Some Idioms with "like"

Today I'll share with you a link to a youtube video by English Idioms. There are ten common idioms with the word "like" in them. The voice in the video is robotic, non-human so don't try to imitate it ;).

Besides you can like English Idioms on Facebook and enjoy their posts.

Mending Wall by Robert Frost

For today, how about an excellent piece of poetry?
Here's Robert Frost's magnificent "Mending Wall". As usual with poetry, this poem seems to hide a second reading or interpretation. Want to try to find out what it is?

Enjoy

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs.  The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
One on a side.  It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.'
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors?  Isn’t it
Where there are cows?  But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.'  I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself.  I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.'

The Old Man and The Sea by Earnest Hemingway

If you haven't already read this masterpiece, I strongly recommend you do. The Old Man and the Sea is an exquisite narrative that despite its very few dialogues manages to keep you reading and interested. The book makes you reflect on life and the symbiosis between man and nature. 

Here are some hand-picked quotes you might enjoy. 





“But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated. ” 

“I may not be as strong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have resolution.” 

“It's silly not to hope. It's a sin he thought.” 

“If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy. But since I am not, I do not care.” 

“Now he was proving it again. Each time was a new time and he never thought about the past when he was doing it.”

“The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.” 

“He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.” 

Happy... to get you moving (English-Spanish lyrics)

 Enjoy!!

Animals: male, female, and baby counterparts and the name of the groups they form

I came across this very interesting post about animals and their male, female and baby counterparts and also the names of the groups they form.

Link:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/animals/Animalbabies.shtml

This is just a small cut and paste of the rest which you'll find on their site.

Animal		Male	Female	Baby	Group of Animals
	Alligator	bull	cow	hatchling	congregation, pod (of young)
	Alpaca	male	female	cria	herd
	Antelope	buck	doe	calf	herd
	Ape	male	female	baby	shrewdness
	Armadillo	male	female	pup	-
Animal		Male	Female	Baby	Group of Animals
	Baboon	male	female	infant	troop, congress
	Badger	boar	sow	kit, cub	cete
	Bat	male	female	pup	colony
	Bear	boar	sow	cub	sleuth, sloth
	Beaver	-	-	pup, kitten	colony

A short, creative and entertaining History of The English Language

Simply Marvelous!!

EnglishMania

Why the word Fish could have been spelt "Ghoti"

Pronouncing English words has always been a particular dilemma for ESL learners. This is particularly difficult due to the difference between the way a word is pronounced and the way it is spelt. For instance, the words night, tough, answer, Wednesday etc... all have an awkward spelling that does not correspond with the way the word is pronounced. There are several reasons for this, one of them being that in the past some of those mute letters were once voiced.

However, as time has gone by there has been an evolution in pronunciation whereas spelling has remained, in essence, dormant. Evidently, some have proposed to change this throughout the centuries, for example, Noah Webster, Alexander John Ellis and of course George Bernard Shaw author of Pygmalion.  The last of which gave the following ironic example of how crazy English spelling actually is.

Of course, the pronunciation of those letters are not always as in the example, but it gives us some food for thought. Does it not?

Enjoy

Parts of the Body

Synonym Wheel

Sylvia Plath's "Daddy"

A little something for all of you to enjoy. I suggest listening to this wonderful poem at the same time you are reading it. It's from one of the best American female poets of all time.

Then you could read a little about the poem and its interpretation.

Link to information on the poem: http://americanconfessionalpoetry.wikispaces.com/Sylvia+Plath's+Daddy+Analysis

Link to the audio video:

Daddy

by Sylvia Plath

You do not do, you do not do
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot
For thirty years, poor and white,
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.

Daddy, I have had to kill you.
You died before I had time--
Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,
Ghastly statue with one gray toe
Big as a Frisco seal

And a head in the freakish Atlantic
Where it pours bean green over blue
In the waters off beautiful Nauset.
I used to pray to recover you.
Ach, du.

In the German tongue, in the Polish town
Scraped flat by the roller
Of wars, wars, wars.
But the name of the town is common.
My Polack friend

Says there are a dozen or two.
So I never could tell where you
Put your foot, your root,
I never could talk to you.
The tongue stuck in my jaw.

It stuck in a barb wire snare.
Ich, ich, ich, ich,
I could hardly speak.
I thought every German was you.
And the language obscene

An engine, an engine
Chuffing me off like a Jew.
A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.
I began to talk like a Jew.
I think I may well be a Jew.

The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna
Are not very pure or true.
With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck
And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack
I may be a bit of a Jew.

I have always been scared of you,
With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.
And your neat mustache
And your Aryan eye, bright blue.
Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You-- 

Not God but a swastika
So black no sky could squeak through.
Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you.

You stand at the blackboard, daddy,
In the picture I have of you,
A cleft in your chin instead of your foot
But no less a devil for that, no not 
Any less the black man who

Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you.
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back, back to you.
I thought even the bones would do.

But they pulled me out of the sack,
And they stuck me together with glue.
And then I knew what to do.
I made a model of you,
A man in black with a Meinkampf look

And a love of the rack and the screw.
And I said I do, I do.
So daddy, I'm finally through.
The black telephone's off at the root,
The voices just can't worm through.

If I've killed one man, I've killed two--
The vampire who said he was you
And drank my blood for a year,
Seven years, if you want to know.
Daddy, you can lie back now.

There's a stake in your fat black heart
And the villagers never liked you.
They are dancing and stamping on you.
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.

12 October 1962

The origin of Keep Calm and Carry On

All of you must already be familiarized by now with the expression "keep calm and carry on". It has been used, changed, mixed, altered, varied and parodied on countless occasions. Simply google it and you'll instantly see an immense array of replicas and creative posters of all types. However, have you ever thought about the origin of the expression? Well, it seems it was part of a morale-boosting propaganda project during World War II. 

Here is a link to an official page where you will find the whole story behind it and where you can buy any official poster or even create your own. 

Enjoy!!

http://www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/history/

A useful add-on for direct internet translation

This is a video created by "lingholic" where he explains how to use two very useful add-ons or
plug-ins for firefox and chrome (one for each). They are add-ons that will help you translate words or phrases on the fly. Plus you can use the video as a listening practice.

Hope you enjoy!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMHrsHEqKbE&feature=youtu.be



His blog:

http://www.lingholic.com/

Nickelback's Rockstar with Lyrics

One of my favourites!

TV Shows: a great way to learn English!!

Well, today I'm going to recommend you some TV shows I find quite entertaining and which I have enjoyed a lot. When learning a language while living in a country where it isn't really spoken, such as Spain, you have to make use of as many resources as you can find and make the best of the things you have at hand. An excellent and highly recommendable way of improving your listening skills is to watch TV Shows. Movies are also a good idea, but they take more time and therefore more concentration. Besides, they do not offer continuity whereas TV Shows do. Continuity is something quite positive since you eventually get used to the accent, rhythm and tone of the actors and will inevitably understand more and more after every episode.

Now the question is... Which TV shows to watch?

Since there are so many you must sieve the most appropriate to your level and objectives. For example, watching shows like Big Bang Theory or The Sopranos, which are two masterpieces I personally enjoy very much, will probably generate frustration in the intermediate learner since they are very hard to follow. So, my advice is to watch a show like Curb Your Enthusiasm where the speech is clearer and there is only one main protagonist that can be easily understood. Perhaps Two and a Half Men will also do the trick. Another option is to watch a TV show that's focused on action rather than words, such as LOST .

Anyway, regardless of your pick, try to watch it with subtitles. Spanish subtitles if your level is beginner and of course English subtitles if you're intermediate or advanced.

Another good option is to watch documentaries which are always easier to follow, although usually somewhat boring and without continuity.

I'll leave you a link to the IMDB review of Curb Your Enthusiasm:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264235/

As always, Enjoy!
Is

The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin

Here's another famous short story for you to enjoy. This time, from the great Kate Chopin author of  "The Awakening".  It has a lot more behind it than you would think. Give it some thought and, of course, have fun!!

Is

The Story of An Hour

by Kate Chopin

---

Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard's name leading the list of "killed." He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.

She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.

There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.

She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.

She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.

There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.

Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been. When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under the breath: "free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.

She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.

There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

"Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.

Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admission. "Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door--you will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven's sake open the door."

"Go away. I am not making myself ill." No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.

Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.

She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.

Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.

When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills.

The Tell Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe)

How about a late night story? 

Poe was without a doubt one of the best writers and storytellers in the History of American Literature. 

Enjoy!

Is

THE TELL-TALE HEART

by Edgar Allan Poe
1843

TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights --every night just at midnight --but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers --of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back --but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?"

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself --"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney --it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel --although he neither saw nor heard --to feel the presence of my head within the room.

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little --a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it --you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily --until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open --wide, wide open --and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness --all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! --do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me --the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eve would trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye --not even his --could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out --no stain of any kind --no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all --ha! ha!

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock --still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, --for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.

I smiled, --for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search --search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: --It continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definiteness --until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale; --but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased --and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound --much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath --and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly --more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men --but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed --I raved --I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder --louder --louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

-THE END-

Listening to Colours

Here's a video of a speech Neil Harbisson, the first human cyborg, gave a few years ago.

Don't miss it!!

Imagine the possibilities!

Can a light bulb transmit information?

Here's a video I hope you will enjoy about a fascinating new breakthrough in technology, full of marvelous possibilities for our near-future. If we thought science had reached its peak, we might have to think again. Seems like we're only beginning. 

The Chelsea Hotel in New York

If there was ever a symbolic building loaded with literary and artistic history, that's the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Some may already know a bit about it, but most probably don't, so here are some links for you to dig into this piece of history. Whether you want to know more stuff about your favorite celebrities or simply want to take a peek into a place where part of American art was created, you'll surely enjoy these links and the information they hold. You'll be surprised how many truly famous people and authentic geniuses have made the Chelsea their permanent home throughout the years.

Enjoy

Is

http://www.metafilter.com/106278/The-Chelsea-Hotel-of-NYC-surviving-The-Great-Depression-fires-deaths-but-maybe-not-a-change-of-ownership

http://www.chelseahotelblog.com/living_with_legends_the_h/history-of-activism/

1000 Must-Know Words

When learning any language one comes across the difficult decision of what to prioritize. Given the enormous amount of content to learn and the material available one has to choose carefully what to and what not to spend time on. Well, regarding vocabulary bear in mind that even though English has well over 500000 words you don't need to tackle them all. In fact, you'd be surprised with how few you can get by. 

The thing is that we're always using the SAME words, no matter how much we speak. These words are normally determiners, prepositions, quantifiers and the usual over-worn verbs. So, a good piece of advice is to stick to the basics and be pragmatic at first, there'll be lots of time to get into more difficult stuff. 

Here is a link to a useful 1000 word list that can help you get started, or check up on how much you know.
http://www.stclementacademy.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_178497/File/frequent_used_word.pdf


I recommend reading this two part article on the matter. You'll find it quite interesting!


http://www.lingholic.com/how-many-words-do-i-need-to-know/
http://www.lingholic.com/how-many-words-do-i-need-to-know-the-955-rule-in-language-learning-part-2/

Enjoy!!

The Road NOT Taken by Robert Frost

Well, here goes  a very popular poem by a famous American Poet named Robert Frost. The poem has more to it than you would suppose at first sight. It's well worth looking into since it is an all-time American Classic.
You also have the youtube link to the poem read by the man himself.

Hope you enjoy!!!

                                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie2Mspukx14

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  Mountain Interval.  1920. The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;         5 Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,         10 And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.         15 I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.         20

A little something for the holidays

Here's a little treat for the holidays... now that we have more free time it might be a good idea to indulge ourselves in a little bit of music. So, I'll post a link to a youtube page where a generous person has uploaded quite a few videos with both English and Spanish lyrics as subtitles. Therefore, you can listen to the music and read both lyrics at the same time... and what the hell, if you feel like singing, why not go ahead and do so?

Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Yrsl100?feature=watch

Let's call the whole thing off

Well, here goes a video for all of you to enjoy. It's an oldie, but still quite up to date since it shows us the different pronunciations for a same word in English... all wrapped up in a touching love song....

                               Let's call the whole thing off (as you'll see, they don't really break up)

Let's brighten up the day

Is there a better way to brighten up your day than listening to good music?.... Yeah, yeah, I know there are many other ways... but music has got to be in the top ten. Right? Well let me share with you two songs from two of my favourite groups. They come with lyrics so, if you feel in the mood, go ahead and sing... which, by the way, is another fantastic way to brighten up your day.

                           Without Lyrics

                                                         Lyric Version









                                                                 Without Lyrics

Lyric Version

Short Stories from American Literature, text and audio

For those of you who like to listen as you read (one of the best ways to improve entonation, pronunciation, stress and rhythm), here goes a link to a very interesting web page that has some short stories from American Literature that I'm sure you'll find interesting.
Bear in mind that the vocabulary of some might be a bit of a challenge but, then again, you don't have to know all the words ;-)

http://www.manythings.org/voa/stories/



Enjoy!!

I have a Dream

Well, I would like to share with all of you a speech I consider all of us should listen to at least once. Besides bieng an outstanding part of American History, it is also a tribute to peace, love, justice and equality. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those people who have made the world a better place. 

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!³

Parts of a Car

More curiosities on the English Language

Who's able to give all these the right entonation???

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I want it to be on record that I will record my Record.

Learning English with Movies

Well this is a link to "saberinglés" where they have pieces of movie scripts with a variety of interesting vocabulary that may be useful for ESL learners. Choose your movie and take a look!!

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/movies/index.html

Some Curiosities about the English Language

The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet!

The most used letter in the English alphabet is "E", and "Q" is the least used!

Of all the words in the English language, the word "set" has the most definitions.

The shortest complete sentence in the English language is "I am".

Rhythm" is the longest English word without a vowel.

The only word in the English language that has four sets of double letters in row is balloonneer.

The word "Queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

Almost is the longest word with the letters in the alphabetical order

Hijinks is the word with the most consecutive dotted letters.

Stewardessess is the longest word that can be typed with one hand.

Nobody uses a typewriter anymore but everyone still types.

"Round" is the only word that can be used as five different parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition).




Who can translate this one??

 In "The treatment he had had had had no effect", the same word appears four times in a row with no intervening punctuation.

Some differences between British and American spelling

Bear in mind that there is no ONE correct form of English no matter how many times you may here that British English is THE correct English. Language is alive and therefore mutable. We must observe and describe language not prescribe or judge the way it should be. 

What people in Spain tend to think is the one and only correct English, is what is known as RP (Recieved Pronunciation) or what has come to be known as BBC English. RP English is only spoken by about 3 percent of the British population coincidentally the richest or highest social class. Of course it's a very fine and polished accent, but it is also in a way artificial, just look into the ammount of polititians and other people who hire a speaking coach to train them to speak as if they were born and bred RP. 

So, if you come to think of it in a practical down to earth kind of way... isn't it better to try to understand the different varieties of English to be able to communicate effectively wherever you go?

Well let's start with some differences between British and American spelling. 

I'd ask you a question. Which do you consider more practical or true to pronunciation?

There is a reason for the answer, I'll tell you soon enough. 

Enjoy!!

 

British and American spelling

There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.

Words ending in –re

British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:

British	US
centre	center
fibre	fiber
litre	liter
theatre	theater or theatre

Words ending in -our

British English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:

British	US
colour	color
flavour	flavor
humour	humor
labour	labor
neighbour	neighbor

Words ending in -ize or -ise

Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American English:

British	US
apologize or apologise	apologize
organize or organise	organize
recognize or recognise	recognize

Words ending in -yse

Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:

British	US
analyse	analyze
breathalyse	breathalyze
paralyse	paralyze

Words ending in a vowel plus l

In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:

British	US
travel	travel
travelled	traveled
travelling	traveling
traveller	traveler

fuel	fuel
fuelled	fueled
fuelling	fueling

Words spelled with double vowels

British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:

British	US
leukaemia	leukemia
manoeuvre	maneuver
oestrogen	estrogen
paediatric	pediatric

Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.

Nouns ending with –ence

Some nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelled -ense in American English:

British	US
defence	defense
licence	license
offence	offense
pretence	pretense

Nouns ending with –ogue

Some nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:

British	US
analogue	analog or analogue
catalogue	catalog or catalogue
dialogue	dialog or dialogue

The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-spelling