What do Paragraphs and Hamburgers Have in Common?

Paragraphs can be compared to hamburgers in order to understand their structure. The

top bun would represent the topic sentence, where the paragraph’s main idea is ex-

pressed. The hamburger’s contents are sentences that support the topic sentence, so

that the reader may agree with it. The bottom bun is a final part where you give finish-

ing touch to the whole idea with the conclusions. It can be a fun and effective way to

understand paragraph structures and how essential they are.

Edited by: Hernán Rojas R. 2015-II Edition National University of Colombia

What is the relationship among the short stories? Choose an aspect that was

common in development

They were all ghost stories. In all the stories – except

for The Ghost Detective - somebody died and their

ghost became an important aspect in the story’s devel-

opment. The situations in which such people died also

played an important as background or even the main

plot of the stories.

As a side note, nobody died in The Ghost Detective.

However, there was still a ghost; the imprisoned man

appeared in his house as a ghost.

Hello Mr Williams,

I have read the advertisement of the Big Ben Language School and I find your

language courses quite interesting. However, I have a few questions. How

many students are there going to be in the school and in each class? Are the

teachers well qualified? What qualfications do they have? What resources are

there available to the school? What is included in the price? What extra things

am I going to need to pay? I'd also like to know about the amenities available

in the inmediate surroundings.

As a more personal question; the advertisement mentions some sporting ac-

tivities, what activities are those? Is it mandatory to take part in such activities?

Thank you in advance for your answer, have a good day!

Life Can Be Impressive as a beautiful Tragicomedy

If there is a movie that can make you laugh out of a tragedy while not making you feel bad, that has to be Rob-

erto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful. It is widely regarded as not only one of the best foreign movies (By Hollywood

standards) of all time, but also as one the best movies overall. It is one you need to watch several times during

your life, ten would probably not be enough. The great story it contains and the acclamation it has gathered by

the public and the critics alike are just two of the reasons (not overshadowed by criticism towards the topic

treated) why it is so great.

It tells the story of an Italian Jewish man called Guido (Benigni) who meets a beautiful woman and eventually

gets married. They are a very happy couple and have a son; however, World War II breaks out and, as a Jewish

family, they are taken prisoners to a concentration camp. The story is developed around Guido trying to reunite

with his wife – Women and Men were kept apart - and protecting his son from even knowing what was hap-

pening in often hilarious and creative ways.

Besides, it is not only my opinion. The movie was well received by critics, being nominated for seven Oscars and

winning three, including best actor for Benigni. He joined a select group of actors who have won the Oscar for

a role in which they did not speak English. The movie also won Best Foreign Picture and was nominated for

Best Director (Benigni), Best Writing (Shared by Benigni) and Best Picture overall. Also, it is often lauded by fans

as one of the greatest movies of all time.

There is some criticism towards the tragicomedy theme, due to sensibility coming from the Holocaust. It is said

the movie makes too much fun of such a serious topic. However, the movie still shows the horror of the holo-

caust and stays true to its tragedy side; you never get to think it might have been a laughable thing.

A beautiful movie where comedy is always present.

Great Piano Lessons not for Beginners

The personalized piano course offered by Mr. Wolfgang Beethoven has the credibility and the

recognition of the public and yet not my approval. The course is advertised as lessons for be-

ginners, but that is simply not true. Mr. Beethoven teaches things that can only be learned if

you have certain previous musical knowledge (even about piano!).

The first class was rather strange, he immediately asked me to sit down in front of the piano

and play a music piece, following a music sheet. How was I supposed to do that when I did

not even know how to read music sheet? It seems he always asks you play something and

then corrects your mistakes. Frankly, I was expecting him to explain things like how to sit,

how to position your hands; basic things. That is not a class for beginners.

Of course, I cannot say the course was completely terrible. At least I learned what the G sym-

bol represents. Besides, Mr. Beethoven is greatly talented and seems to be quite patient; the

problem is simply he expects too much previous knowledge from people. Therefore, if you

want an advanced piano lesson, it is perfect for you; otherwise, stay away from it.