IATEFL conference interviews, article and photos

Follow this link to see, hear and read about trends in English Language teaching and more from the IATEFL conference in Cardiff, Wales.
LINK TO ARTICLES AND MORE

The correct lyrics?

There are times when it's difficult even for native speakers to understand what words are being sung in a song. When people sing what they hear rather than the correct lyrics, this is called mondegreen.
A good example of this can be seen on the video of the song "All by myself" which has been changed to "Obama's Elf". Listen to the clip; which words do you hear?
If you want to find the correct lyrics of a song just go to www.youtube.com and write in the title of the song and the word lyrics. E.g. All by myself lyrics.
Many thanks to Jamie Keddie for introducing me to this clip.

Political cartoons

Can anyone think of a good caption for this cartoon?
You can find this and many more at the following website Political cartoons from around the world

Free photo manipulation website

Turn your photos into works of art at Be Funky
Here's a photo of our Ella which has been manipulated in two different ways.

Lost in translation

Russian media have been poking fun at the US secretary of state over a translation error on a gift she presented to her Russian counterpart......
Read on by clicking here to find out what can go wrong if you rely on someone else to translate for you.

Unfortunate names

There is an interesting, light-hearted article on the BBC about how unthoughtful parents can ruin a person's life by giving them names such as:

Pearl Button
Jo King
Barry Cade
Carrie Oakey
Priti Manek
Tim Burr

Link to the article

In preparation for Valentine's Day...

Valentines Day Funnies (what not to say!)

A local newspaper ran a competition asking for a poem with the most romantic first line, but the least romantic second line. Here are some of the entries they received:

I thought that I could love no other
Until, that is, I met your brother.

Roses are red, violets are blue,
sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead,
the sugar bowl’s empty and so is your head.

Of loving beauty you float with grace.
If only you could hide your face.

Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.

I want to feel your sweet embrace
But don’t take that paper bag off of your face.

I love your smile, your face, and your eyes
Damn, I’m good at telling lies!

My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife
Marrying you screwed up my life.

I see your face when I am dreaming
That’s why I always wake up screaming.

My love, you take my breath away.
What have you stepped in to smell this way.

What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.

Words and pictures

Here's a fun way to find the right words.
Go to Merriam Webster's visual dictionary.

The categories at first seem limited, but there are a lot of sub-categories.
The picture shows what you get when you go to plants and gardening - miscellaneous - wheelbarrow.

Have a go - see if you can find any special words for your field of work.

The best job in the world

Ever wondered why you need English? Have a look at the job description here for "The best job in the world". Would you like to apply? Download the application form and check out the tasks and job requirements. Are you tempted yet?

The kind of English you don't really want to aspire to... or, Goodbye George W

"One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."

This wonderful quotation is number 30 in the new list of the top 50 Bushisms
You can read the rest here on George Bush's 50 worst bloopers.