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!

Topic Video: Charity

Hello everyone!

This is a video about a very particular charity shop. A pair of shoes for 850 pounds... is that a rip-off or a bargain? Well, here, it turns out to be a bargain! The proceeds of this charity must have been really high!

I propose a gap-filling exercise to practise collocations, either related to this topic or not. You know my insistence on collocation, and my firm belief that it is the key to successful comprehension and natural expression.

Some vocabulary to check before listening (remember to use a monolingual dictionary! You have a dictionary widget on this same page):

cobbler
cast-offs
highstreet
kudos

Notice the emphatic structure at the beginning of the report (cleft sentence):

________________________ buy  Beyoncé’s dress, Shirley Bassey’s shoes or Natalie Imbruglia’s hat all under one roof.

Complete with a suitable word or phrase:

But you can at this ________________________ charity shop inside London’s department store Selfridges.

The idea came from ________________________  Annie Lennox, and Vanessa Branson, sister of ________________________  Richard, was one of several of her friends ________________________ .

Vanessa Branson highlights that:

• Everybody feels ________________________ the project.
• It’s not just about ________________________  every year.
• You know you’re making ________________________ .

So far, 30,000 pounds ________________________  by the shop.

Charity shops in general are ________________________ : profits were up by ________________________  to 100m pounds.

With more than 700 ________________________ , Oxfam is the biggest UK charity retailer.

Theresa Colonette runs a boutique selling only the creme of ________________________ cast-offs.

She thinks that charity shops can be an alternative fashion resource, offering a ________________________  for anyone.

The last dress shown doesn’t have a celebrity connection, but it is still ________________________ , something which more people are likely ________________________ in the ________________________ .

Key here. But I hope to see your comments anyway, about the activity or about the vocabulary you've learnt with it. Thanks!

Auctions: Madoff's bounty

Hello again!

This is a video that most of you already know. I'm posting it here for you to check your answers or, if you're new to it, to practise, practise, practise!

This is not the first video about auctions, that we have had around here, but it is one in which I have learnt a new word: gavel. It's the news story of the auction where Madoff's personal belongings are put up for auction to compensate victims of his pyramid scheme.

Vocabulary to learn before you watch:

proceeds (or sales proceeds): the money obtained from the sale.

seized: in this context, taken by the police (or other law enforcement agents, like the FBI or others), as evidence or for other purposes, as here.

to go under the hammer: to be sold at auction (from the action of bringing a hammer down to close the bidding). This hammer is called "gavel" (the word you hear in the video)

The activity involves completing a couple of sentences that start with "it". Two typical structures: 1. a cleft sentence, and 2. an impersonal passive.

1. And it was not just his footwear...

2. It's expected that ...

Pay attention to prepositions at the end of a clause!

Key available here. Thanks!

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!

Why, why... ways of expressing reason. A deserted London

Hi everyone!

Paired with relaxing images, very suitable for a Monday, this video will enable us to explore different ways of expressing reason and effect/consequence. Only one question, why, but many possible answers.

The video is a collection of photos taken at a very specific time to capture an unusual effect: a hidden city inside the city. Can you find the answers to these questions and tell us how the speaker is expressing cause or effect? You can transcribe the sentence if that helps.

1. Why did he decide to take these pictures?
2. What are the effects of such few cars and people on the streets?
3. Why doesn't he usually have the time to reflect on or play around with images?
4. That day, when did the appearance of the city start to change? Why?


Consider elements like sentence order (why shouldn't one start the sentence with "because"?), alternatives to because like "since" or "as", using nouns instead of clauses (linking in this case with "because OF" or "due to/owing to/thanks to"), or, my favourite, starting the sentence with a present participle clause (which can also be used to express condition, result, time...)

Not a bad idea to start using alternatives, seeing as Spanish learners can reportedly spell because in (wait for it...) 237 different ways! It's not our fault if we're imaginative when it comes to spelling!

Now seriously, variety is the key here. Knowing that these are common ways of expressing cause will also help your comprehension. "Since you're here, we're going to start" has nothing to do with time but with reason (meaning "now you're here" / "given that you're here"), and sometimes the result may be clearly positive, so you may want to use "thanks to" to make this connotation clear.

See you in the comments! Enjoy!