Robin Hood

The story of Robin Hood is so well known that it scarcely needs to be reviewed, but don't worry, I'll do it anyway. The "facts ", at least one romantic version of them, are these. In the time of Richard the Lionheart a minor noble of Nottinghamshire, one Robin of Loxley, was outlawed for poaching deer. Now at that time the deer in a a royal forest belonged to the king, and killing one of the king's deer was therefore treason, and punishable by death.

So Robin took to the greenwood of Sherwood Forest, making a living by stealing from rich travellers and distributing the loot among the poor of the area. In the process he gained a band of followers and a spouse, Maid Marian. Despite the best efforts of the evil Sherrif of Nottingham he avoided capture until the return of King Richard from the Crusades brought about a full pardon and the restoration of Robin's lands. In other versions he dies at the hands of a kinswoman, the abbess of Kirklees Priory. That, in a very small nutshell, is the legend, but is there truth behind it?

Well, possibly. Someone, or maybe several someones, named Robin Hood existed at different times. Court records of the York Assizes refer to a "Robert Hod", who was a fugitive in 1226. In the following year the assizes referred to the same man as "Robinhud". By 1300 at least 8 people were called Robinhood, and at least 5 of those were fugitives from the law. In 1266 the Sherrif of Nottingham, William de Grey, was in active conflict with outlaws in Sherwood Forest. It seems most likely that a number of different outlaws built upon the reputation of a fugitive in the forest, and over time, the legend grew.

One thing to note about the early legends is that Robin Hood was not an aristocrat, as he was later portrayed, but a simple yeoman driven to a life of crime by the harsh rule of the law of the rich. As such, it is easy to see how his story soon became a favourite folk tale among the poor.

There is, in the grounds of Kirklees Priory, a old grave stone, marking the final resting place of one "Robard Hude". Proof that part of the tale may be true? It would be nice to think so.

NI2A/C

• Homework: The second set of exercises I gave you about conditional tenses. I´m very sorry if I also said the chapters in your grammars. That´s an awful lot of work to do and I can´t have been thinking properly if I told you to do so many exercises. Sorry again.
• Grammar: I wish , conditional 3 and other words than if. We dealt with these chapters by means of giving example to illustrate the grammar point.
• EO: What would you do if...people became green after telling a lie? and some other funny examples to make you speak in english for a while, we also worked on the third conditional.
• CO: St.B.p.23. A song. "It´s my party" with the script to fill in and the audio. The rhythm is of the 60s of the last century, a very long time ago.
• EO. St.b.p.23 "Public or private medicine?" I know many of you don´t have a clear idea of the topic, however you must make a serious effort to have an opinion about it because this is one of the many topic you may come across in Certificación.
• Homework: Grammar, chapters 38,39,30,114,114 ,all of them are about conditionals and words used instead of if. And secondly a speaking activity: "Public or private medicine?". Remember that you must have an opinion about the topic. in case inspiration doesn´t come, browse the web.

NB1A/B

• Homdework: workbookp.8,9,10
• EO.StB.p.143 Verb phrases, eg, go to the cinema, cook dinner. A concentrated study for a few minutes and then oral practice by saying statements with the verb given ,eg. to listen to ______ and you had yo say the complete statement adding an object and the other way round ,with the object given you had to say a full statement with the right verb.e.g. to __________ in a flat.
• EE: Write statements like: I drive a BMW, I don´t smoke.
• CO: A photocopy with more verb expressions. Listen and repeat the verbs, listen and point to the correct verb. Exercises and audio 3.4, 3.5 ,4.9, 4.17 .Another photocopy with verbs expressing daily routines .Listen and repeat, listen and point to the right verbs. Exercises and audio 4.3, 4.4 .
  
• EO: Say what you do every day using the verbs ,objects and connectors like: and, but, after that, then ,finally.
• Homework: workbook, p, 11,12. Study the new vocabulary ,which is a lot and write a paragraph using connectors. eg. I get up at seven and then I have a shower, after that I have coffee for breakfast. I go to work.....
  I´m sorry ,there´s something wrong with one of the audio links. I simply can´t make it work. I´ll wait till Monday and ask a colleague of mine at work.
  

Maranche, thank you very much for this song. as you can see I´ve posted right away.