Languagelab.com Blog

Hi Languagelab students,

This week we are talking about different cultures and crocodiles.

Watch this video below and answer the following questions:

Questions:

1. What countries does the speaker mention?

2. What is the system for streets in your country?

3. What do you think is the most unique thing about your culture?

4. Which cultures are most similar and most different to your own?

Shaun the crocodile man.

Shaun, 30, keeps 24 crocodiles and alligators in the semi-detached home in Oxford he shares with fiancée Lisa Green, 29, and children Billy, six, Louie, four, and eight-month-old Shania.

Joiner Shaun has even erected a purpose-built enclosure for his unique pets which include endangered Black Caymans, Cuban crocodiles and a Chinese alligator to keep the reptiles at a constant 25 degrees.

Shaun has now raised £100,000 in just two years to create Britains first crocodile zoo so his house can be restored to normality.

Shaun is still hunting for a 5,000 sq ft location big enough to house all his prehistoric beasts but in the meantime, his family home retains a tropical feel.

“They are amazing animals but not cheap to keep as pets. Just feeding them with rodents and fish costs £8,000 a year,” Shaun said.
“I have been interested in crocodiles since I was a little kid and once I started reptiles at 17 it just snowballed.

By the time I was 25 I had my dangerous animals licence and I was looking after crocodiles and alligators.”

All of Shauns children have grown up surrounded by snappy brothers and sisters and have inherited Shaun’s fascination and fiancée Lisa has also adapted to life in the wild.

Shaun added: “The crocodiles have always been around since before the children were born, so it is very normal to them.”The children like to go in and look at them and they have no fear at all.

“Lisa helps out with the crocodiles which is great.”

“They are part of the family and she has known about my love of reptiles since day one, so she wasn’t shocked.” But despite the animals being very well behaved, Shaun’s neighbours have still yet to pop round for a peek but are pleased to have their very own predatory neighbourhood watch. Shaun added: “The neighbours all know the crocodiles are there, but they have never wanted to come around and see them.

“People think these animals lie in rivers waiting to attack the next human walking past, but there is a lot more to them.”

Questions:

1. How long has Shaun kept crocodiles?

2. What types of crocodiles does Shaun keep?

3. How much does it cost per year to feed them?

4. What do they eat ?

5. What is Shaun looking for?

6. What do you think of keeping crocodiles as pets?

See you next week and don’t forget to come to our event tomorrow evening at 6:30pm UK time (10:30am PST), Jeremy Harmer will be talking to our students.

Bye bye,

Jessie Teacher

BESIG, the Business English Special Interest Group of IATEFL are having a conference this week in Poland and our own Shiv Rajendran is there representing Languagelab.com.

He is going to talk about Business English in English City, have you ever been to a Business English class with Jazz Quinzet or Alastair Twine?

The conference is in Poznan and Shiv has told me it’s a nice city and he is looking forward to meeting all the people he has met already through Twitter!  He will also be meeting some of our students who live in Poznan for the first time.

There is some information on one of our Business English City People below, Jazz Quinzet.  If you would like to meet her come and visit her in English City.

See you soon !

Jessie Teacher

Last week we looked at AND, BUT, BECAUSE, OR, SO, THEN and a few more.

This week I want to move the discussion a little further by talking about grammar called ’subordination.’  In conjunctions for ’subordination’ we also link parts of sentences together but they work a little differently.  I’ll give you some examples of conjunctions for subordination and then next week, after you’ve had a think about them, we’ll look at examples of this type of conjunction.

*  place

where, wherever

* time

when, whenever, while, after, before, since, till, until, once, now

as soon as, as long as

* reason

because, as, since, for, although, though, to, in order to, so as to

* similarity and contrast

as, than, whereas, while

* condition

if, unless, provided

Hope that was helpful !

See you next week !

Grammar Girl in English City :-)

On December 25th you are invited to a float making session with Lowri Mills as part of a seasonal skills class. The float making is at 4am-5am PDT and (12 noon UK) at the Hotel.

The main parade is on from 8am-9am PDT (4pm UK ) starting outside the Grammar House.

You will learn how to make a Christmas float which will involve being able to listen to instructions.
To continue the theme of making things and instructions, here is a great video on how to make an origami Santa Claus !

Key vocabulary:

to fold       to measure

Origami Santa Claus! Marry Christmas!! – More free videos are here

“Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose….”

This is the start of a popular Christmas carol about one of Santa Claus reindeers.

When you go and visit Bonnie go ahead and ask her who the other reindeers are, there a quite a few to guess.

The last Christmas Eve activity at English City is watching the movie Rudolf the Rednose reindeer, sometimes if I watch movies in a language that is not my own I get confused and want to ask someone for help with vocabulary or the story, well if you watch with Bonnie you will be able to ask her for help when you need it.

The film starts at the Cinema in English City at 1pm PDT (9pm UK) and lasts for around an hour.

Have fun see you at the movie !

A good way to practice English is to listen to new words and hear people with different accents speaking and then you can learn how to improve your pronunciation and intonation.

On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, Judith Triellis will be reading the famous poem, ‘Twas the Night before Christmas’ at the Manor in English City at 12-1pm PDT (8-9pm UK)

Be prepared to tell your own holiday season stories and to share your tales with other students, great practice for listening and speaking.

Here is a little background information on the author of the poem.

Clement Clarke Moore (1779 – 1863) wrote the poem Twas the night before Christmas also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in 1822. It is now the tradition in many American families to read the poem every Christmas Eve. The poem Twas the night before Christmas has redefined our image of Christmas and Santa Claus. Prior to the creation of the story of Twas the night before Christmas St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had never been associated with a sleigh or reindeers!

The first publication date was 23rd December 1823 and it was an immediate success. Moore was the Bishop of New York who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. The tradition of reading Twas the night before Christmas poem on Christmas Eve is now a Worldwide institution.

Go and join the Christmas Parties on Wednesday 25th December at English City.

Christmas is an annual holiday celebrated on 24th-25th December. Traditionally it is  Christian festival held to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem.

Customs vary from country to country but the celebration usually centres around spending time with family and friends and eating a lot of food, and perhaps going to a Church service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Houses are decorated with a Christmas tree and lights and presents are placed under the tree.

In most European countries Christmas Eve is celebrated on the 24th but in the UK and USA it is celebrated on Christmas Day, with turkey being the traditional Christmas Dinner.

However, each country has different traditional food and drink, in the Czech Reupblic they eat carp,  a freshwater fish and in Poland there are 12 different courses to eat on Christmas Eve !

Christmas began as a Christian festival but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is celebrated all over the world.

Go and join the Christmas Party on Wednesday 25th December at English City.
Times are:
7am-9am      PDT  (3pm-5pm UK)  With Kent
9am – 10am  PDT  (5pm-6pm UK)  With Phillip
10am-12pm  PDT  (6pm-8pm UK)  With Pebbles
Click here to check schedule.

You can pick up your present, talk to your friends and have a happy and fun experience while practicing new vocabulary and learning new Christmas words.

See you there !

Jessie Teacher

Carols are traditional songs that people sing at Christmas, they date back to the 13th century and each country has their own traditional songs and customs that they follow at Christmas time.

They are often sung at church services or in public places like the town square where everyone can join in.

On Wednesday 24th December there is a Carols by Candlelight event at English City where you can learn some carols and practice singing them with the Enlglish City People and other students.

To help you practice singing here are the words for my favourite Christmas carol – ‘Jingle Bells’ and you can sing along too with the video kareoke! Have fun and come and join us at the Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve.

Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Through the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob-tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.

chorus:

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh, O
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

Vocabulary

Dashing : going very quickly
open sleigh : a type of vehicle that is pulled by horses over the snow
bob-tail : the horses tail
spirits : people’s emotions
jingle : to ring

Languagelab will be hosting a range of activities, events and haunted attractions within English City with a super terrifying party at 5am PDT. Click here for the location.

The entire Languagelab team will be putting in a disguised appearance, so keep your eyes peeled, especially for our extremely shy friend “La-la”

Periwinkle’s currently stocks a variety of halloween costumes so make sure you wear your scariest outfits. There will be a competition for the best dressed male and female!

Make sure to check out the Gallery and the very Haunted House (beware of the trap door and…. !?!??!!)

Hahahahaaaaa

A mysterious donor gave Languagelab students an old building to host their common room, with a condition: there has to be a special corner for students to make their homework and meet their teachers.

What would you like it to have? how would you like to organise it’s space? What would you like to be able to do there? Any special object from yoru inventory you would like to display?

Now we can organise ourselves, discus and decide and make this space trully ours!

It will be a wonderful Student common room, and it will be fun!

Please contribute with your ideas!

Write them on a notecard and drop them in the letter box in front of the new student’s common room. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Play/214/206/23

Next week there will be two meetings (in two different time zones to allow everybody to participate), to discuss and take decisions. (time and place will be announced by Sunday)

You can read the different ideas and proposals collected here http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddgpgdnb_137gmmbvkc7

And see the building here http://slurl.com/secondlife/Play/214/206/23