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Hello Everyone,

I think this would be my last post for this month, I feel guilty that I fell behind the target of posting 2 blogs per week, I am sorry for that. On the other hand however, I enjoy being a student blogger for the month of MAY, many thanks to Will who is the teacher blogger for this month as well, I have learn a lot, and also to all Buddies that have posted comments at the bottom of my posts, overwhelmed reading those.

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Hi Lito and everyone else -

Yesterday I had an interesting experience that some people reading this might have had before. I went out in London to shoot two short films.

My background is radio, not TV, so it was a new experience for me. We only had a small crew but everything was a lot more inconvenient and took a lot longer than recording a radio programme!

The reason is that it is very easy to edit audio but it is difficult to edit video without causing continuity errors. That's why when you make a film you often have to retake scenes from a different angle or from further away or closer up. If you are making a documentary you also have to take a lot of cutaway shots. It all makes the editing easier!

A ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ film crew (not my film crew!)

The videos will appear soon on the bbclearningenglish site. Do any of you like making films? Or do you prefer to just watch them?! For all you cinephiles, I have created a cinema quiz at the end of today's entry.

LANGUAGE

Lito, I enjoyed finding out about your hobby of going to fish markets. The fish market in London is called Billingsgate. I have intended to go there at 5.30 am for a long time but I am much lazier than you! But I did once visit the massive Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. I ate sushi for breakfast - it was very fresh!

If you feel that you've been ripped-off by them in getting fish that you bought in high price, I must say no you haven't, because its worth it.

This is a great use of that phrase to rip someone off / to be ripped off. If you are ripped off it means that you have paid too much for something. Your preposition here is wrong though - we should say 'at a high price'.

Here in the city where I live, person like me that loves eating seafoods are gathering every friday at fish market not buying a ice preserved fish but a live and fresh one.

There are a few little mistakes in this sentence that probably tell us what some problem areas are for you: plurals, present tenses and verb forms. Compare it to these sentences:

Here in the city where I live, people like me who love eating seafood gather every Friday at a fish market. We don't go there to buy ice-preserved fish but fresh, live ones.

Notice that I have turned your sentence into two sentences... In written English, it's best not to try to fit too much information into one sentence.

Lito, what I want to know is: what happens next? Do you have any good fish recipes?

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S HOMEWORK

Well done to everyone who tried last week's homework, because I think everyone got it right!

1. cold = chilly
2. cloudy = overcast
3. changing all the time = changeable
4. a hot day / period of time = a scorcher
5. light rain = drizzle
6. rains heavily = it chucks it down
7. humid = muggy

I was pleased to see that some of you had tried to make sentences using last week's weather words. However, let's just take a look at how to use that word scorcher. Iva wrote:

To be honest, I would rather enjoy some SCORCHER days on the beach in Varna, Bulgaria, but for the time being I have to pass my time in MUGGY Amsterdam.

... and vn_nghia wrote:

I'm from the southern of VietNam that the weather is almost SCORCHER and not CHANGEABLE.

These sentences aren't quite right because scorcher is a noun and not an adjective. Take a look at these two example sentences:

This summer is going to be an absolute scorcher.
It was a scorching (hot) summer day.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK

I thought I would continue the theme of filming with a cinema quiz! This will test your knowledge of English and also film trivia. Enjoy.

1. Cinema is sometimes called the WHAT screen? a) bronze b) silver c) golden
2. Which country has the world's biggest filmmaking industry? a) USA b) Nigeria c) India
3. What is the missing word? "Lights, camera, _______!" a) action b) cut c) act
4. In what country was Catherine Zeta-Jones born?
5. Where did Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn go on holiday in 1953?

USEFUL LANGUAGE

To shoot - to film
A crew - the people who shoot a film (not the actors but the technical staff)
To edit something - to create a sequence in a film, TV or radio programme by putting together different parts of a recording
A continuity error - A mistake in a film or TV sequence. For example, someone might open a door but in the next shot we see that the door is closed.
To retake - to film another time
A cutaway shot - A short piece of film that is not of the main subject that can be used to help edit a sequence.
A cinephile - someone who loves movies.
Trivia - this is a non-count noun which describes knowledge which is useful in quizzes but not in everyday life. E.g. You must invite Martin to the pub quiz. He knows so much football trivia!

Dear Lito (and everyone)

I'm just writing a quick entry today. I'll write a longer passage next week!

LANGUAGE

Lito, one of the great things about reading your blog is how your enthusiasm shines through your writing. Are you a travel agent? If not, I think you have missed your calling.

In this passage, I like the way you build up momentum by making a long list of ideas.

Bohol is also one of the best places to hit and enjoy in my country if you are really want a remarkable beach experience and an exciting expedition. Diving, swimming, hiking, having an underwater experience, taking a glimpse of the naturally landscaped Hills, Being an audiences of these friendly, playfulness, smooth skinny Dolphins, Beering, Well Beering shouldn't be absent on the list should it?

A couple of small points. In English we don't use capital letters in the middle of the sentence, unless it's a name.

Also, there is no such word as 'beering' - although I know exactly what you mean! We might use the informal word boozing, which means to drink lots of alcohol. Booze is a slang word for alcohol.

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S HOMEWORK

Well done - nearly everyone got this right! Kirsti, I can understand your confusion about 'the gloves are off'. But think about it this way: if you punch someone without a boxing glove, it hurts them more. So, 'the gloves are off' means 'let's be tough'.

1. From now on, let's be really tough.
From now on, the gloves are off.

2. She's a very important politician.
She's a political heavyweight. (For some reason this sounds better than 'a heavyweight politician'!)

3. The teacher was about to ask me to read my homework when the class ended. Just in time!
Saved by the bell!

4. He used to be a successful pianist but now he is a failure.
He used to be a successful pianist but now he's down and out.

5. That's a bit unfair!
That's a bit below the belt!

6. This is the fourth time he's made this mistake. I'm going to tell him he's wrong and I'm not going to be easy on him.

This is the fourth time he's made this mistake. I'm going to tell him he's wrong and I'm not going to pull any punches.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK

Like every Englishman I love to talk about the weather. The reason why we always discuss this topic is that England's weather is so changeable. Some days it is bright, other days it's overcast. Occasionally, it chucks it down but more often we will just have day after day of drizzle. At the moment it is rather muggy. But no-one is complaining because we had such a long and chilly winter. Everyone is hoping that this summer will be a scorcher!

Can you match the underlined words to these definitions?

1. cold
2. cloudy
3. changing all the time
4. a hot day / period of time
5. light rain
6. rains heavily
7. humid

USEFUL LANGUAGE

• to shine through - to be clear, e.g. Her essay was a little confused, but her intelligence shone through.
• to miss one's calling - a phrase meaning to do a job that isn't the job you would be best at, e.g. You're such a great cook. You really missed your calling!
• To punch someone - to hit someone with your fist

Getting up the bed at 5:30 in the morning, rushing into the car thinking that you are gonna be late catching these fish vendor selling live/fresh fish at the fish market. Thats my days off habit by the way.

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Hello again.
I was thinking about what to write on the blog today as I commuted to work, then I thought let's blog about commuting!

I'm not alone in experiencing the commute to work. All around the World millions of people are commuting - or making a regular journey - to their city centre office, maybe you are one of them? It's something that we have to endure if we want to go to work and earn some money.

My commute starts here - when it's not snowing!

The word commuter derives from the 1840s during the early days of rail travel in US cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. The expansion of the railways led to the development of suburbs from which travellers paid a reduced or 'commuted' fare into the city.

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Hello everyone,

I reckon you would be amazed sailing in a calm Sea few clicks from the shore, on the 30ft long man-made wood boat, with the two Dolphins singing a crystal sound and splashing up the water fews meters away from you.

Deeply in love couple

You would be astonished if you came across with this lovely creature that invites your attention by staring at you, showcasing the beauty of their round huge Eyes while hiking around the foot of the Hill.

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Dear Lito (and everyone else!)

Thanks to all of you for your warm words. You know, really this blog belongs to you; I'm just a guest here. So thank you so much for welcoming me into your home and making me a nice cup of tea.

Lito, like some of the others on this site I confess I hadn't heard of Manny Pacquiao. But I've just watched him in action online.

Although boxing is not the English national sport, it has probably given more idioms to the English language than any other. I will return to this topic in the homework section at the bottom of this post!

Your post made me wonder who an equivalent British sporting personality would be to 'Handy Manny'.

The racing driver Lewis Hamilton springs to mind;

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The reason is not so much that he has had a glittering career, although he has won his share of trophies. It is more that the British public has seen him make mistakes and make up for them.

We've watched David Beckham go from being a footballer to being - on many occasions - an ambassador for our country. Now he has become an icon of modern Britain - a bit like the London Eye or the Dyson vacuum cleaner.

LANGUAGE

We Filipinos are friendly, technically educated, hardworking, honest and religious. There's more of that, I just want it to cut it to the chase. One the best example is Manny Pacquiao...

If you cut to the chase, you miss out the long introduction and get to the point quickly. This is the sort of thing you might say in a business meeting: Let's cut to the chase. I think the phrase comes from Hollywood, when directors want to go straight to the most exciting part of their film, the car chase.

I think the phrasal verb to sum up would be useful here. Lots of you will know this to mean 'in conclusion'. But you can also use it when a single thing or person combines lots of qualities. So you could say:

We Filipinos are friendly, technically educated, hardworking, honest and religious. All of this is summed up in one man: Manny Pacquiao.

A more formal way to say something similar is:

We Filipinos are friendly, technically educated, hardworking, honest and religious. All of these qualities are epitomised by one man: Manny Pacquiao.

The epitome (pronounced e-PI-toe-me) of something is the very best example of that thing.

The epitome of the classic British racing car is the Aston Martin DB5.

Finally, here's one other way to say it:

We Filipinos are friendly, technically educated, hardworking, honest and religious. Manny Pacquiao embodies all of these qualities.

To embody means to give a physical form to something abstract.

LAST WEEK'S HOMEWORK

Well done everyone who sent in their suggestions. Almost everyone got these sentences right.... Although I did say there wasn't a single 'right' answer!

1. I was reared by my parents

This should be I was brought up by my parents (or more naturally, by my mum and dad).

Kika, yes you can say I grew up with my parents but notice that the meaning is slightly different. I grew up with my two sisters, but they didn't look after me and tell me off when I was naughty. (Well, they did, but can you see the point I'm making: to bring someone up means to act like a parent towards a child).

Mohammad, I like what you wrote - I was born and bred by my parents. I don't think this is wrong, but I think this phrase 'born and bred' is often used to describe national identity. So, if someone wants to say that they are a really really English person, they might say I'm an Englishman born and bred.

2. When people criticise her, she should defend herself.

This should be When people criticise her, she should stand up for herself or she should stick up for herself.

3. I'm starting to become ill.

I'm going down with something.

4. I said goodbye to Alice at the airport.

I saw Alice off at the airport.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK

Let us return to the subject of boxing. Look at these six phrases from the sport:

• Down and out
• The gloves are off
• Below the belt
• Heavyweight
• (To not) pull any punches
• Saved by the bell

You can probably guess

Manny Pacquiao fighting Shane Mosley

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1. From now on, let's be really tough.
2. She's a very important politician.
3. The teacher was about to ask me to read my homework when the class ended. Just in time!
4. He used to be a successful pianist but now he is a failure.
5. That's a bit unfair!
6. This is the fourth time he's made this mistake. I'm going to tell him he's wrong and I'm not going to be easy on him.

USEFUL LANGUAGE

• a personality - a celebrity from a particular field, e.g. a sporting personality, a TV personality
• to springs to mind - to occur to one
• glittering - very successful
• to make up for something - redeem oneself, to do something good after doing something bad
• an ambassador - here, this means someone who represents a country or cause unofficially
• an icon - originally, this had a religious meaning. Now, it is often used to describe someone who is well respected and sums up (or epitomises or embodies!) a particular time, e.g. a fashion icon, a gay icon
• to tell a child off - to tell a child (s)he is bad, naughty etc.

Bye!

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Need more pictures and topics about our stunning and wonderful places? Well, I promise that I'm gonna talk about that next time after this. Just because I'm so enthusiastic talking about a bit of our Culture now. We Filipinos are friendly, technically educated, hardworking, honest and religious. There's more of that, I just want it to cut it to the chase. One the best example is Manny Pacquiao...

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Hi Lito (and everyone else!)

I really enjoyed reading your first post and seeing those beautiful pictures of your country. I have never been to the Phillipines but it's definitely on my list.

I find it especially interesting that in Boracay international and local tourists enjoy the beaches side by side. Do these two groups of people always get on together?

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Are you getting stressed from the office work? needs to chill out? Wants to be away from the Bosses for a couple of weeks? If you are, I know a place from my country to go that I knew you might love it.

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