Computer problems

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Information Technology (IT) now dominate our lives. We use computers, the internet, mobile phones, scanners and printers to make our lives a lot easier. We have increased dependence on them, and most of us are not able to get by on a day-to-day basis without them as well. There is nothing more frustrating than when a computer isn’t working properly (e.g. when you can’t move the cursor – the arrow, on the screen) or isn’t working at all.

We will look at the vocabulary connected to computers and laptops (portable computers) when they have problems and ways to solve/fix them.

Read the following conversation between Juan and Peter. Peter is having problems with his laptop before giving a short Power Point presentation in a meeting.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Juan: ‘What’s happening Peter, you look frustrated?’

Peter: ‘My laptop won’t turn on. It was working before, I don’t know what’s wrong!’

Juan: ‘Is it plugged in?’

Peter: ‘Yeah, I have connected it to the electricity, but that shouldn’t be important because the laptop’s battery still has charge or power.’

Juan: ‘Are you sure that the socket in the wall has power? Try to plug it into another socket.’

Peter: ‘I’ve tried that already and the socket has power. I thought that there may be a problem with the power cable, but it’s working fine with the other laptop here.’

Juan: ‘I had a problem with my desktop computer last year where the wires had come loose in the power cable. So I had to replace the power cable. You can use my laptop to show it.’

Peter: ‘Thanks Juan, but I only saved the presentation to my hard drive. So I can’t show the presentation on your laptop.’

Juan: ‘Can you remember when I had that problem with my laptop in July. When suddenly the screen froze and the laptop wouldn’t respond when I pressed any of the keys on the keyboard or when I moved my finger on the touch pad. Sometimes it recovered and I could continue to use the application, but other times it crashed and stopped working completely. So, I had to reboot the laptop. It was so frustrating, because I sometimes lost all of the work I’d been doing. Then the application didn’t load at all, so I couldn’t even use it then. The technician told me it was a software fault with the application. So he just reinstalled the application and it’s been working fine.’

Peter :’I’m happy for you, but I don’t have any power to the laptop, so it’s not a software fault. It seems like a hardware fault.’

We’re now going to work on an online quiz, which will give us a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text. Fill in the blanks with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use one word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text. Click on the “Check Answers” button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

Okay! I think it’s very important for us to know how to talk about that, although I truly hope none of these problems happen to you! 😉

Related lessons are: Remote classes and A ‘dead’ battery?

If you want additional work on computer problems, check this good listening lesson.

Independence Day

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Brazil is celebrating its 198th anniversary as a nation today (birthday of the nation).

On September 7th 1822, a declaration of independence from Portugal was made by Pedro di Alcântara, the 23-year-old son of the Portuguese King.

After that, Pedro I became the first emperor of Brazil and forced Portuguese forces to leave Brazil. In 1889 Brazil finished its monarchy and became a republic but kept 7th September as its Independence Day.

On this day there are celebrations in the capital, Brasilia, with military parades, air shows, musical concerts and fireworks in the evening. Parties and parades will also take place in most state capitals.

Did you know?

The 27 stars on the blue globe represent the 27 states of Brazil. Though several stars have been added over the years, the stars are arranged to match the night sky over Rio de Janeiro on the evening of November 15th 1889.

Here are some interesting facts about Brazil:

Now, most of the people mispronounce the word independence. So listen and practice. 😉

https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/brazil/brazil-independence-day

A hero lies in you

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How many things do you do every day? How many people do you provide for? How hard do you work to earn a living? What are your responsibilities? Are you or someone you love having to cope with a severe disease?

We tend to look up to (to admire or respect) some people, our heroes, as examples and role models. But think carefully. When you spend some time really listening to someone, when you have the money to pay all your bills, when you care for a sick person daily, you are a hero. That’s when a hero lies inside of you.

Look at the lyrics below. Look up the words you don’t know, and notice how they combine. Then play the game. Have fun!

Hero

There’s a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don’t have to be afraid
Of what you are
There’s an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It’s a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And that emptiness you felt
Will disappear

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
That a hero lies in you
Mmm, that a hero lies in you

Lord knows, dreams are hard to follow
But don’t let anyone tear them away
Just hold on, there will be tomorrow
In time, you’ll find the way

And then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside, and you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you

That a hero lies in you
That a hero lies in you
That a hero lies in you

Early bird or night owl?

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Do you wake up early every day, or do you stay up late every night? Waking up early would mean you are an early bird, staying up late into the night would make you a night owl. What effect might this trait have on your personality? Intelligence? Success rate?

I’ve decided to give you information about the pros and cons of being an early bird or a night owl, through this video. You can practice your listening, and write down what it says, to study vocabulary and phrases. Slow down playback speed, by clicking the Settings icon, if you need it.

So, are you an early bird or a night owl? Which one are you? Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?

Keep warm!!

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A powerful cold air mass of polar origin is over Brazil. This unusual sharp cooling has been producing freezing temperatures.

Look at some vocabulary to describe the weather here.

Now, the only thing I can think of, to tell people is:

“Make sure you keep warm!”

To keep/stay warm means to keep your body warm, meaning wear the right clothes or do the correct activity or thing to keep yourself warm (referring to body temperature).

It is a normal closing for good wishes. In the middle of winter, ‘stay warm’ would be taken as a wish that you keep warm now that the cold weather is upon us.

Next a few tips to deal with this cold weather: