Code-Switching in the US Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 18, 2019
The very controversial New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was recently accused of mimicking African Americans during a speech. She tossed in a few words from black urban culture and phrased some of her language in a manner unlike her common way of speaking. Many thought that she was misappropriating Black English and that it was…
What is Country Music? Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 11, 2019
If you are a music fan in the United States, or many other places in the world, you have likely heard of the Billboard charts. This is a weekly tabulation of the popularity of songs in a variety of genres, or styles. These lists are compiled by Billboard Magazine and its online presence, Billboard Biz…
Roadside Attractions Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 4, 2019
The dictionary defines Americana as “artifacts related to the history, geography, folklore and culture of the United States”. If you really want to see Americana, you really need to take a road trip. Get in your car, stay off the highways, take a real map, and look at the signs along the road. Those signs…
Words to use instead of ‘very’ in English Posted by carol on Mar 31, 2019
Hello to all readers! How are you doing today? Very well? The word ‘very’ in English is, naturally, very important. It is an adverb that we use to emphasize or intensify adjectives: very nice, very big, very good. Using if frequently seems hard to avoid. But can we, though? As an English teacher, I feel…
Do You Speak Legalese? Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 28, 2019
Language which was once exclusively reserved for television courtroom dramas is now being used by everybody on Twitter. Experts who appear on talk shows to explain legal decisions are now as famous as professional athletes. Legal terms and phrases are now common elements of daily English conversation. If you want to understand, or at least…
English Spring Phrases Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 21, 2019
In the Northern Hemisphere, spring begins on March 21st and continues until June 21. It is the season of renewal. Daylight increases, warmth gradually returns, and birds and animals reappear. Spring, in the words of the late comedian Robin Williams, is Nature’s way of saying “Let’s Party!” One of the first signs of spring in…
The College Admission Scandal Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 14, 2019
In early 2018 an investigation involving stock market fraud led the FBI to a criminal who offered to cooperate with their case in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. In interviews, he mentioned something about a soccer coach who offered to get his daughter into Yale University for $45,000. One year later, the biggest scandal…