Slam

Checkpoints in the text

Why does he hope it could be "anything"?

There might've been a one in a trillion chance that Alicia was going to deny him when he thought he could guess what was wrong, and say "I'll bet you can't". He doesn't want his life to be over yet, and don't really want her to be pregnant.


What is not quite right about what Alicia is saying?

Alicia says that as long as the baby is inside her body, it's hers, but after it's born, it's theirs. Sam doesn't see the logical explanation in this, because in this case, he doesn't get to choose for the baby because it's not his, and therefore he doesn't have any saying wherever he wants the baby or not.


How does Sam feel? Have you ever felt like this? When?

Sam feels anxious. He doesn't want to tell Alicia's parents, or his own for that matter, about the pregnancy. Personally, I've never been in a situation like this, so I don't think I've ever been so nervous to tell my parents anything that I make up lies to put it off.

UK - People and culture

Pre-reading

• Typically Irish: Shamrocks, St. Patrick's Day, leprechauns, beer
• Typically Scottish: Kilt, bagpipe, sideburns, highland cattle, golf
• Typically English: Tea, red phone booths, English breakfast,
• Typically Welsh: Sheep, beards

The UK - an Introduction

1.

Do you think the fact that the British are islanders has had an effect on the people and their values?

No, I don't think so. Living on an island isn't necessarily a problem, at least not in our modern age where everything you need can be imported, and a visit to other European countries is just a plan trip away.

2.

In which part of the UK would you have preferred to live? Why?

I would probably live in England if I were to live in the UK. London would've been fun to visit, but I doubt I could live in a city over a longer period of time, so I might have lived on the countryside.

What have I learned today?

• Locations of big cities in the UK
• Locations and names of some rivers
• Locations and names of some lakes
• Where the different islands are located
• Where the different seas are located

English as a World Language

Checkpoints

1.

A lingua franca, like English, is a language that is used for communication by two people who doesn't speak the same native language.

2.

We say that English is the most important lingua franca because most people speak it, even if it's not an official language in their country.

3.

The British Empire was build under Queen Elizabeth and the rulers up to 400 years after her.

4.

In the first half of the twentieth century, Britain suffered great losses from the two world wars. This, and major political turmoil in Africa and the Indian sub-continent, meant that Britain lost it's position as the world's leading power.

5.

Today. the English language is still important, because when Britain lost its power, USA gained theirs and could continue the international importance.



Viewpoints

1.

Do I believe English threatens the position of national languages in small countries such as Norway? Yes. Norwegians keep adding English words to their everyday sentences, so I think English will eventually be on the same line as Norwegian.

2.

Are there any other languages which can threaten the position of English as a world language? I don't think so. English is widely spread all over the world, so if it would be replaced, it may be with Chinese, because China keeps getting more power, so it would've been a good thing to know the Chinese language.



The History of English in 10 Minutes

Comprehension questions

1.

1500 years have passed since the Romans left Britain, and after they left the English still used the language

2.

People traveled overseas and communicated in English

3.

English is a mix of over 350 languages

4.

Around 1.5 billion people speak English today

5.

A quarter of these are native English speakers

6.

A quarter of the total speak English as their second language

7.

The alphabet sounds weird and the spelling system is weird as well

8.

Singlish, Hinglish and Chinglish are mixes between English and Singaporean, Hindu and Chinese, They have such a mixed language that it's either one of the languages

9.

Because Chinese will probably soon be a world language

Difference between British and American English

Checkpoints

1.

Some words that are pronounced different:

	British	American
Dance	da-ns	dæns
Rather	'ra-dø'r	'ræthe'r
Awful	åhfol	åfoul
Car	ka-h	ka'r
Pillar	pilla-h	pille'r

2.

The five main spelling differences from British to American:

1. Some words that end in -ter in AE end in -tre in BE

Example: theater, theatre

2. Some words that end in -og in AE end in -ogue in BE

Example: monolog, monologue and catalog, catalogue

3. Some words that end in -or in AE end in -our in BE

Example: color, colour

4. Verbs that end in -ize/yze in AE end in -ise/yse in BE

Example: analyze, analyse

5. In BE, the -l at the end of a word is doubled when a new ending is added. In AE the -l is only doubled if the stress is originally in the second syllable

Example: rebel-rebelled is similar in both AE and BE, but travel-traveler in AE will in BE be travel-traveller

Language work

BE: I am knackered and I must go to the loo.

AE: I am tired and have to go to the toilet.

BE: Are there any WCs close by?

AE: Are there any bathrooms near?

BE: Must I queue up behind that bloke?

AE: Do I have to stand in line behind that guy?

BE: Is there a chemist anywhere close?

AE: Is there pharmacy nearby?

BE: I am peckish.

AE: I am starting to get hungry

BE: At the zebra crossing the lollipop lady directed us to take a diversion, but my lorry was out of petrol and it was impossible.

AE: At the zebra crossing the crossing guard directed us to take a detour, but my truck was out of gas and it was impossible

My own language work c:

Translate these sentences from BE to AE.

On the pavement outside of the shop there were loads of from sweets wrappers.

The lift up to my flat is broken.

The underground shop sells crisps and biscuits in the fall.

 

Viewpoint 2

"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is or not something that could better be changed in ourselves,"- Carl G. Jung, Swiss psychologist 

If we see flaws in the behavior to our child, they have gotten it from somewhere. Often more than not, children take after their parents’ bad habits, so if they want to change their children, they should worry about themselves first, then maybe the children will come around too. Sometimes you don’t really need to change something at all, and you might eventually start loving the little quirks and imperfections in people c:

Poem

It smelled like spring in my hometown

And everything looked the same

Even though the leaves were turning brown

I saw faces but knew no name

I found a road to walk on

It lead to a crossroad but I was scared

To walk further, to have to walk a marathon

Scared of all people the who wouldn't have cared

I found a road to walk on

But I didn't walk it

No Man is an Island - working with poetry and song lyrics

In the poem "No Man is an Island" by John Donne, he says that "No man is an island, entire to itself". By this, he means that no man is alone, and is part of a society with other people, like a piece of a continent belongs to the rest of the world. John also says that since he's part of the same society, any death will affect both him and the rest of the world. What would happen if half a continent was suddenly gone? Everybody would notice. In the same way, everybody knows when a man dies; funeral bells will toll.

In the song "I Am A Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel, they sing "I am a rock, I am an island", and later that "A rock feels no pain, and a island don't cry". The person this song is about, has shut himself from the world. He says he doesn't need either friendship or love, just his books and poetry. He can never get hurt if he never gets close to people.

"You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry And The Pacemakers says that, well, you'll never walk alone. As long as you have hope in your heart, and isn't afraid of the dark. By this, they mean it gets better. You may have to take some chances, but as long as you look forward, things will lighten up. No one will give up on you.

These three texts are all about your place in the world. While "I Am A Rock" is about the negative sides in society, "No Man is an Island" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" focus more about the positive things.

I liked "I Am A Rock" best of the two songs. It can be relatable when you just want to shut the world out and read a book. If you get hurt, it's understandable that you're afraid of getting close to people again after that, and block all feelings.

First entry c:

Hey!
This is the blog for my english class, where I will post whenever I get a task or something. Hope you'll enjoy it!