Learn more about the origin of the expression "down to the wire" and how you can you use it in everyday conversations!

Grammar Without The Rules

Episode One: Down To The Wire

Listening Strategy
Before the recording starts:
1. Check instructions – how many words/numbers are permitted for the answer
2. Skim and orientate – establish context (who, where, what)
3. Underline keywords and think of synonyms
4. Establish required information
5. Predict answers

During the recording:
1. Listen for keywords (stressed words)
2. Listen for signposts and synonyms of keywords in the question
3. Work on the current question and look ahead to the next question
4. Skip missed answers and move on
5. Watch out for distracters (incorrect answers)

After the recording (transfer time):
1. Check for spelling or grammatical errors
2. Fill in something for any missing answers

IELTS Insights📚📝

IELTS Listening Strategy

Learn Spanish with Elvis B1

Una joven de 22 años aspira un récord en motocicleta

Z wird in den meisten Ländern anders ausgesprochen. Im Deutschen muss man das Z wie „ts“ aussprechen. Ausnahmen sind Wörter, die eingedeutscht wurden. Also, Wörter, die aus einem anderen Land stammen. 

Viel Spaß beim Hören, Erkennen und Mitmachen:

Zum zwölften Mal zog Zita ihren zerrissenen Mantel zurecht. Zögerlich spazierte sie zum Zaun, wo Ziegen zwischen Zweigen nach Futter suchten. „Zeit zu handeln!“, murmelte sie, als sie einen zerbrochenen Zaunpfahl entdeckte. Schnell griff sie nach einer Zange und zog Nägel aus der Tasche.

Zwischenzeitlich näherte sich ein großer Zugvogel und setzte sich auf den Zaun. Zita lächelte, während sie den Zaun flickte. Plötzlich hörte sie ein leises Zirpen – ein kleiner Zaunkönig zitterte auf einem Zweig.

„Was für ein zauberhafter Moment!“, dachte Zita zufrieden, als sie den Zaun fertig reparierte und zurück in ihr kleines Zuhause ging.

Aussprachehilfe 

das deutsche Z

Formas imperfectas de HACER. 

I was doing this: Yo hacía esto

conjuguemos y conjugamos 

Capítulo 7 HACÍA - WAS DOING

Today we're talking about several ways to say that you really enjoy something...

DAILY Business English VOCABULARY builder

Are you keen on this podcast?

POSTAL CLERK: What can I do for you today?
CAROL: I need to mail this package to New York, please.
POSTAL CLERK: OK, let’s see how much it weighs … it’s about 
five pounds. If you send it express, it will get there 
tomorrow. Or you can send it priority and it will get 
there by Saturday.
CAROL: Saturday is fine. How much will that be?
POSTAL CLERK: $11.35 [eleven thirty-five]. Do you need anything else?
CAROL: Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. I need a book of stamps, too.
POSTAL CLERK: OK, your total comes to $20.35
[twenty dollars and thirty-five cents].


LANGUAGE NOTES
• What can I do for you today? Notice that this question starts with “What,” so the 
intonation drops at the end of the question.
• Or you can send it priority … Notice the stress on “or,” which emphasizes that there is 
another possibility.
• $11.35 ... $20.35 Notice the two different ways the postal clerk says the price. First he 
says eleven thirty-five (without the words dollars and cents), then he says twenty dollars 
and thirty-five cents.
• Oh, yeah! is an expression used here to mean “I just remembered something.” It’s often 
followed by “I almost forgot.”
• Your total comes to … is a way of saying “the cost is ….”

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 16 : At the post office

“Hit the Nail on the Head” *Hey everyone! Let’s dive into a useful idiom: “hit the nail on the head.” It means to say or do exactly the right thing. Imagine your friend explains perfectly to you,why you’re tired and he says
“You’ve been working too much.”
You could say, “You hit the nail on the head!” It’s great for emphasizing accuracy in ideas or actions. Can you think of a time you hit the nail on the head?