Archive for 'English Vocabulary'
Watching Television in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 15, 2021
This morning I tried to watch television, but it wouldn’t turn on. I was using one of several remotes (or, as some people call them, clickers), the one that I use exclusively to start my television. Nothing. I was facing a blank screen. This was not a good start to my day. Fortunately, I eventually…
Talking About Weight in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 8, 2021
It’s summer in the northern hemisphere and, for many, that means going to the beach. It also means fitting into a swimsuit. Which usually means that it’s time to lose some weight. Personally, I am grateful that there has been a trend in recent years to be more accepting of the way you look. People…
Other Ways to See Posted by carol on Jun 30, 2021
Hi, there, dear readers! How’s it going? The other day I was with a student in his company’s conference room. When the lesson was over, I noticed he was too busy to walk me to the door. So I decided to say, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll see myself out”. His puzzled look made me…
The Many Problems with Tomatoes Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 24, 2021
There are several problems with tomatoes. I don’t mean that growing them is a problem (although they are susceptible to blights, worms, and pests of all kinds.) Rather, pronouncing, spelling, and even defining tomatoes in English are among the most irksome and debatable issues in our language. Songs have been written about this. The Supreme…
Juneteenth Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 17, 2021
The United States has two independence days. You are undoubtedly familiar with July 4th, commemorating the Continental Congress’ formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence. You would be forgiven for being less familiar with Juneteenth, marking the final, formal emancipation of slaves in this country. This is not a new holiday, nor is it a…
Prepositions of movement Posted by carol on May 31, 2021
All teachers know it: when it comes to prepositions, students cannot help but roll their eyes in frustration. And there is no denying that this grammar topic can be highly confusing even to the most advanced learners. And in some cases we might come across that word that we didn’t even know was a preposition…
What Are Neopronouns? Posted by Gary Locke on May 27, 2021
By now you should be well acquainted with the classic English pronouns, such as he, she, we, they, them – those words that take the place of nouns. We use pronouns in place of other nouns. Some pronouns traditionally were also gender-specific. Subjective male/female pronouns: He/She Objective male/female pronouns: Him/Her Possessive male/female pronouns: His/Hers Reflexive…