Songs of the Season – The Christmas Song Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 21, 2017
Of all the songs of the holiday season which belong in The Great American Songbook, one is unique for not being known by its actual title. When jazz singer/songwriter Mel Tormé composed The Christmas Song, he could not have imagined that its opening line would be mistaken for the song title. And yet, far more…
Christmas Karaoke Posted by sasha on Dec 18, 2017
Listening to music is a great way to learn a language. It also teaches us about the culture of a country or region. With Christmas fast approaching, there are Christmas carols playing all around the world. If you’re an ESL learner, these traditional songs can provide a fun and entertaining way for you to practice…
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 14, 2017
I have a very personal connection to one particular song of the holiday season. 25 years ago, I directed a stage production of Meet Me in St. Louis, a classic film about a family in Missouri at the turn of the 20th century. It was a huge undertaking, spanning several months of planning…
Songs of the Season: White Christmas Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 8, 2017
I don’t know about you, but for me, the best thing about the holiday season is probably the music. There’s something for everybody, from choral to jazz to carols from all around the world. You might hear Kwanzaa chants or Chanukah songs for all ages. But, of course, in English-speaking countries, the most common songs…
English Phrases and Idioms With “Catch” Posted by sasha on Dec 6, 2017
English can be a confusing language. There are so many words in English that can have different meanings depending on the context. Add in slang and idioms, and ESL learners can often find themselves quite confused even though they know the meaning of a word on its own. In this post, we’ll look at some…
Further vs. Farther in English Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 1, 2017
You can go further in life if you know the difference between further and farther. We cover many confusing elements of English vocabulary in this blog, and for good reason – there are a lot of them! One of the most commonly mixed-up pairs of words is farther and further. They are both adverbs relative…
The American Cranberry Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 17, 2017
Consider the cranberry. Grown primarily in North America, the cranberry, with its vibrant ruby color, is the festive, decorative heart of the Thanksgiving table. Many, if not most, American homes will have some representation of the cranberry present during the final six weeks of the year. Despite its high acidity, it will be consumed by…