Sabine's Homestay

My German student, Sabine, was a very unusual student, in that her English level is 'Proficient' (CEF). After spending her days teaching and supporting pupils with behavioural problems in Munich, she teaches English three evenings a week at night class.

She was also not interested in visiting the usual tourist sites, but wanted to go ' off the beaten track ' and and see and experience life as a local.

She also had a hire car and enjoyed driving......yes!!!!

One of the most challenging parts of running a homestay course is thinking about the student's needs, wants and interests and developing a flexible programme to meet them.

The study programme:

At this level course books are ineffective and mundane -

What did Sabine need?

New vocabulary -  collocations, idioms, phrasal verbs, prepositions and speaking and listening.

But from where?

As Sabine loves literature, I decided to plan the course around the study of English short stories. I chose 'The Oxford Book of English Short Stories", edited by A.S.Byatt

Byatt states in her introduction to the collection, that she did not look for stories that would give images of England or of the Empire, but  stories where both the narrative and writing were startling and satisfying, and, 'if possible, make the hairs on the neck prickle with excitement, aesthetic or narrative".

The five hours of lessons each day, evolved into Sabine reading the story chosen the day before, which she pre-read for homework the night before, looking up new vocabulary and phrases,( three hours).

Then two hours of musings and discussion.....wonderful!!

The social programme:

Students get two afternoon / evening accompanied activities each week and a full day accompanied excursion at the weekend.

Monday -  cinema  - "One Day" A big weepie, we both sat there blubbering.

Thurday - visit to Coates Willow and Wetland Center

Sabine and I at "Coates' Willows"

Saturday - Visit to Mulcheney Abbey with Millie who was home for the weekend.

Mulcheney Village Church

This building was at one time the monk's outdoor toilet

Millie and Sabine sneaking a swift goblet of mead from the monk's refectory

Sunday - King Alfred Inn for an evening of live music

Not sure of the name of the band, but check out the tattoo of the lead singer


Some Aging Rockers

The Archangel Frome

The Archangel, Frome, used to be known simply as 'The Angel', in my youth. 

It promoted itself into the higher echelons of the celestial hierarchy after it's makeover from rough pub to fine dining a year ago. As my sister, Marise (@Billynomates) and myself,  used to frequent it regularly as errant teenagers, we  decided to have lunch there, with our Mother, when she came down from Whitby for a week.

Marise and the matching chairs

We had the lunch menu

£10.95  - main course
£15.95 - two course
£19.95 - three course

As my mother has a really sweet tooth - and they are still all her own, we decided on the two course - mains and puds.




My mother and I had Steak frites with watrecress and mustard mayonnaise

This looks like a really nice thick piece of meat, but in fact it was a thin, (overdone) piece of minute steak, rolled over several times, served with undercooked chips, which looked and tasted as though they came from KFC.

Marise chose the Baked coley fillet, fresh mussle cream sauce with herb rolled new potatoes.

She enjoyed it, but I thought it looked, pale and insipid, and relied too heavily on cream for its richness.

Spot the mussle.

I decided to take another photo

But Marise was having none of it.

We had two side orders of vegetables, 

green beans and shallots

and 

seasonal vegetables

at £3.50 a pop

which were almost raw and inedible.

We decided to quit while we were ahead and skip pudding

which were all sticky something this or that.

All in all a very disappointing meal.

Highlight of the meal?

Marise's toenails.

And of course spending time with her and my mother!

Wish it was still 'The Angel' and that 'The Three Swans' wasn't now a soft furnishing shop and that 'The Crown' was still open and that 'The George' still had the front bar. 

If it hadn't been sunny, we wouldn't have gone to the market. Wells Farmer's Market and the four Conditionals.

What are Conditionals?

Conditionals are sentence structures that explain a particular situation or circumstance and its consequences.

If this happens, then that happens.

Conditionals often contain the word 'if'.

There are four main conditionals that are commonly used in the English language:

first conditional, second conditional, third conditional and zero conditional.

The first Conditional

The first conditional deals with issues that have a real possibility of occurring.

If it is sunny, then we shall go to the market.

Wells Farmer's Market

If she sells a lot of cheese, she may go home early.

If he sells his cheese he will go for a pint

  If the customer buys some bread, she can make some sandwiches.

The Second Conditional 

The second conditional is a bit more tricky.

In some ways it is similar to the first conditional. It uses the same if / then structure, but instead of using the words will, shall, may or can, the second conditional uses would, could or might. 

The most significant difference between the second conditional and the first conditional, however, is that the second conditional deals with events that are not real possibilities. In many cases, the events could happen; they are not physical impossibilities. However, they are not tangible events that are certain to impact on daily life.

The second conditional is what English speakers use when they are dreaming or fantasizing about something.

For example

If I had a market stall, I would sell fruit and veg.

If I owned this stall, I could sell jam.

If I was a spice seller I might sell cumin.

If I had studied photography at school I would have taken better photos.

The Third Conditional

While the first two conditionals talk about possible future events, the third conditional deals with the past. Specifically, the third conditional talks about events in the past and ponders the effects of those events not happening. Because we cannot go back in time, the third conditional deals with events that have no possibility of happening. The third conditional uses the words would have to convey these impossible event

If I had inherited the farm, I would have grown some vegetables.

If I had been able to read the label, I would have known what these  vegetables were called.

Zero Conditional

The zero conditional deals with issues that are always true.

They can often be thought of as a scientific fact.

If you ask for Granny Smiths, you'll get the green apples.

If you visit Wells Farmer's Market on Wednesdays, you'll see the Town Crier. 

If you visit the National Trust shop you will see lots of flowers.

If you go through the Penniless Porch, you will see buskers.

Manuel's First Sunday Lunch.. and as it's now Tuesday, some good examples of the past simple.

Let me introduce you to Manuel

and 

a 

Traditional English Sunday Roast.

On Sunday, Manuel (my student), and I, enjoyed a traditional British Sunday Lunch

( enjoyed = past simple - used for an action that started and finished in the past).

We enjoyed it on Sunday

The past simple often ends in ...ed ( regular verbs)

We talked about our families

We laughed at a joke

However some verbs are irregular and do not end in .....ed

What did we  eat?

( eat is an irregular verb)

We ate 

roast beef with yorkshire puddings

roast potatoes and roast parsnips

cabbage, carrots and peas

horseradish sauce and gravy

I roasted some beef and yorkshire puddings

I roasted some potatoes and parsnips, with a little bit of cumin.

I boiled some vegetables

I made some gravy

( made is the past simple of 'make'  - irregular verb)

I served it onto a dish

and took lots of photos

( took is the past simple of 'take'  - irregular verb)

What did we drink ?

( drink is an irregular verb)

We drank some wine.

Drank is the past simple of 'drink'

What didn't we do?

We use did for past simple negatives and questions.

Did you cook chicken on Sunday?

No,  I  didn't, I cooked beef.

What did you do on Sunday?

Using the Present Continuous for future Meaning

I am doing ( present continuous )

She is teaching
She isn't cooking

It's sunny
It isn't raining

They're eating
They aren't working.

The present continuous is:

am / is / are  + / eating / running / working etc

I        am  (not)         - ing

he

she     is  (not)           - ing

it

we

you     are (not)         - ing

they

Something is happening now

The students aren't horse riding, they're bowling.

Look at Marta, she's learning to spin.

Claire is waiting with the paparazzi for Bono (U2) to leave the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath.

Present Continuous for a future meaning

This is my diary for the week.

Today is Saturday. I am going to Wells with Manuel.

On Sunday I am teaching and if it's not raining, I will be gardening in the afternoon.

On Monday I am going to the dentist.

On Thursday I am visiting my mother.

On Saturday I am seeing my sister and going to the Mulberry shop. 

In all these examples, I have already decided to do these things.

I am doing something (tomorrow ) = I have already decided and arranged to do it.

What are you doing today ?  - Not What do you do today.

Today I am going to Wells with Manuel. We are going to look around the Cathedral and the Farmer' Market and eating at either The Old Spot, Goodfellows or The Swan Hotel at lunch time.

Images of Wells

The Farmer's market and Europe's oldest street, ( according to the town crier).

 The Penniless Porch, (where it's ok to beg!)

Wells Cathedral and the Cathedral green.

Visiting Priest's Row with Yvonne, a German student from Cologne .

The Bishop's Palace

Playing crocquet on the lawn in front of the Bishop's Palace.

How are you spending your Saturday ?