Nigel Farry. The English Coach

25/09/2026

Another from my series of Ray Lonsdale sculptures - Scunthorpe Steelworkers

Scunthorpe Steelworkers by Ray Lonsdale (b.1965), 2018, from High Street, Foundry Square, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.

It depicts a male and female steelworker with a bicycle, honouring the town's heavy industry heritage and the crucial role women played in the steelworks during wartime and the 1940s.
It is built from self-weathering Corten steel, which develops a protective rust-like appearance over time.
Set atop a large square granite plinth featuring a reproduction period lamp-post, the project was led by the Scunthorpe Steel town Team and funded through seven years of public fundraising totalling nearly £50,000

23/09/2026

Word of the day - pandemonium (pan·​de·​mo·​ni·​um)
noun

a situation in which there is a lot of noise and confusion because people are excited, angry, or frightened: bedlam, chaos
Pandemonium reigned in the hall as the unbelievable election results were read out.
The pandemonium of the school playground

22/09/2026

Great British Landmarks - The Royal Albert Hall
located in South Kensington, London, it is a famous concert and performance venue that opened in March 1871.
Purpose: Built to fulfill Prince Albert’s vision of promoting the arts and sciences. It is named in his memory.
Design: Inspired by Roman amphitheaters, featuring a distinctive red brick exterior and a massive unsupported glass dome.
Capacity: Holds around 5,200 to 5,500 people.
Events: Best known for hosting the annual BBC Proms classical music festival, rock and pop concerts, tennis matches, and award ceremonies.
The Organ: Home to a massive Henry Willis pipe organ nicknamed the "Voice of Jupiter," which has over 9,900 pipes.
Additional fact - I have played here, in the British brass band championships whilst at school.

19/09/2026

Future Continuous introduction

The future continuous tense describes an ongoing action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

• Positive: Subject + will be + verb-ing
o Example: I will be working at 8:00 PM tonight.

• Negative: Subject + will not be (won't be) + verb-ing
o Example: She won't be sleeping when you arrive.

• Question: Will + subject + be + verb-ing
o Example: Will you be using this computer?

When to Use It
• An action in progress at a specific time: To show an activity that starts before and continues after a certain moment in the future.

o Example: At midnight, I will be sleeping.

• Habits or expected routines: For things that are scheduled or expected to happen naturally.

o Example: I will be seeing him at the meeting next week.

• Polite questions: To ask about someone's plans without sounding pushy or intrusive.

o Example: Will you be staying for dinner?

19/09/2026

Great Engineering feats -
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built between 1923 and 1932, and it officially opened on March 19, 1932. Construction officially began with work on the approach spans in1923 and on the main steel arch in1925.
The two halves of the massive steel arch met in the middle in 1930.
On March 19th 1932 The bridge was completed and opened to the public.
Key Facts - It took Eight years to build
Lead engineer: Dr John Bradfield Builder: Dorman Long and Co of Middlesbrough, England.

Today - an important route across Sydney harbour, it remains an awe inspiring site.

18/09/2026

Tongue Twisters – Peter Piper

How fast can you complete this tongue twister?

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers -
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

17/09/2026

My latest Ray Lonsdale Picture - "And the Village Remains: The Last Tub"
It is a prominent public Corten steel statue.
The monument is located in South Hetton, a village in County Durham, England. It stands on the A182 road directly in front of a striking heritage mural on the wall of the Robin Todd Centre.
The statue depicts a life-sized colliery miner pushing a final coal tub. The figure captures a bittersweet moment—the miner is pushing the tub forward while his face looks back, symbolizing a nod to the past as the community faces the future.
It serves as a permanent memorial dedicated to the people who lived and worked as part of the South Hetton Colliery Community, which closed down in the 1980s. It honours those who worked the mines, those who were injured, and those who lost their lives.
Commissioned by the South Hetton Heritage Group via public donations, the statue was officially unveiled on December 3, 2016. A plaque affixed to the front of the statue's plinth features a moving poem written by Ray Lonsdale himself: "Long gone the shaft, the tub, the face, Long gone the black coal stains. Wiped our hands, turned off the lamps, But the village still remains."

15/09/2026

A look at Will and Be going to.

Will
Use will when you make a choice in the exact moment of speaking.
• Spontaneous Decisions: "It is hot. I will open the window."
• Promises and Offers: "I will help you with your bags."
• Predictions based on opinion: "I think it will rain tomorrow."

Use WON'T in the negative form.
• I told him to take out the bin but he won't do it.
• My car won't start.

Going To
Use be going to when you talk about a future event that you already planned or decided on earlier.
• Prior Plans: "I am going to visit my parents this weekend."
• Predictions based on present evidence: "Look at those dark clouds! It is going to rain."
• When something is about to happen: “Get back! The dog is going to attack you”

Future Predictions
Both Will and Going to can be used for making future predictions without having a real difference in meaning.

15/09/2026

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PYon8MlGKhY

The latest Shakespearian insult from The English Coach

12/09/2026

Nigel Farry is in Charsznica.
a few seconds ago
·
Shared with Public
Word of the day - gist (JIST)
noun, which almost always appears in the phrase “the gist,” refers to the general or basic meaning of something written or said.
"I found the author’s grandiloquent style of writing intolerable, but I got the gist of the story."
“His daughter dismissed the film they were watching early on, Allen explained, because she'd already got the gist of what was going to happen.”
The main point, overarching theme, essence—that’s gist in a nutshell. The gist of gist, if you will.
The gist of a conversation, argument, story, or what-have-you is what we rely on when the actual words and details are only imperfectly recalled, inessential, or too voluminous to recount in their entirety.
Gist was borrowed from the Anglo-French legal phrase laccion gist (“the action lies/is based [on]”) in the 17th century, and it was originally used in law as a term referring to the foundation or grounds for a legal action without which the action would not be legally sustainable.