Posted by admin in Curiosità, Letture on 16. ott, 2009 | No Comments
Now what must we do? Put away our swimming costumes and take out our scarfs.
Go to your cupboard and decide what you need. T-shirts and trousers can stay, but now you need boots instead of sandals. No more little skirts and shorts, no more sun cream and beach towels… now you need to think about [...]
WHY CAN’T I LEARN ENGLISH AT HOME, WITH THE HELP OF MY COMPUTER AND SOME GRAMMAR BOOKS?
You can. Of course. You can learn a lot of vocabulary, study the structure of the language, practise the pronunciation and even work on listening comprehension.
However: the fact of having a teacher in front of you, and a good [...]
Summer school .
What strange cultural fascination leads parents all over Italy (and a variety of other countries) to send their teenagers to colleges in the English countryside, previously attended by all manner of British royalty, where they go to class, eat fish and chips, go on trips and get on stage to sing songs and [...]
I was suprised to discover that here in Italy there is a word to describe one’s attachement to their place of birth, or campanilismo. I was born in the heart of Los Angeles, but feel no such attachment to it. A lot of peope who live there or have visited the city are not shy [...]
“But what is present perfect? Non ho capito.” If I had a euro for every time I have been asked this question (and please notice my use of present perfect here) I could buy a ticket to a tropical island. Wait, no, I could buy my OWN island. I wish I could travel back to [...]
Recently there was the earthquake in Abruzzo. And the Italians sent up Berlusconi. I thought, Haven’t they suffered enough already?
Now we criticise Berlusconi but in a sense we shouldn’t. For one thing, he’s here: someone’s obviously voting for him. For another, he’s always smiling (you’d smile like that if you had a girlfriend a quarter [...]
Working with many mother tongue English colleagues from all over the world (America, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia) it’s remarkable how many misunderstandings occur between colleagues…in English!!
Numerous words used Down Under (Australia) can have different connotations in American English. Many of my colleagues will look at me with puzzled faces even [...]
This July Madonna is coming to Milan to do the same concert she did in Rome last year. Oh good.
Italians have a strange relationship with Madonna. Criticise whatever you like – politics, education, Facebook – and you can get away with it. Criticise Madonna and they choke on their capuccinos. Madonna’s cool.
There are several reasons [...]
Posted by admin in Curiosità, Internet on 16. ott, 2009 | 2 Comments
WHY DO WE LOVE FACEBOOK? Intermediate (B1)
Why is facebook such a hit? Is it because it’s free? Because it has fun applications? Or because it satisfies the voyeuristic urge in all of us?
Some people call it the best time-waster on the planet. Others praise its ability to allow friends and family to keep in touch [...]
Posted by admin in Curiosità, Usi e costumi, Video on 09. ott, 2009 | No Comments
Check this: 16 ways to say “I like it” in English”. What’s your favourite?
Posted by admin in Curiosità, Traduzioni, Usi e costumi on 08. ott, 2009 | No Comments
What’s the best thing about taking 87 teenagers between the ages of 14 and16 punting on the Cam river. What’s punting? Where’s the Cam river?
Punting is “An open flatbottom boat with squared ends, used in shallow waters and usually propelled by a long pole”. So like the English version of the gondola, but the difference [...]
Posted by admin in Music, Video on 28. set, 2009 | No Comments
Somewhere over the rainbow – another easy listening, happy morning tune.
Enjoy… and don’t forget to add your suggestions
Posted by admin in Internet on 25. set, 2009 | No Comments
11pm… So the Italians get off the bus and swarm into the school bringing a plethora of sound, laughter and exclamations “Guard che roba, sembra un film!” “Dove si mangia? Cosa si mangia?” “Hai visto il pavone?”!
“OK guys!” I hear myself go into stern mother mode, “let’s keep the noise down*, everyone else is sleeping”. [...]
Posted by admin in Music, Video on 17. set, 2009 | No Comments
Listen to pure, sweet song. She uses no instruments or tricks, just her own voice and rhythm.
One of my favourite ways to start the day is this tune, along with a cappucino!
Please comment or send me your own suggestions.
Posted by Blogger in Usi e costumi on 06. ago, 2009 | No Comments
Our staff arrives at 5pm on Friday.
Me: the course director (CD), my assistant (CA) and the two social organisers (SOs). We officially have 20 hours to turn the private boarding school into a suitable landing place for 8 teachers, and 48 hours to be ready to welcome 85 teenagers who will be in our care [...]
Posted by Blogger in Usi e costumi on 17. lug, 2009 | No Comments
As a former resident of Manhattan, I am no stranger to public transport. In fact, I enjoy taking the metro, riding on trains, hopping on and off buses. But that was before I moved to Rome and was thrown into the world of ATAC and Trenitalia. Mamma mia!
First, let’s talk about the delays. Every morning [...]
Posted by Blogger in Curiosità on 16. lug, 2009 | No Comments
What do you do? Undoubtedly, this question is and will always be the second point of conversation after ” What’s your name?” and “Where are you from?” Well, you see, before I can answer that clearly, we have to take a look (more for my sake than yours) at a profession I find very admirable [...]
Posted by admin in Curiosità on 26. giu, 2009 | No Comments
La comprensione internazionale si sviluppa sulla comunicazione, che viene facilitata parlando la stessa lingua. Quelli che hanno l’inglese come lingua madre hanno solitamente il beneficio di negoziare nella prima lingua, dando loro un vantaggio psicologico che aiuta il successo. Coloro che non hanno l’inglese come lingua madre si sentono in svantaggio, e infatti lo sono.
Vogliamo [...]
