English 24/7

3A Education, education, education

2012-02-14T11:38:00.000Z

3A First conditional (part 2)

2012-02-14T11:35:00.002Z

4A First conditional (part 1)

2012-02-14T11:32:00.000Z

St Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T08:30:00.000Z

Are you romantic?

3 Pronunciation shock

2012-02-10T17:44:00.001Z

Find four misunderstandings

3C You can get it if you really want

2012-02-09T12:30:00.001Z

3C Soul surfer

2012-02-09T10:17:00.000Z

3C If at first you don't suceed, ...

2012-02-09T08:10:00.002Z

3B Not judging by appearances

2012-02-08T08:39:00.000Z

BOB from Jacob Frey on Vimeo.

3A Modern manners

2012-02-07T08:07:00.005Z

Using your mobile to make a starry sky ...

2 Working as a volunteer

2012-02-06T10:53:00.001Z

"Helping others brings good feelings to the giver and the receiver of the good deeds. Using your special gifts to help others can be a gift to yourself as you enjoy a self esteem boost for making others’ lives better, and make the world a better place. You feel more worthy of good deeds yourself, your trust in the decency of people is reinforced, and you feel more connected to yourself and to others."

2C Race to the sun: HOME

2012-02-03T12:54:00.000Z

It's too late to be a pessimist. It's time we come together and work as one.

2B Changing your life

2012-02-02T13:40:00.001Z

If you could only see the beauty and feel inspired to find your passion

2A Living without money

2012-01-31T13:00:00.001Z

"Is it possible to feel rich without possessions?

Can you live happily without money?

In the documentary Living Without Money, we meet the German woman Heidemarie Schwermer who made a deliberate choice to live without money 14 years ago."

2A A mysterious donor

2012-01-31T08:59:00.001Z

Where was the money found?

How much money was there?

Who is going to get that money?

2A Ka-ching

2012-01-31T08:30:00.001Z

1C Personality

2012-01-30T11:18:00.000Z

1C Modern British Families

2012-01-30T09:11:00.000Z

What is the traditional picture of a happy family living in Britain?

Which changes have the past 20 years seen in the lives and structures of families in Britain?

Have the changes been positive or negative?

Vocabulary

1 divorce

2 a huge rise

3 to support

4 childcare facilities

5 raising

6 breadwinners

7 sharp

8 single mothers

9 lack

10 male role model

11 nurseries

12 dealing with

13 mixing with

1C We are family

2012-01-27T11:25:00.001Z

1C Personality

2012-01-27T11:22:00.001Z

1B Do you like sport?

2012-01-26T11:15:00.000Z

Passion for sport...

1A Food: fuel or pleasure?

2012-01-25T15:52:00.001Z

"Vancouver is celebrated for its rich variety of restaurants and dining opportunities. Explore the city's finer restaurants and tour the UBC Farm, which is where many of these restaurants obtain their fresh, local and organic produce."

1A Food: fuel or pleasure?

2012-01-25T15:30:00.002Z

"Jose combines egg whites, yolk, chorizo and garlic to make this dish from Madrid."

Values and principles

2012-01-24T15:36:00.001Z

Why are we here?
What’s our motivation?

2012-01-24T15:32:00.000Z

What would happen if you were not afraid of making mistakes in class?

If you really felt that failing is part of the learning process?

International Day of Peace

2011-09-21T09:54:00.002+01:00

International Day of Peace

2011-09-20T08:46:00.002+01:00

International Day of Peace

2011-09-18T10:17:00.003+01:00

Verb phrases with be

2011-05-03T14:06:00.000+01:00

Remember what be about to, be against, be all for, be in/out, be into, be on/off, be over, be up to (sth), mean...

8 Chasing cars

2011-04-27T15:46:00.003+01:00

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-13T15:51:00.001Z

NEF A2: 8 Giving your opinion

2011-02-18T09:44:00.000Z

THE WEEKEND

The Good Side

For me the best thing about the weekend is that I wake up later than on weekdays. I like sleeping very much. I think that I have a short ‘clock’ gene. When I was a child, my father used to say that I was like a silkworm because I slept very much. Another good and important thing is that I can do more things, I like going for a quiet walk by El Retiro, relaxing after a busy week, listening to music and reading a good book or seeing a good film.

The Bad Side

However, there are some things I don’t like. For example I have to go shopping and the shops and supermarket are crowded. Also I have to do the housework that I couldn’t do during the week.

But, in general, I love the weekend except Sunday evenings because I know that the weekend is about to finish.

NEF A2: 9B Then he kissed me

2011-02-02T10:24:00.003Z

NEF A2: 7 Describing a building

2011-01-31T16:21:00.003Z

SANTIAGO CATHEDRAL

The most beautiful building in my town is the Cathedral of Apostle Santiago. It's in the center of Santiago de Compostela, in the middle of the old town.

The construction of the present Cathedral began in 1075 during the reign of Alfonso VI and it was sopported by Bishop Diego Gelmírez. It ended on April 3, 1211 under the supervision of Archbishop Pedro Muniz and King Alfonso IX. But, after that, more discoveries were made under the Cathedral.

It has four facades overlooking a square, one in each cardinal point. The main facade is the Obradoiro Square (West), the Platerías Square (South), the Quintana Square (East) and the Azabachería Square (North). Outside, you can also see the fabulous Glory Portico, the tympanum, the mullion, the jamb, the side doors, the bell tower, the north tower or the tower of "Carraca" and the clock tower of the Trinity or "Berenguela".

Inside you can see and visit the choirs (one of stone and the other one of wood), the high altar, the one thousand pillars, the great organ, the burial crypt and a lot of chapels: Pilar's, Mondragón's, Azucena's or St. Pedro's, Salvador's, Nuestra Señora la Blanca's, St. Juan's, St. Bartolomé's, Concepción's, Espíritu Santo's, Corticela's, Comunión's, Cristo de Burgos' and Reliquias'; the Cathedral Treasure, the cloister and archive, the wall-hangings and the famous Botafumeiro, which weights 62 kilos empty and measures 160 centimeters and when it is in motion it reaches 68 Kph; the beautiful windows and the eye of God which is in the middle of the roof.

One of the best things you can do in Santiago is to go up to the roof of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The view is wonderful, you can see all the old town. You need to pass first through the wall-hangings museum to climb up the steps to the top.

The entrance to the Cathedral is free but if you want to see more things you have to pay and you have to dress propriately because it is a place of pilgrimage.
A.
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THE MOSQUE-CATHEDRAL OF CORDOBA

The most beautiful building of Córdoba is The Mosque-Cathedral. It’s today a World Heritage Site.

Construction began in 786 on the place occupied by the Visigothic basilica of St. Vincent Martyr. The Mosque was expanded during the Caliphate of Córdoba. With 23,400 square meters, it was the second largest mosque in the world in area, behind the Mosque of Mecca. One of its main features is that, unlike most mosques, when it was built, the qibla wall wasn’t facing the Mecca, but points to the South, according to the wishes of Abd al-Rahman I (it was oriented to the Guadalquivir River because of the love he had for his native Damascus).

We enter the Cathedral by the Puerta del Perdón, where we can see the rows of orange trees and palms. The Mosque stands surrounded by fountains and horseshoe arches. Inside we found a forest of 1,300 columns of marble, jasper and granite on which 365 two-coloured horseshoes arches are supported. The mihrab, a holy place, is a masterpiece of marble, stucco and brightly coloured Byzantine mosaics on gold, bronze, copper and silver.

In 1236 when the city was captured by King Ferdinand III of Castile, the Mosque was turned into a Christian church. In the fourteenth century it was rebuilt and the minaret was converted into the bell tower of the Cathedral. It was adorned with bells taken from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and it was designed by Hernán Ruiz on the remains of the minaret built by Abd al-Rahman III. It is crowned by a statue of St. Rafael.

This monument can be visited from Monday to Saturday, from 8:30 to 18:00 and Sunday form 8:30 to 10:00 and 14:00 to 18:00. The admission is 8€ for adults and 4€ for children and it is free every day from 8:30 to 10:00 except Sunday and religious holidays.

NEF A2: 8C I say a little prayer

2011-01-28T10:53:00.000Z

NEF A2: 6 A letter to a friend

2011-01-27T16:28:00.001Z

From: Susana
To: Daniel
Subject: Visit to Spain
Date: January 26 2011

Hi Daniel!

Thank you for your last e-mail. I’m very happy for your news. I’m looking forward to seeing you.

I’ll try to answer to all your questions. I think that the best month to come is May or June, because the weather isn’t very hot yet. If I were you, I would visit Barcelona, Valencia, Córdoba, Málaga, Sevilla, and Granada. If you take the train AVE from Madrid, you’ll get very quickly to all these cities. I would recommend more places but you only have three weeks.

When you arrive in Madrid I’ll take you to the most beautiful and interesting places in the city: the Royal Palace, the Prado Museum, the Retiro gardens, the Sun Gate, the Mayor Square and the part of the city called “Madrid de los Austrias”. This is a part of Madrid that I like very much.

In Madrid there are many hotels. Depending on the money that you want to spend I’ll recommend the best hotel to you.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes

Susana

NEF A2: 5 A formal e-mail

2011-01-25T15:33:00.004Z

From: S C

To: Thai Cookery Courses In Chiang Mai

Subject: Information about courses

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to ask for information about your Thai Cookery Courses. I am especially interested in an intensive course in August. I am 45 and I am unemployed at this moment. I cook quite well but I do not know Thai cookery and I want to learn it.

Could you please send me information about dates and prices of the course? I would also like some information about accommodation. I would like to stay with my husband. Would it be possible?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

S C

NEF A2: 7B Born to direct

2011-01-24T10:43:00.000Z

NEF A2: 6B Wouldn't be nice

2011-01-19T13:18:00.002Z

Jennifer ESL: Conditionals

2011-01-18T16:52:00.002Z

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NEF A2: 4 Describing where you live

2011-01-17T17:28:00.004Z

"The place where I live"

I live in Santiago de Compostela, which is a city in the north west of Spain. It has a population of 350,000 people and it's the second biggest city in A Coruña.

It's a beautiful city and it's great to walk around the old town. It's full of monuments, churches, museums, squares, fountains, small shops, bars and restaurants. There is a street called "Rúa do Villar" but it is known as the Hippie Street because the hippies sold things there before and now there are a lot of peddlers.

There weather here is very changeable, it's very different from others cities of Galicia. Autumn and winter are really wet, it rains a lot and it's cold. In spring it rains less but it's usually cloudy. And in summer, if you have good luck, you can enjoy two sunny months.

Santiago is famous for the Cathedral, the way of Santiago, the wine, the food and the popular festivals. Besides the Cathedral, one of the biggest tourist attractions is the famous "Paris-Dakar", (two bars which are on the "Rúa del Franco" (the Wine Street)), and you make the wine route starting in "Paris" and finishing in "Dakar". If you can do it probably you will have a big problem because you will get incredibly drunk. Santiago's Day is on 25th July, there are a lot of people in the streets, fireworks, attractions and everybody spends more money eating, drinking and playing in the fair.

But I think the worst and the best of the city are the tourists. The worst because it is a small town and it is very stressful to walk in the streets and the best because they employ many people. I like living here but not with so many people.

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"I WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN CÓRDOBA"

Córdoba is a city of Andalusia, near the Guadalquivir River and nestles at the foot of Sierra Morena. Its story is very old. It was founded by the Romans. In the tenth and eleventh centuries Córdoba became the most important city in the world for its culture, its politics and economy. In this time Arabs, Jews and Christians lived in pace and harmony there. We can feel all this things in the atmosphere of the city.

It’s a beautiful city, and it’s great for walking around. In the old town we find narrow streets, yards full of flowers, squares with statues of the most important persons of Córdoba (Séneca, Maimónides, Averroes, Luís de Góngora, and many more), churches, museums, and its most famous building: The Mosque-Cathedral.

There are many outdoor bars and restaurants where the people go to eat, drink and sit in the sun. The food is wonderful. The typical food is “rabo de toro estofado” and “salmorejo”. All the people go “de tapas” (small plates of food) before lunch or dinner.

The winters are mild and the summers are very hot. The best season is spring because the temperature is mild and the whole town smells like flowers, especially orange. During this time there are many festivals: Easter, The May Crosses, The Patios, and Córdoba Fair at the end of May, which is similar to the better known Seville Fair with some differences; mainly that the Seville one is private, while the Cordoba one is not.

The people of Córdoba are very friendly. We all know each other because the city is small. Its atmosphere is calm and everything invites to tranquillity.

Jennifer ESL: Snowy weather

2011-01-17T17:23:00.002Z

NEF A2: 5D The name of the game

2011-01-17T17:12:00.001Z

Your most exciting sporting moments...

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NEF A2: 5B The sound of music

2011-01-17T17:04:00.000Z

NEF A2: 3 An informal letter

2011-01-11T17:13:00.002Z

Maldonado, 53

28001 Madrid (Spain)

8th January 2011

Dear Mrs Sander,
Thank you for your letter. I’m very happy because I’m going to stay with you next summer, and I sure I’ll spend many wonderful days there.
I’m arriving at Gatwick airport at six o'clock on July 11. I have a mobile phone and the number is 600459680. I’ll call you when I’m on the train.
I’m not a special person. I can eat or drink anything and yes, I smoke (I hope you don’t mind but if you mind I won’t smoke in the house). I prefer a single room. When the course is finished, I’m going to go back to Spain immediately because I have to return to work.
I’m looking forward to see you.
Best wishes

S C

Jennifer ESL: 4C Comparatives

2011-01-10T15:30:00.000Z

Jennifer ESL: New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-23T15:53:00.001Z

MERRY XMAS!!!

2010-12-22T16:39:00.000Z

NEF A2: 4A True Blue

2010-12-22T12:28:00.000Z

NEF A2: 2 The story behind a photo

2010-12-21T16:28:00.006Z

One of my favourite photos is of the entrance to the Temple of Ramses II in Abu-Simbel.
My husband took the photo in autumn of 2005, exactly on October 1, when we were on holiday in Egypt.
We flew to El Cairo. There we went sightseeing the Giza Necropolis, Memphis, Saqqara Necropolis, the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, and so on. After two days, we went by train to Luxor, the ancient Thebes, where we took a cruiser ship and we sailed for the Nile.
When we arrived at Aswan, we took a bus to Abu Simbel. I had waited for this moment all my life. The weather was very hot although the sun was rising, but we didn’t mind because the sight was amazing. I felt very small next to such grandeur.
I’ll never forget that moment. I’ll go back, I’m sure.

NEF A2: 3C White Flag

2010-12-20T10:31:00.002Z

NEF A2: 2C Imagine

2010-12-14T11:08:00.000Z

NEF A2: 1C Ain't got no...I got life

2010-11-30T19:58:00.001Z

More than Words

2010-11-24T09:12:00.002Z

NEF A1: 5 A holiday report

2010-11-23T08:48:00.003Z

I went to Colombia last August with my family. We flew to Colombia with Iberia.
We stayed for twenty days in my parents' house.
During the day we walked around the city. We visited many beautiful sites. We loved going to the Monserrate. We took a lot of photos. At night we often took pies for dinner and we went to bed early. We bought a lot of clothes because they are very cheap.
We had a great time and the weather was good. We had good luck because it often rains in Colombia in August and it is usually windy; it is the kite month. I don´t remember having any problems.

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I went to Salamanca last spring with my husband to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We went by car.
We stayed for a weekend in a small hotel near the university. The hotel was nice and quite cheap.
During the day we walked around the city and visited the University of Salamanca, museums, a castle and the Plaza Mayor.
We took a lot of photos. At night we went to a restaurant and had "cochinillo". We also tasted the sweets in Salamanca. We bought the traditional "frog" and "skull" from Salamanca. I bought a keychain with the frog from Salamanca for my son too.
We had a great time. Salamanca is full of history and full of Spanish and foreign students. We only had one problem: the hotel room didn't have a big bed ... but two twin beds!

NEF A1: 5C Dancing Queen

2010-11-17T08:14:00.001Z

NEF A1: 4C Five classic love stories

2010-11-10T16:57:00.003Z

Pride can stand a thousand trials
The strong will never fall
But watching stars without you
My soul cries

Heaving heart is full of pain
Oooh, oooh, the aching
'Cause I'm kissing you, oooh
I'm kissing you, oooh

Touch me deep, pure and true
Give to me forever
'Cause I'm kissing you, oooh
I'm kissing you, oooh

Where are you now
Where are you now
'Cause I'm kissing you
I'm kissing you, oooh

NEF A1: 3 My favourite day

2010-11-08T09:02:00.005Z

My favourite day of the week is Sunday, because it is when we are all at home.
I usually stay in bed until 9:30. Then I have breakfast and watch TV. After breakfast I often take the dog for a walk. I like to be with my dog very much.
In my house we normally make a big lunch. After lunch we watch TV, we go to the cinema or visit beautiful places. We love nature.
In the evening we often speak to my family in Romania by phone or the Internet. We never go to bed before 12:30.

NEF A1: 2 An informal e-mail / letter

2010-11-02T08:31:00.002Z

Hi Oscar

My name's Yimi. I'm from Spain, and I live in Arganda del Rey (Madrid). I'm a lorry driver, but now I'm unemployed. I study English in my free time.

I speak Spanish and a little bit of English. I want to learn English for my children and because I like it.

I have a big family. I have a wife and children, also I have two sisters and a brother. My wife is unemployed and my children go to school. My sisters and my brother are at work. My father is retired and my mother is a dustwoman. My wife is 30, my daughter is 5 and my son is 2. My brother is 35, and my sisters are 30 and 29. I'm 34.

I like music, cinema and sport. I like going to my parents' house and watching films on TV with my family every Monday.
Please write soon.
Best wishes
Yimi

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Hi Laura,

My name's Adriana. I'm from Romania, but I live in Spain. I'm unemployed and I study English four days a week.
I speak Romanian, Spanish and little English. I want to learn English because I love it very much and I think it's an interesting language.
I have one sister. Her name's Corina. I have two nephews. My father is very ill. He's 68. They live in Romania. I'm married. My husband's name's Sorin. I have a son. His name's Deian. He's 18. He is a student of Environmental Science. I also have a dog. Its name's Cora. We love it very much.
Please write soon.
Best wishes,
Adriana

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-27T10:49:00.006+01:00

Halloween was originally called Samhain and marked the end of the harvest season for Celtic farmers.
Watch video:
Haunted History of Halloween — History.com Video

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A traditional song: Five Little Pumpkins

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Friends: Halloween moments

NEF A1: 3A Pretty Woman

2010-10-26T09:51:00.002+01:00

Values: Where the hell is Matt?

2010-10-25T09:44:00.000+01:00

NEF A1: 2B Something Stupid

2010-10-21T12:27:00.002+01:00

NEF A1: 1D Eternal Flame

2010-10-19T09:04:00.002+01:00

English with Jennifer: Verb Be in the present tense

2010-10-15T09:54:00.003+01:00

Rudyard Kipling's Poem ''If'' Read By Federer & Nadal

2010-05-18T17:30:00.003+01:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

Music from the USA: Eva Cassidy

2010-03-30T16:55:00.004+01:00

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Among the fields of barley

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky

When we walk in fields of gold

So she took her love

For to gaze awhile

Among the fields of barley

In his arms she fell as her hair came down

Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love

Among the fields of barley

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky

When we walk in fields of gold

I never made promises lightly

And there have been some that I've broken

But I swear in the days still left

We'll walk in fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run as the sun goes down

As you lie in fields of gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Among the fields of barley

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky

When we walked in fields of gold

Reading books: Paul Auster

2010-02-04T11:33:00.008Z

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away...

Emily Dickinson

Paul Auster is an American novelist and poet known for writing stories whose protagonists often try to find meaning in their lives. Solitude, coincidence, metafiction, intertextuality are subjects normally common to his works.

Burns Night

2010-01-10T09:42:00.003Z

Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759 in the village of Alloway, two miles south of Ayr. His parents, Willian Burnes[s] and Agnes Broun, were tenant farmers but they ensured their son received a relatively good education and he began to read avidly. The works of Alexander Pope, Henry Mackenzie and Laurence Sterne fired Burns's poetic impulse and relationships with the opposite sex provided his inspiration. Handsome Nell, for Nellie Kilpatrick, was his first song.

Hard physical labour on the family farm took its toll on the young Burns, who increasingly turned his attentions towards the passions of poetry, nature, drink and women which would characterise the rest of his life. He fathered twins with eventual wife Jean Armour, but a rift in their relationship nearly led to Burns emigrating to the West Indies with lover Mary Campbell (his Highland Mary). Mary's sudden death and the sensational success of his first published collection of verse kept him in Scotland. At just 27, Burns had already become famous across the country with poems such as To a Louse, To a Mouse and The Cotter's Saturday Night.

Burns Night

The Burns Supper is an institution of Scottish life: a night to celebrate the life and works of the national Bard on 25 January. Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge, formal dinner full of pomp and circumstance. This running order covers all the key elements you need to plan and structure a Burns Supper that suits your intentions.

Piping in the guests

A big-time Burns Night calls for a piper to welcome guests. If you don't want all that baggage, some traditional music will do nicely. For more formal events, the audience should stand to welcome arriving guests: the piper plays until the high table is ready to be seated, at which point a round of applause is due. At a more egalitarian gathering - with no high table - the chair can simply bang on the table to draw attention to the start of the evening's proceedings.

Source & more info

MERRY XMAS!!!

2009-12-15T10:36:00.000Z

English with Jennifer: Phrasal verbs

2009-11-24T10:38:00.002Z

INTRODUCTION

STRUCTURE

English with Jennifer: Conditionals

2009-11-24T10:34:00.003Z

UNREAL CONDITIONALS (2nd conditional)

English with Jennifer: REPORTED SPEECH

2009-11-17T09:06:00.003Z

REPORTING YES-NO QUESTIONS

REPORTING WH- QUESTIONS

IMPERATIVES / REPORTING VERBS

ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN

2009-10-16T11:40:00.003+01:00

Many of the ancient peoples of Europe marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter by celebrating a holiday in late autumn. The most important of these holidays to influence later Halloween customs was Samhain, a holiday observed by the ancient Celts. Among the Celts, Samhain marked the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It was one of four Celtic holidays linked to important transitions in the annual cycle of seasons.

Samhain began at sundown on October 31 and extended into the following day. According to the Celtic pagan religion, known as Druidism, the spirits of those who had died in the preceding year roamed the earth on Samhain evening. The Celts sought to ward off these spirits with offerings of food and drink. The Celts also built bonfires at sacred hilltop sites and performed rituals, often involving human and animal sacrifices, to honor Druid deities.

By the end of the 1st century AD, the Roman Empire had conquered most of the Celtic lands. In the process of incorporating the Celts into their empire, the Romans adapted and absorbed some Celtic traditions as part of their own pagan and Catholic religious observances. In Britain, Romans blended local Samhain customs with their own pagan harvest festival honoring Pomona, goddess of fruit trees. Some scholars have suggested that the game of bobbing for apples derives from this Roman association of the holiday with fruit.

Pure Celtic influences lingered longer on the western fringes of Europe, especially in areas that were never brought firmly under Roman control, such as Ireland, Scotland, and the Bretagne region of northwestern France. In these areas, Samhain was abandoned only when the local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts. For example, Pope Gregory IV sought to replace Samhain with All Saints' Day in 835. All Souls' Day, closer in spirit to Samhain and modern Halloween, was first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe. Folk observances linked to these Christian holidays, including Halloween, thus preserved many of the ancient Celtic customs associated with Samhain.

Halloween traditions thought to be incompatible with Christianity often became linked with Christian folk beliefs about evil spirits. Although such superstitions varied a great deal from place to place, many of the supernatural beings now associated with Halloween became fixed in the popular imagination during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In British folklore, small magical beings known as fairies became associated with Halloween mischief. The jack-o'-lantern, originally carved from a large turnip rather than a pumpkin, originated in medieval Scotland. Various methods of predicting the future, especially concerning matters of romance and marriage, were also prominent features of Halloween throughout the British Isles.

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Europe was seized by a hysterical fear of witches, leading to the persecution of thousands of innocent women. Witches were thought to ride flying brooms and to assume the form of black cats. These images of witches soon joined other European superstitions as symbols of Halloween.

English with Jennifer

2009-09-10T17:11:00.000+01:00

Music from Wales: Adiemus

2009-08-05T12:24:00.003+01:00

Getting ready to go on holiday!!!

More resources to improve our English

2009-07-08T17:19:00.001+01:00

They hold 14 million books, 920,000 journal and newspaper titles, 58 million patents, 3 million sound recordings, and so much more.

clipped from www.bl.uk

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1st July: Canada Day

2009-06-10T16:35:00.006+01:00

To be Canadian, by Leah Kimura

When I travel or have visitors stay with me in Vancouver, they always ask me about Canada. Physically, Canada is easy to describe. Canada is the second largest country in the world but our population is just over 32 million- similar to the population of California or Mexico City. Canada boasts beautiful mountains, dry deserts, rugged taiga, lush temperate rainforests, gorgeous lakes and endless grasslands. We also have the longest coastline in the world at 202,000 kilometres.

Politically, the country is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories. The most populated province is Ontario followed by Quebec. Canada follows a parliamentary system adopted from England. We have a Prime Minister not a President. We are part of the British Commonwealth like Australia and India etc.

Culturally, Canada is difficult to describe because it is a mosaic of cultures. Typically, people see Canada as French and English. French and English are our two official languages but if you visit Canada you will experience many other cultures. In our last census, Canadians represented more than 200 ethnic backgrounds and more than 20% of those surveyed weren’t even born in Canada! Since 1901, Canada has invited over 13 million immigrants into the country. For the first 60 years, most of the immigrants came from Europe but today most of them come from Asia. After English and French, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, and other Chinese languages) is the next most commonly spoken language, followed by Italian, German and Punjabi. These cultures help make Canada an interesting place to live in. I can listen to Spanish, Mandarin or French on the radio. I can shop at Japanese, Indian or Chinese markets. Unlike so many other countries, Canadians don’t really share a common culture but despite our differences, most of us share a belief in equality and diversity, and respect for all individuals in society.

People who have never been to Canada often think that it’s cold all year round. While it is true it can get cold, VERY cold in the winter, the weather varies from province to province. Most of the country has four distinct seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall). Canadians talk about the weather a lot and like to tease each other about having better weather than other provinces.

Historically, Canada’s economy has been resource-based including forestry, fishing, agriculture, mining and energy. These industries have played an important part in the country’s history and development. Recently, our economy has shifted focus to the service sector. This sector provides thousands of different jobs in areas like transportation, construction, banking, communications, retail services and education. More than 70 % of working Canadians now have jobs in service industries. In Canada we also have a small manufacturing industry. Manufactured products include paper, technological equipment, automobiles, food, and clothing. Our largest international trading partner is the United States and so our economy is very dependent on theirs. We share the world's largest and most comprehensive trading relationship with the USA.

Here are some interesting facts about Canada:

1) Lacrosse is our national sport but mostly we prefer to watch hockey.
2) We call our dollar the “Loonie” because of the picture of a loon on the back.
3) We live in cities. Almost 80% of Canadians live in urban centres most of which are located along the US border.
4) We say ‘eh’ a lot and pronounce ‘z’ as zed no zee!
5) Basketball, zippers, insulin and the telephone were invented by Canadians.
6) Canada is hosting the next winter Olympics in 2010. A Canadian has never won a gold medal on Canadian soil.
7) Canada's capital, Ottawa, has the coldest average temperature of any capital city in the world.
8) Canada has six time zones. British Columbia is 4.5 hours behind Newfoundland.
9) All Canadians have free access to health care.
10) Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, Nelly Furtado, Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, and Sarah McLachlan are Canadian.

Reading books: David Lodge

2009-05-29T18:17:00.002+01:00

Lodge's suburban upbringing in a traditional Catholic family in the austere conditions of postwar England is reflected in his early fiction. His first novel, The Picturegoers (1960), is a portrait of a Catholic family living in South London, and their daughter who has attracted the attentions of their undergraduate lodger. Ginger, You're Barmy (1962), his second novel, drew on his own experience of national service, while The British Museum is Falling Down (1965), a comic novel, is the story of a poor Catholic graduate working on his thesis in the Reading Room of the British Museum. Worried that his wife may be pregnant, he becomes involved in a series of adventures and meetings that parallel or parody episodes in the modern novels he is studying. Out of the Shelter (1970) begins with a child's experience of the Blitz and his rescue from an air-raid shelter, a formative experience which is developed as a metaphor throughout the book as the young boy matures into an adult.

Changing Places (1975), was Lodge's first book in a trilogy of campus novels. Inspired by his experience teaching in California, the novel centres on two academics: Englishman Phillip Swallow from the University of Rummidge in the West Midlands, and Morris Zapp, an American from the State University of Euphoria (California), and their participation in an exchange programme that sees them swap politics, lifestyles and wives. Small World (1984), the second book in the trilogy, develops Zapp and Swallow's story, while Nice Work (1988) completes the trilogy with the story of industrialist Vic Wilcox and his unlikely relationship with marxist, feminist and post-structuralist academic Dr Robyn Penrose. Small World and Nice Work were both shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction.

How Far Can You Go? (1980) and Paradise News (1991) both deal with the doctrinal changes and moral uncertainty which beset members of the Catholic church in the post-war period generally and the 1960s in particular. Therapy (1995) continues similar themes through the story of a successful sitcom writer plagued by middle-age neuroses and a failed marriage.

Ralph Messenger, the central character of Lodge's most recent novel, Thinks ... (2001), is Director of the prestigious Holt Belling Centre for Cognitive Science at the fictional University of Gloucester. A notorious womaniser, he is forced to reappraise his lifestyle when he becomes involved with Helen Reed, a novelist who has come to work at the university.

David Lodge is a successful playwright and screenwriter, and has adapted both his own work and other writers' novels for television. Small World was adapted as a television serial, produced by Granada TV in 1988, and Lodge adapted Nice Work as a four-part TV serial for the BBC, broadcast in 1989. It won the Royal Television Society Award (Best Drama Serial) and the author was awarded a Silver Nymph for his screenplay at the International Television Festival in Monte Carlo in 1990. He wrote and presented a documentary about the academic conference circuit, Big Words - Small Worlds, which was broadcast on Channel 4 in November 1987, and a film about the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, broadcast by the BBC in 1993. He also adapted Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit as a six-part television serial, first screened in 1994.

His first stage play, The Writing Game, was produced at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in May 1990, and subsequently in Manchester and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lodge adapted it for Channel 4 television in 1996. His most recent play, Home Truths, was performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1998. The author subsequently re-wrote the play as a novella, published in 1999. Consciousness and the Novel (2002), explores the representation of human consciousness in fiction, and includes essays on Charles Dickens, Henry James and John Updike. His novel, Author, Author: A Novel (2004), opens in December 1915 with the dying Henry James, and journeys back to the 1880s to explore James's 'middle years'.

David Lodge lives in Birmingham. His latest novel is Deaf Sentence (2008), based on his own experience of deafness.

Music from Scotland: Alasdair Fraser

2009-05-18T16:22:00.007+01:00

When passion plays a fiddle

English with Jennifer

2009-04-30T17:34:00.000+01:00

St. George's Day

2009-04-17T17:01:00.004+01:00

clipped from http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?theme=mag&docid=145575

On 23rd April, England celebrates the day of its patron saint, St. George. But, St. George isn't just the patron saint of England. In this WebQuest you will discover the answers to these questions: Who was St. George? What is he the patron saint of? Where is his day celebrated? Did he really kill a dragon?

Activity 1: Who was Saint George?

Choose one of the topics below and prepare a report. The questions will help you prepare your report. You can use these two sites for information:

www.history.uk.com/articles/index.php?archive=20

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/stgeorge2.html

1. A biography of St. George

a) Who was St George?
b) Where was he born?
c) What was his occupation?
d) What kind of person was he?
e) What was the official religion of the Roman Empire?
f) What did the Roman Emperor do that made St. George angry?
g) What was St. George's reaction?
h) What did the Roman Emperor do to St. George?

Reading books: Khaled Hosseini

2009-04-01T12:39:00.003+01:00

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Hosseini was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004.

While in medical practice, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner, in March of 2001. In 2003, The Kite Runner, was published and has since become an international bestseller, published in 48 countries. In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in May of 2007. Currently, A Thousand Splendid Suns is published in 25 countries. He lives in northern California.

Music from England: PJ Harvey

2009-03-29T12:15:00.002+01:00

Earth hour

2009-03-25T10:56:00.004Z

clipped from http://www.earthhour.org/home/

2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries have already committed to VOTE EARTH for Earth Hour 2009, as part of the worlds first global election between Earth and global warming.

Reading the news

2009-03-24T09:43:00.003Z

clipped from http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/03/090323_witn_water.shtml

Peru water shortages

Summary

23 March 2009
World Water Day was observed internationally yesterday - not least in
Latin America, and especially in Peru where almost 8 million people
live without access to running water.
Reporter:
Dan Collyns in Lima

Read more

Music from Scotland: Capercaillie

2009-03-19T09:57:00.003Z

Their seductively contemporary sound and production, their mastery of traditional instruments (along with a willingness to look beyond them) and the voice of Karen Matheson have helped Capercaillie re-model the Celtic landscape...

Saint Patrick's Day, March 17

2009-03-12T09:41:00.003Z

Learn a few expressions...

Watch out! Some people get goosebumps... This is the amazing Riverdance performing as the Interval Act at Eurovision 1994, most people agree that Irish music was reborn to the whole world that day.

Grammar movies

2009-03-09T11:01:00.003Z

clipped from www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Grammar movies

There are over forty Grammar Movies covering lots of important grammar topics on our Learn English Professionals website http://www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-grammar-movies.htm
The movies could be used in class to present different areas of grammar or the exercises used by learners for self-study.

Watch a movie now

Music from Canada: Loreena McKennitt

2009-02-24T16:38:00.003Z

Reclaim noble values such as truth, honesty, honour, courage.

Tradition: pancakes

2009-02-17T11:07:00.004Z

In the UK, there is a much-loved tradition of making and eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, which falls between February 2 and March 9 each year, depending on the date for Easter. In 2009, Shrove Tuesday falls on 24 February. Shrove Tuesday ('shrove' stems from old English word 'shrive', meaning 'confess all sins') is the day before Lent.

According to Christian beliefs, Lent commemorates Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, and observant Christians mark this period by fasting. So Shrove Tuesday was cleverly invented to use up the ingredients that were given up for Lent - milk, butter and, particularly, eggs - which may not be eaten again until Easter.

Learn more at...

Music from England: Kate Rusby

2009-02-16T09:49:00.005Z

Kate Rusby was born on December 4, 1973 in Sheffield. She is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. She has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times. In 2001 The Guardian described her as "a superstar of the British acoustic scene." In 2007 the BBC website described her as "The first lady of young folkies". She is one of the few folk singers to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Her official website at http://www.katerusby.com/

St Valentine's Day

2009-02-10T09:46:00.004Z

Romantic festival of St Valentine's Day is celebrated with enthusiasm and fond regard in several countries around the world. Most commonly observed Valentine's Day tradition and custom is expressing one's love with an exchange of cards, flowers and gifts. Pampering one's beloved and making a romantic proposal to one's sweetheart is the other popular tradition of the festival that celebrates love.

In the beginning, Valentine's Day was associated with romantic couples only but in recent times the festival is seen in much larger perspective. Now, people take opportunity of the day to wish ‘Happy Valentine's Day' to anyone they love be it father, mother, teachers, siblings, friends, co-workers or just anyone special to them. The idea behind this tradition is to celebrate love, get love and give love to everyone around us.

More info at http://www.stvalentinesday.org/traditions-and-customs.html

Music from Scotland: Amy MacDonald

2009-02-05T08:57:00.004Z

Amy Macdonald was born on 25 August 1987 in Bishopbriggs, Scotland and she is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She is a self-taught musician and started to play her father's guitar after being inspired by Travis at the T in the Park Festival in 2000, where she heard Travis' song "Turn" and wanted to play it herself. Macdonald started her trade at various pubs and coffee houses in and around Glasgow at the age of 15.

Music from the USA: The Killers

2009-02-02T09:58:00.004Z

The Killers are an American synth rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2002, the group consists of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (percussion, drums). Part of the post-punk revival movement, The Killers draw influence from music styles of the 1980s and 1990s.

Music from Canada: Arcade Fire

2009-01-30T09:35:00.008Z

Arcade Fire is an indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and fronted by the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. The band is known for their live performances and their use of a large number of musical instruments; in addition to the guitar, drums, and bass guitar, the band's members also play instruments such as the piano, violin, viola, accordion, glockenspiel, upright bass, trumpet, and French horn. When asked about the name of the band, lead vocalist Butler stated that it refers to a fire that supposedly occurred in Exeter Arcade.

Music from Canada: Sarah McLachlan

2009-01-27T16:57:00.006Z

Sarah McLachlan was born on January 28, 1968, and adopted in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a child, she took voice lessons, along with studies in classical piano and guitar. When she was 17 years old, and still a student at Queen Elizabeth High School, she fronted a short-lived rock band called The October Game.

Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-31T09:04:00.001Z

Merry Xmas to you!!!

2008-12-22T10:52:00.001Z

9B: And then he kissed me

2008-11-30T09:21:00.001Z