Hi! I’m back, and the blog is back. I’ve been busy with the beginning of term and new students. My new articles will be shorter than my previous very long ones. I hope they will be interesting and of a length which is easier to read. Let me know what you think about the length in the comments. Vocabulary reference notes are with * and the definitions are in purple this week.

Wednesday is Halloween. Personally, I don’t really get into the Halloween spirit*. I think it’s fine for children to dress up and have parties but I don’t much like the idea of all the adults going crazy wearing gore costumes* or trying to look sexy. In my area there will be lots of parties and drinking for the adults and the streets will be filled with noise scary costumed drunk people all night. On the other hand, I love seeing the little children dressed up in fancy dress* and having a fun time.

•  *get into the Halloween spirit = enjoy and celebrate with energy.
• *gore costumes = special clothes for Halloween with a lot of pretend blood etc.
• *fancy dress = to wear special clothes, costumes for a party. Dressed as different jobs or creatures or objects.
• *to go overboard = to put extreme energy into doing an activity, possibly too much effort.

Teachers do go a little overboard* with Halloween since the kids seem to love it! I confess I have made a large pumpkin boardgame for my classes! Look what I put on my Instagram:

Today I have 3 Halloween type suggestions for your English.

1)  Read a scary story to practice your reading.

2)  Watch a Ted talk about science and the Paranormal to work on your listening skills.

3) Learn an idiom with ghost.

A Scary Story 

I really recommend the short story “Whistle, and I’ll come to you, my lad*.” by M. R. James.  I remember reading it years ago and it still haunts* me. You can read the full short story on the website http://www.thin-ghost.org for free.

Click Here to visit the website and read the story Whistle and I’ll come to you, my lad.

• *lad = coloquial for young man.
• *haunts = is in my mind, like a ghost.

A Tedtalk

Do you believe in ghosts? Here is an interesting Ted talk.  Ted talks are great because you can put subtitles in English or your language if you need to.  Carrie Poppy talks about her creepy* experience and a scientific approach to the paranormal.

*creepy = something that makes you feel uncomfortable emotionally.

Click here to watch the talk on the TEDTalks webpage.

What do you think? Do you believe in ghosts?

An idiom with ghost.

The speaker in the Tedtalk, Carrie Poppy, uses the idiom “to give up the ghost”. This is what it means:

If you feel like reading more about Halloween and where it comes from then have a look at my blog article from last year – click  Where does Halloween come from? kim griffiths, 2017

Have a good week!

See you next week.

Kim