Texas State Capitol Tour Posted by sasha on Mar 6, 2017
The great American city of Austin is the capital of Texas. Famous for its live music, BBQ, and being weird, it’s also home to the state’s government. Visitors can take a free tour of the Texas State Capitol to learn more about the state’s history and government. See what the State Capitol looks like in…
Don’t Be So Sure! Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 3, 2017
Has this happened to you? As an English learner we all know the pitfalls of homonyms, but what happens when you encounter words which have the same cognate, a thesaurus tells us they all are synonyms, but you know instinctively they must somehow have different meanings? As an experiment, try looking up the word ensure…
Great American Cities – Austin Posted by sasha on Feb 27, 2017
After visiting New Orleans, our journey to the many great American cities heads even further south. This time, we’re going to a place famous for BBQ, music, and being weird – Austin. Name – The city is named after Stephen F. Austin, who is known as the “Father of Texas.” He was an empresario (someone granted…
The 3 Best “Best Picture” Winners Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 24, 2017
It’s that time of year again, when Hollywood honors itself with the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences awards for excellence, otherwise known as the Oscars. Most years, the awards show is more memorable for the gowns and the teary speeches than for who won and who lost. But, not always. Sometimes, the award…
New Orleans Video Tour Posted by sasha on Feb 22, 2017
Our exploration of the great American city of New Orleans continues. No visit to the Big Easy would be complete without a po’ boy sandwich and some beignets. Walk them off with a stroll in City Park, and wind down your trip with drinks at one of the country’s oldest bars. You don’t even have…
What is a Collocation? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 17, 2017
Back in the 1950s and ‘60s there was a group of performers who seemed to always be together. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford – They called themselves The Rat Pack. They performed together, made movies together, partied together, and each made the other better. In many ways, they were the physical…
Expressions of Love for Valentine’s Day Posted by sasha on Feb 13, 2017
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. We’ll get to that and other common expressions of love in just a minute, but first let’s talk about the holiday. Celebrated on February 14th in many countries around the world, this day originated as a Christian holiday celebrating one or more early saints named…