St Giles

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

stgiles — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:59:28 +0000

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson Publisher: Norstedts Förlag (Swedish)

Level: Advanced Genre: Crime / Mystery Novel

Story:

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of Vanger’s great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that someone in his family, the powerful Vanger clan, murdered Harriet over forty years ago.

Starting his investigation, Mikael realizes that Harriet’s disappearance is not a single event, but rather linked to series of gruesome murders in the past. He now crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, an asocial punk and most importantly, a young woman driven by her vindictiveness.

Together they form an unlikely couple as they dive deeper into the violent past of the secretive Vanger family.

Comment:

This was the first novel in a trilogy by the brilliant writer, Stieg Larsson, who unfortunately died in 2004.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international best seller and is set in Sweden. It takes a little effort to get accustomed to all the Swedish names and places but then the story moves with lightening speed.

This is a superb novel and impossible to put down. It’s mysterious, logical and shocking.

I absolutely love Salander, she is an amazing character and I love the way the author only lets out a little information about her at a time. She’s a mystery.

I highly recommend this book to all suspense and thriller fans.

Vocabulary Corner

stgiles — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:52:29 +0000

This week’s word is:

dillydally (verb) =  to waste time, especially by being slow or by not being able to make a decision.

Ex:  , just get your things and let’s go!>

Vocabulary Corner

stgiles — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:23:46 +0000

This week’s word is:

zaftig =  having a full rounded figure; pleasingly plump.

Ex:  >

Vocabulary Corner

stgiles — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:21:05 +0000

Every week a new word or expression will be posted here with its definition and a usage example. Don’t pass on this opportunity to improve your vocabulary a bit! Check it out!

This week’s expression is:

out of the blue = without previous notice; unexpectedly.

Ex:  out of the blue, I had the most brilliant idea!>

Easter Celebrations in the UK

stgiles — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:29:42 +0000

Easter in the UK

In the UK Easter is one of the major Christian festivals of the year. It is full of customs, folklore and traditional food. However, Easter in Britain has its beginnings long before the arrival of Christianity. Many theologians believe Easter itself is named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and spring – Eostre.

In Britain Easter occurs at a different time each year. It is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that the festival can occur on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Not only is Easter the end of the winter it is also the end of Lent, traditionally a time of fasting in the Christian calendar. It is therefore often a time of fun and celebration.

The Friday before Easter Sunday and the Monday after are a bank holiday in the UK. Over Easter schools in the UK close for two weeks, just enough time to digest all the chocolate.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. The word Maundy” comes from the French word, “Mande,” meaning “command” or “mandate” and is taken from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, “love one another as I have loved you.”

In Britain, the Queen takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy, which dates back to Edward 1. This involves the distribution of Maundy Money to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign’s age), usually chosen for having done service to their community. They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch’s reign. The red purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be given to the poor.

Good Friday

On the Friday before Easter, Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a day of mourning in church and special Good Friday services are held where Christians meditate on Jesus’s suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith.

Calling it ‘Good Friday’ may seem a bit bizarre, but some people think that it was once called God’s Friday or Holy Friday.

Symbols of Easter

Many of the symbols and traditions of Easter are connected with renewal, birth, good luck and fertility. These include the Egg, the Bunny, the Cross. Some symbols which are more traditional in the UK are:

Palms

The week of Easter begins on Palm Sunday. Why Palm Sunday? Well, in Roman times it was customary to welcome royalty by waving palm branches, a bit like a ticker-tape parade. So, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what is now known as Palm Sunday, people welcomed him with palm branches carpeting the streets and waving them. Today, on Palm Sunday, Christians carry palm branches in parades, and make them into crosses and garlands to decorate the Church.



Morris Dancing

Morris dancing is a traditional English form of folk dance which is also performed in other English-speaking countries such as the USA and Australia. The roots of morris dancing seem to be very old, probably dating back to the Middle Ages.

In the dance men dress up in costumes with hats and ribbons and bells around their ankles. They dance through the streets and one man often carries an inflated pigs bladder on the end of a stick. He will run up to young women in the street and hit them over the head with the pigs bladder, this is supposed to be lucky (men)!

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns, now eaten throughout the Easter season, were first baked in England to be served on Good Friday. These small, lightly sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the bun. After baking, a confectioners’ sugar icing is used to fill the cross.

Preparatórios para IELTS

stgiles — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:41:54 +0000

Veja o que este aluno que se preparou conosco tem a dizer!

“Teacher Nelson,

i finally got it man!!

Gostaria de te agradecer Nelson pois suas dicas foram essenciais … antes do curso nunca tinha tirado um 7 e depois só tirei notão e agora consegui todas acima de 7 atingindo portanto meu objetivo. Obrigado!! now if you ever come to australia hit me up dude!!
abraço

Guilherme Grisolia” (fez o teste em fevereiro 2010)

The Lost Symbol

stgiles — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:20:03 +0000

Title: The Lost Symbol

Author: Dan Brown Publisher: Doubleday

Level: Advanced Genre: thriller

Story: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. From there on, a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets and unseen chambers, tunnels and temples of Washington D.C. Murders and riddles, codes and discoveries are all parts of this puzzle the author creates.

Comment: If you are a thriller fan and you enjoyed any of the other Dan Brown books, you should definitely check The Lost Symbol out. The story takes place in real Washington D.C. locations and is full of surprises, not to mention all the suspense Dan Brown creates as no-one else.

Dicionário On Line

stgiles — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:47:15 +0000

Usando dicionários inglês-inglês você pratica e melhora seu vocabulário.

Segue abaixo links de dicionários on-line que você pode utilizar:

www.dictionary.cambridge.org

www.macmillandictionary.com

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson	Publisher: Norstedts Förlag (Swedish)
Level: Advanced	Genre: Crime / Mystery Novel
Story: Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of Vanger’s great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that someone in his family, the powerful Vanger clan, murdered Harriet over forty years ago. Starting his investigation, Mikael realizes that Harriet’s disappearance is not a single event, but rather linked to series of gruesome murders in the past. He now crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, an asocial punk and most importantly, a young woman driven by her vindictiveness. Together they form an unlikely couple as they dive deeper into the violent past of the secretive Vanger family.
Comment: This was the first novel in a trilogy by the brilliant writer, Stieg Larsson, who unfortunately died in 2004. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international best seller and is set in Sweden. It takes a little effort to get accustomed to all the Swedish names and places but then the story moves with lightening speed. This is a superb novel and impossible to put down. It’s mysterious, logical and shocking. I absolutely love Salander, she is an amazing character and I love the way the author only lets out a little information about her at a time. She’s a mystery. I highly recommend this book to all suspense and thriller fans.

Title: The Lost Symbol
Author: Dan Brown	Publisher: Doubleday
Level: Advanced	Genre: thriller
Story: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. From there on, a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets and unseen chambers, tunnels and temples of Washington D.C. Murders and riddles, codes and discoveries are all parts of this puzzle the author creates.
Comment: If you are a thriller fan and you enjoyed any of the other Dan Brown books, you should definitely check The Lost Symbol out. The story takes place in real Washington D.C. locations and is full of surprises, not to mention all the suspense Dan Brown creates as no-one else.