REMEMBERING PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, 50 YEARS AFTER HIS ASSASSINATION

Here you can read an inspiring article about the tragic assassination of  the 35th President of the United States.

On 20 January 1961, in his Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy had pledged to support liberty, commit to allies, avoid tyranny, aid the underprivileged throughout the world, and strengthen the Americas. He had challenged  Communist nations to engage in a dialogue with the United States to ensure world peace and stability. This speech is best known for the words: “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

LEARNING PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal verbs are mainly used in spoken English and informal texts. They  consist of a verb plus a particle (preposition, adverb). The particle can change the meaning of the verb completely, e.g.:

look for = seek (look for her ring)

look up = consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary)

look forward = anticipate with pleasure (look forward to meeting someone)

The particle is placed either after the verb or after the object.

Example:

Write down the word. / Write the word down.

If the object is a pronoun, however, the particle has to be placed after the pronoun (object).

Example:

Write it down.

There are no rules that might explain how phrasal verbs are formed correctly - all you can do is look them up in a good dictionary and study their meanings.

SONNET 116

Here and here you can find a detailed analysis of this beautiful Shakespearean sonnet.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

QUOTING SHAKESPEARE

Today I've decided to post a humorous and informative article  which  focuses on the influence of  the Bard of Avon on everyday speech.

It was written by the British journalist Bernard Levin for The Times  newspaper. I hope you'll appreciate it!

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare 'It's Greek to me', 
you are quoting Shakespeare;
if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning,
you are quoting Shakespeare; 
if you recall your salad days,
you are quoting Shakespeare; 
if you act more in sorrow than in anger, 
if your wish is father to the thought, 
if your lost property has vanished into thin air, 
you are quoting Shakespeare; 
if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, 
if you have played fast and loose, 
if you have been tongue-tied, 
a tower of strength, 
hoodwinked or in a pickle, 
if you have knitted your brows, 
made a virtue of necessity, 
insisted on fair play, 
slept not one wink, 
stood on ceremony, 
danced attendance (on your lord and master), 
laughed yourself into stitches, 
had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, 
if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -- 
why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; 
if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, 
if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, 
if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, 
if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, 
if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, 
then -- to give the devil his due -- if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; 
even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, 
if you wish I was dead as a doornail, 
if you think I am an eyesore, 
a laughing stock, 
the devil incarnate, 
a stony-hearted villain, 
bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, 
then -- by Jove! 
O Lord! 
Tut, tut! 
For goodness' sake! 
What the dickens! 
But me no buts -- 
it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR COLLOQUIAL ENGLISH

I hope you will enjoy the following video lessons  -  they are both entertaining and helpful to improve your colloquial English! 

NOVEMBER

"November always seemed to me the Norway of the year"
Emily Dickinson

Here  you can download a PDF  presentation of the American poetess.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Straddling the line between fall and winter, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition ...

Click here to continue reading about this ancient Celtic festival. 

You can also find some useful information about Halloween here and some short Halloween stories here. 

RELATIVE CLAUSES

First of all, let's watch these video lessons on relative clauses!

Here you can download a detailed explanation of relative clauses; you may also find these web pages very helpful!

Now do the following exercises!

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

PRINCE GEORGE'S CHRISTENING

Outside St James's Palace crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Kate and William's baby son, who was today seen in public for only the second time since he was born in July. Some royal watchers camped outside the palace for more than 24 hours to obtain a good vantage point to watch the guests arrive, but the ceremony was private. Britain's three-month-old future monarch, Prince George, wearing a long christening robe, arrived in his father's arms with his mother by their side, and appeared to wave at his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, although it was really a case of William moving his son's hand up and down; they joined the few royals attending his baptism, described as an 'intimate family affair'. Only the Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry saw the heir to the throne baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, in the little known Chapel Royal this afternoon. 

William and Kate hired photographer Jason Bell to take official pictures, which are expected to include a historic multi-generational photograph of the queen with three future monarchs: her son Charles, her grandson William and her great-grandson George.

Here  you can read about Prince George's christening.

THE ART OF DRAMA

Click here to download a PDF presentation of the elements of drama.

In a drama of the highest order there is little food for censure or hatred; it teaches rather self-knowledge and self-respect. 

Percy Bysshe Shelley

I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.

Oscar Wilde 

I love the rehearsal process in the theatre, and the visceral sense of contact and communication with a live audience.

Judd Nelson       

The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.

Stella Adler 

THE ELIZABETHAN THEATRE

Here you find a short presentation of the Elizabethan theatre. I hope you will find it useful!

Click here and here to watch a short documentary on Shakespeare's Globe. Happy viewing!

Here you will find another great video of  the Globe Theatre in London. 

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Here you can download and read the eBook of Jane Austen's all-time novel and then you can listen to the full audio-book. 

Click here if you need a thorough revision of the novel. 
Here you can watch the best clips of the 2005 British film based on Jane Austen's novel.

THE SONNET

Here  you can download a PDF Presentation of the sonnet.

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY

"A Call for Teachers" is the slogan for World Teachers' day. This year's celebrations will focus on UNESCO's work on quality teachers for global citizenship and cultural diversity. Teachers develop learners' abilities to build a sustainable future with citizens who are able to take action in their own communities and contribute to global challenges.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10349207/Thank-a-teacher-on-World-Teachers-Day.html