Listen
Neil needs to put a clock on the studio wall, but can he nail it? Find out more in this week's programme.
!Mira que luna! Look at that moon! Resources for learning English
Fernando Olivera: El rapto.- TEXT FROM THE NOVEL The goldfinch by Donna Tartt (...) One night we were in San Antonio, and I was having a bit of a melt-down, wanting my own room, you know, my dog, my own bed, and Daddy lifted me up on the fairgrounds and told me to look at the moon. When "you feel homesick", he said, just look up. Because the moon is the same wherever you go". So after he died, and I had to go to Aunt Bess -I mean, even now, in the city, when I see a full moon, it's like he's telling me not to look back or feel sad about things, that home is wherever I am. She kissed me on the nose. Or where you are, puppy. The center of my earth is you". The goldfinch Donna Tartt 4441 English edition
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
KEEPING YOUR ENGLISH ALIVE.
- Your son made a rude gesture, so he got in trouble at school. Now he's not allowed to ride the school bus for two weeks. You're explaining what happened to your brother. You say:
- He got suspended for flipping off the bus driver.
Source: phrasemix.com
Three Bright Aesop Tales
Listening and reading by clicking the link below:
http://storynory.com/2011/11/28/three-bright-aesop-tales/
The Sun is our narrator for these three stories adapted from Aesop’s Fables. He looks down on the Earth and sees all the human folly. He tells us the tale of the Milkmaid whose head is full of dreams. Then he relates the famous story of Juno and the Peacock about a bird who wants magnificent feathers. And his last story features himself and the North Wind.
Adjectives that look like Adverbs 1
evelina-brusokaite.blogspot.com
BROTHERLY=fraternal, fraternal;
COSTLY=mistake, caro, costoso;
COWARDLY=fearful, nasty,cobarde, mezquino;
DAILY; each day, diario, diaria
ELDERLY; old, anciano, anciana
FATHERLY; paternal
FORTNIGHTLY; quincenal, cada 15 días
FRIENDLY; simpático, acogedor
GHASTLY; frightful, unpleasant, horroroso/a, desagradable
GHOSTLY;
1. (ghost-like) fantasmal
2. (spooky) escalofriante
1. (ghost-like) fantasmal
2. (spooky) escalofriante
LEISURELY; pausado, pausadamente
LIKELY; probable, probablemente
LIVELY; animado, vivo
Adjectives that look like Adverbs 1
BEASTLY;
Picture source: pelicula-trailer.com
1 beastly
If you describe something as beastly,
you mean that it is very unpleasant. (OLD-FASHIONED, INFORMAL)
The weather was beastly.
ADJ-GRADED
= horrible, horrid
2 beastly
If you describe someone as beastly,
you mean that they are behaving unkindly. (OLD-FASHIONED, INFORMAL)
He must be wondering why everyone is being so beastly to him.
ADJ-GRADED
= horrible, horrid
Collins
Dictionary.
Read more about this topic:
Computer: word focus
ORD FOCUS: computer 
people who work with computers: user, programmer, web designer, IT person, software engineer, (systems) analyst, administrator,webmaster, helpdesk, techie informal, geek disapproving informal
someone who tries to break into a computer system: hacker, cracker
things you do with your computer: start up/power up your computer
open a file or document
enter information
click on an icon
cut and paste pieces of text
copy files or programs
scroll up and down the page
delete things you do not want
download files or pictures from the Internet
burn CDs or DVDs
close a file or document
save your work
shut down your computer
computer problems: bug, virus, error, corrupted file/data, crash, wormcomputer➔ Internet, email, personal computer, laptop, palmtop, PDA
chrismadden.co.uk
people who work with computers: user, programmer, web designer, IT person, software engineer, (systems) analyst, administrator,webmaster, helpdesk, techie informal, geek disapproving informal
someone who tries to break into a computer system: hacker, cracker
things you do with your computer: start up/power up your computer
open a file or document
enter information
click on an icon
cut and paste pieces of text
copy files or programs
scroll up and down the page
delete things you do not want
download files or pictures from the Internet
burn CDs or DVDs
close a file or document
save your work
shut down your computer
computer problems: bug, virus, error, corrupted file/data, crash, wormcomputer➔ Internet, email, personal computer, laptop, palmtop, PDA
chrismadden.co.uk
Camera
- cam‧e‧ra [countable]
- 1
a piece of equipment used to take photographs or make films or television programmes [↪ camcorder,video camera] - on/off camera (=while a camera is recording or not recording)
The crime was caught on camera by police.
- 2
in camera
lawa law case that is held in camera takes place secretly or privately
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Computer
- com‧put‧er [countable]
an electronic machine that stores information and uses programs to help you find, organize, or change the information :- Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
house
where someone lives
[countable]
a) a building that someone lives in, especially one that has more than one level and is intended to be used by one family :
a four bedroom house
Why don't you all come over to our house for coffee?
a four bedroom houseWhy don't you all come over to our house for coffee?
b)
all the people who live in a house [= household]:
He gets up at six and disturbs the whole house.
the house
He gets up at six and disturbs the whole house.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
TOP 100 TOOLS FOR LEARNING 2011
Top Tools 2011
Here are the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011. This, the 5th Annual Survey of Learning Tools, was finalised on 13 November 2011. This year’s list was compiled from the Top 10 Tools lists of 531 learning professionals worldwide – from education, training and workplace learning. [You can see some of the votes casthere.]
What is a “learning tool”? This could be a tool you use to create or deliver learning content/solutions for others, or a tool you use for your own personal learning.
WEEKLY TOPIC "SWEET RITUALS": Dining Local: Giving Thanks
Van SiasThank you, Dough, for helping with a family tradition.
I first thought of taking a look at turkey burgers around the neighborhood, but since this is the time to be giving thanks, I decided to go that route instead. So here are three things that I’m thankful for — all tied around food and restaurants, of course!
3. Variety
It’s always good to have options, and the main streets of the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy area are full of them. It’s nice to be able to go out for Moroccan food at Kif one night, then head a couple of blocks down DeKalb to Brooklyn Public House the next for the gastropub experience. Couscous and burgers stacked six inches high: What more could you ask for?
It’s always good to have options, and the main streets of the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy area are full of them. It’s nice to be able to go out for Moroccan food at Kif one night, then head a couple of blocks down DeKalb to Brooklyn Public House the next for the gastropub experience. Couscous and burgers stacked six inches high: What more could you ask for?
READ MORE:
WEEKLY TOPIC "SWEET RITUALS":
Listening: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/06/139042221/the-french-are-getting-fatter-too
Listen to the Story
[4 min 37 sec]
Part of an ongoing series on obesity in America.
As the United States struggles to cope with obesity rates, France is often looked to as a counterexample. Yet obesity is on the rise there as well now, and though French culinary traditions are often credited with keeping people trim, some worry those eating habits are under assault.
French obesity rates are still far below those of the United States and other European countries. One might think they would be a lot worse. The shops and outdoor markets are full of pastries, meats and cheeses, and people are always talking about food. It turns out that it's not only what the French eat but how they eat that seems to make a difference.
Transcript: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=139042221
Transcript: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=139042221
KEEPING YOUR ENGLISH ALIVE.
- One of your employees looks sick. You ask her why she came to work, and she says that she has a lot of work to do. You'd rather she go home so that she doesn't make other people sick. You say:
- If you're feeling under the weather, by all means go home and get some rest.
Source: phrasemix.com
Propeller
- pro‧pel‧ler [countable]
- a piece of equipment consisting of two or more blades that spin around, which makes an aircraft or ship move
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Backhand
- back‧hand [countable usually singular]
a way of hitting the ball in tennis and some other games in which the back of your hand is turned in the direction of the ball when you hit it [↪ forehand]- —backhand adjective
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Rocking horse
- rocking horse [countable]
- a wooden horse for children that moves backwards and forwards when you sit on it
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Parachute
- par‧a‧chut‧ist [countable]
- someone who jumps from a plane with a parachute
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Pygmalion Vocabulary Complete the puzzle using the clues shown below
Pygmalion Vocabulary
Complete the puzzle using the clues shown below
http://wiki.bssd.org/images_up/2/28/PYGMALIONpuzzleSOL.pdf
THE PYGMALION EFFECT: ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING ENGLISH ADN LITERATURE
| Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute |
The Pygmalion Effect: A Dramatic Study in the Classroom
byElizabeth Lawrence
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1985/2/85.02.06.x.html#j
Monday, November 28, 2011
Pygmalion vocabulary ACT I PENGUIN CLASSICS EDITION
Act I Pygmalion
PICTURE SOURCE: openlibrary.org
PICTURE SOURCE: openlibrary.org
PAGE 9 They are all peering out peer out at (to stare out at someone
or PAGE 9something) gloomily (con desánimo) at the rain
PAGE 9 I'm getting chilled to the bone.
PAGE 9 it aint my fault
PAGE 9 If Freddy had a bit of gumption
PAGE 9 closing a dripping umbrella.
PAGE 10 and dashes dash off Strandwards,
PAGE 10 followed instantly by a rattling peal of thunder,
PAGE 10 to the dust and soot
PAGE 10 its mousy color
PAGE 10 She wears a shoddy (de mala calidad) black coat
PAGE 10 a coarse apron (DELANTAL).
PAGE 10 He is in the same plight as Freddy
PAGE 10 He goes to the plinth
PAGE 11 and stoop to turn down his trouser ends
PAGE 11 Take this for tuppence.
PAGE 11 if I keep off the kerb kerb
WEEKLY TOPIC "SWEET RITUALS": Muslim birth rites
Muslims have some very simple rites for welcoming a child.
The Muslim call to prayer or adhaan ("God is great, there is no God but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Come to prayer.") are the first words a newborn Muslim baby should hear. They are whispered into the right ear of the child by his or her father.
The baby's first taste should be something sweet, so parents may chew a piece of date and rub the juice along the baby's gums. It was a practice carried out by the Prophet Muhammadand is believed to help tiny digestive systems to kick in.
There are a number of events that take place on or after the seventh day.
religious-tourism.com
READ MORE:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/ritesrituals/birth.shtml
hide away
fotoartglamour.com
Meaning: If you hide away, you go to a place where very few people can find you.
For example:
- hide away After writing a very popular book, Paul hid away in a small town in Mexico to escape all the media attention.
- hide away There was a small band of rebel soldiers hidden away in the mountains outside the city.
Quick Quiz:
Phil hid himself away because he didn't want to be
englishclub.com
|
Many a true word is spoken in jest
annraven1.wordpress.com
Possible interpretation: Something said as a joke may often contain wisdom and truth.
Note: jest (noun): a joke; something said for amusement or comedy
Quick Quiz:
The saying "Many a true word is spoken in jest" suggests that we can sometimes find truth in
englishclub.com
|
off the hook
diehmbpzephaniah.blogspot.com
Meaning: 1. no longer suspected of guilt 2. no longer obliged to do something
For example:
- My boss has admitted that he made the mistake himself, so I'm off the hook.
- I said I'd teach the class instead of Helen, so that lets her off the hook. She can go home early.
Quick Quiz:
Paula was a suspect, but she's off the hook now because the bank's ATM camera shows that the thief
englishclub.com
|
Nothing to write home about
esharp.eu
Meaning: If you say something is nothing to write home about, you mean it isn't very important or it isn't very good.
For example:
- We saw a movie today and it was nothing to write home about. It was just a typical action movie.
- Helen said her date with the guy she met online was nothing to write home about, and she probably wouldn't see him again.
Quick Quiz:
Leila said the new restaurant was nothing to write home about. She thought it was
englishclub.com
|
Sunday, November 27, 2011
WORD FOCUS: TREE
WORD FOCUS: tree
parts of a tree: trunk, branch, leaf, blossom, roots, bark, twig
a large area of trees: forest, rainforest, jungle
a small area of trees: wood/woods, thicket British English, copseBritish English
types of tree: evergreen, deciduous, conifer, fruit tree, hardwood tree
wood from trees: timber, lumber, firewoodtree
➔ See also tree
oak-tree-guides.blogspot.com
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary
CARTWHEEL
- cart‧wheel [countable]
- 1
a movement in which you turn completely over by throwing your body sideways onto your hands while bringing your legs over your head - do/turn cartwheels
- 2
the wheel of a cart - —cartwheel verb [intransitive]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
LEAVES
- 1
plant
[countable]one of the flat green parts of a plant that are joined to its stem or branches : - leaf of
- be in leaf/come into leaf (=have or start growing leaves, at a particular time of year)
- 2
take a leaf out of somebody's book
to copy the way someone else behaves because you want to be like them or be as successful as they are : - 3
turn over a new leaf
to change the way you behave and become a better person : - 4
page
[countable] formala page of a book : - ➔ loose-leaf, overleaf
- 5
part of table
[countable]a part of the top of a table that can be taken out to make the table smaller ➔ shake like a leaf
at shake1 (2)
LABRADOR
- Lab‧ra‧dor [countable]
- a large dog with fairly short yellow or black hair
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Cigarette Giant Sues Australian Government
PICTURE SOURCE:
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- sue: to take a person or group to court about a legal issue
- graphic: very detailed
- font: the size or style of type
- fake: not real
- flood: to fill up
- legislation: law (or proposed law)
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