of
the class. This has worked very well in my lessons, but I still wanted to know why I had such sleepy
students.

This is what I have discovered:

At my school the first lesson of the day starts at 7.30 am and the last lesson does not finish until 9.30
pm. The students get 10 minutes of free time between each lesson, plus longer break times for their
lunch and dinner. During their lunch break at about 1.30 pm the school is eerily quiet and all of the
hallways and playgrounds are deserted, because every classroom is full of students who are fast
asleep. I also found out that a lot of the time students are expected to attend school on the
weekends for extra lessons, or to sit exams. Chinese students work longer hours a week than most
adults in England!

When I was a teenager in London I started school at 8.30 am and finished at 3.30 pm every day. I
had weekends to myself and I got to have dinner with my family or friends, usually in my own home.
Discovering how hard my students work has made me feel extremely lazy and inspired me to try to
be productive every day by challenging myself to learn Chinese, explore my new city and discover
more about this fascinating country. It has also made me more understanding about their accidental
naps in the classroom!

England's obsession with tea

by : 

JenniferR

England’s ongoing love affair with the humble cup of tea is no secret. In fact, our obsession with tea
is probably one of the most well-known quirks about your average Brit. It makes up a huge part of
English and British culture, both historically and today. It is the solution to all of life’s biggest
problems: feeling a bit sad? Have a cup of tea! Need to relax in front of the television? A cup of tea
would help! Whatever the situation, we find any excuse to go and put the kettle on. It doesn’t matter
what time of year it is – we drink just as much tea in summer, even if it’s boiling hot, as we do in the
winter.

I wasn’t fully aware of England’s fascination with tea-drinking until I moved to France and made a
fast discovery: their preferred hot beverage is coffee! Quite shocking. Coffee, in its many different
forms, is everywhere. Better still – it is very, very good! So good, in fact, that I now drink my coffee
black – a fact which shocked my mother when I returned to England. I guess I still have a few things
to learn though, a couple of weeks ago somebody commented on the fact that I drink coffee with my
meal, as opposed to afterwards as is the proper French custom. Who knew there were so many
rules!?
 It just goes to show how much cultures can differ, even in terms of what we prefer to drink in the
morning! A cup of tea will always remain my favourite hot beverage, but that doesn’t mean that trying
new things, even if it is just coffee, isn’t fun and exciting!

Present Progressive - Introduction

The present progressive puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action.

The present progressive is used for actions going on in the moment of speaking and for actions
taking place only for a short period of time. It is also used to express development and actions
that are arranged for the near future.

Present progressive is also known as present continuous.

Present Progressive - Form

Use a form of to be and the infinite verb plus -ing.
 Animation: form

Use:

 am with the personal pronoun I

 is with the personal pronouns he, she or it (or the singular form of nouns)
 are with the personal pronouns you, we, they (or the plural form of nouns)

  affirmative negative question

I I am playing. I am not playing. Am I playing?

he, she, it He is playing. He is not playing. Is he playing?

you, we, they You are playing. You are not playing. Are you playing?

Tips on how to form negative sentences and questions

 Animation: negative sentences and questions

In negative sentences, we put not between the form of be and the verb.

In questions, we simply swop the places of subject and the form of be.

Exercise on the formation

Exercise on affirmative sentences

Exercise on negative sentences

Exercise on questions

Exercise on questions with interrogative particles

Present Progressive - Exceptions in Spelling

 Animation: exceptions in spelling

A single, silent e at the end of the word is dropped before ing.

example: come - coming

I am coming home. You are coming home. He is coming home.

But: ee at the end of the word is not changed

example: agree - agreeing

The final consonant after a short, stressed vowel is doubled before ing.

example: sit - sitting

I am sitting on the sofa. You are sitting on the sofa. He is sitting on the sofa.

The letter l as final consonant after a vowel is always doubled before ing.

example: travel - travelling

I am travelling around. You are travelling around. He is travelling around.

Mind: This applies only for British English; in American English there is usually only one l.
An ie at the end of a word becomes y before ing.

example: lie - lying

I am lying in bed. You are lying in bed. He is lying in bed.

Exercise on exceptions in spelling 1

Exercise on exceptions in spelling 2

Present Progressive - Short Forms

affirmative negative

I am playing. - I'm playing. I am not playing. - I'm not playing.

He is playing. - He's playing. He is not playing. - He's not playing. / He isn't playing.

We are playing. - We're playing. We are not playing. - We're not playing. /We aren't playing.

Present Progressive - Use

Actions taking place at the moment of speaking (now) 

The action is going on now.

Signal words like now, at the moment are often used to
emphasise that the action is taking place at the moment
of speaking. Signal words are not really necessary,
however, as this is already expressed by the tense itself.
Exercise
He is playing football.

Arrangements for the near future 

In the example you can see that the tickets are already
bought. So we are talking about an arrangement for the
near future.
To make clear that the action is not going on now, we
usually use signal words like tonight, tomorrow, next
I'm going to the theatre tonight. Friday, at noon.
Exercise
 Actions taking place only for a limited period of time 

Here we are talking about a time limit. Jim does not

usually work in the firm, he is still at school and wants
to earn some extra money during his holidays.
To make clear that there is a time limit, we usually use
signal words, e.g. this week/month/year.
Exercise
Jim is helping in his brother's firm
this week.

Actions taking place around now (but not at the moment of speaking) 

This action takes place around now and only for a

limited period of time, but not at the moment of
speaking.
We don't have to use signal words here, but we often
find signal words in such sentences, e.g. now, at the
moment.
Exercise
I'm studying for my exams.
Development, changing situations 

The sentence describes a development from one

situation to another.
Signal words are not that common here, only sometimes
the change of situation is emphasised by using for
example more and more.
Exercise
 Th
e population of China is rising very
fast.

Exercise on lyrics (mixed) 

Exercise on useful phrases (mixed) 

Present Progressive - Signal Words

Actions taking place at the moment of speaking (now) 
 at the moment
 now / just now / right now
 Listen!
 Look!
 Arrangements for the near future 
 in the morning / in the afternoon / in the evening
 at noon / tonight
 tomorrow
 next ...

Actions taking place only for a limited period of time 

 this week / this month / this year

Actions taking place around now (but not at the moment of speaking) 
 at the moment
 now / just now / right now

Development, changing situations 

 more and more

Exercise on signal words 1 

Exercise on signal words 2 

Present Progressive - Summary

Form

  affirmative negative question

I I am playing. I am not playing. Am I playing?

he, she, it He is playing. He is not playing. Is he playing?

you, we, they You are playing. You are not playing. Are you playing?

Exceptions in Spelling

Exeption Example

silent e is dropped before ing (but: ee is not changed) come - coming (but: agree -
 agreeing)

final consonant after short, stressed vowel is doubled sit - sitting

final consonant l after vowel is always doubled (in British travel - travelling

English)

ie becomes y before ing lie - lying

Short Forms

positiv negativ

I am playing. - I'm playing. I am not playing. - I'm not playing.

He is playing. - He's playing. He is not playing. - He's not playing. / He isn't playing.

We are playing. - We're playing. We are not playing. - We're not playing. /We aren't playing.

Use

Use Example

actions taking place at the moment of speaking (now) He is playing football.

arrangements for the near future I'm going to the theatre tonight.

actions taking place only for a limited period of time Jim is helping in his brother's firm this
week.
 actions taking place around now (but not at the moment I'm studying for my exams.
of speaking)

development, changing situations The population of China is rising very

fast.

Typical Signal Words

 at the moment
 now / just now / right now
 Listen!
 Look!

Simple Past: Negatives and Questions

Introduction
In the simple past tense, negative and question forms are made using the
auxiliary verb "do" (in its past form, "did") followed by the simple form of
the main verb. This page explains the rules.

1. Forming a negative
Negatives in the simple past are formed by adding didn't (informal) or did
not (formal) before the simple form of the verb. The verb BE is an
exception to this; in the case of BE, we just add n't (informal)
or not (formal) after "was" or "were":

Simple past statement Informal negative Formal negativ

I had a car. I didn't have a car. I did not have a

You ate my toast. You didn't eat my toast. You did not eat
Simple past statement Informal negative Formal negativ

He was here yesterday. He wasn't here yesterday. He was not her

They were in the park. They weren't in the park. They were not

2. Forming a yes/no question

Yes/no questions are also created using the auxiliary did. This time, the
auxiliary is placed before the subject. The verb BE is an exception; in this
case, we move BE before the subject. Here are the rules:

Simple past statement Yes/no question

He brought his friend. Did he bring his friend?

They had a party. Did they have a party?

You were here. Were you here?

She was sick. Was she sick?

3. Forming a WH- question

WH- questions (using words such as "what", "when", and "where") are also
created by putting the auxiliary did before the subject (or moving BE, as
explained above). Then, you add the WH- word at the beginning. Here are
some examples:

Statement Yes/no question WH- question

The building fell down. Did the building fall down? Why did the building fall down?

They lived in Vancouver. Did they live in Vancouver? Where did they live?

The store was closed. Was the store closed? Why was the store closed?
Statement Yes/no question WH- question

They were wolves. Were they wolves? What were they?

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with
the exercises.

Simple Past: Regular Verbs

Introduction
The simple past tense is one of the most common tenses in English. Its
form is the same with all subjects. It is usually formed by adding -ED to the
verb. This page will explain the rules for forming the tense with regular
verbs.

1. Forming the simple past tense

With most verbs, the simple past is created simply by adding -ED.
However, with some verbs, you need to add -D or change the ending a
little. Here are the rules:

Verb ending in... How to make the simple past Examples

e Add -D live   lived

date   dated

Consonant +y Change y to i, then add -ED try   tried

cry   cried

One vowel + one consonant Double the consonant, then add -ED tap   tapped
(but NOT w or y) commit   committed

anything else including w Add -ED boil   boiled

fill   filled
hand   handed
Verb ending in... How to make the simple past Examples

show   showed

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with
the exercises.

Choose the correct past tense form for each verb.

Your score is: 100%.
Questions answered correctly first time: 10/10
You have completed the exercise.

SHOW ONE AT A TIME

1. show

A.   showed

B.   ?    showied

C.   ?    showwed

2. trap

A.   ?    traped

B.   ?    trapied

C.   trapped

3. rely

A.   relied

B.   ?    relyed

C.   ?    rellyed
4. marry

A.   ?    marryyed

B.   ?    marryed

C.   married

5. depart

A.   departed

B.   ?    departied

C.   ?    departted

6. permit

A.   permitted

B.   ?    permitied

C.   ?    permited

7. play

A.   ?    plaied

B.   played

C.   ?    playyed

8. fail

A.   ?    failied

B.   failed

C.   ?    failled
 9. bathe

A.   bathed

B.   ?    bathhed

C.   ?    bathied

10. share

A.   shared

B.   ?    sharied

C.   ?    sharred

Put the verb in brackets in the correct simple past form.

Correct! Well done.
Your score is: 100%.

My grandfather had a very exciting life. When he was young,

he lived (live) on a farm in the country. His parents raised (raise) cattle, and

he looked (look) after the cows. When he was eighteen, he went to university, where

he studied (study) Philosophy. He also played (play) the trumpet in a jazz band. When

the war started, he tried (try) to join the Air Force, but he ended (end) up in the Navy.

In the Atlantic, a German torpedo ripped (rip) a hole in the side of his ship, and the

ship sank. Only five men escaped (escape). They sailed (sail) in a lifeboat back to

England. Then he met my grandmother, and they married (marry) after only three

weeks. He says now that he wanted (want) to marry her very quickly in case

he died (die) in the war.

Simple Past: Irregular Verbs

Introduction
Although many verbs in English form their past tense with -ED, some do
not. These are called irregular verbs, and they include some of the most
basic verbs in English. This page will explain some of the most important
patterns in forming the past tense. However, the only way to know how an
irregular verb will change in the past tense is to learn all of the important
verbs.

1. The three most important irregular verbs

The three most important irregular verbs are BE, HAVE, and DO. The
simple past forms for BE are different depending on the subject.

Pronoun BE HAVE

I was had

You were had

He / she / it was had

We were had

They were had

2. Other irregular verbs

Other irregular verbs fall into three main categories:
Category Examples

Verbs which don't change cut - cut

hit - hit
fit - fit

Verbs which change their vowel get - got

sit - sat
drink - drank

Verbs which change completely catch - caught

bring - brought
teach - taught

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with
the exercises.

Simple Past: Irregular Verbs

Choose the correct past tense form for each verb.
Your score is: 95%.
Questions answered correctly first time: 9/10
You have completed the exercise.

SHOW ONE AT A TIME

1. catch

A.   ?    catch

B.   caught

C.   ?    catched

2. fit

A.   fit
 B.   fought

C.   ?    fat

3. get

A.   ?    get

B.   got

C.   ?    gought

4. find

A.   found

B.   ?    fand

C.   ?    find

5. cut

A.   ?    cutted

B.   cut

C.   ?    caught

6. set

A.   ?    sought

B.   set

C.   ?    sat

7. drink

A.   ?    drink
 B.   drank

C.   ?    drunk

8. teach

A.   taught

B.   ?    teached

C.   ?    teach

9. bring

A.   ?    brang

B.   brought

C.   ?    bringed

10. have

A.   ?    hove

B.   had

C.   ?    have

Emily Carr, British Columbia's most famous artist, was (be) born in 1871. Her
parents died (die) when she was still a teenager. She studied (study) art in San
Francisco and Paris, but when she came (come) back to Victoria, she kept (keep)
a house called "The House of All Sorts", where she was (be) the landlady. Many
years later, she began (begin) painting again. To find subjects for her paintings,
she took (take) trips into the forests of British Columbia, and she
often met (meet) with the First Nations people and painted (paint) them too.
Emily Carr also wrote (write) several books, and she won (win) the Governor
General's Award for one of them.