New Year's Resolutions
December 30th, 2008Are you going to make any New Year's Resolutions for 2009?
You might want to think about how likely you are to keep your resolutions. According to a poll, although women are more likely than men to make New Year's Resolutions, men are more likely to keep them.
So, what can help you achieve your resolutions? I'm no expert, but I think the only resolutions that really work are those which are achievable to begin with. So rather than saying "I want to be fluent in English", you can say "I want to learn 3 new words a day" or "I want to find a conversation partner to practise my English".
So, what are your resolutions?
Christmas quiz answers
December 28th, 2008Here are the answers to the quiz questions. How many did you get right?
1. What does "White Christmas" mean?
= A Christmas when there is snow.
2. What is another name for Santa Claus?
= Father Christmas
3. What do people traditionally sing at Christmas?
= Christmas carols.
There are a number of "favourites", such as "Away in a Manger", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Silent Night", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Good King Wenceslas".
4. What does "Boxing Day" mean?
= It means 26 December.
5. What do English people eat on Christmas Day?
= Roast turkey, roast beef, or roast goose. Probably the most popular is roast turkey, with "all the trimmings": roast potatoes, brussels sprouts, bread sauce, bacon rolls and turkey gravy, with Christmas pudding to follow for those who still have room!
6. What does "advent calendar" mean?
= It's a calendar with windows for each day of December up to 25 December. When you open the window for the day, you have a picture of a Christmas scene, and often a chocolate.
7. Where can you kiss the person you secretly like?
= Under the mistletoe!
8. What do people send before Christmas?
= Christmas cards.
9. What does "christmas cracker" mean?
= It's a cardboard lozenge shape, covered in crepe paper. Two people pull at each end, and the cracker (which contains a small amount of explosive powder) explodes. Inside there is a paper hat (which you should wear) and a small gift. We pull crackers at the end of the Christmas meal.
10. Where do English people put their Christmas presents?
= Under the Christmas tree.
11. How many reindeer does Santa Claus have?
= 12. The chief reindeer is "Rudolph", who has a shiny nose.
12. What does "midnight mass" mean?
= It's a special church service at midnight on Christmas Eve.
13.What is the "Queen's Speech"?
= The Queen's speech is televised on 25 December at 3pm. She speaks to all the citizens in Britain, giving them a message for the New Year.
14. What does "christmas stocking" mean?
= It's a large sock, filled with presents, that are put at the end of the beds of children, officially by "Father Christmas". The children open their stockings on Christmas morning.
15. How can you decorate your tree?
= With baubles, chocolate coins, angels, tinsel and lights. At the top of the tree you can put an angel, or star.
16. How many days of Christmas are there (according to the song)?
= 12.
Confusing words – see / watch
December 23rd, 2008A question on the forums asked about the difference between see and watch.
—Do you often_____ a movie?
—No, I often______ TV.
I chose "watch" for both, although you can also "see something on TV", or "see a film".
"Watch" is normally used when we look at something with attention, while "see" often refers to our ability to see.
"I love to watch the sunrise from my window."
"I can see the mountains in the distance."
But when you refer to habit, I think "watch" is the better word, as you are deliberately choosing to watch something with attention. My dictionary gives the example, "After I finish my homework, I usually watch TV."
What do you think?
English proverbs
December 20th, 2008Proverbs are short sayings that explain a fact or a truth. Some of them are quite easy to understand: "a stitch in time saves nine" (i.e. do a small job now before it becomes bigger or more difficult), and some have equivalents in other languages.
But others can seem so old-fashioned that their meaning is hard to work out.
What do "It's an ill wind that blows no good" and "It's a long road that has no turning" mean? (See the question in the Help Me! forum.)
I don't think I have ever heard anyone use these, and I'm not 100% sure of the meaning. Are there any proverbs that you particularly like or hate in English?
Some and any
December 17th, 2008When do you use "some" and when do you use "any"?
We often say that the rule is to use any for questions and negatives, and some in positive sentences.
"I've got some money."
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"She hasn't got any friends."
This rule is fine as a starting point, but a question in the Help Me! forum today made me think about other situations.
The question was "Which part of this sentence is not correct?":
Can you get some oranges in the tree?
You could use both "some" or "any" in this sentence.
"Can you get some oranges from the tree?" (if you wanted someone to get you the oranges)
Or
Can you get any oranges from the tree? (if you wanted to ask someone if they had the ability to get oranges from the tree)
In requests, we often use "some":
Can you get me some milk, please?
Can you get me some stamps?
In other questions, which are more "general", we can use "any":
Do you know any famous people?
Are there any oranges in the tree?
For more information about some and any, see the page in the grammar section of the site.
Quick Christmas quiz
December 16th, 2008Here are some Christmas quiz questions I wrote for my students. How many can you get right?
1. What does "White Christmas" mean?
2. What is another name for Santa Claus?
3. What do people traditionally sing at Christmas?
4. What does "Boxing Day" mean?
5. What do English people eat on Christmas Day?
6. What does "advent calendar" mean?
7. Where can you kiss the person you secretly like?
8. What do people send before Christmas?
9. What does "christmas cracker" mean?
10. Where do English people put their Christmas presents?
11. How many reindeer does Santa Claus have?
12. What does "midnight mass" mean?
13.What is the "Queen's Speech"?
14. What does "christmas stocking" mean?
15. How can you decorate your tree?
16. How many days of Christmas are there (according to the song)?
What's the easiest question? The most difficult?
Over to you!
Do you like reading?
December 15th, 2008If so, there's a great discussion thread on the Penpals section of the site, where people meet to talk about the books and stories they have read. They give explanations of vocabulary, their thoughts about the stories and much, much more. You can read their comments here.
Holiday wishes
December 13th, 2008If you're sending Christmas cards, here are some useful expressions to write:
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
With love
(Your name)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
With love (or omit this)
(Your name)
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year
With love
(Your name)
If you are writing a card to customers or business contacts, you can write:
Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2009
(Your name)
Using a dictionary
December 11th, 2008A recent question in the Help Me! forum asked for a dictionary recommendation. I often recommend Longman dictionaries, because they give clear definitions and example sentences which show the meaning of the word or phrase.
Dictionaries also give you important information on the grammar and pronunciation of a word, and some also tell you if a word is spoken or written, formal or informal and British or American. There's more information on using a dictionary here.
Food in your country
December 10th, 2008Check out this beautiful site about Burmese food. The photographs are mouth-watering, and the recipes are easy to follow.
Do you have a favourite site about your national food? Add a comment under this post!
