This is somewhat of a bizarre one, so please bear with me.
The other day, someone posted a really weird message in a Mandarin learning Facebook group. It started,
“Mandarin passé since 1911, period.” Don’t bother with Mandarin.
It was …
Category Archives: English
You & Me
If you are reading this thinking, “The title is wrong” that it should be, “You and I“, then this is precisely for you!
Note that the picture I have used (under Fair Use) is from a …
How to say “ough”
The hardest word in the English language for non-native speakers?
Feel free to comment below.
This is edited from a TV Show called “Modern Life is Goodish“, by Dave Gorman.
The full, unedited, episode is available on …
Equinox
Today is the Spring Equinox.
equinox /ˈɛkwɪˌnɒks/ (noun)
An equinox is when “the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, making night and day of approximately equal length (12 hours) all over the earth”. Due to the
Resurrection
Word of the day, 5th April 2015
resurrection /ˌrɛzəˈrɛkʃən/
I couldn’t really choose any other word for this Easter day.
The English word dates from about the 12th century, and was specifically linked to this event: “the name of …
Dinner
Word of the day, 3rd April 2015
Dinner /ˈdɪnə/
You might be thinking this is an odd word to choose for Good Friday, but I felt that you will hear many explanations about that from elsewhere.
(Also, don’t be confused …
Honeymoon
Word of the day, 2nd April 2015
Honeymoon /ˈhʌnɪˌmuːn/
One of my friends recently got married (I saw some pictures yesterday, so perhaps I really ought to change the name of these posts to “word of yesterday”).
After getting married, …
April Fool’s Day
Word of the day, 1st April 2015
April Fool’s Day /ˈeɪprəl fuːlz deɪ/
Don’t believe everything you hear today – if there’s a news story that sounds a bit strange, or too good to be true, it may well be …
Eclipse
Word of the day, 19th March 2015
I guess there really was only one word I could choose today:
eclipse /ɪˈklɪps/ (noun and verb)
I am sure you know this meaning: “the total or partial obscuring of one celestial …
Respite
Word of the day, 18th March 2015
respite /ˈrɛspaɪt/ (noun)
– a pause from exertion; interval of rest
– a temporary delay
– a temporary stay of execution; reprieve
I was unable to write a word of the day earlier, …