The Antithetical Adventures of Wanda Wonder Worker and Loafing Lazy Larry This blog and the subsequent ones for a while will be going through the Wanda and Larry’s story to develop your advanced vocabulary usage. This is the first chapter. Follow these steps to use this story to improve your English vocabulary. Don’t panic when […]
Tag Archives: idioms
You’re Fired!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwDMFOLIHxU[/embedyt] Workin’ 9 to 5, for service and devotion You would think I would deserve a fat promotion Want to move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me I swear sometimes that man is out to get me! In our 24-hour 7-day a week world, the days of only working 9-5 […]
Be Kind to Others
In Oklahoma, we have a saying, and you may have a similar one in your language as well. Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins. Although we never really know what someone else is going through, empathy can certainly help us to practice kindness with others. I’ve been […]
Black or White… or Grey?
In teaching this week, two different phrases came up that required explanation for my students: mixed blessing and false dichotomy. Additionally, I used the phrase double-edged sword in a mini-lecture and had to explain that as well. These phrases and the explanations got me thinking about absolutes and how we like things to be one […]
In Sickness and In Health
Everyone everywhere gets sick some time or another. Luckily, most of us get better too. Subsequently, every language has its own phrases for talking about sickness. I was wiped out by sickness all spring break, so I had the chance to think about how we speak of sickness and health in English. Hence, this week’s […]
Mistake Idioms
Mistakes. Some are incidental while others, of course, can be substantial, but we all make them, usually on a daily basis. As a college instructor, my mistakes are so often very public and thus that much more embarrassing, frustrating, or even potentially harming than the errors of others less in the public eye. I try […]
Love Not Only for Lovers
Valentine’s day is coming up, offering a wonderful chance to express affection and appreciation for those in committed relationships. Idioms for romantic love will abound on the internet this week, so having one more from me seems superfluous. Moreover, love is not limited solely to lovers. Casual friends and even strangers in the street can […]
Language Lessons
Vocabulary, idioms, parts of speech, and more! Let’s Learn!
Telling Lies
People lie and they always have and they always will. Abraham Lincoln once said, “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” Given the current news for the past week and […]