Books & Literature
Free ebook: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
The latest Grammaticus Free Library ebook is a story by the American writer William Sydney Porter (1861-1910), better known as O. Henry. Like many of his other short stories, The Gift of the Magi has a delightfully surprising ending - a perfect tale for the holiday season.
My favourite wintertime books
In this post I’ll share with you some of my favourite books with a dreamy wintertime setting. For the past few years we haven’t had much snow in my neck of the woods, but there’s plenty of it in these titles!
“A Christmas Carol” by Christina Rossetti
Set to music by Gustav Holst in 1906, this poem / church hymn has since become part of the classic repertoire of Christmas carols. After you read the poem, check out the vocabulary exercise at the bottom of the post, designed for English language learners.
Adeste fideles / O Come, All Ye Faithful
O Come, All Ye Faithful is one of those Christmas carols that everyone knows. If not the full lyrics, at least the tune will sound very familiar: it’s an almost obligatory hymn in countless churches, regardless of denomination.
Culture & Media
Retro TV tip: A Ghost Story for Christmas (BBC, 1971-1978)
This time of year, my favourite thing to re-watch is the legendary BBC anthology series “A Ghost Story for Christmas”. Originally broadcast between 1971 and 1978, each episode is a television adaptation of a classic ghost story, very much in the old tradition of wintertime storytelling focused on the supernatural and the otherworldly.
Films and documentaries on Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson, born on 10 December 1830. 🎂 This post is written primarily for those not entirely familiar with her life and works. It offers a short (and partially retro) selection of must-see documentaries and feature films that will encourage you to explore the world of her poetry.
Learning English
The essential snowy weather vocabulary
It’s been claimed that the Inuit languages of North America have over 50 different words for snow. You may be surprised to learn that English comes pretty close: if we include all the regional variants and dialects, the list gets pretty long!
Confusing words: work vs job
One of the most frequent mistakes I hear from students has to do with the use of the words “work” and “job”. In this post, I’ll explain their core meaning and try to make a clear distinction between them.
Listening tips
Listening tips: Christmas
Want to do some listening practice on the topic of Christmas? Have a look at a small selection of podcasts I’ve been using with my students – one for each level, from A1 to C2.