Gender Neutrality

"English Style Guide" released by the Commission is hereby available.  On pages 48 - 49 you can find the section on gender neutrality. 

Position of adverbs

Here are the main rules and exceptions on the position of adverbs in sentences:

First rule: if there is only one verb in the sentence, the adverb comes before the verb as in the following example: He usually comes to work on time.
Exception to the first rule: if the only verb in the sentence is 'to be', the adverb comes after the verb as in the following example:  He is usually on time.

Second rule: If there is more than one verb in the sentence, the adverb comes after the first verb as in the following example: He has already arrived at work.
First exception to the second rule: if the first verb in the sentence is an auxiliary verb with 'to', i.e., have to, need to, ought to and used to, the adverb comes before the first verb as in the following example: He usually has to start working by 9:30 AM.
Second exception to the second rule: if the first verb in the sentence is a contracted negation, the adverbs 'probably', 'possibly' and 'certainly' come before the first verb as in the following example: He probably won't come to work on time.

These being the main rules and exceptions, there is more to this topic.  You can find more information on this webpage, which also provides you with some exercises.

Make, do, get and have

Here you can find some information and exercises on the use of the verbs 'make', 'do', 'get' and 'have'. I am hereby making the key available, as well.

Subjunctive

A webpage on the use of subjunctive is hereby made available.

Sample listening summary

A whistle-stop tour of the key EU institutions

In this BBC news piece the reporter first gives us some information on the history of the European Union (EU), which can be traced back to the European Steel & Coal Community established by six European nations after the Second World War.  The Community then transformed into the Union of 27 Member States, having common positions on all policy areas from global warming to the Hungarian sewage system. The following principle is one of the main pillars of the EU policy: "the richer countries help out the poorer ones."

When it comes to understanding the legislative process of the EU, the story starts to get quite complicated, as it is a unique game consisting of three main players within a system of checks and balances unlike any other one in the world.

The first player the reporter presents is the Commission (often called "the engine of the EU") with its 27 Commissioners located in the Berlaymont building. The Schuman metro station nearby is named after a former French foreign minister, who played a crucial role in the early conception of the idea of a united Europe. It is this institution which has the right to propose laws, and where Commissioners regularly meet on Wednesdays. Commissioners and the civil servants at the Commission see themselves as the "guardians of the soul of Europe" against the petty national interests of each Member State.

These national interests are represented at the Council, the second institution the reporter mentions. Its main building has 16 meeting rooms, where ministers and ambassadors get together regularly. At least three times a year the heads of Member States meet there, as well. One could say that "a lot of the real work is done" at the bar, where the informal discussions take place.

The third big player, which is the most familiar one for anyone from a democratic country, is the European Parliament. Among the three institutions, it is the only one whose members (MEPs) are directly elected by the people. The Commission and the Council have to take MEPs' amendments on proposed laws into account. When it comes to budget decisions, they even have the power to reject the whole proposal.

The Parliament demands more and more influence within the balance of powers among the three institutions, and it seemed to be increasingly getting it at the time this report came out.  However, it is ultimately up to the national governments represented at the Council to accept or reject any given legislation proposed by the Commission.