Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

Halloween is fast approaching. It is characterized by fun trick-or-treaters, charmingly spooky decorations, jack-o-lanterns, and obnoxiously sweet candies. Are you ready for a fun night-out or turning off all the lights in your house with your ears plugged, drowning out the noise from the outside? Let us fill in the blanks to learn about Halloween. Before we move on, I would like to have a silent moment with you all in memory of all those victimized and affected by the 2022 Halloween crush tragedy that occurred in Seoul, Korea. Not only the bereaved families but most Korean people as well have been demanding a comprehensive investigation into the disaster to no avail. People wish to bring justice and gravitas back to Korean society.  What is the history of Halloween? The modern holiday of Halloween traces its origins back to Samhain, an ancient Pegan festival that marked the end of summer and the harvest season and the beginning of the long winter, according to History. 1. Ancien...

I'm going to give you two five-letter words. Put the same pair of letters in front of each of them to complete two common seven-letter words.   Ex. Dress     Verse     -->    AD DRESS , AD VERSE       1.    Voice     Stall     2.    Eight     Agile     3.    Scene     Serve     4.    Grate     Stake     5.    Spice     Stile     6.    Brace     Irate     7.    amber     alice     8.    Tempt     Heist   Answer Keys     1.   in voice, in stall     2.   fr eight, fr agile     3.   ob scene, ob serve     4.   mi grate, mi stake     5.   ho spice, ho...

How good are you at using phrasal verbs? The verb “to get” has myriads of different meanings with different prepositions added to the verb. Try to fill in the following blanks with proper prepositions to make sense of each sentence. Let’s get down to it!       1.    I don’t think Puff Diddy will get ____________ with his malicious behavior. He has been deeply involved with a lot of wrongdoing. *meaning “to avoid punishment to escape blame or punishment when you do something wrong, or to avoid harm or criticism for something you did”       2.     Miranda seems to get back ______ his abusive ex-boyfriend by spreading   rumors about him. *meaning “to revenge/ retaliate”       3.    Her grandfather is finding it difficult to get _____________ without a walker due to his sprained ankle. *meaning “to move from place to place/ travel”   4.    I wasn’t even able t...

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.   # 25. APPLES 🍎🍏 You know what they say – “An apple a day keeps the doctor away! Here are some of the numerous health benefits of apples, as well as some of their other interesting uses.   A study published in 2013 in the British Medical Journal comparing cardiovascular mortality rates between people taking statin drugs and those eating an apple a day concludes, “We find ...

This is a phonetic puzzle. If I asked you to say a letter of the alphabet before one of the gifts of the Three Wise Men to get a boy's name, you'd put L before MYRRH to get ELMER. Now try these. ** Make sure to find the proper “PHONETIC SOUNDS”, NOT “SPELLING”! ^^ Say a letter of the alphabet before ... to get ... 1. ...a decoration on a gift ... a thin musical instrument     2.    ... a carpenter's tool ... a biblical patriarch     3.    ... a boundary of a field ... a word meaning "prevention of a team from scoring"     4.    ... the sound a cat makes ... part of a car that clears a windshield     5.    ... the opposite of war ... a monocle, for example     6.    ... where a judge presides ... a person who accompanies someone on a date     7.    ... a son of Adam and Eve ... a word meaning "difficult to understand"     8.    .....

It is true that English grammar has been evolving, and some descriptive grammar has outlived its prescriptive version. However, there are basic grammar rules that should be followed.  Here are common grammar mistakes that even advanced level of ESL/ EFL students frequently make, especially when they are speaking. Spot a mistake in each of the following sentences and correct them.       1.    I suggested him to find a clue by himself.       2.    I suggest you to do it.       3.    I suggest you are there on time.       4.    I suggest you don’t make the same mistake again.       5.    I am looking for a two bedrooms apartment.       6.    I have a 27 years old daughter.       7.    I would appreciate getting some good advices from you.       8.    I am r...