27 Dresses

Movies
Apr 23 2008
Intro
How exciting! Your friend is getting married! And you get to be a bridesmaid! Well, you wouldn’t think so if it was the 27th time one of your friends asked you to be a bridesmaid. You’d probably be pretty tired of planning bridal parties and buying expensive dresses and wondering when it will be your turn to get married.Being a bridesmaid can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a strain on your patience, wallet and time. When Mason and Amanda talk about the movie 27 Dresses about a woman who is a bridesmaid 27 times, it brings up a little bit of frustration.

Listen to streaming audio of this English lesson >

Dialogue

Mason: The whole concept of the movie, right, is “always a bridesmaid, never a bride”...
Amanda: Yeah, ouch.
Mason: It’s like someone took that old saying and made a movie out of it. Is that really true?
Amanda: It’s true and you know what’s really hard about that is the financial implications associated with that. It’s not only the heartache of being right there by your best friend who is the bride over and over again, you’re dropping cash for the dress, the bachelorette party, the shower. People don’t even realize that. So imagine going through that 27 times.
Mason: Huh. I don’t know that they covered that in the movie, but that would be interesting. I was even gonna ask, is it such a big deal to be a bridesmaid? What are the responsibilities? How does that even happen? You ask your best friend to do all this stuff for you because anyone else would kill you by the time they’re done?
Amanda: You know what I don’t understand is what the criteria is for choosing your maid of honor. That’s what I don’t get. Because, to be honest, I’ve been a maid of honor for someone who I really was not close to. So, why?
Mason: Maybe you were the responsible one.
Amanda: Maybe I was the responsible one.
Mason: Maybe they needed someone who can get stuff done.
Amanda: Maybe I was the only one who could afford do this lavish shower and bachelorette party for her.
Mason: Oh…
Amanda: Maybe she wanted someone that looked like me next to her in photographs. I’m just saying. I’m just throwing that out there.
Mason: You were like the rich nanna? Like, she totally just cozied up to you because her rich nanna was gonna give her the pony?
Amanda: I just think it’s weird having been a maid of honor and then the wedding came and after the wedding I never hear from her again.
Mason: There’s no bitterness there.
Amanda: None at all. I’m just saying. Just putting it out there.
Discussion
Mason explains that the movie 27 Dresses is an extreme example of the old saying, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” He asks Amanda how often that happens in real life.She’s not sure, but being a bridesmaid 27 times sounds pretty expensive to her. You usually have to buy a fancy dress and put on a couple of parties for the bride. Mason asks if that’s why your head bridesmaid, or maid of honor, is usually your best friend. No one else would be willing to do all that stuff for you.But Amanda says that she was a maid of honor for someone she wasn’t all that close to one time. She’s not sure why she was selected, but after the wedding she never heard from the bride again. Mason senses that Amanda is a little bitter about the situation but she denies it.Have you ever been a bridesmaid or a best man? Is there a role for the best friend of the bride in the wedding customs of your country?

Vocab Quiz

Why is the movie called 27 Dresses?
It's about a dress shop.
It's about a woman who is in 27 weddings as a bridesmaid.
It is about about a woman who is married 27 times.
It's about 27 brides.

Before a wedding, a woman has a...
...bridesmaid.
...maid of honor.
...bachelorette party.

What does Amanda think sounds like the worst part about being a bridesmaid 27 times?
The heartache.
The work.
The expense.
She thinks it sounds great

http://www.englishbaby.com/lessons/4510/movies/27_dresses

At the zoo

A polar bear cub eats a fish as he just woke up after winter sleeping at a zoo. Some of Canada's polar bear populations risk being wiped out within four decades because of climate change and human activity including hunting, the World Wide Fund For Nature warned Sunday.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//080421/ids_photos_en/r334610251.jpg/#photoViewer=/080420/photos_ca_afp/99589fee0628799fd6ff6c423b109e4b

O enigma das frações

Jogos

Com este jogo, seus alunos vão refletir sobre os diferentes conceitos de fração. Leia também o encarte especial sobre o tema.

Faça o download do jogo Enigma das Frações (arquivo .zip)

http://revistaescola.abril.com.br/multimidia/pag_jogos/gal_jogos_276194.shtml

Matemática é D+! - Campo Aditivo - 1ª série

Mismo

Este adverbio proviene del latín ipse, con idéntico significado. El lector podrá preguntarse, con legítima curiosidad, dónde está la semejanza que permite tal derivación. Intentaremos explicarlo en las próximas líneas. En la Edad Media, el ipse del latín clásico recibió la forma enfática ipsimus, posteriormente unida a la partícula met, que se empleó para reforzar el significado de los pronombres personales. En el lenguaje oral, adoptaba también la forma med. Así, egomet y tumet significaban, respectivamente, ‘yo mismo’, ‘tú mismo’. De esta manera se formó medipsimus, que en castellano dio lugar a meesmo y meísmo, hasta evolucionar a la forma actual, que ya aparece en el Cantar de Mio Cid. En regiones rurales de algunos países hispanohablantes, se mantiene hasta hoy la forma arcaica mesmo, que prevaleció también en el portugués moderno.

http://www.elcastellano.org

Talking about trade

Go to lesson
Are you interested in international trade? International trade is very important for the economy of every country in the world.

Choose the correct answer. "Import" means:
1. to bring in goods from a foreign country
2. selling a product
3 carry goods to another country
4. a good meal

Musical instruments

Do you need a lively, fun activity to get your tired students motivated? Try out this exercise for learning (or revising) vocabulary relating to the musical instruments in an orchestra.

Download now

Homes

Revise and extend your students' vocabulary relating to homes and highlight some differences between British and American English with this lesson plan and photocopiable worksheet. This lesson plan is based on the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 7th edition — the world's best-selling advanced learner's dictionary.

Download now

Tortícolis - torcicolo

Término médico empleado en español desde mediados del siglo XIX para referirse a las contracturas que ocurren en los músculos de la nuca y que impiden girar la cabeza u obligan a permanecer con el cuello torcido. Proviene del italiano torti colli (cuellos torcidos), que también dio lugar al término portugués torcicolo, de idéntico significado.

English for Making Plans with Friends

Go to lesson.

Adriana and Helli try to arrange to meet for lunch.

Choose the correct answer. "Can I take a rain check?" means
1. Is it raining?
2. Can I pay with a check?
3 Can I reschedule?
4. How much is the bill?

Put me in my place

Slang
Quote
“They put me in my place.”- Beyonce Knowles, singer and actress, on how her family raised her.
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Meaning
to remind you you’re not as important as you think you are

Use
Beyonce Knowles is a diva, but she still has a kind heart and good perspective about her fame. Her family made sure of that! They put her in her place from the moment she got famous. And it worked because Beyonce understands that she is not the most important person in the world.In 2006, she took a part in Dreamgirls, a movie about a girl band. And we all know Beyonce can sing, but in the movie she toned down her voice to play a back-up singer for American Idol’s Jennifer Hudson. She didn’t let her ego get in the way. She was humble. A role she learned from being put in her place by her family.Honestly, though, Beyonce has a right to feel important. It would be hard for someone to put her in her place these days. Her life seems perfect with a new album coming up and marriage to rapper Jay-Z.

Examples
“I am glad you told her the truth. You put her in her place.”“He is being so mean to the customers. Someone needs to put him in his place!”

http://www.englishbaby.com/lessons/4500/slang/put_me_in_my_place

Award

In this episode, The Teacher gives his response to some of the idioms sent in by BBC Learning English users.

The Teacher (MP4 - 22 MB)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1153_videoenglish_re/

Garfield

Moving in Together

Ebaby! TV

Eavesdropping
Apr 08 2008

Intro
Remember how long it took for Amanda and Mason to finally get together? Well, things sure are moving quickly now. Marni discovers Amanda hanging up some posters in her new house, but they don’t look like posters Amanda would like…
Video

Dialogue
Listen to streaming audio of this English lesson >

Marni: Can I help you? Do you need some help?
Amanda: I think I got it.
Marni: Are you just decorating, or…
Amanda: No. You know I don’t really like this stuff. This is actually just a taste of Mason, ‘cause we’re moving in together and he’s still on the road, so I’m moving in before him and I just wanted to get it…What? What!?
Marni: Mason and you are moving in together?
Amanda: Well isn’t that the natural step? We kissed that night and we held hands. Isn’t that the next thing?
Marni: No! I mean…
Amanda: I thought that was the American way. You kiss and then you move in. No?
Marni: It seems a little soon to me. I’m just a little surprised. It seems soon. I mean, you just got together and now he’s going to move in. Do you really think that’s a good idea?
Amanda: But what are the disadvantages, I guess? I mean, we can just spend all our waking hours together and I don’t really see anything wrong with that. I mean, we’re so in love, we’re like…you know…
Marni: Hearts over the eyes?
Amanda: Yeah. Why are you hating? Are you jealous because you’re single? What’s going on? What’s the root of it?
Marni: You’re so hostile!
Amanda: I’m sorry, I just don’t understand why no one’s supporting our love.
Marni: I don’t think it’s about not supporting your love. I think it’s about the fact that you just got together and it would be more natural…that’s not a good choice of words…but anyhow, it just seems like you’re kind of really rushing things.
Amanda: So what should we do next?
Marni: Just date!
Amanda: Like, drive across town every night to spend the night? I’m not gonna do that. I want to save gas and be green.
Marni: Well, you could take the bus. I mean, come on. I don’t think it’s about being green. I think it’s about just really being careful and kind of taking things…
Amanda: We use protection.

Discussion
Mason is out of town, but he and Amanda already have a new place. Amanda is putting up his posters so they’ll be there when he gets back.Marni thinks it’s much too soon for Amanda and Mason to move in together, but Amanda thinks she’s just jealous because she doesn’t have a boyfriend (or does she?). But Marni insists that the normal thing to do would be to live in separate places and date for a while, even if that’s a little inconvenient.Do you think Amanda and Mason are moving too fast? They have known each other for a while, so why not move in together if they want to?

Grammar Point
Amanda’s use of “hating” is very informal. You might hear people say, “Don’t hate!” when someone is being mean to them. This verges on slang.

Vocab Quiz

When did Mason and Amanda start seeing each other?
Years ago.
Very recently.
They're just friends.

Amanda thinks that moving in together is the logical next...
...step.
...American way.
...date.

Which does not belong?
disadvantage
inconvenient
a taste

CARTA EN UNA BOTELLA

Lecturas Gominola para niños entre 10 y 12 años.

ISBN: 978-84-9848-037-5

Archivos de muestra:
Portada alta resolución (1,46 MB)
Preliminares e índice (203,76 KB)
Capítulo 5 - páginas 52-55 (0,83 MB)

Niveles de aprendizaje
Desde 300-360 horas de clase

Autores
María Jesús Varela

GOMINOLA es una colección de atractivos cuentos para niños, destinados al aprendizaje de la lengua española. La colección está dividida en cuatro niveles de aprendizaje identificables por colores: rojo, naranja, azul y verde.
Cada lectura se divide en capítulos cortos con un tipo de letra que facilita la lectura y consta de actividades al principio, en medio y al final de las historias. También ofrecen una última parte destinada a señalar las soluciones de las diferentes propuestas de ejercicios.

Argumento de esta lectura:
Es una aventura misteriosa. Es la historia que vive un niño, Martín de Ampiés, y su amigo Bernardo de Breidenbach para descubrir la solución a un horrible problema que tuvieron las personas mayores de Sos del Rey Católico, un pequeño pueblo de España. Animales que hablan, magia, palabras que nadie comprende, palacios antiguos, ...¡Qué miedo! Tú tambien puedes ser nuestro amigo e imaginar cuál fue la salida a este enigma.

Público al que se dirige:
Público infantil con edades comprendidas entre los 10 y los 12 años. Alumnado interesado en adoptar la lengua española así como estudiantes con el idioma español como lengua materna. Esta lectura pertenece al nivel Gominola Verde (desde 300-360 horas de clase, y para lectores nativos de entre 10 y 12 años. Modo Indicativo , Imperativo y Subjuntivo).

Autores: María Jesús Varela Castillo es Licenciada en Filología Hispánica, Profesora de español en el Instituto Cervantes de Lyon y en el Liceo Ombrosa de Lyon. Pedro Tena Tena es Doctor en Filología Hispánica, Responsable académico en el Instituto Cervantes de Lyon.