Friday, November 6, 2009
Global Language
Watch this video where David Crystal talks about English as a global language. Click here.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Guy Fawkes' night and meanings of words
Guy Fawkes’ night: time to celebrate villains, slang, and three types of banger
by Jeremy Bale on November 5, 2009
English loves short, direct, expressive, onomatopoeic words, of Germanic origin, with multiple meanings – like bang, crash, smash and whoosh. They are a fertile source of slang, and a popular word can – confusingly – acquire different meanings. A topical example is banger and three of its meanings are given below:
Banger 1
Bonfire Night has come round again. On the fifth of November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught trying to blow up Parliament. Ever since then, his effigy has burned on bonfires across the land, as fireworks explode and rockets shoot skywards, commemorating the event.
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot …
Here in my village, after dark, as the celebration approaches, intermittent bangs and random whooshes can be heard nightly as the local children practice, like an orchestra tuning up. This brings on nostalgia for my boyhood days, when a penny banger was well worth the pocket money, and a threepenny cannon with the power of a hand grenade was on sale to small children at the sweet shop. I can still smell the bonfire smoke, the reek of cordite, and the succulent waft of sausage and mash.
Banger 2
And so, a sausage is the second type of banger, presumably because it sizzles and, if left unattended, explodes with a bang.
Banger 3
But wasn’t there a newspaper headline last month about Bangers for cash? When the Government extended its scrappage scheme? No, HM Government has not yet been reduced to flogging fireworks or sausages, but is offering a £2,000 sweetener if you trade in your old car – the third type of banger. I’m a bit miffed to think of mine as a banger because the exhaust pipe is fine, rarely pops, and certainly never goes bang.
by Jeremy Bale on November 5, 2009
English loves short, direct, expressive, onomatopoeic words, of Germanic origin, with multiple meanings – like bang, crash, smash and whoosh. They are a fertile source of slang, and a popular word can – confusingly – acquire different meanings. A topical example is banger and three of its meanings are given below:
Banger 1
Bonfire Night has come round again. On the fifth of November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught trying to blow up Parliament. Ever since then, his effigy has burned on bonfires across the land, as fireworks explode and rockets shoot skywards, commemorating the event.
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot …
Here in my village, after dark, as the celebration approaches, intermittent bangs and random whooshes can be heard nightly as the local children practice, like an orchestra tuning up. This brings on nostalgia for my boyhood days, when a penny banger was well worth the pocket money, and a threepenny cannon with the power of a hand grenade was on sale to small children at the sweet shop. I can still smell the bonfire smoke, the reek of cordite, and the succulent waft of sausage and mash.
Banger 2
And so, a sausage is the second type of banger, presumably because it sizzles and, if left unattended, explodes with a bang.
Banger 3
But wasn’t there a newspaper headline last month about Bangers for cash? When the Government extended its scrappage scheme? No, HM Government has not yet been reduced to flogging fireworks or sausages, but is offering a £2,000 sweetener if you trade in your old car – the third type of banger. I’m a bit miffed to think of mine as a banger because the exhaust pipe is fine, rarely pops, and certainly never goes bang.
Guy Fawkes' night
Here you are a quiz from the BBC.
some more information about this festivity with an audio. Click here
some more information about this festivity with an audio. Click here
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
UP
watch the trailer of the movie. Good listening comprehension exercise. click here.
FEELING down or just tied down? Then the only way is Up.
The latest offering from animation goldmine Pixar is not only the best kids movie of the year but one of best movies of 2009.
I've just seen Up in 3D - it beats the 2D version hands down - and it is a wonderful piece of escapism that might finally convince the Academy to see past their prejudice against "cartoons" and give Pixar their first Best Picture Oscar nomination.
Up tells the story of Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), a man who dreamed of going on an adventure to Paradise Falls in South America with his beloved wife Ellie.
But every time the couple get close to filling a money jar to save for the trip, they have to smash it to pay for some kind of repair.
It's a sequence that adults will understand only too well.
Then, sadly, it is too late because Ellie passes away.
That certainly brought a tear to The Sneak's eye. It might sound a touch serious, yet it is necessary to bring the tone down so that you can feel the full force of an emotional uplift.
And that is what happens next in one of the most moving scenes committed to celluloid, when Carl's house floats into the sky with the aid of hundreds of balloons.
That, though, is just the beginning. A young explorer called Russell is on Carl's porch when the house rises and joins the incredible journey, which is packed with cliffhanging scenes, colourful creatures, tender moments and big laughs.
So your critic is going to say what he says about every Pixar movie - there is something for everybody.
And if you think the hype about Up, which has taken £180million at the US box office, is a load of hot air then you are going to miss out on something very special.
Best Line: The last message from Carl's wife Ellie is "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own."
Best character: Carl is grumpier than Victor Meldrew.
Family rating: Fun from five to 105.
Bum numbness: You just won't want to get up.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/2674631/The-Sneak-gives-hisverdict-on-latest-Pixar-film-Up.
FEELING down or just tied down? Then the only way is Up.
The latest offering from animation goldmine Pixar is not only the best kids movie of the year but one of best movies of 2009.
I've just seen Up in 3D - it beats the 2D version hands down - and it is a wonderful piece of escapism that might finally convince the Academy to see past their prejudice against "cartoons" and give Pixar their first Best Picture Oscar nomination.
Up tells the story of Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), a man who dreamed of going on an adventure to Paradise Falls in South America with his beloved wife Ellie.
But every time the couple get close to filling a money jar to save for the trip, they have to smash it to pay for some kind of repair.
It's a sequence that adults will understand only too well.
Then, sadly, it is too late because Ellie passes away.
That certainly brought a tear to The Sneak's eye. It might sound a touch serious, yet it is necessary to bring the tone down so that you can feel the full force of an emotional uplift.
And that is what happens next in one of the most moving scenes committed to celluloid, when Carl's house floats into the sky with the aid of hundreds of balloons.
That, though, is just the beginning. A young explorer called Russell is on Carl's porch when the house rises and joins the incredible journey, which is packed with cliffhanging scenes, colourful creatures, tender moments and big laughs.
So your critic is going to say what he says about every Pixar movie - there is something for everybody.
And if you think the hype about Up, which has taken £180million at the US box office, is a load of hot air then you are going to miss out on something very special.
Best Line: The last message from Carl's wife Ellie is "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own."
Best character: Carl is grumpier than Victor Meldrew.
Family rating: Fun from five to 105.
Bum numbness: You just won't want to get up.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/2674631/The-Sneak-gives-hisverdict-on-latest-Pixar-film-Up.
TED
This is just an example that can fit very nicely in our lesson about memory and the brain. Watch and listen. Food for thought!
TED Conferences
I've added a new website which seems to be quite interesting. If you haven’t come across TED before, their motto is “Ideas worth spreading”, and they feature talks and presentations from some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers – a visit to their website www.ted.com is highly recommended.
Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.
Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.
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