Autumn's weather vocabulary

Hail - pellets of frozen rain that fall in showers

Sleet - a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow

Ice pellets - ice cubes

Precipitation - water/moisture drops

Thunderstorm - Thunder, rain and wind

Rainstorm - heavy rain with strong wind

Pelting - Hitting hard
Example: The rain was starting to pelt as I rushed over to the balcony to retrieve my sun dried clothes.

Homophones

We all love speaking English, don't we? However so, the tricky things are words with the same sound, but they are actually written differently. They are known as 'Homophones'.

Well, it's not all bad. Sometimes, the similar sounds make you remember how could you pronounce the other same sound word!

Here are some pairings to enjoy:

1. bare-bear 
2. where-wear 
3. there-their-they're  
4. rite-right 
5. hare-hair 
6. throne-thrown 
7. raise-raze 
8. flour-flower 
9. pair-pear 
10. ate-eight 
11. size-sighs 
12. wait-weight 
13. roam-Rome 
14. wood-would 
15. site-sight 
16. feat-feet 
17. weight-wait 
18. beet-beat 

‘My friends and I’ or ‘me and my friends’?

‘My friends and I’ or ‘me and my friends’? Both can be correct!! Let's take a look.

"Me and my friends"

Look at these two sentences:

1. My father is taking me and my friends out to dinner.
2. My father is taking my friends and I out to dinner.

In this case, the first sentence is correct. The test is to shorten the sentences:

1. My father is taking me out to dinner. (Correct)
2. My father is taking I out to dinner. (Incorrect)

The correct version is:

1. My father is taking me and my friends out to dinner.

"My friends and I"

A similar test can be applied with the following two sentences:

1. My friends and I are going out for dinner.
2. Me and my friends are going out for dinner.

Just shorten the sentences:

1. I am going out for dinner. (Correct)
2. Me is going out for dinner. (Incorrect)

The correct version is:

1. I am going out for dinner.

However, remember that when speaking or writing in a casual/informal style, it’s not a hanging offense to break these rules! English is a flexible language, so don't be afraid to make mistakes, as sometimes, the mistakes often go unnoticed. After all, the best way to learn is always to make mistakes. 

Courtesy of http://wordwatchtowers.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/my-friends-and-i-or-me-and-my-friends/

Make an art wherever you are!

LIFE IS AN ART

                                          Make Good Art 

-Neil Gaiman

Les Misérables

Les Misérables is a musical that is ought not to be missed. 'Les Misérables' is in French, which means 'The Wretched' in English. Les Misérables originally written by Victor Hugo, and published in 1892. It is one of the greatest novel in the 19th century, which I do strongly agree. 

The tale tells about the poverty of France, at a time of monarchy ruling, where only the barricades could bring a change. Slavery, prostitution, opportunists reigned the grey skies back then. The story also highlights succulent romanticism and admirable life principles which depicts strong faith in humanity. We all learn from movies and novels, and this, nonetheless teaches us about keeping up the faith to find the silver lining behind the clouds. 

A full life performance of 'One Day More' on the Oscar night by the original actors and actresses:

My favourite piece from the movie is "Do You Hear The People Sing?" And a lyrical preview of the piece to enjoy:

Do you hear the people sing?

Singing a song of angry men?

It is the music of a people

Who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start

When tomorrow comes! 

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger

A great weekend to everyone! Forget the workload, and clink a few glasses of drinks in the best evening of the week! Thus far, don't look back in anger!

Idioms

A piece of cake - Easy to be done

• The exam was a piece of cake for me.
• Today's job interview was a piece of cake. 

Let your/my/our hair down - Take a good rest after a long hard work

• Finally it's Friday! It's time to let our hair down! Let's go out for a good dinner, movies and karaoke tonight.
• You can let your hair down as you have finished your exams. 

Scratch my back, and i'll scratch yours - Help me and i'll return the favour

• Hey, can you help me finish the report as soon as possible? Scratch my back and i'll scratch yours! Next month, I will certainly help you in your project.

Expressing your thoughts

Making sentences is the simplest and easiest way of learning English. Language is a medium of conversation, which means, expressing our thoughts in words. So, making the sentences that represent your thoughts accurately is important.


Some common expressions to share; using adjectives in everyday conversation. 

• He is extremely satisfied with his own success.

• A drug that relieves pain is commonly known as pain-killer.

• He is an extremely serious person.

• The panda is a critically endangered species in the world.

• His brain was seriously injured in the accident. 

• He was hopelessly attracted to her beauty.

• The doctor carefully examined his wound.

• He has unconsciously realized that he has forgotten to water the plants today.

• The left wing has peacefully surrendered to the right wing.

• He has carefully selected his favourite fruits at the supermarket. 

Laughing is the best medicine

A BIG DECISION


A six-year-old boy walked up to his father one day and announced, 'Daddy, I'd like to get married.'

His father replied hesitantly, 'Sure, son, do you have anyone special in mind?'

'Yes,' answered the boy. 'I want to marry Grandma.'

'Now, wait a minute,' said his father. 'You don't think I'd let you get married with my mother, do you?'

'Why not?' the boy asked. 'You married mine.'

Twist your tongue!

How many cookies could a good cook cook If a good cook could cook cookies? 

A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.

Works good for a dreamy Monday

Shaking off the Monday blues, or just accepting the fact that it's another long haul before the weekend arrives again? Let's get into the blues where one dreamy song is enough to satiate what has been left on a Monday afternoon..

DAYDREAMER - ADELE

The well of wealth

Happy Monday!

Why did the ants dance on the jam jar?

The lid said, "Twist to open."

Fun with words

Collective Nouns for Animals!

A cry of hounds

A scold of jellyfish

A cartload of monkeys

A shoal of salmon

A hedge of herrons