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

Obama: "Four more years"

Barack Obama Wins Second Term
VOXY/AP | 7th November, 2012

WASHINGTON -

His lease renewed in trying economic times, President Barack Obama claimed a second term from an incredibly divided electorate and immediately braced for daunting challenges and progress that comes only in fits and starts.

"We have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come," Obama said.

The same voters who gave Obama four more years in office also elected a divided Congress, sticking with the dynamic that has made it so hard for the president to advance his agenda. Democrats retained control of the Senate; Republicans kept their House majority.

The vanquished Republican, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, tried to set a more conciliatory tone on the way off the stage.

"At a time like this, we can't risk partisan bickering," Romney said after a campaign filled with it. "Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work."

The highlighted words are the most difficult ones, and they are in some way related to politics.

• fits and starts: with irregular bursts of activity
• yet to come: it will occur soon, it hasn't happened yet
• partisan bickering: arguments of supporters of a party

BARACK'S OBAMA VICTORY SPEECH

Order of adjectives

There are rules about the order we put adjectives before a noun.

Adjectives which say what we think or fell about something or how we judge it usually come beofre descriptive adjectives.

Although this order isn't completely fixed, we usually put descriptive adjectives in the following order:

Bonfire Night: 5th of November

On the night of Novemeber 5th, throughout Britain, there is a commemoration of the capture of Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament (where the Big Ben is) in London. People celebrate it with fireworks, bonfires and burning a dummy of Guy.
For 400 years, since 1605, bonfires have burned on Novemeber 5th to mark the failed Gunpowder Plot.
Watch this video with subtitles to know more about the history:

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