Weaving language and tapestry making

Hi everyone!

I'm very sorry I have been absent for such a long time! But if you know me, you know that this is my usual pattern.

The visit to an exhibition on William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement has inspired me to look for videos that show the beauty of craftmanship. This one, apart from being extraordinarily informative as well as wonderfully produced, is intended to remind you of the metaphors we saw in class not long ago.

The "warp and woof", meaning the foundation of something, is a typical example of a metaphor that alludes to the art of weaving (although the technical terms preferred nowadays are warp and weft), but the most interesting idioms we could see were those in which the background metaphor was "storytelling is weaving": the thread of discourse, the loom of language, to weave a story; as well as those where we understand the metaphor "storytelling is lying": to fabricate, the fabric/tissue of lies, to pull the wool over somebody's eyes, to make up of whole cloth, to spin a yarn. Weaving and language thus become intricately interwoven (see what I did there?) through an underlying metaphor: the storyteller and poet as a weaver of language.

With this in mind, it was only natural that the first video about arts and crafts that I wanted to present to you had to do with weaving: here you have the art of tapestry making at the Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins in Paris.

The activities I propose for this video are fairly open questions, because I don't want to detract from the enjoyment of watching the art that these women (only women in the video!) bring to life. The explanations are so clear that I also wanted you to focus on the accuracy of language in the voiceover without thinking much about exercises.

So, share with us in the comments: which of the jobs carried out at the Gobelins do you think is the hardest, and why? Which one would you rather do if you could work there, and why? Try to use the specific language you can hear in the video.

Optional: note down all instances of the passive voice.

Enjoy!

The Short Transcript Challenge VI : Nicholas Culpeper

Here we are, back with the Short Transcript Challenge!

The rules for the challenge are simple: just write down a transcription of the video for us in the comments! If you don't want to attempt the whole video just let us know the minute you're transcribing so someone else can take it up from there.

I'm becoming quite a fan of BBC documentary openings. They're a genre in themselves! This one is about Nicholas Culpeper. I hope after the opening you will feel a little curious about this character!

If you need any help with any specific words, just tell me when it is said and I'll give you a hand.

This challenge will be closed on March 6th (next week). Good luck!

UPDATE:  Thank you veeeery much to Irene for her almost perfect transcription! It's very interesting to see exactly where you had difficulties: those weak words and linking can really be challenging!

You can check your versions against this key. Thanks!

Vocabulary With Film Trailers

Hello again!

Watching a film trailer, if you do it attentively, with the eye of an active language learner, is what we could call a visually-aided vocabulary activity. And there are so many available to you every year!

Many film trailers feature superimposed short reviews to encourage the viewer. Expressions like "it will keep you glued to the screen" and such. If the expressions or vocabulary used in these captions are new to us, we will be using two (usually involuntary) strategies to understand them: one is connotation, since we know that these trailers are in fact a form of advertising so the language in it will be largely positive. The second one is their context, which includes visual cues, dialogue and voiceover.

Can you provide a definition, even if it's just approximate, of the expressions in the captions of these film trailers? Share the expressions and your definitions in the comments section! Some of you will want to focus on adjectives, while others may prefer idiomatic expressions (like the "glued to the screen" I mentioned earlier).

I hope you enjoy the trailers! I chose four documentary films: a different way of showing love to nature in A Will for the Woods, the talent hidden in the background of the stage in Twenty Feet from Stardom, the hardest exam in the world (no, not your certificate exam!) in Somm, and visual impact in Samsara.

Hope to see your comments soon!

A WILL FOR THE WOODS - Trailer from First Run Features on Vimeo.

Conservation stories

Hello everyone,

Protecting biodiversity is the topic of this video we present today. To address some of the linguistic points that we have seen lately at different levels, I propose:

- Writing down all the adjective + noun collocations. Which of these adjectives have been formed with a prefix? Which of the nouns have been formed with a suffix?

- Writing down all the passive voice constructions.

What words or expressions from the video would you like to learn and use? Tell us in the comments!

The key, coming soon. Enjoy!

Yosemite National Park - facts and figures

Here's a little video with facts and figures of Yosemite National Park, which contains some nice examples of collocations typically used in travel and tourism.

I propose the following:

Find these expressions in the video and complete the facts:

Located in…

It’s visited by…

It’s home to…

Some of the visitors look for…

It boasts …

Find the figures! For an extra challenge, try to use the same wording as in the video, with full compound adjectives. Careful with spelling! 

How high is Yosemite Falls?

How high is El Capitan?

What are the dimensions of the slab of granite beneath the surface to which El Capitan belongs?

How high are sequoias (include the comparison)? 

An extra question: why are researchers climbing the sequoias?


You can find the key here. Let's travel a bit!

Proof or evidence?

Hello there again! I've just come across this delightful animation from the Royal Institution, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

It tells us about how ancient Greek thought influenced the way we think about Mathematics, and ultimately about... everything else.

I take the chance, with this video, to make you reflect about similar words. In this case, proof and evidence. They are near synonyms in certain contexts, but as usual... the collocations make the difference. So always keep a good record of where the word appears, what the topic is, and what words it collocates with. For example, evidence tends to appear quite a lot in contexts related to court, justice, and the like. Proof is often used in science, as in this video, where it is used to talk about demonstrations of theorems.

Not to mention the fact that both can be either countable or uncountable, so we must always be careful with the verb and articles we use!

Always look up the examples in good monolingual dictionaries to help with these aspects. In the best scientific spirit, read the examples provided by the dictionary to draw conclusions of use, deduce and then test (through trial and error: use use use, make mistakes, correct your assumptions). The activity here includes:

1. Reading the definitions of "evidence" and "proof" in the Learner's Dictionary widget on the right of the page. Taking notes if necessary.
2. Answering these questions: 
-What is the definition of "proof" in the video?
-According to the video, what is a good proof?
3. Writing down some collocations of the word "proof" used in the video.
4. Enjoying the video!

Key here. Enjoy!



The Greek Legacy: How the Ancient Greeks Shaped Modern Mathematics from 12Foot6 on Vimeo.

Skyscraper history

Hi everyone!

This National Geographic video seems to be the beginning of a longer documentary. I quite like the language used, and the voiceover is just challenging enough with its pronunciation of weak syllables.

The documentary reviews seven "historic giants". Why do we use the word "historic" here, and not "historical"?

Have you seen any of these buildings? Personally, I'd love to see the Flatiron. I actually saw it yesterday in a film, just in passing, and I thought it was impressive.

Time for some comprehension. Complete with one or two words:

The Burj Dubai  _________  its success to seven key inventions.
At the heart of each of those seven buildings lies a major technological innovation that _________ to reach taller into the sky.
Seven ingenious leaps forward that _________  skyscrapers to evolve from big to bigger into the world's biggest.
Stairs in old office buildings were long and very dark, so people weren't willing to _________  more than to the second or third floor.
In the explanation of the security device for elevators, the rope breaking _________  a chain of events that locks the elevator.
The elevator completely transforms the _________  .
The Burj Dubai takes the idea of the elevator to _________  . Its more than 160 storeys _________  elevator technology to its absolute limit.


Enjoy! The key is here, but comments are also welcome!

Repatriating cultural heritage

Hello there, and welcome to a topic we hadn't dealt with in quite some time: culture, heritage, history and arts.

Many of you will be familiar with this situation: going to a museum in the UK, in France, in Spain, and walking around a section of Egyptian art. Or Greek. Or Persian. And the pieces on display are not minor: you will see in the video that some of the most representative works of art of certain civilizations are to be found in museums thousands of kilometres away from their land of origin.

This video is just a brief report, but it sums up many of the arguments in favour of and against showcasing foreign cultural heritage in museums. It has captions but they're not accurate at all and they're likely to confuse you.

Time for some questions, with their key here:

On display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo: the tomb of Tutankhamon, and one of the _________________ artefacts in the ancient world: the Rosetta Stone.

How the Rosetta Stone ended up in Britain is a tale of imperialist _____________ : the French discovered it in 1799, and when they _______________ the British in 1801, they gave them the stone.

The reporter suggests there is an argument to be made that the stone is in __________________ in the British Museum, and that people from all over the world can see it there. The reply is simple: that's true, but it's not at home, and Egypt __________________ .

Turkey has demanded the return of antiquities, and threatened to withhold the loan of artwork to those museums until __________________ .

Museums return pieces of art when there are grounds for their __________________ , or when a court forces them to. The St Louis Museum of Art is being __________________  for the return of an Egyptian mask.

When works of art have been taken legally, they are great __________________  for their countries of origin. 

In Greece they wonder who is authorized to __________________  a monument.

They display classical sculptures. The __________________  have been replaced with copies of the originals, the __________________  are in the British Museum.

It's difficult to decide how legitimate these claims are, because it isn't always clear whether something was __________________ . 

The case of recently acquired pieces is different from that of pieces that have remained abroad for a long time, in that the latter have become __________________  of the countries they are currently in. 

Security at the museums is also an issue. The Egyptian Museum, for example, was __________________  three years ago, and a human shield was the only thing that prevented a further __________________ .

It is argued that unstable governments are more likely to __________________ art repatriation.

What seems to be just bitter custody battles could __________________ more cultural exchange. In Greece the claim is becoming an opportunity for collaboration and sending more pieces to the British Museum for __________________ . 

In Dallas, they're borrowing pieces from Italy and Turkey in __________________  of their return of pieces to them. 


The looting of the Egyptian Museum is something that we witnessed here some time ago in one of our most popular posts.

"If something's been somewhere long enough it should stay there". Do you agree?

The Short Transcript Challenge V: Desert Climates

Hello everyone!

As part of our long-forgotten Short Transcript Challenge, I propose this short video. It's a short description of desert climates and landscapes.

It's one minute long, but it's clear and the speed is quite reasonable. I would like to see your transcriptions in the comments, although I'll be posting a key soon (not too soon this time, though, to make sure you try!)

There are two words that you will need to know in advance, as they are very specific: erg and reg (better known as "desert pavement").


Go for it!

Topic Video: Cities

Hello again!

The video for today corresponds to the topic of cities. Instead of the usual "city life vs country life" comparison, I bring you a video about the peculiarities of suburban life. That is, life in the suburbs. Please remember that can be a false friend! A suburban area is simply in the outskirts of a city. Anyway, you will see that the definition of "suburbs" becomes very clear in the video, as it features one of the largest suburban areas in the country.

Living in the suburbs has shaped the residents' way of life, but how? Let's find out. Before listening, consider this vocabulary (dictionary to your right, people!). You can also try to find out the meaning by context, if you want.

stretching North = expanding to the North
cul-de-sac (check pronunciation, the word is defined in the video. How is it defined?)
to come at a cost 
to track (or track down)
to be off the beaten path

Some questions:

1. How many synonyms or near-synonyms of  "going" can you find?
2. How has walking been transformed by this way of life?
3. What are the problems originated/not solved by the road system?
4. Why does the reporter call the situation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area a "construction loop"?

By the way: I can check how many people watch the videos. Is it possible that 63 people have watched yesterday's video in one day, and not one of them has shared their answers? I put it down to you having the key, but then the commenting/sharing element loses all meaning... I'm not too happy with that.

Answers to be shared in the comments, please! And the key coming soon here!

The Northern Lights

Hello for our videos of the month of February!

As some of you probably know, the 24th of January brought us a wonderful present in the form of a coronal mass ejection, which makes northern lights more common. A good moment to take all your savings and head to the Arctic Circle to enjoy one of the wonders of nature!

This video is a preview of the BBC series Wonders of the Solar System, with Professor Brian Cox (of whom I am an alleged fan). So here you have Brian Cox looking up into the skies again...

Questions (answers in the comments, transcription coming in a few days):

1. Why did they go to the Arctic Circle on snowmobiles?

2. How likely is it for them to watch an aurora that night?

3. Where are the film images taken from?

4. What does the energy from the solar wind do?

5. How does Prof. Brian Cox describe the aurora?

Enjoy it! The beauty of the night sky again... Magical.

Update: the full transcript of this video.

Lunar New Year traditions

China celebrates the end of the lunar New Year celebrations with the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first moon. That day is... tomorrow, February the 6th, the first full moon of their calendar.

This tradition is also held in other countries, but we're going to concentrate on China to watch again the video on New Year celebrations you received last month. By the way, in some regions this particular festival is also a lovers' day, a sort of St Valentine's Day!

Here are the comprehension questions:

1. Make a list of adverb + adjective collocations in the video.

2. How long have they been celebrating the lunar New Year?

3. What did they use the colour red, bright light and loud noise for?

4. Why did they fear the New Year?

5. What was the family reunion for?

6. When did the Chinese adopt the Gregorian calendar?

7. What's the traditional Chinese calendar?

8. What do they hang from windows? What for?

9. What do the fish and chicken stand for (represent)?

10. What's the origin of the Lantern Festival?

Enjoy the video and, if you get the chance, the lunar New Year too!

Treasures of Afghanistan

Hello!

Back again with one video that you may have probably enjoyed already as part of your daily videos. It's an introduction to a wonderful exhibition at the British Museum. Unfortunately, it was on show last year, so there is no way for us to fly to London and see it now... To make up for it, we do have the chance to watch a wealth of videos kindly uploaded by the British Museum.

Here are some comprehension questions for this video, which tells the story of the preservation of Afghan national treasures from the atrocities of war.

1. Who discovered the nomads’ graves?

2. When did they decide to hide the objects? Which objects were to be hidden? Where?

3. Why has Mr Omar Sultan supported the exhibition to be shown outside Afghanistan?

4. According to him, what do Afghans want to share with the world?


I hope you enjoy it very much! It's nice to be back, and I'd LOVE to see a bunch of comments for this video!

BBC Wildlife

Hello everyone!

I'm getting quite addicted to the BBC Worldwide channel in Youtube. The video I bring you today is part of a BBC Worldwide documentary. Let's work on some of the complex structure "ingredients" that we have been seeing in class, as well as some vocabulary:

Phrasal verbs and verb+preposition

Give the full context for these verbs. What do they mean?

to stretch up:

to head for:

to bring up:

to pull up:

Finding complex structures

Find an instance of:

A relative clause

A participle clause

Finding collocations

How many instances of adverb+adjective can you find? How many adjectives?

Find a new meaning for the verb "to claim", providing its context.

Enjoy!