Englishland

Presentation

2008-05-13T01:02:00.004+03:00

Here you can listen to my new presentation !

used to / be used to

2008-05-02T23:57:00.004+03:00

When I was in "Post-secondary preparatory school " (I don't know if it is the good translation for "prepa" ... ) I learnt what was the difference between this two phrases, but I don't remember anymore...

We use the used to do expression to talk about:
- an activity that we did regularly in the past (like a habit)
- a situation that was true in the past.
Example :
I used to smoke.

The be used to expression is for talking about something that is familiar to us or easy for us. For example:
I am used to driving on the left.
I'm used to going to Disneyland Paris.

Every : singular or not ???

2008-05-02T23:42:00.009+03:00

Well, this part of my rotating five lasted one minute, it was my quickest rotating five ever : A quick search on Google and I found my answer...
"Verbs with each and every are always conjugated in the singular."

Example :
Every Disney character is adorable !

By the way, I also learnt that we say "PEOPLE ARE", this question has haunted me for three years...

Rotating the rotating five

2008-05-02T23:22:00.002+03:00

I'm writing my next week's presentation and I found new stuff for my rotating five. Here it is :

every = singular or not ??? 3 years I'm questioning myself about this ... and I still haven't any answer
be used to/ used to ?
also / too

Sentence Stress

2008-04-24T22:31:00.004+02:00

Welcome to my daily rotating five !

Today I've decided to discover what is the "sentence stress" !
Why a such rotating five ? Because 3 months ago, I haven't any idea about what was this thing... but no matter, there's still time to learn !

www.englishclub.com is a website explaining how to get this sentence stress, I sum up what's interesting :

Most sentences have two types of word:
- content words : They are the key words of a sentence that carry the meaning.
  - main verbs : SELL, GIVE, EMPLOY
  - nouns : CAR, MUSIC, MARY
  - adjectives : RED, BIG, INTERESTING
  - adverbs : QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVER
  - negative auxiliaries : DON'T, AREN'T, CAN'T
- structure words : they are not very important words. They are small, simple words that make the sentence correct grammatically.
  - pronouns : he, we, they
  - prepositions : on, at, into
  - articles : a, an, the
  - conjunctions : and, but, because
  - auxiliary verbs : do, be, have, can, must

The time between each stressed word is the same.

Example :
I am a proFESsional phoTOgrapher whose MAIN INterest is to TAKE SPEcial, BLACK and WHITE PHOtographs that exHIBit ABstract MEANings in their photoGRAPHic STRUCture.

Well, it seems to be difficult enough... But now, I can't said I've never heard about this...

The TZTOT : Behind The Scenes (aka my transcription)

2008-04-24T00:47:00.009+02:00

Here is the video I've chosen for my transcription !

Read it if you dare...

*****

You’re travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.
A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop, the Twilight Zone!

(Off screen voice)
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s California Adventure is a new chilling high-speed supernatural thrill ride, premiering May 5th. Based on a lost Twilight Zone episode, this hotel experiences the mysterious occurrence once storm hit according to Disney legend. As the elevator ascended, lightning stroke, (Sorry, but there’s a lightning noise) a hair-raising elevator drop from thirteen floors.

(Michael Sprout, Writer)
This hotel hasn’t been in operation since 1939 (nineteen thirty nine), and for some reason the motors have started to back up, the hotel is coming back to life, and bringing you with it, and taking you to a dimension that you’ve never seen before.

(Off screen voice)
Walt Disney Imagineer Michael Sprout wrote the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror story, just his Walt Disney Production designer Neil Engel helped bring the story to life.

(Neil Engel, Production Designer)
It is if everyone was sitting here one moment and the next moment, they were not. Card game being played, one of the players was going to winning incredible points. We have another set where people have just finished a pastry and coffee. They have a sort of (?) terror in a very big home.

(Off screen voice)
With imaginations that work overtime, Disney Imagineers said they continue Walt Disney’s vision by always raising the bar by creating thrilling new attractions like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

(Michael Sprout, Writer)
This is a major thrill attraction, and once you get on that elevator, there is no way in the world where you’ll avoid screaming.

(Off screen voice)
Here’s a new spine chilling high-speed thrill ride premiering at Disney’s California Adventure on May 5th, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It’s an attraction unique for Disney guests and exceeds even Walt Disney Imagineers’ expectations.

(Cory Sewelson, Show Producer)
There are a lot of special effects in our show scenes that none of our guests have ever seen in any other attraction and we’ve picked an advantage of our programmable ride system that reserves all kind of surprise moves. It’s really a fantastic show.

(Off screen voice)
Reaching one hundred eighty three (183) feet, this is Anaheim, California’s tallest building, and its hotel pueblo-deco design is apparently overly convincing.

(Coulter Winn, Architect) (Arrgghh I could hardly understand him !!! :( )
It is designed to courage our town guest, to color a city of Anaheim chamber ( … ??? ...) reservations truly, which has happened.

(Off screen voice)
If that’s not enough attention to detail there is a Disney Imagineer who adds a final touch, that sure to make the hair on the back of your neck raise.

(Darla Hall, Art Director)
It’s three sticks that you get with the rug on (I'm not very sure... ) and used compressed air, and you shoot below and that’s how you create it, standard angle, whatever way, direction that are natural, Spi… I mean a spider that had naturally created a web for its home, that’s a giant thing you have to think before you start.

(Off screen voice)
And it’s thanks to this Disney Imagineer who’s made sure you’ll get the ride of your life: thirteen (13) stories, straight down.

(Mark Summer, Ride Engineer)
This is a very unique attraction, you can’t compare it to anything else.
You know, it’s not a roller coaster, it’s not a carousel, you know, it’s not a ride simulator.
The things that our guests can experience on this attraction are unique; you can’t go anywhere else and get this experience.

(Off screen voice)
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, our guests check in, but they don’t necessarily check out.

(Off screen voice 2)
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, at the Disneyland Resort, May 5th.

(Groom)
You can’t miss it…

(Off screen voice 2)
Drop in if you dare!

*****

There's still time to learn vocabulary !

2008-04-22T05:31:00.011+02:00

This morning (yeah I can't help but do English, even at 5 o'clock ! ) , I've decided to do another rotating five, the next victim will be .... " vocabulary of theme parks".

You may read it before, but last week I had an interview for a Disneyland's job, and half of the interview was in English, questions were "how many times have you been to Disneyland?" as well as "what's your favorite attraction?". Pretty easy... especially when you had learned a lot of vocabulary, for increasing your breaks to have a job. For me, it's was a larger-than-life success ! The recruiter, who was English, said my English was excellent, and that my accent was very good (Thank you for learning us how to pronounce words!!! )
Best of all, I've got a job (parking & ticket selling) , and it's a "good" job, for people who are "fluent" in English ! lol. So check out Disneyland's parking in just 2 months and maybe I'll see y'all !

Maybe you don't care about Disneyland and my life, so check out my rotating five : (this list can changed anytime)

About Magic and Disney stuff :

magic
fireworks
spectacular
entertainment
parade
amazing
schedule
sprinkling of magic
décor
dazzling (radieux)
wondrous (merveilleux) (used once a page in Disney booklets ! )
memories
dream
vacation
disney
disneyland
resort
paris
kingdom
Eeyore -----------

Vocabulary about roller coaster :
roller coaster
attraction
thrills
turn
loop
corkscrew -----------

spin -----------

About the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror :
Tower
Terror
Twilight Zone
freefall ride
elevator ride
gravity

Word stress

2008-04-21T19:37:00.006+02:00

For doing my rotating five named "word stress", I wrote what we had done last Wednesday, and as in my older post "Word pronunciation", I'll repeat this list till I drop ! That's my way to improve my pronunciation !

regulator
inspiration
intelligent
experience
significant
competitor
possibility

Word pronunciation

2008-04-21T12:09:00.010+02:00

My last rotating five is "word stress", but I think we can't have good word stress if we hardly know how to pronounce them ! So I'm posting the list we wrote on class , and I'll repeat this list of words till I drop !
PS: yeah I now use phrases !

Phrases

2008-04-21T00:23:00.015+02:00

Hi folks!

Almost a week I haven't posted on my blog, I'm sorry but I was busy :( I have had to prepare an interview for a job at Disneyland Resort Paris this summer But nearly half of the interview was in English, so I did a lot of English this week !! Let's begin with the phrases ! I've found most of them on the Disneyland Resort,California offical booklet and on the Disneyland Paris restaurants guide :

I can’t help but + Verb(basic form): Each time I’m listening to you I can’t help but think “…wow…when will I be able to talk like this”.

Diners first began to spring up along America’s highways.

Skippers come to put their feet up after the high drama of a race.

By the way, sundays really suck!

Want to make time for your favorite attraction?

There’s still time to catch the celebration at Disneyland Resort.

The parade features more than 50 characters!

Don’t miss your chance to take part in this celebration of a lifetime!

Including a brand-new soundtrack.

Check out the Tower Of Terror!

Best of all,no matter when you come.

Best of all, no matter when you come.

That’s the Disney way to have fun!

Voucher makes dining as easy as it’s fun.

"Hey, it's funny seeing you here." Reply: "It's a small world."

Disney’s Visa card, the must-have card !

Fuelled by passion and creativity, our teams…

To take a trip all around the world.

Mickey, Goofy and Pluto are firmly to the fore in the culinary extravaganza of your dreams.

Preserving our natural environment, that’s what this restaurant’s all about.

Disney’s Parade of Dreams is the most incredible cavalcade ever.

Annette, the larger-than-life roller skater in the doorway,...

An action-packed spectacle featuring Buffalo Bill

Witness the miracle before your very eyes,...

Disney Characters are on hand to sign autographs.

A genuine trapper’s lodge, just right for nature lovers and hikers.

But so long as you don’t come armed,...

Named after the red garters worn by saloon girls in years gone by...

Set fairly and squarely in the tradition of the old saloons,...

Imagine wild buffalo and cowboys right before your eyes

A lot: Mickey likes to hang out a lot.

Till I drop : I'm free to shop till I drop !

When it rains, it pours : it means that once something happens after a long pause, it happens in large amounts. Example: "It looks like everyone in our department is sick again, and all at the same time." Reply: "When it rains, it pours."

It’s nothing but a Gangsta thing !

Sky is the limit and you know that you can have what you want !

Drop in if you dare!

To conclude, I've my phrases and one of my rotating five is done !

Any / Some

2008-04-16T02:16:00.003+02:00

Well , I know this isn't in my rotating five... But today I was aware that I've forgotten how to use some and any... As I've no more English book, I've decided to post here how to use them.

Some is used in positive statements, or in questions where we are sure about the answer:

I had some pastas for lunch.

Did he give you some coca? (= I'm sure he did.)

Is there some coca in the fridge? (= I think there is)

Could I have some cds, please?

Would you like some cds?

Any is used in questions and with not in negative statements:

Have you got any fruit juice?

He didn't give me any fruit juice.

Blog Clean up

2008-04-12T01:03:00.003+02:00

Today, I've decided to clean up my posts. My faults were :

society -> company
especially I love Disney -> I especially love Disney
and video games too -> and also video games
you can have more information here -> you can find a lot of information here

I've also noticed some words I've never used like :

- it refers to…
- after/before (attending) IMAC

Comment on 5 blogs

2008-04-08T23:34:00.005+02:00

I'm sorry, I'm late with this assignment, but until last week, nobody posted comments on my blog :( . But now it's over because I have two friends : Vivi and Gwen ! Thank you my friends !

As I'm happy, I have posted comments too...

Henriette's blog

Helloooooo
Today is a very special day : I've decided to post my 5 comments on blogs ! And you're the first lucky winner :p
I'd want to say that I like your video, and I think it's a good choice for you because it seems easy to understand and it's rather interesting also !
PS: I think it's maybe a misprint but it's "helpful" and not "helpfull" on your first post.
See you later !

Vivi's blog

Hammy is very cute, I also love his voice, he's really funny ! ^^
We can think he's perfect but unfortunately Hammy the little squirrel belongs to Dreamworks so... **** him ! ahah :p
ps: I haven't any comment to do on your english, because i haven't seen any mistake ...
ps2: thank you for your comment on my blog !
psp : yeah, i have one psp ! and i play games, in english of course ^^

Gwen's blog

hum…
I think I’ll made the shortest comment of history (but the first on this blog, so it’s cool ^^ )… I’ve NOTHING to say … I’ve read your “huge” text, and I like your videos (especially the MS Paint video)… But I’ve nothing to say about your english; and if it were the case, I think it would be funny, as if a comic book found itself more intelligent than an encyclopedia…

Naa's blog

Yeah you're right ! I love this quotation too ! It reminds me of the wonderful disney's attraction : "It's a small world" :D
I'll enjoy when you'll say this quotation like a real American girl ^^
ps: Where is Bryan ??

I've completely forgotten to show you your mistakes... So my first comment is useless...
But my second comment will be useless too, because I've nothing to say to you about your mistakes...
Whatever...
Good night!
ps: sorry for my own mistakes... It's very late and i want to sleep -_-

Hey it's incredible I've made the 5th assignment !!! Yeah you'll noticed that I only posted 4 comments, but I have only 2 comments on my own blog...

My new rotating five

2008-04-08T23:00:00.010+02:00

Last week, I learnt that my previous rotating five were pretty useless. So I rotate my rotating five! My new rotating five are:

- learning idiomatic phrases, in order to speak like a real American girl :) . Let's begin with 10 phrases ! (we'll maybe improve the difficulty later !) (finished on 04/21 )
- learning vocabulary of theme parks, I think it can be very fun. Thanks to this, my friends will respect me :"whoaaaa you know what is a roller coaster ??!!" :D (finished on 04/22 )
- tenses (past perfect, etc... )
- sentence stress
- word stress (finished on 04/21 )
Stresses will help me to improve my english pronounciation...

"To all who come to this happy place - welcome..."

2008-04-08T22:27:00.007+02:00

On july 17, 1955 , Disneyland Califonia opened. Here is the opening speech of his creator, Walt Disney himself :

"To all who come to this happy place - welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank you."

Walt E.Disney

My Rotating Five

2008-03-24T01:10:00.007+02:00

Here are my rotating five :

- improve my vocabulary
- tenses (past perfect, etc... )
- learning idiomatic phrases, in order to speak like a real American girl :)
- working on stresses
- delete my french accent

Another video about my hobbies

2008-02-25T00:18:00.007+02:00

I am interested in many things, but I especially love disney ( see a podcast here ) and also video games : here is a funny video about Mario & GTA :

My Life

2008-02-25T00:04:00.005+02:00

After my presentation of last week, here are the links in relation with what I said.
I am not sure yet about my future job but my dream is to work at Walt Disney Imagineering, the company which creates disney theme parks. you can find a lot of information here and at

If I can't realize my dream, one of my other dreams would be to create beautiful websites like that someday : http://www.disneytowerofterror.com/

My Presentation

2008-02-25T00:01:00.002+02:00

Here you can listen to my presentation.