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Sample Newsletter
~ by Sab Will

Monday, 20th November, 2006

"Améliorez votre anglais en vous amusant !"

(Votre 'pause-café' tout en anglais!)
~ MODE D'EMPLOI - CLIQUEZ ICI~

Contents

1)   Introduction
2)   In The News
3)   Hints & Tips
4)   Error Analysis
5)   Professionally Speaking
6)   Language Builder
7)   Useful Idioms
8)   Classic Quotes
9)   Culture Corner
10) Humour
11) Photo Competition
12) Boutique
13) Contact

1) Introduction [listen]

Hello everybody, and a very warm welcome to this week's edition of the... Hotch Potch English Newsletter.

Don't forget - four times a month you can practise your English and learn lots of interesting, funny and unusual things as you enjoy your first French coffee of the day.

I will probably be having my second or third English coffee of the day, with lots of water and milk, as we like it!

Your Newsletter is constantly developing, so do tell us what you would like to read or hear and we'll do our best to supply it.

There are a lot of different sections in your Newsletter, so find the ones you like best and make sure to read them every week, OK?!

You know that reading and listening to English are two of the best methods for improving your language skills, and that's what we offer you here every Monday!

We want your opinions, so please sign the guestbook (by clicking on the word 'SIGN', here or in any menu bar) and tell us what you like best in the Hotch Potch English Newsletter, and any brilliant ideas you have!

And please PLEASE tell all your family, friends and colleagues to improve their English together with us, absolutely FREE, by reading and listening to the Hotch Potch English Newsletter now!

Or send us their name and e-mail address to us (with their agreement, of course) and we'll do the rest.

J GRATUIT ü

Oui, je veux apprendre l'anglais avec le...

Hotch Potch English
"Hints & Tips"
Newsletter

Thanks a lot for reading and listening, and... Enjoy Improving your English with Hotch Potch !!!

Silver Members get much MUCH more !
Contents =

2) In The News

[listen - British speaker]

Where we take a look at some of the strangest stories from the week's news. (?)

Listen to the story first and then try to answer these questions: (?)

*True or False ?*	*Answer*
1) An American firm are now producing vegetable-flavoured fizzy drinks.	*(?)*
2) The company is producing a special collection of drinks as part of a 'holiday pack'.	*(?)*
3) The drinks are not very successful.	*(?)*
4) The boss of Jones Soda, Peter van Stolk, loves these new flavours.	*(?)*
5) The company became famous when they produced a soft drink which tasted of meat.	*(?)*
6) Peter van Stolk's favourite new drink flavour is curried chicken.	*(?)*
7) *Bonus Question:* The fish-flavoured drinks they tried were considered too horrible to produce.	*(?)*

How did you do?

(1/2) Nice Start...

(3/4) Good Effort !

(5/6) Great Result !!

(7) WOW ! You're a STAR !!!

Beverage firm offers pea-flavored soda (?)

After introducing the world to new soda flavors like fish taco and salmon, Seattle specialty beverage maker Jones Soda Co. is offering a new flavor*: Green pea. (?)

Green pea, along with other unusual sodas such as turkey and gravy, dinner roll, sweet potato and antacid flavor, will be part of the company's $10 to $15 "holiday pack" of bottled drinks available nationwide. (?)

Peter van Stolk, chief executive of Jones Soda, said on Monday the collection of strange-flavored sodas usually sells out quickly, even though he can not stomach the drinks. Past flavors included broccoli casserole, corn on the cob and Brussel sprout. (?)

"Why people buy it is beyond me. I can't drink a bottle of this stuff," said van Stolk. (?)

Jones Soda, which sells traditional sodas alongside more exotic flavors like fufu berry and green apple, first introduced the holiday soda pack in 2003, gaining notoriety for its turkey and gravy flavor soda. (?)

"We have the market share leader in turkey-flavored beverages," said van Stolk. "We know we can't compete with Coke or Pepsi by playing their game, but we know they're not going to come out with a turkey flavor or antacid flavor." (?)

Asked if there were any flavors that were off limits, van Stolk said he put his foot down when it came to curried chicken flavor. (?)

"Fish taco was just nasty and we tried curried chicken. That was just wrong," he said. (?)

*Note: US flavor - UK flavour

Ecoutez, lisez et apprendre plus comme adhérant Silver
Contents =

3) Hints & Tips

Word Families

English pronunciation is very, VERY strange! Believe me.

But sometimes you can find some rules. (?)

For example, in English, the letters 'ea' are normally pronounced in two ways, as in...

'year' and 'pear'. (?)

Try to match up the words which rhyme in the two columns below, then listen to see if you were right. (?)

*Which words...*	...rhyme?

now (?) [listen]	white [listen]
year (?) [listen]	buy [listen]
right (?) [listen]	cow [listen]
no (?) [listen]	sure [listen]
sky (?) [listen]	hair [listen]
through (?) [listen]	who [listen]
flea (?) [listen]	beer [listen]
tour (?) [listen]	grey [listen]
day (?) [listen]	know [listen]
pear (?) [listen]	knee [listen]

100s de 'Trucs & Astuces' pour nos adhérants Silver
Contents =

4) Error Analysis

Find these typical French learners' grammar and vocabulary mistakes and correct them! (?)

Easy !

1) I'm go often to the cinema. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*
2) I am not agree with you. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*
3) It is the first bank of the France. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*

Not So Easy !!

1) We are very boring when we see this film. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*
2) Sorry for my late. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*
3) And you are living in France since when? *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*

Tricky !!!

1) There is 7 years we come in this build, because we are 'racheté' to another society. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*
2) We will go in the Corsica at Christmas. *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*
3) I was commercial during 4 years and now I am the responsible of our principle marque during 3 years... *(?)* [listen]	*(?)*

Accès total à notre base d'erreurs en tant qu'adhérant Silver
Contents =

5) Professionally Speaking

A Mixed-up Business Letter

Put these lines in the correct order and then listen to check.

This exercise will help you with your grammar as well as with some typical expressions for letters... (?)

*Reconstruct...*	*...this letter !*
1) [listen]	and would like to interview you.
2) [listen]	Thank you for your letter applying for a post as web site designer,
3) [listen]	James Elroy
4) [listen]	The interview will take place in our global conference suite,
5) [listen]	Please could you confirm
6) [listen]	Google International, 1, Champs Elysées, 75008, Paris
7) [listen]	that you will be able to attend.
8) [listen]	The interview we have arranged for you
9) [listen]	Global Recruitment Manager
10) [listen]	We are very interested in your application
11) [listen]	to hearing from you soon.
12) [listen]	Yours sincerely,
13) [listen]	Dear Mr Will,
14) [listen]	which is opposite the restaurant on the 7th floor.
15) [listen]	We look forward
16) [listen]	is on Wednesday 1st December at 10 am.
17) [listen]	which we received last week.
	*[Complete letter]*

Devenez Silver pour des suppléments pro
Contents =

6) Language Builder

Let's Be Good Euro-peans !

Hey, France is part of Europe, and what's more, we share our currency (the Euro) with eleven other countries.

But which other European countries use the Euro? Ah hah!

Prepare to impress your colleagues and friends with your incredible knowledge of our fellow Euro-using neighbours! (?)

Make sentences like this:

"If you come from Australia, you're Australian."

Of course Australia isn't in Europe, but it sounds like a country which is!

Then listen to check, and repeat them with good pronunciation, to practise. Good luck! (?)

*If you come from...*	*you are... !*
1) A------ [listen]	A------ *(?)*
2) B------ [listen]	B------ *(?)*
3) F------ [listen]	F------ *(?)*
4) F----- [listen]	F----- *(?)*
5) G------ [listen]	G----- *(?)*
6) G----- [listen]	G---- *(?)*
7) I------ [listen]	I---- *(?)*
8) I---- [listen]	I------ *(?)*
9) L-------- [listen]	L---------- *(?)*
10) T-- N---------- [listen]	D---- *(?)*
11) P------- [listen]	P--------- *(?)*
12) S---- [listen]	S------ *(?)*

Learn these words, use them, and you will impress people with your English! (?)

Devenez Silver pour un accès illimité aux archives
Contents =

7) Useful Idioms

Expressive English

"We don't see eye to eye" [listen]

Which means... we don't see things in the same way - we disagree - we have a difference of opinion...

Maybe this refers to two people who are not the same height (and whose eyes are not on the same level) and therefore who see things in different ways.

In French you might say 'Nous ne voyons pas les choses de la même manière'.

Example: "Yeah... I've got a bit of a problem with my new boss, I'm afraid. We don't see eye to eye on anything!" (?) [listen]

Devenez Silver pour découvrir tous nos idioms utiles
Contents =

8) Classic Quotes [listen]

Inspirational

"The one thing that matters is the effort." (?)

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French pilot, author

Lisez des citations sympa dans notre Blog
Contents =

9) Culture Corner [listen]

Playing Conkers

The 'conker' is actually the common name for the horse chestnut, which comes, not surprisingly, from the horse chestnut tree.

This beautiful brown nut ripens in its spiky green case and is highly prized by school children all over Britain. (?)

The game of 'conkers' involves drilling a hole through the nut and putting it on a string with a knot tied at the end so it doesn't fall off. (?)

The game is played by two people. One person lets their nut dangle on the end of the string, and the other person aims and tries to hit it with their own weapon. (?)

The first person whose nut is broken and falls of the string loses, and the victor goes on to fight other battles. (?)

A nut which has won five battles is called a 'fiver', a nut which has won nine fights becomes a 'niner' and so on. (?)

Going 'conkering' is a related activity where groups of kids go out collecting conkers in preparation for playing this game. (?)

The name 'horse chestnut' may come from two sources. The nuts were apparently fed to horses in the past to make their coats shine. (?)

And also, when the leaf falls off the twig, it leaves a mark which looks like a horse shoe, complete with 'nail holes'! (?)

There are around half a million horse chestnut trees in Britain, and there are even conker competitions held every year in some towns. Long live the conker! (?)

Passez au Silver pour devenir un as en culture anglophone!
Contents =

10) Humour

Learning English can be a serious business, mais pas forcement..! Enjoy the lighter side of life with us each week whilst improving your skills! (?)

Grave Verse

Here are some amusing or clever last words (epitaphs). Most of them are funny because they play on the sounds and meaning of words.

See how many you can understand.

Try listening to them and then saying them with the same rhythm and it will help your English ! (?)

[listen]
Gone but not Forgotten
This troubled world is sighing now,
The flu is at the door;
And many folks are dying now
Who never died before.
Anon

[listen]
On Leslie Moore
Here lies what's left
Of Leslie Moore
No Les
No more.

[listen]
On a Dentist
Stranger, approach this spot with gravity:
John Brown is filling his last cavity.

[listen]
On John Bun
Here lies John Bun;
He was killed by a gun.
His name was not Bun,
but Wood;
But Wood would not rhyme
with gun,
And Bun would.

Adhérents Silver ont un accés illimité aux archives
Contents =

11) Photo Competition

Thank you for your great captions for last week's photo. Today's winners are: (?)

Last Week's Winners

Jean-Pierre, from France Telecom, for: "I'm singing in the Paris rain!"

Sylvia, a PR representative from Publicis, for: "A rainbow in a grey city..."

Marta, student, for: "Funny flowers, funny guy!"

Well done, Jean-Pierre! You win an English book of your choice from the Hotch Potch English Boutique! (contact us with your choice and your full name and address and we will send you your prize!)

This Week's Photo !

One of the wonderful and wonderfully strange statues you come across in Paris from time to time.

Apparently, there is a book called something like 'The Man Who Walked Through Walls' and this was inspired by it. It's a great find anyway.

Win a Book !

Write a funny or interesting caption (légende) and send it to the address below. Use your imagination and don't worry too much about writing perfect English. I'll correct it if necessary! Good Luck! (?)

photocomp@hotchpotch.com

The best captions will be published in the next Hotch Potch English Newsletter!

If you are the absolute winner you can choose a book from our on-line Boutique which we will send to you absolutely free!

Please include your first name, job and company / profession with your contribution.

Contents =

12) Boutique

Here we suggest an English book to help you improve your English, be it a great book for studying, an accessible short novel, a fascinating business book, or one of the latest professional or personal development works. (?)

We carefully chose books written in clear, standard English. Don't forget: reading is one of the best ways of learning! (?)

"Savoir-Flair: 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French"

A fascinating book looking at the French and France from a foreigner's point of view but enjoyable for anyone to read.

Polly Platt has an in-depth knowledge of this country and its people and for English students it is a great was to improve their language skills on a topic of great interest covered with humour and sensitivity. (?)

Buy Savoir-Flair: 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French from the Hotch Potch English Boutique

Contents =

13) Contact

Many thanks to all our clients who contributed to, and inspired this newsletter.

To contact us with your comments and questions, just send a message to us at info@hotchpotch.com and we'll be delighted to respond. (?)

All the best in English...

The Hotch Potch English Coaching Team

Adhérents Silver ont un accés illimité à Hotch Potch
Contents =

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