Welcome to my blog - Gabriella Kuferzin

Welcome to my English Blog! - Gabriella Kuferzin
Il materiale presente in questo blog è pubblicato senza fine di lucro e per scopo educativo-didattico, ma se qualcuno dovesse ritenere di avere eventuali diritti di proprietà ( © ® ) sullo stesso, è pregato di comunicarlo e provvederò a rimuoverlo.
Materials included in this blog are published for nonprofit, non-commercial educational purposes only. Should you claim copyright property on any parts of it, please let me know and I will promptly remove them.


Sunday, 28 November 2010

Snow in November

Friday November 26th, 2010


Hello teacher,

I'm Giada of class 1LSA.

Today it snows and this already makes me think about CHRISTMAS TIME.

I have found in Internet the text of the song  "WHITE CHRISTMAS":


White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.
Irving Berlin, 1942



By Giada Bordignon, I LSA

Yellowstone National Park


Yellowstone National Park 






Yellowstone is the first national park of the U.S.A.

There are 100 geysers, the most famous one is the Old Faithful.





In Yellowstone Park there are many animals:

the grizzly bear,

the grey wolf,

the moose

and the elk.  


Two very famous cartoon characters who live in Yellowstone Park are Yoghi and Boo Boo.


You can go to the cinema next December 2010 and see a new 3D movie about them.
Watch the trailer:





By Francesco Basso, II LSA





Thursday, 25 November 2010

English pronunciation

Watch this video in Italian to improve (migliorare) your English pronunciation!


The "TH" Pronunciation - important!

This is an EXTREMELY useful video to learn how to pronounce the "TH" sound correctly.

Please Please Please use it and practice your "th" in front of a mirror!!!




Present Continuous - Year 1

Il Present Continuous Tense


Quando si usa


USE 1: Now




Si usa il Present Continuous con verbi normali (verbi che descrivono azioni in cui si vede qualcuno che fa qualcosa) per esprimere l'idea che qualcosa sta accadendo adesso, in questo preciso momento.

Esempi:
  • You are learning English now.
  • You are not swimming now.
  • Are you sleeping?
  • I am sitting.
  • I am not standing.
  • Is he sitting or standing?
  • They are reading their books.
  • They are not watching television.
  • What are you doing?
  • Why aren't you doing your homework?


USE 2: Longer Actions in Progress Now



In inglese, "adesso" (now) può significare: in questo secondo, oggi, in questo mese, in quest'anno, in questo secolo, e così via.
A volte si usa il Present Continuous per dire che siamo nel corso di un'azione di una certa durata che è in via di attuazione anche in questo momento, anche se non la stiamo eseguendo proprio in questo secondo.


Esempi: (tutte queste frasi potrebbero essere dette durante una cena ad un ristorante.)
  • I am studying to become a doctor.
  • I am not studying to become a dentist.
  • I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.
  • I am not reading any books right now.
  • Are you working on any special projects at work?
  • Aren't you teaching at the university now?

USE 3: Near Future



A volte si può usare il Present Continuous per indicare che qualcosa avverrà o non avverrà in un futuro prossimo. Nella frase però ci deve essere un'indicazione di tempo (per esempio tomorrow, next month, in an hour) che ci faccia capire che l'azione accadrà in futuro.


Esempi:
  • I am meeting some friends after work.
  • I am not going to the party tonight.
  • Is he visiting his parents next weekend?
  • Isn't he coming with us tonight?

RICORDA: Non-Continuous Verbs

I non-continuous verbs non possono essere usati al present continuous.


Questi verbi descrivono qualcosa che non può essere visto fare a qualcuno. Includono:


Verbi astratti
to be (essere), to want (volere), to cost (costare), to seem (sembrare), to need (necessitare), to contain (contenere), to exist (esistere)...


Verbi di possesso
to possess (possedere), to belong (appartenere)...


Verbi di emozioni
to like (piacere), to love (amare), to hate (odiare), to fear (aver paura), to envy (invidiare)...


Esempi:
  • He is needing help now. Not Correct
  • He needs help now. Correct
  • He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
  • He wants a drink now. Correct

Riassumendo:

Il Present Continuous si usa per esprimere un’azione presente quando si verifica una delle seguenti circostanze:



Circostanza

Esempio
1. Now: Il verbo esprime un’azione che si sta svolgendo nel momento in cui si parlaChe cosa fai?

Scrivo
una lettera. (Sto scrivendo in questo momento)
2. Around now: Il verbo esprime un’azione che si svolge nel limitato periodo di tempo di cui si parla, anche se non necessariamente nel momento in cui si parlaChe cosa fai in questi giorni ? Studio inglese, perché fra un mese avrò l’esame. ( Non sto studiando in questo momento, ma in questo periodo)
3. Future plan: Il verbo esprime un programma preciso per il futuroPartirò domani alle 15.45.


Come si costruisce

Il Present Continuous, come tutti i tempi progressivi, è un tempo composto.

Utilizza l’ausiliare to be al Simple Present e la forma in -ing del verbo della frase.


Se il verbo deve essere messo in forma negativa o interrogativa, si fa la forma negativa o interrogativa del verbo to be, mentre il verbo nella -ing form rimane invariato al suo posto.


Forma

Costruzione

Esempio
forma affermativa
soggetto +
to be al Simple Present + 
verbo-ing
I am writing a letter
forma negativa
soggetto +
to be al Simple Present +
NOT +
verbo-ing
I am not writing a letter
forma interrogativa       to be al Simple Present +
                    soggetto +
verbo-ing
Are you writing a letter ? 








Practice:
http://www.english-4u.de/pres_prog_ex1.htm
http://www.english-4u.de/pres_prog_ex2.htm








Wednesday, 24 November 2010

The First Thanksgiving


They spent two months at sea to reach a strange new world, and barely survived once they got there.

Learn how the Pilgrims reached America and lived to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.


Sunday, 21 November 2010

Las Vegas

Las Vegas J

Las Vegas is in Nevada.
Las Vegas is famous for its entertainment, shopping and gambling. It is also known for its easy marriages. There are more than 20 casinos in the city and more than 144,000 civil weddings are celebrated each year.

The Las Vegas Strip, the main street in Las Vegas, is a very exciting place, full of celebrities, beautiful and famous people, and non-stop fun.



Las Vegas Casino Hotels have constructed some of the largest, most elaborate attractions on earth. Roller Coasters, Spectacular Thrill Rides, World Renowned Art Exhibits, Museums, Hotel Shopping Malls, World Famous Restaurants, the Mirage Volcano, the Luxor Pyramid Hotel, the MGM Grand Entertainment Center, the Mandalay Bay's Wave Pool, the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower, the Bellagio's Dancing Fountains, the Stratosphere Tower, are just a few of the many attractions the City of Las Vegas has to offer.
  






Las Vegas Shopping
Town Square Las Vegas is an open-air shopping, dining and entertainment center on the Las Vegas Strip. It includes a lot of exclusive shops, an 18-screen Rave Motion Pictures and an interactive children’s park.



Las Vegas Zoo


Las Vegas Zoo is also named as the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park. The zoo has over 150 species of flora and fauna. The underwater marine park hosts reptiles and sea fishes. The largest group of swamp wallabies in North America lives in this zoo. It is also home to many endangered species that stay in the conservation center of the zoo. The alligator exhibit zone (Alligator Pathway) is very big. A wide variety of birds including Ostriches, Don, and Charlie is a part of the exhibits in Las Vegas Zoo.


Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas
Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas is one of the top attractions in the city. This popular wax museum opened 200 years ago. The museum has got more than 100 wax models of noted celebrities and Hollywood personalities. There are celebrity wax models from the domain of sports, entertainment, and politics. During the museum tour, you can take a family picture standing close to the wax models.



Las Vegas Shows:

The city of Las Vegas has got a lot of shows offering great entertainment to the tourists: production shows, comedy shows, magic shows, headliners show or tribute shows. Some of the popular shows in Las Vegas are as follows:

Blue Man Group
This show features simple men colored in blue and dressed in black without any elaboration in their costumes and actions.



Cirque du Soleil: Mystere
Mystere is one of the most popular shows in Las Vegas. This particular show comes with a fascinating mix of power and elegance, passion and precision, artistry and strength.


V The Ultimate Variety Show
V – The Ultimate Variety Show is a show that brings together various performances under one roof. The show offers a great stage to local and international performers for exhibiting their talents. This show hosts performance in aspects of music, juggling, acrobatics, and comedy.
POPULAR SIGHTSEEING TOURS FROM LAS VEGAS

Outside the city there are manyoutdoor adventures and sightseeing tours. Two of our most popular tours are the Red Rock Canyon Tour, known for its brilliant Red Rock formations and Mt. Charleston Tour with its alpine style village and huge pines.  


For an unforgettable experience, you can go on the Hoover Dam Tour where you can explore one of the greatest engineering marvels of the world. 


The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder.  The Grand Canyon West Rim Tour is designed for those who like to walk.  The Grand Canyon West Rim Helicopter Tours include travel by land, air and water.  



For some beautiful scenery a bit closer to Vegas, there is the Valley of Fire Tour where you can view ancient anasazi petroglyphs dating back more then 1500 years ago. 



 Looking for a thrilling Grand Canyon adventure, there is the Grand Canyon White Rafting Tour or the Las Vegas Horseback Riding Tours where you can enjoy a campfire breakfast, lunch or sunset dinner.  

If you want to visit the Death Valley, the lowest elevation in the United States where plants and animals try to survive, there is the Death Valley Tour.


Greta De Poli, Allegra Baggio and Aurora Michielon, II LSA