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Using the diminutive in English Posted by Gabriele on Dec 30, 2014
Many languages have a special way to talk about things (usually people) with tenderness, love, endearment, or familiarity – this is usually referred to linguistically as the “diminutive.” A diminutive form of a word implies that something is small, cute, loved, or special. It is often used when referring to children, but as I already…
Recipe for Eggnog in English: A Christmas time tradition. Posted by Gabriele on Dec 25, 2014
It is Christmas today – Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates! If you are in the United States around Christmas you are very likely to drink the traditional drink of eggnog this time of year. So today, let’s raise our glasses and enjoy this holiday with a toast to eggnog! Eggnog is a traditional drink…
Christmas decorations in America Posted by Gabriele on Dec 23, 2014
Christmas time is now upon us! The holiday of Christmas means many different things to many different people, but one thing is sure, if you celebrate Christmas you are likely to have Christmas decorations in your home this time of year. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, if you are in the United States, you…
Commonly misunderstood words in English Posted by Gabriele on Dec 18, 2014
Take a look at this great infographic from Gammar.net. This is a wonderful list of 10 very commonly misunderstood words in English. To help you better understand these words I have used all the words from this infographic in sentences below, in order to put them in context. 1. The enormity of the villain in…
Yosemite National Park: The Granddaddy of all Parks Posted by Gabriele on Dec 16, 2014
I recently spent some time in Yosemite National Park and I want to share this beautiful place with you! Before I share more pictures with you, let me tell you more about this park. Yosemite National Park is located in the state of California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Yosemite is 747,956 acres (3,026.87 km2) in…
The Oregon Trail how American’s moved west Posted by Gabriele on Dec 11, 2014
Ever since the Europeans landed on the shores of North America they have wanted to go to the west to see what was there. People have traveled west by foot, boat, horse, and wagon – all in search of new adventure and a better life. Today people still do this, but now they have cars…
The silent letter ‘e’ in English: Why is it there? Posted by Gabriele on Dec 9, 2014
You may have noticed that a number of English words end in the letter ‘e,’ but this letter ‘e’ is almost never pronounced – it is silent. So, why is it there? Does it serve a function, if so, what? Today, if you read on, you are going to find out why this silent ‘e’…