Entertainment (useful vocabulary)

The words below are some of the most important used when talking about entertainment.

Entertainment - People

actor

actress

artist

audience

backing group

ballerina

choreographer

cast

composer

conductor

dancer

director

drummer

guitarist (lead / bass)

magician

musician

orchestra

painter

pianist

playwright

producer

saxophonist

sculptor

singer

vocalist

violinist

Entertainment - Arts and Craftscarving

drawing

knitting

painting

pottery

sculpture

sewing

Entertainment - Artistic Events

ballet

concert

exhibition

film

play

opera

Entertainment - Inside the Theater

aisle

box

circle

curtain

footlight

gallery

lighting

microphone

orchestra pit

row

screen

scenery

set

speaker

stage

stalls

wings

workshop

Entertainment - Places

art gallery

cinema

concert hall

exhibition center

museum

opera house

stadium

theater

Entertainment - Verbs

applaud

boo

conduct

exhibit

perform

play (a part)

Entertainment (discussion questions)

That's Entertainment!

What is entertainment? Please define the word, and give examples.

What is your favorite movie? How about your favorite TV show? Why?
Which movie has had either the greatest impact on your life or has impressed you the most? Why do you think so?
What genre of movies and TV shows do you tend to watch the most? How about the least? Please explain.
Describe the plot and characters of your favorite movie or TV show.
Could you live without ever seeing another movie again? Why/not?
Could you live without a TV? Why/not?
If you could act alongside your favorite actor or actress in a movie, would you want to? Why/not?
If you could have had a role in your favorite movie, would you have wanted a small part or a big part? Why?
You've been given the amazing opportunity to create a new TV show. What will it be about? Who will act in it? Please explain.
If you were stranded on a desert island and could choose one video to watch again and again, what would you choose? Please explain your decision.
Can you think of any TV shows or movies that are sheer torture to watch? Which ones?
The TV has been called the "idiot box" and the "boob tube." Why do you think so? Is it a fair idiom?
Should TV be primarily used for entertainment or for education? Why do you think so?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of watching TV? Why do you think so?
What will entertainment be like in the future?
Do you wish that you watched TV less often? Why/not?
Have TV shows and movies made people stupid? Why do you think so?

Do you think the TV and film industry has some responsibility to produce educational programs and movies? Why/not?

What do you usually do on the weekends? What did you do last weekend? Do you have plans for this weekend?

What kind of music do you like? Is there any kind of music that you can't stand?

What types of music do people listen to in your country? Is there any type of music that you can only hear in your country? How popular is live music in your country? When was the last time you went to a concert or live show?

How many different movie genres can you name? Which is your favorite? Least favorite? What's the last movie you saw? When did you see it? What was it about? Did you like it?

Which American movies have been popular in your country?

How often do you visit museums? When was the last time you went to a museum?

What do you do for entertainment when you're on vacation that you don't usually do? Do you like to gamble? 

When was the last time you went to a play? What about an opera, a symphony, or a ballet?

How much do you like to dance? When was the last time you went dancing? Did you enjoy yourself?

How often do you eat in a restaurant? What's the best restaurant you've ever been to? What's the best cheap restaurant you've ever been to? Do you have a favorite bar or cafe? Why do you like it?

Reality TV

Have you ever watched a reality TV program? If yes, what was it? How was it?
Would you want to be on reality TV? Why/not?
Do you know anyone who has ever been on reality TV? If yes, who? How about someone who wanted to be on a program?
If you could win $1,000,000, would you want to be on reality TV? Would your answer change if the program were dangerous? How about if the program were embarrassing?
Are reality TV programs popular in your country? Why/not?
What do you think of reality TV? Please explain.
What is the best reality TV program you have ever watched? Why was it so good?
What is the worst reality TV program you have ever watched? Why was it so bad?
How often do you watch reality TV programs?
Why do you think reality TV is so popular these days?
Do you agree or disagree? Reality TV is just a passing fad. Why/not?
Do you agree or disagree? Reality TV programs aren't real, but are actually carefully scripted and edited. Why/not?
Do you agree or disagree? There should be fewer ridiculous programs and more serious programs on TV. In other words, there should be fewer reality TV programs and more documentaries!
Would you ever watch re-runs of a reality TV program? Why/not?
Do you have any ideas for a new reality TV program? If yes, what would the show be about?
Do you think the news is a form of reality TV program? If yes, why? If no, then why are the two different? Please explain.
What is your impression of the people who watch reality TV?
What kind of people would want to be on a reality program? Why do you think so?
What kind of reality program would you like to be on? Why?
What would it take for you to go a reality TV program? Please explain.

Music, Movies, and More

Would you like to become a famous rock star, Hollywood actor/actress, or TV star? Why/not?
Would you like to become a famous writer, poet, or classical musician? Why/not?
Do you think the classics are better than modern books, movies, or music? Why/not?
Do you prefer to go the cinema or to watch movies at home? Why?
Have you ever been to the opera? If yes, how was it? If no, would you want to go?
What kind of music do you like? Why?
What kind of movies do you like? Why?
What was the best/worst movie you saw this year? Why was it so good/bad?
Which would you like to do? Rank the following, from best to worst:
1) see a movie
2) go to a rock concert
3) go to a concert for classical music
4) attend a poetry reading
5) see a play
Let's continue with the previous question. How would your answers change for the following:
1) it's a first date
2) you're with friends
3) you're with family
You're going to a desert island for one year, and you can bring five CDs with you. What CDs do you bring? Why?
Do you like to read about celebrities?
Do celebrities have better, more interesting lives than average people? Why/not?
If you became a famous actor/actress, would you make commercials for more money? Would you star in a movie you didn't like? Why/not?
Do celebrities make too much money? Please explain.
Recommend one movie, one TV show, one CD, and one book to your classmates. Why did you choose these?
Who is your favorite writer? Why do you like him/her so much?
Who is your favorite actor/actress? Why do you like him/her so much?
Who is your favorite musician or band? Why do you like him/her/them so much?
You have the chance to ask your favorite celebrity two questions. What are they?

People to remember

Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini lived the classic immigrant story. He moved to the US with his poor family, worked hard in manual labor when he was young, decided to get famous, changed his name, moved into showbusiness, got rich, and, ultimately, worked himself to death.

Harry Houdini could escape almost anything. He was born in Hungary with the name Ehrich Weisz. His father was a rabbi – he was the leader of the Jewish community in his neighborhood. The family immigrated to the US with his 4 brothers when he was 4 years old. In 1887, they moved to New York City.

He started working when he was just 10 years old. One of his first jobs was working on locks, but he also worked in a circus. He started doing magic tricks when he was 20. One of Ehrich’s favorite magicians was named “Houdin.” Ehrich Weisz was a Jewish name. He changed his name to Harry Houdini. Many people think he wanted to make his name more American.

 
In 1899, Houdini became famous for escaping from handcuffs. He asked the police in every big city in Europe to handcuff him. He escaped every time. Once, a police officer said Houdini paid the police to open his handcuffs. Houdini sued him, and won when he opened the judge’s safe.
After a while, people got tired of watching Houdini escape from handcuffs. Houdini thought of a new idea. He would get handcuffed and jump into a river in the winter time, or drop into a glass box full of water. He had to escape before he drowned. All around the world, the name Houdini meant “escape.” Houdini exercised every day, and could hold his breath underwater for three minutes. 
Houdini died in 1926. He was relaxing on a couch before a show when a college student came into his room. The student asked if Houdini could take any punch in the stomach. Houdini said yes – his body was strong from exercising every day. The college student quickly punched him hard in the stomach. Houdini wasn’t ready, and his  appendix broke open. He was in a lot of pain. But even with a 104˚ fever, he put on his show. He never went to a hospital. He died a week later. It was Halloween and he was only 52 years old. Houdini moved from Europe to the US, and went from being a poor boy to a rich man, but death was the one thing he could not escape.

Vocabulary
1. escape – verb – To get away from something bad. “She escaped her bad marriage at 21.”
2. drown – verb – To die from breathing water. “I almost drowned in the ocean last year.”
3. appendix – noun – An organ in your body. “Your appendix can break open if you get sick.”

Questions

1. What was Houdini’s family like?
2. When did Houdini start working? What were his first jobs?
3. Why do you think Houdini chose his job? Why did he like it?
4. Why do you think Weisz changed his name? Do you know anyone who changed their name?
5. Why did people watch Houdini drop into water?
6. What’s the American dream? Did Houdini get it?

http://209.85.135.132/search?q=cache:FehZGzf4lkYJ:www.eslgarden.com/stories/dl/houdini.pdf+harry+houdini+esl&cd=7&hl=ru&ct=clnk&gl=ru

Charlie Chaplin

(1889–1977)

Feltham once said, "Laughter should dimple the cheek, not furrow the brow." Charlie Chaplin was a man who definitely dimpled millions of cheeks in the early 1900's. He had a huge impact on the lives of Americans during the world wars and the hard times of the Depression and he made people laugh for the first time in a long time and changed the way they looked at the world despite his own troubles. And even though his films were in black and white, he put a lot of color into everyone's life.


Charlie Chaplin is a Cinderella of the twentieth century. He embodies the wish fulfillment of our times as the boy who traveled from the slums of London to the boulevards of Hollywood. Others have paralleled this phenomenal success, but Charlie is unique because he created a universal image on the screen with which everyone who responded to his films could in some measure identify: the little man, poor but resourceful, who found refuge in dreams; the poet of love, though of a love which usually was unfulfilled. He aspired, like every man, to possess his own little home, but more often than not he had to abandon his hopes and wander off toward the horizon with a jaunty swing of his cane. Long-suffering and oppressed by the overbearing authority of storekeepers, waiters, landlords and cops, he was always capable of delivering a subtly timed back kick at his tormentors. A man of courage, he nevertheless knew when it was wise to run away. 

Of all the great figures of the cinema, Chaplin is the most certain of immortality. He had the luck, as all great artists must have, to be in the heroic age of a new art. Would all Shakespeare's plays be snapped up, unrevised, by a modern producer? Would any publisher today accept uncut the novels of Dostoevsky? To be at the beginning of a new art, or to be present in a sudden new direction of an old art, is an inestimable advantage for a gifted man. 

Chaplin, doubtless, would have made both a name and a fortune in the theatre. He had technical gifts -- timing, mime and physical control, all near perfection -- and an emotional range which could infuse comedy with a tragic sense, and tragedy with a touch of farce. But film increased the physical dimensions in which he could operate, giving the possibilities of elaborate, perfectly rehearsed gags, and spectacular effects. It also gave him an audience of a magnitude never before dreamed of by an actor. In the theatre an actor may, on occasion, act to tens of thousands over a long run, but none could ever hope to reach tens of millions. This Chaplin did. Such a triumph is epic -- and epic in its true sense. Epics last because they touch the deep chords of human hope and fear, stir the mysteries of life: the capacity to suffer, to endure, to accept. Chaplin, the tragi-comic victim of men and circumstance, the perpetual outsider, was both deeply original and the heir to a long tradition of theatrical clowns, in theatre, circus and music hall. His great originality lay in his capacity to focus his art on the social stresses of his day, so that millions could identify with, laugh at and sometimes weep over their own plight which the symbolized.

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed an astonishing migration of people. From the south and east of Europe, families moved west to the developing industrial regions. America was flooded with immigrants; England absorbed in the cast end of London and in northern manufacturing towns large contingents of Polish and Russian Jews; the French and Belgian mining areas took in many workers. Rarely have so many families uprooted themselves to settle in a new environment that both beckoned and menaced. At the best these immigrants possessed only a scrappy knowledge of the language of their adopted countries; they were often ignorant of the forces of authority with which they had to contend, or even their own legal rights. They were all potentially silent victims, unable to communicate articulately when others bullied and oppressed them.

The plight of the alien immigrants was, however, only the extreme form of the plight in which the poor had always found themselves -- semi-literate, possessors of an impoverished vocabulary, intimidated by rules and regulations of authority. And immigrants and poor alike had been thrust into new and alarming environments by rapid urbanization and industrialization. Thus Chaplin had a vast and natural audience who could identify with his acute helplessness, his rubber-like endurance and his poverty-driven cunning. Of course, it was completely right that his films should be silent. Language, to the classes that he touched, was often baffling and difficult and -- even more important -- his art could sail across national barriers. The world was his audience.

His early films coincided with the First World War and the prolonged period of depression with followed. It was a melancholy age, in dire need of cheap and heart-warming entertainment. But perhaps the most remarkable feature of his art is the way it grew in subtlety as his mass audience became gradually more educated and sophisticated. Chaplin was a case of an incredible talent coinciding with incredible luck and incredible timing. All this combined to make him the single most famous man in the history of twentieth-century entertainment.

Questions

1. How is Chaplin like Cinderella ?

2. Many of those who saw his films recognized something of their own experience in them. Describe four features of their experience which were reflected in Chaplin's films. Remember to use your own words as far as possible.

3. What does the writer imply was wrong with (a) the plays of Shakespeare and (b) the novels of Dostoevsky ?

4. (a) Explain the meanings of the following words as they are used in the passage. Write your answer in one word or a short phrase.
unique; immortality; symbolized; intimidated; endurance

(b) Use each of the words as it is used in the passage in a sentence of your own, clearly showing this meaning. Your five sentences should not deal with the subject matter of the passage.

5. Chaplin "made both a name and a fortune". Use your own words as far as possible in answering the following.
(a) What does this mean ?
(b) What was there about Chaplin himself and his art which made him so successful ?

6. What were the factors that contributed to the worldwide and lasting success of Chaplin's films : Use material from paragraph 4 to the end. Write about 150 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Answers

1. Cinderella is the star of the pantemime named after her. Forbidden to attend the ball by her ugly sisters, she is sent there in finery and state by her fairy godmother, meets the handsome prince, and eventually marries him. Chaplin's career was a similar story of rags to riches.

2. The average man of Chaplin's day had little money, but made the best of what he had by opportunism. The harsh realities of the real world drove him into fantasy. He had a dream-love, but his circumstances made the dream unattainable. He also wanted his own home, but his poverty usually prevented this, so he cheerfully moved on.

3. Both, he says, were too long. Shakespeare's plays would have to be cut and altered had he lived in the age of the cinema. Dostoevsky's novels would have to be abridged.

4. (a)
unique - incomparable

immortality - never to be forgotten

symbolized - embodied in himself

intimidated - frightened

endurance - toughness, ability to rise above bad luck

(b)
She is unique, in that she is the first ever prime minister.

The music of JS Bach has achieved immortality.

The Christian religion is symbolized by the Cross of Christ.

Faced by the robber's gun, the bank clerk was not intimidated.

To complete a marathon requires exceptional endurance

5. (a) He would become a star and very rich.

(b) People responded to Chaplin because in his day and age they could identify with him. He was the underdog; so was the average man. Yet he could always get back at authority, as his contemporaries would have liked to. Technically, his acting was superb; mime and action were all-important in the world of the silent film. He could express the whole range of emotion, thereby stirring the deepest of emotions in his audience. He expressed the sad side of comedy and the funny side of tragedy. He epitomized the essence of that traditional figure, the clown. Hi comedy underlined the social problems of his day.

6. Chaplin represented the underpriviledged immigrant; there were very many in the USA in the decades spanning the turn of this century. They were refugees from South and East Europe, and they were afraid of the future. Ill-educated, they could mostly speak only their own language, so they were at the mercy of bullying officials and of a strange legal system. Thus they joined the American poor, who faced many of their own problems. New factories and city housing developments made them feel alien, bemused and helpless.

The art of Chaplin reflected these feelings. So did his street-wisdom and ability to survive against the odds. His mastery of mime made language unnecessary, so the silent film was peculiarly relevant. His kind of cheap and cheerful entertainment was a godsend during the depression. His art therefore fitted both the situation and his audience. Later, people and films became more sophisticated.

( 136 words )

http://www.englishdaily626.com/comprehension.php?092

To read more about Charlie Chaplin visit

http://www.charliechaplin.com/biography/articles/21-Overview-of-His-Life

http://www.clown-ministry.com/index_1.php/articles/charlie_chaplin_biography_the_little_tramp_world_famous_tramp_clown/

Michael Jackson

(1958-2009)

To know more about King of Pop visit

http://readingworkbook.blogspot.com/2009/07/michael-jackson-1958-2009-he-amazed.html

Entertainment

Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as games or sports, are more often considered to be recreation. Activities such as personal reading or practicing a musical instruments are considered as hobbies.

The industry that provides entertainment is called the entertainment industry. There are many forms of entertainment for example: cinema, theatre, sports, games and social dance. Puppets, clowns, pantomimes and cartoons tend to appeal to children, though adults may also find them enjoyable.

Mime

Singer

Fire-eater

Clown

Acrobat

Escape artist

Puppeteer

Magician

Flamenco dancer

What is entertainment?

What do you do for entertainment?

How often do you do things for entertainment?

What home entertainment equipment do you have?

Do you like entertaining friends at home?

Who is the most entertaining person you know?

Do you spend a lot of money on entertainment?

What is your favourite form of entertainment?

Would you like to work in the entertainment industry?

What kind of person makes a good entertainer?

What kind of TV shows do you watch for entertainment?

Do you think your English classes are entertaining?

What is the best evening of entertainment you’ve had recently?

Do you think your country needs an Entertainment Secretary/Minister?

Do you ever stop and watch street entertainment?

What do you know about corporate entertainment?

What forms of entertainment have been with us for centuries?

What new forms of entertainment have emerged in recent years?

Do you follow entertainment news on the TV or Internet?

Which country do you think has the world’s best entertainment?

Moral stories for discussion ( useful links)

http://academictips.org/blogs/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17608775/100-Moral-Stories-for-Kids

http://gyg-coolteacher1.blogspot.com/

http://gyg-coolteacher2.blogspot.com/

http://www.emmitsburg.net/humor/archives/insperational/moral_1.htm

http://www.slideshare.net/group/moral-stories-and-life-lessons/slideshows

It's not my Problem- Moral Stories

View more presentations from moralsandethics.

ETHICAL DILEMMAS FOR CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

"Values are the part of the organizing center of human experience that enables us to have a frame of orientation and meaning as we arrange our time, make choices about relative goods, determine the pattern of our relationships, and appropriate the pain and the joy of the appreciable world"
William R. Rogers

HOW TO DECIDE  WHAT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO 

Some decisions you make aren't terribly important. For example, you might decide to have chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla. But other decisions may involve a choice between right and wrong, and sometimes it's not easy to know what to do. Whenever you aren't sure what's the right thing to do, stop and think! Ask yourself these questions:

What does my conscience—that "little voice" inside my head—say about it?

Could it hurt anyone—including me?

Is it fair?

Would it violate the Golden Rule? (How would I feel if somebody did it to me?)

Have I ever been told that it's wrong?

Deep down how do I feel about it?

How will I feel about myself later if I do it?

What would adults I respect say about it?

Situations: 

— You pass an empty old house. In front of it there's a "No Trespassing" sign. But the front door is open. You really want to go in and see what's there. No one is around. What do you do?

— A group of kids who you think are really cool are picking on another kid. They want you to join them, and they say you're a nerd if you don't. You don't want to be left out, but you think picking on the other kid is unfair. What do you do?

— You're walking home from school, and you're really hungry because you forgot to bring your lunch that day. You pass by a fruit stand, and the fruit looks so good you can almost taste it. "They'll never miss just one apple," you think to yourself. And no one is looking. What do you do?

— Your best friend asks you to help him cheat on a test. He's never done it before and he promises he'll never do it again. What do you do?

For ethical dilemmas visit http://www.goodcharacter.com/dilemma/archive.html

Answer each question as completely as possible:

1) What are the facts?

2) Identify and define the ethical problem:

3) Who are the stakemakers in the decision?

4) What values are at stake in the decision?

5a) What options do you see are available to resolve this dilemma?

5b) Which options are the most compelling? Why?

6a) How would you resolve the dilemma?

6b) What values did you rely on to make your decision?

7) What consequences (if any) do you see your decision has on the others involved?

Ethical Dilemmas for Classroom Discussion

Visit an archive of moral & ethical discussion starters from the case files of Charis Denison. 

http://www.goodcharacter.com/dilemma/archive.html

16 Ways to Show Kindness

1. Speak gently, always being positive and lifting others.

2. Help people, with no thought of reward.

3. Overlook others' mistakes; have great patience with imperfections.

4. Forgive easily and quickly.

5. Put the needs and desires of others before your own.

6. Share the good things in your life freely.

7. Be genuinely interested in the welfare of others.

8. Give of yourself--especially your time.

9. Be polite and courteous.

10. Share another's burden.

11. Listen patiently.

12. Set a good example.

13. Resist the urge to talk about others unkindly.

14. Treat others the way you'd like to be treated.

15. Be fair and honest at all times.

16. Try to love people unconditionally.

http://showkindnessalways.blogspot.com/2008/03/16-ways-to-show-kindness.html

Being Kind to Others Feels Good

 By Susan Kramer

Being kind leaves our mind peaceful and our body relaxed, but feeling energized. Being kind feels good to us.

By acting kindly, we remain energized and free of tension; avoiding self-induced stress in both our mind and body. A smile uses less energy and fewer muscles, than does a frown 

Benefits of being kind:

1. Our mind stays tension-free; 

2. Our body stays relaxed, but energized;

3. With reduced stress, our mental and bodily health stays at its optimum as long as possible; 

4. Our body stays energized longer because the mental attitude of kindness opens our mind and bodily pathways to perceiving the flow of our internal joyful energy; 

5. By our being kind, we infect others with the energy of kindness; 

6. Our self-esteem improves because kindness with others allows us to look more kindly at ourselves, too.

It takes less energy to be kind, rather than be nasty, because harmony and happiness are our natural state of being and easiest to be in. Harmony and kindness feel restful. While nastiness takes a lot of strong energy to bring forth, an example being the energy as when we feel anger with tensed muscles and an upset mind.

Think about it. Isn't it just better for our health to be kind and relinquish all the tenseness that goes with unkindness.

If you are tempted to say unkind words, just close your mouth. Remember that the bird that flies out the door of the cage cannot go back again. Once our unkind words are out it takes a lot of fixing to make amends. My best tip is it is better to be kind or be quiet.

Kind in mind
Body feeling fine

Fine and fully alive.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36194.asp

Learn Practical (and Surprising) Reasons to Be a Nicer Person at

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/11/15/the-untold-value-of-kindness-practical-and-surprising-reasons-to-be-a-nicer-person.htm

How to be kind

Think of how good you feel when you make another person smile or laugh, especially if they have had a bad day. Being kind to others is one of the easiest and greatest gifts we can share with those around us. We all learn kindness from watching one another and for whatever reason we seem to loose sense of this as we get older and focus more on our selfish needs.


Getting motivated to be kind is not as hard as it may seem. Instead of keeping your eyes to the ground, look up at some people and smile from time to time. A simple smile is a great way to be known as a kind person.

You can become a kind person by paying attention to everyone around you. Notice the things that they do and compliment them. If you start doing this behavior often, it will catch on and others will start to reciprocate this behavior to you.

Think about all the people in your life that have touched you in some way. Chances are these individuals are kind to you, which is why you wish to keep them in your life. Write down some of the qualities that you like about this person. These qualities are those that make them a kind person, start repeating a few of these nice qualities to others that you interact with each day.

Being a kind person means you are a good friend and you are selfless. People know they can count on you when they are in a bind. They know they can call you for support if a loved one has passed on or they are going through a hard time.

A kind person often is respected by everyone they come into contact with. Other people have a desire to be around them because they know this person is non-judgmental and they will love them and treat them with respect.

Kind people can make even someone in the worst mood smile. It is almost like it is their job to make others happy and cheerful. You don't need to be a cheerleader, but try to approach each day with a positive, uplifting attitude. This will radiate to everyone around you and it can significantly improve their day.

Look for small ways to help others; this is one of the biggest parts of being a kind person. You are the person that is willing to open the door for 15 other people to walk through, even if you never get a "thank-you", you are the person that is willing to help an old lady cross the street even if it means you will be 20 minutes late for work. Kindness is not an easy quality to learn, it takes a lot of dedication and practice.

Being a kind person can introduce you to hundreds of people that may touch your life in some way. Without breaking out of your shell and smiling at them, you may never have had some meaningful life experiences.

Kind people have self-confidence and they are not battered down when others make fun of them or laugh at them. However, a kind person is not one to make fun of others. You need to be the person that steps up and tells everyone else "that's enough" if you notice someone is being picked on.

People that are kind are confident and do not care about the opinions of others. They have enough confidence to know they are a good person and that they are trying their best to make life better for everyone else around them and to make them happy.

http://www.improvingyourworld.com/motivation/how_to_be_kind_005580.html

How To Be Kind To Yourself

By Juliet du Preez

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness” – Seneca

A couple of days ago someone said to me: “Be kind to yourself!” Ever since hearing these words they have been stuck in my head. I have always understood the importance of kindness, but I have always focused on kindness to others. I had never thought about kindness towards myself. It really got me thinking.

I started with how it feels to have someone be kind to you. I know that feeling. It’s warm and cozy and bonding. But I am not the one to evoke that type of feeling in myself. I thought about how it feels to be kind – the type of emotions that surge within you when you are considering another person; care and gentleness. I do not often feel these types of emotions when dealing with myself. This leads me to question whether I am ever pointedly kind to myself and how my life would be different if I specifically paid myself some kind attention.

I’ve been thinking about how you can be kind to yourself and benefits of doing so. Here are some of my suggestions.

Be Patient

It is important to be patient with yourself if you are battling with a task. The other night I was in a yoga class, it was hot and sticky, and I was repeatedly falling out of a balance because my hands kept on slipping. I was highly irritated with myself. My teacher reminded me that some days I would be better at it than others, some days my practice would be stronger than on others and that it was not a competition with myself.

Now I think: “What if I had said that to myself and not relied on the teacher to divert me from unkind behavior towards myself?” Impatience has a tendency to lead towards decreased self-esteem and a general bad mood. It is also something we tend to brood over; getting stuck in the negative past instead of valuing the present moment. Stay patient and you will be sure to have more peace in your life.

Watch Your Words

Everybody has self-talk or self-chatter. Sometimes it is positive and sometimes it is negative (or very negative). Do you say things to yourself such as: “you idiot” or “how could you do that?” Do you say things to yourself that you wouldn’t say to others? Is what you say to yourself kind?

I know that if someone said directly to me some of the reprimands that I give myself, I would be extremely hurt. So why is it all right for me to make such comments to myself? For many reasons it is good to try to be aware of negative self-talk and to turn it around. With awareness one can take action. In the case of “kindness to self”, I think it is important to change ugly to words and tones into sentences that you would feel comfortable using with someone else. Nice words, kind words, make you feel good or better or even accepted.

Encourage Yourself

When things are tough or you are battling with something, encouragement is a wonderful means of giving you a boost. But, does encouragement have to come from someone externally? I think we should always have enough positive belief in ourselves to carry us through. Belief is empowering.

Forgive

Forgiveness is often not easy. One of the steps in attaining forgiveness is self-forgiveness. So, if we don’t get that right, we are “doomed” in attempts to forgive others. Forgiving yourself is kind. Forgiving others is kind.

Give

Acts of kindness involve giving – whether it is material or time or energy of some sorts. Are you generous towards yourself? I think it is important to treat yourself with things you enjoy (even if it is simply a bath in beautiful oils) and gifts.

Everyone needs to take time and energy out for themselves, be it reading a book or attending a class or coffee with a friend. I need to do more of this.

You give to others in order to rejuvenate them. You are just as worthy of and in need of rejuvenation. Rejuvenation is key to success. Besides, you can’t give to others, if you don’t have enough for yourself first.

Listen

Kindness also involves listening. Do you listen to yourself? Do you hear what your body, heart and soul are saying?

It’s important to rest if you are tired, to take a break if you have been mentally overworking, to make changes if you are dissatisfied, to seek help if you need it etc. It’s another key to success and happiness. Paying attention to yourself is part of a positive life journey.

Allow

With kindness, one creates a space for and allows another person to be themselves and experience their feelings. Allowing yourself to feel painful or negative emotions helps with moving forward – so long as you deal with them. If you keep on covering them up, they continue to draw you downwards and backwards. You can be empathetic and compassionate with yourself without wallowing in self-pity. I don’t think that I am most efficient with dealing with my emotions. There is a bit of fight going on there. That energy is better spent elsewhere.

Give Advice

Kindness can involve the giving of advice or suggestions. So it’s a matter of taking things into your own hands, learning what you need and the applying it (in a kind manner!). A step towards growth.

If you think about it, is everyone not worthy of kindness? So then too are you.

I’ve decided that I need to cultivate kindness towards myself. I need it in order to extend my acts of kindness, to raise my energy levels and I think it will bring more contentment into my life.

http://www.thechangeblog.com/how-to-be-kind-to-yourself/

http://www.thechangeblog.com/archives/

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Random Acts of Kindness Day is an unofficial holiday; it's more like an awareness day, or a celebration, or an observance. However, it's celebrated globally. And various events take place, mostly through local organizations, events and efforts. It's really common in schools. It's a day set aside to focus specifically on being kind. The goal of the one-day focus is to encourage people to engage in acts of kindness all the time.

Kindness Quotes

When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people. --Abraham Joshua Heschel

Great persons are able to do great kindnesses. --Miguel de Cervantes

There is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity.--Nathaniel Branden

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. --George MacDonald

Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind. --Eric Hoffer

The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essense of inhumanity: George Bernard Shaw

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.--The Dalai Lama

When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel. --Harold Kushner

The greatest pleasure I have known is to do a good action by stealth and to have it found out by accident. –Charles Lamb

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own. --Benjamin Disraeli

A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world: everyone you meet is your mirror. –Ken Keyes Jr.

The best way to find good in thyself is to begin to look for good in others. –Unknown

The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he 'likes' them: the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on - including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.-- C.S. Lewis

A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.--Washington Irving

Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other. --Mother Teresa

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. –Unknown


If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give. --Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves. --Amelia Earhart

Do something wonderful, people may imitate it. --Albert Schweitzer

Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. --Scott Adams

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. --Barbara De Angelis

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. --Mother Teresa 

No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. --Aesop

Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence or learning. --Frederick W. Faber 

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. --Albert Schweitzer 

I choose kindness...I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. --Max Lucado

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him, his own. -Benjamin Disraeli

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. --Seneca

We cannot possibly let ourselves get frozen into regarding everyone we do not know as an absolute stranger. --Albert Schweitzer

If you think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. --Unknown

The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. --John E. Southard

I have always held firmly to the thought that each one of us can do a little to bring some portion of misery to an end. --Albert Schweitzer

The ideas that have lighted my way have been kindness, beauty and truth. - Albert Einstein

Kindness is the oil that smoothen the friction of life. – Anonymous

From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life. Arthur Ashe

All you have shall some day be given; Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors. Kahlil Gibran

No matter how little you have, you can always give some of it away. --Catherine Marshall

Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. --C. S. Lewis

I've never known any human being, high or humble, who ever regretted, when nearing life's end, having done kindly deeds. But I have known more than one millionaire who became haunted by the realization that they had led selfish lives. --B. C. Forbes

You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

When death, the great reconciler, has come, it is never our tenderness that we repent of, but our severity. --George Eliot

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. --William Penn

http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/kindnessquotes.htm

Kindness

It is important to show people that we care. While big and extravagant gifts are one way, it is the small things that we do everyday that are the most important. You don’t need to be creative, have a big budget or heaps of bright ideas to show someone that you care for them.

Try to think of the things that people have done for you that have meant a lot to you. Quite often the things that really stand out in our memory are not the extravagant things, but just the simple things. Perhaps someone gave you a hug when you had a bad day, or even a total stranger may have smiled at you when you were down and it brightened your day. Small things like this can make all the difference to someone. Maybe you really appreciated it when someone helped you out with something when you really needed the assistance, or maybe they just helped you out for no reason at all, but it was nice to know that they cared enough to want to help you. 

Sometimes the easiest way to show someone that you care is helping him or her with a job or chore they hate doing. Taking out the trash for your mother, helping your brother with his homework, or picking up a few things at the store for the elderly, house confined neighbor next door, are all little things that can make a difference in someone’s life. Your options are endless! 

There are other small things you can do to show someone that you care. You could bake them cookies, or build them something. For an at home mother, perhaps you could give her the day off and do her chores for her. For that special someone in your life, you could prepare a special dinner for them or even just leave them a nice note that they might find sometime during the day. You could bath your friend’s dog or wash their car. There many different things you could do. 

You don’t necessarily have to do something for someone show them you care. Just being there and taking the time to listen is a great way to show someone that you care about him or her. You could call them up for no reason at all, but “just because”, or just drop around to their house to say “hello”. 

It is the things that come from the heart that mean the most. Your options are endless. You are only limited by your imagination. Try to think of the things that have really mattered to you, and do similar things to show other people that you care. Remember that you don’t have to think creatively or think big, just think of the simple things. Try smiling at a few people on the street today!

How would you define "kindness"?
What does "kindness" mean to you?

What is your first memory of "kindness"?

What builds "kindness"?
What destroys "kindness"?

What movies explore the meaning of "kindness"?

What books explores the meaning of "kindness"?
What literature explores the meaning of "kindness"?
What short stories explores the meaning of "kindness"?
What poetry explores the meaning of "kindness"?

What artwork explores the meaning of "kindness"?
What paintings explore the meaning of "kindness"?
What comics explore the meaning of "kindness"?
What songs explore the meaning of "kindness"?
What music explores the meaning of "kindness"?

What religious stories or myths explore "kindness"?
Are there any stories in your family that explore "kindness"?
What legends explore "kindness"?

Want to do something kind, but just can't think of what to do? You're in luck!

Visit http://www.helpothers.org/ideas.php?op=theme#youth .

"IF YOU'LL BE KIND TO OTHERS"

Chorus:
If you'll be kind to others,
They'll be kind to you.
Just give a little cheering up
And see what Love can do!
[Repeat]

One day when I was playing,
My little sister came,
I didn't really want her there,
I called her a bad name.

Then Mommy had to sit me down
And have a little chat.
I knew I'd been a naughty girl,
I really needed that!
She said, "If....

[Repeat chorus]

So later in our garden,
Little sister came again,
I shared my toy and gave a hug,
We played a happy game.

I'm so glad we're friends again,
I'm happy as can be,
And now that I am nice to her
She's always nice to me! Because....

[Repeat chorus]

Just give a little cheering up
And see what Love can do!



"IF YOU'LL BE KIND TO OTHERS" (with chords)

Intro:
(D)-(Em)-(Dmaj7)-(Em)[Twice]

Chorus:
If (D)you'll be kind to (Em)others,
(Dmaj7)They'll be kind to (Em)you.
Just (D)give a little (Em)cheering up
And (A)see what Love can (D)do!
[Repeat]

One (G)day when I was (D)playing,
My (A)little sister (C)came,
I (G)didn't really (D)want her there,
I (E)called her a bad (A)name.

Then (G)Mommy had to (F#m)sit me down
And (Em)have a little (D)chat.
I (G)knew I'd been a (D)naughty girl,
I (A)really needed (D)that!
She said, "If....

[Repeat chorus]

So (G)later in our (D)garden,
Little (A)sister came a(D)gain,
I (G)shared my toy and (D)gave a hug,
We (E)played a happy (G)game.

(G)I'm so glad we're (F#m)friends again,
I'm (Em)happy as can (D)be,
And (G)now that I am (D)nice to her
She's (A)always nice to (D)me! Because....

[Repeat chorus]

Just (D)give a little (Em)cheering up
And (A)see what Love can (D)do!

http://nubeat.org/ABHMlt.html

do someone a kindness

to do a kind deed for a person. My neighbor did me a kindness when he cut my grass. I am always happy to have the opportunity of doing someone a kindness.

kill someone with kindness

Fig. to be enormously kind to someone. You are just killing me with kindness. Why? Don't kill them with kindness.

milk of human kindness

Fig. natural kindness and sympathy shown to others. (From Shakespeare's play Macbeth, I. v.) Mary is completely hard and selfish—she doesn't have the milk of human kindness in her. Roger is too full of the milk of human kindness and people take advantage of him.

Read stories of kindness at

http://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com/kindness.html

http://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com/inspirational-stories.html

http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Chicken-Soup-For-The-Soul/index.aspx

http://www.kindnessusa.org/storiesofkindness.htm

http://www.actsofkindness.org/stories

http://www.akinderworld.com/creative-kindness.html

http://www.experienceproject.com/groups/Perform-Random-Acts-Of-Kindness/2049

http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid=18193

Learning English (importance of learning English,the way you should learn English)

Please & Thank You

Response to 'Please'/'Thank You'

Hello/Goodbye

English Greeting Expressions

There are many ways of greeting people, both formal and informal. The speaker’s task is to choose the appropriate one for the situation. It is also useful to know lots of different ones so as to not repeat yourself when you meet a number of people at the same time. As with any other aspect, you need to be careful about using informal expressions with people who you do not know well or whose rank or status is higher than yours.

General greetings (Formal)
Hello!
How are you?
How are you doing?
How is everything?
How’s everything going?
How have you been keeping?
I trust that everything is well.

General greetings (Informal)
Hi.
What’s up?
Good to see you.
How are things (with you)?
How’s it going?
How’s life been treating you?

Greeting a person you haven’t seen for a long time (Formal)
It has been a long time.
It’s been too long.
What have you been up to all these years?
It’s always a pleasure to see you.
How long has it been?
I’m so happy to see you again.

Greeting a person you haven’t seen for a long time (Informal)
How come I never see you?
It’s been such a long time.
Long time no see.
Where have you been hiding?
It’s been ages since we last met.

Expressing Goodbyes and Farewells in English

There are many ways of saying good-bye, just as there are many of saying hello, and it is important to use an expression of the appropriate tone and register. In the end, it’s all up to your judgement but remember that using a very formal expression with someone who is your friend, as it may sound sarcastic.

Good bye

Meaning:

A concluding remark at parting. 

Example:

Good bye until we meet again!

Origin: 

Good bye came from God bye which came from God be with you.

So Long 

Meaning: 

A concluding remark at parting.

Example: 

So long, see you later.

Origin: 

So-long came from the Arabic salaam and the Hebrew shalom.

Simple good-byes (Formal)
Good-bye
Stay in touch.
It was nice meeting you.
I hope to see you soon.

Simple good-byes (Informal)
Bye.
See you.
Talk to you later.
Catch up with you later.
Nice seeing you.

Leaving a place (Formal)
I have to leave here by noon.
Is it okay if we leave your home at 9pm?
What do you say we leave work a little earlier today?
Would you mind if I leave the dinner before it ends?
I need to depart for the airport in one hour.

Leaving a place (Informal)
I got to go now.
I’ll be leaving from the office in 20 minutes.
How about we jet off to the shops now?
I’m afraid I have to head off now.
Let’s get off work early.

Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives

Adjectives describe qualities (characteristics) of nouns.
Some qualities can vary in intensity or grade (for example: rather hot, hot, very hot; hot, hotter, the hottest).

The adjective hot is gradable.

Other qualities cannot vary in intensity or grade because they are:
extremes (for example: freezing)
absolutes (for example: dead)
classifying (for example: nuclear)

The adjectives freezing, dead and nuclear are non-gradable.

For more details visit 

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-non-gradable.htm .

Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives Quiz

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-non-gradable-quiz.htm

Superlative Adjectives

A superlative adjective expresses the extreme or highest degree of a quality. We use a superlative adjective to describe the extreme quality of one thing in a group of things.

In the example below, "biggest" is the superlative form of the adjective "big":

A B C

A is the biggest.

Formation of Superlative Adjectives

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-superlative_2.htm

Use of Superlative Adjectives

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-superlative_3.htm

English grammar:-ing and -ed adjectives

Comparative Adjectives

When we talk about two things, we can "compare" them. We can see if they are the same or different. Perhaps they are the same in some ways and different in other ways. We can use comparative adjectives to describe the differences.

We can use comparative adjectives when talking about two things (not three or more things).

In the example below, "bigger" is the comparative form of the adjective "big":

A1  A2

A1 is bigger than A2.

Formation of Comparative Adjectives

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-comparative_1.htm 

Use of Comparative Adjectives

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-comparative_2.htm

 Print out and do some exercises:

http://ies1libertas.edu.gva.es/departamentos/ingles/PDFs/tercero/ecomsu3e1.pdf

http://www.salesianosalameda.cl/biblioteca/Comparative%20Adjetives.doc

http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/comp5.htm

http://www.anna-grammar.com/worksheets/AGW_comparative_elem.pdf

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/adjectives-adverbs/adjectives/exercises

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/english-comparative-adjectives1.html

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/english-comparative-adjectives2.html

LONGER THAN - Dan Fogelberg

Double Comparatives

Reported Speech (English Grammar)

Reported Speech: Dad's Not Coming Home for Dinner

Instructions: Change the dialog to the reported form. Tell what each person did and said.

 

Mrs. Cantor:    (comes into the living room) What are you doing, Andy?

Andy:              (looks up) I'm fixing my radio.

Mrs. Cantor:    Where's your sister?

Andy:              She's in the kitchen making a sandwich.

Mrs. Cantor:    (runs into the kitchen) Dolores! Don't eat anything before dinner!

Dolores:           (quickly swallows a piece of cake) Mom, I'm starving!

Mrs. Cantor:    Have some cheese, but don't eat the cake.

Dolores:           There isn't any cheese left. I ate it yesterday.

Mrs. Cantor:    (speaks angrily) Go to the store and buy some more because I'm making lasagna tonight.

Dolores:           Okay, I will. I'll go when I finish my homework.

Andy:              (enters the kitchen) Mom, when's Dad coming home?

Dolores:           He's working late tonight, remember?

Mrs. Cantor:    I completely forgot!

Andy:              Don't worry, Mom. He doesn't like your lasagna anyway.

                                                             

                                                              Suggested Answer

Mrs. Cantor came into the living room and asked her son, Andy, what he was doing. He looked up and answered that he was fixing his radio. Mrs. Cantor asked him where his sister was. He told her that she was in the kitchen making a sandwich. Mrs. Cantor ran into the kitchen and ordered Dolores not to eat anything before dinner. Dolores quickly swallowed a piece of cake and exclaimed to her mother that she was starving. Mrs. Cantor told her to have some cheese but not to eat the cake. Dolores informed her mother that there wasn't any cheese left because she had eaten it the day before. Mrs. Cantor spoke angrily and ordered Dolores to go to the store and to buy some more because she was making lasagna that night. Dolores agreed and said that she would go when she finished her homework. Andy entered the kitchen and asked his mother when his father was coming home. Dolores reminded him that their father was working late that night. Mrs. Cantor exclaimed that she had completely forgotten. Andy told his mother not to worry because his father didn't like her lasagna anyway.

A Bad Student

Instructions: Convert this dialog into a paragraph of reported speech.

 Mr. Jones:       Freddy, you aren't doing well in class, and you probably won't pass.

 Freddy:           I know that, but I don't have time to study.

 Mr. Jones:       Why don't you have time? Can't you make the time?

 Freddy:           I have to take my mother to the hospital every day. In fact, I took her there last night.

 Mr. Jones:       Are you the only one who can do that?

 Freddy:           She doesn't have anybody but me.  My father died last year.

 Mr. Jones:       Stop taking the class if you have family problems.  The stress will kill you.

 Freddy:           I may do that even though my mother wants me to continue.  She told me to stay in school.

 Mr. Jones:       Don't kill yourself. Take care of your mother until she feels better.

 Freddy:           She's not sick. She feels fine.

 Mr. Jones:       Why does she have to go to the hospital every day?

 Freddy:           She works there. She's a nurse.

The Unhappy Mother-In-Law

 Instructions: Convert each sentence to the reported speech form.

  1. He said, "Hello."

 2. She asked him, "Do you know what time it is?"

 3. He said, "I'm sorry I'm late."

 4. She told him, "I have something to tell you."

 5. He asked her, "What is it?"

 6. She said, "I don't want my daughter to go with you."

 7. He told her, "I'm not going to leave your daughter again."

 8. She asked him, "Why did you leave her the first time?"

 9. He answered, "I don't know, but maybe I was afraid."

10. She asked him, "Why did you sleep with her if you didn't have a condom?"

11. He explained, "I got careless."

12. She said, "Soon you will be going to New York, and I won't be able to see my daughter again."

13. He said, "When I make enough money, I'll fly you to New York."

14. She told him, "You won't find a job."

15. He said, "I can make money by selling drugs if I have to."

16. She said, "You'll end up in jail, and there is no one in New York who can get you out."

17. He told her, "Don't worry. I won't let your grandchild starve."

18. She told him, "Take care of my daughter and the baby, or you'll answer to my husband."

19. He told her, "I promise you. I will."

20. She asked him, "Do you know how to take care of a baby?"

21. He said, "No. But I'll learn. Don't worry."

22. She handed him some bills and said, "Take this, and don't waste it."

23. He promised, "I won't."

24. She said, "Call me if you have an emergency."

25. He said, "Thank you. Good‑bye, Mama."

Reported Speech Multiple Choice

 http://esl.lbcc.cc.ca.us/eesllessons/reported%20speech/repmul2.htm