TO ALL MY ESL STUDENTS and TODAY, to YOU, someone NEW! !

You are all invited to join in and be pro-active! This blog also belongs to you.

Here are some of the ways you can participate:

* COMMENT (even if you make mistakes) C'est pas grave!
You will get better and better! You cannot GO BACK!
PLEASE leave a COMMENT (click on comment at the bottom of post and follow instructions)

* SHARE INFORMATION with your classmates, they will surely appreciate your findings:
New ESL sites, stories, anecdotes, jokes, games ...
* WRITE what's on your mind! How you feel about your learning process.
You are not alone! Group 'therapy'!!!

HAVE a dose of FUN!!!
* LET me KNOW that you are there to encourage... ME TOO (inside joke)!

LISTEN to this INTRODUCTION VIDEO:

NOTE TO THE READER:
- CLICK on Ctrl and +++ to enlarge TEXT
- anything UNDERLINED ia a link to click on



Wednesday, April 14, 2010

IDIOTIC IDIOMS! The joys of idioms


Good morning!

Right off the bat ... I've been racking my brain to find a different way of staying in contact with you during this time off from classes and keeping the learning process an on-going fun activity for all of you. So when I sent you the last e-mail with an idiomatic expression and a picture to illustrate it, hmmmmm!... I thought. Why not use idioms to continue the learning process and enriching your vocabulary using expressions ... (rhetorical question here).

Well IDIOMS it is!
They are WORDS and they are FUNNY,
and they fit the bill!
They are in the spirit of this BLOG!

They are strange and idiotic and bizarre. And they can be great FUN. They are unique !and you have to use them in a clause ... you cannot seperate the elements, they must be used together, if not they make no sense at all!!

Over the coming months, you can expect a regular 'flow' of idiomatic expressions. I will classify them thematically and hope that this way it will be easier for you to assimilate them and put them into practice.

Here are some examples from different languages:

Did you know that Russians say "I'm not hanging noodles on your ears" when they're not pulling your leg. To us that sounds ridiculous. But let's face it, our idioms don't have a leg (pulled or not) to stand on either. 
They are just as nonsensical. And they're not alone!
To seize the moon by the teeth: attempt the impossible (French). To reheat cabbage: to rekindle an old flame (Italian). When the crayfish sings in the mountain: never (Russian). Cleaner than a frog's armpit: to be poor, broke (Spanish). To think one is the last suck of the mango: to be conceited (South American Spanish). Onions should grow in your navel: a mild insult (Yiddish). Brew tea from dirt under another's fingernails: to learn a bitter lesson (Japanese). Belch smoke from the seven orifices of the head: to be furious (Chinese).

There is enough here to swallow for today!  
Let's not get carried away!

KEEP ON LEARNING!
Suzanne

Sunday, April 4, 2010

THE EASTER EGG HUNT ... Can you find these hidden treasures?





The Easter egg hunt … 
You are certainly aware of the most popular Easter activity in which Easter eggs are hidden and children on Easter Sunday go ‘hunting’ to find these special eggs. This is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial, filled with or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. The game may be both indoors and outdoors.

But did you know that there was another use for this expression which is very XX century new and is associated with the expression: Easter egg (media). And it is about something hidden too, but this time , it's all about hidden messages!!! Where???
A virtual Easter egg is an intentional hidden message, in-joke or feature in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, computer program, web page or video game. Remember Alfred Hitchcock movie’s where this famous film maker always made a ‘cameo’ appearance in all his movies?
And if you follow the American TV drama “Lost” where they implant all kinds of related information in their flashbacks and usage of symbols or texts or numbers or character names … all hidden messages … All the programs ‘aficionados’ (fans, followers) are constantly in search of clues! And how about “The Davinci Code” ... And the controversy about The Beatles ‘Revolver’ album? To name but a few! 

Where does this ‘modern’ use of EASTER EGGS come from, you ask?
The term was coined (created, invented) by Atari, remember the first computer games??!
The term draws a parallel with the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in many Western nations as well as the last Russian imperial family's tradition of giving elaborately jewelled egg-shaped creations by Carl Fabergé which contained hidden surprises. There is the parallel: hidden surprise messages.

This is a bit of Easter trivia! So there you go!
Keep looking and you might find yourself some SPECIAL Easter eggs!!!
There might even be some here!!!
Coincidence, a quirk or true and authentic …


Friday, April 2, 2010

HAPPY EASTER !!!

Well it's Easter already and can you believe the weather we are having !!! 
unbelievable, incredible, 
unprescedented, amazing,

astonishing and remarkable
wonderful, fantastic
and on and on!
There are so many, many words used for celebration!

I want to wish you a great Easter holiday 
with your family and friends.
I’m taking a break from blogging this week 
and I’ll be back with you next week!
Enjoy the weather and your holiday time with all the ones you LOVE!
HAVE FUN!!!