It won't wash

Sometimes we find that politicians, or anyone else, are not telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, so you use this expression. Read about what it really means.

The English we speak: It won't wash (BBC Learning English) 

Articles related with the issue:

• FBI chief James Comey fired by Trump (BBC)

• Trump fires FBI director Comey, raising questions over Russia investigation (The Guardian)

• White House ‘systems failed’ with Comey firing, but Trump pushed the buttons (The Washington Post)

Listening exercise to do: How much food do you waste? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 170510 / 10 May 2017   >>>  Expressions presented: condition, draw & is down to.

 

Shorter attention span, a problem for our students?

Lately, teachers are always complaining of how difficult it is to keep students' attention in class to what is being done. Here may be the cause.

 

 

Listening exercise to do: Goldfish, brain and phones (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 Some articles to read about the issue >>> 

• Say it quick, say it well – the attention span of a modern internet consumer (The Guardian)

• Is technology and the internet reducing pupils' attention spans? (The Guardian)

• You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish (Neuroscience, Time Health)

• Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones (The Telegraph)

And talking about another problem that affects us these days, here we have some articles concerning attacks that we have suffered:

• Ransomware cyber-attack threat escalating - Europol (BBC)

• Manchester attack: What we know so far (BBC News)

What does 'foyer' mean? Which language does it come from? Can you give me a synonym?

We should all be really happy!!!!

I don't know if happiness is genetic or not, but something is for sure there are some people that are naturally more cheerful than others. As well, babies tend to be happier than adults (probably due to all the problems and concerns that we have in mind). Another interesting fact is that grandparents also tend to be happier than parents. It may be due to the fact that they have fewer responsabilities in life. 

Read these related articles and to the listening exercise later, and then give me your opinion about the issue:

• Happiness linked to a gene that comes in long and short versions (The Guardian)

• ‘Happy gene’ may increase chances of romantic relationships (The Guardian)

• Genes 'play key happiness role' (BBC)

Listening exercise to do: Is happiness genetic? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 

 

English with Lucy: 6 ways to STOP translating in your head & THINK in another language!

 English with Lucy: 10 English LOVE expressions

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 170614 / 14 June 2017   >>>  Expressions presented: set off, the wild & volunteers.

Veganism and climate change

Do these two concepts have anything in common? Read this post about the issue and do this Selectivity exam:

Eating less meat could save 45,000 lives a year, experts claim

Articles related to the issue which are interesting for you to read:

• Eat less meat to avoid dangerous global warming, scientists say (The Guardian)

• Go vegan, save the planet (CNN)

• Is a vegetarian diet really better for the environment? Science takes aim at the conventional wisdom. (The Washington Post)

  Here there is the URL of a video:

 https://cdn.theguardian.tv/mainwebsite/2015/07/07/150707Vegan_desk.mp4

Listening exercise to do: Could you go vegan? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

What does 'vegan' stand for? Can you give me a definition?

English with Lucy: Oxford English