Video lesson#25: Boarding order

 Have you ever board a flight?

Have you noticed that year after year the boarding order is getting more and more complicated?

Have you ever thought that you were one of the first passengers to enter a plane and then discovered that you were one of the last ones?

If your answer is "yes" to any of these questions I´m sure that you are going to enjoy this short video from the comedians Key & Peele

Have fun!

Vocabulary

Boarding: entering a plane or a ship.

First class passengers: person who flies with the most expensive and highest quality service on a plane.

Business class passengers: person who flies with better conditions that the ones you get when you buy a cheap flight ticket on economy class

Wheelchair: a chair on wheels used by people that are unable to walk.

Priest: man with religious duties in the Christian Church

Nun: a member of a female religious group that lives in a convent. 

Rabbi: religious leader and teacher in the Jewish religion

Imam: leader in the Islamic religion

Computer bag: a bag used to carry laptops or similar electronic devices.

Damn it!: expression of annoyment or disatisfaction

Cranky: easily annoyed or upset

 
 

Video lesson #23: Wherever I may roam (Metallica clip)

HI!

Today we are going to listen to a Metallica´s song from their most famous album, the so called black album released almost 20 years ago, in 1991.

Although this album includes hits like Enter Sandman, Sad but True or Nothing Else Matters, I have chosen another song called Wherever I May Roam for two reasons. 

On the one hand, it´s a song that talks about roaming, that is not exactly the same thing as travelling. When you travel you have a purpose, a goal, which might be relaxing on the beach, visiting a city or a touristic spot, gathering with friends and family, and so on. But when you roam you don´t have a specific purpose or goal, you travel without an idea of what you are going to do; therefore you are not a traveler or a tourist but a nomad, wanderer, rover or vagabond.

On the other hand I have always loved this song so it was about time to make an English lesson based on it.

At last, but not least, it also includes some common expressions that are quite useful in spoken English, like take my time or speak my mind. Both expressions are explained below so you can fully understand them.

As usual, follow these steps to take the lesson:

1- Download the lyrics sheet, and go to pages 1-2 where you will find the song´s lyrics with some missing words (gaps).

2- Click this video and listen to the song while you try to fill the gaps with the words that you hear. I recommend listening at least twice to the song.

3- Check your results going to page 3 where you will find the whole lyrics of the song.

4- Take a look at the vocabulary below to understand every word of the song.

5- Listen again to the song, without reading the lyrics and try to understand most of it.

 

WORKSHEET Wherever I May Roam Worksheet

 

VOCABULARY

Bride: a woman who is getting married or has just been married.

To strip: to remove, pull, or tear the covering or outer layer from something.

Pride: your feelings of your own worth and respect for yourself.

To confide: to tell something secret or personal to someone whom you trust not to tell anyone else.

Dust: very small pieces of sand, earth and other substances.

To crave: to desire something strongly.

Slave: a person who is legally owned by someone else and has no personal freedom.

Rover, wanderer, nomad or vagabond: a person who spends their time travelling from place to place.

To take your time: expression that means that you can spend as much time as you need in doing something.

To speak your mind: to say what you think about something very directly.

To roam: to travel without a clear idea of what you are going to do.

Throne: a special chair used by a ruler, like a king or a queen.

Tie: a connection or relationship between people, or between a person and a place, interest or activity.

To sever: to end a connection with someone or something.

Off the beaten path: away from people and not known.

To reign: to be the king or queen of a country.

To carve: to cut into the surface of stone, wood, etc. In the song they use the expression carved upon my stone that means that something can´t be changed (for example a plan or a way of life).

To wander: to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction.

Hotel professions

Hey!

Here you have a card game to learn the different ocupations at the hotels and accommodations.

I hope you like it!

Video lesson#18: The Terminal (second part)

Let´s continue learning English with this movie, this time with the interesting and absurd conversation between Mr Navorsky  and Mr Dixon

This might be a little bit more difficult but with the vocabulary list below you should understand everything.

Vocabulary 

JFK: IATA code for New York´s John F. Kennedy airport.

Immigration: the act of someone coming to live in another country.

Interpreter: someone whose job is to change what someone else is saying into another language.

To suspend: to stop something from being active.

To issue: to produce or provide something official.

To revoke: to say officially that an agreement, permission, law, etc. is no longer in effect.

Visa: an official document that allows you to enter or leave a particular country.

In a nutshell: expression that means “using as few words as possible”.

Military coup: a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power by an army.

Casualty: a person injured or kill in a serious accident or war.

Leadership: the position or fact of being the leader.

Big Apple: common name for New York city.

To seal the borders: to close the borders of a country so no one can enter or leave it.

Asylum: protection or safety, especially that given by a government to people who have been forced to leave their own countries for their safety or because a war. 

Refugee: a person who has escaped their own country for political, religious or economic reasons or because of a war.

Unacceptable: too bad to be accepted, approved of, or allowed to continue.

Twilight zone: an area where two different ways of life or states of existence meet. It´s also a Tv show related to ghosts and mysteries.

Dilemma: a situation in which difficult choice has to be made between two different things you could do.

To detain: to force someone officially to stay in a place.

Crack: a very narrow space between parts of something.

To sort out: to deal successfully with a problem or situation.

International Transit Lounge: A waiting room at an international airport for passengers changing flights.

Free: having unlimited movement.

Uncle Sam: a popular way to name the Government of the U.S.A.

Video lesson#17: The Terminal

I´ve just remember this Steven Spielberg´s movie from 2004 that is perfect to listen to some specific airport vocabulary.

I´m quite sure you know this movie about an Easter European citizen who becomes stuck in New York´s J.F. Kennedy airport. In fact, it´s inspired in the true story of Mehram Karimi Nasseri who lived for almost 18 years (from 1988 to 2006) in Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, in France.

Anyway, it´s a great movie and I´m sure you will enjoy this short video with the first scenes of the film.

The vocabulary it´s quite easy, except from some technical airport terms that I´ve listed below.

So, welcome and enjoy your stay!

 

Vocabulary

Arrival: the act of someone or something that reaches a place, in this case the airport.

Gate: part of the airport where travelers are allowed to get on or off an aircraft.

To line up: to stand in a line

Booth: a small place like a box that a person can go into. In an airport is the place where customs officers check the travelers passports, visas and flight tickets.

I-94 form: is a form used by the U.S, Customs and Border Protection to keep track of the arrival and departure to/from the United States of people who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents.

What´s the purpose of your visit, business or pleasure?: polite question asked at the customs to inquire about the reason of your travel

Return ticket: flight ticket to the origin of your flight, normally the city or country you are living in.

Enjoy your stay: polite sentence used in airports and accommodations to wish the visitor a good stay.

Passport: an official document containing personal information and usually a photograph that allows the person to travel to foreign countries and to prove who they are.

Customs: the place at a port, airport or border where travelers´ bags are examined for illegal or taxable goods.

Forged document: illegally falsified documents such as passports, visas, etc.

IBIS: acronym of Interagency Border Inspection System.

To claim your luggage: to demand your luggage in an airport.

Yellow cab: a taxi from New York city, where the taxis are yellow cars.

Inn: hotel.

Keep the change: polite sentence used to tip waiters, taxi drivers, etc. while giving them the money that is left of a payment.

Video lesson#16: At the restaurant

Hello!

Today we are going to take a look at some useful English used in restaurants with this video from Learn English with Tv Series.

Watch the video, learn the important vocabulary below and then check your knowledge with a little game.

Ready?

 

Vocabulary

To eat out: to eat in a restaurant.

To book: to make a reservation.

Party: a group of people who are involved in an activity together, like going to a restaurant.

To order: to ask for something to be made, supplied or delivered, especially in a restaurant or shop.

Special: in restaurants, a dish that is available on a particular day that is not usually available.

To be out of: to don´t have more of something, like food, drinks, water, oil, etc.

To splurge: to spend a lot of money in expensive goods.

On the side: food served on another plate or literally on the side of your plate.

Check: a list showing what you have eaten and how much do you have to pay. It is also called bill in British English.

Tip: extra money given to the waiter in a restaurant to show that you have liked the service.

To tip: to give a tip.

Gratuity: synonym of tip

Play this short game to prove your knowledge: