Driving in England and the U.S. Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 15, 2018
By now you probably know that drivers in the U.S. drive on the right-hand side of the road, but in the U.K., they drive on the left. As someone who has driven in both countries, believe me when I say that it is not an easy adjustment to make. Everything just looks wrong, not least…
The English Non Sequitur Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 9, 2018
If you are learning a new language, then you know that it is common to make a mistake when trying to make conversation. You might use the wrong tense, or make a word plural when it should be singular. Those are very typical errors for English learners. Don’t worry about it. But, conversation also means…
The Winter Olympics Posted by sasha on Feb 8, 2018
The 23rd edition of the Winter Olympics starts tomorrow. This year, the games are happening in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It will be the first ever Winter Olympics in South Korea. They previously hosted the Summer Olympics in the capital of Seoul in 1988. South Korea tried to get the winter games unsuccessfully in 2010 and…
10 English Words Borrowed from Indigenous Americans Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 2, 2018
A surprising number of words in our English vocabulary can be traced back to the indigenous tribes of the Americas. These are the inhabitants of North and South America before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Close to 85% of all English words are originally derived from just three other language sources. According to surveys cited…
American Culture – Super Bowl Sunday Posted by sasha on Feb 1, 2018
Sports are an important part of a country’s culture and can tell you a lot about it. The most popular sport in the USA is definitely football. I’m not talking about the football that you see in the World Cup, though. I’m talking about American football. The biggest event of the year for American football…
20 Great American Cities (Part One) Posted by sasha on Jan 29, 2018
There are many great cities in the USA. From the capital of DC all the way to the glitz and glamor of LA, there are incredible cities all over the country. Most cities in the US have their own unique nickname, such as the Big Apple for New York or the Windy City for Chicago…
Shakespeare’s Cursed Play Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 25, 2018
Imagine actors and stagehands working on a play with such a history of misfortune that they won’t even speak the play’s name. In fact, it is such a source of superstitious dread, that to even utter the play’s name in many theaters can get you banished from the building. Perhaps this would not matter so…