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English Words and Phrases for the Library Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 8, 2021
Surround me with books! Fill my head with knowledge, enrich my life with imagination, improve me with wisdom! Take me to the Library! As a child, I was extremely fortunate to live just up the street from a small library. It only had a few rooms, but it was always an adventure to walk there…
English Phrases from Baseball Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 31, 2021
I probably spend too much time referencing baseball in this blog. After all, this is a page devoted to helping you learn and understand the English language. However, American English is filled with words and phrases which come directly from baseball. It has been called the national pastime for a reason. Even if you know…
English Idioms for the Spring Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 25, 2021
Spring has sprung, as we say in English. We have been saying for weeks that spring is just around the corner. And now the astronomical spring, also known as the Vernal equinox, when the sun crossed the celestial equator going north. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, this was the Autumnal equinox, and…
Literally and Figuratively Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 18, 2021
If there is one word in the English language that literally enrages people, it is the word literally. This adverb is literally defined as something which is accurate, exact, and precise. To be literal is to be without exaggeration or hyperbole. And yet, in English, you will often hear literally used in a figurative manner…
Talking About Death in English Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 11, 2021
People don’t want to talk about death. It’s a difficult thing to discuss, but there are times when we must. It’s especially hard for those who find themselves in a conversation that is not in their native language. No one wants to say the wrong thing in even the simplest situation. There is nothing simple…
America’s Pioneering Female Composer Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 4, 2021
There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve never heard of Amy Beach. She was one of the finest composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She had been a musical child prodigy, a concert pianist at 16, composer of the first symphony by a woman to ever be published, and had a long…
Mars and English Literature Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 25, 2021
Mars is back in the news. Not that it was ever really out of the news, but Mars has lately become the go-to place in our solar system. A probe launched by the United Arab Emirates, Hope, began orbiting the planet in early February to study the Martian atmosphere. China’s Tianwen-1 landed on Mars a…