haywire (noun) – not working in the right way, also figuratively: mad You usually say: to go haywire. Sarah Rosenau Korf Here are some examples of how you can use it: Are you afraid of robots going haywire? That is the subject of a lot of SF movies. In the chaos after the earthquake, the government… Continue reading Word to the Wise: haywire
By Jacqueline Schaalje PortoBay Hotels & Resorts In this article you’ll learn some basic hotel language and how to make a reservation for a room. Booking a Room I know you can book a room on the internet and not speak to a single person, but you’ll need to know the words anyway. And in… Continue reading Hotel English: Booking a Room
By Jacqueline Schaalje This is fresh from my Teaching lab! Talking to students about room and rooms, and time and times, I realized that they didn’t always understand what I meant. And the reason is that these words can have different meanings, which can be confusing. Maybe you have this problem too, so let’s have… Continue reading Problems with Time and Room
The ____________ hour – the first hour or so after a serious accident in which medical treatment can give the patient a chance to survive Choose the right answer: blue white black golden scroll down for the answer scroll some more The right answer is: Eugene… Continue reading Instant Idiom: The ____________ hour
By Jacqueline Schaalje Illustrations by Akau Anyieth. Now I’ll teach you some important expression & grammar point about things that other people do for you. You can say this in a number of ways. For example: I don’t cut my own hair. I haven’t tried cutting my hair since I was a kid. I suspect… Continue reading Have Someone Do Something For You
dire (adjective) – very negative, difficult or urgent There are also direly (adverb) and direness (noun), but they aren’t used. Here are some examples of how you can use it: The high unemployment among youth predicts dire consequences for the economy. The charity is in dire need of more funds. The refugees have been evacuated to… Continue reading Word to the Wise: dire
Be on everybody’s ____________ – talked about a lot or by a lot of people Choose the right answer: nerves legs lips ears scroll down for the answer scroll some more The right answer is: Keith Williamson lips. Here are some examples of how you… Continue reading Instant Idiom: Be on everybody’s ____________
How to Use Apps to Practise Pronunciation, Check Your Presentations (and make sure you don’t make any silly mistakes) By Jacqueline Schaalje Did you know there are a lot of apps now that let you listen to an English text? This can be useful when you need to give a presentation, or when you want… Continue reading Text to Spoken English
Czarina Alegre imbibe (verb) – to drink (for formal or comical use) Here are some examples of how you can use it: In many fraternities (= student organizations) students imbibe enormous amounts of alcohol. The patient should not imbibe liquids that are too thin as she has a problem swallowing. It looks as if John has imbibed a… Continue reading Word to the Wise: imbibe
Czarina Alegre imbibe (verb) – to drink (for formal or comical use) Here are some examples of how you can use it: In many fraternities (= student organizations) students imbibe enormous amounts of alcohol. The patient should not imbibe liquids that are too thin as she has a problem swallowing. It looks as if John has imbibed a… Continue reading Word to the Wise: imbibe
English with a Smile 