Let's move away from difficult collocations and sociological debates and get closer to your own reality. How well do you know Spain's geography and culture? See how well you score on these quizzes designed for speakers of English.
Apart from some motivation, in them you will find useful vocabulary and structures to describe your cultural environment. It is also very interesting to see how people from other countries perceive your closer reality. Comments welcome. Good luck!
Language is mainly a means of communication between human beings. As living in partnership - or 'family' of whatever type - is our basic cell of social organization, people spend a lot of time thinking, talking and debating about relationships. To have a good command of a language like English you need to be familiar with the language of human relationships and the expression of feelings.
Here's a controversial article on the changing nature of female/male roles and expectations: "Are Women Too Aggressive?". The article deals with American society. Do its assumptions hold true for your own society?
Some interesting quotes: "more than 40 percent of both men and women say they spend at least two hours every day thinking about their current or potential relationships. (Scary fact: About 10 percent of us spend more than six hours every day doing so, according to a national Harris Interactive poll.)" "...women have become increasingly financially independent, increasingly sexually liberated, and increasingly determined not to let their biological clocks dictate their relationship status." "...few things are as attractive to a man as a woman who's unafraid to pursue the guy she's interested in."
Let's move a couple steps away from the highbrow stuff of Fry & Laurie, although we're still dealing with language as a means of communication.
Learning to speak English can be stressful enough if you're working in a hotel in Torquay, now imagine what can happen if your boss is Basil Fawlty. He's got his own teaching method!
Basil Fawlty: [indicating Sybil] This, Basil's wife.[indicating himself]This, Basil. This, smack on head.[smacks Manuel on the head]
One of my favourite British comedy series is 'A Bit of Fry & Laurie'(Hugh Laurie currently stars as the main character in the US series House). Let me share with you an excellent sketch from this series: Stephen Fry plays an English professor who delivers a witty and ironic speech on the very substance of (the English) language. Hugh Laurie plays the baffled interviewer who can hardly come to terms with Mr.Fry's dazzling display of wisdom. Among the many interesting questions: what if Hitler had spoken English?
Remember what we said about plosives in English? Please pay attention to Stephen Fry's pronunciation (repeated) of the word 'capable'.
Just enjoy: "[...] language is my whore, my mistress, my check-out girl. Language is a complimentary moist lemon-scented cleansing square or handy freshen-up wipette. Language is the breath of God, language is the dew on a fresh apple, it's the soft rain of dust that falls into a shaft of morning light as you pluck from an old bookshelf a half forgotten book of erotic memoirs; language is the creak on the stair, a spluttering match held to a frosted pane, it's a half-remembered childhood birthday party, it's the warm wet, trusting touch of a leaking nappy, the hulk of a charred Panzer, the underside of a granite boulder, the first downy growth on the upper lip of a Mediterranean girl, it's cobwebs long since overrun by an old Wellington boot. "
Time for a smile. George Costanza (from Seinfeld) shows us how to use an answering machine to avoid unwanted calls. To start with: personalize your message, make it sound believable!
GEORGE [on tape, singing] "Believe it or not, George, isn't at home, please leave a mes-saaage at the beep. I must be out or I'd pick up the pho-one. Where could I be? Believe it or not, I'm not hooome." [beep] JERRY George, pick up. I know you're screening for Allison. GEORGE Hey. JERRY So, coffee shop? GEORGE No, I can't. She knows I go there. It's not secure. [the call waiting beeps] Hey, I got another call comin' in. I gotta let the machine get it. Bye. GEORGE [on tape, singing] "Believe it or not, George, isn't at home, please leave a mes-saaage at the beep. I must be out or I'd pick up the pho-one. Where could I be? Believe it or not, I'm not hooome." [beep] ALLISON George? Are you there? I hate that stupid message. I know you're avoiding me, I'm at the office, please call me, I've gotta talk to you. GEORGE [to phone] Hi, Allison? Oh, I guess you're not at home... I probably should 've tried you at the office. Anyway, good to hear from ya, really looking forward to the ball.. [hangs up and happily chuckles] Ha ha!
As you know, Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. Here's my Valentine's Gift for you: one of the best love scenes ever filmed (from the movie Casablanca).
What if Ilsa had stayed with Rick? That's what many of us hope everytime we watch this movie. But sometimes love has to transcend desire...
RICK Louis, have your man go with Mr.Laszlo and take care of his luggage. RENAULT Certainly Rick, anything you say. Find Mr. Laszlo's luggage and put it on the plane. ORDERLY Yes, sir. This way please. RICK If you don't mind, you fill in the names. That will make it even more official. RENAULT You think of everything, don't you? RICK (quietly) And the names are Mr. and Mrs. Victor Laszlo. ILSA But why my name, Richard? RICK Because you're getting on that plane. ILSA (confused) I don't understand. What about you? RICK I'm staying here with him 'til the plane gets safely away. ILSA No, Richard, no. What has happened to you? Last night we said -- RICK -- Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then and it all adds up to one thing. You're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong. ILSA (protesting) But Richard, no, I, I -- RICK -- You've got to listen to me. Do you have any idea what you'd have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten we'd both wind up in a concentration camp. Isn't that true, Louis? RENAULT I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist. ILSA You're saying this only to make me go. RICK I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. ILSA No. RICK Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life. ILSA But what about us? RICK We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we'd lost it, until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night. ILSA And I said I would never leave you. RICK And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going you can't follow. What I've got to do you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now... Here's looking at you, kid.
Are you done practising grammar? Ready for the fun stuff?
In the following quizzes the solutions (names or words belonging to a given category) have been fractured into several words of similar pronunciation. Your task is to find out the right names or words by pronouncing those fractured words into which they have been divided. For example, in the category "Astrological Signs", if the clue was "Auk Coo Airie Is", the answer would be "Aquarius". Best of luck!
Adaptation (2002) American Beauty (1999) American History X (1998)
Barton Fink (1991) Being John Malkovich (1999) Blue Velvet (1986)
Bridget Jones's Diary (UK 2001)
Chasing Amy (1997)
Colors (1988)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Crying Game, The (UK-Ireland 1992)
Deconstructing Harry(1997)
Donnie Brasco (1997)
English Patient, The (1996)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Far From Heaven (2002)
Fargo (1996)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Fish Called Wanda, A (UK 1988)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (UK 1994)
Fugitive, The (1993)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Full Monty, The (UK 1997)
Glory (1989)
Goodfellas (1990)
Gosford Park (UK 2001)
Green Mile, The (1999)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Hours, The (2002)
In & Out (1997)
Master and Commander (2003)
Memento (2000)
Mighty Aphrodite (1996)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Mona Lisa (UK 1986)
Platoon (1986)
The Professional (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Room With a View, A (1986)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Secrets & Lies (UK 1996)
Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)
Schindler’s List (1993)
Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
Short Cuts (1993)
Snapper, The (Ireland 1993)
Trainspotting (UK 1996)
Unforgiven (1992)
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Cities of Spain Too easy!
Cities of Spain Too easy!
