It is useful to compare various versions of a familiar text to see the differences between Old, Middle, and Modern English. Take for instance this Old English (c.1000) sample ( Read more... )

I just received my Letter de Presentation pour etre Assistant D'Anglais en France in the mail. I am going to France in September! Yea! I will be in the Grenoble region, which means FRENCH ALPS (or close to). I will be working with young adults (ages 21+). This means that I should actually have something exciting to put in my live journal ( Read more... )

"...I spent the best part of my losing streak in an army jeep--for what, I can't recall..."

Sheryl Crow
_Leaving Las Vegas_

"...and I won't be back..."

I really don't know how to teach the difference between simple present and present progressive to my students. I am really hating the book for forcing it on them like that. If I had my druthers, I'd have taught simple present, simple past, and simple future--then moved on. I know it is more practical to teach them present progressive--I mean, ( Read more... )

Just finished the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Man, what subversive teenage reading! I *love* the thought of some really innocent church-going teens getting their hands on this stuff! (snicker ( Read more... )

Je suis tres nerveuse parce que je pense que ma petite soeur parle avec notre mere ( Read more... )

So, one of my Chinese students was talking about how, in China, they will eat just about anything: dogs, cats, snakes, etc. I told him that, for most (if not all) Westerners, the idea of eating a dog or cat is just inconceivable. I explained that pets are considered family members and that, when they die, sometimes people will even buy land to ( Read more... )

Artists:

Henri Matisse
Wassily Kandinsky
Sandro Botticelli
M.C. Escher
Vincent Van Gogh

Composers:

Josquin Des Prez
Ludwig van Beethoven
Jean Sibelius
Igor Stravinsky
Dmitri Shostakovich

Writers:

Faulkner
Toni Morrison
Kurt Vonnegut
Um...

So, Cousin Rick had a couple of dogs that would always run out into the road. He was worried that they would be hit by a car so you know what he did? He shot them.

Yep. My thoughts exactly.

Well, I've read _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy (again). I've also read _Kindred_ by Octavia Butler and _The Girl who Played Go_ by Shan Sa. Right now I'm reading the Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman (again) and also _Cousin Bette_ by Balzac (which is going somewhat slowly ( Read more... )