Love was just a Glance away

Glance: a brief and hurried look ( Oxford Dictionary)

Ok. So we have written about love just recently (Expressions to Love). There were idiomatic expressions on the topic, some phrasal verbs, a song a poem. But L-O-V-E is such an inspiring topic and so much has been written and sung, filmed and recited that there is ALWAYS   something more to say and include into our language learning activities. We’ve only really taken a glance at it!

Just yesterday, while sitting in the corner café between classes, good old Frankie sang again:

” Lovers at first sight…”and I thought, “I can’t just ignore it.” There is always so much bad news around we might as well relax and be a bit cheesy, at least while studying English. At least on Valentine’s Day.

O   Our first link is devoted to the famous Strangers in the Night. Don’t forget to read the lyrics and notice all the expressions related to looking : “Lovers at first sight”, “Love was just a glance away”, “Exchanging glances” etc.

              1.    http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/franksinatra/strangersinthenight.html

Below you can find a link which will take you to the definitions of the word “sight” and various idiomatic expressions where it is used.

1.     2.  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sight

Talking about cheesy, I came upon a video with a choice of Hollywood’s best kisses. You might not agree with the picks but it is kind of nostalgic.

             3.     http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,1416888067_1722031,00.html

St. Valentine vs. “St.” Shakespeare

There are quite a lot of students who ask if Shakespeare is good to read  in order to improve their English. The most common answer is NO, especially at lower levels, although it just does not seem right to deprive foreign language students from reading one of the greatest figures of world literature. After all, one might enjoy English and not only use it as a practical tool to survive modern life.

Already having a solid grasp of English grammar and structure, you might  start exploring the new words Shakespeare  introduced into English and his everlasting quotations, which have been exploited ever since his genius was revealed.  If you look in the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, you’ll find over 2,000 words which have their first recorded use in Shakespeare, such as assassination, outswear and weather-bitten. Some he coined himself,others he simply helped to popularise. In a way Shakespeare is a an ideal advanced teacher, because he shows us how to exploit the resourses of a language to maximum effect.

Therefore, we found a slight connection between today’s celebrated St. Valentine and Shakespeare. You might just  guess what it is after seeing the folowing video, an animated version of the History of St. Valentine.

4.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGx7q4O6w2w

Now, remember what happened in Romeo and Juliet? They were secretly married, weren’t they? This fun video shows Shakespeare’s DATING TIPS. The two lovers of Verona are mentioned, of course.

1.        5   http://ed.ted.com/lessons/shakespearean-dating-tips-anthony-john-peters

Simplifying Shakespeare can only go so far. Now you should try to read and understand one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets. And maybe give it to your Valentine this evening!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

XVIII

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course un-
trimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his
shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Practice English in Barcelona

In our first post we promised to look for places where you can practice English in Barcelona.If you look at our last post, you’ll find a fun video with bar expressions, just in case you want to show off! Have fun and HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

New Language exchange group in Barcelona We meet every SUNDAY to exchange culture & practice different languages like English, French German, Italian Spanish Catalan with different people from all over the world.
Tel: 627 32 38 31 . email: lecbarcelona@hotmail.com

Language exchange and other English speaking activities in a new café. English Oasis Café
C/Sotstinent Navarro, 18. Metro: Jaume I (L 4)
http://www.englishoasiscafe.com

English speaking club. Would you like to practice your English and make friends? We go out once a week for dinner and dancing, organize chats, cinema and excursions.