MOONLIGHT SONATA, BEETHOVEN

Sit back and enjoy the beautiful Moonlight Sonata.

Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven

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THEMES TO GET STUDENTS TALKING (I)

For a language teacher, there are few things more exciting than a classroom discussion that really works, especially when everyone makes a positive contribution to the debate.
Every fortnight or so, I will give you a topic to discuss, and I expect you to give your opinion on it.
Let's get started.
Today's topic is "An eye for an eye".

Vengeance is a constant theme in literature, cinema, ... but, does it happen in real life too?

Think about Confucious's saying "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" and please leave a commentary below.

THE IRONIES OF ENGLISH

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE FACT THAT:

• "Diphthong" contains only pure vowel sounds, no diphthongs.
• "Monosyllabic" has five syllables, not one.
• "Abbreviation" is such a long word.
• People who have a lisp (1) can't say "lisp".

(1) LISP: speech impediment affecting the pronunciation of /s/.

SILLY NAMES

Some English names can sound comical. The following website http://www.thebabywebsite.com/ has compiled a list of "the most unfortunate names in Britain". All the names given are authentic. This website mentions the following names - can you work out why these names are comical?

1. Will Power
2. Paige Turner
3. Justin Case
4. Terrry Bull
5. Ray Gunn
6. Jo King
7. Helen Back
8. Anna Sasin
9. Carrie Oakey
10. Barry Cade

SOLUTIONS

The names sound like : 1. willpower (1) , 2. page turner (2) , 3. just in case, 4. terrible, 5. ray gun , 6. joking, 7. hell and back (3) , 8. an assassin, 9. karaoke, and 10. barricade.

1. WILLPOWER: determination
2. PAGE TURNER: very interesting book or magazine.
3. TO GO TO HELL AND BACK: suffer a lot and survive.

MY NAME MEANS WHAT?!

Some foreign names can also sound comical to native English-speakers, because they may suggest something completely different to them. For example, Frenchman Marcel Bich, who produced the ballpoint pen, changed the name of his company to Bic because he knew that English-speakers tended to pronounce his surname /bɪtʃ/, a homophone of bitch (1) .

More examples are:

• Gelo (diminutive of Ángel) sounds like "hello"
• Juan, depending of the pronunciation, can sound like "one"
• Maite sounds similar to mighty (2)
• Mari sounds like the English verb "marry".
• Marta sounds much like "martyr" in English.
• Messi (the surname of the Barcelona FC player) is a homophone of "messy " which means "chaotic".
• Patxi sounds like "patchy" which means "fragmentary" or "sporadic" or "erratic".
• Pepa (diminutive for Josefina) is a homophone of "pepper".
• Rosi (familiar form of Rosa) sound like rosy (3) .
• Txiki sounds exactly like "cheeky" (4) .

1. BITCH: female dog / unpleasant woman
2. MIGHTY: powerful
3. ROSY: pink, healthy
4. CHEEKY: insolent, impertinent

THERE IS NO PLACE FOR BULLIES AT SCHOOL.

SAY NO TO BULLYING

Bullying is sadly a big problem today. The Daily Mirror newspaper and a charity web called Kidscape try to encourage children to talk openly about how bullies can change the atmosphere of the school.

To find out more about The Daily Mirror campaign against bullying, go to http://www.kidscape.org.uk/ and http://www.childline.org.uk/

MORE JOKES. I hope you like these too!

Laugh at these English language jokes and learn English at the same time.

1. What did the traffic lights say to the car?
Don't look now. I'm changing!

2. I have 12 legs, 12 arms and 8 heads. What am I?
A liar!

3. Why do witches have brooms?
Because vacuum cleaners are too heavy!

4. What's the difference between Heaven and Hell?

In Heaven...
the French are the cooks
the Germans are the engineers
the British are the police
the Swiss are the managers
the Italians are the lovers

In Hell...
the British are the cooks
the French are the managers
the Italians are the engineers
the Germans are the police
the Swiss are the lovers

5. What animal can jump higher than a house?
A house can't jump!

6. Why are married women heavier than single women?
Single women come home, see what's in the fridge and go to bed.
Married women come home, see what's in bed and go to the fridge.

7. What four animals does a woman need in her life?
...a mink on her back
...a jaguar in the garage
...a tiger in her bed
...and a jackass to pay for it all !!!

8. A man receives a phone call from his doctor.
The doctor says, "I have some good news and some bad news."
The man says, "OK, give me the good news first."
The doctor says, "The good news is, you have 24 hours to live."
The man replies, "Oh no! If that's the good news, then what's the bad news?"
The doctor says, "The bad news is, I forgot to call you yesterday."

9. A man goes to the doctor and says, "Doctor, wherever I touch, it hurts."
The doctor asks, "What do you mean?"
The man says, "When I touch my shoulder, it really hurts.When I touch my knee - OUCH! When I touch my forehead, it really, really hurts."
The doctor says, "I know what's wrong with you. You've broken your finger!"

10. A: John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly. What do you think, Peter?
B: I think you are pretty ugly.

11. A: I have the perfect son.
B: Does he smoke?
A: No, he doesn't.
B: Does he drink whiskey?
A: No, he doesn't.
B: Does he ever come home late?
A: No, he doesn't.
B: I guess you really do have the perfect son. How old is he?
A: He will be six months old next Wednesday.

"An eye for an eye will make us all blind" Mahatma Gandhi

So, this is Christmas!

There are very different types of Christmases. No words are needed. I hope this videoclip makes you think a bit.

NEW YEAR

A famous song sung at the bells (the 12 chimes of the clock that mark the new year) is "Auld Lang Syne". This song is actually a traditional Scots language poem. it was written by the great poet Robert Burns, who lived in the 1700s. Burns wrote in Scots as well as in English. "Auld Lang Syne" ("Long, Long Ago") is his most famous work. Here are the lyrics with a rough translation.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot ,
Should old friends be forgotten,
And never brought to mind?
And forgotten forever?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Should old friends be forgotten,
And days of auld lang syne?
Long, long ago.

Refrain
For auld lang syne, my dear
For long, long ago, my dear.
For auld lang syne
For long, long ago,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
We’ll have a drink in friendly company,
For auld lang syne.
For long, long ago.

ENGLISH JOKES. Have a good laugh!

Laugh at these English language jokes and learn English at the same time.

1. If you took 3 apples from a basket that held 12 apples, how many apples would you have? 3 !!!

2. If a man was born in Italy, went to America and died in San Francisco, what would he be? Dead!

3. 1st Eskimo: Where did your mother come from?
2nd Eskimo: Alaska
1st Eskimo: Don't bother. I'll ask her myself.

4. Why are Saturday and Sunday strong days?

Because they are not weekdays!

5. Why can't a man living in Paris be buried in the South of France?
Because he's still living!

6. Why shouldn't you put the letter "M" into the refrigerator?
Because it turns ice into mice!

7. Which month has 28 days? All of them!

8. Why did the boy bury his flashlight?

Because the batteries were dead.

9. A man asked for a meal in a restaurant. The waiter brought the food and put it on the table. After a moment, the man called the waiter and said:
"Waiter! Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!"
"Please don't speak so loudly, sir," said the waiter, "or everyone will want one."

10. There are 5 birds in a tree. A hunter shoots 2 of them dead. How many birds are left? Two birds. The other 3 fly away!

11. Why is the letter "T" like an island?

Because it is in the middle of waTer!

12. What is the longest word in the English language?
"Smiles". Because there is a mile between its first and last letters!

13. What starts with "P", ends with "E", and has millions of letters?

The "Post Office"!

14. What word begins with "e", ends with "e", and has one letter? Envelope!

15. Why didn't the skeleton go to the party?

Because he had no-body to go with!

EINSTEIN'S RIDDLE

The story behind Einstein's riddle is that Albert Einstein created it in the late 1800s, and claimed that 98% of the world population couldn't solve it. We cannot be sure of the true origin, but I have seen it around the Internet for quite a while, and it is a good brain exercise. My own niece, aged 15, has solved it without difficulty.
Try yourselves!

Here it is:

- In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
- In each house lives a person of different nationality.
- These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

Einstein's riddle is: Who owns the fish?

Necessary clues:

(Take into account that the houses are seen from left to right)

1. The British man lives in a red house.

2. The Swedish man keeps dogs as pets.

3. The Danish man drinks tea.

4. The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.

5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.

6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.

7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.

8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.

9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.

10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.

11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.

12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.

13. The German smokes Prince.

14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.

15. The Blends smoker lives next to the one who drinks water.

CHRISTMAS ALPHABET.

Christmas Alphabet
(Author Unknown)

C is for the Candy trimmed around the Christmas tree.

H is for the Happiness with all the family.

R is for the Reindeer prancing by the window pane.

I is for the Icing on the cake as sweet as sugar cane.

S is for the Stocking on the chimney wall.

T is for the Toys beneath the Tree so Tall.

M is for the Mistletoe where every one is kissed.

A is for the Angels who make up the Christmas list.

S is for old Santa who makes every kid his pet.

Be good and he'll bring you ev'rything you wish for Christmas !

ROCKING AROUND THE WORLD

Are you a punk or a country folk?
What is your favourite genre of music?
Make your choice and leave a commentary below.

ROCK - POP - SWING - RAP - BEAT - PUNK - FOLK - HIP HOP - CHILL OUT - THRASH - GROOVE - FUNKY - COUNTRY - JUNGLE - GARAGE - NEW AGE - WORLD - HOUSE - HEAVY METAL - CLASSICAL - ...

There are so many kinds of music that the list is endless!


How do musicians talk to each other?
How do they know how to play?

There is a language of music that helps them. This language provides a way for musicians to talk to each other. It tells them what sounds to play and how to play those sounds long or short, loud or soft, fast or slow .
It is a way to organize sounds, so instead of noise, you get music.

Start with the basics and you will meet some of the most familiar characters in music: the staff, clefs, time signatures, measures and notes.

Getting Acquainted With Music, by Anabel Díaz de Alda

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TRAVELLING

Irish Megalithic symbol at Newgrange (Ireland)

The Megalithic Passage Tomb at Newgrange was built about 3200 BC. The kidney shaped mound covers an area of over one acre and is surrounded by 97 kerbstones, some of which are richly decorated with megalithic art. The 19 metre long inner passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof. It is estimated that the construction of the Passage Tomb at Newgrange would have taken a work force of 300 at least 20 years.

Images from inside the chamber at Newgrange including the tri-spiral design on orthostat C10 which is probably the most famous Irish Megalithic symbol. It is often referred to as a Celtic design, but it was carved at least 2500 years before the Celts reached Ireland. At 12 inches in diameter the tri-spiral design is quite small in size, less than one-third the size of the tri-spiral design on the entrance stone.

When I visited Ireland last summer, I fell in love with this design, so I bought a silver brooch which I very often wear on one of my jackets.

EXAM HOWLERS

For many years examiners have been carefully recording the funniest sentences they come across while correcting exams. Here is a list of some of the most bizarre (0) examples. I offer you the sentences as they appeared in the students' exam answers. Try to work out what they meant to say. In "Corrected Versions" I'll offer you the answer.

• "The process of turning steam (1) back into water again is called conversation"

• "H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water"

• "Blood (2) flows (3) down one leg and up the other"

• "A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene (4) triangle"

• "Water is composed of two gins, Oxigin and Hydrogin. Oxigin is pure water. Hydrogin is gin and water"

• "A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is the more extinct it is"

• "Three kind of blood vessels (5) are arteries, vanes (6) and caterpillars (7)"

GLOSSARY

BIZARRE (0) strange

STEAM (1) hot water vapour

BLOOD (2) red liquid found in veins and arteries

TO FLOW (3) (of liquids) run, move

OBSCENE (4) offensive, indecent, vulgar

BLOOD VESSELS (5) naturally occurring tube through which blood flows

VANES (6) pointer that shows the direction of the wind

CATERPILLARS (7) the larva of a butterfly or moth

CORRECTED VERSION:

"The process of turning steam back into water again is called condensation"
"H2O is water, and CO2 is carbon dioxide".
"Blood flows from the heart in arteries and back to the heart in veins".
"A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an oblique triangle".
"Water is composed of two elements: hydrogen and oxigen. ".
"A fossil is the petrified remains of a prehistoric plant or animal".

"Three kind of blood vessels are arteries, veins and capillaries ".