Nastasia Gandon’s Weblog

Link to the oral homework.

Stella Steepher is a thirty five years old women, rich in humor, and acutely observant. Since January, she’s trying to ride out the storm. In spite of all her abilites, she always screws up on her job and eatch boss she had tossed her out. For two month, she stopped working and one by one, bills piled up. Today she realised she was going to get stuck. She had to find a hasty way to earn money. While she had flipped through newspaper, she was atracted buy a classified advertisement. 

« Madison versus the storm

Need money, need Madison. Call 0035248884.»

Stella picked up the phone and dialed the number. After two ring tones, a strange voice answered :

«-Hello…»

«-Hello, i’m Stella Steepher. I’m just calling regarding the adver…»

«- Cut the foreplay and just ask!» break off the strange voice. 

«-…» 

«-You nead money? 

«-..hum… yes..»

«-Ok. It’s really awkward to explain on a phone. Tomorrow, 9 pm, Pitsweet Station. Be on time.». 

No clever women in the world could be enough stupid to go at this sort of rendez vous. Stella is different. She has nothing to lose, except her life. Despite this point, she decided to let the chips fall where they may. 

The weather was beautiful the next morning, and she was on time. A few minutes later, a huge black Gran Torino appeared. A small guy got out the car and moved toward Stella. 

«-If you are enough desesperate to come here alone, you are good for this job»

«-Which is…?»

«-I ask the question. I will talk to you about this job afterwards. You know how to handle a machine gun?»

«-…what?..eh…no, I…Sorry but…» mumbles Stella. 

«- I’m going to fix that. Take this gun!»

Stella was shaking like a leaf but when she caught hold the machine, she stopped shaking instantaneously. 

«- Careful, itʼs loaded !»

She didn’t care about that. She was feeling the power of the death into her arms, her body, her mind. 

«- Youʼre sweating miss, don’t lose your mind! » said the small guy. 

Stella didn’t say a word. She enjoyed this moment of glory. 

«- There will be a big tip for you if you do the right things! ». notifies the small guy. 

«- What should I do?» ask Stella.

«- I’m going to give you another appointment for tomorow. Someone will pick you up at your place.  So stay on alert.»

Stella was a little bit surprised but she agreed and went home, thoughtful. During all night, she wasn’t abble to sleep at all because she was thinking of what had said the small guy. She had a lot of nightmares, but she was also a bit excited about this whole thing. She got up at 6 am and she spent all day waiting for the man who was supposed to pick her up. But he never came… until midnight. When the bell ringed, her heart nearly exploded. She managed to go to the door and open it despite of her tiredness. She was ready for her new life. 

TRAILEUR <13GHOSTS>

Come in! William Castle, the producer of this motion picture has a question for you.

Do you believe in ghost? Some people believe in them, others do not. Personally i do and i feel sure that when you leave the theater you too will believe in ghost. Eh.. no more dictation today. When you came in, you will giving you a special ghost viewer like this. And here’s how it works. Would you please change the color of the screen? Thank you. You must only use it when the screen changes in this kind of blueish color then you rase on your eyes like this and you look at the screen through it. If you believe in ghosts, you look through the red part of the viewer. If you do not believe in ghosts, you look through the blue part. Would you please change the color again? Thank you. Now when the screen re-zooms as normal color like this, remove the viewer from the front of your eyes until the next time the screen becomes blue. Ho one more thing, if someone sets down next to you during the picture, it would be helpful  if you would show him or her, how the viewer should be used. And remember, if you believe in ghost, look through the red part, if you don’t believe in ghost, look through the blue. Happy hunting. Goodbye for now. shall we go? 

TRAILER <THE TINGLER>

I’m willam castle, the director of the motion picture you’re about to see. I feel obligated to warn you. that some of the sensations, some of the physical reactions, which the actors on the screen will feel, will also be experienced for the first time in motion picture history by certain members of this audience. I say certain members because some people are more sensitive to these mysterious electronic pulses than others, this unfortunate sensitive people  will at time feels a strange tingling sensation. Others will feel less strongly. But don’t be alarmed you can protect yourself. At any time you are conscious of a tingling sensation you may obtain immediate relief by screaming. Don’t be embarrassed by opening your mouth and letting rip with all you’ve got. Because the person on the sit right next to you, were probably be screaming too, and remember this: scream at the right time may save your life. 

TRAILER <THE OLD DARK HOUSE>

If you’re looking for something different let me show you a few of my latest listings. now here is a lovely piece of unimproved property. A small plot in a quite neighborhood, just waiting for the right couple, maybe you. This costs more money of course, but it’s guarantied to last you a lifetime and then some. Now if you’re not afraid of something a little not ordinary, and you’re in a market for an old dark house, especially designed by Charles Adams. I’ve got just a thing for you. 

[The old dark house]

The old dark house. Why don’t you drop in? 

“Hello!”

“May I introduce a friend of Casper’s mister Penderel”

“Such a surprise to find he had a friend. We’re having you for dinner ? Delicious!”

You’ll find you can’t help getting all shocked up when you meet the lovable family that on this place. Roderick not pretty but not nice either. Cecily on the other hand both pretty and nice. 

“Something terrible is happening here. We’ve got to leave. Before the others found out.”

The others? Who are the others? Well, there’s aunt Agatha who loves knitting surrounded by a raft of (??) relatives. Someone really knitted her. 

“Must have been murder. She always knitted so carefully. “

Morgana, one of the better built-in feature of the property. 

“Don’t you have any boyfriend?”

“I always had to be home by twelve o’ clock. Well, things were just getting started… I had to stop.”

An interesting pair of nicknacks, Casper, and Jasper, dead ringers for one another. 

“you’re… you’re there…and you’re dead!!”

An innocent visitor who came by accident, and by accident, he’s still alive. We’re proud to offer this unusual property but we have to admit it’s murder to run. Will be available for occupancy as soon as present tenants are exterminated. 

TRAILER <M. SARDONICUS>

For years I have searched for unique way where by a motion picture audience can actually decide the climax of a picture. I have found such a way. 

My latest picture “Mister Sardonicus” offers something no audience has ever had before: the power to determine the fate of a character on a screen, the power to punish. 

In ancient Rome, spectators could decree life or death to a gladiator by indicating thumbs up or thumbs down. During the french revolution the mobs could condemn a man by (?) shouting to the guillotine. The early west vigilantistes took the war into their own hands.

Today for the first time, the awful power to punish will be yours.

After you see the evil events that made Mister Sardonicus what he was, you’ll decide what should be done to him. You will now see some scenes from the picture.

The face of Mister Sardonicus will not be shown, because I realized that some people in this audience might be adversely affected by it. Those of you who come to see Mister Sardonicus will understand why. 

[-> Mr. Sardonicus extract] 

Mister Sardonicus… what makes his name strike terror?

“Sardonicus?”

“Why were you frightened?”

“Ha… Sir… you will not understand. You are young. You do not yet have daughters.”

Why does his wife live in abject fear?

“If you not heal him you’ll punish me.”

“He surely wouldn’t beat you”

“His governess knows a more hideous torture”. 

What strange attraction did young women have for him? What secrets are hidden behind his doors? Mister Sardonicus his deeds form the fabrics of nightmares. his face, the face of Sardonicus, can be described only in the eyes of its beholders. 

Mister Sardonicus in spite of all his cruelties, some people will think he deserves mercy.

Others will feel that no punishment could be too severe. When you come to see Mister Sardonicus, you will receive a ballot like this. At a certain point of the picture, you will vote thumbs up or thumbs down. His punishment will depend on the result of your vote.

Hello, this is Steeve Kaufman here.

I’ll talk about something a little different today, … related to language.

We’re here at thelinguist.blogs.com

Today I went for a haircut. My barber talks a lot. Sometimes he even stops cutting just to talk which I find mildly annoying.

On the other hand I am always entertained for thirty minutes while he cuts my hair. He does a good job and charges me 18 dollars which is not the cheapest but not the most expensive haircut in Vancouver.

He told me that he came to Canada as a 16 year old 20 years ago. He went to hair dressing school and then worked for a chain of hair salons for 5 years in different locations in the city.

He got to know the personalities of different kinds of clients. He did not like working in the heavily Chinese district of Richmond because in his words the customers would arrive late and expect to be served right away. If they were not served immediately they assumed that the customer who was being served in their place had paid extra. He did not like the pressure of that situation.

He eventually opened his own shop in North Vancouver. He said that he made sure to learn all about the subjects that his clients were interested in from fly fishing to the stock market. He knew that if customers liked him they would come back.

After 20 years in Canada dealing with English speaking Canadian clients, his English is just terrible. His pronunciation and use of words, structure, you name it, are all quite poor. When he talked about a leading politician and his wife, “he” and “she” were regularly used wrong. I had trouble understanding whom he was talking about. People who are not used to Chinese accents must have trouble understanding him. His English is poor even by the standards of his native Hong Kong.

So what is the conclusion? He doesn’t represent everyone but just being immersed in the language and talking the language will not necessarily improve your language skills. You need to want to improve. You need to have a deliberate program of improvement and you need to listen.

On the other hand, my barber has been successful at building up a customer base and he did not seem to feel inhibited in any way by his poor English. He was a communicator although a better talker than a listener. I have not suggested to him that he join The Linguist.

you can heard my presentation here: Short introduction

Hi

Today i’m creating an english blog for my homework.

i’m am as hopeless in english as in internet stuff!

so please, be lenient with my work.

Nastasia.

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