Archive for 'English Vocabulary'
Degrees of Higher Education in the United States Posted by Gabriele on Mar 11, 2012
As any foreign professional who has tried to transfer their degree of higher education to the United States knows, America is very particular* about its higher education system. Many degrees earned in institutions outside the United States cannot be transfer to work or study in the United States. The reason for this is that there…
Affect vs. Effect Posted by heather on Mar 10, 2012
One of the most misused and misunderstood word pairs would have to be affect and effect. Despite their almost identical spelling and similar (although different!) pronunciation, these two words do have a different meaning. Learning this difference and putting it to good use, will put you well ahead of many native English speakers. The difference…
“Coulda Shoulda Woulda” Posted by Gabriele on Mar 9, 2012
“Woulda coulda shoulda” or “coulda shoulda woulda” and “shoulda coulda woulda” are all expressions that mean the same thing; they express a feeling of regret or second-guessing. These expressions (really all just variations on one expression) all use an informal form of the conditional subjunctive verb tense: would have = would’ve = woulda, could have…
Animal Idioms Posted by Gabriele on Mar 8, 2012
Today we are going to take another look at a group of idioms that are all related around a theme. This time the theme is: animals. When you look at the phrases below you may ask yourself, “Who created these idioms anyway?” Well, idioms usually start out as simple metaphors that enter mainstream vocabulary after…
Opposites in English Posted by heather on Mar 7, 2012
Some Opposites by Richard Wilbur What is the opposite of riot? It is lots of people keeping quiet. The opposite of doughnut? Wait A minute while I meditate This isn’t easy. Ah! I’ve found it. It’s a cookie with a hole around it. What is the opposite of two? A lonely me,a lonely you. The…
Expressing Quantity with Count and Non-count Nouns Posted by Gabriele on Mar 6, 2012
In my last two previous posts I gave an introduction into the difference between count and non-count nouns and discussed some exceptions to the rules regarding these types of nouns. Today I am going to review what adjectives to use to express quantity based on whether a noun is count or non-count. Like articles (the…
Count and Non-count Nouns Posted by Gabriele on Mar 4, 2012
Nouns in English can be classified or grouped together in many different ways: people, places or things, proper or common nouns, count or non-count nouns, etc. For my next three posts I am going to focus on the differences between count and non-count nouns (“non-count” or “noncount” nouns are also sometimes called “mass” nouns). Knowing…