Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

  Ode to 2024 by Jean J. Lee   I pray 2024 will see no more pernicious fighting    and no more suffering of death en masse. Those who have taken others’ lives that were crying    should face the moment they regret their past as bold as brass.   I hope 2024 will offer us all a cromulent life that is bright    so we could smile at least once a day    or crack up friends with a coruscating wit on a chilly night    and find a way to keep all our worries at bay.   I want 2024 to help us realize, as long as we are on guard for one another,   holding tight and never let go, No one would feel abandoned in the dark but discover   the light that shines and hides their pentimento.   I wish 2024 a year of a modicum of happiness that feels like a post-run shower orange, a hot bowl of soup on a snowy day, and a jolly discussion among funny and disparate group of friends. Happy, hea...

Would you like to tease your brain on a long boring Christmas holiday? Here’s our latest word puzzle. You are given five-letter words as follows. For each one, change one letter to name part of the human body.   Ex. HEAR D --> HEAR T   1. CHECK   2. ANGLE   3. THUMP   4. BRUIN   5. MONTH   6. JELLY   7. OPINE   8. TENTH   9. SINGS   10. LOVER   11. EMBOW   12. WHIST (two answers)   Answer Keys       1.   cheek     2.   ankle     3.   thumb     4.   brain     5.   mouth     6.   belly     7.   spine     8.   teeth     9.   sinus    10.  liver    11.   elbow 12.               wrist or waist

Although the world is not in festive mood today, Christmas is still coming along.  Even unkempt front yards could be transmogrified into an eye-catching spot of jollification at this time of year. Here are some Christmas trivia questions. Let’s just see how much we know about Christmas.       1.    Which country had the first Christmas tree as a tradition?       2.    In which James Bond film is there a character called Dr. Christmas Jones?       3.    Christmas Island is the external territory of which country?       4.    Which former president of the United States has a cameo in the film “Home Alone 2?”       5.    The tradition of sending Christmas cards began in _________.   A) 1800 B) 1843 C) 1900 D) 1919       6.    True or false: Mince pies, in their original form, contained meat?   ...

I'm going to give you clues for two words. The first one has six letters, in which the middle letter is doubled. Drop one of the doubled letters and read the result backward to get the answer to the second clue.   Ex. Drooped / French Impressionist Edgar --> SAGGED, DEGAS   1. Texas home to the Cowboys / Dieter's lunch   2. Soldiers / Basketball or football   3. Sort of music for Bob Marley / Impatient   4. Faints from extreme emotion / Blizzards   5. Did one better than / Train station   6. Candies / Goulash and gumbo dishes   7. One who works the soil / Ignited again, as a candle   8. Move unsteadily from side to side / Joint in the arm   Answer Keys     1.    Dallas/ Salad     2.   Troops/ Sport     3.   Reggae/ Eager     4.   Swoon/ Snow     5.   Topped/ Depot     6.   Sweets/ Stews ...

Quite often time, English learners get confused with a variety of usage and definitions of a simple word. Today, let’s dig into the word “TENDER”.   Definition # 1. soft and chewable/ easily cuttable A: Do you use this hammer-like tool to make beef more tender ? B: Yes, that’s why we call the tool “tenderizer”.   Definition #2. compassionate/ kind/ warm/ gentle When her six-month-old baby smiled at her, Janet’s heart melted away and gave back a tender , loving smile to him.   Definition# 3. physically sensitive/ hurting/ sore/ uncomfortable/ painful spot of a body My pilates instructor tells me to stop moving my arm if I ever feel tender around my shoulder.   Definition #4. young and immature Liz started her acting career since her tender age of twelve. She used to say she missed out on a lot of things in her childhood.   Definition#5. to express/ announce/ indicate/ state one's intention to do … Joseph is planning to ...

We are living in a fast-paced world where a ton of newly coined words or slangy expressions are added to the )day-to-day colloquial expressions in English. Want to test yourself to see how ‘slang savvy’ you are? The following sentences have some new expressions added to English this past year or two. Try to fill in the blanks with those expressions.       1.   Are you seriously wearing that tacky shirt to the party, Wes? Hey, try on this oversized sweatshirt that’d zh___________ up your style instantly! (*expression meaning “to jazz up/ improve something”)       2.    That guy might think he got the ______zz, but every single lady at the ice cream social must have thought that he was in the middle of his mid-life crisis. (*expression meaning “charisma/style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner)         3.    Jeff is a _______fluencer whose doggo became the star in the...