Tag Archives: American culture
English Words in the News: Infrastructure Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 29, 2021
Money, lots of money, has been approved by lawmakers in the United States to improve the country’s infrastructure. The plan calls for $1 trillion to be spent on many neglected necessities across the country. Yes, that’s trillion, with a T. That’s a 1 followed by twelve zeroes. In Europe, they would call that amount, “One…
English Phrases from Baseball Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 31, 2021
I probably spend too much time referencing baseball in this blog. After all, this is a page devoted to helping you learn and understand the English language. However, American English is filled with words and phrases which come directly from baseball. It has been called the national pastime for a reason. Even if you know…
America’s Pioneering Female Composer Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 4, 2021
There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve never heard of Amy Beach. She was one of the finest composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She had been a musical child prodigy, a concert pianist at 16, composer of the first symphony by a woman to ever be published, and had a long…
Mars and English Literature Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 25, 2021
Mars is back in the news. Not that it was ever really out of the news, but Mars has lately become the go-to place in our solar system. A probe launched by the United Arab Emirates, Hope, began orbiting the planet in early February to study the Martian atmosphere. China’s Tianwen-1 landed on Mars a…
What is the White House Cabinet? Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 11, 2021
You’ve probably been reading about the White House Cabinet. But, what, exactly, is it? The President of the United States is the head of the Executive Branch of the government. He is therefore often referred to as the country’s Chief Executive. When a new president is elected, the search immediately begins for people to run…
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 17, 2020
Sometimes a song comes along that everyone learns the words to just because the song is so much fun to sing. Even when the song is about the meanest, worst being on the planet. One of the most enduring tales of Christmas is the book and cartoon film, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas…
Talking About Age in English Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 3, 2020
I have a birthday coming up soon, and it’s a big one. You know, one of those birthdays where you get lots of mail trying to sell you things you thought were just for old people. How did that happen? Words and Phrases for Old Age I am what is known as a baby boomer…