learn and teach english

 Learn and teach english

Here you will find articles to improve your level of English, avoid common mistakes and continue learning in a fun way. If you are a teacher, this is the ideal place to discover resources for your classes.

THE PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF VOWELS IN ENGLISH


A es /eɪ/

E es /iː- /

I es /aɪ/

O es /oʊ/

U es /ju /

Let's see how vowels can sound:

With A we find ace (as) /eɪs/ which in Spanish sounds like ‘eis’ and apple (manzana) /ˈæp.əl/ which sounds like ‘apl’ with an ‘a’ similar to the Spanish one.

With the E we find read (to read) /riːd/ which in Spanish sounds ‘rid’. Two 'e' together, as in feet (pies pl.) /fiːt/ sounds 'fit'. Elephant (elefante) /ˈel.ɪ.fənt/ sounds 'elefant' with an 'e' similar to Spanish.

With the I we find iceberg (iceberg) /ˈaɪs.bɜːɡ/ which in Spanish sounds like 'aisberg' and ring (anillo) /rɪŋ/ which sounds like 'ring' with an 'i' similar to the Spanish one.

With the O we have go (ir) /ɡəʊ/ which in Spanish sounds like ‘gou’. Two 'o's together as in roof /ruːf/ sound 'ruf'. Toy (toy) is represented /tɔɪ/ and sounds 'toi' with an 'o' similar to the Spanish one.

With the U we have unique (unico) /juːˈniːk/ which in Spanish sounds like 'iunik' and bus (autobús) /bʌs/ which sounds like 'bas' with the sound produced by putting the mouth as if to say 'u' but saying ' to'.

The most common parts of the body in English

There are many parts of the body, so we will focus on those that are most frequently mentioned in English.

In the upper part of the body we have:

Head

Body part	Translation
Hair	Hair
Head	Head
Face	Face
Forehead	Forehead
Ears	Ears
Eyebrows	Eyebrows
Eyelashes	Eyelashes
Eyes	Eyes
Nose	Nose
Mustache	Moustache
Mouth	Mouth
Lips	Lips
Tongue	Language
Tooth (singular) / Teeth (plural)	Tooth teeth
Cheeks	Cheeks
Freckles	freckles
Chin	Chin
Beard	Beard
Nape	Nape
Neck	Neck

Some curiosities of the parts of the head

As you have surely noticed, your parents, siblings or friends have different styles and shades of hair. Some have it Chinese brown and others straight and blonde, among other combinations. Each type has its name and we tell you below:

video

Body parts


The verb to be"

The verb "to be" translates as "to be" and is the most important in English since it also has two uses. On the one hand, it can work as a main verb and on the other hand, it can also work as an auxiliary verb. Also, sometimes, it can be a bit difficult for us to understand it and you will wonder why? Well, the reason is that: as we increase our level in this language, we will discover that this verb is irregular, both in the present and in the past.

Some uses of the verb "to be" We can use it as we said at the beginning, as the main verb. In which cases? Whenever we want to refer to the characteristics of a person or something. We can use it with a noun, with a place and with an adjective. Sounds difficult right? Let's see some examples to understand it better Let's go there!.

He is a student (He is a student). As we see we use a noun in this case.

We are not in California (We are not in California). Here we are talking about a place, so we will need to put a preposition of place before the site. In this example, the structure would therefore be: Suj + to be + preposition of place + a site.

Are you sad? (You're sad?). In this case, we use the adjective sad to ask about someone's mood, that is, we ask about a characteristic of the person that we want to know.

Basic and useful vocabulary about the theme of Clothes – ‘Clothes’

 

When we talk about clothes in English, we always refer to them in the plural, we cannot say clothe. To talk about a garment we would say garment or item of clothing.

While it is true that in all fields there are differences in vocabulary between the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), in the area of ​​clothing these are even more common.

In general, English speakers are aware of these differences and there is usually no problem for them to understand what we are talking about. However, it is important to know which terms to use in each situation, especially when focusing on an academic text or expressing ourselves in a more formal context.

Vocabulary

suit – traje
shirt – camisa
tie – corbata
bow tie – pajarita
dress – vestido
blouse – blusa
skirt – falda
tank top –  jersey sin mangas, chaleco de punto (UK), camiseta sin mangas (US)
coat – abrigo
jacket- chaqueta
t-shirt – camiseta
trouser – pantalones (UK)
pants – pantalones (US)
jeans – pantalones vaqueros
short – pantalones cortos
jumper – suéter
pullover – jersey

cardigan – chaqueta de punto
sweatshirt – sudadera
hoodie – sudadera con capucha
glove(s) – guante(s)
mitten(s) – manopla(s)
baby Clothes – Ropa de bebé
romper – body bebé, enterito
nappy, nappies – pañal (UK)
diaper, diapers – pañal (US)
bikini – bikini
swimming trunks, trunks – bañador de hombre
swimsuit – bañador
bathing suit – bañador (US)
bathing costume – bañador (UK)
Nightwear – ropa de dormir

Accessories and others - Accessories and others

kerchief – pañuelo
shawl – chal
scarf – bufanda
headscarf – pañuelo para la cabeza, pañoleta, velo
glasses – gafas
sunglasses – gafas de sol
jewelry – joyas
costume jewelry, imitation jewelry – bisutería
earrings – pendientes
bracelet – pulsera
watch – reloj
necklace – collar
pendant – colgante
sleeve – manga
short-sleeve, short-sleeved – de manga corta
long-sleeve, long-sleeved – de manga larga
button – botón
zip (UK), zipper (US) – cremallera

Dresses

Family members: vocabulary in English

Let's start with the closest family!

MY FAMILY: MI FAMILIA
Mother: madre
Father: padre
Daughter: hija
Son: hijo
Brother: hermano
Sister: hermana
Grandmother: abuela
Grandfather: abuelo
Granddaughter: nieta
Grandson: nieto
Aunt: tía
Uncle: tío
Cousin: primo o prima

I am sure that, in addition, in your mother tongue you use affectionate forms to refer to some members of the family. The English also do it with mom and dad. Notice:

Mum o mummy: mamá o mami
Dad o daddy: papá o papi

On the other hand, if we want to speak in the plural of some members of the family, we will say:

Parents: padres
Children: hijos
Siblings: hermanos
Twins: gemelos
Grandparents: abuelos
Relatives: familiares

 

Phrases in English to talk about your family

Now that you know how to say the different members of the closest family in English, let's put it into practice. Next, we leave you simple phrases that you can use in conversations with friends to find out what their family is like or tell what yours is like:

• Have you got any brothers and sisters?: ¿tienes hermanos o hermanas?
• No, I’m an only child: no, soy hijo único
• Yes, I have one brother and one sister: sí, tengo un hermano y una hermana
• How big is your family?: ¿tu familia es muy grande?
• Yes, I have four siblings: sí, tengo cuatro hermanos
• Do you live with your grandparents?: ¿vives con tus abuelos?
• How often do you see your cousins?: ¿con qué frecuencia ves a tus primos?

There are also expressions that are very useful to explain more precisely what our family is like. For example, who do we look like or what are our names:

• I was named after my grandmother: me llamaron así por mi abuela
• I look like my auntie: me parezco a mi tía
• Blue eyes run in my family: los ojos azules vienen de familia
• I’m very close to my sister: mi hermana y yo tenemos una relación muy estrecha

Games to learn family members in English

An easy and fun way to learn family members in English is by playing questions. Remember the "Who's Who"? The mechanics couldn't be simpler: each turn, each player thinks of a phrase that defines one of the family members and the rest of the players will have to guess it. For example:

• Who has blonde hair?: ¿quién tiene el pelo rubio?
• Who has green eyes?: ¿quién tiene los ojos verdes?
• Who wears glasses?: ¿quién lleva gafas?
• Who likes pizza?: ¿a quién le gusta la pizza?
• Who lives in Barcelona?: ¿quién vive en Barcelona?

Whoever gets the most questions right or answers the fastest wins! The best thing is that it is a game that does not need any material, so you can practice on the way to school, in line at the supermarket or in the car. Any time is good to have fun while we learn.

Bonus: educational game

link: https://www.mes-english.com/curriculum/