First we translated a German text into English and compared it in class. Then we did an exercise in which we had to spot mistakes in an English text and correct them. Towards the end of the lesson we compared the exercises about modal verbs that we had to do for homework.

We continued discussing the use of modal verbs. We did some exercises about modal verbs and also talked about some of the rules concerning them. I learned that you can use could or be able to when you talk about a general ability, but you can only use be able to when you talk about a specific achievement. Similarly, to say that someone had general permission to do something, you can use could or was/ were allowed to, while when you talk about permission for one particular past action, you can only use be allowed to.

Later we discussed how we could translate modal verbs into German.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

In this talk, Ken Robinson talks about reforming the education system. He claims that there is a crisis of human resources because we make poor use of our talents. Most people have no idea what their talents are, and they do not enjoy what they are doing. On the other hand, there are only a few people who really love their work and could not imagine doing anything else. The explanation for this situation might lie in our education system because it fails to help people to discover their talents.   

In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to revolutionize the education system. However, this is very difficult because it means challenging what we take for granted. Many of our ideas and beliefs developed under the circumstances of past centuries, but they cannot meet the challenges of the present.

One of these ideas is the concept of linearity in education.        This means that children start school at a certain point, follow a predetermined track, and in the end they are prepared for their whole lives. However, this does not work because people’s talents develop over time as they have to meet new challenges.

Another problem is that our society is very focused on making every student go to college, even though they might have other talents. Ken Robinson once met a man who had decided as a kid that he wanted to become a fireman. His teacher did not take this seriously and told him that he was throwing his life away. However, he still became a fireman and later saved his teacher’s life when he was involved in a car accident. This shows that our society depends on a diversity of talents, and not on all people doing the same.

Mr. Robinson compares the current education system to fast food, which is standardized and therefore cannot provide individuals with the things they need. The school system fails to generate passion for any work in children.

Because of this, we should change from an industrial system, based on linearity and conformity, to an agricultural system, in which people understand that, like a farmer, they have to create the right conditions under which human talents can flourish. One way to do this would be personalizing education, so that students can develop their own solutions to problems with the help of a teacher, based on a personalized curriculum.

First we finished the exercise called “Translation at sentence level”. Then we compared the exercises on modal verbs that we had to do for homework. It was good to revise the use of modals because I had forgotten some of the rules.

First Mrs. Burkert gave us our midterm exams back, and we compared them in class. Later we finished the exercise on countable and mass nouns, in which we had to translate German sentences into English.

mumble- to say something too quietly or not clearly enough, so that other people cannot understand you- He bumped into someone and mumbled an apology. A woman in the corner was mumbling to herself.

mutter- to speak quietly and in a low voice that is not easy to hear, often when you are worried or complaining about something- He muttered something under his breath to the person next to him.

murmur- to say something in a soft quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly- The girl murmured something polite, and smiled.

without a murmur- without even a small complaint- For once the children went to bed without a murmur.

raise your voice- to speak loudly or shout because you are angry- You’ll have to raise your voice a bit because she’s a little hard of hearing. We told him not to raise his voice to our children.

yell- to shout something or make a loud noise, usually when you are angry, in pain or excited- Our neighbours were yelling at each other this morning. The child yelled out in pain.

roar- to shout something in a deep powerful voice- ‘get out of my house!’ he roared. The crowd roared in delight.

chatter- to talk for a long time about things that are not important- He’s been chattering away on the phone all morning.

nag- to criticize or complain often in an annoying way- Nadia’s been nagging me to fix the lamp. She keeps nagging me about my weight.

bicker- to argue about things which are not important (disapproving)- They’re always bickering with each other about/ over their personal problems.

slag sb off- to criticize someone (British English, informal)- I hate the way Ian is always slagging people off behind their backs.

butter sb up- to be very kind or friendly to someone or try to please them, so that they will do what you want them to do (informal)- you’ll have to butter them up a bit before they’ll agree.

lisp- a fault in the way someone speaks which makes them pronounce ‘s’ sounds as ‘th’- I was teased a lot at school because I spoke with a lisp.

stammer- a speech problem which makes someone speak with a lot of pauses and repeated sounds- He hates speaking in front of people because he’s got a really bad stammer.

stutter- to speak or say something, especially the first part of a word, with difficulty, for example pausing before it or repeating it several times- She stutters a bit, so let her finish what she’s saying.

slur- to speak unclearly without separating your words or sounds correctly- She was slurring her words as if she was drunk.

tongue-tied- unable to talk in a relaxed way because you feel nervous or embarrassed- When adults spoke to her, she became tongue-tied and shy.

Unit 95: Phrasal verbs 3

miss out- to not have te chance to do something that you enjoy and that would be good for you- Don’t miss out on the fantastic bargains in our summer sale.

do away with sth- to get rid of something or stop using something- These ridiculous rules and regulations should have been done away with years ago.

have it in for sb- to be determined to harm or criticize someone (informal)- The sales manager really seems to have it in for her new secretary.

catch up- to spend time finding out what has been happening while you have been away or during the time you have not seen someone- Why don’t you come round for a cup of coffee this evening and we can catch up with all the gossip.

get round to sth- to do something that you have intended to do for a long time (British English)- I’ve been meaning to tidy my desk for ages, but I just never got round to it.

go down with sth/ come down with sth- to start to suffer from an infectious disease – Half of Martha’s class has gone down with flu.

take sth out on sb- to treat someone badly when you are angry or upset, even though it is not their fault- Don’t take it out on me just because you’ve had a bad day.

pick up- if a situation picks up, it improves- The economy is finally beginning to pick up again.

branch out- to start doing something different from the work or activities that you normally do- Profits were falling until the bookstore branched out into selling CDs.

be snowed under- to have more work than you can deal with (informal)- I found myself snowed under with work.

bottom out- if a situation, price etc. bottoms out, it stops getting worse or lower, usually before improving again- There are signs that the recession has bottomed out. House prices fell steeply earlier this year, but now they seem to have bottomed out.

cheer up- to become less sad, or to make someone feel less sad- She was ill, so I sent her some flowers to cheer her up.

chill out- to relax completely, or not allow things to upset you (informal)- I’m just chilling out in front of the TV.

worked up- upset or very excited about something (informal)- You shouldn’t get so worked up about it.

simmer down- to become calm again after you have been very angry (informal)- We decided she needed some time to simmer down.

be/ get carried away- to become so excited about something that you do not control what you say or do- There’s far too much food – I’m afraid I got a bit carried away.

open up- to start to talk more about yourself and your feelings- Knowing that I wouldn’t tell anyone else, Susanna opened up to me a little.

take sb aback- to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know how to behave for a short time- The news really took us aback. I was a little taken aback at the directness of the question.

bubble over- to be very excited and enthusiastic- She was bubbling over with excitement/ enthusiasm.

reminisce- to talk or think about pleasant events in your past- My grandfather used to reminisce about his years in the navy.

 see sth through rose-tinted spectacles/ glasses- to see only the pleasant things about a situation and not notice the things that are unpleasant (British English)- She’s always looked at life through rose-tinted glasses.

disgrace- the loss of other people’s respect because you have done something they strongly disapprove of- He brought disgrace on the whole team by falsifying the results. They were sent home in disgrace.

rue- to wish that you had not done something (= regret) (literary)-  She’ll rue the day (that) she bought that house.

lament- to express sadness and feeling sorry about something- My grandmother, as usual, lamented the decline in moral standards in today’s society.

Unit 85: Lexical strategies for speaking

the thing is- used when you are going to explain something, give the reason for something, or give your opinion (spoken)- The ting is, I have to hand the essay in by tomorrow morning.

for one thing- used to give one reason for something- “Why won’t you come to New York with me?” “For one thing, I don’t like flying, and for another, i can’t afford it.”

 make a big thing of/ out of sth- to make something seem more important than it really is- You can apologize without making a big thing out of it.

have a thing about sb/ sth- to like or dislike someone or something very much, often without a good reason (informal)- She’s got a thing about spiders – she won’t touch them. 

get it together- to make a decision or take positive action in your life (informal)- Brian has really got it together since I last saw him – he has started a teaching course and lost a lot of weight.

bags of sth- a lot of something (spoken, especially Britsh English)- No need to rush, we’ve got bags of time.

oodles of sth- a large amount of something (informal)- They can afford to go on exotic holidays as they’ve got oodles of money.

umpteen- very many; a lot (of) (informal)- I’ve tried phoning her umpteen times, but she never seems to be at home.

a touch of sth- a small amount of something- There was a touch of irony/ humour in her voice.

present company excepted- used to show that a criticism or a rude remark does not refer to the people you are talking to- People here just don’t know how to dress, present company excepted.

We did some exercises on conditionals. Later we read a German text about the role of women in society and had to summarize it in English.

May 12th, 2010

First we had our midterm exam. Then we did some exercises on countable and mass nouns. I learned a few new countable and mass nouns in German and in English.

fish for compliments- to try to make someone say something nice about you- He asked us what we thought of his suit, but he was really only fishing for compliments.

take sth as a compliment- to be pleased about what someone says about you, even though they may not mean to be nice- They all seem to think that I ask rather cheeky questions, which I’ll take as a compliment.

back-handed compliment- a remark that seems to say something pleasant for a person but could also be an insult (British English)

double-edged- describes something that acts in two ways, often with one negative and one positive effect- She paid me the double-edged compliment of saying my work was “excellent for a beginner”.

praise- to express admiration or approval about the achievements or characteristics of a person or thing- He was highly praised for his research on heart disease. The mayor praised the rescue teams for their courage.

sing the praises of sb/ sth- to praise someone or something- The newspapers have been singing the praises of Italy’s new star player.

shower sb with sth- to give someone a lot of presents or praise- His boss showered him with praise.

damn sb with faint praise- to praise someone so slightly that it suggests you do not really admire them

pay tribute to sb/ sth- to praise someone or something- The minister paid tribute to the men who had fought the blaze.

standing ovation- when the people in an audience stand up to clap at the end of a performance or speech because they liked it very much- She received a standing ovation at the end of her speech.

extol- to praise something or someone very much (formal)- His book extolling the benefits of vegetarianism sold thousands of copies. She is forever extolling the virtues of her children.

be the toast of Broadway/ Hollywood etc.- to be very popular and praised by many people for something you have done in a particular field of work- A few months ago hardly anyone had heard of her, but now she’s the toast of Hollywood.

pat sb on the back- to praise someone for doing something good- My teacher patted me on the back for my good marks on the maths test.

plaudits- praise and admiration (formal)- The exhibition earned plaudits from all the major reviewers.

laud- to praise someone or something (formal)- The Prime Minister has lauded the new peace initiative.

flatter- to praise someone in order to please them or get something from them, even though you do not mean it- He flattered her with comments about her youthful appearance.

crawl- to try hard to please in order to get an advantage (informal, disapproving)- He crawled to the group leader because he wanted a promotion.

suck up to sb- to try to make someone who is in authority approve of you by doing and saying things that will please them (informal, disapproving)- He’s always sucking up to the boss.

lick sb’s boots- to try very hard to please someone in authority, usually in order to get an advantage (informal)

smarmy- polite in an insincere way (informal, disapproving)- She was trying to be friendly, but she just seemed smarmy and insincere.

slimy- friendly in an unpleasant way that does not seem sincere (informal, disapproving)- He was the very worst sort of slimy salesman.

servile- too eager to serve and please someone else in a way that shows you do not have much respect for yourself (disapproving)- As a waiter you want to be pleasant to people without appearing totally servile.

obsequious- too eager to praise or obey someone (formal, disapproving)- she is almost embarrassingly obsequious to anyone in authority.

Unit 79: Promises and bets

promise sb the earth/ moon- to say that you will do much greater things than you will ever be able to achieve (informal)- Like most governments in their first term of office, they promised the earth.

oath- 1. a formal and very serious promise- Medieval knights took an oath of allegiance/ loyalty to their lord.

2. a formal promise to tell the truth in a court of law- The judge reminded the witness that she was under oath. Witnesses are required to take the oath.

somebody could have sworn (that9…- used to say that someone was sure about something but now they think they were wrong- I could have sworn I left my purse on the table.

swear by sth- to have great confidence in how good or effective something is- My dad swears by these vitamin pills.

pledge- to make a serious or formal promise to give or do something- We are asking people to pledge their support for our campaign. if you join the armed forces, you have to pledge allegiance to your country. Both sides have pledged to end the fighting.

vow- to make a determined decision or promise to do something- The guerillas vowed (that they would overthrow the government. He vowed to discover who had killed his father.

turn over a new leaf- to start behaving in a better way- Apparently he’s turned over a new leaf and he’s not smoking any more.

keep/ break a promise- to do or fail to do something you promised- If I make a promise, I like to keep it.

bet- to risk money on the result of a race, game, competition, or other future event- She bet all her money on a horse that came last. I wouldn’t bet against him winning the championship this year.

stake (noun)- money that you risk as the result of a horse race, card game etc.- For a dollar stake, you can win up to one million dollars.

stake (verb)- to risk losing something that is valuable or important to you on the result of something- Jim staked his whole fortune on one card game.

wager- to risk money by guessing the result of something (=bet)- I’ll wager you £5 that they’ll get there first.

your best bet- to be the best decision or choice (spoken)- Your best bet is to put an advert in the local newspaper.

Don’t bet on it/ I wouldn’t bet on it- used to tell someone that you think something is unlikely to be true or to happen (informal)- He said he’d be finished by tomorrow, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

flutter- a small bet, usually on a horse race (British English, informal)- My granny enjoys having a flutter on the horses.

http://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks.html

In this talk, Nicholas Christakis explains how we are affected by social networks. He got interested into this field of study when he worked as a hospice doctor. He had one patient who suffered from dementia, and her daughter cared for her. After a while, the daughter became exhausted from caring for her mother. This feeling spread to her husband and even to a friend of her husband.

From that time on Nicholas Christakis studied social networks. He tried to figure out if obesity could spread through social networks, and he realized that this was possible. This can be caused by the fact that people often copy the behaviour of their friends or their attitudes. If someone has obese friends, they might also start eating more, or their norms of which body size is acceptable might change.

Nicholas Christakis applies the same principles to emotions such as happiness and anger and explains that these feelings can spread through social networks. One example for this is that if someone smiles at them, most people instinctively smile back. 

Then he looks closer at the structure of social networks and explains that the position a person occupies in a network is partly encoded in their genes.

He concludes that social networks are valuable for our society because they are more than just the sum of the individuals in them. He believes that these networks form a kind of superorganism, like a pack of wolves that works together to bring down larger prey. He also thinks that these networks are essential for spreading good things like love and happiness.