Leigh's guide to the wierd and wonderful world of English culture...
Ampersands
This blog is dedicated to all of my hard working students.... yeah, here's even more work for you! It's the place where you can find out all the things about English (that you were too afraid to ask about in class!) Enjoy...
How many days are there in a year? Well, there's one extra this year, February 29th, bringing the total up to 366 days. We call this a leap day. This happens every four years to make up for the deficiencies in the Gregorian calendar.
Yes it's hard to believe that we still follow a calendar designed by a Pope from the 1570's (who in turn was only copying Julius Caesar's idea five centuries even earlier!)
Leap day Traditions:
Women can propose marriage to men on leap days.
Some countries celebrate Feb 29th as bachelor's day.
In Scotland leap day is considered to be bad luck.
In Greece it is bad luck to get married on a leap day.
So what do you do, if you were born on Feb 29th? Most people can choose, during a normal year, to have their birthday on either Feb 28th or March 1st.
Vocab:
to leap - to jump
century - a hundred years
to propose - to ask formally
a bachelor - a man who is single
"Limie" is an American insult for a British person.
"Yank" is a British insult for an American person.
As you can see, the British and Americans get on very well! If you had a British and American teacher in the classroom together, they would probably argue about several things: vocabulary, correct spelling and who won World War II! In the following exercise we are going to look at the first of these.
Here's a list of word pairs. You probably know one or the other in each pair, but do you know which are of British or American origin?
pants - trousers
lift - elevator
flat - apartment
cookies - biscuits
candy - sweets
football - soccer
subway - underground
lorry - truck
garbage - rubbish
sidewalk- pavement
baggage - luggage
queue - line
movie theatre - cinema
vacation - holiday
eraser - rubber
faucet - tap
curtains- drapes
the fall - autumn
garden - yard
petrol - gas
trunk - boot (the back of the car)
hood - bonnet (the front of the car)
car park - parking lot
chips - fries
Is it okay to use American words in Britain? Will you be understood if you use British words in America? The answer, of course, is yes. So you shouldn't worry too much about the vocab that you use. Although it is generally better to stick to one group or the other.
Further vocab expansion:
Do the British and Americans ever misunderstand each other? Here are a few examples of words that have different meanings, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are from!
Crisps, Chips or Fries?
In Britain you get crisps in a packet and chips are served with fish, while in America chips are in a packet and fries are served at fast food restaurants!
Pissed or Pissed off?
In Britain pissed means drunk and pissed off means angry, while in America pissed means angry. Be careful who you go drinking with!
Cookies or Biscuits?
In Britain a cookie is a type of biscuit with chocolate chips, while in America cookies are general.
Let's end with a video. This is British actor and comedian Hugh Laurie on American TV being tested on his knowledge of American slang. Don't worry... I've never heard these phrases either!
A job interview can be stressful at the best of times, but when conducted in English... even worse! Well, take a deep breath and have a look at the following questions. How would you answer them?
1. What did you like/dislike about your previous job?
2. What were your main responsibilities?
3. What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
4. What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
5. What is your greatest strength?
6. What is your greatest weakness?
7. How do you handle stress and pressure?
8. Describe a difficult work situation/ project and how you overcame it.
9. What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
10. How do you evaluate success?
11. Why are you leaving or have left your job?
12. Why do you want this job?
13. Why should we hire you?
14. What are your goals in the future?
15. What are your salary requirements?
16. Tell me about yourself.
17. Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
18. What are you passionate about?
19. What were your supervisors and co-workers like?
20. What are your career goals?
See if you can match these sample answers to the questions above:
When the software development of our new product stalled, I coordinated the team which managed to get the schedule back on track. We were able to successfully troubleshoot the issues and solve the problems, within a very short period of time.
I well understand that this company is on the way up. Your website says the launch of several new products is imminent. I want to be a part of this business as it grows.
Stress is very important to me. With stress, I do the best possible job. The appropriate way to deal with stress is to make sure I have the correct balance between good stree and bad stress. I need good stress to stay motivated and productive.
This job is a good fit for what I've been interested in throughout my career. It offers a nice mix of short and long-term activities.
I use my time efficiently at work and, for the most part, it's not the number of hours I work, but how effective my time has been to accomplish the job. I'm sure my references will tell you I was more than willing to put in the time to be sure the job was completed as quickly and as professionally as possible.
I've worked with someone whom I found difficult to like as a person. However, when I focused on the skills they brought to the job, their ability to solve problems and the two things I did appreciate, slowly my attitude towards them changed. We were never friends, but we did work well together.
One of the reasons I am leaving is that I felt I was not challenged enough at the job. There was no room for advancement in the company. I feel my skill set can be better utilized elsewhere.
When I am working on a project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the project well ahead of schedule.
I evaluate myself in different ways. At work, it is meeting the goals set by my supervisors and fellow workers. It is my understanding, from talking to other employees, that the company is recognised for not only rewarding success, but giving employees opportunity to grow as well.
Tips:
Be specific and positive about previous positions.
Connect past experience to the job you are being interviewed for.
Give examples and don't embellish.
Show that you are willing to work your way up through the company.
Don't be critical of past employers.
Talk rather, of yourself and what you are looking for in a new role.
Make sure what you say matches your job application form.
Turn weaknesses into positive answers by showing how you dealt with problems.
Source: www.about.com
Hope this has been helpful. Let's end on a lighter note with Spud from the film Trainspotting showing us how not to do an interview!
This a Welsh actor called ______________. He grew up in the theatre and later went on to Hollywood. His most famous role was probably playing the character Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs". He also starred in "The Elephant Man", "Dracula" and "Nixon".
The Beatles had three of the greatest songwriters of their generation and Richard Starkey, who is better known by his stage name __________. Since the Fab Four split up at the end of the sixties he has continued his musical career colaborating with many other famous musicians. He has even made a name for himself as an actor. He provided the voice for the eighties children's cartoon character Thomas the Tank Engine.
Founder of the first heavy metal group Black Sabbath, ___________ was born in 1948 and is from a town near Birmingham. He is now a little too old to continue his rock 'n roll antics. His most recent appearance was on American TV, where he starred in "The Ozbournes", a reality show about him and his family... some of whom are just as unusual as him!
_________________ was born in 1939 in Somerset. He is best known for his role in the seventies comedy group Monty Python and the hit tv series Fawlty Towers, in which he plays a manic hotel manager who always manages to get things into a mess.
If America has Superman, Batman and Spiderman, then Britain has the sci-fi series Doctor Who. The Doctor is a very quintessentially British, eccentric, gentlemanly, tea drinking sort of hero. He is a time traveller who flies around the universe in a blue police phone box called the Tardis (which is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside) I know what you're thinking... It all sounds a bit like a children's tv series, right? Well yes! However, having started back in the 1950's, it is one of the longest running tv shows, so almost all British people remember watching it as kids, and have a special place for it in their hearts. When the Doctor dies he is able to regenerate, a very convenient plotdevice which enables the BBC to reinvent the series for a new generation. ____________ is the current actor playing the Doctor.
________________ is a talented young singer songwriter, known for having started what some in the media have called the "Beige Revolution". The name is supposed to be an insult, refering to the many mediocre and boring British musicians of the current generation, that have been influenced by her. Nevertheless, she remains a powerful and emotional live performer as songs such as "Someone like you" clearly show.
____________ is a model, who was all over the newspapers back in the 1990's. She was in a well publicised relationship with actor Hugh Grant and is currently engaged to Australian cricket player Shane Warne. She is most famous for wearing a black versace dress held together by golden safty pins to the premiere of Hugh Grant's film "Four Weddings and a Funeral" back in 1994.
_______________ is a young comedian, known for creating controversy. His rock 'n roll lifestyle has recently lead him over to the USA where he is now following a hollywood career.
This is ________. He is a Scottish football manager who was born in 1941. He has been the coach and spiritual leader of Manchester United football club since 1986. He has been with the club most his life and has a reputation for success unequalled in the game.
More famous for her writing than for her appearance, ________________ wrote the Harry Potter book series, the most influential children's fiction of the last generation.
One of the most prominent British philosophers of the early 20th century, ___________ was born in 1872. He went to prison during the first world war for being a pacifist and was one of the first critics of Adolf Hitler before the second. He was influenced by Gottfeid Leibniz as an exponent of atheism. Among his best known works are "Why I am not a Christian" (1927) and "A History of Western Philosophy" (1945).
Loved by some for his sensitive song writing skills. Hated by others for his libertarian lifestyle choices. ________________ is a singer songwriter from Camden Town, the same neighbourhood in London as Amy Winehouse. He is the ex-boyfriend of Kate Moss and the lead singer of indie rock group Babyshambles.
More commonly known by their anglicized family name "The House of Winsor", the British royalty are actually a German family, who changed their name during the first world war to avoid unpopularity. This is the current Prince of Wales due to take over as king one day. His real name, although not known by most of the British public, is _____________. Look it up for yourself!
Just in case there are any that you don't know, here are their names. Can you match them with the pictures?
Peter Doherty
Liz Hurley
Ozzy Ozbourne
Antony Hopkins
Bertrand Russell
John Cleese
David Cameron
Joanne Rowling
Alex Ferguson
Charles Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Russell Brand
Elizabeth Taylor
Lewis Hamilton
Matt Smith
Hugh Laurie
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Charles Darwin
Ringo Starr
Wayne Rooney
Kate Winslet
More info on who's who soon!
Vocab:
role - part in a film
character - fictional person in a story
split up - end a relationship
antics - unusual actions
reality show - tv programme about real people
manic - out of control
mess - disorder
quintessentially - especially
gentlemanly - like a gentleman
sort of - type of
plot device - element of a story used to do something specific
beige - similar to brown
nevertheless - despite this
show - programme
safty pins - small metal parts that keep something in place
Every language has an excess of words for either very good or very bad and English is no exception! How many can you think of in your own language?
Somebody once called man the "eternal evaluator" and he was right. We always seem to be in need of new ways to make those judgements!
1. Here's a list of words: See if you can sort them out into two columns. Some are easy... others less so!
Great
Terrible
Lamentable
Neat
Smashing
Awful
Ace
Groovy
Abominable
Swell
Terrific
Marvelous
Awesome
Stupendous
Dreadful
Excellent
Sickening
Rad
Brilliant
Lousey
Deplorable
Incredible
Hunky dory
Sound
Rotten
Atrocious
Fantastic
Splendid
Crap
Superb
Fab
Wicked
Horrible
Cool
Naughty
2. Which of the two has more common synonyms?
3. Many words for "good" are also associated with specific decades or generations. Can you guess which words were current during the 1960's? Careful... If you used them today you would sound old fashioned! We can often tell a person's generation by their vocab. Which words are of your generation?
4. One word could mean either good or bad, depending on your generation. Which one is it?
5. This is only a selection! Can you think of anymore examples?
... of course we don't necessarily need all of these synonyms. In his famous novel, 1984, George Orwell envisioned a totalitarian world in which the population's cultural awareness and verbal range had been drastically reduced through the destruction of words and the shortening of the dictionary. Why do we need "great" and "fantastic", when "plus good" and "double plus good" will do?
Any list wouldn't be complete without the longest word of them all, and this is how it goes...
Antiques collecting has never been more popular in the UK. Many people enjoy going to specialist antiques fairs to buy, sell or just look at whatever bizarre items are on sale. The antiques trade is about much more than just old fashioned furniture, with people collecting anything from clothing, toys, musical instruments and jewellry to baseball trading cards, signed celebrity photographs and sporting memorabilia. Although not to everybody's tastes, here are some of my favourite oddities! What about yours? Please post below!
Does anybody have the time, please? If you lived in the middle ages you would need one of these babies to give a correct answer to what now seems such a banal question. It's called an astrolabe and an original version is substantially more valuable than any iphone!
This little thing isn't worth as much as the astrolabe, but it can be just as useful if you have got an itchy back!
All that effort cracking nuts is infinitely more interesting with a bronze crocodile!
One for the comic book geeks! This is the first appearance of Batman and is widely considered to be the most valuable comic in the world. If you had a copy in mint (perfect) condition, you could expect to get anywhere around $25,000 for it! Go check the atttic!
A great video which tells you all about the intricate workings of an astrolabe.
Everybody knows that shrove Tuesday means a lot of eating! It's not called "Fat Tuesday" in french for nothing! As everyone is busy having fun for carnival, here's the musician Moby showing us how to make a deliciously ethical version of the pancakes we all love eating! The word carnival itself comes from the latin phrase "carne vale", meaning appropriately "farewell to meat".
The traditional way of celebrating shrove Tuesday in the UK is to have a pancake race. This usually involves your mum or perhaps grandmother running down the street whilst flipping a pancake in a saucepan... with hilarious results guaranteed!!!
My city was founded by the Romans in the first century CE and was originally called Ratae Corieltauvorum, I know... quite a mouth full! The Romans, being smart people, knew that they would need a city right in the centre of the country and so, my home town came into existance. Eventually the Romans had to leave, and the place was taken over by other people who gave it a shorter name. The actual pronunciation is more like "Lester" making it even shorter still!
You can still visit the origin Roman baths (pictured above), although most of the brick work was "borrowed" in order to build the Saxon church situated just behind it.
King Richard III lost the battle of Bosworth, near to Leicester and legend has it that his body was thrown into the river next to the park where his statue can nowadays be found. He was the last of the Plantagenet kings and made way for the line of Tudor kings, made popular by the recent HBO TV series.
The sword previously held in the statue's right hand was stolen several times and put to theatrically dangerous use! It was soon replaced by the small dagger, visible in the picture.
The true passion of an English gentleman is not football, rather cricket. It's a different kind of sport in both speed and values, sometimes taking days to resolve a match. It is however, the perfect way to spend an English summer's afternoon... relaxing with a pint and (half) watching the action taking place.
I do warn you though. Cricket is well known for its complexed rules, I would explain them, if I knew how it worked myself!
Industrial Britain was connected by a vast system of canals. What was once the fastest way of transporting goods is now one of the slowest and most relaxing holidays activities. Live on a canal boat for a week or two and explore the green of the English countryside!
Leicester's old town lit up by night.
The town hall of Leicester with winged lion fountain. Leicester's old latin dictum is "semper eadem" which means "always the same". A quite fitting way to sum up the place!
Leicester's "number one son" is the footballer Gary Lineker, who played for Barcelona back in the '80's. Anyone remember him? He now earns a living doing sports commentary on TV and advertising crisps. In stark contrast, his family still run a fruit and veg stall at Leicester's open air market!
Barcelona has got plenty of Irish bars. Meanwhile back in Leicester we've got a Gaudi style bar! I'll leave you to imagine what the interior looks like!
The most well known band from Leicester at the moment are probably Kasabian. Check out the video for their song "Where did all the love go?"
Leicester is otherwise known as the capital of Bollywood and Indian culture in the UK. Here's Cornershop, a local band, fusing Indian music with British indie rock. The name cornershop is a kind of joke about Indian people owning local shops ubiquitously found on street corners around the country.
A visit to Leicester wouldn't be complete without seeing the clock tower in the city centre, or "Little Ben" as I call it! People usually come here to see in the new year, but be careful... the clock is a bit slow!
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