First of all, I'd like to thank those who came to our mini-Christmas parties in class. I know it is too strong a temptation to stay at home when Christmas is so close and we have to go to class, but you came, willing to sing and celebrate. THANKS!!!
As for the rest, may you all have a wonderful Christmas season, and a plentiful and eventful New Year 2012. My best wishes for all.
There are between 6000 and 7000 languages in the world - spoken by six billion people divided into 189 independent states.
There are about 225 indigenous languages in Europe - roughly 3% of the world’s total.
Most of the world’s languages are spoken in Asia and Africa.
At least half of the world’s population are bilingual or plurilingual, i.e. they speak two or more languages.
Many languages have 50,000 words or more, but individual speakers normally know and use only a fraction of the total vocabulary: in everyday conversation people use the same few hundred words.
In its first year a baby utters a wide range of vocal sounds; at around one year the first understandable words are uttered; at around three years complex sentences are formed; at five years a child possesses several thousand words.
The mother tongue is usually the language one knows best and uses most. But there can be “perfect bilinguals” who speak two languages equally well. Normally, however, bilinguals display no perfect balance between their two languages.
Bilingualism brings with it many benefits: it makes the learning of additional languages easier, enhances the thinking process and fosters contacts with other people and their cultures.
Languages are related to each other like the members of a family. Most European languages belong to the large Indo-European family.
Most European languages belong to three broad groups: Germanic, Romance and Slavic.
The Germanic family of languages includes Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, English and Yiddish, among others.
The Romance languages include Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian, among others.
The Slavic languages include Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and others.
Most European languages use the Latin alphabet. Some Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. Greek, Armenian, Georgian and Yiddish have their own alphabet.
Most countries in Europe have a number of regional or minority languages – some of these have obtained official status.
The non-European languages most widely used on European territory are Arabic, Chinese and Hindi, each with its own writing system.
Russia (148 million inhabitants) has by far the highest number of languages spoken on its territory: from 130 to 200 depending on the criteria.
Due to the influx of migrants and refugees, Europe has become largely multilingual. In London alone some 300 languages are spoken (Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Berber, Hindi, Punjabi, etc.)
Last September 26 was the European Day of Languages, which aims to celebrate the rich and diverse culture behind each and every language. Their website offers information about the purpose of the celebration, a calendar of events in different countries, a self-assessment language test, etc. Have a look!
The Advanced level 2 students chose the words of the English language they considered most beautiful. Here they are:
SUNSHINE (noun, uncount, sing.): the light and heat from the sun. (Guadalupe Baquero Maestre) PEACE (noun, uncount, sing): A situation or a period of time in which there is no war or violence in a country or an area. (May González Santana) SWEETIE (noun, informal): A person who is kind and easy to like. (May González Santana) LOVE (noun, uncount): A strong feeling of deep affection for sb/sth, especially a member of your family or a friend. (Pepa Torrado Langa) SERENDIPITY (noun, uncount): the fact of something interesting or pleasant happening by chance. (Marián Paiva Mediavilla) PLAY (verb, trans./ intrans.): To do things for pleasure, as children do; to enjoy yourself, rather than work. (Pedro Piedelobo)
RAINBOW (noun): A curved band of different colours that appears in the sky when the sun shines through rain. (Gema Beorlegui Aristu)
HOPE (verb. Trans/ intrans.): To want something to happen and think it is possible. (Ramón Cano de la Ossa)
CHOCOLATE (noun, uncount): A hard brown sweet food made from cocoa beans, used in cooking to add flavour to cakes, etc, or eaten as sweet/candy. (Teresa Martín Muñoz)
CHEWING-GUM (noun. uncount): A sweet/candy that you chew but do not swallow. (Gema Jiménez Gutiérrez)
A while ago, in class, we spoke about learning and speaking a foreign language. We discussed how a non-native speaker has to deal with the grammar, intonation or pronunciation of a foreign language. Maybe you can relate to the people in the video below:
Check this extremely interesting document: GUIA DEL APRENDIZ DE LENGUAS (in Spanish)
Ric Elias was sitting in seat 1D of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009 headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, when a flock of Canadian geese collided with the jet, sending the engine into a ball of flames.
We of course know that Capt. Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger heroically took the plane down into the Hudson River in what would be lated referred to as "The Miracle on the Hudson".
As Elias recovered from this near-death experience, he realised that some things in his life had to change. (source: http://www.inc.com/)
I have been sent this video by a dear friend of mine. I just wanted to share it with you. Thanks, Enrique!!
In the early 20th century, three men were fighting to be the first one to reach the South Pole: British Royal Navy officer Robert Falcon Scott and Irish & Norwegian explorers Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen. Only one succeeded, on a day like this, Dec 14, 1911. This is their story:
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish polar explorer, one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. His first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition, 1901–04. He returned to Antarctica in 1907 as leader of the Nimrod Expedition. In January 1909 he and three companions made a southern march which established a record Farthest South latitude at 88° 23′ S, 97, 190 km from the South Pole, by far the closest convergence in exploration history up to that time. For this achievement, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return home.
After the race to the South Pole ended in 1912 with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of the continent from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, was trapped in pack ice and slowly crushed, before the shore parties could be landed. There followed a sequence of exploits, and an ultimate escape with no lives lost, that would eventually assure Shackleton's heroic status, although this was not immediately evident. In 1921 he went back to the Antarctic with the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, intending to carry out a programme of scientific and survey activities. Before the expedition could begin this work Shackleton died of a heart attack while his ship, Quest, was moored in South Georgia. At his wife's request he was buried there. (source: wikipedia)
Watch the documentary, narrated by Kevin Spacey, on Shackleton's expedition on the Endurance, the one that gave him fame:
Robert Falcon Scott, CVO (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13. During this second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that they had been preceded by Roald Amundsen's Norwegian expedition. On their return journey, Scott and his four comrades all perished from a combination of exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold. (source: wikipedia)
Scott of the Antarctic. Profile with Sir Ranulph Fiennes (a bit of gossip. Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is actors Ralph & Joseph Fiennes's uncle)
Mecano, an extremely popular Spanish pop band of the 80s & 90s, composed a song on the tragic destiny of Sir Robert Scott and his group: Héroes de la Antártida. Click on the title of the song if you want to listen to it (Yes, yes! In Spanish. But just for this one time!!)
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (16 July 1872 – c. 18 June 1928) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to (undisputedly) reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage. He disappeared in June 1928 while taking part in a rescue mission. Amundsen, along with Douglas Mawson, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. (source: wikipedia)
Roald Amundsen & the South Pole
What is the true dimension of the heroicism of these three men? Why is Antarctica such a dangerous yet compelling place? Would like to know some facts about Antartica?
Antarctica Factfile 1. It is 1.4 times bigger than the USA, and 58 times bigger than the UK. 2. Only a 0.32 % (44,890 square kilometres) of the total surface of the Antarctica is ice-free. 3. The largest ice self is Ross ice shelf (510,680 square kilometres). 4. The highest mountain in Antarctica is Mt. Vinson (4,892 m) 5. Antarctica has 70% of all the world's freshwater frozen as ice - and 90% of all the world's ice. 6. There are no permanent residents and there has never been native population on the Antarctica. 7. The lowest temperatures ever recorded on the Antarctica (and extensively, on earth) were -89.2º C
Last Halloween I explained to my Basic Level students how to make a Jack-O'-Lantern. Just a few of then actually made one, so I thought that their effort deserved some publicity. Only I have delayed it for too long. Anyhow, as I like honouring my promises, here they are. Thanks, Irene, Yolanda & Eusebio for sending me your photos!!!!
Irene Hernández Gómez (2º NB E)
Eusebio Moreno Vargas (2º NB C) (Hideous indeed!!)
Yolanda Jiménez Delgado (2º NB C)
Thank you all for taking the pains of making it and for sending me the photos!! Sorry for the delay, but...better late than never, don't you think?
In our Basic level class, we have been talking about routines and, to be able to speak about our daily routine properly, we need to use the time and time expressions. Let's make a summary of what we saw.
How can we ask for the time to someone? We have different ways:
- Excuse me, what time is it, please? - Excuse me, what is the time, please?
There are two ways of giving the time:
- Analogue
- Digital
To learn to say the time from an analogue clock, click on the words ANALOGUE TIME
For the Digital time, you just have to read the numbers on the watch, saying the hour first, and then the minutes.
Want to practise? Click on Bang on Time and start playing!!
I'm late! I'm late! I don't have time to say hello or goodbye! I'M LATE!!!!!!
We also saw the dates. First, the months of the year. Here's a video that can help you with the pronunciation:
Please click here for the basics on DAYS AND DATES.
And as a perfect end , a song I really like: TIME IS RUNNING OUT (the lyrics are below)
"Time Is Running Out"
I think I'm drowning
Asphyxiated
I wanna break this spell
That you've created
You're something beautiful
A contradiction
I wanna play the game
I want the friction
You will be the death of me
You will be the death of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
Our time is running out
Our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
I wanted freedom
Bound and restricted
I tried to give you up
But I'm addicted
Now that you know I'm trapped
sense of elation
You'd never dream of
Breaking this fixation
You will squeeze the life out of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
Our time is running out
Our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
How did it come to this?
Oh
You will suck the life out of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
Our time is running out
Our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
How did it come to this?
“My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.”
Cary Grant (1904-1986)
Archibald Alexander Leach died 25 years ago, on a day like this, November 29, while he was preparing a performance in the Adler Theatre in Davenport, Iowa. He was from Bristol, but he eventually got the American citizenship and was well-known by mastering a curious mixture of both British and American accents, a "transatlantic accent", we could call it. He married five times, altough there were constant and insistent rumours about his homosexuality, and had one child. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for best actor, but never actually won it. He worked with such directors as George Cukor, Alfred Hitcock or Stanley Donen, or actresses such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn or Ingrid Bergman. He was named the Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute.
But nobody knows him as Archibald Alexander Leach. We know him best as...CARY GRANT.
One British actor viewed by another: Cary Grant according to Michael Caine:
As a tribute, here you have scene of one of his most famous films: An Affair to Remember, with Deborah Kerr
In case you didn't know about it, a new very interesting place opened its doors in Plasencia a few weeks ago: La Puerta de Tannhäuser (22 Rúa Zapatería, just off the main square).
Among many other proposals and activities it organizes an English Table, a weekly gathering of both native and non-native speakers of English for informal conversation. Sundays at 7:00 pm. Drop by sometime and practise your English.
A while ago, in class, we talked about work: how to get a job, how to describe it, what makes you happy at work...But unfortunately there's no time to do everything we would like to. Take some time to have a look at the contents of this post. It will be worth your while!!
Thanks to my colleague, Federico, for sharing all this with me!!
First of all, what do we need to know to face a job interview and succeed in getting a job? Watch the following video:
It’s understandable to feel a little nervous before an interview. Maggie Mistal offers some practical advice to help ensure that you put your best foot forward.
Show up on time.
Dress appropriately.
Smile and try to relax! Remember, an interview is a conversation and your interviewer is a person, too.
Be prepared to answer key questions like, “Why are you looking to leave your current position?” It is key that you always stay positive, even if you are currently in a difficult situation.
A way to turn tough questions into positive talking points is to bring the focus to things you are looking for in your next job. Instead of bashing your current company for their lack of leadership or your lack of mangement experience, emphasize that you are seeking a job where you can work closely with a mentor or take on greater responsibility.
Don't get defensive if the interviewer makes a comment like, “you’re over-qualified” or “you’re under-qualified.” Turn the comment into a positive note, addressing the interviewer’s concerns behind the question: "I understand why you might feel I’m overqualified, but at this stage in my career I’m really looking to downshift and am looking for an opportunity where I can contribute but don’t necessarily have to run the show."
Get as much experience as you can (especially if you are still in school). Highlight your past accomplishments. Show how you have learned, grown and succeeded in the past. Offer references of people who can attest to your ability to learn quickly and perform well.
Do not be the one to bring up salary. Sell them on why you’re the ideal candidate first.
Be prepared to answer salary-related questions if asked by the interviewer. Checkout online salary calculators to find out what your role is worth in your geographic area.
Do not bring up benefits in the first interview; wait until you are invited back for another interview to ask about other benefits like vacation, 401K, etc.
Remember, an interview is the chance to find out if you are right for the company and if the company is right for you. Your odds of getting the job (and perhaps negotiating a higher salary) will improve if you first prove to them why you are the ideal candidate for the job.
UA FANTHORPE (1929–2009) You will be hearing from us shortly (1978)
UA Fanthorpe was born in Kent. She studied at Oxford and went on to train as a teacher. She became Head of English, at Cheltenham Ladies' College (1962–70). In 'middle age' she 'dropped out' of teaching after training as a counsellor and took a job as a clerk in a hospital for neuro-psychiatric patients. The shock of what she saw made her write – to give voice to what the patients were experiencing. Her first collection of poems, was published when she was 49. The poems themselves all show a deep compassion for ordinary people and a suspicion of authority.
What is the poem You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly by Ursula Askham Fanthorpe all about?
The poet puts the reader (you) in the shoes of an interviewee who is being asked questions at a job interview. The poem shows how unfair society is, and how qualified people often don't get accepted for jobs because of prejudice. Diferent types of prejudice are dealt with. Looks, accent etc... The words printed at the right after each stanza indicate that the intimidated interviewee doesn't speak in defence of self. The interviewer who doesn't want to employ the interviewee takes advantage of the interviewer's (presumed) silence and sums each attack on the interviewee's privacy with a statement such as 'so glad we agree'.
We assume that because of the interviewer's rude sarcastic remarks and rhetorics, the interviewee feels insignificant for the job. The poem shows us the intensity of unreasonable prejudice and its severe impact on its victims. The way the poet puts the reader in the shoes of the interviewee helps us empathise, sympathise and understand. The poem has an anti-prejudicial message and thus should be taken seriously. It therefore was not written for any humorous purposes.
The poem
You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly
You feel adequate to the demands of this position?
What qualities do you feel you
Personally have to offer?
Ah Let us consider your application form.
Your qualifications, though impressive, are
Not, we must admit, precisely what
We had in mind. Would you care
To defend their relevance?
Indeed Now your age. Perhaps you feel able
To make your own comment about that,
Too? We are conscious ourselves
Of the need for a candidate with precisely
The right degree of immaturity. So glad we agree And now a delicate matter: your looks.
You do appreciate this work involves
Contact with the actual public? Might they,
Perhaps, find your appearance
Disturbing?
Quite so And your accent. That is the way
You have always spoken, is it? What
Of your education? Were
You educated? We mean, of course,
Where were you educated?
And how
Much of a handicap is that to you.
Would you say? Married, children,
We see. The usual dubious
Desire to perpetuate what had better
Not have happened at all. We do not
Ask what domestic disasters shimmer
Behind that vaguely unsuitable address. And you were born—?
Yes. Pity.So glad we agree.
----------
And to finish, some tips on HOW TO LOOK BUSY AT WORK.
1. Never walk without a document in your hands
People with documents in their hands look like hard working employees going to important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they are going to the canteen. People with a newspaper in their hands look like they are going to the toilet. Most importantly, make sure you carry a lot of paper home with you at night, this will give the false impressionthat you work longer hours than you actually do.
2. Use computers to look busy
Any time you use a computer, it looks like 'work' to the casualobserver. You can send and receive personal e-mails, chat, read this story, and generally have fun without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren't exactly the social benefits that the fans of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they're not bad either. When you get caught by your boss – and you WILL get caught – your best defence is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software or English, and so saving the company the cost of expensive training.
3. Untidy desk
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we're not working hard enough. Build huge pilesof documents around your work area. To the casual observer, last year's work looks the same as today's work. It is the amount of documents you have that is important. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your desk, bury the document you know they will want halfway down an existing pile and rummage for it when they arrive.
4. Voice mail
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don't call you just because they want a chat – they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. Screenall calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice message for you and it sounds like impending work, reply during their lunch hour when you know they will be in the canteen – it looks like you're hardworking and conscientious.
5. Looking impatient and annoyed
Always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your boss the impression that you are always busy. 6. Leave the office late
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still working. You could read the magazines and books that you have always wanted to read but have had no time. Make sure you walk past the boss' office as you are leaving. Send important e-mails at unearthly hours (e.g. 7.05 am, 9.35 pm) and duringpublic holidays.
7. Sighing for effect
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.
8. Piling strategy
It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor, etc. (thick computer books are best).
9. Build vocabulary
Read some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use the phrases when in conversation with the bosses. Remember: They don't have to understand what you say, but you will sound impressive.
10. Have two jackets
If you work in a bigopen plan office, always leave an extra jacket on the back of your chair. This gives the impression that you are still in the office. The second jacket should be worn while you are away from your desk doing something more interesting than work.
Do you think you could spend a whole day without buying anything?
Buy Nothing Day (November 26th 2011 UK), is a simple idea, which challenges consumer culture by asking us to switch off from shopping for a day. Its a global stand off from consumerism - celebrated as a holiday by some and street party for others! Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!
Of course, Buy Nothing Day isn't about changing your lifestyle for just one day - we want it to be a lasting relationship with you consumer conscience - maybe a life changing experience? We want people to make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenging companies to clean up and be fair. The supermarket or shopping mall might offer great choice, but this shouldn't be at the cost of the environment or developing countries.
Right now, you must be thinking how beautiful the place in the picture is, and some of you may be wondering where it is. It is the town of Hervás, in the province of Cáceres.
If you are in the 1st or 2nd course of the ADVANCED LEVEL, sign up for our ENGLISH DAY AT HERVÁS, next 19 Nov. Spend the day in one of the most beautiful towns in the province of Cáceres with some teachers of the English Department and a group of native speakers that have volunteered to go and spend the day with students so that they can practise their English.
For more info, check the school website, on the English Dept. notice board (link on the logo you'll see on the sidebar)
The activity will start at 10 a.m., so everybody should be in Hervás by then. Students should make their own arrangements to get there. If there is enough room in your car for some more people, please meet the teachers at the PARQUE DE LA CORONACIÓN (opposite the University building) at 9.15 a.m.
This is the programme of the day:
Breakfast at a hotel in Hervás.
Visiting Hervás: group activity. If you wish to visit the town on your own, you may do so.
2:30: Back at the hotel for lunch.
The price of the activity will be 25 euros. Sign up with your teacher and pay to him/her, as it is required to pay in advance. The deadline to sign up for this activity is 17 Nov.
And don't forget the this week, from the 7 to the 10 of Nov, the school will be celebrating its annual BOOK FAIR, where you'll have the opportunity to buy dictionaries, grammarbooks, graded readings and other lenguage-learning materials with a 20% discount. It will take place at the school library, and it will be open in the evenings, or the 9 & 10 Nov in the mornings.
There will also be a conference, entitled "An Englishman in New York" in English that will be celebrated on Wed 9 Nov at 17:00 and at 18:00. Please check the school website for further information.
DON'T MISS THESE FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTISE YOUR ENGLISH!!!
We have finally started writing. We have written about personal challenges. And we'll write different types of texts about different topics.
When writing a text, you should have a few things in mind. Have a look at the basic steps that should be taken when writing a text. Surely you'll find this extremely interesting!!
To support and expand this, click on the work SKILLSWISE. You'll find yourself drawn into the wonderful world of the excellent English-learning website of the BBC!!
One of the steps in this writing process is BRAINSTORMING. We cannot start writing right away. We have to dedicate some time to thinking and to coming up with ideas that afterwards will be organised into paragraphs. Sometimes, having some kind of GRAPHIC ORGANISER helps. Here you have one example:
One of the most important parts in the process of writing is that of PROOFREADING. You have to check that the ideas are coherenlty organised, that the text is cohesive, and that there are no grammar, spelling or vocabulary mistakes. Here are the marking codes we are going to use along the year:
Gr: Grammar
tense: wrong tense
sp: spelling
voc/ww: vocabulary / wrong word
wo: word order
p: punctuation
!!!: WHAT ?!?!?!?!?!?! (very serious mistake for an Advanced student)
λ: there is something missing
Punctuation is essential in the correct organization of our ideas in a text. Click on the words BASIC PUNCTUATION for some basic rules and practice.
Finally, have a look at this fantastic learning website (from the BBC):
1600 - Elizabeth I dies. James I is the new King of England.
James I was the son of a CATHOLICqueen, Mary Queen of Scots. But he was PROTESTANT. And he passed (aprobó) some LAWS against Catholics. They had to practise their religion IN SECRET. So they weren't happy, and they felt the situation had to change.
AND SO...
...a group of men decided to KILL THE KING, HIS FAMILY AND ALL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT on the 5 Nov 1506.
How? The king had to OPEN PARLIAMENT that day, so the CONSPIRATORS (= conspiradores) decided to BLOW UP(= volar -with explosives!) the Houses of Parliament with the King inside, by using 36 BARRELS( = barriles)OF GUNPOWDER (= pólvora). They hid (=escondieron) them in the CELLARS of the building. And a man called GUY FAWKES was left to WATCH(=vigilar) over the barrels, and light (=encender) the FUSE ( =mecha).
One of the conspirators sent a LETTER to a MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT telling him everything about the plot. And so the King FOUND OUT (= lo averiguó). Guy Fawkes was the first one to be ARRESTED. All the CONSPIRATORS were killed.
Click HERE to read the letter Francis Tresham sent Lord Monteague, telling him EVERYTHING about the plot!
This historical event originated one of the most characteristic festivities of the UK, BONFIRE NIGHT. Do you want to know more? Watch the video:
If you want to read more about the history behind Guy Fawkes' Night, click here.
WHAT WE CELEBRATE TODAY. AND HOW!
People light BONFIRES (= hogueras) and they burn EFFIGIES (= efigies) of Guy Fawkes. Children go around asking "A PENNY FOR THE GUY", and with the money they get, they buy FIREWORKS (= fuegos artificiales). There are also FIREWORKS DISPLAYS (= espectáculo de fuegos artificiales) IN THE STREET! Read more. Click on the picture:
Did you know that, even today, before every STATE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT, the YEOMEN OF THE GUARD (a.k.a. BEEFEATERS) SEARCH (= buscan) in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament by the light of old candle-lanterns?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT THE INSIDE OF THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT? Click HERE for an online tour.
AND NOW, YOU CAN PLAY THE GUNPOWDER PLOT GAME. Discover the barrels of gunpowder and stop the conspiracy. SAVE ENGLAND AND THE KING!!
Once more, Halloween is coming along. It is a festivity that is especially associated with the U.S., altough its origins are to be found quite far from there. Anyhow, Halloween is gradually imposing again on the continent where it was born. Many of us know something about it through films or TV shows. Many others have heard about it, but don't really know much about Halloween traditions, or what people do to get ready for the night when the limit between the world of the living and that of the dead disappears. So let's have a look at what we can find available online. Endless websites...
The first one I recommend you to have a look at if you want to know more about Halloween is http://www.history.com/ (The History Channel). Find all sort of information, in the shape of videos, interactive games and much more. The following video about the origins has been extracted from it:
So now we know...
...that Halloween has Celtic origins. The Celtic festival SAMHAIN [pronounced /saun/] celebrated the end of the year, which finished in October.
...that the Celts believed that ghosts, witches and evil spirits entered the world of the living on the night of the 31st October.
...that people wore costumes to scare the evil spirits away.
...that orange and black are the colours of Halloween.
...that the word "Halloween" comes from "All Hallows' Eve", which is the day before All Saints' Day?
...that in some English-speaking countries people wear scary costumes and masks and go to parties?
If we could reduce Halloween to numbers, this would be it:
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 let's learn a few facts about PUMPKINS:
Would you like to know how a Jack-O'-Lanternt is made?
One of the most typical Halloween traditions, together with Jack-O'-Lanterns is the decoration of houses with Halloween lights. But man, some people can go just over the top to make an impression!!
Read the news on "the most popular Halloween video of 2011" in the Los Angeles Times What about haunted houses? Watch this video about the Bonanza Hotel (no subtitles)
And last but not least, the most popular Halloween tradition of all: TRICK-OR-TREATING!
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton
Roald Amundsen
And don't forget the this week, from the 7 to the 10 of Nov, the school will be celebrating its annual BOOK FAIR, where you'll have the opportunity to buy dictionaries, grammarbooks, graded readings and other lenguage-learning materials with a 20% discount. It will take place at the school library, and it will be open in the evenings, or the 9 & 10 Nov in the mornings.
Dear students & readers of this blog,
