Hi everybody! 

First of all, thank you for taking the time to have a look at my blog. I hope all of you can find interesting information and activities that might help you increase your knowlegde about the English language and the English culture and also to provide you with some moments of fun.

Welcome and enjoy!

Irregular Plural of Nouns

How do you create the plural of a noun? You don´t always add an -s, do you?
So now it´s time to rack your brains and complete the gaps with the appropiate word.

1. The dentist said all of my t_______ are fine.

2. How many p_______ were at the party? 

3. Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a book about the rights of w_______ in 1792. 

4. Could you put the k_______ and forks on the table ready for dinner? 

5. Could you organise all the books on the s_______.

6. These new shoes are really hurting my f_______. 

7. My parents had six c_______, so I’ve got five brothers and sisters. 

8. My cat caught two m_______ last week. 

9. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times to seven different m_______. 

Now, you can print the sheet below and play bingo with your friends, and if you are brave enough you can create your own with all the new vocabulary that you have just learnt in the previous activity.

English accents

Now you know a bit a more about the different accents in Britain, complete the missing words in the following text about the Cockney accent. 

WHAT'S A COCKNEY? 

born       as        cockney        heard         is      days

A true Cockney ____ someone born within the sound of Bow Bells. (St Mary-le-Bow Church in Cheapside, London). However the term _____ is now loosely applied to many ____ outside this area as long as they have a "Cockney" accent or a Cockney heritage. The Cockney accent is _____ less often in Central London these ____ but is widely heard in the outer London boroughs, the London suburbs and all across South East England. It is common in Bedfordshire towns like Luton and Leighton Buzzard, and Essex towns such ____ Romford.

English accents

By checking this video, you will be able to hear some of the more important English accents that are spoken in England and how they sound.

Listen carefully and try to locate them!

 


Now, answer these questions:

- Were you aware of the amount of different accents spoken in the UK?

- Can you distinguish them?

- Which one is the one that you are studying at school? Is the most common one in England?

- Which one do you prefer? Why?

Knowing a bit more about the English Breakfast

The full breakfast is traditionally served at breakfast time, but it is also popular at other times, usually replacing lunch. Rarely is it now served every day of the week, reserved instead for the weekend or on vacation in hotels and Bed and Breakfasts, where no stay would be complete without one. 

Breakfast may begin with orange juice, cereals, stewed or fresh fruits but the heart of the Full breakfast is bacon and eggs. They are sometimes accompanied by sausages, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, tea, toast and marmalade.

Each country in the UK and Ireland also have their own choice of accompaniments, it is up to the individual just how much they want on their plate and their preferences. 

You may find the following: 
- A Full English Breakfast may have Black Pudding, Baked Beans and Fried Bread. 
- A Full Scottish, as above but may also have, Potato Scones (Tattie Scones), Haggis and Oatcakes. 
- A Full Irish – Again, as above but may also have White Pudding and Soda Bread. 
- A Full Welsh – Laver bread or laver cakes. These are neither bread or cakes but are made with seaweed, the cakes seaweed cooked with oatmeal. 
- An Ulster Fry is not dissimilar to a Full English but may also have soda bread and is served again, throughout the day. 

Other names besides a ‘Full Breakfast’ are some of the following: a Fry Up, a Full Monty, and in Ireland it is sometimes known as a Chub. 

And to drink? A cup of tea is a popular and traditional drink with breakfast, though coffee is also served.

 

Listen to the audio about English Food

With this activity you will have the opportunity to improve your listening skills. Listen to the conversation and choose the sentences that are true.

1. Tess and Ravi both think that British food is delicious.
2. Fish and chips and roast beef are traditional English dishes.
3. Britain has a strong tradition of food and cooking.
4. You can eat well in England.
5. You can´t eat food from all over the world in London.
6. Tess loves Thai food.
7. In small towns you can only eat British food.
8. There are brilliant japanese restaurants in Manchester.
9. Tess and Ravi hardly ever eat British food. 
10. There are a lot of programmes about cooking on TV. 
11. Ravi watches cooking programmes on TV all the time.