Will's Class

Announcements

Topic Notes

We'll probably spend a lot of time with the copula this fall.

BUT suggestions are always welcome, fall is a good time to concentrate on a favorite topic.

Last Time (September 11) (back to top)

Seanfhocal

Obair gan sos gan scíth, Inchinn mhaol gan bhrí. Basically, all work without rest dulls the brain so it isn't effective.

Comhrá & Show and Tell

We got caught up on each other's news, very well done!

And we examined yet another example of the gibberish that results when someone with no knowledge of the dictionary translates an English catch phrase into Irish.

Article Work

We used an article on bilingualism as the basis for several activities:

We examined the various uses of the word mar. This is a versatile, but tricky, word and it has been raised as a topic of interest. In the case of this article, we were interested in how it peforms a copula-like function at times.
We also looked at the various forms of the copula in the article, just collecting data and starting to identify patterns.
Finally, we translated the red boxes in the article itself. A few wiggly spots, but nothing our group couldn't handle.

If you translated the entire article (or want to), you can bring in questions about the sections we didn't get to for the next class.

Homework

For September 18

Bí vs. Is Practice: We're preparing some raw material for a class activity next week:

I have mentioned now and then that in regard to this "when to use the copula" issue, I would rather use the wrong form of the right verb than use the right form of the wrong verb!
It doesn't help that both verbs can be used to express very similar ideas, and we'll practice with that distinction a little bit. We need to prepare a some raw material:

Make a list of ten noun-adjective pairs, e.g., "teach bán".
Then create ten sentences using tá or níl (present only!) on the model, "Tá an teach sin bán."
Finally, create ten sentences using is/ní (present only) on the model, "Is teach bán é sin."

We'll work with your sentences in class. Watch for gender issues (feminine nouns, pronoun agreement) and things like "go deas" as appropriate.

Previous Class (August 28) (back to top)

Seanfhocal

Is fearr mac le himirt ná mac le hól. "Imirt" refers to playing games of chance, so it's better to have a son who gambles than one who drinks!

Comhrá & Show and Tell

Good tales were told, including several with an international flavor!

We also had a scéal from Johana! That, and some other interesting bits, can be found in my Show & Tell.

Audio

At the end of show & tell, we listened briefly to an RnaG news report on the flooding in Houston. We didn't go after every word, but we figured out a good portion.

Copula Exercise

Nobody had any real trouble with the homework assignment from the last handout. After all, this was mostly a matter of getting some practice, some drill. Well done!

Article Translation

We translated the two articles we had from last time, one about a fish named after Enya, one about a message in a bottle that landed after eight years in the ocean.

Comments and questions are welcome via e-mail