ball (1): a fun time.
e.g.
Thanks for the party, I really had a ball!
ball [offensive] (2): a testicle.
She kicked him in his balls.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Phrasal Verb for today
Ask in
- To invite somebody into your house
e.g.
The new neighbor asks in the local people in the area for a tea party tonight.
- To invite somebody into your house
e.g.
The new neighbor asks in the local people in the area for a tea party tonight.
Friday, October 24, 2008
american slang for the day
baby boomer: a person born from the end of the Second World War until the early 1960s.
e.g.
My mother is a baby boomer!
e.g.
My mother is a baby boomer!
Phrasal Verb for today
Ask around
- Ask a number of people for information of help
e.g.
The tourists asked around the locals on how to get to the old Cathedral.
- Invite someone
e.g.
The newly heart-broken celebrity asked around for a date this weekend.
- Ask a number of people for information of help
e.g.
The tourists asked around the locals on how to get to the old Cathedral.
- Invite someone
e.g.
The newly heart-broken celebrity asked around for a date this weekend.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
american slang for the day
ass [offensive] (1): backside.
My ass hurts when I fell on the stairs.
(2): an unworthy and hated person.
Her ex-boyfriend was such an ass.
My ass hurts when I fell on the stairs.
(2): an unworthy and hated person.
Her ex-boyfriend was such an ass.
Phrasal Verb for today
Ask for
- To provoke a negative reaction
e.g.
The rude boy was asking for trouble when he shouted at the police.
- Request to have or be given
e.g.
The employees asked for more office supplies immediately.
- To provoke a negative reaction
e.g.
The rude boy was asking for trouble when he shouted at the police.
- Request to have or be given
e.g.
The employees asked for more office supplies immediately.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Phrasal Verb for today
Ask after
- Enquire about someone's health, how life is going
e.g.
The professor asks after his ex-wife through his son.
- Enquire about someone's health, how life is going
e.g.
The professor asks after his ex-wife through his son.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Phrasal Verb for today
Argue out
- Argue about a problem to find a solution
e.g.
The team manager and supervisor argued about the consistent absences of their members.
- Argue about a problem to find a solution
e.g.
The team manager and supervisor argued about the consistent absences of their members.
Today's Tongue Twister
Once upon a barren moor
There dwelt a bear, also a boar,
The bear could not bear the boar,
The bear thought the boar was a bore.
At last the bear could bear no more
That boar that bored him on the moor.
And so one morn he bored the boar-
That boar will bore no more!
There dwelt a bear, also a boar,
The bear could not bear the boar,
The bear thought the boar was a bore.
At last the bear could bear no more
That boar that bored him on the moor.
And so one morn he bored the boar-
That boar will bore no more!
Monday, October 20, 2008
american slang for the day
ammunition: toilet paper.
e.g.
This office is worse, there's no available ammunition in the toilet!
e.g.
This office is worse, there's no available ammunition in the toilet!
Phrasal Verb for today
Answer for
- Be held responsible for a problem
- Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them
e.g.
The security guard answered for the stolen goods during his shift at the store.
- Be held responsible for a problem
- Speak on behalf of someone or from knowing them
e.g.
The security guard answered for the stolen goods during his shift at the store.
Word of the Day
alfresco \al-FRES-koh\, adverb:
1. In the open air; outdoors.
adjective:
1. Taking place or located in the open air; outdoor.
Turner escaped from the entangled politics of London's art world, where the Royal Academy was marooned in petty disputes, to paint alfresco on the riverbanks.-- Siri Huntoon, "Down by the Riverside", New York Times, November 7, 1993
Outdoor sitting areas all have LAN connections, so that employees can work alfresco.-- Scott Kirsner, "Digital Competition - Laurie A. Tucker", Fast Company, December 1999
I sailed past alfresco cafes filled with young people reading the paper, past restaurants doing a thriving brunch business, and ended up dropping down a fairly steep hill to the water yet again, on an obscure street that ended near a big factory.-- Gary Kamiya, "An ode to Sydney", Salon, September 27, 2000
Alfresco is from the Italian al fresco, "in the fresh (air)," from al, "in the" (a, "to, in" + il, "the") + fresco, "fresh."
from: word of the day
1. In the open air; outdoors.
adjective:
1. Taking place or located in the open air; outdoor.
Turner escaped from the entangled politics of London's art world, where the Royal Academy was marooned in petty disputes, to paint alfresco on the riverbanks.-- Siri Huntoon, "Down by the Riverside", New York Times, November 7, 1993
Outdoor sitting areas all have LAN connections, so that employees can work alfresco.-- Scott Kirsner, "Digital Competition - Laurie A. Tucker", Fast Company, December 1999
I sailed past alfresco cafes filled with young people reading the paper, past restaurants doing a thriving brunch business, and ended up dropping down a fairly steep hill to the water yet again, on an obscure street that ended near a big factory.-- Gary Kamiya, "An ode to Sydney", Salon, September 27, 2000
Alfresco is from the Italian al fresco, "in the fresh (air)," from al, "in the" (a, "to, in" + il, "the") + fresco, "fresh."
from: word of the day
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Idiom for today
a household name/word
When the name of someone or something
becomes very familiar because it is so often used,
it is called a household name or word.
►The product was so successful that
its name became a household word in no time.
When the name of someone or something
becomes very familiar because it is so often used,
it is called a household name or word.
►The product was so successful that
its name became a household word in no time.
Phrasal Verb for today
Answer back
- To reply rudely to someone in authority
e.g.
The student answered back to his English teacher when he was reprimanded for his behavior.
- To reply rudely to someone in authority
e.g.
The student answered back to his English teacher when he was reprimanded for his behavior.
Word of the Day
bailiwick \BAY-luh-wik\, noun:
1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff.
I'll give it a try, but this is not my bailiwick.-- Sue Grafton, 'L' Is for Lawless
He "professed ignorance, as of something outside my bailiwick."-- Marc Aronson, "Wharton and the House of Scribner: The Novelist as a Pain in the Neck", New York Times, January 2, 1994
Fund-raising was Cliff's bailiwick, anyway, and he seemed to have it in hand.-- Curt Sampson, The Masters
Bailiwick comes from Middle English baillifwik, from baillif, "bailiff" (ultimately from Latin bajulus, "porter, carrier") + wik, "town," from Old English wic, from Latin vicus, "village."
from: word of the day
1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff.
I'll give it a try, but this is not my bailiwick.-- Sue Grafton, 'L' Is for Lawless
He "professed ignorance, as of something outside my bailiwick."-- Marc Aronson, "Wharton and the House of Scribner: The Novelist as a Pain in the Neck", New York Times, January 2, 1994
Fund-raising was Cliff's bailiwick, anyway, and he seemed to have it in hand.-- Curt Sampson, The Masters
Bailiwick comes from Middle English baillifwik, from baillif, "bailiff" (ultimately from Latin bajulus, "porter, carrier") + wik, "town," from Old English wic, from Latin vicus, "village."
from: word of the day
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Today's Tongue Twister
If I assist a sister-assistant, will the sister's sister-assistant assist me?
Phrasal Verbs for today
Angle for
- Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting
e.g. The police is angling for clues of the crime from the suspect.
- Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting
e.g. The police is angling for clues of the crime from the suspect.
Today's Idiom
hammer (something) home
If you hammer home a point or an argument, you repeat it often to make sure that it is fully understood.
►The policeman hammered home the dangers of drinking and driving.
If you hammer home a point or an argument, you repeat it often to make sure that it is fully understood.
►The policeman hammered home the dangers of drinking and driving.
Word of the Day
otiose \OH-shee-ohs; OH-tee-\, adjective:
1. Ineffective; futile.
2. Being at leisure; lazy; indolent; idle.
3. Of no use.
Mr. Federspiel's surreal flourishes and commentaries straddle the line between interesting and otiose. Most of the surrealism is pretty but pointless.-- D. F. Wallace, "The Million-Dollar Tattoo", New York Times, May 5, 1991
Although the wild outer movements and the angular Minuet can take such clockwork precision, the Andante, with its obsessive, claustrophobic dialogues between strings and bassoons, seemed sluggish and otiose.-- Tim Ashley, "VPO/Maazel", The Guardian, April 16, 2002
The umlaut he affected, which made no difference to the pronunciation of his name, was as otiose as a pair of strategically positioned beauty spots.-- Peter Conrad, "Hidden shallows", New Statesman, October 14, 2002
One hazard for religions in which all professional intermediaries are dispensed with, and in which the individual is enjoined to 'work out your own salvation' and is regarded as fully capable of doing so, is that belief and practice become independent of formal organized structures which may in such a context come to be perceived as otiose.-- Lorne L. Dawson, "The Cultural Significance of New Religious Movements: The Case of Soka Gakkai", Sociology of Religion, Fall 2001
Otiose is from Latin otiosus, "idle, at leisure," from otium, "leisure."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for otiose
from: word of the day
1. Ineffective; futile.
2. Being at leisure; lazy; indolent; idle.
3. Of no use.
Mr. Federspiel's surreal flourishes and commentaries straddle the line between interesting and otiose. Most of the surrealism is pretty but pointless.-- D. F. Wallace, "The Million-Dollar Tattoo", New York Times, May 5, 1991
Although the wild outer movements and the angular Minuet can take such clockwork precision, the Andante, with its obsessive, claustrophobic dialogues between strings and bassoons, seemed sluggish and otiose.-- Tim Ashley, "VPO/Maazel", The Guardian, April 16, 2002
The umlaut he affected, which made no difference to the pronunciation of his name, was as otiose as a pair of strategically positioned beauty spots.-- Peter Conrad, "Hidden shallows", New Statesman, October 14, 2002
One hazard for religions in which all professional intermediaries are dispensed with, and in which the individual is enjoined to 'work out your own salvation' and is regarded as fully capable of doing so, is that belief and practice become independent of formal organized structures which may in such a context come to be perceived as otiose.-- Lorne L. Dawson, "The Cultural Significance of New Religious Movements: The Case of Soka Gakkai", Sociology of Religion, Fall 2001
Otiose is from Latin otiosus, "idle, at leisure," from otium, "leisure."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for otiose
from: word of the day
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Today's Idiom
learning curve
This expression refers to the length of time needed to learn something new.
►The new system has a long learning curve so we'll have to give the staff time to get used to it.
This expression refers to the length of time needed to learn something new.
►The new system has a long learning curve so we'll have to give the staff time to get used to it.
Word of the Day
rubicund \ROO-bih-kund\, adjective:Inclining to redness; ruddy; red.
The men are second cousins, around forty, resembling each other not very much, one taller and leaner, less rubicund than the other, who has just returned from California.-- John Lukacs, A Thread of Years
Rubicund from his cocktail, big, broad, lustrous with power, he exuded what Walter Pater called the "charm of an exquisite character, felt in some way to be inseparable from his person."-- Edmund Morris, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan
Rubicund comes from Latin rubicundus, "red, ruddy," from rubere, "to be red."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for rubicund
from: dictionary- word of the day
The men are second cousins, around forty, resembling each other not very much, one taller and leaner, less rubicund than the other, who has just returned from California.-- John Lukacs, A Thread of Years
Rubicund from his cocktail, big, broad, lustrous with power, he exuded what Walter Pater called the "charm of an exquisite character, felt in some way to be inseparable from his person."-- Edmund Morris, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan
Rubicund comes from Latin rubicundus, "red, ruddy," from rubere, "to be red."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for rubicund
from: dictionary- word of the day
Phrasal Verbs for today
Account For - To explain
e.g. The mamager is accounted for the missing files.
Ache for -- Want something or someone a lot
e.g. The kid ached for the new robot.
Act on- - To take action because of something like information received
e.g. The mayor of the city acted on the sewage problem.
Act out- - Perform something with actions and gestures.
- Express an emotion in your behaviour
e.g. The witness acted out how the accident happened.
Act up- - Behave badly or strangely
e.g. The girls act up when they saw the rockstars.
Add on- - Include in a calculation
e.g. Please add on the paper clips and pens on the office supplies request.
Add up- - To make a mathematical total
- Be a satisfactory explanation for something
e.g. All of the expenses adds up to one thousand euros.
Add up to- Have a certain result
e.g. Your not being serious to your job adds up to your termination.
Aim at- - To target
e.g. The vigilant aims at the drug pushers of the city.
Allow for- - Include something in a plan or calculation
e.g. The children are allowed for picnic by themselves this weekend.
e.g. The mamager is accounted for the missing files.
Ache for -- Want something or someone a lot
e.g. The kid ached for the new robot.
Act on- - To take action because of something like information received
e.g. The mayor of the city acted on the sewage problem.
Act out- - Perform something with actions and gestures.
- Express an emotion in your behaviour
e.g. The witness acted out how the accident happened.
Act up- - Behave badly or strangely
e.g. The girls act up when they saw the rockstars.
Add on- - Include in a calculation
e.g. Please add on the paper clips and pens on the office supplies request.
Add up- - To make a mathematical total
- Be a satisfactory explanation for something
e.g. All of the expenses adds up to one thousand euros.
Add up to- Have a certain result
e.g. Your not being serious to your job adds up to your termination.
Aim at- - To target
e.g. The vigilant aims at the drug pushers of the city.
Allow for- - Include something in a plan or calculation
e.g. The children are allowed for picnic by themselves this weekend.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
SENTENCE ERRORS
1. Fragments
A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence; it lacks either a subject, a verb, or both. The type of sentence fragment produced by ESL students is often a subordinate clause detached from the main clause.
Even with disguises and intricate systems of personal security.
When people eat and drink to excess.
Since the cost of living is so high in Hawaii.
Having suffered all day from a migraine headache.
The doctor, who is a prominent member of society.
2. Run-Together Sentences
When two sentences are written as one with no punctuation between (nor an appropriate conjunction), you have a run together sentence.
My back hurts it is weak.
This is my last course / graduate next month.
To correct:
a) Use an appropriate conjunction.
b) Separate the two sentences with a period.
c) Separate the two sentences with a semicolon.
3. Comma-Splice
When two sentences are separated by only a comma, the result is a comma splice.
He ate chicken that was not cooked properly, it made him sick.
/ read many books when / was a child, my favourite books were about animals.
To correct:
a) Use an appropriate conjunction.
b) Separate the two sentences with a period.
c) Change the comma to semicolon.
Source: ESL Lessons for you
A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence; it lacks either a subject, a verb, or both. The type of sentence fragment produced by ESL students is often a subordinate clause detached from the main clause.
Even with disguises and intricate systems of personal security.
When people eat and drink to excess.
Since the cost of living is so high in Hawaii.
Having suffered all day from a migraine headache.
The doctor, who is a prominent member of society.
2. Run-Together Sentences
When two sentences are written as one with no punctuation between (nor an appropriate conjunction), you have a run together sentence.
My back hurts it is weak.
This is my last course / graduate next month.
To correct:
a) Use an appropriate conjunction.
b) Separate the two sentences with a period.
c) Separate the two sentences with a semicolon.
3. Comma-Splice
When two sentences are separated by only a comma, the result is a comma splice.
He ate chicken that was not cooked properly, it made him sick.
/ read many books when / was a child, my favourite books were about animals.
To correct:
a) Use an appropriate conjunction.
b) Separate the two sentences with a period.
c) Change the comma to semicolon.
Source: ESL Lessons for you
Word for the day
from: Dictionary
donnybrook \DON-ee-brook\, noun:1. A brawl; a free-for-all.2. A heated quarrel or dispute.
But this was the beginning of Tommy's years of fighting back, a period that ended in a donnybrook conducted all over the O'Connor house.-- Tracy Kidder, Home Town
Wine and talk flow freely, so much so that the meal ends with a Rooney family donnybrook over, typically enough, religion and politics.-- Howard Frank Mosher, "24 Hours in Due East, S.C.", New York Times, April 7, 1991
The author finds few villains in "West Virginia's Battle of the Books," which describes a donnybrook over the content of public school textbooks during the mid-70's in the "seemingly placid community" of Charleston, W.Va.-- Kaye Northcott, "Round Up the Usual Enigmas", New York Times, February 23, 1992
A donnybrook is so called after Donnybrook, Ireland, a suburb of Dublin that once held an annual fair known for its brawls.
donnybrook \DON-ee-brook\, noun:1. A brawl; a free-for-all.2. A heated quarrel or dispute.
But this was the beginning of Tommy's years of fighting back, a period that ended in a donnybrook conducted all over the O'Connor house.-- Tracy Kidder, Home Town
Wine and talk flow freely, so much so that the meal ends with a Rooney family donnybrook over, typically enough, religion and politics.-- Howard Frank Mosher, "24 Hours in Due East, S.C.", New York Times, April 7, 1991
The author finds few villains in "West Virginia's Battle of the Books," which describes a donnybrook over the content of public school textbooks during the mid-70's in the "seemingly placid community" of Charleston, W.Va.-- Kaye Northcott, "Round Up the Usual Enigmas", New York Times, February 23, 1992
A donnybrook is so called after Donnybrook, Ireland, a suburb of Dublin that once held an annual fair known for its brawls.
Idiom for today
on ice
To say that a plan or project is put on ice means that all further action has been postponed for an indefinite period of time.
►Plans for a nuclear power station have been put on ice.
To say that a plan or project is put on ice means that all further action has been postponed for an indefinite period of time.
►Plans for a nuclear power station have been put on ice.
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