1. Go to BBC Learning English and start a lower-intermediate course. When you finish all the sections, click Open the unit selector button and select the next unit (see the screenshot):
Remember to work systematically. Set the day and the time for your lessons - it's easier if you develop a routine. 2. Register on twitter.com . Subscribe to my account OK English. Pick up 10 more accounts from the list and read your feed regularly. Don't forget to like and retweet the stuff you find interesting.
For four months my second year students have been working on creating their teaching portfolios. Some have done really good job, many have been lazy. But it is what it is. Here are the results. Which one is the best?
1. Поезія Волтера Де Ла Мера. 2. Вірші для дітей Алана Александра Мілна. 3. Пародійні вірші Хілера Белока. 4. Поетична творчість Елінор Фарджон.
I. Introduction Read the motto of our lesson. "Lovers of poetry are not born, but made through patient and careful nurturing." - What does it mean? Poetry What is Poetry? Who Knows? Not a rose, but the scent of the rose; Not the sky, but the light in the sky; Not the fly, but the gleam of the fly; Not the sea, but the sound of the sea; Not myself, but what makes me See, hear, and feel something that prose Cannot: and what it is who knows? (*from Eleanor Farjeon's Poems for Children, 1938)
- What is poetry compared to in this poem? Why does it make us see, hear and feel something that prose cannot?
Today the world celebrates the birthday of the Great Bard William Shakespeare whose impact on the developement of the English language is huge. It is well-known that about 2000 new words and phrases were invented by him. Let's have a look at the most popular idioms and sayings from Shakespeare's plays.
To wear your heart on your sleeve - To show your emotions openly; not to try to hide your feelings. The idiom was used by Shakespeare in 1604 in the play Othello. The Character Iago says “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve…”
Spotless reputation
In the play "Richard II" Mowbray, one of the characters, says: "The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation". Watch the video which explains and illustrates the meaning of this expression.
A wilde goose chase is where you foolishly chase something that is difficult to get or doesn't exist.
A method in one’s madness is a phrase used to assure someone that one’s actions have a purpose, though they may seem foolish or crazy. The expression is derived from the line spoken by Lord Polonius in "Hamlet": "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it".
The tower of strength means a person who gives you help and support when you are in a difficult situation. It is derived from the line in "Richard III": "The king's name is the tower of strength".
Green-eyed monster
This phrase was used by Shakespeare to denote jealousy in Iago's words in "Othello": "Beware, my Lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster". Watch that very scene from the play:
Famous sayings from Shakespeare's plays
The world is your oister
If you say that the world is someone's oyster, you mean that they can do anything or go anywhere that they want to.
This phrase first appears in William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor":
Falstaff: I will not lend thee a penny.
Pistol: Why then the world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open.
Oysters are easily open with a knife. Here Sakespeare uses the word "oister" to symbolyze the world.
What's done is done (from "Macbeth").
This idiom is said when you cannot change something that has already happened. Come what may
Originally the line from "Macbeth" sounded like "Come what come may". It means whatever happens. I can't resist referring here to the song with the same name from "Moulen Rouge":
All that glitters is not gold
This is an aphorism stating that not everything that looks precious or true turns out to be valuable. Originally the line from "The Merchant of Venice" (1596) soundedas 'all that glisters is not gold'. 'Glister' is usually replaced by 'glitter' in modern renditions of the play
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players
In the famous monologue from the play "As You Like It" (1600) Shakespeare compares a man's life to a play. Here it is read by Benedict Cumberbatch.
7 Ages of Man
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side, His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Mother Goose rhymes can be widely used at English lessons in primary school and my students who are future teachers showed how to do it at the event which took place last week. We called it a party as it was a celebration of a great potential of nursery rhymes for teaching English. We recited poems, sang songs, roleplayed the rhymes, guessed the riddles and made up puzzles. We even had a special guest - Robert Burns - who is known for gathering folklore. Mr.Burns was happy to see that his songs are soundtracks to several 20 century films and we surprised him with singing "Aulde Lang Syne".
One of my favourite online English resources is BBC Learning English site and I often recommend it to my students for their self-studying. But the thing is that very few of them actually go there and have a go. So I decided to create a kind of practical step-by-step masterclass for my second-year students based on the resources from BBC Learning English.
Focus on Grammar
Let's start with grammar. We have just learnt the basic verb patterns and we know which verbs are followed by infinitive and which require the use of gerund (see Grammar Reference in case you've forgotten). But there are some that can be followed by either form with a change of meaning. These are stop, regret, remember, forget, go on, try.
1. Watch the suggested video. You can follow the tapescript if you want (Click "Show transcript")
2. Now read the summary under the video. Translate the examples into your native language to see the difference better.
3. Click "Do the activity" and answer the questions. If you get the answer incorrect there's a comment why. Read it carefully.
Focus on Vocabulary
Speaking about feelings and emotions we use a lot of adjectives. Some of them get confused such as depressed and depressing (I think you remember our discussion in class). BBC Learning English offers a great lesson on -ing and -ed adjectives in their 6 Minute Vocabulary series (basic).
1. Listen to the audio and note down all the adjectives that you hear. Remember there's a transcript ("Show transcript").
2. Then match the adjectives with the following Ukrainian equivalents:
You can use "Vocabulary points to take away" under the audio.
3. Finally, make up three questions for a quiz using the quiz at the end of the audio as a model.
Have fun
If you are still eager to explore the site and learn more about verb patterns, I suggest you watching Episode 7 of the Grammar Gameshow and doing the tasks. You can also find it on BBC Learning English channel on Youtube.
1. Watch the video and write down all the adjectives connected with feelings and emotions
2. Now watch it again and match a verb to each adjective. frown angry shiver nervous yawn happy shout sad bite nails embarrassed smile cold blush tired
3. Finally, watch the last section with the rhyme "I smile when I'm happy". Copy the rhyme out and underline all the verbs. State the tense of each verb in the rhyme. Can you explain the use of Present Simple and Present Continuous there?
I smile when I'm happy I frown when I'm sad I blush when I'm embarrassed And I shout when I'm mad Are you smiling? Yes, I'm happy Are you frowning? Yes, i'm sad Are you blushing? I'm embarrassed Are you shouting? Yes, I'm mad. We smile when we're happy We frown when we're sad We blush when we're embarrassed And we shout when we're mad
4. Learn the rhyme from the video (starts at 2.42)
