Category Archives: The English language
Punctuaction is important
You might not agree with me at first, but you’ll soon do it when you have read the following :
If only they had punctuated , grandpa would be alive!
Now , look at the difference between these two emails. Jane was very much in love with John but she never gave much thought to proper punctuation.This is the letter John received from her beloved Jane , which caused him great sorrow
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Jane
After sending the letter Jane was ditched by John. This is the letter she wanted John to have.
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy–will you let me be yours?
How do you say 2011?
Some time ago I published a post about how to say 2010 (click here if you want to read it) . Now , we are in May 2011 and I’ve heard the year 2011 said ,so far ,in three different ways. Now, dear native speakers you can see why we sometimes find it a bit difficult to understand your
language.But ,although you can say in at least three different ways, I’m going to stick to the one I hear more often ,’casue this is the one my dear colleague Beth fancies” Two thousand eleven” , though I’ve realized after reading lots of comments that “Twenty eleven” seems to be the most popular.
When asked, these are some the things Internet users have said:
♥”Twenty Eleven should be the proper way to pronounce it. Back in 1996 did we call it “One Thousand Nine-Hundred Ninety-Six” or “Nineteen-Hundred Ninety-Six? No, we did not. We called it “Nineteen Ninety-Six”. Over the years of the last decade we got into a habit of saying Two Thousand at the start of the year because it sounded better than for example “Twenty Oh Eight”. Now we’re in the next decade we can stop doing that, because it’s quicker and easier to say Twenty instead of Two Thousand. I thought it would have caught on by the end of last year, but it never”.
♥”I do it either way.. but I prefer twenty-eleven.”
♥Two thousand eleven.
♥I say two thousand AND eleven
♥I keep going back and forth.But I think I’ll eventually side 20-11 and so on just because it’s less of a mouthful.
I can’t help but think that these problems about the language wouldn’t exist if the English language were regulated by an institution like the one that regulates the Spanish Language , our Real Academia de la Lengua.
You might want to read:
The English language does not have a Real Academia de la Lengua
Using animals to refer to people
When I was a child I used to love animals although it never entered my mind to be a vet (I’m one of those people whose knees go jelly at the sight of blood). As I grew older I started to feel less inclined to sharing my life and house with God’s creatures.
Nowadays, the only pet I have is a dog, a German sheperd, who I absolutely adore but that’s it, at least for the time being. I have had lots of pets in my life although some of them can hardly be considered pets, as according to the dictionary, a pet is any domesticated animal that is kept as a companion and cared for affectionately and I remember some of them not complying with this defintion.
Among these so-called pets I sadly remember a canary who I insisted needed fresh air and finally died of a heart attack while being out in the terrace breathing fresh air. I guess some bigger bird must´ve thought it was a delicious bite and attacked him while in the cage.
Anyway, animals have always been part of our lives. Humans and animals are so closely related that, very often, we use them to refer to people.
Have a look at some of these sentences. Come to think of it, most have a negative meaning
He’s a snake – so. you cannot trust
He’s a dog- he doesn’t treat ladies very truthfully
She’s a dog– she’s very ugly
He’s a rat– a despicable person, especially one who betrays or informs upon associates
He’s a chicken– a coward
He’s a cold fish– A hard-hearted, unfeeling individual, one who shows no emotion
she’s a busy bee= an energetic person
She’s being catty=she’s being mean
He’s an eager beaver= a person who is extremely zelaous about performing duties and volunteering for more.
She’s a mouse=timid He´s a weasel = a person regarded as sneaky or treacherous
He’s a vulture =A person of a rapacious, predatory, or profiteering nature.
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Can you spot the error?
Have a look at this photo and read what the notice says with attention . Can you spot the error?
Well, have you? According to the information the kindergarten is really exclusive.
Remember the difference between : the kids’ studio and the kid’s studio . In the first case, the studio is for kids in the plural whereas in the second case it’s just for one kid. I can’t see why anybody would want to send their children to a kindergaten where the kid will have to play with the teacher .