weekly posts on literature, languages, and learning
Each year, lexicographers1 working for prominent publishing companies announce a word that, in their judgment, marked the previous year. Their choice usually tells us something about the state of affairs2 in the world we live in and the way language reflects it. In this post, we’ll look at the English words of the year 2021. …
[Please scroll down to the bottom of the page for vocabulary notes and comments designed for ESL / EFL learners.] The shortest day and the longest night of the year... The Winter Solstice is here! Far more than just an annual astronomical occurrence, the Winter Solstice has inspired countless seasonal customs, traditions and festivals in …
[This post has been written primarily with English language learners in mind, levels B2 and above. You’ll find comments on the highlighted words at the bottom of the page.] Are there any films that you watch every single year, as if by habit? Films that have become your personal cult classics and that you traditionally …
It's been claimed that the Inuit languages of North America have over 50 different words for snow. You may be surprised to learn that English comes pretty close: if we include all the regional variants and dialects, the list gets pretty long! But don't worry, in this post we'll only look at the most common …
Stara je lingvistička dosetka kako u dijalektima severnoameričkih Eskima postoji preko pedest različitih reči za sneg. Sve i da je tačna, zapravo i ne bi bila tako neobična - ukoliko uključimo sve regionalne govore i dijalekte, po ukupnom broju termina ni engleski ne zaostaje. Bez panike od mnoštva novih i nepoznatih reči: ovde ćemo se …
Continue reading "Engleski vokabular za opisivanje snežnog vremena"
There are many words in English that we can use to say that something looks attractive: from 'pretty' and 'beautiful' to strong adjectives such as 'stunning', 'fascinating' or 'captivating'. In this post we'll look at the interesting background of another one of those, namely 'mesmerizing'. Firstly, what exactly does this adjective mean? The Cambridge Dictionary …
Postoji mnogo reči kojima na engleskom može da se izrazi da nešto izgleda lepo i privlačno: od jednostavnih prideva kao što su ‘pretty’ i ‘beautiful’ do onih sa znatno intenzivnijim značenjem poput ‘stunning’, ‘fascinating’ ili ‘captivating’. Svi imaju interesantnu etimologiju, ali u ovom tekstu osvrnućemo se na jedan drugi primer sa sličnim značenjem: ‘mesmerizing’. Najpre, …
Continue reading "Opčinjavajuća istorija prideva ‘mesmerizing’"
As I’m writing this post, it’s typical November weather in my part of the world: gray and rainy. I actually happen to love it, and so I’ve been thinking - what better vocabulary topic for this week than - rain! Let’s start from the beginning. When the weather is very cloudy and dark you can …
Continue reading "From drizzle to downpour: common words and phrases to describe rainy weather"
Dok pišem ovaj članak, napolju je tipično novembarsko vreme, sivo i kišovito. Među malobrojnima sam koji uživaju u tome, pa nisam odoleo da se ove nedelje na blogu posvetim upravo temi engleskog vokabulara vezanog za kišu. Pa, krenimo redom... Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com Za početak, nebo obeleženo jakom naoblakom možemo da opišemo pridevom …
Continue reading "Mali pojmovnik kišnog vremena u engleskom"
In case the ongoing pandemic and a host of other global disasters haven't been enough to spook you, here are a couple of suggestions as to how you might spend your evenings this Halloween season - or, if you're anything like me, most evenings during the entire year! PODCAST: Classic Ghost Stories At the moment …
Continue reading "Horror cult classics: my top 3 Halloween tips"
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