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Showing posts with the label elt

How many French words in English?

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  French and English are fundamentally different languages in term of grammar, structure and syntax. Despite this incompatibility, all English speakers understand a substantial percentage of French loanwords . 

Who is Shashibiya?

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The name Shakespeare  (transcribed  Shashibiya) first appeared     in a Chinese language publication in a translation of Milner’s The History of England in 1857. But it was the publication of Lin Shu’s Tales from Shakespeare in 1904 that first brought the Bard to a wider Chinese audience.  Lin Shu remarketed Shashibiya for a Chinese readership. He promoted the plays as traditional ‘stories of gods and spirits’. One of these tales was used for the first professional production of Shakespeare in China: a staging of The Merchant of Venice in 1913. Read more :  Shakespeare in China   (3 minute free read on Medium)

Ten most used verbs in English?

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Photo by  Brett Jordan  on  Unsplash

What letters are used most frequently in English?

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Why is English not the official language of England?

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Where does the word meme come from?

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Where does the word nerd come from? Difference between a geek and a nerd?

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nerd nəːd/ noun informal:  a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious. Single minded, expert:  "I was a serious nerd until I discovered girls and cars" synonyms : bore, dull person;  "a computer nerd"

What is an octothorpe?

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In the 1960s engineers at Bell Labs were designing the first touch keyboard telephones.

Which languages do Americans speak at home?

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Top 10 words with the most entries in the Oxford English Dictionary?

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Here are the words with the most separate entries in the OED:

Most common spelling mistakes in English?

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These are the five most common spelling errors in English:

What are phrasal verbs? Why are they difficult to learn?

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Word most looked-up in the dictionary?

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The best way to teach English?

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Kaplan International College surveyed more than 500 ESL teachers from 40 countries to discover what tools they use to enhance their lessons. This infographic summarises their findings. Interesting that 86% use music in the classroom, with The Beatles (40%) being the most used source of material. The next three singers (Michael Jackson, Bob Marley & Elvis) are sadly departed, with only One Direction representing contemporary pop music. Also significant that newspapers still have an important role, despite the dramatic decline of printed sales. Key Concepts in ELT

What is iconoclasm?

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What is a flipped classroom?

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The flipped classroom is based on a simple idea. Does it work?

What is vlogging? And a haul?

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Vloggers (or YouTubers as they popularly known) broadcast regular short videos on YouTube channels .     Anyone can set up a free channel - the trick is then to attract subscribers who regularly watch your broadcasts. What is the appeal of vlogging? Fame and fortune without leaving your house for the most successful.  The most popular YouTubers have pop-star status amongst their fans. They are often known by their user names - PewDiePie, for example. These, of course, are the lottery winners of the vlogging world. For most the appeal can be described in two words: free fun.  What do YouTubers talk about? Themselves, mainly. The appeal of the most popular YouTubers is that of an intimate friend who shares your interests and concerns.  One popular topic is  hauls  (what I bought today) - here is an example.   Other staples include:  How-to-make/do tutorials Challenges  (often involving food tasting - see above) Pets Pranks  (elaborate practical jokes). The be

Dude! Where does the word dude come from?

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with thanks to Taking English One Thumb at a Time ( dūd, dyūd )  n. Informal . An Easterner or city person who vacations on a ranch in the West. Informal . A man who is very fancy or sharp in dress and demeanor. Slang . A man; a fellow. dudes  Persons of either sex. tr.v. ,  dud·ed ,  dud·ing ,  dudes . Slang . To dress elaborately or flamboyantly:  got all duded up for the show. interj.   Slang Used to express approval, satisfaction, or congratulations. Source The  origins of the word dude are disputed but certainly predate  Dude, Where’s my Car? (2000). According to the American Heritage Dictionary:  Originally it was applied to fancy-dressed city folk who went out west on vacation. In this usage it first appears in the 1870s. A New York newspaper declared one Evan Berry (left) the ‘King of the Dudes’ in 1888. 'Dude' makes an appearance  in Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889). The word also pops-up in the letters of an

What are phrasal verbs? Is there an easy way to learn them?

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phrasal verb noun   [ C ]   / ˌfreɪ.z ə lˈvɜːb /       / -ˈvɝːb / a phrase that consists of a verb with a preposition or adverb or both, the meaning of which is different from the meaning of its separate parts: 'Look after', 'work out' and 'make up for' are all phrasal verbs. Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus  A phrasal verb is a verb with two parts; the verb and a preposition. The preposition changes the meaning of the verb - to turn on a light is different from to turn a corner. Is there an easy way to learn phrasal verbs? Not if 'easy' means without practice. Phrasal verbs are tricky for English language learners because there are no universal rules. They are the inner secrets of the language; available only to those with the curiosity and patience to discover them. There are, however, a few useful guidelines that can help - see here : Use offer code CQDWKF0 to download English FAQ Teach

Did The Beatles change the English language?

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The Beatles first flew into New York in February 1964. Part of their appeal was what to American ears was a charmingly fresh approach to the  English language.  Interestingly, this came across more in their spoken interviews than their song lyrics - the early ones followed the established 'American' style ('I want to hold your hand'). But success gave them the confidence to draw on cultural and linguistic references that were incomprehensible to American ears -  the  National Health Service  (from ‘Dr Robert’) or the  News of the World  (‘Polythene Pam’), and British English vocabulary like ‘ ring  my friend’ (‘Dr Robert’ again: Americans would say  call ), ‘time for  tea ’ (‘Good Morning, Good Morning’: see sense 3  here ), and  dressing gown  (‘She’s Leaving Home’ – it’s a  bathrobe  in American English). Not to mention those  plasticine  porters in ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ – the American equivalent  Play-Doh  doesn’t quite work here. ( source) The Beat