To the ends of the Earth

 

“My biggest fear in life is regret. I follow my curiosity, my instinct, as it tells me to go to the ends of the earth. There’s an insatiable desire in me to explore with a camera in hand to try and capture a fleeting moment that encapsulates the soul of that place”  Meet Canon Master and extreme sports photographer Krystle Wright  HERE

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

• My biggest fear in life is regret
• Try and capture a fleeting moment
• Adventure sports photographer
• It’s a lifestyle that I live and breathe
• Photography changed my perception of the world
• Hanging off cliffs
• Trudging through the rain
• Capture something unique
• You can call me a nomad
• Seeking out what lies over the next horizon
• Adventure is best shared with friends
• I’m a blend of inspiration, creativity and insanity
• Frozen to the core that even my bones felt cold
• There is risk to what I do
• But why? Because it makes me feel alive
• If you follow what you love it will not lead you astray
• It continues to be one incredible life with no regrets

Lexical Chunks #2

  

Read more @ British Council

Teaching Lexical Chunks

 “A Lexical Chunk is a unit of language which is made up of two or more words.

Here are a few examples of lexical chunks :

Good morning.
Nice to see you!
What’s the time?

Other lexical chunks can include phrasal verbs‏‎, idioms, collocation‏‎s and so on.

Lexical chunks are the common coinage of English. They’re the bread and butter, the everyday and the mundane. They’re the reliable standards around which we can hang poetic and emotive language.

How will you save the drop ?

Watch the following video :

soulpancake

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

• A severe drought
• Stop a leaking faucet
• A serious problem
• I did what I could
• This is our world and we should try to make it better for everyone
• It’s imperative that we do these things

Learn Vocabulary in Chunks and not in isolation

I’d like to share an interesting article I read on the site New Indian Express

written byDr Albert P’ Rayan/ Chennai, [rayanal@yahoo.co.uk], published: 25th May 2015

Learn Vocabulary in Chunks and not in Isolation

In traditional classrooms, the focus has always been on teaching words in isolation. As a result, learners know the meanings of many words but they do not know how to use the words appropriately in context. Of late, enhancing learners’ knowledge of chunks of language is emphasised.

What are chunks? Chunks are groups of words or fixed expressions. When we speak or write, we use a lot of phrases, such as by the way, for example, as a result, on the other hand, a kind of, a lot of, at the moment, I mean, you know, at the end of the day, etc. These groups of words or phrases are called chunks of language. Why should learners be taught words in chunks? Research has proved that those who learn vocabulary in chunks learn a language better than those who learn words in isolation. Learners retain vocabulary better when they learn chunks.

Michael Lewis, known for advocating the lexical approach to language teaching, says that native speakers of any language have memorised hundreds of chunks to produce fluent and accurate speech. It is important to expose learners to real communication or authentic speech exchanges in order to help them develop their communication skills.

Knowledge of individual words is essential but what is more important and useful is the knowledge of how to use the words in appropriate contexts. Take the word ‘take’ for example. This word has over a hundred different meanings though the basic meaning is ‘to move something or somebody from one place to another’.

When ‘take’ collocates with different nouns, the meaning of ‘take’ in each ‘take+noun’ collocation is different. Look at these examples: take a bus, take a minute, take a test, take advice, take steps, take offense, take pity, take cover, take heart, take the axe to. Here are the meanings of some of the above ‘take’ collocations:

• take offence: to feel upset because of something someone has said or done

• take pity: to show sympathy for someone because they are in a bad situation

• take the axe to something: to make drastic cuts, particularly in workforce

In the English language there are many phrases and idioms in which the word ‘all’ is part of them. Here are some of the set phrases with ‘all’ and their meanings:

• all balled up: stuck or confused…

• all day long: during the length of the entire day…

• all set: ready: prepared

• all shot to hell: broken; damaged

• all skin and bones: too thin

Chunks appear in many ways: as collocations and idioms, in set phrases (good luck, all the best) and in ‘discourse markers’ (‘as far as I know, by the way).

Source : New Indian Express – Education

Are you a Freeskier?

Watch the following video :

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

I believe in my heart

The support network I have

I’m not a Ski racer I’m a Freeskier

This is my dream. This is what I want to do

And I’m not going to be fully satisfied until I give an honest effort to it

We ended up in a different valley

That ski experience is amazing

You kind of meet up with these people throughout the year

You just hear these legendary stories

We go through the trees..

I have not seen the sun very much this year and I’m not complaining cause..

It has been an insanely amazing year, best, best skiing year of my life

Are you a Trail Hunter?

Watch the following video :

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

A Trail Hunter

People just want to share their trail, share the spots they’ve been to

You ride the wave when you get on the road

For years I’ve been hearing rumors about the trail in the Pacific North West

It’s really only a border crossing away

People are telling you, you’ve got to go here man, check this out, it’s so cool

Road trip freedom

Is this real life

That is pure glory

Wild Horses in Iceland

Watch the following video :

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

It’s very interesting to stay out here in Norway and feel how the horse is relaxed and has enough to eat

The freedom, mountains, how much they can move, that is why they become this special character

We drive them to the mountains and we leave them for the summer

We allow them to be totally free

In the fall, the owners collect them; they go to the highlands and take them back

It’s one of the best weekends of the year

I’ve been riding more than half my life

To breed horses in the future

Our horses go together

Riding a good horse in perfect conditions, you really can’t describe with words, the freedom of that moment and the perfection and the feelings you have

An Ice Climber

Professional climber and one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year, Will Gadd, took ice climbing to new heights by being the first person ever to ascend the frozen sections of the world’s largest flowing waterfall, Niagara Falls.

Watch the following video :

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

This is Niagara Falls

It’s the largest waterfall in the world

A second ripping off the edge

It’s real

This is the first time in history that anybody has had a permit to go ice climbing there

Temperatures will continue to drop

I haven’t fallen off in 30 years of ice climbing

I’d like to get one more day where I don’t fall off

I’ll be honest I’ve got butterflies (in my stomach)

It’s never going to freeze totally

There is a lot of water flying around here, it builds up and then it breaks

There was no guarantee that this would work

I’m an ice climber, you know that is what I do, I travel all over the world and climb frozen waterfalls

I just climbed the absolute biggest burliest coolest waterfall in the whole world Niagara Falls

The iPad Magician

Watch the following video :

Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :

He can make a spider crawl out of his screen

Make an iPad fly like a balloon

Has “ wowed” crowds around the world

I love doing tricks

I can bring it out of the screen

I can easily change it

It’s different from traditional magic

Digital illusions

He has already mastered some classic magic skills, like slide of hand

He works with a Software Developer, to plan his tricks in minute detail

The art of digital magic

His career took off in 2002 when he was named German Magic Champion

I set myself a goal

I was travelling around America with a friend

Our car kept breaking down

I wanted to be on TV with millions of people watching my tricks

Has been posting videos on YouTube, they have been viewed my millions of people

He is known as the iPad Wizard on Social Media Sites

Weird and wonderful new tricks

Even in the digital age people are still fascinated by the power of magic

Another iPad Magic Trick (fastest selfie ever)

Video: