Like the bookmobile, I came back with materials for you

Hello again!

You may be wondering what happened during this year and a half. Well, most of you know, of course, but this is the internet and who knows, I may have a reader far away. What happened was that I became a mom, and between pregnancy and raising the baby this was out of my list of priorities. 

Now I'm back to work, much busier, but I'll do my best to keep this blog alive! So I count on you participating on the comments, finally, right?

I am basing this activity on a lesson by Rachael Roberts, from elt-resourceful. 

Here's the story of Storm Reyes, a woman of Native American origin whose life changed when a bookmobile came to the camps where she lived. 

Complete the first part of her interview with weak forms (remember: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs in the affirmative, determiners), then watch and listen to the video, and check.

Some gaps contain one word, some contain two words.

Storm Reyes (SM)

SM: The conditions _____ pretty terrible. I once told someone _____ I learned _____ fight_____ knife long before _____  learned how _____ ride _____ bicycle. _____ when _____  grinding day after day after day, _____ no room _____ you _____ hope. There _____ isn’t. _____ don’t even know _____ exists. _____ nothing _____ aspire to except filling _____ hungry belly. That’s how _____  raised. But when _____  12, _____ bookmobile came _____  fields. _____  have _____ understand _____  wasn’t allowed _____ have books, _____ books _____ heavy, _____ when _____ moving _____ lot _____ have _____ keep things _____  minimal _____ possible. So when I saw _____ big vehicle _____  side _____  road, and i_____  filled _____ books, _____  immediately stepped back. Fortunately when _____ staff member saw me, _____  waved me in, _____ said, “These _____ books, and _____  take one home. _____ have _____ bring _____ back _____ two weeks, but _____  take _____ home _____ read _____ .” _____  like, “What’s _____ catch?” _____ explained _____ me _____  no catch. 

Are you curious about what happened next? Watch the rest of the video to find out. Here's the text for you to locate the weak forms in this second part of the interview and practise saying the sentences with appropriate rhythm. Remember the key is in rushing through the weak words so the beats fall on stressed words. You can be sure you're doing it right if you imitate Storm's rhythm as faithfully as possible.

Then he asked me what I was interested in. And the night before the bookmobile had come, in the camps, there was an elder who was telling us about the day that Mount Rainier blew up, and the devastation from the volcano. So I told the bookmobile person that I was a little nervous about the mountain blowing up. And he said, “You know, the more you know about something, the less you will fear it.” And then he gave me a book about volcanos. And then I saw a book about dinosaurs. I said “Oh, that looks neat.” So he gave me a book about dinosaurs. And I took them home, and I devoured them. I didn’t just read them, I devoured them. And I came back in two weeks and had more questions. And he gave me more books and that started it. That taught me that hope was not just a word. And it gave me the courage to leave the camps. That’s where the books made the difference. By the time I was 15, I knew there was a world outside of the camps. I believed I could find a place in it. And I did.

You can find the text and the original interview here. 

Welcome back and enjoy the activity! I'll see you in the comments section for any doubts you may have.

Like the bookmobile, I came back with materials for you

Hello again!

You may be wondering what happened during this year and a half. Well, most of you know, of course, but this is the internet and who knows, I may have a reader far away. What happened was that I became a mom, and between pregnancy and raising the baby this was out of my list of priorities. 

Now I'm back to work, much busier, but I'll do my best to keep this blog alive! So I count on you participating on the comments, finally, right?

I am basing this activity on a lesson by Rachael Roberts, from elt-resourceful. 

Here's the story of Storm Reyes, a woman of Native American origin whose life changed when a bookmobile came to the camps where she lived. 

Complete the first part of her interview with weak forms (remember: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs in the affirmative, determiners), then watch and listen to the video, and check.

Some gaps contain one word, some contain two words.

Storm Reyes (SM)

SM: The conditions _____ pretty terrible. I once told someone _____ I learned _____ fight_____ knife long before _____  learned how _____ ride _____ bicycle. _____ when _____  grinding day after day after day, _____ no room _____ you _____ hope. There _____ isn’t. _____ don’t even know _____ exists. _____ nothing _____ aspire to except filling _____ hungry belly. That’s how _____  raised. But when _____  12, _____ bookmobile came _____  fields. _____  have _____ understand _____  wasn’t allowed _____ have books, _____ books _____ heavy, _____ when _____ moving _____ lot _____ have _____ keep things _____  minimal _____ possible. So when I saw _____ big vehicle _____  side _____  road, and i_____  filled _____ books, _____  immediately stepped back. Fortunately when _____ staff member saw me, _____  waved me in, _____ said, “These _____ books, and _____  take one home. _____ have _____ bring _____ back _____ two weeks, but _____  take _____ home _____ read _____ .” _____  like, “What’s _____ catch?” _____ explained _____ me _____  no catch. 

Are you curious about what happened next? Watch the rest of the video to find out. Here's the text for you to locate the weak forms in this second part of the interview and practise saying the sentences with appropriate rhythm. Remember the key is in rushing through the weak words so the beats fall on stressed words. You can be sure you're doing it right if you imitate Storm's rhythm as faithfully as possible.

Then he asked me what I was interested in. And the night before the bookmobile had come, in the camps, there was an elder who was telling us about the day that Mount Rainier blew up, and the devastation from the volcano. So I told the bookmobile person that I was a little nervous about the mountain blowing up. And he said, “You know, the more you know about something, the less you will fear it.” And then he gave me a book about volcanos. And then I saw a book about dinosaurs. I said “Oh, that looks neat.” So he gave me a book about dinosaurs. And I took them home, and I devoured them. I didn’t just read them, I devoured them. And I came back in two weeks and had more questions. And he gave me more books and that started it. That taught me that hope was not just a word. And it gave me the courage to leave the camps. That’s where the books made the difference. By the time I was 15, I knew there was a world outside of the camps. I believed I could find a place in it. And I did.

You can find the text and the original interview here. 

Welcome back and enjoy the activity! I'll see you in the comments section for any doubts you may have.

Housing options: a "transformer apartment"

Hello everyone!

As you probably know, June is here, and that means more videos to practise for the exam! (Yayyy...!)

This one is to practise two areas: one is vocabulary about space, particularly house space, and their descriptions. The other element is accent... This person is from Hong Kong, so you can guess the accent is going to be challenging!

The format is in fact a presentation, not a video, but it is here because I enjoyed it so much. It consists of 20-second-long slides with a voiceover. The person who speaks is the owner of a 32-square-metre flat who has refurbished it several times throughout the years. The best summary I can make is, in his own words: "The place changes for me, I don't change for the place".

So your task is to find out this information:

1.  How many people have lived in the apartment in the different stages he describes?
2. How has he created a home cinema?
3.  What was his inspiration for the last concept?
4. Which parts of his house are movable? What do they transform into?

Some vocabulary you might need:

partitions
to double as
transient
permutations
Swiss Army (knife)
bathtub
hide-and-seek

I hope you enjoy this transformer apartment! And I'd love to see your answers in the comments section!

Dealing with the weather in London

Hi everyone!

Finally back after this forced break. But you know there's a period of frantic activity coming... exams are just round the corner so it's time for more frequent videos.

This is a short, funny guide on how to deal with the weather, whether (see what I did there?) you visit London in sunny summer or rainy autumn.

These are some expressions you may want to check before watching the video:

the odd ... ( = not usual)
spring has sprung
alfresco dining (yay! Our favourite word in action!)
unwind
thermals
duck into (the shops)
when the weather turns
to keep (the chills) at bay

The activity is a sentence completion. Disable closed captions (CC button) to do it, and then enable them to check your answers.

Careful in sentence 7, as it contains one feature of pronunciation we have only seen in the C1 course: the intrusive "r" (an "r" sound between one final vowel and one initial vowel).

Enjoy!

1. You must be ready to adapt, because the weather in London can be a little __________________.
2. Even if spring is mainly sunny, you might see the odd __________________.
3. If you get a bit hot under the collar, the best idea is to leave the bus and tube __________________ and hire a bike.
4. Don't forget a picnic! __________________ the blanket and enjoy some alfresco dining.
5. Even though the long summer days may be __________________, autumn is still a great time to be in London.
6. London is a top shopping destination, and some of its __________________ include Carnaby Street and Covent Garden.
7. As the nights __________________, find yourself a bar or go to a show.
8. During winter, there are many places that are __________________ from the cold outside.
9.A pub, in front of a roaring fire is a wonderful way to __________________ a winter's day.

Topic: Culture - Broadway Musicals

Hi everyone!

Doing a bit of research for this topic I have found out that there are so many musicals worth watching! And so many we know of because they have been adapted for the silver screen, like Grease, Hair, Mamma Mia, The Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story,... Actually, with some of these I'm not even sure if it was the musical production or the film that came first. Any help?

This is a top ten list that, obviously, will not please everybody, particularly if you're a fan of more classical musicals. I, for one, find that there is one unforgivable absence!. But we have to take into account that the list aims at presenting some of the most successful or critically acclaimed productions. Or... this might one of those cases where a top ten just won't do. A top twenty, maybe?

What I propose is:

1. First, to take a look at compound adjectives with present participles. Remember that they are easy to interpret if you "read them" from right to left forming a relative clause:

e.g. a Tony Award-winning musical would then become a musical that has won a Tony Award... or several! Don't forget that the first part of this adjective is always singular, no matter what.

2. Then, to complete some gapped sentences.

3. To read the full transcript and annotate any interesting collocations (there are soooo many I couldn't make gaps for all of them!)

4. To comment!

So we start with the adjectives. Match the adjectives you're going to hear with the noun they refer to in the video. There may be more than one acceptable match. Then check while you're listening.

history-making                                  characters

attention-grabbing                           numbers (figures)

show-stopping                                   dance numbers

longest-running                                 flick (film)

Oscar-winning                                   twelve Tony Awards

award-winning                                   production

record-breaking                                musical 

And here are the gapped sentences:

1. Wicked will captivate you _______________________ of “The Wizard of Oz” film.

2. The Producers, thanks to its musical numbers, choreography and characters,  _______________________  of classic Broadway shows.

3. RENT is a landmark musical, _______________________  and RENT-heads alike.

4. Oklahoma! is a successful combination of a serious storyline, _______________________  and dance numbers.

5. Oklahoma! is thought to be a musical that  _______________________  the musicals that came after it.

6. A Chorus Line is simple in its concept: a bare stage on which we watch several Broadway dancers _______________________  a musical.

7. Chicago follows two women _______________________ , wealth and “all that jazz”.

8. The Lion King manages to _______________________ universally appealing songs with colorful costumes and impressive puppetry.

9. Even though there is __________________________ in it, Cats is a “purrfect” musical.

10. Cats has vibrant costumes and incredibly complex dance numbers. _______________________  the distinct personalities of the Jellicle cats and_______________________ this is one of Broadway’s most popular shows.

11. Les Miserables is one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway, which the narrator doesn’t hesitate to call “a musical and _______________________.”

12. The Phantom of the Opera counts with detailed costumes, ___________________ and haunting music.

All that is left for you to do now is to read the transcript and annotate your favourite vocabulary.

Oh, I almost forgot... And to comment! Do you agree with the list? Which is your favourite musical? You can also share the vocabulary you found interesting with us.

Enjoy!

Brain-changing social media

Hi everyone!

Ever wondered how social media use may be changing us physiologically? Some people claim our brains, and even our nervous system, are being rewired by media use, particularly in heavy users.

So click below to find out more about the way we are challenging our brains by stimulating it like never before in history! And also to fill the gaps provided here with up to three words.

Disable closed captions (CC button) to do the activity, and turn them on to check your answers. There's also a key available.

Enjoy!

1. With social media being ______________________ one third of the entire world, they’ve clearly had a ______________________ on society.

2. There are similarities between social media addiction and drug dependence, even if one is a psychological addiction and the other is a ______________________ .

3. It was found that heavy media users did worse in task switching tests. High multi-tasking online can even make it difficult for your brain to commit ______________________ .

4. Phantom Vibration Syndrome is a relatively new phenomenon, where you think you ______________________  your phone ______________________ , but it didn’t.

5. Social media also ______________________  a release of dopamine, with the reward centres of the brain being more active when people talk about ______________________ , as opposed to listening to others.

6. It’s also been found that partners who met for the first time online tend to ______________________  more than those who first met face to face.

7. This increased success in partnerships started online may be due to anonymity or to people being clearer about ______________________ .

What does Beethoven taste like?

Hi everyone!

Here's a video about the senses, and about a condition called synesthesia in which certain senses which are not normally connected are very much related: for example, some people see sounds or taste letters. Synesthesia is also a literary device whereby we associate different senses together, like when we speak about "the caress of your voice", for example.

So here's a little video briefly describing this condition. Some previous vocabulary and some questions:

Vocabulary:

the culprit
sensory (adj)
tangle up
shut down
to keep sth in check


Questions:

- Which senses are mentioned throughout the video?
- What is sequence synesthesia?
- What is a possible explanation for seeing A as red?
- What do we mean by the association of senses being durable? And memorable?
- Why was the host reticent to do an episode on this topic?


My ongoing battle with difficult verb patterns for Spanish speakers, like suggest, leads me to asking you to find the use of that verb at the end of the video and transcribe the full sentence. Ideas in the comment section! Thank you!

By the way, you can use closed captions for the key in this one. Enjoy!