In this episode we will see how to make the most of our English lessons, planning for classes that encourage students to use the language, as that will slowly build on their communicative competence.

In this episode we dive into a fundamental grammatical aspect of the English language: the passive voice. In order to understand what the passive voice is used for, we must give importance to the action rather than to the people involved in the action. But why does this shift in focus matter? And how does it shape the way we communicate?  

In this episode, we journey back to the early 20th century. A moment in history when the world had been shattered by WWI, and a generation of writers found themselves adrift in its aftermath. They were called The Lost Generation, a name that captured their disappointment with what the world had become, their restlessness, and their relentless search for meaning in a world that no longer made sense.  

In this episode there will be an insight into textual analysis, focusing on what makes a simple bunch of sentences stick together to form a text and understanding the different strategies that can be used to analyse a cohesive sequence of sentences. 

In this episode we take a deep dive into the political structure of the United States, a nation built on revolutionary ideals, as it counts with a system crafted in the fires of independence and that has been continuously reshaped by historical events.

This episode travels back to a period of significant change. The years between the 1830s and the 1920s—a time when American literature transformed in response to a rapidly shifting society.

There will be an analysis of two powerful literary movements: humourism and cosmopolitanism—each offering a lens through which authors dissected the world around them. And, at the heart of these movements stood two masters of the quill: Mark Twain and Henry James. 

Descriptive texts are more varied than you think. There are many types, such as technical descriptions, description of people and places, the description of emotions and the description of a process. The objective of this topic will therefore be to understand the structure and characteristics of descriptive texts so as to use them to engage people in the reading and understanding of our stories.

In this episode we will dive deep into the expression of time, a fundamental aspect of human language and communication. Have you ever wondered how we manage to express not just when something happens, but also the emotions, nuances, and connections tied to it? It’s not magic—it’s the extraordinary power that elements such as tense, aspect, and mood have.

In this topic we will understand how these three components work in harmony to provide a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the expression of time within language.

The United Kingdom boasts a rich and storied political structure, forming one of the world's oldest parliamentary democracies. In this topic we will learn how the British institutions work together to embrace a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy, combining monarchy with elected representation.

This topic deals with one of the most fascinating aspects of human communication: the ability to express oneself, understand and to be understood.

From ancient cave paintings to the digital age, communication has been the heartbeat of human connection. But what makes our way of communicating so unique compared to other species?

This topic delves into the answers to questions such as: what is communication? What elements come into play when dealing with communication? And… What are the rules of oral discourse?

In this episode we dive into the intertwined lives of two literary masters: Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. These two brilliant minds from Dublin rose to prominence at a time when the world was shaking off the rigid grip of Victorian values.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were transformative years, marked by social, political, and artistic confusion. It was an age of rebellion—a time when writers dared to challenge outdated norms and envision a different future.

In this episode there will be an insight to the main elements that shape discourse. More particularly, this topic deals with discourse analysis, which is the study of how language is used in real-life contexts to convey meaning.

It goes beyond analyzing individual words or sentences in isolation, as it examines the relationships between language, its users, and the social and situational context in which it is spoken or written.

In this episode we dive into the golden age of American literature; a time of important shifts and literary innovation between 1850 and 1900.

At this point, the United States was a young nation with less that 100 years of history bursting with contradictions and wrestling with questions of identity, democracy and individualism. It was a perfect setting for someone to write about it, and boy, did the writers that we talk about in this episode rise to the occasion.

In this episode we will be delving into the invisible force that shapes our words, structures our thoughts, and breathes life into our communication: grammar.

Without a grasp of grammar, language becomes a chaotic jumble of words, similar to a symphony without a conductor, producing discord rather than harmony.

Grammar is not a mere set of rigid rules to be memorised, but a dynamic framework that fosters effective communication. The question then arises: Is the study of grammar an arduous endeavour, or can it be transformed into a liberating force for language learners?

In today’s episode there is much to talk about, as we will be travelling back in time to the 18th century Britain. What happened during this period of time? What social, political and cultural changes did the country experience during the century? Who were the most representative authors of the time and what did they write about?

All of these questions and more will be answered in this great topic, let's start by hitting the play button.

The focus on this episode is on narrative texts, a specific type of text that students will encounter time and again. These texts are the bedrock of storytelling as they represent the very fabric of literary creation, history and everyday communication. Understanding their structure and characteristics is vital, not just for recognising them but for mastering the art of narratives.

What structure should narrative texts have? What characteristics do these texts have? Is there a correct way of writing a narrative? All of these questions will be dealt with throughout this episode.

Topic 43 deals with the oral transmission of medieval literature and it highlights one of the greateste stories of all time: King Arthur’s Legend.

Who was king Arthur? What was magical about Camelot and Excalibur? How was literature transmitted during the Medieval ages? Who was Geoffrey Chaucer and what were his Canterbury Tales about? All of these questions and more will be answered throughout this new episode of Opotopics.

In this episode we will dive into de phonological system of the English language. There are 3 parts to this set of topics dealing with the English phonological system: topic number 7, that deals with vowel sounds; topic number 8, that deals with consonants and this topic, number 9, that deals with stress rhythm and intonation.

So, what is stress? What is rhythm? And what is intonation? What role do they play when learning a language? All of these questions and more will be answered throughout this new episode of Opotopics. 

This episode will delve into de cultural dimension of English. It is no secret that the English language and way of life has strongly influenced other cultures. But how do British and American English differ? Which one has had a greater impact in our society? How has Spanish adapted to the rapid expansion of English as today’s lingua franca? What role do anglicisms play in Spanish?

All of these questions are very important to understand the dimension of English influence in today’s society.

In this episode we will understand how language can be used to form the process of communication. How should language be taught to non-native speakers? What is more important to speak with correct grammar or to make yourself understood although presenting obvious mistakes? What is the communicative competence and what role does it play in language learning? Listen to the episode to answer all these questions.