(English reading and vocabulary related to Machiavelli and politics)

Level: B2 to C1

Written and compiled  by Benedicte Gravrand, English trainer at The Language House

Is it better for a ruler – or a president, or a prince –  to be feared or to be loved?

According to Machiavelli, it is better to be feared than loved; a ruler must not only care about reputation, but also must be willing to act unscrupulously at the right times. A loved ruler maintains authority by obligation while a feared leader rules by fear of punishment.

“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved,” Machiavelli wrote in The Prince.

Check the meaning of the words in bold. See vocabulary exercise below.

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance diplomat, philosopher and writer, best known for a brief political essay The Prince, written in 1523, published in 1532. The book was about how to win power and how to keep it.

His name has entered the dictionary: If you describe someone as Machiavellian, you are critical of them because they often make clever and secret plans to achieve their aims and are not honest with people. The word can be used as a noun: a Machiavellian is a cunning, amoral, and opportunist person, especially a politician.

 

Video: What “Machiavellian” really means

 

 

Nice people don’t last in politics

It is almost impossible to be both a good politician and a good person (in the Christian sense) at the same time, says Machiavelli.

A good politician, according to Machiavelli, is someone who can defend a state, or a democracy. And to defend a state, you sometimes need to be ruthless.

 

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So there is a divide between Christian morality and the world of power:  Christian virtues have no place in politics. Rulers must leave aside any scruples in order to be effective.

Machiavelli does not recommend immorality; he recommends pragmatism.

“How we live is so different from how we should live that he who studies what should be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation,” he wrote in The Prince.

We want our politicians to be good and honest. But good politicians must have the power of the lion and the cleverness of the fox, he says.

 

It is up to citizens

Everyone faces “difficult decisions” in life. These decisions may be difficult because they conflict with our moral codes. Should we be nice or should we be effective (i.e., not necessarily be nice at all)? Should we deal with the world as it is, or as it should be? In the real world, the wicked tend to win: they can disregard moral codes in order to get what they want. They can lie, intimidate, deceive. We should learn to at least understand them.

Erica Benner, a professor of political philosophy at Yale, recently published a book called Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli in His World. She says that The Prince is also a warning to citizens.

“He thinks that citizens are responsible more than politicians. Yeah, you can sit there and say, “Look at Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin,” or whoever it might be, and point out how they lie here and there, and how that gives them an advantage or allows them to exploit fears. But at the end of the day, it’s up to us, it’s up to citizens, to see through these manipulations.”

Vocabulary

Here are some words from the text. Match the words with their definition.

 

1. Care about
2. Unscrupulous
3. Hardly
4. Cunning
5. Amoral

a. used for saying that something is almost not true or almost does not happen at all

b. to be interested in

c. someone who does not care whether or not their behaviour is morally right

d. willing to do things that are unfair, dishonest, or illegal

e. someone who uses their intelligence to get what they want, especially by tricking or cheating people

__________________________

Answer key:

1:b  –  2:d  –  3:a  –  4:e  –  5:c

__________________________

 

6. According to
7. Ruthless
8. Last (verb)
9. Virtue
10. Have no place

 

f. to not be suitable or right in a particular situation

g. to continue existing or happening for or until a particular time

h. willing to make other people suffer so that you can achieve your aims

i. used for saying where information or ideas have come from

j. a good quality or habit that a person has, especially a moral one such as honesty or loyalty

__________________________

Answer key:

6:i  –  7:h  –  8:g  –  9:j  –  10:f

__________________________

 

11. Leave aside
12. Scruple
13. Downfall
14. Conflict
15. Effective

 

k. a sudden loss of power, status, or success

l. to not consider something because you want to consider something else instead

m. someone or something that works well and produces the result that was intended

n. a moral principle that prevents you from doing something that you think is bad

o. (in this context) a situation in which it is difficult for two things to exist together or be true at the same time

__________________________

Answer key:

11:l  –  12:n  –  13:k  –  14:o  –  15:m

__________________________

 

16. Wicked
17. Deceive
18. At the end of the day
19. It’s up to (someone)
20. See through
21. Citizen

 

p. to recognize that something is not true and not be tricked by it

q. to trick someone by behaving in a dishonest way

r. if something is up to you, you are the person who makes a decision about it

s. morally wrong and deliberately intending to hurt people

t. used for saying what you consider is the most important thing about a situation after thinking about it

u. someone who lives in a particular town or city

__________________________

Answer key:

16:s  –  17:q  –  18:t  –  19:r  –  20:p  –  21:u

__________________________

Definitions from MacmillanDictionary.com

 

Expressions and proverbs

Here are two proverbs which could be related to Machiavelli:

• “The ends justify the means“: any methods, even bad ones, are allowed in order to achieve what you want, especially something good.
• “The road to hell is paved with good intentions“: evil actions are often masked by good intentions; or, good intentions, when acted upon, may have unintended consequences.

 

And here are some quotes on politics.

Who said what?

 

1. “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.”
2. “An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.”
3. “In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.”
4. “Politics have no relation to morals.”
5. “Man is by nature a political animal.”
6. “In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”

 

a. Aristotle

b. Winston Churchill

c. George Jean Nathan

d. Napoleon Bonaparte

e. Albert Einstein

f. Niccolo Machiavelli

__________________________

 

Answer key:

1:c  –  2:e  –  3:b  –  4:f  –  5:a  –  6:d

__________________________

Source: Sayingpoint.com

 

Videos

 

Political theory of Niccolò Machiavelli

 

 

 

 

Machiavelli’s advice for nice guys

 

Think of Roger and you might think of tennis shots that defy geometry and a Swiss role model admired worldwide. That’s if you live in Switzerland.

If you live in the USA, there’s another Roger making headlines. He’s the antithesis of the Swiss Roger and all things wholesome.

His name is Roger Stone. Last week Donald Trump used his presidential power to cancel the three-year prison sentence of his long-time associate and arguably the key enabler in his rise to presidency.

So, who is Roger Stone? And why was his release from serving prison time decried as “unprecedented, historic corruption” by former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney?

But first, a little lesson in slang (argot). To roger is verb used in British English that means to bugger (sodomise) someone profusely. It’s about as sexy as grab them by the pussy.

Roger Stone, 67, has made a career out of rogering Washington political players on behalf of his masters.

Stone is a kind of self-proclaimed gangster, fix-it man. He’s a master of dirty tricks; a brawler with bared teeth who loves to wear immaculate, but often odd suits and top hats, not unlike the more eccentric and violent gangsters of Hollywood that both attract and repel. Deep anger boils at the surface. Like Trump he believes he is untouchable. Above the law.

Stone owns it all. He describes himself as a dirty trickster and agent provocateur.

Stone’s rule is: It’s better to be infamous than never famous at all.

His apprenticeship in Washington began in 1972 with Nixon, the second most corrupt President in the modern era. His admiration for Nixon is exemplified by this tattoo he wears on his back, like a gang member (see photo above). The next horse he gambled on for the White House was Trump, who now probably deserves an even larger tattoo on Stone’s body.

 

Roger Stone

This extraordinary video (below) from Politico shows Stone’s rage and fury while replying to questions about a separate deposition for a range of civil suits. There was no judge present and Stone’s verbal language and body language is a performance worthy of Robert De Niro.

This was just days before he was sentenced for perjury and sentenced to three years in jail for making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

He calls the lawyer who is interrogating him, “a little bitch”, mouths the words “fuck you” and accuses the lawyer of abusing his own children. His hands shake, his lips quiver and he grinds his teeth in fury.

Here we see the real Roger. It’s pretty sinister.

 

 

The Stones and Epsteins of this modern America escape justice, but make fine materiel for documentaries on Netflix.

If you want a closer look at Roger Stone, then the Get Me Roger (Netflix) documentary offers some insights.

 

 

Why did Trump commute his sentences? Some commentators say it was out of loyalty. But loyalty is not a trait the president has in stock. It’s more likely he did it to save his own bacon. Stone has the dirt on Trump and was not going to go down all alone without a fight.

After his presidential pardon, Stone gave a victorious interview on the Murdoch-owned Fox News, also known as Trump TV.

It’s interesting to contrast this interview with CNN which spoke to respected law academic and writer Jeffrey Toobin.

There are two completely different narratives. The fault-lines are widening.

Stone on Fox News 

CNN on Stone

Footnote:  A team of fact-checkers employed by The Washington Post newspaper reported last week that the number of false or misleading claims made by the president while in office has reached 20,000, yes, that’s twenty thousand.

Aaah… a French name! Quelle prestige! It has a certain je ne sais quoi, n’est-ce pas?

On the one hand foreign, but on the other hand French; deliciously other-worldly; comme un verre de Chateau Margaux Margaux 2015 (oh-so-seductive notes of warm blackberries, cassis and black forest cake with touches of forest floor, sandalwood, anise and cigar boxes plus a waft of lavender).

Or like Guerlian’s Chamade fragrance (a hymn to love that unfurls like the spring with equal grace, femininity, independence and attraction).

Now meet Parler (pronounced Parl-lay). It’s a new social network in the USA that wants you to speak freely (parler librement). Channel your inner racist and your best hate speech. It’s the Twitter you need, when you want to be your most extreme, or when Twitter has decided you are too extreme and has expelled you.

 

Rule number one:

No posting pictures of faecal matter (shit)

when you disagree with someone

 

There’s little chance you’ll be ex-communicated here. Parler is the go-to-place for haters. Anything goes. More or less. There’s room to breathe. The rules are simple, as eloquently explained by 26-year-old chief executive, John Matze.

 

 

Rule number one: No posting pictures of faecal matter (shit) when you disagree with someone. Threatening to kill people is also frowned upon.

You might say:  Parler is a hymn to free speech that unfurls like a sweaty gun holster stained with the oh-so-seductive notes of racism, misogyny, conspiracies, vilification and hate with a bitter-sweet after-waft of neo-Nazis and white supremacy and a touch of alternative truth. (Yeah baby! That’s my stink!)

You can download Parler at your App Store, or at least for the moment.

Qui parle sur Parler?

You can join luminaries such as the Trump boys (Dad has not signed in as yet), the White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, most of the Trump team, including motor mouth Rudy Giuliani, Senator Ted Cruz and don’t forget Katie Hopkins, who compares immigrants to cockroaches and called for a “final solution” in relation to Muslims. Remember Milo Yiannopoulos? No, you’d rather not. Understandable. He’s there too.

 

The president has 82.6 million followers

on Twitter, so for the

moment Parler is not so enticing

 

Parler already has 1.5 million users, according to the company. Twitter has 330 million monthly actives users. Facebook has 2.6 billion active users.

But why no Donald? The president has 82.6 million followers on Twitter, so for the moment Parler is not so enticing.

Parler promotes itself as a fee speech utopia. The problem with Parler is that it is an echo chamber. It’s like being at MAGA rally.  There’s no pushback, little debate and little influencing. The converted are giving sermons to the converted. Everyone is wearing red baseball caps. There is a lot of angry noise, but little colour or grace.

(English verbs: say and tell)

Level: A2 to C1

By Benedicte Gravrand, English language trainer at The Language House

 

The verbs say and tell are very similar, but say is more about expressing something, and tell is more about informing or instructing someone.

Example:

Mary: Where’s John. He said he was coming to the party.

John: That’s funny, he told me he had an important meeting. He said he wouldn’t be here until 9pm.

Mary: He didn’t tell me that. He doesn’t always tell the truth, does he? He often says one thing and does something else.

 

Say (said, said): used for all sorts of speech.

• ‘Turn right,’ I said.
• She said it was my last chance / She said that she liked dancing. (indirect/reported speech)
• He said that he would be late (NOT He said me)
• Has he said who is coming? (indirect question)
• Alice said a naughty word this morning (object is: a word/name/ phrase…)
• And I say to all the people of this great country… (to before personal object)
• I’ve already said sorry for hurting his feelings. (say sorry)
• The committee said yes. (say yes/no (give or refuse permission))
• I want to say something on this subject. I want to say something about this house. (on/about).
• The castle is said to be (belief/opinion)
• Say you get £2,000 for the car – you’ll still need another thousand. (imagine what will happen if…)

 

Tell (told, told): used to mean ‘instruct’ or ‘inform’. After tell, we usually say who is told, for example: he only told one person where the money was.

• ‘Turn right,’ I told him.
• She told me (that) it was my last chance (indirect/reported speech)
• ‘What time is the meeting?’ ‘I’ll tell you’
• I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (no personal object here)
• Grandpa tells wonderful stories about the old days. (tell stories)
• I’m not asking you – I’m telling you! (order)
• He’s lying. I can always tell.

 

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Music

 

Say It Ain’t So Joe, by Murray Head

 

 

Say and tell phrases

 

There are many phrases with say and tell. Here are just a few of them:

1. Having said that: add an opinion that seems to be the opposite of what you have just said, although you think both are true

It’s expensive. Having said that, I must admit that it is very well made.

2. I wouldn’t say no (to something): you would like something, especially something that has been offered to you

I wouldn’t say no to another piece of cake.

3. (just) say the word: you are ready to do something for someone

We can go whenever you like. Just say the word.

4. go without saying (that): completely obvious or true

It goes without saying that I’m sorry.

5. that’s​/​it’s easier said than done: telling someone that what they are advising you to do is not easy to achieve

He told me not to worry, but that’s easier said than done.

6. that’s not saying much: emphasize that something is not very unusual, surprising, or impressive

It’s better than the old one, but that’s not saying much.

7. I couldn’t tell you: you do not know the answer to a question, especially when you do not want to be helpful

‘What time will he be back?’ – ‘I couldn’t tell you.’

8. I told you (so): you warned someone that something bad would happen and you have now been proved right

I told you it wouldn’t work.

See, it broke! I told you so.

9. tell it like it is: to give the real facts about something, even if they are unpleasant

You can always rely on Jane to tell it like it is.

10. tell me about it: you already know about something unpleasant that someone has just described because you have experienced it yourself

‘I’m so overworked.’ ‘Tell me about it!’

11. to tell (you) the truth: what you really think or feel

To tell you the truth, I’m completely bored.

12. you never can tell: it is impossible to be certain about something

You can never tell how long these meetings will last.

 

* Definitions and examples from MacmillanDictionary.com

 

 

Say and tell exercise

Complete the dialogue between a man and a police inspector with say or tell (conjugated).

 

• MAN: The police officer … me to stop when I leaving the bank.
• INSPECTOR: What did he …?
• M: He …, “You’re under arrest.”
• I: And what did you …?
• M: To … you the truth, I can’t remember what I …. I panicked.
• I: Do you know why you are here?
• M: I couldn’t … The officer didn’t … me why I was arrested.
• I: You are a prime suspect in a bank robbery.
• M: What? I was never …! What are you …?
• I: You were carrying a bag full of cash. One million dollars’ worth.
• M: I’m … you, this bag was not mine. And old man … me to carry it to his car because it was too heavy for him. I … I would.
• I: Where is the old man now? Can you … me?
• M: I couldn’t … He disappeared as soon as the police officer showed up.
• I: What can you … me about him? … me what happened exactly?
• M: This old man was waiting at the door inside the bank, with the bag on the floor. He also … he would give me a tip for the service.
• I: Really? What else?
• M: I … I wouldn’t … no to a tip, especially since my bank account is completely empty.
• I: Can you describe him?
• M: He was wearing a black beret. And he had a beard.
• I: That’s not …
• M: Having … that, I think now he probably wasn’t that old.
• I: How can you …?
• M: He looked quite fit. But you can never ….
• I: Appearances can be deceiving. Did he … you where his car was parked?
• M: He … the car was a black BMW and that it was parked right outside the bank.
• I: And did you see the car?
• M: No, I didn’t have time to check. I was arrested as soon as I stepped out!

 

Check your answers

• MAN: The police officer told me to stop when I leaving the bank.
• INSPECTOR: What did he say?
• M: He said, “You’re under arrest.”
• I: And what did you say?
• M: To tell you the truth, I can’t remember what I said. I panicked.
• I: Do you know why you are here?
• M: I couldn’t tell The officer didn’t tell me why I was arrested.
• I: You are a prime suspect in a bank robbery.
• M: What? I was never told! What are you saying?
• I: You were carrying a bag full of cash. $1 million worth.
• M: I’m telling you, this bag was not mine. And old man told me to carry it to his car because it was too heavy for him. I said I would.
• I: Where is the old man now? Can you tell me?
• M: I couldn’t tell He disappeared as soon as the police officer showed up.
• I: What can you tell me about him? Tell me what happened exactly?
• M: This old man was waiting at the door inside the bank, with the bag on the floor. He also said he would give me a tip for the service.
• I: Really? What else?
• M: I said I wouldn’t say no to a tip, especially since my bank account is completely empty.
• I: Can you describe him?
• M: He was wearing a black beret. And he had a beard.
• I: That’s not saying
• M: Having said that, I think now he probably wasn’t that old.
• I: How can you tell?
• M: He looked quite fit. But you can never tell.
• I: Appearances can be deceiving. Did he tell you where his car was parked?
• M: He said the car was a black BMW and it was parked right outside the bank.
• I: And did you see the car?
• M: No, I didn’t have time to check. I was arrested as soon as I stepped out!

 

For more crime-related reading, see our post on Agatha Christie: Be careful. That knife is sharp.

 

 

 

Telephone conversations can be challenging, or even terrifying, if English is not your first or second language.

Many of you know the scenario. You are working comfortably at your desk. Bleep bleep, the telephone rings. The line is not very clear, the speaker has had four double expressos and English words are being fired at you at 155 kmph. But the rapid fire is not the cause of rising panic. It’s the accent. It’s so alien and thick that you’re finding it difficult to understand every third word.

Aaargh!!!!

 

 

 

Don’t panic. Just calmly reply: “One moment please…”, and 99 times out of 100, the person on the line will reply: “Of course”

One moment please is an expression that can save your life on the telephone.

 

Gently put the phone down on the desk.

And breathe…

And breathe again.

 

 

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One moment please is a golden phrase for the telephone. It buys you time. You can use this time to remember your telephone language (see below) and prepare your response.

Yes, how can I help you? Yes, Can I help you?

 

When you don’t understand

I am sorry could you speak slowly please?

Can you repeat that please?

I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.

Did you say Tuesday or Thursday?

If I understand correctly, you would like to speak to the marketing director?

If I understand correctly, you would like to cancel your appointment on Friday?

 

Taking messages

I’m afraid Sarah is in a meeting. Can I give her a message?

Can I take a message?

Would you like to leave a message?

Can I have your name please?

Your number?

And your email address please?

Would you like to ring back after lunch?

Would you like her direct number?

Can you spell that please?

  

Check spelling and email addresses

How do you spell that?

Did you say M-I-K-A-E ..?

Is that E-for-elephant?

So that’s Mikaelia –  M-I-K-A-E-L-I-A…?

So that’s Monday, June 5 at 3.30pm in your office?

So that’s George Wilkins…  W- I – L – K – I – N – S?

 And your email address is [email protected] 

So that’s G dot Wilkins – Wilkins -W-I-L-K-I-N-S at greencables (all one word) – G-R-E-E-N-C-A-B-L-E-S dot ch

 

Final check before you end the conversation

If necessary, make a final check at the end of the conversation. Just repeat the important facts.

You: Thanks for your call. I will ask Susanne call you on 079 533 72 98 or she can email you at [email protected] – that’s Mikaelia –  capital M-I-K-A-E-L-I-A dot Hobson capital H-O-B-S-O-N at greencables  – all one word – G-R-E-E-N-C-A-B-L-E-S dot CH.

Mikaelia: Great. Thank you.

 

You: Thanks for your call. I will ask Susan to call you back this afternoon between 3 and 4.30pm.

Your name is Rafael – that’s Rafael with a F, NOUNCI – N-O-U-N-C-I and you are calling from Cisco Systems -that’s Cisco – C-I-S-C-O Systems.

Rafael: Correct. Thanks

 

And breathe. Good job!

Vocabulary:

to buy time: delay an event temporarily so as to have longer to improve one’s own position.

The police kept the gunman talking to buy time for the hostages.

French: gagner du temps

rapid fire: to speak very quickly or shoot bullets very quickly

 

Love it or hate it, football, especially English football, is often the stuff of fairy tales.

It’s a potent mix of tribal passion, tragedy and surrealism. UK premiership football has history. It is a mirror, stained and cracked, that reflects the trials and tribulations of generations where football is not just football. The round ball is life.

In 2016 we witnessed the magical tale of Leicester City Football Club and the re-internment of the bones of King Richard III dug up under a city car-park – read more here.

The story of Liverpool’s 2020 premiership is a grittier and darker story of redemption, exemplified in the haunting club song, You will never walk alone. It’s an anthem of sufferance and hope that transcends the brilliance of King Salah of Egypt, the Dutch centre-half poet, Virgil van Dijk, the goal scorer from Bambali, Senegal, Sadio Mané, and of course, the mastermind with the finest brain and teeth in modern football, Jürgen Klopp from the small Black Forest village of Glatten.

As Klopp says:

It’s the most beautiful song in the world. Everybody feels it, everybody loves it.

 

 

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

 

Klopp and the Kop are of the same family. The Kop is the name of the famous steep stand at Anfield, the Liverpool home ground. It is said the Kop army of 50,000 supporters in full voice can suck the ball into goal.

Pink Floyd recorded the Kop in the last two minutes of their song Fearless from the album Meddle released in 1971.

 

 

But why the name Kop? In 1900, during the Boer War in South Africa, the British Army fought to capture a hilltop, and 300 men died, most of whom were from Lancashire and many from Liverpool itself. The name of the hill was Spion Kop.

 

A greater tragedy, arguably the greatest stain

on modern football, justice and

journalism in the history of the UK,

was to come later

 

A greater tragedy, arguably the greatest stain on modern football, justice and journalism in the history of the UK, and I do not exaggerate, was to come later.

The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush (mouvement de foule fatal) that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool supporters, men, women and children at the Hillsborough Stadium in a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15 1989.  Four hundred were taken to hospital.

 

 

The investigations, court cases and public inquiries continued right up to last year. We now know that it was a police mistake that led to the crush. We also know that the police lied repeatedly, doctored documents and, with heinous intent, shifted blame onto the supporters.

The lies were lapped up by the Murdoch tabloid, The Sun, which produced this shameful front page the following day:

 

 

It was not the truth. It was LIES. Pure tabloid gutter journalism, from the stable of the Murdoch media.

The newspaper ran claims from anonymous police officers that, as people were dying at Hillsborough, their fellow supporters stole from them, urinated on police officers and beat up “brave cops” trying to help.

 

It was not the truth. It was LIES.

Pure tabloid gutter journalism,

from the stable of the Murdoch media

 

It took 15 years before The Sun finally offered an apology. It read in part:

The Sun’s reporting of the Hillsborough tragedy 23 years ago is without doubt the blackest day in this newspaper’s history. The Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report into the disaster lays bare the disgraceful attempt by South Yorkshire Police to hide their culpability behind a smokescreen of lies. It highlights a concerted campaign by senior officers to smear the innocent by fabricating lurid allegations about Liverpool fans — and then feeding them to the media.

But it is to the eternal discredit of The Sun that we reported as fact this misinformation which tarnished the reputation of Liverpool fans including the 96 victims. Today we unreservedly apologise to the Hillsborough victims, their families, Liverpool supporters, the city of Liverpool and all our readers for that misjudgment.

Even today, few people buy The Sun in Liverpool.

In 2016, some 27 years after the disaster, a further inquiry finally ruled that the 96 people were killed unlawfully and the actions of police were the principal cause of the disaster. It also refuted all of the scandalous claims made in The Sun. No-one has been found guilty.

 

This was the scene in Liverpool on April 15 this year – the 31st anniversary of Hillsborough.

 

 

 

(Language that is theatrical and powerful)

Level: B1+

Italian is a language that we can both hear and see. English, on the other hand, is shy when it comes to painting pictures in the air with your hands, fingers, shoulders and face.

However, there are a few expressions to liberate the Italian in you and make your English more visual, theatrical and powerful.

On the one hand… and on the other hand, is used to contrast two opinions about a subject; one usually positive and one usually negative. We use our hands to reinforce our spoken language. We hold out one hand, palm up when we say on the one hand and then the other hand palm up when we say on the other hand.

On the one hand, he’s the best man for the job, but on the other hand, he’s often late for meetings.

On the one hand, expansion would be profitable, but on the other hand, we’ll be working much longer hours and under greater stress.

On the one hand, it’s a high-paying job doing what I’ve always wanted to do. But on the other hand, I’d have to move halfway around the world, far from all my friends and family.

 On the one hand, the UK is a full of history and interesting places, but on the other hand, the weather can be really depressing, especially this time of the year.

 

Practise the above examples in front of a mirror or better still with your teacher. You’ll soon be a natural.

 

Vocabulary:

The palm of your hand is the inner surface of the hand between the wrist and the fingers.

My mother is a palm reader. She can read your future by looking at the lines on your palms.

 

The Fortune Teller, by Caravaggio

 

Expressions with the word HAND

• To experience something first-hand. It has happened to you.

You have no idea how challenging it is to be a parent until you experience it first-hand

• I’ve got my hands full at the moment. I am too busy.

I’m sorry I’m not available. I have my hands full with the monthly salaries for the next few hours.

• Can you give/lend me a hand? I need some help.

I can’t carry three bags. Can you give me a hand?

• My hands are tied. I can’t do anything.

The decision came from head office. My hands are tied. I can’t do anything about it.

• I wash my hands of this situation. You’ll have to find a solution by yourself.

I’ve done all I can. I wash my hands of the situation. You’ll have to solve it yourself.

• That’s handy. Really practical.

That’s a great app. Really useful. It’s really handy for organising our time.

• Tarzan knows the jungle like the back of his hand. He knows it extremely well.

Speak to John. He studied Calvin at university. He knows Calvin like the back of his hand.

• Do you like my coat? I bought it second hand at Hazard. It is not new. It used to belong to someone else.

It’s not new. It’s second hand, but in excellent condition.

• Is it true? I only heard the news second hand. Somebody told someone else, who told me.

 I wasn’t sure if it was true. I didn’t receive the memo from HR. I heard it second hand.

• This dress is a hand-me-down. It belonged to my older sister.

I don’t buy many new clothes for Sean. He wears his big brother’s hand-me-downs.

• His drinking problem has got out of hand. It cannot be controlled. He’s probably going to lose his job and his family.

This problem has got out of hand. It might soon be a disaster.

• You are in good hands at The Language House

It’s a great school. They will look after you. You’ll be in good hands.

 

The singer behind one of the most iconic and moving war songs of the 20th century has died in the UK, aged 103.

We’ll Meet Again, sung by Vera Lynn, became an anthem of hope and resilience during the Second World War.

 

 

The singer and the song were poignantly referenced in the Pink Floyd concept album The Wall.

 

 

The song was also used in the final devastating scene of Stanley Kubrick’s black masterpiece Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Vera Lynn was known as the (armed) forces’ sweetheart.

She was born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917 in the London suburb of East Ham. She was the daughter of a plumber. She toured the war zones singing to soldiers in Burma, Egypt and India. She also performed for people sheltering from bombing raids in the stations of London’s underground.

The song was recorded in 1929 and Lynn later starred in the film of the same name.

Vera Lynn was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1975.

In September 2009 Dame Vera Lynn became the oldest living artist, at the age 92, to have a number 1 album on the UK album chart, with her collection We’ll Meet Again: the Very Best of Vera Lynn.

Read more here from the BBC

Let’s say goodbye with a smile, dear
Just for a while, dear
We must part
Don’t let this parting upset you
I’ll not forget you, sweetheart

We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
‘Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away
So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won’t be long
They’ll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day…

So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won’t be long
They’ll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singin’ this song

We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day

Source: LyricFind

 

(English reading and vocabulary related to zombies in history and popular culture)

Level: B2 to C1

By Benedicte Gravrand, English trainer at The Language House, Genève

 

Zombies are not your friends. They are the awakened dead who have an enormous appetite for human flesh – or human brains, depending on the story. They don’t look good either: they have rotting flesh, missing limbs, and really dirty underwear. They don’t speak, they grunt. They don’t think much either – so don’t try to convince them they need a change of lifestyle. Not all zombies are the reawakened dead (or undead); some are people who have been bitten or scratched – and infected – by a zombie while walking down the street to get their Sunday newspaper.

But zombies have one thing going for them: they make for great stories.

(Check the meaning of the words in bold. See exercise below)

 

A bit of zombie history

 

The Ancient Greeks were possibly the first civilization to be afraid of the undead. Archaeologists have found many ancient graves in Greece in which the skeletons had rocks and other heavy objects on top of them, probably to prevent them from re-awakening.

Some say that stories in the Bible of dead people being resurrected may have also inspired zombie myths.

But the real birthplace of the zombie myth is Haiti, in the Caribbean.

It might have started in the 17th century when West African slaves were brought in to work on the sugar cane plantations. The West Africans took with them their religion, called voodoo.

Voodoo is practiced today in Haiti and the Caribbean, Brazil, the American South, and other places. In general, people who follow the voodoo religion do not believe in zombies. Some, however, do. They believe people can be revived as zombies by a voodoo practitioner called a bokor. Bokors practice the art of necromancy by creating a “zombie powder”, made of herbs, shells, bones, animals and other ingredients. Any zombie created by the bokor is his slave.

 

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During the time of slavery on the cotton plantations in the USA, slave drivers, who were usually slaves themselves and sometimes voodoo priests, used the fear of zombification to discourage slaves from committing suicide. Life was indeed brutal then.

The zombie powder contains tetrodotoxin, a poisonous neurotoxin found in marine species. To humans who ingest small quantities, the powder “may cause zombie-like symptoms such as difficulty walking, mental confusion and respiratory problems,” says History.com. High doses can lead to paralysis and coma. When that happens, the person who took a high dose of zombie powder may appear dead to others – and is then buried alive, only to re-awake later. Apparently, several such occurrences have been documented in medical journals.

In Haitian folklore, a zombie is a dead body reanimated through magic.

But in modern folklore, zombies are created through viruses, radiation, madness, parasites… you name it.

 

 

 

 

Zombies are cinema super stars

 

Zombies have become big stars in pop culture. They became famous with the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, by film director George Romero, who did two more zombie films after that; Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. You can say he started the zombie cult. He once said: “A zombie film is not fun without a bunch of stupid people running around and observing how they fail to handle the situation.”

Among the many zombie movies, my favourites are the comedy types, such as Shaun of the Dead starring Simon Peg (famous quote: “You’ve got red on you”), and Zombieland. Among the more dramatic movies are 28 Days Later and I am Legend.

Zombies have also invaded television, with series such as iZombie, where zombies can be your friends, and The Walking Dead, a post-apocalyptic story filled with horrid flesh-eaters and a few highly stressed survivors – and where the word “zombie” is never used (here’s why). There’s this famous quote from the series that sums up the survivors’ puzzlement: “Christ promised a resurrection of the dead, I just thought he had something a little different in mind”.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War might just be the best book on zombies. This zombie apocalyptic horror novel, written by American author Max Brooks, was the inspiration for the film World War Z (for the record: the book is much better). It is a collection of individual stories following a global zombie plague. It describes different ways of survivals as well as the social, political, religious, economic, and environmental changes resulting from the plague.

Zombies, due to their dangerous and infectious nature, are the vehicle to such interesting scenarios that they could remain big stars in pop culture for decades to come.

According to Angela Becerra Vidergar, a Stanford professor, we started our fascination with zombies after World War II and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These large-scale disasters influenced stories about mass-scale deaths and the survival of the fittest.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) even created a “Zombie Preparedness” website to motivate people to prepare for disasters.

Finally, just in case you were wondering, zombies can only be killed if you destroy their head, somehow.

And if you are getting married soon – and you are very afraid of zombies, you could change your marriage vows to: “To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, unless you become a zombie – then I promise to shoot you in the head.”

Meaning, if you stop being a human being and become a humanoid beast with a lizard brain and great blood lust… well, that will change our story completely.

 

Sources: History.com  Wikipedia  Quotabulary.com

 

Check your zombie vocabulary:

Match the words with their definitions.

1. Awakened
2. Flesh
3. Rotten
4. Grunt
5. Bite (p.p. bitten)
6. Scratch
7. Slave

a. to make a short low sound in your throat and nose at the same time

b. to cut someone’s skin slightly with something sharp

c. someone who belongs by law to another person as their property and has to obey them and work for them

d. the soft part of people’s or animals’ bodies that consists mostly of muscle and fat

e. to use your teeth to cut or break something, usually in order to eat it

f. something that is rotten has decayed: rotten eggs/fruit/teeth

g. to make someone become conscious, or in this case, alive again

 

__________________________________

Answer key

1:g  –  2:d  –  3:f  –  4:a  –  5:e  –  6:b  –  7:c

__________________________________

 

8. Necromancy
9. Shell
10. Species
11. Occurrence
12. You name it (phrase)
13. Popular culture (or pop culture)
14. bunch

h. the hard outer part that protects the body of a sea creature

i. used after a list for saying that most other things of the same type are also possible or available

j. the practice of communicating with dead people

k. a group of people

l. something that happens, especially something unexpected and unpleasant

m. a plant or animal group whose members all have similar general features and are able to produce young plants or animals together

n. the types of entertainment that most people in a society enjoy, for example films, television programmes, and popular music

 

__________________________________

Answer key

8:j  –  9:h  –  10:m  –  11:l  –  12:i  –  13:n  –  14:k

__________________________________

 

15. Fail
16. Handle (v.)
17. Plague
18. Large-scale
19. Survival of the fittest
20. To have something in mind (phrase)
21. For the record (phrase)
22. Have something going for you

o. the idea that your survival depends on competing successfully within your environment with other creatures of your own type

p. involving a large number of people or things, or happening over a large area

q. to be unsuccessful when you try to do something

r. to know the type of thing that you want for a particular purpose: What kind of house did you have in mind?

s. any serious disease that spreads quickly to a lot of people and usually ends in death

t. used for giving a piece of information that you want people to know

u. to take action in order to deal with a difficult situation

v. if a person or thing has something going for them, they have an advantage, skill, or other positive quality

 

__________________________________

Answer key

15:q  –  16:u  –  17:s  –  18:p  –  19:o  –  20:r  –  21:t  –  22:v

__________________________________

Definitions: www.macmillandictionary.com

 

 

 

 

Uses of the word ZOMBIE in the English language

 

You can use the word “zombie” to describe a weird, stupid or very tired person, e.g. I feel like such a zombie. Maybe I’m not eating right.

You can also use the word zombie to describe a company that earns just enough money to continue operating and service debt but is unable to pay off its debt. Zombie companies are also known as the “living dead” or “zombie stocks.”

 

Writing

 

What is your favourite zombie movie and why?

Please leave your answer in the Commentaire section below.

 

Top ten best zombie movies:

 

I’ve got a song stuck in my head. It pings around my neurons and exits in whistle, song and hum from dusk to dawn. On repeat play.

You probably know the song, if you like your dogs with diamonds, know an astronaut called Major Tom, or like a little stardust…

Here are the first four lines of the song:

It’s a God-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling no
And her daddy has told her to go

The song is called Life on Mars?, written and sung by David Bowie. Bowie said that the melody and riff came to him on a bus after a sunny, druggy day in a park in London.

One journalist later wrote that Bowie “saw the Cosmos in a bus-stop”.

Another UK journalist ranked it the greatest song of all time. He wrote:

 A quite gloriously strange anthem, where the combination of stirring, yearning melody and vivid, poetic imagery manage a trick very particular to the art of the song: to be at once completely impenetrable and yet resonant with personal meaning. You want to raise your voice and sing along, yet Bowie’s abstract cut-up lyrics force you to invest the song with something of yourself just to make sense of the experience. And, like all great songs, it’s got a lovely tune.

It does have a lovely tune and you do want to sing along. The problem is that for the last week or two,  I can’t get it out of my head to quote Electric Light Orchestra. The song is Always on my mind, as the Pet Shop Boys might say.

The origins of Life on Mars? can be traced back to France, a few years before Bowie’s sunny druggy bus day.  It all began with the pop megastar Cloclo, (Claude François) who put the glow-glow into the hearts of the French during the 60s and 70s before tragically electrocuting himself in the shower.

One of his many tubes (hits) was Comme d’habitude (co-written by Jacques Revaux) released in 1967 and based on his break-up with fellow French singer France Gall.

 

 

A year later the music landed on the desk of an unknown UK singer songwriter named David Jones, who had recently changed his name to David Bowie. (His first extra-terrestrial hit, Space Oddity which would open his fame stargate was still two years away).

Among the jobs that kept Bowie in fags, food and mascara was writing English lyrics to hit songs from continental Europe. Comme d’habitude, became Even a Fool Learns to Love (Même un imbécile apprend à aimer). Bowie later admitted the music was great, but his lyrics were shite. It was never released.

In 1969, an astonished Bowie heard the song on the radio. Same music, but with lyrics written by Paul Anka. And the voice…aaaah, it was unmistakable. It was Frank Sinatra, and Comme d’habitude was now My Way, a timeless anthem and a funeral favourite, and one of the most successful songs in the history of popular music.

My Way set records which still stand today; 122 weeks in the top 50 between April 1969 and January 1972, 75 weeks in the top 40. Even the Sex Pistols did a cover (listen and watch below).

A peeved and pissed Bowie decided to write a revenge song which he called Life on Mars? It was first released on Bowie’s 1971 album Hunky Dory and later released in 1973 as a single. On the album cover notes (below) he wrote: ‘inspired by Frankie’ next to track number 4.

 

 

The songs share some of the same chords and structure, but the subject matter couldn’t be more different. My Way is a self-assured celebration of a life lived with little or no regrets. Angst, disappointment and a strange hope lie at the heart of Life of Mars?

 

 

In 2008, Bowie recalled writing this song to the Mail on Sunday:

This song was so easy. Being young was easy. A really beautiful day in the park, sitting on the steps of the bandstand. ‘Sailors bap-bap-bap-bap-baaa-bap.’ An anomic heroine. Middle-class ecstasy. I took a walk to Beckenham High Street to catch a bus to Lewisham to buy shoes and shirts but couldn’t get the riff out of my head. Jumped off two stops into the ride and more or less loped back to the house up on Southend Road. Workspace was a big empty room with a chaise lounge; a bargain-price art nouveau screen (‘William Morris,’ so I told anyone who asked); a huge overflowing freestanding ashtray and a grand piano. Little else. I started working it out on the piano and had the whole lyric and melody finished by late afternoon. Nice. Rick Wakeman [soon to join the prog rock band Yes] came over a couple of weeks later and embellished the piano part and guitarist Mick Ronson created one of his first and best string parts for this song which now has become something of a fixture in my live shows.

Wakeman recalled the afternoon in an interview (see video below) after Bowie’s death.

“I remember coming home and telling a few friends in the pub that I had just worked on the best song that I had ever had the privilege of working on…”

 

 

So, what does the song mean?

It tells the story of a girl who seeks escape in cinema, only to realise the same sad and boring cliches are played out on the screen. It is a song of disaffection and yearning for truths, but it is strangely positive, despite that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow and the lawman beating up the wrong man.

Can we do better? There must be a better life somewhere. Is there life on mars?

 

It’s a God-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling no
And her daddy has told her to go

But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she’s hooked to the silver screen

But the film is a saddening bore
For she’s lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on

Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It’s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he’ll ever know
He’s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

It’s on America’s tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
‘Cause Lennon’s on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns

But the film is a saddening bore
‘Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It’s about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on

Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It’s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he’ll ever know
He’s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

 

Bowie talks to Michael Parkinson about Life on Mars. (Forward to 20:55)

 

 

This is the Sex Pistols version of My Way:

 

 

And here’s Aurora’s version of Life on Mars?: