No pun intended

Pun is a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.

1. A man was severely hurt as a pile of books fell on him in the library. Apparently, he only has his shelf to blame.

2. As I struggled in the class with a half pencil, my teacher looked at me and said, "Writing with a broken pencil is pointless, my child."

3. The comma said, "I think we should slow down for a while." The full stop replied, "We'd rather just stop right now!"

4. Did you know, seven days without a pun can make one weak?

5. My friend said he is terrific friends with 25 letters of the alphabet, but he doesn't know Y.

6. My sister said, "I stayed up the whole night to see where the sun went, then it finally dawned on me." She's great with her grammar for sure.

7. My teacher always says, "Double negatives are a big no-no."

8. My teacher avoids cliches like the plague!

9. When in class, my teacher called me and said, "Name 2 pronouns." Alarmed, I said, "Who, me?"

10. When my teacher asked what I want to do during the vacation, I said, "Go to Italy, Rome around and pasta time." I am one of her favorite students now.

11. At night, an owl said, "Whom" instead of who, and my father exclaimed, "Now, that's a classy owl right there."

If you like puns, post them in the commentary section below. 

Participle clauses

Grammar explanation

Participle clauses enable us to say information in a more economical way. They are formed using present participles (going, reading, seeing, walking, etc.), past participles (gone, read, seen, walked, etc.) or perfect participles (having gone, having read, having seen, having walked, etc.). 

We can use participle clauses when the participle and the verb in the main clause have the same subject. For example,

Waiting for Ellie, I made some tea. (While I was waiting for Ellie, I made some tea.)

Participle clauses do not have a specific tense. The tense is indicated by the verb in the main clause. 

Participle clauses are mainly used in written texts, particularly in a literary, academic or journalistic style. 

Present participle clauses

Here are some common ways we use present participle clauses. Note that present participles have a similar meaning to active verbs. 

• To give the result of an action
  The bomb exploded, destroying the building.
• To give the reason for an action
  Knowing she loved reading, Richard bought her a book.
• To talk about an action that happened at the same time as another action
  Standing in the queue, I realised I didn't have any money.
• To add information about the subject of the main clause
  Starting in the new year, the new policy bans cars in the city centre.

Past participle clauses

Here are some common ways that we use past participle clauses. Note that past participles normally have a passive meaning.

• With a similar meaning to an if condition
  Used in this way, participles can make your writing more concise. (If you use participles in this way, … )
• To give the reason for an action
  Worried by the news, she called the hospital.
• To add information about the subject of the main clause
  Filled with pride, he walked towards the stage.

Perfect participle clauses

Perfect participle clauses show that the action they describe was finished before the action in the main clause. Perfect participles can be structured to make an active or passive meaning.

Having got dressed, he slowly went downstairs.
Having finished their training, they will be fully qualified doctors.
Having been made redundant, she started looking for a new job.

 

Read the explanation and make up 5 sentences including participles. Post them in the commentary section.

A film review

click here to watch the film

Watch the film Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Bergman (1957) and write a review including the following points:

1) the director;

2) the protagonist(s);

3) the time and setting;

4) summary;

5) appraisal.

Optional points:

1) prehistory;

2) awards.

You can use Page 117 of English File (Intermediate) as an example of writing a film review. Post your review in the commentary section below.

Simpler spelling may be more relevant than ever

click here 

Read the article and answer the questions in the commentary section below:

1. Which variant of spelling is easier for non-native speakers of English: British or American?

2. Is dyslexia linked to a person's birthplace? Why is it easier to diagnose people born in England?

3. What do you know of Noah Webster? (To answer this question you can use the sources other than this article)

3 Rules for Better Life-work Balance

Watch the video and answer the questions:

1. According to the speaker, is answering your boss's message OK in your free time?

2. What were the results of the study conducted with the parents visiting a science museum with their kids?

3. What is the impact of the interruptions on organisations?

4. What solution does Ashley Whillans propose to tackle this issue?

Nobel Peace Prize: Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov share award

click here 

Read the article and answer the questions in the commentary section below:

1) Who got the Nobel Peace Prize this year and what was their achievement?

2) Who has won the prize previously?

Challenge Finn: The third conditional

• The third conditional is used for a past situation that didn't happen. 

In the video, Finn is lost. He says:

If I had paid attention…

In other words, in the past he did not pay attention. The past situation that did not happen is: Finn paying attention. That's the part we call the conditional clause, or the if clause. Next we have the result:

… I wouldn't have got lost

This is the result of the past situation! It's the result clause or the main clause. Finn did get lost, but if the past was different, he wouldn't have got lost.

... And he wouldn't have found the big number three which was useful for this video.

Use third conditional in sentences of your own and post them below.