Quote of the Week

The Most Frequent Collocations in Spoken English

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong".

Why learn collocations?
-Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
-You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
-It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.

note: the collocations are written in bold blue letters. Their meaning is written in white

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88802/the-most-frequent-collocations-in-spoken-english

Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)

American New Year's Eve Traditions

New Year's Eve, which is on December 31, is the last day of the year in the United States. It is a major social observance and many parties are held, particularly in the evening.
New Year's Eve traditionally inspires people to throw out the old and ring in the new. The United States is host to many traditions, several of them stemming from cultural and religious observances. Many people enjoy seeing the new year in with family and friends, while others choose to do so in public venues. Across the country, though, Americans adhere to their customary habits at midnight and beyond.

Celebrate New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is a major social holiday for many people in the United States. Many people hold parties at home or attend special celebrations to celebrate the upcoming New Year. In many cities, large scale public events are held. These often attract thousands of people.

Times Square in New York City
A particularly striking aspect of the New Year's Eve festivities is the ball drop in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City. The ball is made of crystal and electric lights and is placed on top of a pole, which is 77 feet, or 23 meters, high. At one minute before midnight on December 31, the ball is lowered slowly down the pole. It comes to rest at the bottom of the pole at exactly midnight. The event is shown on television across the United States and around the world. The event has been held every year since 1907, except during World War II. 

people start gathering around times Square very early in the morning and wait for hours for this major event. Alcoholic drinks are not allowed and security is extreme.

Across the United States a range of cities and towns hold their own versions of the ball drop. A variety of objects are lowered or raised during the last minute of the year. The objects are usually linked to an aspect of local history or industry. Examples of objects 'dropped' or raised in this way include a variety of live and modeled domestic and wild animals, fruit, vegetables, automobiles, industrial machinery, a giant replica of a peach (Atlanta, Georgia), an acorn made of brass and weighing 900 pounds (Raleigh, North Carolina) and ping pong balls (Strasburg, Pennsylvania).[1]

Midnight
Many traditions revolve around the stroke of midnight, which heralds the new year. At both public and private gatherings, people count down the last 10 seconds of the old year. At the stroke of midnight, many people toast to the new year with a glass of champagne. Some people grab a loved one or a friendly stranger and bestow the first kiss of the year. Many towns and cities put on a show with fireworks and provide noisemakers, meant to scare off evil spirits. Many Americans band together and sing "Auld Lang Syne," an Irish song bidding farewell to the old year.

Food
Some Americans eat certain foods either at New Year's Eve parties or on New Year's Day to bring good luck. European-Americans often eat pork, not only because the pig's plumpness suggests plenty, but also because pigs dig with their snout in a forward motion. People like the idea of moving forward into the new year. New Englanders often choose cabbage to go with their pork as a symbol of prosperity. Another dish for prosperity is Hoppin' John, a southern dish made of black-eyed peas. Not only do the "eyes" on the black-eyed peas resemble a circle -- for the completed year, the abundance of them symbolizes the hope for a similar amount of money.

Other Traditions
Several cities host "first night" festivities, alcohol-free, family-oriented celebrations often featuring live music. Many African-Americans observe "Watch Night" in their local churches as an observance of the Emancipation Proclamation's signing on January 1, 1863. Others follow traditions for lucky underwear. Red underwear is said to bring Italian-Americans love; yellow underwear signifies happiness and prosperity to Latin Americans; and polka-dotted underwear is expected to bring fortune to Filipino-Americans. [2]

New Year Traditions in the US
Gatherings and fun moments includes watching of championship football games in the stadiums. The streets are crowded with youth and elderly people dressed fashionably to welcome the new year with great joy.

The streets are decorated with lanterns, flash lights and colored papers. Flags are also adorned to express happiness. Giant vibrant colored electric apples are lowered to the ground at the time when people start saying “Happy New Year”.
American New Year customs are very colorful and entertaining event. You can have fun at the dance parties which is one of the major celebrations on New Year eve. At the stroke of midnight all the Americans shares kisses and express their New Year greetings. This tradition came in existence from the masked ball which symbolizes evil spirits. It is believed that when you kiss it wades off the veil spirits and purifies the new beginning.
With the change of celebrating ways people have altered this tradition. They honk car horns to express the announcement of New Year party time. People blow paper blowers and whistles which is very exciting way of wishing happy new year [3]

Auld Lang Syne
The most commonly sung song for English-speakers on New Year's eve, "Auld Lang Syne" is an old
Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum.

It is often remarked that "Auld Lang Syne" is one of the most popular songs that nobody knows the lyrics to. "Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times gone by." The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "For auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet."

But it was bandleader Guy Lombardo, and not Robert Burns, who popularized the song and turned it into a New Year's tradition. Lombardo first heard "Auld Lang Syne" in his hometown of London, Ontario, where it was sung by Scottish immigrants. When he and his brothers formed the famous dance band, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, the song became one of their standards. Lombardo played the song at midnight at a New Year's eve party at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1929, and a tradition was born. After that, Lombardo's version of the song was played every New Year's eve from the 1930s until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In the first years it was broadcast on radio, and then on television. The song became such a New Year's tradition that "Life magazine wrote that if  Lombardo failed to play 'Auld Lang Syne,' the American public would not believe that the new year had really arrived." [4]

taken from:

[1] http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/new-year-eve

[2] http://classroom.synonym.com/new-years-eve-traditions-usa-5882.html 

[3] http://www.123newyear.com/newyear-traditions/unitedstates.html

[4] http://www.infoplease.com/spot/newyearcelebrations.html

"-ed" vs "-ing" Adjectives

Ailments

Uses of Modal Verbs

Idiom of the Week

Reported Questions

Reported questions are one form of reported speech.

direct question	reported question
She said: "Are you cold?"	She asked me if I was cold.
He said: "Where's my pen?"	He asked where his pen was.

We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask":
He asked (me) if/whether... (YES/NO questions)
He asked (me) why/when/where/what/how... (question-word questions)

As with reported statements, we may need to change pronouns and tense (backshift) as well as time and place in reported questions.

But we also need to change the word order. After we report a question, it is no longer a question (and in writing there is no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).

Reported YES/NO questions

We introduce reported YES/NO questions with ask + if:

direct question	She said,	"Do you like coffee?"
reported question	She asked	if I liked coffee.

Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.

Note that we sometimes use "whether" instead of "if". The meaning is the same. "Whether" is a little more formal and more usual in writing:
They asked us if we wanted lunch.
They asked us whether we wanted lunch.

Reported question-word questions

We introduce reported question-word questions with ask + question word:

direct question	He said,	"Where	do you live?"
reported question	He asked me	where	I lived.

Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.

Remember that there are basically three types of question:

1.-YES/NO questions: Do you want tea?
2.- Question Word questions: Where did you drink tea?
3.- Choice questions: Do you prefer tea or coffee?

Reported choice questions have the same structure as Reported YES/NO questions. Questions with the verb BE always have a different structure: Was the tea cold? Where is my tea? You can see all these differences in the examples below.

Look at these example sentences:

	direct question	reported question
YES/NO questions	I said: "Can I help you?"	I asked if I could help her.
	She said to us: "Did you feel cold?"	She asked if we had felt cold.
	He said: "Are your hands cold?"	He asked whether my hands were cold.
question-word questions	He said: "Where are you going?"	He asked me where I was going.
	He said: "Why didn't you say something?"	He asked me why I hadn't said anything.
	He said: "When will they come?"	He asked when they would come.
	He said: "Who has seen Avatar?"	He asked me who had seen Avatar.
	He said: "How much might it cost?"	He asked me how much it might cost.

taken from:

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/reported-questions.htm

Indirect Questions

What are Indirect Questions?

Direct questions are the “normal” questions that we can ask to friends, family members, and people who we know well.

Example of a direct question:“Where’s the bathroom?”

Indirect questions are a little more formal and polite. We use them when talking to a person we don’t know very well, or in professional situations, and their form is a little different.

Example of an indirect question:

“Could you tell me where the bathroom is?”

Phrases for Indirect Questions
Could you tell me…
Do you know…
I was wondering…
Do you have any idea…
I’d like to know…
Would it be possible…
Is there any chance…

Direct and Indirect Questions in English: Examples
Direct: Where is Market Street?
Indirect: Could you tell me where Market Street is?

In indirect questions with is/are, the verb (is) comes after the subject (Market Street).

Direct What time does the bank open?
Indirect: Do you know what time the bank opens?

In indirect questions, we don’t use the auxiliary verbs do/does/did. Also, you can see that the verb is “open” in the direct question, and “opens” in the indirect question.

Direct: Why did you move to Europe?
Indirect: I was wondering why you moved to Europe.

Again, there is no auxiliary verb did in the indirect question. In fact, this indirect question isn’t even a question – it’s more of a statement that invites the other person to give more information.

Direct: How has he managed to get in shape so quickly?
Indirect: Do you have any idea how he’s managed to get in shape so quickly?

The auxiliary verbs have and has can be used in both the direct and indirect questions – but in the direct question, “has” comes before the subject (he), and in the indirect question, “has” comes after the subject.

Direct: How much does this motorcycle cost?
Indirect: I’d like to know how much this motorcycle costs.

To form the indirect question, remove does and change “cost” to “costs.”

Direct: Can you finish the project by tomorrow?
Indirect: Would it be possible for you to finish the project by tomorrow?

For direct questions with can, we can use the phrase “would it be possible…” to make it indirect.

Direct: Can we change the meeting to Thursday?
Indirect: Is there any chance we could change the meeting to Thursday?

“Is there any chance…” is another option for forming indirect questions with can.

Yes/No Direct Questions –> “If”/"Whether" in Indirect Questions
If the direct question is a “yes or no” question (it has no question word such as what, who, when, where, why, or how), then the indirect question will have if (informal) or whether (formal).

Direct: Does Tom like Italian food?
Indirect: Do you know if Tom likes Italian food?/ Do you know whether Tom likes Italian food?

Direct: Are your parents joining us for dinner?
Indirect: Could you tell me if your parents are joining us for dinner?
                Could you tell me whether your parents are joining us for dinner?

Direct: Do they speak English?
Indirect: I was wondering if they speak English./ I was wondering whether they speak English

taken from:

http://www.espressoenglish.net/direct-and-indirect-questions-in-english/

Noun Clauses with Whether and If

The Big Bang Theory - Back To The Future Grammar

In this video clip, the gang from The Big Bang Theory discusses the movie "Back to the Future 2" and Sheldon and Leonard argue about the use of the correct English grammar to use in describing the events.
Gramar constructions such as "Have Has Had" and "Had Will Have Placed" and "Had Have Had Brought" make absolutely no sense in English yet are funny because they poke fun at English grammar.

Just for Fun

Future in the Past

Like Simple Future, Future in the Past has two different forms in English: "would" and "was going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two different meanings.

They express future plans that were made in the past or to talk in the present time about predictions that were made in the past

FORM Would
[would + VERB]

Examples:
I knew you would help him.
I knew you would not help him.

FORM Was/Were Going To
[was/were + going to + VERB]

Examples:
I knew you were going to go to the party.
I knew you were not going to go to the party.

USE 1 Future in Past
Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. It does not matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future. "Would" is used to volunteer or promise, and "was going to" is used to plan. Moreover, both forms can be used to make predictions about the future.

Examples:
I told you he was going to come to the party. plan
I knew Julie would make dinner. voluntary action
Jane said Sam was going to bring his sister with him, but he came alone. plan
I had a feeling that the vacation was going to be a disaster. prediction
He promised he would send a postcard from Egypt. promise
REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, Future in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using Future in the Past, you must use Simple Past.

Examples:
I already told Mark that when he would arrive, we would go out for dinner. Not Correct
I already told Mark that when he arrived, we would go out for dinner. Correct

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive
I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner. Active
I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally. Passive

taken from:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futureinpast.html

Future Perfect

The future perfect tense is only used in a few situations, but it's still good to know it. Here's how to make it.

The future perfect is made with the future simple of 'have' (will have) and the past participle. For regular past participles add 'ed' to the verb ('play' becomes 'played').

Here's the positive:
By six pm tonight: I will have finished this book. You will have studied the English tenses and
She will have cooked dinner

For the short form, we change will to 'll. But, when we are speaking, we also make 'have' shorter, so it sounds like I'll've finished (don't write this!).

I'll have finished this book
You'll have studied the English tenses
Here's the negative:

By next week,
I will not have finished this book. You will not have studied the English tenses. She will not have cooked dinner

Here's the short form.
I won't have finished this book
You won't have studied the English tenses
To make the question, just put 'will' before the subject:

'Yes / no' questions:
By next year,
Will I have finished writing this book?
Will you have studied all the English verb tenses?
Will she have graduated?
'Wh' questions:
When will I have finished writing this book?
Why will you have studied all the English verb tenses by tomorrow?
When will she have been here three weeks?

taken from:
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/future-perfect.html

Future Continuous (or Progressive)

Future Continuous has two different forms: "will be doing" and "be going to be doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Continuous with "Will"
[will be + present participle]

Examples:
You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?

FORM Future Continuous with "Be Going To "
[am/is/are + going to be + present participle]

Examples:
You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?

REMEMBER: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future Continuous with little difference in meaning.

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future
Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:
I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.
I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.

Notice in the examples above that the interruptions (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future
In USE 1, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples:
Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.
I will be in the process of eating dinner.

REMEMBER
In the Simple Future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or end. In the Future Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.

USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future
When you use the Future Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples:
I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner.
Tonight, they will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

taken from:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futurecontinuous.html

Modals of Possibility

Several modal verbs show possibility. They are Might, May, Could, and Must. All of these are different ways to say maybe.

STRUCTURE

Modal Verb + Base Verb
May/Might/Could/Must + Base Verb

Examples:
I may eat dinner at 7:00pm.
She might work late tonight.
They must be tired.

May
May shows possibility in the present or the future.

Present: Where are my keys? They may be in the car.
Future: I may go to the party tonight.

May is formal and is often found in writing.
Side effects of this medication may include upset stomach and fever.

Might
Possibility in the present or future.

Where are my keys? They might be in the car.
I might go to the party tonight.

Might is less formal than may, and is more common in conversation

Could
Something is possible in the present or future.

Present: Where are my keys? They could be in the car.
Future: We could go to the party tonight.

Could shows options, or possibility.

Must
Certainty, or the belief of certainty, from the speaker.

Certain:
Everyone is wearing a jacket. It must be cold.

Belief of certainty:
He was running for 2 hours. He must be tired.
(Although it seems obvious, it is not a fact that the runner is tired.)

Have to
Certainty, or the belief of certainty, from the speaker.

Certain:
Everyone is wearing a jacket. It has to be cold.

Belief of certainty:
He was running for 2 hours. He has to be tired.
(Although it seems obvious, it is not a fact that the runner is tired.)

Have to is much less formal than must, and is common in conversation.

Past Possibility
May, Might, and Could are all used to show possibility in the past.

Modal Verb + Have + Past Participle

He might have brought the cake.
She may have gone home early.
They could have worked late.

Must can be used in the same way to show certainty in the past.
He must have won the game.

Might Not vs. Could Not
Although Might and Could express possibility in a similar way, the negative forms of Might and Could are different.

Might not shows that something probably is not true.
These books might not be the teachers.

Might not shows that something probably will not happen in the future.
I might not go to the party tonight.

Could not shows that something is impossible.
This could not be the only book available.
She could not know who my friend is. They have never met.

taken from:

http://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/modals/possibility.html

How Much vs How Many

When we want to know the quantity or amount of something, we ask questions starting with How much and How many.

HOW MUCH ...? - (Quantity)

How much is used with uncountable nouns.

HOW MUCH + UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
How much time do we have to finish the test?
How much money did you spend?
How much sugar would you like in your coffee?
How much paper will I need?
How much milk is in the fridge?
How much traffic was there on the way to work?

If the verb To Be is used with an uncountable noun, it is in singular form (= IS or WAS etc.)

HOW MUCH ...? - (Price)
How much can also be used when we want to know the PRICE of something.

In this case, we can use How much with countable nouns (both singular and plural nouns).
How much is that painting?
How much are those shoes?
How much did your jacket cost?
How much is the dress on display in the window?
How much will it cost me?
How much does it cost ?


HOW MANY ...? - (Quantity)
How many is used when we want to know the QUANTITY of something.

It is only used with plural countable nouns.

HOW MANY + PLURAL NOUN
How many days are there in January?
How many people work in your company?
How many cousins do you have?
How many books did you buy?
How many countries are there in the world?
How many students are in the class right now?
How many chairs are there in this room?
How many pieces of chocolate would you like?


Omitting the noun

Often the noun is omitted in the question when it is obvious what we are talking about.

A: I would like to buy some cheese. B: How much (cheese) would you like?

The noun cheese is not necessary after how much since we already know we are talking about cheese. In fact, it is normally omitted to avoid sounding repetitive.

More examples:
A: I need some coins. - B: How many do you need?
A: I need some sugar. - B: How much do you need?

Summary:

taken from:

http://www.grammar.cl/english/how-much-how-many.htm

Meet vs Get Together

The difference between Meet and Get Together

It’s Friday night and you have plans to have a drink with your friends.
So what expression do we use in English to explain that you will join with your friends at the bar at 10pm?

A. I will meet my friends at the bar.
B. I will get together with my friends at the bar.
C. I will meet up with my friends at the bar.
Correct answer: we use all three!

However there is a difference between sentence A and the other two (B and C).

Meet is normally used to say the place or the time you will get together with another person (or people).
Let’s meet at the library.
Let’s meet at 5 o’clock.

The other two (get together with and meet up with) both mean the same thing and expresses that you will spend some time with your friends in person.

Will you call your friends? No
Will you chat with your friends online? No
You will get together with your friends.
Many times, English learners say that they meet their friends on Friday night, which sounds like they are meeting (or knowing them) for the first time. (Not possible, you already know them otherwise they wouldn’t be your friends)

When you meet someone, it is usually for the first time.
That is why we say “Nice to meet you” the first time you are presented to someone.

You can meet a person for the first time OR
You can meet a person at a place
You can meet a person at a specific time

What they want to say is that they meet up with / get together with their friends.

Look at the response to this question: What do you normally do on the weekend?
I meet my family (incorrect – you already know them)
I get together with my family (correct – you plan to spend some time with them)

To meet = to reunite in a specific place (at a specific time)
I can’t leave work early, so I’ll just meet you at the bar.
To meet = to be introduced to someone for the first time.
Jack doesn’t want us to meet his girlfriend, so we don’t know if she’s real or imaginary.

To meet up = to make plans to be with someone in person
Can we meet up tomorrow to go over the new contract?

To get together = to make plans to be with someone and to spend time with them
I haven’t seen you for months! Let’s get together for coffee.
Olivia and Paul get together with their children every Thanksgiving.

There is also a noun form of To get together:

Get-together = (noun) a small informal meeting or social gathering
Let’s have a get-together at my place tonight.

taken from:
http://www.woodwardenglish.com/meet-get-together-difference/

Parts of the Human Body

Idiom of the Week

Christmas Words

Important Telephone Phrasal Verbs You Need to Know

Communicating properly on the phone is especially important, as the person you are speaking to cannot see your facial movement or your body language.

This lesson you will learn about what some telephone phrasal verbs mean.

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88770/important-telephone-phrasal-verbs-you-need-to-know

MORE Spanish Words "White" People Can't Say

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9 Weird Things That ONLY Happen In America

Word of the Day

eggnog

noun:  egg·nog \eg-ˌnäg\

Eggnog, is a chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk and/or cream, sugar, whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture) and spirits (liquor) such as brandy, rum or bourbon. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg. Eggnog with a strong alcohol content keeps well, and is often considered to improve when aged for up to a year (refrigeration is recommended). Eggnog is often provided to guests in a large punch bowl, from which cups of eggnog are ladled.

Eggnog is traditionally consumed throughout Canada and the United States from American Thanksgiving through the end of the Christmas seasons every year.

In Venezuela, eggnog is know as "Ponche Crema".

Just for Fun

Christmas Traditions in the U.S.A.

Christmas is a widely celebrated festive holiday in the United States. The Christmas and holiday season begins around the end of November with a major shopping kickoff on Black Friday, the day after the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving, though Christmas decorations and music playing in stores sometimes extend into the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Many schools and businesses are closed during the period between Christmas and the New Year's Day holiday, which is a time commonly used to spend time with family, return unwanted gifts at stores, and shop after-Christmas sales. Most decorations are taken down by New Years or Epiphany. Other observances considered part of the season (and potentially included in non-denominational holiday greetings like "Happy Holidays") include Hanukkah, Yule, Epiphany, Kwanzaa according to different cultural and religious backgrounds.

The interior and exterior of houses are decorated during the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve. Christmas tree farms in the United States provide families with trees for their homes, many opting for artificial ones, but some for real ones. The Christmas tree usually stands centrally in the home, decorated with ornaments, tinsel and lights, with an angel or a star symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem at the top. Some Americans use pop-corn threaded on string to help decorate their Christmas Tree!

People in America like to decorate the outsides of their houses with lights and sometimes even statues of Santa Claus, Snowmen and Reindeer. Towns and cities often decorate the streets with lights to celebrate Christmas. Perhaps the most famous Christmas street lights in the USA are at the Rockerfeller Center in New York where there is a huge Christmas Tree with a public ice skating rink in front of it over Christmas and the New Year.

Christmas Eve is popularly described as "the night before Christmas" in the poem actually titled "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Better known as Santa Claus, he is said to visit homes while children are sleeping during the night before Christmas morning. The fireplaces in many homes have been replaced by electric fireplaces, but the yule log has remained a tradition.Christmas stockings are hung on the mantelpiece for Santa Claus to fill with little gifts ("stocking stuffers"). It is tradition throughout the United States for children to leave a glass of milk and plate of Christmas cookies for Santa Claus nearby.

Presents the family will exchange are wrapped and placed near the tree, including presents to be given to pets. Friends exchange wrapped presents and tell each other, "Do not open before Christmas!" Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings and occasionally guests from out of town are entertained in the home or else visited. Wrapped presents are most commonly opened on the morning of Christmas Day; however, other families choose to open all or some of their presents on Christmas Eve, depending on evolving family traditions,

The traditional Christmas dinner usually features either roasted turkey with stuffing (sometimes called dressing), ham, or roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. Potatoes, squash, roasted vegetables and cranberry sauce are served along with tonics and sherries. A variety of sweet pastry and egg nog sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg are served in the United States.

Other traditions include a special church service on the Sunday before Christmas and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Candlelight services are held earlier in the evening for families with children. A re-enactment of the Nativity of Jesus called a Nativity play is another tradition.

Christmas-related tourist attractions, such as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and elaborate animated department store Christmas windows in New York City are heavily visited by tourists from all over the world. The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show is a popular tourist destination.

Christmas music can be heard in the background. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is one whose annual carol singing is well-recognized. Christmas symphony orchestra and choral presentation such as Handel's Messiah and performances of The Nutcracker ballet are attended. Local radio stations may temporarily switch format to play exclusively Christmas music. News broadcasts and talk shows feature Christmas-themed segments, emphasizing fellowship and goodwill among neighbors. 

taken from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_traditions

Thought of the Week

5 Steps to Reducing Filler Words in Your Vocabulary

Filler words like “um” may seem natural in everyday speech, but they do not belong in formal presentations or speeches. Powerful public speakers work hard to eliminate words such as “um,” “uh,” “well,” “so,” “you know,” “er,” and “like” from their vocabulary so that their listeners can focus solely on their message.

Filler words represent verbal static that has to be filtered out by your audience!

Repeated and excessive use of filler words weakens your credibility!

Filler Sounds — e.g. um, uh, ah, mm
Filler Words – e.g. basically, actually, literally
Filler Phrases – e.g. “I think that”, “you know”, “what I’m trying to say is”

5 Steps to Reducing Filler Words in Your Vocabulary:

Transitional Phrases:

Words and Phrases to Erase From Your Vocabulary:
1. Honestly

2. Literally
3. Stuff
4. Like
5. Um
6. Just
7. Should
8. Hate
9. Retarded
10. Don’t forget
11. Can’t
12. Crazy
13. Never
14. Maybe

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88746/reducing-filler-vocabulary-transitional-phrases-vocabulary

12 Days Of Christmas Sing-a-long

Just for Fun

Modal Verb: WOULD

Essential Words for the TOEFL

taken from:

http://languagelearningbase.com/88304/essential-words-for-the-toefl

Thought of the Week

Christmas Candy Cane

The Christmas Candy Cane originated in Germany about 250 years ago. They started as straight white sugar sticks.

A story says that a choirmaster, in 1670, was worried about the children sitting quietly all through the long Christmas nativity service. So he gave them something to eat to keep them quiet! As he wanted to remind them of Christmas, he made them into a 'J' shape like a shepherds crook, to remind them of the shepherds that visited the baby Jesus at the first christmas. However, the earliest records of 'candy canes' comes from over 200 years later, so the story, although rather nice, probably isn't true!

Sometime around 1900 the red stripes were added and they were flavored with peppermint or wintergreen.

Sometimes other Christian meanings are giving to the parts of the canes. The 'J' can also mean Jesus. The white of the cane can represent the purity of Jesus Christ and the red stripes are for the blood he shed when he died on the cross. The peppermint flavor can represent the hyssop plant that was used for purifying in the Bible.

Around 1920, Bob McCormack, from Georgia, USA, started making canes for his friends and family. They became more and more popular and he started his own business called Bob's Candies. Bob McCormack's brother-in-law, Gregory Harding Keller, who was a Catholic priest, invented the Keller Machine that made turning straight candy sticks into curved candy canes automatic! In 2005, Bob's Candies was bought by Farley and Sathers but they still make candy canes!

taken from:

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/candycanes.shtml

Christmas or Xmas?

Christmas is also sometimes known as Xmas. Some people don't think it's correct to call Christmas 'Xmas' as that takes the 'Christ' (Jesus) out of Christmas. (As Christmas comes from Christ-Mass, the Church service that celebrated the birth of Jesus.)

But that is not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced 'kye' - it rhymes with 'eye') which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos.

The early church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet 'chi' and 'rho' to create a monogram (symbol) to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top: ☧

The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians (you might see a fish sticker on a car or someone wearing a little fish badge). This comes from the time when the first Christians had to meet in secret, as the Romans wanted to kill them (before Emperor Constantine became a Christian). Jesus had said that he wanted to make his followers 'Fishers of Men', so people started to use that symbol.

When two Christians met, one person drew half a basic fish shape (often using their foot in the dust on the ground) and the other person drew the other half of the fish. The Greek word for fish is 'Ikthus' or 'Ichthys'. There are five Greek letters in the word. It can also make up a sentence of Christian beliefs 'Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r' which in English means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". The second letter of these five letter is X or Christos!

So Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced 'Christmas' rather than 'ex-mas'!

taken from:

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/christmas_or_xmas.shtml

The Tradition of Mistletoe at Christmas

Mistletoe is a plant that grows on willow and apple trees (and in garden centres!). The tradition of hanging it in the house goes back to the times of the ancient Druids. It is supposed to possess mystical powers which bring good luck to the household and wards off evil spirits. It was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology and that's where the custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes from.

When the first Christians came to Western Europe, some tried to ban the use of Mistletoe as a decoration in Churches, but many still continued to use it! York Minster Church in the UK used to hold a special Mistletoe Service in the winter, where wrong doers in the city of York could come and be pardoned.

The custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes from England. The original custom was that a berry was picked from the sprig of Mistletoe before the person could be kissed and when all the berries had gone, there could be no more kissing!

The name mistletoe comes from two Anglo Saxon words 'Mistel' (which means dung) and 'tan' (which means) twig or stick! So you could translate Mistletoe as 'poo on a stick'!!! Not exactly romantic is it!

Mistletoe was also hung on the old English decoration the Kissing Bough.

taken from:

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/mistletoe.shtml

The Twelve Days of Christmas

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates, in the manner of a cumulative song, a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. The song, published in England in 1780 without music as a chant or rhyme, is thought to be French in origin.

The standard tune now associated with it is derived from a 1909 arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin, who first introduced the now familiar prolongation of the verse "five gold rings".

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a cumulative song, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are twelve verses, each describing a gift given by "my true love" on one of the twelve days of Christmas. There are many variations in the lyrics.

Origins and meaning
The exact origins and the meaning of the song are unknown, but it is highly probable that it originated from a children's memory and forfeit game.

The twelve days in the song are the twelve days starting with Christmas Day (December 25), or in some traditions, the day after Christmas (December 26), to the day before Epiphany, or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, or the Twelfth Day).,formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking."

The best known English version was first printed in English in 1780 in a little book intended for children, Mirth without Mischief, as a Twelfth Night "memories-and-forfeits" game, in which a leader recited a verse, each of the players repeated the verse, the leader added another verse, and so on until one of the players made a mistake, with the player who erred having to pay a penalty, such as offering up a kiss or a sweet. [1]

Meanings of the Gifts 

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the Church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

The "True Love" one hears in the song is not a smitten boy or girlfriend but Jesus Christ, because truly Love was born on Christmas Day. The partridge in the pear tree also represents Him because that bird is willing to sacrifice its life if necessary to protect its young by feigning injury to draw away predators.

According to Ann Ball in her book, HANDBOOK OF CATHOLIC SACRAMENTALS:
The two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
The three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The five golden rings rerepresented the first five books of the Old Testament, which describe man's fall into sin and the great love of God in sending a Savior.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit-----Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit-----Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience [Forbearance], Goodness [Kindness], Mildness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency [Chastity].
The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Apostles.
The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed. [2]

taken from:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)
[2] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/advent/customs-and-traditions/the-history-of-the-twelve-days-of-christmas/

Just for Fun

Word of the Week

foreshorten

verb
\for-SHORT-un\




Definition
1
: to shorten by proportionately contracting in the direction of depth so that an illusion of projection or extension in space is obtained
2
: to make more compact : abridge, shorten

Examples
"The past is a giant foreshortened with his feet towards us; and sometimes the feet are of clay." — G. K. Chesterton, A Short History of England, 1917

taken from:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2015/11/23/