From hearing to listening

(Workshop Meetings Jan 19th & 20th. Glossary) Let's start by reading this poem called 'Please, listen'.
Although some people actually think that hearing and listening are two words to define just one and the same concept, the truth is that there is a long stretch to go from hearing to listening, a distance that we should all start covering at some time in our life if we really want to improve our relationship with the people around us. For a brief definition of both terms click here.

I found this slideshow with plenty of information about listening. Funny, did you notice that in both places they use exactly the same definitions for hearing and listening? I wonder who copied who? 

Have you ever thought that you might be just hearing instead of listening most of the time? How good is your listening?
If you want to go deeply in the subject: The humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers put a lot of emphasis on active and -later in his life- receptive listening as a powerful strategy to use in therapy. Here is the text of a conference he gave on communication in 1964. 
Eugene Glendin, who developed the therapeutic process called 'Focusing', maintained that there are only two reasons to interrupt the person who speaks: to express that you are understanding what he/she is saying or to ask for a clarification of something that you did not understand.

...Where the two shall be as one

For our next meeting, Mon Nov 17th, we are going to focus on Marriages. "To get or not to get... married, that is the question". Most young people are a bit reluctant to get married nowadays  Is it simply that they cannot afford all the expenses a "typical wedding" conveys, or is it something else; perhaps they are afraid of commitment? Let's not forget that not so long ago marriage used to be 'till death do us part', which by the way is the title of a very sentimental song by Madonna from her album Like A Prayer.
Child marriage is a very serious problem in many countries. Visit Save The Children for further information. Is there an ideal age to marry?

As usual, let's have a look at some quotations on marriage and see if you identify yourself with any of them. 

I guess we couldn't end this post without mentioning what Kalhil Gibran wrote "On Marriage" in his well-known book 'The Prophet'

And finally let me present you with a beautiful song by Peter, Paul and Mary called "The wedding song (There is love)" which I always loved and would like to share with you today. 

Blogs. How much do we know about them?

Next Monday, Nov 10th, we want to talk about Blogs and share our experience with them and how fond we are of blogs. Check vocabulary and useful questions here.
We have also uploaded a reading text describing why some people started writing their own blogs. 

Blogging has become a very popular activity over the last few years and we believe it is having a dramatic influence on journalism and on what and how people read nowadays. 
As usual, if you wish to read a bit more before the meeting, here are some links:

• Visit the wikipedia for a definition of blog. 
• Want to have a go at creating your own blog? Visit Blogger, a free weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos and video.
• Here's a short YouTube video explaining how to start a blog using Blogger.
• If you are not yet convinced of starting your own blog, here are 15 reasons why you should do it. 
• Technicals aspects are usually a drawback. Here are some FAQ related to creating a blog or website. 

And one more week we shall be looking forward to seeing you on next Monday's meeting!! Bye. 

Friendship

For our Nov 3rd Workshop meeting we are going to talk about Friendship. One of my favourite quotes about friendship is this: "Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for our families." What do you think about it? If you wish to read more quotes about friendship here you have a good selection. Have a look at them and see if you have a favourite one or maybe you have a definition of your own for friendship.

See if you can answer some of the questions in this quiz about friends. We'll talk about them in our Monday meeting. Good night.

The Beatles sang a song called "I get by with a little help from my friends." Click here to hear the song with the lyrics.

Come on, don't be shy and post a comment sharing with us how important friends are for you.

PS Oh dear, How could I possibly forget "You've got a friend" by James Taylor?Don't miss it! If any problem with the lyrics, try here.

The happiest day of my life

Next Monday, Oct 27th, we are going to talk about happiness and we are going to share the happiest moments in our lives. Check vocabulary and useful questions here.
Do you think most people around you would consider themselves happy people?

Happiness is probably one of the most frequent words in our vocabulary and I'm sure if you asked people what they understand by happiness, they'd come up with very different answers? What makes a person happy?
If you wish to read a bit more before the meeting, here are some links:

• Read what a young girl wrote to describe the happiest day of her life. A man wrote something quite different. 
• "I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life. Oh, just to be with you is having the best day of my life", sings Dido in her song "Thank you". Love and happiness walk hand in hand.
• Are we putting the key to our happiness in the hands of too many people? In this blog you'll find little tips that will help you to make your life happier. 
• "Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself" This is my favourite quote on happiness. Do you have a favourite quotation?

And as usual we shall be looking forward to seeing you on next Monday's meeting!! Bye!

Homelessness

On our Workshop session # 3, on Monday Oct 20th we shall be talking about Homelessness. Here you can download an interesting article published by The Guardian and slightly adapted for school purposes. At the end of the article there are some questions if you want to check your level of reading comprehension (keys are included).

We have also posted a glossary and a series of questions that might help you to participate in our Workshop meeting.

And finally, here you have a few links with extra information related to this week's topic for discussion:

• Visit the wikipedia for a definition of 'homelessness'.
• Australian website with plenty of information on homelessness, pictures, statistics... Rebecca's Community is a community group whose staff and volunteers work with people who experience homelessness in Sydney, Australia.
• Go on and read some real stories behind people who are or were in the street.
• This famous song, Suzanne, by Leonard Cohen, has always reminded me of a homeless lady.
• “Another day in paradise” (1989) by Phil Collins. Collins sings the song from a third-person perspective, observing as a man crosses the street to ignore a homeless woman, and he implores listeners not to turn a blind eye to homelessness because, by drawing a religious allusion, "it's just another day for you and me in paradise". Collins also appeals directly to God by singing: "Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do? Oh lord, there must be something you can say!" 

Enjoy yourself and... see you on Monday!! Don't miss out!
By the way, this week we'll have the visit of Ms Mary Whitefrizz, an English lady who regularly collaborates with Café y Calor, a programme run by Cáritas for homeless people in La Línea. She'll be happy to share her experience with us all and answer our questions.

Cycling for food

I just loved the title of this recording: "Cycling for food." Any good guess what it might be about? Let me give you a clue: it's a new Danish scheme which has to do with cycling, food and energy...

Well, if you give in, I'll tell you that it is the title of a 6 minute recording from the BBC. A very interesting initiative although I wonder if I'd be hungry after so much pedaling!! If you need help with the script, you'll find it here. Have fun!

She refused to tell me what Mary had told her...

Reported speech means using our own words to report what another person has told us. Reported speech is so important in English first because we use it all the time and second, because it allows us to choose the most appropriate words in order to be as faithful as possible to the original message.

You can find a few grammar tips and exercises here. For further exercises click here.

Here a couple of tutorial videos to illustrate different aspects of the use of Reported Speech. The first one is focussed on the forms, and the second one deals with the use of "say" and "tell" among other things. I think they can be quite useful.

International Day of the Book

April 23rd was declared as International Day of the Book by UNESCO in 1995. This day marks the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, the two giants of literary history, on April 23, 1616.

This celebration of books, literature and music draws its inspiration from a Catalan tradition, the Festival of the Rose.

I liked what Natalia Crespo wrote on her blog about this day; I think it describes very accurately what we all have felt one time or another while reading a book.

We cannot finish this post without referring to one of the most beautiful Shakespeare's sonnets. Read sonnet 18, Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Or maybe you'd rather listen to it.

Have a Happy Book Day.

PS. I found this video and thought it was very funny and clever. It makes us all look a bit ridiculous with so much "high technology". Sorry I couldn't find it in English.

Gerund or infinitive?

To be or not to be? Or shall we better say "to be or being?" One of the most common difficulties for foreign learners of English is when to choose an infinitive or a gerund; and it is not an easy choice indeed. In these notes I have prepared for you you will find lots of information to help you make a correct choice. However the best way is to practise and listen to your inner voice advising you whether to opt for an infinitive or a gerund. If you want to practise a bit more click here.

On the Internet you can find lots of useful materials illustrating the use of gerund vs infinitive. I found this video quite useful and clear. Have a look at it.

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day is celebrated on April 1st. On This day you play hoaxes or other practical jokes on other people to make them look silly or stupid. It's an old tradition of a dubious origin. In the wikipedia you can find a list of some well known pranks which in the last few years appeared on radio, TV, magazines, papers and the Internet; some of them are really curious and funny.

Here is a video with some easy ideas you can use to tease your friends. Which one is your favourite?

By the way don't forget that this year's Easter holidays will last three weeks instead of one!!

A warning to our students visiting the Guinness Storehouse on your next visit to Dublin: have a look at the transformation I suffered after a few pints of Guinness!!

Getting old

How old is "old"? Is there anything we can do to avoid getting old? What factors does getting old depend on? Why are people so reluctant to accept they're getting old? Which country has the highest life expectancy? This and much more in this 6-minute listening from BBC. If you want to have a look at the script click here.

Once you have finished maybe you want to share with us your attitude towards ageing: which is for you the best and the worst about getting old?

Climbing trees can be a lot of fun

I'm sure we have all climbed a tree some time or other in our childhood. The excitement of being high above the ground, the feeling of the breathtaking view from the top, the risk of the height... But some people have gone much further and have ended up making a hobby, even a sport out of this 'childish activity'. Competitive tree climbing for adults is becoming popular across the world and nowadays there are even tree climbing championships.

The BBC has dedicated a couple of their programmes "6 Minute English" to tree climbing. In session 1 you will learn a lot of new vocabulary about the world of trees. In session 2 you will find out about the tallest and oldest trees in the world and also about what is like to spend the night up on a tree.

Give it a go (I mean to the listening, not the climbing), you'll enjoy yourself very much. (Remember you can download the transcripts if you have any difficulties understanding the recordings).

Spring is here again

Spring is just round the corner... when does spring officially start this year?

One of the annual consequences of the arrival of spring is the changing of time, the so called Summer Daylight Saving. Every year, the last Sunday in March we set our clocks one hour forward, remember: "Spring forward, fall back." So in spring, an hour forward, in autumn or fall we go an hour back. Pay a visit to this pretty website to find more information.

Listen to this podcast explaining the origins of the tradition. Is everybody happy with this decision? What did the Romans use to do way back in the old times? Here you can read the transcript of the recording if you have any doubts.

After listening to the podcast watch this BBC video about the possibility of having BST (British Summer Time) all year round, is it a popular idea?

Why not share with us what spring means to you?

International Women's Day 2010

International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th. Visit the official website for this annual event and read about the programme for this year 2010.

This link will take you to the Message from Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of International Women's Day.

In the video below you will find some impressive facts about the importance of women's role in the world today.

What do you think about this celebration? Post a comment with your opinion. What does WFP stand for? Do you know about their activities?

Special restaurant

Where is the strangest place you've ever eaten a meal?

A new restaurant has opened in Britain. Find out what is so special about it. What's the name of the restaurant? Can anyone visit it? Who are the waiters and chefs working there? Do you think you would like to have dinner at this new restaurant? Leave a comment after listening to this interesting BBC recording.

Practise your English with lyrics

I've just learnt about a new website Lyricstraining.com where you can practise your English using song lyrics. It's interactive and quite amusing. You can choose the level of difficulty too. Have a go at it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Make sure you read the instructions (help) before you use it. Choose your level and go. Click here to try an example.

No, no regrets

To express regret means to feel sorry or repentant about something you have done that you wish you had not done or you shouldn't have done or about something you haven't done that you now feel you should/could have done. I guess we all have things we regret if we look back in our lives, don't we?

We can see examples of regret in a context in this beautiful song by Elvis Presley: "Always on my mind".

Chinese New Year's Day

Apart from St Valentine's day, February 14th 2010 is the first day of the Chinese new year, the year of the Tiger. The Chinese New Year day is always the second new moon after the winter solstice and therefore it changes from one year to another.

According to Chinese tradition, parents give their children clean, fresh banknotes at the start of the new year in order to bring them good luck. What happens when there is shortage of new bank notes or they are difficult to find?... it's time for a new business opportunity... read more here.

For pizza lovers

How much of a pizza lover are you? I just came across this report on Naples pizza. It's good news for pizza lovers. Have a look at it. You can read the report, listen to it and check the vocabulary. Nice and short exercise. Don't miss it!

Leave a comment on the blog about your favourite kind of restaurant when you eat out.