Simple past and Shrek

In order to practice the simple past, we are going to listen to and sing this song which appears in the film Shrek. It is a very good song because you see many past forms and also the past of can, the modal verb could. 

I am going to write here the lyrics to have them at hand and work with them in class, but the best part of this lesson is that you get to sing a very funny song:

I thought love was

Only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else
But not for me
Love was out to get to me
That's the way it seems
Disappointment haunted
All my dreams

Look well for your Valentine!!!

Tomorrow is the 14th February, Saint Valentine's Day. I like to use this date to remind my students how important it is to recognise if our love mates and us make a healthy couple. Since many of them are starting to be in relationships, I would like them to think about what roles each of them have and how this affects the couple and will affect their future lives.

There is a very good guide by an expert called Juan Ignacio Paz Rodríguez called Relaciones y Parejas Saludables. 

I hope you all have a Happy Valentine Day!!!

A narrative: James Blunt's Stay the Night.

We are already finishing the term, so we are going to relax a little with this song by James Blunt, a British singer and songwriter with a really special voice.  I have chosen this song because we have been treating past tenses (past simple, continuous, present and past perfect, would, used to...) to talk about narratives.

 It's 72 degrees outside, zero chance of rain

 It's been a perfect day 

We're all spinning on our heels, so far away from real In Californ-i-a  

We all watched the sunset from our car, we all took it in 

And by the time that it was dark, you and me had something, yeah! 

Chorus:

 And if this is what we've got, then what we've got is gold 

We're shining bright and I want you, I want you to know 

The moon is on it's way, our friends all say goodbye

 There's nowhere else to go, I hope that you'll stay the night 

 Wooooah, you'll stay the night, wooooah yeah 

 We've been singing Billie Jean 

Mixing vodka with caffeine 

We've got strangers stopping by 

And though you're out of tune 

Girl you blow my mind, you do

 And all I'll say is I don't wanna say good night and if there is no quiet corner to get to know each other then there's no hurry I'm a patient man

 As you'll discover, ah! 

CHORUS

Just like the song on my radio said, 

We'll share the shelter of my single bed

 But it's a different tune that's stuck in my head 

And it go o oes... 

CHORUS

First listen to the song and read the lyrics, then try to picture the time line, that is, try to figure out and tell me which actions happen first and which ones after and send me a comment. I hope you enjoy the song and the video with all its heat!!!

Modern Classics: The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are a Californian group that started back in the 19690s. They are famous for being one of the first rock vocal groups. They talked in their lyrics about the beach, surfing and having fun, so their songs made people have a good time and forget about their problems. Just like the Beatles, they are part of those modern classics that changed music into what it is today.

They were so famous at their time that groups were created in Spain to sing their songs in Spanish, these are called tribute bands, such as The Summer Boys. They even have their own official fansite in Spain called The Beach Boys Spain. The Beach Boys are actually celebrating their 50th anniversary singing on tour.

Did you know them? Do you like them? 

The Beatles

Close your eyes and listen to the song. Have you ever heard  it? Yes! It's on TV! This is one of many of the songs that The Beatles sang; probably you have heard many more without knowing it.

The Beatles revolutioned the world with their music, but not only the music world, they influenced many other aspects of life, especially in the 1960s, that changed some of our world. To start with, apart from music, they created new styles in clothing and hairstyles: men had not worn long hair for a very, very long time. Something that they really changed was how people behaved at concerts, that is, the fan phenomenon started with them: many security and first-aid  people had to be hired because women shouted and did not want to sit down while listening (as they usually did in concerts before then) and many even fainted.

They were called Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon and started as a group in the British city of Liverpool before their twenties; the last one to come into the band was Ringo Starr. Each of them had a strong personality and lots of creativity, not only in the musical field, but also on other grounds. Together, they composed and sang up to 17 albums and featured in more than seven films. But when the 1960s ended, the band took separate ways too.

People were crazy about them, so crazy that one of them even killed John Lennon at the entrance of his house, next to Central Park where there is a mosaic ordered by her widow Yoko Ono, just across the street. I visited it this summer while in New York City, there was a rose on it; many people still remember not only John Lennon but all of the members of the band with real love. There is even a Beatles Day (10th July) which is celebrated  mostly in Liverpool and Hamburg -where the Beatles worked at the beginning of their career.

Do you know the ad I am talking about? Do you like the Beatles?
Tell us!! Leave your comments!!

"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield.

At the beginning of the course, I like my students to listen to this song, which for me, is a hymn of how a person can do whatever they want, starting whenever they want. It also helps me and inspires me to be myself, trust myself and makes me make an effort to work exactly as I think I can; for each person is unique, has an only voice and, for me, should work hard for what she or he wants in life.

Here are the lyrics:

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned.

CHORUS: Staring at the blank page before you, Open up the dirty window  Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find Reaching for something in the distance So close you can almost taste it, Release your inhibitions. Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you, Only you can let it in, No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips, Drench yourself in words unspoken, Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten Oh, oh, oh

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes,  but I can't live that way

CHORUS (x3)

Do you have any other reading of the lyrics of the song? Do you like it? Does it inspire you the way it inspires me? Leave your comments!!!

UEFA EURO 2012

In just two days, we will have loads of football on TV, why? Well, it's the European Football Championship that takes place every four years. This year, it is played in Poland and Ukraine, countries which I would love to visit, especially Poland. Spain is supposed to win, it is the World's Champion and every one expects them to win.
One of the Spanish songs to support the team is called "No hay dos sin tres!" which means literally "there are not two without a third!". The song is sung by three famous singers in Spain: David Bisbal, Cali&ElDandee, you can listen to it here.

Spain is in Group 3 and will be playing for sure on the following dates:

• 10th June against Italy.
• 14th June against the Irish Republic.
• 18th June against Croatia.

If you want to see the complete calendar or more information, you have it on UEFA Euro 2012. I hope Spain gets to play the final match and wins on the 1st of July!!!

If you want to learn more about the difference between football and soccer...

Which country do you think will win this year??

Leave your support for our Spanish team comments !!!

What would happen if bees disappeared?

Bees have lived for 80 millions of years and their population is decreasing alarmingly even up to 50% of the  bees are disappearing. I have heard lately that Einstein said something like: "Should bees disappear, the human race wouldn't outlive them more than four years". There would be no pollination, some vegetal species would not survive, therefore, some animal species would vanish as well and all our food chain would be altered.
 We have been working on conditionals and this post is written in the second conditional because it is an unreal or improbable situation. Let's see a quick review:

Types:	Form:	Use:	Example:
Zero type	If present simple, present simple.	Habitual results.	If you heat water up to 100º, it boils.
Type I	If present tense, will+infinitive.	Probable results.	If it's sunny, we'll go to the beach.
Type II	If past tense, would+infinitive.	Improbable, unreal situations. Also advice.	If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.
Type III	If past perfect, would have+ past participle.	Impossible situations because they refer to the past.	If I had listened to my mother, I wouldn't have been so miserable all my life.

 You can practice a little bit at English Grammar 4U online or at Perfect English Grammar.

What do you think? What would you do if bees disappeared?
Leave your comments and tell us!!!Use the second conditional type!!
Just in case you get too negative, you can listen to this song by Beyoncé which is one of my favourite songs, especially because of the lyrics. (it is written using the second conditional because she talks about how she would behave if she were a boy)

Beyoncé's  If I were  boy:

You can learn more about conditionals in this other post of the blog.

End of term

James Blunt

In these days in which students are preparing their final exams, but also, what to do during the holidays; teachers are correcting exams full time and preparing the evaluation; in addition to parents, who are expectantly waiting their children's marks, I wanted to post a song which always cheers me up.

This song is by the British singer and songwriter James Blunt who has got a very special voice, especially live.
For those of my students who want to practise their listening, I recommend you hear it once or twice and try to write down 5 to 10 words, then have a look at the lyrics and listen to it at the same time.

Sorry for the adverts!!!

ADELE: Someone like you.

Adele is a great British singer and song-writer.Born in Tottenham (north of London) lived with her young mother alone. She had a talented voice since she was very young and, even though her economic circunstances were not very good, she went to the Brit School for Performing Arts & Technology. She was discovered by a record company because a friend of her posted a demo by her on MySpace.

I like this song very much and I think that this video is perfect for class use. First, the lyrics can be seen paying attention to the tenses or even filling gaps to use the different tenses (present simple, past simple, past perfect, "will"  future, and also, the imperative or conditional); there are many different tenses and also time lines can be used to explain time referencies and how they are organised in a text. As the video also has the lyrics on, we can enjoy a karaoke version with the whole class or even have the class divided and make competitions between the two groups!!

If you want to know more about Adele, visit her official website.

What do you think? Do you have any other ideas?

Please, leave your comments!!!

WHITNEY HOUSTON

Whitney was born in New Jersey in 1963 in a family which promoted her passion for music, especially gospel music. At the age of 20, she was discovered by Clive Davis at a New York club where she was singing and treated her to sign a contract with Arista ( a records company) and she started to make albums which were very popular and sold very well.

She had great hits during her lifetime such as  "Saving All My Love for You", "The Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", "I'm Every Woman" or "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You"... The list is so long, as is the list of the prizes received troughout the world and the number of albums sold. According to the Guinnes Book of World  Records, she is "the most awarded female artist of all time". She also tried her best as an actress with the films The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale or The Preacher's Wife.

Even though her singing and professional career was spectacular, her personal life was more troublesome. She married the also singer Bobbi Brown, who has had several problems with law, and had her only child, Bobbi Kristina. She died only a few days ago and was buried today at the age of 48. Rest in peace Whitney.

THE WANTED "Glad You Came"

For me, literature is important, I studied it for five years at university and love reading literature. We sometimes have a strange image of what literature is, as something boring or obscure. But the truth is that literature is a form of  art, and therefore, should make us feel better.

WHY HAVE I CHOSEN THIS SONG?
I think literature surrounds us, while I was listening to this song, I thought, "I like the rhythm, I feel like dancing", but when I listened to the lyrics it struck me that they have a strong and powerful literary device called anadiplosis.

WHAT IS ANADIPLOSIS?
According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, it is a device in which the last word or phrase of one clause, sentence or line is repeated at the beginning of the next. We can find it in several poems but also in the chorus of this song :

Turn the lights out nowNow I'll take you by the handHand you another drinkDrink it if you canCan you spend a little time,Time is slipping away,Away from us so stay,Stay with me I can make,Make you glad you came.
If you want to learn more about this British group, you can find more information at their official website.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!!!

I'm going to leave you the video of one of my favourite Christmas carols sung by the great artist MARIAH CAREY:

I hope you enjoy it!! Please leave your comments and tell me if you liked it or what you want.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!

PARTS OF THE HEAD.

(For my students of 1st of ESO, this wonderful song to review the parts of the head)

I hope you like it. I like the video very much for its originality and also because the woman is not a traditional beauty.