Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

Each answer today ends in "___ to ___." You fill the blanks with a pair of homophones . Ex. The bicycle salesman had an innovative new ___ to ___. --> PEDAL to PEDDLE     1. The thieves prowling around the Pittsburgh mill were looking for some ___ to ___. 2. When you want to slow down in front of a busy intersection, that's a bad time for a ___ to ___. 3. As I watched the seabird walk 100 yards straight down the beach, I kept waiting for the ___ to ___. 4. To prepare the dough for the oven, the baker will first ___ to ___. 5. My toes since the foot injury are better now, but I still have to wait for my ___ to ___. 6. The strip of art along the ceiling needs warm temperature to dry, so I certainly wouldn't want the ___ to ___. 7. To make some money, the illustrator for the old Disney film has a sample ___ to ___. 8. Do you know when the TV network has scheduled "Jane ___" to ___? 9. When the physician's boat was moving erratical...

  What I have felt in the still of the disastrous winter storm in Texas Written by Jean Lee As well aware, sprawling snowstorm and the onslaught of brutal winter chill have been sweeping many parts of the US states, including the states that have rarely gone through this unprecedentedly devastating scale of arctic blast. For example, more than millions of people in quite a lot of areas in the State of Texas still remain suffering and enduring the state of no power and no water supply in freezing temps as you speak. It is just like getting a strong, unexpected hit head-on without ever dreaming of how to prepare for sudden attack of winter storm. Even the ones who headed out to local hotels, seeking warmth and water, have also experienced power outage right there. Being exposed to the unimaginably low temperature without electricity for days would gradually make your body numb and rigid. As a last resort, many people -including myself and my husband - kept their cellphones charge...

Here’s another batch of this last Sunday’s Word Puzzle from NPR. Every answer is a familiar phrase in the form "___ of the ___." I'll give you anagrams of the first and last words. You give me the phrases.   Ex. SING of the ITEMS --> SIGN OF THE TIMES     (*Picture Source: https://www.thejavaprogrammer.com/ways-check-string-anagram-java/) 1. TASTE of the RAT 2. LAST of the HEART 3. LILTS of the THING 4. AMEN of the MAGE 5. STOOL of the TREAD 6. SHAPES of the MONO 7. HIPS of the RESTED 8. TABLET of the BUGLE 9. LICENSE of the BALMS 10. DEN of the NILE   Answer Keys       1.   STATE of the ART      2.   SALT of the EARTH    3.   STILL of the NIGHT    4.   NAME of the GAME      5.   TOOLS of the TRADE     6.   PHASES of the MOON    7.   SHIP of the DESERT    8.  ...

Can you fill the following blanks that complete the information about Groundhog Day? Today, let us learn about Ground Hog’s day, which traditionally marks the midpoint between winter ______________ and spring ______________. Around this time, farmers used to determine when to sow seeds of their crops, so they tried to forecast whether there would be an early spring or lingering winter.   Sunshine on __________mas (February 2 nd ) was said to indicate the returns of winter. Similarly, “when the wind is in the east on ____________mas Day, there it will stick until May 2 nd .”   It was not held as a good _____________ if the day itself was bright and sunny, because that betokened snow and frost to continue to the hiring of the laborers 6 weeks later on Lady Day. If it was cloudy and dark, warmth and rain would thaw out the fields and have them ready for planting.   Our Groundhog Day is a remote survivor of that belief. According to legend, if a groundhog sees its ___________...

  Today's puzzle is all about "me." Specifically, every answer is a word or name in which the accented syllable "me," in any spelling , appears somewhere inside it.   Example: Serving to fix or correct things --> REMEDIAL   1. Person who tells jokes   2. Single-celled creature   3. Friend in Mexico   4. Minor criminal infraction   5. Part of Ukraine annexed by Russia in 2014   6. Country located between Turkey and Azerbaijan   7. Ancient Greek mathematician and inventor   8. In Greek myth, the Titan who's said to have created humanity from clay   9. Basic kind of acid   10. Composer Shostakovich     Answer Keys 1.   Co me dian 2.   A me ba 3.   A mi go(a) 4.   Misd eme anor 5.   Cri me a 6.   Ar me nia 7.   Archi me des 8.   Pro me theus 9.   A mi no 10.         ...

  12 years ago, the United States of America welcomed the first African American president, Mr. Barack Obama as the leader. He was not a politician whose life could be filled with megalomania, but rather a man who had been there living in the less privileged circumstances and dreaming of a true change in this nation. February is the Black History Month in the States, and today I reminisce the emotion we all had back in the year of 2009. On the Day When America’s Dream Came True   written by Jean Jiyoung Lee on January 20, 2009 (on the day of 44 th Presidential Inauguration)   Who could ever let go of this day’s spirit in history? Who would forget this shout of glee? Myriads of tearful but joyful eyes are watching this man of strong conviction, Believing he will make all the changes that have been no more than fiction. Unforgettable excitement and energy fill the air. All the people of different races, origins, and cultures give an embracing smile to ...

Whenever we ring in a new year, the first wish that comes to most of our minds is “to stay healthy”. I hope and pray that every one of you out there has been off to a perfectly healthy start of this new year of the Ox. Well, even if you might not need to learn medical terms or how to express your health problems in English, I hope you find the following expressions to describe some of your skin probs/symptoms useful during this season of dry wintry chill at a dermatologist office.   At Dermatologist Office      1.    Irritating sensation of the skin that makes you want to scratch : I feel itchy on my scalp/ all over my body (especially when I don’t sleep tight or enough).         2.    In case you have painless skin growth : Could you please check on this skin tag on my neck?       3.    Asking about the store-bought patch/cream/ointment for small solid texture of skin growth : Is the O...