In this TED Talk, linguist and Columbia professor John McWhorter makes the case that English is rapidly consolidating its position as the global language, and points out how this begs an important question: if you speak English already, why bother learning another language? He then goes on to provide some brilliant answers, which can be summarised as:
If you want to imbibe a culture, if you want to drink it in, if you want to become part of it, then you have to control to some degree the language that the culture happens to be conducted in. There’s no other way.
It’s been shown that if you speak two languages, dementia is less likely to set in and that you are probably a better multitasker. Bilingualism is healthy.
Languages are just a lot of fun.
We live in an era when it’s never been easier to teach yourself another language.
On March 14, 2018, visionary physicist Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76. You know his name and may have even watched a biopic or two about him. But if you've ever wondered what specifically Hawking's big contributions to science were, and you have two and a half minutes to spare, the animation below is for you. It's brief, easy to understand, and gets to the point with nice narration by Alok Jha. So here, in a very brief and simple way, are some of Stephen Hawking's big ideas:
1. In Ancient Greece, doctors believed that the body and mind were controlled by four ______________, one of which was black bile, which gives us the word melancholy.
A) Elements B) Fluids C) Humors D)Vapors
Continue the listening activity in the worksheet provided by your teacher.
Dear students of EFL, look through numbers 1, 2, 13, 17 and 20 in your gap fill exercise and try to guess the missing words. How many did you get right?
Hollywood actor and environmental campaigner Leonardo DiCaprio, United Nations Messenger of Peace, gave a powerful speech about climate change at UN climate signing, April 22, urging action to save the planet and help the underprivileged.
These $200 alternatives to power wheelchairs are helping physically impaired kids get moving. Read more.
These kids will make your heart grow three sizes.Watch the full documentary here: http://nationswell.com/babiesdrivingracecars/
Posted by NationSwell on Wednesday, January 20, 2016
For the second year in a row, the Oscar nominations failed to recognize any minority actors. As a result, some well-known actors and filmmakers are refusing to attend the Academy Awards ceremony this year. They are calling for a boycott. Find additional details in this NYT article.
Listen to the podcast below to find out why. After listening, can you name some of the actors mentioned in the audio?
Actor John Krasinski (L) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the nominees for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role during the nominations announcements for the 88th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif
Are you racist? 'No' isn't a good enough answer
Are you racist? 'No' isn't a good enough answer.We can pull off being non-racist by being asleep in bed while black men are killed by police. We need to stop being non-racist, and start being anti-racist
Posted by The Guardian on Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Most of us, says Marlon James, are non-racist. While that leaves us with a clear conscience, he argues, it does nothing to help fight injustice in the world.
Are there any kinds of movies you dislike? If so, what kinds? Why do you dislike them?
Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction books? How about movies?
Do you usually watch movies at home or at a movie theater?
Have you ever seen the same movie more than once? If yes, name it (or them).
Have you ever seen ___? (Insert the name of a movie.)
How often do you go to movies?
Do you like foreign films that are dubbed in your mother tongue or do you like watching the film in its original form?
What's one of your favorite movies?
What kind of movie is it?
Who's in it?
Who directed it?
Why do you like it?
When did it come out?
Where was it filmed?
How many times have you seen it?
Would you recommend it? Why?
Try the video below which includes captions in Spanish.
Watch the trailer above and complete the missing words.
Who are you? I'm ______1 ______ 2.
I was _____________3 to do one ___________4. But I have nothing to _________5 ______6.
Nothing will _____________7 in our way. I will finish what ________8 __________9
There are ______________10 about what ______________11 . It's true, all of it. The Dark ___________12. The ______________13. They're real.
The __________14 is calling to you. Just _______15 ___ 16 in.
A must-see sketch from Adam Driver's 'Saturday Night Live' episode.
What do people say about Kylo Ren around Starkiller Base? He went on Undercover Boss and found out.
I can't believe I haven't posted this talk before. I first watched Do Schools Kill Creativity several years ago so I have no excuse other than everyone was blogging about it by then. In this famous worldwide talk, Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case in this talk for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
Watch the video and answer the following questions on twitter. Use this hashtag: #KenRobinsonTalk
- Who is Sir Ken Robinson? Where was he born? Why is he famous?
- What is TED Talks? What does TED stand for? What is its slogan?
- When was this talk given?
Do you know the names of the different countries that make up the United Kingdom?
What is the population of Great Britain? How many people live in London?
Where are the laws of the UK debated and created?
Did you know that the Scottish Parliament was designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles? Sadly he died at 45 in 2000.
Click on the following link to find out the answers to the questions above.
Watch the second video and try to answer some more questions:
Where does the Prime Minister live?
Where does the Queen live?
Can you name any famous cities in Britain other than London?
Two reasons why Liverpool is a very well-known city.
Why are Oxford and Cambridge famous? 2 reasons
How many National Parks are there in Britain?
Stonehenge is perhaps a ............, or a ......., or a .........
How many people in Wales speak Welsh?
Trains go through the Channel Tunnel to ..........in ....... and to ............. in ......
Trying to speak like a native is almost impossible unless you were raised in a bilingual environment. The point is that good pronunciation is essential for speaking and also for understanding spoken English well.
I have compiled a series of videos hoping they can help you improve your pronunciation in English. Hope you enjoy the ride!
A must-see sketch from Adam Driver's 'Saturday Night Live' episode.
