Archive by Author
Expressing degrees of certainty with modal verbs and adverbs Posted by Gabriele on Aug 19, 2012
Today I would like to talk a little about expressing different degrees of certainty using modal verbs and adverbs. To keep this discussion as simple as possible I will only be using the modal verb ‘will’, but I will be introducing a number of adverbs that can be used to express degree of certainty with…
Verb Tenses: Present Perfect Simple vs. Present Perfect Progressive Posted by Gabriele on Aug 17, 2012
Today we are taking a look at two closely related verb tenses in English, these tenses are: present perfect simple and present perfect progressive (also called: present perfect continuous). Both of these tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has just finished. In many…
Foreign Words in English (Part VI) Posted by Gabriele on Aug 16, 2012
Over the last six months I have written a series of posts on different foreign words that have found their way into the English language. This is the last post I’m going to write in this series. If you haven’t read my other posts in this series you can easily link to them here: Part…
Summertime Outdoor Movies Posted by Gabriele on Aug 15, 2012
Watching outdoor movies in the summer is a great way to spend a night! The first place that might come to mind when you think about seeing an outdoor movie is a drive-in theater. A drive-in theater is an outdoor movie theater that people drive their cars to and then sit in their cars to…
Mailing a letter in or to the United States Posted by Gabriele on Aug 14, 2012
The way addresses are written on letters, envelopes, and packages is different in different countries. This post takes a look at how to write an address in English for mail to or within the United States. First take a look at this example using the The White House (where the American president lives) as an…
Abbreviations and acronyms you will see online Posted by Gabriele on Aug 13, 2012
Have you ever wondered what some of those abbreviations and acronyms are that you see online or on your computer? Today we are going to explore a number of common computer and internet related abbreviations and acronyms. There are abbreviations we all see all the time, but probably don’t give that much thought to. After…
International Youth Day Posted by Gabriele on Aug 12, 2012
Today is International Youth* Day (and the last day of the 2012 Olympics where many talented youths have competed). International Youth Day is celebrated on August 12 each year to recognize the efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society. The United Nations** sponsors this day with activities aimed to promote youth engagement and…