Song of the week

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

The Lord's prayer

The other day one of my students asked me how we pray the Lord's prayer in English: well, here it is:
"Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
By the way, you begin with:
"In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit... Amen..."

Curiosities

This can be the beginning of a new item on my blogsite: Curiosities & Questions made by students...
Well, today's curiosity is: "El Muro de Lamentaciones" in English: the Western Wall, sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel and as al-Buraaq Wall in Arabic, in the Old City of Jerusalem, constructed around 19 BC by Herod the Great.

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Artist of the week (5)

Bobby Ray Simmons (born November 15, 1988), also known as Bobby Ray, or B.o.B. is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. His debut album, B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray, was expected to be released on May 25, 2010 but due to the commercial success of his song "Nothin' on You", was recently pushed up to April 27, 2010.

Friday, 16 April 2010

Play review

Feel free to send me your review of last Wednesday's play "Superlosers". You can either use a link to Google docs or write the review as a comment of this post!
I look forward to receiving your feedback!
Cheers, your English teacher

Just for laughs

Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Europe Day - 9 May 2010



What is Europe Day?

In Paris that day, against the background of the threat of a Third World War engulfing the whole of Europe, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman read to the international press a declaration calling France, Germany and other European countries to pool together their coal and steel production as "the first concrete foundation of a European federation".
Picture - European flag on background of metal scaffoldingWhat he proposed was the creation of a supranational European Institution, charged with the management of the coal and steel industry, the very sector which was, at that time, the basis of all military power. The countries which he called upon had almost destroyed each other in a dreadful conflict which had left after it a sense of material and moral desolation.
Everything, therefore, began that day. That is why during the Milan Summit of EU leaders in 1985 it was decided to celebrate 9 May as "Europe Day".
Every country which democratically chooses to accede to the European Union endorses its fundamental values of peace and solidarity.
These values find expression through economic and social development embracing environmental and regional dimensions which are the guarantees of a decent standard of living for all citizens.
The European Union is at the service of its citizens. While keeping their own specific values, customs and language, European citizens should feel at ease in the "European home".

Monday, 12 April 2010

Song of the week (4)

Another song on request: A real classic this time: Nothing else matters by Metallica. Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981 (a long... long... time ago, when some of us were still very young or others weren't even born!). Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, guitarist, James Hetfield, vocalist and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. A funny anecdote is that James Hetfield wrote this song while on the phone with his girlfriend! Since he held the phone with one hand, he plucked the four open strings with the other, which eventually made up the first two bars of the songs. The lyrics were also dedicated to his girlfriend, which talk about being "so close, no matter how far", indicating the bond they shared even when Hetfield was on tour.

Thursday, 8 April 2010

Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Song of the week (3)

This week's song is on request: The Fray, Syndicate...
The Fray is an American four-piece piano-rock band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King. The Fray achieved national success with their first single, "Over my Head", which became a top ten hit. The Fray's use of the piano as the lead instrument has led critics to compare them with British piano-driven bands like Coldplay and Keane.

Monday, 5 April 2010

Monday, 29 March 2010

London For Ever

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Artist of the week (2)


Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta; March 28, 1986) is an American recording artist. She began performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side. She soon signed with Streamline Records, upon its establishment in 2007. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and had her also sign to his own label.

Her debut album The Fame, was released on August 19, 2008. In addition to receiving generally positive reviews, it reached number-one in Canada, Austria, Germany, and Ireland and topped the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. Its first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker face", became international number-one hits, topping the Hot 100 in the United States as well as other countries. The album later earned a total of six Grammy awards nominations and won awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording.

Lady Gaga is inspired by glam rock musicians such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, as well as pop music artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. She has also stated fashion is a source of inspiration for her songwriting and performances. To date, she has sold over ten million albums and over thirty-five million singles worldwide.

Lyrics training

If you want to learn English by singing songs, check out this fantastic website! Just choose your song, the difficulty level (beginner - intermediate - expert), hit "play now" and fill in the lyrics while you're listening to the song and, of course, don't forget to sing along! And don't worry, the song stops if you're not a fast typewriter...
Click on lyrics training and start singing!

Friday, 26 March 2010

The next best thing: C-3PO or Google?



Will this be the end of English teachers?
Key vocabulary: translation tool, gadget, android, smartphone, application
Download the pdf and try to do the listening exercise (google translate)...