Saturday, September 22, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
My Incongruous Tastes in TV Viewing
Usually on Sunday evening I watch the PBS show Masterpiece Theater, which presents three different types of series: mysteries, contemporary drama, and classics (usually based on the classics of 19th or early 20th century English literature, such as the works of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy, and so on. I have watched this show almost as long as it has been on the air and love Sunday evenings because of it. Last fall another show -- Once Upon a Time --attracted much attention and grew to be my favorite prelude to Masterpiece Theater. In that series, Snow White's stepmother, the Evil Queen, has put a curse on fairy tale land so that no one will ever have a happy ending again. As a result, everyone has been transported to a small town in Maine and cannot remember who they were in their fairy tales. These two series may have some similarities, but my two new favorites, one of which is also on Sunday, would seem to be cast from an entirely different metal: Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. (Click on the links to see the show websites).
Both of these shows are about drugs, gangs, and the social underworld of people who live on the edge of society and the law. The main links between these four shows are the impeccable acting and compelling writing and the only outstanding actors to have appeared on both Masterpiece Theater and Sons of Anarchy (as far as I know) -- Charlie Hunnam and Zoe Boyle. And so I am addicted to these startlingly different shows, though perhaps they are not that incongruous after all.
Vocabulary
incongruous (adjective) -- not similar, not belonging together
contemporary (adjective) -- modern, belong to the current time
be on the air (idiom) -- be on television or radio
prelude (noun) -- an introduction, something that comes before something else
impeccable (adjective) -- without any mistakes, perfect
cast from a different metal (idiom) -- completely different
Vocabulary Cloze Exercise: Put the correct vocabulary word in the blanks.
1. My brother and I are very different despite the fact that we have the same mother and father. We are __________ _____________ _____________ ___________________ ________________.
2. The lamp is _______________, but the furniture is very traditional. 3. They are _______________ because they do no seem to belong in the same room.
4. At the concert, we first listened to the ______________ and then to the whole concert.
5.When you are done with grammar class, your English will be ____________________.
6. The television was working, so she watched all her favorite shows that were __________ ___________ ________________.
Grammar Point: The passage above includes many verbs that are in the present tense. List those verbs and any words that indicate the present time, such as now, on Sunday, and so on.
Grammar Exercise: Write a description of these two actors below using present tense verbs and any vocabulary words. (If you explore the Masterpiece Theater website, you can find out who these two guys are, if you don't know already.)
Both of these shows are about drugs, gangs, and the social underworld of people who live on the edge of society and the law. The main links between these four shows are the impeccable acting and compelling writing and the only outstanding actors to have appeared on both Masterpiece Theater and Sons of Anarchy (as far as I know) -- Charlie Hunnam and Zoe Boyle. And so I am addicted to these startlingly different shows, though perhaps they are not that incongruous after all.
Vocabulary
incongruous (adjective) -- not similar, not belonging together
contemporary (adjective) -- modern, belong to the current time
be on the air (idiom) -- be on television or radio
prelude (noun) -- an introduction, something that comes before something else
impeccable (adjective) -- without any mistakes, perfect
cast from a different metal (idiom) -- completely different
Vocabulary Cloze Exercise: Put the correct vocabulary word in the blanks.
1. My brother and I are very different despite the fact that we have the same mother and father. We are __________ _____________ _____________ ___________________ ________________.
2. The lamp is _______________, but the furniture is very traditional. 3. They are _______________ because they do no seem to belong in the same room.
4. At the concert, we first listened to the ______________ and then to the whole concert.
5.When you are done with grammar class, your English will be ____________________.
6. The television was working, so she watched all her favorite shows that were __________ ___________ ________________.
Grammar Point: The passage above includes many verbs that are in the present tense. List those verbs and any words that indicate the present time, such as now, on Sunday, and so on.
Grammar Exercise: Write a description of these two actors below using present tense verbs and any vocabulary words. (If you explore the Masterpiece Theater website, you can find out who these two guys are, if you don't know already.)
Welcome!
Welcome to the Structure and Application of English! I hope that we will all learn more about grammar and how to teach it.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
May in March
To Spring by William Blake
O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Thro' the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring!
The hills tell each other, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turned
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth,
And let thy holy feet visit our clime.
Come o'er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumed garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our love-sick land that mourns for thee.
O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languished head,
Whose modest tresses were bound up for thee.
Thro' the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring!
The hills tell each other, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turned
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth,
And let thy holy feet visit our clime.
Come o'er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumed garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our love-sick land that mourns for thee.
O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languished head,
Whose modest tresses were bound up for thee.
This poem would be very challenging for ESL students. Perhaps the poem by Robert Frost, the American poet, would be easier, but it also presents some linguistic challenges.
A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost
OH, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
How would you teach these poems? Which words would present the most challenge to your students?
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Two Sunday Choices: The Super Bowl or Downton Abbey
For me, Sunday is the best night of the week for TV viewing. On Super Bowl Sunday when my father was alive, we always watched the Super Bowl, and he often won the pool, having guessed the scores correctly. A rugby player in his youth, he gave up rugger when he got married and became an armchair quarterback. Since the Giants are playing and we feel loyal to both of our New York teams, it is likely that we watch some or all of the game. But I will also be waiting for Once upon a Time on ABC, a unique look at fairy tales and modern life, and Downton Abbey, the latest historical drama from Masterpiece Theater on PBS (13).
Downton Abbey is a captivating and beautifully enacted drama that begins in 1912 with the sinking of the Titanic and its effects on the aristocratic family, the Crawleys. The lord of the manor, Earl Grantham, only has daughters, so by the British law at the time, his estate has to pass on to a male heir, the two closest of which perished on the Titanic. Thus, the Earl is forced to dig deeper into the family tree, where he finds that a second cousin, a respectable middle class lawyer named Matthew, is next in line. The drama of the story centers around that conflict, but the overriding story is one of tradition and love, both family love and romantic love.
So after the Giants have despatched the Patriots, I hope to travel to Downton Abbey, where Edwardian life holds some life lessons for us in the 21st century. What are they? Tune in, and you will see.
Downton Abbey is a captivating and beautifully enacted drama that begins in 1912 with the sinking of the Titanic and its effects on the aristocratic family, the Crawleys. The lord of the manor, Earl Grantham, only has daughters, so by the British law at the time, his estate has to pass on to a male heir, the two closest of which perished on the Titanic. Thus, the Earl is forced to dig deeper into the family tree, where he finds that a second cousin, a respectable middle class lawyer named Matthew, is next in line. The drama of the story centers around that conflict, but the overriding story is one of tradition and love, both family love and romantic love.
Friday, January 13, 2012
A New Year and New Hope
Welcome to Structure and Application of American English! You can write about yourself and anything else about life in America that you think would be interesting to your ESL students.
This past week I was touched by the dreadful yet amazing story of a house fire in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A man on the 3rd floor of one of the old wooden houses smelled smoke, so he went downstairs, where he found his disabled neighbor surrounded by thick smoke. He realized that there was a fire, so he put her on his back and carried her downstairs and out of the house. Her cat had also grabbed onto his pant leg, hung on for dear life, and rode out of the fire with them.
When the man got outside, he looked up to the 3rd floor, where his wife and son were standing by a window trying to breathe. The man knew he couldn't get back in, so he got down on his knees and prayed to God that his family would be rescued. The fire truck arrived just then and brought his family down.(Read the news story.)
Vocabulary
was touched by -- had strong feelings
dreadful -- very bad and scary
disabled -- having a physical problem, such as having trouble walking
surrounded -- all around
grabbed -- held
for dear life -- tightly, with great effort (because he could die if he did not try hard)
rescued -- saved
Vocabulary Exercise
Please put the correct word in the space:
When I went swimming with a friend, I was pulled further out to sea by a _________ current (a strong movement of the water). Soon I was far from shore and ____________ by the sea. I felt powerless to move as if I were _________ . The lifeguards swam out to help me. They ________ my arms, and I held on ____________ so I would not drown. I was glad that they __________ me.
Grammar Point
The verbs in the story about the fire are in the past tense. Find them in the passage. Write them and then write the present tense form of each one.
Write a paragraph about a frightening time in your life. Remember to use the past tense.
This past week I was touched by the dreadful yet amazing story of a house fire in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A man on the 3rd floor of one of the old wooden houses smelled smoke, so he went downstairs, where he found his disabled neighbor surrounded by thick smoke. He realized that there was a fire, so he put her on his back and carried her downstairs and out of the house. Her cat had also grabbed onto his pant leg, hung on for dear life, and rode out of the fire with them.
When the man got outside, he looked up to the 3rd floor, where his wife and son were standing by a window trying to breathe. The man knew he couldn't get back in, so he got down on his knees and prayed to God that his family would be rescued. The fire truck arrived just then and brought his family down.(Read the news story.)
was touched by -- had strong feelings
dreadful -- very bad and scary
disabled -- having a physical problem, such as having trouble walking
surrounded -- all around
grabbed -- held
for dear life -- tightly, with great effort (because he could die if he did not try hard)
rescued -- saved
Vocabulary Exercise
Please put the correct word in the space:
When I went swimming with a friend, I was pulled further out to sea by a _________ current (a strong movement of the water). Soon I was far from shore and ____________ by the sea. I felt powerless to move as if I were _________ . The lifeguards swam out to help me. They ________ my arms, and I held on ____________ so I would not drown. I was glad that they __________ me.
Grammar Point
The verbs in the story about the fire are in the past tense. Find them in the passage. Write them and then write the present tense form of each one.
Write a paragraph about a frightening time in your life. Remember to use the past tense.
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