The oldest cinema

Content studied from London Life: The oldest cinema

Words and expressions from the programme

• More people are going to the movies in the UK than they have at any other time in the last 30 years and almost every big town now has a multiplex cinema, showing the latest blockbusters.
• Apparently architect Jerald constructed the Electric cinema as music hall in early 1910, as before this they hadn't been a cinema in UK. There was no established cinema model in UK to copy.
  Apparently means, "according to what seems to be the case but may not actually be so"
• It's recently been renovated to become a unique cinematic experience. It is only the place in the London where you can spend a night watching a movie on one of these comfy lather sofas.
  Renovate means to repair and improve something, especially a building:
  He renovates old houses and sells them at a profit.
  Renewal means to increase the life of or replace something old:
  Every year I renew my membership of the sports club.
  I forgot to renew my season ticket.
• Adams recommends this film if anybody who is into Arthur in mythology.
  In this sentence into is used to say you like something
  I'm really into jazz music.
  I am into films about crime.
• Although that double lather sofa in the Electric cinema would really comfortable, I think that the price was a bit above my budget. So I am going to find some more cheap and cheerful in the heart of London.
  Above my budget means too expensive.
  Cheap and cheerful means fun and not expensive.

Sleepers

Content studied from London Life: sleepers

Words and expressions from the programme

Haven't had:

I feel really tense if I haven't had a good night's sleep.

Catch up:

If you don't sleep enough you need to catch up. [You need to sleep more]

Insomnia:

Some people are really affected by lack of sleep and some people can't sleep at night. It is called insomnia.

Run down:

To feel run down means feel tired or without energy.

I find if I am under stress of work or I feel anxious, I will have real long period of insomnia and I am sure it doesn't do your body any good. I find I don't digest food properly. My skin looks horrible, I feel dehydrated and generally run down.

Pass time:

Enjoy the time by doing some interesting thing like gardening, reading etc.

Sleep is very important to me; it is my most enjoyable passtime.

Grumpy:

In a bad mood.

If I don't get enough sleep, I am really very very grumpy and I am especially grumpy if somebody wakes me up in the middle of a nap.

Nap, kip, and snooze
These words mean a short sleep.
Example sentence
I sometimes like a snooze after lunch.

Canadian Londoner

Content studied: Canadian Londoner

Listen to London Life: 

Interesting words and phrases:

1.Collin moved here over thirty years ago.

2. There is a world of difference between living in London and in England.

       a big difference

3. Hitchhiker:

       someone who travels by getting free rides in someone else's vehicle

4.  He stayed here and he has been here ever since.

       Continually since that time:
       He's been depressed ever since he got divorced.

5. Collin had a head start with French because he learnt it when he was a young.

       An advantage in a competition or endeavours.
       A good education gives you a head start when it comes  to getting a job.

6. Lumberjack:

       Someone who cut down the tries.

My new blog: MY MOVABLE DICTIONARY

 

I have started to write a new blog: My movable dictionary. In this blog I have posted the words I am learning. Usually when I read the content from linguist library, I save the difficult words. Latter I review the saved words and found that some words are quite familiar while others are totally strange to me. These strange words with their meaning and with example sentences are posted in this blog. I have posted these words, content wise and category wise, so it would be easy to browse it. This blog is quite helpful for me as I can review the words I am learning from various content with just a single click. Hope so, this blog will also as helpful for you as me…

Housework

 

Most of the people don’t like domestic chores or housework and they find it boring but it has to be done. Housework might include vacuuming or hovering (which is cleaning carpet with the vacuum machine which sucks up dirt), dusting (which is wiping a cloth over furniture and the other objects to remove dust), washing up (which is cleaning dishes), ironing and doing the laundry.  Not every one likes doing housework, some people like one task more than others. Some people find it ok to do the things like washing and cleaning but they don’t like ironing. Most of the women love dusting. They are very good at washing up and they really like to tidy up their kitchen.If two or more people live together there is often disagreement about who should do what. In some societies people complain that it’s not fair because women do most of the work. In Spain they have even been moved to make things more equal with a law, which states the man who marry, must do half of the housework. Many women with a professional or political career also have to worry about running the home, looking after the children or even older family members and it seems that these domestic responsibilities apply only to women. Even in UK research suggests that men do less work than women although the situation has changed over the years. Men are much more involved in domestic chores than they used to be. An important part of this change has been in child’s care. In 70’s, men were spending about 15 minutes of a day on childcare and by the mid 90’s that had gone up to 2 hours a day so it has been a considerable shift. Men are contributing vastly more than they were but of course women are still doing a lion’s share in majority of household. There have been significant improvements but there is still a long way to go.

Michel Jackson’s photographer

 

Michel Jackson is one of the biggest selling artists of all time. He is best known for his music, dancing and his live shows. A photographic exhibition about Michel, which captures important moments in both his public and private life, recently opened in London.  One of the photographers in exhibition is Harrison Funk who was Jackson’s official photographer between 1984 and 1995. Harrison described what was he liked to be as his official photographer and what kind of emotion did he feel at first. Harrison said he was nervous and it was a bit of nerve-wracking experience but after some time his job became a commonplace, a part of his daily routine. Harrison funk took photographs of Michel over number of years when he was one of the best-known musicians in the world.  He saw him as a personality who played many different roles in his public life. Harrison describes him as a showman, performer and an entertainer. But Harrison said Jackson can also appeared to be like as statesman, an experienced and famous senior politician. He can also be like as a diplomat or an ambassador of good will. He was also a very private person. Harrison believes it is a very difficult task to capture all of these aspects of Jackson’s life in a photograph. He feels it is a daunting task for him. 
 
Nerve-wracking experience
an event that makes you feels tense and worried
She said that taking her final examination was a nerve-wracking experience

Daunt /daunting                                                                                If something daunts you then you feel little worried or afraid about dealing with it.

Commonplace                                                                                Part of daily routine                                                                                    Air travel has now become a commonplace, as flights are so cheap.

Ban on smoking

In UK, a historic ban took place and that is total ban on smoking in enclosed places such as restaurant, clubs and pubs. No smoking in London pubs? That’s hard to imagine but it’s true. Hereto after there will be no smoking in enclosed public places. One of the reasons for the ban is to protect the health of people who work in pubs and clubs because where they work they have to breath in the other people’s smoke in air: the second hand smoke, it is called as passive smoking. Another reason for the ban is to encourage smokers to give up. Medical authorities say that this ban will save lives very soon, in a short term.

All over Britain the news about smoking ban was a big topic of conversations in pubs and clubs. People’s reactions on smoking ban are more encouraging. Some of them who are regulars at pub say that even though there is smoking ban they won’t stop going to pubs. Most of the people including the smokers agree with the ban. The ban is good for people who don’t smoke and who wants to come out and have a social evening in the pubs. When you go to pub, you are a non-smoker but the person on the next table is smoking. All it is second hand smoke and that’s why most of the people agree that there should be ban. Smokers are also not against the ban as it might encourage them to stop smoking.

  

What do you think? Do you for or against the smoking?

Pancake race ..a strange tradition

Hey guys, could you guess what it is? No…..it’s not a relay race nor a marathon. It’s actually a pancake race.  I don’t know about other countries but in the UK there is rather strange tradition associated with Strove Tuesday and yes, that is the pancake race.

Strove Tuesday is a feast day. A feast is one when you eat a lot of good foods in one go. On strove Tuesday, Christians traditionally feasted before lent. Lent is forty days before Easter and for Christians it is time for a fasting. So Shrove Tuesday is seen as a last chance to use up things like eggs and fats before the fasting started.

Pancake race is quite interesting race where large number of people raced down the street tossing pancake and trying not to drop them. It’s relay type race and there are four people in each team and there is about 30 to 40 yards stretch. Each member has to run up this stretch carrying a frying pan with a pancake inside it. On the way, they have to flip the pancake in the air at least twice. When they get the end, they have to pass the pan with the cake to the next member who then runs back. If you drop the cake then you have to pick it up and put it back in you frying pan. Unless you finish the race with your pancake in your frying pan, you automatically disqualified.

It’s so strange…..isn’t it?

  Prize-winning ceremony. Now it's time to eat pancakes