What's Black Friday?

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.

Why did it become so popular?

As retailers began to realize they could draw big crowds by discounting prices, Black Friday became the day to shop, even better than those last minute Christmas sales. Some retailers put their items up for sale on the morning of Thanksgiving, or email online specials to consumers days or weeks before the actual event. The most shopped for items are electronics and popular toys, as these may be the most drastically discounted. However, prices are slashed on everything from home furnishings to apparel.

Black Friday is a long day, with many retailers opening up at 5 am or even earlier to hordes of people waiting anxiously outside the windows. There are numerous doorbuster deals and loss leaders – prices so low the store may not make a profit - to entice shoppers. Most large retailers post their Black Friday ad scans, coupons and offers online beforehand to give consumers time to find out about sales and plan their purchases. Other companies take a different approach, waiting until the last possible moment to release their Black Friday ads, hoping to create a buzz and keep customers eagerly checking back for an announcement.

More and more, consumers are choosing to shop online, not wanting to wait outside in the early morning chill with a crush of other shoppers or battle over the last most-wanted item. Often, many people show up for a small number of limited-time "door-buster" deals, such as large flat-screen televisions or laptops for a few hundred dollars. Since these coveted items sell out quickly, quite a few shoppers leave the store empty handed. The benefit of online shopping is that you will know right away if the MP3 player you want is out of stock, and can easily find another one without having to travel from store to store. Also, many online retailers have pre-Black Friday or special Thanksgiving sales, so you may not even have to wait until the big day to save. So, there you have it - the Black Friday history behind the best shopping day of the year!

What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA and Canada. In The USA, it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year. The Canadians celebrate it on the second Monday in October. It is associated with giving thanks to God. In the beginning people expressed gratitude for the harvest they reaped. It used to be a religious holiday but now it has become a secular celebration.

The most important part of the celebration is the dinner which includes the customary turkey served with cranberry sauce, and pumpkin. A lot of business goes on during this holiday. For example, restaurants take advantage of the holiday to sell turkey dinners

Families and friends usually get together for a large meal or dinner during Thanksgiving and have a lot of fun. That's why, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is considered one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Students are given a four-day or five-day weekend vacation. Thanksgiving is also a paid holiday for most workers.

Phrasal verb Come

Phrasal Verbs: COME 

For today, phrasal verbs and...... May the force be with you!

Come about:        Suceder

Come across:     Encontrarse con alguien, dar con algo

Come along.   Presentarse, venir, prosperar 

Come away.   Salirse, alejarse, desprenderse

Come back.     Volver

Come by.    Pasarse por un sitio, conseguir, adquirir

Come down.   Caer, caer enfermo, bajar

Come forward.     Avanzar, ofrecerse

Come in.       Llegar

Come into.     Entrar en, heredar

   

Come off.    Caerse, ¡Venga ya!

Come on.    Comenzar (enfermedad, a llover), ¡Vamos!

Come on to.       Proceder a

Come out.       Salir

Come over.      Venir de visita

Come round.        Doblar una esquina, venir de visita

Come through.     Cruzar

Come to.             Ascender a, llegar a

Come under.        Formar parte de algo

Come up.            Surgir, subir, acercarse

Come up against.       Enfrentarse a.

Come up to.             Llegar hasta, alcanzar

Come up with.        Inventarse, conseguir.

Travel Idioms

jump the lights	If you continue driving when the traffic lights turn red, you jump the lights. It's very dangerous to jump the lights.  No wonder he was stopped by the police.
fall off the back of alorry	Goods that have fallen off the back of a lorry are stolen goods. Judging by the price of that camera, it must have fallen off the back of a lorry!
make your way to	If you make your way to a destination, you manage to get there without difficulty. Don't worry. I'll make my way to your home from the station.
pedal to the metal	When you put the pedal to the metal, you accelerate or make something go faster. If I put the pedal to the metal I might get there on time.
any port in a storm	When you are in difficulty, any port in a storm refers to a solution you accept which in normal circumstances you would find unacceptable. The hotel was substandard, but it was a case of any port in a storm; all the others were full.
take for a ride	To take someone for a ride means to cheat or deceive them. I discovered he had charged me double the normal fee.  He really took me for a ride!
road rage	Aggressive driving habits sometimes resulting in violence against other drivers is called road rage. A number of accidents today are a direct result of road rage.
middle of the road (MOR)	This term refers to anything moderate, unadventurous or inoffensive that avoids extremes and appeals to the majority of people. He's a successful middle-of-the-road entertainer. My mother wouldn't miss a show!
get show on theroad	If you manage to put a plan into action, you get the show on the road. OK, we've got all we need, so let's get the show on the road.
sail close to the wind	If you sail close to the wind, you do something dangerous or act just within the limits of what is legal or acceptable. He seems to invest his money well although he often sails close to the wind.
sail through	If you sail through something, for example a test or an exam, you succeed in doing it without difficulty. The English test was no problem for Pedro. He sailed through it.
shank's pony	If you go somewhere on Shank's pony, you have to walk rather than travel by bus, car, etc. It was impossible to find a taxi after the party, so it was Shank's pony for us!
ships that pass in the night	This expression refers to people who meet briefly and are not likely to meet again. The two men met one, like ships that pass in the night, and never met again.
live out of a suitcase	Someone who lives of a suitcase travels a lot, moving from place to place, and is therefore restricted to the contents of their suitcase. Sarah's job involves so much travelling that she lives out of a suitcase.
train of thought	A sequence of connected ideas is called a train of thought. I was considering the different options when the noise outside broke my train of thought.
hitch wagon to a star	Someone who hitches their wagon to a star has great ambitions and is very determined to reach their goal. At an early age she decided to hitch her wagon to a star and become famous.
on the wagon	Someone who is on the wagon is no longer drinking alcohol. No wine for me please - I'm on the wagon.

Comenzamos a preparar acceso Grado Superior FP

!Buenos días!
En noviembre comenzamos a preparar el acceso a Grado Superior de FP, así que el plazo de matrícula se abre el lunes 26 hasta el viernes 31 de octubre.
Pinchando la foto accederás a más información:

Phrasal Verbs related to travel.

To “Get On”

You normally “get on” something so that you can travel.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Get On”

1. I’m going to get on a bus and go to the city!

2. I’m going to get on my bike and cycle to the park!

3. I got on the train and went to the mountains!

2. To “Get In”

You usually “get in” to a vehicle that is travels on a road.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Get In”

1. Get in your car and come visit me at my house.

2. Let’s get in a taxi so we are not late for the theatre.

3. Let’s get in a mini bus with all of our friends and go to the party.

3. To “Get Away”

Sometimes when you are stressed and tired, you can say that you need to “get away”.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Get Away”

1. I have been working for six months without a break. I really need to get away!

2. My boss really needs to get away from the office; she is exhausted.

3. Let’s get away this Christmas and doing something different.

4. To “Stop Over”

Sometimes, when a place is very far away, you have to stop your journey and continue at a later date.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Stop Over”

1. We are flying from London to Australia, but we have a two-night stop over in Singapore because it is so far away!

2. We are driving from Barcelona to Rome but I think we will stop over in Andorra.

5. To Back up.

When you drive backwards, or in reverse, you ca say that you are “backing up”.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Back Up”

1. She was backing up her car when she ran over the dog. I don’t think she could see the dog in her mirrors.

2. Please back up your car in the carpark so I can get my car out.

6. To “Crash Into”

When you lose control of your car/bike/motorcycle etc., you may accidentally “crash into” something.

Example of phrasal verb, “Crash Into”

1. The man fell asleep because he was very tired and he crashed into a tree!

2. I was cycling to work when a car crashed into me and broke my leg!

7. To “Pull Out”

When you move from one street to another street, or from one lane to another lane, you can say that you are “pulling out”.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Pull Out”

1. We are in the wrong lane, we need to pull out into that lane!

2. I was cycling in the cycle lane when a car pulled out from nowhere! I didn’t see it and I nearly crashed into the back of it!

8. To “Pull Over”

When your car has problems on the motorway, you have to “pull over” to the side of the road, so that other vehicles can pass you.

Examples of phrasal verb, “Pull Over”

1. My engine was on fire so I had to pull over and wait to be rescued.

2. We are lost so I think we should pull over at the side of the road and have a look at the map.

Arrive in, at or to?

Arrive in, at or to?

One of the typical mistakes some students make is using the preposition "to" with the verb "arrive".

For example: *We arrived to London.

The preposition “to” can never follow the verb “arrive”, because it is a preposition of movement and the verb is not. Instead of “to”, we can use “at” or “in”, but, when should we use one or the other? The answer is easy:

• We use “at” when we get to a small place such as an airport, station or village.

Ex.: The children arrived at school quite late.

• We use “in” when we get to a large place such as a country or a city.

Ex.: The Vikings arrived in Britain in the 8^thcentury.

Sometimes it's not so easy and you can find examples like:

They arrived at Cardiff

Being Cardiff a big town, "in" should have been used, but "at" is correct because we actually mean arrive at Cardiff station or airport.

Idioms about Transport, FCE and CAE

     Here you have idioms and expressions about transport. We know it is not easy to control this kind of expressions but they are  very useful in everyday English: 

---

Idiom / Saying	Explanation
To get on your bike.  For example: Norman Tebbit told the unemployed of Britain to get on their bikes and find work elsewhere.	To get moving.
On yer bike! For example: He said "On yer bike" when I asked him for more money.	An impolite way of telling someone to go away.
To be in the same boat. For example: She's always complaining that she has too much work, but we're all in the same boat.	To be in the same situation (usually unpleasant) as other people.
Car boot sale.  For example: You can pick up a lot of bargains at a car boot sale.	An event in a public place where people sell their unwanted possessions, often from the backs of their cars.
To have a face like the back end of a bus. For example: "Quasimodo has a face like the back end of a bus, but he is really nice."	To be really ugly.
Car pool. For example: "Could you deliver this package for me? Use a car from the pool."	A group of cars owned by a company or other organization which can be used by any of its employees.
Drive a hard bargain.  For example: "We got a good price in the end, but he drives a hard bargain."	To expect a lot in exchange for what you pay or do
Drive someone round the bend.  For example: "The children have been driving me round the bend all day."	To make someone very bored or very angry.
Drive someone up the wall.  For example: "My neighbours are driving me up the wall with their loud music."	To make someone extremely angry.
Test drive.  For example: "I took it out for a test drive before I bought it."	To drive a car that you are considering buying, in order to see if you like it.
Flight of fancy.  For example: "Clean nuclear fuel is a real flight of fancy."	An idea which shows a lot of imagination but which is not practical.
Take flight. For example: "The children took flight when they say the farmer."	To run away.
Top flight. For example: "David Beckham is a top flight footballer."	To be at the highest level in a job or sport.
Hit and run. For example: "The police are hunting a hit and run driver."	This idiom describes a road accident in which the driver who caused the accident drives away without helping the other people involved and without telling the police.
End of the line. For example: "This project has struggled on for as long as it could, but it's reached the end of the line now."	The point where it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity.
Port of call.  For example: "Where's our next port of call?"	A place where you stop for a short time, especially on a journey.
Any port in a storm.  For example: "I didn't want to stay with my mother, but any port in a storm."	If you are in a difficult situation you will go anywhere for help.
Go off the rails.  For example: "Prince Harry has really gone of the rails recently."	to start behaving in a way that is not generally acceptable, especially dishonestly or illegally:
Down the road.  For example: "One day I will have video capability on the site, but that's a long way down the road."	Sometime in the future
The end of the road. For example: "We will have to give up on this project, it's reached the end of the road."	The point where it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity.
To get the show on the road.  For example: "Let's get this show on the road."	To begin an activity that has been planned.
To hit the road.  For example: "I must be going, I need to hit the road to catch my train."	To leave a place or begin a journey.
Middle of the road (MOR).  For example: "He only likes MOR music."	This idiom describes a person, organization, opinion or type of entertainment that is not extreme and is acceptable to or liked by most people.
One for the road. For example: "Do you fancy one for the road before you go?"	To have one last an alcoholic drink just before leaving.
Road hog.  For example: "I have never liked his driving, he is such a road hog."	Someone who drives so that other vehicles cannot go past.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No example necessary.	said to emphasize that you must not simply intend to behave well but you must act according to your intentions, because you will have problems or be punished if you do not.
Ship someone off.  For example: "Rich parents often ship their children off to boarding school."	To send someone away somewhere.
Shape up or ship out. No example necessary.	Said to tell someone that they must improve their performance or behaviour or they will have to leave.
To be just the ticket.  For example:- "If you want to improve your English, this websiste is just the ticket."	Used to describe that something is exactly what is needed.
Off the beaten track. For example: "The hotel is difficult to find, it is really off the beaten track."	A place where few people go, far from any main roads and towns.
On track. For example: "It looks as though the crisis is over. We're back on track."	If something is on track it's making progress and is likely to achieve something. To get or put something back on track means to correct something that was going wrong.
The fast track. For example: He won't be working in this office for very long, he's on the fast track to management.	The quickest and most direct route to achievement of a goal (especially business related).
The inside track.  For example: "He knows a lot about the company, he's on the inside track."	To have a special position within an organization, or a special relationship with a person that gives you advantages that other people do not have.
Lose track. For example: "They've lost track of their original goal. I doubt they'll win the next election."	To no longer know what is happening, or not to remember something.
One track mind. For example: He only ever thinks about girls, he has a one track mind.	A tendency to think about only one subject.
Cover your tracks. For example: They'll never catch the real culprits at Enron, they were to good at covering their tracks.	To hide or conceal something.
Train of thought. For example: "He was trying to explain how the budget would help to end the recession, but I couldn't follow his train of thought."	The connections that link the various parts of an event or argument together.
To get on the gravy train. For example: "I wouldn't trust him if I were you, he is always trying to get on the gravy train."	To attempt to make money quickly, easily, and often dishonestly.
Public transport. For example: "People should use public transport more to avoid congestion on the roads."	A system of vehicles such as buses and trains which operate at regular times on fixed routes and are used by the public.
Travel light. For example: "I always travel light when I go to England."	To go on a journey without taking a lot of things with you.
The squeaky wheel gets the oil. For example: "He complained to the manager and they gave him a free replacement."	People who make the most fuss get the most attention.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/transportidioms.html#sthash.HqYfYyRP.dpuf

Reading FIRST

Hoy viernes colgamos simplemente un reading, nivel B2/C1. Si preparas el FIRST o el Advanced, deberías leerlo y trabajarlo, así que pincha en el link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9ZBcJjavf7vVDkxN1RaanY3c2c/view?usp=sharing: 

En Lorca el inglés es fácil, útil y entretenido si vienes a Aulaglobal

Bussines English phrasal verbs with "down"

Today we are going to see common business English phrasal verbs that use "down". If you're studying for FIRST or Advanced you must study them by heart. Come on!!!! Aulaglobal helps you.

Back down (or climb down) = to no longer stick to your original ideas or position: "After weeks of negotiating, she backed down and accepted their conditions."

Break down (1) = examine the different parts of something: "The profits break down in the following way – 50% profit in European sales, a 20% profit in North American sales and a 30% profit in Asian sales."

Break down (2) = when communication stops between two parties: "The negotiations broke down after two days."

Bring down = destroy something: "A series of disastrous investments brought down the company."

Cut back on = reduce something: "The government has cut back on its defence budget."

Drive down = work hard to reduce prices or costs: "Over the last year we have driven down the distribution costs."

Live down = when other people can forget a bad reputation: "I was two hours late for the meeting and now my colleagues will never let me live it down."

Play down = minimise the importance of something: "She played down the fact that her father was the boss."

Set down = put something in writing: "The conditions are set down in the contract."

Stand down = resign: "After ten years at the head of the company, the chairman has decided to stand down."

Take down = write notes in a meeting: "Can someone take down the minutes?"

Wear down = argue so much that the other person abandons their position: "The unions finally wore the management down on the issue of overtime pay."

Write down (or note down) = write something: "Could you write down your mobile phone number?"

Table of Prepositions

Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several translations depending on the situation.

There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart, but...Remeber:Practice makes perfect.

Here you have a table which contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English

In Aulaglobal you´ll learn English in a different and funny way. It´s time to learn English in Lorca. 

Prepositions – Time

English	Usage	Example
on	days of the week	on Monday
in	months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time (when?)	in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour
at	for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?)	at night at the weekend at half past nine
since	from a certain point of time (past till now)	since 1980
for	over a certain period of time (past till now)	for 2 years
ago	a certain time in the past	2 years ago
before	earlier than a certain point of time	before 2004
to	telling the time	ten to six (5:50)
past	telling the time	ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until	marking the beginning and end of a period of time	from Monday to/till Friday
till / until	in the sense of how long something is going to last	He is on holiday until Friday.
by	in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time	I will be back by 6 o’clock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English	Usage	Example
in	room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world	in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world
at	meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)	at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party at the cinema, at school, at work
on	attached for a place with a river being on a surface for a certain side (left, right) for a floor in a house for public transport for television, radio	the picture on the wall London lies on the Thames. on the table on the left on the first floor on the bus, on a plane on TV, on the radio
by, next to, beside	left or right of somebody or something	Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
under	on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else	the bag is under the table
below	lower than something else but above ground	the fish are below the surface
over	covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle	put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall
above	higher than something else, but not directly over it	a path above the lake
across	getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side	walk across the bridge swim across the lake
through	something with limits on top, bottom and the sides	drive through the tunnel
to	movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed	go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed
into	enter a room / a building	go into the kitchen / the house
towards	movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)	go 5 steps towards the house
onto	movement to the top of something	jump onto the table
from	in the sense of where from	a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

English	Usage	Example
from	who gave it	a present from Jane
of	who/what does it belong to what does it show	a page of the book the picture of a palace
by	who made it	a book by Mark Twain
on	walking or riding on horseback entering a public transport vehicle	on foot, on horseback get on the bus
in	entering a car  / Taxi	get in the car
off	leaving a public transport vehicle	get off the train
out of	leaving a car  / Taxi	get out of the taxi
by	rise or fall of something travelling (other than walking or horseriding)	prices have risen by 10 percent by car, by bus
at	for age	she learned Russian at 45
about	for topics, meaning what about