The Comeback- a story

Click here and listen to the story. 

A Visitor to The Star- a story

Click here to listen to a story.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

VOCABULARY
Click here to see some words related to Halloween.

LISTENING ACTIVITY (check your answers in 'comments')



 Exercise 1. Watch the video and write the exact day of each celebration:
1. All Saints Day
2. Samhain
3. All Hallows
4. All Hallows' Eve
5. All Souls day
6. Halloween
Exercise 2.  Watch the video again and answer questions 1-4 . 
1. Which of the customs below are celebrated during Halloween?
a) parades b) bobbing for apples c) giving presents d) trick or treating
2. What two things did people use to do at the night of 31st October? Why did they do it? a)...................................................................................................................................................................................................
b)...................................................................................................................................................................................................
3.  What are the names of the following customs:
a) A custom during which needy people offer their prays for dead relatives in return for pastry, such as  soul cakes, is called ….................... .
b) A custom during which young people dress up and accept food, wine or money in exchange for singing , reciting poetry or telling jokes is called …......................... .
4.  Read the text and write a missing word
Halloween has become a family-friendly, kid-centred custom in ….................... . Since then it's been growing in popularity all over the world. It's estimated that on average US consumers spend round ….............. on costumes annually, and the remaining on …........................ . Making it the second most commercial holiday after …........................ .

DARK SHADOWS by Tim Burton

Click here to do another listening activity about Halloween.

'SMEE', A HORROR STORY

Listen to the story and take notes. Click here to read the story.

UFO: A story to remember

A listening activity about a man who saw a UFO.

Two Peas in a Pod

Click here to listen to a story about two identical twins.

Life of a Tree

You will hear the story of the life a tree in six parts. 

1. Guess the order that they will hear these parts:

a. The polluted city

b. First years of life

c. A terrible war

d. The village becomes a town

e. The forest grows again

f. Trees are cut down to make farms

2. Watch the video and  check your guesses.

3. Watch the video again and answer these questions:

Part a: How was the tree different from the young animals?

Part b: Why was the tree lucky?

Part c: Where did the tree live in the big town?

Part d: Why was the tree lucky again? (

Part e: Why was the tree unhappy?

Part f: What happened after the people left?

-Which changes happened slowly?

-Which changes were big and fast?

Check your answers in 'comments'

Click here to read the script.

Fairy Tales

First click here to see the script of a video with a different version of Sleeping Beauty and fill in the gaps with the right tense of the verbs in brackets. Then watch the video and check your answers. Finally, go to 'comments' and check them again.

Glossary: 
harsher: more unpleasant
stinking: having a very stron, unpleasant smell
left out: not included
'ladida': informal BrE, something typical of upper-class people but not natural or sincere.
Try this on for size!: informal, Take that!
a shower: a group of people
loom over: to appear as a large shape that is not clear in a threatening way.
to put a curse on somebody: use magic powers or words to cause bad luck

BITS

Another incredible website for English learners.

Short audio stories

Click here to access a website with lots of short stories with exercises. 

An anecdote

Watch Leila telling an anecdote and answer the questions. (answers in "comments")

*Haggle: to argue in order to agree on the price of something.

1. What is the anecdote about?
2. Why did she go to New York in the first place?
3. Why did she and her friend Elton go to Manhattan?
4. What time was the last train back to New Jersey?
5. How much was a taxi there?
6. How much did Elton agree to pay the taxi driver?
7. What happened when they got to New Jersey?
8. Why did Elton leave the car?
9. What happened next?
10. How was she feeling when they got home?

The Tragic Tale of Ruddy Wee Hoody

1.A little story. Fill the gaps with suitable forms of the verbs given in brackets. You have some vocabulary at the bottom of the page.

2. Listen and read Roald Dahl's version of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.

Narrative tenses

This podcast is about narrative tenses (past simple, past continous, past perfect). To master the use of these tenses you have to deal with their form, their use and their pronunciation - both for listening and speaking. A full transcript, pronunciation drills, grammar notes and advice are all available for this episode.