American Culture – WrestleMania Posted by sasha on Apr 16, 2018
Just as the Super Bowl is to professional football, WrestleMania is to professional wrestling. I’m not talking about the kind of wrestling you watch on the Summer Olympics, though. Before we learn more about the big event, we should probably start by explaining more about this type of wrestling. American Professional Wrestling Professional wrestling (or…
All the While Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 12, 2018
There are words in the English language which are frequently abused, commonly misapplied, and often indiscriminately placed in sentences and phrases. Near the very top of that list is the word while. It is also one of the most typically argued about words among English language stylists. To understand the controversy, you need to know…
Making Polite Requests in English Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 5, 2018
Ask any parent, and they will tell you that there is one magic word in English: Please. The more often you say it in your daily life, the better your life will be. You will be regarded as polite, well mannered, poised, and mature. If you have the chance to say it in a job…
Idioms with numbers in English – Part 2 Posted by carol on Mar 31, 2018
What’s up, guys? How have you been doing? Last month we covered some idioms in English related to numbers. So how about we go to the second share of our lesson. It takes two to tango, so join me and let’s go! to put two and two together – to join the pieces, to correctly…
The Great American Blue Jean Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 29, 2018
Spoiler alert: It’s only partly American. They have been called the world’s most popular article of clothing. According to the latest statistics, almost 1.25 billion jeans are sold worldwide each year. They have been immortalized by cowboys, greasers, and rock stars. World leaders wear them, as do children. We know them also as dungarees and…
An English Learner’s Guide to Easter Posted by sasha on Mar 28, 2018
This Sunday, Christians all over the world will be celebrating Easter. There are several other important days leading up to Easter, such as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There are also plenty of unique customs and traditions associated with Easter that have nothing to do with Christianity. Let’s learn more about this important holiday in…
Story of an English Word: Bespoke Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 22, 2018
Vocabulary is fluid. Words come and go like the tide, or they may mix with others to become something else. Some vanish, as if they vaporized into the air. Some words change their spelling over time, losing a vowel like a cup that spilled but righted itself. And some words reappear after decades of disuse…