Wednesday 4 November 2015

Watch TV series and documentaries online

A colleague of mine has shared these links:

http://ororo.tv/es: watch TV series online with subtitles in English. Great practice!

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ Watch documentaries online. In this case I tried one (about supermassive black holes) and as it was a YouTube video, the subtitles were NOT reliable. But luckily, they speak so clearly in documentaries that you probably don't need the subtitles anyway. ;)

Hope you find them useful!



Thursday 29 October 2015

The best clothes brands for your body shape






Whether you're an Apple, a Pear or a Column, there's a clothing brand perfect for you, according to this article: http://lifehacker.com/this-graphic-recommends-the-best-clothing-brands-for-yo-1736739449

Here's an example:






Useful info:

Body Mass Index (BMI) = http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm


Height converter: http://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/conversions/heightftcm.php



Friday 28 August 2015

Vocabulary: bar talk in the US

Test you English bar slang (or learn some!) with this online quiz:  https://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz-center/barmult

Question 1

In front of the bar you see a sign that says "Happy Hour 5-7"

This means:

  1. Only happy people are allowed inside. 
  2. Drinks are cheaper than usual. 
  3. There's a comedy show. 
  4. You get a free drink if you make the bartender laugh.
What do you think?

Check your answer and do the rest of the quiz here: https://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz-center/barmult




Saturday 1 August 2015

Barmen stop wearing kilts

I thought this piece of news was heart-breaking. For once that the men were wearing skirts!

Read about why they stopped here: Scottish barmen refuse to wear kilts

What do you think about it? Is it a serious or a laughing matter?





Tartan kilts. Choose your favourite, boys!

Wednesday 6 May 2015

The iRabbit

Cristina C. from C1 has sent me this video. Hope you enjoy it!


Monday 4 May 2015

May the fourth be with you

On the subject of nerds...

















Play Twister, maybe?

















(Photo by JD Hancock)



Join the Jedi church? No, that's not a joke: http://www.jedichurch.org/




Friday 1 May 2015

Nerdy

This post is for Josep G. who told me that "nerdy" doesn't exist in the dictionary.

I've posted a Weird Al Yankovic video before (Word Crimes). Here the original song, "Ridin' (dirty)" by Chamillionaire, featuring someone or other. 

Watch it first.



And here's Weird Al Yankovic's version:




Which do you like best?

Thursday 23 April 2015

Masterdating

There, that got your attention, didn't it? :D

Click on the link for some funny and clever new words, created by "blending" (also known as "portmanteau" words): http://www.demilked.com/new-modern-funny-random-words-portmanteaus/



















Thanks Gemma F. for the link! :D

Sorry

One of my students sent us this link. (Thanks, La Campoy!)

Personally I don't like the end of the video, but apart from that, he's easy to understand, and the general message is inspirational.

Any comments in the "comments" below!




Friday 6 March 2015

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Are you sick and tired of dinosaurs?

Are you sick and tired of hearing about dinosaurs? Then you'll love this post on the subject that's going round the internet.

To be perfectly honest, I initially thought it was a joke, but now I'm not so sure.

Either way, I think it's hilarious, so I hope you find it funny too.


The original post that I saw, here. Some of the comments are funny too. :D

Thursday 15 January 2015

English signs in foreign countries

I've already told you about my own experience in Sitges of seeing "Rape a la Marinera" translated as "Rape to the Sailor-like".

Here are some other examples of mis-translations into English from around the world.
Unfortunately, I collected them some time ago, and can't credit the source. Sorry!


In a Bangkok temple:
"IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN."

Cocktail lounge, Norway:
"LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."

Doctors office, Rome:
"SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES".

Dry cleaners, Bangkok:
"DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS".

In a Nairobi restaurant:
"CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."

On an Athi River highway, the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi.
"TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."

On a poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP."

In a City restaurant:
"OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

 A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
"DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."

In a cemetery:
"PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES."

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
"GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED."

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
"OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."

In a Tokyo bar:
"SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."

Hotel, Yugoslavia:
"THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

Hotel, Japan:
"YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel, across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
"IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."

Hotel, Zurich:
"BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."

Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?"

The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
"GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE."

In a Swiss mountain inn:
"SPECIAL TODAY: NO ICE-CREAM."

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
"WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS."

A laundry in Rome:
"LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME."


One good webpage for mis-translations is http://www.engrish.com/, although I must admit the English is so bad, it's sometimes difficult to guess what they meant!