CONNECTORS: SEQUENCING

One of the most important ways to link ideas is to sequence them. Sequencing refers to the order in which events happened. These are some of the most common ways to sequence in writing or speaking:

OTHER WAYS OF 'HATING'

BIRDS

TODAY'S...

American marketing invention which has extended throughout the world. Initially the day after Thanksgiving in the USA and the start of the Christmas shopping season with huge discounts. 

Black Friday History

For millions of people Black Friday is the time to do some serious Christmas shopping --even before the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone! Black Black is the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it's one of the major shopping days of the year in the United States -falling anywhere between November 23 and 29. While it's not recognized as an official US holiday, many employees have the day off -except those working in retail.

The term “Black Friday” was coined in the 1960s to mark the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. “Black” refers to stores moving from the “red” to the “black,” back when accounting records were kept by hand, and red ink indicated a loss, and black a profit. Ever since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.

In the 1960's, police in Philadelphia griped about the congested streets, clogged with motorists and pedestrians, calling it “Black Friday.” In a non-retail sense, it also describes a financial crisis of 1869: a stock market catastrophe set off by gold spectators who tried and failed to corner the gold market, causing the market to collapse and stocks to plummet.

[Taken from blackfriday.com]

Click here to previous posts on this blog about this issue:

- 2011 post.

- last year's post.

TODAY'S THANKSGIVING DAY 2016

Today Thursday 23rd of November is this year's Thanksgiving Day.

For +info about Thanksgiving on previous year's posts on this blog HERE.
+ info on the history of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving.
And when it comes to giving thanks, here are 8 reasons to be thankful because you are who you are. Click and read... 
8 REASONS TO BE THANKFUL: YOU'RE YOU

CONFUSED WORDS

MEASURE WORDS

Expressions of measure words to make uncountable words countable.

More at a previous post HERE.

PHRASAL VERBS & IDIOMS WITH 'RUN'

Here are some meaning that the verb 'RUN' has apart from the basic of "moving and advancing quickly". Some are with only the same form of the verb, others are as a phrasal verb, completeing the information from the student's book.

BEST SPEAKING ENGLISH COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD 2016

This recent map (2016 rankings) shows the countries that speak the best English (as second language) around the world. 

This colour shows the ones that have very high proficiency, being the Netherlands, followed by the four Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway & Finland) to complete the top 5.

This colour shows the countries with a high level of proficiency (positions 8 to 20), where Germany, Switzerland and Portugal can be found.

Moderate proficiency is shown with this colour, where India is included and also Spain (position 25), just above Italia & France (positions 28 & 29, respectively.

Low proficiency's colour is orange and Iraq closes the list as the worst.
+ info link.
Previous ranking maps with only European countries or worldwide were published HERE & HERE, last year and we can see that some countries have changed positions: Netherlands up to nº1 while Sweden down to nº3.

FRIENDLIEST COUNTRIES

Here's a map that shows the countries where it's easier to make friends and the countries where it isn't. The best are the greenest, the worst the reddest. Spain's amoung the first and the UK among the latter.

+ info:

The best and worst countries in the world for making friends

Posted 2 months ago by Louis Doré in news

'LIE' vs 'LAY'

Chart to distinguish the use of two confusing verbs LIE & LAY.

Remember that LIE has yet another meaning as verb and noun, meaning "to say something that isn't true".

COMPOUNDS WITH '-EVER'

WORD ORDER INVERSION STRUCTURES

Different possibilities of word order inversion in English.

WRITING ESSAYS

CAR JOURNEY EXPRESSIONS

Recollecting some expressions and phrasal verbs used when travelling by car.

HOUSEHOLD & KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Household and kitchen appliances vocabulary on this post.
For more on Kitchenwear link HERE.

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

A post devoted to science, more specifcally to chemistry: the periodic table of elements. Above you have an example of a common periodic table with the symbols and abbreviations of all the known elements. But below you have the link to one that includes pictures apart from the usual info (atomic number, chemical symbol, chemical name, weight...). Click and see...

The Periodic Table of Elements, in Pictures & Words.

THE ENGLISH VERB TENSES TIMELINE

Here's a general English verb tenses timeline chart with all active and passive forms available.

FORMAL vs INFORMAL LETTER OR EMAIL WRITING

PAST PERFECT

FURNITURE

THE 'D CONTRACTION

Explaining about the confusing contraction 'D, which can stand for WOULD or HAD. Here we explain what to expect after it depending on what case it is.

SHOPPING EXPRESSIONS

Here are some common expressions & vocabulary you can use when going shopping.

THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH (2)

Another old video (from 1943) which tells us the history of the English language from the beginning until then. Interesting.

Video: