Fazed by the English Language's Quirks
by Geoff Tan for Mypaper, 23 July 2012
I have always been intrigued by the English language and its idiosyncrasies.
It is certainly not as simple and straightforward as it appears to be. I have often stumbled over its inconsistencies and, till today, cannot figure out why certain things are the way they are.
My former boss recently sent me an e-mail message about the more interesting quirks of English.
For example, have you ever wondered why the plural of ox is not oxes, but the...
Just opened old archives in my inbox and found old mail taught me about idioms with using wording "all".
All heart (adjective) :
It means that someone who's very kind and generous.
Ex: "Dena is good person. she is all heart and always helping out the poor and unfortunate"
All your eggs in one basket :
It means don't put something in one place, because it has a risk, and you can loose all of this at once.
Ex: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket, let's put something in the right and save place"
All ears (adjective) :...
Below is the response for "Common English mistakes made here" post. Mr Daniel Marden, Senior English-Language Teacher Inlingua School Of Languages In Singapore, show his opinion regarding the usage of "Can". This article was posted in mypaper newspaper dated 9 April 2012.
Acceptable to use 'can' in requests
I REFER to Ms Pamela Chong Kwang Ngo's letter, "Common English mistakes made here" (my paper, April 3).
She states that requests should be in the form of "Would you" or "May I", rather than "Can you" or "Can...
Below is the article written by Ms Pamela Chong Kwang Ngo which published in "Mypaper" newsletter dated 3rd April 2012. It's an interesting subject and hopefully help your english better.
Common English Mistakes Made Here (Singapore)
I would like to bring to the attention of all English-speaking Singaporeans the most glaring and widely made mistakes in our society.
1. The difference between 'send', 'take', 'bring' and 'fetch'
"Take" is used when you go from one place to another, and the thing (or person)...
Say it Better in English: Useful Phrases for Work and Everyday Life
Learn the most useful American English expressions for work and everyday life. For example, expressions like: I'll double-check, within the hour, split the check, Can I put you on hold? -- plus hundreds more.
Cartoons show you how each expression is used in real-life situations. Two additional examples are offered for each expression. Over 50 fun crossword puzzles let...
Apa artinya 'vice versa'?
Vice versa (dibaca vais versa) adalah sebuah bahasa serapan dari bahasa latin. Arti originalnya sendiri berarti "diposisikan sebaliknya", "sebaliknya", ato "terbalik" (dari yang seharusnya). Namun begitu, vice versa sebagai kata keterangan (adverb) yang menjelaskan bahwa kebalikan dari fakta pertama yang dikatakan juga kenyataan. Contohnya:
She hates him and vice versa. (Dia membencinya dan begitu pula sebaliknya).
Fish can't live where we are most comfortable, and vice versa. (Ikan tidak bisa hidup...
Beberapa orang yang saya tanyai menganggap menulis itu SUSAH. Menulis dalam bahasa Inggris? LEBIH SUSAH lagi.Walaupun begitu orang2 tersebut juga menganggap keterampilan menulis dalam bahasa inggris itu penting. Apalagi jika anda ingin sekolah/bekerja di luar negeri, atau bekerja di multinational company, atau bersosialisasi dalam masyarakat international.
5 Cara Meningkatkan Kualitas Menulis dalam bahasa Inggris
1. Tingkatkan perbendaharaan kata anda (Improve your vocabulary)
Kalimat adalah untaian kata. Jika anda menguasai...
PhD way to cheat ticket train
Three PhDs and three MDs are going to a conference and must travel by train to get there. At the station, the three MDs buy their three tickets and watch as the three PhDs buy only a single ticket.
"How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" says one MD.
"Just watch and you'll see," answers a PhD.
They all board the train and the MDs take their seats and watch as all three PhDs cram into a restroom and close the door behind them. The train departs and shortly afterward, the...
Hahahaha... Simple sentence but SHOCKING !
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People have presumed kind of several high rank parliamentary members brain, there are 2 sides of the brain:On the LEFT side, there is nothing RIGHT.On the RIGHT side, there is nothing LEFT.
In case you don't understand this joke, below is the translation:
Masyarakat menganggap otak para anggota parlemen itu mempunyai 2 sisi.Di sisi KIRI, ga ada yang BENAR (right = kanan ato benar)Di sisi KANAN, ga ada sama sekali (ga ada yang...
Green, Pink & Yellow
Is it about Listening or spelling?
A young man comes before a customs agent.
A: "State your citizenship."
B: "American" (pronounced with a Spanish accent).
A: "Hold on there, buddy. Say that again."
B: "I sed American."
A: "I'm going to give you a test."
B: "No, no senor, no need for test, I tell you I"m American."
A: "Yeah, sure buddy. OK, let's see, ... I've got it. Make a sentence with the following colors: green, pink and yellow."
B: "Oh senor, I tell you I'm American....
