Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

When you learn English as a second or a foreign language, you might have trouble putting the right words in the right places in a sentence. That is one of the reasons why some English speakers sound local or natural to the native English users, whereas some others may sound a little awkward or off kilter by the way they employ improper expressions. Will you try to fill in the following blanks to make each sentence sound right?       1.    The 4 th -of-July Sales at the Auto Zone are just around the corner! My brother is all set to c__p the gadgets and gizmos he’s been keeping an eye out for in the store. *the verb meaning “to grab or obtain or buy something” in slang expression       2.      Barbie always sleeps in, so she s___________gs a bag of chips for breakfast as she runs out the door not to be too late to work. *the verb meaning to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly  ...

  Eerie, Scary Stories for Summer Night What do you do on sleepless nights to employ the long, tedious summertime? Here are some short stories that could send shivers down your spine and stop for a moment to think. We are all living in the world full of uncertainty and fuddery, which makes us uneasy quite often times. Horror stories or episodes might be the other side of our lives that are lurking anywhere to catch us off guard.  Meg, my BFF by Jean Lee   Sally and Meg have been pretty tight since their childhood. Meg was always right there by Sally’s side either when she was needed or not. Since Sally met her Mr. Right someday, Meg’s loneliness came into play as if she became a third wheel.   On the big day of Sally’s wedding, Meg sent her text message. “Hey, girl, I wish I were there at your wedding, but I’m leaving for some place where I’ll spend the rest of my life that day. I will make sure to stay in touch, though. Love you forever.” Sally had found...

Summer officially arrived this past week, and summer is known for moviegoing. So today I've brought a movie puzzle. Every answer is a well-known film with a two-word title. I'll give you rhymes for the two words. You name the films. (If the title starts with "A" or "The." ignore that.)   Ex. B ad Cr acks   --> M AD M AX       1.    C ar Do ors     2.    S ing S ong     3.    Blin ding Ch emo     4.    M ean L ook     5.    C ider C an     6.    The Ma yan Spr ing     7.    Bed ding Sma shers     8.    The Th ing's R each  Tim Answer Keys      1.   Star Wars     2.   King Kong     3.   Finding Nemo     4.   Green Book     5.   Spider Man     6.   Lion King   ...

It is natural to become physically weaker as one ages. However, it is possible to stay younger and healthier than your physical age by what you eat at your table every day. More and more medical research and studies have shown the medicinal properties and benefits of herbs and healthy diet. As of this new year of 2024, let us stay healthy by looking into a variety of herbs one by one, their nutrition facts, and healthy diet so that we are able to lead a life with more confidence and constantly get ourselves back on track with aplomb even if we happen to deviate from the optimal state of health.   #19. BERRIES How many different types of berries can you name? There are a huge array of berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, elderberries, goji berries, mulberries, acai berries, and so on. Are you afraid of eating fruits because most fruits would increase your blood sugar level? It is true that fruits might not be incl...

Every answer today is a word or name ending in "net," in any spelling.   Ex. Small room in which to eat meals -->   DINETTE   1. Person with brown hair   2. Old crime show with the catchphrase "Just the facts, ma'am"   3. Puppet manipulated by strings   4. Soldier's weapon used for stabbing   5. Wind instrument akin to an oboe   6. Brass instrument related to the trumpet   7. Percussion instrument that a dancer clicks   8. Old French queen Marie ___   9. Singer Tammy   10. ___ Rankin, first woman in Congress   11. ___ Funicello, one of TV's original Mouseketeers   12. Comedian Carol   13. President Joe Biden's middle name   14. Newspaper chain that publishes USA Today   15. Villainous superintelligence system in the "Terminator" films   16. Something a baby sleeps in     Answer Keys     1.   brun...

Wish to stop for a moment to check with your vocab capability? Here’s a random list of questions to see if you could complete each sentence with a proper word using the context and the given letters as a clue.       1.   Everyone needs sweetness in life. That is why she always dul________________ her morning tea by adding the best quality honey from the local farmer’s market. (*a verb meaning “to sweeten…”)       2.   Her grandma is such a grumpy lady that everybody in her neighborhood calls her a nasty cur_____________. (*noun meaning “a bad-tempered” person who is an old one)       3.   Well, if you really want your hubby to do something special to celebrate your anniversary with him, you need to put a b_________ in his ear in advance. (*idiom meaning “to give somebody a hint/ warning/ or suggestions)       4.   It is hard to work with someone who constantly ____pines about every nitt...

The month of June is originated from the Roman goddess Juno, patroness of marriage and the well-being of women. Also from the Latin word juvenis, “young people”. The solstice on Thursday, June 20, 2024, happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth; only our clocks are different. In the eastern United States, the solstice occurs at 4:51 P.M. EDT. Sure, you may know that the summer solstice is the “longest” day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. But that is a tired factoid. Let’s learn something new! Here’s a fun quiz to see how much you know already and how much you can learn.   SUMMER SOLSTICE QUIZ     1.    How often do solstices happen in a year ? ___________       2.    Where does the word solstice come from? (hint: Latin words) ______________       3.    Does the solstice occur at the same time or at different times across the world? ________________________   ...