A blog for my students and all English learners.

It deals with various everyday issues, news, curiosities

and things that arouse my interest every day.

sobota, 30 kwietnia 2011

'Candle in the wind' - 'Świeca na wietrze'

'Candle in the wind' is Elton John's song written in 1973. The original version was dedicated to Marilyn Monroe who died in 1962. In 1997 the singer wanted to pay homage to Princess Diana, tragically departed in a car crash in Paris. Mr John decided to change the song's lyrics and the style of interpretation. The song was sung live during Princess Diana's funeral. This version of the song was released as a single, and reached No. 1 in many countries, achieving much greater success than the original.

Try to complete the lyrics.

Goodbye England's rose

May you ever grow in our..............
You were the grace that placed itself
Where ............. were torn apart
You called out to our .............
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to .............
And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you ......... your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the ..............
When the ........... set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along ................. greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your ............... ever will

Loveliness we've lost
These empty days without your ..........
This torch we'll always carry
For our nation's golden ..............
And even though we try
The truth brings us to ............
All our words ............ express
The joy you brought us through the years

And it seems to me you ........... your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the .............
When the .......... set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along ........... greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your ........... ever will

Goodbye England's rose
May you ever grow in our ............
You were the grace that placed itself
Where .......... were torn apart
Goodbye England's rose
From a ............. lost without your soul
Who'll miss the wings of your compassion
More than you'll ever ..........

And it seems to me you ................. your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the ..............
When the ............ set in
And you footsteps will always fall here
Along .............. greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your ............ ever will



piątek, 29 kwietnia 2011

'I WILL...'

That's it...the most awaited wedding of the year has taken place! Have you watched it? I have, and it was a really beautiful and moving event. Firstly, we could watch the guests arriving at Wesminster Abbey. There were many members of the royal family, aristocrats and celebrities.  One of the moments everyone waited for was the arrival of Prince William. The groom together with his younger brother, who was also his best man, Prince Harry, were greeting crowds with nods and waving hands while arriving at the church in a car. Prince Harry seemed a little more relaxed than the groom.


Prince William and Prince Harry


The most important guests arrived at the end...Kate's mother, brother, Prince Charles with his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles and of course, Queen Elizabeth II. Everyone waited  impatiently to see the second most prominent person of the day - the bride. Kate's dress was one of the biggest secrets during the preparations for the ceremony. The bride's dress was really stunning - modest, elegant, modern and a bit retro at the same time.
The mass itself accompanied by choirs, organ music and bells was very moving. The bride and the groom took the oath and Kate received her wedding ring. Then the couple returned to Buckingham Palace passing by the most important places in London and waving hands to thousands of people who were waiting in London streets to see them. An hour later the bride and the groom appeared on the palace balcony. By tradition (established by William's mother and father, Princess Diana and Prince Charles), the newly-weds kissed in front of the crowds (twice!). Now they must be having a great time during their wedding reception. Congratulations!


The groom, the bride and the bride's father


Dictionary:
awaited - wyczekiwany; pochodzi od czasownika 'await'
take place - wydarzyć się
event - wydarzenie
arrive - przybywać
celebrity - gwiazda
arrival - przybycie
groom - pan młody
best man - świadek
bride - panna młoda
greet - pozdrawiać
crowd - tłum
nod - skinienie głowy
wave a hand - machać ręką
while - podczas
seem - wydawać się
relaxed  - zrelaksowany
impatiently - niecierpliwie
prominent - ważny
stunning - urzekający, piękny
mass - msza
accompany - towarzyszyć, akompaniować
bells - dzwony
take an oath - złożyć przysięgę
receive - otzymać
wedding ring - obrączka
return - powrócić
pass by - mijać
appear - pojawić się
establish - ustanowić
newly-weds - nowożeńcy
in front of - przed
twice - dwukrotnie
have a great time - bawić się
reception - przyjęcie
congratulations - gratulacje

Source of the photos : the Internet

...The countdown to the wedding...

The wedding is approaching...I am going to watch it and give you a short account of the events...




countdown - odliczanie
approach - zbliżać się
account - relacja
event - wydarzenie

czwartek, 28 kwietnia 2011

"Say it right" - AnSwErS

   Here come the answers!

In the …day…….
In the …night…….
Say it …right…….
Say it ....all....
You …either…….got it
Or you …don't…….
You either stand or you …fall…….
When your will is …broken…….
When it slips from your …hand…….
When there's no time for …joking…….
There's a hole in the …plan…….

Oh you don't mean ……nothing……….….at all to me
No you don't mean ……nothing……….….at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me …free…….
Oh you could mean …everything…….to me

I can't say that I'm not …lost…….and at fault
I can't say that I don't …love…….the light and the …dark…….
I can't say that I don't …know…….that I am alive
And all of what I feel I could show
You tonite you tonite

From my hands I could …give…….you
Something that I .made.......
From my mouth I could …sing…….you another brick that I laid
From my body I could ……show….you a place …God…….knows
You should know the space is holy
Do you really ……want….to go?



Dictionary:
right - poprawnie
all- wszystko
either...or - albo..., albo
stand - stać
fall - spadać
will - wola
broken - złamana
slip - wyślizgnąć się 
joke - żartować
hole - dziura
plan - plan
mean - znaczyć
set me free - uwolnić mnie
lost - zagubiona
at fault - winna
light - światło
feel - czuć
show - pokazać
'tonite' = tonight- dzisiejszej nocy
dark - ciemność
alive - żywy
brick - cegła
laid - lay - kłaść
You should ... - powinieneś ...
space - przestrzeń
holy - święta
want = chcieć

Nelly Furtado - "Say it right"

Hello! Today I propose listening to a very nice song - 'Say it right' by Nelly Furtado.
Try to fill in the gaps!

Nelly Furtado


In the ……….
In the ……….
Say it ……….
Say it ........
You ……….got it
Or you ……….
You either stand or you ……….
When your will is ……….
When it slips from your ……….
When there's no time for ……….
There's a hole in the ……….

Oh you don't mean …………….….at all to me
No you don't mean …………….….at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me ……….
Oh you could mean ……….to me

I can't say that I'm not ……….and at fault
I can't say that I don't ……….the light and the ……….
I can't say that I don't ……….that I am alive
And all of what I feel I could show
You tonite you tonite

From my hands I could ……….you
Something that I ........
From my mouth I could ……….you another brick that I laid
From my body I could ……….you a place ……….knows
You should know the space is holy
Do you really ……….to go?



Answers and translation at 8 pm!


Source of the photo : the Internet

środa, 27 kwietnia 2011

'Two-Tone Hair'

'Two-tone hair' is a technique for dying hair which has been popular among American celebrities for a few years. The fashion has recently come to Poland. Having 'two-tone hair' is very trendy at the moment! You have surely seen Monika Brodka's or Weronika Rosati's hairdos. The most typical form of 'two-tone hair' is a dark blonde or light brown base and the middle part of a haircut contrasting with light, blonde endings. I find it very pretty, original and...practical! I think every dark-haired girl who has dyed her hair blonde knows that darker roots may become a great nuisance! Thanks to this fashion the problem of darker roots has not only disappeared but changed into a real asset. 

Monika Brodka

Jessica Biel

Lily Aldridge

Do you have any ideas for problematic things which could become fashionable? ;)

Dictionary:
tone - odcień
dye - farbować
fashion - moda
recently - niedawno
trendy - modny
surely - na pewno
hairdo - fryzura
base - baza
middle - środkowy
endings - końcówki
find sth sth.. - uważać coś za coś (e.g. I find her pretty - uważam, że ona jest ładna)
roots - odrosty
nuisance - utrapienie
disappeared - zniknął
asset - zaleta
fashionable - modny

Source of the photos : the Internet

THE ROYAL WEDDING




        The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton will take place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Two choirs, one orchestra and two fanfare teams will add splendour to the ceremony. After the service the Royal Wedding procession will go past some of London's most famous landmarks. The wedding reception will be held at Buckingham Palace and will be hosted by Her Majesty The Queen. Among the invited guests there are: Mr. Rowan Atkinson, a close friend of The Prince of Wales, Sir Elton John, a singer-songwriter, composer and pianist, Mr. and Mrs. David Beckham (Prince William, as President of the Football Association, has met footballer David Beckham on a number of occasions) and Mr. Guy Ritchie, a well-established film-maker and a friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.
The Royal Household invites cybernauts to watch the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on the 29th of April from 10am London Time live on The Royal Channel (yes! The royal family has its own youtube channel!). Here's the invitation :


Are you going to watch the wedding? Remember 10 am is 11 am in Poland!


Dictionary:
wedding -  czyli oczywiście 'ślub'
royal - królewski
take place - mieć miejsce, odbywać się
choir - chór
team - drużyna
add splendour to sth - uświetnić coś
ceremony - ceremonia
service - nabożeństwo
go past - mijać
landmark - charakterystyczny obiekt
reception - przyjęcie
hold - tu: odbywać się, zorganizować
host - gościć, być gospodarzem
invite - zapraszać
guest - gość
among - pośród
association - związek
on a number of occasions - wyrażenie: często
well-established - uznany
film-maker - filmowiec
household - gospodarstwo domowe
The Royal Household - Zarząd Dworu Królewskiego
cybernaut - internauta
channel - kanał
invitation - zaproszenie

wtorek, 26 kwietnia 2011

"When you're gone" by Cranberries - answers

First a little dictionary:
recently - niedawno
complete - uzupełnić
lyrics - słowa (np. piosenki)
task - zadanie

'Hold on to love, that is what I ...do..........
Now that I've 
...found.......... you

And from above, everything's stinking
They're not ....around......... you

And in the night, I could be helpless
I could be 
....lonely......... , sleeping without you

And in the day, everything's ....complex.........
There's nothing simple, when I'm not around you


But I 
....miss......... you when you're gone

That is what I do....Bay, Bay, Bay
And it's going to 
....carry on.........,

That is what I knew...Bay, Bay, Bay

Hold on to my 
..hands..........., I feel I'm sinking

Sinking without you
And to my 
....mind........., everything's stinking

Stinking without you

And in the night, I could be helpless
I could be 
.....lonely........ , sleeping without you

And in the day everything's ...complex..........
There's nothing simple, when I'm not around you



And I ...miss.......... you when you're gone

That is what I do....Bay, Bay, Bay
And it's going to ...carry on..........,
That is what I knew...Bay, Bay, Bay'

hold on to sth - trzymać się czegoś
found - pochodzi od czasownika 'find' - znajdować; tu czas present perfect 'I have found', czyli 'znalazłam'
from above - z góry
stink - brzydko pachnieć ;)
around - wokoło
miss- tęsknić
to be gone - być nieobecnym
helpless - bezsilny, bezbronny
lonely - samotny
sleep - spać
without - bez
complex - skomplikowane
simple - proste
it's going to - (to) będzie
carry on - kontynuować
sink - tonąć
to my mind - według mnie




Were all your answers correct?

"When you're gone" by Cranberries

Hello! I have recently heard a very nice song on the radio...a song, which is a bit old now...It's 'When you're gone' by Cranberries...(by the way 'cranberry' is 'żurawina' in Polish) I invite you to listen to the song and complete the lyrics. The task is quite easy ;) Good luck! :)
To see the video, please click on the youtube recording below.


'Hold on to love, that is what I .............
Now that I've 
............. you

And from above, everything's stinking
They're not ............. you

And in the night, I could be helpless
I could be 
............. , sleeping without you

And in the day, everything's .............
There's nothing simple, when I'm not around you


But I 
............. you when you're gone

That is what I do....Bay, Bay, Bay
And it's going to 
.............,

That is what I knew...Bay, Bay, Bay

Hold on to my 
............., I feel I'm sinking

Sinking without you
And to my 
............., everything's stinking

Stinking without you

And in the night, I could be helpless
I could be 
............. , sleeping without you

And in the day everything's .............
There's nothing simple, when I'm not around you



And I ............. you when you're gone


That is what I do....Bay, Bay, Bay
And it's going to .............,
That is what I knew...Bay, Bay, Bay'




Answers at 8 pm!

'Parts of speech' czyli 'części mowy'...



Dzisiejszy post jest poświęcony częściom mowy... 
Umiejętność rozróżniania poszczególnych części mowy jest niezbędna w uczeniu się każdego języka obcego...
Aby tworzyć poprawne zdania musisz wiedzieć, czy dane słowo jest czasownikiem, rzeczownikiem, przysłówkiem, itd. 
Znajomość części mowy ułatwi Ci również posługiwanie się słownikiem (każdy słownik zawiera informacje o tym, jaką częścią mowy jest słowo, którego szukasz) i pozwoli Ci uniknąć wielu błędów zarówno w tekstach, jak i mowie.


Let's start :
1) NOUN - rzeczownik 
(a pen, a dog, a town, a teacher, work, Kate, London)
This is my dog. (To jest mój pies)


2) VERB - czasownik 
(to have, to sleep, to work, to want, must, should)
I often visit Kasia's blog. (Często odwiedzam bloga Kasi) 
(you too, don't you? Wy też, nieprawdaż?;)


3) ADJECTIVE - przymiotnik 
(beautiful, old, expensive, picturesque, wooden, Polish)
In Scotland there are many picturesque villages. (W Szkocji jest wiele malowniczych wiosek)


4) ADVERB - przysłówek 
(beautifully, slowly, niecely, precisely, fluently)
Jodie Foster speaks French fluently. (Jodie Foster mówi płynnie po francusku)...(that's true...to prawda!)


5) PRONOUN - zaimek (pamiętacie? Mamy wiele rodzajów zaimków :
  • osobowe (np. ja, ty, my, wy, oni, one, ona, on)
  • zwrotne (np. się, siebie, sobie)
  • dzierżawcze (np. mój, twój, nasz, wasz, ich, jego, jej)
  • wskazujące (np. ten, ta, to, tamten, tam, tu, ów, tędy, taki, ci, tamci, owi)
  • pytające (np. kto? co? jaki? który? gdzie? kiedy? jak? komu? czemu? kogo?
  • nieokreślone (np. ktoś, coś, jakiś, gdzieś, kiedyś, cokolwiek)
  • przeczące (np. nic, nikt, żaden, nigdy, nigdzie)
  • upowszechniające (np. wszyscyzawsze)


    Podobnie w języku angielskim*, np. 

    I, me, you, he, him, she... (ja, mnie, ty, jego, ona...)
    this, that, these, those (ten, tamten, te, tamte)
    mine, yours, his... (mój, twój, jego...)
    who, what, which...(kto, co, który...)
    myself, yourself, himself...(się, siebie...)
    each other, one another (się, wzajemnie)
    another, much, nobody, few, such...(następny, dużo, nikt, trochę, takie...)
     who, whom, which...(który, którego, która...)
    *tłumaczenia mogą się różnić w zależności od kontekstu.


    6) PREPOSITION - przyimek 
    (at, in, on, after, on)
    I don't go to school on Saturdays. (Nie chodzę do szkoły w soboty)

    7) CONJUNCTION - spójnik 
    (and, but, so, both, when)
    I love coffee but I hate tea. (Uwielbiam kawę, ale nie cierpię herbaty)

    8) INTERJECTION - wykrzyknik 
    (oh! ouch! hi! well!)
    Oh! What a nice dress! (O! Ale ładna sukienka!)

    That's it! Exercises on parts of speech are coming soon! 
    (To by było na tyle...Wkrótce ćwiczenia związane z częściami mowy!)





    The source of the photo : the Internet