Let's Talk About English and Life

E-Shuttle at SM Shopping malls

2014-03-19T08:18:00.002-07:00

Once in a while, I think about posting a blog. Today, I found an interesting thing to feature. It was a pretty idea in my opinion since shopping is relaxing to some but to most of our elders it's tiring. I was strolling today in SM Fairview and their new transpo-service caught my eyes. They called it E-Shuttle. Obviously, it's run by electricity as the name implies. It's small, tricycle like that can seat up to 5 passengers a time. I don't have any idea as to how long it's been around and to how many units they've got so far. I took a picture of their E-shuttle. Here it is :

Specifically designed for elders and people with special needs but parents with kids can also take a lift in their e-shuttle.

My "Aveeno" Experience

2013-04-21T05:35:00.001-07:00

I was recently diagnosed to have Keratosis pilaris. A skin condition which can bring severe itchiness especially when a person sweat and is marked with the appearance of goose bumps or chicken skin as what others call it. It is caused by the over production of one of our skin's protein: keratin, which inhibit the normal functions of our skin pores by entrapping the hair follicles. These hair follicles will start hair growth as well as coiling under our skin which gives the goose bumps or chicken skin appearance superficially.

My dermatologist prescribed me 4 different kinds of creams that I have to apply 2-3 times a day to relieve the symptoms of Keratosis pilaris. Along with the cream, I was also advise to use lotion and soap with natural colloidal and oatmeal ingredients. There I discovered Aveeno. I have read a lot about this company and all of them gave a good review of Aveeno's different products.For that, I purchased my first Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion yesterday. The product is not very common to see in supermarket or department store but luckily for me, I was able to buy the lotion in Trinoma, Landmark Department store.
I applied to lotion after I had shower last night and it really gives soothing effect that lasted until the next morning.

Picnik.com's Fancy Collage

2011-08-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

My daughter will celebrate her 7th birthday this Sunday and we are all excited about it. Of course a party wouldn't be complete without an invitation. Today I found out about Picnik.com's fancy collage. This is a very interesting site since you can edit and print your photos for free plus you have a wide variety of designs to choose from. I've been using this site for several months now and I am very satisfied with the result. But today's task is different one. For Sunday's event, I chose Brag book design by Epson. It's very colorful, easy to use though its not really meant for birthday (birthday designs are for premium users).
The result is this :

My daughter's pictorial at Mezza Residences

2011-07-25T03:43:00.000-07:00

My daughter will celebrate her 7th birthday on August 14. She wanted to have a swimming party so in preparation to that I asked my good friend, Diane Gurne who is also her godmother to take her photos. Luckily, she has access to one of SM Residences, Mezza Residences, located in Sta. Mesa.

My daughter's party theme would be under the sea so I decided to let her wear her favorite mermaid costume which she used last January for her school's family day. At first I told her that we will go to a party and she must bring a custom. On the way to the location, she kept on asking whose party it will be and where exactly we were going. I just told her to wait and see. When we reached SM Sta Mesa, I told her that she won't be attending a party instead she will have her photo shoot. That really got her more excited. We met her Ninang Diane at Starbucks and together we went to the location. Mezza's Recreational Facilities are located on the 5th floor. It has swimming pool, play ground area, out door function area, M-bar, garden and gazebos plus lawn and barbecue area. The place was nice and there were several people enjoying the water and the scene when we had the photo shoot. Fortunately, one side of the area was unoccupied so we opted to take the photos there.

Here are the photos taken at Mezza's swimming pool.

UP, Ateneo among best English-teaching universities worldwide

2011-07-18T03:59:00.000-07:00

Quoted from : GMANews – Wed, Jul 6, 2011

Two of the best universities in the Philippines are

among the top 50 best teaching English universities in

the world for this years according to New Quacquarelli

Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subjects.

Congratulations to UP and Ateneo. You made us all

proud :)

Why do we study English?

2011-07-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

Every time I meet new student, one of the first questions I often ask is "Why do you need to study English?". Their reasons vary but I found out that there are four common reasons to this question.

Although English is not the most widely spoken language in the world. (Mandarin is the number one), it is considered as the UNIVERSAL or the GLOBAL LANGUAGE.

The following are the reasons in learning English:

For BUSINESS : Businessmen who want to travel abroad find it useful to know how to speak English in closing a deal or meeting a new client. Most of them often try to impress their prospect by advertising or promoting their companies and most of the time, they use English in ads, prints or even when writing business letters.

For STUDENTS : In the Philippines, English is used as the medium of teaching in Science, Math or even History. Children learn the language as early as their preschool years. Some schools even prided themselves for having English speaking teachers to attract more students.

For TRAVELING : Airfare seat promotion has helped in increasing the number of people traveling to and from different places. For these travelers, one way to enjoy the trip is to be able to communicate well with the natives of the country and it won't be possible if you don't know how to speak English, of course there are other ways to do so, but the easiest one is thru the language.

For EMPLOYMENT : Yes, its true that there is a great advantage if someone has the ability to speak English well. In Philippine's setting, there are hundreds of Call Center companies seeking employers everyday and their number one requirement is must know how to communicate well in English.

The Joy of Being mom : Caught my daughter fell asleep while doing homework

2011-07-06T03:52:00.000-07:00

To others this may seem very ordinary, but for me, this is something remarkable. So I decided to blog it out and hopefully in the future,my daughter Blessy a.k.a Trisha gets to read this.
My only daughter (as of now because we would like to have another one if God allows us), Blessy is in her first grade this school year. I must say she likes going to her new school and has really improved her study habits compared to her pre school years. To support that, I make it appoint to check her school works while we're having lunch after her classes are over. Today, I told her to wait for me to finish doing the dishes so I can help her in answering the homework but she insisted of answering alone because she wanted to play right after.
The conversation went as this:
Blessy : Mom, I will answer the homework now so I could play right after.
Me: Okay, I will just wash the dishes

*after few minutes,I looked back at her :
Me: Have you finished doing your homework?
(No answer)
So I checked her out and saw that she fell asleep in the living room with pencil in her hand and book served as her pillow.

I couldn't help but smiled because this was the first time it happened. I went upstairs to get my mobile phone and took her a picture before waking her up and asked her to transfer to our room.
This is one of the joys of being Mom, though I couldn't have all the time for her because I have to work later today. I still consider myself lucky to capture that moment :)

50 Lessons for Life's Little Detour

2011-06-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

Beautifully written by Regina Brett, a writer for Plain Dealer, Ohio's Largest Newspaper. The list was fist published in the said newspaper and then became an internet sensation.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift..

My Unfortunate Experience

2011-06-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Have you experienced to lose money from your card without spending it?
I did, and sad to say, there's a possibility that I won't be able to recover it.
Last June 11, I tried to withdraw the payment made by one of my students through a Korean ATM given to me by my former boss. For the past two years I never experienced any problem withdrawing in our local ATM machine. But that attempt was terrible.

As a protocol, I checked my balance and there was the money, then I proceeded to withdrawal transaction, entered the pin then the amount I wanted to withdraw. The machine displayed a message then that they could not complete the transaction. After few seconds, I got back my card and waited for a receipt to come out but no receipt came out and money either. I just thought that the machine did not recognized this transaction, or did not have enough money to complete my request. So,I went to another atm machine, tried to withdraw but then I found out that my money was debited in the previous ATM machine. At that moment, I felt like I wanted to cry.

I called their hotline but they can't offer any help. They said I have to call the mother bank which is in Korea for me to check what really happened to my money. I felt really bad.

This is what I call an unlucky experience.

Then and Now on Education

2011-03-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, my daughter Blessy completed her preschool with flying colors. I was so happy and proud.
She finished 4th in her class. A very big improvement from last year's kindergarten ranking. Since day 1 I never pushed my daughter to study hard because my main goal is for her to learn how to socialize. That's all. Learning how to read and write are just secondary. But to our surprise, my daughter who seems doesn't like to study finished it well.

We didn't experience PRESCHOOL. During my time, preschool was only for those students whose moms were not busy. So my sisters and I didn't go, plus our school didn't require it. Our Pre and formal education begun when we were in 1st grade. I was just six then. My first teacher lives near our house and she's my father's acquaintance. I can still remember the day she went to our house to sell dresses that my mother was forced to buy out of shame. I didn't like to study too when I was in elementary but I was always included in the first section and always made it to the TOP 10.

The system was entirely different before. Class rooms were usually filled in with 40 + students and each level had only 6-8 sections. Lower section could still get quality education because teachers taught very well in every class. They were not loaded.
But this generation is far from that, in a public school nowadays, a class is consists of 60 plus students and each level is consists of 10-15 section. If you go to bigger schools, numbers will also increased. Teachers are usually absent because they become too tired to teach. Lower section students just come and go to school without learning anything.

As a result of this degrading quality of education, several private schools sprouted like mushrooms everywhere.Parents who can afford send their children to private school then work hard in order to pay sky rocket high tuition fee. Family bonding time is usually sacrificed.

I hope I won't be one of those. I am a working mom but I make it appoint to find time to bond with my daughter. I know how it feels to loose time for your love ones for several of my friends shared their stories with me. My daughter will soon enter elementary school, I promise to give her the quality time she deserves. Because she has only one childhood and I want that to be happy.

For you again Blessy, Congratulations! I love you and you make us proud :)

Indecent Proposal

2011-03-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

As an ESL teacher, to get more student, you must promote yourself on how well you teach the language. I signed up ad posted my profile in two of the most visited site, www.Englishcrew.com and www.Ontue.com. These sites are usually visited by non-English speakers who want to learn foreign language.
I am an active member of these sites and have found several students through them. I either text them if they posted their need for ESL teacher or they text me to know if am still available to teach. But last night's message was different. The sender said he was from Ireland and he's living for while in Palawan which is in the Philippines.His name is Kevin, and he said he saw my profile in Ontue.com The thought of an extra teaching load for home based job got me excited so I replied to his message immediately although it was already 1 am. He then asked me to chat with him in skype and there he asked me several questions regarding my financial status which I answered with all honesty. There were several other questions and then finally he laid down his cards, saying that the job is for single women and the salary is $2000 a month which is roughly 84,000 php. It is a huge money for me. But the thing is, the job requires me to date a foreigner online. I decline the offer right there and there.

I am not a devout Catholic nor a conservative fella but this kind of job is the least I expected I'll be doing in my entire life. Upon knowing what he's offering me, I ask Kevin if its the same job I saw in the news wherein, the girl has to take off her clothes and show her body so that she could earn money. He replied saying that its not a requirement but out of a mutual agreement.
That answer made me say goodbye and signed out.

I entitled this indecent proposal because it sounds good but rotten inside. I have nothing against those who sell their bodies to earn money. We can really never tell what made them do that, but I won't let myself nor anyone from my family do this kind of job. This incident also made me realize that when you post your profile to the web, you are prone to different kinds of proposal and job offerings.

Praying for Japan

2011-03-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, the whole world witnessed another disaster that struck our brothers and sisters in Northern part of Japan. The country was devastated by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake which was followed by a giant tsunami that swept thousands of homes and properties.

The moment I saw what was happening, I wanted to go back home and stay with my whole family.

I felt that my country, the Philippines is still lucky not to be affected by this horrible experience but still my heart went out for the Japanese families who were greatly hurt by this tragedy.

My family and I together with the whole nation is for sure praying for them.

There's no one to blame. It all comes down to thinking that, when nature strikes back, it hits us hard, very hard.

Abbreviations 1: International Organizations

2010-06-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

I just finished a book about TRAVELLING and LEISURE and I have read there important abbreviations of International Organizations that will be very helpful to people who like to travel and have fun in different places. So, here is the list of International Organizations:

1. IYHF= International Youth Hostel Federation

2. UNESCO= United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations

3. EU= European Union

4. ILO= International Labor Organisation

5. FICC= International Federation of Camping and Caravanning

6. IMF= International Monetary Fund

7. ICAO= International Civil Aviation Organisation

8. IATM= International Association of Tour Managers

9. OAS= Organisation of American States

10. UNEP= United Nations Environment Programme

11. FIYTO= Federation of International Youth Travel Organisation

12. IATA= International Air Transport Association

13. OUA= Organisation of African Unity

14. BITS= International Bureau of Social Tourism

15. ISO= International Organisation of Standardization

16. ASEAN= Association of South-East Asian Nations

17. WLRA= World Leisure and Recreation Association

18. OECD= Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

19. CE= Council of Europe

20. IHRA= International Hotel and Restaurant Association

21. WHO= World Health Organisation

22. WTO= World Tourism Organisation

23. EFTA= European Free Trade Association

24. WATA= World Association of Travel Agencies.

25. ACI= Airports Council International

26. SPTO= South Pacific Tourism Organisation

27. WTTC= World Trade and Tourism Organisation

28. IACVB= International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau

29. UFTAA= Universal Federation of Travel Agents Associations

30. IBRD= International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

31. CIS= Commonwealth of Independent States

32. ATA= African Travel Association

33. WICE= World Industry Council on the Environment

34. PATA= Pacific Asia Travel Association

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES

2010-06-01T02:44:00.001-07:00

This is another interesting article about adjectives that I read from the internet. A word can't just be described by a single adjective. Most of the time, to make our description vivid, we used 3 or 4 adjectives to describe a single noun. There are several kinds of adjective that we can combine to give description to a certain word. Here is where the problem lies. If we are going to used 3 0r more adjectives, what would be their order?

This is the answer:

As a general rule, adjectives are place in this order:

opinion > size > quality > age > shape > color > participle form > origin > material type > purpose.

ex: an old, beautiful Indian carpet would be better described as a beautiful old Indian carpet.

You don't really have to give example adjective for each order but just follow the correct form as shown above.

So, if we you are going to add the adjectives: red and green to the phrase above, it would be placed between old and Indian

The sentence will be: a beautiful old red and green Indian carpet.

It is also helpful if we are going to place adjectives that are closely related to the noun they describe.

ex: a large comfortable wooden chair

*wooden is more related to chair so it is placed nearer the noun "chair".

*Here are more examples:

quality participle noun

a new improved recipe

opinion quality type noun

an old-fashioned romantic candle-lit dinner for two

*if we want to use adjectives with almost similar meaning, we put the shorter adjective first.

ex: a soft, comfortable cushion

Difference between actually/ in fact/ well.

2010-06-01T02:17:00.000-07:00

Actually and in fact are the two most common words that people are often confused with. They are very similar, but there are also slight differences in use.

*Similarities:

1. Both actually and in fact can be used to modify or contradict a previous statement.

ex: I hear that you're a doctor. Well, actually, I am a dentist.

Well, it may sound very simple to you but in fact it's very complicated.

2. Actually and in fact can also be used to introduce more detailed information or to make things clearer or more precise.

ex. I am going to have more things to do now that Peter has left the company.....

Sam, that's wonderful news.

Well, actually / in fact I've been promoted as Senior Vice president.

* Actually is placed at the end of the clause, it confirms news that others do not expect.

ex: I don't think you have posted my work for the exhibit.--I have, actually

**WELL

>>It is more widely used as a discourse marker than in fact or actually. It is very widely used to indicate that we are about to say something. It is sometimes used to give the speaker more time to think.

ex: So much do want for the 1999 Renault--Well, I was thinking about 2 million dollars.

>>It is also used to introduce a statement which indicates that the expectations have not been fulfilled.

ex: You know I said I thought I might go skiing with Jamie this year?--Well, I am not going now.

>>WELL can also be used to soften corrections and criticism

ex: You live in Manila, don't you? Well, in Quezon city, actually.

>>WELL can also serve to introduce important information

ex: You know I"ve been seeing a lot of Allan lately--Well, we're going to get engaged.

Pronunciation: 'ed' endings

2010-05-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

Regular verbs in the simple past all end in 'ed' or 'd'. These can be pronounced in three different ways.

There are three different ways to pronounce the 'ed' ending of regular verbs in the simple past tense: /Id/ , /t/ or /d/.

The pronunciation depends on the sounds at the end of the infinitive of the main verb and whether it is voiced or not.

1. The simple past is pronounced as /Id/ if the infinitives or the verbs end with /t/ or /d/ sounds

ex: needed

hated

dated

seated

2. The simple past is pronounced as /d/ if the infinitives or verbs end in a voiced sound

ex: lived

chilled

enjoyed

tried

3. The simple past is pronounced as /t/ if the infinitives or verbs end in an unvoiced sound

ex: shopped

picked

wished

crunched

When we say voiced sound, our vocal chords vibrate as we pronounce the sound.

When do we place 'the' in front of a noun and when do we take it away?

2010-05-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

For most beginners, the uses of article 'the' is the most common problem. To help answer this problem, I listed down ways I have read from the internet how to use the definite article 'the' and it goes as follows:

1. We use the definite article before singular and plural nouns when we are talking about things that both speakers know about.

ex: 'These are the books that I borrowed from the library'

(We can see the books and we know where the library is)

2. We use 'the' with specific locations or areas such as islands, mountain ranges, seas and rivers.

ex: The People's Republic of China, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, The Philippines, The Bahamas, The Dead sea, The Black Sea, The Arabian Sea, The Amazon etc..(for all the places, check out an atlas)

3. We use 'the' with groups of people, with musical and scientific instruments and animals when we discuss them as categories.

ex: Trisha is learning how to play the piano, and her cousins as well.

The Veterans Hospital is a hospital for the elderly.

How to extend a conversation using facial expressions and gesture:)

2010-05-26T02:27:00.000-07:00

Hi readers! I came across this another interesting article from the internet. People need another in order to survive. Like in the saying "No man is an island". So the following tips will help you earn more friends or can just simply extend a conversation with someone.

1. Smile from time to time, that can be encouraging.

2. Don't smile too often because the person you're listening to might wonder whether you actually understand what they're saying.

3. Give a little nod sometimes, as though you're saying 'yes' to show that you do understand what's being said and want to hear more.

4. If you shake your head slowly, as if you're saying 'no' when somebody is telling you something sad, that make it look as though you're sympathetic.

5. If you make your mouth look like a large 'O'- you can show great surprise or even shock.

6. If you shake your head and smile just a little bit at the same time, that shows that you're amazed by what you hear or a little bit shock.

difference between should, shouldn't, don't + have to

2010-05-25T02:44:00.000-07:00

hi:D I just found out an interesting article about the difference between the modal should, have to, and don't have to. For some, it's a bit confusing but I will try to explain to you the best that I can. So here it is:

1. Have to: is the same as must and it means that you have no choice about doing something.

ex: I have to pay the bills or else they will cut my credit cards.

2. Should: is used to express when the speaker or the writer feels that it is a good idea to do something.

ex: They should get their passport as soon as possible to avoid delays.

3. Don't have to: means that there is no obligation to do something, although they could do it if they

wanted to.

ex: You don't have to bring flowers for the bride, they have provided a dozen for her.

4. Should have to: is used when the speaker or the writer feels it would be better if there was an obligation to do something.

ex: We shouldn't have to pay for our education.

KEEP YOUR ENGLISH UP TO DATE 2:))

2010-05-24T02:09:00.000-07:00

hi:) this is another blog about new words in English Language:o.In the previous blog I discussed 5 words. In this one, I am going to have 13 challenging words and expressions taken from BBC Learning English.com. So readers, take a look at this and enjoy:)

1. Shoulder-surfing:a term in surfing which means stealing somebody else's wave. It is very rude and surfers really don't like it. While taking money out of a cash point or ATM, we should really be careful that no one is standing too close to us. They maybe shoulder-surfing, that is looking over our shoulder trying to watch you enter your personal identification or PIN number on the keypad.

2. A slip of the thumb: is an unintentional mistake made while texting, either sending the message to the wrong person or not noticing when predictive texting chooses the wrong word, often to embarrassing or very funny consequences.

3. Al desko: from the Italian expression 'al fresco' which means eating out in the fresh air.But these days, people don't think about time for leisure so they just bring in a sandwich and sit at their desk. They are eating al desko.

4. Social Notworking: is doing social networking such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitters and others at work instead of the many things you should be doing.

5. Blackburied: from the hand held device 'BLACKBERRY' which you can use to check you emails as well as to send texts or sms messages and to make a telephone calls.It is a feeling like work is coming to dominate your life because you can never get away from your email. That means you feel inundated and exhausted trying to be on top of all your email twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You feel buried under all the extra work that the easy access to your email has brought to you.

6. Blame storming: from the word 'Brain storming' which is a method of creating ideas where a group of people sit down and make random suggestions, writing down everything that comes into their heads. Blame storming is quite similar, it is a method of collectively finding someone to blame for a mistake that no one is willing to confess to. It is where a group or organisation gets together to pick up a suitable excuse or a scapegoat.

7. Cewebrity: is somebody who is only or perhaps mostly famous through their presence in the internet, an internet personality who crosses over the mainstream. A web celebrity.

8. Floordrobe- from the words 'floor' and 'wardrobe'. It is a wardrobe on the floor. Millions of people specially teenagers like this. You just simply drop your clothes on the floor.No need to have hangers, drawers, doors and efforts.

9. Meanderthal: From the words 'meander' and 'Neanderthal'. To meander means to walk slowly without any clear direction and a Neanderthal was a primitive person who lived in Europe a hundred thousand year ago. This word is actually rude because you are saying that the person in front who is slowing you down is stupid, they haven't evolved, they don't know what they're doing or they're going.

10. Angsty: from the word 'angst' meaning neurotic fear, anxiety, guilt or remorse. The word angst has more recently adapted and teenagers are more likely to use this to describe how they feel or complaining about not being understood by anyone. An angsty person feels completely unloved, unwanted, rejected and ignored.

11. Nearliness: is someone who comes close without ever actually doing it.

12. Plank: literally, the word plank is a piece of wood often used in the construction industry. There's an expression in English 'as thick as two short planks' which is a negative term for someone who is really unintelligent. Now this expression has been shortened. If we think someone isn't very bright, we just called them 'plank'.

13. Staycation: from the words 'station' and 'vacation'. These days people have less and less money to spend on luxuries, things like holidays. So when they have time off to work, some are choosing to stay at home, instead of flying or driving to the beach or mountains or maybe to another country.

KEEP YOUR ENGLISH UP TO DATE:)

2010-05-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

Hi readers! This series of blogs is an interesting one. The English language is permanently evolving and developing. New words and expressions are developed and used by people to accompany the changes in society, culture and technology. Here is the list of new words that has recently made it into the language:)

1. D'oh- first appeared in the Oxford Dictionary in 2002 but it was first heard on a 1988 episode of the Tracey Ullman TV show featuring an early version of the Simpson, with Homer being knocked out by a punching bag. Since then it has become a regular expression used to be express frustration, a sense of inevitable doom.

2. Smirt- a portmanteau ( a blend) of the words- smoke and flirt- a kind of social pastime for smokers.

3.W00t- in 2007 it was chosen by the Merriam Webster as their word of the year. They described it as "expressing joy...similar to the word 'yay'. The kind of thing you say when you win something or when something good happens to you.

4. Downsize- seems to have originated in the automobile industry in the seventies, where oil prices forced companies to design smaller cars which were lighter and therefore more economical. Today, it is most likely to say to mean reducing the work force within the company. Popular opinion has it that saying this is less painful and more acceptable.

5. Supersize- came from the film Super Size Me where the director tried to live for a month by just eating foods from McDonald's. This word essentially means buying bigger burgers, bigger chips and a bigger drink for a little more money.

100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English 3

2010-05-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

Part 3 of the 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases:

61. NO: nucular/ YES: nuclear

62. NO: nuptual/ YES: nuptial

63. NO: often/ YES: ofen

64. NO: ordinance/ YES: ordnance

65. NO: orientate/ YES: orient

66. NO: ostensively/ YES: ostensibly

67. NO: Ostaya/ YES: Australia

68. NO: parlament/ YES: parliament

69. NO: perculate/ YES: percolate

70. NO: pottable/ YES: potable

71. NO: perogative/ YES: prerogative

72. NO: perscription/ YES: prescription

73. NO: persnickety/ YES: pernickety

74. NO: preemptory/ YES: peremptory

75. NO: prespire/YES: perspire

76. NO: plute/ YES: pollute

77. NO: probly, prolly/ YES: probably

78. NO: pronounciation/pronunciation

79. NO: prostrate/ YES: prostate

80. NO: realator/ YES: realtor

81. NO: revelant/ YES: relevant

82. NO: reoccur/ YES: recur

83. NO: respite/ YES: respite

84. NO: sherbert/ YES: sherbet

85. NO: silicone/ YES: silicon

86. NO:snuck/ YES: sneaked

87. NO: sose/ YES: so

88. NO: spade/ YES: spay

89. NO: spitting image/ YES: spit and image

90. NO: stob/ YES: stub

91. NO: stomp/ YES: stamp

92. NO: suit/ YES: suite

93. NO: supposably/ YES: supposedly

94. NO: supremist/ YES: supremacist

95. NO: tact/ YES: track

96. NO: take for granite/ YES: take for granted

97. NO: tenant/ YES: tenet

98. NO: tenderhooks/ YES: tenterhooks

99. NO: Tiajuana/ YES: Tijuana

100. NO: triathalon/ YES: triathlon

100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English 2

2010-05-19T04:00:00.001-07:00

this is the continuation of the 100 Most often mispronounced words and phrases in English language:) Enjoy reading

26. NO: elec'toral/ YES: e'lectoral

27. NO: excape/ YES: escape

28. NO: expresso/ YES: espresso

29. NO: excetera/ YES: et cetera

30. NO: expecially/ YES: especially

31. NO: Febyuary/ YES: February

32. NO: fedral/ YES: federal

33. NO: fisical/ YES: fiscal

34. NO: flounder/ YES: founder

35. NO: foilage / YES: foliage

36. NO: For all intensive purposes/ YES: For all intents and purposes

37. NO: forte/ YES: fort

38. NO: Hienken remover/ YES: Heimlich maneuver

39. NO: heighth/ YES: height

40. NO: hi-archy/ YES: heirarchy

41. NO: in parenthesis/ YES: in parentheses

42. NO: interpretate/ YES: interpret

43. NO: irregardless/ YES: regardless

44. NO: jewlery/ YES: jewelry

45. NO: jist nor dis/ YES: just

46. NO: Klu Klux Klan/ YES: Ku Klux Klan

47. NO: lambast/ YES: lambaste

48. NO: arnyx/ YES: larynx

49. NO: Laura Norder/ YES: law and order

50. NO: leash/ YES: lease

51. NO: libel/ YES: liable

52. NO: libary/ YES: library

53. NO: long lived/ YES: long-lived

54. NO: masonary/ YES:masonry

55. NO: mawv/ YES: mauve

56. NO: mannaise/ YES: mayonnaise

57. NO: miniture/ YES: miniature

58. NO: mute/ YES: moot

59. NO: mis'chievous/ YES: mischievous

60. NO: nother/ YES: other

100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English

2010-05-19T03:31:00.000-07:00

Hi readers. This is a very interesting topic to be discussed. In English language, there are several words that are often mispronounced by non-native speakers. And as a way to help them, here is a list of 100 most often mispronounced words and phrases.The list will be divided into two: NO means the wrong pronunciation and YES means the right pronunciation.

1. NO: acrossed / YES: across

2. NO: affidavid/ YES: affidavit

3. NO: Old-timer's disease/ YES: Alzheimer's disease

4. NO: Antartic/ YES: Antarctic

5. NO: Artic/ YES: Arctic

6. NO: aks/ YES: ask

7. NO: athelete,atheletic/ YES: athlete, athletic

8. NO: barbituate/ YES: barbiturate

9. NO: bob wire / YES: barbed wire

10. NO: bidness/ YES: business

11. NO: a blessing in the skies/ YES: a blessing in disguise

12. NO: calvary/ YES: cavalry

13. NO: cannidate/ YES: candidate

14. NO: card shark/ YES: cardsharp

15. NO: carpool tunnel syndrome/ YES: Carpal tunnel syndrome

16. NO: caucaphony/ YES: cacophony

17. NO: The Caucases/ NO: The Caucasus

18. NO: chester drawer / YES: chest of drawers

19. NO: chomp at the bit/ YES: champ at the bit

20. NO: close/ YES: clothes

21. NO: coronet/YES: cornet

22. NO: dialate/ YES: dilate

23. NO: diptheria / YES: diphtheria

24. NO: doggy dog world/ YES: dog-eat-dog world

25. NO: drownd/ YES: drown

ANIMAL IDIOMS 2

2010-05-19T01:58:00.000-07:00

SMALLER MAMMALS

keep the wolf from the door
dog tired
let sleeping dogs lie

let the cat out of the bag
cat nap smell a rat

If you can't get a better job, you won't be able to keep the wolf from the door.
He was dog tired - out on call all night and then took surgery in the morning.
She doesn't need to know he's been unfaithful. Let sleeping dogs lie.
He couldn't keep it secret, let the cat out of the bag and told her everything.
I like to cat nap for half an hour after lunch.
They intended to trick him but they were always larking about and he smelt a rat .

keep the wolf from the door: earn enough to buy food and other essentials
let sleeping dogs lie: not interfere; not mention something that could cause trouble
let the cat out of the bag: reveal a secret
smell a rat: sense that something is wrong (lark about: behave in playful, childish way)

BIRDS and FISH

a wild goose chase
up with the lark
chicken out
a fish out of water
a cold fish
have other fish to fry

I didn't know her flight number so trying to find Amy at Heathrow was a bit of a wild goose chase.
We'll have to be up with the lark tomorrow - the flight leaves at seven thirty.
They are short of funds so I think they're going to chicken out of this project.
I didn't know anyone at the reception so felt like a fish out of water.
He showed no emotion at this aunt's funeral - he's s cold sort of fish.
They wanted me to join them on this project but I told them I had other fish to fry.

a wild goose chase: a search that has no chance of success
chicken out: stop participating in something which is too dangerous or difficult.
have other fish to fry: have other things to do or more important matters to attend to.