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From A to Z – English idiom
Example sentences from the web:
- The book is titled “Home Repairs From A to Z.”
- John knows English history from A to Z.
- She made it all up from A to Z.
English4Gamers – Episode 9 – Donkey Kong Country
Last Tuesday Richard published the 9th episode of English4Gamers. Unfortunately, I was a bit busy last week 😦 and I didn’t manage to share it with you. As always, I wrote a vocabulary list and I suggest that you read it before watching the video. This time, we decided to play Donkey Kong Country, a 1994 platforming videogame published by Nintendo. The game is set on an island and the protagonists are Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong. They must recover their stolen hoard of bananas stolen by the Kremlings (anthropomorphic crocodilians). You can test your listening skills with a fill in the gaps exercise.
VOCABULARY
CROCODILE: 
TO PICK: to take something with your fingers; to gather together; to collect.
They were picking strawberries last week.
TO DEFEAT: to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition.
We must be ready to defeat our enemies in battle.
TO ROLL: to move forward while turning over and over.
BARREL: 
STORYLINE: the plot of a book, film, play, etc.
SUPPLY: the amount of something that is available to be used.
Ex. We have three months’ supply of tuna to eat.
RHINO: rhinoceros.
TO SWITCH: to make a change from one thing to another.
Ex. After the bank robbery, the gang switched cars.
ROPE: a strong, thick string that is made by twisting many thin strings or fibres together.
Ex. She made a knot in the rope.
TO SWING: to move backwards and forward or from side to side while hanging from something.
WASP: a flying insect, often black and yellow, that can sting.
BEE: a yellow and black flying insect that makes honey and can sting you.
TIP: a useful suggestion.
Bob gave us some tips about travelling in Italy.
CAVE: a hollow or natural passage under or into the earth, especially one with an opening to the surface.
SWORDFISH: 
Downloadable PDF version: English4Gamers Episode 9 Donkey Kong County
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct words:
- R: I finished it _______________times.
- R: What kind of _______________ do we have here?
- R: Basically, you are versus _______________.
- A: How many_______________do we have?
- A: How can you _______________ enemies?
- R: Or you jump over them or you _______________.
- A: Is there a _________________?
- R: You are Donkey Kong. You live in this_______________. One day, this crocodile, the Crocodile King came to your island and stole all your bananas.
- A: Yeah … My secret supply of _______________ hidden somewhere … He’s found it and …
- R: It’s a _______________ hard game, I must say.
- R: When you _______________ three of them … oh … I’ve just failed … When you pick three of them you gain a bonus _______________ where you can get more lives.
- A: But it’s difficult. I cannot see _______________.
- R: This is the first _______________, you have to collect four of them.
- A: I don’t like _______________ … This is _______________ rain. I want a sunny day.
- A: No, the big one is a _______________.
- R: This is a _______________, right? Not a bee.
- A: Bees are really nice and _______________ actually.
- A: Did you just _______________ at the exit?
- A: I like that they’re _______________ together.
- R: This is our _______________ probably, who give you tips and …
- R: This is a _______________ – level.
- A: You have to take your _______________.
Downloadable PDF version (without answers):English4Gamers – Episode 9 – Donkey Kong Country – Fill in the gaps
Downloadable PDF version (answers):English4Gamers Donkey Kong Country Answers
“Instance” – What does it mean?
Images source
Example sentences from the web:
- This is an instance of misuse of power.
- Now, take this car, for instance.
- Is this an instance of disagreement between the Council and the Commission?
A watched pot never boils – English proverb
Image source
Example sentences from the web:
- Whoever said “a watched pot never boils” obviously didn’t own a microwave.
- Jane was nine months pregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said, “You might as well go away and play some golf. A watched pot never boils, you know!”
- There’s no point sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. A watched pot never boils.
Image source
“To have a heart of gold” – English idiom
Heart of Gold – Neil Young
“Heart Of Gold” -Lyrics
I want to live,
I want to give
I’ve been a miner for a heart of gold.
It’s these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching for a heart of gold.And I’m getting old.
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I’m getting old.
I want to give
I’ve been a miner for a heart of gold.
It’s these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching for a heart of gold.And I’m getting old.
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I’m getting old.
I’ve been to Hollywood
I’ve been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean for a heart of gold.
I’ve been in my mind,
It’s such a fine line
That keeps me searching for a heart of gold.
And I’m getting old.
Keeps me searching for a heart of gold
And I’m getting old.
Keep me searching for a heart of gold.
You keep me searching and I’m growing old.
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
I’ve been a miner for a heart of gold.
Heart of Gold – Birdy
Listening activity: http://lyricstraining.com/play/birdy/heart-of-gold/HDLkEvrzfD
“A fortnight” – What does it mean?
Example sentences from the web:
-
She stayed with us for a fortnight.
- Jimmy was gone on a business trip for a fortnight.
- How much would it cost to hire a car for a fortnight?
“Miffed” – British Slang
Example sentences from the web:
- He hadn’t called for four days and Lucy was getting miffed.
- Philip was pretty miffed at being cut out of his father’s will.
- Are you seriously miffed that I didn’t check with you first?
Everyday objects, tragic histories by Ziyah Gafić – Listening activity
Vocabulary list
COMB 
GENOCIDE: the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group.
MUNDANE: common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative.
Ex. Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.
ABOUT + INFINITIVE: very close to doing something.
Ex. The chorus is about to sing.
TO RECOVER: to get back something lost or spent.
Ex. We have to recover the stolen watch.
GRAVE: a hole in the ground for burying a dead body.
CIVILIAN: a person who is not a member of the police or the armed forces.
Ex. What is more, bombs have been directed at civilian targets, in flagrant violation of the international humanitarian law.
FORENSICS: the study or science of solving crimes by using scientific knowledge or methods.
TOWARDS: in the direction of.
Ex. The bus is heading towards town.
REMNANT: the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone.
TO FADE: to (cause to) lose colour, brightness, or strength gradually.
Ex. These dreams of yours fade like smoke.
EVIDENCE: material that is presented to a court of law to help find the truth about something.
OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND: The idea that something is easily forgotten or dismissed as unimportant if it is not in our direct view.
UNBIASED: fair; impartial.
Ex. By all accounts, Mr. Smith appears to be an unbiased expert in his field.
AWARENESS: knowledge that something exists, or understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience.
Ex. To do this requires considerable awareness and commitment.
TO DECAY: to become decomposed; rot; to deteriorate.
Ex. The bodies buried in the fine ash slowly decayed.
Downloadable PDF version:EVERYDAY OBJECTS, TRAGIC HISTORIES – Ziyah Gafić – TED Talks – Vocabulary
Video without subtitles:
https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/ziyah_gafic_everyday_objects_tragic_histories.html
Video with English subtitles:
https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ziyah_gafic_everyday_objects_tragic_histories.html
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct words from the box
1. These are simple objects: clocks, keys, ________________, glasses.
2. We are all familiar with these ________________, everyday objects.
3. The fact that some of the ________________ carried personal ________________ such as toothpaste and a toothbrush is a clear sign they had no idea what was about to happen to them.
4. These items have been recovered from numerous mass ________________ across my homeland, and as we speak, forensics are ________________bodies from newly discovered mass graves, 20 years after the war.
5. During the four years of conflict that devastated the Bosnian nation in the early ’90s, approximately 30,000 citizens, mainly ________________, went missing, presumed killed, and another 100,000 were killed during combat operations.
6. Most of them were killed either in the early days of the war or________________the end of the hostilities, when U.N. safe zones like Srebrenica fell into the hands of the Serb army.
7. The international criminal tribunal delivered a number of sentences for crimes against humanity and ________________.
8. Genocide is not only about the killing; it is about the denied ________________.
9. These items are ________________ from numerous mass graves, and the main goal of this collection of the items is a unique process of ________________ those who disappeared in the killings, the first act of genocide on European soil since the Holocaust.
10. Thousands of artifacts are packed in white plastic ________________ just like the ones you see on CSI. These objects are used as a forensic tool in visual identification of the victims, but they are also used as very valuable forensic ________________ in the ongoing war crimes trials.
11. Once the ________________ and doctors and lawyers are done with these objects, they become orphans of the narrative. Many of them get destroyed, believe it or not, or they get simply shelved, out of sight and out of ________________.
12. Once all the missing persons are identified, only ________________ bodies in their graves and these everyday items will remain.
Downloadable PDF version (without answers): EVERYDAY OBJECTS, TRAGIC HISTORIES – Ziyah Gafić – Fill in the gaps
Downloadable PDF version (answers):EVERYDAY OBJECTS, TRAGIC HISTORIES – Ziyah Gafić – TED Talks – Answers
Survival Kit for English Learners PART #1 Videos
Many students have recently asked me how to improve their English. That’s why I decided to create this “Survival kit”.
In order to improve your listening skills, you should watch English movies and TV series. Unfortunately, for students that is often just frustrating (it causes feelings of anger and annoyance). For this reason, I suggest them to watch videos on VOA because they are made for English learners, so they are shorter and with subtitles.
For instance, this is one of VOA’s videos:
On YouTube, VOA features several playlists:
I follow on Facebook and on YouTube AJ+. This is a global news community for the connected generation. They upload videos on different topics, some are very short but probably a bit more difficult to understand than VOA’s videos for learners because there aren’t subtitles on all of them. On Free English Materials For You, I shared some of AJ+ videos with vocabulary lists to make it possible for learners to understand them.
This is one of AJ+ videos:
Sometimes AJ+ collaborates with TED . The great thing about TED Talks is that often you can add subtitles in your native language. Then, it is often possible to download the transcripts.
This is one of TED Talks videos:
https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/lang/en/lisa_kristine_glimpses_of_modern_day_slavery.html
On TEDEd you can watch some short animated video with subtitles. You can then test your listening comprehension answering to some questions.
For example:
If you want to learn grammar through videos, British Council‘s (Learn English Teens) website is one of the best.
They have a Grammar Videos section with downloadable transcripts and exercises:
If you want to learn English grammar, idioms, vocabulary, slang expressions, etc. on YouTube from experienced native-speaker teachers, check EngVid . This is one of their videos:
Free English Materials For You 