Honeymoons and Blackpool
Post categories: Teacher blog
| 19:09 UK time, Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Dear Enayat and readers of the teachers blog
I've just been looking at the comments after my last post in response to Enayat. I wrote a text about weddings, including lots of vocabulary related to the topic. I asked if you could guess what the words meant and said that I would let you know in my next post, so here are the answers:
• Husband-to-be and wife-to-be = the man and woman who are about to be married
• Pop the question = ask somebody to marry you
• Engaged = agreed to be married
• Venue = the place where a public event happens
• Reception = a party to celebrate a marriage
• Aisle = a long narrow space between rows of seats ('to walk down the aisle' is also another phrase for 'to get married')
• Bridesmaid = a girl or woman who accompanies and helps the bride
• Pageboy = a boy who accompanies and helps the bride
• Vows = promises
• Best man = a man who helps the groom
• Tie the knot = get married
• Confetti = coloured pieces of paper
• Newlyweds = people who have just got married
• Honeymoon = a holiday after getting married
Englishlearner, you asked how long the engagement should be. That's a hard question to answer, as there is no fixed time. I think it is a year or two for most people...and of course some people don't get engaged - as mentioned before, traditions are changing.
Continuing the wedding theme, I have just come back from visiting my sister-in-law. We went to Blackpool (), a seaside resort in the north west of England where many people go for their holidays. My sister-in-law went there for her honeymoon in 1961 and we decided to go and see how the town had changed.
Blackpool is famous for its Tower ( which was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, though it is only 158m high. It was opened on the 18th May 1894. The Tower is a popular landmark and can be seen from up to 30 miles away.
Blackpool is also famous for its illuminations () which take place every year in the autumn. The illuminations are giant tableaux composed of electric lights, and other lights in the shape of animals and plants festoon the promenade. You can see some of the illuminations in this photo. The illuminations stretch along the seafront for six kilometres and attract many thousands of sightseers. They are very colourful and light up the night sky.
There are also three piers. We went on the ferris wheel which is on the Central Pier and from the top we could see the hills of the Lake District in the distance, another tourist attraction. The Lake District is where the poet William Wordsworth lived (), and the beauty of the Lake District inspired some of Wordsworth most popular poems. Here is the view of the town from the ferris wheel:
Anyway, after some time, we found the B & B where my sister-in-law spent her honeymoon, though the name had changed. My sister-in-law said that there had been many changes since 1961, but she could still find her way about the town. I used to visit the illuminations when I was a little child, but hadn't been back for many years. It was good to see it all again, and to have such a great guide.
Anyway, looking forward to hearing more from you soon Enayat,
Kim
Vocabulary
engagement - a period of time between agreeing to marry somebody and the wedding
sister-in-law - the sister of your husband, or the wife of your brother
resort - a place where people go for a holiday
landmark - a building that is easily recognised
illuminations - coloured lights which decorate a town or building outside
tableaux - an arrangement (of lights in this case) which represents a scene - it is a French word
festoon - adorn, to cover in an attractive way
promenade - a paved public walkway by the sea
sightseers - tourists, people who go to look at an attraction, "to see the sights"
pier - a long structure which goes from the land into the sea and which people can walk along
ferris wheel - a tall wheel with seats at a fairground which goes round - it is also called a 'big wheel'
B&B - a B&B (Bed and Breakfast) is a small hotel or Guest House, that offers a room (Bed) and the first meal of the day (Breakfast)
Comment number 1.
At 14th Jul 2010, Emat from Kazakhstan wrote:Hi Dear Kim,
Thanks for your the useful teachings, and it's so interesting to read each one of your topics. As for me, I'm really looking forward to reading your every new theme-based advice.
Best wishes,
Emat.
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Comment number 2.
At 15th Jul 2010, liyun wan wrote:Hi Kim,
It's so nice to spend a holiday in Blackpool. Your description is valid and I can really learn a lot from your text. Travel is amazing but it can also be a very tiring thing,especially in China. It is said that you need to be in a queue for about 5 hours or 6 hours to enter the Chinese Pavilian.
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Comment number 3.
At 15th Jul 2010, aliozturk wrote:In my home town, there is a nice promenade which comes to end a nice pier. Learning these words meaning(promenede and pier) reminded me that days on which I wondered there.
Thank you.
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Comment number 4.
At 16th Jul 2010, unkownunkown wrote:Thank you, Kim! You've taught me a new word "ferris wheel". Now I can tell what London Eye is--It is a ferris wheel.
Well, the word pattern like wife-to-be, sister-in-law seems commom in English,isn't it? Do people use this pattern "first word-second word-third word" in English to describe a person or some other things? If they do,when do they use it? Do these words exist in English vocabulary: uncle-in-law, city-in-the-sky(to describe a mirage)?
Thanks very much!
Best wishes!
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Comment number 5.
At 17th Jul 2010, monu wrote:Hi kim
I used your all suggested words in a little story its just based on my imagination so pls correct me wherever I did mistakes, here is the story begun" I met to a couple in venue of a birthday calibration, men was whispering to her wife about their proposed venue of marriage. They are engaged since last two year and getting married in next week. Wife to be said to his husband that the reception should be bigger then this event and their honeymoon should be unique"
I know that I did lot of mistakes in my above sentence and I keen to know from you that where I used wrong words.....eagerly waiting for your reply. Take care thanks!
monu
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Comment number 6.
At 17th Jul 2010, unkownunkown wrote:Dear Kim, one more thing shared with you: I find that in UK, ferris wheels can be usually seen on promenades or other public places, where in some other countries, e.g. China and Japan, people usually go on ferris wheels in parks.
At the end, I also wish to read more articles from Enayat. Wish him everything goes well.
Best wishes.
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Comment number 7.
At 18th Jul 2010, Pary wrote:Hi dear Kim
Thank you for the info about wedding realted words . They were so helpful . For a long time I didn't know what is a reception ? Once I asked one of my non native English teacher and she said it 's a kind of wedding ceremonies . From you explanation I knew that public ceremoney for wedding is called receptin , am I right ?
cheers
Pary from Iran
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Comment number 8.
At 18th Jul 2010, Pary wrote:Sorry it 's me again !
The illuminations are very atractive ! thank you for saying us about Blackpool !Having there in autumn must be very nice !
Pary
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Comment number 9.
At 18th Jul 2010, danny wrote:Hey Kim
It seems to me that you may unintentionally disregard the most dramatic event that has happened to Blackpool...The city football club is back to the Premier League after so many years.This is not a peripheral matter...I think it will awaken this city from its deep and unfinished sleep since the seventies(?).Don't you think so?
All the best
Danny
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Comment number 10.
At 20th Jul 2010, Kim wrote:Nice to read the comments here!
Unkownunkown - 'uncle-in-law' and 'city-in-the-sky' are not terms that exist in English. We use 'uncle' for brothers of our parents, and also for the husbands or partners of our parents' sisters. 'Uncle' is also sometimes used for older family friends by some people. It can be used quite loosely and can be used for older male relatives and family friends - it can cover a lot of people.
Pary - A wedding party is usually called a reception. It takes place after the wedding ceremony.
Monu - "I met a couple at a venue for a birthday celebration. A man was whispering to his wife-to-be about their proposed marriage venue. They had been engaged for two years and were getting married the next week. The wife-to-be said to her husband-to-be that the reception should be bigger then this event and their honeymoon should be unique."
Danny - You may be right :)
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Comment number 11.
At 23rd Mar 2011, U14821497 wrote:All this user's posts have been removed.Why?
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