English Without End

Artificial intelligence: helpful and dangerous (podcast). Robots (listening + quiz). Do you fear artificial intelligence? (BBC Learning English video). The ethical dilemma of robotics ( BBC Learning English  reading) Artificial Intelligence and the future | André LeBlanc | TEDxMoncton: Sci-Fiction? Humans   (2015-) UK/US is a science fiction television series based on the award-winning Swedish science fiction drama Real Humans ( Äkta människor ) .  The series explores the themes of artificial intelligence and robotics, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological impact of the invention of anthropomorphic robots called "synths" . And when/if things get out of hand, you'll need a: "A blade runner's job is to hunt down replicants, manufactured humans you can't tell from the real thing". This post is part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series , each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from

Making a presentation like Steve Jobs. Presentations: signpost language BBC Skillwise website:  giving a presentation BBC Tallking Business:  Presentations: Language Expert How to make your presentations better without opening your mouth . Body language and voice tone account for 63% of communication (according to this article). Tips for effective presentations Tips on making presentations  (by University of Kent, the UK's European University).  Worth checking out the part  "Advanced Presention Tips: the Art of Rhetoric ":  tricolon effect   or the rule of three ( The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth ) use of contrast   ( A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.  Margaret Thatcher ) use of similes and metaphors  ( A beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion.  J.F.Kennedy ) alliteration   ( Let it be our cause to give that child a  happy   home, a  healthy  family, and a  hopeful  

The short story “You are now entering the human heart” , written by New Zealand author  Janet Frame   is a macabre tale of an elderly schoolteacher who permits a harmless snake to be wrapped around her neck in order to demonstrate to her class that there is no reason for fear. As she sits, trying to overcome her revulsion for the sake of impressing her class, the reader sees into her inner world, her heart. Summary  ( "You Are Now Entering the Human Heart - Summary"  Masterpieces of World Literature, Critical Edition  Ed. Steven G. Kellman. eNotes.com, Inc. 2009  eNotes.com 18 Feb, 2019 ) Janet Frame, 79, Writer Who Explored Madness ( New York Times , 2004) Janet Frame Obituary: Reclusive, but world-renowned, New Zealand writer whose novels explored the depths of the human psyche   ( The Guardian, 2004) Participle clauses exercises : Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4 Exercise 5 Exercise 6 Perfect participles More exercises

Several listening activities sharing different features of connected speech. Just click on the images below: More practice:  https://helenslanguagehome.com/ Connected Speech  radio programme (BBC Learning English) Link it All Together  (exercises) Linking  and more practice In a dictionary, words are given in isolation.  In natural speech, however, words are connected into sound groups: Authentic American Pronunciation Linking in connected speech practice (from the Coursera course "Tricky American English Pronunciation" by University of California)

Explanation Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 More practice And a bit more... Watch this video with extracts from TV series to be able to see this grammatical point in real context:

Valentine's Day: Idioms of the Heart Quiz What's Galentine's Day ?  Scene from Parks and Recreation   TV show. Parks and Recreation TV Series (2009) - Season 1 Trailer

Painting by Tess Recordon   I visited this artist's home and studio in 2016 during  Cambridge Open Studios  and I was genuinely impressed by her landscapes. If you happen to visit Cambridge in July, don't miss it. She is based in Grantchester, a nice river walk from Cambridge, now famous for a popular  TV show . Read the article: YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE AFFECTS WHAT YOU CAN AND CA'NT SEE   (source: Research Digest ) “The present results show for the first time that … our native language – and the color categories we apply within it – can influence whether we consciously perceive a stimulus or not,” the researchers write.   Names of colours in English Exercise 1 Exercise 2 What might come in handy here is the suffix "-ish" , don't you think? How to express yourself in an inexact way. Idiomatic language: your true colors If you'd rather listen to the original song by Phil Collins: Lyrics

An opinion essay  ( Look at the essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills) Writing class: Makeovers . Writing C1 . Writing topics and reference sites online (C1) . The Essay - Mr. Bean Extra History: South Sea Bubble (market crash, 1711). VIDEOS PREPOSITION PLACEMENT IN RELATIVE CLAUSES Everyday English Formal English (writing) Is that the man  (who) she arrived with ? Is that the man  with whom she arrived ? Does he know the girl  (that) John is talking to ? Does he know the girl  to whom John is talking ? It is a club  (which) many important people belong to . It is a club  to which many important people belong .

When you use this word conversationally, it’s going to be at the end of the sentence. Her words are happy, [but look at her eyes,  though . We often make a second sentence instead of using “but.” This cake looks pretty. It tastes awful,  though . The traffic accident was pretty bad. I couldn’t stop looking,  though . I'm sorry. I can't stay for lunch. I'll have a cup of tea, though. Speaker 1: Would you like something to drink? Speaker 2: I've just had some water. Thanks, though ! (Thanks, anyway) Although I’ve met that man twice, I can’t remember his name. I’ve met that man twice. I can’t remember his name, though . Video: BBC (British English) Video: VOA (American English) Check minutes 1:44-1:45 Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3

Multiple-choice listening : Gregg and Todd debate the necessity of minimum wages. TIP: Make sure you hide the script and do the quiz and vocab exercises before you read it. ACTIVITY HOLIDAY ORGANIZER IN THE CANARY ISLANDS Writing activity (ANSWERS): Now, let's see if this trailer  jogs your memory : Lyrics Fancy another walk down memory lane ?  " There isn't any room at the top for local girls like us"   "I'm not giving up" Working Girl (1989) Armas de mujer in Spain. ODE TO WORK I AM TIRED BECAUSE I AM OVERWORKED The population of Britain is  51  million. 21 million are retired. That leaves  30  million to do the work. There are  19  million in school. That leaves  11  million to do the work. Of this total,  2  million are unemployed and  4  million are employed by the government. That leaves  5  million to do the work. 1  million are in the armed forces which leaves  4  million to do the work