English Vocabulary: Idioms with “Baby”! October 8, 2010 by Melanie Leave a Comment to have a baby/to expect a baby When I talked about my friend in the listening lesson, I said… My oldest friend in the world just had her first baby! Did you notice I used the verb have? When a woman is […]
Category: Vocabulary
Vocabulary – The Stages of Life!
Vocabulary – The Stages of Life! October 6, 2010 by Melanie Share WhatsApp Tweet +1 (Photo by daskar) a preemie = a preemie is baby that is born ‘prematurely’ – before it has completely developed in the mother’s womb. Generally it takes 37 weeks/9 months for a baby to fully develop, so if a […]
How to Talk about Shopping in English!
Vocabulary – How to Talk about Shopping! September 29, 2010 by Melanie (Photo by ellewoods) Do you like shopping? Let’s go shopping! (NOTE: it is not go to shopping.) Let’s take a look at some vocabulary related to shopping. Do you have money to spend on clothes? If you not, […]
Vocabulary Spotlight on: Getting and Keeping a Driver’s Licence!
Vocabulary Spotlight on: Getting and Keeping a Driver’s Licence! September 22, 2010 by Melanie (Photo by Stephan Geyer) In the listening lesson “My License Plate!”, I talked about a situation with my car’s license plate. Before you drive a car, you need a driver’s license! In this post, I explain what you need to do […]
English Vocabulary: Marriage
English Vocabulary: Marriage September 16, 2010 by Melanie 5 Comments Ask Someone to Marry You It is very easy to ask someone to marry you. You just ask, “Will you marry me?” Of course, you need to say lots of romantic things like … I want to spend the rest of my life with […]
English Vocabulary: Idioms with “Crazy”
English Vocabulary: Idioms with “Crazy” September 12, 2010 by Melanie You’re crazy! 1. mentally ill The old definition of crazy was someone who had a serious mental illness and was not sane. Nowadays it is considered offensive to call someone who has a mental illness ‘crazy.’ At the same, if you want to insult someone […]
English Vocabulary: Idioms with “Crazy”
English Vocabulary: Idioms with “Crazy” September 12, 2010 by Melanie You’re crazy! 1. mentally ill The old definition of crazy was someone who had a serious mental illness and was not sane. Nowadays it is considered offensive to call someone who has a mental illness ‘crazy.’ At the same, if you want to insult someone […]
Vocabulary – What is an ‘ex’?
Vocabulary – What is an ‘ex’? September 11, 2010 by Melanie (Photo by an untrained eye) Ex- is a prefix that is used before a noun. It means ‘former’: ex-president (he was the president, but now he is not) ex-policeman (former policeman) ex-member ex-prisoner Ex can also be used as a noun by […]
English Vocabulary: “Not So Much!”
English Vocabulary: “Not So Much!” September 4, 2010 by Melanie Not so much is a great expression! It started out as slang amongst young adults, but I notice it more and more in mainstream newspapers and magazines, for example in this editorial from one of Canada’s major newspapers: National Post editorial board: Michaelle Jean is […]
Expressions with ‘Wash’ and ‘Laundry’!
Expressions with ‘Wash’ and ‘Laundry’! August 27, 2010 by Melanie 1 Comment air your dirty laundry (in public) = talk about private problems in public = the ‘dirty laundry’ is things that should otherwise be kept private, such as family secrets, scandals, or problems with your spouse/partner or children = often if it doesn’t embarrass […]