The 3 longest words in English

The longest word in English is the word “smiles” because it has a ‘mile’ between the 2 s’s. Okay, okay that was a bad joke.

The 3rd longest word in English has 189,819 letters and it is the name of a type of protein. Here is a snippet of the word:

Methionylthreonylthreonyl…isoleucine

The 2nd longest word in English has 2,087,214 letters and means ‘girl’. Here is part of the word:

babyoubiquitouseadogablahomeffectonightobyeassymmetricityowlablaheat-enderopechoeslightlyuppiepitheturnsweetoastiedgedificexcretadamanterribl-educatedrumustablahisisterealityearnobodyesirapacityounderstandoorbellick-sensuousecretownevereadsimplelationatchomiciderectionaboblahisupered-iagramustoleratevenominalovenergyahoopsorryoudderunoxiouslut…oiletub

The longest word in English has 3,609,750 letters and means the current day or the day between the real day and an imaginative day. Here is part of the word:

somewhenotodayoundressomecologicalinenumerousexyeslowillingnesshotstr-angereactioneglectabulationumberightonightomorrowidoweremembersufficien-togethernessobviousoomphilariousayourselforeasonablexplorerideseriouservan-twinklechoingoosevenowomeneedoorbellikelectricalamplantingoverockslightly-ellowelluminousportuitionevereoccupiesilentouringadderoastsalmonearlyowlec-habitationationalizespecialegornamentitartanomineejectwolivesubjectwentiet-hypertextransformereappearstaticrazyoungsterunearbyachtoo…eddingown

I found this information on this site: http://longestwordinenglish.wordpress.com/ . I have to admit I think the longest word and the 2nd longest words are not as real as the 3rd longest because they were coined by writers. So, to me, it almost feels like they were cheating. 🙂 What do you think?

Talking about TV – Part 2

Here are some more TV related words and phrases…

couch potato – Someone who watches too much TV. You are such a couch potato! Get up and go get some exercise!

episode – This is one particular show of a TV series. I really loved watching last night’s episode of Lost!

pilot – This is the first show of a new series. It’s also called the pilot episode. Wow, that pilot episode was amazing. I’ll be watching this series from now on.

season finale – This is the last episode of a TV show for the season. A TV show season runs from about September to May. That season finale made me so mad, it left the show hanging.

series finale – This is the final episode of a TV show. I’ll be sad to watch the series finale of Ugly Betty.

cancelled – When a TV show doesn’t have enough viewers, then they stop making the show or they ‘cancel’ it. I was so bummed when Jericho got cancelled.

prime time – This is the most popular time when people watch TV. It’s from 8pm-11pm on the East Coast. In Texas, it’s from 7pm-10pm. The most popular TV shows are aired during this time. Then, news follows the programs at 11pm or 10pm depending on where you live. I can’t wait for 7pm, so I can watch all of the prime time shows.

lineup (or line-up) – This is an expression that means the order of shows on a particular night. Friday night’s lineup is great. First, you have Desperate Housewives, then you have CSI.

host – This is the person to stars in a talk show or a game show. I would love to be a game show host and give away money!

live coverage – This is when someone from the news station is at a specific location and they report on the situation in real time. It is not pre-recorded. My brother is a meteorologist and sometimes does live coverage of a big storm. (This is true!)

anchor – This is the main person who reports the news. They can also be called newscasters. This anchor is great. He tells the news how it is, without any bias.

Talking about TV in English – Part 1

I’m on a “media” role with my “Talking about” series, so I thought I’d write a post about TV!

Television has many names: TV, Telly (British English), idiot box, small screen, TV set, the tube & the boob tube.

Soap Operas is one type of TV program. Soap Operas usually are shown from 10:00am in the morning until 2pm in the afternoon. They are shown at that time for elderly women and house wives, but many college students watch them as well. They are a never-ending series and they have a new show every day. They just keep going and going. There are bizarre things that happen on soap operas, like baby switching, people being possessed by the devil, and sex changes. There is never a dull moment!

Talk shows are programs where a host talks about a particular topic during each show. They have guests on their shows as well. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is an example of this type of program. There are also late-night talk shows like “Jay Leno”.

Reality shows are a fairly new type of show. They’ve only been around for about 10 years. They use average people and they make the people do odd things, like eating cockroaches. YUCK!

Game shows are shows where average people get to win money by answering questions or playing some kind of silly game.

Dramas are shows which usually last 1 hour per episode. They are a bit more serious in nature, but some can still be funny. “24” and “CSI” are examples of this type of program.

Sit-coms are comedies which usually last for 30 minutes per episode. “Friends” was a very popular sit-com in the past.

Then, of course, there are cartoons and news programs.

Cheesy Pick Up Lines

A pick up line is a “come on” that a guy may use to try to get a girl interested in him. They usually don’t work, but they are very funny and cheesy. Cheesy means that someone or something is corny or unsubtle.

There are so many pick up lines, that I decided to pick out my top 10 favorite ones. And warning to my male readers, if you use these on a girl, you may get slapped in the face. So, be careful. 🙂

My top 10 cheesy pick up lines!

10. You look cold. Want to use me as a blanket?

9. I must be a snowflake, because I’ve fallen for you.

8. Excuse me, but I think I dropped something. MY JAW!

7. Would you grab my arm so I can tell my friends I’ve been touched by an angel?

6. I don’t have a library card, but do you mind if I check you out? (When you borrow books from a library, you check them out from the librarian.)

5. Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?

4. Somebody better call God, because Heaven’s missing an angel!

3. Wouldn’t we look cute on a wedding cake together? (Wedding cakes sometimes have a little plastic bride and groom on top of them.)

2. Do you know karate? Because your body is really kickin’.

1. Your daddy must have been a baker, because you’ve got a nice set of buns. (Buns is another word for a person’s bottom/butt. It also is a type of bread.)

For more pick up lines, you can visit:
http://www.pickuplinesgalore.com
This is the site where I got these pick up lines.

Talking about Movies – Part 3

Here are more words and phrases for when you want to talk about movies.

The leading man/lady – The main male actor or female actress of a movie. You can also call them the star, leading actor/actress.

The supporting actor/actress – These are lessor roles in a movie than the roles of the leading actor/actress.

Bit part – This is an small acting role in a movie with usually under 6 spoken lines.

Extras – These are non-speaking roles. People just hanging out in the background pretending to be the crowd.

Movie soundtracks – All of the music for the movie.

Screenplay or script – It is written work made specifically for a movie. It can be adapted from a book like “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the Rings.”

Plot – This is the main plan or story of the movie. You can say, “The plot of that movie had holes in it!” This means you felt like there were pieces missing or the story line was wrong. On the flip side you can say, “That plot was tight!”

Here are some words you can use when describing how an actor or actress did in their role in a movie.

convincingHe was so convincing in that role. I really believed he was the King of England.

talentedShe is so talented. She’s a wonderful actress.

versatileHe’s such a versatile actor. I’ve seen him play a doctor, as well as a janitor.

good/bad – simple words, but we use them a lot when describing actors/actresses. Wow, he is a bad actor!

overactedOMG, she overacted so much in this movie. I didn’t believe her at all.

Talking about Movies – Part 2

Here are some more terms you can use when discussing movies:

“I give it 2 thumbs up.” – This means you really liked the movie. You could give it “1 thumb up”, which means it was just okay. “2 thumbs down” means you didn’t like it at all. When you say it, you put your thumbs up or down according to what you are saying. This expression comes from some movie critics who rate movies.

Rotten Tomatoes – You can also discuss its Rotten Tomatoes score. “It received 98% on Rotten Tomatoes; it must be good.” “It only got 8% on Rotten Tomatoes; you couldn’t pay me to watch it.”

Reviews – Along these same lines, you can talk about the reviews a movie received. “This movie got great reviews. I really want to see it!”

“That is 2 hours I’ll never get back again.” That’s a expression you can say about a movie or anything really that you disliked and felt like you wasted your time. I felt like that about the movie “Dr. T and the women.”

“That was a fantastic flick.” You can use any adjective before the word flick. Flick is another name for a movie.

“It was a total flop!” That means that the movie didn’t make any money and hardly anyone saw it. You can also call it a bomb.

“That movie was a sleeper.” (Also, sleeper hit or surprise hit) This means that the movie gained unexpected success or recognition.

“Did you check the listing to see when it starts?’ Listing is another way to talk about the show-times.

“Let’s get advanced tickets. I hear it’s going to fill up!” Advanced tickets are tickets you buy a few days or several hours before the movie. You can get them either on the Internet or at the box-office (ticket booth).

“It’s sold-out!” There are no more tickets for that showing of the movie.

In part 3, I’ll talk about the parts of a movie like plot, characters, etc.

Talking about Movies – Part 1

One fun way to practice English is to watch movies in English. It’s also important to be able to talk about the movies you just watched. The first part of this post on movies I will focus on various genres (categories) of movies.

Science-Fiction (Sci-Fi) are movies that have imaginary elements that are based on scientific possibilities. They can be set in the future, or even in outer space. Some examples are “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.”

Fantasy movies focus on magic and the supernatural. They differ from Sci-Fi movies because they do not have themes that are scientific. Some examples are “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

Animated movies are full length cartoons. They can be hand drawn or computer animated. Examples are: “Toy Story” and “Snow White.”

War and Military movies are pretty much self-explanatory. They are movies that focus on warfare, battles, prisoners of war, or military training. An example is “Saving Private Ryan.”

Westerns are movies that focus on the Western part of the USA (the wild west), and are usually about gunfighters or cowboys. Some examples are “Battle of the Alamo” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

Horror movies are movies that scare you!!!! They keep you on the edge of your seat and they try to terrify you. “Dawn of the Dead” and “28 Days Later” are example of these.

Romantic movies have some kind of romance between 2 major characters in the movie. It also can be a subcategory to comedy and then the type of movie would be called a romantic comedy. Examples of romance movies are “A walk to remember” and “Love Story.”

Comedy films are movies with humor as the main emphasis. There are many sub-categories to comedy like slap-stick. “When Harry Met Sally…” and “American Pie” are 2 examples of comedies.

Dramatic films are movies they concentrate on the development of realistic characters. The themes could be alcoholism, prejudice, poverty, etc. Some examples are “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Brokeback Mountain.”

Musical films are movies which have many songs and may even have some dance scenes, as well. “High School Musical” is one of the more recent musical movies.

Action movies are movies where the story is told mostly through physical actions and not dialogue. There is usually a hero in this movie type. “Rush Hour” and “Air Force One” are examples.

A chick flick is a movie which is designed for female viewers. It’s a slang term, but used a lot today. Examples are: “Pretty Women” and “Clueless.”

Chick flicks are usually my favorite type of movies. What is your favorite type?

April Fools’ Day

I was interested in the history of April Fools’ Day, so I did some research. I decided to share what I found out here. It was really interesting to me.
April fools’ Day is celebrated on the first of April. People play jokes on their friends, family, and even on people they don’t know. In France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Brazil and in the US, the jokes are played all day long. However, in the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa, they are only played until noon. If you play one after noon, you are called an “April Fool.”

It is thought to have originated in Canterbury Tales (1392) by Chaucer. In there is the Nun’s Priest’s Tale and it speaks of March 32. Since March only has 31 days, people thought that April 1st was a joke. In the tale, a cock was tricked by a fox. Some people believe that Chaucer really meant 32 days after march, which would be May 2nd, but nevertheless, we celebrate it on April 1st.

There are other possible origins of April Fools’ Day that you can read at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools . This is where I got my information, as well as a few other web sites. They also have a list of pranks that people have played in the past.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html This site has even more possible origins for April Fool’s day, but I still like the one I wrote about best because I like Canterbury Tales.

Leave a comment on how your country celebrates it or if they celebrate it at all.

Personal Titles in English

There are 4 personal titles that are used a lot in the English language. Mr. Mrs. Miss and Ms. In the UK, you do not use periods after the abbreviations of personal titles, but in the USA and Canada you do use periods.

You use titles with people who are older than you or who you respect. Depending on your work environment you may or may not call your boss by their personal title and last name. At my job we call everyone by their first names, even the CEO of the company. However, if you work at a school, even the teachers call each other using their personal titles because they want the students to do the same.

Here in the South, they also have a new use of personal titles. My children’s friends call me, “Ms. Yvonne.” In many other states (like Texas) they would call me, “Mrs. Crawford.” So, some of this is regional.

Mr. is used for married and unmarried males. Mr. is followed by the last name of the person. In mailings you can either put both the first and last name or just the last name depending on how formal you would like to be. For young boys you can use “Master,” but this is not the norm in the USA.
Mr. Brian Crawford (on a formal letter)
Mr. Crawford (in conversation)

Miss is used for young unmarried women.
Miss Amelia Crabtree (on a formal letter)
Miss Crabtree (in conversation)

Mrs. is used for married women or women who are old enough to be married.
Mrs. Yvonne Crawford (on a formal letter)
Mrs. Crawford (in conversation)

Ms. is a newer title for women. It’s used for when you aren’t quite sure whether or not the person is married or not, so you can just say Ms.
Ms. Culpepper
Ms. Alexandra Culpepper
Ms. Yvonne (Like stated above, in the South, kids will call their friend’s parents by their first name but add Ms. in front of it.)

Saying “I’m sorry!”

Saying “I’m sorry” is a useful phrase to know in any language. In this post, I will teach you a few other ways of saying, “I’m sorry.”

I’m so sorry.
I’m very sorry.
Excuse me.
Pardon me.
Pardon.
Please forgive me.
I regret what I did or I regret what I have done.
I wish I could change things.
I’m sorry for your loss. (You can use this when someone dies.)
I owe you an apology.
I apologize.
I’m sorry to hear that. (You can use this when someone tells you bad news, like they lost their job.)
Opps or Whoops, sorry
My bad. (Slang – teenagers use it a lot.)

And guys – if you are saying sorry to your girlfriend or wife, make sure you bring some flowers. Flowers are a good way of saying, “I’m sorry!”