Archive for May, 2009
Expression: To pull strings
May 30th
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Sometimes it is not easy to get what we want. What we want could be a job or tickets to a really popular show. In these cases, sometimes we can pull strings to get what we want. When people pull some strings, they use power to get what they want. Is it fair to pull strings?
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Maura: Right, the strings really represent the power and the connections to power that you have.
Harp: Exactly.
Maura: Good, you can pull strings, if you have power.
Harp: Exactly. Or someone can pull strings for you if they have power.
Maura: Exactly, it can work in all different ways, depends on who has the power. So what are some examples of where people might pull strings?
Harp: Well, there was that concert I wanted to go to last night.
Maura: OK.
Harp: Well I pulled some strings. I called my friend and he got me some tickets.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Sister72
Sunday Afternoon in Mount Royal Park
May 27th
Last weekend I had a great adventure and learned more about Montreal culture at the same time!
On Sunday afternoon my boyfriend and I took the metro (that’s what we call the subway here in Montreal) over to the stop closest to Mount Royal Park, then walked up the busy street for a few minutes to get to the park. It was a beautiful day and the park was full of people enjoying the sunshine.
Photo by Ryan King
But it isn’t just the sunshine that people go to Mount Royal Park to enjoy. Every Sunday, from early May to late September, there are a couple of special events in the park.
The big event, called the Tamtams, is like a big drumming, music, and dancing party. Lots of people bring their drums and play music, while other people prefer to dance along to the beat, or just sit back and enjoy the music. Anyone who brings a drum is welcome to play, and some people bring other instruments too, like tambourines.
When a group of people get together to play music without a strict plan or rules about who has to play what, we call it a jam session or just a jam. You could say that the Tamtams is one very big jam session!
Photo by Ryan King
The other event we watched at the park was just as interesting as the Tamtams. Further up the hill, under the shade of some trees, a group of people gather every Sunday to do something called live action role playing, or LARP for short. People dress up as medieval warriors and have battles right there in the woods! All of the weapons are made out of foam and duct tape, so nobody gets hurt. From what we saw, it looked like there were two big teams fighting each other. If someone got hit in the arm, they had to hold it behind their back for the rest of the battle. If they got hit in the leg they had to go down onto their knee. The battle was really interesting to watch, and some of the costumes were amazing! Some people were just wearing normal t-shirts and jeans, but some were wearing incredible suits of armor and had huge painted shields to protect them.
Photo by Ryan King
If you’re ever in Montreal on a Sunday afternoon, I highly recommend a visit to Mount Royal Park!
Culture: Harp’s trip to India
May 24th
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Harp recently went on a trip to India with her family. Have you ever been to India? Harp tells us about the weather and the food. She also tells us about shopping in India, because this was a shopping trip with Harp’s two sisters and mom!
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Harp: Oh it is fantastic. It is completely different from North America.
Maura: Oh really?
Harp: Yeah. So I guess if you go to a shopping mall in India or in Delhi or in one of the big cities it’s the same, but we were looking for Indian clothes so we were trying to buy the lenga, the saris, the suit. And I’ll put pictures on the website so you can understand what that means. OK, so you go into a store and first thing you… sit down, right away. There is no walking around.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Harp
I ran out of batteries!
May 19th
Yesterday was a holiday in Canada. It was Victoria Day. Victoria Day is celebrated on the last Monday before or on May 24 in honour of Queen Victoria. In Canada this holiday is known for camping, parties, fireworks, and hoping for nice weather. (We never know what the weather will be like at this time of year!)
I went hiking this Victoria Day in Mont Orford, which is about a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Montreal. It was a beautiful and calm place to be! Although it was quite chilly, only about 10 degrees. Brrrr! (Brrrr is a cold sound we make.)
I planned on taking some pictures but then I ran out of (had a low or no supply of ) batteries. I hate it when that happens! I had just gotten everyone together for a photo and my camera stopped working. So today I don’t have a picture for you!
Have you ever lost the chance to capture a moment on your camera because you ran out of batteries before?
Expression: When pigs fly
May 16th
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The expression when pigs fly is used when people talk about something they would never do, or some event that would never happen. It is a very old expression, and no one knows why we talk about pigs! We can also use the similar expression, when hell freezes over. Check out the examples in this episode.
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Jessie: I would never shave my head.
Harp: Or you could say I would shave my head when pigs fly.
Jessie: Oh I see. So pigs could never fly and I would never shave my head, so I could say, I will shave my head when pigs fly.
Harp: Exactly.
Jessie: So that means “never”.
Harp: Exactly. So should we give some more examples? My boyfriend is very adventurous and…
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Illust: Asami Takemoto
Brunch!
May 15th
This is my favorite meal of the day (really, I love every meal!). I love breakfast food, eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, hash browns (potatoes), and toast. It is so delicious, but I hate waking up early for it. So brunch is perfect for me.
In case you don’t know what brunch is, it’s an English word that is actually a combination of 2 words, breakfast and lunch = brunch. Most people eat brunch anytime between 11am and 2pm. It’s perfect because I don’t have to wake up early and I still get to eat breakfast food. Brunch is a very popular meal to eat at restaurants with friends, especially in Montreal . There are a lot of restaurants that are famous for brunch. Chez Cora is a chain restaurant (a chain is where there are multiple locations of the same store or restaurant for example, McDonalds or Walmart). I hope that I can go for brunch this weekend with the Culips team.
Harp
April showers bring May flowers
May 13th
Happy Spring everyone!
As I walk around Montreal and enjoy the city in bloom (when flowers open), I often think of an expression we have. This expression is “April showers bring May flowers“.
In this case “showers” means rain. When it rains too much, we are not happy. So, this expression reminds us to accept the rain, because we need the rain in order for the flowers to bloom. And everyone loves flowers!
The grass is green and the trees have leaves again in Montreal. There are also tons of flowers blooming now!
Has spring arrived where you are? Is it spring there?
Expression: To hold a grudge
May 9th
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Are you holding a grudge against someone? Have you been mad at someone for a week? A year? 10 years? We hope not! To hold a grudge is not a good thing and means that you are mad for a long time. It is much nicer to be happy! Listen to this fun episode to learn more about holding a grudge and having hard feelings.
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Robin: OK, can you give me an example?
Harp: For sure. So let’s say, that I have an ex-boyfriend and my friend decides she wants to date him and so she dates him for maybe a month. That is my ex-boyfriend, she is not allowed to date him! I’m still going to hold a grudge 10 years, 20 years later. I think it is an unwritten rule you can’t date your friends exes.
Robin: Ok so you would be mad 20 years later.
Harp: Ok maybe not 20 years but I would hold a grudge for a while.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Lst1984
Terms of Endearment
May 2nd
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Oh Sweetheart! Sweetheart is one of the most popular terms people use to show someone they care about them. Every language has special names to use when speaking to the one you love. In English we have tons of names like this. This episode Maura and Robin explain some of these dear names, and when you might want to use them.
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Robin: Not so often, but it’s probably because I don’t have a romantic partner.
Maura: Well, I have a romantic partner but we don’t usually use these words, and I don’t use them with my family or friends either. Like we said, some people don’t use them at all. It’s probably the best advice to not use them because it’s hard to know when a good time to use them is.
Robin: And if you do use them, use them with your romantic partner. That’s probably the safest bet.
Maura: Right, so don’t use them but if you want to, if you want to try it, use these words with a romantic partner or a really close friend or family member. Ok, so now let’s get into these words.
Robin: We have a couple of them. There’s sweetheart, and sweetie, and there’s sweetie pie…
Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Podcast Culips, Photo: ellie
Of all the podcasts with 'real world' English examples, I like yours the best. Maybe its the fun you put into the lessons. The students can here that in your voices. And they also feel your dedication to what you are doing - it's just not a job you do, but a gift you give to everyone who listens. And while the students like the Lipservice PDFs for all the information it contains, as a teacher I am impressed by the professional effort put into making them. I give the Culips podcast and the Culips crew my highest recommendation, both as a teacher, and a listener. 
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