Friday, January 20, 2023

Friday, March 4, 2022

International Working Women's Day

Did you know why International Working Women's day is celebrated on the 8th of March?
Watch this video for a short summary of the history of the movement for women's rights..

One of the main reasons why it is celebrated in March is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in March 1911. The tragedy sparked outrage through worker activists and gave emphasis to the celebration. Unfortunately, many of the problems women faced in the early 20th century are still present today. Watch the video and learn about what they are:



You can find more information about the fire here.
Through the years, International Women's Day has become a more broad celebration that also speaks about gender equality in our private lives as well.

For example, Beyonce's celebrated music video If I were a boy is from 2008. What issues does she discuss in the video?

 

Finally, in 2018 Taylor Swift released her own take on women's rights. Do you believe attitudes have changed? Why?

 


Tuesday, February 15, 2022

The Cannes Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, but there are some very specific rules that you must follow. What are they?

What's its connection to European history?

Monday, January 17, 2022

Celebrating the Chinese New Year



2022 will be the year of the Tiger. What are the personalities of people born on this year according to the Chinese horoscope?



Here's another version of the Chinese legend. Is it similar or different from the previous video?



Did you know some people believe there are some foods you should not eat at Chinese New Year? Did anything surprise you?




Finally, here are some people in London talking about how Chinese New Year is celebrated in London. What do people like about Chinese culture? What year was the video recorded?


What is your Chinese Horoscope? This is the full chart.


(if you were born in January or February, you might have to check here https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/)

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

If wishes were horses...




"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

If turnips were watches, I'd wear one by my side.

If "if's" and "and's" were pots and pans,

There'd be no work for tinkers' hands."

(Traditional nursery rhyme)


We use the verb "wish" when we want something we can't have. At least for the moment. (here's a version of the nursery rhyme on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtzuVToJp4M )

Here's a good summary of all the ways you can use the word wish. As you can see, there are many. (Please check http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-23/session-1 for the whole lesson)



Also, remember we use "wish+were" in formal speech, not "Wish+was", which is very common but considered not standard (for more information, see https://ludwig.guru/blog/i-wish-i-was-vs-i-wish-i-were/ ) 

Here you have a song where you can see the use of wish. 

Wish + past tense




The prologue to the musical "Into the Woods" also has a lot of examples of how to use "wish". You can try to write down what each character wishes for. You will probably recognize them, as they all come from traditional fairy tales.



And if you watch the whole musical, you'll realize that wishing sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for...


Wednesday, April 21, 2021