Catalan trial: Artur Mas independence vote case draws crowds

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38878688

National geographic

Adventure video, pictures, world exploration, educational cable TV programming. Includes show schedule, plus multimedia previews.

Website: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/

Black or white (Michael Jackson)

Idiom of the day (41)

Let bygones be bygones.

Lo pasado, pasado está.

Rolling in the deep (Adele)

Famous words (6)

Sports do not build character. They reveal it.

                                          Heywood Hale Brown (US broadcast juornalist)

A letter to the editor

We usually write a letter to the editor when we want to express our opinion about a topic that is of interest to the general public, to agree or disagree with something that has been reported, or to discuss a problem and suggest solutions. We usually write a letter to the editor in a formal or semi-formal style.

We start our letter with Dear Sir/Madam,

Introduction

First paragraph = we present our reason for writing and our opinion about the topic.

Main body

Second and third paragraphs = we present our arguments/the problems, together with consequences/suggestions/results in separate paragraphs.

Conclusion

Last paragraph = we summarise our opinion or write it again using different words.

We end with Yours faithfully, and our full name.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

To begin the letter: I am writing to express my support for/(dis)approval of...; I am writing with regard to...; I am writing about...; I have just read...; etc

To state an opinion: In my opinion,...; I (do not) feel/believe/think...; I am (totally) opposed to/in favour of...; I strongly (dis)agree with...; etc

To express the consequences/results: xThis will/would mean...; Then...; Therefore...; As a result,...; Consequently,...; If we/they do/did this,...; Obviously,...; Clearly,...; etc

To list ponts: Firstly,...; First of all,...; Secondly,...; Furthermore,...; What is more,...; FInally,...;

To end the letter: I hope my comments/suggestions/points will be taken into consideration; I hope the government/local council/we will...; I hope something will be done about this urgently; etc

Example: The local council has decided to build a new sports centre in your home town where an old factory used to be. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, expressing your support for the plan.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writign about the recent article in your newspaper regarding the decision to build a new sports centre in our town. In my opinion, this is an excellent idea which will have many advantages for our town.

To start with, the town has very few sports facilities. Many people do not get the chance to play sports when they want. A new sports centre will give more people the opportunity to play sports. It will also give children and teenagers access to better facilities tah they have at school, as well as somewhere to go at weekends. At the moment there is little for them to go.

Furthermore, the new sports centre will be in an excellent location. It is in the centre of town, near the railway station and several major bus routes. Consequently, it will be very easy to get to. What is more, the fact that it will be built on the site of the old factory means that the town's appearance will be improved.

All in all, I must state that I am in total agreement with the council's decision. I hope that the plan is put into effect as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

James Marshall

Idiom of the day (40)

Laughter is the best medicine.

La risa es el mejor remedio.

Would you like to have a teacher like this?

Idiom of the day (39)

Are you up for it?

¿Te apuntas?

Famous words (5)

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

      Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish writer)

Idiom of the day (38)

There's no smoke without fire.

Cuando el río suena, agua lleva.

An assessment report

An assessment report is usually written for someone in authority such as your employer. It presents and evaluates the positive and negative qualities of a place, person, etc in order to make some kind of judgment or recommendation. Reports always contain factual information.

We always begin a report by saying who the report is for and their position, the writer's name and position and what the report is about.

Introduction
First paragraph = we present the purpose and content of the report.

Main body
Main body = we present each topic in detail under separate sub-headings.

Conclusion
Las paragraph = we summarise the information and state our general assessment or evaluation.

We usually write reports in a formal, impersonal style. We write short sentences containing factual language so that information can be understood easily. We normally use present tenses in assessment reports as well as the passive voice and full verbs forms.



Example: The editor of the magazine where you work as an assistant editor has asked you to write a report assessing the good and bad points of the Taj Mahal Indian restaurant. Write your report describing the restaurant's food, prices, service and atmosphere.

To..........: Mr. C. James, Editor
From......: Al Thompson, Assistan Editor
Subject...: Taj Mahal restaurant

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to assess the good and bad points of Taj Mahal restaurant.

Food and prices
The Taj Mahal offers a wide range of Indian cuisine, all of which is beautifully cooked and presented. What is more the meals are good value for money as the prices are quite reasonable.

Service
The waiters are very polite and friendly and they are able to make helpful suggestions about the menu. However, the service is a little slow, especially when the restaurant gets busy.

Atmosphere
The restaurant has a tasteful Eastern-style décor and thick carpets. In addition, the soft ethnic music helps to give the Taj Mahal a very pleasant atmosphere. Nevertheless, the lighting is poor, so it is difficultto read the menu.

Conclusion
In conclusion, although the service can be slow and the lighting poor, the Taj Mahal is a pleasant restaurant that offers excellent food at reasonable prices. Therefore, I would certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Indian food.

Idiom of the day (37)

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A diario una manzana es cosa sana.

Famous words (4)

Creditors have better memories than debtors.

                Benjamin Franklin (US statesman)

Idiom of the day (36)

Beggars can't be choosers.

A mucha hambre, no hay pan duro.

An article describing a visit to a place

When we write an article describing a visit to a place we usually write four paragraphs.

Introduction

First paragraph = we write the name and location of the place as well as our reason(s) for choosing it.

Main body

Second paragraph = we usually write about what the place looks like.

Third paragraph = we describe the place in detail; we can include the things we can see, feel, hear, smell and taste.

Conclusion

Last paragraph = we write about our feelings and personal comments and/or our recommendation.

Narrative descriptions of places can be found in tourist magazines, letters, stories, etc. We normally use past tenses to describe our visit. However, we use present tenses to talk about the location. We can use a variety of adjectives and adverbs as wells as our senses to make our description more appealing to the reader.

Idiom of the day (35)

Good riddance!

¡Adios y hasta nunca!

joke

Little Johnny came home from school one day, and his Dad asked him, "So, how did your history exam go?"....Silence....then little Johnny said "Not very well, it was too difficult! All the questions were about things that happened before I was born!"

Idiom of the day (34)

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

Ten cuidado, puede haber gato encerrado.