Personal descriptions

My dear avanzado students. If my memory serves me correctly, we started the course by practicing our ability to describe people (I’m a people person, he’s a good laugh, I keep myself to myself, etc.). Remember?

Recently I have asked you to discuss whether opposites attract (as the cliché goes) or not. We have also talked about personal relationships (longterm commitments, summer flings, lifelong partners, etc.). In all these discussions psychological descriptions tend to feature prominently. I even posted a video explaining lutalica, a neologism that describes “the part of your identity that does not fit into any category”. In short, we have spent some time going over personality types and we've done it in many ways (using adjectives like outgoing or creepy and nouns such as daredevil or nationalist).

So far so good? Okay. That’s why we are now going to sail in rather shallow waters: physical descriptions. Whether you like them or not, physical descriptions are necessary and can be explored from a virtually endless number of angles.

For those of you that need a vocabulary fix I've decided to share this short list of basic phrasal verbs that may come in handy:

Bear in mind that, when we discussed risk-takers, we focussed on a particular kind of person and when we considered holiday options we ended up explaining how "certain vacations are for certain types". It is somehow inevitable, isn't it? I do hope you get used to this because we're going to do a lot of revising.

N.B. Avanzado 2 students: don’t forget the essay (“Do opposites attract?”) is due before the Xmas break.

Beautiful concepts

You know those standalone episodes in TV series? This is going to be just that: a post that has no connection to our English course in Laredo. Here goes.

As you all know I’ve always been fascinated by words. I remember the first time I saw mamihlapinatapei in the Guinness Book of Records. I was twelve, I think. It really opened my eyes, mostly because it allowed me to understand that not every idea, feeling or thought could be captured in one single word. Learning a second language helped me appreciate some wonderful vocabulary. It must have been then that I realized that my own mother tongue has some amazing words that nobody ever uses. Some are incredibly specific (himplar) some others are just stimulating (ucronía). So I started learning other languages and woke up to some great vocabulary in Basque, German, French and Italian. It became quite obvious that every language was a treasure trove of amazing concepts. Thanks to this new awareness I decided to look for interesting ideas in languages that I didn’t speak. I bought as many books on the subject as I could possibly find. The process turned out to be quite a humbling experience.

Today everything is a little easier. The Internet is chock-full of sites that claim to offer endless lists of untranslatable words. Some of those magic terms are truly impossible to encapsulate in one Spanish or English word. Think of ilunga, a noun in the Tshiluba language, which describes a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time. Some other hard-to-translate words have been glamorized out of proportion like the Portuguese feeling of saudade or the Russian toska.

I still collect beautiful concepts trapped in beautiful words and have even tried my hand at inventing some of those myself. So I’m used to all kinds of neologisms: quirky, whimsical, technical, poetic… Believe it or not I’m not alone. There are many word inventors out there who decide to coin terms they feel are missing from their own languages. One such creator is John Koenig.

On his website he publishes lots of thought-provoking made-up words. The thing that sets him apart from other word creators is his decision to write poetic explanations of those neologisms and then edit beautiful inspiring videos that perfectly illustrate those terms. His concepts are, for the most part, quite relatable: who has not experienced the desire to disappear or the feeling that time goes faster? I don’t know if you are as fascinated by language as I am but I personally find the discovery of words to be an enriching, mind-broadening adventure. Every language is an attempt to describe human experience. I goes without saying, no language has ever been successful in that regard. They all fail and yet artists like John Koenig keep trying to fill the gaps, reach further and fail again, fail a little bit better. The video below these lines is about lutalica, a word he invented to describe the part of your identity that does not fit into categories. Enjoy.

The most beautiful places in the world

Bonan tagon!

So far we have discussed personal descriptions in a number of ways. The grammatical approach helped us realize that we can define somebody by using a noun (she’s a genius) and adjective (he’s trustworthy) or a whole phrase (Jo is someone I can talk to). We have also tackled character traits and physical appearances (just remember the clip about women’s beauty throughout history and men’s beauty in different cultures). For those of you who are willing to go the extra mile and pick up some more vocabulary here is an interesting video that presents some beauty standards that may seem shocking in this part of the world.

Anyway, soon we’re going to deal with beautiful places. Not people. In anticipation of the inevitable classroom conversations here is one of the zillions of lists that clutter the Internet. The actual contents of the list are, of course, debatable but the vocabulary it shows may come in handy.

 

Vocabulary is not enough

Today I would like to comment on nonverbal communication. Lately we have touched on the power of intonation. As you know, there are lots of factors that influence the perceived meaning of a statement. Generally speaking, body language accounts for 55 % of what you “say”. Intonation is responsible for 38% of the message and, of course, the remaining 7% depends on your choice of words. That’s a pretty rough average. The bottom line is: your vocabulary is not necessarily as important as we believe. That said, there are situations in which your words are far more powerful. Just think about a phone conversation: little body language there, right? And how about emails? Can emojis match the power of intonation? In those cases vocabulary is key. In terms of communication, things get even trickier when you consider the connotations of certain words or the radically different meanings of some words in different dialects of a language. But I'm not going to deal with those issues because they belong to the advanced levels.

At any rate we need a repertoire. Look at these options: I (don’t think I can) agree with you on that. I’m a little bit skeptical of it. I’m not really convinced. That’s a fair point. I see your point but... They go well beyond the rather elementary I agree and I disagree, don't they? 

Does it mean that I can communicate effectively if I know a whole page of expressions? Not really. Your attitude affects people’s reactions to your words. Dramatically. Just consider these different replies to an indiscreet question: 

Formal	Friendly	Potentially offensive
I’d rather not discuss that	I’m not going to tell you that	That’s none of your business
I’m not sure I follow you	What do you mean?	What’s your point?

How do people respond to those sentences? There's not just one answer. Depending on your intonation the question what do you mean? may sound concerned, distant, funny or friendly. What's your point? can express surprise, impatience or aggressiveness... It all boils down to intonation.

In short, building your vocabulary is essential when you’re learning a language but you should bear in mind that there are many, many other factors that can alter the intended meaning of what you say. And remember that sometimes even the extralinguistic circumstances can make comprehension difficult. An example of that is this clip I recorded a couple of days ago:

Phrasal verbs and storytelling

Funnily enough we are all dealing with the skills that allow us to tell a story in an interesting way. In the process we have learnt some stimulating vocabulary (silver bullet, major, page-turner) as well as some useful phrasal verbs (come down with something, get away with something, look up to somebody, look down on somebdoy). But since the main focus of the current lessons is the art of storytelling I’m going to ask you to consider the differences between these two versions of a story that one of you told at school.

The bare bones version

I read about a man and a woman from America who were building a house. The woman thought she was sick and went to see a doctor. After some tests, the doctor told her she had cancer. It was extremely surprising for the man and the woman but they decided to continue building the house. Now she is getting better and she thinks that building the house helped her face her problem. There is always something positive in negative situations.

This is certainly not perfect but looks a lot better:

Just last week I read a story about an American couple who agreed to build the house of their dreams themselves. One day the woman, who had been feeling sick for some time, decided to see a doctor about some chest pains. After running some tests the doctors asked her to come back. Eventually she was diagnosed with cancer, which came as a shock to both her and her husband. However they chose to focus their attention on the house they were building. She is now gradually recovering and they both live in the house they built together. She is convinced that she wouldn’t have known how to handle the situation if they hadn’t had a project like the house. Apparently it is true that every cloud has a silver lining.

You see the differences? Now you know what to do. The next time you feel the need to say something like I thought Mr. Sheil’s behavior was bad make an effort to come up with something along the lines of It was then that I realized how unprofessional Mr. Sheil had been. Just an example.

Avanzado 1 and Avanzado 2. Remember the essay I asked you to write. You’re supposed to discuss your views on the following statement: Most people waste their leisure time on meaningless activities. Don’t forget it is due next Friday.

Learn phrasal verbs with little Becky

So. How do you feel? Tired of so much new vocabulary? Should I dial it down a little? I'll give it some serious thinking.

This time I must say I’m glad that all my students are working on the same topic. Believe it or not, the art of story-telling is indeed a necessary skill you should try to master. It’s something we all do every day whenever we choose to answer questions like how was your day, honey? or every time we meet a friend and say you will not believe what happened to me this morning. That's story-telling, isn't it? The truth is some of you have come up with some refreshing, thought-provoking six-word stories:

So far so good, she said.

I was not on the list.

Finally he came to my life.

It turned out she was alive

We'll keep on working on that and I guarantee that we’ll soon come back to the first unit, which deals with personal descriptions and first impressions (remember?) but it's time to get ready to tackle our next obsession: phrasal verbs.

For the time being, you may check out this hilarious video featuring an eight-year-old Irish girl who calls a demolition company to have her school destroyed. The clip has been around for about six years but I think it’s definitely worth watching. Some of the vocabulary is interesting but this time I would like you to pay close attention to the phrasal verbs that are used: knock down, tear down, blow up, get away with, fall down.

The sound quality is considerably better in this version of the prank which, inconveniently enough, doesn't have subtitles. Enjoy

N.B. Avanzado 1: Remember to write a fifty-word story.

Beyond the verb to be part 2

Hi everyone! How are things? Still trying to find time to practise your English? This time I've decided to post a brief video which (yet again) emphasizes the need to kick old habits such as those basic descriptions that rely on the verb to be. The difference between It's nice and It's enthralling lies in the use of a thesaurus. The syntax is identical.

Beyond the verb to be

I was reading about Beautiful Girls (one of my favorite movies) and I came across an description of Uma Thurman, one of the great actresses in that film. These are just three lines of that review:

Uma Thurman has been systematically compared to screen legends of Hollywood’s Golden Era: Dietrich, Garbo and Lauren Bacall. Like them (…) she projects a special allure, a magnetic aura of self-possession, sophistication and intelligence.

Check this out:

The writer says	An intermediate student would probably say
She has been systematically compared to	She is like
Screen legends	famous actresses
She projects a special allure	She is very attractive
Self-possession	Self-confidence

So… How can we make our descriptions more interesting? Well. First of all, people don’t need to be things. They can make you feel good. They can project an aura. They can look like the gorgeous neighbor next door. They can turn your stomach. They can inspire you to do something. You can melt when you see them. You can look up to them or look down on them. You can find them interesting. You can say you don’t think much of them. There are so many alternatives to “they are”.

Next time you talk about someone in particular bear all this in mind. Your audience might appreciate it. I know your English teacher certainly will.

My interrogative mood

So… do you have the feeling that you have already learnt something in my classes? Are you aware that both learnt and learned are grammatically acceptable? Have you realized that I am writing in questions? Do you know that there is a book (a whole book!) whose entire text is made up of questions? Do you doubt that I have bought and read that book? Are you growing tired of reading interrogative sentences? How many versions of “can you repeat that” are part of your productive English? Would you rather say uh or I beg your pardon? Do you favor unconventional questions like where do you stand on this? and what’s your take on that? or do you prefer boring phrases like what do you think about it? ? Are you familiar with what’s your slant on this? ? Have you already incorporated you have a point and fair enough into your idiolect or are you still stuck with I agree and I disagree? Would you agree with someone who claims that the intermediate level is about just getting the message across? Do you even try to use what I call "unnecessary expressions" such like, you know, sort of, the thing is, actually, etc? Do you settle for being understood or strive to speak real English? Do you have your own idea of what real English is? Do you remember which student said “oh my!” in class? Have you clicked on the previous “oh my” out of curiosity? Now that you have, have you recognized George Takei? Are you ready to be blown away? Will you click on this? What do you think about it? Would you buy it?

Living life to the fullest

Hi again, my students. Here are some thoughts on the subject of the bucket list, which is part of the first unit.

Although the expression bucket list is fairly recent (you all know the movie), the underlying idea has always been part of the American mindset (whatever that may mean). I personally believe that writer Ernest Hemingway and his macho antics helped the average American understand what life can be when you seek real adventure and live your life like there’s no tomorrow. Not only did he witness a war firsthand but he also traveled the world. He went on safari to Uganda. In France he met intellectuals. In Cuba he drank more mojitos than anybody on the island. In Spain he ran the bulls in Pamplona and hanged out with bullfighters. To this day the experience of running the bulls belongs to the to-do list of many young Americans that one day would like to say “I did it”. In short, he did a bit of everything: he won the Nobel Prize for literature (1954) but also fought with boxers. What happens if you’re a woman? I’m not sure what an equivalent approach might be like but there’s no denying that the idea of “living life to the fullest” does exist amongst women, of course. Diane Sawyer, for instance, is no Hemingway but has had some pretty impressive experiences in her life. She worked in the White House under the Nixon administration. As a journalist she was the first female correspondent on 60 minutes. She wrote news reports in caves in Afghanistan during the war and remains one of the major personalities in TV history. I don’t know if she has ever gone skydiving but she has a truly amazing resume.

Anyhow, here’s a piece of Americana: a country song about a guy who’s diagnosed with cancer and decides to basically go skydiving and cross out all those things on his own bucket list. I know it’s really corny, really corny. I know. Still, I find it enjoyable, kind of like a guilty pleasure… Anyway there’s some interesting vocabulary there.

N.B. Yes. It’s not a typo: Americana is an actual word. You can look it up if you don’t know what it means.

Like The Scream by Edvard Munch or Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, The thinker by Auguste Rodin is one of those works of art that have trascended the world of so-called highbrow culture and conquered the ever-changing realm of general knowledge. I don’t know exactly what Rodin was thinking when he came up with the idea of chiseling a brooding person out of a block of stone but the fact is that he had the idea (i.e. he “thought” about something) and then he carried it out (i.e. he “did” something). I, for one, pride myself in doing my fair share of thinking, including extensive day-dreaming, but I suppose that a person is best defined by their acts, not necessarily their thoughts.

Where am I getting at? Bear with me for a few more lines. You all have ideas. For example some of you probably think that English is hard or you think learning a language is time-consuming. Many of you think speaking English fluently is quite feasible or completely out of reach. Okay. Ideas. You have lots of ideas, which means that you do a lot of thinking. So... What are you going to do about all those ideas? Look at this cartoon:

See what I mean? Thinking is great (and necessary) but there comes a time to act on those ideas. So, here’s something for you to do: 

Avanzado 1. You’re supposed to write 250 words on the following statement: "Brainy is the new sexy". It will be part of your progress report.

Avanzado 2. "Follow your dreams" we hear often. Okay. I would like you to write 250 words on the matter: What kind of person follows their dreams? Do certain cultures promote that attitude more than others?

I don't usually post this kind of video but as you probably know I’m a harsh critic of the way Spaniards approach foreign language learning and after watching this clip featuring Guillermo Amor I feel the urge to comment on it.

First and foremost, I’m well aware that this problem is not at all unique to Spain. Germans had to suffer Trappatoni’s press conferences in an impossible version of Goethe's mother tongue and do you remember David Beckham speaking Spanish? Of course not everyone in the world of professional sport is so bad at languages. There are some sportspeople from Spain who can actually handle foreign languages pretty well. Pep Guardiola speaks really good English (and very aceptable German!) and Pau Gasol’s English is outstanding. Sergio García, Rafa Nadal and Fernando Alonso are not as good as Gasol but speak fluent English even if their pronunciation is obviously Spanish. Still, they say what they want and their speech is always clear. I can understand that they are not particularly interested in perfecting their vowels or using accurate adjectives. So absolutely no problem there.

What I find it increasingly difficult to accept is the case of those who don’t even try to pronounce a foreign language, consistently copy-paste expressions from their mother tongue and consequently turn any conversation into an excruciating experience. More often than not their speech is barely understandable and they reinforce and perpetuate the old stereotype that Spaniards are simply hopeless at foreign languages.

I’m afraid Guillermo Amor belongs to this sorry category. After two years in Australia, he doesn’t seem to even care that his English is just embarrassing ("Yes, lo que pasa es que the game was difficool, eh?"). The interview below reminds me of the kind of chutzpah displayed by Pedro Almódovar during his acceptance speech at the 2003 Oscars. Is this going to change? I think the change is already happening but it’s so slow... My consolation is that you, my dear students, are trying hard to break away from that old cliche. Keep up the good work!

Hi again. Okay. So you’ve got the sneaky feeling that you can now tell a friend about that awesome wing-walking experience a few years back... Well, maybe not.

Anyway, we have seen that English is full of idiomatic expressions. Remember we should learn one at a time. Of course, not everyone is patient enough to learn the words they accidentally encounter. So, for those of you that are into that sort of thing, here is a long list of idioms we use in English to express happiness or sadness. This can be useful both for my Avanzado 1 and Avanzado 2 students.

The following is for my Avanzado 2 crowd.

If you've done your part we are all in a position to describe that jaw-dropping thing you did some years ago. You've done a bit of wing-walking or bungee jumping or you ate insects in the jungle... Just don't forget that in order to tell your story efficiently you must:

1.     Make sure we know the key vocabulary (skydive, jump off, parachute)

2.     Pay close attention to the chunks (get on the plane, pull the cord, spin out of control, etc) so you can use all those words in long sequences (when it was time to pull the cord, I thought I was going to be sick).

3.     Express how you felt before, while and after the activity. In this area it may be necessary to spice things up a little by using "interesting" expressions. What do I mean by that? Well, to begin with use idioms (I was having a blast) which may or may not consist in analogies (I was happy as a flea in a doghouse) and, of course, remember all those extreme adjectives (absolutely exhilarating, utterly devastating). If not engaging, you will not sound boring.

N.B. Only in the truly advanced levels can you use deliberate wordplays (like saying “I was jumping for joy” when discussing a skydiving experience).

Okay. One last thing: check out this video (we watched part of it in the classroom). Not only is it full of interesting vocabulary but it also has plenty of pretty usable expressions (peak in high school, tramp stamp, highly noticeable...). Do not forget to take notes. Oh... One more thing. If you find it hard to understand the videoclip just click on the "CC" button (it stands for "closed-captioned") and you'll watch it with subtitles.

Okay. We’ve already started the classes. Some of you may still be wondering if my teaching style really suits your needs. What can I say? This is only the beginning. Your initial shock is part of the process.

Anyhow, I’d like to share with you some of the principles that are going to guide our classes. Pronunciation is key (you know why). Vocabulary should always be learnt in a context and with considerable patience. Try to make sure you learn the first meaning of a word/expression. Most people say “I’m on cloud nine”, don’t say “I’m on cloud seven” even if dictionaries tell you it is okay. Remember that you’re not expected to be stylish or creative (not yet, anyway). Having to choose between mesmerizing, hypnotic, spellbinding and enthralling is a problem that belongs to the advanced level. We're not there yet. In short, distrust third, fourth and fifth meanings and, please, don’t try to learn twelve words for one concept. At this point, three is more than enough, specially if they express interesting semantic differences (e.g. peculiar, strange, bizarre).

And now some practical tips: avoid overusing simple structures like “she is…”.  It's okay to say "she's great" but you should also be able to handle alternative phrases such as “she makes me think of…”, “she represents…”, “she seems…”. At any rate, use expressions that you like to voice opinions that are true. For example, the very thought of this man becoming president makes my stomach turn. I’m sorry but he’s just repulsive. The first sentence is a combination of two structures we saw in the classroom. The second one is a simple enough phrase with a powerful adjective. Two options: one more complicated than the other. Both belong to the upper-intermediate level.

One final note for all the potential wordsmiths out there. The expression “I’m in seventh heaven”, which came up in class the other day, comes from Jewish and Muslim theology. Indeed. According to these religions there are seven levels of heaven, the seventh being the abode of god and the angels. Apparently that’s the place to be when you’re dead, although I can’t help wondering if they have a good cinema up there. Eternal life without movies will be a tad boring. Don’t you think?

Alright. Here's something for you to smile for a while: the five-year-old who has slammed the British Prime Minister for not implementing efficient policies regarding the homeless people. Her name is Brooke Blair. I dread to think what this little girl will be like when she's 25.

My dear students. I’m back. It looks like this year I’m going to center my efforts on the so-called “avanzado” level. Let me make something clear. As I have already said in the classroom that label (“avanzado”) is a bit of a misnomer. Our courses are by no means advanced. “Avanzado 1” is defined by the B1 + level and “Avanzado 2” takes you to B2 ar. If you don’t believe me just check out the names of the textbooks (they say upper intermediate, don't they?). We got that out of the way. Good.

So… welcome everybody. If everything goes according to plan we will all walk together through the English desert and hopefully reach the B2 oasis in about eight months. Here is an extended thank-you note (in the form of a magazine) for my former students, some of whom may actually decide to visit this blog. For the new ones that text may well be a reading exercise. It is full of interesting vocabulary. Enjoy.

One last thing. Some of you know my personal approach to the learning process. Those of you that don’t know me much may want to read this article which basically explains my view of the foreign language problem in our country and this one, where I simply touch on the symbiotic relationship between language and culture.

Hi everyone,

One last post to wish you all the best. I was truly touched by your presents and your displays of affection. It’s been a fascinating school year for me. I just hope that my work with you pays off somehow.

As for the little magazines I put together for the previous post I would like to say that I’m sorry about the typos. You’re smart enough to realize that the phrase “Brian making in action” doesn’t make much sense. I’m afraid I had written “Brian making a presentation” and then decided to change it to “Brian in action”. Things like that happen when you write in a rush.

Soon, I’m going to teach a couple of classes for the Universidad de Cantabria. They’re going to be B1-B2 level classes. In actual fact it will be a crash course: from July 4 to July 8.  I’ll be doing doing the first two hours every morning. Marta, the current director of the school, will teach the next two. So if you know someone who might be interested in something like that don’t think twice. Let them know about it. It will be fun.

By the way there’s another course which will take place the week after (from July 11-15). The teachers on that one are going to be Marga (our director-to-be) and Nuria. You may wonder why I tell you this. Well, let’s put it this way. Most of you did not learn about this very blog until April, which speaks volumes about my questionable skills in the area of self-promotion. I thought I might try and reverse that embarrassing state of affairs…

Anyhow, there will be one last post before the summer holidays so “stayed tuned”.

Hi again,

Sorry for being blunt but I'll cut to the chase. This post is only for my Intermedio 1 students

Okay. This very morning Telma voiced her suspicion that you may not be getting all the attention that you deserve. The truth of the matter is rather simple: I have two B2 groups, which means I tend to focus harder on their problems. Avanzado 2 allows you to obtain a much coveted diploma that many students need for various reasons (some of which are job-related). So you should understand that the needs of many sometimes outweigh those of Intermedio 1...

Anyway, below this line you have your own magazine. I hope it helps you learn a few new words.

Hello, my dear students. The course is over. That’s a cold fact. The relevant question now (which you should be asking yourselves) seems to be: what do I know now that I didn’t know last September? That’s part of a reality check you all should try. Self-delluding excuses may help you muddle through some tough times but this is the hour of truth. So the question is: have or haven’t I learnt much? Am I or am I not up to the challenge?

(That is meant to be encouraging, not depressing).

Avanzado 2

I have put together these little magazines that you may decide to speed-read, download or even print out to have it as a keepsake. It’s entirely up to you. Enjoy.

This is the magazine for the students in my morning class.

This one is the magazine for the students in my evening class.

Intermedio 1

I am in the process of finishing your magazine. But so that you know that I haven't forgotten about you, here is a website that Idoia might appreciate. There are countless sites that cover the same old area. That one is just one of them. Remember that a well-structured essay does not depend on the use of all those linkers. For starters, fancy words such as furthermore, nonetheless or moreover sound a bit off if the rest of the text doesn't quite keep the same standard. But anyway, I understand your concern. Remember that the oral exam will take place on Wednesday. You will find a copy of the notice (= convocatoria) on the classroom door. I will upload another copy here sometime before Wednesday.

Hi there!

I must be the laziest inhabitant of the blogosphere but, truth be told, I’m a busy man. Anyway I promise I will post something you may find useful for the impending exams. Today, however, I decided to share with all of you something with a literary flavor, i.e. something rather useless… Bear with me, please.

You may remember how I mentioned the old concept that in face-to-face communication 55% of the message depends on the speaker’s body language. The tone of voice accounts for 38 % and only 7% is conveyed by the words which are uttered. Well, that happens to be an oversimplified version of a statement once made by Albert Mehrabian, a psychology professor from UCLA (if you want to know more about it you may click here). Whatever the actual reasons for its success, the tantalizing idea has crept into college classrooms and even become a part of popular culture to the point that even Hollywood comedies mention it (check out the opening scene of “Hitch”, a Will Smith vehicle, and pay attention to 01:00). I personally think that the concept may not be 100% accurate in every single case but it definitely feels true, doesn’t it? More often than not nonverbal communication overshadows the importance of the words a speaker chooses to utter and words, my dear students, is what we are all about at the EOI.

Why am I talking about this? Because we often neglect the importance of stress and intonation and I’ve found a beautiful way of illustrating just that.

Unlike what is happening (or rather NOT happening) in Spain with Cervantes’s anniversary, in the UK they have taken the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death quite seriously. In their celebrations the Brits have shown panache, originality and their unique sense of humor (yes, humor without the “u”, I write in American English).

An exquisite example of this healthy approach to their treasured history was offered by the BBC in this hilarious sketch that saw the likes of Paapa Essiedu, Benedict Cumberbatch and Judi Dench repeat what is arguably the most famous sentence ever penned by the Bard. The show ends with a plot device that I dare call princeps ex machina (yes, the term is mine, don’t bother to google it). Anyway, if you are patient enough, you will be rewarded. Do enjoy.

David Tennant & Company - A Line Of Hamlets por jacksmith2016

Hi everyone!

Only five weeks to the exams… and the clock keeps ticking…

As far as the oral exam goes, remember the little sentence I created so you can practise (and perfect) your pronunciation skills: "She’s a very special woman". If you are still unsure as to how to pronounce it check out my previous post.

As for the contents of our classes, I’ve decided to write a few words about one of the topics we’ve tackled in the classroom over the past few days. Sorry Intermedio 1 students. Today’s post is for my Avanzado 2 crowd.

Okay. After some consideration I’ve realized that the subject of graffiti art deserves a comment in this humble blog. So, even at the risk of being redundant or even pretentious, here are some thoughts on the matter:

“Graffiti” is one of those catch-all terms that seem to cover too much ground. It defines many forms of expression ranging from the obscene scrawls and doodles in bathroom stalls or the worthless scribblings of a bored teenager who decides to spray-paint “Steve is a jerk” on the walls of his high school (not very different from certain texts found in Pompeii) to the thought-provoking creations by Banksy or the political drawings that denounce government corruption. Graffiti can be a regrettable type of vandalism, vulgar self-promotion or even an inspiring display of street art. It is therefore analogous to the cases of public speeches or literature (in a way). Think about it. A public speech can be an uplifting exercise of rhetoric or just sheer drivel. Books can contain beautiful thoughts or dull tales. The difference between spray-painting a wall and other forms of personal expression lies, of course, in the inherent public nature of graffiti. When we walk to work we don’t have to hear speeches nor do we need to read certain books but, whether we like it or not, we can’t help seeing the graffiti… Do graffiti artists consider the impact of their work on our daily lives?

Today I thought you may like to take a look at this insightful video, which explores the issue of graffiti from a rather unexpected angle. Have fun.