Thursday, March 11, 2010

APOSTROPHE MONSTERS get very Possessive!





Here's a cartoon sketch for English Users young and old.

It provides further use of apostrophe S for Possessive Case. It is from the new version of award-winning American children's television show THE ELECTRIC COMPANY.

And as the show's sketch's character's dialogue demonstrates, you may use the apostrophe S repeatedly when there is repeated possession.

THE ELECTRIC COMPANY is a classic of American Pop Culture. Its original show ran back in the 1970s and made a stars out of many up and coming talents. One of the was a young comedian with a PhD in Education by name of Bill Cosby.

PLS English Users salutes Sesame Workshop & PBS - producers of the show - for officially uploading their content to an Official YouTube Channel, enabling other sites to publish and make their content known in a legal manner.

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Secret has been revealed... at the OSCARS

As many followers of this blog are from Argentina, we just wanted to share the great news...

On March 7th, 2010, Argentine film EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS (translated as "The Secret in their Eyes") received the OSCAR for best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards Ceremony in Hollywood, California.

This is the second time in history that Argentina has been blessed with an Oscar. The film - directed by veteran Argentine Director Juan José Campanella - revolves around a man who is trying to solve a brutal murder committed 30 years ago.

We recommend this Interview with the Director from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, as well as this review from the Hollywood magazine VARIETY.

And last but not least, you have the trailer with English subtitles. Remember you must activate the subtitles at the bottom right-hand of the screen (CC button).

Enjoy!

Friday, March 5, 2010

DO vs MAKE: "Make a choice and just do it!"

One of the most challenging things to learn in English as a Second Language (ESL) is when to use DO and when to use MAKE.

The truth is that there really aren’t fixed rules about this. But fortunately, there are clear patterns to follow. Here they are:



DO


Used when referring to work, an action, an activity, a task or a desired result in a generic way. They key point here is that all this DOING does not (usually) produce a
physical object.


do
the work

do your homework
do your job
do a crossword puzzle
do the shopping
do the laundry
do the washing
do the washing up
do anything
do everything
do nothing
do badly
do business
do the dishes
do a favour
do good
do harm
do time - (to go to prison)
do well
do your best
do your hair
do your nails
do your worst
do it - (that's right... Nike didn't invent the phrase, but they made it famous)

MAKE

Used when referring to constructing, building or creating something physical or tangible.

make a cake
make a house

make food
make coffee
make breakfast / lunch / dinner
make a dress
make a work of art

Also used for a number of standard expressions that follow no particular pattern. You just need to learn them.

make amends
make arrangements
make believe - (to pretend)
make a choice
make a comment
make a decision
make a difference
make an effort
make an enquiry
make an excuse
make a fool of yourself
make a fortune
make friends
make a fuss
make a journey
make love
make a mess
make a mistake
make money
make a move
make a noise
make a phone call
make a plan
make a point
make a profit
make a promise
make a remark
make a sound
make a speech
make a suggestion
make time
make a visit
make your bed - (to prepare the bed for sleeping in)