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Casual Greetings in English Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 1, 2019
We are all familiar with the standard, more formal expressions upon meeting someone. Hello Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Good morning/afternoon/evening. I’m pleased to meet you. However, what do you say when you know someone well but you’re seeing them for the first time after a day or so? I pass coworkers in the…
Mankind’s Greatest Achievement Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 18, 2019
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” That quote, by President John Kennedy on May 25, 1961, set the stage for what may well have been humanity’s greatest moment. There are certainly…
The Advertising Jingle Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 11, 2019
You’ve heard them. They are the combination of a catchy tune and advertising copy. Most of them last only a few seconds. Which is, ideally, all the time you need to absorb the message and get that song stuck in your head. Today, we might call it an earworm. But, for many years it was…
Star Trek and the Split Infinitive Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 27, 2019
Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission – To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before! These are the very famous opening lines to the credit sequence for Star Trek. This speech, dating back…
Hang it Up in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 20, 2019
My wife and I are making a lot of changes at home right now. We’re renovating bathrooms, installing tile and hardwood floors, painting walls. This means that whatever was hanging on the walls has come down. The walls are bare. But, soon, it will be time to put new things up on those walls. Will…
Farm Stands and Farmer’s Markets Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 13, 2019
A sure sign of summer, and one of the best things about the season, is a farm stand. Like everything else which goes dark and quiet during the cold months, the reemergence of a local farm stand is greeted with smiles and excitement by many. Fresh vegetables, fruit, plants, and flowers appear near the side…
UFOs in America Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 6, 2019
There has been an increase lately in the news concerning UFOs – Unidentified Flying Objects. I’m talking about serious journalism from respected media sources talking about something which was dismissed as tabloid junk for years. If you’ve always wanted to learn the unique vocabulary and terminology of flying saucers, this is your lucky day! The…