Kangaroo words within words; Worlds within worlds....

Following up from our previous entry KANGAROO WORDS are those which carry within their spellings a smaller word which can be a synonym. They should not be confused with anagrams such as

POOL, LOOP, POLO
FOWL, WOLF, FLOW
DARE, READ, DEAR
LAME, MALE, MEAL
ACRE, RACE, CARE
SEAT, EAST,  SATE
NAME, AMEN, MANE

I´LL GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES AND YOU´LL HAVE TO FIND THE HIDDEN KANGAROO WORDS IN THE REMAINING LIST:

DECEASED........................................DEAD

SALVAGE..........................................SAVE

CATACOMB......................................TOMB

EXISTS..............................................IS

ROTUND...........................................ROUND

ILLUMINATED................................LIT

FABRICATION.................................FICTION

REVOLUTION..................................REVOLT

FACADE............................................FACE

RECLINE...........................................LIE

ENGAGED........................................GAG

APPROPRIATE................................

OBSERVE........................................

DELIBERATE................................

PANTALOONS...............................

PRECIPITATION..........................

SUPERVISOR................................

HOSTELRY...................................

PREMATURELY.........................

MASCULINE..............................

PERIMETER.............................

BALSAM...................................

FALSIFIED.............................

FOX.........................................

Which other words can you find embedded in the list below?:

CARPENTER     CARMEN  CARMINATIVE

BUNGALOWS  capital punishment for small cakes

MARGIN spoil the alcoholic drink

CHAMPAGNE (fake an ache)

PILLAGE time for contraception

SUMMERSAULT  seasonal seasoning

LACTOSE  without sth on your feet

CASTRATE  number of attempts made by an angler

FONDANT a loving insect

 ABOMINABLE  a terrorist attack on an animal

ALPHABET gamble on italian car 

PERVERSE poetry for cats

PROPAGANDA genuine goose 

FLATULENT loaned out your apartment 

MOCCASIN   scorn any wrong doing

TANGENT  a sunburn fellow 

ASTEROID   a body-builder from outer space 

BREAKFAST an emergency stop 

MALARIA  a shopping precinct

BULLETIN a container for ammunition 

EXTREMIST  heavy fog

 SANDWICH  a seaside sorceress 

SHAMROCK a false stone 

HURRICANE a stick for quick walkers 

ADAGE a commercial era 

ANALOGY  for example hay fever 

AN UROLOGIST  for your neurons 

INTELLIGENT  fashionable TV personality  

IMMENSITY  huge urban connurbation 

FANATIC circulate air near the roof 

THINKING  a slim monarch 

HORTICULTURE supercilious society 

DOGMATIC  flea on a hound with litter 

continue with any other REBUSES  you may devise: 

See the following list of ANTI-KANGAROO WORDS    WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR?

Find the opposite or complementary in the following

                   anti-kangaroo words.

1. animosity
2. bearded
3. communicative
4. courteous
5. covert
6. effective
7. exacerbate
8. fabrication
9. feasted
10. female
11. friend
12. negligently
13. pest
14. prudent
15. prurient
16. redoubtable
17. resigned
18. revolution
19. she
20. there
21. thoroughly
22. unruffianly
23. wonderful
24. wreckless

How can we get RID of the MAD in MADRID...?

THIS UNIT IS NOT POLITICAL AT ALL. It´s just one good way of enjoying the sheer fun and creativity in the classroom. We started  by giving our students copies of the comedy song  Who put the bricks in Brixton... This song  asks about different places in England ,Scotland and Wales, for instance

Who put the pool in Blackpool?

Who put the bed in Bedford?

Who put the liver in Liverpool?

Who put the scar in Scarborough?

Who put the barn in Barnsley?

Who put the chef in Sheffield?

Who put the udder in Huddersfield?

Who put the car in Cardiff?

Who put the swan in Swansea?

Who put the glass in Glasgow?

Who put the ham in Hamilton?

Who put the mother in Motherwell?

We did this activity both in English and Spanish and this is what our students came up with:...

WHO PUT THE BAR in BARCELONA or BARBADOS?

                              BOMB in BOMBAY?

                               ALTAR in Gibraltar?

                               PEN in COPENHAGEN?

                               JERRY in Jericho?

                                CAN in Canada?

                                TAR in Tarragona?

                                DEN in Denmark?

                                VILLA in SEVILLA?

                                 ROCKS in TORROX?

                                 BOX  in Albox?

                                 PAR in Paris?

                               cow in Moscow?

                                            ........................................................?

                                               Now the Spanish version

                  QUIEN PUSO EL ALMA en LAS PALMAS?   

                                               el   MAL en MÁLAGA?

                                                  la NADA en GRANADA?

                                  EL AJO Y LA HOZ en BADAJOZ?

                                                  MIL en MILÁN?

                                       La muñeca en Almuñécar?

                                           la  sal en Salobreña?

                                            la mar en Marbella?

                                             el can en Canarias?

                                         la uña en Cataluña o la Coruña ?

                                                   la lona en Barcelona?

                                                               la mora en Zamora?

                                                      la liana en Frigiliana?

                                                                    la boa en Lisboa?

                     ¡Por qué no es Oestepona en vez de Estepona, si está situada al Oeste de Málaga?
                                                   ......................................................?                  

Double trouble or treble trouble....?

(This unit is dedicated to the late Fº S. B. an inspiration to those trying to master the English language)Some former students´initials coincide with the distinguished gentleman´s ....

I am bound to admit that English is

 EASY, FUN(When it´s sung), IMPORTANT,GREAT, CRUCIAL,EXCITING,SURPRISING, AMAZING, FASCINATING, FRUSTRATING,....

AN ADVENTURE, COMMUNICATION, RESEARCH, CULTURE, DRAMA,ACTION, WISDOM, SHAKESPEARE, AMERICAN SLANG,PLAY,FICTION, NON-FICTION, COMEDY, PROSE, A TOOL, A VEHICLE, A LINGUA FRANCA WORLDWIDE, POETRY,THE HOST, THE MILK, EVOLUTION,NOT JUST A SUBJECT, GROWTH, YOUR ATTITUDE TO PEOPLE,TO OBJECTS, TO IDEAS,YOUR RELIGION, YOUR LIFE, EVERYTHING......

Let´s quote Francisco Sánchez Benedito: a term is polysemous when it has two or more meanings.; i.e. PLANE, SPRING, SHARP,etc..

See if you can find different meanings in the following words by using them in suitable contexts:

pitch

ball

top

kite

mole

pike

rook

seal

shark

pretty

skate

light

pin

swift

thrush

pool

oil

odds

slide

bland

chips

foot

pump

pet

tin

point

track

cut

play

run

go

break

hand

plain

plane

beat

lead

bow

row

wind

bob

left

port

close.
                                                                       

AGAINST black & white THINKING....

We are sons and daughters of structuralism, which has seen life as a series of two mutually exclusive, opposed or contradictory groups. This binary opposition acknowledges the human tendency to think in terms of oppositions. Religions foster this categorization and simplistic view of reality, associated with something positive or negative. Typically RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS will state: "If you are not for me, you are against me"; when in fact, you can be indifferent to both attitudes.

J. Derrida argued that these oppositions were arbitrary and inherently unstable. Deconstruction rejects most of the assumptions of structuralism and especially "binary opposition".

YOUR TASK will be to find an alternative way out of these over forty false dilemmas which binary contrasts create AND ARE PART OF OUR OWN  deeply-rooted CULTURAL HERITAGE:

MOORS- CHRISTIANS

RIGHT- LEFT

RIGHT- WRONG

THOUGHT- ACTION

REASON- PASSION

SPEECH- WRITING

BELIEVER- ATHEIST

THEORY- PRACTICE

 CLASSIC- ROMANTIC

MALE CHAUVINIST- FEMINIST

MALE- FEMALE

 BODY- SOUL

 PACIFIST- BELLICOSE

INSIDE- OUTSIDE

PRESENCE- ABSENCE

MARRIED- SINGLE

EASTERN- WESTERN

INDEPENDENT- CENTRALLY DOMINATED

IRRIGATED COASTAL LANDS- DRY HINTERLANDS

LIFE - DEATH

 SKY- EARTH 

 ABOVE- BELOW

 SOUTH - NORTH

FIRE- DAMP 

 DAY- NIGHT

SPRING- WINTER 

 SUN- MOON 

BLACK- WHITE 

LIGHT- DARKNESS 

 NEAR- FAR

HOME- FOREST

 YOUTH- AGE

SACRED- PROFANE

PAGAN- CHRISTIAN

NATURAL FOOD- COOKED FOOD

PHYSICS- METAPHYSICS

MONARCHY- REPUBLIC

FREEDOM- SLAVERY

ATTACHMENT- REPULSION

LOVE- HATRED

MYTH - REALITY

FORM - CONTENT

VARIETY´s the spice of LIFE´s.... a BURGER´s

Living to eat or Eating to live? Is food your best medicine? Are you a foodie?
 There´s plenty of toxic food just as there are toxic people, toxic emotions, toxic loves, anxiety, anguish, anger, envy, fear, shame, depression, frustration, mourning, crying, blame, jealousy,etc.. (Bernardo Stamateas)
As a result of the typical summer laziness we are going to deal with such a superficial topic as one of our students´favourite foods: HAMBURGERS. (Once with a group of different ability students we learnt how to make cocktails from Bloody Mary  to Caipirinha or San Francisco and some of these students ended up in the catering business).
By way of definition, a hamburger is a sandwich or sliced bread roll inside which you may find anything from ground meat to all kinds of vegetables as it may be served with anything from raw onions,chilli, ketchup,mustard, tomato, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise,etc..
(This is such an important element in our students´culture that whenever we take them out on a school trip they are disppointed if they cannot find a McDonald´s, a Burger King´s or a similar burger place).

See if you can tell what the following burger types contain:

vegan burger

soy burger

classic burger

baconburger

barbecueburger

beefburger

cheeseburger

chickenburger

Chineseburger 

Thai burger

clamburger

double-burger

eggburger

fish

glutenburger

garlicburger

horsemeatburger

lamburger

liver-sausage-burger

porkburger

rabbitburger

tomatoburger

Greek burger

California burger

Carolina burger

Curry burger

Hawaii  burger

Naan burger

Pastrami burger

Rice burger

Steak burger

Teriyaki burger

Broccoli burger

Veggie burger

Taco burger

Anchovy pizza burger

Cajun burger

Tex-Mex

Gorgonzola burger

Fajita beef burger

Pesto burger

Brie burger

Nerja burger

1) Check 35 unique burger recipes, 60 top burger recipes and 100 different kinds of burger.

2) Create your own burger; What ingredients would a Frigiliana burger contain? and a Rio de la Miel burger? a Torrox burger? What would make it unique?

3) Write a list of your favourite pizza varieties: 

4) What about types of pasta? How many varieties can you remember?

5) And sandwiches which are your favourite ones?

6) Types of rice?  

7) Name as many fruits and vegetables as you can...

8) What about sausages: How many different types can you think of?

9) Name at least ten meat dishes.

10) Name ten fish dishes.

11) What is "ceviche"? What is "chayote"?

12) Do you watch TV cookery programmes such as Masterchef, Top Chef,etc..?

13) How many different types of sugar or salt do you know?

14) Would you like to try a Japanese Fugu or a Vietnamese Pho?

Some ideas from The Joy of Lex by Gyles Brandreth  & Variety , a workbook for intermediate readers, by Jan Bell, Roy Boardman and Tony Buckby

I am huMAN,´uman, heman, hoeman,hoaxman,etc..

Perhaps because some of our students never go beyond mastering the verb "to be", we need to devise some simple creative exercises and free writing activities in order to get to know ourselves better. Here are 3 examples:

 1)  I AM..... (YOU JUST LIST EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU ARE).

I AM  A STUDENT, A MAMMAL,  A SON, A DAUGHTER, AN UNCLE, AN AUNT, A NEPHEW, A NIECE,A CITIZEN, A EUROPEAN, A SPANIARD, AN ANDALUSIAN, A HETEROSEXUAL, A HOMOSEXUAL, AN ARTIST, A RIDER,  A DRIVER, A COMPUTER USER, A COOK, A GARDENER, A BOYFRIEND, A GIRLFRIEND, A MUSICIAN, A FOOD LOVER, A CYCLIST,

A WRITER, AN AUTONOMOUS LEARNER, A REBEL,  A PACIFIST, A TEAM MEMBER, A FAMILY MEMBER, A GROUP MEMBER, A BELIEVER, A LOSER, A WINNER, A TOY BOY, A PROPHET, A REVOLUTIONARY, A GHOST, A GUMMY BEAR, A STEREOTYPE, A PSYCHO, A BULLY, A DRUG ADDICT, A GOOD CANDIDATE/FRIEND, A PIRATE, A FOOL, A STAR, A TOURIST,  A MANIAC, A SINGER, A DANCER, A WOLF, A RAINBOW, A SKY FULL OF STARS

A ROCK, A MESS, A SINGLE MAN/WOMAN, A CONSUMER, AN ALBATROSS,A VEGETARIAN, A VEGAN, A BOOK LOVER, AN ANIMAL LOVER, A SOCIAL  REFORMER, A HYPOCRITE, A SOCIALIST, A CONSERVATIVE, AN ANIMAL, A COWARD, A HERO, A ZERO, A FAN, 

FUN, MYSELF, COLD, HOT,INCREDIBLE,SOCIABLE,THIRSTY, THIRTY, THRIFTY, IN A HURRY,ECCENTRIC, DIVINE, SASSY, ORIGINAL, SPONTANEOUS,IN LOVE, DIVINE, DANGEROUS,  CHARLIE HEBDO,etc..(LIST TEN MORE )

I AM ALL THAT ABOVE.

I AM.... THEREFORE I THINK.

(inspired by Brian Eno´s diary A Year with swollen appendices.)

2)  MAN  IS THE ONLY ANIMAL THAT......:.

 

BLUSHES or NEEDS TO (Mark Twain)

CAN REMAIN ON FRIENDLY TERMS WITH THE VICTIMS HE INTENDS TO EAT..( Samuel Butler)

HAS CHILDREN ON PURPOSE(P.J.O´ROURKE)

CREATES  PROBLEMS THEY CANNOT SOLVE

LIES AWAKE IN THE DARK AND WEEPS FOR THEIR SINS( W. WHITMAN)

IS DEMENTED BY THE MANIA OF OWNING THINGS.

KNEELS TO ANOTHER OF HIS KIND WHO LIVED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

CAN LAUGH AND WEEP AT THE SAME TIME.

CAN BE BOTH PEDANTIC AND PRETENTIOUS. 

CAN EAT AND DRINK WITHOUT BEING HUNGRY OR THIRSTY.

 

(Inspired by ADVANCED BANTER)

 

3) When the students have developed some form of abstract thought; they can fill in the following sentence:

HUMAN..................................... IS ENDLESS/  INFINITE/UNFATHOMABLE.

I¨ve come up with the following:

STUPIDITY, FOOLISHNESS, GENEROSITY, EVIL,CRUELTY, RUDENESS, IMAGINATION,GOODNESS,STUBBORNNESS, GRACE, FUN, FOLLY; COMPASSION,GULLIBILITY, FAITH, HOPE, DESPAIR, FEAR, HUNGER

EDUCATION, RESOURCEFULNESS, LEARNING ABILITY,ARBITRARINESS,

CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY, FAILURE, TRIUMPH, IDLENESS, DISASTER,ECCENTRICITY,PUSILLANIMITY,DETERMINATION,

AMBIVALENCY,.ARGUMENTATION,DESTRUCTION,DIVERSIFICATION...

( In your humble opinion what other abstract nouns would fill the gap?)

 

 

 

Songs for Specific Purposes (SSP)

Once a week we have played songs according to the following categories and the list could be enlarged with the students´contributions:

1) SPELLING :    Y,M.C.A., L.O.L.A., G.L.O.R.I.A., D.I.V.O.R.C.E., R.E.S.P.E.C.T., D.I.S.C.O., G.U.Y.,..

2) HOURS : TWO IN THE MORNING, 3 A.M.,  FOUR IN THE MORNING, FIVE O´CLOCK, SEVEN A.M...

3) WEEKDAYS: MONDAY, MONDAY; TUESDAY GONE, WEDNESDAY NIGHT,THURSDAY SONG, FRIDAY ON MY MIND, SATURDAY I´M IN LOVE. 

4) MONTHS: JANUARY SONG, APRIL LOVE, MAY DAY, JUNE AFTERNOON, JULY FLAME, AUGUST RUSH, ...

5) GHOSTS:  GHOSTSBUSTERS, GHOSTS THAT WE KNEW, GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, GHOSTRIDERS IN THE SKY, GHOSTS,...

6) MOON: MOONDANCE, MOONSHADOW, MOON RIVER, MONKBERRY MOON DELIGHT, MOONLIGHT SHADOW, MAN ON THE MOON,..

7) WIND: COLOURS OF THE WIND, WINDS OF CHANGE, I TALK TO THE WIND, WHAT COLOUR IS THE WIND?, WINDS OF MARCH,...

8) BITS OF SPANISH: TOES, LA ISLA BONITA, ROMANCE IN DURANGO,SPANISH BOMBS, ADDICTED TO YOU, LIVING LA VIDA...

9) COLOURS: BLUE VELVET, BROWN SUEDE SHOES, THE GREEN DOOR, A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, BLACK DOG, PURPLE RAIN,..

10) NUMBERS: 9 TO FIVE, 3 LITTLE BIRDS, 7/11, 8 DAYS A WEEK, 100 MILES, 500 MILES, 9 MILLION BICYCLES,..

11) MURDER BALLADS: DELILAH, LILY OF THE WEST, TOM DOOLEY,..

12) TRAGEDIES: IN THE GHETTO, GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA, TEEN IDLE, A DAY IN THE LIFE, A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES, CHANDELIER,..

13) FILM MUSIC: ROCKY, STAR WARS, GABRIEL´S OBOE, PINK PANTHER,..

14) "IF":  IF I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU, IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO YOU, IF YOU ARE HAPPY, IF I WERE A RICH MAN, IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER, IF I COULD, IF I COUD ONLY FLY,..

15) ADS & JINGLES:  GIVE A LITTLE BIT, KNOCKING ON HEAVEN´S DOOR, WE ARE YOUNG, EVERYTHING YOU DIDN´T DO, ARGUMENT WITH  MYSELF,..

16) PASSIVE VOICE : COULD YOU BE LOVED? SWEET DREAMS, SHE WILL BE LOVED, UNWRITTEN,  FEEL, DON´T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD,..

17) PRESENT PERFECT: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE RAIN?, I STILL HAVEN´T FOUND WHAT I´M LOOKING FOR, WE´VE ONLY JUST BEGUN,..

18) LA, LA, LA or NA,NA,NA: HEY JUDE, SHE´S GOT THE LOOK, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, PRETTY YOUNG THING, TELL ME,LIVE IS LIFE,..

19) WHISTLING: WHISTLE, JEALOUS GUY, SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY, LOVE LETTERSS IN THE SAND,HI HO HI HO, TWO OF US,..

20) PLACE NAMES: AMARILLO, TOKYO SKYLINE, AMSTERDAM, BARCELONA,BOSTON, BERLIN, CHICAGO, DUBLIN, KAT MANDU,..

21) WOMEN´S NAMES: DEAR CLAUDIA, ANGIE, ANNIE´S SONG, BILLIE JEAN, OH CAROL, SWEET CAROLINE, EMILY, LUCILLE, SANTA LUCIA,..

22) MEN´S NAMES: JOHN BROWN, JEREMY, STAN, DANNY, FERNANDO,ARTHUR, DANIEL, DENNIS, HEY JOE, JACKIE WILSON,..

23) MONEY: MONEY FOR NOTHING, MONEY TALKS, MONEY ON MY MIND, ALL FOR THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY,..

24) NO, NO,NO: REHAB,  NO NO SONG, , NO, NO LINE, NO ONE, NO WOMN, NO CRY, SHOULD´VE SAID NO, 

25) COPIED SONGS /PLAGIARISM: SAM SMITH´S STAY WITH ME v. TOM PETTY´S WON´T BACK DOWN. COLD PLAY´S VIVA LA VIDA v JOE SATRIANI´S IF I COULD FLY; GEORGE HARRISON´S MY SWEET LORD v HE´S SO FINE, MUDDY WATERS´YOU NEED LOVE v. LED ZEPPELIN´S A WHOLE LOTTA LOVE,..

(We´ve done half, could you continue by adding songs to the different categories?)

26) ECOLOGY  & NATURE 

27) POLITICAL SONGS

28) WAR SONGS

29)  PEACE SONGS

30) TRAIN 

31) EARTH 

32) RELIGIOUS & GOSPEL

33) CHRISTMAS

34) RAIN

35) QUESTION SONGS

36) T.P.R. SONGS

37) FUNERAL SONGS

38) PLACES AND COUNTRIES
39) GAY & LESBIAN LOVE
40) PLANE  & FLYING SONGS 
41) NURSERY RHYMES
42) HUMOROUS  & FUN SONGS 
43) PATRIOTIC SONGS AND ANTHEMS
44) SPIRITUAL HYMNS
45) PARTY & DRINKING SONGS TO SING ALONG
46) OPERA 
47) SILLY SONGS
48) BABE, BABY SONGS
49)BEACH/SEASIDE SONGS
50) FOOTBALL & SPORTS SONGS
51) FITNESS & WORKOUT
52) HOLIDAY:  SUMMER,..

TRY TO FIND THE COMPOSERS OF THE SONGS ABOVE MAKE YOUR OWN  SONG LIST WITH THE  DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FOR EACH WEEK OF THE YEAR.