Ape-related expressions in English Posted by Gabriele on May 10, 2016
Apes are our closest animal relatives, so it should come as no surprise to you that expressions with references to apes (i.e. monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans) are frequent in English. These expressions are particularly common when talking about human behaviors. Below is a list of common ape-related English expressions, with examples of how they are…
Using the word ‘may’ in May Posted by Gabriele on May 3, 2016
Since we have just entered the month of May I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk about this month’s homophone the other word ‘may’. The month of May is a proper noun, but the ‘may’ I want to talk about today is a modal verb. The auxiliary modal verb ‘may’ is (generally) used for…
International Workers’ Day Posted by sasha on May 2, 2016
Countries all over the world celebrate May 1st as International Workers’ Day. Also known as May Day or Labor Day in some countries, this is a day to honor the working class and the struggle for workers’ rights. The day was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket Affair, which took place in Chicago on May 4, 1886…
The Most Annoying English Words Online Posted by Gabriele on Apr 26, 2016
The last thing you want to do is offend someone you haven’t even met by being annoying. Unfortunately, this can happen pretty easily in today’s electronic-based world. We often “meet” people online long before we meet them in person and sometimes we never meet them in person! I found this interesting list (by Grammar.net) of…
Exploring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Posted by sasha on Apr 21, 2016
We already introduced the Great American City of Cleveland earlier this month. Now it’s time to explore one of the city’s most famous attractions – the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: “One of the most popular places to visit in Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This museum dedicated to rock…
One-word sentences in English Posted by Gabriele on Apr 19, 2016
Here I’m going to highlight some of the simplest sentences in English. All of these sentences are only ONE word long! Sit back, relax, and enjoy; these are going to be some of the easiest English sentences you’ve ever learned. (It is about time something in English was easy, right?!) One-word sentences in English come…
The origins of English Posted by Gabriele on Apr 12, 2016
English is a language with an interesting history and evolution. What do you know about the history of the English language? If you want to know more about how English came to be the language it is today read on. English is a Germanic language that was first spoken in the country that is now…