Bob Dylan awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

In this entry we will listen and study in detail some of the most famous songs by Bob Dylan as a way to appreciate English language through music and learn new vocabulary and expessions.

But first of all let´s debate: Did he, in your opinion, deserve a Nobel Prize?




Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel prize in literature, says the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Sara Danius. Announcing the award she says Dylan ‘created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition’. He is the first songwriter to win the award and the first American to win since Toni Morrison in 1993.


Read this article published in The Guardian newspaper where you can find the lyrics of some of his most famous songs.

The New York Times also published a whole lesson plan about Bob Dylan. Follow the link to complete the activities.


LIKE A ROLLING STONE

This song was released as a single in 1965 and then included on the album Higway 61 Revisited in the same year. It lasts over six minutes and it´s probably Dylan´s most influential song- in 2004, Rolling Stones magazine declared "Rolling Stones" the greatest song of all times, "No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the comercial laws and artistic convections of its time" (www.tuneintoenglish.com)

The answer my friend is BLOWING IN THE WIND

There is no better reason in the world to learn English that to understand songs and sing along the lyrics!!

Listen to this great song and complete the lyrics in your worksheet:





Read Bob Dylan´s biography after sorting out these scrambled sentences: 

 

(    )	song of the times, "Blowin' in the Wind". The album made Dylan a legend overnight. The Beatles bought
(    )	songs. Many believe he is the greatest living poet.
(    )	a whole generation of musicians.
(    )	age. He formed several bands and played so loudly at a high school talent show the principal had to cut
(    )	Dylan continued to have an important impact on the history of rock for many decades. He has received hundreds of
(    )	it and said: "We just played it, just wore it out…it was incredibly original and wonderful.” It inspired
( 1 )	Robert Allen Zimmerman was born in 1941 and loved music, especially blues, from a young
(    )	the microphone off. He switched to folk music because, he said: “The songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more
(    )	triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings."
(    )	awards for his song writing, recording and performances. He got a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his "profound
(    )	impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power”. He still plays 100 dates a year.
(    )	the latter half of the twentieth century and many have become traditional protest
(    )	fans, as well as literary critics, say his words are as important as those of any previous winners. His songs describe
(    )	In 1963, he released his second album, “The Free wheel in' Bob Dylan”. It included what bécame the most famous
(    )	In 2016 Dylan received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Thousands of his

Welcome Back!

Why learning English? That is the question!

Let´s start by introducing ourselves and saying at least one reason why you want to do this course:

    I want to speak English!!







Conversation questions:

Should everyone learn English?

Why are you studying English?

In your experience, what studying methods are most effective for you?

What accent do you find easiest to understand?

Are English movies in your country shown with subtitles or are they dubbed?

If you could speak English perfectly, how would your life change?


Watch this video by Professor David Crystal talking about the future of English as a language and be prepared to have a discussion afterwards:

Will English continue to be the global language that it is now?

 

 


Follow this link to discuss some quotes about why learning languages. They are the words of very influential people who bring forward some of the best reasons to learn a language.

These quotes remind us of how languages open up our minds to a variety of opportunities in diferrent cultures and countries.

So, what is your reason?

Let´s now listen to a new video where professor David Crystal talks about "World Englishes". What does he mean by that?

Food from around the world

We have travelled around the world in the previous topic and now we are going to learn how to speak in English about foods, eating and foods from the world!

Which countries have the healthiest diets?

Read this article from The Independent to find out!

Lets look at some very popular food idioms:




BREAKFAST DISCUSSION



- What did you have for breakfast this morning?
- Do you always have time to eat what you want for breakfast?
- Has what you eat for breakfast changed over the years?
- What do you do while having breakfast?
- Do you watch "breakfast televisión"?
- Do you prefer to eat breakfast alone or with other people?
- Do you ever eat breakfast in a restaurant or canteen?
- Is the breakfast you usually eat healthy?
- How often do you skip breakfast or have it on the go?
-Can you eat "lunch-style food" or "dinner-style food" for breakfast?
-What do you think of breakfast at hotels?
-What is the origin of the word breakfast?


Watch Emma from EngVid to remember what a phrasal verb is and how native speakers use them to talk about food:



Now that you are familiar with  a wide range of food vocabulary, listen to the words and sounds of this fantastic lesson by Rob from BBC Learning English.
Listen to Rob in his kitchen preparing a fry-up. See if you can hear what ingredients he uses and also what words he uses that include sounds that are similar to the noises the words refer to. These words are examples of onomatopoeia. There are 16 to listen out for.

 Is your stomach rumbling? Are you ready to learn more Eating vocabulary?



Ready to look at some recipes from around the world?
Follow this link to BBC Good Food to discover wonderful food from around the world.

Do you fancy cooking? Are you a good cook?

Why not trying this summer recipe? 

Talking about travelling and holidays

In this lesson we are going to learn how to book a room at a hotel, practise calling to get a reservation and many other things to do with travelling!

Following our lessons on telephone English and how to speak politely in English, let´s now get into the exciting world of travelling!



Let´s get started by asking and answering questions on travel and tourism on the worksheet provided.

Revise your travel vocabulary by watching this video:



Follow this link to listen to some of the most common conversations when travelling.

Watch this video to learn approriate language and expessions to make a holiday reservation:





Learn how to write a travel blog and start writing your own!




What are the best cities in the world?

Watch this travel guide about Arizona and answer the questions:
  Now watch this Rio de Janeiro travel guide and make a list of the most popular tourist attractions




What if your holiday doesn´t go as well as you thought it would?
Then you can always write a letter of complaint!

British people are "experts" when it comes to complaining. There is a citizens advice website
where you can find samples and templates to complaint about anything!

Follow this link to look at some examples and then write your own letter of complaint.

Speaking politely in English

To be polite when speaking English is a very important aspect of the language.

In this lesson we are going to learn some ways to sound less direct and more polite when speaking English:

 


This is a very useful video to learn how to sound less direct when speaking English:






You may be interested in learning polite expressions in English to refer to several every-day-life situations. Here are some examples of how to use "soft language":






Would you like to learn some expessions to speak politely at work? Then follow the link to this great lesson by BBC Learning English: English at work.

 

Idioms and expressions

English is very rich in idioms and expressions of all kinds.

In this topic, we are going to learn about some of the most famous ones and this will help us sound more like a native speaker!

Let´s begin with some funny idioms without getting stressed out!







In the following video from ESL English Academy, Faby talks about idiomatic expessions for every day conversations with friends. Remember: this time they are slang or colloquial expressions, not to be used at work or in a more formal context!





You can also listen to Valen from EngVid, explaining 10 very common expessions in English:



Follow this link to learn some more expressions and idioms from BBC Learning English, the English we speak.

How about learning a great idiom from Shakespeare´s times: