English accents

English isn’t spoken in the same way in all the world. There are many different accents among native English speakers. In the video below actress Amy Walker introduces herself in 21 different accents . Which one do you think is her real accent ? Is she from London, Belfast, Toronto or perhaps Moscow ? Have you ever tried doing a different accent in your native language? Why not try doing this in English ? It’s fun !

In, On or At Time

As we've already mentioned recently, in, on or at are prepositions that are often confused, when talking about places. And they are often confused when talking about time too! You see, while in means en in Spanish, en doesn't always mean in in English! Now, let's take a look at how we use in, on and at with time.

IN + intervals of time

He always does the housework in the morning.

The final game is in May.

She met her husband in 1990.

ON + days / dates

I get paid on the last Thursday of the month.

We arrived here on the first of May.

I’m always happy on my birthday.

AT + specific point in time / night / weekends

I have to wake up at 7 o'clock every morning.

The ghosts come out at night!

They get up late at the weekend.

Now, it's time for another quiz! The answers are in the comments below.

I went to the Pyrenees __ holiday for a week __ the end of December. We skied all morning. We stopped __ noon for lunch. __ the afternoon, we went skiing again. __ night, we went to the bar and socialized with other skiers. __ New Year's Eve, we had a party in the hotel lounge. We all talked about our highs and lows __ 2010, and what our expectations for the new year were. __ midnight, we uncorked the champagne. The next day, we woke up late. Everyone had hangovers. So nobody went skiing __ the first day of the year!

A short history of Britain. Part 6.

The Norman Conquest of 1066

" The Bayeux Tapestry" illustrates the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings.

There was already a strong French influence in England before the conquest : pious Edward "The Confessor" (King between 1046-1066) was half Norman and offended many by fillling his court (la corte) with Norman friends. Perhaps the most visible legacy of his reign (reinado) is Westminster Cathedral. All monarchs since then have been crowned there. But a more immediate legacy was the mess the dithering king left behind (el embrollo que el indeciso rey dejó atrás ) by not resolving who would succeed him on the throne.

Following Edward's death Harold (Saxon) and William (Norman) battled out ( lucharon hasta el final)their rival claims to the throne near Hastings. The Normans demonstrated their superiority in military techniques , for they had the new heavy cavalry while the Anglo-Saxon still fought ( pasado de "fight" ) on foot, in the old Germanic style behind a wall of round shields (escudos) . The English lost the battle with Harold getting killed by a Norman arrow hitting him in the eye. William the Conqueror was then crowned King of England.

The Conquest had a profound influence on the English language .For some centuries French was the language of the governing classes so anybody who wanted to get on in the world (progresar en la vida) had to learn French .

When English became again the language of the whole country it had changed a lot under the influence of the language of the conquerors. Many of the French loan words ( palabras prestadas) reflect this cultural and political dominance : they are often words to do with titles of rank (sovereign, prince,duke, marquis, count, baron), with law ( justice, court,judge, prison, crime ), with ecclesiatical matters (religion, virgin, saint, abbey, sermon), with war (armour, castle) and with arts and fashion (dress, fashion, art, colour, music, poem, paint).

As Scott pointed out in Ivanhoe , the domestic animals kept their English names in the fields (calf,ox,swine,sheep) but were given French names when they appeared on the Norman lord's table ( veal, beef, pork, mutton).

Source: C.L Barber ,The History of Language .(London, 1972).

In, On or At Places

In, on or at are prepositions that are often confused, when talking about places and time. Although in means en in Spanish, en doesn't always mean in in English! Let's take a look at how we use in, on and at with places.

IN + places with boundaries

She lives in London.

I like milk in my coffee.

Mum’s in the living room.

ON + surfaces

The blanket is on the bed.

The picture is on the wall.

The movie is playing on screen 3.

AT + position at a point

I’ll see you at the cinema tonight.

Let’s meet at the National Gallery at 10:30.

I've been waiting at the bus stop for half an hour.

Now, a trick quiz! The answers are in the comments below.

We had a horrible meal __ the restaurant! There was a fly __ my bowl and a hair __ my plate!

I spent the whole weekend __ home, reading __ bed or watching TV __ the couch!

There were lots of forms __ my desk waiting for me __ work today. I just put them __ the drawer and ignored them.