HOW COME, HOW LONG

How come, how long is a moving powerful song about a woman who is involved in domestic violence.
Many women are being abused, mistreated and even killed by those men who are supposed to love and cherish them.

There was a girl, I used to know
She was, oh, so beautiful
But she's not here anymore
She had a college degree
Smart as anyone could be
Had so much to live for

But she fell in love with the wrong kind of man
And he abused her love, treated her so bad
There was not enough education in her world
That could save the life of this little girl

How come, how long?
It's not right, it's so wrong
Do we let it just go on?
Turn our backs and carry on
Wake up, for it's too late
Right now, we can't wait
She won't have a second try
Open up your hearts 
As well as your eyes

She tried to give a cry for help
She even blamed things on herself
But no one came to her aid
Nothing was wrong as far as we could tell
That's what we'd like to tell ourselves 
But no, it wasn't that way

So she fell in love with the wrong kind of man
And she paid with her life for loving that man
So we cannot ignore
We look for the signs
And maybe next time
We may save somebody's life

How come, how long?
It's not right, it's so wrong
Do we let it just go on?
Turn our backs and carry on
Wake up, for it's too late
Right now, we can't wait
She won't have a second try
Open up your hearts 
As well as your eyes

I, on occasion met that guy
He stirred up feeling deep inside
Something about him wasn't right
The way he proves himself a man
By beating his woman with his hands
I wish that she was still alive

How can someone like that call himself a man 
He's not a man
Because in reality, he's far more less than that
And we cannot ignore at all
Whenever we see the signs
Because any kind of abuse
God knows is a crime

How come, how long?
It's not right, it's so wrong
Do we let it just go on?
Turn our backs and carry on
Wake up, for it's too late
Right now, we can't wait
She won't have a second try
Open up your hearts 
As well as your eyes

INTERESTING VOCABULARY:

How come ¿Por qué?

How long ¿Cuánto tiempo?

college degree titulación universitaria

smart inteligente

kinda= kind of clase de

have a second try tener una segunda oportunidad

blamed things on herself echarse la culpa a ella misma

aid ayuda

signs señales

turn our baks and carry on dar la espalda y continuar

stir up feelings deep inside agitarse un sentimiento en el interior

beat golpear, pegar

I wish ojalá

whenever siempre que

To know about Babyface click HERE
To know about the song click HERE

EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES

To listen to a man (American accent) speaking about his daily routine click HERE
You will have to listen to the recording several times so take it easy!!!

A teenager's daily routine

Listen to the video without reading the subtitles and do the multiple choice exercise . Then check the key below and watch the video with the subtitles.

1. How old is Fred?
a) 15
b) 16
c) 17

2. What time does he wake up?
a) 7.00
b) 7.30
c) 7.40

3. What does he usually have for breakfast?
a) toast with jam or honey
b) cereal with orange juice
c) a sandwich

4. How old is his school?
a) three hundred years old
b) four hundred years old
c) five hundred years old

5. It's a school for
a) boys only
b) girls only
c) both boys and girls

6. What time does the school start?
a) 8.00
b) 8.30
c) 9.30

7. How many lessons does he have after lunch?
a) one
b) two
c) three

8. What time does he have dinner?
a) 5.30
b) 6.00
c) 6.30


KEY

1.c   2.a   3b   4.b   5.a   6.b   7.b   8.c

SAY and TELL

SAY or TELL

We use say and tell in different ways in reported speech. Say focuses on the words someone said and tell focuses more on the content or message of what someone said:

‘Hello,’ she said.                  Not: ‘Hello,’ she told.

She told him they were going on holiday. (The focus is on the information.)

We use say with direct speech.

He said, ‘I’m not paying £50 for that.’

Using objects

1.      With tell, we say who is told.

·         He told me that he liked playing tennis – correct

2.      With say, if we want to use a personal object, to is used.

·         He said to them that he would be late.

However, we use tell without an indirect object with words such as the truth, a lie, a joke, a story, the time the difference:

You should never tell a lie.                       Not: … say a lie.

Come on Kevin. You’re good at telling jokes.

Say does not take an indirect object. Instead, we use a phrase with to:

And then she said to me, ‘I’m your cousin. We’ve never met before.’

Not: And then she said me …

COLLOCATIONS

TELL	SAY
Time Truth/ lie Difference Joke Future Secret	Hello Something Goodnight A few words So A prayer

Tell + indirect object + to-infinitive

We use tell with an indirect object and a to-infinitive for commands or instructions.

They told us to come back the next day.

Not: They said us to come …

They told her to wait till the doctor arrived.

For further explanation click  HERE  and  HERE 

For practice and exercises click  HERE  and  HERE

................

TEQUILA SUNRISE

Listen to the song and fill in the blanks. Then you can watch the other video below with the song kyrics.

It's another _________ sunrise
Starin' slowly 'cross the _________, said _________
He was just a hired _________
Workin' on the _________ he planned to try
The _________ go by

Ev'ry _________ when the sun goes down
Just another lonely boy in _________
And she's out runnin' 'round

She wasn't just another _________
And I couldn't keep from comin' on
It's been so long
Oh, and it's a hollow ________ when
It comes down to dealin' ________
It ________ ends

Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words ________ come
You just get numb
It's another ________ sunrise,this old world
still looks the ________,
Another frame, mm...

KEY: Watch the video with the song lyrics.

Interesting vocabulary:

Tequila sunrise a famous coktail

Stare look or gaze directly or fixedly quedarse mirando

Hire employ contratar

Hollow feeling feeling of emptiness  sentimiento de vacio

Shot an attempt, a try, un intento a small amount of alcoholic drink un trago

Courage bravery valor

Wonder wish to know , feel curious to know preguntarse

Numb paralysed, unable to move paralizado

Frame marco, encuadre, fotograma 

If you are interested in the EAGLES click  HERE

THREE LITTLE BIRDS by BOB MARLEY

Listen to the song and fill in the blanks, The verse will be repeated several times.

Don't worry ________a thing
'Cause every little thing ________be alright
Singing' don't worry ________a thing
'Cause every little thing ________be alright

Rise _______ this mornin'
________with the risin' sun
Three little birds
Pitch by my ________
Singin' ________songs
Of melodies pure and ________
Saying', this is my ________to you

Singing' don't worry …

Rise …

Singin' don't worry …

Singin' don't worry …

KEY

Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing' don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Rise up this mornin'
Smile with the risin' sun
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true
Saying', (this is my message to you)

Singing' don't worry 'bout a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing' don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Rise up this mornin'
Smile with the risin' sun
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true
Sayin', this is my message to you

Singin' don't worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh
Every little thing gonna be alright, don't worry
Singin' don't worry about a thing, I won't worry
"'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Singin' don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright, I won't worry
Singin', don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singin' don't worry about a thing, oh no
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

To know about Bob Marley click HERE

THE WAY YOU ARE by Bruno Mars

Listen to the song and fill in the blanks with the missing words. Then check the key below.

Ohhhhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhhh

[Verse 1:]

Oh, her …………, her …………….

Make the stars look like they're not shinin'

Her ………….., her ………….

Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so ………………..

And I tell her everyday

Yeah

I know, I know

When I compliment her she won't believe me

And it's so, it's so

Sad to think that she don't see what I see

But every time she asks me, "Do I …………. okay?"

I say,

[Chorus:]

When I see your …………..

There's not a thing that I would change

'Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are

 And when you …………..

The whole world stops and stares for a while

'Cause, girl, you're amazing

Just the way you are

Yeah

[Verse 2:]

Her …………., her ……………..

I could kiss them all day if she'd let me

Her ……………., her ………………..

She hates but I think it's so sexy

She's so ………………..

And I tell her every day,

Oh you know, you know, you know

I'd never ask you to change

If perfect's what you're searching for

Then just stay the same

So don't even bother asking if you .................. okay

You know I'll say,

[Chorus:]

KEY

Ohhhhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhhh

[Verse 1:]

Oh, her EYES, her EYES

Make the stars look like they're not shinin'

Her HAIR, her HAIR

Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so BEAUTIFUL

And I tell her everyday

Yeah

I know, I know

When I compliment her she won't believe me

And it's so, it's so

Sad to think that she don't see what I see

But every time she asks me, "Do I LOOK okay?"

I say,

[Chorus:]

When I see your FACE

There's not a thing that I would change

'Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are

 And when you SMILE

The whole world stops and stares for a while

'Cause, girl, you're amazing

Just the way you are

Yeah

[Verse 2:]

Her LIPS, her LIPS

I could kiss them all day if she'd let me

Her LAUGH, her LAUGH

She hates but I think it's so sexy

She's so BEAUTIFUL

And I tell her every day,

Oh you know, you know, you know

I'd never ask you to change

If perfect's what you're searching for

Then just stay the same

So don't even bother asking if you LOOK okay

You know I'll say,

[Chorus:]

To know about Bruno Mars click HERE

GENERATIONS

You probably know all these terms or... you don't!!!

CONNECTORS

1.       INTRODUCING CONTRAST OR OPOSING IDEAS

BUT	The story is short but (it´s) interesting
IN SPITE OF/DESPITE (+ noun/pronoun	The weather was awful. In spite of it, we went to the beach Despite the weather, we went to the beach
ALTHOUGH (+ clause) IN SPITE OF/DESPITE THE FACT THAT	Although she is very strong, she couldn´t lift the box
HOWEVER, …	He was quite ill. However, he went to work
ON THE ONE HAND… ON THE OTHER (HAND)	On the one hand the beach is fun. On the other (hand) I hate the sand. Jenny is a very friendly, but on the other hand she´s very bad-tempered

2.       SHOWING REASON, CAUSE AND PURPOSE

BECAUSE	I won´t go out because it´s very late
AS SINCE	As the concert is quite cheap, I´ll invite my sister
TO/IN ORDER TO (+infinitive) SO AS TO	He studied hard in order to pass his test
IN ORDER NOT TO (+infinitive) SO AS NOT TO	He studied hard in order not to fail

3.       GIVING EXAMPLES AND ADDING INFORMATION

FOR EXAMPLE FOR INSTANCE SUCH AS	Vegetables have a lot of vitamins; for instance, pepper has vitamin C
BESIDES / MOREOVER	I´m too busy to take a holiday. Besides, I haven´t got the money
APART FROM	Apart from English, she speaks three other foreign languages
EXCEPT (FOR)	He eats nothing except (for) bread and fish

4.       SHOWING SEQUENCE AND RESULT

FIRST OF ALL TO BEGIN WITH FIRST / FIRSTLY	First of all, we should speak to the manager
SECOND / SECONDLY THEN	Then, we must make a plan
FINALLY LASTLY	And finally, we must present our plan to the whole company
TO SUM UP IN CONCLUSION	To sum up, we must follow the rules if we want to be successful
THEREFORE / SO FOR THIS REASON AS A RESULT THAT´S WHY	He always keeps his car in good condition. For this reason, it always passes its annual road test

 COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WITH THE APPROPIATE CONNECTOR

1.      …………………………… her skiing accident last year, Diana is going skiing again this year

2.      What other places have you visited, ……………………………………. London and Oxford?

3.      ………………………….. there are laws against pollution, cars and factories continue to pollute the air.

4.      I´ve decided to go by train ……………………………….. I´m afraid of flying.

5.      ………………………….. my fear of flying, I´ve decided to go by plane.

6.      She moved to the front of the class ……………………………… see the blackboard.

7.      I like children but, ……………………………….., they give you lots of work.

8.      ……………………………………… he is a vegetarian, we couldn´t order meat for dinner.

9.      …………………………………….., we must get the money. ……………………………., we can talk about buying a new car.

10.  TV offers a wide variety of programmes, …………………………. news, sport and music.

11.  ………………………………….. the low price, I didn´t buy the jeans.

12.  He doesn´t like wearing glasses. ……………………………………, he wears contact lenses.

13.  All the students enjoyed the excursion …………………………………. Brian, who was very bored.

14.  I love travelling. ………………………… ,  it can be very expensive.

15.  He didn´t go to the party …………………………………… meet his ex-girlfriend. He knew that she would be there.

KEY

1.      DESPITE her skiing accident last year, Diana is going skiing again this year

2.      What other places have you visited, APART FROM London and Oxford?

3.      ALTHOUGH there are laws against pollution, cars and factories continue to pollute the air.

4.      I´ve decided to go by train ALTHOUGH I´m afraid of flying.

5.      DESPITE my fear of flying, I´ve decided to go by plane.

6.      She moved to the front of the class IN ORDER TO see the blackboard.

7.      I like children but, ON THE OTHER HAND, they give you lots of work.

8.      AS he is a vegetarian, we couldn´t order meat for dinner.

9.      FIRST, we must get the money. THEN, we can talk about buying a new car.

10.  TV offers a wide variety of programmes, FOR EXAMPLE news, sport and music.

11.  DESRITE the low price, I didn´t buy the jeans.

12.  He doesn´t like wearing glasses. FOR THIS REASON, he wears contact lenses.

13.  All the students enjoyed the excursion EXCEPT (FOR) Brian, who was very bored.

14.  I love travelling. HOWEVER ,  it can be very expensive.

15.  He didn´t go to the party IN ORDER NOT TO  meet his ex-girlfriend. He knew that she would be there.

TRAVEL AND HOLIDAYS

Here are some interesting links where you can find lots of vocabulary related to travel and holidays:

For terms related to hotels   with Spanish translation click HERE
For terms related to tourism with Spanish translation click HERE
For terms related to airports with Spanish translation click HERE

For terms related to airports with explanation in English click HERE

For basic general travel vocabulary click HERE

For travel and holiday vocabulary with explanation in English and sample dialogues click HERE

Here is a short video on the self-service baggage drop-off at Brussels airport

Now you can watch aVIDEOabout STANSTED AIRPORT in London but first have a look at the following vocabulary, which will help you understand everyhing much better.

CHECK-IN Coach autobús Coin-operated trolley By ramp, escalator or lift por rampa, escaleras automáticas o ascensor Screens display flight numbers and destinations las pantallas muestran… Hand baggage Restricted mobility Drop-off point Check-in Departure lounge Departure gate

SECURITY liquids, aerosols and gels in a resealable bag …en un bolsa que se pueda precintar suntan lotion bronceador toiletries artículos de aseo sharp items objetos punzantes pushchair sillita de paseo de niños sample probar items either by tasting them or rubbing them onto your skin taste probar rub frotar search your bags registrar las bolsas body search cacheo

SHOPPING and EATING Wide range of shops amplia gama de… Goods mercancias People in the green uniforms Spirits bebidas alcohólicas Take advantage of the free shop & collect service aprovecháte delservicio gratis de compra y recoge Easy, convenient and totally free fácil, cómodo y totalmente gratis

ENVIRONMENT Improve mejorar Access acceso Reinvest volver a invertir Cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians ciclistas, motoristas y peatones Encourage them to join the car share scheme se les anima a participar  en el programa para compartir coche Impact on the environment

NEW DESTINATIONS The whole world at their feet el mundo entero a sus pies Take off despegar There is more to the UK than London hay más cosas en el Reino Unido que  Londres Unspoilt countryside paisaje bien conservado, sin estropear A short drive away a poca distancia en coche