Collocations with the verb ‘take’ Posted by carol on Sep 30, 2018
Hey, you guys! The verb take in English can have multiple meanings and many translations. It can have the idea of removing , consuming, capturing, gaining, occupying or acquiring something, among various other possibilities. Besides, there are a number of combinations, also known as collocations with the word take that are used frequently by English speakers. Today’s post…
The Strange World of Sports Mascots Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 27, 2018
By now, no matter where you are from, you have certainly seen a sports mascot. These animals, or not-quite-real creatures who appear on the sidelines of many sporting events to excite the crowd and make us laugh, have been around for over a century. The Olympics have had mascots for 50 years. But, where did…
5 Westerns You Must See Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 20, 2018
Notice that I didn’t say that these are the best Westerns. There are thousands of Westerns made by filmmakers over the decades, and I certainly haven’t seen them all. Many, in fact, have been lost forever to the vagaries of time. Still, I have seen quite a few Westerns, and I have a deep love…
When Western is a Noun Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 13, 2018
“It’s Americana, it’s part of our history, the cowboy, the cattle drive, the sheriff, the fight for law, order, and justice.” Clayton Moore, the actor who portrayed The Lone Ranger, on Westerns. Western is a word most commonly used as an adjective to describe either a direction or some characteristic representative of the US or…
Old Dictionary, New Words Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 6, 2018
As you know, the English language is an evolving, ever-changing construct. The words we speak and write can change in meaning, become forgotten, or morph into something quite different. This is one of the reasons that language, and linguistics, is such a challenging discipline. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, one of the leading resources for English in the…
The star signs in English Posted by carol on Aug 31, 2018
Hello, my dear readers! How are you feeling today? Are you in a good mood or in a bad mood? How have things been working out for you this friday? And do you think the position of the planets have anything to do with that? Some people are really into talking about star signs. Whether…
What Color is That? Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 30, 2018
“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” Pablo Picasso How do you describe colors? The sky is blue, but so is the ocean. They aren’t the same color, are they? And the sky and ocean aren’t always the same color all the time. How, then, do you distinguish one shade of a color…