Archive for 'English Vocabulary'
Academy Award Vocab Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 1, 2018
We go to the movies to have experiences that we can’t have anywhere else, and to share that experience with strangers in the dark. It really is an odd kind of pleasure, but we have been doing it for over 100 years and there are no signs that we will stop anytime soon. The box…
Idioms with numbers in English – Part 1 Posted by carol on Feb 28, 2018
Hey, everyone! How are you doing? We use numbers on a daily basis to communicate. Besides, there are many and expressions that use numbers figuratively to give them another meaning. Today, we are going to cover some of these idioms in English. So give me five and let’s do this! at the eleventh hour –…
Driving in England and the U.S. Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 15, 2018
By now you probably know that drivers in the U.S. drive on the right-hand side of the road, but in the U.K., they drive on the left. As someone who has driven in both countries, believe me when I say that it is not an easy adjustment to make. Everything just looks wrong, not least…
The English Non Sequitur Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 9, 2018
If you are learning a new language, then you know that it is common to make a mistake when trying to make conversation. You might use the wrong tense, or make a word plural when it should be singular. Those are very typical errors for English learners. Don’t worry about it. But, conversation also means…
10 English Words Borrowed from Indigenous Americans Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 2, 2018
A surprising number of words in our English vocabulary can be traced back to the indigenous tribes of the Americas. These are the inhabitants of North and South America before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Close to 85% of all English words are originally derived from just three other language sources. According to surveys cited…
How to Insult Someone in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 11, 2018
We have a saying in English, “Don’t get mad, get even.” It means that if someone has upset you, or wronged you in any way, you shouldn’t get angry with them. Instead, you should do something that will make them even more upset at you. We have a word for that, too: one-upmanship. It is…
Top 10 English Blogs of 2017 Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 28, 2017
2017 was a busy year for us at the English Language Blog. We covered a wide range of topics from studies of literary figures like Agatha Christie and Henry David Thoreau to the vocabulary of spies and how to properly write about time. Still, what we always like to know is what you wanted…