Chill out!
Well, we are recovering from a week of very cold weather. The snow really did cause chaos in certain areas of the UK, and hundreds of schools were temporarily closed! All of the snow disappeared by the weekend (certainly in the area where I live), and unbelievably, the average temperature today was10°c! This is probably the best way to experience snow – short and sweet! There was just enough snow to make everything look magical and like a winter wonderland, the children had a brief chance to play outside and go sledging, but now, thankfully, the snow has all gone! Last week I mentioned that English people often make conversation about the weather, perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the weather is so changeable and unpredictable. Interestingly, we also use many weather-connected words to describe personality.
To begin with words connected to cold weather, if someone we know is cold, frosty or chilly, we may not enjoy spending time in their company! He or she is likely to be unfriendly, anti-social and a poor conversationalist. If this person is really nasty and cruel, the word cold-hearted can be used! If you have a cool-head, however, this is not a bad thing! You are likely to be logical and organised, and to stay calm in a crisis.
As you may expect, words related to sunny and warm weather, on the other hand, denote the opposite type of personality! If we say that someone has a bright or sunny personality, it means he or she has a cheerful, pleasant disposition. We may also say that someone is bright and breezy, which means lively and fun. Bright used on its own usually means intelligent. You can give somebody a warm smile or a warm welcome, or be warm-hearted (kind and generous). I think you get the idea! If you are hot-headed, however, you probably lose your temper quite a lot!
There are even metaphors linked to the wind! Sometimes we describe a person or a speech as being longwinded, which means that the speech or person is pompous and takes a long time to get around to the main point. If someone changes like the wind, obviously it means that he or she not reliable and often switches between different things; similarly, someone who blows hot and cold often changes their mind! Finally, if we compare someone to a whirlwind, it means they overwhelm us with their dynamism and energy!
Lastly, I think we all know the phrase “stay cool!”, which uses the imperative (used to give orders) and means stop worrying, relax. However, did you know that there is a new version of the phrase, which is also connected to temperature: “chill out!”. This phrase has lost the preposition and has now been abbreviated to a simple “chill!”. It’s mainly used by young people, so be careful who you say it to!
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At the end of last week, I set you a task about modal auxiliaries (Saturday 10th). It was very interesting reading your comments! Here is the task, again, with my answers below.
Some learners have sent in comments about the weather in their home countries. This ________ (1) be because they are taking part in the current global interest in climate change, which ________ (2) be brought about by global warming. On the other hand, the learners in question ________ (3) just be responding to the references to weather contained in one of the teacher blog entries this week. One thing is sure: global warming ________ (4) be here to stay, so we ________ (5) take preventative action now. The growing consensus is that there ________ (6) be cooperation at an international level.
Answers
(1), (2) and (3) are all examples of speculation; we do not know the exact causes of the trends, so we use modals of possibility: any combination of may/might/could. Although it would be possible to use may/may/may or might/might/might etc, it would be better to avoid this repetition, as it becomes tired in terms of style.
(4) contains a logical deduction about global warming, and “will” is slightly better than “must”, because “will” includes a time reference (future). The word “will” is used to express extrinsic intention (that is, external forces or behaviour). If we were not using modals here, it would be equally acceptable to write “global warming is here to stay”. This is journalistic style, which uses the simple present to convey immediacy.
(5) contains an example of an obligation to take immediate action, so “must” is more powerful than “should”, but either is grammatically correct.
Again in (6), “must” and “should” are both grammatically correct. Personally I would write “should” here, partly because of the contrast it provides with the previous modal, and also because the adjective “growing” (used with “consensus”) suggests that international opinion is not yet unified, so “should”, with its overtone of advice giving, is preferable.
In answer to the question from Diema about the difference between probability and possibility, there is a nuance in meaning. Probability can be expressed as a percentage or a ratio, based on a consideration of statistical information. In terms of modal usage, I guess the choice of auxiliary would depend on the circumstances you were discussing, and how likely or unlikely the outcome would be. Sorry I can’t be any more help than this!
That’s all for now, just remember to chill!
Best wishes
Samantha
PS. Here is a task, if you have time! In the "Chill Out" text, which words
(1) show links between sentences?
(2) show links within sentences? (between clauses or phrases)
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
chaos (noun)
Disorder and confusion.
short and sweet (phrase)
This phrase is used to describe something that is enjoyable while it lasts.
magical (adjective)
Magical is used here to mean that the snow inspires a sense of awe and wonder.
winter wonderland (noun)
A fantastic winter landscape that is dreamlike and beautiful.
go sledging (verb)
Children sit on sledges and slide over the snow. It’s great fun!
changeable (adjective)
Changes frequently.
unpredictable (adjective)
Impossible to know about in advance, unreliable.
conversationalist (noun)
Someone who is good company and makes interesting conversation.
nasty (adjective)
Very unpleasant and unkind.
cruel (adjective)
Similar to nasty, but even more unpleasant and unkind.
pompous (adjective)
Overly and irritatingly formal.
whirlwind (noun)
A dangerous, high speed whirling (spinning) wind.
dynamism (noun)
Enthusiasm, energy, life-force.
As I included explanations for all of the words connected to personality, I won’t repeat them all here!
Comments
Hello Samantha. As usual I enjoyed reading your blog today.It´s interesting to learn that words relateded to weather can be used to describe a person´s personality.I´d like that you talk a little bit about idioms, and how they can become our speech more natural. I´ll try to chill! Regards.
Wow! what a great teacher! I have never seen such a good lecture like this. Considering the contents of the lecture including a quiz, it is really ideal for foreign students and adults wanting to learn English. From now, I will looking forword to being given this course. Have a nice day!!
dear samantha,what a wonderful comparision between weather and personality! i believe that weather has great effect on people's behaviour for example in my country generaly, behaviour of people who live in warm places is warm and in cold places the people temper is cold,your comparision inspired me to think more about the relation between weather and people's behaviour in various countries, may be the readers of this blog can guide me about this judgement.
To answer your questions:1)finally,lastly,interestingly,sometimes 2)on the other hand,however,obviously,similarly,so ,but, and
Dear Samantha, thank you for your next lesson! It is bright, and breezy of course! I have just mantioned that comparison people's personality with weather can be justified because of the influence weather conditions on people's mood... Behind my window there is thick mantle of snow, clouds are heavy and dark, and the sun is unvisible - they are good circumstances to stay at home and reading internet and listening warm music. Samantha chill up! ps. the task that you have prepared for us is little bit too difficult - it could be the weather influence on my perception, which becames longwinded...
Hi Samantha, I`m italian and I`ve been here in England for 5 months.I`m an aupair and this is my first time leaving a comment here even if I`ve been reading your blog for some weeks. I`m trying to chill but, you know, I feel a little bit awkward. Well, I`ll try to reply to your questions. I`m not so sure if I got the task...I think I`m being very longwinded now so here you have my answers. I look forward to reading your next blog to see how many mistakes I made. 1)interestingly; finally; lastly; however; so; similarly; perhaps 2)and; if; but; which; or. That`s all. nice to meet you Samantha...and can I ask you a question? Where has Lemlem gone? Take care
It's been glorious and mild here.When I speak Korean my friends and family say I am bright and breezy but when I speak English I am too serious and not funny at all. I am so afraid to make mistakes and if I do it takes ages to ger over the thought of silliness.Anyway,I've tried hard to make some good sentences.1)"There is a no reason to shout at me" chiil out! Give me a chance to explain,will you?2)When the chiness doctor gave me a gentle massage after acupuncture I felt chilled out.thank you.
Olá teacher! It's really intersting the comparison you have done between the words conected with weather and people's behavior. I have never thought about it. I think this happens since the ancient times when the people had only stars, weather and animals to compare with the members of its flock. Let's all get chill! May I say this? Is it correct? Bye!
Dear Samantha, it's the first time, that I sent a comment to a blog.It's interesting what you write about describing people's personality with words you usually use for describing the weather. I know it also from the german language.I hope, Lemlem will sent a blog soon, because I'm very interesting in her way of living, her culture, traditions and so on.Have a nice day!
Dear Samantha! Nice to meet you! I am glad to see that our global digital community is growing day by day. Somebody is here every day, others have disappeared and some people appear over and over again. As I see, all virtual teachers had travelled a lot all over the world before they settled down and all have a great deal of experience. However, Lemlem is very busy and he does not have time for us, you are very inventive. Your tasks are useful for us, learners. Using the modal auxiliary verbs properly does not belong among my strengths, so your task was quite a hard exercise for me. To be honest, I did not have any confidence to send my resolution. Now I can admit that I have failed two of them. We also use words related to weather to describe people’s personality in Hungarian. It is good to know, how I can use them in English. Thanks a lot! Best wishes!
As usual here I'm. This has become one of my daily hobbies! .Samantha, I loved your explanation about the weather- connected words to describe personality.That was really a great lesson, it's a pity that it was not a live one! Well, you've just recovered from a week of freezing days whereas here we've just left behind two days of heavy rain.In fact,that was enough rain to bring us some relief from the unberable heat. I say that Saint Peter is a very wise and sensible fellow when he sees we can't stand any longer he sends us some consolation.Now the day is bright and sunny as a typical summer day in this region.We Brazilians from this area are always faced with hot,bright, sunny days. Cold days are rarities, no more than a week. And like the sun we tend to have a bright and sunny personality and Cuiabanos(as we are known) are very warm-hearted. Interesting how the weather affects people's personality.Our houses are always open and we love open air activities. Indoor bars here don't last long. However the out-door one are very popular and by 6 pm they become packed with conversionalists enjoying their Happy Hour.My Goodness I write too much. It seems I can't be concise.Do I sound too longwinded? If so let me know cause I don't want to bore you all.Well, as for the task you gave us here comes my answer. Links between sentences: to begin with,as you may expect,there are even, Interestingly,we also...,finally,lastly, however, this prhase...,we may also say, similarly. Links within sentences: and, but now, on the other hand,if, however,which( relative pronoun),who (relative pronoun), so,or. PS I really enjoy these exercises cause they raise awareness to grammmar points using authentic texts and it invites us to revisit the text again , the second time for language purpose. Great stuff!! You are a bright e-teacher. Thanks for your help.
Hello, I truly enjoyed reading this last blog. It is so interesting to know how words(with the passing of time) expand to in their usage to describe more things. And putting them in this way, makes it easier for us to learn and memorize. Thank you... You are doing a great job.
vow!It is great of this blog from which I can learn a lot. THANK YOU!
hi, Samantha, I am so glad to read your blog. This is the first time I've been here and I have learnt a lot from it. Thank you so much for teaching us with such patience.I am just wondering about the differences between different religions, for example, the Catholics and the christians?
Hello Samantha This is first time for me to leave my comment to you and BBC. I'm ESL student and my English is not good. I learn so much from you. I love to read your story. I want to say that the weather in English is very different from Thailand. In my country never have snow. It always hot hot. In the winter the temperature still 30 c. someday I would like to have experience of real winter but for now I will have experience through you lecture. Thank you
Hi Samantha. This is the first time enter this blog. I am still not sure how does the blog works. I bet you write a story for us and we leave a message of ours. Then you would give some feedback, right? I do find it is helpful for me. As I work in UK at the moment, I feel it is quite hard for me to get along with my colleagues as the cultural and language difference. It would be great if I can improve my English speeching and gramma. Thanks
Thank you for your not being a pompous teacher but a conversationalist. You keep it short and sweet. ---warm smile :))---
This is the first time I go to bbc site, lovely blog. Do you know anything about Chinese lunar new year custom?
Well done , thank you so much
Hello, This website is very useful for me specialy bbc ESL.
I have already learned some words about personality at school but I still wanted to learn more words and expressions about this topic. Therefore, I visited the BBC website. I was really surprised that many weather words can be used to describe character. I think they are very useful and easy to remember. Thank you very much.
Hello, This website is very useful for me specialy bbc ESL.
Wow! it is great blog from which i can learn alot.That's the first time i read it. i'll be reading it. THANK YOU.
This is the first time I go to bbc blog weather. This web site is very useful and good for me. My teacher also help me how to go the web site and how to use. Thank you very much.
I have never seen such a good lecture like this. Considering the contents of the lecture including a quiz, it is really ideal for foreign students and adults wanting to learn English. From now, I will looking forword to being given this course. Have a nice day!!
Really it's very useful for me. I can update my vocabulary with new words it will be add in my knowledge store. once again thanking you. WAJED
Hi Samantha.I have read the text.It's very usefull for me to learn some expressions about the weather.Could you talk about the idioms? Thank you very much
Hi Samantha, I really enjoyed reading your blog.I learn so much from it.This is my first time reading a blog so that it's good experience to me. Thank you
Hello Samantha This is first time for me to leave my comment to you and BBC. I'm ESL student and my English is not good. I learn so much from you. Thank you
hi,samantha i read 1st time blog artical which is written by you on nice topic.it was realy interesting.you have explained very nicely comparison between personality and weathere.i enjoyed it very much.well done.i will wait for your another artical.thank you very much.
hello!santina,i am writting this message to you and want you know i haven't finish this story,But i still learn morn about the weather and knew some what happen in the winter.
hi Samantha,this is the first time i entered this blog.I am a new english learner and my english is not good,but i enjoyed reading your blog and i found it interesting to know words related to weather can describe peoples.thank you ,i realy engoyed it.
Hi Samantha, This is for the first time i m writting any comment on any site...Thanks to u to give the idea to express wat i felt after reading the article...Its a great article...please keep on writing and let us learn new words n new comparisions...ur ds article is fantastic and i learnt a lot from it..Thax a lot.
Hi Samantha, I have already learned same words on English and can little speak but I am very besy.
Hello!Samantha. It's the first time, I'm glad to read your blog. I leant weather words from your blog so thank you very much.
hi i read this website bloggers iam very glad to read thise blogthisegers i learned alot of thingst thise is my first time thise website is very useful for me
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