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Showing posts from 2016

Sunset on the Thames

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This was taken at sunset on the Thames near Kew bridge by my friend Alan.

Are you the Cat`s Pajamas? http://blog.dictionary.com/idiom-quiz-1/

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http://blog.dictionary.com/idiom-quiz-1/

Read Read Read

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Many agree that the biggest hindrance to a child succeeding in all forms of English tests (reading, writing and comprehension) is down to the amount of reading they have done form infancy. Unfortunately, boys tend to read less generally than girls and therefore they find these English test disciplines difficult to master. A top private school's headteacher told a gathering of parents who asked: "How can my son/daughter improve her general English skills?" to which the head replied: "Reading, reading and more reading!"  Writing can be developed from all the genres of reading that pupils have enjoyed, as the imagination will be sparked by good books. Discussing an idea first can then be developed until a story unfolds, writing it down in stages as the the story develops. The draft can then be edited together with your tutor and then in bite sizes, if necessary, it can be written out in its final stage. Reading and writing will help you to improve the way you

Life Coaching

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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”  ―  Nelson Mandela Email gunningdavid@hotmail.com for more information and to book your free assessment. Extending ourselves beyond what is familiar by relating to people who are older than us can offer meaningful life lessons and character strengths.

Einstein quotes

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Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its life believing it is stupid. #Einstein

Helpful English Puzzles

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We are so used to being drilled for comprehension questions or creative writing essays that we forget that our brain can work in other ways. If you do not exercise your brain with puzzles and challenges that help you to think divergently, then you could be thrown by these questions. Here are some ideas to help you use your brain in a more creative way so that when you are faced with these questions, you know how to think - 1 . Write down 5-10 random letters. E.g. F S T L M. Then think of a sentence where each word starts with the next letter. Eg, Fred Simmonds tells lies maliciously. It really helps you focus on being grammatically correct as well as finding different ways to start sentences. Also, you could experiment with adding punctuation such as dashes or semi-colons. 2 . Make a 3x3 grid and fill it with random letters. Then see how many words you can make from the letters and find the word with the most letters from the grid. This obviously helps with spelling but also r
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Shoreham Beach Summer 2016.  A tiny spacecraft landing on a stone while a woman walks her dog nearby.

Jimmy Murphy in Lanzarote

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Jimmy Murphy is a famous singer and entertainer I met a few years ago when I went to see my friend Michael play keyboards in Murphy`s Irish bar. It was a great night. Jimmy is very funny and can impersonate any Irish accent perfectly. He knows Ireland too like the back of his hand. If you are ever in Lanzarote make sure you go and see Jimmy and say hello from me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjQrnImT_k

Well Done Portugal

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Who do you think will win Euro 2016?

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Who do you think will win Euro 2016? Maybe it will be Ireland..

Are you in a Good Mood?

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I love this photo. It is so simple yet so effective. I think it is easier said than done to decide to be in a good mood, however.

“Sure you know yourself”

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THE time when an Irish person could both simultaneously dodge a question and answer it may be coming to a close, as an international court ruling has demanded an explanation for the expression “sure you know yourself”. For decades, people from all across Ireland have skilfully steered conversations to their liking by simply responding to any question or query with the catch-all phrase. “Sure you know yourself”, originally coined by Michael Collins in 1921 when someone asked him how he got on in England, is both an answer to a question and a deflection; something no other phrase in the English language can lay claim to. However, overuse of the phrase in recent times has led to a UN ruling that either the statement be explained in full, or struck from use altogether. “No, we don’t know ourselves,” said Mbutu Costello, chief spokesperson for the UN “nonsense-deactivation” committee. “Please replace this statement with one that makes sense. You can’t just keep using it in

A Great Poem

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You`re The Girl In The Book From Sean Gunning`s book, No Samaritan. Out now £8.70 email gunningdavid@hotmail.com

IELTS Tips

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Structure, structure, structure! One of the great things about teaching IELTS is that most of the questions are similar , and even though they increase in level of difficulty throughout, they can all be written to a structure. With the writing tasks, ensure that students include all the necessary information in an essay, such as  thesis statement ,  topic sentences , supporting ideas ,  well-constructed paragraphs  and a  conclusion  with no new information.  Achieving this formula is the half-way point to achieving a decent score.  For writing, one of our favourite tasks is what we call a ‘ Mini-Essay ’. A Mini-Essay builds the students skills by focusing on the structure rather than the overall content. The student must write an  introduction ,  body paragraph  and a  conclusion . Practice, practice, practice! The final tip about the IELTS test that the students must do to succeed is to practice as often as they can . Doing exercises and practice tests is helpful, but can lead

A Very Strong Irish Accent

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https://www.facebook.com/asirishasitgets/videos/1693845067511285/ How many words can you understand? I could only get about half of them.

Park Life

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This photo was taken on May 5th 2016 while out walking in Walpole park in Ealing.  I like the contrast of the bright pink blossom and the dark green tree behind it. The  water in the duck pond also reflects the pink blossom and the bright blue sky.

English Grammar The Third Conditional

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If + past perfect, would + have + past participle If I had Paid attention I wouldn`t have got lost.

Arty photo

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Poetry Month

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http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2016/5-ways-to-celebrate-poetry-month/?utm_content=CT-Blog_I-Drawing_PT-Punny_Su-Reading_C-Poetry+Month&utm_source=Facebook_org&utm_medium=social&sf23794932=1

Cool Japanese singer.

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This song is cool. What do you think? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYwgWnklZ5I

Great song lyrics

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He is awful shifty for a man of fifty.   By Brendan Shine.        50 Sup up your beer and collect your fags there`s a row going on down in Slough.  By The Jam      

Beyond Words

"We all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere`s fan.

How Irish are you?

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I consider myself to be half Irish. Is this really true? Both my parents were born in Ireland and emigrated to England in the early 1960`s. That makes me Irish right? My parents parents were Irish and as far as I know my great great grand parents were too. Why then do I feel I need to resist wearing a stupid Irish hat on St Patrick`s Day? I don`t want to go out and listen to the same old Irish folk songs that I used to hate, that now I quite like. Yet if I don`t go out and join in I feel I am missing out that I am not part of the gang. This need to feel part of a group to fit in somewhere is strong still. I want to be around some friends in a bar and relax and share some stories because that is what we do. Now I am older I don`t wish to drink all day. I still like the idea of having some Irish stew or Mum`s bacon and cabbage. I want to mark the day in some way. It is a tradition which I want to keep. I sometimes dream that England will play Ireland in a World Cup final game o

Some useful phrasal verbs

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Walking Along Beachy Head

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What is he thinking as he walks towards me? Why are we here? What are we having for tea? The walk is long the distance is so far. At the top the sea is so vast and so blue. The day is warm no need for a jumper or coat. The day is slow no need for haste. Our time together goes so fast. Time now to think and ponder Time to move and to enjoy. The path we have travelled is not the same. The stories and images are ours to keep. We have walked at a different pace We look the same but we speak in a different way.

Perivale Poem

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Born in Perivale Not far from Percy Bilton Bridge I first learned to read and write and pray at St John Fishers In the street I scored my first goals I strived to be a Wiseman in Greenford senior school Sadly this was where I also had to say goodbye to my brother. The Perivale train I rode to work day after day So many people in the same race the pace was too fast the cost too high So one day I stopped taking that same train and left that race. Now I am home, not far from Flynns And The Fox Discarded beer cans lying blinking in the rain Many mini-markets selling food from far places CCTV cameras and speed-bumps like fallen soldiers Thousands of tweets, selfies, likes n txts A Celtic son still close to his Fairfields of home. D M G

Improve Your English Speaking and Writing

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http://kellydavid777.wix.com/english

Art on View Barcelona

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Happy New Year

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