Weather Idioms

An idiom is a combination of words that have a figurative meaning. You should learn the following list of idioms related to the weather.

• It's raining cats and dogs: raining very heavily.
• To be on cloud nine: to be very happy because something wonderful has happened.
• To be under a cloud: to be in trouble, in disgrace, or suspected of doing something wrong.
• It never rains but (it) pours: when something bad happens, other bad things often happen to make the situation even worse.
• To be under the weather: not feeling very well.
• Every cloud has a silver lining: a sad or difficult situation always has a good side.
• To see which way the wind blows: to find out what is likely to happen.
• To make hay while the sun shines: to take advantage of a good situation while it lasts.
• A storm in a teacup: a lot of fuss or excitement about unimportant matters.
• To be snowed under with work: to have lots of work to deal with.
• To weather the storm: to survive a problem or difficulty.
• A breeze: if something is a breeze, it is very easy.
• To chase rainbows: to try to get something you will never obtain.
• To be in the eye of the storm: to be involved in a difficult situation affecting a lot of people.
• A fair-weathered friend: a person who is your friend only when everything is good.
• To save for a rainy day: to save or keep something for when times are bad.
• To be full of hot air: to do empty talk; talking a lot without meaning your words.
• To be sunny: always happy and cheerful.
• To be breezy: fresh and animated.

When the Levee Breaks

We have a long weekend ahead and I don't want you to forget to study the vocabulary of natural disasters. When the Levee Breaks is a song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. It is about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Levee means "dique". After extremely heavy rains the levee system of the Mississippi river broke down causing some of the most destructive floods in the history of the United States. Led Zeppelin recorded a version of this song. Enjoy it and have a nice weekend!

Top Ten Natural Disasters of the Last One Hundred Years

Watch this video and complete the text below

Complete the text while you watch and listen to the video.

Natural Disasters

On Tuesday,  we could watch "The Impossible" on TV. This film is based on the real story of a Spanish family that survived the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. I'm sure most of you have watched the film, but in case you haven't I strongly recommend that you watch it. To begin with, here you have the trailer.

We will be working on the topic of Natural Disasters during the following days. I know there will be a lot of new vocabulary so I will write some entries with different links and exercises to help you learn it. To begin with, here you have a picture from the BBC with some of the most common natural disasters.

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CURRICULUM VITAE

Watch the following video to find out more about how to write a good curriculum vitae. A good curriculum can make a difference so you should write it carefully when you are applying for a job. Watch the video and answer the questions. Next week I will update this post and upload the answers.

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CV

1.    What do we write a CV for?

………………………………………………………..

2.    How long will it take the reader to form an opinion?

………………………………………………………..

3.    What do you have to show?

………………………………………………………..

Rules to consider before writing your CV:

RULE 1:………………………………………………………..

4.    What should you start with?

………………………………………………………..

5.    Is it recommended to include a personal profile?

………………………………………………………..

6.    Why is the key achievements section useful?

………………………………………………………..

7.    Which job should you mention first?

………………………………………………………..

8.    Is the name of your job enough?

………………………………………………………..

9.    How should you start the education and qualifications section?

………………………………………………………..

10. Where should you include training?

………………………………………………………..

11. What kind of interests and hobbies should you mention?

………………………………………………………..

RULE 2: ………………………………………………………..

12. What is the maximum amount of pages a CV should have?

………………………………………………………..

13. According to the speaker, what two characteristics should a CV have?

………………………………………………………..

14. What would a good CV highlight?

………………………………………………………..

15. What shouldn’t be mentioned in your CV?

………………………………………………………..

RULE 3: ………………………………………………………..

16. What is the most important thing when dealing with this section?

………………………………………………………..

RULE 4: ………………………………………………………..

17. Which person should you use?

………………………………………………………..

18. What is also important about the language we use?

………………………………………………………..

19. What is the percentage of CV received by the recruitment and employment confederation that contain spelling or grammatical errors?

………………………………………………………..

RULE 5: ………………………………………………………..

20. What is important at this point?

………………………………………………………..

21. How do you get that?

The choice of font should be ……………………………..

Headings can be emphasized with ……………………………………………………………….

22. What does the speaker think about the following fonts?

Times New Roman or Arial ……………………………………..

Georgia …………………………………..

Geneva or Verdana ……………………………………

23. When can you say that your CV has been finished?

………………………………………………………..

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CV

1.      What do we write a CV for?

We write a CV to search for a new job.

2.      How long will it take the reader to form an opinion?

5 seconds

3.      What do you have to show?

You have to show that you have the necessary skills and competences to do the job.

Rules to consider before writing your CV:

RULE 1: Write it yourself.

4.      What should you start with?

Your name and contact details.

(Your date of birth is not necessary, neither your nationality or marital       status)

5.      Is it recommended to include a personal profile?

Nine times out of ten it does not cause a good impression.

6.      Why is the key achievements section useful?

To catch your readers’ interest.

7.      Which job should you mention first?

The most recent one

8.      Is the name of your job enough?

No, you should also include a description of your duties and responsibilities.

9.      How should you start the education and qualifications section?

Start with your most relevant professional qualification for the job.

10.    Where should you include training?

In a separate section

11.    What kind of interests and hobbies should you mention?

You should mention hobbies that demonstrate a range of skills relevant to the job and transferable to a workplace setting. If possible pick hobbies that are not ordinary so that you can stand out from the crowd.

RULE 2: keep it brief

12.    What is the maximum amount of pages a CV should have?

A maximum of 2 or 3 pages

13.    According to the speaker, what two characteristics should a CV have?

Informative but concise

14.    What would a good CV highlight?

A good CV would highlight all the skills that are relevant to the job

15.    What shouldn’t be mentioned in your CV?

You shouldn’t mention your current salary

RULE 3: Be truthful and accurate

16.    What is the most important thing when dealing with this section?

Do not exaggerate your achievements

RULE 4: Get the language right

17.    Which person should you use?

Third person

18.    What is also important about the language we use?

Use the relevant tense and positive words.

19.    What is the percentage of CV received by the recruitment and employment confederation that contain spelling or grammatical errors?

Half the CVs

RULE 5: Add the finishing touches

20.    What is important at this point?

It’s important that your CV is easy to read.

21.    How do you get that?

The choice of font should be uniform throughout.

Headings can be emphasized with size changes, bold lettering, underlining or italics.

22.    What does the speaker think about the following fonts?

Times New Roman or Arial give the CV a professional air

Georgia is more interesting

Geneva or Verdana are more classical

23.    When can you say that your CV has been finished?

It is never finished. You should always keep it up-to-date.

Curriculum Vitae

Welcome to thenglishome!

We will start learning how to write a good curriculum vitae. A curriculum vitae is marketing document: you are the product. You are "selling" your skills, abilities, qualifications and experience to employers! You want to present yourself in the best light possible. There is no perfect template, however, we will use the europass format which can be very useful if you want to find a job in any country in the European Union. 


Before fill in the form read some advice:

1. Personal information is necessary for the employer to contact you. Revise your email account when you write it down, use a combination of your name and surname to make it look professional. Don't forget the international prefix of your country when writing your telephone number if you are thinking of working abroad.

2. If you include a photograph, which is optional, it should be a head and shoulders shot and you should be dressed suitably and smiling. 

3. Don't forget to specify the job you are applying for. Maybe you are applying for a job advertised on a newspaper but, you can also present yourself as a freelance you want to become part of a company and in that case you should name clearly the post you aim for.

4. Include your work experience starting with the most recent one. You can include a brief description of your main activities and responsibilities as well as your achievements. For example: "As accounting manager I coordinated a team of 8 people and all operations related to the financing area of a company with an annual turnover of 3 million euros.

5. Education and training should also be presented starting with the most recent one. You do not have to detail all you educational stages unless they are relevant to the job offer.

6. Include only relevant information. Your curriculum should not have more than two pages. You can include an appendix with complete list of courses, seminars, meetings... that are not closely related to the job offer you are applying for.

7. The section concerning personal skills is one of the most important ones. There, you can detail what you can do, the languages you know, the ICT you can use, how do you work in teams and how well you can do all of it. This information is usually the most interesting for the employers.

8. Don't forget to write your name on the file. For example CVPedroTorresLopez_2013.pdf, so that it can be easily identifiable.

9. Adapt your curriculum to the job offer. You should try to meet all the requirements specified and, these requirements will be different in each case.