Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

The old saying goes “April shower brings May flowers!” April is the time for plants to grow, and the Earth Day is coming up on April 22! Let’s start thinking about different ways to honor and celebrate our planet, whether it is planning an outdoor ramble, cleaning up litter, or using more Earth-friendly products. Here are ten ideas to help!   Fill in the blanks given below about “8 Earth Day Activities and Ideas”.       1.   Support out pollinators! Bring native _______________ and other pollinating creatures to your garden. One way to do this is by selecting the right plants. *hint: busy as (a)   ____________      2.   Clean up _________________ in your neighborhood or local park. Go on a walk with a trash bag and help to clean up any _____________ that you find. Perhaps you know of a nearby ditch that is polluted with trash that needs a spring cleaning. You will start to realize that ______________ permeates ever...

Today's puzzle is called "The Big If." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase with the initials I- F-.   Ex. Seasonal stomach ailment --> INTESTINAL FLU   1. Digit that's next to the thumb   2. Father, mother, sister, and brother, but not aunts, uncles, and cousins   3. Movie that doesn't originate in Hollywood   4. Metaphor for the ruthless exercise of authority   5. Substitute for breast milk in a baby bottle   6. Frozen block on the ocean   7. Writer who created James Bond   8. In math, what cosine is to sine   9. What a JPEG is   10. In basketball the penalty for this is two free throws plus continued possession of the ball   11. What's often cooked with curry   Answer Keys 1.   Index Finger 2.   Immediate Family 3.   Indi Film 4.   Iron Fist 5.   Infant Formula 6.   Ice Flow 7.   Ian Fleming 8.   Inverse ...

No matter where we are standing or living through, Spring is in the air. Today, let’s just work on some Spring words.       1.    What does SALUBRIOUS mean? A.    slippery or slimy B.    healthful C.    abundant       2.    Which of the following words means “to blossom”? A.    languish B.    disseminate C.    effloresce       3.    True or false? The word CHELIDONIAN is related to the arrival of swallows. A.    true B.    false       4.    What does VERNAL mean? A.    open to bribery B.    pastoral C.    youthful       5.    Which of the following words means “relating to rainfall”? A.    hyetal B.    clarion C.    irriguous       6.    True or false...

I'm going to give you two words starting with B. You give me another word starting with B that can follow my two to complete compound words or familiar two-word phrases.   Ex. Black Boom --> BOX (black box, boombox) 1. Busy - Bumble 2. Brown - Book 3. Brass - Broad 4. Basket - Bowling 5. Baby - Bada 6. Bulletin - Boogie 7. Bad - Blue 8. Building - Butcher 9. Block - Bronco 10. Big – Baby   Answer Keys     1.   bee     2.   bag     3.   band     4.   ball     5.   boom     6.   board     7.   blood/ or bunny     8.   block     9.   butter     10.  brother

Do you always speak or write grammatically correct English? How would you define “grammatically correct or incorrect”? Does English grammar take the permanently fixed form? Just as we assume based on the fact that languages are fluid, English grammar has been evolving over the years. Let’s go over some of those changes in English grammar from their old prescriptive versions into the modern descriptive ones that are commonly used by native English speakers today.   Prescriptive/Conventional   Grammar Modern Descriptive Grammar     1.   “ his or her ”   e.g., Each person is supposed to raise his or her hands.   Use gender-free “ their ” to sound more respectful and inclusive   e.g., Each person is supposed to raise their hands.       2.   “ Indians ” to refer to Native Americans   e.g., He visited the sections of Indians’ at the muse...

Do you love watching movies? How much do you know about movie terms? Why don’t we try to earn two thumbs up on this film and movie terms quiz?       1.    What is a MCGUFFIN ? A. a genre of Scottish film B. a meaningless plot device that serves as the impetus for the plot C. a character actor         2.    Which of the following means " movie script ” or “ movie scenario "? A.           dialogue B.           storyboard C.           screenplay       3.    True or false? Diegetic sound is not heard by the characters in a film. A.    True B.    False       4.    What does the FOURTH WALL refer to? A.           the shot that gives context to the scene B...