Tag Archives: vocabulary
Garden Center English Vocabulary Posted by Gary Locke on May 3, 2018
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. It was a long winter. For much longer than usual the cold refused to yield to the spring sunshine, and buds and blossoms resisted our pleas to grace us with their presence. But there was one place where spring could be found – the greenhouses of…
All the While Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 12, 2018
There are words in the English language which are frequently abused, commonly misapplied, and often indiscriminately placed in sentences and phrases. Near the very top of that list is the word while. It is also one of the most typically argued about words among English language stylists. To understand the controversy, you need to know…
Making Polite Requests in English Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 5, 2018
Ask any parent, and they will tell you that there is one magic word in English: Please. The more often you say it in your daily life, the better your life will be. You will be regarded as polite, well mannered, poised, and mature. If you have the chance to say it in a job…
The Great American Blue Jean Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 29, 2018
Spoiler alert: It’s only partly American. They have been called the world’s most popular article of clothing. According to the latest statistics, almost 1.25 billion jeans are sold worldwide each year. They have been immortalized by cowboys, greasers, and rock stars. World leaders wear them, as do children. We know them also as dungarees and…
Story of an English Word: Bespoke Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 22, 2018
Vocabulary is fluid. Words come and go like the tide, or they may mix with others to become something else. Some vanish, as if they vaporized into the air. Some words change their spelling over time, losing a vowel like a cup that spilled but righted itself. And some words reappear after decades of disuse…
Academy Award Vocab Posted by Gary Locke on Mar 1, 2018
We go to the movies to have experiences that we can’t have anywhere else, and to share that experience with strangers in the dark. It really is an odd kind of pleasure, but we have been doing it for over 100 years and there are no signs that we will stop anytime soon. The box…
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…