Is English a crazy language?

The answer should be... no, but it has a lot of irregularities and peculiarities that make it a very rich, magical language!!! Have a look at some of these exceptions

Christmas Lottery

Spaniards Celebrate 

Christmas Lottery Wins

VOXY/AP | 24 DECEMBER, 2012

MADRID -

Winners of Spain's cherished Christmas lottery - the world's richest -celebrated Saturday in more than a dozen locations where the top lucky tickets were sold, a moment of uplift for a country enduring another brutal year of economic hardship.

The lottery sprinkled a treasure chest of €2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in prize money around the country. Champagne corks popped and festive cheer broke out in 15 towns or cities where tickets yielding the maximum prize of €400,000 ($530,000), known as "El Gordo" ("The Fat One,)" had been bought.

Unlike lotteries that generate a few big winners, Spain's version — now celebrating its 200th anniversary —has always shared the wealth more evenly instead of concentrating on vast jackpots, so thousands of tickets yield some kind of return.

Almost all of Spain's 46 million inhabitants traditionally watch at least some part of the live TV coverage showing school children singing out winning numbers for the lottery.

It is so popular that frequently three €20 ($26) tickets are sold for every Spaniard and many consider lottery day as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday season.

Highlighted are the most difficult vocabulary words, all have to do with lottery and winning prizes. Look up the words you don't know. Here are a few of them:

• uplift: emotional lift
• economic hardship: economic difficulties
• yielding: generating, granting (financially) 
• wealth: richness
• jackpot: highest prize
• kickoff: opening, beginning

Merry Christmas!!!

How social media, web and mobile tell the story of the Nativity.

Christmas story told through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, Google Maps, GMail, Foursquare, Amazon...  Watch this awesome video!!! 

Here are some Christmas jokes for you to laugh out loud, enjoy them and
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

Gunman Kills 20 Schoolchildren in Connecticut

Staffers Hailed as Heroes after Connecticut Shooting

VOXY/AP | 17 DECEMBER, 2012

NEWTOWN, Connecticut -

Out of the ruins of families that lost a precious child, sister or mother, glows one bright spot: the stories of staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School who may have prevented further carnage through selfless actions and smart snap judgments.

After gunman Adam Lanza broke through the school door, gun blazing, school psychologist Mary Sherlach and principal Dawn Hochsprung ran toward him, Robinson said. Hochsprung died while lunging at the gunman, officials said.

The 56-year-old Sherlach, who would have been tasked with helping survivors cope with the tragedy, died doing what she loved, her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, said.

Victoria Soto, a 27-year-old teacher, reportedly hid some students in a bathroom or closet and died trying to shield them from bullets, a cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News. Those who knew Soto said they weren't surprised.

In other cases, staffers both saved students and managed to escape with their own lives.

One person who wasn't in the school at all also is being lauded for his grace: Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie died.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he said he was not mad and offered sympathy for Lanza's family. "I can't imagine," he said, "how hard this experience must be for you."

The highlighted words are the most difficult ones, and they are related to crime. Look them up in the dictionary if you don't know the meanings, here are a few of them:

• smart snap judgement: intelligent sudden decisions
• gun blazing: with the gun ready, marking path with the gun
• is being lauded: is being praised, glorified

How did Hochsprung die?

1. hiding the students
2. confronting the killer
3. shielding students
4. breaking the school doors

                                                                                                                                 The correct answer is: 2.

What does to have 'irons in the fire' mean? Listen to find out

Irons in the fire

Listen

Jen tells Helen that she has a few 'irons in the fire' for her fortnight off work. Learn a phrase to describe having lots of options. Find out more with this programme.

 

Click on this link to listen to this conversation: bbc- irons in the fire mp3

You can then read what you listened not to miss anything out.

The script for this programme

Jen: Hello, I'm Jennifer. Welcome to The English We Speak. Joining me in the studio today is Helen. Hi Helen!

Helen: Hi Jen! I wasn't expecting to see you in the office today; I thought you were on leave?

Jen: No, that's next week. I'm taking two weeks off work and I can't wait!

Helen: Are you going on holiday?

Jen: I haven't planned anything just yet, but I do have a few irons in the fire that will keep me busy across the fortnight.

Helen: Irons in the fire? What do you mean? When did you become an ironmonger?

Jen: No, Helen, I'm not an ironmonger...

Helen: ...because that could be great! I saw a lovely wrought-iron bed in a shop in London, but it was too expensive... Perhaps with your new iron-making skills you can make me one, instead!

Jen: I definitely don't have any iron-making skills!

Helen: But you said you had a few irons in the fire... Oh! I suppose you mean that you've got a lot of ironing to do; you do wear a lot of different clothes so I suppose it would take a long time to iron them all...

Jen: No, that's not what I meant!

Helen: So what did you mean when you said you have 'a few irons in the fire'?

Jen: This is another English phrase which you shouldn't take too literally. If you have a few irons in the fire, it means that you have a few different projects or potential ideas going on at the same time.

Helen: I see. So you have a few irons in the fire because you have different options for your fortnight off?

Jen: That's right - I can't wait.

Helen: So tell me, Jen, what are your irons in the fire - what are you planning?

Jen: Well, I have a friend in Paris who I haven't seen for ages, so I could go there... I'd like to pop up to Scotland to visit my sister and her children for a few days... There's also a cheap deal to Turkey that I've seen and I already have some yoga classes booked in!

Helen: Wow, that's a lot!

Jen: There was one thing you were right about, though...

Helen: What's that?

Jen: I do have a huge pile of ironing to do! Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now!

Helen: Bye!

Travel vs. journey vs. trip

TRAVEL/ TRAVELLING (nouns) Travel is the general term to describe going from one place to another. We can talk about someone's travels to refer to the journeys he makes: His travels abroad provided lots of background material for novels he wrote. Travelling is also a general term which refers to the activity of travel: Travelling by boat between the islands is less tiring than travelling by road. I don't do as much travelling as I used to now that I'm retired. Travel often crops up as part of compound nouns. Compare the following: Make sure you keep all your travel documents safely. You can obtain your travel tickets from the travel agents in the High Street if you don't want to order them over the Internet. Some of you may suffer from travel sickness. Air travel may well give you a bumpy ride. If you don't have a credit or debit card, make sure you take plenty of traveller's cheques with you.

JOURNEY (noun) A journey is one single piece of travel. You make journeys when you travel from one place to another. (Note that the plural is spelt journeys, not journies): The journey from London to Newcastle by train can now be completed in under three hours. We can talk about journeys taking or lasting a long time: How long did your journey take? ~ Oh, it lasted for ever. We stopped at every small station. TRIP (noun) A trip usually involves more than one single journey. We talk about day trips, round trips and business trips. We make journeys usually, but we go on trips: I went on a day trip to France. We left at 6.30 in the morning and returned before midnight the same day. The round-trip ticket enabled me to visit all the major tourist destinations in India. Where's Laurie? ~ He won't be in this week. He's gone on a business trip to Malaysia and Singapore. The trip went well. It was an old car, but we didn't break down in four weeks of travelling

Verbs followed by gerund (-ing)

Today's Phrase: to be 'over the moon'

Over the moon

St James' Palace has announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, are expecting their first baby. Photo: Danny Lawson/Getty

Today's Phrase

If you are 'over the moon', you are extremely happy about something.

For example:

My husband and I are expecting our first baby next summer – we're absolutely over the moon!

Sarah was over the moon when she found out she'd got the job.

If England win the World Cup, I'll be over the moon! 

Don't confuse it with

If you describe someone as 'over the hill', it means you think they are old and unable to do something.

Mum's bought Granddad a smartphone for Christmas. To be honest, I think he's a bit over the hill for new technology like that. 

Interesting fact

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced that they are expecting their first baby. The royal baby will be third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and Prince William.

Safety information in a plane

Air New Zealand has made this video based on a new film coming out, "The Hobbit".

Are you tired of the boring typical information they give every time you are going to take off in a plane? This is a funny way of explaining safety measures when flying. Remember you can activate subtitles in English!

Today's Phrase: 'to have a big mouth'

Today's Phrase

If you 'are a big mouth' or 'have a big mouth' it means you talk too much, especially about things which should be kept secret or avoided.

For example:

Fran's got such a big mouth. She's been telling everyone that I'm engaged. I wanted to tell them myself.

Oh no, me and my big mouth! I made Alex feel upset when I mentioned his dead cat. 

Don't be such a big mouth. You should learn to keep other people's problems to yourself.

Don't confuse it with

To bad-mouth. If you 'bad-mouth' someone it means you say negative things about them behind their back.

She's always bad-mouthing her friends. I really don't like it.

Punctuation

Thanksgiving Day

Learn the story of Thanksgiving by watching this funny video from Ellen DeGeneres show!

PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE

in season

Antony Worrall Thompson shows how to make your own pumpkin pie in eight simple steps - no need to be spooked!

Ingredients

For the pastry

• sweet short crust pastry case (or a packet of ready made sweet short crust pastry with 40g/1½oz crushed pecans mixed in.)

For the filling

• 450 g/1lb prepared weight pumpkin flesh, cut into 1in/2.5 cm chunks
• 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk (use the white for another dish)
• 3 oz/75g soft dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 10 fl oz/275 ml double cream

Preparation method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Use a shop bought sweet crust pastry case, about 9 inch/23 cm diameter and 1½ inches/4 cm deep.
3. To make the filling, steam the pumpkin then place in a coarse sieve and press lightly to extract any excess water.
4. Then lightly whisk the eggs and extra yolk together in a large bowl.
5. Place the sugar, spices and the cream in a pan, bring to simmering point, giving it a whisk to mix everything together. Then pour it over the eggs and whisk it again briefly.
6. Now add the pumpkin pureé, still whisking to combine everything thoroughly.
7. Pour the filling into your pastry case and bake for 35-40 minutes, by which time it will puff up round the edges but still feel slightly wobbly in the centre.
8. Remove the pie from the oven and place the tin on a wire cooling rack. Serve chilled (stored loosely covered in foil in the fridge) with some equally chilled créme fraïche, but warm or at room temperature would be fine.

Monday mood

Make vs. do

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

This is a book I highly recommend as it's a book I really enjoyed and it's quite easy to read. Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic boy, the story is absolutely fascinating.
It's a must!

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the colour yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighbourhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read.

Pronunciation of '-ed' endings

PRONUNCIATION OF –ED ENDING

There are 3 different pronunciations of the–ed ending of the regular past simple and past participle:

1-   -ed is pronounced /t/ alter verbs ending in these unvoiced sounds:

/p/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /∫/, and /t∫/

E.g. looked, hoped, laughed, passed, washed, watched

2-   After voiced endings (all the rest sounds) or vowels –ed is pronounced /d/.

     This is the biggest group.

E.g. arrived, changed, showed, played, phoned

3- After endings in /t/ or /d/ the pronunciation of –ed  is /Id/

E.g. hated, decided, started