Управление общего и профессиональногообразования
Муниципальное общеобразовательноеучреждение
«Научное общество учащихся среднейобщеобразовательной школы № 7»
Секция: Английская филология
An Evergreen topic inBritish classical literature, children’s poems and everyday speech: patterns ofclimate in the British isles
Чайковский 2007
Introduction
The theme: “An evergreen topic inBritish classical literature, children’s poems and everyday speech: Patterns ofclimate in the British Isles”.
The topic ofthe weather is the most interesting and most often discussed topic in theBritish Isles because the weather is very changeable there. A fine morning canchange into a wet afternoon and evening. And a nasty morning can change to afine afternoon. That’s why it’s natural for the British to use the comparisonas changeable as the weather “of a person who often changes his mood or opinionabout something”. “Other countries have «climate, in Britain we haveweather». This statement is often made by the British to describe themeteorological conditions of their country.
Many Britishauthors describe British weather in their books and poems. And what’s more thereare a lot of poems for children about seasons and weather.
The aim ofour work is to present a short survey of the average weather conditions in theBritish Isles and to show how these conditions are reflected in Britishclassical literature, in children’s poems and in everyday speech.
The goalsare:
1) to describethe UK climate
2) to describeseasons and months and to show their descriptions in British literature andchildren’s poems
3) to presentthe British climate as a favourite topic of conversations
Hypothesis: we expect that the topicof the weather is the most interesting, most favourite and most often discussed topic inthe British Isles. That’s why, many British authors describe British weather intheir books and poems.
While workingat the topic, we used different classical literature, textbooks, and children’spoems which helped us to describe the weather in different seasons, months andeveryday speech.
Thedescription of the UK climate and factors which influence the climate ofBritain
The climate inthe UK is generally mild and temperate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream.
In England theclimate is mild, temperate, soft and damp thanks to the warmth of washing itseas. The average temperature is about 11˚C in the south and 9˚C in thenorth-east. The warmest month is July and the coldest is January. The averageJuly temperature in London is about 11-17˚C, the average Januarytemperature is about 3-7˚C. The north-eastern region is the coldest inEngland whereas the south-east and the Westland are the warmest. The averagerainfall is 600-750 mm. The largest part falls from September till January.Fogs are frequent there.
The climate ofNorthern Ireland is mild and humid. In winter the waters of nearby seainfluence the coastal regions. Inside the country there are rather lowtemperatures because of cold air downwards. The average temperature is about 10˚C.It’s about 14,5˚C in July and 4,5˚C in January. The Ireland is alittle cloudier and wetter than England because of its hilly landscape. Thequantity of rainfall in the north is more than 1016 mm a year, in the south itis about 760 mm a year.
Scotland isthe coldest region in the UK, although the climate is rather mild. The averageJanuary temperature is about 3˚C, it often snows in the mountains in thenorth. The average July temperature is about 15˚C. The largest rainfall ison the west of the Highlands (about 3810 mm), less in some eastern regions(about 635 mm a year). Sometimes it rains more than 240 days a year.
The climate ofWales is as mild and humid as in England. The average January temperature is5,5˚C. The average July temperature is about 15,5˚C. The coldestplaces are distant from the Sea Shore. The average rainfall is 762 mm in thecentral coastal region and more than 2540 mm near Snow don.
So, rainfallis more or less even throughout the year. Annual rainfall decreases from westto east and increases with height. The highest parts of Britain, where rainfalls two days out of three, receive mote than 100 inches. In East Anglia, rainfalls only one day out of three and evaporation often exceeds rainfall.Elsewhere in Britain, rain falls about one day out of two.
One can seethe considerable contrasts of climate within the comparatively small area ofBritain. They are partly due to the elongated shape of the country. Thepronounced regional contrasts are also due to Britain’s position between agreat land mass and a vast ocean.
The climate ofthe western part of Britain is maritime in character (humid and cloudy), whileeastern and south-eastern England have certain of Europe’s climatic attributes,including biting cold, wind and snow showers in winter.
“The melancholydays are come, the saddest of the year, of wailing winds, and naked woods, andmeadows brown and sere” (Robert Browing);
“In winter,when the dismal rain comes down in slanting lines, and wind, that grand oldharper, smote his thunder-harp pf pines…” (Alexander Smith);
“The winter’srains and ruins are over, and all the season of snows and sins; the daysdividing lover and lover, the light that loses, the night that wins” (AlgernonCharles Swinburne).
In children’srhymes one can also hear discontented notes about winter winds:
“Oh wind, whydo you never rest?
Wandering,whistling to and fro?
Bringing rain outof the west
From the dimnorth bringing snow?”
* * *
“No one cantell me
Nobody knows
Where the windcomes from
Where the windgoes”
* * *
Oh, I want toknow
What does thewind do?
Where does thewind go,
Mother, whenit does not blow?
* * *
“What is itgoing to do today?
“Rain orsnow?” the people say.
They look atthe sky, all wooly grey,
And watch theway the wind is blowing –
And they suddenlyknow –
Because it’ssnowing today!
* * *
Who has seenthe wind?
Neither younor I:
But when thetrees bow down their heads
The wind ispassing by.
Who has seenthe wind?
Neither I noryou:
But when theleaves hang trembling
The wind ispassing through.
* * *
The south windbrings wet together,
The north windwet and cold together,
The west windalways brings us rain,
The east windblows it back again.
The climate isgenerally so raw above 1,700 feet that the scenery is reminiscent of the subarcticregions of Scandinavia.
Substantialdifferences in climate also occur within comparatively small areas. The sidesof valleys receive more sunshine if they face south, and are therefore warmer,while valley bottoms act as reservoirs for cold air draining off thesurrounding slopes, and are susceptible to frost and fog. Near the edge oflarge, deep lakes the extremes of climate are frequently moderated: on hotsummer days the air is cooled as it blows over the water, while on cold nightsthe water provides a protection from frost.
So, the UKclimate is mild and changeable due to the influence of many factors. Many poemsabout the weather prove it.
Thedescription of different seasons in classical literature and children’s books
Time and placemust both be considered in drawing generalizations about weather in the BritishIsles. Needless to say, that spring is the most favorite season. Poets andwriters are very proud of spring:
“Come, gentlespring, ethereal mildness!” (James Thomson);
“Now the northwind ceases, the warm south – west awakes, the heavens are out in fleeces, andearth’s green banner shakes” (George Meredith);
“Sweet spring,full of sweet days and roses, a box where sweets compacted lie” (GeorgeHerbert);
“And in greenunder wood and cover blossom by blossom the spring begins” (Algernon CharlesSwinburne);
Spring is awonderful time for children, too:
“Spring iscoming, I can feel it,
How soft isthe morning air!
Birds aresinging, buds are peeping
Life and joyare everywhere!”
* * *
I’m happy, I’mhappy!
I sing allday.
It’s spring,it’s spring again.
* * *
I like thesun,
I like thespring,
I like thebirds
That fly andsing.
* * *
In the spring,in the spring
Sweet andfresh is everything.
* * *
“O spring, ospring,
You wonderfulthing!
O spring, ospring
When the birdssing
I feel like aking; o spring!”
(Walter R.Books);
* * *
“Spring, thesweet spring,
Is the year’spleasant king
Then bloomseach thing,
Then maidsdance in a ring,
Cold doth notsting,
The prettybirds do sing:
Cuckoo,jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!”
(Thomas Mash);
* * *
“Cheep,cheep!” why do the birds sing?
“Cheep,cheep!” why do the birds sing?
“Cheep,cheep!” the birds all sing
“Cheep, cheep,cheep!” because it’s spring.
* * *
“In the springtime,
The onlypretty ring time
When birds dosing,
Heyding-a-ding, ding;
Sweet loverslove the spring”
(WilliamShakespeare);
* * *
Birds are inthe tree-tops
Flying hereand there,
Everything isgrowing,
Spring iseverywhere.
Flowers are inthe garden,
Butterfliesare there
Flying roundthe blossoms,
Spring is everywhere.
* * *
The birds arereturning,
Their songsfill the air.
And meadowsare smiling
With blossoms sofair.
* * *
When the earthis turned in spring,
The worms arefat as anything.
And birds comeflying all around
To eat theworms right off the ground.
They likeworms just as much as I
Like bred, andmilk, and apple pie.
Summer andearly autumn are fine and bright; the most ancient song that appears with itsmusical notes attached (about 1250) glorifies the coming of summer:
“Summer isicumen in – lhude sing cuccu! Groweth sed, and bloweth med, and springth thewudu nu – sing cuccu!” (Modern version: “summer has come in – sing loud,cuckoo! The seed grows and the meadow flowers, and now the wood is in leaf –sing cuckoo!”).
Children arevery glad when summer comes: “Come over, for the bee has quit the clover, andyour English summer’s done” (Rudyard Kipling);
“The swallowsare making them ready to fly, wheeling out on a windy sky; good-bye, summer,good-bye, good-bye” (George Whyle-Melville);
* * *
Come, mychildren, come away
For the sunshines bright today.
Littlechildren, come with me
Birds andtrees and flowers to see!
* * *
Ger your hatsand come away,
For it is apleasant day.
* * *
Let us make amerry ring,
Talk andlaugh, and dance and sing!
Quickly,quickly come away,
For it is apleasant day!
* * *
Summer’s here!
Days are long,and the sun
Is high andstrong.
Long live,summer!
Golden-bright,
Full of warmth
And sweetdelight!
In autumn andwinter fog is most frequent, particularly over the low-lying parts of theMidlands, where cold air gathers in hollows, and in the polluted parts ofcities. Fogs are densest when skies are clear and winds light, they aretherefore less common in coastal regions and in the Highlands, where autumn andwinter winds are strong. There are melancholy notes in the descriptions ofautumn and winter months: “No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, nocomfortable feel in any member – no shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, and no birds – November!” (Thomas Hood);
In one of hisletters Rudyard Kipling writes: “Never again will I spend another winter inthis accursed bucket shop of a refrigerator called England”.
George GordonByron sarcastically remarks in “Don Juan”: “In England winter – ending in July,to recommence in August”.
Such attitudesto winter may be found in many poetical works: “Fear no more the heat o’thesun, nor the furious winter’s rages” (William Shakespeare);
“O wind, ifwinter comes, can spring be far behind?” (Percy Bysshe Shelley);
Children’spoems about autumn are rather sad:
Flowers arehappy in summer
In autumn theydie and are blown away
Dry andwithered,
Their petalsdance in the wind
Like littlebrown butterflies”
(L. Hughes)
* * *
“Come, littleleaves”, saidthe wind one day.
“Come over themeadows with me and play
Put on yourdresses of red and gold,
For summer isgone and days are cold”.
* * *
This is theseason when days are cool,
When we eatapples and go to school.
And some poemsabout winter:
In winter timewe go
Walking in thefields of snow;
Where there isno grass at all;
Where the topof every wall,
Every houseand every tree
Is as white,as white can be.
And ourfootprints in the snow
Where thechildren go.
* * *
Skating,skating,
Boys and girlsso gay
Like to skatetogether
On a winterday.
Rain is afamiliar feature of the British climate in any season English literature:
“Lord, this isa huge rain! This was a weather to sleep in!” (Geoffey Chaucer);
“All day thelow-hung clouds have dropped their garnered fullness down; all day that softgray mist hath wrapped hill, valley, grove and town” (Caroline Southey);
“I bring freshshowers for the thirsting flowers, from the seas and the streams” (Percy ByssheShelley);
“Oft a littlemorning rain foretells a pleasant day” (Charlotte Bronte).
There are lotsof children’s poems about rain:
The sun isshining.
Flowers areblooming.
The sky isblue
And rains arefew.
* * *
“Rain, rain goto Spain,
Never showyour face again”
* * *
Rain, rain goaway,
Come againanother day,
Little Johnywants to play.
* * *
Rain on thegreen grass,
And rain onthe tree,
Rain on thehouse-top,
But not on me.
* * *
The rain israining all around
It falls onfield and tree
It rains onthe umbrellas here
And on theships at sea.
* * *
When cloudsappear
Like rocks andtowers,
The earth’srefreshed
By frequentshowers.
* * *
I like thefall,
The rain andall.
I like thegrey
September day.
I like therain
Against mypane.
I like to sit
And look atit.
I like thefall,
The rain andall.
* * *
The rain israining all around,
It falls onfield and tree,
It rains onthe umbrellas here,
And on theships at sea.
So,descriptions of some seasons and the weather show the beauty of British nature.And it proves that the topic of the weather is the most favourite topic for Britishauthors.
The weatherin different months and its description in classical literature and children’spoems
December,January and February are winter months. In January which is normally thecoldest month of the year, temperatures in the west, subject to warm windsblowing in off the Atlantic, are higher than those in the east. Warm coastalwaters cause warm nights in south-west England and west Wales.
Snow is a rareevent in Britain. Most heavy snow comes during winter months with easterly ornorth-easterly winds. On average, snow falls on 15 days a year in Norfolk, 20in Yorkshire and 34 in Aberdeen (Scotland). As a rule snow is considered to bea nuisance: “As I in hoary winter night stood shivering in the snow, surprisedwas I with sudden heat which made my heart to glow” (Robert Southwell). Compare,however: “When men were all asleep the snow came flying, in large white flakesfalling on the city brown, stealthily and perpetually setting and lying,hushing the latest traffic on the drowsy town” (Robert Briges).
But Britishchildren like playing with snow:
It’s snowing,it’s snowing,
What a lot ofsnow!
It’s snowing,it’s snowing!
Let us playwith snow!
* * *
The snow isfalling,
The north windis blowing;
The ground iswhite
All day andall night.
* * *
Come to thegarden
And play in thesnow.
Make a whitesnowman
And help himto grow.
“What a nicesnowman!”
The childrenwill say.
“What a finegame
For a coldwinter day!”
* * *
It’s snowing,it’s snowing
What a lot ofsnow
Let us makesome snowballs,
We all like tothrow.
It’s snowing,it’s snowing,
Let us sledgeand ski!
When I’mdashing down the hill
Clear the wayfor me!
* * *
Down comes thesnow on a winter day.
I make asnow-man when I go to play.
* * *
It’s winter,it’s winter,
Let us skateand ski!
It’s winter,it’s winter,
It’s great funfor me!
* * *
Sing a song ofa winter,
Be happy andgay,
Dance aroundthe snow-man,
Come out andplay.
Spring beginsin March but May is one of the driest months, especially in eastern and centralEngland; however, April is drier in parts of the west and north. April and especiallyMay are the favorite in English poetry: “April, April, laugh thy girlishlaughter; then, the moment after weep thy girlish tears!” (William Watson);
“O, how thisspring of love resembles the uncertain glory of an April day” (WilliamShakespeare);
“And afterApril, when May follows and the hedge leans to the field and scatters on theclover …” (Robert Browning).
And thechildren’s rhymes say: “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers”.
* * *
March bringsbreezes,
Loud andshrill
To stir thedancing daffodil.
* * *
April bringsthe primrose sweet,
Scattersdaisies at our feet.
* * *
April weather
Rain andsunshine both together.
* * *
May bringsflocks of pretty lambs.
Skipping bytheir fleecy dams.
* * *
Come to thewoods on a sunny day,
Come to thewoods some day in May.
Look at thegrass, at the busy bees,
Look at thebirds in the green, green trees.
All people arewaiting for summer beginning in June. On average, June is the driest month allover Britain. On average, July is normally the warmest month inland, while onthe coast August is equally warm and the sea temperature is at its maximum. InJuly and August the sea is warm enough for bathing on the south coast. Julytemperatures fall from south to north and increase from the coast inland.
Summer time isa time for play;
We are happyall the day.
The sun isshining all day long.
The trees arefull of birds and song.
* * *
This is theseason when nights are short.
And childrenhave plenty of fun and sport.
Boating andswimming all day long
Will make uswell and strong.
* * *
Along thesouth coast, temperatures do not fall substantially until late September, andthe summer sunshine totals are generally highest in this area. September is thefirst autumn month which brings more rain than summer months. It is Septemberwhen British children begin going to school. But the wettest months are Octoberand December with dark evenings and misty mornings: “I saw old autumn in themisty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence” (Thomas Hood);
There aretwelve months in a year,
From Januaryto December.
The finestmonth of all the twelve
Is the merrymonth September.
* * *
Autumn is theseason
When applesare sweet.
It is theseason
Whenschool-friends meet;
When noisy andgay,
And browned bythe sun
With theirbooks and bags
To school theyrun.
* * *
What a rainyseason!
The sky isdark and grey.
No sunshineanymore!
No playing outof doors.
However, inany particular year almost any month can prove the wettest and the differencesbetween months are not great.
There is avery good poem about months:
January comeswith frost and snow
Februarybrings us winds that blow,
March haswinds and happy hours,
April bringsus sun and showers,
Pretty is themouth of May,
June hasflowers, sweet and gay
July beginsour holiday,
August sendsus all away,
Septembertakes us back to school,
October daysbegin to cool,
Novemberbrings the leaves to Earth;
December dyingsees the birth of the New Year and all its mirth.
So, all monthsare special and have their own features. That’s why, a lot of writers like todescribe them in their poetry and prose.
The themeof the weather in everyday speech
Still, theweather is so changeable that the British often say that they have no climatebut only weather. Therefore, it is natural for them to use the comparison “aschangeable as the weather” of a person who often changes his mood or opinionabout something. The weather is the favorite topic of conversations in the UK.
So, accordingto Samuel Johnson, an outstanding English lexicographer, critic, author andconversationalist, “when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of theweather”. A lot of conversational idioms and set expressions about weather canbe found in novels by English writers, some examples will suffice:
— Goodevening, Mr. Hunter. Rather cold weather for the time of year, isn’t it?
— Yes- Isuppose it is. Have you got a Mr. Arden staying here? (Agatha Christie);
* * *
— “Such alovely morning”, said Mrs. Marchmond brightly. “All my early tulips are out.Are yours?” The girl stared at her vacantly.
— “I don’tknow”. What was one to do, thought Adela, with someone who didn’t talkgardening or dogs – these standbys of rural conversation? (ibid);
— The weatheris very delightful just now, is it not?” – “A St. Martin’s summer” (ibid);
— “Hullo,hullo, hullo, here I am. Good afternoon, good afternoon. What a lovely day,what? Shall I sit here? Right ho”. (Pelham Grenville Wodehouse)
* * *
— Morning, hesaid.
— Morning, — Nice weather.
— Beautiful(ibid). (Bernard Shaw)
The weather isthe favorite conversational topic in England. People talk about the weathermore in Britain than in most parts of the world. When two Englishmen meet theirfirst words will be “how are you?” and after the reply “very well, thank you.How are you? ”. The next remark is almost certain to be about the weather. Whenthey go abroad the English often surprise people of other nationalities by thistendency to talk about the weather, a topic of conversation that other peopledo not find so interesting.
So, talkingabout the weather is always an interesting, exciting subject for British peopleand you must be good at talking about it. It is a part of polite conversationswhich may be extremely short:
— Goodmorning, Mr. Brown
— Goodmorning, Mr. Dickson. How do you like the weather today?
— Isn’t itawful?
— Yes, it’sbeen pouring since yesterday morning and the outlook is not very promising.
* * *
– Goodafternoon, Mrs. Collins, nice day, isn’t it?
– Oh,yes, just lovely, I believe it’s a bit colder than yesterday.
– Yes,the mist has cleared but the weather forecast says it will be snowing later inthe day.
* * *
— Hello,Charles
— Hello, Dick.Lovely day, isn’t it?
— Absolutelywonderful, nice and warm. What is the weather forecast for tomorrow? Do youknow?
— Yes, it saysit will be bright and sunny
— How nice.Good bye.
* * *
— Nice day,isn’t it?
— Isn’t itbeautiful!
— The sun…
— Isn’t itwonderful?
— Yes,wonderful, isn’t it?
— It’s so niceand hot.
— I think it’sso nice when it’s hot, isn’t it?
— I reallylove it, don’t you?
* * *
— Terribleday, isn’t it?
— Isn’t itunpleasant?
— The rain … Idon’t like the rain.
— Just I think– a day like this is July. It rains in the morning, then a bit of sun and thenrain, rain, rain all day.
— I rememberthe same July day in 1936…
— Yes, Iremember too.
— Or was it1928?
— Yes it was.
— Or in 1939?
— Yes, that’sright.
* * *
— It’s alovely day, isn’t it?
— Yes, isn’tthe day fine?
— The sun …not a cloud in the sky…
— It’s so niceand warm.
— Isn’t itwonderful?
Although thelast two conversations are humorous, one must follow a very important rule: youmust always agree with other people when you talk about the weather. If it israining and snowing and the wind is knocking down trees, and someone says “niceday, isn’t it?” one usually answers “isn’t it wonderful?”
There are alot of jokes and stories about the British weather in common use. A goodexample of English humor is the following story:
“A Londoner,who was going to the west of England for a holiday, arrived by train at a townand found that it was pouring with rain. He called a porter to carry his bagsto a taxi. On the way out of the station, partly to make conversation andpartly to get a local opinion about the weather prospects for his holiday, he askedthe porter: “How long has it been raining like this?” – “I don’t know, sir, Ihave only been here for fifteen years”, was the reply.
One can alsoread lots of humorous stories about the British weather in books by Jerome K.Jerome:
“There youdream that an elephant has suddenly sat down on your chest, and that thevolcano has exploded and thrown you down to the bottom of the sea – theelephant still sleeping peacefully on your bosom… Sometimes a westerly oilywind blew, and at other times an easterly oily wind, and sometimes it blew anortherly oily wind, and may be a southerly oily wind; but weather it came fromthe Arctic snows, or was raised in the waste of the desert sands. The rain ispouring steadily down all the time”.
But we mustsay that the British are very optimistic in spite of the weather which is verychangeable.
When theweather is wet
We must notfret.
When theweather is cold
We must notscold.
When theweather is warm
We must notstorm.
But bethankful together
Whatever theweather.
* * *
Whether theweather be fine,
Whether theweather be not,
Whether theweather be cold,
Whether theweather be not,
We’ll weatherthe weather
Whatever theweather
Whether welike it or not.
So, alldialogues prove our hypothesis because people often talk and discuss theweather. One must follow a very important rule: you always must agree withother people when you talk about the weather. It’s a part of politeconversations.
The resultsof our research
To support ordisapprove our hypothesis we have studied such books as “Pygmalion” by BernardShaw, “Three men in a boat to nothing say about the dog” by Jerome K. Jerome,“Stories for children” by Vera Colwell, Eileen Colwell and Leila Berg, “EasyEnglish” by Vyborova, “The ABC fun” by Burlakova, “Tales from Shakespeare” byWilliam Shakespeare and other literature.
We found outthat in the “Stories for children” there are a lot of descriptions of differentseasons and weather:
“How cold itwas! The yard was white and smooth. Flakes of snow were falling” (Vera Colwell);
“Then one dayspring came. Blue and white and yellow flowers came out in the garden, and thesun shone more warmly every day” (ibid);
“It was abright, sunny day… (Leila Berg);
“One day itwas raining. It rained and rained. Pete put on his raincoat with the hood, andhis big wellingtons, and went outside to seewhat happening. It was a heavy rain. And it made great puddles in the street” (ibid);
“It had rainedall night long. But now the sun was shining, and the wind was blowing all overthe pavements, blowing the rain away. The pavements were white and clean wherethe wind had dried them” (ibid);
“It was abeautiful October morning. Everything was golden. The trees were golden in thesun, and the roads were gold” (ibid);
“It wasspringtime the birds were flying and new exciting things were happening everyday” (ibid);
“It was alovely hot day. The sun shone all the time. The children on the beach ran inand out of the warm water” (Eileen Colwell);
Also, we havefound in the story “Three men in a boat to nothing say about the dog” by JeromeK. Jerome.
“Sometimes awesterly oily wind blew, and at other times an easterly oily wind, andsometimes it blew a northerly oily wind, and may be a southerly oily wind; butweather it came from the Arctic snows, or was raised in the waste of the desertsands. The rain is pouring steadily down all the time”;
Besides, we havefound in the play “King Lear” some descriptions of seasons and weather, too:
“While he wasthreatening what his weak arm could never carry out, night fell, and a fearfulstorm of thunder, lighting and rain broke out”;
“The wind washigh, and the rain and storm increased”;
“This dreadfulstorm has driven the beasts to their hiding places”;
More than that,we have found in the play “Pygmalion” by Bernard Shaw different descriptions ofseasons and weather as well:
“It wasraining…”
“I wonder willthere be rain today? It’s a little cloudy in the western part of the BritishIsles; perhaps it will spread to the eastern part. The barometer though doesn’tassume of any substantial changes in the condition of atmosphere”;
“Still I hopethat there will be no more frosts”;
“It has beencool since the morning, hasn’t it?”
So, all thesedescriptions of seasons and weather and mentioned before children’s poems,dialogues, excerpts from different works about seasons and months prove thatour hypothesis is right. Therefore, the topic of the weather is the mostinteresting, most favourite and most often discussed topic in the British Isles.
Conclusion
In theconclusion we would like to say that
1) Britishclimate has three main features: it is mild, humid and changeable. That means thatit is never too hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come butit melts quickly.
2) Each authorbuilds his own world of nature with weather, scenery, hills, rivers and others.
3) There are alot of children’s poems about seasons and weather.
4) In GreatBritain the weather is always an interesting topic of the conversations.
Finally, wethink that our work could be useful for teachers and schoolchildren because itcontains a lot of poems. Also, it includes many descriptions of differentseasons and weather.
The list ofliterature
climateseason weather literature
1. Bernard Shaw“Pygmalion” Избранные пьесы. На английскомязыке. М.: “Менеджер”, 2006.
2. Jerome K. Jerome “Threemen in a boat to say nothing of the dog” “Издательство Высшая школа”, 1976 (second edition, Moscow Higher School 1976).
3. Бурлакова А.П. “The ABC fun”, М.: «Просвещение», 1981.
4. Васильева И.Б. “English Reader sixthform”, М.: «Просвещение», 1976.
5. Верещагина И.Н., Притыкина Т.А. “On we go”, М.: «Просвещение»,1994.
6. Верхогляд “Stories for Children”, М.: «Просвещение», 1991.
7. Выборова Г.Е., Махмурян К.С. “Easy English”, М.: “Владос”, 1994.
8. Журнал «Иностранные языки вшколе», №1, 1989; №5, 1990; № 2,5,6, 1996; №3, 1997; № 4, 2000; №6, 2002, №3, 2003.
9. Костенко Г.Т. “Reader for summer”, 1991, с изменениями “Просвещение”, 1981.
10. Лэм Ч., Лэм М.“Tales from Shakespeare” (after Charles and Mary Lamb),/ Адаптация К.В. Ингал.- М.: «Просвещение», 1984
11. Интернет
Supplement
Illustrationsto the different seasons and weather
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The mostunpleasant aspect of British climate – fog
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It’s a sunnyday
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It’s a nastyday
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It’s a snowyday
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It’s a rainyday
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It’s a windyday
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It’s spring
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It’s summer
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It’s autumn