Teachers' Library

In linguistics and rhetoric, the historical present or historic present, is the employment of the present tense when narrating past events to make them sound as if they are happening now.  "It is a bright summer day in 1947. My father is trying to decide which of his eight children he will take with him to the county fair."  It is often used when a speaker or writer tries to parachute you into the midst of an unfolding story. "I’m nine years old, in bed, in the dark. The detail in the room is perfectly clear. I am lying on my back. I have a greeny-gold quilted eiderdown covering me."  It is commonly used for historical events as facts are listed as a summary and the present tense provides a sense of urgency. "1945: the war in Europe comes to an end." University professors or a TV show panelists might find themselves using the HP to keep listeners from peeling off.  "What Socrates is trying to do here is …" or "Montezuma uses human sacrifice ...

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous and well-loved detectives in the history of literature. The character was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th century. Since then he has appeared in four novels, over fifty short stories by the author, as well as countless TV series, films and video games. To celebrate Sherlock Holmes Day on May 22nd, we’ve got five easy ideas to turn your students into reading detectives. 11. Contextualizing 19th century London is a very different place to the world your students live in today! This means there may be references to unfamiliar ideas and objects and things your students don’t understand. To help their comprehension, work with your students to identify words and concepts which might be difficult. For example, Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Doctor Watson often travel around in a horse-drawn carriage. Have students think about the modern-day equivalent (a bus, car or taxi) and think about what life was like in those days. Asking q...

Throughout history, people have always worried about new technologies. The fear that the human brain cannot cope with the onslaught of information made possible by the latest development was first voiced in response to the printing press, back in the sixteenth century. Swap “printing press” for “internet” and you have the exact same concerns today, regularly voiced in the mainstream media, and usually focused on children. But is there any legitimacy to these claims? Or are they just needless scaremongering? There are several things to bear in mind when considering how our brains deal with the internet. First, don’t forget that “the internet” is a very vague term, given that it contains so many things across so many formats. You could, for instance, develop a gambling addiction via online casinos or poker sites. This is an example of someone’s brain being negatively affected via the internet, but it would be difficult to argue that the internet is the main culprit, any more than a gambl...

To do someone we should do it right. Nobody want to stop use drugs or study foreign language or get a high education after well-payed job. If you want to stop habit or learn something or start do sport, useful to remember. 1. If you want something, you need to understand why do you want it. Or why do you need it. There is a chance that you don't need it at all. Or even don't want it, but still doing. !Just try make a list +/-, even one time, it real can help.! 2. If you want something, you first of all must feel alright. It means we should not only do phisical training, but:  a) have enough rest and b) have enough time for enjoy.  It can be more important than own work on problem. Don't force yourself again your wish, transform it to enjoing. Do hard work with pleasure. 3. If you want something, you should like what you are doing and create comfortable conditions to complete it. Make yourself to like it. Just start to improve your mind. Child don't want learn english? M...

Yorkshire Pudding This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings but instead as part of the main course or at a starter. Yorkshire pudding is made from flour, eggs and milk, is a sort of batter baked in the oven and usually moistened with gravy. The traditional way to eat it is to have a large, flat one filled with gravy and vegetables as a starter of the meal. Then when the meal is over, any unused puddings should be served with jam or ice-cream as a dessert. Toad-in-the-Hole (sausages covered in batter and roasted.) Similar to Yorkshire Pudding but with sausages placed in the batter before cooking. Fish and chips Fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) deep fried in flour batter with chips (fried potatoes) dressed in malt vinegar. This is England's traditional takeaway food or as the US would say “to go”. Fish and chips are not normally home cooked but bought at a fish and chip shop ("chippie" ) to eat on premises or as a “take away”.

For speaking, we need to be able to play with the language we have. To do this we need to have a creative mind. That means we need to develop our imagination. This is vital for your exams in English! Read the following tips on how to develop your imagination which will thus improve your speaking skills tenfold. It works in our classes! ✔ Open your mind to unexplored paths. To come up with new ideas may be challenging and even oftentimes daunting, as unexplored paths may pose unexpected threats. It is also an avenue where one can find genuine ideas that can result to a successful endeavour. ✔ Read more. One’s willingness to learn new things gauges one’s ability to accept and adapt to change. It improves one’s adaptability to imaginative reasoning and creative thinking. ✔ Tell stories. People love to listen to stories and each person has a story to tell. Practice imaginative and creative thinking by telling as many stories as you can. Let it be descriptive. Let it allow you and your list...