Considering the success this year's reading had (an abridged version of a collection of US American short stories on crime), we are making a proposal for this summer: the abridged version (Oxford Bookworms, about 7 euros) of Edgard Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum", a nightmare story which will make you sweat in terror! Like our previous reading, this one has got the CDs so you can listen and learn to read aloud with a perfect pronunciation!
More: Watch/listen to these YouTube videos.
26 de junio de 2008
Summer Reading for (old) Interm 1's
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Wilkie Collins
48 comentarios:
Ok I will read the book too. Enjoyed the crimes very much and i think this is very good practice for the summer. When do we start? Where can i to buy the book?
Great!! We start in Monday? i think the books are possible to get in Pasajes, María, we brought the books there last year
Dear thirds, I am happy we finally made it and I am looking forward to start my reading! Right now I keep on studying for the State exam but I will join you on 15th. A bit of advice, remember we use "on" for days of the week! Have to go now! Night night! Ana
Hi again! I would like you to have some interesting info on Poe. He has had the bizarre fate of being one of the most famous 19th century writers, but the one least admired by critics writing in English! I mean, on the popular level he has for generations been taken as the prototypical poet (a role he relished), but during the 20th century his short fiction has received more critical attention than his poems. Apart from that, he also played an important role as a literary critic, for he helped free American literature from the burdens of overt didacticism and a narrowly conceived nationalism!
More info tomorrow! Remember we start on 15th
it�s a very interesting idea
Hi, everyone, my friend in 4º tell me they are going to read a book too. This is great, I have looked in their part and they have gone to see Macbeth together. They start 1 July.
I have never hear of Poe
Good news I´m looking forward to read it, good luck in oposition.
Are you with us next year? I want that you are with us
Hi everyone! first some advice on grammar:
- I'm looking forward to READING it (-ing form after "looking forward")
- "I want/would like you TO BE WITH US"
- "My friend tellS me"
- "I have never HEARD!
- Spanish oposicion is "State exam" or "competitive exam". Thanks for the cheering up and suport, I am doing my syllabus thingy on Tuesday!
To be honest, I have no idea about where I will be next year, I was extremely happy and at ease at Goya and it would be wonderful to be there again but you never know! Perhaps you can cross your fingers or have that sweet midsummer night's dream (sometimes dreams come true...)
Back to Poe, I am very excited about rereading these short stories again since first time I enjoyed them a lot, I was at university and we had a wonderful summer talk on Poe and some other American writers. Nice weekend!
Sorry, Support (double P)
Thanks for your corrections Ana, you know that I want learn so I want that you correct. I hope you are with us next year! I have the book I don´t know Poe but I like.
Hi everybody, I just seen this, it is great we are going to read in the sumer good. Hi Raquel, how went your exam? I passed all I am happy, now I practice english with the blog and I go a week to Gandía with my friends. Where buy you the book?
Hi there! You can find the book at Pasajes or Booksellers and as the last one it comes with audio support so that you can practise listening too! Perhaps you can start by reading it and you can move onto listening and maybe design some listening activities for the rest of the students! Anyway, I am preparing some of it when I have finished my State Exam and we could also meet for some cañas in July as well as we comment the book!
Patricia, some grammar advice:
- Where did/do you buy the book? Remember the usual pattern for interrogatives: aux+ subject+ verb
For those who are still deciding on the book, I would like to tell you that "The Pit and the Pendulum" is set on location in a prison in Toledo and tells about Spanish Inquisition. Have you ever read any on that? Have a nice Saturday!
Last comment is mine, don't know what happened with the blogger system, I changed my computer and it seems to be independent, ha ha
Hi, I am Laura from 3rd, I bought the book yesterday and is good, I only read a bit. I don´t know Poe, from where is Poe? I think he is interested. Ana good luck and thank you for all the "consejos" you said me.
Thanks Ana I go to buy it today if the bookshop is open. Sorry for mistakes but it is difficult to write in english, this is very good for us to practice because in summer we forgot everything. I like very much reading so I´ll start soon.
Hallo, is anybody from my class going to do the reading during the summer? It is nice with friends but I´m going do it all the same.
I have already the book but I have not start still
I´ve just seen this Antonio I am Maria, I going to read book too, so we can talk about it with rest
Are you María? how good you read
Antonio, yes I am, I am in la sierra but when I go to Madrid I buy the book and start read
Hi again! Hot afternoon, isn't it? Just to inspire your summer reading, here you have a quote by Wallace Stevens:
"The reader became the book; and summer night was like the conscious being of the book"
I am glad you are posting because that means you are practising and using English in real-life situations as much as you can. Keep in mind you are LIFE-LONG LEARNERS and that's why you should have some responsibility in your own learning process. When I started learning English (and I wouldn't like to sound as a granny, I'm not that old anyway!) we had no opportunities for speaking or listening, let elone watching DVDs or posting comments like we do now so you are veeery lucky to have a lot of support to help you. It an excellent way of practicing and also learning from your mistakes. For those interested in Poe, American poet and short-story writer, you have wonderful info in "Edgard Allan Poe: A critical Biography" by Arthur Hobson Quinn but I can tell you some biographical info which could help you ascertain his obsession with dead women, the grotesque and arabesque some other day.
Maria, darling, remember you use- ing after start when you refer to routines or general situations as in "I start reading".
Big hug to everyone! Have to go now
Ana, how good we have news from you! I just read the mesages and I try to buy the book today because I think the summer is very good for reading, so we are starting in 15 days, don't you think?
hello mates, I am Concha. I have the book and goes with reading activities and glossary of vocabulary so I do not have the dictionary! Ana, good luck!
Hi Concha, yeah, the book has some reading activites and a glossary too but remember that dictionaries are useful to learn words in context and that you should make some risks while reading and try to guess meaning from context too. Anyway, I don't consider it very difficult for your level and you are already used to reading about crime stories and all that stuff. I did not have time to listen to the CD. Is it American or British pronunciation?
Ana thanks for your correction it´s so nice to know that you are there! I wamt to remember and improve but english is difficult!! I´ve looked up information about Poe and he´s is interested I´ll tell you if I can it is difficult for I
Good I think the glossary helps. So in the 14th we start? That´s good. Ana it´s good to know that you are there I feel surety. Is that correct? I must look in the dictionary
I just looked and I´ve seen this. Ana thanks you promised and have got it. Good luck in exam you are great. I buy book soon we start on 14th so I have time
How are you all? I´ve been away in village and that is fine. I buy book soon and will read in summer, Ana good luck in exam. Exams are horrible I have study this summer I have exams in September!!!So blog is nice for me it is a fun
Forget about book, tomorrow is great day we are going to be campeones. What is your porra?
Ana it´s wonderful that you are doing this with the thirds, I always said you were great and very concerned about the students. Good luck on your exam! Just hope they see your worth. We want you to be with us next year!
I read the first page, it is not difficult has anybody start?
I am Antonio forgot to write name
Wow, lots of comments today, we are going to change football day and make it Blog day! I would like to thank Michelle for being the one starting with the blog thing, as you all know she is always there helping and supporting! I have just started a course on didactic materials using the internet and I hope it helps since there are still many things I need to learn, for example, how to move other materials as youtube videos and all that stuff to the blog! Thanks to Marta too for her support and always cheering up, definitely it would be great if I could be there with you next year! Cross your fingers!
Let's start with a bit of grammar advice and please forgive me if I don't remember right now whose faults are these (it could take me ages to address and personalize advice, and unfortunately, I don't have so much time now)
- First things first, I have NOTICED AND REALIZED that some of you don't use the PAST PARTICIPLE after have/has so, keep in mind: "Has anybody started? and so on
- I forgot to write the name (on it) or better "I forgot to write MY name" as in English you tend to personalize things by using the possessive pronouns as when you talk about parts of your body (my arm, my legs...) and that's why sometimes we find strange connotations and uses in TV series (translators tend to overtranslate too!)
- Be careful with agreement or concord : This is difficult, IT is difficult.
- Poe is "INTERESTING" since you are considering him as a writer (not interested) but you could also say: he is INTERESTED IN learning/ speaking, etc) if you refer to his interests and preferences.
Well, the important thing is you are writing and using English. I would like to know how many of you will be around on th 15th (remember ON before days of the week too!) to organize a first session to talk about the book. Take care and enjoy football without violence
Hi this is Celia again, thanks for the corrections and thanks to the English department for have this marvellous blog! I started on yesterday and find it very good for read. I won't be in Madrid that day but I try to post my comments. Have a nice Sunday!
Hello, I like Poe a lot and aother crime stories too, perhaps we can manage to meet up and record some of the stories to practice our English as you know it is very important, especially intonation, our exam was a bit difficult, I failed the listening part and I practice every day now.
Hey, I nearly forgot! A piece of advice for learning vocabulary: go to the Glossary and try to use new words in context as for example you create one sentence which is meaningful for your own life and experience (try to make language learning memorable and avoid typical examples such as APARTMENT: "Mary lives in a beautiful apartment" as we do not about a person called Mary or we don't bloody care about that; I mean, try to personalize your examples so that they are true for you: "I have been trying to buy an apartment but due to the high prices of mortgages nowadays, I finally gave up and rented a very small one" Bye for now
It is fantastic that so many people is using this blog, it´s nice to read all the comments specially Ana who corrects us and gives good advices. I have not started still
Antonio I haven´t started I start on 15th with everybody. You like book? That´s good
Who is going to win tonight??? María when you start tell me
Ana thanks for your corrections it is a help, specially as you are with your exam. You must pass
Hi I am going to read book to. We start on 15th I am very glad we are doing this, this is a good language school they organise many things. Ana good luck on exam!! Thanks for all this
Hello everybody, I´ve just popped in for a visit, it´s amazing that the thirds are nearly catching up with the 4ths!!!! This is shacking but very good news!!!
Ana good luck in your exams, you are wonderful and will pass!!
Cristina, you haven´t joined in yet...very busy with the competitive exams.. remeber when we sat them? long ago, funny it doesn´t seem so far away...
Congratulations spain on winning the Eouropean cup, I´m ever so glad, particularly because of Aragones and because Raúl was not there!!!
I´m so happy that we have won the European Cup, I love futbol.
Ana good luck for tomorrow I´m sure you´ll do fine!
Yeah, I'm not that interested in football but I also would like to congratulate the Spanish team! Thank you for posting, Carmen, I guess Cristina must be very busy these days. Hey, students, have you noticed the verb "SIT" meaning "do an exam"? And for Sepetember exams we use "re-sit". Antonio, your English is improving a lot, congratulations!
More things about the glossary: if you have a look at it you will see in brackets some info about word class (n stands for noun, v for verb and so on) Perhaps you could practice your phonetics before you start reading by underlining the stressed syllable in each word and then look it up in a dictionary. Enjoy your English!
Thanks for your comment Ana, I want learn english very much I need it to work.
Today I am too happy about football it is great we are the best!!!I went to COLON and it was great we are wonderful
Hello everybody ¡ I’m Paloma. I have been very busy and I haven’t had time to come to our blog. I’m really surprised by the great number of new people talking here. Moreover there are a lot of posts and I’d need too much time to read them all. Are you speaking about Persuasion? I’ve seen something about Poe. I’m absolutely lost. Please update me on the subject you are speaking about.
See you soon!
Hi Paloma, we are not speaking about Persuasion because this forum is for old intermediates who are reading The Pit and the Pendulum, by Poe. If you have a look at the reading blog you will find Persuasion with the headline: SUMMER READING FOR OLD Y4'S. Anyway, you are also very welcome here if you want to join us!
Thank you Ana. As I told you I was really lost. Thankyou for your advice. Sorry.
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