Author: Yvonne Crawford

Lend vs. Borrow

Someone tweeted me this week asking me to explain the difference between lend and borrow.  I thought that other people might have this same question so I thought I’d write about it.

lend

This word means that a person was allowed to use something for a certain amount of time and will eventually return it.  (Given to someone.)
I would love to lend you my dress. I just need it back by next week so I can wear it on a special date.

borrow

This word means that you are taking something from someone and will eventually return it.  (Taken from someone.)
Tom borrowed a shovel from me and he never returned it.

As you can see the words are very similar. The difference is the direction of the action that is taking place. Look at the picture below and see if it helps to explain these words.

Some Slang

Here are a few slang words that you can use, just be careful with some of them as some are negative.

dirt

This means gossip.
You have to tell me the dirt on Penny. Something is just not right with her.

drag

This is someone who is boring or someone who brings everyone down.
Fred is being such a drag. Let’s not invite him to go out with us next time.

wuss

This is someone who is weak and/or timid.
Don’t be such a wuss.  Just come horseback riding with us!

wimp

This word means the same thing as a wuss. Someone who is weak and/or timid.
You are such a wimp. Just be a man and do your thing.

Conversation Exchange

I ran across a neat little website the other day when I decided to try to find some people to help me practice my French. It’s called Conversation Exchange. The site’s purpose is to link people together who are trying to practice different languages. You can find people who want to have pen pals, correspond over IM or skype or want to meet in person. The choice is yours. You will be able to practice English with fluent speakers while also helping them with another language that you know fluently. The best thing about this site is that it’s free and even though there is some advertising, there is not too much.

If you have used this site before, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about it.

Three Ways to use Facebook to Learn English

 

 

 

 

Have any of you started to use Facebook yet?  If you haven’t started yet, I just wanted to let you know it’s another great place, like Twitter, to practice your English.

There are lots of ways to utilize Facebook, so you can practice English.  Below are three ways to learn English on Facebook.

1. You can connect to other English learners through joining groups and pages.

Here are a few pages to ‘like’:

The English Guru – This is my Facebook page. I try to engage people by having interactive conversations. I also post links to aid you with your English learning.

Livemocha – I just love Live mocha’s website. Their page on Facebook is a great resource as well.

EnglishBrnoCZ – Nina posts a lot of great links, tips, and videos that will help you in your English learning journey.

2. Posting your status

You can post things that are happening to you that are important, funny, interesting, etc.   Then, your friends can respond back to you and you can have a conversation.  Having a conversation on Facebook is nice because you can see the entire conversation and multiple people can join in the fun.

3. Connecting and reconnecting to English speaking friends

You can connect to your Twitter friends and other friends who speak English on Facebook. You can talk with your friends via Facebook email, IMs, posting on their wall or replying to their statuses.

All in all, Facebook is a great social media tool, not only to find long lost friends, but a great place to make new friends and practice English.

Animal Sounds in English

Have you ever noticed how every language interprets and spells animal sounds slightly different?  Here’s a list of some animal sounds in English.

Cat – meow

Dog – ruff, bark

horse – neigh

duck – quack

rooster – cock-a-doodle-doo

bee – buzz

mice – squeak

turkey – gobble

pig – oink

sheep – baa

goats – meeeh, baa

chick – cluck

cow – moo

donkey – hee-haw

frog – ribbit

bird – chirp

 

Rain, Rein or Reign

Here are three words that sound the same way, but all have different meanings.

rain

This is the one you are probably most used to. It is the water that condenses and falls to the earth.
What a beautiful day.  It rained a little, and then the sun came out and we saw a rainbow.

rein

Reins are the leather straps that are used to guide a horse when you ride it.
When I was little I used to ride horses very often. One day the horse went crazy and I had to take the reins and really pull him or he would’ve ran straight into the gate.

reign

This is a period of time when a monarch occupies the throne of a country.
The king’s reign over the country was short, but very productive to the country’s economy. 

Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That

I know you all are very serious in your English language learning, but every once in awhile it’s nice to do something fun.  So, today let’s talk about riddles!!!  Riddles are little language puzzles.  Usually a statement or question that has a double meaning.  Leave me a comment with a riddle that you have heard before and like a lot.

Here are some of my favorite riddles:

1.  It walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening. What is it?

2.  What is in seasons, seconds, centuries and minutes, but not in decades, years or days?

3.  The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?

Answer:

1.  A person.  We crawl on all fours as a baby, walk on two legs as an adult and use two legs and a cane when we’re old.

2.  The letter N.

3.  Darkness

If you enjoyed these, you can find these and other at:  http://dan.hersam.com/riddles.html

Wednesday’s Slang!

Here are some great slang expressions that I really love to use:

Get a move on!

I use this expression so much with my children that now my daughter is using it. It means that you want someone to speed up or get going.
Mom, I’m going to be late for school, let’s get a move on!

Let’s get cracking!

This means to get started doing something.
Right after the alarm rang, I jumped out of bed and yelled, “Let’s get cracking!”

good egg

This means the person you are talking about is a good person.
That little boy, Henry, he’s really a good egg. I think you should invite him to your party.

brain is fried

This can refer to using drugs, but it can also mean that you have studied or learned a lot and your brain is mentally tired.
Wow, I just took a 5 hour exam, my brain is totally fried!