An Armoury of English Language: 2011

Saturday, December 17, 2011

to grab vs to grasp

These two verbs are too similar. Somethimes I feel confused by them

TO GRAB
1. to take hold of someone or something with a sudden or violent movement.
2. (informal) to get some food or sleep quickly because you are busy.

Grab Examples
• Come on students, grab a computer and create your blog in English [prof. John W.]

TO GRASP
1. to take and hold something firmly.
2. to completely understand a fact or an idea.

Grasp examples
• The CSS visual formatting model is not something that is simple to explain or grasp in a few words.
• Many people don’t seem to grasp the path that new technologies take.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

to state vs to establish

Verbs to state and to establish sound too similar and confuse me, so I am writing this entry to clear my mind.

TO ESTABLISH (transitive)

1. to start a company, organization, system, etc [= found]:
• On 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, representatives of 26 nations established the United Nations pledging their governments to continue fighting the Axis Power.

2. to begin a relationship with someone or a situation that will continue
• In spite of radiactions falcons and eagles have established healthy populations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone
• I hope the examples and explanations so far have helped establish the basis for understanding of regular expressions.

3. to find out facts that will prove that something is true. [= determine]
• Police must establish motive for journalist murder.

TO STATE (transitive)

1. to formally say or write a piece of information or your opinion. [= express fact, specify details]
• The CSS enhances the HTML page with rules that state how the HTML content is presented.
• I wrote down the software's requirements as they were stated in the last meeting.
• To write a computer program, you need to first state your goal and then list the tasks that need to be completed to achieve it .
• scripts states the events computer programmer wants web pages to respond to.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

sore vs ache vs pain

	intensity	when	duration
sore (adj)	a mild suffering	when used or touched	from hours to days
ache (noun)	a dull suffering	continuos	from hours to days, weeks, months
pain (noun)	a sharp suffering	sporadic, or sudden	from a second to years

SORE Examples
I have a sore throat.
My stomach is sore.

The Six ACHES
I have a headache.
I have a backache.
I have a toothache.
I have an earache.
I have a stomachache.
I have a bellyache

PAIN Examples
I have a pain in my chest.
I am in pain for kidney stones.

Other Meanings Examples
If someone says he has an heartache he means that he has a romantic issue, that it is not a concern for a doctor.
If someone says you are a pain, he means that he doesn't like you.

--
click on the link below to take pain language quiz
http://www.usingenglish.com/

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Collocations of have

to have a baby
to have a discussion on/about something
to have a shower
to have a nap, a rest
to have a party
to have a wedding
to have ability to do something
to have an appointment
to have an argument
to have an interview
to have courage to do
to have experience
to have fun, good time
to have faith in something/someone
to have influence on someone/something = to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but important way
to have merit
to have occasion to do something (formal: = to need to do something)
to have permission to do something
to have responsibility for something or to do something
to have the potential to be/become
to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, ecc.

Examples
- We had a discussion about a lot of things.
- Applicants for entering English classes at CES school must have an interview with director of studies.
- The investigated person says he has faith in courts
- I had occasion to consult my GP for a sharp pain in my chest
- As a teacher I have authority, but I have never had occasion to use it on my students.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Too much attention is given to headline-grabbing disasters like earthquakes and floods. Governments should concentrate their resource on educating people about the risk they face nearer to their home, which can cost far more lives - IELTS part.3 - Writing

Structure

intro	TV news and broadsheets give too much attention to disasters and wars
reason 1	If we talk too much about disasters and natural catastrophes people become anxious.
reason 2	A second point is that governments should focus their actions on solving issues that involve youths, like drug addiction and alcohol abuse. The best way to solve problems is to prevent them from happening, that is educating the young generations.
reason 3	Governments should concentrate their resource on educating people about the risk they face nearer their homes. In fact in developed countries we have too many deaths among youngsters caused by car accidents, and major causes of deaths among adults caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.
conclusion	To sum up, talking about disasters does not inspire confidence in people. The best way to deal with disasters is to inform people about the causes and possibility a disaster might occur to them.

Implementation

TV news and broadsheets give too much attention to disasters and wars. This happens mainly because newspapers are eager to sell as many copies as possible. Beside news readers and TV editors are more interested in topping the audience index score to earn money from advertising rather then giving the correct information.

If we talk too much about disasters and natural catastrophes people become anxious. In fact people's minds are not able to discern between near or remote threats and distinguish between real or false risks. As a consequence giving general information about natural catastrophes like hurricanes and floods, which usually happen in tropical areas, or like earthquakes, which generally occur along geologic faults, can generate unjustified fears.

A second point is that governments should concentrate their resources on educating people about the risks they face nearer their homes. In fact in developed countries we have too many deaths among youngsters caused by car accidents, and deaths among adults caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Moreover governments should focus their actions on solving issues that involve youths, like drug addiction and alcohol abuse. The best way to address these problems is preventing them from starting, that is educating the young generations. In my opinion, the best place for educating children about the risks of using drugs are families. Our governments should promote campaign of information over drug addictions that takes flyers and brochures into every house, as the same as our politicians do when they want our vote.

To sum up, talking about disasters does not inspire confidence in people. The best way to deal with disasters is to inform people about the causes that generate a disaster and the possibility that one might occur to them.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Collocations of give

to give a lecture on something, a class on something
to give a party
to give a demonstration on something
to give an indication of something
to give confidence to someone in something
to give emphasis to something
to give priority to something
to give someone a test on something
to give someone a call, a ring, a buzz, a bell
to give the possibility to do something
to give a choice between two things
to give permission to do something
to give one's consent for someone / to something
to give evidence of/for smt

Examples:

- If you were given a choice between fame or fortune, which would you pick?
- I am going to give you a test on cleaning kitchen before hiring you as a maid.
- Before undertaking any heathcare intervention you have to give informed consent.
- If I said anything wrong, you must give evidence for it.

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Collocations of do

to do a favour
to do a job
to do business
to do exercise
to do research
to do shopping
to do homework
to do housework

do the vacuuming
do cooking
do the ironing
do laundry
do cleaning
do washing-up
do washing
do the odd works around the house

to do a job interview =
to do the family accounts
to do the calculations / to do the maths / do the arithmetic
to do time (in prison) = to be in prison
to do time in a place = to spend time

Examples:
- 10 Reasons Why Employers Ask Candidates To Do A Job Interview Presentation
- I had to do a face-to-face interview followed by an entry test.
- My best friend is doing time for something he didn't do.
- Danny Trejo, after years in prison, now is doing time in Hollywood.

Collocations of make

to make a change / to make changes to something
to make a choice
to make a contribution to
to make a committment
to make a compromise with
to make conversation = to talk to someone who you do not know well, without having anything to say in order to be polite; to attempt to engage someone in conversation, with uncertain chances of success, by mentioning the weather, today's news...
to make deal
to make (a) difference
to make a decision
to make a guess at something
to make a habit of doing something
to make a mess
to make a purchase
to make an adjustment
to make an alteration
to make an attempt at something
to make appointments to do
to make acquaintance with
to make advances to someone = to flirt with someone
to make arrangements for
to make cake, dinner
to make claims
to make beds
to make effort to do
to make friends with someone = to work to become a friend of someone.
to make fun of something/someone = to make (someone or something) the object of unkind laughter [= to mock]
to make love
to make money
to make generalizations about smt = to make a statement about all the members of a group that is true for most of the members
to make phone calls
to make something
to make oneself comfortable
to make up your mind/make your mind up

Example:
- When we make changes to a verb, we call it conjugating. English verbs have different forms: go, goes, went, gone, going.
- How to make friends in 25 steps.
- Many people make a habit of blaming others for all their problems.
- Taking something specific and applying it more broadly is making a generalization.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Improving your English vocabulary

On the left side there are some common expressions, in place of those try to use the more advanced adjectives on the right side:

common expression	advanced expression
a bad problem	a critical problem a key problem a serious problem a challenging problem
a great issue	a controversial issue an outstanding issue a sensitive issue a crucial issue an engaging issue a complex issue a current issue a popular issue a widespread issue a worldwide issue an attention-grabbing issue
a difficult situation	a hard situation a tough situation an awkward situation a critical situation a complicated situation an intricate situation a confusing situation a pertinent situation
a good idea	a novel idea a fantastic idea a smart idea an inspired idea a clever idea a weird idea an innovative idea
a nice plan	an attractive plan a brilliant plan a bright plan a plausible plan a feasible plan a structured plan an astonishing plan an exhaustive plan an innovative plan a forward-thinking plan

Friday, July 15, 2011

Animal Idioms

When there's someone who does the donkey work developing software, a good team leader always find on opportunity to reward him.

Impudent people use euphemism to describe their behaviour, for instance: it's like water off a duck's back.

I was like a fish out of water when I started my first job.

You think that your job is going good, don't count your chickens, because someone could say that the team doesn't need you anymore.

Some mothers decided to take the bull by the horns and denounce the drug dealer who sell drugs to their sons.

The most domineering among brothers get the lion's share after the death of their parents.

Every woman is a dark horse when she is asked about her age.

I'm in the doghouse because I have forgot to buy a present for my girlfriend's birthday.

All the people that have gone on a cruise say that have spent their time on the boat making a pig of themselves.

When she discovered that her husband had had a love affair, that was the last straw and she asked for divorce.

The company has lost the majority of its customers and I smell a rat when they say that they are not going to make anybody redundant.

I got a new job that I like better and found a girlfriend, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.

One of my university teachers was always threatening noisy undergraduates in class that he would take action against them in an exam but his bark was worse worse than his bite.

After the police had fined the man for jwalking he went away with his tail between his legs.

People let sleeping dog lie so as not to be the first one to raise an argument at work.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Animal debates

People should not be allowed to keep very aggressive breeds of dog such as Rottweilers as pets.

PROs

Families should not be allowed to keep aggressive dog breeds as pets. The news confirms that aggressive dogs can cause harm to children. Indeed the dogs can confuse small children with prey and attack them.
People buy aggressive dogs and keep them in a garden or a courtyard to watch over their properties. They train dogs to be aggressive to strangers. But I think that it isn't fair, because dogs can't replace men in doing jobs that require responsibility.

CONs

People should be allowed to keep any kind of dog in their house and in their gardens and even let dogs play with young children.
I think that it does not exist any kind of dog breed that are naturally aggressive or dangerous for men. When a dog attacks a man it is because of the dog's owner who is responsible for having made the dog aggressive.

In civilized society there is no place for entertainment which involve cruelty to animals

PROs

Animals are born to be free and to live in their natural habitat. Animals we see at the circus or the zoo suffer from a loss of their freedom. Captive animals live in cages that are far smaller than the habitats like forests and savannas where they would roam freely.
The animals that live at the circus are subject to physical abuse and torture. In fact the trainers use violence as means to make the animals perform degrading tricks.

CONs

Animals that live at the circus or the zoo are fed and are provided with a shelter to live and sleep. Animals living in the wild would naturally die because they become prey for their natural antagonists.
Circus animals are not subject to violence by the trainers. Trainers teach animals using food and caresses as a reward.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Drivers should be charged for using motorways and roads

Motorways allow citizens to move from a city to another. People travel to another city to go on brief trips, to commute to work far from their hometown and to meet relatives on religious holidays. In my opinion, it's a good idea charging drivers for using motorways.

In my country motorways are national but private companies are in charge of keeping them efficient. In such way motorways are well maintained and widespread throughout the nation. Maintaining this net of motorways in good condition costs the country money, so it seems obvious that drivers are obliged to pay a toll to use motorways.

In some areas environmentalists prefer surface motorways to underground train tracks. Railways are perceived as spoiling countryside and damaging the activities of farmers. In fact, in my country, the building of new train rails has meant digging into mountains to open new tunnels and has resulted in deviating rivers and lowering of the underground water layer.

Driving your private car is more polluting than travelling by public transports. Then making drivers pay money to use motorways contributes to keeping the environment clean.

On the other hand, if we don't ask for money to use motorways, they would certainly fall into decay.

To sum up I think motorways are as important as railways for a modern country. In fact if railways allow companies to carry goods economically, people can't do without motorways to move fast to nearby destinations.

What do think about free motorways ?

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

How to overtake a car

1st Diagram.

A motorway has multiple lanes. From left to right: the hard shoulder, the inside lane (or slow lane) and the outside lane (or fast lane).

The fast car catchs up on the slow car, pulls out into the fast lane, pulls ahead and then pulls in in front of the slower car. While pulling in if your car is almost brushed by the other one he cuts in in front of you.

If your car breaks down you have to pull over onto the hard shoulder.

2nd Diagram

If you run out of petrol you must fill up the tank with petrol. So you move over the slow lane, then you take the turn to the petrol station or service area.

You pull into at the petrol station and pull up (or draw up) the car in front of the petrol pump.

Before setting out on a long journey remember to top up all the fluids of your car.

Note: the verbs pull up and draw up come from the action of pulling up or drawing up the reins of a carriage.

An article about motorways or freeways

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The nightmare Holiday

Writing about the holiday of my nightmares isn't easy for me, in fact one of my best holidays, which I remember with great pleasure, turned into a nightmare during its last days.
The holiday I'm talking about is set in Amsterdam, and I went there with other two friends of mine. Before leaving for our destination we booked a room with three beds. We had decided to stay in a hotel in the city center because my friends had had a negative experience with youth hostels.
Walking through the streets of Amsterdam I realized how beautiful it is. The centre of this city was built on the banks of the river Amstel, it was developed in four concentric half-circles of canals. Amsterdam is called the Venice of the north because it features 1,500 bridges and pile dwellings.
Because of its canals it's difficult to see a car running in the city, and the most common forms of transport are bicycles and trams. The absence of a stream of cars and the water flowing in its canals make the capital of the Netherlands a quiet and relaxing city.
We spent our days in Amsterdam going sightseeing. The most important sights include Dam Square, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Royal Palace.
Up until then everything was going good and at night I was tired after the day spent walking around the city. On the last day, while making up bed, I noticed something odd: a little insect was crawling between the sheets. For a few minutes, my friend and I staring at the matress we saw one insect after another come out of the bed. Since we had used all our money, we decided to leave but I had to sleep again in the same bed because that was the last night in the hostel.
The following morning I didn't hear the alarm, I rushed to airport but arrived just when the gate was being closed. The most horrible night of my life was unfolding: I had to sleep on a metallic bench at the airport waiting for the next plane, the air conditioning wasn't even working, it was a hot day in August and I couldn't roll up my t-shirt sleeves because my arms were covered in an itchy rash caused by the insects bites.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Saint Valentine dialog

Mary: hi John, do you remember what day is today?

John: ehm, mmm. Yes of course. Today it's your mother's birthday. Isn't it?

Mary: no, today is our feast. It's S. Valentine.

John: ok, you know that I love you, so every day is our feast.

Mary: you love me, don't you?

John: yes, I do.

Mary: if you really love me, then marry me. We have been engaged for ten years! When are we going to settle down?

John: Oh Mary, but we moved in together only five years ago. My brother and his wife split up after six years of marriage, I think we should wait for another couple of years.

Mary: Oooh John, isn't it irritating your way of behaving? I think the day of our marriage is never coming up. And I'll tell you another think, I should have never trusted the friends that set us up....

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Life is beautiful

By Silviapitt

IT

Il film che voglio descrivere è La vita è bella diretto ed interpretato da Roberto Benigni. Roberto Benigni è uno dei miei attori preferiti, perché i suoi film sono delle comiche divertenti che mi fanno dimenticare per un istante tutto quello che mi accade intorno.

Il film è ambientato durante la seconda guerra mondiale, e, a differenza con gli altri film di benigni, la vita è bella vuole trasmettere un messaggio morale: la crudeltà della guerra e la follia dello sterminio degli ebrei perpretato dai nazisti.
Nella prima parte del film si vede la storia d'amore tra Guido e Dora, il regista usa la narrazione della favola per descrivere il corteggiamento di Guido.
Nella seconda parte del film, che si svolge nel campo di concentramento di Auschwitz, Guido tenta di salvare la vita a suo figlio Giosuè facendogli credere che tutto è un gioco, e per questo il film risulta emozionante e commovente.

Il film ha ricevuto critiche molto favorevoli in Italia e nel resto del mondo. Critiche negative sono state mosse da parte di alcuni ebrei sopravvissuti ai campi di concentramento sulla correttezza etica del fare ridere le persone sull'Olocausto.

EN

The film I’m talking about is Life Is Beautiful directed and starred by Roberto Benigni. Roberto Benigni is one of my favourite actors, because his films are amusing comedies that make me forget for a while all that happens to me during the day.

The movie is set in the Second World War, and, unlike other Benigni's films, Life is beautiful want to communicate two messages: war is to be avoided because is cruel, and, a warning to mankind that can think to exterminate the whole Hebrew people.
In the first half of the film you see the love story between Guido and Dora: the director shows Guido is courting as in a fairytale story.
In the second act of the film, that takes place in the Auschwitz concentration camp, Guido tries to save the life of his child Giosuè, making him believe that everybody are taking part to a game, and so the film is moving.

The film has been favorably reviewed in Italy and in the rest of the world. But negative criticism have been given by some Jewish survivors of the concentration camps about the ethical fairness of making people laugh about the Holocaust.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The poem in passive form

In the morning, it is said,

That every day I'm dragged from bed

By forces which are aimed to get me

So I'm pushed to school by 8:15.

From my bed I am plucked.

Various clothes are hung upon me.

To myself is served my breakfast,

Which is eaten with much speed;

Indicating my stomach is emptied in the night

By the digestive processes

About which I am taught in class one,

Where I am required to stay awake

Although 8:30 in the morning is clocked

And sleep is needed for my mind.

A yawn is stifled when it is found

That to my pleasure, class is finished.

My way is stumbled towards English,

Which is started with a "Hello, Rhetts!"

The correct response is known to be,

Quite obviously,

"Hello, Wheels!"

It is discovered to class's disappointment,

That the eaten midterm was not destined

To be that which was to be taken by us.

Français is listed as the next,

Where the latest puns are revealed

By the well known expert, LaRivière.

French is learned to some extent

And lunch is welcomed finally

By those of us by whom some luck is had,

And not by others by whom it is not had.

Food is consumed through my mouth,

And the events of the day are spoken through it,

Until the time is reached at last,

When Analysis is to be enjoyed.

It is taught that 2 is made from 1 and 1,

And I am pleased that this is true.

At last the spot is found by the second hand

Where class is ended by a bing.

My way is made to the band room,

Where every day new pieces are played,

After which History is started,

A jovial ending to the day,

And the teacher is shocked by our ability,

When grades are known and it is revealed

That ours are best and we were thoughttobethedumbones.

Then school is halted and the rest of the day

All takes place in the active voice.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Giving advice

Cat lover

Your friend, who has had relationship problems in the past, has announced that he/she has finally found love. The problem is that he/she in now in love with his/her cat.

My advice

Go to a veterinarian and ask him to help you to convince your friend that what he is doing to his cat isn't right for the cat.
Try to say to your friend that the cat should have a mate that is an animal.
Try to tell your friend that if he really loves his cat he should find a cute female cat for his pet.

Friend betrayed

You went to another city recently and you saw your best friend's girlfriend/boyfriend holding hands with another man/woman.

My advice

I think you have to tell to your friend what you saw, then it's up to him to decide what to do with his girlfriend.

Passionate interviewer

You recently went to a job interview. At the interview you were very nervous and didn't perform very well. You were convinced that you didn't get the job but you just got a call from one of the interviewers asking you to meet them privately in a fancy restaurant.

My advice

First of all I want to say that in my opinion it's not fair mixing private life with professional life. It's likely that the person who interviewed is trying to get some favour from you in exchange for hiring you. It could also be possible that your application was rejected, and the interviewer has an honest interest in you as his future mate.
If I were you I would accept the invitation to the restaurant, so that you will be able to understand the intention of the interviewer.

Intonation in English

I want to show you how intonation works in the English language.
When we want to communicate to our listeners that a list of phrases is continuing with another one, the voice goes up. If we want to express that we are finishing talking, the voice goes down.

For example, let's have a look at the lyrics of Eagles' song Take it easy.

Well, I'm a running down the road

trying to loosen my load

I've got seven women on my mind,
four that wanna own me, (voice up)
two that wanna stone me, (voice up)
one says she's a friend of mine. (voice down)

Search "Take It Easy" on Youtube

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

words from the news

to cripple = verb, to damage something very badly and make it weak or not effective.
example: an exponent of a party accuses that the opposing party's policies will cripple Country

adamant /ˈædəmənt/ = adj, very sure of what you think and not willing to change your opinion
example: Labour adamant to renegotiate IMF deal

passionate = adj, showing a strong belief in sth or a strong feeling about sth

example: A passionate speaker. I'm not passionate about policy

A simple achievement

I've found a new room to live in Dublin, and it took me only two days to find it!
The landlord spontaneously offered himself to buy a mattress, because, as he said, the one which is currently on the bed is too old. Then, when I told him that I needed a desk to study, he answered that he would find one that fits into my room.
I'm looking forward to meeing the other flatmates.

Irish Property Owner's Association

Sunday, February 6, 2011

A story of my first childhood

When I was a child I used to ride my bicycle as fast as possible, along the street just in front my house.

My brother and I would challenge each other doing dangerous actions.
My mother would say to my brother and me not go too far away from home.

At sunset my father would call us out to come back home.

My brother would tell me about the accidents that had happened to the other children riding their bikes and the places where they had fallen.

One day my brother was taken to the hospital because he had fallen from his bike. The skin under his chin was stitched up and he had to wear a plaster for a week.

A few days after I found out how my brother had fallen. He had tried to ride down a steep descent, and, braking with the front brake, the bike had flipped over. So, I couldn't stop thinking about how to go down that descent and to slow the bike without any harm to me.

Ending 1
The descent takes you down to a dark garage entry was a challenge that I refused to face, and still now when I pass by it I feel a bit scared.

Ending 2
I rode down the descent and I fell on my side, and still now you can see a scar on my ankle.

-------------------------

Note:
My teacher told me this post's title was wrong because one only has one childhood. I responded to him that I had really had two childhoods with two behaviours, two ways of relating to other people. So my teacher explained that the word first should be written in italic.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A brief story with a twist

My friends and I were in the car, Paolo was driving slowly in the traffic, heading for our favourite pizzeria. We had just left university.
We were laughing and joking, when two police officers signaled to stop the car. One policeman told Paolo that he had seen something wrong in his car, but he would have overlooked the problem if he might have come to eat with us as a friend, obviously he meant to pay for himself.
Paolo had only been talking to the policeman for a few seconds when he told him that he would rather pay the fine.

Clearly, this story is invented. Why would policemen ask to join a group of friends?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

John Kennedy assassination

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first President to have been born in the 20th century, the only Catholic, and the first Irish American, president.

Late in 1963, John F. Kennedy conducted a campaign for the general election to be held at the beginning of 1964, and toured the south of United States.

On November 22, the Presidential motorcade visited Dallas, and, while the Presidential limousine was driving through the city center, Kennedy was killed by two gunshots, the first struck his troath and the second fatal his head.

Immediately, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and was accused of murdering John F. Kennedy. But, two days later, while the murderer of the president was supposed to be handed over to the State Prison, he was shot dead in front of hundreds of journalists and millions of TV watchers.

Someone believes that the murder of JFK was a conspiracy and others that Lee Harvey Oswald did all by himself. What's your idea?

Monday, January 31, 2011

The film that made me feel scared

photo by flickr user hunterseakerhk

The one film that made me feel most scared is not really a film but a series of horror films. I saw each one of these series over three consecutive summers in a small cinema in a resort town. The series which I'm talking about is Nightmare on Elm Street.

When I saw the first episode of the series I was fourteen years old, and I was frightened throughout all the film.
Probably, I couldn't sleep well at that night because I still had in my mind the horrible film's character Freddy Krueger.

The terrifying character Freddy, who stalks and kills teenagers in their dreams was becoming a great success among the young and adult people of the 80s.

The following summer I went to the cinema to see the second episode of the Nightmare saga, but instead of being frightened I laughed at the sight of the film's scenes.

I was so disappointed by that movie that I started wondering why I wasn't being affected anymore by horror films, and I figured out that I had grown up.

If everybody is scared by Freddy, why go to see his film?

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The personality of a character of a film

The character whose personality I've chosen to describe is Stanley Ipkiss of the movie The Mask.

Stanley Ipkiss is a generous, law-abiding, shy and romantic bank clerk burdened by his landlady and by his manager.
One day he finds an ancient voodoo mask, that lends whoever is wearing it extraordinary powers and abilities but frees him from inhibitions and amplifies the suppressed parts of his personality.
The man is transformed into a bold, brave, outgoing man but also unpredictable, dishonest and a little bit of maniac.
So, instead of becoming a superhero and tackling crime, he chooses to rob a bank to seduce a gangster's woman .

In the picture a mask depicting Maori facial tattoos
Photo by flickr user anoldent

attribution: Caroline Bonarde Ucci

You might be interested to know that the role of the gangster's woman was played by Cameron Diaz.
Who is your favourite actress?

An article about the film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mask_%28film%29

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Financial security

photo by flick user voobie

The financial security is the possibility to rely on an amount of money in your bank saving account.

To reach a financial security you have to save a little sum of money from your paycheck every month. To be able to save your money you should live simply, avoiding buying expensive tailored suits, and going to elegant restaurants or eating out too many days a week. The only way to reach your goals is giving up or delaying your gratifications.

If you save your money today, you will live more confortably tomorrow.
Only if you own some money, you will afford to pay for growing up your children, for giving a deposit to buy your house, and to live a serene old age.
Money gives you the chance of quitting a job that you don't like, and living without working for the time you need to find a new job that you will enjoy.

On the other hand, there are people who prefer living paycheck-to-paycheck or making debts. These people are always ready to head off for the newest tourist destinations or to change their car to a newer one.

I think that living spending all your monthly income is not worthwhile, in fact owning a sum of money ensures safety.

The money you need to live without working:
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/10/16/what-is-financial-security/

Building your financial security by investing:
http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2006/12/knightkeys.html

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Dialog to practice (sympathetic and insensitive) responses

A visitor to your house is embarazzed because has spilled his drink

Visitor: ooh, I've spilled my beer on your velvet sofa.
Houseowner: never mind, I don't like that sofa anymore.
Visitor: are you sure? You spent a big sum of money for this piece of furniture.
Houseowner: don't worry, I'm going to buy a new leather sofa made by Frau.
Visitor: Could you give me your old sofa?
Houseowner: I'm sorry I can't. I think I going to use it as a cat house.

Dialog to practice auxiliary verbs

Mary: Oh, you are doing better now, aren't you?
Joe: Yes, yesterday it was a nightmare experience.
Mary: You have been vomiting all night, haven't you?
Joe: Yes, the worst hangover since I came to Dublin.
Mary: Oh my dear, do not drink wine anymore! Will you?
Joe: OK, There will be only Guinness for me in the future.

Write about the most important person to you

2011-01-11

The people who are most important to me are my parents. They met as young people at school and married when my father was 33 years old.

My parents tought me the values in the life, not through their words but through actions. My mother devoted all hours of her day to taking care of children and house, and sometimes to her husband too.

My father taught me to regard study and work.

I've been very lucky to have had parents such the mine, and I hope not to disappoint them.

For and against studying in Ireland and in our country

2011-01-07

I came to Ireland in June of last year to study in English, and to see my cousins who have been living in Dublin for 5 years.

My first teacher at the CES school told me that I was a false beginner student, in fact I had studied English at secondary school for three years. Furthermore, I've always been keen on learning the language because my father, as a student, attended a linguistic university.

Studying abroad has many advantages. First of all the teachers are mother tongue, this is good because when you learn a new language you should try avoiding thinking in your own language and then translating from your language in English.

Secondly, studying a language in the country where that language is spoken gives you the opportunity to know about the culture and the way of living of that people. Besides, living in a house with Irish people is offering me the chance to practice speaking and to get accustomed to pronunciation.

On the other hand, if I had tried to learn English in my own country I wouldn't have had to leave my friends and my family.

Furthermore, when the company which I was working for went bankrupt I knew that I could hardly find another employer that would treat me well as the last one. For this reason I decided to come to Ireland, where there is more respect for the people who are willing to work.

In Ireland I won't probably find the same job as the one I had in Italy, but, at worst, if I won't be able to find any one, I will go back to Italy with the knowledge of the English language.

In conclusion, I have always wanted to improve my English, and someone, maybe my guardian angel, has made me seize the opportunity to do it.

Pregnant Statue of Liberty

image from www.celesteh.com

A picture of a pregnant statue of liberty was published on a web site, yesterday.
Behind that shocking joke there is a Modern Art sculptor. This man revealed that his purpose was to raise the attention of people over the issue of a demographic decline that America is witnessing in these last years.
The President Barack Obama said he is in favour of building small pregnant statues of liberty to be set in public gardens to excite people's feelings about giving birth to children.

Ireland Failure

During these last few weeks we have been reading of the worries of the Irish Government about the danger of the failure of the Irish economy (or the Irish Banking System).

The Irish Government is expected to put together a 6 billion euro budget, and to present a plan to Dail Eireann by the beginning of the next month.

The Irish Government is currently under pressure from the international media and the opposition parties. The ministers of the Irish Government are denying that there are negotiations going on between Ireland and European officials to receive help from the financial stability fund.

Brian Cowen, while denying any talk of being given capital from the european fund is, on the other hand, saying that the Government's objective is to bring the banking system to a position where it can access funds at a reasonable price.

To sum up, the time of the Celtic tiger is finished, but Ireland seems not to be in a position as severe as that of Greece.

Technology and human contact

Could technology replace human contact between men?

I think that technology provides man with many forms of media, such as television, radio, computers, and mobile phones.

In these last years it is possible to notice how mobile phones and computers let us talk and see our friends and collegues. In this way it is possible for a computer replace a teacher in a class or to stand in for a business man, who is in another country, at a business meeting.

However, I think, that technology could never replace personal contact between people. I believe that two lovers could never feel fulfilled without seeing and touching each other.

Chile miners rescue

October 2010

Finally, the 33 Chilean miners were rescued, thanks to the economic resource of the United States. Every day in the world there are many deaths on the job. These deaths could be prevented if employers were more sensitive to safety in the workplace.

Compliance with the rules of safety at work cost the companies a price that every country should have to pay. The results would be fewer accidents and less disability pensions having to be paid by the social security system.

For and against seat belts

A seat belt is a safety device designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that result from a collision or a sudden stop.

It is certainly true that the seat belt, in case of accident, is the most important protective device for who is inside a car. The sea belt decreases the risk of the driver and passegers being bumped inside or that they were thrown out from the vehicle.

The sealt belt coul be dangerous in an accident wheter the car catchs fire. In such cases a knife should be available for passengers to cut the belts, but in my country carring a knife in own car is against the law.

In conclusion, wearing a seat belt is considered to reduce by 50% the probability of death during an accident, and I'm in favour or the use of seat belts.

A father and son picture

Sean and Harry are father and son. They live in a house in a poor area. Sean is an outlaw man, because he steals cars.

Sean and Harry get on well, but Sean had never let Harry had the same life of thief.

Sean has gone to prison. He would like to change his life, and find a good employment.

Harry knows a rich man, who lives in a big house in the wealthy area of the town. This man has promised to give Harry's father a new job. So Sean could become a car washer instead of stealing cars.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

hello entry

hi everybody, I'm writing this blog to collect and show all my writings in English.
So this blog's purpose would be an armory of English language, am I too much assuming?
I really love my English teachers who are John and Bayveen from the CES School in Dublin.