Spring is here, the days are officially longer and we cannot wait till the weather is warm enough to put our coats away and head to the beach. In the meantime, we thought we would keep it light this week and share some funny and informative videos on pronunciation.
One of my favorite shows when I was a child was I Love Lucy. Take a look at this short clip as she helps her Cuban husband with some pronunciation issues. Can any of you relate? Pronunciation of -ough video
A quick question and quick answer on connected speech: http://www.elementalenglish.com/quick-question-connected-speech/
An useful website on pronunciation. This is on the difference between British and American English
And finally, the 10 most mispronounced words in English on the streets of London.
Have a great short week everyone and please note, we have postponed our Round Table session #2 to next Thursday, April 7th so you have plenty of time to sign up!
Photo Source: Beautiful Sky Series by Eric Cahan
It is that time of year again, when the flowers start blooming (to blossom/open/flower), days get longer as we Spring our clocks forward and Summer is right around the corner.
This week’s post is on the beauty of Spring and reasons to get outdoors or stay inside and practice your English.
Here’s a short video on the history of the Easter bunny
But have you ever wondered what others around the world do to celebrate Spring? Take a look at these amazing photos on Spring around the world.
If you are feeling inspired to do more listening in English, take a look at these professional podcasts to help you start listening!
Or, if you plan on spending some time with the family, maybe you can propose some educative online video games to help all of you learn?
Are you more of the romantic type? Here are some Spring Poems to get you inspired…or some great stories you can listen to on Spring?
Planning on taking a walk in the mountains? Learn the name of some flowers first and impress your friends and family!
And if you are one of those lucky travelers planning on going away for the week, take a look at this video on how to greet others in English
Have a wonderful start to Spring and Happy Easter!
And don’t forget our Round Table #2 next Thursday, March 31, 2016
How are you intelligent vs How Intelligent are you?
Business English, Listen, Loud and Clear, Read, Watch
“If we don’t make mistakes daily we are not pushing the boundaries and challenging the system enough.” Antonio J. Lucio
Happy Monday everyone! Before we begin with a very interesting topic on intelligence, we want to remind you that this week is our first edition of the Round Table Series so remember to sign up and join us on Thursday from 20.00h-21.00h. You can find more information here. We really do hope to see you there!
So, this week’s blog is on how intelligent you think you are and why creativity is so important in both work and learning. More than once I have heard students tell me that it is impossible for them to learn a new language or that they were never really good at learning, or intelligent enough. To be honest, I disagree. Maybe we just need to find a different approach at learning.
I have always believed that we are all creative, every single one of us and luckily Sir Ken Robinson believes the same. Take a look below at this week’s links and see how you can become a more intelligent and creative learner.
Here are Five common mistakes when learning a foreign language. Just imagine, with a little more curiosity and less fear, you could easily go a long way
A very creative video on Ken Robinson speaking about How are you intelligent?
An easy video on Why do we need creativity?
A more advanced video by the author Elizabeth Gilbert on Your elusive (difficult) genius
And you can test your English (maybe you know more than you think you do?)
Finally, here’s a Quiz on commonly confused words in English.
In ode to Valentine’s day and Spring right around the corner, we thought we would dedicate this week’s post to not just the heart, but the brain as well. We all know that keeping both our hearts and brain healthy can help us live a long and happy life, so here we go.
Are you right brained or left brained? Take this test
The podcast everyone is talking about: Modern Love
Fascinating interview with Helen Fisher on her latest book The Anatomy of Love
Your heart is what you eat: 18 Superfoods for your heart
And super foods for your brain. The Mediterranean diet is doing all of you well!
A video on The History of Love
iconAnd Valentine’s Day Poems for Married People
Have a lovely week!
Photo Source: ‘The Balance” …. by Christian Schloe
As we head straight into February (is it me, or did January fly by??) Some of us have left our resolutions behind and are focused on other things, like getting your work done before Friday comes around again…
This video, talks about challenging yourself, pushing yourself to an extreme in the name of passion. Would you do it? Do you already challenge yourself to an extreme? And all at an Andante pace or slow tempo (rhythm) How, when, why?
Before we look at the video, lets go over some Wh- word questions. See if you can either construct your own questions or answer the following:
What (object, idea or action) is this person doing?
Where (place) do you think Ruth Boden is from or where is she doing this?
Why (reason–frequently answered with because) would she want to do this?
How (manner) did she get to the top? **did you know you can use many other forms of HOW to get different answers?: How many (quantity, countable) How much (amount price, uncountable) How long (duration, length) How often (frequency) How far (distance) How old (age) How come (reason, similar to why)
Who (person) do you know has done something similar?
While you watch the video, ask yourself a few questions, like:
How does she compare the cello to a human? Why does she say, “There’s no ticket stub, just a memory?”
Finally, see if you can use some of the adjectives we learned last week to describe the video. Happy watching!
https://aeon.co/videos/a-bach-cello-piece-played-atop-a-mountain-is-as-exhilarating-as-you-d-expect
https://aeon.co/videos/how-a-massive-painting-project-is-transforming-a-haitian-slum-through-colour
This week we are making room for a very compelling (interesting) post from Madeleine!
Our last post was titled Blue Monday, and that got us thinking about colour, or a lack of (not much,) colour! Some parts of the world are not lucky enough to enjoy the Barcelona blue sky this time of year, and the sky is mostly grey and the light is dull, (lacking brightness.) If you live in these kind of countries, it is not surprising that people start to feel a little depressed.
So, in celebration of all things colourful we would like to share this video about a transformation of a hillside slum in Haiti. So beautifully simple and inspiring.
After watching the video, try to think of how many adjectives you can think of to describe colour? Yes, it’s pink or green or blue, but what kind of blue?
Here are some adjectives to help you, and remember that some of these words can also be used to describe other things too.
Intense
dull
pale
subtle
radiant
rich
light/dark
luminous
shiny/matt (Am. E.: Matte)
dusky
neutral
bold
cold/warm
deep
fresh
soft/hard
sober
vibrant
vivid
translucent
Descriptive language really helps you to communicate well in another language, so go on, don’t be afraid to use some adjectives!
Note: Did you notice the spelling of the word colour in this post? In British English the word is spelt with a ‘u’ and in American English, we drop the ‘u’. British English: colour American English: color
There is a story behind why the Americans spell some words differently from the British, but we’ll save that for another post!
We are four days into 2016 and about to put our shoes out for those 3 wise men and their gifts. In the meantime, we have had enough time (and days off) to give some thought to what we want 2016 to look like…right? Or maybe some of you are more of the September resolution kind of person?
If January is your month to shake off the previous year and start fresh with new goals, this post is just for you! Have you ever wondered where the idea of New Year’s resolutions come from anyway? Find out from this short video:
And this short article explains The History of New Year’s Resolutions
We have gathered some interesting links on New Year’s resolutions and what to expect for 2016 in regards to reading material and food:
50 New Year’s resolutions and how to achieve them
Top 10 healthiest New Year’s Resolutions
Vegetables likely to take over your plate in 2016!
What makes a good life, happy? VIDEO
What to expect in 2016 (according to The Wall Street Journal)
Books to Read this year (according to Brooklyn Magazine)
Top 10 Movies to watch out for in 2016
May it be a fun year for you all and full of health, happiness and accomplished resolutions!
Wishing you a fabulous 2016 full of prosperity, health and happiness.
Thank you for yet another wonderful year and for reading our blog!
Song: Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson
Wishing you all the best as the countdown begins for the holidays. If you are feeling curious and want some fun topics for the dinner table, check out this video on the History of Christmas
And if you are in the singing mood and want to impress your family with some Christmas Carols, take a look here
Finally, 20 bizarre Christmas traditions from around the world and 29 Heavenly Christmas foods from around the world.
Happy Holidays to all of you and may you be surrounded by your loved ones!
In this profession, we are fortunate to work with many different students who come from all sectors and professions. Why are we fortunate? Because we get the opportunity to learn so much about everything you do!
This week, we applaud all of you for working hard and doing the best you can. Now, let’s take a look at how we can compare jobs and watch 5 different videos on professions around the world.
First of all, do you know the difference between an adjective and a comparative? It’s easy!
An adjective describes HOW something IS (emphasis on the noun): Messi is a good player.
An adverb describes HOW something IS DONE (emphasis on the verb): Messi plays well.
Here are the rules on comparing with adjectives: Use the (-ER) at the end of the adjective: Colder or Use (more) More famous, but never use -er and more together!!
If you are using an adjective of one syllable you add –er: Old → older Tall →taller Short → Shorter Wide → Wider
If the adjective ends in a vowel sandwich (consonant-vowel-consonant) double the final consonant:
hot → hotter thin →thinner big → bigger
If you have an adjective with two syllables and it ends in –y, you must change the –y to an –i and add –er: Happy → happier Sunny →sunnier Easy → Easier
With adjectives of two or more syllables you must add More before the adjective: Modern →more modern Important → more important Beautiful → more beautiful
There are irregular adjectives that do not follow the rules above and you change the word: Good → Better Bad → Worse Far → Further Many/Much → More Little → Less Ill → Worse
Now, let’s watch these videos and see if you can compare the jobs. How do you compare your job to the ones mentioned? http://www.thebookoflife.org/a-working-day/
