15. Teenagers

 

22.50

Everyone goes through the stage of adolescence. It is a time when we have not yet completely configured our personality and where we have much to learn about life. This stage of life is very interesting. Some examples of this point of view are making new friends or  going to other places with different customs.

14. Cell phones

16.30

The mobile phone is the invention that has revolutionized communications. A variety of things can be done with it, from making a call to making a photo, or from writing an email to watching an internet video. It has many advantages, but also some negative points that it is necessary to know.

Practice 14. Comparison poem."Shall I compare you to ... ?"

Shall I compare you to a tree?

Pure joy is represented by your smile

that enlightens my days 

just like a tree the flowered spring.

Shall I compare you to a tree?

Since you bloom even in the darkest days 

and color the giant world in every way.

Shall I compare you to a tree?
When the cold winter and heavy rain shakes you,
 you stand firm like the tree that still stands until lightning strikes.

Practice 13. Comparisons

Practice 12. My opinion about schools and creativity.

13. Using e-mail

16.10

At the time of my parents, they had no choice but to write letters. Now, with the appearance of email, in addition to being able to receive them instantly, we save paper and in this way we help the planet by polluting less.

Practice 11. Edited version of the opinion paragraph

Practice 10. Opinion Paragraph: Analysing a Ted Talk

1. What's the topic of the TED talk? What's the main idea? When does the speaker introduce his idea? How?

The topic of the talk is education and the main idea is that schools are destroying children's creativity. The speaker introduces the idea at the beginning of the speech and compares the creativity with maths.

2. What are the means of support used by the speaker to convince us that his opinion is right? Provide examples.

The speaker shares personal experiences, uses quotation (Picasso), defines creativity, says facts and examples (he compares the American and British educational system).

3. What's the speaker's conclusion? How does he "concludes"?

He does a restatement of what he has said and makes a brief summary of the main ideas.

12. A big mistake you once made

12.50

Looking back, I don't remember making a big mistake that I regret now. I have always had the typical discussions with my friends or my mother, however, we ended up fixing it within 20 minutes of having discussed. From my perspective, I have never made a big mistake but, if I could go back I would change some actions that I did in the past.

Practice 9. Opinion paragraph: Internet for refugees

Even though many people think Internet is the first thing you need for a living that is compleatly wrong  since it is not a basic need. Zuckerberg said: " I consider Internet connection a human right". However, I totally disagree with his perspective since I consider the right to a house, for example, much more important than the Internet. Houses are the refuge and room of people. In addition, houses protect us from the inclement weather and other threats. Without them, we would not have a place to sleep. They are necessary since otherwise, we would be in the street, with the cold and the wind whipping our face.

What I consider also more important than the Internet is security. When we walk down the street or go anywhere, either to the cinema or to the mall. It is very important to be safe. Security is the lack of risk and with it we walk without fear of being robbed or persecuted. 

11. The working student

 

18.25

It is a fact that working while studying is hard since you need to have time to work and also to do assignments and study for exams.

10. An important story in the news

21.55

In this world of social networks and communication, when an event takes place anywhere in the world, we know about it in seconds.

Practice 8. Descriptive paragraph: how to stop procrastinating

Although procrastination is not adequate, it is an activity carried out by many people and sometimes it is necessary to learn how to stop practicing it. This activity consists of leaving the tasks that we must do for later. For example, let's imagine that there is an exam within 6 days; a procrastinating person would probably start preparing it in the last two days since that person could think he has enough time to study. A solution to stop doing tasks at the last moment would be to make a list of priorities. This way, you can clearly see what you should do now and what you can leave for later. In brief, to put an end to procrastination, the priority list may be the perfect option.

Practice 7. Re-writing and proofreading

9. American customs I like/dislike

10.15

One of the places I would like to travel for a great season would be America, specifically the United States. In this country, there are many customs and traditions that attract my attention, some that I like and others that, on the contrary, I don't.

8. The people I live with

21. 45

There are many people who, when going to university, have the need to move to a residence since it is far from their home. Luckily, that has not been my case. I have been fortunate that the university I go to is 20 minutes from my home, something that many students cannot say.

7. Being on time

14.16

It's a fact that everyone likes being on time. When going to work or just attending the doctor's appointment, the most appropriate thing to do is to arrive on time.  However, in many cases, we don't comply with this rule.

6. An accident

   

9.25

Every day thousands of accidents happen worldwide, whether car, train or plane, it is a very unfortunate experience that I would not wish it on anyone. I have been fortunate that I have not suffered a major accident than twisting my ankle while walking or falling down the stairs.

5. My favourite sport to watch

21.15

My favorite sport to watch is figure skating. I consider it a beautiful activity since they dance on the ice doing very complicated postures and jumps. And all this, at incredible speed!

Practice 6. Final version of my first paragraph

Social networks have been de revolution of the 21st century. They are very useful but also dangerous, specially for teenagers. On the one hand, if you have a public profile, there is no privacy so you don’t know who’s watching your content. In addition, social networks can cause mental health problems in adolescents since many people use them to share their "perfect life".On the other hand, teenagers can even became addicted to it. Instagram is the perfect example because young people could spend hours and hours there. In conclusion, social media could be the perfect tool but it must be used with responsibility.

Practice 5. Editing my first paragraph

Practice 4. Drafting my first paragraph.

Practice 3. Organising paragraphs

4. Learning to play a sport

 

18.20

Sport has never caught my attention; I have always seen it as a form of suffering in which you end up exhausted and sweating. That's why I believe I haven't started to learn any sport yet. The closest thing to a sport I've done has been dancing which I consider very entertaining,

3. My hobby: musical theater

19.52

One day, my best friend invited me to a Halloween play in which she performed.When I arrived there, the place was full of candles, a scary music was playing and I could see angels and demons having a fight. The play was about a battle between the whites and the blacks; the angels and the demons.  It was spectacular. From that moment, the theater hunted me, so I joined the group. Now I can say that this November I have been performing for four years.

2. A special skill I have

13.05

I had never thought about the skills I have but, now that I am thinking about it, I believe I could have two. On the one hand, in the artistic field, singing ;and on the other hand, in the academic world, languages.