In plain English ...: December 2014

Wednesday, 31 December 2014

In Shakespeare the birds sing, the bushes are clothed with green, hearts love, souls suffer, the cloud wanders, it is hot, it is cold, night falls, time passes, forests and multitudes speak, the vast eternal dream hovers over all. Sap and blood, all forms of the multiple reality, actions and ideas, man and humanity, the living and the life, solitudes, cities, religions, diamonds and pearls, dung-hills and charnel houses, the ebb and flow of beings, the steps of comers and goers, all, all are on Shakespeare and in Shakespeare.
Victor Hugo

GEOFFREY CHAUCER

Valentine's Day in Hertfordshire | Hertfordshire Traditions in ...

Geoffrey Chaucer (1342/3–1400) was born into a well-to-do English family. Not much is known about his education but he was well read, spoke French and had some knowledge of Latin and Italian. He was the king’s personal attendant and married a servant of the queen’s. He fought in the Hundred Year’s War against France, was captured and the king had to pay a ransom for him. He was sent on diplomatic and trade missions to France and Italy. He was controller of the Customs on wool and wine. The Canterbury Tales, his major work, is considered one of the greatest works in English literature.

Here you can find an informative website which will help you learn about Geoffrey Chaucer's life and his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales. Here you can download a PDF presentation of the pilgrims on their journey.
Click here to revise the poem.

DISCOVERING DUBLIN

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, 24 December 2014

CHRISTMAS WISHES!

Click here to find tons of Christmas wishes! Very useful indeed!

Now enjoy Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" with Misterduncan!

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE AUSTEN!

How did this early-19th-century novelist become the chick-lit, chick-flick queen for today? It is not only because she is an enduring writer. A few other female writers have achieved pop culture celebrity: Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath for the drama of their suicides, the Brontës for the Gothic feelings of gloom and mystery of their novels and the contrast to their quiet lives. None inspire the warmth, fanaticism - or merchandising – that Jane Austen does. Click here to continue reading ...

And now here watch the official trailer of the gorgeous movie Becoming Jane whose story is a romance with lots of twists and turns ...

Read here to discover why we need to celebrate the Jane Austen Day!

Jane Austen in quotes: 30 tips for a successful life
Celebrating Jane Austen Day 2014 with 75 Sensational Quotes That Every Janeite Should Not Live Without
I Learned Everything I Needed to Know About Marriage From Pride and Prejudice

Friday, 12 December 2014

THINKING ABOUT GRAMMAR

This morning a colleague of mine told me that grammar rules and exercises are not very important when learning a foreign language as a beginner ... it would be better reading texts! I was just amazed!

Grammar, regardless of the country or the language, is the foundation for communication - the better the grammar, the clearer the message, the more likelihood of understanding the message's intent and meaning. That is what communication is all about.

William B. Bradshaw

You can read the whole article here.

Click here to discover a wonderful website to revise your grammar.