Lux Narayan starts his day with scrambled eggs and the question: "Who died today?" Why?
By analyzing 2,000 New York Times obituaries over a 20-month period, Narayan gleaned, in just a few words, what achievement looks like over a lifetime. Here he shares what those immortalized in print can teach us about a life well lived.
Lakshmanan aka Lux Narayan mans Unmetric, a social media intelligence company that helps digital marketers, social media analysts, and content creators control social signals to track and analyze competitive content and campaigns, and to create better content and campaigns of their own.
Outside of work, he is a perpetual learner of various things, from origami and molecular gastronomy to stand-up and improv comedy. He enjoys reading obituaries and other non-fiction and watching documentaries with bad ratings. Narayan makes time every year for trekking in the Himalayas or scuba diving in tropical waters, and once he learns to fly, he hopes to spend more time off land than on it.
You can read a full transcript for the talk here.
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Personality. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Personality. Mostrar todas las entradas
domingo, 26 de marzo de 2017
domingo, 29 de enero de 2017
Extensive listening: A better way to talk about love
In love, we fall. We're struck, we're crushed, we swoon. We burn with passion. Love makes us crazy and makes us sick. Our hearts ache, and then they break. Talking about love in this way fundamentally shapes how we experience it, says writer Mandy Len Catron.
In this talk for anyone who's ever felt crazy in love, Mnayd Len Catron highlights a different metaphor for love that may help us find more joy — and less suffering — in it.
Originally from Appalachian Virginia, Mandy Len Catron is a writer living and working in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Catron writes about love and love stories at The Love Story Project and teaches English and creative writing at the University of British Columbia. Her article "To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This" was one of the most popular articles published by the New York Times in 2015.
You can read the full transcript here.
In this talk for anyone who's ever felt crazy in love, Mnayd Len Catron highlights a different metaphor for love that may help us find more joy — and less suffering — in it.
Originally from Appalachian Virginia, Mandy Len Catron is a writer living and working in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Catron writes about love and love stories at The Love Story Project and teaches English and creative writing at the University of British Columbia. Her article "To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This" was one of the most popular articles published by the New York Times in 2015.
You can read the full transcript here.
domingo, 22 de enero de 2017
Extensive listening: Are you a giver or a taker
In every workplace, there are three basic kinds of people: givers, takers and matchers. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant breaks down these personalities and offers simple strategies to promote a culture of generosity and keep self-serving employees from taking more than their share.
In his groundbreaking book Give and Take, top-rated Wharton professor Adam Grant upended decades of conventional motivational thinking with the thesis that giving unselfishly to colleagues or clients can lead to one’s own long-term success.
Grant’s research has led hundreds of advice seekers (and HR departments) to his doorstep, and it’s changing the way leaders view their workforces.
Grant’s new book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World examines how unconventional thinkers overturn the status quo and champion game-changing ideas.
You can read a full transcript of the talk here.
In his groundbreaking book Give and Take, top-rated Wharton professor Adam Grant upended decades of conventional motivational thinking with the thesis that giving unselfishly to colleagues or clients can lead to one’s own long-term success.
Grant’s research has led hundreds of advice seekers (and HR departments) to his doorstep, and it’s changing the way leaders view their workforces.
Grant’s new book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World examines how unconventional thinkers overturn the status quo and champion game-changing ideas.
You can read a full transcript of the talk here.
lunes, 28 de noviembre de 2016
Listening test: Identity
Listen to a BBC radio programme on ethnicity and choose the option A, B or C which best completes each of the sentences below.
1 Neil is
A in his 30’s.
B thin.
C white skinned.
2 If a girl is described as a typical English rose she
A has a pale skin colour.
B is not very beautiful.
C was born in a rural area.
3 New York City actress and playwright, Sarah Jones
A has some European roots.
B is adopted.
C is white on her dad’s side.
4 Alice’s neighbours
A eat meat at Christmas.
B haven’t integrated into British culture.
C have lived in Britain all their lives.
5 In Julian Baggini’s opinion, who we are depends on
A both ourselves and the others.
B the people around us.
C ourselves.
6 The percentage of the UK population who describe themselves as ethnically mixed is
A 0.9%.
B 5.9%.
C 9%.
7 The real percentage of ethnically mixed population is
A around 2%.
B around 3%.
C around 12%.
Hello and welcome. I'm Alice…
And I'm Neil. So, Alice, what do you see when you look at me?
Well, male, Caucasian, early 40s, short auburn hair, bushy eyebrows, thin lips...
OK. So that's how you see me? It sounds like a police report, and I'm not sure I like your observation about thin lips. Caucasian means white skinned and European, by the way.
And today the show is about identity – who or what a person is. And the way people see us forms part of our sense of identity, while another part comes from our ethnic – or racial – identity. Now, Neil, you are, of course, many more things than my physical description of you!
I'm glad to hear that. And it's true, that until you actually hear somebody speak, there are lots of things you can't know about them. For example, which country they're from, what language they speak…
Yes. So looking at me, what would you say, Neil?
I would say Alice that you're a typical English rose.
Thanks, Neil – and English rose describes an attractive girl with a pale delicate complexion – or skin colour – but you can't actually tell where a person is from by the way they look.
Yes, I suppose you're right.
Well, let's hear from New York City actress and playwright, Sarah Jones, talking about her complicated ethnicity.
My family on my dad's side, my grandparents, are from the South. There's some Caribbean in there, black Americans from the South and the Caribbean, and then on my mother's side there are people from the Caribbean, from Ireland but you know Irish American, German American. People would ask me if I was adopted when they saw my mother's white skin – she's actually mixed but she's white from a distance, and I'm black from a distance.
Sarah Jones there. Well, Sarah has family from all over the world! And people think Sarah is adopted because she looks so different to her mum.
But I expect Sarah sees herself as American. New York is where she was born and raised.
That's right. But her grandparents weren't. Do you think you change when you go and live in another country with people different to you?
Yes, I do. My neighbours are Turkish but they've lived in England for 45 years so they've integrated into our culture. They enjoy English things like… our TV soap operas, cooking turkey at Christmas, and drinking tea with milk. So Neil, to what extent does the way other people see us, actually change us? Let's listen to Julian Baggini, a writer and philosopher here in the UK and find out what he thinks.
It seems very evident that our sense of self isn't something that comes entirely from within. And of course we're affected by the way other people see us. And that's one of the most formative things in creating our sense of identity. I mean, I think it's kind of a two-way process that's ongoing. Our sense of who we are is always a response in part to how other people see us.
So Julian Baggini believes the way other people see us is formative in creating our sense of identity – or who we are.
So if enough people see you as an English rose, you might start to see yourself as an English rose, even if you aren't ethnically English.
I'm not so sure. The friend I talked about earlier, she comes across as much more Brazilian than English in the way she behaves. She doesn't have the famous English reserve – but you'd never know it by looking at her. OK, I think it's time for the answer to today's quiz question.
Okey-dokey, fair enough. I asked you: What percentage of the UK population described themselves as ethnically mixed? Is it … a) 0.9%, b) 5.9% or c) 9%?
I said a) 0.9%.
Yes. And you were on the money today, Neil! Well done! According to a survey conducted by the BBC in 2011, when asked about their own ethnic origins, 0.9% of the UK population said they were mixed race, although it's thought that the real figure is 2% more.
And that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.
Bye!
KEY: 1C 2A 3A 4A 5A 6A 7B
Source: BBC's 6 Minute English
1 Neil is
A in his 30’s.
B thin.
C white skinned.
2 If a girl is described as a typical English rose she
A has a pale skin colour.
B is not very beautiful.
C was born in a rural area.
3 New York City actress and playwright, Sarah Jones
A has some European roots.
B is adopted.
C is white on her dad’s side.
4 Alice’s neighbours
A eat meat at Christmas.
B haven’t integrated into British culture.
C have lived in Britain all their lives.
5 In Julian Baggini’s opinion, who we are depends on
A both ourselves and the others.
B the people around us.
C ourselves.
6 The percentage of the UK population who describe themselves as ethnically mixed is
A 0.9%.
B 5.9%.
C 9%.
7 The real percentage of ethnically mixed population is
A around 2%.
B around 3%.
C around 12%.
Photo: BBC Learning English
Hello and welcome. I'm Alice…
And I'm Neil. So, Alice, what do you see when you look at me?
Well, male, Caucasian, early 40s, short auburn hair, bushy eyebrows, thin lips...
OK. So that's how you see me? It sounds like a police report, and I'm not sure I like your observation about thin lips. Caucasian means white skinned and European, by the way.
And today the show is about identity – who or what a person is. And the way people see us forms part of our sense of identity, while another part comes from our ethnic – or racial – identity. Now, Neil, you are, of course, many more things than my physical description of you!
I'm glad to hear that. And it's true, that until you actually hear somebody speak, there are lots of things you can't know about them. For example, which country they're from, what language they speak…
Yes. So looking at me, what would you say, Neil?
I would say Alice that you're a typical English rose.
Thanks, Neil – and English rose describes an attractive girl with a pale delicate complexion – or skin colour – but you can't actually tell where a person is from by the way they look.
Yes, I suppose you're right.
Well, let's hear from New York City actress and playwright, Sarah Jones, talking about her complicated ethnicity.
My family on my dad's side, my grandparents, are from the South. There's some Caribbean in there, black Americans from the South and the Caribbean, and then on my mother's side there are people from the Caribbean, from Ireland but you know Irish American, German American. People would ask me if I was adopted when they saw my mother's white skin – she's actually mixed but she's white from a distance, and I'm black from a distance.
Sarah Jones there. Well, Sarah has family from all over the world! And people think Sarah is adopted because she looks so different to her mum.
But I expect Sarah sees herself as American. New York is where she was born and raised.
That's right. But her grandparents weren't. Do you think you change when you go and live in another country with people different to you?
Yes, I do. My neighbours are Turkish but they've lived in England for 45 years so they've integrated into our culture. They enjoy English things like… our TV soap operas, cooking turkey at Christmas, and drinking tea with milk. So Neil, to what extent does the way other people see us, actually change us? Let's listen to Julian Baggini, a writer and philosopher here in the UK and find out what he thinks.
It seems very evident that our sense of self isn't something that comes entirely from within. And of course we're affected by the way other people see us. And that's one of the most formative things in creating our sense of identity. I mean, I think it's kind of a two-way process that's ongoing. Our sense of who we are is always a response in part to how other people see us.
So Julian Baggini believes the way other people see us is formative in creating our sense of identity – or who we are.
So if enough people see you as an English rose, you might start to see yourself as an English rose, even if you aren't ethnically English.
I'm not so sure. The friend I talked about earlier, she comes across as much more Brazilian than English in the way she behaves. She doesn't have the famous English reserve – but you'd never know it by looking at her. OK, I think it's time for the answer to today's quiz question.
Okey-dokey, fair enough. I asked you: What percentage of the UK population described themselves as ethnically mixed? Is it … a) 0.9%, b) 5.9% or c) 9%?
I said a) 0.9%.
Yes. And you were on the money today, Neil! Well done! According to a survey conducted by the BBC in 2011, when asked about their own ethnic origins, 0.9% of the UK population said they were mixed race, although it's thought that the real figure is 2% more.
And that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.
Bye!
KEY: 1C 2A 3A 4A 5A 6A 7B
domingo, 7 de agosto de 2016
Extensive listening: Why you think you're right -- even if you're wrong
Perspective is everything, especially when it comes to examining your beliefs. Are you a soldier, prone to defending your viewpoint at all costs, or a scout, spurred by curiosity?
Julia Galef examines the motivations behind these two mindsets and how they shape the way we interpret information, interweaved with a compelling history lesson from 19th-century France.
When your steadfast opinions are tested, Galef asks: "What do you most yearn for? Do you yearn to defend your own beliefs or do you yearn to see the world as clearly as you possibly can?"
You can read a full transcript of the talk here.
Julia Galef examines the motivations behind these two mindsets and how they shape the way we interpret information, interweaved with a compelling history lesson from 19th-century France.
When your steadfast opinions are tested, Galef asks: "What do you most yearn for? Do you yearn to defend your own beliefs or do you yearn to see the world as clearly as you possibly can?"
You can read a full transcript of the talk here.
domingo, 31 de julio de 2016
Extensive listening: Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality
What makes you, you? Psychologists like to talk about our traits, or defined characteristics that make us who we are.
But in his TED talk Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality, Brian Little is more interested in moments when we transcend those traits — sometimes because our culture demands it of us, and sometimes because we demand it of ourselves.
Watch Brian Little as he dissects the surprising differences between introverts and extroverts and explains why your personality may be more malleable than you think.
But in his TED talk Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality, Brian Little is more interested in moments when we transcend those traits — sometimes because our culture demands it of us, and sometimes because we demand it of ourselves.
Watch Brian Little as he dissects the surprising differences between introverts and extroverts and explains why your personality may be more malleable than you think.
domingo, 5 de junio de 2016
Extensive listening: The beauty of being a misfit
To those who feel like they don't belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. In her TED talk early this year, The beauty of being misfit, author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance.
"Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty."
You can read the transcript here.
"Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty."
You can read the transcript here.
miércoles, 14 de octubre de 2015
Talking point: Personal identity
This week's talking point is personal identity. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily when you meet up with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
Classmates, friends, teammates, workmates. Think about the groups you belong to and how important that group is to your identity. Choose the group you think has the biggest influence on you an explain your reasons.
The following factors can all influence our personal identity. Number them in order of importance to your identity (1 the most important, 8 the least):
What's the difference between family background and social status?
How might they be related to each other?
Do you and the people in your social group share the same life goals?
Is that important?
Do you think it is important 'to be yourself' at all times, even if sometimes it may upset people?
Have you ever felt out of place or that you didn't fit in?
Is your sense of identity connected to your language and culture?
Is your identity in your language the same as your identity when you speak English?
To illustrate the point you can watch the Speakout family history, where passers-by answer the questions:
Do you spend much time with your family?
Do you think you have inherited any family characteristics?
Do you know much about your family history?
Does your family history play a part in your sense of who you are?
A: Hi. My name is Andrea. I live and work in London though most of my family live in Brazil. I get on well with my sister when I see her but that’s only once a year. Do you spend much time with your family?
N: Spend quite a bit of time with my family. Obviously, er, less now since I left home and left university. Uh, but I go back every, kind of, every other weekend or every, say, three weekends. So yeah, I see them quite a bit.
D: Probably not as much as I could because the kids are busy and, er, I don’t have any parents any more and my husband’s family live a fair way away, so probably not as much as we’d like to.
To: I try to, yeah. I try and spend as much as possible. Erm … My ... I’ve got two sisters. My eldest sister lives in London (she lives on a houseboat actually, on the Thames – which is very nice). And my little sister lives in Tenerife with my parents.
Ti: I don’t, no. We’re geographically quite spread out.
R: Yeah, I do. I go to school in Toronto and they live there and I see them on weekends and whenever I can really.
A: Do you think you have inherited any family characteristics?
N: Well, er, often people say that I sound and look a lot like my dad, which I don’t see but, but everybody else does, so I guess, er, I guess I have done.
M: Yes, I do. A lot of people sometimes say I look like my aunt, erm, or my mother. But then there are a couple of my aunts and my cousins that when people see us they’re like, ‘Are you guys sisters?’
D: Unfortunately I think I have, but they’re probably not all bad. My family seems to all have fairly good personalities and it’s usually fun being around them, so, um, I think I might have inherited some of that.
R: Oh, absolutely. I get stressed very easily. I, er, I guess take things too seriously sometimes, but I really value spending time with my family and that’s probably a big thing that I’ve inherited.
Ti: Er, physically, yeah, definitely. Erm, yeah, I think I’m quite slender and quite tall which is like my mum. Er, but in terms of personality, probably not, no I don’t think so. No, no.
To: Yeah, definitely. I think, from my mum I’ve got the kind of bubbliness and chattiness – she’s very much like that. And, er, most of the time I’m like that, but then when I’m in a bad mood I get the dad side. And that’s er, he’s kind of, my mum used to call him ‘a volcano’ because he kind of just ‘erupts’. He’s really peaceful most of the time but then when you really make him angry he’ll erupt and that’s kind of how it is with me.
An: There’s this moment I think ... probably happens to all of us, where there was something our mum or our dad did which we hated and then we find that we’re doing it.
A: Do you know much about your family history?
An: Yes, I know quite a lot – um, group of eccentrics really. Um … my family was essentially, er, lived in Scotland and Argentina, different bits of Latin America. So I know, I know quite a lot about it.
M: We’re like, we’re great writers and historians so we do a lot of work with, you know, collecting that, we did a lot of work collecting that data of our family’s history coming from Barbados, um, and going to Liberia which is where I’m from originally.
D: A little bit. One of my aunties did a family tree and it appears that I’m about, I think, a third generation Australian. Originally, we came from County Clare in Ireland. So, that’s as much as I know.
To: Yeah, it’s quite interesting actually because my father and my mother were both Catholic missionaries from Spain and they met in Zimbabwe while they, while my father was a priest and my mother was a nun and they fell in love and they kind of left the church and decided to settle down in Zimbabwe and, um, have kids.
R: Yeah, I mean Canada is a country of immigrants, so my family’s from Scotland and France.
N: I remember conversations with my grandparents – them explaining but I wish I’d written more down because it’s amazing how much you forget. You think, ‘I’m sure it’s so vivid. I’m sure I’d remember more,’ but, er, I wish I did.
A: Does your family history play a part in your sense of who you are?
An: Yes, very much so. And part of that is that I was brought up in Latin America, speaking Spanish to my friends and English to my parents. So, in a sense, I was brought up ‘between two cultures’ and that, at the end, is part of who I am.
M: Definitely because family is a big part of me um, and, we just try to keep those connections going.
N: I guess it’s a difficult balance in my head to see what’s, how much is me and how much is my family. And knowing about my family history and knowing what I have inherited, which I’m sure there’s lots and lots of habits that I must have inherited, but I feel a lot of it’s ‘me’ but it probably isn’t.
Ti: Er, no, not really at all. Erm, I left home when I was about sixteen or seventeen so I think my sense of identity has been very much formed by my own belief systems and my own lifestyle rather than being particularly keyed into anything to do with my parents or my grandparents.
Classmates, friends, teammates, workmates. Think about the groups you belong to and how important that group is to your identity. Choose the group you think has the biggest influence on you an explain your reasons.
The following factors can all influence our personal identity. Number them in order of importance to your identity (1 the most important, 8 the least):
clothes - studies - friends - interests - values - family - languages - job
Is family background important to your sense of identity?What's the difference between family background and social status?
How might they be related to each other?
Do you and the people in your social group share the same life goals?
Is that important?
Do you think it is important 'to be yourself' at all times, even if sometimes it may upset people?
Have you ever felt out of place or that you didn't fit in?
Is your sense of identity connected to your language and culture?
Is your identity in your language the same as your identity when you speak English?
To illustrate the point you can watch the Speakout family history, where passers-by answer the questions:
Do you spend much time with your family?
Do you think you have inherited any family characteristics?
Do you know much about your family history?
Does your family history play a part in your sense of who you are?
A: Hi. My name is Andrea. I live and work in London though most of my family live in Brazil. I get on well with my sister when I see her but that’s only once a year. Do you spend much time with your family?
N: Spend quite a bit of time with my family. Obviously, er, less now since I left home and left university. Uh, but I go back every, kind of, every other weekend or every, say, three weekends. So yeah, I see them quite a bit.
D: Probably not as much as I could because the kids are busy and, er, I don’t have any parents any more and my husband’s family live a fair way away, so probably not as much as we’d like to.
To: I try to, yeah. I try and spend as much as possible. Erm … My ... I’ve got two sisters. My eldest sister lives in London (she lives on a houseboat actually, on the Thames – which is very nice). And my little sister lives in Tenerife with my parents.
Ti: I don’t, no. We’re geographically quite spread out.
R: Yeah, I do. I go to school in Toronto and they live there and I see them on weekends and whenever I can really.
A: Do you think you have inherited any family characteristics?
N: Well, er, often people say that I sound and look a lot like my dad, which I don’t see but, but everybody else does, so I guess, er, I guess I have done.
M: Yes, I do. A lot of people sometimes say I look like my aunt, erm, or my mother. But then there are a couple of my aunts and my cousins that when people see us they’re like, ‘Are you guys sisters?’
D: Unfortunately I think I have, but they’re probably not all bad. My family seems to all have fairly good personalities and it’s usually fun being around them, so, um, I think I might have inherited some of that.
R: Oh, absolutely. I get stressed very easily. I, er, I guess take things too seriously sometimes, but I really value spending time with my family and that’s probably a big thing that I’ve inherited.
Ti: Er, physically, yeah, definitely. Erm, yeah, I think I’m quite slender and quite tall which is like my mum. Er, but in terms of personality, probably not, no I don’t think so. No, no.
To: Yeah, definitely. I think, from my mum I’ve got the kind of bubbliness and chattiness – she’s very much like that. And, er, most of the time I’m like that, but then when I’m in a bad mood I get the dad side. And that’s er, he’s kind of, my mum used to call him ‘a volcano’ because he kind of just ‘erupts’. He’s really peaceful most of the time but then when you really make him angry he’ll erupt and that’s kind of how it is with me.
An: There’s this moment I think ... probably happens to all of us, where there was something our mum or our dad did which we hated and then we find that we’re doing it.
A: Do you know much about your family history?
An: Yes, I know quite a lot – um, group of eccentrics really. Um … my family was essentially, er, lived in Scotland and Argentina, different bits of Latin America. So I know, I know quite a lot about it.
M: We’re like, we’re great writers and historians so we do a lot of work with, you know, collecting that, we did a lot of work collecting that data of our family’s history coming from Barbados, um, and going to Liberia which is where I’m from originally.
D: A little bit. One of my aunties did a family tree and it appears that I’m about, I think, a third generation Australian. Originally, we came from County Clare in Ireland. So, that’s as much as I know.
To: Yeah, it’s quite interesting actually because my father and my mother were both Catholic missionaries from Spain and they met in Zimbabwe while they, while my father was a priest and my mother was a nun and they fell in love and they kind of left the church and decided to settle down in Zimbabwe and, um, have kids.
R: Yeah, I mean Canada is a country of immigrants, so my family’s from Scotland and France.
N: I remember conversations with my grandparents – them explaining but I wish I’d written more down because it’s amazing how much you forget. You think, ‘I’m sure it’s so vivid. I’m sure I’d remember more,’ but, er, I wish I did.
A: Does your family history play a part in your sense of who you are?
An: Yes, very much so. And part of that is that I was brought up in Latin America, speaking Spanish to my friends and English to my parents. So, in a sense, I was brought up ‘between two cultures’ and that, at the end, is part of who I am.
M: Definitely because family is a big part of me um, and, we just try to keep those connections going.
N: I guess it’s a difficult balance in my head to see what’s, how much is me and how much is my family. And knowing about my family history and knowing what I have inherited, which I’m sure there’s lots and lots of habits that I must have inherited, but I feel a lot of it’s ‘me’ but it probably isn’t.
Ti: Er, no, not really at all. Erm, I left home when I was about sixteen or seventeen so I think my sense of identity has been very much formed by my own belief systems and my own lifestyle rather than being particularly keyed into anything to do with my parents or my grandparents.
miércoles, 5 de agosto de 2015
Talking point: Physical appearance and personality
This week's talking point is physical appearance and personality. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily with you meet up with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
The other day I was watching a film with George Clooney and I was reminded, that man has some style! He sure does. I love George Clooney. He’s really captured that old Hollywood style that you don’t see in most actors anymore. You know, that era of Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. He’s, he’s really got that sharp style.
Elegance.
Yeah, elegance.
I don’t understand what you’re talking about, I don’t. . . What is this style thing you’re talking about, really?
Oh man! Take a look at these people, I mean, if you had them in a lineup or something. Look at their clothing, the way that, the way that they wear vestments compared to the average Joe. Yeah.
The crisp suit and the nicely ironed white shirt and, the way he carries himself also. George Clooney’s, you know, a style icon.
Or a woman, a woman with a dress that, not only is it a beautiful fabric or color but the way that it fits her body, or something like this. The way that it goes with the look in her face. If she’s got a really sharp face maybe it’s a, a crisp fabric.
And then how she accessorizes it: her handbag, her shoes, her jewelry.
Of course. Jewelry, women and jewelry. Christmas is always set.
Sounds really expensive to me. It sounds like you have to have a lot of money, then, to have style.
I don’t think it…, I don’t think you have to. I think you have to have an eye for what looks good and what suits you.
That’s it.
I think that’s really important.
You mean like Versace or Pierre Cardin or…
No, not necessarily at all. I mean, sometimes at a thrift store or a charity shop you can find, you can find a simple button down whose color matches your eyes or your skin tone. Or, for some reason seems to fit your body type perfectly. And then, what? Two or three dollars later, you’re walking out smiling.
Yeah, absolutely. I agree. The only thing it takes is time.
Yes.
You have to want to invest time into looking good, I think.
I remember I bought a second-hand shirt once and after the first day it stunk to high heaven.
Yeah, there’s always that danger.
It had a serious case of body odor, let me tell you.
There’s always that danger. But the people who have style, it’s not just these, the famous Hollywood icons like we’re talking about. I mean, it could be, sometimes you walk down the street and you see someone and turn your head and go, “wow.”
Yeah, it’s true.
Something about what they’re wearing.
OK. And that’s, maybe got something, more to do with, it’s got more to do with, the walk or the look or, no? than the item of the clothing.
Well I wouldn’t, I’d say that’s also a part of style.
Yeah, I think . . .
I mean, the way to get style is not necessarily, is not only shop for clothing. I mean, pay attention to the way that you carry yourself, the cadence in your voice, I mean, there’s a whole lot to style.
Your manners, and the way you treat people, and the way you speak to people. So I think it, you know, you have to behave in a way that matches your clothes and your clothes have to match how you behave.
So, now what we’re talking about is substance, not style.
Style, why do we have to separate the two? Style can be a visual extension of the substance within. And, in fact, I think that might be a perfect definition.
So if you dress plainly, you don’t have style. But you might have substance? Or you can’t possibly dress plainly and have substance?
No, I wouldn’t say that. That’s not fair to all the plain dressed substantial people. But, maybe I should revise my definition of style then.
- Have you ever airbrushed or photoshopped a photo of yourself?
- Why do some people do it?
- What features of their appearance do they alter?
- Do you think it is important to age well?
- Are your friends similar to you or different? In what ways?
- Do you think our culture is obsessed with being beautiful?
- Is beauty more valued than personal qualities?
- Do you think that cosmetic surgery improves people's self-confidence?
- Do you think that giving too much importance to physical appearance will make you unhappy in the end?
The other day I was watching a film with George Clooney and I was reminded, that man has some style! He sure does. I love George Clooney. He’s really captured that old Hollywood style that you don’t see in most actors anymore. You know, that era of Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. He’s, he’s really got that sharp style.
Elegance.
Yeah, elegance.
I don’t understand what you’re talking about, I don’t. . . What is this style thing you’re talking about, really?
Oh man! Take a look at these people, I mean, if you had them in a lineup or something. Look at their clothing, the way that, the way that they wear vestments compared to the average Joe. Yeah.
The crisp suit and the nicely ironed white shirt and, the way he carries himself also. George Clooney’s, you know, a style icon.
Or a woman, a woman with a dress that, not only is it a beautiful fabric or color but the way that it fits her body, or something like this. The way that it goes with the look in her face. If she’s got a really sharp face maybe it’s a, a crisp fabric.
And then how she accessorizes it: her handbag, her shoes, her jewelry.
Of course. Jewelry, women and jewelry. Christmas is always set.
Sounds really expensive to me. It sounds like you have to have a lot of money, then, to have style.
I don’t think it…, I don’t think you have to. I think you have to have an eye for what looks good and what suits you.
That’s it.
I think that’s really important.
You mean like Versace or Pierre Cardin or…
No, not necessarily at all. I mean, sometimes at a thrift store or a charity shop you can find, you can find a simple button down whose color matches your eyes or your skin tone. Or, for some reason seems to fit your body type perfectly. And then, what? Two or three dollars later, you’re walking out smiling.
Yeah, absolutely. I agree. The only thing it takes is time.
Yes.
You have to want to invest time into looking good, I think.
I remember I bought a second-hand shirt once and after the first day it stunk to high heaven.
Yeah, there’s always that danger.
It had a serious case of body odor, let me tell you.
There’s always that danger. But the people who have style, it’s not just these, the famous Hollywood icons like we’re talking about. I mean, it could be, sometimes you walk down the street and you see someone and turn your head and go, “wow.”
Yeah, it’s true.
Something about what they’re wearing.
OK. And that’s, maybe got something, more to do with, it’s got more to do with, the walk or the look or, no? than the item of the clothing.
Well I wouldn’t, I’d say that’s also a part of style.
Yeah, I think . . .
I mean, the way to get style is not necessarily, is not only shop for clothing. I mean, pay attention to the way that you carry yourself, the cadence in your voice, I mean, there’s a whole lot to style.
Your manners, and the way you treat people, and the way you speak to people. So I think it, you know, you have to behave in a way that matches your clothes and your clothes have to match how you behave.
So, now what we’re talking about is substance, not style.
Style, why do we have to separate the two? Style can be a visual extension of the substance within. And, in fact, I think that might be a perfect definition.
So if you dress plainly, you don’t have style. But you might have substance? Or you can’t possibly dress plainly and have substance?
No, I wouldn’t say that. That’s not fair to all the plain dressed substantial people. But, maybe I should revise my definition of style then.
domingo, 5 de abril de 2015
Extensive listening: The truth about personality
Over a year ago BBC Horizon aired The Truth about Personality, where reporter Michael Mosley explored the latest science about how our personalities are created, and whether they can be changed.
In the programme, Mosley tried out two techniques to become more optimistic and to worry less about the future, and he obtained surprising results.
E17 The Truth About Personality por kaanozten
E17 The Truth About Personality por kaanozten
You can read the transcript for the first twelve minutes of the programme here.
In the programme, Mosley tried out two techniques to become more optimistic and to worry less about the future, and he obtained surprising results.
E17 The Truth About Personality por kaanozten
E17 The Truth About Personality por kaanozten
You can read the transcript for the first twelve minutes of the programme here.
miércoles, 3 de septiembre de 2014
Talking point: Urban tribes
This week's talking point is urban tribes. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
Your teenage son/daughter has taken up the Goth look. They wear black ripped clothes, have a piercing, and have dyed their hair black and purple. All their new friends are also Goths.
Decide what you, as parents, should do, if anything.
To illustrate the topic, you can watch this BBC video about the explosion of urban youth culture in Mexico city and its implications.
- Hippies, skaters, townies, preppies, goths, techies. What do you know about these urban tribes?
- What do these people do?
- What do they wear?
- What kind of music do they listen to?
- What other interests do they have?
- Where do they go and what do they do in their free time?
- What are their homes like?
- Judging from their appearance, what do you think these people believe it is important in life?
- Do you know anyone who is a member of an urban tribe or some other social group?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of such groups?
- How and why did these groups begin?
- 'People like to belong'. Do you agree?
- 'Your appearance shows your personality'. Do you agree?
- 'First impressions count'. Do you agree?
Your teenage son/daughter has taken up the Goth look. They wear black ripped clothes, have a piercing, and have dyed their hair black and purple. All their new friends are also Goths.
Decide what you, as parents, should do, if anything.
To illustrate the topic, you can watch this BBC video about the explosion of urban youth culture in Mexico city and its implications.
jueves, 27 de febrero de 2014
The science of stage fright
The science of stage fright is a Ted-Ed lesson about our difficulty to speak in public. As Ted-Ed points out, "But the better you understand your body's reaction, the more likely you are to overcome it. Mikael Cho advises how to trick your brain and steal the show."
Self-study activity:
Watch the lesson and say whether the statements below are true or false.
The activity is suitable for (strong) intermediate students.
Also remember that if you drop by the lesson on Ted-Ed you will be able to do another listening comprehension activity together with some other suggestions to explore the topic.
1 What you feel at a podium is called stage fright.
2 Public speaking can threaten our reputation.
3 Charles Darwin experienced an uncontrolled reaction at the London zoo.
4 We have difficulty in seeing distant objects when affected by stage fright.
5 Stage fright is all psychological.
6 Practice may help us to control stage flight.
7 Some exercises might help us reduce stage flight.
Palms sweaty, heart racing, stomach in knots, you can’t cry for help. Not only is your throat too tight to breathe but it’s so embarrassing. No, you aren’t been stalked by a monster, you’re speaking in public, a feat some deem worse than death. See, when you’re dead you feel nothing, at a podium you feel stage fright.
But at some point, we all have to communicate in front of people, so you have to try and overcome it. To start, understand what stage fright is. Humans, social animals that we are, are wired to worry about reputation. Public speaking can threaten it. Before speech, you’re frightened. What if people think I’m awful, that I’m an idiot. That fear of being seen as an awful idiot is a threat reaction from a primitive part of your brain that is very hard to control. It’s the fight or flight response, a self-protective process seen in a range of animals most of which don’t give speeches.
But we have a wise partner in the stage of freaking out: Charles Darwin tested fight or flight at the London Zoo snake exhibit. He wrote in his diary: My will and reason were powerless against the imagination of a danger which had never been experienced. He concluded that his response was an ancient reaction unaffected by the nuances of modern civilization.
So to your conscious modern mind, it is speech. To the rest of your brain, built up to code with the law of the jungle, when you perceive the conscious the possible consequences of blowing speech time to run for your life and fight to your death.
Your hypothalamus come to all over the brains, it triggers your pituitary gland to secrete the hormone ACTH, making your adrenal gland shoot adrenalin to your blood. Your neck and back tense up, your slouch, your legs and hands shake and your muscles prepare for attack. You sweat, your blood pressure jumps, your digestion shuts down to maximize delivery of nutrients and oxygen to muscles and vital organs. So you get dry-mouthed, butterflies. Your pupils dialate is hard to read anything up close like your notes, but long range is easy, that’s how stage fright works. How do we fight it?
First, perspective. This isn’t all in your head. It’s a natural hormonal full-body reaction by an autonomic nervous system on autopilot. And genetics play a huge role in social anxiety.
John wanted to play live thousands of times. Each time he vomited beforehand.
Some people are just worried to feel more scared performing in public. Since stage fright is natural and inevitable, it will never go, focus on what you can control.
Practice. A lot, starting long before in an environment similar to the real performance. Practising any task increases your familiarity and reduces anxiety so when it’s time to speak in public you’re confident and you’re yourself at the task in hand.
Steve Jobs rehearses epic speeches for hundreds of hours starting weeks in advance. If you know what you’re saying, you’ll feed off the crowds energy instead of letting your hypothalamus convince your body is about to feed lunch for a pack of predators.
But, hey, the vertabrate hypothalamus has had millions of years more practice than you. Just before you go on stage, it’s time to fight dirty and trick your brain. Stretch your arms up and breathe deeply, this makes your hypothalamus trigger a relaxation response. Stage fright usually hits hardest right before the presentation, so take that last minute to stretch and breathe. You approach the mike, voice clear, body relaxed. Your well-prepared speech convinces the wild crowd you’re a charismatic genius. How? You didn’t overcome stage fright, you adapted to it and to the fact that no matter how civilized you may seem, in part of your brain you’re still a wild animal. You’re a profound, well-spoken wild animal.
Key:
1T 2T 3T 4F 5F 6T 7T
Self-study activity:
Watch the lesson and say whether the statements below are true or false.
The activity is suitable for (strong) intermediate students.
Also remember that if you drop by the lesson on Ted-Ed you will be able to do another listening comprehension activity together with some other suggestions to explore the topic.
1 What you feel at a podium is called stage fright.
2 Public speaking can threaten our reputation.
3 Charles Darwin experienced an uncontrolled reaction at the London zoo.
4 We have difficulty in seeing distant objects when affected by stage fright.
5 Stage fright is all psychological.
6 Practice may help us to control stage flight.
7 Some exercises might help us reduce stage flight.
Palms sweaty, heart racing, stomach in knots, you can’t cry for help. Not only is your throat too tight to breathe but it’s so embarrassing. No, you aren’t been stalked by a monster, you’re speaking in public, a feat some deem worse than death. See, when you’re dead you feel nothing, at a podium you feel stage fright.
But at some point, we all have to communicate in front of people, so you have to try and overcome it. To start, understand what stage fright is. Humans, social animals that we are, are wired to worry about reputation. Public speaking can threaten it. Before speech, you’re frightened. What if people think I’m awful, that I’m an idiot. That fear of being seen as an awful idiot is a threat reaction from a primitive part of your brain that is very hard to control. It’s the fight or flight response, a self-protective process seen in a range of animals most of which don’t give speeches.
But we have a wise partner in the stage of freaking out: Charles Darwin tested fight or flight at the London Zoo snake exhibit. He wrote in his diary: My will and reason were powerless against the imagination of a danger which had never been experienced. He concluded that his response was an ancient reaction unaffected by the nuances of modern civilization.
So to your conscious modern mind, it is speech. To the rest of your brain, built up to code with the law of the jungle, when you perceive the conscious the possible consequences of blowing speech time to run for your life and fight to your death.
Your hypothalamus come to all over the brains, it triggers your pituitary gland to secrete the hormone ACTH, making your adrenal gland shoot adrenalin to your blood. Your neck and back tense up, your slouch, your legs and hands shake and your muscles prepare for attack. You sweat, your blood pressure jumps, your digestion shuts down to maximize delivery of nutrients and oxygen to muscles and vital organs. So you get dry-mouthed, butterflies. Your pupils dialate is hard to read anything up close like your notes, but long range is easy, that’s how stage fright works. How do we fight it?
First, perspective. This isn’t all in your head. It’s a natural hormonal full-body reaction by an autonomic nervous system on autopilot. And genetics play a huge role in social anxiety.
John wanted to play live thousands of times. Each time he vomited beforehand.
Some people are just worried to feel more scared performing in public. Since stage fright is natural and inevitable, it will never go, focus on what you can control.
Practice. A lot, starting long before in an environment similar to the real performance. Practising any task increases your familiarity and reduces anxiety so when it’s time to speak in public you’re confident and you’re yourself at the task in hand.
Steve Jobs rehearses epic speeches for hundreds of hours starting weeks in advance. If you know what you’re saying, you’ll feed off the crowds energy instead of letting your hypothalamus convince your body is about to feed lunch for a pack of predators.
But, hey, the vertabrate hypothalamus has had millions of years more practice than you. Just before you go on stage, it’s time to fight dirty and trick your brain. Stretch your arms up and breathe deeply, this makes your hypothalamus trigger a relaxation response. Stage fright usually hits hardest right before the presentation, so take that last minute to stretch and breathe. You approach the mike, voice clear, body relaxed. Your well-prepared speech convinces the wild crowd you’re a charismatic genius. How? You didn’t overcome stage fright, you adapted to it and to the fact that no matter how civilized you may seem, in part of your brain you’re still a wild animal. You’re a profound, well-spoken wild animal.
Key:
1T 2T 3T 4F 5F 6T 7T
domingo, 2 de junio de 2013
Extensive listening: How to make better decisions
How to make better decisions is a documentary aired by BBC's Horizon in 2008.
This is the way the BBC announced the programme:
"We are bad at making decisions. According to science, our decisions are based on oversimplification, laziness and prejudice. And that's assuming that we haven't already been hijacked by our surroundings or led astray by our subconscious!
Featuring exclusive footage of experiments that show how our choices can be confounded by temperature, warped by post-rationalisation and even manipulated by the future, Horizon presents a guide to better decision making, and introduces you to Mathematician Garth Sundem, who is convinced that conclusions can best be reached using simple maths and a pencil!"
You can read the transcript for the documentary here.
This is the way the BBC announced the programme:
"We are bad at making decisions. According to science, our decisions are based on oversimplification, laziness and prejudice. And that's assuming that we haven't already been hijacked by our surroundings or led astray by our subconscious!
Featuring exclusive footage of experiments that show how our choices can be confounded by temperature, warped by post-rationalisation and even manipulated by the future, Horizon presents a guide to better decision making, and introduces you to Mathematician Garth Sundem, who is convinced that conclusions can best be reached using simple maths and a pencil!"
You can read the transcript for the documentary here.
martes, 1 de enero de 2013
Real English series: A tourist in London and what are the Italians/Germans like?
Today we are posting two new episodes in the Real English series of videos for Básico 1 and Básico 2 (elementary) students.
In the first one Lisa, an American tourist in London, answers some questions about herself and about her impressions of London.
Some parts of the video may be difficult for Básico 1 students, but not definitely for Básico 2 ones. Anyway, the clip is a good opportunity to revise the structure of basic questions in English at this level.
It is advisable to watch the same video with English subtitles on the Real English site here.
Students can also do an interactive excercise on the Real English site here.
Below you can find the questions that Lisa is asked in the interview, which may help you for revision purposes.
What’s your name?
Are you from New York?
When did you get to London?
How do you like it so far?
Why did you come to London?
How long are you going to stay?
How long all together?
Do you like it so far?
Could you introduce this person here?
Are you friends?
Do the French like us much?
Where do you live?
Do you like Americans?
Where are you staying?
Is it expensive?
What do you do in New York?
Where is your shop?
Do you live in Staten Island?
The second video follows up on the study of the question pattern What ... like? to describe people, and that we have studied in the last four weeks. This time it is the Italians that people in the street are asked to describe when answering the question, What are the Italians like?
The main difficulty of the video lies on the vocabulary as some of the speakers use a few adjectives which students at elementary and even intermediate level may find difficult to understand.
It is more than advisible to download the transcript from the Real English site here, so that you can look up the words that you don't understand and practise the pronunciation of the vocabulary.
You can also do an interactive exercise on the Real English site here.
The last video on today's post follows up on the practice of the question What are ... like?, this time the question is about the Germans, What are the Germans like?
In the first one Lisa, an American tourist in London, answers some questions about herself and about her impressions of London.
Some parts of the video may be difficult for Básico 1 students, but not definitely for Básico 2 ones. Anyway, the clip is a good opportunity to revise the structure of basic questions in English at this level.
It is advisable to watch the same video with English subtitles on the Real English site here.
Students can also do an interactive excercise on the Real English site here.
Below you can find the questions that Lisa is asked in the interview, which may help you for revision purposes.
Are you from New York?
When did you get to London?
How do you like it so far?
Why did you come to London?
How long are you going to stay?
How long all together?
Do you like it so far?
Could you introduce this person here?
Are you friends?
Do the French like us much?
Where do you live?
Do you like Americans?
Where are you staying?
Is it expensive?
What do you do in New York?
Where is your shop?
Do you live in Staten Island?
The second video follows up on the study of the question pattern What ... like? to describe people, and that we have studied in the last four weeks. This time it is the Italians that people in the street are asked to describe when answering the question, What are the Italians like?
The main difficulty of the video lies on the vocabulary as some of the speakers use a few adjectives which students at elementary and even intermediate level may find difficult to understand.
It is more than advisible to download the transcript from the Real English site here, so that you can look up the words that you don't understand and practise the pronunciation of the vocabulary.
You can also do an interactive exercise on the Real English site here.
The last video on today's post follows up on the practice of the question What are ... like?, this time the question is about the Germans, What are the Germans like?
You can watch a subtitled version of the same video on the Real English site here.
martes, 18 de diciembre de 2012
What are the Americans and the British like?
Today we are posting two new videos in the Real English video series. We continue describing people by answering the question What are the Americans like? and What are the British like?, which has already come up several times in our Real English video series.
Remember that we use the structure What is XXX like? to ask someone to describe people, places and objects, but when used for people we just refer to their personality.
In the answer, we generally use adjectives, and we never include the word like in our answer (which is used as a preposition in this question).
Another interesting point to bear in mind is the use of the article the + nationality adjective (the British) to refer to British people in general (always followed by plural verb). To talk about the nationals of a country we can say
The + nationality adjective (The British are...) or
Adjective + noun with no article (British people are...)
Spanish people or The Spanish
French people or The French
We can also use the structure the + adjective (with no noun) to refer to a group of people in general: the poor, the rich. The verb is always plural after the adjective.
The rich are always a minority
The poor are always the first to suffer in crisis times.
Watch the videos and find our what the British and Americans are like. You may need to watch the clips with subtitles on the Real English website (links are provided below) as the main difficulty of the videos is not the accent or how fast the people interviewed talk, but the meaning of some of the adjectives used to describe people.
You can do an exercise on this video on the Real English website.
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English website.
Students at an intermediate level can watch a longer version of this video on the Real English website.
You can do an exercise on this video on the Real English website.
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English website.
Students at an intermediate level can watch a longer version of this video on the Real English website.
Remember that we use the structure What is XXX like? to ask someone to describe people, places and objects, but when used for people we just refer to their personality.
In the answer, we generally use adjectives, and we never include the word like in our answer (which is used as a preposition in this question).
Another interesting point to bear in mind is the use of the article the + nationality adjective (the British) to refer to British people in general (always followed by plural verb). To talk about the nationals of a country we can say
The + nationality adjective (The British are...) or
Adjective + noun with no article (British people are...)
Spanish people or The Spanish
French people or The French
We can also use the structure the + adjective (with no noun) to refer to a group of people in general: the poor, the rich. The verb is always plural after the adjective.
The rich are always a minority
The poor are always the first to suffer in crisis times.
Watch the videos and find our what the British and Americans are like. You may need to watch the clips with subtitles on the Real English website (links are provided below) as the main difficulty of the videos is not the accent or how fast the people interviewed talk, but the meaning of some of the adjectives used to describe people.
You can do an exercise on this video on the Real English website.
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English website.
Students at an intermediate level can watch a longer version of this video on the Real English website.
You can do an exercise on this video on the Real English website.
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English website.
Students at an intermediate level can watch a longer version of this video on the Real English website.
miércoles, 12 de diciembre de 2012
Talking point: Why do we lie?
In this week's talking point, we are dealing with the topic of lies. Get together with the members of your conversation group and discuss the questions below.
Why do we lie?
Why do we lie?
What do people usually lie about?
Do you know anyone who never lies?
Talk about the most honest person you know.
Talk about a person you know who lies very easily.
Are all lies bad or can you tell a good lie?
Is it OK to tell white lies?
How many lies did you hear today?
Have you ever told a lie that caused a problem for you?
Have you ever got into trouble because someone lied?
What do you think about these two remarks?
"Liars need to have good memories."
"Lies have very short legs."
To help you prepare your conversation session, you can read the Wall Street Journal article Why we lie by Dan Ariely.
We have already posted a number of entries around the topic of lies on this blog:
When is it OK to to tell a lie is a video from the Speakout series.
How to spot a liar is a TED talk.
How to detect a lie is a Howcast listening activity.
This Videojug clip can show you how you can detect if someone is lying to you. You can find a listening activity here.
This Videojug clip can show you how you can detect if someone is lying to you. You can find a listening activity here.
martes, 4 de diciembre de 2012
Real English series: Telling the time and describing people
In our Real English series we touch on two different points today: how to tell the time in English and how to describe people's personality.
In the first video, several people answer the question What's the time?
Remember we can tell the time analogically or digitally. That way in British English:
8.05 five past eight [analogical] or eight (oh) five [digital]
8.10 ten past eight [analogical] or eight ten [digital]
8.15 (a) quarter past eight [analogical] or eight fifteen [digital]
8.30 half past eight [analogical] or eight thirty [digital]
8.35 twenty-five to nine [analogical] or eight thirty-five [digital]
8.45 (a) quarter to nine [analogical] or eight forty-five [digital]
8.50 ten to nine [analogical] or eight fifty [digital]
9.00 nine o'clock [analogical] or nine [digital]
In American English, after is often used instead of past:
6.10 ten past six (British English) / ten after six (American English)
Exception:
6.30 half past six (British English=American English)
And of or before or till instead of to.
2.35 twenty-five to three (British English / twenty-five of (or before or till) three (American English)
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English site here and do an activity to practise the time on the Real English site here.
You can find several entries on this blog to practise how to tell the time by clicking on the tag Telling the time on the right.
The second video helps us to revise some basic questions to find out personal information like What's your name?; Where are you from?; Can you introduce your friends? Yes, this is my daughter.
The video, however, focuses on describing people's personality by answering the question Can you give me two or three adjectives that describe your mother?
Funnily enough, two weeks ago we dealt with descriptions in our Real English series when talking about astrological signs. That day we learnt a number of questions we can use to ask about someone's personality:
What are you like?
What kind of person are you?
Tell me about your personality.
Today we have learnt another question to find out the same information: Can you give me two or three adjectives that describe your mother?
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English site here and do an activity to describe people on the Real English site here.
In the first video, several people answer the question What's the time?
8.05 five past eight [analogical] or eight (oh) five [digital]
8.10 ten past eight [analogical] or eight ten [digital]
8.15 (a) quarter past eight [analogical] or eight fifteen [digital]
8.30 half past eight [analogical] or eight thirty [digital]
8.35 twenty-five to nine [analogical] or eight thirty-five [digital]
8.45 (a) quarter to nine [analogical] or eight forty-five [digital]
8.50 ten to nine [analogical] or eight fifty [digital]
9.00 nine o'clock [analogical] or nine [digital]
In American English, after is often used instead of past:
6.10 ten past six (British English) / ten after six (American English)
Exception:
6.30 half past six (British English=American English)
And of or before or till instead of to.
2.35 twenty-five to three (British English / twenty-five of (or before or till) three (American English)
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English site here and do an activity to practise the time on the Real English site here.
You can find several entries on this blog to practise how to tell the time by clicking on the tag Telling the time on the right.
The second video helps us to revise some basic questions to find out personal information like What's your name?; Where are you from?; Can you introduce your friends? Yes, this is my daughter.
The video, however, focuses on describing people's personality by answering the question Can you give me two or three adjectives that describe your mother?
Funnily enough, two weeks ago we dealt with descriptions in our Real English series when talking about astrological signs. That day we learnt a number of questions we can use to ask about someone's personality:
What are you like?
What kind of person are you?
Tell me about your personality.
Today we have learnt another question to find out the same information: Can you give me two or three adjectives that describe your mother?
You can watch the same video with subtitles on the Real English site here and do an activity to describe people on the Real English site here.
miércoles, 21 de noviembre de 2012
Talking point: Are you an optimist?
Apparently people have a significantly lower death rate over 30 years if they maintained an optimistic attitude. This is the shocking information The New York Times Learning Network published late in May under the title How full is your glass? to introduce the topic of the importance of a positive outlook in life for our health. I think the topic is interesting enough for discussion in our conversation group.
In your talking session, you can use the questions below, already taken from The New York Times Learning Network, and you can gain more insight into the topic by reading The New York Times article A Richer Life by Seeing the Glass Half Full, by Jane E Brody.
Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
What do you think is healthy about being an optimist or a pessimist?
What might be some benefits to viewing life from the opposite perspective?
Do you ever try to be more optimistic?
What do you do to get a more positive feeling?
What advice would you give to someone trying to be more positive?
Do you think a person’s proclivity for optimism or pessimism is because of genetics, life experience or a combination of both?
Can optimism be a bad thing? If so, in what situations?
Do you agree that at times it’s better to “fake it until you make it” regarding optimism?
Have you ever used such a strategy? Did it work?
In your talking session, you can use the questions below, already taken from The New York Times Learning Network, and you can gain more insight into the topic by reading The New York Times article A Richer Life by Seeing the Glass Half Full, by Jane E Brody.
Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
What do you think is healthy about being an optimist or a pessimist?
What might be some benefits to viewing life from the opposite perspective?
Do you ever try to be more optimistic?
What do you do to get a more positive feeling?
What advice would you give to someone trying to be more positive?
Do you think a person’s proclivity for optimism or pessimism is because of genetics, life experience or a combination of both?
Can optimism be a bad thing? If so, in what situations?
Do you agree that at times it’s better to “fake it until you make it” regarding optimism?
Have you ever used such a strategy? Did it work?
Yvetta Fedorova
miércoles, 31 de octubre de 2012
Talking point: Are you more introvert or extrovert?
Do you prefer one-to-one conversations to group activities?
Do you prefer to express yourself in writing?
Do yo enjoy solitude?
Do you care less than your friends and colleagues about wealth, fame and status?
If you answered "yes" to most of the questions above, you may be an introvert.
In June last year The Learning Network of The New York Times posed a question for their young readers to debate online -Are you more introvert or extrovert?- in their Student Opinion section.
Get together with the members of your conversation group and discuss these questions about your personality:
Do you think that as a society we increasingly treat shyness as a disorder?
Do you think you’re more of an introvert or extrovert yourself? Why?
Have you ever gained some benefit because of your character?
Has your character ever been an obstacle to achieve anything?
What benefits do you think each temperament might have? Why?
Do you think your school, work or social life rewards extroversion?
Do you think society penalizes the shy in some way? If so, how?
What do you think of the argument that “many of the most creative people in a range of fields are introverts who are comfortable working in solitary conditions in which they can focus attention inward”?
In preparation for your discussion you can read Susan Cain's article for The New York Times Shyness: Evolutionary Tactic?
And you can watch the TED talk we posted on 4 August on this blog The Power of Introverts.
You can also complete The Guardian quiz "Are you an introvert?" to find out where you stand on the introvert-extrovert scale, and read The Guardian article "Why the world needs introverts".
I found The Guardian resources through It's for tweeters.
Do you prefer to express yourself in writing?
Do yo enjoy solitude?
Do you care less than your friends and colleagues about wealth, fame and status?
If you answered "yes" to most of the questions above, you may be an introvert.
In June last year The Learning Network of The New York Times posed a question for their young readers to debate online -Are you more introvert or extrovert?- in their Student Opinion section.
Get together with the members of your conversation group and discuss these questions about your personality:
Do you think that as a society we increasingly treat shyness as a disorder?
Do you think you’re more of an introvert or extrovert yourself? Why?
Have you ever gained some benefit because of your character?
Has your character ever been an obstacle to achieve anything?
What benefits do you think each temperament might have? Why?
Do you think your school, work or social life rewards extroversion?
Do you think society penalizes the shy in some way? If so, how?
What do you think of the argument that “many of the most creative people in a range of fields are introverts who are comfortable working in solitary conditions in which they can focus attention inward”?
In preparation for your discussion you can read Susan Cain's article for The New York Times Shyness: Evolutionary Tactic?
And you can watch the TED talk we posted on 4 August on this blog The Power of Introverts.
I found The Guardian resources through It's for tweeters.
lunes, 10 de septiembre de 2012
This is my chance
This Is My Chance is a video clip created for the HP You on You project. It has a lively pace, it is full of optimism and conveys positive feelings. The video maker lets us know what her personal credo is.
I think the video is suitable for Básico 2 students.
Self-study activity:
Watch the clip and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.
I am just a regular girl with a regular life, but (1) ... dreams.
I live in the city but I love (2) ... .
I love a lot of things, you know.
(3) ... , family, animals, music, (4) ... , photography, (5) ... , movies.
Love is certainly an inspiration for everything I do.
And yes, sometimes I feel I'm lost and I don't know which (6) ... to take, and I want to (7) ... .
But then I realize, so what if I (8) ... ?
I'm (9) ... , I can keep trying and do what I want.
At (10) ... I won't say, what if I had done this or that?
Life is exciting.
You can (11) ... it, change what you don't like, make it better, do something big, you know.
The (12) ... the limit.
I want to enjoy everything, big or (13) ... .
I don't wanna (14) ... all those little happy moments, waiting for something else.
I have so many dreams and only one life, and I feel like mine is just starting.
This is my (15) ... .
And that's me.
Key:
1 huge 2 nature 3 God 4 writing 5 art 6 path 7 give up 8 fail 9 alive 10 least 11 shape 12 sky's 13 small 14 miss 15 chance
I think the video is suitable for Básico 2 students.
Self-study activity:
Watch the clip and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.
I am just a regular girl with a regular life, but (1) ... dreams.
I live in the city but I love (2) ... .
I love a lot of things, you know.
(3) ... , family, animals, music, (4) ... , photography, (5) ... , movies.
Love is certainly an inspiration for everything I do.
And yes, sometimes I feel I'm lost and I don't know which (6) ... to take, and I want to (7) ... .
But then I realize, so what if I (8) ... ?
I'm (9) ... , I can keep trying and do what I want.
At (10) ... I won't say, what if I had done this or that?
Life is exciting.
You can (11) ... it, change what you don't like, make it better, do something big, you know.
The (12) ... the limit.
I want to enjoy everything, big or (13) ... .
I don't wanna (14) ... all those little happy moments, waiting for something else.
I have so many dreams and only one life, and I feel like mine is just starting.
This is my (15) ... .
And that's me.
Key:
1 huge 2 nature 3 God 4 writing 5 art 6 path 7 give up 8 fail 9 alive 10 least 11 shape 12 sky's 13 small 14 miss 15 chance
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