Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

Do you enjoy reading poems? One of the simplest, shortest, but intense (in conveying ideas) poems might be the traditional Japanese “Haiku”. A haiku is a three-line poem with a 5 (in the 1st line), 7 (in the 2nd line), 5 (in the last line) syllable structure, typically focusing on the theme of nature, that doesn't rhyme.  Hoping you all find some time to stop and create your own Haiku poetry about anything that comes to your mind here and now!! I believe it might be one good way to welcome the upcoming season of Spring. As a Haiku lover, I would like to share mine for each season in a year we live.  Winter by Jean J. Lee  Start to see your breath? Icicles deck the roof top Watch your squeaky steps S pring by Jean J. Lee Mizzle sounds quiet Its petrichor smells so sweet Daffodil paints town Summer by Jean J. Lee Shades and sombreros Hide and seek with the sunray Long good books cool you Fall  by Jean J. Lee Trees changing colors Leaves keep dancing with rustles Fi...

Are you a mumpsimus or a sumpsimus? The well-known phrase “teaching an old dog new tricks” always makes me think about the old generations called boomers, which could broadly include people at my age, and their own stubborn modus vivendi.   Although quite a few mid-aged fellas and the elderly folks around us are trying to stay young and refreshed, the way they think or see the world often renegades their labels down to the stick-in-the-mud or fossilized mumpsimus.   A mumpsimus is someone who sticks to a mistaken belief, habit, or usage despite clear evidence that it is wrong.   On the opposite side on the scale of tendency in life is a sumpsimus who’s willingly correcting form or accepting/ adopting the correction. Which side are you gravitating toward in life?     Where do I stand on the scale of being mumpsimus and sumpsimus? When it comes to...... -           food choices , I am low-key mumpsimus because...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   # 13. Mary Poppins (1964) starring Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke   “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” ð   You might not have heard anyone saying this weird but rhythmical word person, and neither have I. This super long word could be used as a holophrase or an imperative verb? God only knows! In Mary Poppins, this single word was used as "something to say when you have nothing to say," but these jaw-breaking nonsensical syllables certainly have brought you a sense of vivacity for decades.     “That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken." ð   Mary Poppins said it to the...

I'm going to give you clues for two four-letter words. Put an "r" between them to complete a common nine-letter word. Ex. World's Fair / tiny bell sound  —>  EXPORTING   1. Penny / friend in war   2. Shape of a frisbee / to change, as text   3. Take a breather / a variant of "isn't" that isn't considered grammatical   4. 18-wheeler / Russia's ___ Mountains   5. Jump into water headfirst / lady's partner, informally   6. Arrived / word said at the end of a prayer   7. To exist / place to swim [ city name ]   8. Sharp part of a wire fence / pointed tools used for punching holes [ two words ]     ANSWER KEYS     1.   cent + r + ally: centrally     2.   disc + r + edit: discredit     3.   rest + r + ain’t: restraint     4.   semi + r + ural: semirural     5.   dive + r + gent: divergent     6. ...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   # 12. “ 女は海 ” Miserarete (i.e., “Enchanted”)  (sung by Taiwanese/Japanese singer Judy Ongg in 1979)   “I open the window facing the south   I see alone the color of the sea   It's so beautiful that it's scary   It's a mirage in the noon resembling to youth     Wind is blowing from the Aegean   The woman is a sea     Uh ―　 Ah ―　 Uh ―　 Ah ―   Sleep inside of me   Wind is blowing from the Aegean   The woman is love”   -         =  The singer gazes out a south-facing window at the sea, which represents her in...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   # 11. Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice (authored by Virginia Roberts Giuffre)   “We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.” – I thought a lot about that idea: that you can be in pain even if you can’t articulate it.” -         =  Through this sentence, readers could tell how desperately the author wants to get across the idea that forced silence of victims of all different kinds of abuse is not an indication that they are not suffering. They are just hiding pai...

I'm going to name three things. You tell me something they all have in common. Ex. Telephone    Saturn    Tree stump    -->    RINGS   1. Face    Needle    Hurricane   2. Hospital    Pickup truck    Flower garden   3. Pen    Finger    Waiter   4. Fireplace    Rustic cabin    Ship's captain   5. Geisha    Car engine    Celebrity   7. Men's clothing store    Deck of cards    Law firm   8. Fish    Map    Butcher   9. Tavern    N.F.L.    Room with an open window   ANSWER KEYS     1.   an eye     2.   beds     3.   tips     4.   logs     5.   fans     6.   suits     7.   scales     8....

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   # 10. Film “LOVE AFFAIR” (1994)   “The trick in life isn't getting what you want, my dear, it's wanting it after you get it". -         -  This quote by the main character Mike’s elderly aunt Ginny is focusing on the film’s message that enduring love takes efforts and intentional work, not just the spark of early passion. The two in love cannot rely on their first impression of each other forever to stay in love.   “"I guess I'm happy when I don't want to be anywhere else but where I am." -        -   Terry McKay (played by Annette Bening) meant to s...

WORK SHEET #100 Let’s practice some expressions from the episode #100 of Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary       1.    I don’t want to talk politics tonight. This is a joyful get-together where no one is supposed to r______t about the insane politicians. (*meaning “to talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner”)         2.     The edited version of his manuscript was not to his _______________. (*meaning “appealing or enjoyable to someone; to be satisfactory, pleasing, or fits personal tastes and wishes ”)       3.    The current governor of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, has no clues about keeping the city environmentally friendly and healthy at all. His addle-headed ideas and plans to develop the city is quite the opposite of repris__________ing the place back to the state of its original beauty. (*meaning “to restore something to its original, "pristine" state or condition. It is often ...

  WORKSHEET #99 Let’s practice some expressions from the episode #99 of Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary       1.    How asi__________ (*meaning “stupid/ absurd”) of him to say that to his boss? I guess he’s never afraid of getting fired.       2.    Many runners have been taken a_________ at (*meaning “to be surprised by/ shocked at …”) the steep price of racing shoes for the past couple of years.       3.    Thank goodness we were out of the principal ’s ear______ when we were speaking ill of him! (*meaning “to be too far away to hear”)       4.    Mr. Jedidiah would often stop by the café to walk down __________ lane and reconnect with his late wife Demi. (*meaning “to reminisce, fondly recall the past, or revisit old times, places, and photos”)       5.    Jose st_________ out of the classroom as soon as Mr. Hatch told him to get out. (*mean...