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WEEKLY PICKS - 3

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜 READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from BBC CAPITAL: The science of being charming, by Tiffanie Wen
From the first moment you walk into a room people are making judgements about how much they like you. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your chances.
Charmers. What makes these lucky individuals so effortlessly likeable when many of us have to work so hard at it? While many would have you believe social grace or winning people over is something of an artform, there is a surprising amount of science behind it, too. (Continue reading)

Article from BBC TRAVEL: We may have cracked the mystery of Stonehenge, by Vivien Cumming
The more archaeologists study Stonehenge, the more mysteries unfold. But a coherent story is beginning to emerge. (Continue reading)

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS
5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:
A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!
💬 VOCABULARY PICKS:
💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:


MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!
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Can you train yourself to be a risk-taker? by Vivian Giang (from BBC CAPITAL)

Business leaders say taking risks is an essential part of getting ahead in today's world. If that's not your style, how can you become more comfortable with leaping into the unknown?

It took Binta Niambi Brown several years to walk away in 2013 from the comfortable life she had built for herself as a corporate lawyer. She was going to start her own business, in a tough market that was already flooded. (Continue reading)
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The Leadership Motivation Assessment (from Mind Tools)


The first and most basic prerequisite for leadership is the desire to lead.

After all, it takes hard work to become an effective leader and, if you are not prepared to put this work in or if, deep down, you're not sure whether you really want to lead, you'll struggle to convince people that you are worth following.

Leaders create the vision and set the direction for their organizations. But it is their ability to motivate and inspire people that allows them to deliver that vision.

So, how much do you want to lead? This quiz will help you find out.

💡 You may also be interested in the quizzes below: 
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FREE PERSONALITY TEST: Which personality type are you?

“Often the first question people ask after completing our personality test is “What do these letters mean?” We are of course referring to those mysterious acronyms like INTJ-A, ENFP-T, or ESTJ-A. As you may have already read in the free Type Descriptions or additional articles available on our website, each letter refers to a specific trait, with an additional variant listed at the end. But before we discuss those traits, let’s first take a brief historical detour.

Since the dawn of time, we have tried to describe and categorize ourselves in many ways. From the four temperaments of the Ancient civilizations – sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic – to the latest advances in psychology, people have been restless in their pursuit of a good, reliable way to fit something as complex and fluid as human personality into a well-defined model. We are still some time away from being able to do that, although the current models account for the majority of our personality traits and can often predict with a high degree of confidence how we are likely to behave in specific circumstances… (More information HERE)”


💡 You may also be interested in the quizzes below:

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WEEKLY PICKS - 2

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from BBC news: How it feels to have many personalities
Severe trauma can cause a unique kind of mental breakdown - dissociative identity disorder (DID), which creates multiple personalities. What is it like trying to live with this condition? (Continue reading)

Article from Mind Tools: Active Listening: Hear What People are Really Saying
Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on the quality of your relationships with others.

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS
5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:
A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!
💬 VOCABULARY PICKS – Confusing words:
💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:


MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!
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GRAMMAR PILLS: MID-POSITION ADVERBS

¿Qué es un mid-position adverb?

Es un adverbio que se coloca en medio en una clause.

💡 ¿Qué es un adverbio?
Es una palabra o frase que describe un verbo (nos dice cómo, dónde, cuándo, por qué, etc. se realiza la acción del verbo). Los adverbios también describen adjetivos y otros adverbios, pero en este post nos concentraremos en los que describen verbos.

Los adverbios se pueden colocar en 3 posiciones:

FRONT POSITION ⇒ Unfortunately, I can't help you.
MID-POSITION ⇒ I always get up at 7 a.m.
END POSITION ⇒ Have you read that report yet?

💡 TIP: Según el tipo de adverbio, puede colocarse en una u otra posición. Algunos pueden colocarse en distintas posiciones para dar énfasis, hacer contraste o evitar ambigüedad.

¿Qué adverbios se colocan en mid-position?

Los adverbs of frequency (always, sometimes, usually, often, seldom, rarely, hardly ever, never, etc.) y otros como really, quite, probably, possibly, certainly, also, only, just, already, etc.

¿Cómo se colocan los mid-position adverbs en la clause?

Entre el sujeto y el verbo, y es muy sencillo ⇒ hay solo 3 posibilidades: 

1) BEFORE THE MAIN VERB (ANTES del VERBO principal):
→ SUBJECT + ADVERB + MAIN VERB
→ I always get up at 7 a.m.

2) AFTER THE VERB “TO BE” (DESPUÉS de “TO BE”):
→ SUBJECT + TO BE + ADVERB
→ Peter is always late.

🔺 EMPHASIS ⇒ Cuando el adverbio es enfático, se puede colocar ANTES de “to be”: Why should Peter be early today? He never is early for anything. (La entonación también cambia para marcar el énfasis.)

3) VERB PHRASE: if the verb contains auxiliaries and/or modals, the adverb comes AFTER THE FIRST auxiliary or modal (si el verbo tiene auxiliares o modales, el adverbio se coloca DESPUÉS de la primera palabra):
→ SUBJECT + 1st aux./modal + ADVERB + MAIN VERB
→ You should never have told anyone my secret.

❓ En las preguntas, el adverbio se coloca DESPUÉS del sujeto:
Do you usually work at weekends?
Have you already finished your exam? (surprised)

🔺 IMPORTANTE: En inglés, NO poner el adverbio entre verbo y objeto:

En español podemos decir:
Me gusta mucho el chocolate.





Mary habla muy bien inglés.
En inglés:
❌ I like a lot chocolate.
      [verb + adverb + object]

✅ I like chocolate a lot.
      [verb + object] + adverb

❌ Mary speaks very well English.                 [verb + adverb + object]

✅ Mary speaks English very well.                 [verb + object] + adverb

From BBC 6 Minute Grammar - Adverb Position 1

From BBC 6 Minute Grammar - Adverb Position 2

 🔗 Recommended links:
💡 PRACTICE:

Georgina Jacobs
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How Good Are Your Communication Skills? (from Mind Tools)

Communication skills are some of the most important skills that you need to succeed in the workplace.

If you want to be an expert communicator, you need to be effective at all points in the communication process – from "sender" through to "receiver" – and you must be comfortable with the different channels of communication – face to face, voice to voice, written, and so on. Poor communicators usually struggle to develop their careers beyond a certain point.

❓ So, are you communicating effectively? Take this short quiz to find out!

 💡 You may also be interested in the quizzes below:
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The secrets of learning as an adult, by David Robson (from BBC Future)

It’s never too late to learn – if you go about it in the right way.

If you ever fear that you are already too old to learn a new skill, remember Priscilla Sitienei, a midwife from Ndalat in rural Kenya. Having grown up without free primary school education, she had never learnt to read or write. As she approached her twilight years, however, she wanted to note down her experiences and knowledge to pass down to the next generation. And so, she started to attend lessons at the local school – along with six of her great-great-grandchildren. She was 90 at the time.

We are often told that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” – that the grizzled adult brain simply can’t absorb as much information as an impressionable young child’s. Many people would assume that you simply couldn’t pick up a complex skill like reading or writing, at the age of 90, after a lifetime of being illiterate.

The latest studies from psychology and neuroscience show that these extraordinary achievements need not be the exception. (Continue reading)
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WEEKLY PICKS - 1

This post offers you a selection of recommended free online exercises, games, videos and resources so that you can improve your English language skills while having fun! ENJOY!

📜 READING PICKS – Articles, blog posts, quizzes and more:

Article from MindTools: What’s Empathy Got to Do with It?, by Bruna Martinuzzi
Indeed, empathy is valued currency. It allows us to create bonds of trust, it gives us insights into what others may be feeling or thinking; it helps us understand how or why others are reacting to situations, it sharpens our "people acumen" and it informs our decisions. (Continue reading)

❓QUIZ: Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman) North Carolina State University

🎬 VIDEO PICKS – Short and fun videos:

LESS-THAN-5-MINUTE VIDEOS
5-TO-10-MINUTE VIDEOS:
A LITTLE LONGER BUT WORTH IT!
💬 VOCAB PICKS – Confusing words:
💡 GRAMMAR PICKS – Assorted exercises and games:


MORE PICKS NEXT WEEK!
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The common words that companies are banning, by Mark Johanson (from BBC Capital)

Can banning some corporate terms and replacing them with buzzier or more positive-sounding alternatives do any good?

 Apply for a job at Davio’s, a small chain of Italian-style steakhouses in the US, and you’ll never hear one extremely common workplace term: employee. That’s because CEO Steve DiFillippo has banned its use.

 “I think ‘employee’ is an awful word,” he says. “Who wants to be an employee? It just isn’t something you strive toward.” Instead, those who work for DiFillippo are known as ‘inner guests.’

 “A lot of servers and cooks go from restaurant to restaurant trying to find their way; we stop that,” he explains. “They come here and realise they’re in a different place where they’ll be treated differently.”

 For DiFillippo, banning the word is both a way of empowering his ‘inner guests’ and explaining the company’s core values to its ‘outer guests’ (the diners). (Continue reading)
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The Dead, by James Joyce

LILY, the caretaker's daughter, was literally run off her feet. Hardly had she brought one gentleman into the little pantry behind the office on the ground floor and helped him off with his overcoat than the wheezy hall-door bell clanged again and she had to scamper along the bare hallway to let in another guest. It was well for her she had not to attend to the ladies also. But Miss Kate and Miss Julia had thought of that and had converted the bathroom upstairs into a ladies' dressing-room. Miss Kate and Miss Julia were there, gossiping and laughing and fussing, walking after each other to the head of the stairs, peering down over the banisters and calling down to Lily to ask her who had come.

Read more »
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The secret to working overseas, by Maddy Savage (from BBC CAPITAL)

Is cultural knowledge more important than language skills?
Does cultural knowledge trump language ability in international companies and start-ups where English is dominating?

 Learning the local language might seem an obvious goal for anyone moving abroad. But in an increasingly globalised world, whether this is an effective use of time is increasingly up for debate.

Growing numbers of multinationals and start-ups are adopting English as their official company language, even if they’re not based in an English-speaking nation. And internationally, millennials seem to have a much higher tolerance for using the global language than older generations, meaning it’s potentially easier to socialise with young locals by speaking English than in the past. The British Council estimates that by 2020, two billion people will be using it, well over a quarter of the world’s population.

 Plus, while the idea that millennials are job-hopping much more than their parents is something of a myth, being able to work flexibly in different locations remains a core goal for many. In 2017, the Global Shapers Annual Survey, funded by the World Economic Forum, showed that 81% of respondents aged 18 to 35 from over 180 countries said they were willing to work abroad. The “ability to work and live anywhere” was one of the most important factors they identified in terms of making them feel freer in their society. (Continue reading)
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A Window into the Interior of the Earth, by Juan Manuel Pardellas

Scientists study Earth's missing crust

By JUAN MANUEL PARDELLAS, Associated Press Writer Tue Mar 6, 5:53 PM ET

British scientists have embarked on a mission to study a huge area on the Atlantic seabed where the Earth's crust is mysteriously missing and instead is covered with dark green rock from deep inside the planet.
Read more »
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Finite and Infinite Games

Notes from James Carse's book 'Finite and Infinite Games'. Author unknown.
Source: ALAMUT.COM is the property of PAUL PERRY

There are at least two kinds of games: finite and infinite.

 A finite game is a game that has fixed rules and boundaries, that is played for the purpose of winning and thereby ending the game.

An infinite game has no fixed rules or boundaries. In an infinite game you play with the boundaries and the purpose is to continue the game. Finite players are serious; infinite games are playful.

Finite players try to control the game, predict everything that will happen, and set the outcome in advance. They are serious and determined about getting that outcome. They try to fix the future based on the past.
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ODD SIGNS FROM ENGLAND - Ambiguity problems

Source: Anvari.org

1. IN A LAUNDROMAT: Automatic washing machines. Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.

2. IN A LONDON DEPARTMENT STORE: Bargain Basement Upstairs.

3. IN AN OFFICE: Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken.

4. IN ANOTHER OFFICE: After the tea break staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.

5. ON A CHURCH DOOR: This is the gate of Heaven. Enter ye all by this door. (This door is kept locked because of the draft. Please use side entrance)

6. OUTSIDE A SECOND-HAND SHOP: We exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines, etc. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain?

7. QUICKSAND WARNING: Quicksand. Any person passing this point will be drowned. By order of the District Council.

8. NOTICE IN A DRY CLEANER’S WINDOW: Anyone leaving their garments here for more than 30 days will be disposed of.

9. IN A HEALTH FOOD SHOP WINDOW: Closed due to illness.

10. SPOTTED IN A SAFARI PARK: Elephants Please Stay in Your Car.

11. SEEN DURING A CONFERENCE: For anyone who has children and doesn't know it, there is a day care on the first floor.

12. NOTICE IN A FIELD: The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.

13. MESSAGE ON A LEAFLET: If you cannot read, this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.

14. ON A REPAIR SHOP DOOR: We can repair anything (Please knock hard on the door - the bell doesn't work)

15. SPOTTED IN A TOILET IN A LONDON OFFICE BLOCK: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.
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