Pronunciation: Linking Words

The importance of sound linking in English

Note: there is no sound at the beginning of the video

 

Idea taken from Luiz Otavio Barros´s blog

Graduation Speeches 2014. Day 4. Group 2

April 1st, second group:

Spealer 1: Helena
Speaker 2: Susana
Speaker 3: Marta
Speaker 4: Coral
Speaker 5: Samuel

First, the dance:


Surprise Lipdub by Slidely Slideshow

Mother´s Day 2014

Happy Mother´s Day!

A salute to mums from a mum - about the hardships of their lives:

 

Do mothers change as time goes by? According to Bill Cosby, they do: 

Mothers vs. fathers - what you tell / ask one or the other:

Moms and IT:

A video to share with your mum:


A New Perspective For Moms from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

A message from Child Fund International to honor mothers on Mother´s Day:



The Beatles´Your Mother Should Know:

Your Mother Should Know: lyrics for you to sing along: 

Your Mother Should Know
Ooh..
Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)
Sing it again.

Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)

Lift up your hearts and sing me a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Know..)
Sing it again.

Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da.
Though she was born a long, long time ago,
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Yeah..)
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Yeah..)
Your mother should know. (Your mother should..)
Your mother should know. (Yeah

Song Of The Week: " Cups (When I´m Gone)"

Song Cups, from the film Pitch Perfect, sung by actress and singer Anna Kendrick

The first video includes the lyrics and their translation in Spanish; the song itself starts in the minute 1:15´in the video.

Video with lyrics

"Hurricane" Carter

Rubin Carter, known as Hurricane Carter, died yesterday at the age of 76. He was an American middleweight boxer who spent almost 20 years in prison after being convicted of a murder he had not committed. HIs life was depicted in both a film and a song.

Bob Dylan believed that Carter was innocent and wrote the song "Hurricane". Listen to it and read the lyrics as you watch the video. Afterwards, write Carter´s biography, from your point of view, according to your interpretation of the song. Remember to include the answers to the 5 wh- questions: who? when? where? what? why?

The film "The Hurricane" focuses on Carter´s unfair incarceration and on the people who helped to set him free. Denzel Washington got an Oscar nomination for this film - and should have got it, in my view...

Song of the Week: Wake Me Up

Practise your English to the lyrics and rhythm of Wake Me Up, by Tim Berling - better known by his stage name  Avicii. Tim is a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer.

The first video includes the lyrics:

 

The second video is the official one: 

Optional homework: Write about the story told in the video: what do you make of it? (remember the five "w-" questions: when? where? who? what? why?)

What Is Your Favourite Memory? (Homework Assignment 9))

What is your favorite memory?

The following video is a piece of a larger picture called Fifty People, One Question, by Benjamin Reece and Nathan Heleine. Fifty People, One Question is  a social experiment and film series exploring human connections through people and places. The project began in New Orleans in 2008; along the way it has managed to depict a slice of humanity: dreams, losses, reflections stories and secrets.

What is YOUR favorite memory?

Think about it and share it with us; consider the five questions to let us have a full picture of the situation: who? when? where? what? why?

If you could, would you photoshop any of your memories?

Happy Paddy´s Day!

The video "Ireland Inspires" will be played in the Embassies of Ireland all over the world tomorrow, March 17th: St. Patrick´s Day.  John Concannon, Director of Market Development for Fáilte Ireland said, "This video is our animated postcard to the world -- showcasing Ireland in the best possible way and highlighting the strengths and qualities which make this country a great place to be. Promoting a positive and upbeat image of today's Ireland, this video is tailored to appeal to visitors, investors and all those attracted to the type of energy, creativity and potential which this nation can offer. "

Information about the celebration of St. Patrick´s Day: click here

In the mood for an Irish song? Click here. 

Molly Malone is a popular Irish song which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin. Watch the video  below and you will understand the lyrics.

Molly Malone´s Lyrics

In Dublin's fair city,
Where the Girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes,
On sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

Alive alive o!
Alive alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

She was a fish monger,
And sure it was no wonder,
For so were her
Father and Mother before,
And they both wheeled their barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

Alive alive o!
Alive alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end
Of sweet Molly Malone,
But her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

This is my favorite version of the song, Sinead O´Connor´s: 



And this is probably the most popular, The Dubliners´:

Valentine´s Day 2014

February 14th, Valentine´s Day

What is love?

Celebrate this day with a love song: Close Your Eyes by Michael Bublé. The first video is the official one. 

And this video includes the lyrics for you to sing along ( and the translation in Spanish)

The Story Behind Lorde´s Song "Royals"

Where can you find inspiration for a song?

About a month ago, we "sang" (sort of…)  Lorde´s song Royals; today I would like to share with you the story behind that song - as it has been published in National Geographic News.

According to the magazine, Lorde wrote the song after seeing a National Geographic photo of Kansas City Royals player George Brett. This photo appeared in a July 1976 article about Kansas City. (Click here to read the entire piece of news).

And this is Lorde´s explanation: 

"I had this image from the National Geographic of this dude just signing baseballs. He was a baseball player and his shirt said 'Royals.'"

In the video below you can hear Lorde herself telling us about the first line she wrote for the song

Could you understand Lorde´s words? Here they are, just in case:

"One thing about words that people may not know is … Oh, gosh!I think the first line I wrote from that song was, ‘We’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams,’ which was in a diary that I had when I was like 11 or 12, so young.”

An Announcement

The weather has been just miserable ever since we came back from our Christmas holidays, mainly because of the wind and the rain: gale-force winds, huge waves on the coast, "explosive cyclogenesis"(= the perfect storm)... Click here to see some photos

School has not been cancelled in our area, though, but students were not allowed to leave the building this morning since the wind gusts were frequent. I am sorry to say our principal´s announcement was not as funny as this one: the principal of Stephens Elementary School (Kentucky, US) recorded his message to the rhythm of Queen´s Bohemian Rhapsody. This is the way he explained why he did so

We like to have fun at our school. So, after several school closings due to snow and cold, we recorded this call to parents to see if we could make them laugh. I think we succeeded. Boone County Schools in Kentucky is one of the nation’s finest. And, our awesome parents deserve this chuckle.

 

Here´s the original song with the lyrics for you to sing along: Queen´s Bohemian Rhapsody 

January 30th: School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

Celebrating the School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

• A motto, Make Love, Not War, from a different perspective

• A song: John Lennon´s Imagine by "Playing for Change"

• The annual Global Peace Index 2013, International Alert and Vision of Humanity include lots of documents about peace research: maps, reports, videos…

• A video by "International Alert" that wants to show how words can stop bullets: Peace talks

International Alert - Peace Talks from International Alert on Vimeo.

Song of the Week: Pharrel Williams´Happy

Let´s start the week in a happy mood to the rhythm of Pharrell Williams´Happy - click on the captions to read the lyrics and sing along as you watch.

 

Have you ever been to Dublin? if you have, you will enjoy this video where people dance to the song in different places in Dublin

 

Song of the Week: Royals, by Lorde

Lorde  (/ˈlɔrd/) is the stage name of Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O´Connor, a 17-year-old New Zealander (she was born on 7th November 1996); she is a singer-songwriter. Click here  to read different pieces of news mentioning her.

This is a video of her song "Royals": read the lyrics and sing along, it´s very good pronunciation and intonation practice

Covers of "Royals", both a cappella: Pentatonix cover, Florida State University AcaBelles.

A Song for Syria

The Syria humanitarian crisis continues unabated. Families who have been forced to flee their homes are struggling to find shelter. Medicine, food and water are running out. Hospitals have been bombed, schools are closed and children in all areas report that the shelling is constant and terrifying.

More than a million children are now refugees. Some 6.8 million people - including more than 3 million children - need urgent assistance.

If action isn't taken soon the physical and mental harm will irreparably damage a generation of children. Such an impact would resonate throughout Syrian society for decades after the war ends.

You can donate to  Save the Children´s Syria appeal by downloading Ellie Goulding´s song "I Know You Care" at http://bit.ly/1euLyJ3

"I Know You Care"by Ellie Goulding: LYRICS: 

Clinging to me
Like a last breath you would breathe
You were like home to me
I don't recognize the street

Please don't close your eyes
Don't know where to look without them
Outside the cars speed by
I never heard them until now

CHORUS: 

I know you care
I know it is always been there
But there's trouble ahead, I can feel it
You are just saving yourself when you hide it

Yeah, I know you care
I see it in the way you stare
As if there was trouble ahead and you knew it
I'll be saving myself from the ruin
And I know you care

I used to run down the stairs
To the door and I thought you were there
Do you shape through the comfort of us
Two lovers loved out of love

CHORUS

And know it wasn't always wrong
But I've never known a winter so cold
Now I don't warm my hands in your coat
But I still hope

'Cause this is how things ought to have been
And I know the worst of it wasn't all that it seemed
Why can't I dream
Why can't I dream

'Cause I know you care
And I know you care
I know you care
I know you care
I know it's always been there

A Song for Layla

It´s the first time one of my students is called Layla, what a good excuse to listen to Eric Clapton´s "Layla"!

If you want to know the story behind this song, click here

Learning Vocabulary: Silent "E"

Here is a funny way to learn vocabulary while you practise pronunciation: write the names of the items you see in the video; the only change in each pair of words is their spelling and the letter "e" has a lot to do with it.

Write a list of the nouns you hear (based on the images you see) and check your answers by a click here

Tom Lehrer, the writer and singer of this song, is a singer-songwriter, mathematician, satirist…, well-known for his humorous songs

As for the letter "e", can you imagine a song without it? Here is one: read its lyrics and then listen to it in the video

Lyrics:

yo, without a topic i rock it
you just can't knock it or box it
i will not quit or stop and lock lips
this is a rap song in which no lyrics contain that fifth capital
brains and wits magical
i strain to rip madrigals plain to bits
any occasion, i flip scripts
birthdays and kids' trips
violin gigs, absurd paid shindigs and thursdays
i win big with wordplay
i could bring sounds that ring loud
just sing out anything that i think about
how i spray flows
your main bro claims dough from days old
on pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows
but i'm on top of it, always
with or without that non-consonant
i still bring it
fans or not, my mom's fond of it
and you ought to know i just brought this jazz to its limit
that's right, your total abc's without that fifth glyph is in it

i'm not using it
do you kids miss this fifth stiff glyph?
i'm not using it, ooh

so what do you want to do?
look at my lyrics - right in front of you
truthfully, with so much scrutiny
you think I'd goofily put any old symbol in?
mad lunacy, you must not watch my stuff usually
no miscalculations, i rap brutally at any opportunity
wow, actually did it!
post this track to your pals
got a knack for blowing your brains out blaow
dictionary nation, vocab's amazing
difficulty: asian, and i'm just playing
shining bright any night, hit it right, kill a mici'm a mad man with a plan and i spit it tight
vividly spilling a million lilting rhythms and synonyms with a divinity in him
just winning at anything you might go giving him
finishing with only a possibility of pinnacling at infinity

i'm not using it
do you kids miss this fifth stiff glyph?
i'm not using it, ooh

Adrián´s Suggestion

Adrián suggested that I should include the following videos in my blog, so here your are. Both videos are by CDZA

The first one is called History of Misheard Lyrics; I think it is quite difficult to get  the mistakes but this link may help: Misheard lyrics

The second video is called The Beatles´Argument (you may click on the captions but they are automatic - which means there are quite a few mistakes):

 

Thanks, Adrián!

Song of the Week: "Hey, Soul Sister"

Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco

Hey Soul Sister is the first single of their album "Save Me, San Francisco" 

Watch the first video (or go to Multimedia English ) and read the lyrics of the song as you sing along and practise your pronunciation. Once you have read the lyrics a couple of times, try and watch the official video of the song, and check how much you can remember

Halloween 2013

The musts for Halloween: 

• Halloween-related humor:

• "trick or treat": we have all heard about it as a game for children but, if you want to go trick-or-treating as an adult, you may consider following Mr. Forthright´s advice: 

• Halloween ornamented houses: bearing in mind the price we pay for electricity in Spain, there is not a chance we will see anything like this near us:the lights all over the front of a house changing to the sound of Ylvis´ song  The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?

pranks: in "the human chair prank", magician Rich Ferguson scares shoppers: