Christmas is coming....

Let's listen to a very beautiful and popular Christmas song?

Title: Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Lyrics: John Lennon










So this is XmasAnd what have you done

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And so this is Xmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Xmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

And so happy Xmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red ones

Let's stop all the fight

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear And so this is Xmas

And what have we done

Another year over

A new one just begun

And so happy Xmas

We hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

War is over, if you want itWar is over now

Pictionary

Hi, everyone!

Here it's a good idea to learn English. You can invite your friends to play this game, which is quite fun!

PICTIONARY

One person draws something (without speaking or gesturing) and the other ones compete to guess what it is. This can be done on paper in pairs or groups. This game is commonly used when focusing on vocabulary and it is a great way of revising words and phrases.

At first, some examples can be given before the game starts, so that the ones who have never played before can be more familiar with the game. And it is also recommended to start with some easy examples.

So, invite your friends and try it! I'm sure that you will have a good time together, and will have the opportunity to learn as well!

TV Series - Synopsis and trailers

I would like to present you some great series (in case you don’t know them already), which you can use to learn English, using the tips given in the podcast.

CASTLE

Wildly famous mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion, "Desperate Housewives"), who is bored with his own success, learns that a real-world copycat killer has started staging murder scenes depicted in his novels.
Rick is soon questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, "The Spirit"), a very bright, aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under tight rein. Rick and Kate's styles instantly clash, yet sparks begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the killer.
And once that case is solved, he and Beckett build upon their new relationship as they look to solve strange homicides in New York - as much fun as one can have with death & murder. Castle is kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother, Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan, "Dharma and Greg") and quick-witted teenage daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story").




DAMAGES

“Damages" is a legal thriller set in the world of New York City high-stakes litigation. The series, which provides a view into the true nature of power and success, follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), the nation's most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator, and her bright, ambitious protege Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) as they become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting the allegedly corrupt Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), one of the country's wealthiest CEOs.

As Patty battles with Frobisher and his attorney Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek), Ellen Parsons will be front and center witnessing just what it takes to win at all costs, as it quickly becomes clear that lives, as well as fortunes, may be at stake.On Season 2, the series follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), the nation's most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator and her bright, ambitious young protege Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).
After her unprecedented victory over billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), Patty Hewes has the legal world at her feet. Just as she's pondering her next move, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), a man from Patty's mysterious past, storms back into her life, catapulting Patty into a new legal challenge. What starts as a domestic murder case, escalates into the highest reaches of government as Patty unearths a vast conspiracy.At the same time, Ellen is on a mission to take down Patty. She's agreed to act as an informant for the FBI, assisting them in their criminal investigation of Patty and the firm. As Patty unravels the mystery surrounding Daniel Purcell, she must also negotiate the perilous minefield both inside and outside her office.




DEXTER

Based on novels by author Jeff Lindsay, Dexter follows the life of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a charismatic blood spatter analyst who works in the forensics at the Miami Metro Police Department. On the outside, Dexter seems like the perfect guy -- he has a sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), that adores him and a steady girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz), with two kids that look up to him. However, what they don't know is that Dexter moonlights as a serial killer, only he isn't your typical killer. Basing his life on the teachings of his foster father, Dexter only kills people who truly deserve it: he ensures that those who got away with horrible crimes will never kill again.



THE MENTALIST

Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents.However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and rookie member Grace Van Pelt, who all think Jane's a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases

Synopsis' Source: www.aceshowbiz.com/tv

Glogster - The Great Gatsby

In this glogster, I present an American Novel that is totally worth reading, a classic one. Hope you enjoy it!

p.s: you can view the glogster full size by clicking on the right corner of it.

Bookr

Hi everyone!

Here you will find a bookr on John Lennon's song "Imagine".

Bookr is a tool to easily create photobooks using Flickr images.




So, what about creating your own bookr? Give it a try!

For more information, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgbzbkyB4bs

Hi there!

Here is the link to a very interesting website, which contains several guides with detailed synopsis of popular movies. Each guide consists of the following:

- a summary of the plot;

- a list of the major characters;

- an extensive glossary of vocabulary and various cultural references that even advanced ESL learners would often not understand;

- questions for discussion.

LINK: http://www.eslnotes.com/

Some of the movies you can find there:

A Beautiful Mind

Forrest Gump

Titanic

Start watching movies in English!

Did you know that watching movies in English is, like reading books, a great way to learn the language? And, at the same time, you can have fun.

- When speaking, people often use words and phrases that are not find in written language. In most movies, the dialog is like real spoken English. So, the actors talk fast, just like native speakers talk in real life.

- Movies let you learn informal and slang words, which are not find in formal English dictionaries.

- Movies also let you improve your pronunciation, not only grammar and vocabulary.

Some tips when watching movies in English:

*If you are playing the movie, you can stop it whenever you don't understand a sentence. You can then play the sentence as many times as you want, until you are able to understand all the words in the sentence, or at least most of them.

* In most DVDs, you can turn on the subtitles. With them, there is no problem with unclear dialog, because everything is just written on the screen. It is also easy to look up difficult words in the dictionary, because you will know their spelling.

*But the best way is trying to alternate between these two ways, because only reading the subtitles can make you stop listening and start concentrating just on reading. The more skills you exercise, the better!