Archive for November, 2018
Phrasal verbs for phone calls Posted by carol on Nov 30, 2018
Hello! Who am I speaking to? Last month, we covered here on the blog some words related to using your phone in English. Today, we are moving one step further to take a look at some phrasal verbs that refer to phone calls. Although it is undeniable that text messaging has become one of the…
When English Offers Choices Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 29, 2018
This past week I witnessed a customer at a store point to something and say, “I’ll have two of those.” Before placing the items in a bag and finalizing the sale, the clerk said, “These ones?” That response by the clerk was a redundancy, the use of an extra word which wasn’t needed. Because the…
The English Word of the Year, 2018 Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 21, 2018
The editors of The Oxford Dictionaries, published by the Oxford University Press, have selected toxic as the 2018 English word of the year. It is a brilliant, if somewhat controversial, selection. In a year of intense divisiveness in the English-speaking world, it is easy to see why this word, and its association with all that…
America’s Favorite Books Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 15, 2018
Recently, PBS ran a series called The Great American Read in which viewers were invited to select America’s best-loved novel. It was a fascinating exploration of America’s reading habits. A public opinion survey was conducted of favorite novels (and series of novels), then a select group of 13 literary professionals was brought in to establish…
Explaining the U.S. Midterms Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 8, 2018
Every two years, on the first Tuesday following November 1st, elections are held in all 50 of the United States. This is when citizens of those states decide who will serve in the US House of Representatives. They also vote for other candidates and on various state matters and proposals affecting the electorate. Since every state…
TV Commercials and American Culture Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 1, 2018
Television advertising has a powerful effect on American culture. Slogans become part of daily conversation. Characters in commercials are as relatable as family members. It has been like this for decades, but there’s a palpable sense that commercials are now more important to our daily lives than ever before. All this is coming at a…