Thanksgiving : 5 outstanding traditions, 5 not-so-great traditions.

Hello bloggers,

Happy Thanksgiving and happy Black Friday to everyone. A lot of things have happened since the pilgrims Puritans Protestants escaped king James I and got onboard the Mayflower to arrive in Plymouth to create New England. There the chief of the Indians, Squanto, and his friends taught the Puritans to farm the land and grow food, something essential for their survival. The next year, pilgrims prepared a feast of food to thank the Indians for their help. This banquet lasted for four days. This first Thanksgiving dinner took place in 1621 ! Can you imagine ?There is a lot of interesting vocabulary about Thanksgiving that you can see in the link provided. In this post, I intend to analyze Thanksgiving in terms of good and bad, that is, to say the positive and negative elements of the current Thanksgiving. Let's begin :

The five positive elements of Thanksgiving 

1. All families come together : It is estimated that 42 million people travel on Thanksgiving Day to meet their families. It is a four-day holiday, so most people decide to come back and have dinner with their beloved ones. People reflect on what they have; they say why they are thankful for. It is an ideal date for introspection, to think carefully about your achievements along the year and about what you are yet to achieve. 

2. Yummy yummy ! Delicious food ! : On Thanksgiving Day, Americans have the opportunity to be full up all the weekend ! They can eat roasted turkey with stuffing, green bean casserole, corn soup ... Perfect timing to put on some extra kilos !

3. Enormous parades : Macy's huge parade is organized every year. These parades are amazing : huge balloons, music, famous people, ... I wish we had some of this in Spain ! 

4. Black Friday and its incredible discounts : In Spain, shop owners offer limited discounts or no discounts at all. However, in America, there are outrageous discounts. You can buy articles for ridiculous prices. You can even buy movies, songs, apps for one dollar or even less ! Amazing ! 

5. No school : Scholars will be happy since they have a four-day holiday, which doesn't happen so often in America. However, the day before Thanksgiving it is celebrated at schools. Children dressed up as Indians and Puritans and have a Thanksgiving food at school ! 

The five negative elements of Thanksgiving

1. Millions of turkeys die every year : Believe it or not 45 million turkeys give their lives to be on the American's dinner table on one single day (Thanksgiving) and 22 million of them on Christmas Day. There is a tradition whereby one turkey is publicly pardoned by the president every year. How hypocritical ! One turkey is entitled to live whereas 45 million of its 'peers' are doomed and condemned to die. Besides, to prepare and fatten the turkeys, they are overfed prior to the Thanksgiving Day. It is not a surprise that Thanksgiving Day is also known as the Turkey Day.

2. Watching football : On Thanksgiving, families are supposed to spend time together.  In general all the families gather together and spend a nice time watching American football. However, some people will let their families aside to watch American football on TV.

3. Aggressive consumerism  and pollution : As mentioned before, tons and tons of food are eaten this day. American people stuff themselves with food, whereas in other parts of the world other people starve to death. In addition, as it is one of the busiest days of the year, a lot of people hit the road, which means more pollution released to the environment. 

4. Black Friday and its unpleasant incidents : This day makes honour to its name. On Black Friday, there are incredible bargains, which means that thousands of people sleep on the street, queue up and behave soullessly. Lots of supermarkets and stores have been closed by the police. People tread on each other, push and even hit others to get the best article. The previous day those people were praying to God and being thankful... Isn't it strange ?

5. Grief for your losses : Such a familiar day will certainly bring memories of your dear ones that are gone. Thanksgiving may sometimes become a gloomy day, wallowing in our grief.  

Are you a fan of Thanksgiving or not ? I'd love to be able to enjoy some turkey with stuffing, he he. Anyway, keep in mind that after Thanksgiving, Christmas officially begins ! 

Oliver Twist : The story of a poor orphan too innocent to live in the sinful London

Hello folks,

Believe it or not, I keep reading English books. Last time I wrote a review about The Old Man and the Sea and some others about Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, and Golding's The Lord of the Flies. The last of my readings was Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, probably one of the most famous books in the English literature and certainly one of Charles Dickens’s masterpieces. This realist work depicts accurately the poor working conditions of the bustling city of the London of the industrial revolution in contrast with the peaceful life in the countryside.

The main character is Oliver, an innocent young orphan with a heart of gold who spends part of his childhood in an orphanage where he, alongside all his mates, is misfed and maltreated. One day, when he is hungry, he innocently asks for more food, which is interpreted by the beadle, Mr. Mumble, and the other “religious” people as a rebellion against them and they decide to get rid of him and sell him to an undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry. Dickens make a demolishing critique of the church and all its people. The deacons will let other children starve to death in order to save money and to be able to afford a wealthy life, full of luxuries and sins.

Oliver’s life is not easy and he goes from one misfortune to the next. One of Sowerberry’s employees mistreats him and gloats at his being orphan, so he gets furious and, after walking tirelessly for a lot of days, he gets to the busy city of London, where he is adopted and accepted by a bunch of robbers lead by a despicable and ruthless Jew called Fagin (see picture), who taught him nothing more than progressing in the art of theft and stealing. When they are in the street, stealing, Oliver, unaware of what they are actually doing, is arrested and beaten by a mob of citizens and a cop. He recovers in the house of Mr. Brownlow, the old man who Oliver’s gang stole from. Mr. Brownlow treats Oliver like a son and he lives happily there. However, when he is an errand, he is kidnapped again by the gang, who force Oliver to break into a house. There, Oliver is shot and is about to die, but he is accepted and looked after by Mrs. Maylie, the owner of the house. She allies with Mr. Brownlow to put all the gang of robbers behind bars…

Charles Dickens humourously describes the miserable conditions of London: child slavery, criminal slums, piteous working conditions,…. London is bustling and crowded with people but is regarded as a sinful city flooded with misery, sadness, and fear. All this seems to be the result of the industrial revolution. Machines have transformed the life of London. People have transferred from the countryside to the city, but in the city some workers are losing their jobs in favour of machines. Many families are left with no choice but to steal and commit other crimes.

Another topic dealt with in the book is the contrast between the rich and the poor. The aristocrats and the upper class workers lead a happy life full of comforts, whereas the lower classes live in misery, a life with illnesses, hunger and misery, a life with petty salaries. This contrast is also reflected in their behaviour. The upper classes are prestigious and respected by the community while the lower classes are disregarded and considered mere criminal. They are alienated and treated as outcasts. According to Dickens, the aristocrats have a responsibility: they should contribute to help to improve the situation. This is what Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Maylie do. They help Oliver no matter the consequences. The author also compares the peaceful, calm, idyllic countryside with the sinful, miserable and depressing city of London, where all the people suffer.

To conclude, Oliver Twist reflects the working of the society of the nineteenth century though the eyes of the innocent Oliver, who awakens nothing but sympathy. The readers suffer Oliver’s fate much like Oliver himself. Dickens manages to describe this gloomy atmosphere with humour, with a riveting plot that attracts the reader’s attention until the very end. 

Songs in the classroom : Fast Car

Hello there,

Many of you liked and visited my post about the song Somebody I Used to Know. I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to practise English with another song. The selected song this time is Fast Car by Tracy Chapman. 

Here you have the lyrics with some questions. Enjoy :

Listen to the song and complete the exercises :

1. Complete the song numbers 1-7 with a compound of 
‘some’, ‘any’ or ‘no’ (somebody, nothing, anywhere...)

2.  Choose the correct option of the words in bold in the lyrics 
of the song

3. What do you think this song is about ? Justify your option 
with some sentences in the lyrics of the song.
a) Sexual abuse
b) Complaining about the routine of your life
c) The remembrance of an accident

4. Replace 'that' for another relative in the sentence :
'I got a job that pays all our bills.' Can we omit the relative ?

5. In sentence number 8 (8), there is a grammatical mistake. 
Which one ?

6. Rephrase the following sentences with the words in the brackets
a) Starting from zero got nothing to lose 
(anything)
b) Me myself I got nothing to prove 
(anything)

7. Analyze these sentences and answer the question : 
Normally, 'any' can only be used in negative and interrogative 
sentences but, what happens when we use 'any' in affirmative 
sentences ?
Any place is better
I want a ticket to anywhere

"Fast Car"

You got a fast car

I want a ticket to ___________ (1)
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get ____________ (2)
Any place is better
Starting from zero got ________ (3)  to lose
Maybe we'll make __________ (4)
Me myself I got ________ (5) to prove

You got a fast car
I got a plane / plan  to get us out of here
I’ve been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money / penny
Won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs / posts
And finally see what it means to be living

See my old man's got a problem
He lives with the bottle / body that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life / light than he could give
I said (6)________'s got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way

So remember when we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be _______ (7), be _______ (7), be

________ (7)
(Chorus)

You got a fast car
We go cruising, entertain / entrain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted / removed 
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs / subway

             Chorus

You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking / hanging late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your feast / kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me find it
I got no plans I ain't going _________ (8)
So take your fast car and keep on driving

Chorus

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so you can fly away?You gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
           


Answers :
1 and 2. See answers in this link: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tracychapman/fastcar.html
3. b)

The singer somehow complains about her life. She needs a change

in her life. She remembers the old times with her father (driving a car) when she was free and had

no responsibilities. This is seen in the sentences : 'I want a ticket to anywhere,' 'leave

tonight or live and die this way.'

4. 'That' can be replaced by 'which' and it can't be omitted.

5. It should be 'I ain't going anywhere'. Double negatives are not correct in English

although a lot of people use them.

6. a) Starting from zero you haven't got anything to lose.

b) Me myself I haven't got anything to prove.

7. When we use 'any in the affirmative, it means 'no matter what', 'every'

(Spanish : cualquiera)

Any place is better = Cualquier lugar es mejor

I want a ticket to anywhere = Quiero un billete a cualquier lugar.

My niece has been born ! Welcome onboard

Hello fellow bloggers !
I have recently become an uncle of a pretty, newly-born niece, and I thought this would be a very good opportunity to write a blog about baby's and children's vocabulary to honour my niece somehow. Here we go :

1. What can we say when a mother discovers that she is having a baby ?
- I'm pregnant
- I'm with child
- I'm expecting
- She conceived/got pregnant in January
- I'm knocked up (informal 'estoy preñada)
- I'm preggers (informal 'estoy con el bombo')
- She is an expectant mother

2. What can we say when a mother is bringing the child to the world ?
- She is at labour / She went into labour
- She is giving birth to her baby
- She is bearing her child
- A child was/has just been born !
- She is birthing a baby
- The midwife is helping the woman to deliver the baby (she is helping the mother to give birth)
- The delivery of the woman went well.

3. Different children, different words :
Most words associated to babies and kids are not gender specific, which means they can be used to refer to boys or girls:
- Baby
- Child
- Infant
- Kid
- Lad (a child that has grown up)

- Toddler : a baby who toddles, a baby who has just learnt to walk but staggers and is unstable.

4. What do babies look like ? 
- They can be adorable, cute, charming, lovely, nice, sweet,  good-looking, beautiful, pretty, attractive, mesmerising ...
- My favourite expression for babies is: they are cute as a button.

5. Other baby vocabulary 
- Midwife : The nurse who helps the mum deliver the baby.
- Cravings : The strong desire that mothers have while they are pregnant (they usually have cravings for sweet food).
- Dummy (UK) /pacifier (US) : An object with the shape of a nipple that babies suck to calm themselves down. 

- Maternity or paternity leave : Permission granted to new parents during which they don't have to go to work. 
- Nappy (UK) / diaper (US) : A piece of cloth or other material worn by babies to poo or pee until they grow up. 

- Nursery : Baby's bedroom. It can also refer to the place or schools where babies go before attending formal schools. 

- Baby buggy / pushchair / baby carriage / stroller : It's the four-wheel chair where babies are carried or transported from one place to another to have a stroll.

- Cot / crib / cradle : The place where babies sleep.

- Carry cot : A portable cradle.

- She's got the father's nose / She has taken after her father / She looks like her father

6. Baby showers
In some countries such as the United States, baby showers are surprise parties organized for the mother-to-be in which only women and girls are usually invited. The guests 'shower' the mother with presents. There is usually smart decoration with balloons and placards. All the women sit and eat different types of sweets such as Oreo Cakepops. In addition, there are usually games related to children or giving birth. Here you have some pictures of my sister's baby shower:

 

So, did you learn anything about babies ? I hope you have enjoyed this post, as much as I will enjoy myself with my niece Valeria. 

Like two peas in a pod, but different: paronyms (II)

Hello again !

How did you spend your Halloween holidays ? Did you dress up and eat a lot of candy ? Did you travel or did you just have a rest ? Anyway, as I promised in my post about paronyms, today I'll bring you another bunch of paronyms because, as you know it, the English language can be difficult sometimes. Are you ready ?

1. Content vs. contempt : a) Content = As an adjective, happy or pleased. As a noun, the things contained in something.

                                            b) Contempt = Scorn or rejection.

She wasn't content about the contents of the course. She showed a reaction of contempt.

2. Mayor vs. major: a) Mayor = A person who runs a town or city in a city council or town hall.

                                   b) Major = As an adjective, really important or big in size. As a noun, a military rank between lieutenant colonel and captain. 

The mayor of the city received the major and all the other officers in the during the major festivals of the city. 

3. Plane vs. plain vs. plan : a) Plane = A means of transport to fly from one country to another.

                                              b) Plan = Arrangement, something to do. 

                                              c) Plain = Clear, easily understood.

My plan for the weekend is plain: just to catch a plane and go overseas.

4. Course vs. coarse: a) Course = Direction or route, race, studies. 

                                    b) Coarse = Vulgar, impolite, lacking delicacy.

The teacher of the course was a bit coarse; he insulted all the students who were late. 

5. Economic vs. economical : a) Economic = Belonging to the economy.

                                                  b) Economical = Cheap.

Due to the economic crisis, goods are no longer economical.

6. Beside vs. besides : a) Beside = Next to.

                                     b) Besides = In addition, moreover, furthermore.

John fancies Paula. Besides, he is sitting beside her in class. 

7. Colonel vs. coroner : a) Colonel = An officer in the army.

                                       b) Coroner = An officer whose work is to analyze dead bodies to discover the reasons of death, especially when they have died in strange circumstances.

It was believed that the colonel died of a heart attack, but the coroner discovered he had died of poisoning. 

8. Reminder vs. remainder : a) Reminder = Something to make people remember something.

                                               b) Remainder = A remaining part, something left. 

Just a reminder for all of you. You can pick up the remainder of your money at the office. 

9. Stoop vs. stop : a) Stoop = To bow, or to do something beneath your level of dignity.

                                b) Stop = Cease doing something. 

The police officer stopped to bow before the lieutenant. He said he had stooped to his level.

10. Compliment vs. complement : a) Compliment = Nice words of admiration or praisal.

                                 b) Complement = Something extra that fits with something.

He gave her very nice compliments when he saw all the complements she was wearing, such as its fabulous earrings, impressive rings and great necklaces. 

11. Sensible vs. sensitive : a) Sensible = Thoughtful, practical

                                     b) Sensitive = sympathetic, affected by the feeling of others.

Peter is usually very sensible because he always know what to do. However, he is not very sensitive towards the emotions of others. 

12. Régime vs. regimen vs. Regiment : a) Régime = A system of government.

                                                                   b) Regimen = A diet or exercise routine.

                                                                   c) Regiment = A military unit.

During the régime of dictatorships, you can see regiments at the street, and people don't usually have time to follow any regimens.

13. Deadly vs. deathly : a) Deadly = mortal, something that causes death.
                                         b) Deathly = Something that looks like death
Before dying of a deadly disease, he was deathly pale. 

Did you like my final paronyms ? I hope you will have learnt something and you don't mistake these words anymore. Your comments are more than welcome !