Songs in the Classroom : It's a Beautiful Day

Oh man ! It's pouring with rain ! But we have to be optimistic and think that it is a beautiful day today.  Indeed ! Now, it's time for singing ! What better option than completing this song by Michael Bublé with modal verbs and then try to identify the meaning of the phrasal verbs in bold ?:
Click on the first video and try to do the exercise. Then click on the second video to check your answers. Good luck ! 

1. Complete the song with modal verb :
2. Try to infer the meaning of the phrasal verbs in bold. The answers are below.
3. Correct the conditional underlined in the penultimate stanza.

"It's A Beautiful Day"

I don't know why

You think that you __________ (1) hold me.

When you ____________ (2)  get by by yourself

And I don't know who

Would ever want to tear the seam of someone's dream.

Baby, it's fine, you said that we _________ (3)  just be friends.

Well, I came up with that line and I'm sure

That it's for the best

If you ever change your mind, don't hold your breath.

'Cause you __________ (4)  not believe, mmm mmm mmm

That baby, I'm relieved, mmm

When you said goodbye, my whole world shined.

Hey hey hey

It's a beautiful day and I _______ (5)  stop myself from smiling

If we're drinking, then I'm buying

And I know there's no denying.

It's a beautiful day, the sun is up, the music's playing

And even if it started raining

You won't hear this boy complaining

'Cause I'm glad that you're the one who got away.

It's a beautiful day.

It's my turn to fly, so girls, get in line

'Cause I'm easy, no playing this guy like a fool.

Now I'm alright

________ (6) 've had me caged before, but not tonight.

And you ______ (7) not believe, mmm mmm

That baby, I'm relieved

This fire inside, it burns too bright

I don't want to say "so long," I just want to say "goodbye."

It's a beautiful day and I ________ stop myself from smiling

If we're drinking, then I'm buying

And I know there's no denying.

It's a beautiful day, the sun is up, the music's playing

And even if it started raining

You won't hear this boy complaining

'Cause I'm glad that you're the one who got away, mmm mmm

'Cause if you ever think I'll take up

My time with thinking of our break-up

Then you've got another thing coming your way

'Cause it's a beautiful day, mmm mmm.

Beautiful day, oh, baby, any day that you're gone away.

It's a beautiful day.

Answers to exercises 2 and 3:
a) Get by = manage to do something; do something with a bit of effort and struggle. e.g. 'a lot of families get by with just 500 euros a month.'

b) Come up with : Find and suggest and idea, as you can see in the sentence : 'after some time thinking, he came up with the best idea to save him company from bankruptcy.'

c) Get away : Escape. 'The police couldn't catch the burglar. He got away.'

d) Take up : This context is negative. It means to 'occupy' or in a wider sense, 'to lose', as in 'don't worry. I don't want to take up your time and bother you.'

e) Break up : Split up with someone; end a relationship; finish a relationship with someone. 'My girlfriend broke up with me yesterday and I'm really sad.'

f) Go away : 'Leave', 'go far'. It is clear in the sentence. 'Go away, I don't ever want to see you again.'

The conditional can be corrected in two ways : 
a) Even if it starts raining, you won't hear this boy complaining (conditional 1)
b) Even if it started raining, you wouldn't hear this boy complaining (conditional 2)

Did you like this extremely positive song ? I hope so. Remember, if you want to keep practising with songs, you can click on the following links: songs about peace; Paradise; Christmas carols; Fast Car;  Somebody I Used to Know.

Homophony : how can you distinguish these words ?

High ! Wooops, it is not this word, I meant 'hi !' Why did I make such a terrible mistake ? Well, it is clear. 'High' and 'hi' are pronounced in the same way, although they are written differently and have different meanings. How is that possible ? They are homophones, of course ! Homophony is an English quirk that I had anticipated in a previous post. There are hundreds and hundreds of homophones in the English language and homophony more often than not leads to confusion, especially for Spanish speakers. There are some homophones in Spanish like 'vaca' and 'baca', but just few of them.

Here you have some example of the most famous homophones :
a) son - sun
b) hear - here
c) write - right
d) one - won
e) eight - ate
f) hi- high
g) buy - by - bye
h) sent - cent- scent
i) blew - blue
j) steal - steel
k) sea - see

Let's continue with some more quirks about homophones. Native speakers find confusing some homophones that non-native speakers usually distinguish (since they study this grammar at school over and over again) :
- Whose vs. who's (who is)
- their vs. there vs. they're (they are) 
- would have vs. would of (the latter is obviously grammatically incorrect but it sounds the same).

There are some surprisingly incredible homophones like 'island' - 'Ireland' where you can make funny sentences like 'Ireland is an island'. In fact, these homophones are only homophones is British English, given that in America the 'r' is 'Ireland' would be pronounced.

- There is a pair of homophones which means the same thing. This pair is 'gaol' (British) and 'jail' (American), both pronounced [ʤeɪl].

- Homophones can form funny ambiguous sentences like 'I love this [flaʊə]'. This sentence can mean : a) I love this flower; b) I love this flour.

From : http://www.clipartpanda.com/categories/flower-clipart

From : http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-graham-flour.htm

Another example of this is : 'I like the dog's [teɪl]. This sentence can mean : a) 'I like the dog's tail'  or  b) 'I like the dog's tale.' 

To conclude this post, I would like to propose you an exercise about homophones. I am warning you, some of them are really daunting and challenging and will drive you crazy, so think carefully before answering. You can find the answers down below.

1. The words in bold are incorrect. Correct them for their appropriate homophone.

a) My sun is playing football outside.

b) “The Big Bang Theory” is my favourite TV cereal.

c) If some animal crosses the road abruptly while you are driving, do not press the break, simply loose the accelerator.

d) I live in island. I love its music, animals and symbols!

e) He is working for the marine core.

f) I like the fable of the turtle and the hair.

g) I told her a very good complement to flirt with her but it didn’t work.

h) Look write before you cross the road.

i) I had a Grecian earn on my chimney. It’s beautiful there!

j) Before getting on the bus, you need to pay the fair.

k) Your marks will be posted on the bored.

l) She is my favourite actress. I want to meat  her.

m) This racket is not made of wood. It’s made of steal.

n) In this factory, they used to make flower.

o) I like the tail of Little Red Riding Hood.

p) How much does it way? Ten pounds.

q) Weight for me at the airport.

Answers : a) son b) serial c) brake d) Ireland e) corps f) hare g) compliment h) right i) urn j) fare k) board l) meet m) steel n) flour o) tale p) weigh q) wait.

Did you enjoy my selection of homophones. I hope 'sew' (ups, rather, 'so'). As usual, you can contribute to my blog with your comments ! Please do.

Buy ! Sea ewe ! 

April Fools' Day : Let's pull some pranks and spread some hoaxes !

"April Fools ! " Should you hear these words, it means two things : 1) it is April, 1st; 2) someone has just pulled a prank on you ! Why ? It's April Fools' Day. On this day, people pull pranks and spread rumours and hoaxes. The media also invent some fake -flabbergasting - news and some people usually fall for them or buy them! Yeah! This is similar to Spain's Innocents' Day (28th December). This day goes back to the year 1957, where the BBC broadcast people picking spaghetti from plants. The audience thought it all was true and phoned the station to buy these plants ! Here you can watch it in the video : 

1. Now I will propose you a little game. I will enumerate five 'news items' and you will have to decide which one of them is TRUE! Four of them will be hoaxes. Ready ?

a)  UFO lands in London

From : http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/ufo_lands_near_london

b) Queen Elizabeth sent her first email in 1976

From : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34185586

c) A new species of penguins that can fly have been discovered 

d) Big Ben will go digital in 2020

From : https://currentopinionsofnews.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/big-ben-to-go-digital/

e) Mummified fairy discovered ! 

From : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lebanoncircle/the-derbyshire-mummified-fairy-ooak-kit-and-dvd-wo

Answers: Only one of the news is true. Which one? Well, letter b, indeed, surprising though it may sound ! If you want to see some of the most famous hoaxes of all time, click on this link.

2. Now let's learn some vocabulary for this day, related to tricks :

- Tell jokes / crack jokes = 'contar chistes'

- Trick someone / deceive someone / fool someone = engañar a alguien

- Play tricks on someone / pull pranks on someone = gastarle bromas a alguien

- Fall into a trap = 'caer en la trampa'

- Take the bait = 'picar el anzuelo'

- I don't buy it / I haven't fallen for it = 'no me lo trago' / 'no me lo creo'.

- He is a prankster / joker / jester / quipster = 'Él es un bromista.'

- April Fools ! = '¡ Inocente !' 

- April Fool pranks = 'inocentadas.'

- Spread a hoax = 'extender un rumor.'

3. To finish with, if you are much of a prankster, here you have a compilation of some interesting pranks of April Fool's Day. 

4. This video will prompt you to pull pranks on others. I hope you never put these "inspiring" ideas into practice.

I hope you have learnt a lot about April Fools' Day. Which is your favourite prank ? Post it on a comment ! 

Easter videos

Did you read my post about Easter ? Now that Easter is coming to an end, I thought it would be a good idea to prepare a compilation of some videos about Easter. You will be able to see the different traditions and customs mentioned in my post. In these funny videos that you can also test your listening comprehension :

Did you like the video ? It was really easy ! Not let's talk about British all over the world :

Here you have another interesting video !


And the last one : 

Did you like my compilation of videos ? Did you do the exercises ? I hope so ! Easter is over, which means Easter holidays are about to finish and we have to come back to ... school or to work ! 

Easter is not only a Spanish tradition

Hello there,

Holidays at last ! It's been a long term for me but  I am finally on holidays : on Easter holidays ! There is a wide misconception that Easter is not "celebrated" in the English-speaking world. I agree that Spanish celebrations of Easter outnumber those in the English culture, but Easter traditions in the English-speaking countries are also important. Let's summarize some of the most important ones : 

1. Easter eggs : At Easter, it is customary to buy, give or exchange Easter eggs. Why ? The eggs represent Jesus Christ and when they are broken that represents his resurrection (the breaking of Jesus's tomb). IN a wider sense, eggs are a symbol of rebirth and fertility.  There are eggs of various types nowadays, but chocolate eggs seem to have flooded the market. There are also traditional boiled eggs dyed with a lot of decoration. Hard-boiled eggs are very popular at Easter and some people even paint them and dye them :

From : http://headingforenglish.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/easter-eggs.html

Eggs were really popular because during Lent, neither meat nor eggs should be eaten. It was during Easter after Lent that people could 'feast' on eggs. 

2. Easter games 

Easter eggs are the protagonist of some really entertaining traditions :

- Egg tapping or egg knocking : In this fun game, you have to try to break another contestant's egg by tapping or knocking it with your eggs, but without breaking your egg. Yes, you hard-boil your eggs, you decorate them only to use them to break other people's eggs. Ironical ! 

From : http://blog.haven.com/2015/03/28/five-different-easter-traditions-to-try-out-with-your-kids/ 

- Easter egg hunt : This outdoor game is ideal for small children. Adults hide some eggs outside for children to look for them. These eggs are usually filled with chocolate or with other candies. So, in other words, it is like a treasure scavenger hunt but with eggs ! 

From : http://www.brooklinoptimist.org/optimist/programs/easter-egg-hunt.html

- Easter egg roll : It is a race where children must push the eggs with a spoon. It is usually held on Easter Monday in the White House Lawns. 

From : http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/easter6.htm

- Easter bunny : It is a bunny that brings Easter eggs to children. Much like an Easter Santa Claus.

From : http://cmrrevents.com/wordpress/easter-trains/

3. Easter foods : There are a lot of different typical Easter foods, namely : 

    

Hot cross bun                               Chocolate Easter bunny

 

Simnel cake                                        Jelly beans

4. Important dates :

- Lent : Six weeks before Easter Sunday. During this time, people must refrain from eating one food of their liking and be disciplined (which includes being a good Christian, read the Holy Scriptures...). The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday.

- Palm Sunday : On the Sunday before Easter. This day is celebrated with a traditional mass, and a parade where people carry palm branches to welcome Jesus Christ

- Maundy Thursday

It is the day preceding Good Friday. This day welcomes the Holy Week. In the past, the monarchs used to wash the feet of the poor in Westminster Abbey. This also served to commemorate the Last Supper. Nowadays, the Queen gives money to a group of old people very famous or important for the community.

- Good Friday : To commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion. 

- Easter Sunday : To celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Easter egg hunts are usually held on this date. 

5. Morris dance : It is a typically English dance to scare the spirits of winter away. 

6. Mass : Of course, churches organize quite a lot of Easter services at Easter, much like in Spain. 

Here you have some videos about Easter that will test your listening comprehension.

Did you enjoy Easter in the UK and the USA. They have some really interesting traditions. What is your best ? Post a comment. 

Saint Patrick's Day : some small details you may not know !

Howdy ! 

I haven't written a post for a while and to resume my writing there is no better date than the prelude to Saint Patrick's Day. This time I will show you some statements about St. Patrick's Day (or Ireland) and you will have to decide if they are true or false. As usual, the answers are at the bottom of this entry. Let's get this started : My always wonderful girlfriend has helped a great deal with this information.  

1. Saint Patrick was an Ireland-born shepherd.

2. The Irish national symbol is the shamrock.

3. Irish Gaelic is the national official language in Ireland.

4. Saint Patrick's shamrock has four leaves because it brings luck to its owner.

5. The Irish flag is green because of the shamrock, white because of its purity and orange because of the blood spilt between Protestants and Catholics.

6. In Chicago, it is a tradition to dye the river green every year.

7. Each year, more than the double of Ireland's population visit the island.

8. Just forty-pounds a year are paid as the yearly rent of the Guinness Warehouse in Dublin.

9. Leprechauns are 'goblins' that hide their gold at the end of a rainbow and can grant three wishes. 

10. Officially, on Saint Patrick's Day Christians shouldn't drink alcohol because Easter is very close. 

Did you guess all of them ? Let's see the answers :

1. FALSE. Saint Patrick was born in England and was later kidnapped and shipped to Ireland as a slave. There he had to work as a shepherd. 

From : https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/MAEWYN-SUCCAT-KIDNAPPING-VICTIM-St.-Patrick-of-St.-Patrick-s-Day

2. FALSE. The Irish national symbol is the harp. What else can you see in Ireland's Euros ?

From : http://thomas-douix.eklablog.com/the-symbols-of-ireland-a117744816

3. TRUE. Irish Gaelic and English are the official languages in Ireland. 

From : http://www.nancyjester.com/pressreleases/stpatty/

4. FALSE. His shamrock has three leaves. Why ? Because he used it to explain the Holy Trinity : Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Four-leaf clovers are the ones that bring luck. 

From : https://www.pinterest.com/lasan0215/trinity/

5. FALSE.  The Irish flag represents the peace between north and south, between Catholics (green) and Protestants (orange), both linked with peace (white).

From : http://www.infoplease.com/spot/irishflag1.html

6. TRUE. Indeed ! 

7. TRUE. Ireland is quite a touristic destination, don't you think ?

8. TRUE. He signed a nine-thousand-year contract for that amount of money. Incredible ! Arthur Guinness was a real bargainer !

9. TRUE. They are also bearded and smoke from a pipe. I really love them !

From : http://www.123rf.com/photo_19156144_leprechaun-with-a-pipe-and-beer-against-a-rainbow-and-pot-of-gold.html

10. FALSE. All the Christians 'obligations' of Lent are forgotten just for that day. Maybe because of that you can see nothing but drunken people on the streets ! 

Well did you learn something about St. Patrick's Day ? I hope so. To finish this post, here you have a video that illustrates some of the most representative St. Patrick's and Ireland's traditions. Don't miss it : 

P.S. If you want to see an extract from a chapter of The Simpsons related to St. Patrick's Day, click on this link !

Lost in translation. The title of films change depending on the culture.

Long time no see ! 

I haven't written a blog entry for a while because I have been very busy preparing and correcting exams (and still am) . Anyway, I am currently teaching the topic of TV and the cinema to my students of 1º ESO and I thought it would be a fantastic idea to prepare a presentation about some of the quirkiest differences between the titles of some films and TV shows in English and Spanish. The problems of translation can be summarized in three :

1. Direct translation that does not always correspond :

In general, I find it surprising. Sometimes, the translation is horrible (in my opinion) and has nothing to do with the film. An example of this is "Inside Out" the latest Pixar movie, directly translated into Spanish as "Del revés." This title has nothing to do with the movie and I would have chosen something like : "En tu mente" o "Emocionantemente." 

From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Out_(2015_film)

2. The title is sometimes kept in the original language (when it is not necessary): 

Examples like this are "The Walking Dead" or "American Dad". 

3. Sometimes the tile in English and Spanish are completely dissimilar : Who would know that Sonrisas y Lágrimas is The Sound of Music ? 

Anyway, here you have a compilation of films. Why don't you try to predict the title in English before moving on to the next slide ? Do it and post a comment with your opinion about the article or more examples !