Albino – where does that word come from?
Have you ever seen a white wallaby? A white squirrel? Have you been lucky enough to see a white peacock? I saw white (albino) wallabies in the zoo, and my brain went to where it always goes… where does the word albino come from?
Hello? Is it English you’re looking for?
(To the tune of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”)
I’ve thought about your English many times,
And in my dreams I’ve helped you write 10,000 lines,
I sometimes see your posts up on my wall,
Hello? Is it English you’re looking for
Why fun is so important for learning English
As adults sometimes we think that fun isn’t important to learning, that’s for kids, right? Wrong. Research on the human brain shows that if you are enjoying yourself, you are much more likely to remember something. Why is that?
Where does the word hedgehog come from?
How often do you learn a new word in a foreign language and think about where that word came from? How was it ‘born’, who were it’s ‘language parents’? Most people look at the little spikey creature with its pointy face, little black eyes and cute little feet and think “That’s a hedgehog” and go no further. I’m Lana Betts though and I’m always curious, so join me in my hedgehog investigation.
Hindi’s colourful influence on the English language
Britain and India have a long history together. As a result of this history, the English language has many Hindi words that we use every day without even thinking about it.
Nirvana - Heavenly spiritual enlightment
Enamoured - where does it come from?
To be enamoured with something means to strongly like something.
The English language is heavily influenced by old French. In old French en = in, amour = love. So to be enamoured with something means to be in love with it. Knowing where a word comes from can help to remember it, and to remember how to spell it.
Ghost words in the English Language
The English language has more words than any other language. It also has 'ghost words'. These are words that made it into the language by mistake.
Unity and togetherness in English
Unity: Being united or joined together as 'one'. We are living in a time when working together and thinking of others keeps ourselves and the rest of the world safe. More than ever before we need to be united as one people. So here are some other ways to describe oneness in English:
Pub or Bar? What’s the difference?
The pubs (short for public houses) are opening again in England today. Have you ever wondered what the difference between a pub and a bar is?
Spelling tips for difficult words in English
Spelling can be a little tricky in English because it is a language that has many different "language parents" like latin, greek, and norse languages.
Quarantine - where does it come from?
The word "quarantine" comes from "quarantena" which means 40 days in 14th and 15th century Venetian. This comes from sailors staying in their boats for 40 days before they could come onto dry land. This was during a pandemic.