Peter O’Toole: a legend

24th December 2021

During the 1950s a new group of actors emerged who captivated audiences, firstly on stage, later on screen. Talent, charm, charisma, personality, magnetism, attributes that could never be taught; actors such as Richard Burton, Richard Harris, John Hurt and Peter O’Toole had these gifts in abundance.

I was lucky in that living in London, I was able to go to the theatre and saw Mr John Hurt in ‘Month in the Country’, while I caught Peter O’Toole in ‘Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell’. Additionally, I once ‘met’ Mr O’Toole at a book signing in London.

Actor Peter O'Toole new book expose | UK | News | Express.co.uk — Peter O’Toole in ‘Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell’

As for Mr Richard Harris, I had the pleasure of serving him one time in an upmarket bakery in west London. He was on form that day, possibly having partaken of a liquid lunch. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to see Mr Richard Burton. Now, back to Peter O’Toole.

I have a great clip of the magnificent Irish actor being interviewed by the fast-talking USA TV host David Letterman. Students can compare the two accents.

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Letterman asks O’Toole if he has a story about fellow actor, Richard Harris. Instead of a rather pedestrian, “Let me see …,” O’Toole, cigarette in hand, responds, “Oh, I’ll shuffle through my memory,” before proceeding to tell said story (this occurs at 0:32 – 3:33).

The activity can be extended by asking the students to copy O’Toole’s voice and elocution. Obviously I don’t condone smoking but students have had great fun sitting crossed legged, imaginary cigarette held aloft, and repeating, “Oh, I’ll shuffle through my memory.”

The serious aspect here is to demonstrate the rhythms and stresses in English – the elongated “oh,” as he thinks, the focus on the verb, “shuffle’, the linking of “through my,” and the final stressed but downwards – intonations of “memory.” A lot of work covered in just six words. Good value for your teaching bucks !

Peter O'Toole Documentary | Brendan O'Connor - RTÉ Radio 1

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Young Learners, Level 4: what can you do ?

23rd December 2021

Mind-Blowing Drum Solo From Senri Kawaguchi (VIDEO) | 102.9 The Buzz

Student Survey

Students ask each other:

Can you play football ?

If not, what sports can you play ?

Can you swim ?

Can you sing in English ?

Can you play piano ?

Image result for Mozart as a child" — Young Mozart from Austria

Can girls play drums ? Yes, they can or no, they can’t.

The amazing, incredible Senri Kawaguchi from Japan

Can boys dance ? Yes, they can or no, they can’t ?

Madu Mmesoma Anthony from Nigeria

Can you eat a huge sandwich ?

Can you wiggle your ears ?

Finally, can anybody walk on water ?

Yes they can or no, they can’t ?

The brilliant magician Dynamo from the U.K.

Bear waves goodbye to photographer at Olympic National Park in Washington | Metro News — Bye bye from the big brown friendly bear

Phil Ochs – Happy Birthday

21st December 2021

A tribute to singer-songwriter Phil Ochs, born on December 19th 1940. Phil wrote many political and protest songs against events of the 1960s and 70s such as the war in Vietnam, racial segregation and capital punishment.

Here’s a list of my top 5 Phil Ochs songs:

1 No More Songs

2 Santo Domingo

3 The Iron Lady

4 Men Behind the Guns

5 The Crucifixion

Phil Ochs December 19th 1940 – April 9th 1976

Mike Nesmith R.I.P

12th December 2021

What Was Michael Nesmith's Net Worth When He Died?

Throughout the 70s and early 80s, British viewers were able to watch ‘The Monkees’ TV show, laugh at the zany adventures, sing along with the catchy pop songs.

The members were distinct: the charismatic and diminutive singer (Davy), the wacky drummer (Micky), the innocent, slightly simple blonde (Pete) and the serious, beanie-wearing musician, Mike.

Mike Nesmith of 'Monkees' passes away at age of 78

The show was a success but short-lived lasting just two seasons, September 1966 – March 1968.

The guys were actors, they had auditioned for a TV comedy about musicians yet when the public learnt they didn’t play their instruments on recordings, there was a violent backlash.

Mike Nesmith actually was a musician, and The Monkees demanded to be allowed to prove that they could play, and wanted to be taken seriously.

From 1969 Mike began planning a solo career which including writing, performing, producing and pioneering early music videos.

Here’s my favourite Monkees song, ‘Daydream Believer’ with Mike on acoustic guitar.

Mike Nesmith December 30th 1942 – December 10th 2021

Two birds with one stone: listening and vocabulary

11th December 2021

Two Birds with One Stone”: Transmedia Serialisation in Twin Peaks | M/C Journal

Outside of the classroom, students will often be using English with other non-native speakers. Therefore, it is good practice to listen to people speaking English to see how much, or how little, you understand.

With that in mind, here’s a short video on extending your vocabulary, learning ‘low-frequency words’, or better words. However, the instructor is from India and has an accent. To test your understanding, try listening first, then look to check if you are correct:

New Vocabulary

Instead of using ‘very’ + adjective (I am very tired), use a single word:

Try to use ‘sagacious’, ‘exquisite’, ‘colossal’ and ‘spacious’ EXAMPLES:

The classrooms in Block D are ……….. (big, plenty of room)

The furnishings are perfect, they are ………. (very tasteful)

Building an underground train network is a ………… undertaking (very big, challenging)

The old man was ………. People came to him for advice. (very clever, wise)

Traffic talking points

7th December 2021

A lesson chockablock with phrases, slang and expressions on the subject of traffic.

THEME: Traffic

rush hour / ring road / congested / blind spot / flyover / motorway Metro or Subway/ U-Bahn (Germany) / the Tube (London) / roundabout

road rage / one-way street / traffic jam / chockablock / cutting in / cut me off / hit every red light !

Discuss any words you don’t know with your teacher or look online

What are the issues facing you when you travel around your town or city? [what problems do you have ?]

This is an opinion question, so start your answer with:

In my opinion // In my experience // For me // I believe // I think / It seems to me

First, think of the positives:

Is it easy to travel around ?

Is petrol or gas cheap ? Are there many petrol stations ?

Can anyone attain a driver’s licence ?

What about public transport ? Cheap, reliable, clean, safe ?

Conversely, think of the negatives such as the time spent travelling.

Accidents and costs: insurance, petrol, maintenance

Dangers: pollution, other drivers, road etiquette

Condition of roads

Is traffic getting worse in your home city ? Why do you think so ?

What can be done to ease this situation ?

Finally, what is your conclusion ?

What is happening here ?

What do you think will happen to the driver of the bus ?

Taking a Viet driving test

The second clip is from ‘Top Gear’ (UK). The boys came to Vietnam, in 2008. They had a challenge: to buy a car then drive from HCM City to Hanoi.

What could possibly go wrong ?

Note down any new expressions, then practice … and practice … and practice

Love Minus Zero: basic vocabulary for maths

4th December 2021

Some useful words for basic maths. Firstly, in the UK we say ‘maths‘ while our cousins across the pond in the USA say ‘math.’

To begin we have addition (+)

Noun = addition // verb = add // sign + // may hear ‘plus‘

EXAMPLE:

If you add 17 and 13 what is the answer ? [17 + 13 = ?]

The = sign is pronounced equals

Furthermore you may hear:

What is 17 plus 13 or What is 17 and 13 ?

What do you get if you add 17, 13 and 3 together ?

Practice: I’m very good at ________ (noun). I can ______ (verb) many numbers very quickly.

Next we have subtraction (-)

Noun = subtraction // verb = subtract // sign – //

may hear ‘minus‘

EXAMPLE: Can you subtract 12 from 111 ? [111 -12 = ?]

Furthermore you may hear:

What is 111 minus 12 ?

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Moving on we have multiplication (x)

Noun = multiplication // verb = multiply // sign x // may hear ‘times‘

EXAMPLE: Can you multiply 7 by 4 ?

Furthermore you may hear:

What is 7 times 4 ?

And finally, division (÷)

Noun = division // verb = divide // sign ÷ // may hear ‘into‘

EXAMPLE: What is 100 divided by 4 ?

Furthermore you may hear:

How many times does 4 go into 100 ? What goes into 100 4 times ?

Practice – how would you say these:

25 + 30 =

12 x 10 =

95 – 35 =

39 ÷ 13 =

I Me Mine: Pronoun Declensions

3rd December 2021

The English language, despite having a multitude of idioms, slang, vernacular, dialects, neologisms etc, can be easier to learn than other languages when it comes to the definite article. I am referring to the word ‘the’.

English nouns have no gender; the language doesn’t have the complex German structure of declension when the word ‘the’ changes depending if the noun is the subject, object or indirect object.

However, it’s not all plain sailing. English speakers employ declension when it comes to pronouns. Please allow me to illustrate:

A cuckoo clock, invented in Germany (not Switzerland, as is often believed).

I bought this clock from a friend so it now belongs to me. It is my clock, it is mine.

However, with the wrong declension:

Me bought this clock from a friend so it now belongs to mine. It is I clock, it is my.

Last night, a level 6 class (aged around 10) were having a lesson on conservation. The examples were all in the second person (your), and the students were having problems changing the pronoun. Hence, this blog:

School Kids Stock Photos & Royalty-Free Images from PhotoDune — Let’s go to work

Let’s keep it simple. There are three cases:

the subject, the object and the possessive

I, Me, Mine

In our example I bought this clock from my friend, the first noun is ‘I’ (subject)

so it now belongs to me. (object)

It is my clock, it is mine. (possessive)

Now … let’s practice

I // me // my or mine

you // you // your or yours

he // him // his

she // her // her or hers

we // us // our or ours

they // them // their or theirs

EXAMPLE: What can you do to stay healthy ?

black-lady-weights - Carla Fields Fitness

I can exercise. Being healthy is important to me. These are my weights. They are mine.

How about changing the pronoun ? Tell me about this man:

He is very funny. Many people like him. It is his dog. The dog is his.

Tell me about this lady

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai disappeared after denouncing rape - Tennis - Sports - Nenroll-Nenroll

— is very happy. I can not beat — in a game. — racket (bat) is very expensive. It is —-.

Let’s use ‘you’

Ayushmann Khurrana wanted to shave his head for Bala, says 'I resembled my grandfather after prosthetics' | Bollywood - Hindustan Times

— can wash your hair. I will buy some cologne for — . It is —- cologne, it is —– .

Tell me about these people

—- are American. If you go to the USA, maybe you will meet —-. This is —– flag, it is ——.

Is grammar important ?

23rd November 2021

Premium Photo | Smiling young asian woman wearing hijab, showing mobile phone doing yes gesture

Yes it, isn’t. i is hoping these answered you questions ,

When someone is learning a new language basic communication, making oneself understood, is the main factor.

However as one develops, the rules of grammar become increasingly important especially if students sit tests and are graded according to their command of the language.

Here, then, are some incorrect sentences that the students can correct. For online classes, students can type in their Chat Box, and that way, everyone is kept busy and productive.

Let’s start with a Level 1 Class

The students have just been introduced to basic sentences, so the aim is to get them using multiple words, not just shouting out single word answers.

Game 1

EXAMPLE: What is it ?

It is a yellow banana.

It’s a yellow banana.

First letter is BIG (a capital letter).

Use an adjective before the noun.

End with a full stop (.)

NOW … Your turn

Write the answers in your Chat Box

Yuka Handmade Cloth Doll Japanese Doll | Etsy — Number 1

Do you have a red car? You have to read this now | VISOR PH — Number 2

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Game 2

EXAMPLE: Who’s this ?

this me grondfather … NO

This is my grandmother.

NOW … Your turn

Write the answers in your Chat Box

this is my Brotherr

this is m grandFATHr ?

Bring on the Jewish Fathers - The Sag Harbor Express — Number 3

th is is me mother

Game 3

EXAMPLE: I like … I don’t like

I like chicken I no like fish … NO

I like chicken. I don’t like fish.

NOW … Your turn

i liek pizzza i do no like chicen

I like iceream i like cake no

I like breadd I like don’t ricee

Game 4

EXAMPLE: What can you see ?

Dogs of Destiny - Southeastern Guide Dogs

I can see a dog. I can see a happy black dog.

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I can see 2 dogs

NOW … Your turn

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Beautiful portrait young asian woman smiling waving hand in garden - stock photo | Crushpixel — Bye bye, see you soon.

Get Back ! We spoke in the past tense.

9th November 2011

Recent online classes have revealed a distressing lack of ability using basic verbs in the past tense or Verb 2 as they are called in my neck of the woods.

In Vietnamese, the past tense is formed differently.

The verb remains the same but other words are added to indicate the tense. Alternately, time indicators are employed. Very briefly, a literal translation from the Vietnamese could be:

Yesterday I eat rice

Therefore a language teacher needs to be aware of the linguistic differences. Be that as it may let’s Get Back to basics.

Activity 1

What is the past tense (Verb 2) of these verbs:

eat / drink / do / play / see / go

Activity 2

help / visit / work / ride / talk

Activity 3

‘to be’:

I am / I was

you are / you were

he is / he was

she is / she was

Let’s use past tense (verb 2) with an adjective

Tell me what is the sentence if we use verb 2

EXAMPLE: I am happy. = I was happy.

NOW … YOUR TURN

You are sad = You ______ sad.

He is tired = He _______ tired.

She is funny = She _______ funny.

I am shy = I ______ shy.

He is small = He ______ small.

She is big = She _____ big.

You are young = You ______ young.

Activity 4

What did you do today ?

Each student takes a turn. Use these photos to help you.

Extra practice:

buy / drink / surf the internet / help parents / cook / do homework / wake up

Present tense ——– Past tense

act —— acted

go —- went

learn —— learned OR learnt

play — played

read —– read (pronounced ‘red)

ride —— rode

sleep —– slept

watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)

win —- won

What is the past tense (Verb 2) ?

I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.

I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.

I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.

I learn English. Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.

Piano playing monkey | Playing piano, See monkeys, Gershwin

The monkey plays piano.

Last night, the monkey _________ piano.

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She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.

Sleep may trigger rhythmic power washing in the brain | Science News

He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.

Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man is a great New York movie

I watch the amazing Spiderman.

Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.

Put these verbs into the past tense, then complete the sentences:

want ———

take ———

decide ———

see ——–

buy ——–

think ——–

learn ——–

I —— to stay in bed this morning

She —– great photos with her new iPhoneX

We have (decide) —— to go to Thailand for Tet

Last night I —- a great film !

He (buy) —- food for Christmas.

Tuesday ! I (think) —— today was Wednesday

We (learn) —– about past simple in our lesson.

More exercises can be found on this omnibus blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/21/past-tense-various-exercises-2/