Monday, March 30, 2009

Music Monday


Did you watch the Juno Awards?

Sunday night, many Canadians watched the Juno Awards in Vancouver, British Columbia. Last year, more than a million television viewers watched our talented singers and musicians on stage.
For the 38th Annual Juno Awards, the lighting, the sets and the performances were the best yet. The big names, Nickleback, Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams, performed. The duet by Bryan Adams and Kathleen Edwards was awesome! Presenters included multiple Juno Award winners, Buffy Saint-Marie and K.D Lang, Dianna Krall and her husband, Elvis Castello, as well as Michael Buble`.

Who won?

The two big winners were the band, Nickleback from Alberta and Sam Roberts from Montreal, Quebec. Nickleback got three Juno Awards, The Fan Choice Award, Group of the Year and Album of the Year for "Dark Horses". Sam Roberts received two Juno Awards, Artist of the Year and rock Album of the Year for "Love at the End of the World.

Who was the first Canadian artist chosen to sing at the Juno Awards?

Sarah McLachlan. So let's here one of her most popular songs, "In the Arms of an Angel".

Here's some English tips before you listen.
  1. Relax and enjoy.
  2. Don't try to hear all the words. You'll pick up some repeated phrases.
  3. Songs have verses like stories have paragraphs. The repeated verse is called the chorus. Listen carefully and you might hear the chorus.
  4. Songs are like poems and they can be difficult to understand. It is not important to understand every phrase
  5. You should be able understand the main idea and the mood of the song.

What's special about this performance?

Sarah McLachlan sings "In the Arms of an Angel" as a duet. Sarah plays the piano and sings and the American singer, Josh Groban sings the song with her.





So, What is "Angel" about?

The song in about dying and going to heaven. You can listen to it again with the lyrics or words.





Would you like to know about Sarah McLachlan?

If you would like to hear some higher quality recordings, you can go to Sarah McLachlan's web site. Her latest album is "Closer, The Best of Sarah McLachlan". You can learn more about Sarah there and enjoy some of her songs. It has music, photos and her biography. Press to go to other music by Sarah McLachlan.




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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wanna be Wednesday 3/25



I want to be a supporter of the historic event, Earth Hour. To vote for the earth, turn off your lights at 8:30 pm for one hour on March 28, 2009. Leave your lights on and you vote for global warming.



Why is Earth Hour Important?

People care about the environment. The organizers wanted 1,000 cities and towns to sign up for Earth Hour 2009. March 12, 2009 the organizers reached their goal. In fact, 2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries want to participate in Earth Hour so far.

What is Toronto doing for Earth Hour?

WWF-Canada and City of Toronto are presenting a free concert a Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall. It starts at 7:00 pm with lights out from 8:30 to 9:30pm. No, it's not in really in the dark , but the energy used is green, renewable energy from Bullfrog Power. Performers include Suzie McNeil, Crash Parallel rock band, The Matt York Band and Samba Squad.

Have a look at last year's concert. The Canadian singer and song writer,Nelly Fertado sang at Toronto's Earth Hour. You can hear her singing in the following video at City Hall. Also, watch the city go dark.





What will you be doing for Earth Hour on March 28, 2009.

Candles are a good idea. Last year, my family ordered pizza and it came just as everyone on the street was turning off the lights. We had a candlelight dinner. I was surprised how many people supported Earth Hour.

What else can you do for Earth Hour?

The organizers would like people to VOTE EARTH. There is an Earth Hour symbol on the right side. Press on "sign up now" below the big number,60 and type your name. WWF hopes to get one billion names or votes for the earth to give to the world leaders in Copenhagen, 2009. They are meeting at an important conference to discuss climate change .




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Monday, March 23, 2009

Juno Awards 2009

The Juno Awards 2009 is coming! This is the annual music awards for Canadian musicians. The Awards will be live on CTV March 29th. At that time, you'll be able to see many of Canada's top music performers. Some will perform songs, so it should be an entertaining night.

Russel Peters was the host for the 2008 Juno Awards in Calagary and he is returning this year to be the host of the show in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to CTV, 4 million watched Peters host the Juno Awards 2008. He's a comedian and will add more humour to the night. He was born in Brampton, Ontario. He says he and his family are "Anglo-Indian" which means his family are Indians from India. These Indians originally learned English when the British occupied India. Here's an example of Russel Peters's cultural humour
.
The nominees or musicians who have been chosen as possible winners were announced early February. There is a beautiful photo gallery of our favourite Canadians. Have a look at some of the nominees for the 2009 Junos.


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Wanna be Wednesday 3/18

Mature trees are in the many parks along the Rideau Canal.

I want to be back in Ottawa. I just got back from a visit to Ottawa which is the capital of Canada. I am very familiar with Ottawa as I graduated from University of Ottawa. It is a much smaller city than Toronto. In fact, Statistics Canada 2007 recorded Ottawa's population at 1,168,788 while Toronto is well over 5 million.

Ottawa has a different flavour than Toronto. Because it has a smaller population, you notice the students more. There are two universities and a community college. Downtown is the University of Ottawa which has English, French and French Immersion students. It's natural for the French language to be in the capital of Canada.

Why does the French language thrive in Ottawa? One reason is Ottawa is near the border of Quebec. A bridge over the Ottawa River joins the two provinces, Ontario and Quebec. The first language in Quebec is French. Also, Ottawa is full of federal government workers. The two official languages in Canada are French and English, so many of the government employees in Ottawa are bilingual. There first language can be French or English.

In Toronto, English is the dominant language and there are seldom opportunities to speak French. When I moved to Toronto, it became difficult for me to practice my French. You know what happens if you don't practice a language. Now I can't use my French language very well.

Another noticeable characteristic of Ottawa is its attention to art and culture. It has many different kinds of museums from planes and rockets in the Aviation Museum to some of the best Canadian art in the National Gallery of Canada. Always a favourite is the famous paintings of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. I especially like the small paintings these painters did up north in the wilderness. They would use these to later paint the final bigger canvass paintings. The small ones sometimes have a spirit or feeling the larger ones can't capture.

Having lived five years in Ottawa, I always feel comfortable returning to Ottawa. I like the French culture there and enjoy visiting old friends who use both their French and English. To live in Ottawa, it's best to be bilingual and be prepared for a long cold winter as it is further north than Toronto.


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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Film Festivals

Film festivals are a great way to bring together the work of many creative people. This short film is from the Wyllie O Hagan Saint Patrick's Day Film Festival. "Yu Ming is ainm dom" is one of the short films from March 2008. This year is the third anniversary for the Saint Patrick's Day Short Film Festival. Each year the festival is held on line at You Tube and at the Roxy Cinema in London, England.

"Yu Ming is ainm dom" is a story about a Chinese lad who decides to learn Irish. What do I like about this short film? It makes you stop and think.





You just watched the longer video. This film has two endings. The filmmaker did a shorter version of the film that ended sooner. It finished after the older man told Yu Ming that in Ireland people speak English. The filmmaker speaks Irish and said this about the shorter version, "
This is a [shorter] video I did to make a certain harsh point concerning the language in Ireland. To see the whole video and the comic punch line check out ..."

Here are two comments about "Yu Ming ainm dom".
"I was taught Irish in school from age of 6 and finished learning it at 16 and I still can't speak it. The government fails. It's taught all wrong."
"Brilliant short movie!"

It is brilliant! So, does this make you think of your own life? About experiences learning English? About experiences learning a new culture? What advice would you give Yu Ming? Did you learn something from Yu Ming?




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Friday, March 13, 2009

About Me: View My Profile

Bonnie Ford

About Me

Hello, fellow readers!
I am an educator in Toronto, Canada. Real Canadian English was created for adult ESL learners. The blogs are sometimes extensions of our classroom activities. Others are to address common weaknesses such as /th/ pronunciation. All, hopefully, strengthen (speaking), listening, reading and writing skills at the intermediate level or higher.  Also, there are some posts for beginner level learners.

Blogs have become an important ESL tool. Learners can communicate in "real" ways and become more confident and comfortable with English. Research studies have shown immigrants who learn to use the internet are able to adapt better in Canada.

Thank you for visiting Real Canadian English! I appreciate your comments and read them all. Also, I can be reached at realcanadianenglish@gmail.com


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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Idioms and Proverbs


Can you guess the meaning of these proverbs?

  1. Pot calling the kettle black.
  2. Don't beat about the bush.
  3. All that glitters is not gold.
  4. Easier said than done.
  5. Waste not want not.
  6. Look before you leap.
  7. Don't judge the book by the cover.
  8. Once bitten. Twice shy.
  9. Back to the drawing board.
  10. His bark is worse than his bite.
  11. Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
  12. Laugh all the way to the bank.
  13. Throw the baby out with the bath water.
  14. There are no flies on him (or her).
  15. A penny saved is a penny gained.
Not sure what some of these sentences mean? Listen to Learning English with Mister Duncan. He explains these common expressions. Also, listen to the pronunciation.




Here's a true story about the first proverb.

When my grandfather became a widower, I started to notice my grandfather was not the best house cleaner. One day, I noticed the bathroom sink was dirty and complained to my grandfather. His reply was, "That's the pot calling the kettle black". He was right and I still am not that good at cleaning the house.

Now that you understand these proverbs, think of a situation that describes one of the proverbs. Press comments and write the situation plus the proverb.



Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Wanna be Wednesday 3/11

I want to be Irish. Actually, I am 1/4 Irish, 1/4 Scottish, and I/2 Canadian if I use my four grandparents. So why do I want to be Irish? Because Saint Patrick's Day is coming. Everyone wants to be Irish on March 17th!

Everywhere people celebrate Saint Patrick's Day or Paddy's Day. Yes. It started in Ireland and is a national holiday there, but there are many Irish all over the world. I remember hearing, there are more Irish in USA than in Ireland. Is that true?! Celebrations include Irish music, songs, food and drink. Also, there will be lots of Saint Patrick's parades this weekend in different countries. There is always the traditional parade in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.

Toronto has a Saint Patrick's Day parade at 12:00 noon, Sunday, March 15. I have watched it in front of the Eaton's Centre, as floats and marching bands moved down Yonge Street. This year, it will finish at City Hall. One of the major sponsors is the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill at King Subway. This downtown pub and the other Irish pubs around the city will be crowded this weekend and and on Saint Patrick's Day.

For the less Irish, it's just a good excuse to have fun. To be in the Irish spirit, wear something green. I remember going to a Saint Patrick's party where green beer was served. How did they get the beer green? Try a drop of green food colouring.

Talking about green and dye....have a look at this short video. The time is in fast motion on Saint Patrick's Day.
You will look down at the Chicago River and see the boats moving.





In 1962, 100 pounds of dye were added to the Chicago River and it looked green for about a week. Now they add 40 pounds of green food colouring each year and the river stays green only a few hours on Saint Patrick's Day.

What's odd about this celebration? Many peope don't know who Saint Patrick was. According to Wikipedia, he was a Catholic missionary who died in 460 AD on March 17. He helped bring Christianity to the then Pagan people of Ireland. Also, in Ireland, Saint Patrick"s Day is a Christian celebration when Catholics go to church and have a feast.

So, may you have the luck of the Irish and wear something green on March 17 if you like.



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Sunday, March 8, 2009

A First Step: Learn to Use This Blog

Toothpaste For Dinner
www.toothpastefordinner.com

What is a blog?
The word, blog, comes from two words, web log.
So, a blog uses the web to log or make regular entries. There are many different kinds of blogs. Blogs can share personal thoughts and link to other web sites. Blogs are public and social. They include social media (art, photographs, videos, music and audio). Visitors to blogs can be social and add comments.

Who is this blog for?
  • English as a Second Language (ESL) learners.
  • Most of the articles are at the Intermediate level.

Why use this blog, Real Canadian English?
English is not a dead language, so use your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Keep the language real or alive by visiting an ESL blog. Practice. Practice. Practice. Also, learn about Toronto and Canada and you will understand the Canadian culture better. Culture is part of the language.

What is a blog post?
A blog post or post is an article on the blog.
Posts are like conversations, so casual or every day English is used. A post can include writing, photos, maps, videos, slides, music, audio and links to other web pages. ESL posts can include helpful tips and quizzes.

What is a link?Look for underlined words in my articles. These words go to related information. The underlined words go to web pages with more pictures, videos, slides, music or related stories. 
  • For other underlined words, you must click on the words and you will go to more information on another web site, but remember to return to this blog to continue. Try this example, Toronto map.
Use the dictionary on this blog.Double click or click two times on any word. It will go to a dictionary page. Try clicking, blog. Sometimes, there is more information and pictures.

Do you want to read more posts?
  • Under each post is older posts. The posts go backwards or use reverse time order.
  • See "Related Posts" at the end of a post. Press on the underlined post and you will go to a that post.
  • Go to "Blog Archive" on the right side. There you will find the latest posts and old posts.
  • Go to "Labels". On the side bar (or to the right of the articles) is a list of topics. For example, press pronunciation and you will go to pronunciation tips and practice.
  • Go to "Live Page Popularity". It shows what other people are reading.
Do you want to subscribe?Click on "Subscribe" on the right side bar. Then the posts will automatically go to your computer.

Do you want to comment?
Go to the end of the post and press "comments". Practice your writing by leaving a message. I will often reply. Bogging is about sharing thoughts and ideas.


Look at the right side for links to other web pages.

  • A map shows recent visitors' locations.
  • The video bar has short videos.
  • Useless knowledge has changing trivia.
  • Twitter messages are there
Do you have a question?
Write a question in "comments" below, and I will answer it.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Happy Birthday Toronto!






Happy Birthday to you ...175 years old.
Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.


5 Reasons I Love Toronto

  • The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). My grandmother took me there for my seventh birthday. The totem pole, the mummies from Egypt and the dinosaurs still excite me. Later, they added the bat cave and the Canadian animal section. Recently, the new "crystal" addition was completed.
  • Restaurants. There are restaurants all over the city. There are cheap to expensive restaurants. Also, you can eat food from many different countries. For example, I like Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and Korean dishes.
  • Big green spaces. The Toronto Zoo is a great place to walk. We have some big parks like High Park and Centre Island. Lots of parks are along Lake Ontario.
  • .Education.There are lots of good schools in Toronto. There are many different kinds of high schools, so students can follow their interests. We have several colleges and universities.which offer different programs.
  • The CN Tower. It gives Toronto strength. You can look up and find it anywhere downtown. It works like a compass because it is in the centre of the city near Lake Ontario. I remember my kids were worried about the CN Tower when the Twin Towers in New York City were destroyed 9/11. I visited the CN tower the first year it opened and on it's thirtieth anniversary. The CN Tower is no longer the tallest building in the world, but it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

5 Growing Pains for Toronto

  • Rush hour in Toronto. Too many cars. The TTC subway breaks down and the buses can be slow in cold weather..Its hard to get a seat. In really cold weather, - 20 degrees Celsius, the electrical switches for the GO train don't work.
  • Toronto is a poor city. It doesn't get enough money from the Canadian government. The home owners and renters pay too much city taxes.
  • The pollution. In the summer, we get smog alert days. The smog gets too high on really hot days. The winds blow it east, so it is worse east of Toronto.
  • A new hockey team. Our poor Maple Leafs haven't won since 1967. The American and Canadian hockey teams compete for the Stanley Cup. It's the prize for the best hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL).
  • Crime in Toronto. The crime rate is low in Toronto, but there are some gangs who carry guns. They think they are cool?! Our gun laws need to be stronger. The kids in public school and high school need lots of good programs to keep them out of trouble in the city.


What's happening in Toronto this weekend?


Check out the Toronto activities or events here


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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Wanna be Wednesday 3/4

I want to be a feminist. Watch this video, and maybe you will want to be a feminist too.




So, a feminist can be male or female. A feminist is a person who wants to be an equal member of society. International Women's Day is March 8 every year. It is a time to express appreciation for the role of women and the equality they deserve.

In some countries, International Women's Day is similar to Mother's Day or Valentine's Day when men express their love for the women in their lives. Unfortunately, it is not an official holiday in Canada, and not celebrated by many.



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Monday, March 2, 2009

Technology: Free Video Chat Service


Skype is popular because you can make free calls over the Internet. Calling another person who is also on Skype is free anywhere in the world. Skype 4.0 is the latest version for local or long distance calls. I know an earlier version and it works, but some find it bit difficult to use. You might not want to make video calls. If you do, you need a web camera. You may also need a microphone and headphones. Also, if you would like to learn more or want to install the free software, go to www.skype.com.

Comments are appreciated. What do you think of Skype?





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