Taylor Swift Remembers Dylan Thomas in "The Tortured Poets Department"

Rowenna Hoskin recently wrote a short article for BBC News, "Why is Taylor Swift singing about Dylan Thomas?", where she explains the references to the Welsh poet and the Chelsea Hotel in the pop singer's latest album. This article is suitable for B2 learners who will find words like: to wake up to [a new album], to name-drop, to sell out, a gig, to release [an album], a staple [poem], a memorial service, to settle, [to set] a template, stabbed [to death], to rake in [$1.04 bn], to crash [a ticket site], resale [tickets], a scammer, to dupe.

Tamantha Ryan also covered the story for Page Six, a celebrity news magazine, and wrote "Who are Dylan Thomas and Patty Smith? Meet the poets Taylor Swift mentioned on TTPD" to let young readers know. In the accompanying video the reporter says that Taylor Swift's new album also includes disses at her nemesis Kim Kardashian (check out "From VMAs Drama to 'thanK you aIMee': a Timeline of Taylor Swift's Feud with Kim Kardashian, Kanye West" in Rolling Stone), other scathing songs aimed at her former boyfriends (Matty Healy, Joe Alwyn, John Mayer), as well as a loving allusion to her current sweetheart Travis Kelce. This article and video is suitable for C1 students who will encounter interesting words like: to release [an album], to catch the eye, the title track, to scroll, a swelling, fatty, roistering, doomed, tenant, to file a lawsuit, gentrification, an accolade, outspoken, disdain, a condition, to place [a child] for adoption, [her] late [husband]. The short accompanying video is fast, colloquial and has no subtitles, so it is recommended for C2 students, who will hear: to hold my typewriter, an installment, to take aim at [people], to call out, bronze, spray-tanned, a bully, to spell out at, a fair share, seemingly, lovingly, to allude to [somebody], a bunch of, her ex[es], a front man, to revisit, an [age] gap, when it comes to [those exes], jokingly, fitting, to chime in [on X about her track], [to get] wrecked, scathing [songs], to avenge.

If you want to read a full review of the album, you can check "I judged Taylor Swift's album immediately after it came out. Here's why I was wrong", written by Oliver Darcy for CNN. This text is recommended for C1 students and above, or you can listen to the NPR programme Pop Culture Happy Hour "On 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Taylor Swift spares no one" (34:01) where the host and two experts discuss the album and play some clips of outstanding songs. This radio programme is rather complex linguistically, but with the help of the script, it can be accessible to C2 "Swifties", who will find words like: to span, ticked off, unpack, underdog, compelling, to suck me in, corny, unhinged, to toss around, to hearken, samey, [synth-pop] beats, [first] arc, opus [fatigue], to buckle under [their own weight], grievance, a [public] darling, a bop, hype, jock jams, defiance, catchy, snippet, to rep [for an artist], zany [sense of humour], [send your head into a] tailspin, to stink, to gasp, to stand the test of time, clunky, to wrack your brain [around this record], to scroll [across the page], scathing, to rip [everything] down, bleachers [warmer], to kick in, to finagle, to wield [power], stealthily, to winnow down to, [high] kicks, to epitomize, cheeky, boppy, to groove, to mess [her] up, a full-blown [message], to hint, [teenage] petulance, a tantrum, to scold, to cater for [vipers], empath's clothing, taken aback, to craft [a narrative], to rip [apart a narrative].

Below, you can watch the official video of the title track, "The Tortured Poets Department" with lyrics, and here you can find a fill-in-the gap task with the lyrics of the song for B2 level with interesting words & references like: spike, Charlie Puth, to scratch, a retriever, pounding, undone, cyclone, to screw up, to decode.

For further information, you can see here a past entry about Dylan Thomas and the poem "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" with a lesson plan for C2 students.

 

The London Marathon 2024: Olympic Athletes, Minions, Wine Tasters and Charities

Kenyan athlete Peres Jepchirchir broke the world record yesterday, when she finished the London Marathon in 2:16:16, The Guardian reports in "Jepchirchir breaks women's world record, Munyao beats Bekele in men's race", and, in addition, The Guardian Sports offers a video with interviews to three of the winners who have qualified for the Olympics. BBC News offers a photo gallery with some of the most striking pictures of the event in "London Marathon photos: Fundraisers run as minions and camels". These articles are recommended for B2 students, who will encounter interesting words like: to beat, a wheelchair, a tap, a faucet, a rotating puzzle cube, tough, a PB, a bump, to raise awareness, [to take] a break, to turn away, to blast, distress, to struggle [to cope], to pull [myself] out of it, a way out, to fulfill, remarkable, a minion,

to pose, to storm [across Tower Bridge], a prayer, to pay off, fitness, stressful, a tough [time], to come through [a car crash], [runners] fit, to rock [threads], to unveil, to wave [to the crowd], up for grabs, to break away, to keep up with [Marcel Hug], to surge, time off etc.

One of those charity fundrairers was Jess Walklin, who wanted to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research in honour of his mother Caroline Walklin. Last week, E.O.I. nº 1 student Mª Ángeles G. became interested in the BBC News story "An Islington man is planning to run the London Marathon dressed as a giant brain" and learnt how this family raised funds to have the elaborate brain costume made to begin with and, eventually, to support the cancer charity. This report is suitable for B2 students, who will find interesting vocabulary like: to take on, to faint, a scan, to undergo, [school] pastoral, to make a difference, to host, an auction, a raffle, a challenge, a hole, to reach out, to grab, trepidation, pretty [lonely], to speed up.

Another peculiar charity runner was Tom Gilbey, who raised GBP 14,000 for Sobell House Hospice Charity in Oxford, by tasting 25 wines during the race, as you can read and watch in the BBC News story "London Marathon runner tastes 25 glasses of wine during race". In this B2 article, you will find interesting words like: connoisseur, to sample, to raise [money], to swap, malbec, merlot, to blind taste, to stash, to take up [a challenge], vintage, pinot noir, hazy, tipsy, a sip, to swallow, the wheels came off, a feat, to lull, fizz, chardonnay, sangiovese, to span, sprawling, vineyards, to be up for [doing something], bizarre, packed [with polyphenols], mitochondria, to tame, to impair, to deplete [energy], to down.

The Irrational Biases that Create Anxiety in the Age of Information Overload

Linguist Amanda Montell has just published a new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes On Modern Irrationality, where she explores the irrational biases that we use to make sense of the world, and how these irrational shortcuts can subtly influence us in the wrong choices we make in life or in the puzzling understanding of the modern overinformed world. She specifically discusses our fascination with celebrities as role models (the "halo effect"); the "illusory truth effect" that turns disinformation into an accepted truth; "thought-terminating clichés" that put our critical thinking to sleep; the "proportionality bias" which leads us to accept conspiracy theories; apocalyptic language, nostalgia, declinism and other modern myths. 

Fresh Air host Tonya Mosley talks to Amanda Montell about the contents of her new book in the interview 'Magical Overthinking' author says information overload can stroke irrational thoughts. The interview is very interesting for advanced language learners and teachers, the vocabulary is very rich so it is recommended for C2 students and Experts, although there is also a script available which could be most useful for C1 learners. In the interview you will come across interesting words like: gluttonous, [cognitive] dissonance, to square, confirmation bias, sunk-cost fallacy, to fulfill, to serve [me], to double down [on something], to stick around, to engineer, zeitgeist, clash, cognitive bias, deep-rooted,

a [mental] trick, [a term] was coined, a saber-toothed tiger, [existential] pain, innate, onslaught [of information], to catch up with, to overthink, to underthink, worldly, nurturing, to align with [our political beliefs], to jump to the conclusion, gregarious, a role model, the halo effect, to prompt [us to do something], disfigurement, parasocial [relationships], to set [everyone] up for [failure], to uplift, to mend, to dethrone [them], a fallible [human being], [parent-child] attachment, superfan [relationship], to trace [something back to the early 1980s], to turn out, [the lines] to blur, an outsider, a [new] paragon, to swerve, the stan, to long [for role models], ruthless, a surrogate mother, a slim [margin of error], to be transfixed, to crack [my world open], a malapropism, to cut my teeth [as a writer], a crash course in [feminist sociolinguistics], it is our penchant [to think], lore, ad nauseam, low-stakes, a factoid, a double-edged sword, nefarious [intentions], a buzzword, manifest, healing wounds, to dovetail, a stock [of expressions], a grifter, to put dissonance to bed, a mindset, an edgy [point], to boil down to, a bunch of, random, a misfortune, over-the-top, freak, to crave, to hold accountable, the outcome, sketchy, grifty, culty, gainfully,  bespoke, vernacular, an op-ed, doomslang, numb, doomscrolling, bed-rotting, demise, small talk, blasé, doomy, grounded, detrimental, screech owls, doomsayers, the rapture, ennui, harrowing, a coping [mechanism], to get through, grassroots, to reckon with [something], wisdom, daydreaming, overthinky panic, awe, quaint, [brains] are wired for, DIY, easier said than done, a disorder, the attention span, to shrink, to scroll [through her feed], zero-sum [bias], to clock, stiff [competition], clout, nemesis, aka, a compound, haywire, to indoctrinate, chills, a tenet, a kink, sunk-cost, MAGA, a zealot, blackout, to cling to [something], a glut [of something], tradwives, anemoia, hardcore, a back-to-basics [style], cottagecore, tchotchkes, toadstool, delulu, to be soothed, a backfire [effect], doomed, verbatim, declinism, to stomach. 

Although Amanda Montell is a very young author and a podcaster, she has a long, successful experience as a feminist sociolinguist and producing audiovisual content for young people. Here you can find a link to one of her earliest video series "The Dirty Word" -when she was "finding her voice" in YouTube- it is called "I hate the word "PANTIES_THE DIRTY WORD", and below you can watch a short video (3:51) of herself with the podcasters "The Minimalists", where she feels cutely embarrassed and laughs out loud when they remind her of that "cringy" video about language and gender:

25 Best Dresses on Amazon in 2024

Spring is here and Cosmopolitan has recently published a compilation of the the 25 Best Dresses on Amazon in 2024.

The gist of this article can be understood by B2 students with the support of the photos, but the language in the article is very descriptive and it includes loads of technical terms, slang, informal words and abbreviations which are C1 level. You will find interesting words and collocations like: cute, bajillion, fab, pricey, meh, a retailer, stylish, a maxi [dress], BTW, upcoming, just because, a round-up, clutch, flowy, an outfit, a pick, button down, satin, strapless, sleeveless, bodycon, a tube [dress], halter neck, ruffle, chiffon, plus size, V neck, a wrap [dress], ballet flats, balletcore, to thrive, peep, knee-high [boots], a tab, a dive, lil, petite, fabric, to zhuzh up, oversized, button-up, to pair with [a blazer], kitten heels, a stiff [fit], a [last-minute] get up, a must-have, closet, aka, LBD, a vibe, a theme, slinky [fabric], a mock [neck design], ruching, some punch, stretchy, to fit the bill, to throw on [a blazer], a knit [cardigan], a laid-back [outfit], elastane, a breezy [fabric], [fully] lined, hack, silhouette, a [supportive] fit, a hit or a miss, [a belt] to sit [on your waist], to mess up, cohesiveness, a lightweight [fabric], to flag, flirty, a slip [dress], spandex, vintage, stand collar, 3/4 sleeve, a plaid [dress], BFFR, a staple [work dress], to cut off [a few inches], ofc, to rave about, stretchiness, comfortability, IDK, profesh, cozy, off shoulder, an [evening] gown, panty, gorgeous, floor-length, ahem, hi, a draping [skirt], a [high] slit, glowing, to conform [to your body], to rock [a dress], a [fancy] gathering, a bridal shower  [dress], PSA, JSYK, a feat, bump, roomy, a tank swing [dress], ASAP, athleisure, a crew neck, tie-dye, pickleball, a split [dress], gorge, cozy, frumpy, comfy, alluring, batwing, a snug [fit], to shrink, boho, striped, flimsy, crisp, smocked [back], puff [sleeves], gingham, sleek, wrinkle-free, to cling [to the body], to dress up/ to dress down, buttery, seamless, to gauge.