gadfly (noun) – a fly that lives on animals, or: an irritating person who asks questions all the time or who criticizes constantly Here are some examples of how you can use gadfly: The horse was flying his tail, trying to beat off the gadflies that bit his skin. The Prime Minister opened the newspaper… Continue reading Word to the Wise: gadfly
reprehend (verb) – criticize strongly reprehension (noun) – strong criticism reprehensive (adjective) – strongly criticizing reprehensible (adjective) – deserving strong criticism Please note the difference between reprehensive and reprehensible. They’re opposites. Here are some examples of how you can use these words: Teachers should reprehend their students firmly for cheating. The politician was about to… Continue reading Word to the Wise: reprehend
Check out this infographic and article, then answer the questions in the Reading Comprehension Quiz! From Marco Polo to Dagobert Duck who swam in his pool full of gold coins, to Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, people have been dreaming about riches. But instead of green bills or long lists of winning stocks, what… Continue reading The Fascinating World of US and UK Coins – Reading Comprehension & Quiz
All’s _________ in love and war – Anything goes in extreme situations or special circumstances (such as love or war). This means that you are allowed to cheat or misbehave in these situations. Which word should be in the gap? Choose the right answer: fair lovely right possible scroll down for the answer… Continue reading Instant Proverb: All’s _________ in love and war
Shall we continue practising our pronunciation and speaking? Yes, let’s. I’ve googled a little bit about this subject and I’ve discovered to my astonishment that there are no video lessons about how to say a. There are millions of lessons about when to choose a and an, which is also important. In case you’d like… Continue reading How to Pronounce A (Video lesson)
Poem without explanation. (No explanation needed, I think.)
Love is __________ – When you love someone or something you won’t see their weaknesses. Choose the right answer: a. stupid b. blind c. absent d. perfectionist scroll down for the answer scroll some more blind. (Note: It’s a cliché to say this.) Here are… Continue reading Instant Proverb: Love is …
Many students of English want to know how you say things. So here is a pronunciation video that teaches you how to say I’d, You’d, and the other pronouns with would. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVGh7xWUaEk Here is the link to the article and quiz.
deprecate (verb) – disapprove, belittle (make fun of something) deprecating (adjective) – critical, disapproving, belittling (making fun of something) deprecatingly (adverb) – critically, disapprovingly, making fun of something self-deprecating (adjective) – modest and critical about yourself, especially in a humorous way Cory Doctorow Here are some examples of how you can use deprecating and self-deprecating:… Continue reading Word to the Wise: deprecating and self-deprecating
escutcheon (noun) – shield or plate in the shape of a shield with a coat of arms (= symbol of a country, state, city, noble family, etc.) Here are some examples of how you can use escutcheon: The door of the town hall bore an escutcheon showing the coat of arms of the city. The… Continue reading Word to the Wise: escutcheon
English with a Smile 