This event takes place every year and it always promises to be controversial!
The OFFICIAL SITE lists the countries who are entering and introduces us to some of the contestants and their song entries.
The contest is meant to be non-political:
“No lyrics, speeches, gestures of a political or similar nature shall be permitted … No messages promoting any organisation, institution, political cause or other, company, brand, products or services shall be allowed ... A breach of this rule may result in disqualification.”
However, this article claims that political commentary is making its way into many of the Eurovision entries. With links to Eurovision clips, it's an entertaining and thought-provoking article.
In this video you'll see lots of examples of comparative and superlative forms.
Grammar Notes and examples:
We use -er for short words (one syllable)
- cheap > cheaper
e.g. It is cheaper to drive than to take the train .
We also use -er with two-syllable words that end with -y
- pretty > prettier
e.g. Your dress is prettier than mine .
We use more for longer words (two syllables or more)
- comfortable >more comfortable
e.g. The sofa is more comfortable than the chair .
We use more for adverbs that end with -ly
- serious > more seriously
e.g. I am taking exams more seriously this term .
Irregular comparative forms: adjective > comparative
good/well > better
bad > worse
many/much > more
little > less
We use (slightly /a bit/a little+comparative,nearly as ... as ) if they is a small difference
e.g. I'm feeling slightly better than yesterday .
e.g. This year is a bit more difficult than expected .
e.g. Your phone is a little smaller than mine .
e.g. London is nearly as expensive as pairs .
We use (far/a lot/much+comparative) if they is a big difference
e.g. This film is far better than the one we saw last week .
e.g. The weather is alot colder this year .
e.g. That exercise is much more difficult .
Comparatives Quiz
What's bigger?
- a blue whale or an average home in the US?
- The Earth or the planet Venus?
- Asia or Africa?
Is there a big difference in size? Can you use appropriate language to describe this?
Write a comparative description within the context of something that is of particular interest to you. This could be a comparison of two sports teams, cars, pieces of technology, countries, celebrities, famous people....the choice is endless! Add any images or videos to make your description more lively. Check your use of comparative and superlative structures before you post your text.
Our political parties have different ideas about how the government should run the country. Voting is difficult, because few people agree with all the policies of any one party. Task 1 Click on the links below to find out more about our political parties and their policies. Which policies do you support and which ones do you disagree with? Please write your opinions in the Comments section.
Here's a summary, introducing you to these politicians:
(don't try to read the whole manifesto - it's 75 pages long!)
Task 2 The main party leaders have held debates with the general public. How do you think they each perform? Which politician is most convincing in this clip and what are the reasons? Who do you think would be the best leader of this country? Write your ideas in the Comments section.
(order of appearance: 1. Mr Cameron 2. Mr Miliband 3. Mr Clegg)
I’ve been teaching EFL for over 12 years now, and thoroughly enjoy working with students from all over the world and seeing their English improve. This makes the job very rewarding for me. Before doing this I worked in business and spent a great deal of time in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines, where I sourced Christmas decorations for the UK market. Having a family put an end to a career that involved a lot of travel, and I chose a new direction for my life. Even though my children are now 18 and 19, I won’t go back to the business world, but I am considering travelling again and when I’ve completed my MA in ELT I might move into teacher training.
Life at home is about to get rather quiet. My daughter is studying in Holland and my son is about to finish his A Levels, so he’ll be off travelling next year before he goes to University. That just leaves my husband and me at home! We live in the countryside, about 30 minutes by car from Leamington. I enjoy walking, reading, playing Bridge and socialising with my friends.
Khawlah
My name is Khawlah and I’m 24
years old which always comes to be very surprising to people telling me I look
much younger, sometimes meaning it to be a compliment, however, it never feels
like it (maybe when I’m older it will J).
I was born in the US where my
parents were studying, then moved back to Saudi when I was 3. Since then I lived
with my parents and 5 brothers in Riyadh. I studied Computer Science in
University and after graduation worked for 16 months as a Web Developer.
Iman
My name is Iman, I'm 18 years old and I'm from Oman. I come from a big family I've 7 brothers and 2 sisters. I finished high school last year when I decided to study in the UK. I'm planing to study engineering and to do that I need a good mark in IELTS which I have today. I enjoy cooking and reading a lot. I learn how to cook from my mom and blogs. I like the life in England a lot. There is lots to do in the weekend like shopping and hanging around with my friend.
Bijia Li
I am Bijia Li, which comes from Beijing, the capital city of China. Differing from other students in the class, I am the only child in my family due to the One Child policy in China. I had fulfilled the undergraduate majoring in Accounting before I started this course, and fulfilling a Master is my next short-term target. I really enjoy the cultural environment and travelling opportunity here.
In terms of interests, I fancy cooking and travelling at free time. I am good at cooking traditional Chinese Food, such as Gongpao Chicken, Sweet Juicy Ribs, and so on. Welcome to contact with me if you are interested in Chinese Food and cooking. I am planning to travel to Scotland as well as Lake Districts, the aim is to understand the UK in-depth.
Maather
My name is Maather , I am an Omani citizen who has been awarded a scholarship to study dentistry in the UK. I am currently studying English course in Warwickshire college to improve my language level as I have succeeded in the language exam IELTS and been given an unconditional offer by Glasgow university . So in the short-term I will be laying my foundation for my future career and in the long-term I would like to fulfill my dream of being a dentist . I mostly enjoy drawing ,cooking and designing cakes in my free time as well as contacting my family while I am away from home , I admire my family as they are the big supporter who has always encouraged me in every step I have taken .One thing to mention is that my family consist of 4 brothers and 2 sisters and I am the second biggest daughter from my beloved parents .
Blog is one
of the most useful things that we should use in classes; one benefit associated
with the blog is that it can enhance students reading skills as well as it will
encourage them to rethink of their writing before publishing it in any comments
of other people’s posts and that will improve their writing skills. A Second advantage
that can be linked to the blog is that it will increase the communication in the
class; therefore, this will form a bond between the teacher and the students. A third striking aspect concerning is the fact
that it will encourage shy students to participate more and it will give them the
opportunity to show their skills and personality.
This is our class:
Where are we from?
Our students are worldwide. There are four of us come from
Sultanate of Oman, Maather, Iman, Jihad and Younis. Another girl, Khawlah, comes
from Saudi Arabia. We also have a Chinese, Bijia. The class has 5 Arabian and 1
Chinese, so we have a multi-cultural learning environment. However, the class has 5 girls and 1 man. We
hope to have more male students to address the gender balance.
(bar chart and summary to be added by media editors)
Introductions
1. Assignment: Writing
Introduce yourself, and tell us something about your life in your home country. You might include details about your home, family and friends, what you like doing in your free time, why you have come to this college.
Language Focus: Use of tenses; present simple and continuous
Procedure:
- go to main Blogger page and our Intermediate Class Blog
- click on orange pencil icon (create new post) and your page will open
- in title box put Introductions
- start with a sub-heading, which should be your name
- write your introduction.
2. Feedback task:
Week 1 Blogging Buddies
Maather
Iman
Younis
Khawiah
Belinda
Jihad
Read your assigned post. Has this student covered all of the ideas in the writing assignment or have they left out some details?
Do you know about their family, friends, hobbies, home town and their reasons for studying in the UK?
Comment on their post
Ask your Blogging Buddy 2 questions about their life that they have not covered in their introduction.
