Themself vs Themselves

We have always studied, in English Reflexive Pronouns, that for singular, we should use 'self':

     I = myself
     you = yourself
     he = himself / she = herself / it = itself

Instead, for plural, we should use 'selves':

     we = ourselves
     you = yourselves
     they = themselves

However, I have heard "themself" a few times and seemingly, for the same reason: to obviate the need for gender explicit pronouns.  

Let's go to make a review:

• "Themselves" is the reflexive pronoun traditionally used in the third person plural. Ex.:  They hurt themselves while playing football. 
• More recently, "themselves" has been used as a gender-neutral pronoun to refer to a single person and avoid the cumbersome "himself or herself" phrase. Ex.:  Somebody hurt themselves while playing football. (You want to avoid specifying if the "somebody" is male or female.)
• Traditional English grammar would have the above sentence as: Somebody hurt himself or herself while playing football. 
• The use of themselves as a reflexive pronoun to refer to a single person is widespread, but considered by some as incorrect on the grounds that a plural cannot be used for just one person. So, people started using "themself" instead. Ex.:  Somebody hurt themself while playing football. 

The shorter OED (Oxford English Dictionary) offers this thought : "Use of themselves to refer to a single person of unspecified sex is now becoming acceptable : see note at they . The apparently more logical form themself is not widely accepted , however ." 

For some more information, you may want to look at this:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/themself
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/themselves-or-themself

Hope this helps.



Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

Christmas Greetings

Two days ago I was in my mother's house and I wanted to send an email to my English friends with a Christmas greeting. But I hadn't time to look for the correct vocabulary, so I wrote to them only the classic "Merry Christmas". 

This evening I have decided to search for a way to express wishing or greeting to other people and I have just found it. The better way is using the word "May". 

The word "may" is a modal verb. Surely, you have read sometimes a text where "may" was used in expressing contingency (We may have to take a later flight), possibility (It may rain today) or even opportunity (I may be able to go to the beach this week). It is very useful when you speak to British people, because they are very polite. Especially if you need English for working, you shouldn't forget not only "May" but also "Could", "Please", etc.

Anyway, today I know that the word "may" has another meaning. It is also used frequently to express a prayer or even a wish. And here we are! We may do Christmas greetings using this meaning of the word "may". 

In the following lines you can read the better greetings I've found with word "may":

• May you have the best of Christmas this year and may all your dreams come true.
• May the peace and joy of Christmas live in your heart in the new year.
• May the miracle of Christmas fill your heart with warmth and love.
• Christmas is a special time of year to remember those who are close to our hearts!
  May your days be bright, and your heart be light!
• Wish I could spend the Christmas Hols with you. I am missing you so much. May you have the best of Christmas.
• Christmas is the time of giving and sharing. It is the time of loving and forgiving.. And to feel the Joy and Happiness of being Loved and to be Loved.. May this Christmas be a Joyous one as You Ever Had!!

And my favourite greeting for all of you is:  Merry Christmas!. Make merry not just on this wonderful holiday but all through the new year!!

PS: You can learn more about may verb here.


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

Light, Crowdfunding and Science

Something like a light bulb could be lit or not depending where in the world you happen to be. As we know, there are millions of people who lack not only the basics (food, water,..) but also place to live, medical assistance,... and light? Could you imagine a day without light?

Developed countries boast about their aid to disadvantaged countries; they give (theoretically) 0'7% of their GDP to developing countries. Developed countries help when less developed countries suffer a natural catastrophe, they send many NGO to disadvantaged countries,... but it is not enough. It will never be enough.

In all this, Science can contributes greatly. Not long ago, a research group designed (in their free time) something that can bring light to anywhere on Earth: it's is powered by gravity and after 3 seconds of effort, you'll have 30 minutes of light:

http://www.fayerwayer.com/2012/12/una-lampara-a-gravedad-busca-entregar-luz-a-paises-en-desarrollo/

But, what company or country is going to finance a product that can't be afforded by the people who need it? Anyone. It's for that reason that developers have resorted to crowdfunding through the indiegogo platform. Here you can read about it and even cooperate with them.

CONGRATULATIONS to JIM REEVES and MARTIN RIDDIFORD on their creativity, dedication and started up. As well as CONGRATULATIONS to Science that has provided an answer yet again.


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

My British Friend

Today I have introduced myself to my new British friend: Chris. It was two weeks ago we met, but our relationship has only been as penpals (Today it was the first time we saw each other). I wrote something in English to practice my writing skill and he corrected me by helping me to improve it. And I did the same for him. I have to be grateful to him for all his effort to help me, because really he has got it: Thank you very much again, my friend.

I was a little nervous this morning because it was going to be my first conversation exchange by Skype and I thought I couldn't do it correctly. I thought I was going to suffer a block (I don't like cameras) and I wouldn't be able to say anything. However, it was so easy with my British friend.

He is really kind and easy-going. I mean, he is the kind of person who makes you feel secure and calm. I felt so happy when the conversation had ended, because I had really enjoyed it. One hour had seemed to me as 15 min. It was great! He is also very funny and interesting, so I think it's going to be a very good experience to talk with him every week.  

PS: You could try to find your conversation exchange partner here too. Furthermore, you could practice speaking (English or Spanish) here. Good luck!


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

Vocabulary For Descriptions

Tomorrow I have an English exam. Whatever mark I get on it, won't be taken into account in the final course evaluation. However, it's important for me to know I am doing right my learning, and this is a good way to found out (It's a good way to get feedback on my learning).

This exam will be the quarter exam: we should revise everything we have been learning during the last three months. This includes the following topics:

- Personality,

- Clothes and Fashion,

- Illness and treatment, 

- Psychic and Fortune-tellers,
- Air travel.

In secondary school, teachers say to us that we may study using our own schemas and doing our own reviews. In my opinion, it is a good way to memorize and internalize the knowledge. Consequently, I always make reviews of my knowledge. 

I want to post my notes here, and the first one is about vocabulary for descriptions; not only personality descriptions, but also physical descriptions (clothes and fashion).

I hope you might find useful.

PS: You could find more vocabulary about descriptions and other topics (and its pronuntiation) here.


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

A Model For Descriptions

One of the skills you must develop in learning languages is writing ability.

There are several types of writing exercises and each one is based on a different model. Of course, you don't have to use the models necessarily, but they can help you to organize your ideas and structure your essays on a sound basis.

Last Wednesday I wrote a description essay using (not much) the following model:

What is your opinion? Do you think this type of schemas are really useful?


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

My Person

A person whom I love very much is Nines. I met her at university (Politécnica de Madrid) while we both were studying Computer Engineering. She is the same age as me, and she works in the R&D department of an importan international information technology services company. 

Nines is 33 years old and she is my best friend. I think she is stunning. She has medium-long straight blonde hair and big browns eyes. She is tall and slim, and it doesn't matter what she wears, she always gets dressed in a stylish way.  

Nines has a great personality. She is calm (maybe too much) and patient, and she is very loyal: she is the kind of person who always defends her friends and takes care of them. She is reserved, she hardly ever talks about herself and her feelings. She is sensible and responsible, the perfect partner of work and life. One of her better personality features is conscientiousness: she works hard to get what she thinks is better/right (for herself or even for others). And she is very funny, I love to spend my time with her because I am really happy when we are together.

She is "my person"...when Christina (main character in Grey's Anatomy TV series) was pregnant she had to have an emergency contact in case she needed someone to drive her home from the abortion clinic. So, she put down Merideth and then she told her "you're my person". This means a person whom you trust so much that you go to her/him with your good news, bad news and so on. It means he/she doesn't judge you, just accepts you as you are.


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

My Language School

I'm in the fourth year of a State-Run Language School (specifically, Escuela Oficial de Idiomas). The equalize levels between Common European Framework of Reference (from now on CEFR), Cambridge and E.O.I. is the following one:

I receibed B1 two years ago and, according to this information, I should study 2 years more to get a B2 certification.

We work on four skills; reading, writing, speaking and listening. Furthermore, we work vocabulary and grammar, but they are not included as questions in our exams. The most difficult skill for me is listening. People said "the more you listen to, the more you understand", but I think I still need to listening very much.

I'm thinking to work abroad in a few months to resolve my listening problem and to improve my English. I'm looking for an agency (or something like that) that can help me find a job, an apartment and maybe an English course to travel to England to do it. Soon I will tell how I'm doing the search and what I have worked out yet, but not today.

Today I want to raise a question: Why don't the European English tests have the same grading scale? 

Two years ago, at the same time I passed my Language School exam that certifies me as B1 English Speaker, I passed GESE-8 certification at Trinity Colleague. The equalize levels between CEFR and Trinity Colleague is the following one:

So, according to Trinity Colleague, my Europe level was B2 whereas according to Cambridge my level was B1. Which one is right? Which Europe English Level do I have?


Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!

The Idea

This morning, I was in the Café Almeja with my friend Diego. Lately, English language is one of our more common conversation topics. Both of us are learning English AGAIN. We always say that is awful and boring to relearn all the grammar and to remember the vocabulary that we had already learnt some time ago. We have been learning English severals times in our lives, and after, we have forgotten it.

Today, Diego has said to me something true that made me think about it. Diego has said: "This time I don't want to give up my learning: I want to make English a part of my life". So, the name of this blog is thanks to Diego. He invented it. 

But how I have decided to write a blog is thanks to this Website. On it, I read today that an strongly recommended technique to improve writing wich is to write a diary. So, here I am!!

Wellcome, I hope you could be able to learn a bit of English as well with me.

Please, If you find any mistake or you have another point of view about the information that I have posted, please leave a comment. We can all learn together! This blog feeds on your coments!!