One of my dear students is having trouble with the difference between stop to do something and stop doing something. I used to use that Talking Heads film title to pound it into people (oh, you pound people too?? Nasty laughs.) But Lady Gaga is more up to date, and her “Telephone” is hot. No, I probably wouldn’t be taking the video to my company courses, just the song. But you do have to know the terrain. Anyway, Pomplamoose have just uploaded their pomplamoosish Grade A cover version.

Stop what you’re doing. Stop to listen to this.

Hello, Hello, baby; you called
I can’t hear a thing
I have got no service in the club you say, say
Wa-wa-what did you say?
Huh? You’re breaking up on me
Sorry, I cannot hear you
I’m kinda busy
K-kinda busy

Just a second, it’s my favorite song they’re gonna play
and I cannot text you with a drink in my hand, eh?
You shoulda made some plans with me; you knew that I was free
And now you won’t stop calling me
I’m kinda busy

Stop callin’, stop callin’, I don’t wanna think anymore!
I left my head and my heart on the dance-floor
Stop callin’, stop callin’, I don’t wanna talk anymore!
I left my head and my heart on the dance-floor

Stop telephonin’ me!
I’m busy!

Can call all you want but there’s no one home
and you’re not gonna reach my telephone!
‘Cause I’m out in the club and I’m sippin’ that bub’
and you’re not gonna reach my telephone!

Boy, the way you blowin’ up my phone won’t make me leave no faster,
put my coat on faster, leave my girls no faster.
I shoulda left my phone at home ’cause this is a disaster!
Callin’ like a collector
Sorry: I cannot answer!

Not that I don’t like you: I’m just at a party
And I am sick and tired of my phone ri-ringing
Sometimes I feel like I live in Grand Central Station
Tonight I’m not takin’ no calls ’cause I’ll be dancin’

We’re sorry; the number you have reached is not in service at this time
Please check the number, or try your call again

PS: Don’t watch Lady Gaga’s video if you’re not into explicit stuff. But I’ve been thinking about it and, yes, it’s pretty interesting and will set off lots of conversation.

song of the week englisch lernen mit liedern

grammar guru, songs | 1 Comment »

This editing game is more ‘focussed practice’ than ‘game’:

Copy the paragraph into “Comments” and change one word. A word may need to be replaced by two words (or several words may have to change together). Make every version meaningful. If someone ahead of you has made a change that you think requires another word to change, then change it. Oh: To make it more of a game, if you get bored, you’re definitely allowed to play with the text.

Lewis Caroll: Through The Looking Glass. Chapter IX. Queen Alice.

“WELL, this is grand!” said Alice. “I never expected I should be a Queen so soon—and I’ll tell you what it is, your Majesty,” she went on, in a severe tone (she was always rather fond of scolding herself), “it’ll never do for you to be lolling about in the grass like that! Queens have to be dignified, you know!”

1. “WELL, this has been grand!” said Alice. “I never expected I should be a Queen so soon—and I’ll tell you what it is, your Majesty,” she went on, in a severe tone (she was always rather fond of scolding herself), “it’ll never do for you to be lolling about in the grass like that! Queens have to be dignified, you know!”

language | 5 Comments »

Alice in Wonderland has a sumptuous look. After Snowgeddon, spring will be a blooming affair, so this stuff will surely go into it. An interview with costume designer Coleen Atwood has good language if you like talking about clothes. Words, in order of appearance:
costume designer, put it on, second fitting, coat, layers, silk, shear, burn off fabric, joke tie, bits of ribbon, embroider, pants, stitch, socks, they don’t match, waistcoat, pieces of fabric, they’re cut and sewn over, (re)mended, buttons, dress, embroidery, hem, layers, stripes, stockings, bloomers, sketch, neck(line), collar, wasplike middle, skirt. Words not mentioned: bodice, petticoat. Other interesting words: made to scale, curtains.

other | 2 Comments »

Come play a game:

Copy and paste the last version of the sentence into “Comments” and add a word or phrase to expand the sentence. You can also start a new sentence. Make each version meaningful. Don’t delete anything anyone else has written.

Alice in Wonderland.

Alice was in Wonderland.

language | 29 Comments »

The magic of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland: All that wild “eat me”, “drink me” growing and shrinking. Mind-bending, awareness-raising, full of wonder, essential. Alice is entertained, but completely unphased: “You’re nothing but a pack of cards!” she says, and lands back in the safety of happy summmer days. In Through the Looking Glass she plays the backwards game of chess so well (through no skill of her own, just by taking it all) that she manages to become a queen herself. 19th century girl power. That’s where the new movie comes in.

Must make an Alice quiz. Come back tomorrow.

I’m looking forward to Chris Adam’s guest blog series on Bits n Bobs, Mirrors/Through the Looking Glass. He’s announced it today, and the series is to begin tomorrow.

Trippin out
Spinning around
I’m underground
I fell down
Yeah I fell down

I’m freaking out, where am I now?
Upside down and I can’t stop it now
Can’t stop me now, oh oh

I, I’ll get by
I, I’ll survive
When the world’s crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don’t you try to stop me
I, I won’t cry

I found myself in Wonderland
Get back on my feet, on the ground
Is this real?
Is this pretend?
I’ll take a stand until the end

I, I’ll get by
I, I’ll survive
When the world’s crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don’t you try to stop me
I, I won’t cry

I, I’ll get by
I, I’ll survive
When the world’s crashing down
When I fall and hit the ground
I will turn myself around
Don’t you try to stop me
I, and I won’t cry

song of the week englisch lernen mit liedern

songs | 5 Comments »

Looking for sitcom scenes for a grammar exercise on reported speech (yeah, really), I wound up spending the morning watching selections from “Two and a Half Men“. Didn’t find a scene that works perfectly for that purpose, perhaps because they’re all so good it’s hard to cut them short. The scene I’m using – it’s short, the situation is clear, the language is easy – is just a bit mysogynist: Thinking a woman doesn’t even know how to do a pregnancy test? Oh, come on, give me a break! But it’ll do. (And I’m still laughing.) The exercise is making a straightforward summary of the dialogue, viz: He told him that… He asked her what… She told him she was… He said she should… She said she was… He told her to… She said she couldn’t… etc. Should work.

But the series certainly isn’t misogynist overall. I’m a big fan. And in my video trawling session this morning I found this one scene that may be atypical, but it’s just so incredibly, unbelievably, extraordinarily good. Sean Penn, Elvis Costello and Harry Dean Stanton join Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer in a support group exclusively for burnt out tough guys, getting softer with age. For the aging tough guys in my life. You rock.

short film | 2 Comments »

The Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker won best picture on Sunday at the Oscars, and Kathryn Bigelow won best director. Kathryn Bigelow on filming her character studies: “Hurt Locker’s about humanity. It’s about friendship and comeraderie in an absolutely hellish environment, and I think that’s universal, that’s not necessarily gender specific. I’m making a movie about a conflict that is still ongoing. And I think it’s important to be as accurate and authentic and factual and reality-based as you possibly can.” She sounds very nice and clear-headed. Have any of you seen this film?

short film | 1 Comment »