Blah, blah, blah...

How can I improve my spoken English? This video is more inspirational than practical, but it goes to the core question of 'dancing' with your partners rather than 'monologuing' or producing 'memorised' sentences that 'the teacher will like' (ahem...). Below you'll find some more tips that you'll have to adapt to your own habits (like talk to yourself). You'll see that language skills are obviously connected and part of a whole - the time invested in reading, listening, writing, and working on gr...ooops ...sorry 'use of English' will sure contribute to your speaking skills-and vice versa.
- E.How , more EHow
- English at home
- Learning tips ( tips n.2,3,5,6,13 particularly interesting)

And a very important one: KISS (Keep It Short and Simple), which means DON'T get entangled in your own story -generally because you wanted to translate it word by word from your mother tongue. You don't need to do this. You know more than what you think, so USE IT. Make life easier for your partners who should understand what you are saying so that they can react to what you are saying so that you can dance all together.

Sorry there's no pill. Or rather, the only pill is regular practice and patience. But you know all that, don't you? It's just a reminder (remember 'remember'/'remind'?).

Of course, frustration may be part of the process, but it's transitory -and you can always scream and shout in this blog if you need it.

Elementary, my dear Watson

**Take over?
Years ago, computer Deep Blue beat chess world champion Garry Kasparov. Now IBM's Supercomputer Watson has beaten two human competitors in America's quiz show Jeopardy!

• Watch Newsy Video (+ transcript)
• BBC : Read article

I must admit that when my computer crashes or when I lose my pen drive I feel like a part of my brain is missing.

• Mail online: Human brain shrinking

But you are on the right track if you don't want your computer to take control of your life:

• The Guardian: Being bilingual good for your brain
• Mind power news: Increase your brain power
• Train your Brain with BrainBashers

Love is in the air

Last weeek we were talking about feelings, reactions and states of mind, so how would you feel if your loved one proposed on the plane from Lisbon to Barcelona? On cloud nine? Over the moon? Between the devil and the deep blue sea, maybe? The rest of the passengers were happily entertained, that's for sure. A taste of Valentine's day next week.

KEY WORDS: stewardess, in-flight meals, familiar and unexpected voice, crew members, shocked and embarrassed, bride-to-be, I'd better not, on cloud nine.

Back to the future

A flying car? Forget about the Transition! Teleportation is the future, and it looks like somebody at the University of Queensland, Australia, has found out how to do it.


Whatever the "entangled quantum particles" are, we are closer to time travel, or so it seems. However, you could only (if we had the technology) be teleported into the future, which is where I'd go anyway. But wait a minute ... imagine you travel to next year so you see yourself in the 5th year? Or maybe not? But then you should be able to learn enough to come back to L4 and pass it? Wouldn't it be a bit of a mess?

• Transcript
• The Massachusetts Institue of Technology Blog
• The Express buzz: data teleportation a reality soon

For those of you with a scientific mind:

• Time Travel: Einstein's big idea. Key words: speed of light, to hold the key, to follow in the footsteps, rocket ship, headlights, twin brother, to overtake, to be aware of (the change).
• Stephen Hawking: How to build a time machine

Terrafugia Transition

No traffic jams, no long and winding roads, no speed limits...those of you who were thinking of buying a new car, just wait:

• Script? Here
• READ how the flying car works in The Telegraph
• More details in Mail Online , The Guardian, and Discover

I don't like flying, but I'm sure I'd love to drive-fly the Transition. 30 miles per gallon on the ground (can you calculate how much that is in l./km?) This is the real hybrid car -and it comes with a parachute! 70 people have already pre-booked the car. Would you buy it?

Nothing new under the sun

The good thing about the financial crisis is that people have to rack their brains as to how to get out of it. This is an interesting story about a woman from Galicia who claims to be the owner of the sun. It seems that governments cannot claim ownership of planets, stars and other celestial bodies, but individuals can.

• READ the story HERE
• WATCH VIDEO HERE. Keywords: source, public notary, treaty, mankind, turns out, loophole, scary, to tax, hilarious.

Needless to say, she wants to profit from her new property, so if you thought that sunbathing would be free forever you may be wrong. Is that a clever move or -as someone said the other day- she's losing her marbles? I think I'll get myself a whole galaxy before it gets too crowded here. What piece of universe would you like to own ?

Today

Sorry I couldn't make it to class today -family problems- but everything's OK now so I'll definitely come tomorrow ... so no excuse for your test!

You won't get away with it!

He's finally been caught for smuggling marijuana ...30 years ago!
Script HERE
Remember To get away with something ?

And some more crime/business news with lots of words we've seen in class: High street shoplifting soars. The High street? Shoplifting? What's that again?

*This blog is 'apture-powered', which means that if you highlight a word, a 'learn more' sign will theoretically appear . Click on it and it will give you a list of internet links related to that word. Just try.

Books for this term

So tomorrow we'll be starting again in the old place, which means new books for you to read. This term you can choose either a classic of English literature or two American short stories:

Alice Adventures in Wonderland: What can I say about this marvellous book by L. Carroll? But I admit you must be comfortable with the bizarre -falling down a rabbit hole and finding yourself eating biscuits with strange effects, shrinking to the size of a mouse, talking to a caterpillar who is sitting on a mushroom smoking a hookah, being a guest at a mad tea party (nothing to do with the American republicans!), making friends with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle and the intriguing Cheshire Cat... wouldn't you like to have a Cheshire cat popping in and out of your life?

But if you prefer a more 'down-to-earth' sort of thing ... mmmh, I'm afraid we don't have anything remotely realistic this term ...just the following two short stories by American authors :

- The Strange Case of Benjamin Button (1922, by Scott Fitzgerald), the story of a man who is born old and ages backwards. The story was made into a film not so long ago starring Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett. Here you can see some parts and the actor/actress comments:



The Swimmer (1964, John Cheever), also made into a fim, is the story of the man who "swims back home" using all private and public swimming pools in his affluent neighbourhood.



So which one are you going to choose?

The Smoking Ban

KEY WORDS: ban, law, to outlaw, school playgrounds, café-bar culture, a drop in trade, a fall in business, supporters, health benefits, smoke-related illness, passive smoking.

Use your monolingual DICTIONARY

Read the story HERE

Health benefits but poor profits for café owners, or so they say. I'm not a smoker now, but I do feel sympathy for the poor people who pay lots of taxes and have nowhere to comfortably satisfy their craving for smoking. Are you one of them? Are you happy about the ban? Or maybe you think it's time to quit? Then go to the NHS (UK's National Health Service) and see the resources you get in the 'Quit kit', which hopefully will help you give up smoking.