February 2007"A pinch and a punch..."Dear Soyoung,
My late wife taught me – over thirty years ago – a little rhyme for the start of a new month. Today it is 1st February, so I woke Lucy at seven o’clock, as usual, with this:
A pinch and a punch
For the first of the month.
[“My Dad is so predictable – and, at times, just a little bit tiresome. And he’s lying: it was six-thirty!” – LUCY]
I know, it doesn’t even rhyme properly, does it? As you say it, you’re supposed to first (lightly!) pinch the other person and then (even more lightly!) punch him or her. It’s supposed to bring them good luck for the new month. Maybe it’s a Manchester thing (that’s where my wife was from). I certainly knew nothing of this rhyme when I was a boy growing up in the north-east of England.
Are there any rhymes or rituals for a new month, in Korea?
So, it’s February. That means just one thing for me this year: Kilimanjaro, in only thirteen days from now. This morning I bought a waterproof, windproof, insulated jacket and a small rucksack for my big adventure. Everything costs so much! But I don’t think you can do this kind of trip without good quality clothes and equipment (I’m leaving the pink shoes at home!).
Yes, it’s February – so it’s still winter. Or it should be winter. But, Soyoung, I’m writing this at two o’clock in the afternoon and I’ve been out in my car all morning – with the top down. Right now, I’m writing this with the kitchen door wide open. The sun is shining. My garden is full of crocuses. There is the sound of birdsong in the air. Soyoung, I do believe it’s spring!
Perhaps I should go for a run before the sun goes down and the temperature goes with it. So I’ll just write a few language notes at the end of this and then I’ll start preparing for my last blog to you.
Take care.
Best wishes,
STEPHEN
PS: I went to see Venus yesterday, and I enjoyed it very much. However, I think it's probably an old man's movie.
SOME USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
pinch
If you ‘pinch’ someone you squeeze a small part of his/her flesh between your thumb and first finger.
punch
If you ‘punch’ someone you hit him/her hard with your fist.
NOTE: In this rhyme you’re really only supposed to just touch the other person very gently, or even just mime pinching and punching.
rituals
A ritual is an action or a series of actions (or ceremonies) which are carried out as part of a cultural tradition.
waterproof
Something which is ‘waterproof’ will not let water pass through it, or will not be damaged by water. There are several other compound adjectives like this, for example: fireproof (some materials used in the kitchen should be fireproof), shockproof (a good watch should be shockproof), windproof (a good tent should be windproof).
insulated
made from material which will stop heat escaping
equipment
the things which are needed for a particular activity (for example, writing equipment, painting equipment, sports equipment, camping equipment). NOTE: ‘equipment’ can never be used with an ‘s’ on the end (it is always plural in meaning but takes a singular form of the verb, for example: Her equipment was getting wet.)
crocuses
spring flowers (from which saffron can be collected)
A FEW SENTENCES TO CHECK AGAIN
Look again at the parts of your blog, Soyoung, where you have written sentences like these. I have re-written them, with corrections and some other small changes. Check them and make sure you know how to use them next time.
I’ve just finished work.
I’m waiting for my colleague who hasn’t finished yet.
I waste almost two hours a day travelling to and from work in the rush hour.
We all have different mother tongues and only have one thing in common – that we love learning English with the BBC.
My uncle is the Korean ambassador to France…
I only hate one thing, and that is racism.
I think it’s very important to understand others’ cultures before making judgements.
posted on Thursday, 01 February 2007 | comment on this postGoodbye! So long! Farewell! - and Thank you!Dear Soyoung,
This is the last time I’ll be writing those two words – ‘Dear Soyoung’ – and that’s a little bit sad. Soyoung, this final blog is, of course, to you. However, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has visited the website and read our blogs. I want to say a special ‘Thank you!’ to everyone who has posted comments on my blogs to you. You have all been very kind, positive and encouraging. I hope you will continue when the new teacher blogger takes over, with a new student blogger, next week.
I have had a great time with you, Soyoung, and with Federico before you (in December). I have learned so much. It’s been a privilege.
It is midnight on Friday 2nd February (by the time I post this, therefore, it will be the early hours of Saturday morning). I’ve just checked and found no blog from you, Soyoung. I’m really sorry, but I have to post a blog now because I will be unable to post one at all tomorrow or Sunday. (I will, however, go online to look for your last blog at the beginning of next week.)
It’s been a busy day. Today would have been my late wife’s birthday. It’s impossible not to remember this day after thirty years of celebrating it. Since she died, three-and-a half years ago, we (Lucy and I) have always done something special on the day. So I spent much of the day in central London – at bookshops, in galleries, buying a few new CDs – and then Lucy came into town after school to join me. We had tickets for a series of short sketches by Harold Pinter (a famous British playwright) at the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket (a well-known street in central London).
We met at the ICA (see previous blogs) and had a couple of caipirinhas then walked across Trafalgar Square to the theatre. At the moment, the ICA has a special projector set up in Trafalgar Square and at night you can go and stand under the light it projects and watch as your own personal spotlight appears, like a small person, and begins dancing around in the coloured light. You’re supposed to follow it, in a kind of dance. Well, I’m a pretty lousy dancer, but I did my best – and had a lot of fun. Lucy, of course, had much more fun – watching and laughing at me!
The theatre was excellent and by 10.30 Lucy and I were back on the streets of London taking our favourite walk – across Waterloo Bridge. At night, the view across London from Waterloo Bridge must be one of the most magical city views in the world. It is always so uplifting.
We popped into a favourite little French restaurant of ours and had a glass of wine and a few olives and were on the train home by 11.15. Lu has gone straight to bed but I wanted to complete this blog to you, Soyoung, to say goodbye and to thank you properly. I hope you continue to study English and I want to wish you all the very best for your future. Say ‘Hi!’ to all your family from me and Lucy – and, I’m sure, from all your readers around the world.
I have just read all the comments posted on my blogs from yesterday and the day before and, once again, I want to thank you all for your support and generosity. As you all know, I am going to Tanzania in about 10 days’ time, but when I get back I hope to be able to produce a page on the BBC World Service Learning English website, about twice a month. I will write about things of common interest and there will be some study material to go with it. It should also be possible for you to post comments. I don’t have any more details right now – just keep watching these pages. I am very excited about this development, and looking forward to hearing from you all again quite soon.
All the very best to all of you.
Thank you and goodbye (for now)!
With love and best wishes,
STEPHEN KEELER
 Special thanks to Federico (December 2006) and Soyoung, of course, and to Adriana (Brazil), Alex Mosky (Russia), Alisa (Belarus), Ana (Argentina), Ana (Poland), Anar Nabi, Ana (Poland), Ania (Warsaw, Poland) Anna Paula (Brazil), Buigai (Vietnam), Diego (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Diema (Bulgaria), Elena (Moscow), Ethan (China), Farida (Pakistan), Fenny (Shanghai), Gaetano (Rome), Gloria (Spain), Graciela (Santa Fe, Argentina), ‘H’ (Spain), Helen (China), Helen (Helsinki), Iryna (Ukraine), Hyoshil (Lincoln), Jana (Czech Republic), Jill Huang (Beijing), Julio (Brazil), Kasita (Bangkok, Thailand), Katya (Moscow), Layha (Brunei), Lena (Berlin), Lizzy (Taiwan), Lucia (Italy), Luciana (Brazil), Maria (Russia), Marianna (Slovakia), Marula (Scotland), Mauricio (Brazil), Michelle (China), Minh Le (Vietnam), Monica (Brazil), Monika (London), Naraa (Mongolia), Nozomi (Japan), Olga Pakhtaev (Krasnoyarska, Siberia, Russia), Pary, (Iran), Paulraj (India), Paulo Cezar (Apucarana-Paranã, Brazil), Rohit Pokharel (Kathmandu), Vijay Poomalai (India), Radek (Czech Republic), Rajveer (India), Ricardo (Mexico), Richard (USA), Rita (Germany), Roxana Carine (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Shipra (Delhi, India), Shirley (Beijing), Stephan (Cologne, Germany), Suha (Turkey), Suzie (Beijing), Swe Swe Nwe (Singapore), Tereza (Czech Republic), Tey (Thailand), Tram (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), Ueslei (Brazil), Virginia (Spain), Wim (The Netherlands), Yau Liyuan (Singapore), J B Young (Canada), Zanta Zhao (China), Zeata (Hang Zhou, China), Zhao (Africa).I hope I have included the names of everyone who posted comments on my blogs during January. Perhaps I should have included December, as well. I am very sorry if you posted a comment and your name is not here. It doesn’t mean I didn’t read your comment, just that I am not as well organised as I thought I was.
posted on Saturday, 03 February 2007 | comment on this postBBC Learning English Goodbyes and HellosWell, it has been a fantastic two months on our blogs. A big thank you everyone and, in particular, Stephen, our teacher blogger, and Soyoung and Federico, our student bloggers.
Each day has been brightened in various ways by your blogs and the comments. I've looked forward to reading them across each week and it's obvious that others have too. I hope that everyone has found the experience useful.
Sadly, at the end of each month we need to say goodbye. So, farewell and good luck Soyoung, I wish you the all the best for the future. Stephen, this is only a short goodbye because you will be writing a column for us very soon - more details on that later.
I now have the pleasure to offer a warm welcome to our new student blogger, Lemlem, and our new teacher blogger, Samantha. Good luck to you both. I'll leave it to you to introduce yourselves.
Paul
posted on Monday, 05 February 2007 | comment on this postHello to EveryoneDear Lemlem
I would like to start by welcoming Lemlem to the Learning English student-teacher blog. I’m looking forward to reading your first post! My next very important job is to thank Stephen, Soyoung, Frederico and all of the learners who have participated in this blog over the last two months. It has been so interesting to read of all of your entries and made me appreciate what a truly global digital community we now live in. I have been teaching English to international learners for many years, and I can safely say that one of the best things about this job is the wonderful experience of meeting learners from all over the world. Reading the Learning English blog is like being in a virtual classroom, and I feel that I know some of you already! I hope you will all continue reading the blog and sending in your comments, because that is what makes the site so lively and exciting.
And what a superb teacher we have had for the past two months! I’m going to have quite a job taking over from Stephen, but fortunately he isn’t saying goodbye to the Learning English site, just “au revoir”. Now, to move onto my own introduction, you can already see my name, so I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. Over the years, I’ve taught in many different schools and colleges, teaching English to children, young people and adults. I now live in the north of England, about seven miles west of Newcastle Upon Tyne. I was born and grew up about three miles from where I am sitting as I write this! In between leaving Newcastle and coming back, I spent fourteen years studying, teaching and travelling! I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere soon, though, as I have a husband and two children (both boys), who all keep me very busy…
So, Lemlem, please send me your post and introduce yourself!
Best wishes
Samantha
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
start by doing (-ing form of verb) + noun / noun phrase
global digital community (noun)
The on-line community which is available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, anywhere in the world.
I can safely say (phrase)
Used for emphasis to describe something the speaker knows is definitely true.
virtual (adjective)
In recent years, this word has come to mean the “world” created by the internet.
continue doing (-ing form of verb) + noun / noun phrase
au revoir
French for “until the next time” or, less formally “see you soon”
posted on Monday, 05 February 2007 | comment on this postHello to EveryoneDear Lemlem
I would like to start by welcoming Lemlem to the Learning English student-teacher blog. Nice to meet you! Thanks for your first post! I was interested to read about the Ethiopian calendar, and the month called Pagume. Perhaps the only equivalent we have in English is that once every four years we have a “Leap Year”, when the month of February has an extra day (29 days rather than 28). So perhaps the translation for “Pagume” is “Leap Year”! To continue with another language point, the adjective form of Ethiopia is “Ethiopian”, which is also the word used to describe nationality. What great news to learn that we have another chance to celebrate the Millennium! How do you think you will celebrate?
My next very important job is to thank Stephen, Soyoung, Frederico and all of the learners who have participated in this blog over the last two months. It has been so interesting to read of all of your entries and made me appreciate what a truly global digital community we now live in. I have been teaching English to international learners for many years, and I can safely say that one of the best things about this job is the wonderful experience of meeting learners from all over the world. Reading the Learning English blog is like being in a virtual classroom, and I feel that I know some of you already! I hope you will all continue reading the blog and sending in your comments, because that is what makes the site so lively and exciting.
And what a superb teacher we have had for the past two months! I’m going to have quite a job taking over from Stephen, but fortunately he isn’t saying goodbye to the Learning English site, just “au revoir”. Now, to move onto my own introduction, you can already see my name, so I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. Over the years, I’ve taught in many different schools and colleges, teaching English to children, young people and adults. I now live in the north of England, about seven miles west of Newcastle Upon Tyne. I was born and grew up about three miles from where I am sitting as I write this! In between leaving Newcastle and coming back, I spent fourteen years studying, teaching and travelling! I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere soon, though, as I have a husband and two children (both boys), who all keep me very busy…
So, Lemlem, thanks for telling us about the calendar in your country. Now please will you tell us a little bit about yourself? I’m looking forward to reading your next post…
Best wishes
Samantha
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
start by doing (-ing form of verb) + noun / noun phrase
global digital community (noun)
The on-line community which is available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, anywhere in the world.
virtual (adjective)
In recent years, this word has come to mean the “world” created by the internet.
continue doing (-ing form of verb) + noun / noun phrase
au revoir
French for “until the next time” or, less formally “see you soon”
posted on Monday, 05 February 2007 | comment on this postThe Best of Both WorldsDear Lemlem
I just checked the blog to see if you had written anything today, and was totally amazed to see all of the comments we both received from learners all over the world! I think you will be really surprised and pleased when you read them! Thank you everyone for giving both of us such a warm welcome. I’ve used two adverbs here (totally and really) which are called “degree adverbs”, because they change the “degree” of emotion. For example, if I said I was fairly pleased by your comments, or somewhat pleased, you wouldn't think I was being very nice, would you? In fact, you might think that I was rather cold or terribly unkind. You can use many degree adverbs to alter the emotional impact of your writing or speech. As you can see from my examples above, some are used to intensify (strengthen or increase) an emotion, whilst others are used to diminish (weaken or soften) an emotion.
Here are a few examples:
To intensify emotion, use very, really, extremely, completely, absolutely, totally, perfectly, thoroughly, terribly, so.
To diminish emotion, use slightly, fairly, rather, somewhat, relatively, only, moderately, just.
I’ll use more degree adverbs in the rest of this entry! Can you find them?
Now I think I should answer a few of the questions contained in the comments about Monday’s blog. I didn’t want to tell you everything about myself all at once! But to answer some of your questions: I’m still teaching international students, mainly from Europe and Asia. I only teach a couple of days because my children are young, so I completely have the best of both worlds: lots at time at home with my youngest son, Thomas, and a couple of days teaching at a university. My other son, Alex, is already at school. He has been reading the Learning English blog and is really interested to read your comments! In the past, I taught in Japan for many years, at a high school in Osaka, in the YWCA, and believe it or not, I worked for BBC English in Osaka, too! Before I had my children, I used to go on holiday much more than I do now! I was very interested in travelling, and I managed to visit Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Hawaii and America while I was living in Japan! When I was much younger, I lived in France during my gap year. I had so much fun, but maybe that is just because I was eighteen and didn’t have a care in the world!
Well, I hope to read Lemlem’s entry tomorrow, and will say good night now.
Best wishes,
Samantha.
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
have the best of both worlds
A phrase used to mean that someone enjoys the benefits of two different areas (in this case working and being a mother!)
(i) interested + to do something
This is used about yourself, or another person, to describe an inclination (feeling) you have.
(ii) interested in doing something
This is used about yourself, or another person, to describe an inclination (feeling) you have.
BUT, TAKE CARE!
(iii) It (object) + is interesting
This is used to mean that something (an object, activity or another person, usually not yourself!) is exciting or fun.
believe it or not (phrase)
A phrase used before a surprising, funny or strange fact or statement.
gap year (noun)
A word used to refer to a year spent working or travelling in between high school and university. This is common now in the UK!
not to have a care in the world (phrase)
A phrase used to describe someone with no responsibilities or worries.
Answers:
I used the following degree adverbs in the second part of the entry:
only (teach)
completely (have)
really (interested)
very (interested)
so (much fun)
just (because) posted on Tuesday, 06 February 2007 | comment on this postEllipsis!Dear Lemlem
I’m really looking forward to hearing from you, so many of us are waiting to read your next entry! Please write and let us know why you have been so busy, we want to know about your life and your country.
Now, I have a confession to make to the learners who can't find their comments on Monday’s blog: I’m afraid it might have been me who lost some of your comments… I’m really sorry, I think we might be able to recover some of them, but some may have been lost in cyberspace. The trouble is, I’m just learning how to do my new job in front of hundreds of people! I should especially apologise to Monica, Tomek and Aaron, who wrote in to flag up the problem.
It was good to see so many of you using “degree adverbs” in your comments. Well done to everyone! However, Diema from Bulgaria pointed out “mainly” as used in the sentence: I’m still teaching international students, mainly from Europe and Asia. Diema asks whether we can also use this word as a degree adverb. Well, “mainly” is an adverb, but it is used to indicate proportion or quantity rather than emotion. I was impressed that Diema noticed this adverb, because it is contained in a special type of sentence. Look at the second part of the sentence again – something is missing! An adverb usually needs a verb - where is the verb? Can anyone tell me how to write the sentence fully? (I’ll give you the answer tomorrow, but send me your ideas before then, please). By the way, there is a big clue in the title of today’s entry…
Well, it’s going to be very cold here tonight as we have a weather forecast for heavy snow. In fact, it is supposed to be the heaviest snowfall in ten years! I wonder if the forecast is correct… we’ll have to wait and see! Hyoshil mentions that it is freezing in Lincoln, which means very cold. Have you noticed how often English people discuss the weather? I think it is a national hobby, which is reflected in the number of words there are in English to describe different weather conditions. Some words we use about cold weather are freezing, chilly, frosty, bitter, bitterly cold, icy, below zero. Snow can be heavy or light and it can lie or settle or melt. When snow melts, it is called slush! Anyway, that’s all I have time for now,
Best wishes
Samantha
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
make a confession (verb)
To admit that something is your fault, to take responsibility for something.
recover (verb)
(i) In this case, recover means to find something that was lost.
(ii) Recover also means to get better or improve.
cyberspace (noun)
The world wide web, the internet.
flag up (verb)
To draw attention to something (usually a problem).
proportion (noun)
A section or part of a larger group, which can be described as a ratio or percentage.
quantity (noun)
A number or amount.
clue (noun)
Some information which is given to help you discover or work out an answer.
weather forecast (noun)
Information given on the tv, radio, internet and in newspapers about weather conditions for the next day and week. posted on Thursday, 08 February 2007 | comment on this postCatching UpDear Lemlem
Hello! Nice to catch up with you! You sound incredibly busy, so I appreciate the time you took out to send in your blog. Your job must be very demanding: do you travel around the whole of Ethiopia? How many people are on your project team? Can you tell us a little more about the HIV prevention programme itself? Do you use English in your work, by any chance?
I see that you have used “blog” as a noun and a verb in your opening sentence, but unfortunately you have mixed up the middle letters. I think this may just be a typing error though. I found out the other day on the BBC Learning English site that “blog” is made from the words “web” and “log”. Web, of course, means the world wide web, and log means record or diary. So the two words merged into one. Despite being so busy, you have used some really great vocabulary: up-to-standard services, non-governmental organisations, technical capacity assessment: wow! (Notice the hyphens - - - I have added). Did you know that non-governmental organisations are also known as NGOs? I think you must type very quickly, as some of your sentences are very l-o-n-g, almost like elastic! (Your opening sentence, for example). In your next entry, focus on writing one main idea in each sentence. Next week, we will look at linking your sentences together logically in a paragraph.
Congratulations to everyone who sent in the full version of the sentence from “Ellipsis”!!! Give yourself full-marks if you had something like this:
I’m still teaching international students, who mainly come from Asia and Europe
or
I’m still teaching international students, who are mainly from Asia and Europe
I should have know this question was too easy for you, afterall, you are all veterans, and I'm the new one! So what’s going on? Are we allowed to write a sentence like my original one I’m still teaching international students, mainly from Asia and Europe? The answer to this question, is of course, “yes” as many of you may already know. I can see that some of you checked your dictionaries to look up ellipsis! Ellipsis refers to words which are omitted from a sentence. So you see, words can go missing in grammar as well as in cyberspace! However, with grammatical ellipsis, you can understand the meaning of the sentence because of the context (the rest of the information included in the sentence). I wish it were as easy in cyberspace!
We often use ellipsis in conversation (a) because we are lazy, and we can use fewer words, and (b) because the pace of the conversation would be slow and tedious if we included every single word. So what about ellipsis in writing? Well, ellipsis is featured in professional and academic writing, and it makes your writing style punchy and sophisticated.
In this entry, I have marked ten verbs in bold. Can you tell me (i) the name for this group of verbs and (ii) why we use them? Send in your comments to the site, answers tomorrow!
Best wishes
Samantha
Ps.
I hope your son is feeling better, now Hyoshil. By the way, he banged his mouth not his mouse!
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
catch up with someone (phrase)
To have news from someone about their life, person-to-person, or by phone, e mail or text!
up-to-standard services (noun)
This means services that are of a certain quality, or services that meet specific regulations.
non-governmental organisations (noun)
These organisations may be charities or community based projects run by volunteers. NGOs are run independently of governments.
technical capacity assessment (noun)
Perhaps Lemlem can correct me if I am wrong! As I understand this noun, it means an audit or check of the technical resources available.
ellipsis (noun)
This word is used to describe words that have been omitted from a sentence. The sentence still has meaning, and other people can understand it.
cyberspace (noun)
The world wide web, the internet.
context (noun)
Background information that we use to understand something.
tedious (adjective)
Boring, irritating, drawn-out.
punchy (adjective)
Using a style that is sharp, effective and interesting.
sophisticated (adjective)
Clever and stylish.
posted on Thursday, 08 February 2007 | comment on this postMaking Perfect RequestsDear Lemlem
I checked again today to see if you had sent in your blog, but you must still be busy with your work. I am sure that many learners around the world would like to hear more about your project, so please keep us up to date.
Well, I see that my question about modal auxiliary verbs was obviously too easy for you! If anyone would like to read an explanation of their usage, please read the excellent comments sent in about yesterday’s entry! So you see, I make my students do all the hard work in the classroom! Modal auxiliaries are extremely common in conversation, the most frequently used being will, would, can and could. Monica is right when she says that British people use modals a lot, and they do make speech seem more polite. On the surface we are a very polite nation, we use indirect ways of asking questions, making requests and offering suggestions. But underneath the pristine manners and stiff-upper lip, we are really a nation of small-timemoaners and groaners who complain about all kinds of things in private to our husbands and wives, our close colleagues and friends. We love to moan! But we never make a fuss in public!
To get back to modals, their main use is to convey different conditions. I can’t explain all of the rules here, but any good grammar book will contain a section on modal auxiliaries. Here is my mini-summary of their functions:
ability = can, could
possibility = may, might, could
permission = may, can
polite requests = may, might, could
obligation / duty = must, should
intention = will, would, shall
certainty / deduction = must
suggestions = should, would
Here is a task to keep you busy over the weekend. Choose a modal auxiliary for each gap. Use the present tense.
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) have been 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.
My next post will be on Monday evening.
Best wishes,
Samantha
Ps. Aaron, we have received your comments, please check the comments for the “Catching Up” and “Ellipsis” entries!
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
Pristine (adjective)
Faultless, perfect.
stiff-upper lip (noun)
This means the famous English reserve, or reluctance to show strong emotions in public.
small-time (adjective)
Insignificant, trivial.
moaners and groaners (noun)
People who complain all the time.
make a fuss (verb)
This means to behave in a manner that attracts attention or is socially unacceptable.
consensus (noun)
A general agreement reached by a group or party of representatives.
posted on Saturday, 10 February 2007 | comment on this postChill 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!
********************************
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!
posted on Monday, 12 February 2007 | comment on this postThe Language of LoveWe are all still waiting to hear from Lemlem!
As today is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would look at the language of love, in particular, the verbs and prepositions of love! Of course, you all know that when you are lucky enough to meet that special someone, you fall in love; if you are really lucky, you may fall in love at first sight! If you spend all of your time with your loved one, your friends may say that you are crazy about him or her. Take care here, because if you say that someone is driving you crazy, it means they make you really annoyed and angry! This is not a good phrase to use about your sweetheart!
Did you know that before you fall in love, you might fancy someone? This means that you like them a lot, and would like to know them a lot better! If you manage to get to know the person you admire, you can go out on a date, and hopefully, you will get on well. But, you may just have a crush on him or her, which means that your feelings may change in time… You can also fall out of love, and in this case, you may break up, or split up with your beloved (who then becomes your ex). But this is not a very good topic for Valentine’s Day! So if you have had an argument and fallen out, today of all days, you should try to make up with the person who is close to your heart. As the custom on Valentine’s Day is to send cards or flowers, you have the perfect excuse to forgive and forget whatever happened in the past, and make a fresh start!
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Last time, I asked you to look for linking words. We use linking words to make our writing (a) more logical, and so (b) easier to read and understand. Linking words are like the “glue” that gives our sentences order and meaning. We will look at linking words again this week because they are so important.
Linking words answers
The words I used between sentences were:
interestingly, finally, lastly, however, to begin with, if, as
The words I used within sentences were:
and, but. also, however, on the other hand, similarly, perhaps, so, if, which, obviously
Enjoy the rest of Valentine’s Day! It's great to see you using the useful words in your comments! Let’s chill!
Best wishes
Samantha
Ps. Two of the words in the list below have the same meaning: sweetheart and beloved.
(1) What do we call words with the same meaning?
(2) Can you find any other words in the text with the same meaning as sweetheart?
(3) Why do we use these words?
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
fall in love with someone (phrase)
Used to describe the very strong feelings of love you have for someone. Can be used with adverbs “madly” or “passionately” for even more emphasis!
fall in love at first sight (phrase)
This means that you fall in love instantly!
be crazy about someone (phrase)
To fall in love and think about the person all of the time.
(subject) + drives you crazy (phrase)
This means that someone or something makes you angry. Look at the word order:
The noise of the cars outside is driving me crazy.
His stupid comments drive me crazy.
sweetheart (noun)
The person you love.
fancy someone (verb)
This means that you find someone attractive.
get to know someone (phrase)
When you spend time with someone, and learn about their personality.
go out on a date (phrase)
Spend a few special hours with someone, perhaps you go to a restaurant, to the cinema or to see a concert.
get on well (phrasal verb)
This means that you enjoy someone’s company and find that you can talk easily to them. The opposite is to get on badly with someone.
have a crush on someone (phrase)
To really like someone, even though you may not know them well. Similar to fancy.
fall out of love (phrase)
To have a change of heart or feelings, stop loving someone.
break up with someone (phrasal verb)
To end a relationship.
split up with someone (phrasal verb)
To end a relationship.
beloved (noun)
The person you love.
ex (noun)
Former boyfriend or girlfriend. Can also be used about husbands and wives.
today of all days (phrase)
This is used to mean that today is a special day.
make up (phrasal verb)
To renew a friendship or relationship after an argument.
close to your heart (phrase)
This phrase is used to describe someone you love.
perfect excuse (noun)
A good opportunity to do something.
forgive and forget (phrase)
This means that you decide to stop being angry with someone and forget the past.
make a fresh start (phrase)
To forget about the past and start something again.
posted on Wednesday, 14 February 2007 | comment on this postWelcome Juliette!If you have been reading the Learning English blog regularly, you must have realised that our student blogger, Lemlem, has been very quiet… From reading the comments sent to Lemlem, I know that many of you are interested in his relief work, and we are all curious to learn more. However, it seems that Lemlem is just too busy to find the time to blog, so we shall have to say good bye, and wish him all the best in his very important work. So, all that remains to do is to welcome Juliette to the blog!
Thanks for the description of St Antony in your comments, this is something I would never have known about without your input! I am not particularly superstitious myself, but I thought you might be interested in these customs relating to love and marriage. On the day of her wedding, a bride is supposed to wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. The new thing could be her wedding dress, the old thing might be a piece of jewellery passed down in her family, the borrowed thing could be her gloves or hair decorations (which have to be returned after the wedding), and as the wedding outfit is all white, you will have to use your imagination about the blue thing! This is supposed to bring the bride good luck, and my interpretation of this rhyme is that for a marriage to be successful and happy, you need the cooperation of different people: your family and friends, who will support you in many ways. I’m not sure about the “blue” part though! Maybe it was just included because it rhymes with “new”!
I guess the next custom will be the same in every country, so you won’t be surprised when I tell you that the groom (husband to be) is not supposed to see the wedding dress before the wedding. At weddings in this country, little sweets called sugared almonds are given to guests at the very end of the meal. The almonds have a very hard sugar coating on the outside, but are quite bitter when you bite into them. This is supposed to be a reminder that marriage will not always be sweet, and sometimes there will be bitterness (difficult times) as well.
I’ll end this now, enjoy the weekend everyone!
Best wishes
Samantha
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PS. My questions on Wednesday were about words with the same meanings, that is, synonyms. In the text, there were several words which meant sweetheart or beloved: special someone; loved one; person who is close to your heart. On Valentine's Day, we could also use the word valentine to mean the person we love. By the way, it's a day for lovers in the UK, rather than a celebration of friendship! We use synonyms to (a) add interest and variety to our writing. Another important use of synonyms in writing is (b) for emphasis. If we need to repeat a keyword several times, it is better to use a different type of synonym: a summary word. Look at this:
The teacher described several superstitions relating to marriage in England. The students were already familiar with most of these examples, however, and most of them stopped listening to her talk. Seeing their bored faces, the teacher quickly realised it was time to end her description, and moved onto a new task.
In this case, examples and description are summary words referring to superstitions. A summary word contains the meaning of the keyword. Use of summary words adds emphasis without repetition of keywords. Here are some more summary words (all nouns):
idea / situation / decision / case / suggestion / matter / issue
problem / difficulty / challenge / trouble / concern / worry
Task
Tell me about superstitions in your country.
How many synonyms and summary words can you use in your comments?
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
wish someone all the best (phrase)
Used to describe the hope that things will go well for someone.
superstitious (adjective)
Used to describe someone who believes in superstitions.
superstition (noun)
Custom or belief which is based on tradition or folk beliefs.
pass down (verb)
To leave your personal possesions for someone, to be given away on your death
cooperation (noun)
Help, assistance.
groom (noun)
The man the bride will marry!
synonym (noun)
Words with the same meaning.
summary (noun)
Main ideas.
keyword (noun)
A word which contains an important idea.
posted on Friday, 16 February 2007 | comment on this postKick the Habit!Dear Juliette
Hello, thank you for your lovely introduction. I hope you had a fun weekend! Well, I can see that I’m going to have a tough job for the next two weeks – perhaps you could make a few more mistakes in your next blog! What do you expect me to correct? Can’t you make a few more spelling mistakes or confuse the word order in your sentences? Are you telling me your English was really poor eighteen months ago?! No way! You must be Wonderwoman! However, as you want to be a journalist, I will concentrate on the finer points of English grammar and style.
I’m not going to correct your mistakes, though. The language skill you need to develop is self-correction, especially if you want to be a journalist. Looking at your blog, I can see that you have a sound understanding of sentence structure and a good range of vocabulary. The errors that you make are mainly surface errors, that is, small slips in verb tense and word usage. The main part of your blog used the simple past tense, as you were describing completed events in the past. Your use of the simple past was 90% accurate, so next time you write, look at every verb that you write and ask yourself these questions:
• Is the verb in the correct tense?
• Does the verb have the correct agreement with its subject?
Being careful about verb tense will make your writing more accurate. I feel confident that you can monitor your own writing in this way
The next points are both quite small vocabulary points. Firstly, you should use “from today” rather than “since today”. I know this is a confusing grammar point for a lot of learners. You can use “since” for a date or time in the past, but not for the present time (ie. not with: “today” or “now”). Secondly, I know exactly what you mean when you say the "day flowed too quickly”, but correctly speaking, time and days “pass by”. You could include adverbs to add the element of surprise: “the day passed by so quickly / unbelievably quickly”. Finally, the phrase you are trying to use at the end of your blog is “kick the habit”, meaning to change your ways. I think this could be a really positive way of thinking about language learning - try to kick the habits that you learnt in the past and take up some new better ones! “Kick the habit” is a great phrase to use but it doesn’t need a preposition.
By the way, what kind of journalist do you want to be? I think you are really brave to give up your career in Geneva and start afresh in London. Looking forward to your next post!
Best wishes
Samantha
PS. Task
I have copied a grammatical structure that Juliette uses to start one of her sentences (Juliette's entry for Feb 16th). I have started three sentences in a similar way. Can you find them? (Clue: look at verb forms!)
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
tough (adjective)
Difficult, hard.
really poor (adjective)
This is the expression Juliette uses to describe her English. It means very bad, but actually her English is great!
no way (phrase)
Used to express disbelief or surprise.
finer points (noun)
Advanced aspects / points.
self-correction (noun)
The ability to recognise and correct your own mistakes.
monitor (verb)
Check.
brave (adjective)
Used here to mean ready to face difficult situations, mentally strong.
start afresh (verb)
Start again, start in a new way.
posted on Sunday, 18 February 2007 | comment on this postLiving the DreamHELLO FROM SAMANTHA
Dear Juliette
Thank you for your wonderful description of your big move to London. As you will realise from the comments you received from your readers, you are “living the dream” that so many people have, that is, you have made the enormous effort to uproot yourself and settle in a new country. It’s a move that means using a second language and learning about a new culture, which are both stressful life events. This experience is usually both difficult and rewarding, and you always grow from it as a person. So it was first study, then love that brought you to England! I’m sorry to hear that your relationship (not “relation”, paragraph 4) didn’t work out. That’s too bad; the positive outcome is that you are still in London and seem to be making your mark here!
I know exactly what you mean about London. I love to visit, it is such a vibrant, cosmopolitan city, the museums and parks are fantastic and there is so much to do. But as you say, you need a lot of money to have a good time in London, as everything is so expensive. You describe it as an “urban jungle” (paragraph 5), which is a great phrase to use. The technical word for this phrase is an “oxymoron”. Here we have two words with opposite meanings: “urban” meaning “belonging to a city”, and “jungle” obviously meaning "wild natural environment". It sums up London perfectly. You also say that you have “got the feeling to live on another planet” (paragraph 5), we could re-phrase this and write “it’s like living on another planet”. I love the way you continue to use the language of contrast throughout the paragraph. You say “Some days I love it, some days I hate it.” (paragraph 5) Another way of describing this conflict in your feelings is to say that you have a “love-hate” relationship with London. We can have a “love-hate” relationship with a person, too, but I wouldn’t recommend it! (Love-hate is also an oxymoron).You also mention that your feelings are “mix” (paragraph 5), which describes the same condition. In this case, we use “mixed” as the adjective to describe feelings that are different or conflicting. [Task] When we use language from a particular area of vocabulary, for example the language of contrast, we are using a particular semantic field. It means that our writing style has more unity and this is a particular feature of journalistic writing! Please try to do this again in your next entry. You could choose language of reminiscence (or any other area that interests you) and try to use as many verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns as possible.
I really enjoyed reading your blog, it was interesting both from a teacher’s point of view in terms of the language you used, and from a personal point of view, to hear about your experience. So thank you for sharing all of this with us, Juliette! Your use of verbs was even better than Friday’s entry, but you still made a few mistakes! Perhaps you were a little distracted when you were telling us about the lovely Englishman because you used the present tense, not the past tense! (paragraph 5). In your very last paragraph, when you say that you are going to stop writing, you use the simple present, but what tense should you use?
Finally, a comment about word order: in paragraph 1 you say that you will “read twice my blog”, but I would prefer it if you read your blog twice! In you next entry, as well as keeping an eye on verb tense, I would like you to focus on linking words, to improve the flow of information from one sentence to the next. To help you, I have highlighted many of the linking words in this blog in bold!
Looking forward to reading part 2 of your adventure!
Best wishes
Samantha
PS.
Thank you for telling us about superstitions in your own countries. Thanks, in particular to Carmen, who is an authority on this subject! The grammar structure I copied from Juliette’s entry of February 16th was (Juliette) “Being French, I’ve got lots of problems…” I use this three times to start a sentence: “Looking at your blog…”; “Being careful about verb tense…” and “Looking forward to your next post”.
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
living the dream (phrase)
This means that you are putting into practice what most people just dream about doing.
uproot (verb)
To make a move or a big change in your life. Usually uproot carries the implication of leaving something behind you.
settle (verb)
Here, settle is used to mean go and live somewhere.
stressful (adjective)
Worring, causing anxiety or distress.
relationship (noun)
Used to mean the connection between two people; here Juliette uses it to mean between a man and a woman, but it can be used for any kind of family, social or working relationship.
making your mark (phrase)
Making an impression on other people, making a name for yourself.
vibrant (adjective)
Lively, full of energy.
cosmopolitan (adjective)
Containing people of all nationalities and cultures. Used in a positive way to mean that a city is sophisticated and interesting.
urban jungle (noun)
The idea that a city can be uncivilised, scary and non-stop.
oxymoron (noun)
This is a literary term, which is used about two words used together which have opposite meanings. For example, in my entry on Sunday 18th February, I mentioned the almonds given to guests at weddings, which are sweet and bitter at the same time. “Bitter-sweet” is an oxymoron. The use of words containing oxymoron is very useful when describing mixed feelings, such as Juliette has about living in London.
living on another planet (phrase)
This means that you feel as though you are living somewhere very strange and unknown.
love-hate (adjective)T
This term is used to describe a relationship which often changes between intense love and hate.
semantic field (noun)
A “subject area” of vocabulary, for example, the semantic field of business would include adjectives, nouns and verbs connected to business.
reminiscence (noun)
Recalling past events and memories.
conflict (noun)
Used here to mean a struggle between liking and disliking something at the same
time.
conflicting (adjective)
In opposition with each other.
posted on Tuesday, 20 February 2007 | comment on this postInvisible AudienceHELLO FROM SAMANTHA
Dear Juliette
Thanks for your update, or should I say, Part 2 of your Urban Jungle Adventure! It’s very interesting to read about how you worked in different jobs before arriving at the World Service! You say that you “still can’t really realise how lucky I am”, (more about realise in a minute) and that the comments from Learning English bloggers made you recognise this. Sometimes it’s good to receive feedback about what we are doing in life, and at the moment you and I are both very lucky because we have a huge invisible audience! I’m glad that the comments have made you feel so positive about what you are doing. Next time, you can say that you still can’t believe how lucky you are, rather than realise, (which is incorrect here).
Despite the fact that the audience is invisible, it is still possible to feel that we are taking part in a community. By the way, if you are reading these blogs and you haven’t sent a comment in to the website, why don’t you do it today? Don't stay invisible! You mention, Juliette, that you feel a “sense of bond with you all” (paragraph 1) which is a lovely way to describe your feeling. Now, here is a tricky grammar point! If we talk about a bond, we need to use the indefinite article (“a”). However, if we talk about a sense of bonding, it doesn’t need an article, because bonding is an uncountable noun! I know it confusing, what can I do except apologise about the complicated rules of English grammar?
You use a couple of phrasal verbs in today’s blog. You tell us to “keep an eye on BBC TV documentaries” (paragraph 4), which means to watch something carefully, and you say that you “set up my goal quite high”. The correct form of this verb is “set my goal quite high”, which means to aim or strive for something. However, we could use “set up” to mean establish or start (a new business, for example). Still on the topic of goals, you explain that jobs in the BBC are “much looked after”. I think here, you mean sought after, which means very popular and competitive!
Now, I am going to show you something really interesting! You use an identical grammatical structure twice in today’s blog, and you use it perfectly once but make a mistake the other time! So which one of these two sentences is correct?
[Task 1]
(i) I had never write a blog before but… (paragraph 1)
(ii) I’ve never been to Brazil but … (paragraph 5)
[Task 2]
Continue to use linking words within and between sentences.
Best wishes,
Samantha.
PS.
I love to see so many of you using the vocabulary from the blogs in your comments! You are very sharp students!
Jianna asks how to end a letter. You can do this by using “Best wishes” as I do quite often. Another way would be “All the best”. A slightly more formal ending would be “Regards” or “Best regards”. If you knew someone very well, you could end with “Lots of love” or “All my love” or just “Love”. Strictly speaking, all of these phrases should be followed by a comma (,) and your name. Many people now end emails with “Cheers” or “See you” (CU), but I never do this, as I am too old fashioned!
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
update (noun)Latest news.
feedback (noun)
A response or reaction to something you have done.
invisible audience (noun)
The viewers / readers we will never meet except through cyberspace (the internet).
sense of bonding (noun)
An emotional connection with someone, possibly because of shared experience.
uncountable noun (noun!)
A noun that describes things that cannot be counted, so does not use an article.
keep an eye on (phrasal verb)
To watch something closely / observe something.
set a goal (phrasal verb)
To aim or strive (work) for something.
set up (phrasal verb)
To establish or start something
sought after (adjective)
Desirable, popular.
posted on Tuesday, 20 February 2007 | comment on this postAsh WednesdayHELLO FROM SAMANTHA
Dear Juliette
Many of you will already know that today is Ash Wednesday. This is the start of Lent in the Christian calendar, a traditional time of fasting, equivalent to Ramadan in the Islamic faith. Lent lasts for forty days, because this is the length of time that Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness (desert). The fast of Lent is broken by Easter celebrations in April. Not many people strictly observe the Lenten fast these days in the UK, but a great many people use this time to give up a bad habit or “vice”. These vices are things that are considered to be bad for us: smoking, drinking alcohol, drinking caffeine in tea and coffee, and eating foods that contain sugar. I include the word “vice” here in its modern usage, meaning a bad habit, but the word originally referred to evil or sinful behaviour. Consider the adjective “vicious” which has “vice” as its stem: vicious means cruel, hateful, nasty, dangerous.
Now, let’s take this opportunity to look at some of the language we can use for giving up bad habits! We have already learnt one phrase this week: kick the habit, which means to give something up. You can also stop or quit smoking or drinking, but before you do this, you might try to cut down (gradually reduce your habit). You can decide to change or mend your ways, or turn over a new leaf. Both of these phrases mean that you are making an effort to improve your life or your behaviour in some way.
Now, Juliette, I can see that you are using a few more linking words, but there is still some room for improvement. In your next blog, it might be worth focusing on paragraph structure. Today’s blog was fun and interesting, but it would benefit from clearer structure. Each paragraph should contain one main idea, which you expand or explain. In English, the main idea usually, but not always, comes in the first sentence. The sentences in the paragraphs tend to be linked together in a logical order with linking words. We’ve mentioned linking words already, and I think everyone knows what they are by now. To move on from paragraphs to sentences, some of your sentences are too short and would strictly be called “fragments”. A few examples of fragments in today’s blog are “I love it.” (paragraph 1); “Only twice.” (paragraph 2); “It’s true.”; “It’s lovely.” (paragraph 3). We do use these kind of structures in speech, but in writing it is better to join these fragments together with the sentence before or after. For example, you wrote: "To sum up, I'm Juliette the aunty. I love it." We could re-write this as a single sentence: "To sum up, I'm Juliette the aunty, which I love being." Or, an another alternative would be: "To sum up, I'm Juliette the aunty, and I love being an aunty."
You mention sightseeing in London, well, I live in the north of England and did you know we have some of the most beautiful countryside in the country? We have one of the most beautiful sections of coastline, and we have fantastic majestic castles which sit high above rolling, golden beaches. Durham cathedral and castle are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, and Durham also has a beautiful and famous old university! Maybe you have seen the Harry Potter movies with your nephews. If you have, you have actually already seen Alnwick castle, which is twenty miles away from where I live, and Durham Cathedral, because that is where the Harry Potter movies were filmed! I hope you will get organised in the future and come to visit!
Anyway, that’s all for today,
Best wishes to everyone,
Samantha.
PS.
For those of you who want to know the answer to yesterday’s task, the correct sentence was (ii) I’ve never been to Brazil but …
fasting (noun)
The act of refraining or abstaining from specific foods or behaviour.
bad habit (noun)
Something that you do which may be bad for your health, or may be considered as anti-social.
vice (noun)
A bad habit or indulgence.
evil (adjective)
Very bad, against religious teachings.
sinful (adjective)
Very bad, against religious teachings.
vicious (adjective)
Cruel, nasty, violent.
kick the habit (phrase)
Give something up.
quit smoking (phrase)
This means that someone completely stops smoking.
cut down (verb)
To reduce a smoking or drinking habit gradually.
change or mend your ways (phrase)
To alter past behaviour and replace it with something better.
turn over a new leaf (phrase)
To alter past behaviour and replace it with something better.
sightseeing (noun)
Visiting tourist attractions.
majestic (adjective)
Impressive, awe-inspiring.
posted on Thursday, 22 February 2007 | comment on this postHere Comes the Weekend!HELLO FROM SAMANTHA
Dear Juliette
I checked again today to see if you had blogged, but I guess you must be busy. Hopefully we will catch up with you next week and read all of your news. You said you were staying in London this weekend, I wonder what your plans are? Please write soon and tell us what is keeping you busy!
At last, it’s Friday night, the start of the weekend! Time to wind down and take it easy! If you’ve had a particularly hard week, you may spend the weekend unwinding and doing nothing in particular. Let’s be honest, sometimes we all need a couple of easy days at home to rest and recharge our batteries. But if you spend every single weekend at home on the sofa watching TV, did you know that you are a couch potato? This means that you never ever get up off the sofa, or couch! Do you know a couch potato? What about this next type of person, the person who can’t relax… Some people are so busy at work that their mind just never switches off, and they fill their weekends up with activities. Do you know someone like this? Or do you know someone who spends the whole weekend working? Self-employed business people often have to work at the weekends; it’s estimated that many people running small businesses in the UK work over sixty hours a week… Someone who cannot switch off and stop working is called a workaholic. This word has been invented out of the stem “work” and the suffix “holic”, which is used to describe addictions.
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that in language, the concepts of time and money are interchangeable. Look at the way we use these verbs: we spend time and money, save time and money, waste time and money, give time and money to someone, and lose time and money. We can run out or run short of time and money, or be hard-pressed for time or money (which means the same as run out or run short). We describe a person as being generous with their time, which means that this person devotes a proportion of their time to other people. Similarly, one can be generous with money. The maxim “time is money” has entered language as well as the structure of society. It’s quite normal to say to our colleagues on Monday morning: “How did you spend the weekend?”
In recent years in the UK, there has been a growing trend to re-evaluate the relationship between time, money and lifestyle. Some professionals have decided that rather than having high salaries (but no free time), they would rather have less money and more time. Consequently, they may decide that they will work less, change jobs to a less demanding role, or stop working altogether for a few months or years. This is known as downshifting, and you could say that it is a backlash against the workaholic culture we live in. As my husband sometimes says to me, you can get money back in the future, but you can never get time back…
I hope you all enjoy your weekend, however you are going to spend it!
Best wishes
Samantha
PS.
Task
Here are some questions for the weekend! I'm interested to hear your ideas. Tell me about your own society. Send your answers in your comments.
1.Would you describe your own society as workaholic?
2. Which is more valued in your society, time or money?
3. Is downshifting a trend in your society?
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
wind down (verb)
To slow down, rest and relax.
take it easy (phrase)
To slow down, rest and relax.
unwind (verb)
To slow down, rest and relax.
spend time doing something (phrase, verb + ing)
recharge your batteries (phrase)
To refresh and revive yourself.
couch potato (noun)
Person who is inactive, sedentary, dislikes physical exercise.
switch off (verb)
Stop thinking about something.
self-employed business-person (noun)
This means someone who runs their own business.
workaholic (noun and adjective)
Used to refer to someone who works all of the time, or a culture which encourages employees to do this.
addiction (noun)
Chemical dependence (on alcohol or drugs).
interchangeable (adjective)
This means that two things can be used in place of each other.
run out of something (phrasal verb)
To use up all of something (here, time or money).
run short of something (phrasal verb)
To use up all of something (here, time or money).
hard-pressed (adjective)
To have limited quantities / resources (here, time or money).
devote (verb)
To give.
generous (adjective)
Kind, warm-hearted.
maxim (noun)
Phrase or saying.
trend (noun)
New movement, or change in attitudes.
re-evaluate (verb)
Think again about something.
downshifting (noun)
Conscious decision to live on less money, to lead a simpler life with fewer luxuries.
backlash (noun)
Reaction against something.
posted on Friday, 23 February 2007 | comment on this postLanguage and EconomicsDear Juliette
Thank you for your very long blog. I should say “thank you” and “well done” at the same time, because I can see that you made a tremendous effort with this blog! Your effort has been rewarded with writing which is logical and coherent. You use many linking words and all of them have been used correctly! This means that the ideas “flow” throughout your writing. Your paragraph structure is also good, and added to the good organisation of your writing. You made a few little spelling mistakes where you repeated a French-ish spelling of some English words (governements and responsability). I’d just like to draw your attention to the use of “one” as a pronoun. We can use “one” as the subject of a written sentence to mean “I” or “you”. We use it when we are describing a condition which could be universal. The reflexive pronoun of one is “oneself”. Similarly, the reflexive pronoun for “you” is “yourself”. I’m sure that you know this already, but to keep the style of your writing consistent, remember to match up the correct reflexive pronoun with the subject of the sentence. Thank you for all of your hard work! I know it is difficult to find the time to write when you are working already. I’m looking forward to reading your next blog!
Thank you for sending your comments in about the time/money/work relationship in your own countries. One thing is clear, in many countries, employees have no choice about the long hours they have to work. In this case, it is important that we make a distinction about an employee’s lack of choice. It is not really fair to describe such an employee as a workaholic, I think we would describe him or her as “overworked”, but living in a workaholic culture. I found your comments so interesting that I did a little bit of research on the internet today! I discovered that although downshifting is a trend in the UK, it is a definite reaction to the “long-hours” work culture, which encourages employees to do unpaid overtime in order to gain respect or promotion at work…
Whilst the reality may be depressing, one aspect is fascinating for me! Look at the way the English language is adapting to cope with these changes in society: downshift is a new word which uses a preposition (down) and a verb (shift). The use of a preposition at the start of a verb is a very new form of language use, it seems to be a back-to-front phrasal verb. I tried to think of other examples, and they all represent new developments in the way we live. Look at these words: upload and download. Both are verbs and nouns, both have been invented in relation to the use of information use and computers. To start a computer, we now use the verb power-up! It's also possible to power-down a computer, but this word is not as commonly used. Two more words used in connection with computers are upgrade (improve / promote) and downgrade (reduce / demote). Correct me if I’m wrong, but did these words originate from airline travel?
Back to the world of work, these days, many companies are involved in a process called downsizing which means eliminating staff. The process of privatising parts of a large company (the catering or cleaning, for example) is called outsourcing. Our materialistic culture can be described as throwaway, an adjective which sums up our purchasing aspirations and habits: the more things we buy, the more we have to throw away (dispose of).
In all of the cases above, you can see how a new word has been created from a preposition and a noun or verb. The words connected to employment are known as euphemisms, that is, polite or indirect ways of saying unpleasant or socially "unacceptable" things. In English, there are many euphemisms used to sack or fire people. Here are some of them: restructuring (the workforce); streamlining; rationalising; letting someone go. Whilst much of this language is simply the use of jargon to disguise cold, hard economics, I think it also shows something about the nature of language. Language use is dynamic, and inventive. New words are emerging and evolving to accommodate the changing world we live in.
Let me know your thoughts!
Best wishes,
Samantha.
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
universal (adjective)
a condition which applies to everyone.
tremendous effort (noun)
a really big effort which in this case has brought about results!
overworked (adjective)
this means that someone has t work much harder than they really want to.
downshifting (noun)
conscious decision to live on less money, to lead a simpler life with fewer luxuries.
long-hours (noun)
the unofficial working day, which continues longer than the employee's contracted hours.
overtime (noun)
extra work that an employee does to meet deadlines.
upload (verb / noun)
transfer information (files, images) onto a computer.
download (verb / noun)
extract information from a computer.
power-up (verb)
to start up a computer.
power-down (verb)
to switch off a computer.
upgrade (verb / noun)
to improve / promote.
downgrade (verb / noun)
to demote / reduce.
downsize (verb)
euphemism (indirect expression) for firing employees.
outsource (verb)
euphemism (indirect expression) for sub-contracting or bringing in cheaper companies to do exisiting jobs in a company.
throwaway (adjective)
disposable, wasteful.
euphemism (noun)
an indirect way of saying something socially "unacceptable".
jargon (noun)
technical words used to confuse the listener or reader.
dynamic (adjective)
powerful, a driving force.
inventive (adjective)
creative, original. posted on Tuesday, 27 February 2007 | comment on this postA Day in the Life of an English TeacherHELLO FROM SAMANTHA
Dear Juliette,
Tonight I’m going to follow your example, Juliette, and write a quick entry for my blog. Your comparison between writing and baking a cake is an excellent one! We call this comparison a metaphor, which means that we attribute (or give) the qualities of one thing or activity to another thing. In this case, you compare the time, effort, ingredients and experience needed for baking different types of cakes to different types of writing. Great idea! Your cake sounds delicious! I’ll try it out sometime.
A few bloggers reminded me that my last blog was rather late. I know you want to improve your English, but please do not sleep by the computer! This is a definite case of being a studyholic. I thought I would tell you a little bit about how I write these blogs, and why I always work at night. As you all know, I’m an English teacher. The classes I have taught this week have all gone well so far… yesterday I was teaching a group of would-be interpreters about the language of English law. We looked at some real legal documents: do you know what they all are? (i) a cross-examination with a forensic expert (ii) a witness statement (iii) a ruling from the Court of Appeal (iv) a contract to guarantee sole distribution rights. I think my students found this lesson tough but interesting! In another lesson with (with Erasmus exchange students) we listened to a tape recording of an international student being interviewed. She gave some advice about studying in the UK. Her English was excellent, but the interview itself was a little boring, so I asked my students to interview each other while I filmed them to make a bite-sized documentary. Next time you watch the news, look out for the “noddie shots”. The interviewer asks a question, then when the person (interviewee) replies, the recording cuts to a shot of the interviewer nodding in agreement. Well, I asked my students to nod for me while I filmed them in profile, and they thought it was so hilarious that things got a little out of hand. We are going to edit the recording then use it with new students.
Fortunately, this week I haven’t had to go to any long meetings yet. I hate meetings! I think they are such a waste of time. I once saw a chart in a time management book which showed the cost of a meeting per minute depending on the number of staff attending. It’s astronomical! Most of the time, the information you receive at a meeting could be distributed by email. The purpose of the meeting (the hidden agenda) is to remind you who is in charge, and that a certain hierarchy exists within your organisation. I usually sit looking very serious, as though I am listening very carefully, but actually I am thinking about what I’m going to cook for dinner that evening, and what shopping I need to do. Or sometimes I sit with a large notebook open, and it looks as though I am taking notes, when in fact, I’m correcting student essays.
So, as well as my teaching and meeting-going, you remember I have a family! I’m not saying that I’m the best mother by any means, I wish I could be better, but I have to do lots of things for my two sons… they really keep me busy with all of the clothes that need washing, meals, baths, and we have to fit in some fun as well! And I do have to talk to my husband now and again, otherwise he would probably sack me. (I’m only joking). So finally, when both of my children are asleep and “Match of the Day” (football programme) is keeping my husband occupied, I can have a couple of hours to myself and I write this blog! Tonight’s blog has been very, very easy to write. I haven’t really had to think about it at all. But if I want to teach you something, it’s different. I have to think about a vocabulary or grammar point and try to explain it in a one-way lesson. I want you to understand, but I can’t check if you are following! So I spend a long time wondering about how to include the teaching content in a short little blog. But please don’t stay waiting by the computer! It would make me feel very guilty.
Anyway, that’s all for tonight,
Best wishes,
Samantha
PS.
Thank you for all of your comments. It’s great to see comments from so many parts of the world, and wonderful to see you using the vocabulary from the blogs!
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
metaphor (noun)
this is the use of a literary device whereby the qualities of one thing are given to another.
would-be (adjective)
intending to be, aiming to be.
bite-sized (adjective)
mini, small-scale.
documentary (noun)
factual programme on tv or radio.
cut to a shot of (phrase)
(on television / in films) moves to an image of something.
nod (verb)
move your head up and down, to say yes.
in profile (phrase)
from the side
hilarious (adjective)
very funny.
out of hand (phrase)
out of control, undisciplined.
astronomical (adjective)
very expensive.
hidden agenda (noun)
the real purpose, which is disguised.
hierarchy (noun)
structure of power.
sack someone (verb)
to fire someone from a job (used jokingly here).
one-way (adjective)
in this case, it means that the process of communication has no immediate feedback.
posted on Tuesday, 27 February 2007 | comment on this post24/7 Work EnvironmentHELLO FROM SAMANTHA
Dear Juliette,
Thanks for the description of your work environment, it’s interesting to learn more about the life of a journalist! Your working environent can be described as 24/7, (twenty-four-seven) a word that has gained popularity from America, and means non-stop, twenty four hours a day, all hours. I wish I had a rolec thingy, it sounds like so much fun. (Great word, thingy, you must have picked that up in the office!). I thought teachers were probably the messiest colleagues one could have, as they are always rushing from one room to the next on the hour, with no spare time to tidy up. But now I know that journalists are messier, because there isn’t any old food lying around in my office! (But we do have some muddy old trainers under the desk of someone who runs in the park at lunchtime!).
Your written English is improving measurably day by day! You use some really good vocabulary in today’s entry, and excellent collocation. Today’s entry also contains very few mistakes in verb use, and you have made excellent use of linking words (on one hand, on the other hand / however / moreover / before / despite / now). I think one linking word is used incorrectly, though. When you write Despite the different views in the first paragraph, I think you really wanted to say As well as the different views because the sentence that follows describes an additional benefit of changing desks. Despite signals a drawback, limitation or contrasting idea.
The grammar point I’d like to draw your attention to is the position of adverbs. An adverb usually occurs very close to the verb it is acting on. Here is one of your sentences:
Dealing with news makes your days looks always different.
In this sentence, we should position always before the verb makes: The verb form here should be look, not looks, as the subject (your days) is plural.
Dealing with news always makes your days look different.
Another sentence with the same mistake is:
However, it can be sometimes frustrating not to be able to spend more than a day or two on a topic.
The adverb comes after the modal auxiliary (can) but before the main verb (be), so in this case, can sometimes be frustrating is the correct word order:
However, it can sometimes be frustrating not to be able to spend more than a day or two on a topic.
Keep up the good work, Juliette!
Task: work related vocabulary.
Do you know what the following words mean?
Send me your answers as comments!
Are the following experiences positive or negative?
1. If you encounter a glass ceiling, is this positive or negative?
2. If you are offered an increment, is this positive or negative?
3. If you have lots of perks with your job, is this positive or negative?
4. If you receive commission, is this positive or negative?
5. If you work in a challenging working environment, is this positive or negative?
6. If you experience sick building syndrome, is this positive or negative?
That’s all for now, good night everyone!
Best wishes,
Samantha
USEFUL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
24/7 (adjective)
non-stop, all the time.
thingy (noun)
thing (slang).
on the hour (phrase)
every hour, at two o'clock, three o'clock etc.
measurably (adverb)
noticeably different.
collocation (noun)
this means words that are frequently used together by native speakers ( work from a desk / follow the interview / give feedback). Good use of collocation by a non-native speaker is an indication of a high level of competence in a foreign language.
benefit (noun)
positive aspect / advantage.
posted on Wednesday, 28 February 2007 | comment on this post | |
