Let's play Hurling!

It's fast, it's furious and it's a lot of fun! I'm talking about hurling, a very popular sport in Ireland. Have you ever seen people playing it? Take a look at this a short clip.

Would you like to know more about this exciting sport? So listen to this passage which describes the origins of the game, as well as its basic rules and equipment. Then try two activities to test your comprehension. At the bottom of the page you can find the original script to help you check your answers. There is also a fun crossword puzzle to play online. Have fun!

Text messaging

You want to talk to your friend. What do you usually prefer to do, phone or text message him or her? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Listen to Jake and Lindsay talking about how they feel about text messaging and choose the correct answers for the questions that appear on the screen. If you want, you can listen again and click on 'text view ON' to read the script at the same time.

Here are a few text messages for you. Write the complete sentences in the box - but pay attention to the time!

More Practice? Try:

Text messaging in English

Mini sagas: writing the last word

Do you remember what mini sagas are? They are stories written in exactly 50 words. It may be a challenge to write such a short text, but it's also a lot of fun! Here are four mini sagas. The last word of each story is missing. Can you guess what they are?

Check also:
Writing mini sagas

Song: Clumsy (Fergie)

Our song this time is Fergie's 'Clumsy'. Listen and then try a vocabulary activity to practise 'ways of walking'. There is a list of related verbs to help you, if you want. And if you prefer to watch Fergie's original clip, click here!

Writing mini sagas

What is a mini saga? A mini saga is a text with exactly 50 words in it. Writing a text in a few words may seem challenging, but here are a few examples of mini sagas, written by children:

Mrs Bailey’s glasses

My teacher Mrs Bailey wears a pair of spectacles. They’re rather rounded and perched there, glaring at you! One day they fell. She perched them on again. The left lens said, ‘I hate looking at books, I want holidays in the sun.’ Mrs Bailey only sees half the class, now. (aged 9)

Rich but still hungry

I had a chicken. Daily it laid an egg for my breakfast until one day it started laying golden eggs and so I was hungry every morning getting thinner and thinner. Until I thought to sell the golden eggs to a jeweller and buy bacon and eggs from the shop. (aged 7)

Rain aid

It is raining here but it isn’t in Africa. The people are hungry. Some of the children’s Mummies and Daddies have died. And the children are dying too. I hope that it doesn’t happen to us. I sent Tee Shirts to Africa. I wish I could send the rain too. (aged 7)

Some mini sagas also have a touch of humour.

So how can you write a mini saga? Well, start by selecting a story you would liketo tell. Maybe it comes from a newspaper article you read, maybe it's something that happened to you or to someone you know, maybe it's based on a story everybody knows. What are you going to write about?

Next, write the story. Don't worry about the number of words, you can edit your text later. Now read what you've written. Is the story complete? So now you can start editing it; read it again and again, eliminating extra words, or maybe substituting whole expressions for one single word.

How many words do you have now? Go on reading and editing your text until you have exactly 50 words. You may have to adapt your story, substitute words and eliminate those that are not absolutely essential.

What about the title? It should have a maximum of 15 words, and it must give your readers an idea of what your mini saga is about!

Now you can publish your mini saga clicking on 'COMMENTS' here, so that everybody can read it too!

Check also:

Mini sagas: writing the last word

Spitting images

You stop at the traffic lights, look at the man in the car next to yours and... could it really be true? Prince Charles driving a van? Julia Roberts at the grocery store? And how about John Lennon at the gas station? Oh, wait... wasn't he dead?

Relax, they are just look-alikes, people who look a lot like some very famous people. In fact, some can be considered the spitting images of the 'original'. Would you like to try a game? Look at the slideshow in this post. Who do the people look like? Do they look different - perhaps they look older or fatter? Then click on 'comments' to check your answers.

Here are a few other activities to revise the use of 'look' and 'look like'. First, a simple grammar activity, followed by a quiz - are they the real celebrities or just their look-alikes? You can also try this listening activity - six people talk about whether they are shy or just look shy... And how about trying a slide quiz using Hollywood celebrities?

The pictures for this slideshow were taken from the Spitting Images website.

Explaining Escher

Maurits Cornelis Escher was an artist of impossible images. His drawings worked prefectly on the two dimensions of a sheet of paper but were impossible to exist in the real world. Some of the images show people, animals and objects that gradually turn into something completely different, while others create amazing optical illusions. 'Belvedere' is one of his most impressive works and this video is an attempt to explain what happens when you try to make the picture tridimensional. Watch it and then click here to complete a short text about it.

Earth Day 2008

People around the globe are getting ready to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. How about you? Here is a quiz about this special date and one to check how much you know about recycling. And here's an interesting article with some important facts about the environment - take a look at the accompanying questions and see if you can find the answers!

Many celebrities have embraced the cause and lent their voices and faces to help raise public awareness to environmental problems. Click here to watch an interesting video narrated by Leonardo di Caprio.

To learn more about Earth Day 2008, visit the official website.

Brazil in the news: Brazilian cachaça

Until fairly recently, the Brazilian cachaça used to be the drink that local people would order in bars when they couldn't afford any other kind of drink. Not any more. Aged cachaças produced in small scale are now a sophisticated product and distillers all over the country are exporting them to Europe and the U.S.. The states of Minas Gerais and Pernambuco have owned the reputation of making the best cachaça in the country but you can find thousands of different brands - many of excellent quality - anywhere you go.

Read all about that in this article published in The New York Times and then watch the video to learn how to prepare Brazil's most famous drink, the caipirinha. If you want to read the script, click on the link at the bottom of the box.



How To Make A Caipirinha Cocktail

Grammar: For or Since?

Here are some grammar activities to give you further practice in the use of for and since. First, click here to decide whether you should use 'for' or 'since' with the time expressions. Then put the words in the right order to form sentences. Finally, read these questions and write the answers on your notebook. Then click on the boxes to see the correct answer. If you need help, check the explanations on this BBC website.

A delicious festival

by Flávia J.

The 'Comida di Buteco' is back. The 9th edition of the famous gastronomic festival begins next Friday, 11th April, with 41 bars from different parts of the city participating. Like it happened in other years, bars are judged by customers and receive prizes for their food, quality of service, cold beer and cleaness.

There are also shows programed for the 31 days of the event and another edition of the 'Art in the Bathroom', with local artists exhibiting their paintings in the bathrooms of the bars. The 'Festa da Saideira', a big party to celebrate the end of the festival, will take place on 17th and 18th May.

This is a great time to visit Belo Horizonte and try the local traditional food of our 'botecos'!

Read also:

Comida di Buteco's official website (in Portuguese)
Belo Horizonte in the New York Times
What to do in Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte: young at 110

Quiz: Elections

Americans will choose a new president this year. Test your vocabulary connected with elections trying this BBC quiz!

Check also:
U.S. elections: how Americans vote