RAPPING about DO and MAKE

Make or do? Do or make?
Thinking about it will make your brain ache.
- Fluency MC


The challenge of learning to use DO or MAKE can be a daunting one. Daunting enough to give you a headache.

Unless...




Unless you're learning it through the Fluency MC's fun rap song about the different ways to use the two often-confused verbs. In fact, super fun English teacher Fluency MC (aka Jason R. Levine) frequently uses collocations (or collos) - which are small chunks of language commonly used together - in order to help us learn authentic use of language. And he usually presents his lessons as fun and catchy rap songs so that what we learn, sticks!

So for today's post, we invite all our English Users to check out the Fluency MC's rap song about DO and MAKE. First, view it and enjoy the first time. When you finish, make note of the collocations he uses (shown in bold letters below) that are new to you. Then, view the video a second time and focus more on listening and think about what he says, then about reading.

And finally, answer the following questions:

1. Which of the things that Fluency MC says he does, do you usually DO?
2. Which of the things that Fluency MC says he does, do you usually MAKE?
3. Which of the things that Fluency MC says he does, did you DO this week?
4. Which of the things that Fluency MC says he does, did you MAKE this month?



Make or do? Do or make?
Thinking about it will make your brain ache.
Do yourself a favor. Give yourself a break.
Relax and Repeat, for Fluency’s sake.
I make sure to do my homework; then, I hit the sack.
I make a to-do list to stay on track.
I need to do a few errands; I’ll be right back.
Make yourself at home; be my guest; make a snack!

Do or make? Make or do?
If you’ve heard that they’re different, it’s not exactly true.
Many languages have one word, not two.
When you Collo, it’ll follow and make sense to you.
I make the bed in the morning and do laundry at night.
I don’t make fun of people-that’s impolite or
make a fist or do harm to someone in a fight.
I’d rather do good, make peace, and unite.
You’ve got to do your duty to make things right.
Let’s make a plan to eat out at this restaurant I know.
They make an excellent brunch; can you make time to go?
You’ll have the chance to make friends and make some conversation.
I can make a call now to make a reservation.
You’ll thank me for making such a great recommendation!

Do or make? Make or do?
If you’ve heard that they’re different, it’s not exactly true.
Many languages have one word, not two.
When you Collo, it’ll follow and make sense to you.
When I run out of food, I leave the house to do the shopping.
I do chores like the vacuuming, the sweeping and the mopping.
I’ll make a gourmet dinner and also do the dishes.
On birthdays we make cakes, light candles, and make wishes.

Do or make? Make or do?
If you’ve heard that they’re different, it’s not exactly true.
Many languages have one word, not two.
When you Collo, it’ll follow and make sense to you.
Do research; do experiments; develop your vision.
Make a promise to yourself that when you make a decision,
you’ll make a point to do it well, and then
you’ll make a commitment to do it just as well again.
Try to do good deeds and make a goal to do your best,
though you’re sure to make mistakes or even make a big mess.
To make progress, make great effort. That’s the key.
Make a choice to learn the truth and it will set you free.
Do the math. Make it last.

Peace, Fluency MC.

Enjoy other Fluency MC songs and be sure to give him a like on Facebook.

Quoting Mandela

Nelson Mandela - who passed away in December of 2013 - was a man known around the world for his lifelong commitment to the cause of the racial equality and later, to achieving reconciliation between two deeply disparate groups of people in the nation of South Africa.




Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison before becoming the first black president of South Africa was also deeply committed to education and its importance in creating a better tomorrow for our world.

On occasion of his recent departure, as English users we will share with you some of his most memorable quotes. These are great to discuss in your English classes or with other English users, especially because all of them go far beyond the situation in South Africa. Additionally, to add a linguistic dimension, we added some language points about each quote.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela.html#S52TvbKJgZ9qBeUQ.99

• Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
• Here the word is "education" is used as a metaphor. Metaphors are rhetorical devices that transfer the sense or aspects of one word to another.
• If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
• A powerful message involving the zero conditional. 
• There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
• to play small  (idiom) = to be mediocre or not try very hard
• There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.
  Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela.html#S52TvbKJgZ9qBeUQ.99
  I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
• whether = regardless of if
• It always seems impossible until its done.
• adverbs of frequency (always) go before single verbs

EXERCISE (Optional): Explain what Mandela is trying to say and add a specific example.

For a brief biography on the life of this iconic leader, we recommend you watch the following mini biography.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela.html#S52TvbKJgZ9qBeUQ.

What If JFK Lived? 2nd & 3rd Conditionals

As many English Users may have heard, the month of November marks the 50th Anniversary of the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. Kennedy was the youngest man elected to that office and also the youngest to die in it. In fact, many historical experts believe that November 22, 1963 was a day that changed the course of the 20th century, much like 9/11 was a day that changed the course of the 21st century.


JFK, as he was known, who was of Irish Catholic descent and a hero in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Although he was one of the most charismatic and popular presidents of the United States, he actually presided over the White House during the turbulent early 1960s.

Kennedy was considered one the leaders of the social challenges in the struggle known as the Civil Rights Movement. He was also a president who had to confront and make tough decisions during the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. He created the most important Space Program in US History. And many believe it was Kennedy who averted World War III during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.

Nevertheless, his short and intense presidency ended in Dallas in November of 1963, victim of a plot that some believe remains unsolved to this day.

So as we review history as English Users, we can practice the Conditionals and ask: What if Kennedy survived Dallas? Now, in case you don't recall, we use the second conditional to speak of things which are either improbable or imaginary with a result in the present. The construction is as follows:

IF	condition	result
	past simple	WOULD + base verb
If	JFK survived Dallas	he would be less popular than today.

Curiously, addressing that same question is a recent book titled If Kennedy Lived written by author Jeff Greenfield. So as this is a work of speculative history, the situation also lends itself to further speculation and for that we need the third conditional, which allows us to wonder alternative possibilities, with a different result, but this time in the past.

	condition	result
	Past Perfect	WOULD HAVE + Past Participle
If	JFK had survived Dallas	Americans would have reelected him the following year.

What would have happened if JFK had survived? Want to practice conditionals? Try to see if you could you write three more examples in second conditional and three more in third conditional speculating a different outcome for JFK and maybe, the world.

Some good clues or ideas might be provided by knowing what he did during his time in office. The following documentary deals with that. If you have some time, English Users, you might want to check it out: