Micro-challenge: the word 'Christmas'

1. What is the origin of the word 'Christmas'?

2. Find information about the following festivities:

a. Christmas Day

b. Boxing Day

c. New Year's Eve

d. New Year's Day

File 3A. Micro-challenge: The Big Apple

Why do people call New York 'The Big Apple'?

Read more about the origin of the expression 'The Big Apple' here. :)

Micro-challenge: The word 'soap opera'

soap + opera = soap opera

What is the origin of the word 'soap opera' in English?

Micro-challenge: The word 'Bobby'

There are two main police forces that patrol London streets. The forces are separate, but they wear similar dark navy blue uniforms.

But... why are British policemen called Bobbies?

As usual, write your answers in the Comments section.

Song: Waltzing Matilda

"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's "unofficial national anthem" and its most famous country folk song. The title is Australian slang for travelling by foot with one's goods in a "Matilda" (bag) slung over one's back.

The song narrates the story of an itinerant worker (or 'swagman') making a drink of tea at a bush camp and capturing a sheep to eat. When the sheep's owner arrives with three police officers to arrest the worker for the theft, the worker drowns himself in a small watering hole and goes on to haunt the site.

VOCABULARY:
anthem: a song that represents a country, nation or group.
slang: a type of language, words or expressions that are very informal.
goods: things
slung over one's back: colgadoen la espalda
theft: the crime of taking things without permission
to drown: to die because you are underwater and you cannot breathe.
to haunt: when a spirit appears in a house or other places.
site: place

Micro-challenge: The word O.K.

The word 'OK' is one of the most common expressions in English. We use it to express agreement, or when you find something satisfactory or acceptable.

But do you know the origin of the expression O.K.?

Do some online research and post the results of your search in the Comments section.

File 1B. Micro-challenge: Tennis score

Do you remember Activity 1.17 from the Student's Book?

When the point finishes, the referee says:




15-0 ("fifteen - love")

Why does he use the word 'love' instead of the number 'zero'?

File 1B. How good are you at geography?

File 1A. Micro-challenge: The personal pronoun "I"

Remember: Use CAPITAL "I"


You are a student and I am a teacher = CORRECT

You are a student and i am a teacher = INCORRECT


Why do we use capital "I" instead of low-case "i" for the first person singular personal pronoun?


Use the Comments section to write your answers.

File 0. English is an international language

Si queréis ver una lista con muchas otras palabras que son idénticas tanto en inglés y español podéis consultar el siguiente enlace. Recordad que aunque la ortografía sea idéntica, la pronunciación puede (y de hecho, suele ser) diferente en inglés.