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Answer English FREE Class April 2009
Funny Story from across the World
As reported in Sunday Times 26 April 2009:
‘Not such a cunning plan… A young couple came up with an ingenious plan to outsmart police officers who warned them not to drive home drunk. They walked to a taxi rank, then phoned to report armed, masked men on the forecourt of a nearby petrol station. As police cars raced past the couple jumped into their car and prepared to set off. And that’s when the plan went wrong.
“An officer took a detour on a hunch and located them” said the police in North Shore City, New Zealand. The couple denied making the call, but the police communications centre redialled the number that had called it. As the couple were interviewed, the woman’s phone rang. A 22-year-old woman has been charged with attempted drink driving.’
ingenious: to be clever at inventing
to outsmart: to be cleverer than
forecourt: the part of a filling-station where petrol is supplied
to take a detour: to go off an intended route
to charge someone with: to be accused of a crime
to attempt: to try to
Amusing Quote:
“I’m not just involved in tennis but committed. Do you know the difference between involvement and commitment? Think of ham and eggs. The chicken is involved. The pig is committed.” Martina Navratilova
to be involved: to participate, share the experience of
to be committed: to be entrusted to do something
English Corner: Three Grammar Rules You Can (And Should) Break
Grammar rules exist so that we don’t sound like complete idiots when we write. Most of them have a good reason for being around; after all, clarity in communication is a good thing. A virtue, even.
However, that’s not to say that all grammar rules are written in stone. In fact, some of them seem to be the work of rabid grammarians, who gleefully enforce confusing syntax and awkward construction in the name of “proper English.”
To read what 3 rules you should break go to: Grammar Rules
by Michelle Pierce reproduced by permission from Aqua Vita Creative
Video: British Comedy In the Loop
A new British comedy has just come out: In the Loop and it is already being dubbed: ‘The British Film of the Year’. It is a political drama, set in America, with James Gandolfini from the Sopranos. It is set during that nervous period that would eventually result in the military invasion of Iraq. A difficult subject but one that provides some hilarious, dark and comic moments.
See the trailer here: You Tube
For more Advanced Learners try this review in The Daily Telegraph
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