MAKE Vs DO (Part 1)

Last week, during my usual Wednesday class, I was asked to explain the difference between the verbs “make” and “do”; no easy matter, I can tell you! I started by saying that we use do mainly for duties and obligations, whereas make is used for building something (this was no time, and certainly not the right level, for complicated explanations). Some of the examples I used were, “make a car” and “do your homework”. The ensuing silence seemed to indicate that no further explanations were needed.

I was just about to change the subject when someone asked:” Can I make a favour?” “No,” I said. “You don’t make favours, you do favours”. “And, can I do a suggestion?” “No, you can’t,” I replied. “You make a suggestion.” Fifteen pairs of unconvinced eyes stared at me during several seconds. They were obviously confused. Just then, a shy female voice from the back row asked: “Why?”!!!!! I was trapped. “Look,” I said, “I understand you. You’d like to know the difference, but it isn’t easy to see it. English is based more on the evolution of the Anglo-Saxon languages and the influences of French and Latin than on rigid rules. So, you will find occasional contradictions and/or situations where both verbs can be used. Why don’t we discuss it at our next lesson and I’ll bring you some notes to help you see it more clearly.”

So, there goes my weekend! I shall prepare the material I need for my class and post it here at the same time. In the meantime, here are some links with interesting quizzes to test your understanding of the two verbs in question. Some are aimed at Spanish speaking students so the instructions may be in Spanish. Enjoy.
Quiz http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blmakedo1.htm
http://www.better-english.com/vocabulary/makedo.htm
http://www.quia.com/pop/84958.html?AP_rand=840467976
http://www.iescampanillas.org/ingles/activities/make%20and%20do/make_do.htm
http://www.iescampanillas.org/ingles/activities/make%20and%20do/makedo2.htm

I'M NOT WRITING..... JUST THINKING!

I've sat in front of my PC, day in, day out, for the last ten days trying to write something.... but No, nothing comes out. My mind has gone dry and I cannot think of anything I really want to talk about. I feel like a desert in search of an oasis, a sky looking for a star, a field without a single tree in sight. How can that be, considering the number of things happening around the world, around the country, around me! It just doesn't seem possible: the financial crisis, the anniversary of the Berlin wall, Obama's visit to China, this latest animal flu, my grandson's birthday, the local wine trade fair.... my goodness there are hundreds of subjects out there I could write about, but NO, NOTHING COMES OUT!

So, I have resolved to leave it at that. My current post will be a non-post. In other words, I'm writing about NOT WRITING, if you can follow me.

I'm sure this NON-WRITING phase will not last very long and I'm confident that very soon I shall have something interesting to put down on paper. Bye for now.

THE "ROCIO" MASS

(Pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Rocio in Spain)

Last Sunday I went to mass; not something I've been doing a lot just recently. The occasion was very special. A close friend invited me, just as she had done several years ago, to attend a "Rocio" mass in the near-by town of Badalona, a very short distance from Barcelona. This particular mass takes place on the last Sunday of every month. It's actually called "Misa Rociera" in Spanish and is named after Our Lady of Rocio.

It would seem that during the XIII century, King Alfonso X, known as "the Wise", had a chapel built in the territory known as "Las Rocinas", an area he had reconquered from the Moors and where he enjoyed hunting. This sanctuary contains a life-size wooden statue of Our lady, apparently found by a hunter. Further information of interest can be found at the following link.

http://www.elrocio.net/page2.html

The special feature that makes the Rocio mass so unique is its music. A group of "Rocieros", devout followers of Our Lady of Rocio, dressed in the typical Andalusian costumes of the region, sing the official songs of the mass, as well as others, in the traditional flamenco style of the South of Spain. The experience is so emotive that it really is difficult to hold back the tears; I certainly couldn't. The high point of the mass is usually the "Salve", though there are times when they don't sing it.

Here's a video with a selection of photographs (I couldn't find a decent film of the mass) and the "Salve" sung by "Ecos del Rocio" or "Gente del Gines" - I'm not quite sure - and offered by kakiera on youtube.com. Lyrics follow the video in original language (Spanish). Translation, and other pictures, on the left.Thank you kakiera and thank you youtube.com for your excellent iniciative. I really do hope you'll enjoy this and that you'll find the experience as. or at least almost as, spiritually enriching as I did.

For other versions of this beautiful song, try searching for "salve rociera" in youtube.com. In particular, I recommend this other version from Isabel Pantoja's concert at the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. The standing ovation lasted four minutes! The song comes after the ovation-

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

There's also a beautiful version by Rocio Jurado-namesake of the virgin- who died a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrxsfBkszdQ&feature=related

For a more popular version, try this one from the singers at the Virgin's Sanctuary of Almonte, the village where it all took place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ6Y-dP1lnc&feature=related

Dios te salve María, del Rocío Señora, luna, sol, norte y guía, y pastora celestial.

Dios te salve María, todo el pueblo te adora, y repite a porfía, como tu no hay otra igual.

Oléééééé, olé / olé, olé, olé / olé, olé, olé, olé, olé,olé, olé, olé,olé,olé,olé / olé, olé, olé,

al Rocío yo quiero volver, a cantarle a la Virgen con fé,

con un Oléééééé...............................................................................................................

Dios te salve María, manantial de dulzura, a tus pies noche y día, te venimos a rezar.

Dios te salve María, un rosal de hermosura, eres tú, madre mía, de pureza virgina

Oléééééé, olé / olé, olé, olé / olé, olé, olé, olé, olé,olé, olé, olé,olé,olé,olé / olé, olé, olé,

al Rocío yo quiero volver, a cantarle a la Virgen con fé,
con un Olé...............................................................................................................

NEW COURSE AND THE CRISIS

Summer's over and classes have begun. The new course has been inaugurated and the first students have started to learn English or, in the case of previous years' students, are busy revising what they've learnt so far.

The CRISIS, however, has taken its toll and I thought the cartoon on the left was particularly apt for the occasion! It reads:

We’re sorry… we just can’t afford to send you to the kinds of schools where the guys who wrecked the economy went! )

There are fewer classes; fewer students; fewer grants; less work; less teaching hours. Result: more time for writing. So, I'm taking advantage to put on paper some ideas, revise my work and send copies to book competitions, agents and publishers in the hope that someone will, in the words of ABBA, "take a chance on me"!

Getting a book published is proving to be really difficult. Publishers don't want to take risks on new, unknown writers and prefer to stick to classics and outstanding authors. Unfortunately I'm neither one nor the other; I just write reasonably good (I am told) stories for children and adolescents.

However, time will tell. In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

OH! VICTORY, HOW SWEET THY TASTE!

The following is the sms I sent my sister. There is little I can add to express how I felt after, first, winning my game on Sunday and, then, seeing how we absolutely thrashed our opponents 6-2.
"Dearest sis, I'm over the moon, love. I'm floating on cloud number nine and I can't find my way back to earth. I'm revelling among the stars, way up there, on the edge of the milky way, where the bright lights leave you blind and time is never-ending. I feel wholly and utterly fulfilled. And, no, It isn't love! We've won the championship! First we made it to the top of our group. Then, we went through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and yesterday the final, which we won 6-2. I am now a (the oldest) member of the winning team of the Catalonia Chess League Championship - II category....."
For those of you who are interested in the full story, go to:
http://escacspec.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=354&Itemid=48
You may need a text translator (eg. babelfish.yahoo.com) as the article is in Spanish.

I THOUGHT THIS VIDEO CLIP WOULD BE THE IDEAL "FINALE" TO THIS SERIES OF ARTICLES BASED ON MY VERY OWN CHESS EXPERIENCE (and thanks to ASIMOS78 for posting it on youtube). ENJOY!

FINAL - HERE WE COME!

SHAME ON ME! Just as quickly as I won last week, I lost this week. No excuses. I played badly and lost a pawn in move 21 as a consequence of my 12th move, a stupid move which was completely unnecessary. You can imagine how I felt. The psychological effect on the team, losing a game so early, worried me and I seeked refuge in the bar (coffee, of course! Well, with just a drop of brandy, of course!).

When I got back to the playing hall we were down 2-3 with three games to go. I thought we might just draw the match. We lost one game and the other two looked like draws. So, 3-3 and everyone tense; both our team and their team. A draw would have been good for us, but incredibly, we won both games. So, 5-3 and we're through to the final. Who would have believed it! At the start of the championship, our president told us our aim was just to maintain our category. We've actually gone up to the next one and we're now going to fight to be absolute Champions. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Wish us luck!

PLAY-OFF (2)

Incredible! We made it to the semi-finals.

The team we played against, Viladecans, was reputed to be much stronger and, on paper, they were. Their top four players all had much higher ratings than our top four players. Further down, the bottom four were more evenly matched. I was lucky and won in fifteen moves (anyone interested in the game can send me a mail. I'll be happy to provide it). Our top two players lost and then our player number 5 won. So, there we were, 2-2, with four games to go. Each team won and additional game. So, with 3 points to them, from the first four boards, and 3 points to us, from the bottom four boards, it looked as if the match would end up in a draw, which would have favoured them, as the top boards score more in a tie. However, Lady Luck was on out side and we managed to win the last two games, giving us an outstanding victory of 5-3.

We're now through to the semi-finals, which will be played on Sunday. Another strong opponent, apparently.

Wish us luck!

TCHAIKOVSKY'S SWAN SONG

I don't know why, but with winter's lament dying away at last and the warm rays of spring sunshine beginning to thaw the thin layer of ice that still covers the surface of many ponds, I am suddenly reminded of Tchaikovsky and I play his music night and day.

Tchaikovsky, who was born in May and died in November, lived in a cold, very cold land. He nevertheless produced some of the best, the most beautiful, the most haunting music ever heard. The warmth that invades my soul when I listen to his symphonies is surely reminiscent of spring emerging out of the coldness of winter. There is nothing, absolutely nothing in the world of music, that compares with the sad theme that grips you from about minute 5 of the "pathetique", his Symphony nº6. The crescendo that builds up quickly in the third to fourth minute of the first movement suddenly turns into a desperately slow, agonising, lead-in to what, in my very humble opinion, must rate as the most romantic theme ever. I like to think of it as Tchaikovsky's Swan Song, performed, and conducted by him, for the first time just a few days before his death. Beauty, to be truly appreciated, must somehow be combined with sadness.

Here is the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, directed by Mariss Jansons, at the 2004 London Proms, performing that particular part of the First movement. (Posted by exponentu on youtube) Do listen to it; I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

FEBRUARY

Nice month, February. What with Carnaval (great fun) and St. Valentine's day (Love, love, love) there will be plenty to do.... I hope. Furthermore, it's a short month - only 28 days before we get paid again!

So, to all of you out there, I wish a very happy month. May the joyful celebrations of Mardis Gras bring unprecedented cheer into your life and may Cupid's arrows find their way to your heart.

APOLOGIES & XMAS

My most sincere apologies for the time elapsed between my last posting and this one. This academic course is proving much busier than originally expected and I really am very short of free time. I hope to remedy this next term.

Anyway, Christmas is just around the corner and, although we're all feeling the consequences of the financial crisis, the shops seem full and people appear to be spending a fair amount of time and money. To be honest though, the discount shops seem busier than ever; I wonder whether quality this year will be sacrificed in favour of quantity.

A couple of my groups are busy rehearsing their Xmas songs for the forthcoming Christmas Carol Concert. This will take place on Thursday the 18th at around 3.30 pm. If we manage to film it I'll post some clips and a few pictures.

IF YOU'RE THINKING OF DRINKING.... THINK ALSO ABOUT NOT DRIVING :-)

WELCOME BACK TO THE NEW ACADEMIC COURSE

Well, summer came and whispered sweet things in my ear,
as it flew south across the border.
But now that autumn's chill begins and winter's near
I start to feel a little colder ...
and a little older!

Welcome back. I hope you've all had an enjoyable summer holiday (those of you who live in the northern hemisphere, that is!). Summer went by all too fast for me - which explains my little poem above - and I do feel a little colder; must be old age creeping up on me. Anyway, I managed to write a couple of stories and compose a couple of songs, one of which is my previous posting.

So, glad to have you all back and I hope you'll continue to enjoy popping in from time to time. Do post a comment now and then.

Joe.

IN A PERFECT WORLD

I started to write this song back in May. I was hoping we could include it in our End-of-Course Peace Concert (June). However, I didn't finish it in time, so we never got round to playing it. (In fact, I never even mentioned it to the others!)

Anyway, when I did finish it, I thought I'd try and do something useful with it. So, I created the accompanying video. The quality is not exactly "PERFECT", probably due to the conversion of files to an acceptable format, but it does reflect the kind of world we live in. In any case, I'm working on it. Maybe by the time I improve it enough the world WILL be a better place!

You can also access it directly at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBC3LSre10Y

I hope you like it.

HELLO AGAIN & THANKS

Another week has gone by. We're now one week closer to August and to the month's holiday that's waiting to be enjoyed. I don't know about you, but I NEED A REST. I'm not sure yet about what I'll do or how I'll spend my holidays, but I do know that I'm going to rest,REST, REST!

This has definitely been one of the most exhausting academic years I can remember, though I must confess it has also been one of the most rewarding. Working on this blog, and on the others, has really been fulfilling. It has been especially satisfying to see the number of visits increase week by week, with visitors coming from as far away as Mexico, the States or India (you can check out the statistics yourselves by clicking on the small graph at the bottom left hand corner of the page) Thank you all; you really make it worth while. Do post a comment, however; you're thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

I thought the following song would be especially appropriate. Cliff Richard singing about a Summer Holiday in the film "The Young Ones". Lyrics below the video. Enjoy.


LYRICS - Summer Holiday by Tony Temple/Dell Clyde - Sung by CLIFF RICHARD

We're all going on a summer holiday. / No more working for a week or two. / Fun and laughter on a summer holiday. / No more worries for me or you. / For a week or two.
Were going where the sun shines brightly. / Were going where the sea is blue. / We've seen it in the movies. / Now let's see if its true.
Everybody has a summer holiday, / Doing things they always wanted to.
So we're going on a summer holiday, / To make our dreams come true, / For me and you.

END-OF-COURSE CONCERT

WHAT BAD LUCK! The evening chosen for the concert turned out to be the evening of the BIG MATCH.

Spain was playing against Russia for a place in the finals of the European Footbal Cup at the precise time that our concert was starting. There was no way we could change the dates, so we played to a reduced audience - to which, of course, we shall be eternally grateful!

I hope you like the pics (click on them to enlarge). I'll post the video just as soon as it's ready.

SPECIAL REQUEST .... & USED TO

This one's for you, Marta. I know it's one of your favourite songs, and it does bring back cherished memories of those days, long gone by, when we all thought we could change the world. Thursday night's End-of-Course concert was, in a sense, a tribute to all those young, and not so young, students, workers, thinkers and idealists, who joined forces in 1968 in what has probably been the largest ever world-wide demonstration in favour of peace, equal rights, social dignity and an end to war, exploitation and the rest of this world's injustices. We're so much older now, but.....are we really any wiser! I really think we could do with a repetition.

As far as "USED TO" is concerned, and for the benefit of my Students of English, I thought the song was a good way of illustrating that "used to" , followed by an infinitive is equivalent to "usually" in the past. Let's look at a couple of examples:
Present - I usually start work at 8 am. (A habit in the present)
Past- I used to start school at 9.15 am when I was young. (A habit in the past)
In the song, Mary Hopkin sings about the place "where we used to raise a glass or two".

What a lot of students don't know, however, is that we can use "Would" with the same result:

Present - My grandparents usually visit us every Saturday evening. (A habit in the present)
Past - My grandparents would visit us every Saturday evening. (A habit in the past)
In the song, Mary Hopkin sings "We'd sing and dance....We'd live the life.... We'd fight and never lose..."

Here's the full video from youtube. (I wonder how many of you knew it's based on an original Russian folk song!). Lyrics on the left and in the video itself. Enjoy.

MORE RIDDLES & THE FEAST OF SANT JOAN

It turned out that "INVINCIBILITY" was not the word Mike had been thinking of. HIS word was "INVISIBILITY". So in fact there are at least TWO words that contain 5 "i's" and a "y", and no other vowels. Can you think of any more?

SANT JOAN - This is, without a shadow of doubt, my favourite Spanish festivity. The shortest night of the year becomes, in fact, the longest one, since very few people actually go to bed before the dawn. Indeed, it's quite common to see thousands of party-goers in Barcelona congregating on the beaches, after celebrating all night - with fireworks, cava and the traditional "Coca de Sant Joan" - to watch the sun rising on the horizon over the mediterranean sea. ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT

ANSWERS

Ok, you guys and gals, you've had more than enough time to find the answers to the riddles; so, here we go:

1. Five eyes and a why - INVINCIBILITY (5 "I"'s AND A "Y")

2. Five vowels joined together in one word - This is what "askoxford.com" says

"We know of only one word in anything like standard use which has five consecutive vowels, and that is Rousseauian 'pertaining to Rousseau or his views on religion, politics, education, etc.' Apart from this, and the large vowel clusters in queueing, there are only the Greek-derived words of the pharmacopoeia type.

3. What did the big chimney say to the little chimney? - "You smoke too much!"

*******************

While we're on the subject, here are some more pearls of the English language:

- OOLOOPOOLOO - A palindrome (A word that reads the same in both directions). This one refers to a dialect spoken in Australia. I'm not sure you can call it "English", though!

- EDUCATION - A word containing all five vowels.

- ABSTEMIOUS - A word containing all five vowels IN THE RIGHT ORDER!

For more gems like these, check out this link:
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/fivevowels?view=uk

ALSO, CHECK OUT "RIDDLES" - left-hand column - and ENJOY.

La Patum

The following is a message sent by Sergi. I thought it might be of interest. Thanks Sergi. Keep it up.
Hello Joe,This week is "la patum”.The main and more spectacular activity is today (21/5) about 12:00. The people make an spectacular dancing in a small square (the people make a concentric circles and they dancing without electric light the only light is from some people that carry a fireworks).It’s spectacular and exciting.You can fine all the thinks about this typical and traditional festivity in this web: http://www.lapatum.cat/

Here's another link for this famous Catalan feast. This one's in English.
http://www.bergueda.com/lapatum/festa.asp#

END-OF-COURSE PARTY

Tuesday 6th of May is a date I'm going to remember for a long time.

A group of students organised an End-of-Course BBQ (Barbecue) at Rosa's home, see Rosa's pic at:

http://picasaweb.google.es/printimatge/2008_05_06_englishgroup_graduaciNCursoAleman/photo?authkey=MTPx0EgXLCQ#5199999281447458338

and Party pics at:

http://picasaweb.google.es/printimatge/2008_05_06_englishgroup_graduaciNCursoAleman?authkey=MTPx0EgXLCQ

We ate very well (canadian maple leaf syrup cookies and María's home-made browny included), drank moderately (some of us had to drive back to work, but we did just get a modicum of a good 12-year-old Speyside whisky, provided by yours truly!) and sang old campfire songs such as "Oh, Susanna" and "She'll be coming round the mountain": Luís Miguel took the excellent photographs that you can see at the previous web address. All in all it was a most enjoyable party that will linger on "among my souvenirs" for a very long time.

Thanks friends.

Song "Among my souvenirs" - sung by Dave Williams (what a voice!)

Lyrics on the left

Try also "The way we were" sung by Barbara Streisand

Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xtu9RXeYSLU

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/barbra+streisand/way+we+were_20013256.html

QUESTIONS

Asking questions is a natural part of any conversation, whether it's social or business. What shampoo do you use? Have you met the new manager? When's the meeting? etc. However, it really is surprising to see students at ALL LEVELS continuing to make mistakes in this area. So, let's just look at a few rules.

IN GENERAL, a question starts with a question word (when we want information) or an auxilliary verb (when we want confirmation, i.e. yes or no).

QUESTION WORDS - WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHO, WHICH, WHY, WHOSE, HOW.
Very often, these question words are accompanied by other words that complete the information we require. For example: WHAT COLOUR, HOW MUCH, HOW MANY, WHICH ONE, HOW OFTEN, WHOSE CAR,ETC..
AUXILLIARY VERBS - AM, IS, ARE, WAS, WERE, HAVE, HAS, HAD, DO, DOES, DID, plus the MODALS: CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, WILL, WOULD, SHALL, SHOULD, MUST, (and a few more complicated verbs, like ought to and need, which can act as auxilliary verbs). Here are some examples: ARE YOU....? IS THE NEW MANAGER...? CAN WE GO...? DID THE MEETING...? MUST WE...?

The BASIC order of a question is as follows:

For questions requesting information -
QUESTION WORD (INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED) - AUXILLIARY VERB - SUBJECT - MAIN VERB - COMPLEMENT.
EXAMPLES: Why do you work there? Where did you put the document? How much does it cost?

For questions requesting confirmation - AUXILLIARY VERB - SUBJECT - MAIN VERB - COMPLEMENT.
EXAMPLES: Do you work here? Did you put the document in the desk? Does it cost much?
NOTICE THAT when you use do, does and did, or any of the modal verbs (can, could, etc.) the main verb is in the infinitive) MORE ON THIS IN MY NEXT ARTICLE.

EXCEPTIONS 1:
The verb "To be" is a curious verb. It can work alone, as the only verb in a sentence, AND it can work as an auxiliary verb, accompanying other verbs.
EXAMPLES:Are you a doctor? Where is the car? (You will notice that no verb is placed after the subjects "you" and "the car", and the verbs "are" and "is" go where auxilliary verbs usually go, i.e before the subject.)
Are you drinking beer? What are you drinking? (Here, the order is the usual one because there is an additional verb - "drinking")

EXCEPTIONS 2:
WHO and other question words, when they request information about the subject. Who wants an ice-cream? Which one is mine?
This is a little more complicated, so I will deal with it separately in my next article.
As with all other aspects of the language, the more you practise the better your English will become. GOOD LUCK and GOOD PRACTICE!

USEFUL LINKS FOR QUESTIONS:
http://www.curso-ingles.com/gramatica-inglesa/question.php
http://www.curso-ingles.com/ejercicios-ingles/questions.php
http://www.mailxmail.com/curso/idiomas/verbosingles/capitulo7.htm
http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz87mca.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-questions_structure.htm
http://www.spotlight-online.de/CoCoCMS/generator/viewDocument.php?doc=2972&archive=1 http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/questiontext.htm
http://www.english4today.com/englishgrammar/grammarfaq/
THIS LAST ONE DEALS WITH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ENGLISH.

AND HERE'S A SONG - "THE MOODY BLUES" ASKING A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION:
Video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrPGV452X6s&feature=related
Lyrics: http://www.allspirit.co.uk/question.html