Archive for 'English Language'
Play with Palindromes Posted by Gabriele on Apr 16, 2012
A palindrome is a word, phrase, (or even a number) that can be read the same way in either direction (left to right to right to left) and have the same meaning. Palindromes exist in many languages and they can be a a lot of fun! There are some common palindromes in English that are…
Backward versus Backwards Posted by heather on Apr 14, 2012
I’m walking backwards for Christmas, Across the Irish Sea, I’m walking backwards for Christmas, It’s the only thing for me. I’ve tried walking sideways, And walking to the front, But people just look at me, And say it’s a publicity stunt. I’m walking backwards for Christmas, To prove that I love you. -excerpt…
Swear Words in British English Posted by heather on Apr 4, 2012
How is your English swearing coming along? If you have been following the English blog over the past few days then you know that we have been covering the topic in full force. Today we will take a look at some of the specific swear words used in British-English. While many of the same swear…
Alternative Swear Words in American English Posted by Gabriele on Apr 3, 2012
Over the last few posts I have been addressing the use of swear words in American English. While writing these post a phrase my mother used to say when I was younger kept popping into my head. When I was in elementary school, an age when one really starts being exposed to swear words as…
Swear Words in American English Posted by Gabriele on Apr 2, 2012
Yesterday I introduced you to some of the vocabulary, history, and the cultural context of swearing in the United States (culturally speaking how swearing and freedom of speech are sometimes linked for Americans). Today I will address some actual swear words that exist in English and how they can be used. First though, here are…
Swearing in English Posted by Gabriele on Apr 1, 2012
Swearing, we all know how to do it in our native languages and we all want to know how to do it in the new languages we learn. I can vividly remember when I first traveled abroad as an exchange student in my teens how excited I was to exchanged English swear words for…
Language Learning: You Can Always Learn Something New Posted by heather on Mar 31, 2012
Just when you think you have gotten a language straight in your mind, it goes and throws you a curve ball. This is exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. Despite being a native English speaker and even having studied and taught the language, I am still learning things on a regular basis…