Slow down, you move too fast

(Workshop Meetings Feb 2nd and 3rd). Don't you sometimes have the impression that our life seems to be moving too fast and we are always in a hurry? Our modern way of living assumes that faster is better, but many people don't agree with this idea and that is why they have started a movement called "Slow Down". We've probably heard about "slow eating" and also about "slow cities", but you can find much more about this interesting movement in the following link.

The title of this post has been taken from Simon and Garfunkel's song 59th Street Bridge song (feeling groovy)

...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. 

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!

April come she will

It has always been one of my favourite songs by Simon and Garfunkel. I still quite often find myself humming the tune or singing the words. It's hard to describe what I feel when I hear this song, but it's a feeling I like and I long for. So many emotions described in just a few lines. Art Garfunkel said about this song: "I consider it one of the sweetest poems about time." Here are the lyrics:

April, come she will

When streams are ripe and swell with rain;

May, she will stay,

Resting in my arms again.

June, she'll change her tune,

In restless walks she'll prowl the night;

July, she will fly

And give no warning to her flight.

August, die she must,

The autumn winds blow chilly and cold;

September, I'll remember.

A love once new has now grown old.

Now, close your eyes and enjoy the song:

Saint Patrick's Day

On March 17th Irish people all over the world celebrate St Patrick's Day (Patron Saint of Ireland). Here you can find information about St Patrick's Day 2010.

Our dear friend Ana, from Estepona, has sent us a PPS with plenty of interesting things about this special day. Enjoy it.

And of course a video, this time recommended by our colleague Tim, a true Irishman. Hard to follow? Have a look at the lyrics here. Don't forget to pay a visit to Tim's blog where you'll find the "real Irish thing". (Thanks Tim. Happy St Patrick's Day! We'll miss last year's concert!)

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".

Conditional clauses. Type II

Today we'll have a look at Conditional Clauses Type II, the so-called hypothetical conditions, because:

• a. we don't expect the action in the if-clause to take place Ex: "If all the wars stopped, the world would be a much better place to live in." (unlikely to happen?)
• b. the supposition in the if-clause is contrary to known facts or very unlikely to happen. Ex: "If I could fly I wouldn't have to spend money on buses." (contrary to known facts -people don't fly).

Type II conditionals are mainly used to make hypothesis, express wishes and give advice. Again, for more information on grammar and usage of this type of conditional sentences read these notes and visit this tutorial.

A couple of other useful links to conditional exercises: Type II, grammar 4U on line.

And, as usual, I have a song for you. Let's go back to the sixties with Peter, Paul and Mary's "If I had a hammer" (lyrics)

Clauses of Cause and Reason

Some days ago we talked about "purpose clauses" (they answer the question "what for?") and today we want to talk about "clauses of cause and reason" (they answer the question "why?").

If we look carefully we will realize that they are two different concepts. Broadly speaking we could say that the "purpose" looks ahead and generally has to do with ourselves, with our personal intentions or objectives, while the "reason" usually looks back and often has to do with other people's impositions upon us. Some people mix them and when you ask "why?" they answer... "in order to..." or when you ask "what for?" they come up with "because..."

The Beatles have an appropriate song to illustrate this question: "Tell me why" (lyrics)

And of course they also have a song to illustrate the answer: "Because" (lyrics)

Happy New Year 2010

A New Year is knocking at the door. Let's let it in. Every new year comes full of blessings if we only open our hearts to appreciate them. 

Singing the Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight has become a tradition in English-speaking countries and others. If you want to learn more about this tradition, read here.

Hogmanay is the name given to the celebrations of the New Year in Scotland. It is a very exciting celebration especially in Edinburgh. Read more about it. 

Merry Christmas

"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord"  (Luke 2,11)

Still another rainy day. It just feels like being at home, warm and cosy, sharing dinner with the ones we love. After all that's what Christmas is about, isn't it?

On this special day I'd like to thank you all: my students and the people who have visited this blog in these two months, and have taken the trouble to leave their comments. Needless to say how much I'm enjoying sharing this blog with you all. My only intention is to help us all to improve our knowledge of this beautiful and interesting language that English is. 

I hope you keep visiting it in the future and sharing your opinions and comments with all of us. Thank you... and MERRY CHRISTMAS! 
Jess has just sent us this wonderful video she wants to share with all of us. Thanks, Jess! 

29th anniversary of John Lennon's death

On Dec 8th, it will be 29 years since John Lennnon was shot outside his apartment in the Dakota Building in New York where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono. This is how the BBC reported the shooting.

Nearly 30 years after his death, John Lennon is still a symbol for old and young generations. Pay a visit to his official website supported by his wife Yoko.

If you feel like reading a bit more about John Lennon's life and work go on to the wikipedia.

And now, time to listen to one of his masterpieces: Imagine.

Nov 25. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Long live butterflies!!

November 25th has been chosen as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In the following article you will find information about the origin of this celebration and why it is celebrated on this date.

I was really touched when I first read this beautiful poem by Carol Geneya Kaplan called "Another woman".

In 1988, Tracy Chapman wrote an impressive song about gender violence called "Behind the wall". Unfortunately you can see that 21 years later it still sounds terribly familiar. Watch the video clip, it has subtitles.

Have you ever heard of "The 16 Days Campaign"? Read a bit more and see if you would like to back up this initiative somehow. What 16 days do they talk about? What do we celebrate on Dec 10th?

Dido's White Flag: Song and quiz

Listen to Dido's famous song "White Flag", a classic from 2003. See if you can fill in the blanks in the lyrics of the song. There are a few expressions worth taking a look at. Do the quiz and see if you're familiar with them. Once finished you can check your answers. Good luck!

Have you ever seen the rain?

Many students find it difficult to see the difference between the Past Simple and the Present Perfect. The next few days in class we will focus on the correct use of both tenses, so important in the English language. Here you have a couple of documents that will help you to see the different notions and functions that we can express with these two tenses.

• We use the Present perfect to talk about life experiences, duration lasting until the present, completion and recent events...
• We use the Past simple to express isolated actions in the past, duration in the past, past habits and routines...

Listen to CCR Creedence Clearwater Revival singing "Have you ever seen the rain?"

Money, Money, Money

The next few days we will be talking about money in class. How exciting! To get in the mood, here's a video clip of unforgettable Liza Minelli singing "Money, money, money" in the film Cabaret. The film won 8 Oscars in 1973, including one to the best actress in the leading role, Liza Minelli. If you want to read a bit more about the film Cabaret click here.

Talking about money: "A mark, a yen, a buck, a pound". What is a buck? Do you know the slang word for a pound? What does the edge inscription read on a one-pound coin? It's very interesting to learn a bit more about the British one pound coin.

Hallowe'en 2009

Well, once again, Hallowe'en is just round the corner. Let's have a quick look to a nice presentation to have an idea of the origin of this celebration. Some more ideas can be found in this lesson plan; there's some reading comprehension, vocabulary and idioms that you can work on your own; the rest of the activities are better to be done in class. Visit this website to find extra information about how Hallowe'en is celebrated in England.

Here's the clip "This is Hallowe'en", from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Enjoy it.

Hallowe'en has a lot to do with superstition. Are you superstitious? What strange or special habits do you have that you consider superstitious?

For information on the Hallowe'en celebration in our Language School, click here.

A promise is a promise

So many times in class we have used expressions from Beatles' "Please, Mr Postman". ...deliver the letter, the sooner the better, ...please, Mr Postman, look and see, ...wait a minute, ...I've been waiting a long time,...

I kept telling you I was going to bring you the song one day, but I always forgot. Well, a promise is a promise and today I remembered and I also had the time to look for it. So, here you are! Close your eyes and let The Beatles take you back to the sixties.

Grammar: The Future

There are many ways to express the notion of future in English depending basically on the intention of the speaker, their degree of compromise with the action to be done, and the possibilities of the event to actually take place. That makes the correct use of the future a rather complex task for Spanish learners of English.

Somebody told me once that you could recognize Spanish students of English by how little they use the Present Continuous to refer to future arrangements and compromise -something which natives of English do all the time.

Here you have some complete notes on the use of the future. There's lot of information: don't panic, just use what you need and remember that the teacher will be around if you have any further questions.

By the way, talking about the future always brings to my memory that beautiful song "Qué será" by Doris Day, part of the soundtrack of Hitchcock's unforgettable thriller "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Lyrics of the song.

Turn, turn, turn

Trini said in her last comment that for her Autumn is "time to start". I think we, students and teachers, are lucky people because every year we have "two opportunities" to start: September at the beginning of the school year when we make all our plans for the year, and then, January -like everyone else- the time to make the new year's resolutions and start again after making some little readjustments.

Reading what Trini wrote I couldn't help but thinking about that beautiful passage from Ecclesiastes (Ec 3,1-8) where we learn that there's a time for everything (you can read and/or listen to this passage on this website).

Now you can listen to the song "Turn, turn, turn", based on this text. It was performed by The Byrds as part of the sound track of the film Forest Gump, remember? Enjoy it and next time you feel in a hurry... don't panic: there's a time for everything.