I am stretched on your grave...

Just by chance, I found this song while I was looking for materials for my class of the evening. I didn't know it, I had never heard about of the singer either. But it seemed to me a deeply moving, really beautiful song. And it's the story of a lost love. Since we're celebrating All Saints' Day next Monday, I thought this was the right time to play this song about loss. So here you have it. It is called "I am stretched on your grave," and this version is by Kate Rusby (see picture).

"I Am Stretched on Your Grave" is a translation of an anonymous 17th-century Irish poem titled "Táim sínte ar do thuama". It was translated into English several times, most notably by Frank O'Connor. It was put to music by musician Philip King in 1979.

While the translation and tune had both existed prior to its first recording as a whole, and in various versions of melody and lyric (and all or most likely possessing a strong similarity), the popular and current versions are influenced or rely heavily on the adapted version by King.
Since then it has been played on recordings and in performances by many professional, semi-professional, and amateur musicians, students, and hobbyists.

Enjoy!

I am stretched on your grave

And I'll lie here forever

If your hands were in mine

I'd be sure they would not sever

My apple tree, my brightness,

It's time we were together

For I smell of the Earth

And I'm worn by the weather.

When my family think

That I'm safely in my bed

Oh, from morn until night

I am stretched out at your head

Calling out unto the earth

With tears hot and wild

For the loss of a girl

That I loved as a child.

Do you remember the night

Oh, the night when we were lost

In the shade of the blackthorn

And the touch of the frost?

Oh, and thanks be to Jesus

We did all that was right

And your maidenhead still

Is your pillar of light.

Oh, the priests and the friars

They approach me in dread

Oh, for I love you still

Oh, my life, and you're dead

I still will be your shelter

Through rain and through storm

And with you in your cold grave

I cannot sleep warm.

So I am stretched on your grave

And I'll lie here forever

If your hands were in mine

I'd be sure they would not sever

My apple tree, my brightness,

It's time we were together

For I smell of the Earth

And I'm worn by the weather.

Here you have another version of the same song, by Sinead O'Connnor:

Which one do you like the most?

Recommended readings for NIVEL BÁSICO 1 & NIVEL INTERMEDIO

Hello everyone,

As you may know through your teacher, the English Department has already published the recommended readings for this year. Here you have the readings for 1º de Nivel Básico:

A Connecticut Yanakee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain. Comic strip. Oxford University Press.

Plot summary: Hank Morgan is a happy young man in Connecticut, USA, in 1879 until one day someone runs into his office and and shouts "Come quickly, Boss. Two men are fighting." After this, something very strange happens to him, and his life changes forever."

The Black Cat, by John Milne. Macmillan Readers.

Plot summary: Yesterday morning, an archaeologist was found dead in a Cairo hotel. The archaeologist was called Pearson. The police are making inquiries...


In Nivel Intermedio we are going to read:

Changing Places, by David Lodge. Penguin.

Plot summary: Changing Places is about Philip Swallow, an academic working at Rummidge University and Morris Zapp, Professor and and expert on Jane Austen at Euphoria University. As part of their exchange programme, these two gentlemen swap places and assume the job of the other. Swallow is excited with this as he gets an escape from his drudgery, his wife and his kids. He remembers the time when he visited America last and he looks forward to having a wonderful time alone at the States. Zapp, on the other hand, is already tired with his journey and has agreed to this only because his wife has agreed to postpone their divorce if he moves out of their house for six months.

As the both of them settle down with their new jobs and surroundings, they also experience some amount of cultural shock. While Rummidge is a small, rural town where all the people live like one big, family, Zapp misses his night clubs and adventures. Swallow is overwhelmed with the freedom in Euphoria. Both the gentlemen end up having an affair with the other’s wife. Some incidents and events in both the places make them want to stay on in their new place rather than go back to their previous lives.

HAVE A NICE READING!!!

On the night of the 31 October...

Next Sunday 31 October many people celebrate the night of the Dead, the night where evil spirits and witches run free among the living.

As it is traditional, we want to celebrate it in our school. But as you know, this year Halloween falls on a Sunday, and we're not going to be here, are we?

So please join us for a party on THURSDAY 29, from 6.30 to 9 pm.

There'll be lots of fun with:

- A pumpking carving workshop: we'll give a prize to the best carved pumpkin!!
- Costumes: every person who comes disguised will be given a little treat ;)
- Storytelling: Lauren, our language assistant, and students of 1º de Nivel Avanzado, will be reading some scary stories
- Face painting
- Halloween videos & music
- And some food & drink (don't forget to bring a little something; we'll buy the rest)

... Lots of fun. DON'T MISS IT!!!

Did you know that...

• Halloween has Celtic origins? The Celtic festival SAMHAIN [pronounced /saun/] celebrated the end of the year, which finished in October.
• the Celts believed that ghosts, witches and evil spirits entered the world of the living on the night of the 31st October?
• people wore costumes to scare the evil spirits away?
• orange and black are the colours of Halloween?
• the word "Halloween" comes from "All Hallows' Eve", which is the day before All Saints' Day?
• in some English-speaking countries people wear scary costumes and masks and go to parties?

Now watch the video below about the origins of Halloween. No subtitles. Try to get the most important words and follow the images!

Jack-O'-Lanterns are made out of pumpkins. People put Jack-O'-Lanterns in front of their windows or in their gardens, to frighten evil spirits. Did you know that this tradition originated in Great Britain and Ireland and that, originally, people used turnips?

Now watch the following video. You will see how a Jack-O'-Lanternt is made:

Another of the most characteristic activities of Halloween is TRICK-OR-TREATING? Children go, between 6 and 8 pm, to their neighbours' houses, wearing costumes, asking for sweets (or candy, as they say in the USA). Be careful. If children go trick-or-treating to your house, and you don't give them sweets, they'll play a trick on you...and some are NOT funny...

Watch this old 1952 Donald Duck cartoon about trick-or-treating.

Now, enough of history. Now let's have some fun. LET'S PLAY! Try playing these games...

Do you like SCARY STORIES? Here you have some...

And finally, let's SING A BIT...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Kids, would you like to hear the story of how I met your mother?

One day, in our Nivel Intermedio class, this extremely popular American TV show came up. As, thanks to the Internet, we can watch almost anything online in the original version, here you have a couple of links where you can watch the episodes of this thrilling sitcom online. But, first of all, would you like to read a summary of its plot?

Created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, the comedy series “How I Met Your Mother” is “a love story in reverse“. In 2030, Ted Mosby tells his daughter and son the story of how he met their mother. This sob story begins in 2005 when Ted, a single 27 year old architect, finds out that Marshall Eriksen, his best friend, is proposing to Lily Aldrin, a kindergarten teacher. Ted realizes that is also the time for him to make the big step, but this involves first finding the great love. The one who helps him with the search is his friend Barney Stinson, a womanizer with an unnamed corporate job. He introduces Ted to Robin Scherbatsky, an ambitious young reporter. Although Ted is convinced that it’s love at first sight, Robin isn’t ready to have a relationship. Destiny has something else in store for them. (source: cucirca)

Here you have a sample of it:

If you want to watch the episodes with Spanish subtitles, click here (and please, ignore the Spanish dubbed episodes).

Nevertheless, if you are bold and enjoy challenges, and want to watch it with no subtitles, click here.

NI (B1) - Happiness club

"If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it." Erma Bombeck

This week, in class, we have been speaking about the benefits of laughter, which is said to be the best possible medicine. But before discussing the advantages of a good laugh, let's have a look at the dictionary:

laugh verb [intransitive]:

to make the sounds that show you are happy or amused

• His jokes always make me laugh.
• to laugh out loud

laugh at sb/sth:

1 to show, by laughing, that you think sb/sth is funny

• The children laughed at the clown.

2 to show that you think sb is ridiculous

• Don't laugh at him. He can't help the way he speaks.

laugh noun [countable] 　
1 the sound or act of laughing

•We all had a good laugh at what he'd written.

laughter - noun [uncountable]

the sound or act of laughing

• Everyone roared with laughter.

(c) Oxford University Press

Now that we know exactly what "laughing" implies, would you like to learn about the benefits of laugher? Click here.

And students have even created their own Happiness Club. Here is an example of a Laughter Class (at the end of the recording the teachers speak in German, do not worry, you are not supposed to understand it)

Both groups (B & C) were required to create a Happiness Club taking into consideration the following points:

- a name for the club

- number of different rooms, areas or locations

- activities people can do in each space

- music, food, drink, furniture, decoration, etc

- any other ideas

WRITE A SUMMARY OF YOUR HAPPINESS CLUB IN THE "COMMENTS" SECTION.

NI (B1) - What makes you happy?

In our Nivel Intermedio class, in the first unit of our book. we have been talking about those things that make us happy. One colleague of the Department, Rosa Benavides, found this video, a short film about what makes people happy, and I thought you might like it. Enjoy!

Have you got what it takes?

As you all know, in two years' time, that is, in the year 2012, London is going to host the next summer Olympic Games. And they need volunteers to work there. So...

HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

If you are interested in working as a volunteer in the Olympic Games in London, you have to follow three basic steps:

STEP 1 - Click here and watch the video. Don't worry if you don't understand everything. You can watch the video and read the transcript if you click here.

STEP 2 - Registration: Once you have seen the video, agree on the terms (bottom of the page, to the left), click on ‘Apply now’ (bottom of the page, to the right) to register. You’ll need your own email address and must make sure no one else uses it for their own registration. You’ll also need to create a password. This cannot contain the words 'Olympic' or 'London2012'.

STEP 3 - Application: This will take 30–40 minutes. If you don’t want to finish it all at once, you can click ‘Sign out’ to save what you’ve done so far and return to it later.

IMPORTANT! REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE UNTIL THE 27 OCTOBER TO APPLY!

And now that we are talking about the Olympic games, how many words do you know for Olympic sports? Click on the picture below, and see how many you know. What's your favourite sport? Why don't you write a comment telling what your favourite sport is, and why?

Meet Wenlock and Mandeville - the official London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic mascots:

Now, how much do you know about the history of the Olympic Games? This is the test we took in class. It is not easy, I must warn you! Click here.

Remember, you can be part of the London 2010 Olympic Games. BE A GAME MAKER!!

Learn ENGLISH, French, German or Italian with busuu.com

Dear students of all levels and other followers of the blog,

A friend of mine recently sent me a mail with a link to a website busuu.com, a lenguage-learning website. I had a look at it, and I find it really interesting, so I want to recommend it to all of you. You have to create an account, and then, you select the language or languages you want to learn, and the level. You have the option to learn vocabulary and phrases, to listen to conversations and answer comprehension questions, to read in the language, even to write and have other users correct your texts. Please take some time to have a look at this website. It's really interesting and it might help you with your English!!!

To learn a little bit more about this online lenguage-learning community, watch the video below:



There will be a permanent link to this website on the sidebar of this blog. Enjoy!

To start, click here.

Éirinn go Brách

...or, in English: "Ireland Forever". Would you like to know how to pronounce it? Click here.

Well, today, in class, one of my students in 1ºB, Rafa, asked about ULSTER. He wanted to know what it was. And then I promised to look for some information. Well, here it is.

Historically, Ireland was divided in FIVE provinces, namely: LEINSTER, MUNSTER, ULSTER, CONNACHT & MEATH. Meath, the smallest one, was eventually absorbed by Leinster. These provinces were suplanted by the present system of counties.

Some people identify the ULSTER with Northern Ireland. This is not exact. The province of Ulster consists of nine counties: Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Monaghan & Tyrone. Six of these counties, Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry & Tyrone form present-day NORTHERN IRELAND.

And when was Ireland divided?

The Partition of Ireland took place on May 3, 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The entire island of Ireland provisionally became the Irish Free State on December 6, 1922. However, the Parliament of Northern Ireland exercised its right to opt out of the new Dominion the following day. Partition created two territories on the island of Ireland: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Today the former is still known as Northern Ireland and while the latter is known simply as Ireland (or as the Republic of Ireland). (source: Wikipedia)

If you have not seen it, I recommend you to watch the film "Michael Collins", starring Liam Neeson, Aidan Queen & Alan Rickman. It's the story of one of the men that actually contributed to the independence of what would be the Republic of Ireland and the man who negotiated the partition. It not totally exact historically, but it helps to understand the present situation in Ireland. Here is a fragment.

1º NB - (A1) Of countries, nationalities and languages

What is the right question to make when you want to find out someone's country or nationality?

In which countries can you speak English?

What exactly is "England"? And "Great Britain"? And "The United Kingdom"?

Is it right to call everyone in Great Britain "English"?

What are the names of the other countries in the world in English?

If you want to know the answer to these questions...HAVE A LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION BELOW!

Of Countries, Nationalities And Languages

View more presentations from leticiaeoimairena.