COMPARATIVES & SUPERLATIVES

ADJECTIVES:

http://www.bluehill-esl.com/uploads/comparatives_and_superlatives.pdf

http://www.autoenglish.org/basic/gr.comp.pdf

http://clasejoseangel.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/comparative-and-superlative-grammar-guide.pdf

http://www.redevalorizar.azores.gov.pt/redevalorizar/Portals/0/Documentacao/Ingl%C3%AAs%203%C2%BACiclo%20e%20Secund%C3%A1rio%20-%20Grammar%20study%20-%20Comparative%20and%20Superlative%20Adjectives.pdf

http://www.k12reader.com/adverbs/Adverb20_Comparative_Superlative_Practice_II.pdf

http://ies1libertas.edu.gva.es/departamentos/ingles/PDFs/segundo/ecomsu2e1.pdf

http://www.grammarnet.com/ghtml/exercise12/_nov2012.pdf

http://www.edu.xunta.es/centros/iesblancoamorculleredo/system/files/comparison.pdf

http://centros4.pntic.mec.es/~deprac15/iglessandra/sexto/EXTRAS%20DE%20SEXTO/EXTRA2.pdf

http://www.english-zone.com/teach/pdf-files/comparatives.pdf

http://www.fundacionloyola.org/pc/Y83/descargas/Uno/Id/T16671/COMPARATIVE++AND+SUPERLATIVES.pdf

http://www.mysterycove.ch/game/files/resources/grammar/grammar_comparative_and_superlative.pdf

http://autoenglish.org/basic/gr.comp2.pdf

http://www.onestopenglish.com/esol/esol-lesson-plans/pdf-content/cambridge-esol-skills-for-life-comparatives-and-superlatives-lesson-plan/146924.article

http://www.almablasco.es/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/COMPARATIVES-AND-SUPERLATIVES-AND-EXERCISES.pdf

http://www.reformedmonasticism.net/uploads/3/4/0/1/3401675/comparatives_and_superlatives.pdf

http://www.pi-schools.gr/books/dimotiko/english_e/math/s_84_94.pdf

ADVERBS:

http://eoimanresa.xtec.cat/eoimanresa/moodle/ANGLES/3/ANGELS/Unit3/Grammar/Comparatives_superlatives/Comp_super_ADVERBS_and_KEY.pdf

http://www.k12reader.com/adverbs/Adverb19_Comparative_Superlative_Practice.pdf

http://flightline.highline.edu/writingcenter/handouts/comparative-superlative.pdf

https://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/zb/zaner-bloser/strategiesforwriters/tests/pdf/lvl_e_l40.pdf

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/adverbs-comparative-superlative1.pdf

http://teacherweb.com/NJ/ValleyMiddleSchool-Oakland/MrBlanken/Comparative_Superlative_Adverbs.pdf

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/adverbs-comparative-superlative2.pdf

http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/language_arts/speech/adverbs/ad6.pdf

Adjectives and adverbs from Elena De Freitas

JUMBLE:

http://eoimanresa.xtec.cat/eoimanresa/moodle/ANGLES/3/JUDIT/UNIT%203/GRAMMAR/Comp_super_adj_adv/Compa_super_adj_adv_with_KEY.pdf

http://universitycollege.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/WritingWorksheet-UsingAdj_Adverbs.pdf

http://elt.oup.com/elt/students/thinkenglishitaly3level/pdf/te3_int_entcheck_03.pdf

http://www.losmedanos.edu/core/documents/AdjectiveandAdverbs.pdf

http://www.samos.aegean.gr/english/EnglishLanguage/Group1_Grammar/PdfFiles/grammar_5.pdf

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - ESPERANZA SPALDING

BUNGHOLE OF THE WEEK: TO CUT THE MUSTARD

This phrase is from a metaphor where the mustard is something that adds flavor or zest to life, something that is good. Something that cuts the mustard is very good.

The phrase dates at least 1898. From the Decator, Illinois Herald Despatch of 6 April of that year:

John J. Graves, tight but that he can’t cut the mustard.

Mustard has a long history of being used as a metaphor for something powerful or biting. First in a negative context, as in John Heywood’s A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue (1546):

Where her woordes seemd hony,...Now are they mustard.

And somewhat later in a positive sense. From James Howell’sLexicon Tetraglotton (1659):

As strong as Mustard.

The origin of the cut portion of the phrase is uncertain. It could be a reference to cutting a mustard seed, a very difficult task. Or it could be a conflation with a cut above, to cut the mustard is to be better than mustard.

The phrase is also rendered as to be the mustard and it’s very similar to keen as mustard.

Various explanations that it is a corruption of a military phrase to cut muster or that mustard is a difficult crop to harvest have no evidence to support them.

From: http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/cut_the_mustard/

CRUCIFY YOUR MIND

Was it a huntsman or a player
That made you pay the cost
That now assumes relaxed positions
And prostitutes your loss?
Were you tortured by your own thirst
In those pleasures that you seek
That made you Tom the curious
That makes you James the weak?

And you claim you got something going
Something you call unique
But I've seen your self-pity showing
As the tears rolled down your cheeks

Soon you know I'll leave you
And I'll never look behind
'Cos I was born for the purpose
That crucifies your mind
So con, convince your mirror
As you've always done before
Giving substance to shadows
Giving substance ever more

And you assume you got something to offer
Secrets shiny and new
But how much of you is repetition
That you didn't whisper to him too

SIXTO RODRIGUEZ

http://sugarman.org/coldretro.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDar07TEMuo

INVERSION FOR EMPHASIS

Inversion from alan murray

http://www.grammarnet.com/gdownload/pdf/advanced/aexe1.pdf

http://www.grammarnet.com/gdownload/pdf/advanced/aexe2.pdf

http://www.grammarnet.com/gdownload/pdf/advanced/aexe3.pdf

http://www.grammarnet.com/gdownload/pdf/advanced/aexe4.pdf

http://www.grammarnet.com/gdownload/pdf/advanced/aexe5.pdf

http://www.eoioviedo.org/anacarmen/inversion/PRACTICE%20ON%20INVERSION.pdf

http://easyenglish.netai.net/docs/grammar/Inversions.pdf

THATCHER

BUNGHOLE OF THE WEEK: LAME DUCK

MEANING

A person or thing that isn't properly able to function, especially one that was previously proficient.

   ORIGIN

The description of 'lame duck' is often applied to politicians who are known to be in their final term of office, when colleagues and electors look toward a successor. It is also sometimes used to describe office-holders who have lost an election but have not yet left office.

In recent years (as of 2006) both George W. Bush and Tony Blair, unable to see out further electoral victories, have been faced with such mutterings, for example:

In May 2006, The Washington Post ran an article titled 'Bush's Political Capital Spent', including the opinion:

"Such weakness has unleashed the first mutterings of those dreaded second-term words, 'lame duck'."

In April 2006, The [London] Times ran an article titled:

"Is Blair a 'lame-duck' Prime Minister?"

US presidents have long suffered this fate, partly due to the electoral rules in America, which limit the number of terms that a president may serve, and the USA is where the phrase originates when applied to politicians. The Congressional Globe entry for 14 January 1863 has:

In no event could it be justly obnoxious to the charge of being a receptacle of ‘lame ducks’ or broken down politicians.

Historians now describe various 19th century US presidents as 'lame ducks'. The first such description of a US president I can find which was written while he was still in office isn't until 1926 though, and relates to Calvin Coolidge. The Wisconsin newspaper, the Appleton Post-Crescent ran a piece titled, 'Making a lame duck of Coolidge', in May 1926:

"... the voting in other Republican states should hinge pretty largely on the issue whether Mr. Coolidge shall be permitted to become a lame duck president for the final two years of his term."

The actual origin of the term is nothing to do with politics though and is quite specific in meaning. It comes from the London Stock Market and referred to investors who were unable to pay their debts. In Horace Walpole'sLetters to Sir Horace Mann, 1761, we have:

"Do you know what a Bull, and a Bear, and a Lame Duck are?"

In 1771, David Garrick, in Prologue to Foote's Maid of Bath wrote:

"Change-Alley bankrupts waddle out lame ducks!"

In 1772, the Edinburgh Advertiser included:

"Yesterday being the settling day for India stock, the bulls had a balance to pay to the bears to the amount of 23 per cent. Only one lame duck waddled out of the alley, and that for no greater a sum than 20,000."

We are still familiar with the terms 'bull market' and 'bear market', referring to rising and falling markets respectively, but 'lame duck' in the specifically stock trading context is now little used.

Why should someone who has no assets be called a 'duck'? Could it be related to the cricketing term, 'out for a duck' - used when a batman is out without scoring any runs? It seems not. That term is much later and refers to the zero on the scoreboard being similar to a duck's egg. First used in 1867, in G. H. Selkirk's Guide to Cricket Grounds:

"If he makes one run he has 'broken his duck's egg'."

From: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/lame-duck.html

NORTHERN IRELAND STREET ART

Transcript:

 

Belfast is a lively and exciting city known for its music, night life and university.

But it was once famous for something which made headlines around the world. Years of conflict known as the Troubles left thousands dead.

One community, who are mostly Protestant Christians, wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. The other community, who are mostly Catholic Christians, wanted it to join up with the Irish Republic. People on the extremes of both sides used violence.

Fortunately, those days are over. But these murals are a reminder of the past. They can be found all over Belfast, painted on walls and houses.

The art showed support for one side or the other and symbolised a divided community. But now many murals are being preserved as an important part of the city’s history. I’ve come to meet Tim McCarthy.

Amandeep: Hi there, Tim. Hello, thanks so much for meeting me.

He has studied the murals and what they can tell us about the history of conflict here.

Amandeep: Tim, can you tell me about images like this?

Tim: Images like this are very common in working-class areas in Northern Ireland.

Amandeep: And what does it tell us about the history of the area?

Tim: Well, this particular community will have felt as if they were under pressure from the other community and therefore it contains a lot of defensive, militaristic kind of imagery.

Amandeep: And what about images from the other community?

Tim: You will find similar imagery, but the symbolism is very slightly different - a different use of colour but the content will be very similar.

Amandeep: And what is Belfast city like now?

Tim: Belfast is very different in the last few years. We’ve had a lot of investment, everyone feels better, feels more relaxed and a lot of the murals that are going up actually reflect this.

.....

New murals are appearing in the city. Many people feel these new images are more appropriate for a community which wants to leave the violent past behind.

People have been working hard to achieve a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Many projects try to bring both sides closer together. Here at the Conway Community Centre, Tim is helping young people develop their skills and produce new artworks.

Young Woman: In Northern Ireland it’s very important for there to be an arts scene. Because instead of violence, instead of expressing yourself through alcohol or drugs, you can turn to the arts scene. It’s safe and it’s a good form of expression.

Young Man 1: I think street art is important for any city because it gives the city a kind of character.

Young Man 2: Without art in a country it would be very dull.

Tim gave me a lesson in his style of street art.

Amandeep: Tim, how significant is the street art scene in Belfast today?

Tim: Well, it is quite small, but it’s growing all the time with the help of the internet obviously, people can see what’s happening globally and they want a little piece of that on their doorstep.

There is a saying that art reflects society. People here are glad that the new art murals reflect a more prosperous and peaceful Northern Ireland.

EXERCISES:

http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/english-skills-practice/video-uk/northern-irelands-street-art

FCE SPEAKING PART

Fce speaking part from Ascension Villalba

WALK AWAY RENEE - BILLY BRAGG

She said it was just a figment of speech
And I said "You mean figure And she said "No, figment
Because she could never imagine it happening. But it did

When we first met I played the Shy boy
When she spoke to me for the first time my nose began to bleed
She guessed the rest

The next day we went on a bus ride to the ferry
And when nobody came to collect our fares
Well I knew then this was something special
I couldn't stop thinking about her
And every time I switched on the radio
There was somebody else singing a song about the two of us

It was just like being on a fast ride at the fun fair
The sort you want to get off because it's scary
And then as soon as you're off you want get straight back on again
But all love is strange
And you have to learn to take the crunchy with the smooth I suppose

She began going out with Mr. Potato Head
It was when I saw her in he car park
With his coat around her shoulders that I realized
I went home and thought about the two of them together
Until the bathwater went cold around me
I thought about her eyes and the curve of her breasts
And about the point where their bodies met

I confronted her about it
I said, "I'm the most illegible bachelor in town!" and she said "Yeah that's why I
could never understand any of those silly letters you sent me"
And then one day it happened
She cut her hair and I stopped loving her