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Self-Study English Development Exercises

Self-Study English Development Exercises

Date: Sep 12 2011

Topic: Writing

Author: englishteacher24/7

Lesson

To improve your English ability requires you to read, write, and think in English.  Therefore, I am starting a new lesson to help you accomplish this.  These lessons will allow you to research a topic and submit your report to this forum.

The first topic is on: The Edmund Fitzgerald

Please include in your report the following items: who, what, when, where and how

Participating in this exercise will reward you with the following:

  1. Help develop your research abilities in English.
  2. Promote your understanding and improve your comprehension.
  3. Improve your reading and writing abilities.
  4. Develop your thinking in English.
  5. Provide positive reinforcement and self-satisfaction of accomplishment.

This will be a good investment of your time to achieve fluency in English!

Comments

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englishteacher24/7

United States

Here’s a method to listen to the lyrics while you read them:


1. Open a new window to be able to read the lyrics


2. Click on the original profile page window and click on the song to start the song playing


3. Return to the window with the lyrics and read the lyrics while the song is playing


4. While listening to the song, listen carefully to study how the singer pronounces each word that you read


5. Read the bolded line(s) under the lyrics to understand and repeat listening until you can understand the song without reading the lyrics.

englishteacher24/7

United States


Here is the translated version of the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”  Hopefully this exercise will give you an opportunity to learn English from another angle.  Please notice the use of “personification” in the lyrics which is referring to the lake and ship as “her.”



The Edmund Fitzgerald Lyrics Translated



The bolded text is the translated portion of the lyrics. Start of lyrics



The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
The story continues to be told from Chippewa Indian tribes and others




Of the big lake they called ‘Gitche Gumee’
The Ojibwe Indian tribe (Chippewa tribe) named Lake Superior “Gichigami” which means “big water.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used the name “Gitche Gumee” in his song, “The Song of Hiawatha”




The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
This lake is known for not allowing bodies to be found. It’s used in the female gender because the writer is using Personification which uses human attributes in describing non-human things.




When the skies of November turn gloomy
When the clouds turn dark and it looks like bad weather in November



With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
With a load of iron ore of 26,000 tons in addition to the weight of the ship



Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.



That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
That beloved ship and its crew was described as food for the storm in which personification is used


 


When the gales of November came early.
When the wind storms in November came before the usual time


The ship was the pride of the American side
Americans were very proud of this ship, the Great Lakes include the United States and Canada


Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin



The ship was returning from a mill (the source of the iron ore) in the state of Wisconsin in the United States



As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most



When compared to other large freighter ships, the Edmund Fitzgerald was larger than most of them



With a crew and good captain well-seasoned




The ship had a very experienced crew and captain (well-seasoned means someone you are describing is really skillful at what they do)



Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms




They had just completed signing contract papers with 2 steel companies concerning the iron ore shipment



When they left fully loaded for Cleveland



Afterwards, the ship left those 2 companies and started to make the journey to the city of Cleveland, located in the state of Ohio (there are 50 states that are a part of the United States)




And later that night when the ship’s bell rang




During the night, the strong wind caused the bell on the ship to ring




Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?
The captain and crew was wondering if the strong wind they had been feeling was the dreaded north wind which had a bad reputation for sinking ships

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound



The wind blowing through various cables made a sound like it was the dreaded north wind. Tattle-tale is a phrase used to describe children who run to tell their parent everything their brother or sister did to get them into trouble.



And a wave broke over the railing
Because of the strong winds, a wave came onto the ship, higher than the railing on the edge of the ship




And every man knew, as the captain did too,
This was a sign of trouble to all of the crew, including the captain



T’was the witch of November come stealin’.
This was a known occurrence personified as a “witch of November,” that it was here to take lives



The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
It seemed like the new day came late and because of the wind activity, the breakfast had to be delayed but in the end was cancelled due to the storm



When the Gales of November came slashin’.
Because the strong winds of November came throwing water violently onto the boat



When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
By afternoon time, it was so cold that the rain which landed onto the boat froze



In the face of a hurricane west wind.
This rain also had a strong wind blowing from the west



When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’



At dinner time, the person who did the cooking made an announcement to everyone on the boat. The phrase “old cook” was referring affectionately to the person who did the cooking, not that he was old



Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.
The Cook said, “Guys, the wind is blowing too strong to feed you dinner”



At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said
At 7:00 in the evening, a main hatch collapsed, the main hatch is a part of the boat that opens for ventilation for the people inside the boat



Fellas, it’s been good t’know ya
Guys it’s been a pleasure to know you. This statement is made as a farewell to their shipmates because they knew they would not see each other again



The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
The captain sent a message inland the ship had water



And the good ship and crew was in peril.
The beloved ship and crew was in danger of sinking



And later that night when his lights went outta sight
After the boat was sustaining damage from the strong winds, finally at night they lost electricity and the lights went out



Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
At this point, the ship sank, which has been called “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
It’s a mystery to understand where God’s love is during a time like this



When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Because of the terror of the waves crashing into the boat, the minutes seemed like hours



The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
The people searching for the ship thought the Edmund Fitzgerald should have arrived at Whitefish Bay



If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her.
If they would have been able to travel another 15 miles




They might have split up or they might have capsized;
Because they didn’t arrive at Whitefish Bay, people assumed they sunk, because the boat must have broke into pieces or turned over



They may have broke deep and took water.
They may have broke up because too much water entered the ship (took water)



And all that remains is the faces and the names
The ship disappeared and all that is left is the memory of the people that was on the ship and their names



Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.
Especially to the wives, sons and their daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
Lake Superior waters can become turbulent, and since it drains into Lake Huron, it causes it to become turbulent




In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Lake Superior freezes during the winter time and various compartments of the lake are like an ice-water mansion




Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams;


Lake Superior can be furious unexpectedly as compared to a young man’s dreams which can change unexpectedly



Lake Michigan races like the thoughts of a young man
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
The islands and bays of Lake Superior are loved by sportsmen who fish and ride their boats there



And farther below Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes which is located south of Lake Superior (below means south because if you look on a globe, anything south is going downward)




Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
Lake Ontario receives water from Lake Erie (take in means to receive something, send her means to give something,) Lake Erie flows north and enters into Lake Ontario through the Niagara river which has Niagara Falls in it’s path




And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
The boats that carry iron ore (iron boats) travel there and all the crews of the ships (Mariners) are familiar with it




With the Gales of November remembered.
The strong winds of that November are remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
The people prayed in an old musty place located in the city of Detroit




In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral.




In a church named the Maritime Sailors Cathedral in the city of Detroit which was founded in 1842 as a special mission to the maritime travelers of the Great Lakes




The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
They rang the church bell 29 times




For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
In memory of each man that was on the Edmund Fitzgerald



 



The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
The notorious story of the reputation of Lake Superior continues from the Chippewa Indian tribe to all others




Of the big lake they call ‘Gitche Gumee’.
Of the notorious “big lake” named “Gichigami” (Gitche Gumee) by the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Indian tribe




Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
Lake Superior, it has been said, never allows the people who have died there to be found



When the gales of November come early!




When the strong winds in November come early!

* End of translation of lyrics *




http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/gordon_lightfoot/#share




Overview of The Great Lakes



(Click the link for a larger map picture)


Outlined Map of Great Lakes,Canada, St.Lawrence River and United States


 The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume behind Baikal in Russia.[1][2] The total surface is 208,610 km2 (80,545 sq mi), and the total volume is 22,560 km3 (5,412 cu mi). The Great Lakes hold 21% of the world’s surface fresh water.[



The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - and their connecting channels form the largest fresh surface water system on earth. If you stood on the moon, you could see the lakes and recognize the familiar wolf head shape of Lake Superior, or the mitten bounded by lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie. Covering more than 94,000 square miles and draining more than twice as much land, these Freshwater Seas hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water, about one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water supply and nine-tenths of the U.S. supply. Spread evenly across the contiguous 48 states, the lakes’ water would be about 9.5 feet deep.

The channels that connect the Great Lakes are an important part of the system. The St. Marys River is the northernmost of these, a 60-mile waterway flowing from Lake Superior down to Lake Huron. At the St. Marys rapids, the Soo Locks bypass the rough waters, providing safe transport for ships. The St. Clair and Detroit rivers, and Lake St. Clair between them, form an 89-mile long channel connecting Lake Huron with Lake Erie. The 35-mile Niagara River links lakes Erie and Ontario, and sends approximately 50,000 to 100,000 cubic feet of water per second over Niagara Falls; the manmade Welland Canal also links the two lakes, providing a detour around the falls. From Lake Ontario, the water from the Great Lakes flows through the St. Lawrence River all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 miles away.



Well, I hope this lesson will be helpful to you, just take a small amount of information, seek to understand it, and then move to the next verse. After you’ve done it completely, put it all together and you will understand the whole song!  Please feel free to ask any questions you have concerning this project.



I plan to post the next mini lesson “Understanding American English Phrases” in the “Inside the language” lesson soon on my profile page.  Hope to see you there!



 



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes



http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_River


04:22 AM Nov 03 2011 |

1 person likes this

englishteacher24/7

United States

Gucci, thanks for your feedback.  I was preparing to post the translation today.  However, because of your comments, I intend to take another day and add more details to the translation, to fully explain certain words. 


For those who are following this exercise,  please understand the topic and write down the portions of the song that you don’t understand.  Once I have posted the translation, determine if you still have questions, then ask.  Here is the basic information concerning The Edmund Fitzgerald:


Who: The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald


What: American Great Lakes freighter (ship) carrying taconite (iron ore) sunk.


When: November 10, 1975


Where: Lake Superior Canadian waters


How: Hurricane-like force winds and water waves of 11 meters 

04:32 AM Nov 01 2011 |

Gucci Yeung

China

I must say it is a great method to improve our abilities in English. But I can’t finish it this time, because there are too many technical terms that I don’t understand. When I read the wiki page about the Edmund Fitzgerald, I thought she was a windsurfer or the like. I didn’t even realize she was actually a ship until I looked up a dictionary ;-D Well, though I didn’t get the reward listed, I gained some knowledge about American culture. I think exploring its culture is also an important part in our English learning. Thanks, dear teacher!

04:12 PM Oct 30 2011 |

englishteacher24/7

United States

The Edmund Fitzgerald song lyrics analysis project.  This exercise will be a big project  but I will go through the lyrics line by line so you will understand.  Go to this link to learn about The Edmund Fitzgerald: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald


I have posted the song by Gordon Lightfoot of the “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” in the Relaxation Lounge on my profile page, listen to it and then follow along while reading the lyrics.  For those of you who cannot see the songs in the Relaxation Lounge, try to find it on the Internet, if not, don’t worry, just read the lyrics:


Start of lyrics


The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called ‘Gitche Gumee’
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T’was the witch of November come stealin’.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the Gales of November came slashin’.
When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’.
Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.
At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it’s been good t’know ya
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
May have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams;
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral.
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call ‘Gitche Gumee’.
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early!


End of lyrics


I understand this is advance material, however, I believe everyone will receive some information that will be helpful, in addition to history.


I intend to start explaning the lyrics in about a week so you will have time to research and  comprehend the material. 


I wish you success in this endeavor.



 


 

07:52 AM Oct 25 2011 |

englishteacher24/7

United States

Thanks Peacelover for sharing your report, I’m sure it will be helpful for others to read.  I want to continue and analyze the song that Gordon Lightfoot wrote on the Edmund Fitzgerald for the advanced students and to break it down for the beginning and intermediate students.  I want to take something that may seem complicated and make it understandable for everyone. 


Bruce_zhou, I will consider your spendid idea of chatting concernng a specific topic, thanks for submitting it.


Joy4short, thanks for your feedback, looking forward to your report!


 

05:14 AM Oct 13 2011 |

Joy4short

Joy4short

Japan

Such  a  wonderful  idea    Sir.  Got  to  start  my  job right  now  and I’ll be  back  soon  to  accomplish  this  report.Thank  you  very  much,  such  a  big help  for  us  who  wants  to   improve  our  english.Laughing

12:16 AM Oct 12 2011 |

Bruce_zhou

China

Hi ENGLIHSTEACHER,for one thing ,thanks for your advise and really appreciate,actually,the 5 W method which you used in your article from project managment,it’s userful and valuable,as for me i m also eager to get improving in my english ,especial oral english,if only i can speak english will , i will work more easily and can communication with my forigner friends freely,i like clture of all of the world,whatever which country,i think totally in interesting,some guys told me need writing more and speaking more,that’s you can learing english well in short time,but also we chat with our friend also have some know-how,can not just talk about free topics,it’s so boring,should be chatting with your friend special topics,and discussing together,you will be improving so fast,i don’t know it’s right or not,someone can share your experience here and discuss here,i m really appreciate.

07:47 AM Oct 11 2011 |

PeaceLover

PeaceLover

India

Thanks for giving some words about that. I hope it’ll encourage the people to advance their learning. I think that would be the real appreciation.


and


I’d like to thank you for showing the way to learn in a better environment.


Great job.


Keep it up teacherSmile

07:11 AM Oct 11 2011 |

englishteacher24/7

United States

Thanks!

05:28 AM Oct 11 2011 |

gigi2550

gigi2550

Thailand

You are very welcome, Englishteacher 24/7. I read some forums here and yours are very useful for many people who want to improve their English. Great job!

03:20 AM Oct 11 2011 |

englishteacher24/7

United States

Gigi, I appreciate your feedback and you have given good advice.  I’ll incorporate it into my future exercises.  Thanks!

06:28 AM Oct 10 2011 |

1 person likes this

englishteacher24/7

United States

 


PeaceLover, you’ve satisfied the criteria for this report and did a superb job in doing so.


Who: The Edmund Fitzgerald


What: American Great Lakes freighter carrying taconite (ore) sunk.


When: November 10, 1975


Where: Lake Superior Canadian waters


How: Hurricane-like force winds and water waves of 11 meters


In writing an English composition, this would be the framework of your report with details written in to provide content.  Actually, it’s a collection of simple sentences connected with conjunctions.


The goal of this exercise is to move you from the English knowledge in your head to your hand and communicating information to others.  Do not wait until you can write perfect English, I don’t write perfect English!  Once you have written something, you can improve from there.


I would like to encourage the rest of you to write to promote your advancement in English.

06:20 AM Oct 10 2011 |

gigi2550

gigi2550

Thailand

Your topic is quite a good suggestion to help learners improve their English,  I do like it. Still, as a non-native English user who occasinonally teaches English, I think the topic is rather advance for many non-native English learners in some countries. In this case, the name could have been someone who is better known globally.  

11:32 PM Oct 09 2011 |

1 person likes this

PeaceLover

PeaceLover

India

Edmund Fitzgerald Fitz or Mighty Fitz or Big Fitz was an American Great Lakes freighter. She was launched to waters on June 8, 1958 after a no of hurdles and after serving for 17 years sunk in Lake Superior with all 29 crew members. She embarked its last journey on Nov. 10, 1975 and met its bad luck in Canadian waters in depth of 530 ft. During its lifetime she made six haul records of carrying the ore. She used to voyage from mines of Duluth, Minnesota carrying taconite to iron works at Detroit, Toledo and other ports. She was the biggest boat in Lake Superior and remains biggest sunk there in history. She used to be a popular boat for spectators with her entertaining captain Dee Jay(Peter Pulcer) piping day and night on its intercom. He used to do live commentary while passing through Duluth or other ports. Later investigations revealed that she may have fallen prey to Hurricane-like force and water waves of 11 meter swamped into her deck and cargo hatch. It’s the biggest disaster in the history of Superior shipping. Later in turn that resulted in major changes in regulations and practices. She was the subject of 1976 hit song “The wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald.



Thank you.


Have good day .

01:47 PM Oct 08 2011 |

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