martes, 31 de diciembre de 2013
miércoles, 25 de diciembre de 2013
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
Estamos en pleno invierno - al menos en el hemisferio norte - y en muchos lugares del mundo hace bastante frío a pesar del calentamiento global..''Ehem..''
Por eso algunos tienen gripe y otros simple resfriados o constipados. Y con ellos vienen ataques de estorundos o tos. Uff sí es algo no muy agradable, ¿verdad?
Well, we find ourselves in the middle of winter - in the Nothern Hemisphere - and in so many places around the world it's freezing, despite global warming... ''ahem''
That's why some of us get flu or a severe cold. Additionally we go through sneeze fits and or cough fits Ugh not very nice, is it?
Pero a veces cuando tenemos gripe o resfriados tenemos una excusa para no ser atosigados a agobiados o ''rallados'' --- Esta última es una expresión juvenil y típica en España. No creo que en Hispanoamérica signifique algo parecido.... Podemos ser atosigados por madre, esposas, novias, padres, esposos, novios, jefes.... Ahh! ¡Deja de agobiarme!
Sometimes as we're ill with flu or a cold we have a good excuse not to get nagged. We can get nagged by moms, wives, girlfriends, dads, husbands, boyfriends, bosses... Ah! Stop nagging me! Get off (of) my back!!!
Y cuando te recuperas de la gripe o del resfriado, todo vuelve a la normalidad y el atosigamiento ¡tambien! Entonces en ciertas situaciones llega un momento en el que tienes que desahogarte y liberar la frustración
As you get recovered from flu or a severe cold everything gets back to normal and the nagging comes back too!! Then in certain situations at some point you need to vent you need to blow off some steam
martes, 24 de diciembre de 2013
LAYAWAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoSD-rvJxE
Es 24 de diciembre de 2013. Es Nochebuena. Buscando, echando un vistazo a la formidable ''videoteca'' Daily Dictation, encuentro una excelente historia que encaja perfectamente con lo que podríamos llamar ''espíritu navideño''. Es un gran episodio Daily Dictation en términos de pronunciación y cultura. Shane te explica con detalle de qué se trata (13:20). Toma nota del término: Layaway.
Yes it's Dec 24th thus it's Christmas Eve. Looking around through the amazing Daily Dictation ''video library'' I find this great story that fits perfectly what we call ''Christmas spirit''. It's a great DD episode in terms of pronunciation and culture. Shane breaks it down for you in his own fashion that we enjoy so much, don't we. Take note of this term: Layaway.
miércoles, 18 de diciembre de 2013
Blog Post 20th
I won't want one - I won one - Won't you want one?
La frase al margen superior izquierdo es la que Shane te muestra como ejemplo. Las vocales son siempre un problema para los hispanoparlantes. Presta atención repite y ''píllale el rollo'' a estos sonidos. Especialmente la diferencia entre ''want'' y ''won't'' pues en inglés norteamericano son distintos. Entre los tres sonidos que quizás ''won't'' es el más distinto.
The sentence at the top left is what Shane presents to you as an example. The vowel sounds are always an issue to Spanish speakers. Listen carefully, repeat, get those sounds down. Specially the difference between ''want'' and ''won't'' since in American English are very different. Maybe among those three sounds ''won't'' is what varies most.
The sentence at the top left is what Shane presents to you as an example. The vowel sounds are always an issue to Spanish speakers. Listen carefully, repeat, get those sounds down. Specially the difference between ''want'' and ''won't'' since in American English are very different. Maybe among those three sounds ''won't'' is what varies most.
Daily Dictation 184
Ve justo al minute 13:50. Una vez más Coach Shane pone a prueba tu comprensión oral con Seinfeld. Seinfeld es uno de las series más exitosas en los EEUU. Todo el mundo conoce Seinfeld es un verdadero referente cultural y es la serie que estudiamos en profundidad en DDM. Como el mismo Coach Shane dice es una ''mina de oro'' para aprender como es el inglés de verdad
Go straitght to 13:50 to start the dictation. One more time Coach Shane, put your listening comprehension to the test using Seinfeld. Seinfeld is one of the most successful shows of all time in America. Everyone knows Seinfeld, it's just a true cultural model and it's the show we studied in depth in DDM. As Coach Shane says himself it's a ''gold mine'' when it comes to learning real English.
domingo, 15 de diciembre de 2013
Post 19th: Coach Shane more than just an English Coach
Hola a todos: esta es mi primera aportación al Blog de Miguel Angel, al cual le agradezco la posibilidad de participar.
Este creo que va a ser el mejor consejo y la mejor publicación que pueda hacer. Y no voy a hablar del excelente método de Coach Shane para enseñar ingles. Eso espero poder hacerlo en próximas colaboraciones.
Acercarse a personas como Shane es acercarse a personas llenas de energía, positivas, optimistas y es al tipo de persona al cual debes arrimarte en la vida; en cualquier ámbito: profesores, compañeros de trabajo, amigos etc.
En mi caso solo tarde unos minutos en empatizar con él. Es como si ya lo hubiese conocido. Debe ser lo que llaman magnetismo: atrae desde el primer momento.
Es que es mucho más que un profesor (coach -instructor-, como a él le gusta denominarse). Con él aprenderás, por supuesto, inglés, pero también historia, filosofía, actualidad, harás amigos y mucho mas.
He buscado y encontrado muchísimos recursos en la red, cientos, pero me quedo con un par de ellos. La gran mayoría son aburridísimas webs donde te cuentan cosas que no se oyen en la vida real, temas que no están en la vida real.
Yo estoy encantado con Coach Shane y sus canales. Hace unos 4 meses que lo sigo. Puedo asegurarte que he notado una gran mejoría. Partía de un nivel bajo y empiezo a acercarme a uno medio, aunque eso sí, dedico todo el tiempo que puedo -unas 2 horas al día-.
Si te puedo garantizar algo: con Shane no te aburrirás. Por supuesto que no tiene poderes mágicos y no vas aprender perfectamente a hablar en, digamos, 3 meses. Se requiere esfuerzo y constancia, pero cuando te diviertes el esfuerzo se transforma en impaciencia por una nueva lección.
Acabo repitiéndote lo que para mí es la esencia de este post y de los siguientes que pueda escribir: acércate a estas personas y verás como tu mundo cambia a mejor
Hi everyone: Here's my first post to Miguel's blog who I thank for having me among his collaborators.
I think this one might be my best both piece of advice and post I am able to bring on. I am not going to talk about Coach Shane's awesome English teaching method. I hope to do it in the future though.
Shane is the kind of person you should approach in life: Full of energy, positive, optimist... whether we are talking about teachers, coworkers or friends~~
In my personal experience it just took me a few minutes to click with him. It is as if I had known him. It must be what they call ''charisma''.
There is much more to Shane than just a plain English teacher or coach that is the way he likes to call himself. With him you will learn English, of course, yet also history, philosophy, topical issues, you will make friends and much more.
I have searched and found lots of English teaching sites on line, hundreds, yet I stick with a couple of them. Most of them are REALLY boring where you hear about things that have little to do with the real deal.
I am very happy with Shane and his channels. I have followed him for 4 months. I can tell I have improved very much. I had a low level of listening comprehension and now I am getting close to intermediate. Of course I work on it as much as I can which is 2 hours every day.
I can assure you something: Following Shane will not be boring at all. He doesn't do magic on you. You will not mastering English in, say, 3 months time. It takes lots of practice and perseverance yet when you have fun you want to make efforts and even get ants in your pants to get into the next lesson.
Once again, the bottom line of this post is: Just approach these kinds of people and see how your life changes for the better.
miércoles, 11 de diciembre de 2013
Post18th
r
Stickler ----> La idea se aplica a los que siempre hacen lo correcto. Cumplen las normas a rajatablas porque es extremadamente honrado. Por lo tanto implica que es estricto.
UNA HISTORIA CUALQUIERA - A RANDOM STORY.
A. ¿Por qué conduces tan lento? ¡Date prisa que vamos a llegar tarde!
Why are you driving this slow? Hurry up we're going to be late!
B. Mira la señal... pone 100, pues voy a 100...
But look at the traffic sign it reads 100, thus I drive 100
A. Vamos por una carretera en perfectas condiciones, es de día, no llueve y hace poco viento, ¿qué sentido tiene?
We're on a road which is in perfect condition, daytime, no rain and it's not windy, what's the point?
B. Pues cumplir las normas. Hay que respetar las normas.
Following the rules. You must respect the rules.
A. No hablo de violar las normas ni de ir a toda pastilla. Hablo de emplear el sentido comun.
I don't mean breaking the rules nor pedal to the metal. I'm just talking about common sense.
B. Ya sabes que soy muy estricto para estas cosas...
You know me I'm a stickler when it comes to this stuff
A. ¡Bah, tonterías!
A. ¿Ves como nadie circula a 100 en esta carretera? Porque no es necesario. Deberías dejarte llevar un poco y no ser tan estricto sobre todo cuando no sirve para nada.
See as nobody drives 100 on this road? Because it's pointless. You should go with the flow and not to be that much of a stickler, specially when it's pointless.
Daily Dictation
Hete aquí un perfecto ejemplo de lo importante que es ''la cultura popular'' para la comprensión oral. Nombres propios, terminos específicos...
El ejercicio comienza a partir del minuto 4:10 y como siempre antes la respuesta del anterior.
Here's a case in point of how important culture is when it comes to listening comprehension. Proper names, specific vocabulary words...
The dictation kicks off from 4:10. As usual, before that, you get the answers to the former dictation.
miércoles, 4 de diciembre de 2013
Post17th
The Holiday Season
Este es un 'E-cubed' cultural llamado 'The Holiday Season'.
Shane explica 'The Holiday Season' como el conjunto de fiestas o celebraciones que tienen lugar en EEUU: 'Thanksgiving day' - Día de Acción de Gracias - tambien llamada - 'Turkey Day' - El Día del Pavo, que se celebra el cuarto jueves de noviembre. 'Christmas Eve & Christmas y finalmente, 'New Year's Eve & New Year'
This is a cultural E-cubed clip called 'The Holiday Season'. Shane explains 'The Holiday Season' as the group of holidays or celebrations taking place in The USA: 'Thanksgiving Day' aka 'Turkey Day' (gobble-gobble) is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. 'Christmas Eve & Christmas' and finally, 'New Year's Eve & New Year'
DAILY DICTATION
SAT ---->Es una examen de admisión a la Universidad. Se require para entrar en algunas Universidades otras no lo requieren.
Daily Dictation 23 versa sobre un estudiante de instituto que intenta conseguir el examen de acceso a la universidad para al menos 6 estudiantes.
Daily Dictation 23 is about a student from a prestigious high school in Long Island, who was caught trying to get the college entrance exam for at least 6 students.
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