Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

Halloween is fast approaching and the grim grinning ghosts can’t wait to come out and socialize. Want some fun facts about Halloween?   *Picture Source:  https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/newsroom/2018/10/31/7-tips-to-a-safely-spooky-halloween          1.    The first Jack-O-Lanterns were made out of ___. a.    turnips      b. melons      c. coconuts      d. pumpkins       2.    In what century did the practice of trick-or-treating begin? ___ a.    17 th century b.    14 th century c.    16 th century d.    20 th century       3.    If you want to keep spirits out of your home on Halloween, what should you sprinkle on your doorstep? ___ a.    garlic      b. holy water     c. thyme     d. salt ...

I'm going to give you two words. Drop one letter in each of them to leave two words that are in the same category of things.   Ex. DRILL STAGE --> dill & sage (both herbs)   1. FEATHER TAUNT 2. MARKS VENUES 3. STATUE COUNTRY 4. LATKE POUND 5. SCORN BERET 6. CLOSEST SHALL 7. BLUSH CHARTER 8. PREACH BANDANA   Answer Keys (categories are inside the parentheses)     1.   Father, Aunt (relatives)     2.   Mars, Venus (planets)     3.   State, County (US regional category)     4.   Lake, Pond (bodies of fresh water)     5.   Corn, Beet (vegetables)     6.   Closet, Hall (rooms)     7.   Bush, Carter (former US Presidents)     8.   Peach, Banana (fruits)

Did you know that the color of your car says more about you than just personal preference? According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, information from over 130,000 insurance claims reveals what car color says about the owner’s personality as well as which colors are the most accident-prone. What is the color of your vehicle?   Black Cars denote an aggressive personality or someone who’s an outsider or rebel.   Silver Cars indicate someone who’s cool, calm, and slightly aloof.   Green Cars are often the choice of people with hysterical tendencies.   Yellow Cars signify someone who is idealistic and novelty-loving.   Blue Cars are chosen by the more introspective, reflective, and cautious drivers.   Gray Cars represent those who are calm, sober, and dedicated to their work.   Red cars denote those who are full of zest, energy, and drive and who think, move, and talk quickly.   Cream-color or white Cars denote sel...

Every answer today is a word or name that either starts or ends with cap - C-A-P. For example, if I gave you the clue line of text below a photo, you would say caption.   1. to overturn, as a boat. 2. Part of a rocket that holds astronauts 3. Drink just before bed 4. to take as a prisoner 5. Covering for a leg joint. 6. Cover for an automobile wheel 7. Sign after Sagittarius 8. Organization that provides royalties to musical artists      9. to summarize       Answer Keys 1.   capsize 2.   capsule 3.   nightcap 4.   capture 5.   kneecap 6.   hubcap 7.   Capricorn 8.   ASCA 9.   recap

Each sentence conceals the name of a sport in consecutive letters. You name the sports. Ex. Loo k — a rat! E ek! --> KARATE 1. He was a dumb ox in grade school. 2. This is your classic rickety chair. 3. My family has always gotten Nissans. 4. The rainbow lingered for more than an hour. 5. With enough cash — and ballots — you can get elected. 6. This historian is the best researcher you'll find. Answer Keys     1.   boxing  (dum b ox in g rade)   2.   cricket (classi c ricket y)   3.   tennis (go tten Nis san)   4.   bowling (rain bow ling ered)   5.   handball (cas h and ball ots)   6.   archery (rese archer y ou’ll)

If you are living in the U.S., you might have more chances (than outside of the country) to be exposed to a variety of English dialects or vernacular English. Have you heard of “ What up?”, “Ya dig?”, or “I finna go grab something to eat now.” These expressions originally came from AAVE , which stands for African American Vernacular English . It is also known as Ebonics or Black English Vernacular (BEV) , which is a dialect of Standard American English that has been primarily spoken by the African American community of the States. AAVE is not a broken English, bur rather encompasses a bunch of sub-sub-sets which can vary from region to region. Since AAVE has consistent grammar, phonetics, and vocabulary, it is a legitimate/ alternate form of dialect, NOT a slang or broken English. Today, let us go over some expressions from AAVE.     1.    Dig – to understand or appreciate E.g., Ya dig? (meaning “Do you understand?”)       2.   ...

This week's on-air challenge is a game of Categories based on the word SPACE. For each category given, name something in it starting with each of the letters S-P-A-C-E. For example, if the category were "Girl's Names Ending in 'Y,'" you might say Sally, Patty, Amy, Carly, and Emily. Any answer that works is OK, and you can give the answers in any order.   **Note: In some cases there may be other answers. Any answer that works will be counted as correct. *image source: https://busyteacher.org/16817-word-categories.html 1. PUNCTUATION MARKS   2. SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES   3. BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT   4. THINGS SEEN ON AN AIRPLANE   Answer Keys 1. S emicolon, P eriod, A postrophe, C omma, E xclamation mark 2. S uriname, P eru, A rgentina, C olumbia, E cuador 3. S amuel, P salms, A mos, C hronicles, E xodus 4. S eat, P ilot/ P assengers, A isle, C ockpit, E xit