Covid Symptoms: Is it a Cold, Flu or Coronavirus?

Autumn is coming to the Northern hemisphere, children are going back to school and coughing, sneezing or runny noses are also back in our households.  If you have any of those symptoms, you may also worry that you have caught the coronavirus. You can watch this short BBC News video (1':51") below to find out the differences between these three respiratory illnesses.  It is not very difficult, and there are automatic subtitles, so it is recommended for B2 students and above.

You will come across basic health vocabulary like: a blocked nose, a runny nose, a sore throat, a cough, flu, (a) temperature, (a) fever, to self-isolate with your household, sneezing, to catch your sneeze, the spray, to infect [others], tissues, a loss of taste, a coughing episode, to have trouble breathing, to spread [covid 19], a nasty cold, to put you down, social distancing, masks, handy.

If you want more information, you can read the written version of the story here, there are more new words, and many links to other related health stories. Some of the new words are: to fight off, a thermometer, chest, armpit, to tuck, to tug, squeeze, muscle aches, chills, tiredness, a stuffed nose, a heavy cold, to feel unwell, a coughing fit, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, [sneeze] droplets, the [flu] jab, the run-up [to winter], to present with [respiratory symptoms], a [skin] rash, a mild/ severe [symptom], [to feel] breathless.

If you want a lesson plan with its key for B2 students, and a printable version of the article, you can click here.

Big Train, Comedy Sketches

A good laugh is always welcome, but sometimes it is as necessary as the air we breathe.  Big Train is a sketch show in the best British comedy tradition, which was originally aired on BBC Two in 1999 and 2002, and can be watched now on YouTube with automatic, but not terribly accurate, subtitles. Some of the episodes are built upon surreal conversations, puns or cultural parody like the London to Edinburgh train project below, and they are suitable for C1 students. Other episodes act out more visual jokes and they might be enjoyed by B2 learners.  I first found a reference to this comedy on William Bertrand's News Blog "I Spilled the Beans", which is on my favourite list of blogs, on the left column. I hope you find something you can laugh out loud with!

The vocabulary is not as difficult as the implicit information that is presupposed and is being parodied. Some of the most difficult words in the London to Edinbrugh sketch above are: proposal, super fast, franchise, a model, the actual train, to stand to reason. 

Other selected episodes can be reached below:

Starting Blocks Lesson (B2 level): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GmmAUbfhMU&t=76s

Do You Speak English (C1 level): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM

Murder at the Dinner Table (rather gory, for C2 students): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLY-282dBIw

Creep (creepy, for C1 students): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tTofn3WqaQ

Tits Monkey (utterly ludicrous, for C1 students): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKPZCnrY2Ho

Hypnotherapy (B2 level): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ZWAQnCZ-s

What is an Algorithm?

In the modern digital world, everybody is talking about algorithms, but what are they exactly? Where can you find them? What can they do? How do they work? Should we be scared of algorithms? Can algorithms think for themselves? What do they look like? Can they do a job better than humans? This 7':53" BBC Ideas video with subtitles explains all about algorithms in a lively and attractive way.  It is accessible to B2 students and above.

The most difficult words you will find in the video are: algorithm, search engines, dating apps, to be baffled [by science], a riddle, overwhelming, to pick her brains (informal), a set of instuctions, to enable a computer programme [to do something], billions, a server room, a bunch of [blocks] (informal), to be concerned about [something], to drag and drop [blocks], a drone, a flip, a challenge, a hoop, a lap, no offence (informal), to take over the world, to take our jobs, to deskill [humans], dependent upon [them], trusting of [them], on the flip side, to speed up decision-making, to spot (something), the criminal justice system, social care, credit checks, prolific, adverts.

If you want to know more about the Persian mathematician, Muhamad ibn Musa al-Khwarismi, who introduced Algebra to the West 900 years ago and gave name to the term "algorithm", you can watch another BBC Ideas video here (3':08").

Rescue Boat Baby Five Years On

This is the story of a baby who was born on a rescue boat, when her Nigerian mother was trying to arrive in Italy five years ago.  This short BBC News video with subtitles (2':47") is suitable for B2 students and it will allow you to listen to a West-African English accent in the voice of the mother.

The vocabulary is not too difficult, you will find words like miracle, a rescue ship, to flee (fled, fled), to struggle [for your life], to bear [a name], to faint, to be in labour, to make it to Europe on a boat, to go through [something], to be in [somebody's] shoes, to be blessed.

Antonio Banderas on "Pain & Glory" and Chutzpah

Antonio Banderas, talks to Terry Gross on Fresh Air about his latest movie with Pedro Almodóvar, "Pain & Glory", which earned him a "Best Actor Award" in the Cannes Film Festival and a nomitation to the Oscars, and about his acting career both in Spain and in Hollywood.  In addition, he explains what the contracultural movement, "La Movida" meant in 1980s Spain, when a whole country regained control of its own future and started enjoying public and private freedoms that had been alien during the dictatorship, and finally, he talks about his Soho Theatre in Malaga. During the interview, Antonio Banderas talks very openly about his experience as a learner of English, who started an acting career in Hollywood, with a very basic level of English and tons of chutzpah, and about the challenge of doing radio interviews in English.

This 37 minute long interview can be accessible to B2 students, as long as they have the support of the transcript, but it could be heard by higher level leaners while commuting, walking or doing housework. The interview might prove extremely interesting for examiners of English, as a genuine example of interlanguage from a bilingual Spanish speaker of English, who has a good command of his second language in terms of oral fluency, vocabulary range and an ability to explain complex ideas in detail and with touches of humour, but who still shows traces of L1 interference in some aspects of phonetics, word order and even in verb tenses.

In the vocabulary, you will find, among other words, quite a few examples of cinema and medical jargon, like screenwriter, ulcers, reflux, to star [in a film], rehearsals, the shooting [of a film], to dig up [deep into memories], a falling out, to overdo, to be bigger than life, the framing, to be measured [with the actors], [colours] clash or match, [it] is unheard of, swell (American English), a warehouse, stents, to be right on, a crier, a tough guy, teary, vulnerable, laundering money, to rule [a country], restraints, the counterculture, eerie, to prove [ourselves], anathema, on the screen, a scandal, there's something wrong, to usher [a new era of freedom], trans and straight characters, a gasp, to be under the political boot, customs, to be compromised, to grow up [in Spain], chutzpah (colloquial for "nerve" or "daring"), perseverant, a movie based on a novel, to fake, to do a screen test, to learn [your lines] phonetically, the exception to the rule, to comprehend English, to be out, to reassure [somebody on something], to label [somebody], a crane, a stunt guy, a harness, to rehearse, CGI (computer-generated imagery), grenades, a conflagration, excellence.

If you prefer a shorter interview to Antonio Banderas, you can try this 7 minute report from NPR's Morning Edition, which also includes a transcript.