Merry Christmas

Christmas is here

Listen to and read the traditional Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.



Reading comprehension with answers.



Enjoy this video

Obligation and lack of obligation - MUST, HAVE TO, CAN...

Personal obligations                                       – MUST/NEED TO

I must call my mother

If the speaker has the authority                    – MUST/NEED TO

You must lose some weight

To strongly recommend something               – MUST(HAVE TO)

You must see that film

To speak about rules                                      – HAVE TO/BE SUPPOSED TO

We have to be on time for class

If there is no obligation                                   – DON'T HAVE/NEED TO

You don't have to bring your book

To speak about something that is possible     – CAN/BE ALLOWED TO/

I can leave early today

You are allowed to work from home

To speak about prohibitions you use              – CAN'T/MUSTN'T

You can't smoke here                              NOT BE ALLOWED/SUPPOSED TO

To give advice or express a weak obligation  – SHOULD/OUGHT TO

You should do your homework

You ought to see the doctor

Planning a trip

A - Let's get out of the city this weekend
B - That's a good idea. I'm getting sick of being here!
A - Do you want to go to the beach?
B - We always go to the beach. Let's do something different!
A - How about camping?
B - Hmm... camping? That sounds terrific
A - All my ideas are terrific
B - Do you have a tent?
A - No. Do you?
B - Hmm... no, but I can borrow a large one from my friend
A - How about a sleeping bag?
B - Yes, I have a sleeping bag. Do you have one?
A - No, I don't.
B - Do you want to share one with me?
A - No, thanks. I'll buy a new sleeping bag
B - Do you think we should go far far away?
A - How much time do you have?
B - I can leave Friday after work
A - I can leave Friday too. When do you have to be back?
B - I have to be back by Sunday
A - Okay, we'll be back by Sunday
B - What should we do while we're there?
A - Do you want to go hiking ?
B - Hiking? Okay, but we shouldn't go far from the campground
A - If we stay around the campground, will you bring the barbecue?
B - Of course, what is camping without a barbecue?
A - Will you make your famous hamburgers?
B - Sure thing. I'll make hamburgers
A - Should we invite some friends?
B - Great idea! Let's invite all of our friends!
A - This is going to be fun!
B - I can't wait!

Contest at the EOI

Do you dare!

B2.1 - Learning languages

Listen to this man talking about the secrets of language learning. Decide if the following statements are true or false.


1. He says there are 6 secrets to learning a language
2. He learned 11 languages before he was 15
3. He is learning Korean
4. He spends 1h a day trying to learn a language
5. He spends this time reading, listening or speaking the new language
6. To improve your oral skills talk to a friend who speaks the language
7. Use a computer to improve your skills
8. In class people only learn grammar
9. If you dedicate 3 hours a day you can learn a language in 3 months

Answers written in white. Select this line to see them: 1F, 2F, 3T, 4T, 5T, 6T, 7F, 8F, 9F

Do you want to know the rest of the secrets? Click here and find out.


More about learning a foreign language


1. Many teachers don’t speak the language __________________
2. You should use a __________________ to practice on your own
3. Languages have a lot of different __________________
4. In Texas there were a lot of __________________
5. Your need and __________________ the time determines your experience with learning languages


6. English students want to __________________ in the English language
7. The __________________thing is that there are a lot of idioms
8. We are a __________________ nation and many countries learn our language
9. Americans don’t know _____________________ as other people around the world.

Answers written in white: 1. fluently, 2. taped system, 3. dialects, 4. Spanish speaking people, 5. willingness to spend, 6. immerse themselves, 7. unfortunate, 8. powerful, 9. as many languages

English Mania

Watch the video and answer the questions

1. What three other manias are mentiones? Beatle mania, sports mania, religious mania
2. How many people are learning English around the world? 2 billion
3. When do Chinese people start learning English? In third grade
4. Why is English so important? It means opportunity for a better life, a job, to be able to pay for school, or put better food on the table
5. What other universal languages are mentioned? Mathematics and music
6. What does English represent? Hope for the future

Answers written in white. Select the text above to see them.
Read the transcript or watch with subtitles here