TEXTS AND TWEETS: MYTHS AND REALITIES, PROFESSOR DAVID CRYSTAL'S POINT OF VIEW.

If you are interested in language, you'll enjoy this interview where Professor David Crystal, one of the world leading experts on the English language, debunks some of the most common and controversial myths about electronically mediated communication. Highly highly recommended!

 
Thank you very much professor!

ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY:COLONIALISM (2)

Here is how some writers portrayed the other side of colonialism, if you are interested:


1)Read and listen to Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, describing his experience in Congo.

2)A Passage to India, by E.M.Foster

ANOTHER GOOD ONLINE DICTIONARY FOR ADVANCED

The Mcmillan dictionary offers simple but excellent definitions and synonyms for each meaning of each entry, as well as its pronunciation, of course.
In my opinion it's a really useful tool for advanced students and for us teachers, too!

ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: OSCAR WILDE'S THE IMORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST.

This theatre play is a masterpiece, a farcical comedy which, on the one hand, shows Wilde's great dexterity as a writer and his enormous wit. To know his personality a bit more, why don't you read some of his most famous quotes? It was turned into a movie several times, the last one was in 2002. Here's the trailer of this perfect film to spend a wonderful autumn evening.

If you want more information about this Irish playwright or this play, you'll find it on the Victorian Web.

ARRIVE IN/AT OR ON?

Prepositions are sometimes difficult because they vary from language to language. Here's a video with a very clear explanation:

To check your understanding, do the following exercise.

FOR POETRY LOVERS!

Dear fans of literature

Given that most of us like not only reading, but also writing poetry, here are some interesting links to enjoy much more our hobby:
1.ANALYZING POETRY: HOW TO READ POETRY

2.Two excellent webs, here you can revise LITERARY TERMS with examples taken from the great writers and this other one about LITERARY DEVICES.

3.And finally, a book, here is the review of The Ode Less Travelled, by Stephen Fry and visit his website if you are interested in this versatile artist. His book is a guide to writing poetry with lots of useful information!

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH BY READING AND WATCHING THE NEWS WITH "NEWS IN LEVELS"!

This is a great website to visit when you want to read news and  practice of all your skills at the same time.
Notice how the news articles are presented in a different way according to your level, for example
My suggestion is the following: start with: LEVEL 1 or LEVEL 2 to read and understand the text. You can even use it as a dictation exercise and repeat the sentences to improve your pronunciation!
After that, watch the video in LEVEL 3 even in you don't understand the whole text! It'll be good listening practice too.

VERBS WHICH CAN BE STATIVE AND DYNAMIC (ACTION VERBS)

LEVEL 2: Some stative verbs can have a dynamic meaning in some situations, read the theory and do this exercise to learn which the most common are and another one to consolidate your new knowledge.

Step 2: In your case, read this explanation and afterwards do the following

Exercise

ONE AS PRONOUN: THIS IS THE ONE I LIKE!.

Theory and practice

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

THE NEW WOMAN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The XIXth century had seen changes concerning the rights and situation of women as you can read in this passage from the Norton Anthology of English Literature.
By the end of the century the New Woman was increasing her presence in the public arena.
However, women in England did not get the vote until 1918, the year when World War I ended.
To look at two perspectives of the matter of the New Woman I've chosen two remarkable writers with active involvement in culture in those times: the novel written by  Ella Hepworth Dixon in 1894 entitled The story of a modern woman, and Edward Carpenter's book Woman and her place in a free society (1894).  
Edward Carpenter was a sensitive poet too, I'd like to finish this post with his poem to pay homage to those people who struggled for freedom and equality in the 20th century.

                       

  LOVE'S VISION

T night in each other’s arms,

Content, overjoyed, resting deep deep down in the darkness,

Lo! the heavens opened and He appeared--

Whom no mortal eye may see,

Whom no eye clouded with Care,

Whom none who seeks after this or that, whom none who has not escaped from self. 

There--in the region of Equality, in the world of Freedom no longer limited,

Standing as a lofty peak in heaven above the clouds,

From below hidden, yet to all who pass into that region most clearly visible--

He the Eternal appeared.

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/loves_vision.html#Te8Aj6EIt0Keyg1p.99

MULTIPLE PUNCTUATION:,!?,'"*,;

Go to this incredibly useful website if you have a question about the punctuation rules, like for example: is it correct to use a full stop after a question or exclamation mark? 

ARTICLES AND GEOGRAPHY

Is Rio de Janeiro in Brazil or the Brazil?
Knowing when to use the article with geographical names is a question of practice. Here are some rules and an exercise.

VICTORIANISM AND THE SPREAD OF LITERACY AND CULTURE IN THE 19TH CENTURY

The spread of literacy which took place in the XIXth century in Britain, thanks to compulsory education and the new developments of the printing press marked a turning point in the history of literature. Here are two interesting links if you are interested in this fascinating period:

*The Victorian web, where you'll find great information about:

Cultural contexts
Literature
Science and Technology
The Visual Arts
Music, Popular Entertainment, and Theater

*the history of the press in the XIXth century, with lots of details about the printing industry in those times.

-ED AND -ING ADJECTIVES FOR LEVEL 1

-ED and -ING adjectives can be confusing but they're easy if you practice!

EXERCISE

EXPRESSING PREFERENCES (LEVEL 2-3)

PREFER, RATHER AND WOULD RATHER can be used to express preferences but we've got to be careful because we need to know well how to use their structures.

Here's an explanation.

And an exercise